Acknowledgment (see Jesus,
Acceptance of; God, Knowledge of)
Every
activity, no matter how small, should incorporate the knowledge that there is a
God who sees us and is the judge of what we do. When we do that, He will guide
us.
- Proverbs 3:6 HCSB think about Him in all
your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.
God
calls on all mankind to acknowledge not only His existence but His power.
- Isaiah 33:13 HCSB You who are far off,
hear what I have done; you who are near, know My strength."
When
we acknowledge God as our King regardless of the consequences, He will be happy
to call us His people and take care of us.
- Zechariah 13:9 HCSB I will put this third through the fire;
I will refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They
will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are My
people, and they will say: The LORD is our God."
Often
our attempts to lead people into ways of righteousness and peace will go
unacknowledged and unappreciated – much like our Master’s attempts.
- Matthew 17:12 HCSB
"But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn't
recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In
the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."
If
we will acknowledge Jesus’ sovereignty in our lives, He will acknowledge us as
one of His own to the Father and will obtain entry into heaven and life eternal
for us.
- Luke 12:8 HCSB "And I
say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will
also acknowledge him before the angels of God,
- cp Matthew 10:32 HCSB
"Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I
will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven.
The
Samaritan woman quickly admitted that Jesus was a prophet. That was not enough.
It was not until she acknowledge that He was far more, that He was the Messiah
that she obtained salvation and enough influence to change an entire Samaritan
city.
- John 4:19 HCSB "Sir," the
woman replied, "I see that You are a prophet.
- John 4:29 HCSB "Come,
see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the
Messiah?"
To all those who refuse to acknowledge that Jesus was God, preferring to
consider Him a good man, a prophet, a great teacher or even a hoax; we ask you
to consider that an unbelieving hardened centurion acknowledged his deity when
faced with the circumstances surrounding the Master’s death.
- Matthew 27:54 HCSB
When the
centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake
and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, "This
man really was God's Son!"
- cp Mark 15:39 HCSB When the centurion,
who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said,
"This man really was God's Son!"
You
cannot truthfully say I love God, but I don’t believe in Jesus. To honor God
the Father, we must honor and love the Son.
- John 5:23 HCSB so that all
people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does
not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
- Psalms 2:11-12 HCSB Serve
the LORD with reverential awe, and rejoice with trembling. (12) Pay homage to the Son, or He will be
angry, and you will perish in your rebellion, for His anger may ignite at
any moment. All those who take refuge in Him are happy.
Eventually everyone will acknowledge Jesus’ deity and sovereignty.
However, if they wait until the Great White Throne of Judgment to do this, it
will be too late then.
- Philippians 2:11 HCSB and every tongue should confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
After
that, during the Millennium and beyond, we will no longer need to try to teach
others to acknowledge the King because He will be sitting on the throne in
Jerusalem for all to see, ruling with a rod of iron. Those of us who have
already pledged our allegiance to our rightful King look forward to this great
day when our past transgressions will be forgiven.
- Hebrews 8:11 HCSB And each person will
not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother, saying, 'Know the
Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of
them.
- cp Jeremiah 31:34
HCSB No longer will one teach his neighbor
or his brother, saying: Know the LORD, for they will all know Me, from the
least to the greatest of them"--the LORD's declaration. "For I
will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin."