August 7th 2016
God The Father Is Waiting To See You Face-To-Face, Are You Ready?
Luke 10:22 (NIV)
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no-one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Has Jesus revealed to you who the Father is? How can we comprehend God the Father, while we are still living in this world? In this selected verse, Jesus said, “no-one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Apparently to see the face of the Father is a death sentence, as we are told viewing His face will cause us to immediately die. Some people use the term of having Jesus indwell us, and others say the Holy Spirit. Of course, we know that both are part of the triune God, but still that knowledge does not help us really feel like we know who God the Father is, does it!
This knowledge of God the Father baffled the Apostles who walked with Jesus while He was still walking on this earth. Jesus told the Apostles about the fact that He and the Father are one. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him" (John 14:6-7). We do not have the opportunity to actually see Jesus as the disciples did, but we need to understand that Jesus is God too! Therefore, knowing Jesus is then also knowing God the Father!
John wrote about such confusion from Philip. Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 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’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves (John 14:8-11). So while Jesus was still a member of mankind, He had the Father indwelling Him!
Jesus chose you by dying for your sins on that cross, well actually He chose you when you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior! Therefore, in effect, you do know the Father, and will someday actually see Him face-to-face! This acceptance of our Savior has also allowed us to join the family of God. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1John 3:2). When Jesus meets us face-to-face “we shall see him as he is.” Paul wrote about this time when we be allowed to look at God the Father without veiling our faces. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
As Paul has written we “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.” John has written that God is love, and therefore, if we truly love others we are becoming more Christ-like. John also wrote that if we love others it shows that God is in fact indwelling us. No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (1John 4:12-13). Would anyone accuse you of showing love to other people, even to those who may not choose to return your love?
Everything we see and everything we hope for has been created for us by this loving God! Through our faith we can feel good about our future, because we know that there is love behind the gates of heaven, even when it may be difficult to feel love around us in this fallen world. The writer of Hebrews reports this hope in things unseen, which can uplift our feelings of distress in this lifetime. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). This usage of hope here does not mean you hope that something good is going to happen, but instead, it is having the faith to know the “real” good life is yet to come. This is the Good News!
This lifetime has been enlightened by having Jesus be our inspiration, and the Holy Spirit to be our guide. And God is worthy of our trust and honor, because he has promised us life after death, and this was demonstrated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11). You were created through the will of God! God wants you to be where you are, and He desires you to know Him, and thus, be happy to serve Him from where you are!
“If you’re happy and you know it, then your life should surely show it!”
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Luke 10:22 (NIV)
"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no-one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Has Jesus revealed to you who the Father is? How can we comprehend God the Father, while we are still living in this world? In this selected verse, Jesus said, “no-one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Apparently to see the face of the Father is a death sentence, as we are told viewing His face will cause us to immediately die. Some people use the term of having Jesus indwell us, and others say the Holy Spirit. Of course, we know that both are part of the triune God, but still that knowledge does not help us really feel like we know who God the Father is, does it!
This knowledge of God the Father baffled the Apostles who walked with Jesus while He was still walking on this earth. Jesus told the Apostles about the fact that He and the Father are one. Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him" (John 14:6-7). We do not have the opportunity to actually see Jesus as the disciples did, but we need to understand that Jesus is God too! Therefore, knowing Jesus is then also knowing God the Father!
John wrote about such confusion from Philip. Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 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’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves (John 14:8-11). So while Jesus was still a member of mankind, He had the Father indwelling Him!
Jesus chose you by dying for your sins on that cross, well actually He chose you when you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior! Therefore, in effect, you do know the Father, and will someday actually see Him face-to-face! This acceptance of our Savior has also allowed us to join the family of God. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1John 3:2). When Jesus meets us face-to-face “we shall see him as he is.” Paul wrote about this time when we be allowed to look at God the Father without veiling our faces. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
As Paul has written we “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.” John has written that God is love, and therefore, if we truly love others we are becoming more Christ-like. John also wrote that if we love others it shows that God is in fact indwelling us. No-one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. (1John 4:12-13). Would anyone accuse you of showing love to other people, even to those who may not choose to return your love?
Everything we see and everything we hope for has been created for us by this loving God! Through our faith we can feel good about our future, because we know that there is love behind the gates of heaven, even when it may be difficult to feel love around us in this fallen world. The writer of Hebrews reports this hope in things unseen, which can uplift our feelings of distress in this lifetime. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). This usage of hope here does not mean you hope that something good is going to happen, but instead, it is having the faith to know the “real” good life is yet to come. This is the Good News!
This lifetime has been enlightened by having Jesus be our inspiration, and the Holy Spirit to be our guide. And God is worthy of our trust and honor, because he has promised us life after death, and this was demonstrated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11). You were created through the will of God! God wants you to be where you are, and He desires you to know Him, and thus, be happy to serve Him from where you are!
“If you’re happy and you know it, then your life should surely show it!”
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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