Life’s Highest Aim
KNOW(ABLE): Getting to know God!— MESSAGE #1
Exodus 33:13-23
INTRODUCTION:
Good morning! Thanks for being here today. I hope you’ve had a great start to your weekend — and are ready to study God’s Word together.
It was 400 years ago, that more than 150 church leaders and theologians sought to develop a new tool for teaching new believers about Christianity. What they came up with was a list of questions and answers (that would be given as lectures) to help people learn about God. This tool became known as the Westminster Catechism. Sort of a precursor to Bible classes. Its influence was far reaching — and life changing. It began by asking questions like:
What is the soul purpose of man?
To which, it answers:
To Know God…to glorify and enjoy Him forever.
Well, nothing has really changed in 400 years. In fact, the purpose of knowing God, that we might glorify Him forever dates back to the very beginning of mankind. We exist TO KNOW GOD…to glorify and enjoy Him, forever! Even so, from the very beginning, the devil’s primary purpose has been to lead us away from KNOWING GOD. He’s sought (with all of his might) to discredit God and distort our understanding of Him..in order to hinder our interest in living for Him. Because of this, some have come to believe that God is distant and unapproachable. Even disinterested in us. But, the Bible tells a different story! The Bible actually teaches that God wants us to KNOW HIM! And He makes Himself known to us (through Scriptures, and through Jesus, through His Spirit, and all of creation).
And it’s so important that we KNOW THIS! It’s critical that we KNOW GOD!
So today, we’re beginning a new series, called: KNOW(ABLE)! And over the next several weeks we’re going to discover how KNOWING GOD changes our lives!
TRANSITION:
Well, it was the late, A.W. Tozer, who once said,
“What comes into our minds when we think about God
is the most important thing about us.”
The prophet Jeremiah describes the importance of knowing God in Jeremiah 9:23-24 — when he writes,
23 “This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24 but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.”
So, if there’s anything in life that you want to be known for — let it be for your pursuit of KNOWING GOD!
MESSAGE:
Moses understood the importance of really KNOWING GOD. And in Exodus 33, we find him in a conversation with God about the future of his nation.
More than anything else — more than being successful, or wealthy, or possessing lots of cattle, or owning lots of land, Moses says — I want to KNOW YOU!
In fact, it would be this pursuit that would define his life. Knowing God.
Well, if you have your Bible open, turn there with me — Exodus 33. We’ll pick up his story here. In verse 13, Moses says,
13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
Exodus 33:13-23 (NIV)
In this story, Moses (the leader of his nation), pauses and prays — asking God to do three things in his life. And as I’ve reviewed this passage again and again, I think we would do well to pray the same three things. Because, if God answers these three prayers—it will forever change our lives. And here they are.
The first thing we ought to be asking God is this:
1. I want to know you.
In verse 13, Moses prayed,
“…teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”
Have you ever thought, “God, I want to know you?” Well, if so — know this, THAT’S GOD PLAN FOR YOU! It’s actually an invitation He’s given you in the Bible. In Psalm 46:10, God says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
He says, “Slow down — take a breath, and get to know me!”
But don’t think that’s just an invitation for those who are FAR from God. That’s an invitation to everyone. Those new to faith, and those who have been serving Christ for a long time.
So, no matter where you are on the continuum of faith, and no matter how long you’ve been serving Jesus, you can always know more about God than you do now. You can always grow closer to God than you are today.
God’s not going to limit your access to Him. But, KNOWING HIM and KNOWING ABOUT HIM are NOT the same things! There’s a BIG difference between the two. I’d say, one of the tragedies of our generation, is that it’s easy to say we believe IN GOD and maybe even learn ABOUT GOD…but somehow, never really COME TO KNOW GOD. And so, it’s easy to gain knowledge ABOUT GOD — but not really KNOW HIM.
Have you ever met anyone like that? Have you ever encountered someone who was good at quoting information, they could articulate doctrine — maybe even argue religious views and theological points. But there was a DISCONNECT between their head and their heart?
They could espouse INFORMATION, but they struggled to REFLECT THE NATURE OF GOD.
Well, that’s because — knowing in your head, and knowing in your heart are two different things.
Author J.I. Packer in His book — Knowing God, says, “A little knowledge OF God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge ABOUT him. One can know a great deal ABOUT God without much knowledge OF him.”
What he’s saying is that INFORMATION alone will never trump an authentic EXPERIENCE with Jesus. They’re just not the same thing!
Moses knew this. He had experienced God’s presence first hand at the burning bush.
- He had observed God’s power during the ten plagues that came upon Egypt.
- He had led the Israelites through the Red Sea and seen God’s hand destroy the Egyptian army.
- He had even witnessed God provide food and water for his nation in the wilderness.
- And so, he — more than any other understood that information about God would never equate to experiencing God first hand.
So, when he prayed this prayer — HE WASN’T ASKING FOR MORE INFO…He was asking for an ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.
Which leads to the second prayer we ought to be praying. And it’s this:
2. I want your presence to be with me.
In verse 15, Moses prays the second of his three prayers about knowing God. And here, he says,
“If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
Just prior to this story, is the one where Moses meets with God on the top of Mount Sinai. While there, God gave Him the 10 Commandments. When He came down from the mountain, he discovered that the people of Israel had grown impatient waiting on God…and so they crafted new idols (golden calves) to worship.
But this made God angry! He couldn’t believe their foolishness and impatience. But since He had promised to give them the Land of Canaan, He told Moses, He’d keep His Word. But there was a catch.
While the people could have the land, and the livestock, the fruit, and the wealth that was there. They would even be able to gain victory over their enemies and get everything this world had to offer — there was one thing they WOULDN’T GET!And that was God!
God said, “I’ll send you on…but I’m not coming with you.” And so, when we get to this part of the story—Moses wasn’t having it. He couldn’t imagine going forward in life without God’s presence leading the way. While the promises of prosperity sounded great — they were pointless if God wasn’t with them. So, Moses prays, — “May your presence be with us!”
You see, the people were satisfied with RELIGION — but Moses wanted RELATIONSHIP.
And God’s Presence identified a closeness and relationship between Him and the people. But without His presence, they would have nothing by EMPTY RELIGION!
And here’s what we need to learn from this…RELIGION isn’t enough!
If we spend every Sunday, coming in a going through the motions — but we fail to welcome and acknowledge God’s presence — then all we have is empty religion. But I for one WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED with just ANOTHER SERVICE…or EMPTYRELIGION!
And that’s why we begin each and every worship service with a prayer…a prayer of INVITATION — where we call upon God to COME NEAR and FILL THIS PLACE! Because, we always want God’s presence to be obvious. And we never want to just go through the motions!
So, let me ask you?
When you come to church, do you just go through the motions (is your heart far away)? Or, are you coming with the intention of encountering God’s presence? Are you bringing your heart to engage God and express your love to Him?
One more thought — regarding the importance of God’s Presence in our lives.
If you were here on Wednesday night, you’ll remember — as we were praying together, I challenged you with the idea that we must seek God’s face before we seek God’s hand. Because, the idea of seeking His face, is all about being in His presence. It’s about knowing Him personally, closely, intimately, and affectionately. Because, being with Him is always better than just getting something from Him!
So, we need to know God personally; we also need His presence to abide with us.
But there’s one more thing that Moses prayed…and we need to pray it too. And it’s this:
3. Show me your glory. (vs. 18)
Look again at verse 17. After asking for God to make Himself known to Moses, and then to give His presence to Him, God responds. Look at it with me, verse 17 tells us,
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you…”
While knowing God is great — and being with God awesome, Moses still wanted something more! He wanted to experience God’s glory. He wanted God to reveal His nature and character to Him. He wanted to see and experience God’s character.
Charles Spurgeon once said that this was the greatest request a man ever made of God. “Show me your glory!”
Moses wanted to know God in a personal and almost tangible way. He wanted to know God’s glory.
God’s gloryis almost impossible to describe. One writer has defined it as “the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections” (John Piper).
Let me give you an definition of God’s glory. Something a little easier to understand. Think of His glory as His identity. It’s a designation for God himself. But it also refers to the internal characteristics and attributes of God.
So, God’s glory is His defining signature. It’s who He is.
In verse 18, Moses says, “show me your glory.”And in verse 19, God says, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you.”
And then he lists several of His divine characteristics. He says, you’ll know my glory as I “proclaim my name” and “I will cause…my goodness to pass in front of you…” And, I will display “mercy”. And, I will show my “compassion.” And so, God seems to define His glory — by the attributes of His nature. More than power, it’s his persona and personality. And maybe that’s the beauty of this prayer — SHOW ME YOUR GLORY! Because, God is so good — that the more you experience of Him, the more you want of Him. But, if that’s not the case in your life — then what’s holding you back from pursuing God more?
I want you to know that there is so much more of God for you. Don’t be satisfied with what you’ve witnessed or experienced of God before. Keep seeking Him. Keep longing for more. Keep praying this prayer — and ask God to SHOW YOU HIS GLORY!
And maybe the best way to experience God’s glory is to make room for it in your life. John the Baptist said it well when he said in John 3:30, “He must increase, and I may decrease.”
Understand, the glory of God is something that you have to make room for in your life.
Before Moses could encounter God’s glory at the burning bush, he first had to take off his sandals. Here in this story, the people of Israel had to first destroy their idols. And it will be the same for you and me. If we really want to experience God’s glory — we must make room for it in our lives.
So, what are you waiting for? Why not make room this morning.
—Make room in your heart? (Get rid of the idols of your life).
—Make room in your priorities? (Give God the top place in your life).
—Make room in your schedule? (Give space and time for God to work in you).
CONCLUSION:
When we began this morning — I shared with you that THE PURPOSE OF MAN is to KNOW GOD, TO GLORIFY HIM and ENJOY HIM FOREVER!
And if you want that to be the case in your life — then I can think of no better way, than to pray this prayer of Moses from Exodus 33. May you pray:
Let me know you!
May your Presence be with me!
And…Show me your glory!
CLOSING PRAYER: