Knowing That You Know God

Every Christian desires to know God beyond intellectual facts. Is this possible? This week we look how it is not only possible to know God personally, but also how to continue to grow in personal knowledge of Him for the rest of your life.

1 John 2:3-6 Sermon Guide

There exists no greater privilege and blessing for the believer than to truly know God. As many people in both John’s day and the world today profess to know Him, how can we as Christians know that we know Him? In this week’s message of the This We Know: A Journey in 1 John series, Tyler Briggs highlights the difference between simply knowing about God and truly knowing God through joyful obedience to Him.

Point #1: You know you know God when you joyfully obey God. (1 John 2:3-4)

In objection to the Gnostics, who stressed the importance of acquiring secret, intellectual knowledge about God to know God, John offers the Obedience Test – the first of three tests for fellowship in 1 John, chapter 2. Verse 3 testifies that true knowledge of God is demonstrated through joyful obedience. Ultimately, you can know you know God when you are walking with Him by living out His Word.

  1. In what areas of your life (i.e. discipleship, serving, speech, sexual integrity, finances) are you most apathetic toward obedience to God? What have you learned about God’s character through following God’s commands to help you trust Him more in this area?
  2. What does John call those who profess to know God, but do not obey Him? Why can we view verse 4 as loving?

Point #2: You joyfully obey God because you know God. (1 John 2:5)

Tyler emphasizes the connectedness of obedience and our love of God and for God. The more we know and love God, the more we obey Him. The more we obey Him, the more we know and love Him. Therefore, joyless obedience means we are out of step with God.

  1. As demonstrated by John 14:21 and captured by John Newton’s hymn, “We Were Once as You Are,” when our love for God is perfected, duty and delight are one and the same. In which of the following areas of your Christian walk does joylessness most frequently emerge: Sunday’s service, community group, volunteering, Bible study? What does confession, repentance, and renewed fellowship with God look like in this area(s)?

Point #3: You walk like Jesus when you walk with Jesus. (1 John 2:6)

How did Jesus walk? Tyler calls our attention to four key aspects of Jesus’ walk, as chronicled in the Gospel of John: 1) Jesus walked in obedience (John 15:10), 2) Jesus walked in joy (John 15:11), 3) Jesus walked in love for others (John 15:12), 4) Jesus walked with the Father (John 17:22-23). Inevitably, as we live in true fellowship with Jesus, we will live and love like Jesus.

  1. What do you think is the most astonishing or humbling aspect of Jesus’ life and ministry on earth?
  2. How could more consistently walking with Jesus impact your life and the lives of those around you?

Application

  1. Read 1 John 2:7-11 before next Sunday’s message!
  2. With your community group, discuss and confess areas of disobedience of joyless obedience. Encourage each other with Matthew 11:28-30 and pray for one another.
  3. By beholding the beauty of Christ, God draws us to see duty and delight as one and the same. Individually or with your community group, watch the “Passion Song” video of Christ’s death and resurrection.