Knowing God Study - Lesson 20 Ý
Copyright 2004-5 by William Meisheid

Review of Section Two: Behold Your God!

Today’s theme: Pondering the significance of what it means to have beheld the Lord our God.

Scriptural background: Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Isaiah 40:9 “O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, ’Behold your God!’”

Quotes for the week

“How shall I behold the face, henceforth of God or Angel, earst with joy and rapture so oft beheld? Those heav’nly shapes will dazzle now this earthly, with their blaze insufferably bright.” John Milton (1608–1674), British poet. Paradise Lost (l. Bk. IX, l. 1080–1098).

“People see God every day; they just don't recognize Him.” Pearl Baily

“Two men please God -- who serves Him with all his heart because he knows Him; who seeks Him with all his heart because he knows Him not.” Nikita Ivanovich Panin, mentor to Catherine the Great

Concern: That we will shrink back from seeing God as He is, rather than what we want Him to be

In the first section of this book, Packer dealt with idolatry. One form of that sin is creating mental images of God that are invalid. This is what we do when try to mold God into something that is pleasing to our sensibilities rather than take Him as He reveals Himself to be.

1   When you think of God, what image comes to mind? How does this fit with what you have learned in this section?

In Review of Chapters Seven Through Seventeen

1   Why is God’s immutability important? Why do you think Packer started with this attribute of God?

2   What is the significance of God’s majesty when you attempt to behold your Lord?

3   We live in an age when education is ubiquitous and everyone thinks they know, or can know, everything they need to know. How does the wisdom of God intersect this notion?

4   From the moment Pilate responded to Jesus with “What is truth?” our unwillingness to be tied down to absolutes was apparent. Why is the truth of God’s Word so significant to us, especially today?

5   Love is bandied about these days like an emotional volleyball, while being redefined within each existential moment. Why is love, as defined by the very nature of God so important?

6   When we hear grace we think of someone who acts with an elegant gentleness. The Biblical concept of grace, as the unmerited favor of God is lost  in our culture. How do we make it real again?

7   It is politically incorrect to judge anyone, to make them uncomfortable, to diss them. Does our culture let anyone or anything sit in judgment? How does that influence us, whether we want it to or not and what do you think God thinks about it?

8   When was the last time you heard wrath used in a sentence that wasn’t Christian related? It is not a popular concept. However, why is it so significant to the Christian message?

9   Our idea of fairness doesn’t seem to include anything severe. God is both good and severe. Why is this balance so important to our Christian life?

10  People hate the idea of a jealous God. Why? What demand does God’s jealousy make on them?

What To Do Next

Begin Section Three by reading Chapter Eighteen: The Heart of the Gospel. Meditate on what it means to pay an unpayable debt and what that meant to Jesus Christ, the Son.

Goal: Always remembering that when we look at God it is He, not us, who defines what we see.  

Remember, God is. He is YAHWEH, the I AM. It is not for us to try and change Him. It is for Him to change us and our understanding of who He is. Moses wanted to see God face to face but was told that would destroy him. We, His children, however, reborn in Jesus Christ, will one day know Him as we are known, will see Him face to face.