How to know God

We are going to start by reading Hosea chapter 5 starting from verse 15, Hosea chapter 5 starting from verse 15, and we are going to read the Word of the Lord. Then we will continue in chapter 6 from 1 to 6 of the Book of Hosea, and it is in the Bible in the Old Testament.

And it says like this in verse 15: "I will walk and return to my place until they recognize their sin and recognize my face, in their anguish they will seek me. he will give life after two days, on the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him; and we will continue to know the Lord, as the dawn is ready at his departure, and he will come to us like rain, like the latter and early rain to the earth.

What shall I do to you, Ephraim, what shall I do to you, O Judah? Your mercy is like the morning rain and like the fading early morning dew. For this reason I cut them off through the prophets, with the words of my mouth I killed them, and your judgments will be like light that comes out, because I want mercy and not sacrifice, and knowledge of God more than holocaust." Word of the Lord.

Let's pray. Lord: we are before Your Word Lord and we are in Your Presence, we surrender before Your Presence Lord. We acknowledge Lord Your lordship over our lives. We also recognize our absolute dependence on You, Lord, on the grace of the Lord to understand Your Word, Lord, that each one of us leave this environment, this house of prayer, Lord, with the conviction that we were with You, that You spoke to us and that You challenged us Lord for the glory of Your Name, amen and amen.

I want to talk this morning about knowing God and how to know God, and how we can develop this relationship with God, and the difference between living a religious life that many absorb, and an absolute dependence on God, and how we can separate those two things, and how can we understand or know the difference when we are in the process of knowing God in the absolute sense of the Word, that is, we are just walking in the scheme of religion.

And sometimes some people get upset when they hear me say: I'm not religious. There is a person in my work who was uncomfortable because he knows that I am a Pastor and I told him: I don't like religion.

In the Book of Hosea God is at all times in that Book trying to deal with the rebellion of the people, with the sin that is rooted in the people of Israel. If we stop at the Book of Hosea we will see a God full of mercy, full of faithfulness, despite. When we see chapter 4 of the Book of Hosea itself, starting from verse 1, we see the Word that says: "Hear the Word of the Lord, children of Israel, for the Lord contends with the inhabitants of the earth."

There was a contest. God was saddened and the Word of God says: "Because there is neither truth nor mercy, nor knowledge of God on earth" and we are talking about the same prophet Hosea. And you can say: but Pastor, what happens today? the world we are living in today.

If we can make a comparison, brothers, between the days of Hosea and the situation we are experiencing today, we are going to conclude that we are not, right? We are not that far. We are living in a society where general knowledge is absolute. Science has itself as absolute. The great universities try to have their knowledge as absolute. And the dispute that God had against the inhabitants of the Earth was because there was no knowledge of God.

Perjuring, lying, killing, adulterating, stealing, prevail, and homicide after homicide follows, homicide after homicide follows one after another "for which reason the land will mourn, and all who dwell in it will languish, and with the beasts of the field, and the birds of the sky, and even the fish of the sea will die; surely man should not fight or rebuke man because your people are like those who resist the priest; therefore you will fall in the day, and the prophet will also fall with you by night, and your mother destroy" and verse 6: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" says the first part of the verse.

We will see a faithful God throughout the Book of Hosea despite the unfaithfulness of His people. We will see a loving God with sinful children. We will also see in this passage a God of justice and truth in verses 1 to 6 of verse 4. We will see a tired God, a rebellious and sinful people, and also weary of his sacrifices in verse 6 of chapter 6 of Hosea.

When the Word says: I want mercy, I don't want sacrifice. I want you to know me. You don't have to do anything else. If you decide to walk through a process of knowledge, it is what the Lord says, in verse 15 that we read from chapter 5 God reacts by calling the people to a reflection brothers, in other words: God takes His eyes off the people for a while until Let the repentance process begin. I will return, I will return to My place until I think, until you become aware, until you understand and seek My Face and seek Me in your anguish.

I know that many people have difficulty praying and seeking the Lord, it is a struggle, right? It is a struggle to pray, many times, it is a struggle to establish a personal relationship with God, but I tell you my brothers this morning: there is no life without a personal relationship. If we do not establish this personal relationship with God today, we will die spiritually.

Until the process starts and we see verse 1 to 3, and it seems that there was a bit of a sarcastic attitude from the people, right? "We will know and we will continue to know Jehovah, with the dawn his departure is ready and he will come to us like the latter and early rain to the earth" that is, could it be that he can live in any way? In other words, could it be that I understand God's grace process in my life? Could it be that I understand that the grace of God does not take away the naturalness of my life?

I understand that the grace of God forgives me, helps me but makes me responsible, I am responsible. To a not very sure understanding of grace that is preached out there that if you live in grace do what you want, you were forgiven: do what you want; It's not like that brothers. Grace holds us accountable, amen?

Looking at that experience lived by the people of Israel from the perspective of the prophet Hosea, what does it mean then to know God? what is knowing God? We should start by understanding what it is not to know God.

To know God is not to know a religious system. Knowing religion is not knowing God, there is a tremendous difference between religion and personal life with God. Knowing God is not being a member or leader of an institution. Knowing is not being a member of the group of deacons of the Church or having a position, or singing in the choir, or playing an instrument, or being a Pastor or leader, that does not mean that I know God. And in a religious institution, sitting in a seminar chair or even in a religious entity does not tell me that I know God because that does not establish the main principle of a personal relationship.

Knowing God is also not making sacrifice and the Bible is clear about sacrifices. Knowing God does not mean that it is because we have the gifts. I know God, I have gifts. Knowing God is not being an expert in theology, missiology, Biblical teaching and all the ways that we can understand, nor is it knowing God.

But my brothers, why should we know God, what kind of knowledge have you established with God, what kind of relationship have you established with God throughout the years? The knowledge of God is important because only through that knowledge one can understand what the Bible mentions and relates to eternal life.

Read with me First Corinthians chapter 2 in verse 14 what the Word of the Lord says: "But the natural man" says the Word of God, "does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God because to him they are foolishness and he does not can understand why they have to be discerned" how? "spiritually". The things of God are spiritually discerned. Even what I am trying to preach to you this morning you cannot carnally understand.

When you listen to the Word and stay here, right? what do they call it? knowledge, communication comes here, you have knowledge. If knowledge comes down to your heart, it becomes understanding and light to your life because it is spiritually discerned.

That is why the Bible says that the Spirit of God communicates with our spirit that we are sons. Even the impediment of who are we in God? spiritually discerned. I love it, when I am adoring I always think: Lord, even this desire that I have to adore You comes from You, it is not something that I am creating to adore, I do not raise my hands because I am doing a theater, I am singing, no. It is the desire that I have, it comes from Him because the Spirit of God communicates with my spirit and then the Father and I are one, amen?

God calls you into a relationship. Read with me chapter 24 verse 27, God calls us into this relationship: "And I will give them a heart so that they know me that I am Jehovah, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God because they will turn to me with all my heart" is God's connection to His people.

Through that, brothers, God then begins to reveal His true identity to His people, reveals His character to His people and also reveals our identity through Him. And what does that imply? It implies brothers to understand that we are not God, we are His children, right? He is holy, we are not holy, we walk towards holiness. God is kind, we are not kind, we practice acts of kindness, amen?

God is wise, we are foolish, stubborn right? stubborn, this was the most difficult word to speak in Spanish, not because of the language or because it was difficult but because I am stubborn, right? God is powerful, we are weak, the other hard word to learn, weak. He is full of love and grace, we are full of selfishness, pride. Therefore, when we know God, we see how Isaiah saw himself before the Lord and said: Woe to me, Lord, I am lost; my eyes turned to the Lord. I see the glory of God, I see Your greatness, I see who You are, I see this divine majesty and I look at myself and say: who am I? And yet You God full of power and grace want a relationship with me.

John chapter 17 verse 3, John chapter 17 verse 3, I love that verse, I love hearing the pages of the Bible rustle, right? "And this is eternal life, that I know You the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" this is eternal life that I know You the only true God. Other than that, everything more than that as they say in my language "is balela", blah, blah, blah.

To know God is to know the world with its needs. To know God is to look at the need of others. Knowing God is knowing his heart through the needy, that also means knowing God.

The only brother path to personal holiness that leads us to holiness is knowing God, it is loving him, it is desiring him, it is desiring to be as God is, it is desiring a friendship with God, a very personal relationship with God. To know God is to know His entire character, all of His attributes, all facets of God's character, and to understand it.

I don't know how many people here have had the experience of reading the entire Bible, I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand because I don't want problems, right? How many have already read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation? How many have already read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation?

If you read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation or from Revelation to Genesis you will discover in the Bible that God has a character, and that this character of God is divided into natural attributes and moral attributes of divine character, what does that mean? It means that the natural attributes of God's character are facets of God that are immutable, unchangeable, cannot be changed by anyone or changed by any circumstance, or changed by no decision.

For example: the Bible says that God is love, for example. And let me tell you something, speaking of God's love: you who are listening to us for the first, second, or third time here in this place, there is nothing, I want to affirm this morning, there is nothing you can do for God to love you. less, and there is nothing, nothing you can do to make Him love you more. God loves you to the absolute measure of His character. Do you understand what that means?

Being loved by God. Do you understand the depth of being loved by an Almighty God, Creator of all things? Natural attributes are not changeable. God is faithful. Do you believe that the attribute of faithfulness is natural or moral? it's natural. The Bible says that even if we are unfaithful, God remains, why? he cannot deny himself, that is, God is faithful, He will always be faithful. No matter the circumstance, no matter how you view the Bible, or whether you read it, or not, God remains faithful.

And I tell you more this morning: It doesn't matter if the world is falling apart. It doesn't matter if governments make wrong decisions, it doesn't matter what kind of president is rising in the nations, it doesn't matter what kind of decisions they are making, God remains faithful and He will always be faithful, and that is part of His character, of attributes of His natural character and that will never be changed. God will never stop being faithful, God will never stop blessing you because it is a promise: He will always bless us. He will never stop blessing us.

God will never deny His Presence when we meet in His Name because it is a promise and He is faithful. To those who believe that God is here, glorify His Name, glorify His Name because it is a promise. He says: I promise you that whenever you gather in my Name I will be present there, the Lord is in this place, hallelujah, glory to God.

Psalm 42, Psalm 42 verse 1: "As the deer pants for the streams of water, so for you God cries out my soul with desire, so my soul longs for you." Can I ask you a question, what should I do to enter into this process of knowing God, to know him intimately, to enter into this intimacy with the Lord?

First of all, God does not call you to be a member of a Church only, God calls you to be a friend of Him, to establish a relationship of friendship. Do you believe that Moses was a faithful servant? of course. Do you believe that Moses knew God? I think so. In a Word it says that, in Exodus chapter 32 that Moses one day said: it no longer gives, it no longer gives this relationship, this relationship of Your Lord alone, I am here your servant; I want a friendship, I want a personal relationship.

Exodus chapter 33 shows a little of this relationship between God and Moses. Verse 11 of chapter 33 says: "And Moses spoke, the Lord with Moses face to face as anyone speaks to his companion." Do you think there was a relationship between God and Moses? Of course they did! They related as friends, as friends.

One of the problems of the Church today, brother, is that there are many who know about God but few who know him closely. There are many who know about God but few who enjoy a personal relationship of knowing God. Oh! I heard from God, I was a missionary for many years, I had the privilege of traveling through various countries in Africa, Asia, all of South America and in many places, and I met a family in West Africa, preaching to this family the father of family told me: but I never heard this before, why didn't you tell me before, why didn't anyone tell me before? If I die without Jesus I am not going to enjoy life with Him, why didn't anyone tell me?

Even in chapter 33 of Exodus in verse 12: "And Moses said to Jehovah: look, you say to me: Bring out that people, and you have not told me whom you will send with me, yet you say: I know you by your name. Now then, if I have found grace in your eyes, I beg you to show me now your way so that I may know you and find grace in your eyes, and see that these people are your people."

I look at that verse of Exodus chapter 33 and I think: would Moses be contradicting himself if we have a relationship with God, God speaks to me personally, I am a friend of God, we speak face to face but Moses says: no Lord, you have not told me who you will send with me. You barely promised Your Presence with me. Brothers, if Moses reached a point of such a personal relationship with God that he had the audacity to say to God: no more, no more. And now the relationship of knowledge, of Your Presence is still little, I want more. I don't want only Your Presence because I know that You are with me.

Coming to the temple on Sundays is so beautiful and sitting here, listening to the songs, the sermons that are said, nice, right? it is little. Enjoying a Presence, a moment of prayer is little, it is little. Verse 14: "And He said: My presence will go with you and I will give you rest." Moses replied: if Your presence does not go with us, do not make us leave this place because the only thing that separates us, that differentiates us from other peoples on earth is the fact that You are with us. In other words, Moses is saying: I know that You are with us, I know You, I know Your Presence but I want something more. There was an anxiety in Moses' heart for something else.

God had promised that there would be a relationship of presence, rest in Him. I will give you rest Moses, you will rest in me. Verse 17: "The LORD said to Moses, I will also do what you have said, because you have found favor in my sight, and I have known you by name." In verse 18 Moses makes the most daring prayer that I have seen in all the earth, Moses says: Lord, okay: Presence, knowledge, do you walk with me? Now come here, let me see Your glory.

Have you ever prayed like this? I want to see Your glory, I want to see Your glory Lord. What I have is little, I want to see Your glory. The people of Israel were always frantically worrying, murmuring. They knew God by miracles, by wonders, they saw how God parted the Red Sea, they ate manna in the desert. God provided clothing and everything they needed, they have known miracles, they have known blessings, healings, but they have not enjoyed a relationship with God. And many times brothers we are here in the Church enjoying the blessings but not longing for knowledge and let me tell you that this is walking backwards.

Why am I telling you this? because there will always be a blessing, there will always be a blessing because God is good, and His mercy lasts forever.

But stop to think a little about the gifts that God gives you every day: air, your freedom, food, clothes, hallelujah right? clothes, a roof for you to sleep. Yesterday we enjoyed a wonderful party here on the fourth floor. How many were there last night? Many were here at that wonderful party, right? delicious food, everything well organized, everything beautiful, music. How many good things has the Lord given us, how many blessings has the Lord given us! and He calls us to a knowledge, to a personal relationship. Moses said: Lord let's stop right here, I want to know You but show me Your glory.

What does "the glory of God" mean? When you read the Word from Genesis to Revelation, you find there all the moral and natural attributes of the divine character, for example: if you think of the letter A, what do you find? love, joy, right, what else? friendship. God is your friend.

Think of the letter B for example, what do you have? goodness, kindness right? Think of all the letters of the alphabet from A to Z and you will find essential facets of God's character. You will find that God is faithful, he is merciful, he is good, God is benign, God is wonderful, that God heals, that God liberates, that God baptizes with the Holy Spirit, that God is a helper, that God is your deliverer, you will find everything in the Bible, all the facets and you mark all of them, and write on a sheet of paper all the attributes of divine character, and at the end you put: "equals glory".

Do you know what glory is? the glory of God is the sum of all that He is, call it: glory of God. What did Moses ask for? I want to see the sum of everything, I want to know you all. I want to see how You are when this marvelous and great character comes together, when justice, goodness, mercy, love, fidelity come together, all together, I want how You are, I want to see that greatness of yours. I imagine God looking at Moses saying: But this one is very bold, right? Now he wants the whole.

I gave Moses everything, I did all the miracles, I walked with the people, I did all the miracles, I took care of all the details and now that Moses asks me for everything, because he wanted to see the glory of God, the totality, the sum of what that God is

Is this what we are longing for today? This is what I want, I want the glory of God in my life. Is that what you are wishing for your life, is that your desire today? You came here only because you have a blessing to ask for, oh Lord I need that, I need that Lord, give me that, give me that, give me, give me, give me. We ask a lot, we thank little. Services of gratitude, of thanks are rare: Lord, thank you, thank you. We sing: I want, I want, I want.

And God, and His glory, and His Presence? He is here. How much we long for it, how much we want it defines our relationship. How much do we want it? oh brothers I wish you could understand what I am saying.

In chapter 33 God promises rest. Moses cries out for knowledge. God guarantees His Presence, Moses answers: I already have it, because what makes me different is Your Presence. When other outsiders look at my life, what they see is the divine Presence, amen or no? When the world looks at us from the outside, what does it see? the Presence of God. When our coworker looks at us, what does he see? God's presence. If not, we are converting wrong.

God declares that he liked Moses, that his life is pleasing to His eyes but Moses says: no, no, no, no, no, no, I wanna see Your glory, I want to see Your glory, show me Your glory.

I have discovered in my life, brother, that the only things that are not understood in this relationship of knowledge of God can be idolatry in our life, it can be hidden sin, hidden in our life, and let me tell you: if you make a hidden sin there and nobody knows, you think: my Pastor doesn't know, oh how good that nobody discovered (laughs) God sees you. Unconfessed sins, lack of forgiveness, hatred, bitterness in your heart, idolatry of men, people, religious leaders, God is in your life.

It can be your family that occupies the divine place, it can be your job, it can be your girlfriend, your boyfriend, if you don't understand, let's pray today, right? It can be your money, if you don't have it, don't ask me, whatever prevents a relationship with God, today is the right day to say: Lord, I want to leave everything at the door.

Do you know what most prevented God's people from enjoying their relationship with God? there were two things: gossip, that is, complaining and an ungrateful heart, those two things prevented the people from walking with God in the steps that God had established for His people.

I have what I have from the Lord and I don't murmur, I don't complain because I have God's sufficiency in my life. I am grateful for everything that I have received from the Lord because everything comes from Him, everything comes from Him.

I want to know more about God, I want to enjoy a relationship with Him, I want to enter into a field of friendship with God that goes far beyond that Pastor in this Church, to help in that ministry. I want to enjoy a deeper relationship with God than being a member of a Church. I want to enter the courts of Jehovah boldly and freely, and know him as he is. How many want to do that with me today? say: yes Lord, I want to know You.