Knowing God [Part 3]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher Alan writing any one place trust in him we have a right to become a child of God you cannot God you can know God that's faster Alan Wright welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life will deliberate excited for you to hear the teaching today.

In the series. Galatea is presented at renewal the church in North Carolina not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month made to Alan Wright Ministries so as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today special offer. Contact us Pastor Alan.org at pastor and.org or call 877-544-4860 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program.

Now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright there is a way in which we are invited to be known by God and to know God.

That is, that is so personal he is he is he is like a dearest friend. He is like a husband to a wife. He is like a father to to assign he he is he is. We have a relationship with God. He's he's everything to me and I love him. You can know God. I want you to know God for the whole world to know God and he wants to be known. I now take a little trip this week been way too long since done this is the life you know life kids everything just keep sure this pulling away at you and and and I had not gotten a way to just have a day or two by ourselves and a long time years. We should we should we should try every year, at least in some time away you with young kids, you know, you know, it's hard, there's always somebody's nose to wipe her milk to clean her diaper to change or something, but we do said this year we got an opportunity. Both kids are grown up now. Both were gonna trip the same week one to find the sun at Jekyll Island. The other was at Montreat in camp all weekend so it was just the two of us.

My wife and I and and we take a couple days and get away and at first it week after getting lazy on Sunday to be gone on Monday and Tuesday with her getting lazy was looking at not spending money in regard to my just staying around the house and and we had to fight off all for laziness and say no were going somewhere. We finally settled on going down to the pineal resort and planners close by and perfect place golf everywhere you look in just perfect and it didn't matter where we where we went because we we have spent two days together just been a long time is good I'm, you know, my wife, 28, 29 years. She said you know and I say I know and that if you asked me what happened after that trip I say well I Know my wife deeper way to get to know her again that something about a relationship you can really know somebody and then just with time just with time. This time to listen. Time to talk time not to be distracted.

Time is time you can know somebody this is wonderful to know and to be known wonderful. It's his number one thing I recommend about marriage is just a safe place to know and to be known. While and one-time open the door for the car right and she's I like it when you open the door like that that wasn't new information to me but I forgot away from it just into visit open the door for lightly and she said I like you and she said it was in the context of two days of just sharing meals together and in talking about our hearts and our desires and our gratitude and challenges in sharing the mixing of your lives like that and then said I like it when you open the door and you know I will open the door for you because it wasn't a law like she knows me and I know her. I realize if her this is tied up in just a grand sense of a noble thing that's over chivalry is not something that never spoke to die away and that there is a headship of a husband and there's a covering is a blessing that can take place. It might be expressed in little ways like opener or car door and I just, so I want to open the car door and say you see the difference between want to ever open the car door for me and I was nothing about it. Open the car door. Then I'll pass the good husband list and then the notice shall be nice to me in an excess law what God is inviting into his relationship knowing it to be unknown and is out of the context of knowing and being known sir, it's it's it's an end and the more I know God is heart, but his heart has compassion towards and what breaks his heart. Then my heart becomes more naturally broken.

For those thing no I'm saying is that all of the service and obedience of your life is inextricably woven into knowledge of God you can know you can know him. Your life is not built on your duty to God. But when you know him and you known by him. Your duty and your desire start becoming more more the same thing.

John Newton, the author of the famous amazing Grace him wrote another hymn that puts this perfectly.

In the verses is our pleasure and our duty, though opposite before. Since we have seen his beauty are joined to part no more. Now here's what's most astounding about Galatians 4 and verse nine and that is not that he says you've come to know gone, but then he almost as if he's correcting himself to say or I should say it this way are rather to be known by God. The most astounding thing he saying here is that God wants to be known.

Let's be honest about it. The reason actually that I don't know Billy Graham is because Billy Graham has not ever had the thought crossed his mind that he liked to know Alan Wright is not really that I think Billy Graham thinks that he he I don't think that it seems to be such a humble man is just that it had next to crossed his mind. In fact, if Billy Graham really wanted to get to know me then and have me know him, then he could do that as only a couple hours away. I could drive up there and have lunch tomorrow with him really if he just invite me for just invite me. In fact, really. If if you wanted to write one last book and he called the sitdown I'd like you to write the forward I do that I do that I do that if he invited me to lunch at say yes if the environment right before throw his next book, I'd say yes. In fact, honestly if he called me and said Alan, would you, mow my lawn. I'd say yes I mow your lawn. He just hadn't invited me to do any of those those things. I was up in Montreat earlier this summer doing a conference in the deed.

He didn't come to my seminar but he would get about it.

He he would like to, but he didn't about it and it is that is if you can think like that for just a moment, could I just did my two beloved just to think about this incredible cosmic truth. God is thinking about you and he is inviting you to know him clearly believe that installing and heard the invitation. If I go mow Billy Graham's lawn.

What could there ever be, that God would invite me into that I would ever say no to the major she loves you, and you can know all this is to say is that the the knowing God is inextricably linked and in fact preceded by the God desire to know you. He sets forth the Lord does knowledge of himself as the greatest thing in life. Jeremiah 9 this is what the Lord says let not the wise man boast of his wisdom of the strong man boast of his strength of the rich man boast of his riches, let him who boasts boast about this, that he understands and knows me. Imagine meeting someone great. Imagine a queen or president or some superstar that you admire and at first you meet them and you assume that it will be a formal meeting your role is, be courteous and subservient.

But imagine that the dignitary then begins to take you into his or her counsel and share important matters with you and personal things and and and seek to make you a friend. What would happen in your soul. What happened is you you you would be shocked at first that this is even taking place and there would have to be a process wherein you would become willing to actually be friends with this great person you would have to have something happen within you. That would actually believe that this was taking place because if you didn't believe that this is actually taken place and you were being invited into friendship with this great dignitary.

Then you would shut off the conversation and sabotage it, but you have to believe that you are you are you, your God, who made you is actually wanting to know you and for you to know him and here's what happens once you actually see that it just thrills your soul. What happens is it thrills your soul and it so exhilarate your inward being that the external peripheral things about knowing about this person are nothing in comparison that this is God's desire in it always has meant that the knowledge of God is is what he desires more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6. In fact, remarkably, God says that that for those who think that life is just about doing the religious things in order out of a law mentality or out of some performance mentality that they so missed the point that in Matthew seven Jesus is not everyone who says to me Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven. But the one who does the will of my father is in heaven and on that day many will say to me Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name. I now declare them.

I never knew you depart from me, you workers of lawlessness that the whole description of what it means to be with God for all eternity is rooted in knowing him. There's a kind of knowledge that pops up. It's the peripheral knowledge is the knowledge we know about the first rent is eight, Paul says the knowledge that pops up Lisa's love builds up if anyone imagines that he knows something is not yet know if you want to know but this is what he says in first grade is 83. If anyone loves God he's known by God, wow it didn't.

Knowing of God being known by God.

This is the nature of what it is to love God. That is when you are known by God, then you can know God. This is an extraordinary thing. The whole point of the Scripture is that God is pursuing you and he's always been pursuing you because he wants to know you. It doesn't mean that God is not omniscient about you at any point. He knows everything about you, but instead it points to the sovereign grace of God that pursues you makes a relationship with him possible. When God says Adam where are you is not because God is confused about Adam's whereabouts. Instead, God is inviting Adam into a surrendered posture of admitting that he been hiding in Adam's self revelation to God and adamant confessions of God and Adam's exposure to God.

This is what is meant by God, knowing him and this is what the invitation is this is this is why prayer means so much to God not just it took to God but eyes because he already knows what you need. Why does he want you to ask a big part of this is explained here in we really know God when we are known by God. When you truly realize that this God who knows everything about you can be trusted and every point in your life and therefore you can be thoroughly fully completely honest with him honest with him about your longings honest about your fears is about your says draw near to God and he draws near unto you these everywhere at all times. He knows things at all spaces why it is so important. We commune with God because it in being know that we know him. That's Alan Wright will have more teaching moment from today's important series like something is holding you back as if you lack an important scene that could change everything. Is there someone you referencing stock to help them out what's missing. Blessing on faith filled vision spoken over you can learn how to embrace the will practice a blessing to Pastor Alan writes knew about charitable acts which quickly became an enzyme number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once send you the I thank you for your demo sent make your gift today discovered the power to bless the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries.

This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today.

We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastor and got a whack today's teaching now continues your once again is Alan Wright Moses allowed himself to be known by God before I formed you in the womb I knew you he said to Jeremiah do this that I'm the good Shepherd.

I know my sheep my sheep know me. JI Packer writes about this saying here God's knowledge of those who are his is associated with whole his whole purpose saving mercy is a knowledge that implies personal affection, redeeming action, covenant faithfulness and providential watchfulness towards those whom God knows it is astounding. In the first place that you can know God. It is more astounding that God wants to be known.

It is astounding that God wants to know you personally and here's the most astounding thing of all. He wants to so badly that he made the way possible for you to know him. This is why he sent his only begotten son to die in your place to become your sin to take your curse so that I can stand here today and say you can know God. If I were to visit the present United States. It would require the president to make the way possible for me to visit him. I cannot make my own way to him. If I try to make my own way to him.

I would be shocked.

I might get arrested if I tried to make my way to Billy Graham.

The president has to make a way for me out of his own initiative, his own authority.

He had to give me the clearance you have to tell the whole Secret Service staff given the passing whatever to see in my role would be to accept the invitation. In other words, there is an amazing strength.

Beloved that comes into your life when something in your heart gets tuned to heaven and you know that God delights in knowing you the secret of knowing God is all wrapped up in the greater assurance that God wants to know you again. JI Packer writes what matter. Supremely, therefore, is not in the last analysis the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it.

The fact that he knows me.

I'm graven on the palms of his hands. I'm never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me I know him because he first knew me and he continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me, and there is no moment when his eyes off me or his attention distracted from me.

And no moment. Therefore when his care falters. This is momentous knowledge, there is unspeakable comfort in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me and love and watching over me for my good.

There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love to me is utterly realistic based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery can now diss allusion him. This is to say 11 be aware there is a spiritual battle that is seeking to pull you away from the gospel of grace in order to pull you away from my relationship with God into either rebellion or religion. And there will be until Jesus comes again a battle to lure you to settle for knowledge about God rather than knowledge of God and therefore the invitation, not by law but by grace is to cultivate a life with God personally and emotionally cultivate a life with God corporately sharing life with God with others. It is an invitation to be responsive, that if the Holy Spirit invite you to this or that to say yes Holy Spirit residing in you so that you would have the capacity to know God. The invitation of the gospel is simple, but it is absolutely astounding. The God who flung the stars into their place and set the planets into their orbits God's ways are above our ways who's who's who's understanding is so fast we cannot fathom that is so much greater than us that by comparison. If we were still in our sin we would only shrink and run away from him for fear of our lives that God, the King of the universe has come in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ for this express purpose. Anyone would place trust in him would have a right to become a child of God you cannot just know about God. You can know God. And that's the right.

Today's teaching knowing God in our series elections stay with his Alan is back in the studio here in a moment with additional insight on this for your life in a final word stay with the power of blessing your life, discover God's grace filled vision for your life by signing writes pre-daily press grace and encouragement. Allen writes a daily blessing. It's free. Just a click away. Pastor I got away feel like something is holding you back if you lack an important scene that could change everything. Is there someone you love hissing stock invite to help them how. What's missing blessing. We all need faith filled vision spoken over, I learned you can learn how to embrace the practice of blessing to Pastor Alan, writes new. But, it's a blast, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once send you the book I thank you for your demolition. Make your gift today discovered the power to bless gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer.

We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor our and that work well in our culture today celebrity worship we want to know the inside scoop. Just wish you get close to someone with power and prestige. We have this opportunity of a lifetime because we not only can can observe God from afar and read scriptures about God, we can actually know him. There's a personal relationship is her father. You can know God. This is earth shattering news this is that this is clearly clearly what the Bible teaches is that Christianity, unlike every other religion is an invitation not simply to know about or to follow some guidelines that have been given by some divine entity. Instead, this is a personal God. He is the creator. He is ultimately an finally powerfully decisive and holy and wondrous, but this is why Jesus came so you can actually know them so there's our prayer today Daniel for any listener who says you know I have heard a lot about God, maybe even believed in God, but I really want to know and may the Lord by his grace.

Just escort you to the very throne room of his grace, where you can know him and meet personal. Today's good news supported production Alan Wright Ministries