Knowing the Ways of God

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Exodus 33:12-14There are two ways we can be acquainted with God: we can know His works (what He does) or go deeper and understand His ways (who He is).In the Book of Exodus, Moses was given a huge task, and he knew he could not do it without knowing the ways of God.Exodus 33:13 says, “Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight...”Knowing the ways of God is the difference between rest and relapse.Moses wanted to know God’s ways and God gave Him rest; on the contrary, Israel never found rest because the people only saw the works of God, and did not seek to know His ways. Knowing God is an eternal Sabbath, because it means we have peace, having put our trust in Him.Knowing the ways of God is also the difference between intimacy and infatuation.It is easy to be excited about the works of God, but genuine faith and knowledge takes time.Moses knew God and spoke to Him as a friend. (See Exodus 33:11.)Jesus performed miracles but did not advertise them; He knew people would be infatuated with the signs and wonders and disregard knowing Him intimately.It is also the difference between being a teacher or a testified.Anyone can give an account of what they have experienced; but someone who knows the ways of God is a teacher, as Moses was.It is also the difference between peace and panic.Many times, things will not work out the way we think; God often works in strange ways.Adrian Rogers says, “God’s ways are always mysterious; God leaves no footprints on the sea of life; no pathways in the traceless sea.”If we extract our theology from the works of God rather than from His ways, we will live in a perpetual panic.Finally, it is the difference between intercession and indifference.Knowing God intimately enables us to pray on behalf of others, as Moses interceded for Israel.Apply it to your lifeWe cannot know the ways of God through our own human ingenuity; it does not come by observation, by interrogation, or by reasoning. We know the ways of God through intimate, face-to-face dealings with Him. Today, seek His face, not His hand, so you can know His ways and find rest for your soul.