Knowing

God by
Experienc
e John Isaacs
November 8, 2009
Kingsway Community Church
James 4:8
Draw near to
God and He will
draw near to you.
3 Steps to
take, in the
pursuit of a
relationship
1
Remove All
Barriers
That
Create
Gaps
2
Increase
Your
Knowledge
Of What
The Bible
3
Pursue
“Intimacy
With God”
As An
Intentional
Real
Intimacy
Has
Three
1.
Encounte
r
2.
1
Encounter
ing
Jesus
Christ
We Encounter
Jesus, by the Holy
Spirit’s Help …
John 7:38-40
He who believes in Me, as the
Scripture has said, out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water.” But
this He spoke concerning the Spirit,
whom those believing in Him would
receive; for the Holy Spirit was not
yet given, because Jesus was not
yet glorified.
John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things,
and bring to your remembrance all
things that I said to you.
Romans 5:5
Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been
poured out in our hearts by the
Holy Spirit who was given to us.
1 Corinthians 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?
We Encounter
Jesus, by the Holy
Spirit’s Help
• In His Word…
• In Prayer
• In Worship
• In Fellowship
2
Building A
Relations
hip With
Jesus
By
Spending
Time
3
On
Mission
with Jesus
• Obey
• Serve
• Give
• Go
Christianity is not
just …
• a set of beliefs contained
in the Scriptures, Creeds
and Confessions
• a moral structure defined
by the TEN
COMMANDMENTS
• an observance of
Christianity is …

Primarily a
RELATIONSH
IP
We
Christianity is not
just …
Knowing
about God
Christianity is …

Knowing God
by Experience
John 17:3
And this is the way to
have eternal life - to
know You, the only
true God, and Jesus
Christ, the One You sent
to earth.
to know You
Greek Word “to know” is
ginosko.
“to know” for the Greek
mind is “to acquire
intellectual
understanding of …”
to know You
Hebrew Word “to know”
is yada.
“to know” for the
Hebrew mind is “to have
knowledge by
understanding and
to know You
YOU = Goodness,
Greatness, and Wisdom
“to KNOW” YOU = is not
to just acquire
understanding of His
Goodness, Greatness,
to know You
Have
understanding
and a personal
EXPERIENCE of
HIS Goodness,
The Bible Reveals God To
Be
1. Good 7. Merciful
2. Powerful 8. Faithful
3. Wise 9. Near
4. Eternal 10. Sovereign
5. Holy 11. Love
6. Just 12. Glorious
After spending his life
demonstrating that man has no
direct contact with spiritual
reality, Thomas Aquinas had an
experience with God. Afterward,
he said to a friend who was
urging him to continue his work,
Summa Theologica. “I can do no
more, such things have been
revealed to me that all I have
One of the great Puritan writers,
John Flavel, had an experience
with God as he sat by a well.
Years later he referred to that
day, “It was one of the days of
heaven and I now understand
more about heaven, from that
one experience, than by all the
books I’ve read or all the
discourses I’ve listened to.”
John Wesley’s journal for January
1, 1739 reads, “We were present
at our love feast in Fetter Lane
with about 60 of our brethren.
About three in the morning as we
were continuing instant in
prayer, the power of God came
mightily upon us, insomuch that
many cried out for exulting joy
and many fell to the ground.”
When Blaise Pascal died they
found this note sewn into his
shirt. “This day of grace 1654
from about 10:30 pm to 12:30
after midnight – fire, fire, fire!
Feeling joy, peace. God of Jesus
Christ, not of the philosophers
and the wise. O righteous
Father, the world hath not known
thee but I have known thee. Joy,
D. L. Moody wrote, “I began to
cry as never before for a greater
blessing from God. Well, one day
in the city of New York – what a
day, I cannot describe it. I
seldom refer to it. It is almost
too sacred an experience to
name. I can only say God
revealed himself to me, and I had
such an experience of His love
Christianity is …

Primarily a
RELATIONSH
IP
We