What God Wants Us to Know

From time to time when reading our Bibles, we come across a particular phrase and when this word or phrase is repeated over and over again it behooves us to take a deeper look into what exactly is meant by that phrase. Previously we've examined the phrase about the seven 'bewares' that were uttered by Jesus Christ and then we looked at the 'bewares' that were uttered by the apostles. Today I want to look at the Biblical phrase 'THAT YOU MAY KNOW'. If something is really important enough for this phrase to be used repeatedly for our admonition, then we really ought to find out what it is that we must know. The title of today's sermon is: "What God Wants Us to Know". We're going to take a look at some Biblical passages that use the phrase 'that you may know' and extract from each phrase what we are to know, what we're to learn and remember from this lesson. Bear in mind that the things we are to know will bring us to the final passage that we'll be covering today.

1) THE SABBATH IS A SIGN BETWEEN MAN AND GOD

Ex. 31:13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

Sanctify means set apart for a special purpose. This is repeated in Ezek. 20:12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. There is the phrase again 'THAT THEY MIGHT KNOW '. This is saying that there is a special setting apart of those people who are keeping the Sabbath.

Ezek. 20: 20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.

The Sabbath is a sign between God and man and God wants us to know that.

2) GOD IS THE ONE WHO BROUGHT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT TO RESIDE IN TEMPORARY DWELLINGS PRIOR TO ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND.

Lev. 23: 43 that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’” You see, life is only a temporary existence as we prepare to enter the Promised Land, the Kingdom of God. Leaving Egypt is us leaving sin… just as we should in our lives, but we still live in these temporary dwellings, in these temporary bodies that we have. And we await just as the children of Israel over time waited to enter the Promised Land, so do we wish to enter the Kingdom of God. We can see the reference to this in Isa. 40: 6-8

 6 The voice said, “Cry out!”
And he said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”

God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to reside in temporary dwellings before they entered the Promised Land and God has given us a temporary existence as we prepare to enter our Promised Land, the Kingdom of God.

A lot can happen in one week. This morning I went to a funeral. This was the first week back at school and on Monday morning I was surprised to find out that a fellow teacher had died on Sunday afternoon. It was a complete surprise. It was a woman about forty-five years old who wasn't ill… there was no expectation of death, but she wasn't feeling well. I didn't hear all the details but she got into the hot tub while she wasn't feeling well and they said she died of natural causes and slipped away. Her husband is also one of my fellow teachers. I see him every day. That was a somber way to start Monday morning. I couldn't help but be reminded throughout this week that this life is a temporary existence… like grass or a flower that fades or withers and that we must look for the Promised Land that God has promised to us… the Kingdom of God.

So number two is God is the one who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to reside in temporary dwellings prior to entering the Promised Land just as God has brought us out of sin with the promise to enter the Kingdom of God if we obey Him.

3) GOD SETS LIMITS AND IN SO DOING, HE DIRECTS OUR PATHS.

Josh. 3:3-4 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.”

They were to respect the Ark of the Covenant. They were to follow it as it was being transported, but they weren't to get too close. God had issued some limits for them and put limits in place and was therefore directing their paths. He was giving them this advice because they hadn't passed that way before. Isn't that what this life is about? We only get one 'bite' at this apple; we only have one shot at it. We don't get a retake, so we need to follow God's ways. There is a Way that is referred to by God.

Gen. 3:24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword, which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

There is a Way to the tree of life, but God was concerned that people would errantly try to grab it when they weren't ready when they weren't prepared and couldn't appreciate it. God had to put a path and put restrictions on that Way. Those restrictions, those limits that God puts in place are for our benefit we can read about in Matt. 7:13-14 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

I was raised on a dairy farm and the barn door was such that only one cow could go in and out of the barn at the same time and if two of them got their heads in at the same time, they would be kind of wedged uptight… they just couldn't both make it. More than once they tore the doorjamb out while two of them were trying to get in and we had to get back there and refasten it in. Narrow is the way sometimes for us to get in. Doesn't it feel that way sometimes? Sometimes it is difficult. It was over thirty years ago that Mr. Leonard Schreiber said, "What teenagers need the most is what they desire the least." You can substitute 'teenager' with 'everybody else'. He was talking about ADVICE… they need it the most, but they desire it the least. Isn't it about age three that we start saying, "I can do it myself.” They clearly can't do everything themselves, but they certainly say that they can.

I'm reminded of Mr. Hopper's sermon a couple of weeks ago. He made a statement that struck me and I've been thinking about it every day since. He said that if only mankind would follow just one of the Ten Commandments, how much better the world would be. Is it too much to ask to pick just ONE and obey it? Apparently so.

The standard for us is that God has set limits. He's put outer limits and He has said to stay within those limits and therefore you'll be able to get through that narrow way rather than go the wide way of destruction. The Way is referred to with a capital 'T' and a capital 'W' in many translations. In chapters eighteen through twenty-four of Acts, you'll see numerous references to 'The Way'. God has laid out 'The Way' and the way He lays it out is that He put limits for us and if we stay within the limits, we'll be safe. Stay within the limits and we can go where God wants us to go.

4) GOD'S WORD IS A STANDARD BY WHICH WE WILL BE JUDGED.

Jer. 44:29 And this shall be a sign to you,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.’ In other words, if you go outside of God's standard, of His expectation there is a natural consequence that can occur. God has designed the universe for our benefit, but if we don't follow the path that He has directed for us we have problems. God has set it up for our benefit and has told us, "You should go this way."

Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The word of God is a very important standard, the standard by which we'll be judged. The word of God is a very living and powerful tool that God uses. A two-edged sword means it's like a sword that's designed to cut both ways. It doesn't matter which way the sword is swinging; it cuts both ways.

God says the life is in the blood and the blood is produced by the marrow in the bones and comes through the joints and so God knows us more than we know ourselves. He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart… which is kind of scary and why we should try to purge the thoughts and intents of the heart that shouldn't be there.

5) WE SHOULD KNOW THAT ENLIGHTENED UNDERSTANDING IS IMPORTANT TO DEMONSTRATE THE HOPE OF OUR CALLING.

Eph. 1:16-19 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

Wow! What is the hope of His calling? We need God's enlightenment to help us to understand the hope of His calling because that answers the question: "What is life all about?" As I've mentioned before, the most frequently asked questions by students, the younger ones usually who think they are being a smart alack is: "What is the meaning of life?" They're surprised when I have an answer for it. What is life all about? People abuse themselves spiritually, and physically… but we have the opportunity to know the hope of our calling. We need enlightened understanding to demonstrate the hope of our calling.

6) WE SHOULD SPEAK BOLDLY, EVEN THROUGH OTHERS, TO COMFORT ONE ANOTHER TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.

 WYC Eph. 6: 19 and for me; that word be given to me in opening of my mouth, with trust to make known the mystery of the gospel,

(Paul is saying here to pray for him. Don't we all wish that God would put the words in our mouths so that when anybody enquires of us, we'd do well to say the right thing.)

WYC Verse 20 for which I am set in message in a chain [for which I am set in legacy, or message, in this chain]; so that in it I be hardy to speak, as it behooveth me [to speak out].

That's a lot of English words that are hard to understand. What did I just say? What Paul is saying is that he has this message and this message is a sequential message, but I can't give it to you right now even as much as I want to. It's difficult right now. I want to speak out, but I can't right now.

WYC Verse 21 And [that] ye know, what things be about me, what I do, Tychicus, my most dear brother, and true minister in the Lord shall make all things known to you;

In other words, I'm sending another minister; I can't come because I'm in chains. I can't come right now, but I'm going to send this other minister and he is going to let you know what's going on and preach to you the gospel.

WYC Verse 22 whom I sent to you for this same thing, that ye know what things be about us, and that he comfort your hearts.

The apostle Paul was concerned, even though he was in a bad situation that his congregations would be comforted so he sent somebody else to do the comforting. He sent them with a message: Here, let me tell you about our situation, but even more so about the gospel.

7) YOUR SPEECH MUST BE EFFECTIVE. BE READY TO ANSWER, TO EXPLAIN GOD'S HOPE FOR YOUR LIFE.

Col. 4:6 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Isn't that what we want to do? Do we turn around and say, "I wish I hadn't said that." "Oh, man." Or on the way home say, "You know, I really should have handled this a little differently." Or "Why didn't I think of that at the time?" "If only…" If I do it, I suspect it might have happened to one of you once in a while… usually when the tail lights are going off in the distance is when I come up with my best answers to whatever it was that someone asked me. This also says let our speech be seasoned with grace and salt. That means we must be careful how we communicate with others. That can be a difficult situation from time to time because sometimes we can get the hair on the back of our neck raised up a little bit… maybe a little bit too much salt when we communicate with others. Maybe sometimes we intend the salt. Sometimes we like to throw a little lemon juice on the paper cut to make things really sting. We should be careful! That can be difficult. Salt is something that we use carefully. (The same thing with lemon juice on a paper cut. Yeah, it cleans it out, but at what cost?) We have to be careful how we communicate with others.

1 Peter 3: 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; [Sanctify, make special your Lord God and where do you make Him special? Right in your heart, in your inner being.] Behind the word 'fear', I have in parentheses 'respect' and that's really the definition there… respect. When it says with meekness, it means not arrogant… it's not 'haha, I know and you don't.' It means to answer with meekness and understanding. Fear doesn't mean for you to be feared, it means to respect them and respect your God. I've been caught short and not fully ready and each time I've determined, "I'm going to do better next time." I want to be ready when someone asks me of the hope that God has for my life.

8) ETERNAL LIFE IS OUR HOPE (And it's almost within our grasp.)

1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

We're to KNOW that. We know that we have eternal life if we believe on the name of the Son of God. In other words… we follow who God is, understanding who Jesus Christ is and that His sacrifice has made it possible for us to have eternal life.

Isa. 40:6-8 he voice said, “Cry out!”
And he said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”

We have an opportunity to join that eternal life that goes beyond the withering grass or the fading flower of this body and this life.

 

9) GOD IS INCOMPARABLE.

Moses, when he was bargaining with Pharaoh in an attempt to get Pharaoh to release the children of Israel, who were there as slaves for over four hundred years, was bargaining in regard to the plague of frogs.

Ex. 8: 10 So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.

Pharaoh said 'tomorrow'; isn't that the way it is sometimes… always tomorrow, mañana. This verse is Moses responding to Pharaoh and he says God is incomparable… there is no one like God. There were terrible plagues going on in Egypt, so Moses says okay but you'd better know that our God is incomparable, He can't be bested, you're not going to pull one over on anybody here and you're going to suffer if you don't keep your word.

Ex. 9: 14 for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.

Like they hadn't had enough already and now God says it's going to affect Pharaoh right into his heart. The understanding that God is incomparable was made manifest to Pharaoh not just throughout all the plagues but through the release of the children of Israel as they escaped him and his army was destroyed.

God is incomparable; nothing can be compared to Him; there is nothing like Him.

 

10) GOD DWELLS IN THE MIDST OF HIS PEOPLE.

Ex. 8: 22 And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. [This is still during the time of the plagues on Egypt.] God says this will affect the Egyptians but will not affect the children of Israel in Goshen. The hard-hearted Egyptians were going to suffer but not the Israelites. Some of the plagues were upon Egypt only and the children of Israel were protected.

God dwells in the midst of his people, but it's not just in the midst of the land whether it's then or now. Matt. 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” It isn't just that God is in your land or your area protecting you generally as a people… God is right with every little church service that we have. When we have a gathering of God's people, God's presence is there in the midst of us and it doesn't stop there.

1 Cor. 6: 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If you follow God's way, God's Spirit is in you. It goes right into you as well as this small group as well as the land where God has chosen to place his people. There are at least three layers that we see here where God is dwelling in the midst of his people.

 

11) GOD OWNS THE EARTH AND HE DESIRES TO SHARE IT WITH US.

Ex. 9: 29 So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.

You see, Pharaoh was unconvinced his sorcerers could do certain things, and he thought he couldn't trust this crazy Moses just because he can duplicate some of what mine can, but suddenly the hail was pretty astounding. You have lightning and thunder and hail is coming down destroying the crops, the livestock, the homes and hurting people as well and Moses was making it clear that it wasn't him doing it. He was saying that GOD owned the earth and not the Pharaoh and not Moses or anybody else. The earth is the Lord's. We should respect that… first of all because He is our Creator. He has great riches. He owns the whole world and He wants us to have those treasures. How do we know that?

Isa. 45: 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel.

God is the God of those He has called out. He wants to give us the treasures, the ones that are dark that we can't find… the hidden ones in the secret places, the wealth of this world.

Psa. 24: The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.

God is the Creator God. We can't deny that the earth belongs to Him and all the things that are in it, including the people.

Gen. 2: 4 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.

This is a remarkable understanding, one that if we all understood it well that we'd know that God is the Creator and that He owns the world and that He wants us to enjoy the riches of this world, the treasures of this world. We have some evidence that God wants to share it with us. (This is spoken about Israel.) :

1 Kings 8: 53 For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance, as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.” There's an inheritance involved, the earth.

Psa. 2:8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

Psa. 25:13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.

Then there's one that you will probably think I am reading in a different book of the Bible:

Psa. 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Doesn't that sound like the Beatitudes? We read that in the Beatitudes. Where do you think Christ was quoting from?

Matt. 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

God owns the earth and He wants to share it with us.

12) GOD WANTS US TO HAVE A MEMORY OF THE WONDERS AND SIGNS OF GOD.

You'll notice that a lot of these are coming back the time of Moses and the exodus and that God really wanted his people to know these things.

Ex. 10: 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”

What in the world were they supposed to tell their children and grandchildren? How about the ten plagues as they were laid upon the children of Israel or the children of Egypt? We could talk about the miracles involved in the delivery from slavery in Egypt. We could talk about how the Israelites spoiled the Egyptians and how they were ready to give them wealth so they would just get out of there. We could talk about the miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea. We could talk about the miracle of fresh water in the desert. We could talk about the miracle of the manna that was given to them daily for forty years. And when they were tired of manna and they wanted meat, we could talk about the miracle of the quail that came to be food for them. Then we could talk about the prevailing in battle despite long odds.

What about the miracles in our own lives; the miracle of our calling; the miracles that have given us hope and sustained us whether it be in sickness or in health, in friendships and relationships? God wants us to have a memory of the wonders and signs of God because He is the Lord of our lives.

13) GOD HAS SELECTED A SPECIAL PEOPLE.

I couldn't help but think of that when we sang the hymn today… number 133 "We Are God's People" which is quoting Psalm 100. The words roll out so nicely: We are God's people. Where do we understand that? What makes us different from anyone else? Ex. 11:7 But against none of the children of Israel shall a dog move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ There are those words again 'That you may know'.

There was a difference as to what was going to happen to one as to what was going to happen to the other. God has selected a special people. Who are God's special people? Ex. 19: 5 Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

There's a bargain, an arrangement, there's a contract, there's a deal… a covenant. Then we have a couple of 'mirror' verses that are almost identical.

Deut. 7:6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth

Deut. 14:2 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

What is expected of these people? Deut. 26: 16 “This day the Lord your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. Does it say to observe them with meticulousness even though you begrudgingly do so because you have to? Or does it say to be careful to observe them with your heart and soul? Put some meaning into it, understand why and follow through with your heart.

It's not just in Exodus and Deuteronomy, we read about Christ and have a description of these people: Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for his people, a special people… purifying a special people (which is what we should be doing now) and then we can be identified as God's special people if we are zealous for good works.

One of my daughters (some of you will remember Sena), when she was a little girl was learning to write. She's all grown up now and teaching her own kids to read and write. Every sentence, when she was learning to read and write, she would end with an exclamation point. I thought I'd better enquire as to why every single sentence ended in an exclamation point. I wanted to ask gently. I didn't want to say you end a sentence with a period or a question mark and only in special circumstances do you end it with an exclamation point. I just enquired first. I asked, "Can I ask why you put an exclamation point at the end of every single sentence?" She was four or five or six years old and she said, "Because I really mean it!" I guess every sentence she wrote, she really meant it. (Don't tell her I said this.) She was zealous. She enjoyed what she wrote and she really meant it. Do we really mean it? Is our church and our life and our belief system worth an exclamation point or is it worth just a fading period?

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; He called us out of what? Out of darkness. And then into what? His marvelous light. Before we couldn't see. If you've not turned the light on in the hallway and you're heading through the hallway at night, and it's a dark night… you can count on a stubbed toe or something worse. Because you can't see where you're going, you don't even know what's there. But God has given us a light, a marvelous light. He's made us a chosen people, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation… not just one or two, but a great group that He has given a marvelous light. It's up to us to be one of the ones who answer God's calling.

14) THERE'S A TIME OF JUDGMENT COMING UPON THE EARTH.

Job 19: 29 Be afraid of the sword for yourselves;
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
That you may know there is a judgment.”

Again, we see the words: THAT YOU MAY KNOW there's a judgment. In other words, there's a cause for every effect. For every action, there can be a consequence. There's a decision coming that is based on what your actions or conduct are. We know there's a time of judgment because we read it in God's Holy Scripture.

Psa. 96:13 For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth.

Remember that verse about the two-edged sword? God has truth. There is that time of judgment coming and there's a way out of it, out of the condemnation.

2 Peter 2:9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

God please, please deliver us from those temptations because of how painful it is. We don't want to go to the Day of Judgment; we don't want to go there. We understand there will be consequences for our actions, but there's a day of judgment, a time of judgment coming upon the earth and God wants us to know that. He doesn't want bad for us. This says He knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and that's really what we should ask for: "God please help me to overcome whatever it is that's a temptation to not do right."

15) GOD HAS CALLED CERTAIN PEOPLE TO DO A WORK TO BE WITNESSES TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

Jer. 6:27 “I have set you as an assayer and a fortress among My people,
That you may know and test their way.

Jeremiah was sent out to know and test their way so the people would be able to know, to discern, to identify what the truth is.

1 Peter 2: 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

We've been called to do a work and in Jeremiah we see that it's so the people may know and be tested. And then we read what the job is to be for the people called by God.

Matt. 24: 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

There's a work to be done. The gospel, the good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations. That's one facet of our calling… what we're instructed to do.

Matt. 28:19-20 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

We're not just to just preach the gospel to the world, but to make disciples of all nations… meaning of all peoples and to baptize them and teach them to observe what Jesus Christ has commanded through his disciples and later to the apostles. He said He would be with them.

 

16) JESUS CHRIST HAS THE HEALING POWER TO FORGIVE SINS AND REPAIR HUMAN BODIES.

Matt. 9:6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Again we see the words: that you may know. Jesus Christ had a healing ministry.

Mark 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” This is another reference to the man who was paralyzed.

Luke 5:24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” For someone who couldn't walk, these are pretty remarkable things to hear.

Then we have what is the expectation of us: James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

It isn't just an accident that God heals. You have to have the faith and you have to be willing to exercise it.

 

17) GOD'S WORD IS TRUE AND CONSISTENT.

Let's start out with those words again, the watchwords of the day in Luke 1:4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

We're supposed to know that the things Christ was instructing them in are certain, that they are sure, they're going to happen.

Psa. 33:4 For the word of the Lord is right,
And all His work is done in truth.

Psa. 119:160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.

 

God's word is true and consistent and of course, that may bring to mind Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

18) JESUS CHRIST IS A MEMBER OF THE GOD FAMILY

You'd think point number eighteen would go without saying, except that God wants us to know this because apparently a lot of people don't understand that Jesus Christ is a member of the God family. John 10:38… though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” In other words… if you don't believe me, you should be able to believe what I've done with all the healings we've talked about, the resurrection of some people from the dead, the rising of the paralytic from his bed, the sins that were forgiven and the many people that were healed. Of course, there are always the disbelievers.

Psa. 14:1 The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt,
They have done abominable works,
There is none who does good.

 

Psa. 53:1 The fool has said in his heart,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
There is none who does good.

 

There are some people who just aren't going to believe. They won't even believe it when the good things happen that God says are going to happen. They won't believe the miracles; they'll 'turn it off '. The ones who say there is no God; this is their belief system:

NET Rom. 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

They've abandoned God and do not recognize that Jesus Christ is a member of the God family, is the Son of God and so they've dismissed that and now what do they do? They worship the creation… whether it's statues of stone or brass or other metals or perhaps it's a political idea that we have or Gaia, earth worship and all the rest that goes with that. They're worshiping the creation rather than the Creator.

If someone doesn't believe what Jesus Christ says, he ought to at least recognize Jesus Christ's relationship to God the Father… because of all the many miracles and healings that were so widely documented during his ministry. Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—

It's referring to the time and life of Christ when He did those many things. Matt. 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. That is repeated in Matt. 9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

That's a lot. Don't you think people would flock to you? They did flock to Jesus Christ, even if it was without real belief. They knew where there was a good thing going on and so they went to Jesus Christ saying, 'Hey, we can get healing here.'

John 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.
This goes beyond temporary healing. This power was granted to Jesus Christ. He's a member of the God family. He can give life to whomever He will.

19) WE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE HOPE OF GOD'S CALLING.

Eph. 1:18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

The hope of God's calling is a pretty important thing because He gives you a sureness, a calmness, an understanding to know what our destiny is. We've already read about always being ready to give an answer to someone who asks about the hope that is within you.

What does God want us to know? He repeats the phrase: THAT YOU MAY KNOW and I've recorded here nineteen times.

1) THE SABBATH IS A SIGN BETWEEN MAN AND GOD.

2) THIS LIFE IS ONLY A TEMPORARY EXISTENCE AS WE PREPARE TO ENTER THE PROMISED LAND, IN OUR CASE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

3) GOD SETS LIMITS AND IN SO DOING DIRECTS OUR PATHS.

4) GOD'S WORD IS THE STANDARD BY WHICH WE'LL BE JUDGED.

5) ENLIGHTENED UNDERSTANDING DEMONSTRATES THE HOPE OF OUR CALLING.

6) WE MUST BE BOLD, EVEN THROUGH OTHERS, TO COMFORT ONE ANOTHER.

7) OUR SPEECH MUST BE EFFECTIVE, BEING READY TO ANSWER OUR HOPE IN GOD.

8) ETERNAL LIFE IS OUR HOPE.

9) GOD IS INCOMPARABLE… CANNOT BE COMPARED TO ANYTHING OR ANYONE.

10) GOD DWELLS IN THE MIDST OF HIS PEOPLE AND INDEED IN THE HEARTS OF THE CALLED-OUT ONES.

11) GOD OWNS THE EARTH AND HE DESIRES TO SHARE IT WITH US.

12) GOD WANTS US TO HAVE A MEMORY OF THE WONDERS AND SIGNS OF GOD TO KNOW THAT HE IS THE LORD OF OUR LIVES.

13) GOD HAS SELECTED A SPECIAL PEOPLE AND IT'S OUR CHOICE WHETHER WE ACCEPT THE CALLING TO BE A SPECIAL PERSON.

14) THERE'S A TIME OF JUDGMENT COMING ON THE EARTH.

15) GOD HAS CALLED A CERTAIN PEOPLE TO DO A WORK TO BE WITNESSES TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. (TO FOLLOW THE MISSION THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US IN MATTHEW CHAPTERS TWENTY-FOUR AND TWENTY-EIGHT)

16) JESUS CHRIST HAS THE HEALING POWER TO FORGIVE SINS AND REPAIR HUMAN BODIES.

17) GOD'S WORD IS TRUE AND CONSISTENT.

18) JESUS CHRIST IS A MEMBER OF THE GOD FAMILY.

19) GOD WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING.

We're not limited by the list of these phrases that emphasize what God wants us to know. There are many other scriptures that outline the plan of God, the importance of doctrine and how we should conduct our relationships. However, when we read these words: "THAT YOU MAY KNOW", we must pay special heed to what God wants us to know.