Have you not deeply desired to
see God, to know Him intimately and truly? Beloved, to see Jesus is to behold
God. Let us not consider it heresy: We can surely see God! But first we must
renounce every perception of the Almighty other than what we have found proven
true in Christ.
Therefore study the life,
teachings and deeds of Jesus Christ, and you will remove the veil of mystery
surrounding the nature of God.
Jesus
said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).
What truth could be more
profound? Each time we read of what Jesus did, we are actually beholding the
nature of God. Every time we listen to what Jesus taught, we are hearing the
voice of the living God.
Jesus is the image of the
invisible Father (Heb. 1:2-3). "In Him all the
fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form"
(Col. 2:9, NASB). Jesus is God's form. He mirrored on earth those
things He saw His Father doing in heaven; He echoed the words His Father
whispered to Him from eternity.
Do you truly desire to see God?
Christ's words are windows through which the pure in heart behold the Almighty.
Certainly others can edify our
souls greatly, but no prophet, apostle, or teacher excels the revelation of God
in Christ. Ponder Christ, and you contemplate the nature of God. Eat His words,
and you assimilate into your spirit the substance of the Almighty.
The Living Revelation of God
The teachings of Jesus Christ are
not to be blended into the Scriptures as though He were one of many equally
important voices used by God. He is, in truth, the living revelation of God
Himself, the sole expression of His invisible glory. When Christ speaks, we are
listening to God unfiltered, unbiased, unveiled.
Jesus said the pure in heart
would see God. David wrote, "with the pure You
show Yourself pure" (2 Sam. 22:27). Think of it: Not only can we
truly know God, but also He desires to show Himself to us. David said, "You
show Yourself."
How valuable are Christ's words?
To each soul that chooses to abide in the words of Christ, he has promised, "I … will disclose Myself to him" (John 14:21). His promise is not reserved for a time
later in heaven, but in some deep measure He desires to fulfill His words here,
now.
We may have grown content with
the illusion of distance, yet God is not content. He created us to live in
steadfast union with His presence. The sense of distance between the Almighty
and us is a deception.
Indeed, the Lord corrects us not
merely because He hates sin, but He corrects us because sin separates us from
His presence. He loves us and purifies us so we can see Him.
Remember, beloved, the prayer of
Jesus: "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have
given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see my glory"
(John 17:24).
Behold God's Glory
Are we so content with our
religion that we ignore this promise? We can be with Him where He is. He is
specifically praying that we see His glory.
Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Joshua,
the parents of Samson - Scripture is filled with imperfect people who beheld
God's glory and lived to tell about it! Why should you or I be deprived? Jesus
said that he who is least in the kingdom is greater than these!
The glory that God displayed in
the Old Testament, which faded from the face of Moses, then faded again after
filling Solomon's temple, and departed from Israel during the priesthood of Eli
- that glory now dwells permanently in the spirits of those who have been truly
born again. The glory in us will not fade but increase, especially as the day
of His return approaches! We will be filled with His glory (2 Cor. 3:7-18)!
So, I ask again, would you see
God? Would you pursue the glory of the Lord? Study Jesus. Ponder His Words and
deeds. For to steadfastly gaze upon Jesus is to behold, "the
glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).
Francis Frangipane
Adapted from I Will Be Found by You by Francis Frangipane. Click the link below to order this book.
Price: $13.99
Sale! $11.99