The Power of Knowing God
The Power of Knowing God: Moving Beyond the Unknown
There's an unsettling feeling in the air these days. A sense that something isn't quite right in our world. The statistics are sobering—leading the world in sexual perversion, crime, adultery, and murder. These aren't just numbers on a page; they represent a spiritual crisis that demands our attention.
But before we point fingers at the culture around us, we need to look in the mirror. The state of our nation reflects the state of our hearts. The question isn't just "What's wrong with the world?" but "What needs to change in me?"
This isn't a call to despair. It's a call to prayer, repentance, and a deeper knowledge of the God we serve.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
At Arlington National Cemetery stands the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier—a monument to a service member whose identity remains a mystery. No name. No family. No distinguishing marks. Just bones without a story. The military works tirelessly to identify fallen soldiers because being unknown is a tragedy.
Yet many people worship an unknown God. They acknowledge His existence, speak His name casually, and perhaps even attend religious services. But they don't know Him. Not really. Not intimately.
Helen Keller, blind and deaf from 19 months old, once said something profound after learning about God through Bible lessons: "I knew about God before you told me. I just didn't know His name."
That statement captures the human condition. We sense there's something greater, but until we encounter God personally, He remains distant and unnamed.
Why Knowing God Matters
Knowing God isn't just beneficial—it's essential. It's the foundation for three critical aspects of our spiritual lives.
1. Knowing God Is the Path to Salvation
Scripture tells us plainly: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
Consider the blind man Jesus healed by the Pool of Siloam. After the Pharisees cast him out of the temple, Jesus found him and asked, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" The man responded, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe in Him?" When Jesus revealed Himself, the man's response was immediate and beautiful: "Lord, I believe." And then he worshiped.
Physical sight was restored, but more importantly, spiritual sight was given. The man didn't need convincing or theological arguments. He encountered Jesus and believed.
Think of the Apostle Paul on the Damascus road. Blinded by a great light, he didn't ask, "Who is this?" He asked, "Lord, who art thou?" Paul already knew this was God—he just needed to know His name. "I am Jesus whom you persecute," came the answer. And Paul was never the same.
Salvation comes through knowing God personally, not just knowing about Him.
2. Knowing God Enables True Worship
We were created to worship. It's wired into our spiritual DNA. But worshiping an unknown God is empty and unfulfilling. How can you pour out your heart to someone you don't know?
When Paul walked through Athens, he found an altar inscribed "To the Unknown God." The Athenians wanted to cover all their bases, making sure they didn't offend any deity they might have missed. Paul's response was bold: "Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you" (Acts 17:23).
Are we declaring the God we know to those around us? Do people see in our lives the evidence of a relationship with Jesus Christ?
The Westminster Catechism states that "the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." Worship isn't a duty we perform; it's the natural overflow of knowing God intimately. It's fellowship between persons who know each other deeply.
Enoch knew God so well that Scripture says he "walked with God, and then he was not" (Genesis 5:24). The relationship was so close that God simply brought him home. No death. Just translation into eternal presence.
That's the kind of knowing we should pursue—a walking, daily, intimate fellowship that transforms everything.
3. Knowing God Transforms Us
Here's a sobering truth from Psalm 115:8: "Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." We become like what we worship.
Look around. People reflect what they bow down to. Whether it's political ideologies, entertainment, material possessions, or false images of God—whatever captures our devotion shapes us.
But Romans 8:29 gives us a different destiny: "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son." Day by day, through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we're being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
This transformation requires our participation. We must pray, meditate on Scripture, fellowship with believers, worship, serve, and witness. As we do these things, the Holy Spirit quietly works, reshaping us.
When Moses spent time with God, his face glowed with divine glory. He didn't know it was happening, but everyone around him could see the difference. The more time he spent with God, the more he was transformed.
The same happens to us. As we spend time with the Lord, we're "being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Growing in Grace and Knowledge
There's a direct connection: the better we know the Lord, the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we worship Him. The more we worship Him, the more we obey Him.
This is what Peter meant when he wrote, "Grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). Growing in grace means growing in understanding God's mercy, love, and complete work on our behalf. There's no feat left to accomplish—God has done it all. We simply respond in service and obedience.
The Worship We Were Made For
God doesn't command worship because He needs it. Before creation, the Trinity existed in perfect fellowship. God needed nothing. But He commands worship because we need it. We were created for this purpose, and our hearts long for it even when we don't realize it.
Our worship now is a rehearsal for eternity. Revelation 5:11-12 gives us a glimpse: "Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.'"
We'll spend eternity on our knees, voices raised, eyes fixed on the Lord God Almighty, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth.
The Choice Before Us
The divide is growing. On one side, people who fully rely on God for everything. On the other, those who have turned away completely, determined to do life on their own terms.
Where do we stand?
Our salvation, worship, transformation, and service all require complete dependence on God. As 1 John 1:3 reminds us, "Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ."
The image of God is found in the Son. And the image of the Son is what we're being conformed into. This happens as we study His Word, know Him intimately, and worship Him in spirit and truth.
Take Your Eyes Off the World
The world constantly tries to shape us, mold us, control us. Media bombards us with messages designed to conform us to its image. We can become hypnotized, moving along like cattle with the rest of the crowd.
But we're called to something different. We're called to discernment, wisdom, and strength in the Lord. We're called to be the people others run to when they need wisdom beyond human understanding.
The call is clear: take your eyes off everything else and focus them on Jesus alone. Let Him conform you into His image. Because at the end of the day, that's the only thing that matters on this earth—becoming more like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you know Him? Not just about Him, but truly know Him? The invitation stands. Meet Him face to face. Bow your knee. Say, "Lord, I believe." And let the transformation begin.
There's an unsettling feeling in the air these days. A sense that something isn't quite right in our world. The statistics are sobering—leading the world in sexual perversion, crime, adultery, and murder. These aren't just numbers on a page; they represent a spiritual crisis that demands our attention.
But before we point fingers at the culture around us, we need to look in the mirror. The state of our nation reflects the state of our hearts. The question isn't just "What's wrong with the world?" but "What needs to change in me?"
This isn't a call to despair. It's a call to prayer, repentance, and a deeper knowledge of the God we serve.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
At Arlington National Cemetery stands the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier—a monument to a service member whose identity remains a mystery. No name. No family. No distinguishing marks. Just bones without a story. The military works tirelessly to identify fallen soldiers because being unknown is a tragedy.
Yet many people worship an unknown God. They acknowledge His existence, speak His name casually, and perhaps even attend religious services. But they don't know Him. Not really. Not intimately.
Helen Keller, blind and deaf from 19 months old, once said something profound after learning about God through Bible lessons: "I knew about God before you told me. I just didn't know His name."
That statement captures the human condition. We sense there's something greater, but until we encounter God personally, He remains distant and unnamed.
Why Knowing God Matters
Knowing God isn't just beneficial—it's essential. It's the foundation for three critical aspects of our spiritual lives.
1. Knowing God Is the Path to Salvation
Scripture tells us plainly: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
Consider the blind man Jesus healed by the Pool of Siloam. After the Pharisees cast him out of the temple, Jesus found him and asked, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" The man responded, "Who is He, Lord, that I might believe in Him?" When Jesus revealed Himself, the man's response was immediate and beautiful: "Lord, I believe." And then he worshiped.
Physical sight was restored, but more importantly, spiritual sight was given. The man didn't need convincing or theological arguments. He encountered Jesus and believed.
Think of the Apostle Paul on the Damascus road. Blinded by a great light, he didn't ask, "Who is this?" He asked, "Lord, who art thou?" Paul already knew this was God—he just needed to know His name. "I am Jesus whom you persecute," came the answer. And Paul was never the same.
Salvation comes through knowing God personally, not just knowing about Him.
2. Knowing God Enables True Worship
We were created to worship. It's wired into our spiritual DNA. But worshiping an unknown God is empty and unfulfilling. How can you pour out your heart to someone you don't know?
When Paul walked through Athens, he found an altar inscribed "To the Unknown God." The Athenians wanted to cover all their bases, making sure they didn't offend any deity they might have missed. Paul's response was bold: "Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you" (Acts 17:23).
Are we declaring the God we know to those around us? Do people see in our lives the evidence of a relationship with Jesus Christ?
The Westminster Catechism states that "the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." Worship isn't a duty we perform; it's the natural overflow of knowing God intimately. It's fellowship between persons who know each other deeply.
Enoch knew God so well that Scripture says he "walked with God, and then he was not" (Genesis 5:24). The relationship was so close that God simply brought him home. No death. Just translation into eternal presence.
That's the kind of knowing we should pursue—a walking, daily, intimate fellowship that transforms everything.
3. Knowing God Transforms Us
Here's a sobering truth from Psalm 115:8: "Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them." We become like what we worship.
Look around. People reflect what they bow down to. Whether it's political ideologies, entertainment, material possessions, or false images of God—whatever captures our devotion shapes us.
But Romans 8:29 gives us a different destiny: "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son." Day by day, through the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, we're being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ.
This transformation requires our participation. We must pray, meditate on Scripture, fellowship with believers, worship, serve, and witness. As we do these things, the Holy Spirit quietly works, reshaping us.
When Moses spent time with God, his face glowed with divine glory. He didn't know it was happening, but everyone around him could see the difference. The more time he spent with God, the more he was transformed.
The same happens to us. As we spend time with the Lord, we're "being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Growing in Grace and Knowledge
There's a direct connection: the better we know the Lord, the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we worship Him. The more we worship Him, the more we obey Him.
This is what Peter meant when he wrote, "Grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18). Growing in grace means growing in understanding God's mercy, love, and complete work on our behalf. There's no feat left to accomplish—God has done it all. We simply respond in service and obedience.
The Worship We Were Made For
God doesn't command worship because He needs it. Before creation, the Trinity existed in perfect fellowship. God needed nothing. But He commands worship because we need it. We were created for this purpose, and our hearts long for it even when we don't realize it.
Our worship now is a rehearsal for eternity. Revelation 5:11-12 gives us a glimpse: "Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.'"
We'll spend eternity on our knees, voices raised, eyes fixed on the Lord God Almighty, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth.
The Choice Before Us
The divide is growing. On one side, people who fully rely on God for everything. On the other, those who have turned away completely, determined to do life on their own terms.
Where do we stand?
Our salvation, worship, transformation, and service all require complete dependence on God. As 1 John 1:3 reminds us, "Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ."
The image of God is found in the Son. And the image of the Son is what we're being conformed into. This happens as we study His Word, know Him intimately, and worship Him in spirit and truth.
Take Your Eyes Off the World
The world constantly tries to shape us, mold us, control us. Media bombards us with messages designed to conform us to its image. We can become hypnotized, moving along like cattle with the rest of the crowd.
But we're called to something different. We're called to discernment, wisdom, and strength in the Lord. We're called to be the people others run to when they need wisdom beyond human understanding.
The call is clear: take your eyes off everything else and focus them on Jesus alone. Let Him conform you into His image. Because at the end of the day, that's the only thing that matters on this earth—becoming more like the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you know Him? Not just about Him, but truly know Him? The invitation stands. Meet Him face to face. Bow your knee. Say, "Lord, I believe." And let the transformation begin.
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