3. THAT YOU MAY KNOW

3. THAT YOU MAY KNOW

Isaiah 43:10—To know God and believe Him.

God has chosen you so that you can know Him and believe Him; so that you can take Him at His Word. He calls us His servants; but the first priority for His servants is to know and believe Him, and out of that knowledge and belief comes the energy to serve.

Three questions to prompt our study today:

1. Who is this God who cares for us to know Him (Isa. 40:21-28)?

The book of Isaiah tells us about the sovereignty of our Creator God (Isaiah 40:21-29). He chose each one of us to come into relationship with Him – the Almighty Sovereign, Most High, El-Elyon, El-Shaddai. When we begin to understand the God we are studying through the pages of the prophet Isaiah’s inspired words, our lives will be affected. Every single time God is transfigured before us and we come to a new realization of who He is; we are confronted with the challenge to adjust our lives with what we have learned through His truth.

2. How can we know this awesome God?

• Through the study of God’s Word

• Through the lifestyle practices of prayer

3. Why is the in-depth study of God’s Word a necessary part of making liberty in Christ a reality in life (John 8:31-41)?

In depth – we cannot live in freedom based on a five-minute devotional with God. It will not liberate us with the kind of war that is going to go on in our lives. It happens through really knowing the meat of God’s Word, so that we can begin to recognize lies. We cannot recognize lies until we know the truth of God’s Word.

It is in the knowledge of truth; in our own personal inquiry of God through His Word – our own journey through Scripture. Truth is to know someone intimately in the secret in-most places of your life – that kind of knowledge through God’s Word is what will set us free. Studying God’s Word is imperative to us.

Two facts from the initial steps of our journey:

• Christ sets the captive free through truth.

We are free. When we received Christ and what He did for us on the cross, we were set free in Him. No authority, other than Christ, can presume a place in our lives – they only come in by our cooperation and our permission. Satan’s goal is to keep us in such bondage that we are not a threat to Him anyway; and he does that by seeing if he can take the free captive through lies. Any stronghold in your life will always be attached to a lie. Let God bring the Spirit of Truth into your life.

• Satan attempts to take the free captive through lies (James 1:22-25).

The Word of God does not come to us to condemn (Romans 8:1). God’s Word always comes to set us free – it is the perfect law of liberty. When we receive it, and when we walk away, and we dare to adjust our lives to what we have heard, or what we have studied; we are liberated.

EQUATIONS THAT TOTAL LIBERTY

Environmental Influences + Experiential Influences = My Truth

These are those things that we have been molded by as we have grown up. The experiences that have happened to us, that have been extremely influential, and they are my truth.

My Truth + 0 = Incompletion

It is very important to understand when the Word of God says “and the truth shall set you free,” it is not just talking about your truth; it is talking about God’s truth. It is very incomplete, only working with our point of reference. Sometimes, your truth alone will bury you. The enemy can suggest things, and people can suggest things, and we can get into situations where things are being fed into our heads that are not even true. Does it bear witness? Ask God. Does it fit? If it doesn’t, it is being suggested through deception and lies – reject it. God will reveal what you need to know.

My Truth + Satan’s lies = Captivity

Satan’s lies say “You will never be forgiven. He is the one who continues to suggest “You are not forgiven. Everything is conditional. You are not clean before God.” Satan always suggests “You will never be free.”

God’s Truth > my Truth

God’s truth is greater than my truth.

Hebrews 4:12-16

These verses combine together God’s truth, alive and powerful; and my truth. What God is saying is “Come clean with it. It’s already laid bare before me.” Satan begins to lose the stronghold when we bring it out of the secret closet and on to the table of truth with God. God’s truths power to heal is far greater than our truths power to destroy. His truth can heal you and me.

The Greek word “energes,” means “engaged in work, effective.”

Active – “It seems to have been used almost exclusively as a medical term; referring to a medical term, and the influence of medicine.” God’s Word becomes a medicine to us, to heal and not condemn (Hebrews 4:14-16).

My Truth + God’s Truth = Freedom

God’s truths power to heal us is far more effective, and set’s us free! Only through this truth do we find liberty; when my truth is seen in the light of God’s truth, and I am set free. You do not have a truth that God’s truth cannot overcome. His truth can break the power of any stronghold. Nothing is impossible for Him!