THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT

Program Air Date – 2-28-10

LESSON TITLE: “GOD’S EXCEEDINGLY GREAT AND PRECIOUS PROMISES: FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD”

WELCOME

Good morning, and thanks for joining us for the study of God’s Living Word! We are glad you are with us this morning to give this time to the things of God. Let’s all do our part to make this time proper and acceptable before God’s Perfect Throne.

At this time may we start our praise to God by talking with our Father in prayer? Bow with me please!

(PRAYER)

Let’s begin immediately with our songs of praise. The first song of the morning takes us back to a hill in history where the very foundation of our faith lays; as dear children of God. Won’t you do your part in worship to God at this time and join in with the congregation as we sing together, “I Will Sing The Wondrous Story!”

(SONG # 1)

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

Many songs we sing today focus on the theme of God’s Word, which is found in the Bible. I love the old song, “Give me the Bible,” or as our children sing, “The B*I*B*L*E, yes that’s the book for me, I stand upon the Word of God the B*I*B*L*E!” OH, how precious this book divine is, for its contents reveals the very words of our Creator, as given by His Son, through the Holy Spirit.

But consider for a moment, just how big this book is! It contains two testaments, with a total of 66 books. All written over a period of 1500 years and these many books were authored by over 40 different inspired writers. And although these things be the case, it is still unified in its message, purpose and theme. While in all things giving the glory and honor to our Creator. Its contents encourages, instructs and corrects. Its authors help us to be better followers and encourage us to put God first. And its examples, help us to learn more about what God requires, as we look at the lives and actions of others - who were either found pleasing before God or not.

But as we look into this magnificent book, which God Himself prepared for us - just what type of respect do we show it. Just how well do we honor and obey the things pinned within its pages. Do we really respect the authority found within it, which our God has given through His almighty Works. Let me encourage us all to learn to respect the Bible more. And not because it is just another book which has monetary value. But because it is the very Word of God, revealed to us and made possible so that we might know His Will and keep His precious commandments. Just how much do you respect this book of books, just how well do you obey its precepts?

In just a few minutes it will be time to begin our main study of the day. As far as our series, we will be continuing to talk about things pertaining to our new series entitled, “God’s Exceedingly Great and Precious Promises!” The specific lesson of the day will deal with the statement, “For They Shall See God!” So, please stay with us this morning and at the appropriate time I will be leading us in this study from God’s Word. Now let’s join together in our second song of the day. The name of this hymn, “All The Way My Savior Leads Me.”

(SONG # 2)

LESSON

By Ray Sullins

I want you to imagine for a moment this morning actually being with God. In other words, being able to see Him and to turn to Him and to see His face, to see as we might think of sometimes in God as those human characteristics that the Bible makes reference to. Well you know if I were to ask you, “Who wants to be with God or see God?” Probably all of us would readily agree that we want to see God, that we want to be with God. But then I also want you to think about the examples in scripture of these things taking place. For instance, back in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, do you remember there after God had made the garden and all of its beauty, He placed man there and woman within the garden after having made them, and there He was in chapter 3, it says, “Walking in the garden.” Who? But God! God Himself! I don’t know about you but have you ever seen God actually walking in your garden? Well what a wonderful encouraging thing that they knew God was always there and not only in a spiritual sense but it seems here in a very literal sense. I’ve always found it interesting that it doesn’t tell us the form that God was in. I think that is very significant because of throughout the New Testament we see that God takes different forms, but primarily the form of a man. And so it would not have been strange here that God, in the form of a man, was representing Himself. Why? Because He was walking. He was in some type of a form that found it necessary to walk within this garden.

We can go on from there and we find very quickly over in Genesis chapter 6 that Noah certainly lives in a very perverse time after all the wickedness of the earth and the destruction of the flood, we find that his descendents eventually in chapter 11 build a tower. But I want you to notice what is actually stated there when it says that they built this tower, as we refer to it, “The tower of Babel.” There really was much more to it. It says there that, “As they had come together with one language,” in verse 4, they say this to themselves. “Let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in heaven.” Now what was that all about? Do you mean they want to build a tower within this city that reaches where? Why would you want to build a tower to heaven? Well they wanted to reach God. They wanted to see God, and wanted to have access directly not only to earthly things that God has made, but heavenly things because we know heaven is perfect.

We move on from there and we find again in Genesis chapter 32 a familiar character in Jacob. Jacob here is said to have wrestled with God. But I want you to notice when he was wrestling with God, the representation that God was in the flesh. There if you’ll notice with me in verse 24, “And Jacob,” it said, “was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.” Imagine having been with God! Imagine wrestling with God as Jacob does here. If we look at the story the point was clear. Jacob, at a low point feeling as if his life was over, that he wasn’t going to make it, that he wasn’t going to be able to fulfill the things God had set before him and God gives him the confidence to know that you can overcome, that even with My help, you can wrestle Me and you can be victorious. You can succeed.

Moses was a man who knew God. We turn over to Exodus 33 and guess what it was here within the context that Moses asks of God as he pleads for Israel that they might be spared for God after having made the golden calf. There again as we look in verse 17 Moses asks this request of Him. He says there, “If I found grace in Your sight and You know my name,” verse 18, “please show me Your glory.” Now what did God think he was talking about? Well what do you mean Moses? What do you want to see? Well how significant that he actually goes on and he tells him in verse 20, “You cannot see My face for no man shall see Me and live.” And so here again we see this concept of the true essence of God separated from the form that God often takes and the forms that God takes that are of an earthly nature. Therefore what God was saying to Moses is that “you have asked to see My glory and therefore I say that you cannot see My face because you can’t handle it as a human. I am spiritual.” John 4:24, “God is a spirit.” That spiritual essence of God is so illuminating. It is so bright. It is so wondrous that the physical body in man couldn’t handle it. And so what does He say to Moses? He says, “Well I can’t show you My face. No man has seen My face. But I will allow you to see at least My glory.” There in chapter 34 it is eventually fulfilled as He places him there in the cleft of the rock. Do you remember the song we often sing, “And He hideth me there in the cleft of the rock?” Why? So that God might move the hand and if He passed by he could see what? The glory of God! Not the face. Not the true essence of God. But in a distance the beauty of God! And then you remember what Moses was like when he came off the mountain? Everybody was afraid of him. Because why? He was glowing. I mean he was glowing so brightly that they were scared to death. The glory of God, the true essence of God! Thinking about the fact of seeing God! What a beautiful thing! What a wondrous thing that we should find great comfort in because the Bible teaches us also that we should long and have the desire for God. Therefore to see our God. In fact, the Bible says that we can know that this promise is true.

Now as we begin to move to the New Testament we find in John chapter 1 that it actually tells us and reconfirms what we learned over with Moses before and it says, “No man has seen God.” John chapter 1 verse 18. Therefore again the fact that no man is able to see the true essence of our spiritual God, at least now until we, except the form that we’ll talk about a little bit later, when we actually go to be with God in heaven. But at least now on the earth, this is something that will not be so. So how is it that we can see God today? Well there are a lot of references given to us in the scripture as to how we can not only know God but we can see God. For example, we might notice there in John and chapter 14 and verse 9 notice what Jesus said here. He said, “Have I been with you so long and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’” What did Jesus tell him? He says, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father.”

Read John 17. He says, “I and the Father are one.”

Jesus is referred to in Ephesians chapter 1 as “the fullness of the Godhead, the fullness of Christ.” He is that body which represented God in the flesh. We know that because John chapter 1 said, “Jesus was with God and was God in the beginning.” But then verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among men.” The same concept of God saying, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him.” You see it is that representation of God again in the flesh. The same concept that we saw when? Back in the garden possibly. Back there with Jacob. Back in other situations throughout the Old and New Testaments and here again reminded that in the flesh Jesus came to reveal to us the glory of the Father knowing that God was something much greater, much more, not an earthly thing.

Why? Because God made physical things. God created flesh and blood. He is not made of flesh and blood. In fact in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 we actually learn that heaven is not made up of guess what- flesh and blood. God is not flesh and blood. Heaven is not physical. It is a spiritual realm. Therefore again as we think about seeing God, we must look other places than literally seeing Him at this point such as again Jesus. Or another opportunity to see God would be in His Word itself.

There’s a text that we often use and even at the beginning of the program we use it from Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12 that talks about “the Word of God being powerful.” It’s a living thing. It’s a powerful thing because it is from God. It is that which reveals to us who He is.

How do you know God? How do you know what God has done? How do you know where you have come from? How do you know how to be saved? The only way is from this book. So I can see God in His Word! I can see God in His creation. You see, on and on we could go. There are so many ways that we can see God and the power of God revealed without actually having seen as God said to Moses, “His literal face” for again at this point, not man has seen His face.

There’s a promise I want us to look at which is really our main text of the day that really brings out what all the rest has been focusing around and that is found in the great Sermon on the Mount there in Matthew chapter 5 if you’ll turn in your Bibles. I want you to notice what is stated there in verse 8. The Bible says, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Well if you will look within the context here we find early on that the multitudes are being preached to Jesus as they have assembled. In fact the disciples are there and those followers and believers of Jesus who have heard these things and now have begun to witness His great power. In fact, back in chapter 4 He is already creating great and wondrous miracles amongst these individuals. But now I want you to notice what He states here in what we often refer to as “The Christian Beatitudes.” There are many things that we do and as a direct result God blesses us. For instance again, verse 3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those that mourn…” Why? “For they shall be comforted.” On and on and on. But there in verse 8, as we have just read, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” What is our objective? To have a pure heart. Why would we want a pure heart? Because God is pure and holy and everything that is clean, and therefore if our heart is pure guess who we have given it to. God! And if we have that pure heart, what is the promise? They shall see God. They shall see God. What? You mean someday I will see God? Yes, but not only someday, now! How? He was able to say, “You will see Me through My Son.”

Do you remember what was spoken of there in John chapter 1 again about Christ? So many descriptive concepts, but there in verses 6-9 he is described as “the light.” What about that light? Remember Moses again was blinded by the glory of God, the light? And we see here this concept here that “Jesus is light and that He is the One that can illuminate and that we will see God.” How do we see Him? Jesus is the light. That’s one way we see God again. But also the literal concept of the idea of light that also was expressed even in the book of Revelation.

If you go there to chapter 21, how significant that it tells us in verse 23 about this wonderful city someday where there is no sun or moon, but I want you to notice where the light comes from. Verse 23 says, “For the glory of God illuminates it. The lamb is the light.” There it is again. God the… Do you mean there are no light bulbs in it? Certainly not! Because it is not flesh and blood! Do you mean we’re not going to need power plants? NO, we’re not going to need them! Do you mean there is no sun? No! Because God, that glory, that wondrous presence in and of itself is the light!

Then in chapter 22 it reconfirms the same thing. He says there in verse 5 for instance, “There shall be no night there and there is no need of a lamp to light the way.” Why? “For the Lord God gives them light and shall reign forever.”

You see this concept of God and God being light and the beautiful thought of light among us knowing that by God we can see this light and we can respond to this light and we can do what He has asked us to do accordingly.

Well if you’ll look there in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, the great love chapter, there is also a similar concept to what we’ve been trying to understand together and realizing as we know that we shall see God, we also see here (verse 12), “And now we see in mirror dimly, but then face to face.” You mean someday I will see something face to face? Yes! And what is it? “Now I know in part, but then I shall know also as I am known.” What is it? Verse 10 says, “When that which is perfect has come.” Jesus has already come. He already died. He already established the church. So what was it that was perfect that was coming? Well James chapter 1 verse 25 says, “The Word of God is perfect.” The Word of God is that which has been given to us, revealed to us that we might know Him, that we might respond to Him and that we might understand that in responding to our God that we shall see Him not only now but forever, even in heaven when we are rewarded.

Now guess what. There’s only one thing that keeps us from seeing God. I find it interesting that in the book of 3 John and chapter 1 in verse 11 he actually mentions something that keeps us from seeing God. He says, “Evil, sin, wickedness.” So anything contrary to God keeps us from what? Seeing God, but anything that is of God: a pure heart, righteousness, holiness, godliness, purity, cleanliness, all of these things help me now to do what? See God and obey Him, but ultimately to see God just as He is. You know no man has ever seen God just as He is, but in 1 Corinthians 15 in that day when the Lord comes and we are changed in the twinkling of an eye to a new form, a godly form, an immortal form to go and be with God finally we will see God in His glory. Isn’t that a beautiful thought? Isn’t that a great incentive for us all to desire to not only know God and to see Him as we can now through the Word and Christ and so on and so forth, but to know that ultimately we will always be with the Lord.

“And lo I am with you always.” That’s the promise of our God. Don’t you want that promise? If so, study His Word. Commit and only do what He says because that’s the only way to have Him in this life and it’s the only way to receive the reward of heaven someday.

(SONG # 3 - “Is It For Me Dear Savior?”)

CLOSING COMMENTS

May I again take this opportunity to thank you for joining us today? I hope our time together has been an encouragement and thus a blessing to us all. Please remember that you are invited back to join us every first day of the week, at 7:30, as we commit ourselves to this time of Worship before God!

But for now, let me ask if you have any questions or comments about today’s lesson? Maybe, you would like a free transcript or a cassette tape of this program? Possibly, we could assist you with free Bible materials or correspondence courses? No matter what your need is, please contact us at the following address:

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Won’t it be great to see God someday when this life is over? Let’s live today and every day with this goal in mind that we may never fall short of the wondrous prize offered by our Lord.

(Program closing)