1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
Rev 21:23-25 “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.”
I. JOHN SAYS THAT SOMEDAY WE’RE GOING TO SEE GOD “AS HE IS”
A. Anyone Want To Take A Guess What That Will Look Like
B. Dazzling Light and Devouring Fire Of God’s Glory
II. UNTIL NOW, NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN THE FACE OF GOD
A. Apostle John Makes This Case More Than Any Other NT Writer
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time.”
John 6:46-47 “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.”.
1 John 4:12 “No one has seen God at any time.”
B. However, Some Scriptures “Seem” To Contradict This John
Gen 32:30-31 “So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Ex 24:9-10, 17 “Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. The sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.”
C. Then In Exodus, We Get A Mix Of Views
Ex 33:9-11 “And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
Ex 33:18-23 “And he said, "Please, show me Your glory." Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."
III. MAKING SENSE OF WHAT THEY DID SEE
MAKING SENSE OF WHAT WE, OURSELVES, CAN AND CANNOT SEE
A. Any Contradictions In Scripture Are Only “Apparent” – No Contradictions At All
B. True, Mortal Man Can Not See Face Of God – See Him Directly
1. Like looking into the sun
2. We are not equipped, we’re limited
3. In His compassion to our mortal frames, God doesn’t reveal Himself that way – we just couldn’t handle it – it would be too dreadful
4. Like peering at sun with naked eyes
C. But In Some Powerful Way, God Did Reveal Himself In OT & NT
1. To Moses – saw God’s backside
a. God has no physical frame
b. it was an afterglow
c. a back shadow of His glory
d. even then, only as Moses was hidden in cleft of rock
2. Glory of God consistently associated with a “cloud”
a. Ex 33:9-11 “All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.”
b. Job 26:9 “He covers the face of His throne, And spreads His cloud over it.”
D. Only In The Future Will We Behold God Directly – Unshielded or Unclouded
1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
Plenty of references by John in Revelation about appearance of God
III. In Addition To God’s Compassion Upon Our Mortal Frames, Why God Doesn’t Reveal Himself So Directly Here In This Present Life?
A. Clue Is Found In Each Time God Did Reveal Himself More Directly
1. Jacob mentions it, but spends more time on the difference it made to faced the future with courage
2. Moses mentions it, but spends more time on the paving under His feet
3. NT – transfiguration – mentioned – Peter chastised for idea of camping in this moment of divine glory
B. Do You See The Common Denominators?
C. If God Showed Himself Directly – Easy To Stop Everything & Get Stuck There
1. Instead, Jacob moved forward with courage
2. Instead, Moses focus on the path
3. Instead, Peter James & John descend from the mountain with mission
D. God Doesn’t Want Us To Live In His Glory
1. Yes, His glory living in us
2. Instead, God wants us to live in obedience
E. Interesting That John (one of the 3 at the transfiguration) Gives No Mention Of This Incredible Event In His Gospel
1. Only Mark & Matthew give any mention of it
a. Mark 9:9-10 “Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”
b. Matt 17:9 “Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."
2. In fact Jesus said, “Don’t even speak of it” – downplay it
3. John took what Jesus said very seriously
4. As such, John is the only writer that focuses on this theme:
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time.”
John 6:46-47 “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.”
1 John 4:12 “No one has seen God at any time.”
5. John downplays it, minimizes it, doesn’t even report his own experience
6. The only time John speaks of seeing God face to face is in Revelation
a. and then this is over and over again
b. it is a common theme
c. it is a common focal point
7. The difference –
a. we will have plenty of time (all eternity) to someday just bask in God’s undiluted, unshielded glory and presence
b. but right now we have a job to do
c. no time to get stuck on a mountain high
d. we have a great commission to fulfill
e. obedience is better than sacrifice
8. Right now, we are meant to learn and operate by faith
2 Cor 5:6-8 “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
a. can’t see, then must trust
b. God wants your trust
c. trust is the root of relationship
d. it’s an abiding relationship – inspires core soul confidence
e. if it was just by sight – too easy for us – quickly abandon God when rough times come
f. walking by faith is more enduring, more eternal
F. Based On Saving & Sanctifying Faith – Then Sets Us Up For Eternity
1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
Rev 21:23-25 “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.”
a. “walking” in the light of God’s glory
b. not basking in the glory, but walking in it
c. that’s what we’ll be doing for all eternity someday
d. what we do right now is simply a dress rehearsal for eternity – a dress rehearsal for the real thing, the real deal someday ahead
IV. CONCLUSION
