The Face Of Jesus

The Face of Jesus

Introduction

This is a sermon designed to help you in your devotional life—that time when we develop intimacy with the Savior. When I have a special time of closeness or intimacy with my wife or with my children, I usually am looking deeply into their eyes and we are communicating emotions, closeness, etc.

Today we are going to use numerous scriptural passages to help you look into the face of Jesus in a way that will create some of those “intimate moments.” Use each one to look into His face and develop a deeper sense of who Jesus is in your life in a more personal way.

I. His Simple Face

See Isaiah 53:1-3

This passage clearly prophesies that Jesus would not be handsome to such a degree that this would be the basis for His power with people. Jesus did not draw people because of His handsomeness. It is His heart of love for us that draws us and causes us to love Him in return.

Jesus is the ultimate example of the power of substance over form. When people look to Jesus, they see His truth, grace, and integrity. They see His love and His heart. Even today, we are not able to see His face (I Peter 1) but we are still drawn to love Him because of who He is.

II. His Smiling Face

Example #1: Read of Mary & Martha from Luke 10:38-42. Here Martha is asking Jesus to rebuke Mary for wasting time. But clearly Jesus blesses her and is pleased with her for her choice to spend time at His feet. Is there any place more important? Jesus even promises her that her choice will give her blessing that she will not lose forever. As He speaks to Martha, you can clearly see Him in your mind’s eye turn and smile at Mary as He tells her she has chosen the “better part.”

When was the last time that you spent time intimately at the feet of Jesus? Did you not realize that when you do He is pleased and smiles at you? Did you not realize that He blesses you? In the Old Testament, the priests were instructed to bless the people with a blessing. It includes this blessing: “[May] the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; [May] the Lord lift up His countenance upon you.” Numbers 6:22-27. This means God will smile upon you.

It is the birthright of every Christian to spend time with Jesus in such an intimate way that we feel His pleasure and know that He is smiling down on us. It is not a terrible sacrifice to spend time with Jesus, but the greatest blessing. It was one that was so important to us that He died on the cross to purchase that blessing for us.

Example #2 Luke 15:1-7. “There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who need no repentance.” The meaning of this passage and illustration is clear. When a person is saved the smiles are motivated with joy. Jesus smiles on you when you give your heart to Him. But I also believe He smiles on the one who shares the gospel—that shepherd who goes the extra mile to rescue a lost sheep. If you want to touch the heart of God and feel His pleasure with you, then become a soul winner.

III. His Sad Face

As we have seen, Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be a man “of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah 53:3. We definitely saw that in His life, and if you consider these scriptures you can see it still today. The Bible points out several times of sorrow and sadness for Jesus. In fact, there is one particular theme in which we always see Jesus sad: when people misunderstand who He is and therefore miss His presence and blessing.

Let me give you an example. Again we turn to an episode in His friendship with Mary and Martha in John 11. In fact, one of the most memorable verses in the Bible reminds us of Jesus’ sad face. John 11:35 says “Jesus wept.” Jesus was not weeping because he had lost his friend Lazarus to death. Jesus never loses to death. He was weeping because His friends did not understand that and had lost their faith in who He was. They were challenging the fact that He had let Lazarus die. They did not trust His heart, His power, or His plan for God’s glory and their greater good.

Another time we see Jesus weep is in Luke 19:41-44. Here Jesus is on the road about to enter Jerusalem. As He approaches the city, the road overlooks the city as a whole. There Jesus is overcome with grief and weeps because He is broken- hearted that Jerusalem and His chosen people are missing out on the coming of the Messiah–an event they had anticipated for generations. Yet because they had strayed in their faith and walk with God, they were ignorant of what was happening. It broke His heart.