The Importance of Knowing God – Matthew 11:27

Matthew 11:27: All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

When you are an heir to an estate, you are going to receive at least a portion of the wealth that was possessed by the person to which you were an heir. In other words, when that person dies, his/her wealth is transferred from him/her to you. You become the rightful owner of those possessions.

In today’s verse, we get a glimpse into the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. The Father has not died, but He trusts the Son so much that He delivers “All things” – EVERYTHING – to Jesus. These “things” are not only everything the Father created but also His rights and responsibilities including, but not at all limited to, judgment, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love. Jesus is in possession of all things from the Father.

Because we are not God, trying to comprehend what “all things” are is impossible. However, we can draw to the conclusion these “things” is a whole lot. What is really interesting is amidst all these things what is the first thing Jesus mentions? – Knowledge of God. Think about the magnitude of the Lord’s priority of all He possesses. Out of everything in the universe He owns – oil deposits, priceless gems, tropical paradises, planets, star systems, etc. – the first item on the list of “all things” He calls to our attention is knowledge of God.

The highest priority is usually equated with that which is most important. If this is true, Jesus is telling us amidst all He has been given by the Father, there is nothing more precious, more important, and more valuable than knowledge of God. Why do you think He would say this?

He said earlier in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” The Kingdom of God contains the knowledge of God, so this statement of Jesus is consistent with what He is saying in today’s verse. We need to make our highest priority in life – the first thing we are to pursue – knowledge of God. Jesus tells us if we do this, all of the other things we need in life will be given to us. He can say this with authority because He possesses them to give to us.

How much energy and time are you spending pursuing this or wanting that? We can get pretty stretched when we’re trying to accumulate various things in life. Think of what Jesus is proposing – if you make knowing Him your greatest priority, He will take care of everything else you need. Doesn’t that sound easier? If you choose to believe this promise, He will deliver to you what has been delivered to Him. God is a generous God.

The gift of salvation is available to everyone. There are no restrictions. However, salvation is the first step that must be taken in order to come to know God. That first step is an invitation to meet God at the Cross. You meet Him at the Cross, and you come to know Him on the other side of the Cross. Do you want everything Jesus has to offer? He wants to give it to you, and that begins with the knowledge of Him. If the first thing you come to know about Him is what He did for you at the Cross, how much more incredible will He be as you know Him more?

If you want to know God, first confess Jesus as Lord and Savior, and then start reading His Word – consistently. Scripture tells us that if we draw close to Him, He’ll draw close to us. God wants to reveal Himself to you. Do you want to know Him?

Isaiah 60:1

Oh, LORD, what darkness surrounds me.
How it oozes and seeps into my pores.
Then it slithers and threatens my mind
With the dread there will be much more.

My heart begins to quake and tremble -
Leaving me paralyzed with fading hope.
How could such a doom break through?
As if I’ve arrived at the end of my rope.

Suddenly a voice from heaven thunders
Tearing a hole in hopelessness’s roof.
Darkness’s lies crumble to their knees
Giving way to the Light and the truth.

“Arise, My child, for your light is here!
Why have you forgotten My presence?
Don’t you recall upon your confession?
That I instilled in you My holy essence.”

“The darkness and its grave were beaten
By My beloved Son’s death at Calvary.
When I resurrected Him with My power.
The Light of the World won the victory!”

“As for My unbelieving and lost creation -
The ones drowning in darkness and tears,
If they could only see what you believe,
My perfect love will cast out their fears.”

“So, don’t forget, My beloved possession.
You can arise and shine for I have come.
My glory will forever rise upon you
With the same power that raised My Son.”

“Shine My Spirit’s light who dwells inside
That will testify that My Word is true.
For light will always defeat the darkness
When they’ll see that it did so for you.”

Why Jesus Was Sent

God takes no pleasure in the death of any.
He wants all of His creation to repent.
To prove the truth of this passionate desire,
His only begotten Son to us was sent.

He looked at each of our worst moments
And our rejection of His holy existence.
From a heart of mercy and compassion,
He chose to take our sin death’s sentence.

Yet we still believe the deceits and the lies.
If He exists, He’s an unfair and angry judge.
When we reject the necessity of the cross.
We’re missing His greatest display of love.

What more powerful proof can we find?
For another to willingly lay down one’s life.
The only way to be reconciled to our Creator,
Was for His Son Jesus to be our sacrifice.

The fear of death was given a mortal blow.
His resurrection proving love never fails.
Imagine the guilt and shame of our past
Are forgiven and left on His cross’ nails.

Why won’t we choose to believe this truth?
Receive the free gift of His amazing grace.
If this is the only life that we have to live,
Does it feel anything like a heavenly place?

If there is more to live after our last breath,
Perhaps the cross makes a lot more sense.
To be given the promise of an eternal peace,
We’ll start to believe why Jesus was sent.

That God loves every life that He creates.
You’re no evolved ape, you’re no accident.
If you’ll take Jesus’ nail-pierced hands,
You’ll become a reason why He was sent.