We speak and sing a lot about the Gospel, which is the Good News of what Christ accomplished on behalf of those who trust in Him. The Gospel tells us that we are a lot worse than we ever dared imagine, and that God's love and grace is much greater than we ever dared hope. The Gospel tells us that Jesus died FOR sinners, rose from the dead, and now reigns over all things. The Gospel tells us that those facts (death, resurrection, reign) are Good News for us because He received what we deserved so that we could share in what He deserves. With that firmly in mind, we can say that Knowing God is a summary of the Gospel. Jesus provides, by his death, resurrection, and reign, what He possesses and what we desperately need: to know and be known by God. Not simply to know about Him, or for Him to know about us, but know Him as Jesus knows Him and is known by Him; loved.
The treasure of knowing God is given fully and immediately when a person turns to Jesus away from sin by trusting in Him. However, since God is infinite, this treasure will take an eternity to come to the end of. God has given us wonderful gifts to begin to mine and delight in the treasure of knowing God now; His Holy Spirit, Scripture, Prayer, Worship, and Fellowship. Our desire for this sermon series is to very practically understand each of these gifts so that we would all, to a greater degree, enjoy the relationship with God that Jesus won for and gives as an undeserved gift to all who would believe.