Focus: Knowing The Lord! (Pt.1)

Text: Phil.3:10

"That I may know him…"

Paul had intense desire to keep on knowing the Lord, for he knew how central and vital it was to know God, and being a Jew, he recognized that the knowledge of God was the highest of all knowledge. No knowledge in this world supersedes or measures up to the knowledge of God, and no man will be able to know himself until he knows the Lord. As a matter of fact, Paul tells us that "the world by wisdom knew not God" (1Cor.1:21).

Paul's journey of the Christian faith started from his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. He asked two questions to Christ. The first is: "Who are you, Lord?" He sought to know the Lord. He could not afford to be ignorant of whoever was behind that momentous Damascus event that had radically altered his life. The next question was: "What do you want me to do?" He was already catching a sense of mission. He knew that whoever he was that supernaturally ruined his plans and stopped him in his tracks from harming Christians must have a greater job waiting for him. It is that same Paul who after years of that first encounter with the Lord, who is still showing deep hunger and thirst for the knowledge of the Lord. He says, "That I may know him…"

Moses encountered the Lord at the Burning Bush, but as by the time he was ready to return to Egypt he was still not sure of who God was. God knew him and called him twice by name, but he did not know who the Lord was. He says to the Lord, "What is your name?" because he knew that God's people in Egypt would certainly demand proof of his encounter with God and what His name was. He wanted to go back to them and speak with certainty and conviction. He wanted to speak as one having authority, audacity and great confidence. Truly, knowledge is power.

The knowledge of God will save us from all kinds of trouble.

The Lord Jesus Christ said, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God" (Mt.22:29). We commit errors due to ignorance. Ignorance of God is a big problem.

Know Him too. Lay hold on Him who has laid hold of you. Ignorance is dangerous. John writes, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not" (Jh.1:10). The creator comes into His world and no one recognizes Him. Ignorance is not bliss at all. It inflicts pain on all of us. Paul says, "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1Cor.2:8). You can see how dangerous ignorance is! For lack of knowledge the princes of this world crucified the Lord of glory - their own maker and master. Paul says again, "Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods" (Gal.4:8). That is the danger of ignorance, particularly, the ignorance of God. 

Ignorance is the fabricator of idols and maker of gods who are not gods at all. People serve godless gods due to lack of the knowledge of God.

Another point to note is that knowing God is not enough; knowing God should lead to glorifying Him for who He is and for what He does for us. Paul says, "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful…" (Rom.1:21). They knew God, but they acted contrary to knowledge. They were thankless at heart, and I tell you, people are basically thankless because they are thoughtless.

Knowing God leads to trusting Him. The psalmist says, "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee" (Ps.9:10). Knowledge of God leads to greater trust in Him. The more we know God is the more we trust and seek Him.

Peter brings His own dimension, and says, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2Pet.3:18). It is not enough to know God; we must grow in divine knowledge. We must get deeper and rise higher in the knowledge of God. Amen!

by Bishop Moses E. Peter