Kingdom Living: Moving Out- Moving On Title: Knowing God

Sunday School Class Lecture / Discussion Scheduled Date: 30 Dec 2012 Revised 06 Jan 2013

Memory Verse:
(Jer 9:23-24 NKJ) "

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Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise m an glory in his wisdom , Let not the m ighty m an glory
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in his m ight, Nor let the rich m an glory in his riches; these I delight," says the LORD." Introduction:

But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands

and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising loving-kindness, judgm ent, and righteousness in the earth. For in

The conviction behind this book is that ignorance of God- ignorance both of his ways and of the practice of communion with him- lies at the root of much of the churchs weakness today. ! Packer goes on to : " comment on how Christian minds have been conformed to the modern spirit. " ! " modernists treat God at a distance... not be concerned with thoughts of death, eternity, judgment, the greatness of the soul and the abiding consequences of temporal decisions... all too often the Structural church, fearing man rather than God, minimizes these themes also false dichotomy between science and religion all but abandoned the idea of a unity of truth comment on how Christians are confused by modern skepticism
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The Blessings anticipated in Knowing God are abundant the 20 year old Charles Spurgeon stated: ..there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound; in musing on the Father, a quietus for every grief; and in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godheads deepest sea; be lost in his immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul; so call the swelling billows of sorrow and grief; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing on the subject of the Godhead. ... "
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Making sense of life enables purposeful living of it

Must not be only academic exercise. " " Knowing God is the stuff of living Whole person exercise.

Exegesis:

Context:

(Jer 9:1-6 NKJ) " Oh, that my head were waters, And my eyes a fountain of tears, That I might weep day and night For the slain
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Packer, J.I., Knowing God, preface, pg. 11 (ebook version) Packer, p. 16

of the daughter of my people!

Oh, that I had in the wilderness A lodging place for travelers; That I might leave my people, And

go from them! For they are all adulterers, An assembly of treacherous men.
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"And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they
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proceed from evil to evil, And they do not know Me," says the LORD.

"Everyone take heed to his neighbor, And do not

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trust any brother; For every brother will utterly supplant, And every neighbor will walk with slanderers. iniquity.
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Everyone will deceive

his neighbor, And will not speak the truth; They have taught their tongue to speak lies; They weary themselves to commit Your dwelling place is in the m idst of deceit; Through deceit they refuse to know Me," says the LORD."
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(Jer 9:13-15 NKJ) " And the LORD said, "Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed 14 My voice, nor walked according to it, "but they have walked according to the dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, which their fathers taught them,"
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therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will feed them, this

people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink." Note the grief that is engendered by the condition of not knowing God ! ! ! How does Jeremiah express his grief? What condition of the heart is required for such expression to be real and not hypocritical? What is the cause of his grief? " " What conditions in the society does he observe? What does God say is the ultimate cause of grief and the well spring from which those conditions flow? Note the circular relation between increased evil & not knowing God ! ! What measure is presented here for the status of a person or a society or a congregation gauging their knowledge of God? In what manner does the activities server to further diminish the knowledge of God. " " effect on individuals Gods reactions to such activities/conditions in the culture.

Passage Development (Jer 9:23-24 NKJ) "

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Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise m an glory in his wisdom , Let not the
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m ighty m an glory in his m ight, Nor let the rich m an glory in his riches;

But let him who glories

glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising loving-kindness, judgm ent, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD." The Vanity of Trusting in Worldly Security ! The Lesson of Ecclesiastes validated " What are the limits of " ! " " " Mans Wisdom Mans Strength Mans Riches

What does it mean to glory in these things? understand and know fully express all the powers and faculties of a human mind being focused on the living God. [Swindoll, p. 92] How would a person glory in this? How would someone grow in this?

What does it mean to understand and know God?

Explain the way knowing God would manifest itself in our personal life " " describe the personal relationship that would characterize this describe the understanding of our lives that would govern them

What are our grounds for confidence that God will bless and encourage our knowledge of Him? " In this passage? - (vs. 24) " what attributes of God are dependable and faithful what move Him to respond favorably to our seeking to know Him
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(Jer 29:13 NKJ) "

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

Pauls Restatement
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(1Co 1:19-29 NKJ) "

For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the
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understanding of the prudent."

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not
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God m ade foolish the wisdom of this world?

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For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not
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know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the m essage preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom ;
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but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stum bling

block and to the Greeks foolishness, and the wisdom of God.

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but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than m en, and the weakness of God is stronger than m en. For you see your calling, brethren, that not m any wise according to the flesh, not m any m ighty, not m any noble,
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are called.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to sham e the wise, and God has chosen the 28 weak things of the world to put to sham e the things which are m ighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence." " " " " ! Describe Gods plan for the conduct of history in terms of human wisdom vs. true wisdom Describe how one would come to know God in the light of this plan? Describe how this would orient a person to the pathway of seeking to know God? Describe how a person who does achieve a knowledge of God would conform to these ideas?

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What actions are incumbent upon us: " " " " of what should we repent? for what should we petition God earnestly and incessantly? what discipline must we undertake to pursue knowledge of God? what will we do?

The Way Forward

Return With The Hope of Being Welcomed will bind us up.
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(Hos 6:1-6 NKJ) "Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to "O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, And like the
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us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
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early dew it goes away.

Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; And your
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judgments are like light that goes forth.

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than

burnt offerings." ! ! !

First: Recognize that we need to return to the LORD = repentance, awakening to where we are covenant living Third: Cling to the hope that He has stricken but He will bind us up = " "

Second: Know that to return we must pursue the knowledge of the LORD = discover the personal relation of

approach the pursuit of knowledge from the vantage point of seeing Gods hand sovereignly at work pushing you in that very direction And if God is pushing you in that direction then His intention is that we may live in His sight.

Fourth: Settle for nothing less than to be the type of person God desires = transformed heart and character that places mercy, sacrifice and the knowledge of God as the defining features of sanctified life.

(Psa 42:1-11 NKJ) " Psalm 42:1 <To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the sons of Korah.> As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants m y soul for You, O God. and appear before God? your God?"
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My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I com e

My tears have been m y food day and night, While they continually say to m e, "Where is

When I rem em ber these things, I pour out m y soul within m e. For I used to go with the m ultitude; I went with
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them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a m ultitude that kept a pilgrim feast. help of His countenance.
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Why are

you cast down, O m y soul? And why are you disquieted within m e? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the

O m y God, m y soul is cast down within m e; Therefore I will rem em ber You from the land of the Jordan, And
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from the heights of Herm on, From the Hill Mizar. waves and billows have gone over m e.
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Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your

The LORD will com m and His loving-kindness in the daytim e, And in the night His song shall be with m e-- A
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prayer to the God of m y life.

I will say to God m y Rock, "Why have You forgotten m e? Why do I go m ourning
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because of the oppression of the enem y?"

As with a breaking of m y bones, My enem ies reproach m e, While they

say to m e all day long, "Where is your God?"

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Why are you cast down, O m y soul? And why are you disquieted within m e? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise

Him , The help of m y countenance and m y God." ! Describe the spiritual condition of the human author of this psalm. " " ! " " ! " " " look at the descriptive phrases that he uses regarding his soul place this in the existential perspective - describe his general state in as much detail as you can formulate. Using your own experience, speak to the condition of our souls that we have known that correspond to it. What circumstances prompted them? How does the general issues confronting the psalmist reinforce the teaching of our memory verse (Jer. 9:23-24) In what manner can we confidently affirm that God will indeed glorify His name in response to this prayer psalm? How can we then, stepping back from our own lives, confidently affirm that God will indeed glorify His name

What is the general circumstance of his life that has precipitated this condition?

Stepping back a bit from the psalm, how do you see God exercising His sovereignty here?

in response to our similar prayers? ! Now - describe the process by which, " " ! " " through such experiences and through the corresponding emotional/spiritual responses that are worked in us, that we can say that we know God (or at least grow in our knowledge of Him) as a result.... Describe how a person might shift from a worldly to a spiritual prevailing perspective - give examples. Relate this to Pauls teaching : (1Co 2:14-16 NKJ) " discerned. Christ." relate the idea of knowing God to the quality of being one who is spiritual... how does this equate to having the mind of Christ?
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What would be the effect on our daily lives which would accrue from such a growth in knowledge of God?

But the natural m an does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,
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for they are foolishness to him ; nor can he know them , because they are spiritually But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of