Garwood Presbyterian Church

Who Is God to You?

Mark 11:1-11, John 1:1-14, Col. 1:13-23

Introduction Who is God to you? This is a very important question. If each of us were to answer it, there would be a lot of similarities in our answers, but each of our answers would also be different.

1. Our Understanding of Who God Is and Also How God Works Has a Major Impact on Our Life
   1. We read from Mark 11 that as Jesus approached Jerusalem on Palm Sunday that the crowd shouted out, "Hosanna! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
      1. The crowd wanted Jesus to be a Messiah who would rule like David did.
      2. David was a very successful king and ruler militarily, politically, and economically.
   2. When Jesus did not become this kind of Messiah, the crowd later turned on Jesus and shouted for his death, "Crucify him!"
   3. If God does not fulfill our understanding of who He is and how He works, then we may turn against Him in anger or away from Him in disappointment, and our life will start going downhill from then on.
   4. On the other hand, when we properly understand who God is and how God works, we can properly fit our life into God's purposes for it.
      1. This results in our having inner peace, outward happiness, fulfillment, and a successful life.
2. How, Then, Can We Know Who God Is and How God Works?
   1. Through the Bible we can know who God is and how God works.
      1. We can learn the most about God in the Bible where it tells us about Jesus, because the Bible says that Jesus was God on earth.
         1. John 1:1 and 14 said, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
         2. Col. 1:13 and 19 said, "He [the Son] is the image of the invisible God. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him."
         3. Jesus Himself said in John 14:9, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father."
      2. The more we know about Jesus, the more will know about who God is and how God works.
      3. However, the Bible says that just knowing about Jesus is insufficient for us to really know God and how God works.
   2. We also need to have faith to know God and how God works.
      1. John 1:7 said that John the Baptist "came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all people might believe."
      2. Col. 1:22-23 said that God "has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, if you continue in your faith."
      3. Habakkuk. 2:4 and Romans 1:17 both say, "The righteous will live by faith."
      4. Galatians 2:20 says, "The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God."
      5. Having faith in Jesus enables us to know more of who God is and how God works.
      6. But having faith in Jesus is still not enough for us to know the most about God and how He works.
   3. We also need to have a personal relationship with Jesus in order to know the most about God and how He works.
      1. John 1:12 said, "To all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God."
      2. Jesus said in John 10:14, "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep & my sheep know me."
         1. This type of knowing comes from a personal relationship according to the Greek word used.
      3. When we personally know Jesus by receiving Him into our life as our Savior, and also make Him the Lord of our life, then we know God and how God works the most.
      4. And as our personal relationship with God deepens as one of His disciples, then we come to know Him and how He works even more.
3. So, Are You Doing the Following to Know God and How God Works For the Benefit of Your Life?
   1. Are you reading your Bible regularly in order to know about Jesus and God through it?
      1. If you are, then thank Him for it.
      2. If you are not, then you need to do this.
   2. Do you have faith in God, and are you exercising your faith in God by actively trusting Him with every area of your life every day?
      1. If you do have faith and are actively trusting God with every area of your life every day, then thank Him for this.
      2. If you do not have faith or are not trusting God with every area of your life every day, then you need to do this.
   3. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus where He is your Savior and Lord?
      1. If you do, then thank Him for it.
      2. If you do not, then you need to do this.
   4. Are you strengthening your personal relationship with Jesus by loving Him more through your worship and obedience?
      1. If you are, then thank Him for it.
      2. If you are not, then you need to do this.

Conclusion: We have seen today how important our answer is to the question, "Who is God to you?" We have also seen that the more we know God and how He works, the more happiness and peace, and fulfillment and success we will have in our life. We have also seen how we can come to know God more and how He works. So you are encouraged to do these things that will enable this to happen in your own life.