Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God: Why Study About God?

 

This morning we begin our first installment of our Saturday series “Three Theological Questions Foundational to Studying God.”

Here in this first outline we will consider the question: “Why Study About God?”

I’ve also included a PDF of the outline for instructional purposes.  I only ask that if one use it in a teaching context that people are honest it came from this blog.

1. Why Study About God?
   1. Purpose: As an introduction to our series we need to consider why should we study about God, God’s work and God’s attributes?
   2. Knowing God is something highly prized: (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
      1. Passage: “²³This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, ²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.”
      2. Proof:
         1. Note verse 23 compares different reasons that people boast:
            1. “their wisdom”
            2. “their strength”
            3. their riches
         2. All the boasts is about them; note the use of “their”
         3. Verse 24 notes that God wants us to boast in something else: “but let the one who boasts boastabout this: that they have the understanding to know me,”
            1. “but” is in contrast to all the other boasts
            2. What is boast is the thing that is valued.
            3. What is valued? “that they have the understanding to knowme,”
         4. Note that the second half of verse 24 lists God’s attributes. Can you list some of them?
      3. Practice:
         1. Do you value knowing God?
         2. Are you willing to spend time and money to get resources to know God more?
   3. Knowing God is eternal life (John 17:3)
      1. Passage: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
      2. Proof:
         1. In context John 17 is Jesus’ priestly prayer for His followers.
         2. Here in verse 3 Jesus tells us what eternal life means: “know you, the only true God,”
      3. Practice:
         1. Is salvation more than just going to heaven for you?
         2. Do you understand that eternal life begins now—with knowing Him?
   4. We must know God truthfully in order to worship Him in a way that pleases Him: (John 4:24)
      1. Passage: “God is spirit,and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
      2. Proof:
         1. Note a qualification of worshipping God require it be “”
         2. We know truths about God if we are going to worship Him rightly.
      3. Practice: Please Him!
   5. We must study about God in order to be Holy
      1. Passage: “but [a]like the Holy One who called you, [b]be holy yourselves also in all yourbehavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”” (1 Peter 1:15-16)
      2. Proof:
         1. God wants us to be Holy to reflect Him.
         2. How do we know what holiness like Him means if we first don’t study His holiness?
      3. Practice:
         1. Our study of God must never be a sterile academic pursuit.
         2. Study God with the intent of being motivated to be more Godly!
   6. God wants the world to have knowledge of Him
      1. Proof:
         1. “They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)
         2. “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)
      2. Practice: Do you see the importance of knowing and sharing your knowledge of God to others?

ARE THERE OTHER REASONS YOU CAN ALSO ADD TO THIS LIST?