"They Shall See His Face"

Revelation 22:4 “4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.”

What is it, that you long to see, the most?

For some, we wish to travel the world and view the splendor of Amsterdam or the ruins of ancient Egypt

For others we long to see our family who brings such joy into our lives.

Maybe for you, you long to see the beauty of that day, when your house has been built… car has been paid for… and life seems ultimately complete.

The things that we long to see the most… are never in the present tense. For what we see now is:

A world of confusion and war

A life of pain and struggle

A day that we cross off our calendar and wish never happened for my joy will come on that day I’m look forward to!

And our lives are WASTED because our longing is for something that will satisfy our hearts but for a mere breath… then in an instant, vanish away as if it never happened.

What is it, that you LONG to see! That will bring lasting joy to your heart?

“For the world and its desires pass away” — 1 John 2:15.

Everything, we see, will pass away. Everything. Riches, Glory, Cities, Oceans.

For those who have flown in an airplane, you may remember opening that side window to look across the sky and peer through the clouds at varies countries and landscapes.

“For the world and its desires pass away” — 1 John 2:15.

When you sit on the porch and look out on a cool autumn morning, and see the birds chirping & flying about; and see the different cars driving by; and see the sun rise from below the earth into it’s place in the sky...

“For the world and its desires pass away” — 1 John 2:15.

If this be true… then what IS IT that we should long to see?

The Bible paints an image of one who’s face brings joy to the masses.

It begins painting in the book of Genesis where God created the world, and mankind separated themselves from him through sin.

The background of this portrait was completed by the writings of Moses and the Prophets that portrayed an image or likeness of one whom would come to earth and establish a kingdom of REDEMPTION for His people.

The painting slowly becomes clear as the gospel writers wrote of one whom was born of a virgin, proclaimed to king, and yet no sin was found within Him.

As the New Testament goes forth, the clearer our image is of the one named “The Christ!” Through His miracles and healings and wonders and signs and His compassion over the people there, we can see the great love in His eyes.

And upon reading of the weeks leading up to his death, seeing the brutality that He faced and the cross he embraced, I now see a completed picture… of a man… sent to die… with love, in His eyes.

And its that picture of that man that I long to see in every passing moment of my life.

How great it would have been, to see Him face to face.

Could you imagine with me, the delight of Mary as she saw her child be born?

Could you imagine the face of Peter James and John as they saw Him transfigured before them?

I even wish at times I could have been there to see His agony. To feel the horror of viewing Him there on that cross, knowing He did nothing to deserve it. And to peer into the eyes of one who’s head is pierced with thorns, cheeks slashed with blood, eyes welled up with springs of water… to gaze into the face of the Man of Sorrows.

Who cried out: “I thirst!” “My God my God, why have you forsaken me?”

I wish I was there to see the expression of Thomas. Who saw His nail-pierced hands!

And at the end of the Bible, we read of a verse in Revelation that I’d like us to consider for a moment this morning: Revelation 22:4 “4 And they shall see His face.”

A day is coming for the Christian, where in HEAVEN, we will be able to see His face.

Revelation 22 begins with John the apostle viewing in a vision the grandeur of heaven. Chapter 21 describes how he was taken in the Spirit to view the New Jerusalem

#1 In Heaven, we shall see His face

Moses saw the back of God

The sick touched the hem of His garment.

I think we see very little here on earth:

Even if we saw every city, every person, and swam every ocean on EARTH, we still could not grasp the magnitude of the earth and how all things are held together.

We walk by faith not by sight.

Everything around us is just temporary nothingness.

But by faith, we may see a glimmer of the glorious hope that awaits us in heaven

In heaven we will be pure from sin:

Matthew 5:8 “8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

No more pain:

Revelation 21:4 “4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.””

We shall be like Him in Heaven:

1 John 3:2 “2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

The greatest part of heaven is knowing our savior will be there too

There will be other people to see:

angels / seraphim / cherubim / apostles / martyrs / those who fell asleep in Christ

But greatest of all, we shall see the face of Jesus.

turn your eyes upon jesus

Peter looking up to Jesus in the water

In the face of utter crises, turn to the face our savior in heaven!

Behold His beauty and Glory.

Isaiah 45:22 “22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.”