Seeing the Invisible God
Notes
Transcript
Intro; We live in a time of extraordinary technology that allows us to see things we could not see before with the naked eye. Science has given us the means to see with microscopic help, the very cells in our bodies, organs, germs, diseases, DNA, and to use microscopic instruments to perform surgeries that were not available years ago to help our bodies heal.
The science of astronomy has allowed us to see into the universe that God created through telescopes and view the heavens in a way impossible before with the naked eye. All these things were invisible to us before God gave wisdom to some to create the tools needed to see the invisible.
But there is another kind of sight that is very important and it must be cultivated for one to see the invisible God, this is called “spiritual sight”. Moses had this spiritual sight for the scriptures said, “he could see the invisible”. Vance Havner said in a sermon that “Moses saw the invisible, chose the imperishable, and did the impossible” (see Heb. 11:23–29).
Text; Heb. 11:27
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
Moses had a great faith to see things that others in his time could not see. Faith allows one to trust God for things not yet seen or accomplished in ones life, but they can live as if they already are. Moses left the comforts of prince of Egypt, to follow the God of the Hebrews to inherit the promises made to Abraham. Moses spiritual eyes were opened at Mt. Horeb as he encountered God in the burning bush and his spiritual sight grew from that point. That’s the same way our spiritual eyes are opened and mature to see the invisible God.
Let’s look at the paradox of “Seeing the Invisible God”.
1. The Blind;
1. The Blind;
People who are blind cannot see and often need help to move around. Even when they can move around, they are still in the dark.
When Jesus came to earth, people were sitting and stumbling around in spiritual darkness, they were spiritually blind.
13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali,
14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.”
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
The only people who must be told that the light is shining are blind people, and our world today is spiritually blind!
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Rusty said in his message Sunday night that the church needs to tell the lost about Jesus, so that they would repent of their sin realizing they needed a Savior! Too often the blind get comfortable moving around in the darkness and don’t see the need of the LIGHT!
2. Sight Revealed;
2. Sight Revealed;
When a person is drawn to faith in Christ through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, their spiritual eyes are opened!
What are our spiritual eyes opened too?
Ourselves;
5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”
Jesus;
John 14:6 (NKJV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Bible;
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
God’s Will;
7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
3. Gaining Insight;
3. Gaining Insight;
As we grow in grace we gain insight into the deeper things of God.
Insight is the ability to penetrate the inner nature of circumstances, people, concepts and things. It’s digging deeper and understanding more.
18 Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.
37 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.
These two prayers seek for God to reveal the wondrous things in His Word while the other asks God to warn us of the worthless things of the world.
Prayer and study of the Word are a must for the believer to gain insight into the mysteries of God.
Praying in the Spirit of God is a must to understand truth
John 14:16–17 (NKJV)
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 16:13–14 (NKJV)
13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
Study of the Word of God is a must to witness truth to others
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
The best way to study God’s Word is to pray for understanding, read the scriptures in the context and use cross references to help discover the deeper truths of the Bible. [Commentaries and a concordance are great helps also].
Cross-reference to [Heb. 11:27]
28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”
Moses forsook Egypt for the reward in Christ without fear!
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
4. Spiritual Vision;
4. Spiritual Vision;
Spiritual vision is not that we see a vision from God in a sense of He appeared to me and told me this or that. Vision is the concept of ministry to the Lord in His Word.
Warren Wiersbe gives a practical understanding of spiritual visio. Most if not all creative work done here on earth begins with vision. The artist “sees” the picture in his mind, makes a sketch to get him started, and a picture eventually is painted. The picture grows both in his mind and on the canvas. The architect imagines a building and draws what he sees in his mind, and soon you have blueprints. The author has a vision of some characters in a unique location involved in unusual circumstances, and he eventually writes a novel. The pastor meditates on a portion of Scripture and with the help of the Holy Spirit begins to “see” and “feel” a sermon. Whether it is cooking, decorating a room, preparing a speech, writing a poem, or planning a vacation, there is no way to avoid vision.
J. Hudson Taylor had a vision of taking the gospel to inland China, and that vision became the China Inland Mission.
Dwight L. Moody had a vision of building a school where people could study the Bible and be better prepared to serve in their local churches, and Moody Bible Institute was the result.
God gave to Chuck Colson the vision to minister to men and women in prison and to their families back home, and Prison Fellowship is getting the job done.
Franklin Graham had the vision of helping those who lives were decimated by storms and natural disasters and Samaritan’s Purse was born.
First you receive the vision, then the vision grows as others join with you, and before you know it, the vision becomes an exciting reality that is ministering to people and glorifying the Lord.
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.
Close;
When the Lord saves a sinner, He moves them from blindness to sight. Then He moves His people from sight to insight, from insight to vision, and from vision to ministry reality. Like Moses, we see the invisible, choose the imperishable and eventually do the impossible!