I must know Jesus, not by dreams of by visions, but the Word reveals Him and it is through His Word that I must know Him. I cannot know Jesus through another man’s revelation, sure I can be taught and I must be taught by other men, but only by those who correctly divide the truth of God’s word skilfully putting Him first. What does that mean? It simply means that the Word must always take preference in context to the text to what it says as opposed to what we would like it to say.
I must know His nature both human and divine; I must meditate on Him so I will with all the saints may know the height, breadth, and depths of His Love. I must feel what it was for Him to suffer shame for my sin. I must sympathize with Him as He was separated from His Father on Calvary, when he cried out, “my God my God why have you forsaken me.” I must understand what it meant when he said, “foxes have holes and birds have nests but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head.” I must know the love of Christ which passes knowledge. That however does not mean it must be accomplished at the expense of sound doctrine, it is His doctrine that will teach me His love. Let me use an example, I will be faced with many different decisions throughout today and with those choices I will need to respond, it is how I react that will teach me the love of God. It is the beloved disciple John who teaches us this lesson.
(1John 2:5) “But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:”
(1John 2:9) “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.”
(1John 5:3) “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
So, let say I am in a relationship outside of marriage and claim to be born again and have the spirit of God living within me, am I then an obedient child of God? Through my experience I have cried tears when praying and communing with my heavenly Father and yet I know it is wrong to be sleeping with someone outside of marriage, but we are in love, and God will understand. Or, I get on with most people in church but there is just that one person that I cannot bring myself to forgive, but I know God understands. Wrong! God cannot and will not bless outside of His word. Now this is where the beauty of God’s wisdoms lies. Confess, repent go and make right with whoever you need to make right with and then you will experience what it means to “be touched with the feeling of his infirmities” and begin to KNOW HIM. This is how it must happen; this is how I get to know the love of God that passes all knowledge. Remember an olive and the process it goes through to produce its oil, it was in time passed placed between two stones and then ground until it releases is precious oil useful and nourishing for all who would eventually digested it.
Did the Lord Jesus not cry to His father in the garden of Gethsemane, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
There is a reason we need also to follow in Christ’s example, a very valid reason and something we always try and shun, but if we do avoid this truth, again it will be to our detriment. Peter has given us clear instruction;
“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” (1Peter 4:1)
Remember what kept us from God in the first place, was it not sin? It was Adam’s sin and Christ had to die for it. What then will teach us to put off sin, the answer is simple; we must suffer in the flesh. So go and make right, it will hurt, but it will liberate and teach us what it meant for Christ to die on a cruel Roman cross. The Lord Jesus is touched with the feelings of our infirmities that is why He is now our high priest. But, are we touch by His sacrifice, do we know what it meant for Him to suffer on our behalf. We must know! It is only once we are willing to lay our lives down for our brothers that we will be used as vessels of honour and not vessels of dishonour.
Let us sit at Jesus’ feet and today learn from Him.
Give us eyes to see and the will to seek out your grace heavenly Father and all we look for out is just enough for today, Amen!
Signing off
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