What It Means to Know God

Bildad accuses Job of not knowing God. But what does it really meant to know God? It is prosperity or blessing? What does it look like to know God?

What we see in Scripture is that the root of knowing God is loving God. It is entering the love of Father and Son. It is entering the love on display in the gospel where Christ came to rescue a people to reconcile them to God. From this love flows a zeal for obedience.

May this sermon be used to cultivate a love for God and a way to speak with others (or ourselves) if we suspect they (or we) do not know God.

Questions for your consideration:
1. Are you like Bildad who takes things personally and is prone to attack others with words? If so, then confess your sin to the Lord and those you've hurt.
2. How does the mercy and grace of God, displayed in the gospel, free us from taking things personally and being harsh in our speech?
3. How can you keep the love of God on your mind this week? How are you cultivating a mindfulness of who God is and what he has done?

Job

The book of Job deals with the topic of suffering. But even more profound that questions surrounding suffering are questions surrounding the nature of God. This book, and thus this sermon series, explores the nature and character of God. The goal, to say with Job from a place of comfort in the midst of suffering, "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you" (Job 42:5).

Tim Stephens

Tim Stephens is the senior pastor of Fairview Baptist Church. Tim grew up on a farm in Eastern Ontario and has graduated with a Computer Engineering degree from Queen’s University, a Masters of Divinity degree from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Ministry in Expository Preaching at the Master’s Seminary. He is happily married to Raquel and they have eight children.