Read John 17.3.
We heard last week about one distinctive feature of revival: it is a continual process. It is not a one-time event but rather, we set ourselves to perpetually live in the presence of God and to have the word of God continually dwelling in us. We are going to burst forth with the power of Jesus and do the greater things said we will do.
Jesus has blessed us to be a blessing. A dominant theme in the passage is knowing God. Jesus wanted them to know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom he had sent. He wanted the eyes of their understanding to be enlightened to know who he truly is.
One of the worst things to experience in this world is ignorance. But when you have understanding of what you are talking about, you talk about it with confidence and do it with assurance.
There is a kind of knowledge he wants us to experience here before we get to heaven. So, the “know” here refers to God’s own life which existed before time. Eternal life is not defined in the context of time—it is timeless. Jesus has called us into a relationship—a timeless relationship—with him.
The “know” is also similar to the one in Genesis when the man knew his wife. Thus, Jesus wants us to come to a level of knowledge when we are one with God. When you are in an intimate relationship with Jesus, the life of Jesus flows through you. When that begins to happen, you become a carrier of life and you give life to things that are around you.
I remember when I was dating my wife, we made difficult choices—ones that today, most people will say are difficult to make. We did that because we wanted life to come into our relationship and to have a good marriage that would be an example. Jesus made a difficult choice to go to the cross. It was so difficult that his prayer before it was so intense that his sweat was like drops of blood. If you want to be a popular Christian, you will be lifeless. If you want to be a popular brother or sister, you will be lifeless.
I read from Kenneth Hagin that there had never been a day when he had felt lazy in his life. He was always on the move because there was always abundant life flowing through him. When the Anglo-Saxons dedicated themselves to the study and practice of the word of God, their minds began to open up they became great engineers and produced advanced technology that is powering the world today.
Light is anything that expels darkness. So, when Christ illuminates your spirit being, the dark parts of your brain become illuminated and you begin to become productive.
You can’t be carnal and be intimate with God. Carnality produces death. Stop facebooking and start studying the word of God. Facebook won’t give you anything. You must make difficult choices. When the life of God came into Evan Roberts, it was so powerful that he could not contain it. He had to leave school to preach the word. You are what you consume. If you consume information tilted towards a certain arena you will become that.
Whatever you expose yourself to, you become that thing. Jesus wanted us to expose ourselves to the eternal word of God that transcends time. When we live in knowing God, we become timeless beings. So, Paul says when someone dies we don’t weep like those who don’t have hope. That is because we know the person has been translated into the realm of endless life.
As I conclude, I want you to understand this that Jesus, in talking about knowing God, is talking about a life that goes beyond a sensual life—a life of intimate relationship with God. When you are blessed with this and you have intimate relationship with God, your life will be a blessing to many. It is at that point that that happens. God called Moses his servant and Abraham his friend because they walked with him. What kind of life do you want to lead?
Main reference
John 17.3