I want to read this again. We
read this last week in Job 22, 21. I want to read this again. The last
two or three weeks, we've been on a study of knowing God, this
is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God
in Jesus Christ. I want us to continue that study. I gave you a sheet. Probably
most of you have it. I think there's some more out
here on some of the subjects that we're going to study on
in the weeks ahead, the Lord's willing. And that's on the nature
of God, the attributes of God, the characteristics of God. But
I want us to read in Job chapter 22 and verse 21 again this afternoon. In verse 21 of Job 22, "...acquaint
now thyself with Him, with God, and be at peace, thereby good
shall come unto thee." What a sweet invitation. We said last week,
this was, that the Lord Himself would invite you and me to come
and acquaint ourselves with Him. Become more familiar in a reverent
way, in a trustful way, but become more familiar with Him, the great
God. And you know, everything has
been done that you and I can do this. The Son of God has come
to this world. He has given us, through a great
cost to Himself, access to the presence of our Father, to God's
presence, a door that's continually open for us to come. The Holy
Spirit has come to be our guide, When He has come, He will guide
you into all truth. Well, He's come. He's abiding
in our hearts if we're believers. We have the Word of God here
that we just opened up to be our rule, to inquire of God and
acquaint ourselves with Him. So you and I have everything
we need. And on top of that, we have these
invitations like this all through the Scriptures that we should
come and acquaint ourselves with God. He invites us to do that. I tell you, you won't find great
men that will invite people like us into their presence. You just
don't have access to them. They don't want us to know. But
hear the eternal God, and He says, come and acquaint yourself
with Me. And it's not only here that in
this particular verse that He does that, but let me read two
or three verses to you. Listen to Hosea chapter 6 and
verse 6. This is what the Lord desires.
Not only that He invites us to come and acquaint ourselves with
Him, but listen to Hosea chapter 6 and verse 6. I desire mercy
and not sacrifice. I desire the knowledge of God
more than burnt offerings. That's what the Lord told those
people. They were bringing all these sacrifices, and the Lord
said, I don't desire those sacrifices. I desire the knowledge of God.
Acquaint yourself with me. The Lord Jesus said, take my
yoke upon you and learn of me. Acquaint yourself with me. Listen
to Colossians 1.10. Be fruitful in every good work,
increasing in the knowledge of God. Increasing in the knowledge
of God. This is 2 Peter 1.2. Grace and
peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God
and the Lord Jesus Christ. So as we increase in the knowledge
of Him, knowing Him, I tell you, our peace increases. Our worship
increases. Our reverence increases. Our
adoration and admiration for Him increases. Look over here
in Job. I want to show you a couple of
verses in Job. Look over here in Job chapter 11. We have every means that you
and I need. We have the Son that has given
us access, the Spirit to guide us, the Word to direct our study
of the knowledge of God, this sweet invitation. But I tell
you, as we do seek to look at the characteristics of God, you
and I should do it with humility. We should let no pride enter
into our seeking the knowledge of Him. There is no room for
that. But absolute humility, because between us and God there
is not eternal difference. There is not eternal difference.
Look at what he said in Job chapter 11. Look in verse 7. Canst thou
by searching, can you by searching, find out God? Can you find out
the Almighty unto Perfection. It is high as heaven. What can
you do? Deeper than hell, what can thou
know? The measure thereof is longer
than the earth and broader than the sea. So as you and I tackle
some of these subjects concerning knowing God better, I tell you
what one thing we'll do is just scratch the surface. We'll not
find out the Almighty to perfection. Look here in chapter 37 of Job.
In chapter 37. Look what he says in verse 22. Look what he says in verse 22. Job
37 verse 22. Fire weather cometh out of the
north. With God is terrible majesty. Touching the Almighty, we cannot
find Him out. He is excellent in power and
in judgment and plenty of justice he will not afflict. Men do therefore
fear him. He respecteth not any that are
wise of heart." As we seek to know Him, let's seek Him with
humility. Don't be wise in our own heads.
Don't lean upon opinions to the law and to the testimony. what
he says about himself, let us believe it. Dear Hannah said
this, talk no more, talk no more, so exceeding proudly. Let not
arrogance come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by Him actions are weighed. He's a God of knowledge. And
that's what we're going to study on just for a few minutes this
evening. The knowledge of God. The knowledge of God. Paul said
this, didn't he? Oh depths, oh depths of the riches,
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are
his judgments and his ways past finding out. Listen to what he
said. Who hath known the mind of the
Lord? Or who hath been his counselor?
I tell you, we know very little of him. Very little is said of
him. when we've said all we can say,
and very little is known of Him when we know all that we can.
But you know something? He knows us perfectly. We know
little of Him, but He knows us perfectly. And that's the first
place we want to start. Concerning knowledge, look in
Job 37 where we're at in verse 16. Concerning knowledge, God
is perfect in knowledge. Look what He says in verse 16.
Dost thou know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works
of Him which is perfect in knowledge?" Perfect in knowledge. He knows
us perfectly, doesn't He? And we'll see that in just a
few minutes. But He told the children of Israel, He said,
I know the things that come into your mind. Every one of them. He knows us. He knows us. He's
perfect. Perfect. in knowledge. There
is no creature that is not made manifest in his sight. All things are naked and open
in the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Everything is
exposed before him. Everything is open in his sight. Perfect in knowledge. Perfect in knowledge. Now, I
want to look at it this way. Let's look at it this way. I
just want to see three things tonight. I want to look at it,
first of all, this way. God knows all things perfectly. That's what He means here when
He said, which is perfect in knowledge. He knows everything
that's in the past. He knows everything that's present.
He knows everything that's in the future. God knows everything
perfectly. He knows every thought. He knows
every action. He knows everything. Here's the
difference between you and me and God. Here's the difference
between the creature, no matter how great they are or mighty
they are, and the Creator. You and I and all creatures,
we acquire knowledge. That's the only way we can get
knowledge. We acquire it. If we're going to build a building,
what do we do? We have to lay out the plans,
don't we? We have to study. We have to come to the knowledge
of what we're going to do. We have plans that we have to
come to the knowledge of. If you're going to do math, you
put your equation down and you work your way through it. You
acquire knowledge by your thoughts, by valuation, but we acquire
knowledge. God is not like that. He doesn't
acquire knowledge. He knows everything perfectly. I want you to look at Acts chapter
15. Acts 15 and verse 18. This is
the first Sovereign Grace Conference that we have record of in all
the New Testament. Acts 15 and look here in verse
18. This is a wonderful statement
that James the Apostle made. Known unto God are all His works. from the beginning of the world. Now, you and I can speak very
little of the works of God, because we know so little of His works.
But God knows all His works. He knows them all. He knows His
work of creation. He knew how high the mountains
would be. He knew how many trees that He
would make. He knew how many fishes that
were in the sea and all the different species. He knew how many fowls
and their kinds. He knew man. He knew his name. He knew the helpmate that He
would make for man. In the matters of creation, when
He began, what He began, How many days? What days he would
make what? In regards to creation, all God's
work in creation was known to him. It was known to him. In works of providence, he knows
everything. Daniel said he does according
to his will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants
of this earth. He's the superintendent. He works
in everything in this world. His hand is everywhere, and he
knows what he's doing. There is not a bird that falls
from the air. There is not a hare that falls
from her head. There is not a king that sits on his throne. There
is not a nation that rises or any that falls. But God has perfect
knowledge of it. Known unto Him are all His works,
the works of salvation, who would be saved, by whom they would
be saved, when they would be saved, how they would be saved. The judgment that they would
be brought to. The destinies of every man pronounced. Come ye blessed or depart from
me ye cursed. These are the works of God. Just
a few of them. And all of them were known of
Him. But did you notice what James
said? When were they known to Him? He didn't have to come to
knowledge through a process of thought. He didn't work His way
through these things as they come to pass, as you and I have
to. Known unto God are all His works
from the beginning of the world. Before He ever made a world,
He knew all about it. Before He began to rule in heaven
and in this earth, He had knowledge of everything that He would do.
Before He saved a soul, before He ordained His Son to come,
He knew. Known unto God are all his works. So see, he doesn't acquire knowledge,
does he? He had perfect knowledge of everything
before he lifted his hand to do anything. He doesn't acquire this knowledge
by any process. From the beginning, they were
known of God. The purposes of God, the implementing
of those purposes, and the consummation of those purposes, in every minute
detail, is known of God. And not only known of God now,
but have been known of Him from all eternity, even before the
world was. Now look here in Acts chapter
15, while we are there, look in verse 13. Go back here to
verse 13. This is the conference. Peter
just made that great statement in verse 11. We believe that
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved
even this day. James stood up in verse 13, and
after they had held their peace, James answered and said, Men
and brethren, hearken unto me, Simon hath declared how that
God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them
a people for his name. That's the work of God, isn't
it? When did he know that? from the beginning of the world. And to this agree the works of
the prophet, as it is written, After this I will return, and
will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down.
And I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up,
that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all
the Gentiles, of whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who
doeth all these things. Then he says, known unto God
are all his works. So he's not acquiring knowledge. He's not acquiring knowledge.
He knows everything perfectly. And he's always known. He's always
known. He doesn't have to study. He
doesn't have to process. Everything that he's doing in
time, he knew back in eternity. Now why is this important? Nobody
else can do that. Can they? You and I don't know
what's going to take place the very next moment. And you know
something? Nobody else does either. Some
of the greatest creatures that God has ever created, the elect
angels in heaven and those who fail, they don't know either. They don't have this knowledge,
this perfect knowledge. When the Lord told the children
of Israel, When he said to them, this is the way I want you to
examine and expose false prophets. You ask them to foretell the
future. Look at it over here in Isaiah.
Look at it in Isaiah chapter 41. They kept having these men who
said they were speaking by inspiration and so on. And here's the way
the Lord told the Israelites to examine them. Look at it in
verse 19. Isaiah chapter 41. The Old Testament. is full of prediction, as well
as the New Testament. But the Old Testament is full
of prediction. The Lord kept predicting things.
Sometimes He'd predict them just a few hours. Sometimes it was
days. Sometimes it was years. Hundreds
of years, and even thousands of years. But God would predict
these things, and they always came to pass. Well, He told these
Jews, He told the Israelites, If these fellows rise up and
say they're a prophet and I've sent them, then you tell them
to make some prediction. And if they don't make them and
it don't come to pass, they're not sending me. Look what he
says in verse 19. I will plant in the wilderness
the cedar, the shita tree, the myrtle, the oil tree. I will
set in the desert the fir tree and the pine, the box tree together.
that they may see and know and consider and understand together
that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of
Israel hath created it. Produce your cause, saith the
Lord. Bring forth your strong reasons. He is speaking now of
these false prophets, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring
them forth, and show us what shall happen. Let them show the
former things what they be, that we may consider them, and know
the latter end of them, or declare us things to come. Show the things
that are to come, your actor, that we may know that you are
gods." You say you're prophets? You say you're gods? Well, tell
us the future. Do you have perfect knowledge?
God has perfect knowledge. And if you can't predict when
it comes to pass, then you're not God. You're not God. But you know, as we read the
Old Testament and go into the New Testament, how often do you
and I say, this is written that it might be fulfilled. This was
done that it might be fulfilled. Which was written a thousand
years ago. Two thousand years ago. Four thousand years ago.
The seed of the woman. That's Christ. And here He is.
The seed of marriage. How can God do that? Because
He's God. He's perfect in knowledge. He's
not like us, Glenn. He's eternally different than
you and I are. He only knows what the next moment
brings. But I tell you, He knows the
next moment perfectly. He knows it perfectly. He is
indeed beyond our grasp. That's the first thing then.
He's perfect in knowledge. This knowledge, bare knowledge.
He's perfect in that. And when I say that, I'm not
talking now about how He brings His purposes to pass. If we got
on that, we'd get on a different subject. We're talking tonight
just about His knowledge. He knows what He's going to do.
And He's always known what He was going to do. When we get
into bringing about what He knows, then that includes His power,
doesn't it? That includes His wisdom, His grace, and His mercy,
His working. Tonight we're just looking at
the knowledge of God. He knows. He knows. I told you about the ladies down
at the nursing home pulling me aside a week or two ago and asked
me if I believed that God knew who was going to make it. This
is one of the verses I quoted to them. Knowing unto God are
all His works. Sure He knows who's going to
make it. We could go on and say He purposed who's going to make
it. He opposed who's going to make
it. But tonight we're just looking at He knows. He knows. So that's
the first thing. Secondly, I want to look at another
aspect of this. And while we're here in the book
of Isaiah, turn over to the 57th chapter of Isaiah. And let's
look at this aspect. Not only does He know, He has
knowledge, perfect knowledge of everything, even before the
world was. He didn't have to acquire it.
He just knows. He knows. He has that knowledge. He is perfect in knowledge. But
here is another aspect from another standpoint of God. Why He knows
and how He knows. And look here in verse 15 of
Isaiah chapter 57 verse 15. This is amazing to us too. Look
here in verse 15. Isaiah 57. For thus saith the
High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy
place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the
contrite ones." This word here, he inhabits eternity, that means
to occupy or to abide, to lodge or dwell in. To occupy. He occupies eternity. Now, you and I are here this
afternoon, and we're at 1806 Hunter Avenue. And at this very
moment, you and I are occupying this building. And we know very
little about what's going on here. Some less than others. But you know something? God is
present with us here. God occupies this moment in time
with you and I. And since what we've just said,
you and I can be assured that He knows everything at this moment,
and He knows it perfectly. He knows everything at this moment
perfectly, because He's present here. Not only is He present now at
this moment in time, but He's present in eternity future already. And since He is present there,
He knows everything that's happening there at this present time. He
not only is present in eternity to come, He is present right
now in eternity past. He dwells in eternity. He occupies eternity. Now, if you and I at this moment
in time, we could say the world was going to stand another million
years. I doubt seriously if it will.
But let's say, for the sake of proving the point, that the world
is going to stand for one million years. And from this very moment,
one million years from now, over in some dark jungle, There are
some natives around a campfire. And God is there right now. And He knows the very thoughts
and the intents of those men sitting around that campfire.
One million years from now, as you and I are sitting here, God
is there already. He occupies eternity. So, there
is no limit to His space. He fills heaven and He fills
earth, and there's no limit to His knowledge, because He's infinite. He knows everything. He occupies eternity. Now get
your mind around that. Get your mind around that. That's
amazing, ain't it? He's present everywhere, because
He fills heaven and earth, and He's present at all times. because
he indeed dwells in eternity. He's not limited to space. He's
not limited to time. That's how different he is from
you and I. Thus saith the High and Holy
One that inhabiteth eternity. That's amazing, ain't it? So
he knows he has perfect knowledge because he's God. From the very
beginning he has perfect knowledge. Because of who He is, He is infinite
in His knowledge, perfect in His knowledge. And He knows all
things because He is present everywhere. He is present at
all times. Here is the third and final thing
we will look at. And it is this. Let's bring this
down to a little bit more personal to you and I. Maybe in a way
of us receiving more comfort from the knowledge of God. We
need to know just what we've been studying because it does
increase our adoration for Him, reverence for Him, to know that
He knows everything perfectly and to know that He's everywhere
in all space and time. But we need to bring this down
also to acquaint now ourselves with Him and be at peace. As we grow in this knowledge
of God There is a deeper, settled peace. There's a comfort that
comes with that. It's profitable for our souls
and our spirits to do that. And I've got several scriptures,
five scriptures I want to turn to. If you want to turn with
me, you'll have to take your Bibles and turn quickly. I don't
want to just quote this because it won't get in your heart. And
one thing I found out from experience If you and I really want the
knowledge of God in our hearts, then turn to these passages,
mark them, and then go back in the days that's coming and read
them and meditate upon them. You that are out of your homes
or working, you ladies that's working around your homes, write
it down and carry it with you. Stick it in your pocket, lay
it upon the counter. When you finish the dishes, grab it, look
at it. Meditate upon it. Get it in your
heart. Get these things in your heart.
Here's five scriptures I want to show you. First of all, look
in Job chapter 23. We looked at this last week,
but I want you to mark this and look at it again. Job chapter
23. Now this right here, you and
I really need this. This will help us greatly. Look
here what he says in verse 8. You know where Job was at this
time. He had lost ten children. Lost all of his cattle. Lost
all of his servants. He had lost his health. And really, he had lost the manifested
presence of God. And I'm telling you, he was a
crushed man. He had been in this dark, long valley, and he saw
no light at the end of the tunnel. And he found some comfort in
the knowledge of God. What God knew. And look what
he said here in Job 23, verse 8. Behold, I go forward, but
He is not there. The Lord is not there. I can't
perceive Him. I go backwards, but I cannot perceive Him. On
the left hand where He doeth work, I know He is there, but
I cannot behold Him. He hides Himself on the right
hand, and I cannot see Him. Have you ever been there? Have
you ever had your valley so dark, a trial crushing you, that you
just couldn't perceive that the Lord was with you anymore? No
light, no light whatsoever. Job found some comfort in verse
10. But he knoweth the way that I take. And when he has tried
me, I shall come forth as gold. What comfort that is! To know
that God knows everything perfectly, and to know He knows the way
that I take perfectly. Then He knows where I'm at. He
knows. He sees me. I got a letter. I sent it to Brother Larry because
he sends these messages out on the internet. But I got a letter
from a lady yesterday. Was I telling you about it, Gail?
Yesterday? The day before. But she said she hadn't been
home since October. She has a little son and she
had to leave her state and take him to another state for a bone
marrow transplant. Since October, she's been out
of state with her son, her husband, her six-year-old daughter, her
four-year-old daughter, and her one-year-old daughter home by
themselves. And she said, I'm crushed. She
said, the trial is long and it's hard. What comfort. What comfort. He knows where I'm at. He knows
the darkness. He knows my crushed spirit. Now, brothers and sisters, that's
confident, ain't it? That's confident. Look in another
place. Look in Psalms 103. Look in Psalms 103 and verse
8. Psalms 103 and look in verse
8. Oh, here's something else that's
confident. What He knows. The knowledge of God. The Lord
is merciful, and He is gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous
in mercy. He will not always chide, neither
will He keep His anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after
our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the
heavens is high above the earth, so great is His mercy towards
them that fear Him. For as far as the east is from
the west, so far hath he removed our iniquities and transgressions
from us. Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the Lord pities them that fear him. Look, for
he knoweth our frame, and he remembers that we are dust."
Boy, I tell you, when you're weary, when you're weak, He knows
it. He knows it. When we think that
we can't put one step in front of another, He knows it. He knows
it. Scott Richardson, bless his heart.
Some of you saw the picture that somebody took of him and how
old and weak that he was. And that man got so homesick.
He got so tired. He got so weary and weak. He
got so homesick. He said, I long to just lay down
and wake up in the presence of my dear Savior. He longed for
that. Brother John Mitchell that came
here, most of you remember John coming here? He shakes so bad
that he can't rest. His Parkinson's, he just shakes
violently. His poor frame, his poor frame. Ain't this a cockerel? that our
God knows our frame. As we get older, we face diseases,
we face sicknesses, we face dying, and we face death. But through
every bit of that, He knows our frame. And He remembers that
we are just dust. While we are there in Psalms,
look at Psalm 139. And look in verse 1 through 6,
Psalms 139. This is a beautiful psalm here.
All through this psalm, that's what it's talking about. The
knowledge of God. His perfect knowledge. And look
here how David says it in Psalms 139 in verse 1. Oh Lord, You
have searched me and You know me. You have known me. You know my down settings. You
know my uprisings. You understand my thought aforeall."
Not just geographically. If God is in heaven, we're upon
this earth, He understands. That's a foreall thing. But I
tell you, while He was back in eternity, that's a long way off. He knew David then. He understood
his thought then. Aforeall, He understood my thought. You can pass my path by lying
down. You are acquainted with all my
ways. And there is not a word in my
mouth, my tongue, but, lo, Lord, you know it altogether. You have
beset me, you have enclosed or hedged me before and behind,
and you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto
it." But David loved that. He loved that. You know why he
loved that? Because he didn't trust himself.
David was a man of like passions as you and I. He had a heart
that was deceitful above all things. He had devils. He had sin that sought to deceive
him. There were times when he didn't
even know his own heart. You remember when he fell into
that sin with Bathsheba? He went a year Until God sent
a prophet to him and said, You're the man. Then he came to himself
and he says, What have I done? Sin has deceived me. The devil
has deceived me. My heart has deceived me. There
has been in me a wicked way. A wicked way. Then he went to
the God who knows. And the last two verses of this
chapter is the way he prayed. Look at it. Verse 23 and verse
24. Search me, O God. and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. Why, David? Because I've found
out I can't. The best I can do, the most diligent
I can be, sin has deceived me. Oh, God, You know me. You know
my thoughts, my motives. Search me. Search me. And see if there is any wicked
way in me. And when you find it, lead me
from it. Cleanse me from it. And lead me in the way everlasting. Brothers and sisters, ain't it
a wonderful thing to know now that God knows you? That used
to scare me to death because I knew that He knew me. I could
fool other people and I tried it too. And I did most of the
time. But I didn't fool Him. And boy,
that scared me. That scared me. I was afraid.
But now I love it. Don't you love it? It turns that
He knows you. He knows you. Two more places. Look in Matthew chapter 6. Matthew
chapter 6. I've got to hurry. I'll give you this and then I'll
quote the last one. Matthew chapter 6 in verse 5. Look here in verse 5. When you pray,
when you pray, don't be as the hypocrites are. They love to
pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets,
that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, that's
their reward. They have it. That's all they're going to get.
But thou, when you pray, when thou prayest, enter unto your
closet. And when you have shut your door,
pray to your Father, which is in secret. And your Father, which
seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. But when you pray,
don't use vain repetition. Don't just repeat the same thing
over and over just to be praying as the heathens do. They think
they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not therefore
lacking to them, for your Father knows what things you have need
of before you ask." Now, if you're like me and you have difficulty
praying, you can't find words, and sometimes you do more groaning
than talking, and you just stay there, this
will encourage you to stay there a little longer and seek to pour
out your heart before Him, before the throne of grace. And when
you can't find words, God helps us to find the heart. But remember
this. He knows. He knows what we have
need of. We don't. We don't know what
to ask for. We don't know how to pray as
we ought, but He knows what we need. That's why we should always
pray, I guess, Father, Your will be done. Your will be done. The last thing, and I'll quote
this, you'll find it in John 21, in verse 15 and 17. You that
attend a Sunday school class will remember Glenn just went
through this a while back, so I won't go over there. But here's
something else. Here's something else. When we've done some wicked deed,
or we've had some awful thoughts and we've dwelt on them, we've
fallen, and our fall calls into question our love for Christ. Remember that with Peter? Peter,
lovest thou me? There's some doubt, Peter. Because
three days ago, you denied you even knew me. And you cussed
and swore to it that you didn't know me. Peter, do you love me? You know what Peter said? This
was his defense and this was his confidence. Lord, thou knowest. Peter, do you love me? Lord,
you know. Peter, do you love me? Lord, you know all things. Well, I tell you, when I say
with Newton, do I love the Lord or no? One thing I can take comfort
in, He knows. And I go lay out before Him,
Lord, if I don't love You, please give me grace to start now. For
You know. You know. The knowledge of God. Isn't it comforting? I tell you
what, I can't worship any other God, can you? I can't. By His grace, I ain't going to.
Thank you for watching.