1. About the Topic:

   1. What about "knowing God Personally?"

      1. The term "personally" in the title can be misunderstood or misused. Also the phrase: "personal relationship to the Lord" can be used in an unbiblical way. "Personally" in our use of it here doesn't mean private or 'special' in the individualistic sense that is popular today. (For example: "I come to the garden alone...and the love we share as we tarry there, none other has every known.") We will see how our passage here in Ephesians emphasizes the grace and calling common to all the saints.

      2. The value of this language of "knowing God personally" is that it makes clear that this knowledge of God is more than knowing facts about God. A personal knowledge of God suggests a relationship with God that involves the response of our minds and hearts to Him as He Himself is indeed a Personal Being, who communicates with His people.

      3. In this connection, knowing God "personally" involves more than moral and upright living in our families and on our jobs (although, of course, it includes that). It involves more than diligent participation in public worship or church activities. It also extends to our private life, and "inner" life. Personal knowledge of God is a knowledge of growing love, obedience and fellowship with God in all of life. It is this knowledge of which Jesus spoke in John 17:3: And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

   2. Can we actually learn How to know God personally? ("How to" books and speeches are often man-centered, and do not give proper attention to our need for God's grace).

      1. All people are under the obligation and command to seek this true knowledge of God.
      2. No one ever comes to know God by their own efforts. By nature, none of us desire the knowledge of God. We rather, suppress and run from the revelation He has given us.
      3. The true knowledge of God is a gift of sovereign grace. Christ gives this knowledge of eternal life to as many as the Father has given him (John 17:2).
      4. Those who have been given a true knowledge of God are yet beginners in this knowledge (as we are). Yet we are called to grow in this knowledge. God has given us rich promises, effective means and great encouragements which we are to make use of in faith, so that we may grow in this knowledge.

2. Thesis: (From Ephesians 3:14-21): Paul's Prayer for the Ephesian Saints Shows Us How to Know God Personally

   1. Paul's prayer certainly shows a concern for such a personal knowledge of God. To have Christ "dwell in your hearts", to "know the love of Christ", to "be filled with all the fullness of God" are all things that belong to such a personal knowledge of God.
   2. Paul requests these things for Christians. He is not describing his prayers for those who do not know the Lord. He is explaining to saints the kinds of things he wants them to know and experience more and more. (We could improve our thesis accordingly).
   3. The fact that Paul prays for these things points us to God as the only One Who can increase and enrich our knowledge of Him.
   4. As in the case of those many other instances in which Paul informs the churches about the content of His prayers for them, this inspired prayer teaches us how to pray for ourselves and for one another.
   5. Paul's great concern is that all God's people should together possess more of the blessing he seeks.

      1. He begins his prayer: for this reason, referring to the unity of the church, and the disclosure of this mystery of one church, made up of Jew and Gentile (2:19-22; 3:1-13). Based on this unity he seeks abounding grace for all the saints.

      2. His description of God as the One from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, also shows his expansive view and concern for the entire church.

      3. He desires the saints in Ephesus to comprehend with all the saints the love of Christ. Unlike the sappy hymn, he is not writing about a love "none other has ever known."

      4. In his concluding doxology, Paul sees the glory of God by Christ revealed in the church, rather than in the 'personal experience' of isolated individuals.

Improved Thesis: Paul's Prayer for the Ephesian Saints Shows Us How to Know God Personally More and More

3. The Effective Source of this Growing Knowledge
   1. Paul prayed for the inner strength which comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit (verse 16).
      1. The personal knowledge of God requires the Personal work of God in our inner man.
         1. There is nothing more intimate and personal in God's gracious working in our lives, than the presence and work of His Holy Spirit within us.

         2. This gift of the Holy Spirit's working comes from the riches of [God's] glory.

      2. The Holy Spirit works powerfully and effectively in the saints.

         1. The Holy Spirit strengthens with might (Psalm 138:3, cf. II Cor.4:16).

         2. The Holy Spirit is the power that works in us (verse 20b).

   2. The Holy Spirit works by effectively making the truth of God know to us.

      1. He is called The Spirit of truth. His special office is to illuminate our minds to receive the revelation of the Father and the Son (thus the importance of God's Word for our topic).

      2. He is called The Spirit of wisdom and revelation (See Eph.1:17-19).

   3. Paul's example teaches us to pray for the Holy Spirit's powerful working so that we might know God better.
      1. When Jesus encouraged His disciples to pray in faith, He zeros in on this great gift of the Holy Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13). The fact that Pentecost has come, and the Holy Spirit has been given, does not remove the need for this prayer, it only increases our basis for confidence in this promised grace.

      2. The Heidelberg Catechism echoes this teaching when it reminds us of this necessity of prayer for Christians: God will give His grace and Holy Spirit to those only who with hearty sighing unceasingly beg them of Him and thank Him for them.

   4. The First and most important scriptural direction on How to Know God Personally is to be diligent in earnest and constant prayer for this, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
      1. In our (ORC) liturgy, we have what is called a "prayer for illumination". Whatever it may be called in the liturgy, prayer for the Holy Spirit's blessing upon the preaching and teaching of God's Word must never be viewed as a formality. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in the measure in which His powerful work is manifested in this connection.
      2. Diligence in prayer includes private prayer.
         1. Jesus taught the importance of such private prayer as being among those things that distinguish true children of the kingdom from hypocrites (Matthew 6:5-6).

         2. The context of our Lord's teaching on such private prayer makes clear that this should be the daily practice of God's children (Give us this day, our daily bread).

         3. The practice of such private prayer is not only an indicator of a personal knowledge of God, it is crucial to its growth.

4. Some Specific Content to this Growing Knowledge of God (See Eph.1:18-19 for other content)
   1. Christ Dwelling in Your Hearts
      1. The knowledge of God and the knowledge of Christ are not two different subjects.
         1. The glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ (II Cor. 4:6).
         2. The Knowledge of God in Christ is essential to the meaning of this expression: "Christ dwelling in your hearts."

      2. "Christ 'in your heart' is a biblical expression, in spite of its misuse.

         1. The meaning of Christ dwelling in our hearts is not to be associated with any warm, tingly feeling, or any vision of light or some other kind of ecstatic feeling.

         2. This language of 'Christ dwelling in our hearts' does, however, point to a relationship with the Savior which is 'personal' and heartfelt. "Calvin has some searching words on the importance of a real heart knowledge of Christ: For many men have him in their mouth, and even also in their brains, as they hear him, and they think they acquit themselves well when they can prattle about him, but in the meanwhile there is no living root in them. It is not enough then to have some vague knowledge of Christ, or to engage in airy speculations, as they say, and to be able to talk a lot about him, but he must have his seat in our hearts within, so that we are unfeignedly joined to him, and with true affection. This is the way for us to be partakers of God's Spirit (Ephesians, by Geoffrey Wilson, Banner of Truth, 74).

         3. It is through faith. This means that our minds, our thoughts and memories, are active in the enjoyment of this great blessing.

      3. The parallel passage shows the importance of the Word of God in this connection: Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom...(Col.3:16).

         1. The knowledge of God's Word is crucial
            1. Diligent attendance upon the preaching of God's Word is indispensable for this.
            2. Participating in Bible studies also shows our seriousness about wanting to know God personally.
            3. Reading the Word of God in our families as well as in private cannot be separated from this goal.

         2. Remembering the word of Christ is also closely associated by our Lord to the answer to prayer: I you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7).

         3. Literally memorizing the Word of God is an important, but often neglected way of heeding this teaching so that we might grow in the knowledge of God.
            1. Anyone can memorize parts of Scripture if they put their mind to it.
            2. It is preferable to memorize sections (chapters) of Scripture rather than isolated verses.
            3. Like prayer, this takes time and diligent effort, but it is a most important and valuable way of knowing God personally.
               • Memorization of Scripture provides material for meditation at any time.
               • Memorization of Scripture equips us to witness and help others in the knowledge of God.
               • Memorization of Scripture serves as a great help for learning to pray biblically.
   2. Knowing the Love of Christ
      1. To know the love of Christ is also the result of the Holy Spirit's work. This also further defines what it means to have Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith.

      2. This love is "unknowable" in its immeasurable dimensions: it surpasses knowledge.

      3. This love of Christ is His love for us, revealed in His marvelous saving work and grace.
      4. The fact that Paul seeks this great blessing for those who are already saints, shows that knowing the love of Christ is not some 'static' intellectual attainment, but that it should be a growing experiential knowledge.
         1. Jesus elsewhere makes a close connection between obedience and the knowledge of His love.

            1. John 15:10: If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

            2. John 14:21: He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

         2. Such comprehension of the love of Christ is not presented here as the privilege of a select few. (For example, of those who might withraw from society and retreat to live a life of contemplation in a monestary). It is the privilege and calling of all the saints.

         3. When it comes to knowing God personally, we cannot separate this from sincere obedience to the will of the Lord.
   3. To Be Filled with all the Fullness of God.

      1. The knowledge of God's love in Christ is here joined in verse 19 with this marvelous expression: filled with all the fullness of God.

      2. The Spirit-taught knowledge of this love is at the heart of "knowing God personally."

         1. Paul had already joined this grace of Christ dwelling in our hearts with our being rooted and grounded in love (verse 17: a 'mixing of metaphors' showing that this love is the source of life (rooted) and stability (grounded) to the saints).

         2. I John 4:16: We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

      3. To be 'filled with the fullness of God' suggests a fullness of God's presence and working in our lives.

         1. Jesus had promised His disciples: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him (John 14:23).

         2. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul gives the inspired command to the saints to Be filled with the Spirit.

         3. The fact that these promises of God's presence and fullness are given to those who are already believers, makes clear that the saints are to aim at an increasing knowledge and experience of these blessings.
      4. To be 'filled with all the fullness of God' is the greatest perfection our humanity is capable of. To quote from Geoffrey B. Wilson's Commentary:

         The words which form this astonishing climax are easy to read, but who can fathom their meaning? Yet at least we should not allow our familiarity with the words to blunt our appreciation of the boundless nature of Paul's concluding request. It is that they may be filled 'unto' all the fullness of God, a preposition which 'suggests the idea of a continuous process, a progressive and enlarging experience' (Pink). This is no unattainable ideal, but the great goal which is to be realized in union with Christ, through whom alone the divine fullness can be communicated to the sons of men [Col.2.9]. 'Absolute perfection is the standard to which the believer is to attain. He is predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son of God, Rom.8.29. He is to be perfect as man, as God is perfect as God; and the perfection of man consist in his being full of God; God dwelling in him so as absolutely to control all his cogitations, feelings, and outward actions' (Charles Hodge). This therefore means that even when he is eventually filled with all the fullness of God, man does not himself become divine but remains a creature whose glory consists in eternally reflecting the glory of his Creator (Ephesians, 75-76).

      5. To be 'filled with all the fullness of God' is obviously not an attainment which can be reached in this life. It is yet a goal which we are called to seriously pursue.

5. Concluding Doxology, Encouraging us to Seek to Know God Personally More and More.

   1. The true knowledge of God leads to doxology: To Him be glory... The more we know God, the more devoted and 'passionate' we will be for His honor and glory.

      1. Such doxology resounds above all in the church (through the Mediation of Jesus Christ).

      2. Such doxology will continue in the church throughout all ages.

         1. This reminds us again that the personal knowledge of God we are concerned with is not individualistic.
         2. This shows the great error of those who claim to know God, but live apart from His church.
   2. The description of the God of glory (verse 20), is a great encouragements to seek to know Him personally more and more.

      1. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. Paul piles up the expressions to made clear the abounding power and good will of God toward us.

         1. He is able to do what we ask.

         2. He is able to do above what we ask.

         3. He is able to do above all that we ask.

         4. He is able to do abundantly above all that we ask.

         5. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask.

         6. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

      2. This brings us full circle back to the first consideration of How to Know God Personally: As Paul prays for these great blessings for the church, let us also learn to pray for these things from God—and to pray with trust and expectation of His mighty working through His Spirit for Jesus' sake.

To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Pastor Bill Pols is minister of the Edmonton Orthodox Reformed Church (affiliated with the United Reformed Churches of North America). Thank you, pastor Pols, for coming to speak at the Men's Fellowship retreat!