Bible Studies

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Matthew 7:22&23 - “Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And I will say to them, “Depart from Me you evil people for I never knew you.”

In other words Jesus says to those who claim to have served Him, “You professed to do these things for Me, but you never bothered to do what I said and enter into relationship with Me and that’s what matters for it shows where your heart truly lies and it is always the heart that I’m interested in.” For God is the One who searches hearts and minds (Jeremiah 17:10) and it is to Him we must give account for our lives (Hebrew 4:13). So let us never think that we can ever hide anything from God with religious behavior or anything else we might do, for He knows everything, even those things that we have managed to hide from ourselves. For God to say “I don’t know you.” cannot mean that He does not know your name or know about you for He knows everything about you, even the many things that you don’t know about yourself. Therefore, His knowing or not knowing us must mean something else. One might know about a great many things but to truly know something is to know it interactively and experientially – that is (in reference to persons) intimately, personally, and relationally. God may only know us in this way as we allow Him to and this will only happen when we desire to know Him in the same way.

It is primarily for this reason (to know Him, to be in relationship with Him) that He took it upon Himself to rescue us from the fall – that is, from ourselves. For with the fall, our relationship with God was destroyed. Our spirit was crippled and our eyes were clouded, so that we are no longer able in ourselves to know God rightly. God’s intention in our creation has ever been that we might know Him personally and therefore love Him perfectly for who He is. Thus one of the promises of scripture is “then we will know fully even as we are fully known.” (1st Corinthians 13:12). And in knowing Him thus fully shall we also “be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1st John 3:2). For He is perfect love. To be like Him is to be whole with everything removed from us that wars against our souls, everything that skews His image in us. We were created in His image to shine forth some measure of His personality and glory. To be perfected into His likeness is to finally and fully be exactly as we were made to be and most ultimately and truly ourselves for the first time and for forever.

We pray, “Oh, God, be my God. Search me and know me (Psalm 139:23). Forgive me and cleanse me (1st John 1:9). Restore me and help me to know You and to love You for who You are. Thank You for loving me and sending Your own Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to free me from sin and to restore my relationship to You (John 3:16). Make me Yours and keep me forever (Jude 1:24). Turn me from the wrong way and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:24). Live in me by Your Holy Spirit and make me new (2nd Cor. 5:17). I ask this by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. Amen.”

Know – be on familiar terms with, experience, recognize

See the songs; Forever Yours, Belong to You

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