Know God

Hosea 4:1–6 NIV84

1 Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying. 4 “But let no man bring a charge, let no man accuse another, for your people are like those who bring charges against a priest. 5 You stumble day and night, and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother— 6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.

Do you know God? I am not asking if you know about God. Do you know Him at a personal level? Do you depend on the pastor to build your relationship with God? This text brings a charge against the priests but the people are not exempt. The priests have a responsibility to teach the Word of God to the people. The people have a responsibility to make themselves available to that teaching. If the teaching is not available, the people are still required to know God on their own.

1. Know God for the good of all

Without knowledge of God faithfulness is absent and love is missing

We must build our relationship with God

God is not a vending machine, we can’t give thinking we can manipulate Him

Hos 6:6 “6 For I desire faithful love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

God wants you to know Him

Disobedience is the result of not knowing God

When you know God is goes well for you and all

We were created to know, to love, to glorify, and to serve God

2. Know God through the study of His Word

We are commanded to, 2 Tim 2:15, “Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly diving the word of truth.”

We are not destroyed for lack of degrees

Not for lack of education

We are destroyed for lack of knowledge of Him

Deep study of His Word

Knowledge of God is our purpose

Col 1:19 “19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,”

Jn 14:9 “9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Jn 1:4 “4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

Jn 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

3. Know God through Prayer

Jesus taught the disciples to pray

Through prayer, we become intimate with God

Through prayer, we experience His fullness

Paul said, 2 Tim 1:12 “12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.”

Phil 3:10 “10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,”

Through prayer, we are empowered to endure the challenges of life

4. Know God through Obedience to His Word

We are commanded to love the Lord our God with everything within us

We are commanded to make disciples baptizing them

We are commanded to live our lives worthy of His call

Obedience reveals God’s will

Obedience to His truth

Obedience brings intimacy with God

Don’t forget His commands

The more you practice His commands the less you will forget

Don’t forget Him because He will forget your children

Mt 7:21-23 “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”