Knowing God Intimately

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Exodus 33:11-16

It is not enough to casually know about God; we were created to know God intimately and to enjoy Him personally. Yet many believers will settle with feeling infatuated with His works, and never know Him face-to-face.

Adrian Rogers says, “To know about God is to see God’s works; to know God intimately is to know God’s way.”

In Exodus 33:11-16, Moses demonstrates the beauty of knowing God intimately, seeing beyond an infatuation with His works to know His ways.

To know God intimately brings tranquility and peace to our troubled souls.

“And He said, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’” (Exodus 33:14). If we only see God outwardly—His miraculous works—we will live with worry. We often disappoint ourselves when He doesn’t act how we think He should. But knowing God’s ways helps us recognize His presence in every situation, and that is what gives us rest.

Knowing God intimately also gives us stability in our lives.

By nature, feelings of infatuation are fickle. But Christians who seek the unchanging heart of God have stability in their faith, no matter their circumstances.

Finally, knowing God intimately is necessary for victory.

In Exodus 33, the Israelites had strayed in their devotion to God, and Moses was interceding on their behalf. He begged for God’s mercy, and in response, God promised His protection and provision, but He would not be with them.

It is frightening to know we can have God’s protection and provision without His presence. Seeing how easy it is to be satisfied in worldly things, we cannot take anything as a substitution for knowing God intimately.

We cannot know God intimately by human reason. We know Him by directly dealing with Him, turning to Him in every circumstance or difficulty.

Adrian Rogers says, “To know Him is to love Him; to love Him is to trust Him. To trust Him is to obey Him; to obey Him is to be blessed, and to be blessed is to be a blessing.”

Apply it to your life

Adrian Rogers says, “You cannot know God by hearing sermons about knowing God; you can’t know anybody that you don’t spend time with.”

Don’t take anything as a substitute for knowing God intimately. Turn to Him today, and spend some intimate time in His Word.