Getting to Really Know God... Hi, friends, and welcome to this lesson! People wonder and speculate about God but often neglect to go directly to Him and let Him introduce Himself! God reveals Himself through two great methods. The first is His written revelation, the Bible. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is the book by God and about God! The second method is the evidence of creation, because it was God who created all things through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:9, emphasis added throughout). Not only is every creature evidence and proof of a genius Creator, every creature gives us insight into the mind and power of the Creator. Thats what Paul meant when he said, For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:19-20, English Standard Version). In this lesson, we focus on many of the wonderful things we learn about God by reading His written Word, the Bible, which is Gods masterpiece of self-revelation. Hopefully it will whet your appetite to read the entire Bible so that you can learn much, much more about God. Then as you get into the habit of studying the Bible and praying every day and putting Gods Word into practice in your everyday life, you will be forming a deep, personal relationship with God. You will be going beyond getting to know about God. You will be getting to really know God as your Father and Friend. Lesson 1: How Does God Identify Himself in the Bible? This lesson focuses on key scriptures in the Bible where God reveals highly significant things about His nature and actions. First, consider the story of the righteous man Job in the biblical book of Job. This story relates the spiritual transformation of Job from a man who knew a great deal about God to a man who really came to know God in a personal and intimate way. This book is highly thought-provoking. For most of the book, Job and his friends are stating what they think they know about God, but their limited views fall far short of understanding the great mind, purposes and plan of God. After God talks with Job, Job has a major breakthrough in understanding. Job said, I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:5-6). Job came to see God in a deeper way with the eyes of faith and spiritual understanding. Job was ashamed of his cockiness, thinking he understood more than he really did, and he deeply repented. When he said, I abhor myself, he meant that he despised his self- justification and implications that God had been unjust. Job apparently came to realize more deeply that everyones life includes suffering and that suffering is a necessary part of spiritual growth. Job surrendered to Gods will, having come to understand that God is the sovereign Lord of the universe, He has perfect understanding, and He always does what is best for us in the long run. We must trust Him.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 18:58:07 +0000
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