1. Gives us the desire to be like Him.
Isn’t it interesting to see that when the Lord talks about himself, He reveals His attributes, His character traits: lovingkindness, justice,
righteousness, etc.

2. Reveals the truth about ourselves. In Isaiah 6:1-2, Isaiah got a look at God and it helped him to view himself.

(Isaiah 6:1-5) “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. {2} Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two
they were flying. {3} And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” {4} At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. {5} “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.””

3. Enables us to interpret our world.
Earthquakes, financial setbacks, physical illnesses, etc., are all “put in their place.” We’re seeking after the invisible.

4. Makes us stronger and more secure.
(Daniel 11:32) “With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.”

James Boice writes: “We do not have a strong church today nor do we have many strong Christians. We can trace the cause to an astute lack of sound spiritual knowledge. Why is the church weak? Why are individual Christians weak? It’s because they have allowed their minds to become “conformed to the spirit of this age,” with its mechanistic, godless thinking. They have forgotten what God is like and what He promises to do for those who trust Him. As an average Christian talks about God, after getting past the expected answers you will find that his god is a little god of vacillating sentiments. He is a god who would like to save the world but who cannot. He would like to restrain evil, but somehow he finds it beyond his power. So he withdraws into semi-retirement, being willing to give good advice in a grandfatherly sort of way, but for the most part he has left his children to fend for themselves in a dangerous environment.

“Such a god is not the God of the Bible….the God of the Bible is not weak; He is strong. He is all-mighty. Nothing disturbs or puzzles Him. His purposes are always accomplished. Therefore for those who know Him rightly act with boldness, assured that God is with them to accomplish His own desirable purposes in their lives.”

5. Introduces us to the eternal dimension of existence.
(John 17:3) “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

(Jeremiah 9:1-3) “Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people. {2} Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers,
a crowd of unfaithful people. {3} “They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me,” declares the LORD.”

(Jeremiah 9:23-24) “This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, [24] but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD.

Why so important?

· It shapes our moral and ethical standards
· It directly affects our response to pain and hardship
· It motivates our response toward fortune, fame, power, and pleasure
· It gives us strength when we are tempted
· It keeps us faithful and courageous when we are outnumbered
· It enhances our worship and prompts our praise
· It determines our lifestyle and dictates our philosophy
· It gives meaning and significance to relationships
· It sensitizes our conscience and creates the desire to be obedient
· It stimulates hope to go on, regardless
· It enables us to know what to reject and what to respect while I’m rivited to planet Earth
· It is the foundation upon which everything rests!