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| https://www.parkingspace23.com/knowing-god-pt-1/ |
JESUS
KNOWS YOU COMPLETELY.
How
Well Do You Know HIM?
This verse tells more about what makes Jesus tick than probably anything
in all the book of John. This sums up much of what I’ve been teaching
throughout this series, and will continue to do so.
John 10:14 I am
the Good Shepherd, and I know [without any doubt those who are] My own and My
own know Me [and have a deep, personal relationship with Me]—[AMP]
In last week’s blog I wrote about the need for
God’s people to demonstrate the Love of God by being a servant leader. Jesus
shows us why this is so important. Real servant leaders lead regardless as to gender,
job title, level of authority or any other excuse. (Remember an excuse is the
skin of a reason wrapped around a lie). They earn the right to be heard and
what they say is usually accepted because they function, like God, through
loving relationship. The Lord isn’t looking for a “do it because I said so”
kind of obedience from His people. He wants mankind to obey Him because doing
so, with a pure heart, is just the outworking of our love for Him and that love
is based on His love for us. That love continually grows as we communicate with
Him and see His hand in everything.
Recently I was reminded that there are supposed Christians who say
they love God but don’t consistently read and meditate upon (roll around in
your head, heart and think about it with Holy Spirit) His Word. To say you love
Jesus and not be in love with the Word is, my friends, an oxymoron. Relationship with
God is not some ethereal concept without Biblical foundation. It hinges on the
Word. Supernatural experiences with God can wonderfully change our
lives; but if whatever you experienced really was from God, there would be a
revelation of something Biblically sound. Everything there is to learn about
God is written in the Bible. Nothing you hear about Him from any source is
valid unless it is in accordance with sound Biblical doctrine. If you know
someone in this sad spiritual condition I encourage you to go back to the very
first blog in this series. (https://his-heart-beats.blogspot.com/2019/11/john-chapter-1-in-beginning-part-1.html) It will help
you address their need. These verses define the connection:
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| https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ |
John 1:1 In the
beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God Himself.
2 He was
[continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God.
3 All
things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even
one thing was made that has come into being
14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived
among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and]
only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of
His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception). [AMP]
Jesus said summed up all the law and the prophets with these two commandments: (bullets added)
Mark 12:30 And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God
Ø with all thy
heart,
Ø and with all thy
soul, and with
Ø all thy mind,
Ø and with all thy
strength:
Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater
than these. [KJV]
No one can possibly follow these commandments without ever growing
knowledge, at both the intellectual and heart levels, of God’s Word. The Bible
teaches us, both by instruction and examples, how to do them. All that you need
is in there. Allow Holy Spirit to teach you the applications daily.
Last week we saw the difference between the Good Shepherd and the
Hireling.
John 10:11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The good
shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
12
But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own
the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the
wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
13 The hireling flees
because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
Let me quote this verse again, taking note that Jesus repeatedly
states Who He is,
John 10:14 I am
the Good Shepherd, and I know [without any doubt those who are] My own and My
own know Me [and have a deep, personal relationship with Me]—[AMP]
Matthew Henry’s commentary on verse 14 unfolds wonderful aspects of
this relationship Jesus has with all true believers. I’ve changed the format to
bullet points to help see the list.
“[a.] Christ knows his sheep. He knows with a
distinguishing eye:
Ø who are His
sheep, and who are not;
Ø He knows the
sheep under their many infirmities,
Ø and the goats
under their most plausible disguises.
Ø He knows with a
favorable eye those that in truth are His own sheep;
Ø He takes
cognizance of their state,
Ø concerns Himself
for them,
Ø has a tender and
affectionate regard to them, and
Ø is continually
mindful of them in the intercession He ever lives to make within the veil;
Ø He visits them
graciously by His Spirit, and
Ø has communion
with them;
Ø He knows them,
that is, He approves and accepts of them,
Ø as Ps. 1:6;
37:18; Exod. 33:17.
[b.] He is known of them.
He observes them
with an eye of favor, and they observe Him with an eye of faith.
Ø Christ’s knowing
his sheep is put before their knowing Him, for He knew and loved us first (1
John 4:19), and it is not so much our knowing Him as our being known of Him
that is our happiness, Gal. 4:9.
Ø Yet it is the
character of Christ’s sheep that:
v they know Him;
v know Him from all
pretenders and intruders;
v they know His
mind,
v know His voice,
v know by
experience the power of His death.”
In short, He knows us and we know Him. Because Jesus is God He is
all knowing, even concerning everything there is to know about us individually.
Oh, what joy and confidence we have because of this. Repeat this phrase:
Jesus knows me
and still loves me. John 3:16 applies to me. Hallelujah.
Consider that this reality should send shivers up the spine of
someone willfully and intentionally hanging on to those sins he or she has
experienced Holy Spirit conviction about. Separation from the Word made flesh
and dwelling among us in the person of Holy Spirit will torment the
unrepentant.
True believers know Jesus. This reality can become the greatest
thing in our lives. He loves us and develops a mutually intense relationship
with us, a bond filled with faith, hope and love. That love dissipates all
fear, worry and doubt when we surrender to it. The more His love becomes
reality to our hearts, the more like Him we become and the more we desire to
reflect Him to everyone we encounter in any context. We become passionate about
spending time alone with God and prayerfully reading the Bible. I love to have
“Breakfast with Jesus” every morning, reading the Word along with my oatmeal and coffee. You
can build on this with the following life changing exercise:
1.
Read 1 Corinthians 13 and replace the word
love (or charity depending on what translation you are reading) with Jesus;
2.
Read if again using “The Lover of My Soul”
3. Read it a third
time, out loud, and using your own name.
Now perhaps you can you say with ever deeper meaning, “Jesus loves
me, I love Him and therefore I love you.”
There’s a great old chorus we used to
sing often, the words are:
The greatest thing, in all my life
Is knowing You.
The greatest thing, in all my life
Is knowing You.
I want to know you, Lord.
I want to know you, Lord.
For the greatest thing, in all my
life
Is knowing You.
The song repeats by changing the word “knowing,” with “praising,”
with “serving,” and then with “loving.”
Developing such a close loving relationship with people is the most basic,
fundamental thing that MAKES JESUS TICK. It
is so awesome when we come to the place the Shulamite did in Song of Solomon
where she is utterly dependant on “Him who my soul loveth,”
Song of Solomon
3:4 It was but a little that I passed
from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let
him go… [KJV]
Song of Solomon
8:5 Who is this that cometh up from the
wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?
[KJV]
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