The Face Of God Series

Some time ago, a small east coast community was struggling financially, so they called an open town meeting to discuss the problem. A couple dozen people were there, including a stranger that no one seemed to know. Most assumed he was a tourist who had just dropped in on the meeting. He started to make a comment when various ideas were offered, but he was interrupted, so he just kept quiet for the rest of the meeting and ended up leaving early.

Just as the stranger left, a late arriving resident came in and asked with excitement, “What was HE doing here? Is he going to help us?”

The others said, “Who are you talking about? Who was that man?”

The latecomer replied, “You mean you don’t know? That was John D. Rockefeller. His yacht is in our harbor. Didn’t you get his help?”

Now, John D. Rockefeller happened to be one of the richest men in the world at the time. So someone cried out in despair, “No, we didn’t get his help, because we didn’t know who he was.” (Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, #4162)

My dear friends, God often shows up in our lives and in our church meetings, desiring to help and bless us richly. But too often, people ignore Him, treating Him like some “ignorant tourist” and miss out on the blessing, because they don’t recognize Him.

So how do you recognize the presence of God when He shows up? How do you know what He looks like? How do you identify His face? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 33, Genesis 33, where our friend, Jacob, sees the face of God. He had been wrestling with God all night, but it was dark so Jacob couldn’t see very clearly. Then the sun rises, and Jacob sees God’s face in the full light of day. What does he see?

Genesis 33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming...

Jacob sees the face of God on his brother, Esau.

Genesis 33:1-3 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. (ESV)

Jacob is still not sure how his brother, Esau, is going to respond – in anger or with a warm welcome. So he lines his family up, in order of importance to him, from the least to the most important. He puts his beloved, Rachel, in the safest place – last, behind everybody else – and Jacob himself bows before his brother 7 times! 20 years previously, Jacob stole Esau’s right to be lord and master of the family through trickery and deceit. Now, Jacob behaves as if Esau IS his lord and master, hoping to appease his anger.

Genesis 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. (ESV)

Esau was not angry. He was happy to see his brother, and together they weep tears of joy!

Genesis 33:5-7 And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. (ESV)

Esau meets all of Jacob’s family and welcomes them with open arms. When Jacob sees the face of God, he sees the face of his brother full of forgiveness and love, and that’s what you will see when you see the face of God. Dear friends, if you’re looking for the face of God…

LOOK FOR THE FACE OF FORGIVENESS in your brother.

Notice the countenance of mercy. See the face of pardon. For when God shows up, brothers and sisters forgive one another, because that is the nature of God Himself. That is Jesus dying on a cross for our sins, saying, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” That is God removing our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.

Psalm 103 says, “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10-12, NIV).