April 15, 2012
Morning Worship
Text: Exodus 33:17-19
Subject: The Revelation of Jesus
Title: Experiencing the Presence of Christ
What is the extent of your revelation of Christ? How well do you know Him? I’m not asking how much you know about Him or about how well you know the scriptures. That is important in your understanding of who He is, but what I am asking is, “What is the depth of your relationship with Him?”
The story is told that after Helen Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, had given her the names of physical objects in sign language, Miss Sullivan attempted to explain God and tapped out the symbols for the name "God." Much to Miss Sullivan's surprise, Helen spelled back, "Thank you for telling me God's name, Teacher, for he has touched me many times before." Helen Keller knew something of God's signature from nature, but it was wordless.
The truth is that God has spent the entirety of human history wanting to reveal Himself to us. The question is will we let Him and if so to what extent? In John 13:1, It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.#
I want to show you today through the scriptures how Jesus desires to reveal Himself to you so that you can live your life knowing that He is with you at all times.
Exodus 33:17-19, 17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”
19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.
I believe this is God’s word…
I believe it is for me…
I accept it as mine…
And I appropriate it to my life today…
Three things we want to see today:
1. God knows you by name and will reveal Himself to those who seek Him…
2. God will reveal His glory to you through His word…
3. God will reveal Himself through visual applications…
I. GOD WILL REVEAL HIMSELF TO THOSE WHO SEEK HIM… Turn over to John 20. I spoke from this passage last week during our communion service, but I want to go a little further with it today. 15 “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). I have often wondered why Mary didn’t know Jesus when she first saw Him, but later did recognize Him. We know that Jesus had a resurrection body at this point, but is that what kept Mary from recognizing Him? Consider this – What Jesus was Mary looking for? She was looking for a beaten, crucified and dead Jesus. She had a picture in her mind of what she was going to see when she found Him. The important thing is that she was looking for Him and even though she did not recognize Him at first, when He spoke her name her eyes were opened. Lamentations 3:25, The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him… Look at what the Lord spoke to the young prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1. 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” Here is the problem in the world as well as with many in the “church”. Even though God knows us and has called us to be His people, the Jesus they are looking for is not the Jesus of the bible. Oh, yeah, He is the Jesus who died for our sins. He is the same Jesus who rose from the dead. But for many that is where the similarities end. The Jesus they seek doesn’t heal today. The Jesus they are looking for does not provide for every need. The Jesus they think they know isn’t the same yesterday, today and forever. So if they are not seeking an encounter with the Jesus of the bible, what kind of Jesus will they find? It won’t be a personal Jesus who tells them that He will baptize them with the Holy Spirit. It won’t be a Jesus who will never leave them nor forsake them. It won’t be a Jesus who tells them to, 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” But if you sincerely seek the Jesus of scripture, the Word of God who has come in the flesh, He will reveal Himself to you. Jeremiah 33:3, ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 31:3, The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jesus is calling your name today. He wants to reveal Himself to you.
II. GOD WILL REVEAL HIMSELF THROUGH HIS WORD… Turn to Luke 24:25-32, we’re talking about a revelation of Jesus Christ to you and how it will happen. In Luke 24 there is a story about two disciples who are walking to the town of Emmaus on the day that Jesus rose from the dead. They were reliving the past few days and Jesus walks up behind them and begins to talk to them. Verse 16 gives us an important piece of information. …16 but they were kept from recognizing him. In Mary’s case she didn’t know Jesus because she was looking for the dead Jesus. The same is true in this case. The things they talked about were the crucifixion and burial of Jesus and how He didn’t appear to be the “One” they had hoped He would be… Look at His response to their wrong understanding. 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Now let’s stop here for just a minute. What was Jesus doing for them? He was teaching them. What was He teaching them? Scripture prophecy! He was revealing the purpose of the first coming. The reason they were prevented from recognizing Him is because they were looking for the wrong Jesus… 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. OK, let’s stop here for just a minute. Here is where I will differ from a lot of people. Many will say that this is referring to a revelation of Jesus that comes through the bread of communion. I think that this is talking about intimacy with Jesus. Intimacy with friends often happens when you share a meal. But in this case it is not merely the intimacy of a meal through which Jesus reveals Himself. It was His sharing the prophecies about Himself that caused them to invite Jesus to come and stay with them. It was the word of God that stirred them to the point where they wanted more. They were seeking for a deeper relationship with God through the revelation of the word to them. Look at what it says next. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” How important is God’s word in your life? O suppose that depends on how close you want to get to God, because He reveals Himself through His word. In Psalm 119 references to God’s word with the use of words like, “word, law, commands, precepts, promise… occur 168 times in the NIV. Psalm 119:2, Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. Verse 41, May your unfailing love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise… Verse 58, 58 I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. 105, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. What more do I need to say. There is a purpose for God’s word and it is to help us to know Jesus more intimately. “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Jesus is revealing Himself through the word today…
III. GOD IS REVEALING HIMSELF THROUGH SIGNS AND WONDERS TODAY… One last passage to turn to. Go to John 21. Here we see the story of the disciples going fishing. They know that Jesus is alive – they have seen Him. It appears that they are going back to what they do while they are waiting to hear from Jesus again. While you’re turning there let me read from John 20:30-31, 30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. The word that is translated “miraculous signs” is literally, “and indication”. The things that Jesus did was an indication of who He was. John 14:11, 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. What was the purpose of the miracles? – that we might believe… not in the miracles but in the miracle working Jesus… and that by believing you may have life in his name. Now, John 21, 1 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Verse 4 shares a common theme with our previous encounters with Christ. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. A couple of things at work here. 1) the distance… Jesus was about a hundred yards away. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I could recognize anyone a hundred yards away 2) They weren’t thinking about Jesus. They were caught up with getting back to making a living for their families whale they were waiting for what was next. 5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. What happened through the miracle? Jesus was revealed. I have to think that Peter’s response to what John said was reminiscent of what he did when he saw Jesus walking on the water. Matthew 14:25-29, 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Mark 16:17-20, 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” 19After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
The key to what we are learning about Jesus today is this, “How well do you want to know Him? What kind of relationship do you want to have with Him?”
Many look at Jesus as their best friend – and that is true, but if He is just your friend that makes you equals…
Others look at Jesus as a role model… and He is. He has given His life as an example of how we should live ours, but if that is all then we are missing out on what He really wants for us.
He has revealed Himself as Savior, healer, provider, miracle worker…
He is calling us to deep intimacy with Him so that we can walk with Him every day of our lives…
He is still revealing Himself to those who seek Him. He is calling you by name. He is revealing Himself through His word. His promises are as valid today as when they were given. He is revealing Himself through miracles today with the intent of drawing us closer. His miracles through the hands of those who believe will draw others to the saving knowledge of Christ.
How close do you want to get?
