"Known by God" 11-19-23

Overview

Known by God

There is a difference between knowing about someone and truly knowing them—what makes them tick, what they hope for, what they fear. The Gospel of John pulls back the curtain on the disciple Philip so that we come to know him, and in doing so, we discover something far more important: that Jesus knows us.

Getting to Know Philip

Philip first appears in John 1:43, where Jesus finds him and calls, "Follow me." Philip immediately runs to Nathanael with the news (verse 45)—though notice the subtle correction: Philip says "we have found him," when in truth Jesus had found Philip.

Later, at the feeding of the five thousand John 6:5-7, Jesus tests Philip: "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" Philip, who had already witnessed water turned to wine at Cana, retreats to a calculator: "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread." In John 12:20-22, when Greeks ask to see Jesus, Philip hesitates and consults Andrew before approaching the Lord. A picture emerges: Philip the cautious one, the bean counter, the disciple who tends to live inside a box of what he thinks Jesus can or cannot do.

"Have I Been With You All This Time?"

In the upper room, Jesus declares, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" John 14:6-7, adding that to know Him is to know the Father. Philip then asks for a theophany—a visible manifestation of God like those given to Adam in the garden or Moses in the cleft of the rock Exodus 33: "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied" John 14:8.

Jesus' reply is piercing: "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" John 14:9-10. Jesus knew Philip—knew his doubts, his small thinking, his struggles, his sin. Just as the risen Christ knew Peter through and through John 21, so He knew this hesitant disciple by name.

He Knows Us Too

The same Lord knows us. He knows when we treat Him as someone we know of rather than truly know. He knows our tendency to confess one thing and live another, to put Him in a box of our own making. As Psalm 139 confesses, "O Lord, you have searched me and known me… you discern my thoughts from far away." There is no corner of our lives hidden from Him.

But this is not cause for fear. The One who knows everything about us is the One who went to the cross for everything He knows about us. He bore our thoughts, words, and deeds—what we have done and left undone—and rose again. In the waters of Baptism, He splashes us with that victory and declares, "I know you. You are my child. And I will know you for all eternity." To be fully known by God in Christ is to be fully loved.

Transcript

Would you open your Bible's please with me to the 14th chapter of the gospel of John, 3s

if you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you're going to find that on page 95 8s

in the New Testament, the 14th chapter of the gospel of John. 13s

I know that person. 20s

I know him. 22s

I know her. 23s

We know them. 25s

We find ourselves saying those phrases. 27s

Don't we? 32s

But so often when it comes to knowing someone, we know of them. 33s

We know about them. 41s

But that's different than knowing someone at a deep, deep level, isn't it? 45s

When you know someone at a deeper level, you know what makes them tick? 54s

You know how they think. 59s

What makes them sad? 62s

What makes them happy? 63s

What their dreams are. 64s

What their longings are. 67s

You know of them at a deeper level. 70s

It's that level that we talk about today in our text, knowing someone at a deep level. 77s

He is always listed as the Thip when the disciples are listed in Scripture. 94s

Fill it. 103s

Matthew and Mark and Luke, we don't get any details about fill up. 105s

But in John, in John, we start to get to know him. 112s

So let's turn some pages here to begin. 119s

Turn pleased to the first chapter of John, John chapter one. 122s

And look at verse 43, please, with me. 128s

John 1, 43. 131s

The Scripture tells us the next day Jesus decided to go to Gettelley. 136s

He found fill up and said to him, 141s

follow me. 144s

Fill up response and becomes a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. 147s

And that leads to immediate evangelism. 151s

Look at verse 45 of chapter one. 155s

Fill up found ethaneal and ethaneal said to him, 158s

and fill up found ethaneal and said to him, 163s

we have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, 166s

Jesus, son of Joseph from Nazareth. 172s

The Thaneal said to him, 174s

can anything good come out of Nazareth? 176s

Fill up said to him, come and see. 180s

Now it's interesting here. 182s

As we have learned, Mac and verse 43, 185s

that Jesus found fill up, right? 188s

But notice fillups response in verse 45, 192s

fill up found ethaneal and said to him, 196s

we have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote. 198s

Well, not exactly, right, fill up, 204s

because who is exactly finding who here? 206s

It's Jesus calling and Jesus bringing him to fill. 210s

It is Jesus who finds fill up. 216s

That's our introduction then, to fill up. 221s

Let's turn some more pages. 223s

Let's go to the sixth chapter, verse five. 225s

This is the account here of the feeding of the 5000. 230s

It's the story of the boy with the five lows and the two fish. 233s

And in chapter six, verse five, we read, 238s

when he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him. 242s

Jesus said to fill up, 246s

where are we to buy bread for these people to eat? 249s

He said this to test him, 253s

for he himself knew what he was going to do, fill up answered him. 256s

Six months, wages would not buy enough bread 261s

for each of them to get a little. 266s

We know from scripture that fill up, 271s

one of the disciples was at the wedding of Cana, 274s

the first recorded miracle of our Lord. 278s

He had witnessed the transformation of the water into the wine. 280s

He had seen that miracle. 285s

He had seen the power of the Lord Jesus and isn't it fascinating here? 288s

There when Jesus says, how are we going to feed all of these people? 295s

Fill up drops back to the go to which is, 300s

well, this is impossible. 304s

He drops back to the, 306s

can't handle this. 309s

We turn more pages. 313s

Let's go to John chapter 12. 314s

Verse 20, we hear a fill up again. 317s

John chapter 12 verse 20, 323s

now among those who went up to worship at the festival where some Greeks, 328s

they came to fill up, 332s

who was from Beth's say that in Galilee and said to him, 334s

sir, we wish to see Jesus. 337s

Fill up went and told Andrew, 342s

then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 343s

So fill up is a little unsure here, 348s

here's a little bit of Andrew here. 350s

And you see as we start to look at these snippets here, 353s

that John gives us this picture into fill up. 356s

We start to get to know him a little bit. 360s

You know what I'm going to do too far here? 364s

But you get a sense that perhaps Philip was the bean counter of the group. 367s

Do you get a sense that that Philip would live in the box of what it is? 373s

He thought Jesus could do or not do. 380s

Do you, do you get a sense here that perhaps there was 385s

some timidity with regard to Philip? 390s

Then we come to the upper room and the reference there to Philip. 397s

Arguably, Philip says that dumbest thing 404s

that the disciples ever said recorded in Scripture, 410s

that dumbest thing, he gets the prize. 417s

On the eve of the crucifixion, 422s

Jesus says, look at 14 verse six, please. 427s

Jesus said, I'm the way and the truth and the life, 432s

no one comes to the Father except through me. 436s

The definitive article there, the not a, not a way, not a life, not a true, 439s

the way the truth, the life. 444s

Then right after that, in verse seven, Jesus says, 446s

if you know me, you will know my father also. 449s

From now on, you do know him and have seen him. 455s

And then Philip says it. 461s

Verse eight, Philip said to him, 468s

Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied. 472s

That's right after Jesus said, if you know me, you will know my father also, 481s

from now on, you do know him and have seen him right after Jesus says, 487s

when you see me, you see the Father, 495s

Philip says, Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied. 500s

I think that is the dumbest thing that any of the disciples ever said, 506s

and the disciples said a lot of dumb things. 512s

Didn't they? 515s

You see what Philip wants is, it's called a theophany. He wants a manifestation of the visible 518s

presence of God. In Genesis chapter three, when God comes and walks in the garden, 524s

that's a theophany. In Exodus chapter 33, when Moses wants to see the Lord, 529s

Lord says, you can't see my face. He puts Moses in the cleft of the rock, 536s

covers him with the hand passes by so that Moses can only see the back. That is a theophany. 540s

So what Philip is asking for is a theophany. He's asking for a visible manifestation of God. 549s

Verse eight again, Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied. And Jesus responds, 555s

here comes the question. Jesus said to him, 563s

have I been with you all this time Philip? 568s

And you still do not know me, 573s

whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 578s

show us the Father? 584s

Have I been with you all this time? 590s

Have I been with you all this time? 593s

And you still don't know. 596s

Remember, I'm in the Peter. 603s

Bible tells us post resurrection, the appearance of our Lord. 606s

Remember Peter was the one that denied the Lord three times. 611s

And the resurrected Christ comes to Peter and says, Peter, do you love me? 616s

Yes, it's a three times. Remember? 620s

And we've studied this. Remember, when Jesus says, Peter, do you love me? The word he uses there for love 623s

is the gopay? That's the highest form of love that self-sacrificing love. And every time Peter 629s

responds, you know that I love you, he uses the word filet, which is friendship love. 634s

So Jesus says, do you a gopay? Me and Peter responds, 641s

well, you know, I fillet, oh you, 644s

and he keeps asking the same question of Peter and Peter keeps coming with the same answer. 648s

And in that portion of Scripture, Peter says this in John 21, 656s

he says, Lord, you know, everything, you know, every see. 663s

Jesus knew Philip. He knew him. He had called him. He knew Philip. 676s

I am convinced that Jesus would regard to the feeding story of the 5,000, 689s

I am convinced that he turned to Philip and asked that question. 694s

So how are we going to feed all of these people? I'm convinced he asks Philip that, 698s

because Philip lives in the box here of what God can and can't do. 705s

Jesus knew Philip. He knew all of Philip's misgivings. He knew all of Philip's doubts. 713s

He knew all of Philip's struggles. He knew all of Philip's sin. 720s

Jesus knew Philip. 729s

And Jesus knows us. He knows every thought and every word and every. 736s

He knows that we've got a penchant for thinking of ourselves higher than we ought. 756s

He knows that we treat him as one that we know of instead of really knowing him. 769s

He knows we have a propensity. 782s

Propensity to confess one thing but certainly act a different way. 787s

He knows us how we can be tempted to put him in a box and limit the power of God by putting him 794s

in the box that we have constructed. God's got our num. He's got our num. 804s

And he turns and he says to each of us, 821s

have I been with you all of this time and you still don't? 825s

No me? 839s

My favorite song is Psalm 139. 846s

In my office I have a painting that has part of Psalm 139 on all placard underneath the painting. 851s

It's a beautiful picture. There's a boat with sails and the waves are a little bit on the 862s

front side but when you look closely on the on the boat you see it's Jesus piloting the ship. 869s

Psalm 139 it says this and it's on that placard underneath the painting. 878s

If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, 884s

even there your hands shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me fast. 889s

This is that same Psalm that says in verses 2 and 3, 897s

you know when I sit down and when I rise up, you discern my thoughts from far away. 902s

You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 910s

This is the same Psalm that says in verse 1, 917s

Old Lord, you've searched me and known me. He knows us. He knows us better than anybody else can 921s

ever know us. But there's no need to be afraid of that. No need to be afraid. 935s

Look on me please. At chapter 14 verse 10. 952s

Jesus says, Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? 960s

The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own, but the Father who dwells in me does His works. 967s

Believe me, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. 976s

But if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 983s

Jesus assures Philip. Who he is? He comes and assures each one of us through his word 992s

of who he is. God in the flesh, God in Carnot, 1004s

true God and true man who went to the cross in bore all of our sin upon him, all of the thoughts and 1014s

all of the words and all of the deeds and all that we've done and left on done. 1023s

Baring it all on the cross covering us in His blood, proclaiming to us for goodness through the 1029s

cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. He died for everything that he knows about us. 1039s

He died and rose for us and He splashes us. He splashes us in the waters of baptism. 1055s

He splashes us and tells us that we belong to Him, He splashes us. 1073s

Bestowing upon us as the word is put with the ordinary of the water, the victory of the cross and 1083s

the empty tomb, He splashes us and says, at your baptism, it's the last judgment in miniature. 1090s

He splashes us in the waters of baptism and says, this is my decision about you. 1097s

He splashes us and opens up for us the glory and the beauty of heaven itself. 1106s

He splashes us in the waters of baptism and tells us, I know you, I know you as my child. 1116s

And I know you for all of eternity. 1131s

Love and know. 1150s