What Does It Mean to 'Know' Christ? | Matthew 26:71-72

[00:00:00] Real Truth Daily. This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman.

[00:00:07] Hi, everybody. Welcome back to Daily Truths. I'm a big basketball fan. I love the Denver Nuggets.

[00:00:12] And Nikola Jokic has won three NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. He is amazing.

[00:00:19] Three out of the last four years, he's been the guy. I can say I know a lot about Nikola Jokic.

[00:00:25] I know facts about his life. I know he's from Serbia. I know he came here as a rookie.

[00:00:30] He played for the Nuggets. Eventually, he became great. And from my least opinion,

[00:00:36] I think he's the greatest basketball player on the planet right now. And many folks would agree.

[00:00:40] I can say I know about Nikola Jokic, but I don't know him personally.

[00:00:48] We're in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 26. Remember, Peter has already denied Jesus once.

[00:00:53] And now we come to this verse, verse 71 and 72 of Matthew, Chapter 26.

[00:00:59] And it says this,

[00:01:00] And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him.

[00:01:03] And she said to the bystanders, this man was with Jesus of Nazareth.

[00:01:08] And again, he denied it with an oath. I do not know the man.

[00:01:13] Wow. Okay.

[00:01:15] So there's two different kinds of knowledge of Jesus. One is to know facts about him, that he was born of a virgin, that he was born in Bethlehem, that he performed miracles, that he died on a cross, that he rose from the dead, etc., etc.

[00:01:29] To know facts about Jesus.

[00:01:31] But also, the second step of knowing Jesus is to know that you have a faith relationship with him, that you trust in your heart, that he's your Savior, Lord, Redeemer, and King.

[00:01:43] So you know facts about Jesus with your mind. You trust in him with your heart.

[00:01:49] Peter was saying he had neither. So remember, he's in the courtyard. He's warming his hands. Some folks say that a servant says who a servant girl who recognized him at the gate and then saw him with the fire, embers of the fire lighting up his face.

[00:02:05] She said, I know that you're you're one of his followers. And he said, No, I don't know what you're talking about.

[00:02:11] In other words, he wanted to change his subject. Now, remember, he's among soldiers and and servants of Caiaphas.

[00:02:19] And he thought, I got to get out of here. Now he goes to the entrance and another servant girl says, I saw you with Jesus of Nazareth.

[00:02:27] And he he upon an oath, he's saying, I don't know the man.

[00:02:32] And he he takes an oath, in other words, saying, if I'm not telling the truth, I'm invoking a curse upon myself.

[00:02:39] Oh, what a deal. So here, Peter is saying, I don't know facts about him.

[00:02:45] I don't know where he was from. I don't know anything about him.

[00:02:49] I've never even heard his name. I don't know anything about him.

[00:02:52] And I surely don't know him personally. So Peter really was lying in two different fronts.

[00:02:57] He was saying, I don't know who you're talking about. I don't know this guy at all.

[00:03:01] And I have no relationship with him at all. Holy cow.

[00:03:04] Talk about a doubles double lie. Right. This is what Peter is doing.

[00:03:08] So he said, I don't have any facts about him in my head.

[00:03:11] And I surely don't have a faith relationship with him in my heart.

[00:03:20] No, no, it comes down to you and me.

[00:03:23] Do you have both knowledge of Jesus facts about his life, where he was born, what he did, the miracles he performed, the teachings of Jesus, the historical fact from my perspective that he died and rose again.

[00:03:36] Do you do you know that in your mind? But also do you have a faith relationship with him in your heart?

[00:03:43] Have you trusted in him by the power of the Holy Spirit as your savior, as the Lord of your life, the one who paid for your sin on Calvary's cross and then triumphed over death through his resurrection?

[00:03:56] Do you have this faith relationship in your heart? Do you know Christ personally in your heart as your savior, as the one who is the king of kings and Lord of lords, wonderful counselor, mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace.

[00:04:11] Do you have a faith, heartfelt faith relationship with Jesus?

[00:04:15] Do you have both knowledge of him and trust in him in your heart?

[00:04:19] If you do, thanks be to God, because that's the difference between hell and heaven being lost and being saved, being separated from God from and being in an intimate relationship with God through faith in Jesus.

[00:04:35] This is what I pray every listener to Daily Truths has.

[00:04:39] You see, I don't do this for my health.

[00:04:41] I don't do this just because I like to do it.

[00:04:44] I don't do this simply to teach you the word of God.

[00:04:46] The primary purpose of Daily Truths is to invoke faith by the power of the Holy Spirit in people's hearts who listen to what I'm talking about, whether it's today or any day.

[00:04:58] The goal of Daily Truths is to win people for the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:05:03] And here's the thing.

[00:05:03] If you know Jesus as your savior, if you trust in him as the Lord of your life, you are saved and your sins are forgiven and you're at peace with God.

[00:05:15] And God, the father's declaration of not guilty is upon your life.

[00:05:19] And someday when you leave this place, when you close your eyes for the final time, you'll be ushered into heaven to be with Jesus forever.

[00:05:28] So here's the thing.

[00:05:30] You didn't make that decision on your own.

[00:05:33] You didn't have the strength, power, volition to make a decision for the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:05:38] Something happened in your life.

[00:05:41] The spirit of God broke down your stubborn, resisting will so that you trust in Christ as your savior.

[00:05:48] And my prayer today for you is that you indeed not only have knowledge of him in your head, but trust in him in your heart that he is the one who lived and died and rose again for you.

[00:06:04] Let it be so and let it be done to the glory of God's holy and saving name.

[00:06:10] And that is today's Daily Truth.