Many of us have heard the question, "Do you know Jesus?" It's a critical question that all must answer, either yes or no. It is elementary to assume that Jesus knows us. "Why, of course Jesus knows me. He knows everything and everyone, right?" In one sense, yes, that is very true. God is omniscient, but what does it really mean to know someone?
Suppose one were to dedicate a large part of their life to learning everything there was to know about the president of the United States. You would find out about when he gets up, what he does during the day, all his accomplishments, where he was born, how many children he has, his wife's name, his education, and even details like what foods the president may like and the friends he invites over for dinner. You could spend so much time and energy learning everything there is to know about him that you could almost say, "I know the president." Now imagine that someday you could find your way uninvited into the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC. The Secret Service grabs hold of you as you inform them, "It's OK, I know the president!" By chance, if he is there, they will ask him if he knows you, and should you hear him say: "No, I don't know this person," your future would be quickly determined. Unless you would have met, spoken to, sat with, and spent time with him, he could never say he knew you, let alone call you his friend. Learning all about someone does not constitute a relationship.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness' (Matthew 7:21-23).
In the above verses, we see that not everyone who claims to know the Lord Jesus will find that He will claim to know them. The word "know," as used in verse 23, is from the Greek word "Ginosko," meaning "to know absolutely." Even more profound is that the Greek word for never, as used in verse 23, "Oudepote," means "not even at any time, never at all." So, can we also spend our entire life learning everything there is to know about this one called Jesus, reading the Bible, going to church, even doing all the works and signs of a follower, and still have Him say, "I never knew you?”
The answer is Yes. And Jesus said that MANY would hear those words (Matthew 7:22).
We would find ourselves in the same predicament as being in the Oval Office again and not being recognized by the president. Actually, infinitely worse off. So how can I be assured that He knows me? A beautiful illustration comes from The Lord Jesus Himself saying to us:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20, ESV)
When we are invited to dinner at a friend’s house, it is still an honor now as it has been for thousands of years. You enter into someone's home that has possibly worked for quite some time preparing a meal for you, hoping that you will significantly enjoy the fruits of their labor prepared for you. You share details about your lives, jobs, children, hopes, dreams, etc. You certainly, at this point, have a relationship with one another, and this is what Christ, through His substitutionary death on the cross, has done for us. The God and Creator of all things knocks at the door of our hearts and desires a relationship with us.
In the 3rd chapter of the book of John, a man named Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a Ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus at night. He said to the Lord: “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). Jesus gave a most interesting answer in verse 3: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." That is the key: "You must be Born Again." He knew what Nicodemus and anyone who came to Him need to know. He then explained to him (and us) how to enter His kingdom and thus enjoy having a personal relationship with Him.
A bit further on, in one of the most famous verses in all of the Bible, we read: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever lives and believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). The word "believes" is from the Greek word "Pisteuo," meaning "to entrust, commit, put in trust with." It is far more than just accepting a stated fact as being true.
So, in conclusion, when a person comes to Jesus and truly "believes" in Him, committing their hearts to Him, and repenting of sin, they then become Born-Again, thus entering into a personal relationship with Him and receiving all the rights and privileges of a child of the King of Kings. Their names are then written in "The Lamb's Book of Life" (Revelation 3:27).
Dear ones, if you have never entered into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, before it is too late, we urge you to come humbly at His feet, admit you are a sinner, and accept the free gift of salvation secured by Him alone at a very great price.
Mike Engel