We who claim
being called by the
Lord Jesus Christ
into a life of
fellowship, say we
know God, but do we
really know Him? And
if we know Him, how
does that effect our
lives:
In Ezekial
33:10-11, Ezekial
makes this statement
by the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit:
(10) "Therefore
you, O son of man,
say to the house of
Israel: 'Thus you
say, "If our
transgressions and
our sins lie
upon us, and we pine
away in them, how
can we then live?"'
(11) Say to them: 'As
I live,' says the
Lord GOD, 'I have no
pleasure in the
death of the wicked,
but that the wicked
turn from his way
and live. Turn, turn
from your evil ways!
For why should you
die, O house of
Israel?'
We must
understand that the
Old Testament was
written with
punctuation to be
published. It was
not written with
periods, commas or
other English
derived punctuation,
but from thought to
thought. In this
verse, it is asked
“how do we live? To
better understand
what God replies to
them, it would be a
better understanding
if a period was
inserted after “Say
to them: ‘As I
live,’ says the Lord
God. (period)
“emphasize mine’
The entering of
punctuation was not
conceived or used in
any way, until about
1200 years after
Ezekial penned this
verse. What the Lord
God is saying is
that we should live
“as He lives”-sinlessly.
When Jesus came to
this earth, He did
just that. Jesus
lived a sinless life
as God in the flesh.
Jesus spoke in
John 17:3:
"And this is eternal
life, that they may
know You, the only
true God, and
Jesus Christ whom
You have sent."
To understand
what Jesus is saying
is to focus in on
the word “eternal”.
Jesus is saying that
to live forever is
not necessarily
good, if there is no
quality of life.
For
clarification, I
turn to a commentary
by William Barclay:
William Barclay's
commentary on this
verse contains a
simple and
meaningful
difference of
opinion with that
concept. Barclay
contends that Jesus
is speaking of
something very good,
one to be much
desired. Living
forever is not
necessarily good
unless the quality
of life is also
good. Therefore,
"eternal" describes
the quality
of life God lives
endlessly. Knowing
God and being able
to follow His
example are vital to
our living as He
does. Jesus implies
that, if one truly
knows God, he will
also live that way
as an effect of his
intimate
relationship with
God.
But do church
going members truly
understand this
concept. Do they
really know how to
live, as God lives?
It is said that this
concept is one of
the biggest problems
that the church
faces today. Looking
at Romans 11:33, it
seems to confirm
this:
. "Oh, the depth
of the riches both
of the wisdom and
knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are
His judgments and
His ways past
finding out!"
Paul states
plainly that knowing
the full depth of
God’s wisdom and
knowledge are
unsearchable and
past finding out.
That’s not to say
that we can’t know
God and can find out
many things by
search, evaluating
and adjusting any
preconceived ideas
that we may have
about who God really
is. It is certainly
difficult, but not
impossible.
We, who desire to
become the image of
God, look to our
savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ as our
example. If we
diligently seek Him
and desire to know
more about the
attributes of
God, He will open up
more and more of
Himself to
understand more and
more about Him.
If we come to
know God, what can
we expect God, our
Father? Some like to
take the
aforementioned verse
and try and use them
to push their
concept of this
verse by taking
biblical principles
and morphing them
into what is called
the “Prosperity
Gospel”. Most
successful
televangelist take
these scriptures and
say if you are
following “certain”
bible principles,
that God will shower
you with riches
beyond your wildest
dreams. They
say that God is
obligated to fulfill
our wishes of
health, wealth, and
well-being, because
we ask Him to. Like
a genie in a bottle,
or a kindly
grandfatherly type
God, He grants our
wishes out of pure
compulsion. To these
ministers, this is
the abundant life
that God promised,
and unfortunately,
hundreds of
thousands of people
agree with them. But
are they right?
Let’s see.
Granted God
does make some
wonderful promises
for every child of
God, as found in
John 14:14:
“If
ye shall ask any
thing in my name, I
will do it.”
Again in ).
Psalm 37:4
pledges, "Delight
yourself also in the
LORD, and He shall
give you the desires
of your heart." So
if we ask for
anything, believing,
God is obligated to
give us anything we
want, right?
This is what
these televangelist
have concluded, but
in the end, it’s a
false assumption.
Very few of God’s
promises in the
Bible are absolute.
They are
conditional. They
are conditional on
our responses to the
leading of God in
our lives and to the
perfect will and
judgment of our Lord
God.
God is a perfect
parent, as we are
His children. He
would never give His
children something
that is not good for
them, or shower them
with everything that
they ask, which may
not be good for
them. Just as a
human parent is
careful to give what
is in the best
interest of their
earthly child, so
does God give to us
what is His perfect
will. He would not
give us something
that would risk His
purpose for us, our
walk with Him, or
something that is
too much for us to
handle.
As mortals, we
don’t send our kids
to a vocational
school to become a
mechanic, when they
really want to be a
doctor at the local
hospital after
medical school. Or
do we send our kids
into their favorite
toy store with an
unlimited credit
card balance, to buy
whatever strikes
their fancy. Both
would be wonderful
gifts, but would it
be the best for the
child? If human
parents have enough
wisdom to present
gifts upon goals
achieved and levels
of maturity, how
much more does our
Heavenly Father do
likewise, and more.
To know God, we
must know Jesus.
Jesus was the
express image of God
being in the flesh
of mankind and
taking on human
form. Everyday of
the life He lived,
He expressed the
perfect sinless life
that each of us
strive to become in
this life, as
humanly possible.
Some take it as a
mystery, that God is
way beyond our means
to know. As Jehovah
said in the Old
Testament, of Isaiah
55:8-9 “For My
thoughts are not
your thoughts,
neither are your
ways My ways, says
the Lord.
v9 For as the
heavens are higher
than the earth, so
are My ways higher
than your ways and
My thoughts than
your thoughts.
If this is so,
then how do we come
to know God, as He
is? you might be
saying.
God the Father’s
ways are beyond our
comprehension and
coming to
understand, but God
sent His Son, Jesus,
so that we may
understand Him, by
looking upon His Son
and taking upon His
characteristics and
believing in and
embracing the
sacrifice He paid
upon a cruel, rugged
symbol of Roman
torture, the cross,
we come to know God.
Our Bible gives us
enough information
to make a rational
expression of faith
and belief that
Jesus was God in the
flesh.
The examples that
Jesus gave and
lived, show us the
nature of God the
Father, in His Son,
our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ. When
Jesus was asked by
Philip during the
Lords Passover
Supper, to “show us
the Father” Jesus
answered him in John
14:9-13
Jesus
saith unto him, Have
I been so long time
with you, and yet
hast thou not known
me, Philip? he that
hath seen me hath
seen the Father; and
how sayest thou
then, Shew us the
Father?
14:10 Believest
thou not that I am
in the Father, and
the Father in me?
the words that I
speak unto you I
speak not of myself:
but the Father that
dwelleth in me, he
doeth the works.
14:11 Believe
me that I am in the
Father, and the
Father in me: or
else believe me for
the very works'
sake.14:12 Verily,
verily, I say unto
you, He that
believeth on me, the
works that I do
shall he do also;
and greater works
than these shall he
do; because I go
unto my Father14:13 And
whatsoever ye shall
ask in my name, that
will I do, that the
Father may be
glorified in the
Son.
Yes, Jesus and
God the Father are
one and an
expression of each
other. To know Jesus
is to know the King
of the Universe, the
creator, the
eternal, the first
and the last, the
Alpha and the Omega.
John 3:16, “For God
so loved the world,
that He gave His
only begotten Son,
the whosover
believeth in Him,
should not perish,
but have eternal
life”.
God loved us, and
sent Himself, in the
form of Jesus
Christ, as they are
One and an
expression of each
other, in the Spirit
and in the flesh. A
mirror image of one
another.
Jesus proclaimed
in John6:39-40:
And
this is the Father's
will which hath sent
me, that of all
which he hath given
me I should lose
nothing, but should
raise it up again at
the last day.
v40 And this is
the will of him that
sent me, that every
one which seeth the
Son, and believeth
on him, may have
everlasting life:
and I will raise him
up at the last day.
Again, in the
following scripture
verse of the same
chapter of John,
verse 27:
“Jesus
answered and said
unto them, This is
the work of God,
that ye believe on
him whom he hath
sent.”
Have you come to
know God? Are you
playing church just
going throught the
motions? Or have you
searched every
religion wanting to
know a higher power,
a meaning to your
life? Have you
searched and come up
empty handed or the
“god” you follow
does not satisfy or
fulfill your desire
to know the true
God? It’s not about
anything material in
this world, but the
next. It’s doesn’t
matter what anyone
says, whether is the
prosperity gospel,
health and wealth
preaching, or any
deviation from what
Jesus taught.
Believe on Him,
whom God has sent,
Jesus the Christ. A
simple act of faith
and believing the
account written down
in the gospels of
Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John, show us
the personality, the
character and the
power of Almighty
God, expressed
solely in His Son,
Jesus Christ.
Jesus said:
I am the way, the
truth and the life.
No man comes to the
Father, but through
Me.” John
14:6.
You may try many
ways to get to God.
As Oprah Winfrey
opined, that there
are many ways to get
to God, like a spoke
on a wheel, all
venues lead to the
axle. Sorry Oprah,
but there is only
one way, one door,
one salvation.
Matthew 7:13-14.
Enter ye in at the
strait gate: for
wide is the gate,
and broad is the
way, that leadeth to
destruction, and
many there be which
go in thereat:
7:14 Because
strait is the gate,
and narrow is the
way, which leadeth
unto life, and few
there be that find
it.
What is that way,
that straight and
narrow way? Jesus
the Christ, my
friend. He is the
only way. No other
way leads to eternal
life. He is the only
way to truly know
the true God and to
live with Him for
all eternity.
Accept Him today,
right now, as you
read this and
believe in your mind
and most
importantly, in your
heart, that God has
raised Him from the
dead and He sits at
His right hand
waiting to return
for His chosen few.
Will you be amongst
them? You can by
repeating and
believing these
simple words of
prayer:
God my Father, I
believe on your Son,
Jesus Christ, who
came in the flesh,
and lived a sinless
life. I believe that
Jesus was slain on a
cross for my sins,
and I ask you to
come into my heart
and life. Change me
into the image of
your Son, by your
Holy Spirit. I
believe He arose on
the third day after
His crucifixion and
now sits at your
right hand. I want
to be ready when He
comes for His
children, and I want
to be counted
forgiven of my sins
and redeemed by your
Son’s precious
blood. In Jesus name
I pray, Amen and
Amen.
If you said
those words with
your mouth and
believing in your
heart those words,
then you are now my
brother and sister,
in Jesus Christ. God
bless you all.
If there is
anything I can help
you with, pray with
you, or questions
you may have,
contact me at
realteam1999@sbcglobal.net,
with questions, or
comments.
