Know God Personally

This message is for everyone. It contains love, hope, and life-changing truths. These four principles will help you discover how to know God personally and experience the abundant life He promised.

1 - GOD LOVES US:

God loves you and created you to know Him personally. He has a wonderful plan for your life.

God's Love For Us

"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

God's Plan For Us

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3)

2 - BUT WE ARE SEPARATED BY OUR SIN

People are sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love and plan. (Sin is chosing to do what we want to do and not what God wants us to do.)

People Are Sinful — "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

People were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our own stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

People Are Separated From God — "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

This means spiritual separation from God.

This diagram illustrates that God is holy and people are sinful. A great gulf separates the two. The arrows illustrate that people are continually trying to reach God and establish the personal relationship with Him through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion - but we inevitably fail.

3 - GOD'S FREE GIFT TO US

Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love and plan.

• Jesus Died In Our Place — "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

• Jesus Rose From The Dead — "Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures...He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

• Jesus Is The Only Way To God — "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6)

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

But it is not just enough to know these truths ...

4 - WE MUST CHOOSE TO ACCEPT GOD'S GIFT

We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.

We Must Receive Christ — "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12)

We Receive Christ Through Faith — "By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation — Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and asking Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.

The following explains how you can receive Christ

WILL YOU RECEIVE CHRIST RIGHT NOW?

You Can Receive Christ Right Now by Faith Through Prayer (Prayer is talking with God)

God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be."

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?

If it does, pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.HOW DO I KNOW IF CHRIST IS IN MY LIFE?Did you receive Christ into your life?The Bible Promises Eternal Life to All Who Receive Christ"The witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13).

As it has been previously stated, God promises to give eternal life to all who receive Jesus. Since there is no sin in God, we know that He cannot lie.

Now That You Have Received Christ

The moment that you received Christ by faith, as an act of the will, many things happened, including the following:

• Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20; Colossians 1:27).
• Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
• You became a child of God (John 1:12).
• You received eternal life (John 5:24).
• You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen to you than receiving Christ? Would you like to thank God in prayer right now for what He has done for you? By thanking God, you demonstrate your faith.

WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?

Suggestions for Christian Growth

Spiritual growth results from trusting and obeying Jesus Christ. — "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11).

The Bible instructs us to do the following:

Go to God in prayer daily. (John 15:7)

Read God's Word (the Bible) daily (Acts 17:11). Start with the gospel of John.

Obey God in all areas of your life. (John 14:21)

Witness for Christ by your life and words. (Matthew 4:19, John 15:8)

Trust God to direct your life and provide for your every need. (Proverbs 3:5-6, Matthew 6:33)

Fellowship in a Good Church

God's Word instructs us not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:25). Several logs burn brightly together; but put one aside on the cold hearth and the fire goes out. So it is with your relationship with other Christians.

If you do not belong to a church, do not wait to be invited. Take the initiative; find a church where Christ is honored and His Word is preached. You may have to visit several churches before you find one you are comfortable with. It will be to your advantage to start visiting churches immediately.

Contact Information: To speak to a Meadowood minister, call (405) 737-7684, Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00 pm (central time)

To email us, click here. Your message will be sent to our pastor.

To contact someone on call 24 hours please dial K-LOVE's hotline at 800-525-LOVE (800-525-5683) or click here to visit K-Love's website. Under the "helping hand" click "get help," then under "Ministry" click "Spiritual Guidance."