Knowing God for Yourself

Introduction and Throwback Sunday

• Recaps “Throwback Sunday” and encourages bringing physical Bibles to church as a nod to tradition.​

• Expresses gratitude for recent church events and blessings, such as water baptism and picnic.​

• Calls for prayer and open hearts to receive from God, especially after a time of fasting.​

The Battle in Modern Life

• Recognizes the challenges of modern life: evil, temptation, spiritual warfare, and demonic activity, especially in the end times.​

• Emphasizes the need for spiritual strength and victory amidst adversity.​

Theme: Knowing God for Yourself

• Offers exhortation rather than a traditional sermon, aiming to stir faith and personal encounter with God.​

• Draws on the passage from Judges 2, focusing on generational changes in faith after Joshua’s time.​

• Warns of the danger when one generation knows God but the next only knows about God and not personally.​

The Difference Between Knowing About God and Knowing God

• Illustrates with personal stories (e.g., travel and experiences in Africa) the gap between theoretical and experiential knowledge.​

• Stresses the importance of firsthand experience, not just secondhand stories or head knowledge.​

Head Knowledge vs. Heart Knowledge

• Uses the metaphor of missing heaven by 18 inches (distance from head to heart).​

• Endorses experiential faith using biblical phrases like “taste and see that the Lord is good”.​

Biblical Examples and Discipleship

• References Jesus’ teaching in John 6 about the cost of discipleship and how it sifts followers.​

• Explains that true discipleship demands personal commitment and will cause offense or discomfort, but steadfastness comes from knowing God personally.​

Three Essentials to Knowing God

1. Desire:

   • Hunger and thirst for God are essential; desire moves mountains (example of Helen Keller’s determination).​

   • Illustrates how other desires can compete with spiritual pursuit (e.g., gym vs. church attendance).​

2. Learning:

   • Importance of learning from older generations and maintaining humility to be taught.​

   • Describes mutual mentoring – older generation sharing wisdom, younger generation teaching new things (e.g., technology).​

   • References biblical examples and personal mentors who inspired and taught about God’s miracles.​

3. Pressing In:

   • Encourages persistent pursuit of God; spiritual growth involves pressing in, waiting, and preparing for God’s timing.​

   • Story of receiving the Holy Spirit’s touch during times of seeking, both in personal and church settings.​

Generational Breakdown and Restoration

• Addresses the breakdown between generations in passing on spiritual experience and faith.​

• Calls for bridging generational gaps in church; both young and old must value each other's strengths and contributions.​

Call to Consecration and Closing

• Invites the congregation to prayer, worship, and pressing in for personal encounters with God.​

• Encourages leaders and young people to seek fresh encounters; asks everyone to create space for seeking God without distraction.​

• Concludes with a challenge for ongoing spiritual hunger, continual learning, and pursuing God’s presence in the model of biblical figures like Caleb and Joshua.