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Northwest Church of Christ 3904 38th Street NW Canton, Ohio 44718 330-492-5523 Fax: 330-493-7119 |
“Discovering God: |
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I. Introduction.
A. In Psalm 103:7, David writes that God, “. . . made known
His ways to Moses.” The all-knowing, all-and-ever-
present, all-powerful God of the universe revealed Himself
to a man, someone who was very much like you and me.1. Moses had passion and strong desires. He was
tenacious and bold.2. But, like us, he also made mistakes.
B. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness, learning how to
live a solitary life. There were others around him, but not
the crowds of people he’d been accustomed to in Egypt.
God’s plan, and purpose, for Moses’ life was already set.
But, God had not laid out that plan and purpose to Moses
before He asked the lowly shepherd to go back to Egypt,
trusting in God’s power and wisdom, and trusting that
God’s way is best. Discovering that way, and the effect
it can, and will, have on our lives, opens the door to
knowing God’s will and plan, and knowing that His way
is best.C. As a young man, adopted into Pharaoh’s family, Moses
knew very little about the Hebrews’ God. Why God
selected him to lead the Israelites out of captivity is a
mystery to us. All we can say with certainty is that God’s
choice was the right one.1. We may not understand why God works in a certain
way to accomplish His purposes. But, if we’re
willing to study and learn His ways, we will gain
greater insight into His motives and His leading.2. That desire then becomes obedience, no matter what
we think should, or should not, happen.3. To know the ways of God, we must take the time,
consistent time, to be alone with Him.4. To know the ways of God, we must make a decision
to obey Him, and live according to His principles.D. Throughout the Bible, we read of God calling out to His
people to turn away from sin and draw near to Him. Most
often they, and we, fail to do this. We don’t get beyond a
superficial relationship, and bring on consequences from
not having close fellowship with Him.1. Some are afraid to know too much of God. If they
get too close, if they gain too much understanding,
then He’ll require something of them they may not
feel ready to do, or give.2. Surrendering to God doesn’t mean He will require
anything of us we are not prepared to do. But, He
tests our faith, as He did with Abraham and Isaac,
with Moses, and a multitude of other people. The
tests of faith reveal our level of love and
commitment to God.II. Drawing Near To God.
A. The God of the universe desires our fellowship. He created
us, and gave us a spiritual nature, for that very reason.1. When Moses’ curiosity brought him to the burning
bush, God spoke to him.2. When Mary of Bethany sat down at Jesus’ feet, she
did so with a desire that could be satisfied by
nothing else in this world.3. They both received something that Jesus told
Mary’s sister, Martha, could not be “taken away”
from them (Luke 10:42). They both listened to
God, and He drew near to them. What could not
be “taken away” was their fellowship with their
glorious God.4. In prayer, we speak our minds to God. Through
reading and studying God’s word, He speaks His
mind to us. Another way to grow in intimacy with
God is to listen to Him as He reveals Himself
through His word. As with prayer, it’s a way to
focus upon Him, and to share time alone with Him.B. We might feel we want to spend time with God, but there’s
so much to do. Every day is crowded with work and other
activities. And, in the evening, we are worn out from all
we’ve done throughout the day. We fall into bed, and start
the whole routine over again in the morning.1. But, can we really afford not to spend some time
alone with God, in prayer and thought? This is
where we gain the strength, and guidance, to meet
the challenges of each day.2. But, isn’t it being arrogant to presume that we can
know God’s ways? No. The God of heaven has
told us to seek Him, and to draw near to Him.a. Spending time with God in prayer, we learn
of His eternal care for us. When problems
come, when challenges confront us, when
we sorrow, it becomes instinctive to go to
God for His wisdom and guidance.b. The more we learn of God, the more
intimate we become with Him, the more we
realize He wants only what is best for us.
And He knows what is best for us.C. If we do not have that kind of relationship with God, it
becomes more natural to assume God is punishing us with
problems, making our lives more difficult because we sin.
God does, indeed, allow challenges to come upon us in our
lives. He allows problems to intrude upon our peace – but,
not as punishment for sins. He allows them to suffer things
we bring upon ourselves, because of sin, but He does so,
again, to draw us closer to Him, not push us away or
abandon us. Consider this: if we never experience times of
trouble and heartache, we would not know of one of the
most important aspects of God’s love for us; His ability to
sustain us, and provide comfort for us, when we most need
it. No one cares for us more than God does.D. Moses understood he could make two requests of God.
First, he wanted to know His ways (Exodus 33:13), and,
second, he wanted to gain a greater understanding of those
ways so that he could be in close fellowship with God.1. This close fellowship was possible because Moses
believed God was who He said He was. And, the
close fellowship was possible because Moses
wanted to please God.2. If we know we can bring joy to the life of someone
we love through giving him or her something they
truly want, we desire to do that.3. What God wants is our love, expressed solely to
Him.4. When we express our love for God, just going to
one service a week isn’t enough for us. It may
satisfy us, but it doesn’t fulfill us.5. When we express our love for God, praying
occasionally, or reading and studying His book
sporadically, isn’t enough for us.6. It’s like eating, but still being hungry, or drinking
and still being thirsty. We look for more to really
be filled.E. The more we rely upon God, the more He will do for us.
1. You may be going through a difficult period in your
life. Perhaps you’ve made choices that have
resulted in your moving further and further away
from God, and His will.2. Not choosing to accept God’s way, even to know
God’s way, could be the very reason you are
struggling now, emotionally, physically, or,
certainly, spiritually.3. God allows us to make wrong choices, but not to
take delight in our suffering the consequences. He
allows us to make our own decisions, but has
provided us with the better way, His way.F. The best choices are made when we seek God’s will and
follow it. Our free will must always be viewed in relation
to God’s sovereignty. He is supreme, we are not. We can
make choices, but God’s will shall be accomplished. What
He wills shall be done, if not by us then in some other way
(example: Jewish religious leaders and their determination
to kill the Christ).G. God always offers His best. He knows the future that we
cannot know. We may be on the threshold of great
blessings, but our way, our desires, what we see as our
rights come first. So, what happens? We miss God’s
very best.H. Don’t become entangled in Satan’s way of discontent.
Difficulties will come, but to know God is to stay focused
on obeying Him. He knows exactly what we need and
exactly when we need it.1. God allows the difficulties to come to teach us more
about dependency upon Him. If we never faced
trials and challenges, how could we learn to be
faithful to Him under all circumstances? (case of
Job; Job’s faithfulness withstood Satan’s attacks
upon his possessions, his family, and Job himself).2. God allows difficulties to come so that we may
grow spiritually, and become more dependent upon
Him than upon our own abilities.3. To know God, and to accept His ways as best, is to
become God-centered, not me-centered.III. Conclusion.
A. In our lives, we come to times of difficulty, and challenge,
and we may wonder: can I really trust God to lead me in
the right, the best, way? We may be standing at the brink
of great blessings, but feel torn about the future. God
understands. He understands that knowing Him, and
accepting His ways, is a process. Speak to Him about your
decisions, about your needs, about what is best. Listen to
Him, through His word.B. God’s ways are surprising at times, and, at times, difficult
to understand. The reason for this is found in
Isaiah 55:8-9 (re-read). Let God direct us through His
word, because His ways are best.C. Don’t permit pride and arrogance (Satan’s tools to control
us) to prevent you from knowing God and accepting His
truth. Pray the prayer of Moses in Exodus 33:18:
“. . . ‘Please, show me Your glory.’ ”