Sermon Notes + 6.9.2024
That They Know You – Part III
John 17:2-3
Dr. Tony Chute, Lead Pastor
Overview: In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus defines eternal life as knowing God. The fact that Jesus speaks about knowing God in relational terms tells us that God can be known and that God desires to be known. This relationship with God goes beyond general knowledge of God as Creator, extending and deepening into knowledge of the one true God who has revealed Himself to us supremely in Jesus Christ. As noted in Jesus’ prayer, this relationship is one that we are brought into by God’s grace; it includes growth on our part through various means of grace; and it is one that we can abide in with confidence knowing that we are sustained by God’s grace. That Jesus prays for us to know God, now and throughout eternity, is a welcome invitation for all to call upon the name of the Lord and receive everlasting life.
01. Knowing God is a relationship introduced by God in which He makes Himself known and desires to be known.
02. Knowing God is a relationship inaugurated by the one true God who is revealed through Jesus Christ.
03. Knowing God is a relationship initiated by God by which we are conformed to the image of Christ and kept by the power of God.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & DISCOVERY
1. Have you always believed in God, or was there a time in your life when you did not believe there was a God at all? How did you come to believe in God? How did your life change when you first believed in God? See 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 for further insight.
2. What does it mean for God to reveal Himself to the world as Creator? What does it mean for God to reveal Himself as Redeemer? Is it possible to truly know God apart from Jesus Christ? What would we not know about God if it were not for Jesus Christ? See Psalm 19 for further insight.
3. Jesus describes God as “the only true God.” How does this statement undermine the idea that all religions are the same or that all religions lead to God? In what ways does a biblical view of God distinguish Christianity from all other religions? See Acts 17:16-34 for further insight.
4. How is our relationship with God based on knowledge of God but not reduced to mere knowledge of God? Can we really know God if we do not pursue genuine knowledge of God? Can we really know God if our theology is not based on the Bible? Can we really know God if we understand and articulate theology, but our lives are not changed as a result? See 1 John 4:7-21 for further insight.
5. How would you introduce someone to God? What would you say to a non-Christian who asks what it means to have a relationship with God? See 1 John 1 for further insight.
For Further Reading: J. I. Packer, Knowing God (InterVarsity Press, 1973; 50th Anniversary Edition, 2023).