Stephen’s message this morning at Cherry Tree Court looked at 1 Jn 2:3-6 and asked the question, ‘Do you know God?’ Nowadays on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, we can have lots of ‘friends’, but many of these are little more than acquaintances. God doesn’t want to be that kind of friend to us; He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother! (Prov 18:24)
Close friends know us, know our strengths and weaknesses and are with us in the good times and the bad times. God wants us to have that kind of intimate relationship with Him. Our coming to know God is a learning curve, rather like a building project. When building, the builders start with empty land and then have to dig deep to lay foundations before they can build upwards. Often, we have to clear our lives of rubble and build on Christ as our solid foundation,.
The Bible is devoted to teaching us how to know God and how to build our relationship with Him. Our knowledge of and love for God are built through our obedience (see Jn 14:15). We are called to live as He did, in dependence on God, in obedience to God, in fellowship and faithfulness and humility, living in sacrifice and in the power of God’s Spirit. God’s Word becomes the building blocks for our relationship with God, knowing Him as Father, Son and Spirit.
