Knowing God

Developing Spiritual Maturity
Written By Drew Kizer

OPENING THOUGHT

According to Charles Spurgeon, “…while the subject of knowing God humbles the mind, it also expands it… The most excellent study for expanding the soul is the science of Christ and him crucified and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the Deity.”

EXPLORING GOD’S WORD

Romans 1:18-20

  • How can we first learn about God, even before we read the Bible?

  • What can we learn?

  • What are the limitations of this kind of revelation?

Psalm 119:129-136, 171-172

  •  Through the Word, we learn more about God than we can gather through his creation.

  • The “name” of God is the expression of his nature, the sum of his divine attributes. Notice how those who “long for your commandments” are parallel to those who “love your name” (vv. 131-132). How does this connect God’s name to his commandments?

  • Another parallel occurs in v. 135 where “make your face shine upon your servant” is compared with “teach me your statutes.” What does this tell us about the importance of God’s Word?

  • Why does reading God’s Word produce worship in vv. 171-172?

John 14:6-11

  • How many ways are there to knowing the Father?

  • How does Jesus tell Philip to see the Father?

  • Do we always see God through the lens of Jesus’ teachings and deeds? What do we miss when we fail to look at him through Christ?

Matthew 6:9-13

  • How does the Model Prayer shape our knowledge about God?

  • Does God always answer our prayers the way we want him to?

  • The Bible tells us to keep praying, even when we don’t get what we think we need (Luke 18:1; 1 Thes. 5:17; cf. 2 Cor. 12:7-10). How does persistence in prayer aid our understanding and submission to God?

Drew Kizer
Previous

Perseverance
Next

Stillness