Face to Face with God: Seeing Jesus, Following Jesus
Introduction: Engaging the Heart
Imagine standing face to face with God. What would you feel? Awe? Fear? Wonder? Perhaps all three.
In our sermon today, we see two seemingly paradoxical statements:
Genesis 32:30 (NLT): "So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, 'I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.'"
John 1:18 (NLT): "No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us."
At first glance, they appear contradictory. Jacob claims to have seen God, yet John asserts that no one has ever seen God. How do we reconcile these two truths, and what does it mean for our walk with Jesus today?
Today, we will explore how God reveals Himself, how Jesus Christ makes God known, and how this revelation calls us to authentic discipleship in the 21st century.
Point 1: God Reveals Himself – The God Who Sees Us First
Genesis 32:24–30 (NLT): "That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After sending them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then he said, 'Let me go, for it is daybreak.' But Jacob replied, 'I will not let you go until you bless me!' So he said to him, 'What is your name?' 'Jacob,' he answered. Then he said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have won.' Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, 'I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.'"
Jacob, alone at night, wrestles with a mysterious man—later understood as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ (a Christophany). The Hebrew word for “wrestled” (’awaq) conveys intense struggle, both physically and spiritually. Jacob’s confrontation illustrates that to see God is to be transformed and challenged. Jacob’s life is spared, showing that God reveals Himself in mercy and grace, not in vengeance.
God seeks us even when we feel alone.
Discipleship begins in wrestling—grappling with God’s will, our sin, and our fears.
When we engage with God honestly, He meets us where we are, blesses us, and changes our identity.
A pastor once told of a man trapped in addiction, feeling abandoned by God. One night, he prayed desperately, “God, if You are real, help me.” That night, he experienced a profound sense of God’s presence—his Peniel moment—and began the journey to freedom and faith.
Max Lucado wrote, “God never leaves His children stranded in their struggle; He meets them in the very mess of life.”
Jacob’s wrestling is a template for discipleship today. Life struggles are not detours—they are divine appointments with God.
Point 2: Jesus Makes the Invisible God Visible
John 1:14–18 (NLT): "So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, 'This is the one I was talking about when I said, "The one who comes after me is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me."' From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us."*
John is contrasting the Old Covenant with the New. Moses delivered the law—God’s commands—but the law could not fully reveal the heart of God. In Christ, God Himself steps into human history. The Greek word monogenes (unique, one-of-a-kind) stresses that Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God, fully divine, fully human. Unlike Jacob’s brief, partial encounter, Jesus offers a full, permanent revelation of God’s glory and love.
God the Father remains unseen in His essence (no one has ever seen God), yet He is fully revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
The incarnation is God’s ultimate self-disclosure. In Christ, we not only see God—we know Him intimately, as His children.
Application for Modern Believers:
In a world full of competing voices and ideologies, Jesus remains the clearest window into God’s character.
Discipleship is rooted in knowing Jesus, not merely following rules or rituals.
Seeing Jesus in Scripture and in life transforms how we think, speak, and act.
Consider a child who has only seen pictures of their father. One day, the father comes into the room, smiles, embraces them. Everything in the pictures is confirmed and made real. Jesus is God’s embrace toward humanity—He makes the invisible visible.
Tim Keller wrote, “Jesus is not a window to God; He is God Himself, who stepped into our world so that we could finally see Him.”
Just as John emphasizes, we cannot encounter God fully apart from Christ. True discipleship begins with the living Word.
Point 3: The Transforming Power of God’s Revelation
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT): "And all of us, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
Paul contrasts the veiled glory of the old covenant with the unveiled glory in Christ.
Word Study: Metamorphoo (transformed) implies progressive, spiritual transformation—not instantaneous perfection.
Seeing Christ changes us from the inside out. Discipleship is a lifelong process of reflecting Jesus’ character in thought, word, and deed.
A woman in a busy city felt isolated, unnoticed, and insignificant. She began attending a small Bible study and reading John daily. Slowly, her character, patience, and compassion changed. Her friends noticed a new “light” in her life. That is God’s transforming glory at work.
R.T. Kendall: “We do not become more like Jesus by our own effort, but by beholding Him and letting Him transform us.”
True discipleship is not performance; it is spiritual metamorphosis through Christ.
Hebrews 1:1–3 (NLT): "Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything through him, and the Son is the one through whom he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command."
Hebrews emphasizes Christ as God’s final, ultimate revelation.
Word Study: Aphanasia (radiates) conveys that Jesus reflects God’s essence visibly.
Following Jesus means listening to Him, trusting Him, and letting His character guide every decision.
Charles Stanley: “Jesus is the perfect reflection of God’s nature, and in Him we discover both the Father’s love and the path to eternal life.”
This passage reminds us that discipleship is about relationship with Jesus, not religion.
Point 4: Responding to God’s Revelation – Repentance and Faith
Acts 4:12 (NLT): "There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."
Peter proclaims the exclusivity of Christ after healing a lame man.
Word Study: Soteria (salvation) refers to deliverance from sin and eternal death.
To follow Jesus is to recognise our need for salvation, repent of sin, and trust Him fully. Discipleship begins with surrender.
A businessman obsessed with success felt empty despite wealth. Upon hearing the Gospel, he repented of pride and pursued Christ. His life now reflects eternal values over temporary gain—proof that faith in Jesus transforms priorities.
John Piper: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
Discipleship is grounded in recognising Christ as both Lord and Saviour.
Practical Application – Following Jesus Today
Wrestle with God honestly – Like Jacob, confront your fears, doubts, and failures in prayer.
Behold Jesus daily – Read Scripture, meditate on His life, and reflect His glory.
Allow transformation by the Spirit – Let God’s Word shape your character, speech, and actions.
Share the Gospel boldly – Like Peter, declare Christ as the only hope for salvation.
Live in obedience – Discipleship is not theory; it is life lived in alignment with Christ’s teachings.
A lighthouse does not control the storm—it only shines light. Similarly, Christ does not eliminate every hardship immediately, but His revelation guides us safely through life’s storms. Following Jesus means keeping our eyes on the Light, not the darkness.
Gospel Presentation:
Jesus, God’s unique Son, came into the world to reveal the Father and reconcile sinners to God.
Death: On the cross, Jesus bore the punishment for our sins.
Burial: He was laid in a tomb, demonstrating the reality of His death.
Resurrection: He rose victorious, proving that sin and death are defeated.
Through faith in Jesus, you can be forgiven, transformed, and granted eternal life. No one sees God fully apart from Jesus. He is the face of God turned toward humanity, offering mercy and salvation.
Invitation:
If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, today is the day. Pray:
"Lord Jesus, I acknowledge I am a sinner. I believe You died and rose for me. Come into my life as my Saviour and Lord. Transform me, guide me, and help me follow You faithfully."
Conclusion & Benediction:
Beloved, God is near. He wrestles with us in our struggles, He reveals Himself in Jesus, and He transforms us into His image. Go, behold Jesus, follow Him wholeheartedly, and live in the light of His love.
"May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. May your spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
