10-04-2026 Knowing God
Text: Exodus 33:13-14, 17
This morning I’d like to talk about knowing God and how it benefits us. Isaiah 57:21 tells us that those who reject God will not find peace in this life. John confirms in John 14:27 that when we know God, the Holy Spirit brings a deep and lasting peace to our hearts and minds. This is peace that’s not like worldly peace, which is usually defined by the absence of conflict. Peace that we get from Jesus is what gives us a confident assurance in any circumstance. With His peace, we have no need to fear the present or the future because even though sin, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and despair are at war within us it is the Peace of God that restrains these hostile forces and gives us comfort in the place of conflict. Those who don’t know God are missing something very special and important in their life.
Our text this morning is found in Exodus 33:13-14, 17 which Moses wrote, “ (13) Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You, that I may find grace in Your sight: and consider that this nation is Your people. (14) And He said, My Presence shall go with you and I will give you rest. (17) And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that you have spoken for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”
Knowing God surpassed every other desire of Moses, and it does the same for people today. We should all ask ourselves if God is the supreme desire of our hearts and if it’s not, make the necessary change to change that.
Verse 13 of our text tells us that we can know God through faith in His Word. As Moses said, “If I have found grace in thy sight…” He is reminding us that there’s no hope for anyone without God’s grace. Grace is what give God’s assistance and support to underserving sinners. And His grace is what makes it possible for sinners like you and me to know Him personally.
God’s grace toward us becomes personal and practical to every individual through faith in Him. Faith allows us to believe the Bible when it tells us that God will give us His grace even though we don’t deserve it and can never do anything to earn it. Paul tells us in II Timothy 1:12 that faith allowed Him to know God personally. If Paul, a man who make it a point to eliminate every Christian, can receive the grace of God, then so can you and me.
Now Moses came to faith long before he wrote what our text tells us. But now at this point in his life, he wanted to know God better. Moses tells us we can know God better by allowing Him to show us His ways and observing His works that we learn about by studying the Bible. We come to understand His plans for creation and redemption, and how He works among His people. When we compare the Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament fulfillment of those prophecies, we learn that we can trust that God’s Word is true.
Studying the life of Jesus helps us know God better because we get a greater appreciation of His love for us and a better understanding of His grace toward us. When we spend time studying about the Cross we can’t help but be drawn closer to God. And focusing on the return of Jesus makes us more like Him. John tells us in I John 3:1-3 that as believers, our self-worth comes from the fact that God loves us and calls us His children. We’re His children now, not just sometime in the distant future. Knowing that we are God’s children should encourage us to live as Jesus did. Believing in Jesus begins the process of becoming more and more like Him and continues until the day we see Him face-to-face where we will have new bodies and be free from pain and the corruption of sin.
Verse 14 tells us that we can know God by fully when we surrender our lives to Him. When we do this, He promises His presence will always be with us. Moses had been called to do a difficult task – bring the Israelites out of Egypt. He had experienced many trials in his life but he also came to know that God was with him every step of the way. God’s faithfulness in times of trials moved Moses to want to know Him better. When he did, he was willing to keep following wherever God’s will eventually led him. And the same is true for us.
When we fully surrender our hearts and lives to God, we too will receive the same grace that God gave to Moses. This’s what happens when you make the decision to fully trust Jesus as your Savior and get to know Him personally. All you need to do is study the Bible to learn about His ways then fully surrender yourself and your life to Him. I can promise that when you do this you will have a peace that passes all understanding and will assure that you will have eternal life in Heaven.
It doesn’t mean that you will no longer experience problems in your life but it allows you to put your problems in the hands of God and He will show you a way through them and teach you to rely on Him to always be there for you. This is why true Christians can continue living a peaceful life despite the difficulties that always come up. Be like Moses. Surrender your hearts and lives to God and you will be able to experience something that you never realized was possible.
Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead,