Who Knows You? Who Knows God?

Who knows you? I mean who really knows you? Is it your Mom or Dad who know you? Does your best friend forever really know you? Does your spouse really knows you? Who is it who really knows you? Who really knows what makes you you?

I guess if I wanted to get to know someone first I'd want to talk with them. I'd want to discover where they came from, maybe hear a little bit about their family and what it was like for them growing up. I'd probably ask what they do for a living and/or what they enjoy doing in their free time. If they were new to the town of Walnut I'd invite them to worship with us. Then they'd have a chance to get to know us.

So, back to the original question. Who really knows you? Does anyone really know anyone? Another question could be, “Do you know yourself?” Does anyone really know you? How do we get to know someone or something?

The Scripture readings today from Exodus and 1 Thessalonians talk of God knowing Moses and of God knowing the Thessalonians since Paul said he, God, chose them.

I may have given the answer away. If God knew Moses and the Thessalonians then surely God must know us. Doesn't that make sense?

So, maybe the question should have been, “Who knows us best?” And the obvious answer would have to be God.

Now, lets turn the question around. Who knows God; really knows God? Sunday school teachers, because they have to know about God so they can teach the children. Surely they know God. No.

Well then it must be the elders because they were chosen for their wisdom and maturity of faith, and their skills in leadership and their compassionate spirits. At least that's what the Book of Order says, so they must know God. Right? No.

Well if its not the Sunday school teachers or the elders then who does know God, the pastors? Surely those who read and study the God's Scriptures must know God, right?

Well, some might believe that they know God and I would agree that many know quite a lot about God but very few really know God. I know I don't know God well enough.

I do believe he knows me and you and you and you... So what's the point, if God knows us is it important that we know God? Why do we care whether we know anyone or whether we know God? Is it imperative for you to know me or for me to know you or for either of us to know God. We've already said that He knows us, isn't that enough?

I'm not sure if I've got this right because it's something that came to me yesterday as I was reading. We can't know God face to face so the only other way we can know him is...I wonder if anyone has the answer already...in community.

I say that because we are all created in the image of God and...we are filled with God's Spirit...and his words are written on our hearts...so, if we begin to know each other in community doesn't it make sense that through that process we begin to know God.

Does that make sense? As we know each other we come to know God. Now we all know that we're not perfect but taking that into account as we live together in God's grace doing our best to live and serve and love as Jesus showed us then don't we begin to be aware of God's presence in each other? As we look into the eyes of those folks whom we serve and worship with isn't it possible to see Jesus and know our God​?

That's my Message for you this week. It's now up to you to test it out and see if it's true. Friends, God leaves the rest up to us to choose how we live and serve him. We have a decision to make. Do we accept Jesus as God's Son? Will we let him into our hearts and will we give him all we are and have so others may know Him? The choice is ours to make.

Friends, I believe I know God a little better by being here this morning with you and I pray that you may know Him better by worshiping here with me.

Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.

God's Kingdom

Jesus is telling another story, a parable, about God's Kingdom. This isn't exactly a feel good story as Matthew writes it.

A king is throwing a wedding banquet, a lavish gala, for his son. He has invited all of his friends. But they aren't interested. They have better things to do than to get dressed up and go to a party. So, instead they mistreat the servants who brought the invitations. Some they beat up and some they killed

Of course the king didn't take this too well so he sent his soldiers to wipe them off the face of the earth. He didn't want to leave any trace of their existence.

Since the table was set and everything was ready he instructed his servants to go out to the busiest intersections and invited everyone they saw to the party.

That's what they did and the room was soon filled with happy voices. These weren't the beautiful people; these were the commoners who labored hard every day to provide for their families.

Here they were enjoying the best cuisine prepared by the greatest chefs wearing the latest designer fashions. Who would have ever imagined that they would be allowed to attend the wedding banquet for the king's son?

And yet, there was one who sneaked in with the others just to enjoy the meal but not wanting to get dressed in the finery provided by the king. There's always someone who thinks they can participate in the festivities without abiding by the rules.

So, what is this parable saying for us as we listen to God's word? Who is this king who annihilates those who refuse to come to his party? Who are those who refuse to attend? Who are those who are invited from the streets? Who is the one who isn't wearing the right clothes?

Matthew wrote this gospel for the Jewish people, those who'd rejected Jesus. He wrote to show them how Jesus the Christ was the fulfillment of the prophecies written of in the Hebrew Bible.

The “king” is God. His son is Jesus the Christ. Those who refused to attend the banquet are the religious leaders who refused to repent and believe in Jesus as the Messiah.

They are the ones who mistreated and killed God's servants, his prophets who came preaching God's words of love, God's warnings, God's forgiveness, and the prophecy of the One who would come and save them from themselves and their sin.

Those who were finally invited to the banquet when the chosen ones refused to come were the Gentiles, the tax collectors, the s, the fishermen, and carpenters. Because the chosen ones rejected the invitation God chose to call everyone to the banquet table. He chose to call you and me.

The final decision is ours. God has called us. God has given us his grace and we must decide whether we will choose to answer his call. We must choose whether we will clothe ourselves in Christ and come to the banquet table. The choice is ours to make. God calls. He doesn't force us or coerce us into making this decision.

So, how will we answer his call today? Will be repent and put on Christ and join our sisters and brothers at the Table?

Friends, God has given us his grace, his love, in Jesus Christ. He loves us and calls us to join him. God loves you my friends and so do I. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Knowing God

If we want to know about something or some place or someone, where’s the first place we go to get the knowledge we’re seeking? Some of us will go to our computers and “Google” our question. Others will go to their encyclopedias or dictionaries or one of the other books in their libraries.

If any of us want to know God, really know Him, where do we go? Again some will go to their computer and “Google” God. Others will go to their Bibles and maybe use the concordance to help them find scriptures that will help them know Him.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, said that nothing compared to knowing Christ Jesus the Lord. The most important thing in Paul’s life was knowing Jesus.

Shouldn’t that be the most important thing for everyone? The question is, how can we know Jesus; how can we know God? Can we know God by “googling” him? Can we know God by reading our Bibles?

Remember the television program Newly Weds? The MC would ask each of the men and then each of the women the same questions about their spouses. Then they would come back together and we’d all get to see how well they really knew each other. It was soon very apparent that most of them didn’t really know their life partner.

So, what if there were a game show that partnered us with God and we were asked questions about God and he was asked questions about us. I wonder what kind of insights that would give us? Who do you suppose would know the most about the other? How well do you think we’d know God?

I, for one, don’t think I know God well enough. I read the Bible. I read commentaries. I read books about spirituality. I read quite a few books about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in an attempt to get to that point where I can say that I really know God. But none of them have taken me to the place where I can honestly say that I know God.

But I do believe that God knows me. And, like Paul, all I can do is to continue to keep trying to know him better.

To be honest with all of you I did go to the concordance in my study Bible and looked up knowing and knowledge. There are a number of scripture passages that talk about God knowing us and us knowing Him.

Exodus is the first place I found written that the people will know that I am the LORD. They would know God because he revealed himself in the plagues in Egypt and in the miracles like parting the water of the Red Sea and the drowning of the Egyptians who pursued them and in providing manna and quail and water from a rock.

The psalmist says if we know his name we will trust in him. The same psalmist also tells us to …be still and know that I am God. In the book of Jeremiah we read that God knew us before we were formed in the womb. Also in Jeremiah God says that now everyone will know him…for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more. And Ezekiel repeats what we read in Exodus when he says…they shall know that I am the LORD.

It sounds like God makes himself known to us through his actions in our lives. We read in the Bible that even if there were no prophets or teachers to tell us about God the very stones would cry out. God’s creation helps people know Him. People have come to believe and trust in God through what they’ve seen in this world we live in.

Jesus said in John’s gospel…I have made you known to them. He also told those surrounding him…I know my sheep and my sheep know me.

So, has the question been answered? How do we get to know God? I believe it ultimately depends on God’s grace. God calls us. And then we choose whether we will believe and answer His call. Only then will we begin to know him.

God said, and Jesus repeated it, if we keep his commandments we will be his. We will be known by him.

We struggle with keeping the commandments and we struggle to live like Jesus so will we ever know God? We fail almost every day to keep God’s commandments. So, that’s the unknown quantity.

God tells us we are forgiven for our sins through Jesus. Jesus said that he would send an advocate who would tell us Jesus’ words. All this has taken place and now it’s up to us.

Do we believe? Do we trust God’s word to us? Friends, none of us knows for sure but Jesus said all we have to do is believe.

The Israelites in the wilderness were afraid to talk to God. God tells us we can go directly to him with our prayers. Jesus told us of God’s love and forgiveness.

All these help us to know God better. There’s still the mystery surrounding Him but God knows us and by spending time in prayer and study we begin to know God.

We’ll never know everything until we get to the New Jerusalem. Until then we just have to trust in what God reveals to us in the Word and His creation.

Thanks be to God. Amen.