Sermon: Verity
by Chris Cumming                                                printer-friendly     MP3

A few weeks ago I received a phone call from a member here in the Northwest who asked me a very intriguing question.  The question was, ‘How do I go about putting a face on God?’ which is to say, “What does God look like?”  The actual question being asked is, “How do firstfruits make God real in their lives?”

Other questions we could ask are:
---How can we know God is real?
---How can we understand His character, personality and master plan?
---Can a firstfruit prove the existence of God?
---Can a firstfruit prove to others the existence of God?

The purpose of my sermon today is to answer these questions and show you specifically how you can make God real in your life.

The title of this sermon is, “Verity.”  What does, “verity” mean?  The word, “verity’ means;

---The quality or condition of being true, factual or real.   God is true.  He is factual. He is real.
---The state of being eternally and fundamentally true.
---Something that is true, as a principle, belief or idea.

Did you notice that?  The definition says, “something that is true” as in “belief.”  The beliefs of a firstfruit are far different than most beliefs of people in the world.  Most people have beliefs they think are true.  Maybe some feel they have evidence or proof to back those beliefs up.  Firstfruits have absolute proof to back up their beliefs.  They don’t just believe; they know.

Let us begin to make God real by reading our doctrinal statement on God:

DOCTRINAL STATEMENT

God is the eternal, omnipresent, all-powerful, supreme Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe. God is one, composed of spirit and comprising a family revealed as presently consisting-of God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. God is a loving, kind, merciful being who wants to share his magnificent existence by reproducing himself through man.  

DOCTRINAL OVERVIEW

The most fundamental need facing mankind is to recognize the existence of God and to understand his character, personality and master plan. Man will continue to flounder without real knowledge of the purpose of life until he gains an accurate and clear picture of his Creator.  

The question of whether God's existence can be proved is one that has troubled mankind throughout millennia, stirring heated debate with arguments on both sides. Unfortunately, the form most of these debates have taken is for one person to try to forcibly "prove" God's existence to another by attempting to formulate arguments or logic so airtight as to exclude any other possibility. This approach does not work. No argument, no matter how carefully thought out or logically constructed, can absolutely "prove" God's existence to one who will grasp at virtually any other unlikely explanation or remote possibility. No person can make another person believe in God!  

Nevertheless, God's existence can be totally proved to oneself. One who has individually and personally experienced the biblical miracle of conversion, or who has received miraculous answers to his prayers, has truly and irrefutably proved God's existence to himself and cannot be shaken from this proof by any argument, whether theological or philosophical, as long as he stays in this contact with God.  

God's existence is also powerfully demonstrated by the creation. The reality of the material universe, the existence of life and the interdependence and sustenance of the laws governing this matter respectively require a Creator, a Life-Giver and a Sustainer.  Thus David said: "The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament showeth his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). Likewise, Paul records that "the invisible things of him [God] from [looking up at] the creation ... are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).  

The Bible reveals that the one God is a family composed of two members-the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. John's gospel states that these two have dwelt together from eternity and that they share power, glory and majesty, although Christ is second in authority.  From the biblical revelation we infer that God resembles man in certain aspects but is composed of spirit instead of flesh (John. 4:24), radiating spiritual energy and power. The few references to God's "appearance" emphasize His incredible brilliance. Revelation 1:14-16; Daniel 7:9-10).  

God is the total embodiment of love; He is the originator of law and the giver of every good and perfect gift. His many titles and names (Creator, Counselor, Healer, Self-Existent One, Father, Almighty, etc.) reveal his special qualities of character and personality. Yet it is God's mercy and compassion that are paramount in giving full hope and confidence to fallible human beings who are sinners all.  

Perhaps the most outstanding single characteristic of God is His total, unselfish love. This one quality is so much a part of God's entire makeup that he is in actuality its total personification and hence "is love" (1 John. 4:8). God has demonstrated his love for us in many ways: through the sacrifice of his son (John 3:16), by forgiving our sins, by strengthening our will and determination in the face of trials. And in countless other ways. But perhaps the single greatest expression of God's love is that he has devised a plan to share himself by reproducing himself through man.  

This master plan is indeed the greatest imaginable truth and the very reason why the entire universe was created. All human beings from all times shall have a full opportunity to become members of God's family. Mankind has been created in God's image (Genesis 1:26) and put on earth to reject evil and thereby to build character so that each human being can be spiritually born into God's kingdom and family. Thus God's family of two revealed persons shall grow to billions, and God's greatness shall be multiplied by as many times as the incredible number of sons God shall add to his family.  

The God of the Bible is both cosmic and personal. He is the Creator of the universe and at the same time is concerned for each human being. He sustains galaxies and controls the full scope of human history at the same time as He focuses His intense concern on each man, woman and child who seeks Him. God is involved with the whole of mankind: in the rise and fall of governments, in the sweep of generations, in the ultimate direction of human society. Yet this same being is intimately involved in the personal lives of human beings of every social stratum, race and intellect. God is merciful to sinners; He is compassionate and deeply desires that we attain the greatest possible happiness and success.  

1 Thessalonians 5:9 asserts "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."  Romans 8:19 states that the entire creation "waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."  God intends for all mankind to succeed at son ship.   For now, God rules the spiritual and material universe from his throne in heaven, although his mind and Spirit reach everywhere. Beside him sits his Son, Jesus Christ, and the two of them, surrounded and aided by myriads of angels of differing ranks and authority, direct the working out of their master plan. Eventually, God's throne will be moved to the "new earth" of Revelation 21 from where He and his billions of sons will rule his Kingdom and the unfathomable vastness of the infinite universe for all eternity. ~end of doctrinal statement

Two statements of the doctrine stand out for me:
---No person can make another person believe in God.
---God can be proved to oneself, which is to say that firstfruit can prove the existence of God.

How did the doctrine say this was possible?  How do firstfruits prove the existence of God?

One has truly and irrefutable proved God's existence by:
---experiencing the miracle of conversion.
---receiving answers to specific prayers.
---seeing or experiencing a miracle.
---seeing or experiencing healing.

One could add to this list with:
---being able to understand the Word of God.
---having a spiritual grasp and understanding of Law and Godly principles [fruits of the Spirit].
---having experienced unction of the Holy Spirit in their day-to-day lives.

Now that we have our doctrinal statement as a foundation, let us get into the specifics of making God real.

Why does God hid Himself?
The question is often asked, "Why does God hid Himself?"  Partially because it would be much too easy to gain Salvation and eternal life if we could see God the Father and/or Christ and/or the angels on a constant basis.  The Bible shows how certain individuals were always looking for a sign [Matthew 12 and 16].  Firstfruits do not need to look for a sign.  They do not need angels appearing to them.  They have faith, the Holy Spirit and a whole lot more.

God is Invisible
Before we get into the actual procedure of “seeing” God, we need to establish that He is invisible.  Ironically, His being invisible is a key to our being able to see Him.  His being invisible serves more than one spiritual purpose.  God is first invisible to test our enduring faith.  Second, as you will see, we use that faith to “see” the invisible God.  Let us look at the scriptures that speak to God being invisible.

1 Timothy 1:17  [see lesson]
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:17 is a lesson we presented in our Survey of the Letters of Paul.  Let us take an excerpt from that study for the word, “invisible.’

1 Timothy 6:16
Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

John 1:18
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Now the commentary on John 1:18:

John 1:18
No man hath seen God at any time - This declaration is probably made to show the superiority of the revelation of Jesus above that of any previous dispensation. It is said, therefore, that Jesus “had an intimate knowledge of God,” which neither Moses nor any of the ancient prophets had possessed. God is invisible: no human eyes have seen him; but Christ had a knowledge of God which might be expressed to our apprehension by saying that he saw him. He knew him intimately and completely, and was therefore fitted to make a fuller manifestation of him. See John 5:37; John 6:46; 1 John 4:12; Exodus 33:20; John 14:9. This passage is not meant to deny that men had witnessed “manifestations” of God, as when he appeared to Moses and the prophets (compare Numbers 12:8; Isaiah 6:1-13); but it is meant that no one has seen the essence of God, or has “fully known God.” The prophets delivered what they “heard” God speak; Jesus what he knew of God as his equal, and as understanding fully nature. ~Barnes Notes

John 5:37
And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

John 6:46
Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

1 John 4:12
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Note: With this verse, we get our first clue on how to see God manifested before our eyes.  As we see in the commentary I just read, Jesus was manifesting God before His disciples.  The Bible is full of manifestations of God the Father and specific procedures how we can see Him on a daily basis.

Exodus 33:20
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Now the next verse is our second clue to seeing the Father.

John 14:9
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? 

Colossians 1:15 …speaking of Jesus
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Note: We will see this scripture in more detail later but even this single verse gives us part of the procedure to seeing God the Father, namely, looking to Jesus Christ.  Notice the commentary:

Who is the image of the invisible God. - The meaning is, that he represents to mankind the perfections of God, as an image, figure, or drawing does the object which it is made to resemble. ~Barnes Notes

Thus, the more we look to Christ and specifically to the mind of Christ, the more we “see” God the Father.  Of course, the best way to look to Jesus Christ is to immerse ourselves into His mind which is the Word of God.

Let us talk a bit more about seeing Jesus.  We will begin with one of the verses from the commentary on John 1:18 we just read.

John 14:9 …right after Philip asked Jesus to reveal the Father
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Note:  Now someone might say that the disciples back then had an advantage because Jesus was right there with them, but as you can see from this verse, they did not really see Jesus until the Day of Pentecost when they had the Holy Spirit.  From that day, they saw Him in a way they never had before.  You and I can see Jesus just as clearly as they did then, because we have the Holy Spirit in us.

Notice now what Jesus asked of the Father just prior to being betrayed and just prior to His death.

John 17:5
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Did God answer this prayer?

Revelation 1:13-18
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Note: Jesus says that if we see Him in the physical, we see the Father.  He then asks the Father to glorify Him again, as He was before becoming human.  We then get a description of Jesus after the resurrection.  This description must be one similar to God the Father.

Seeing the Invisible God
We are now going to look at a number of verses that speak to us seeing the invisible God.  These are all verses you know and some you have memorized.  We are going to review these scriptures with a focused eye.  Our focus is to see the invisible God.  We are supposed to be looking at the things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Question:  What do we do in faith that gives us hope and evidence of things not seen?  The answer later in this sermon.

Hebrews 11:13
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Questions:  Where did these people die?  They died in faith.  What does that mean?  What exactly made them see things afar off?  You will have the answers soon.

Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Question:  What joy set before Him?  What did He see?

Psalm 16:8
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Question: If you set something spiritual before you, what are you seeing?

Acts 2:25
For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

Note/Question:  Notice in both these verses that by “seeing” God, all fear is abated.  If God is there, what is there to fear?  Both verses relate to David.  What was he specifically seeing before his face?  Are we just talking about some concept David had of God’s face or is there something else.

2 Corinthians 4:18
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Note/Question:  Clearly we are to be looking at spiritual things.  What spiritual things?  When do we see God.

1 Peter 1:8
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Question:  What does it mean here that we rejoice with joy unspeakable?  Notice the commentary:

Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable - Ye have unutterable happiness through believing; and ye have the fullest, clearest, strongest evidence of eternal glory. Though they did not see him on earth, and men could not see him in glory, yet by that faith which is the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped for, they had the very highest persuasion of their acceptance with God, their relation to him as their Father, and their sonship with Christ Jesus. ~Adam Clarke

Romans 1:20  …this verse showing that God is invisible
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

How to See God
Key/introduction  Exodus 33:17-20

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