Heaven is set forth by many pictures of bliss in the Word of God. Heaven is a place prepared for us. It is the everlasting kingdom. It is eternal glory. Heaven is our purchased inheritance. It is the city of God and of the Lamb. It is our home. Heaven is our final resting place These, and many other descriptive phrases, fill our hearts with joy and anticipation. But our text this evening speaks of the greatest bliss of the eternal state. Here we have the consummation of glory. Brethren, this is the very heaven of heaven – "And they shall see his face."
The Lord said to Moses, "Thou canst not see my face and live," But, remember, that was spoken to a mere mortal upon the earth. It does not refer to those who have put on immortality and incorruption. Children of God, in the coming glory-land we shall see the face of our God and live. Indeed it is this sight of Christ which shall be the essence and excellence of our life. Such a vision as our text speaks of would be too overpowering for body and soul upon the earth. The excess of delight would surely separate the soul from the body and bring death. But up there, when we are refined and strengthened by our glorification, we will bathe in the glazing splendor of Christ's presence. Then these eyes shall look upon the superlative glory of Christ. Eternally, we shall behold the Lord of Hosts. We shall see him who is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person – Face To Face! With the Apostle, my soul is crying, I have a desire to depart and be with Christ! My happiest and most satisfying moments upon the earth are like a prison to me. "We are confident and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."
Come now, my brothers and sisters, let us now begin to enjoy heaven. Consider, with me, the object of our expectations! Look at the happiness which is promised us! Behold the heaven which awaits us! Forget, for a little while, all of your present cares. Let all of your difficulties and sorrows vanish for a season. Live for a little while in the future bliss which is certified to us by the faithful promises of our God. Rejoice, ever now, in the glory that is yet to come. The veil which separates as from eternity is very thin. With hope we gaze through the thin fabric. The eagle eye of faith penetrates through the mist which hides the eternal delights of heaven from these longing hearts. "It is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, have known, believed, and anticipated the bliss which every hour is bringing nearer to us. Soon, it shall come to pass, "and they shall see his face."
Very often I have thought that it would have been a great privilege to have seen my Lord in his humiliation, while here upon the earth. What spiritual mind would not desire to have seen the incarnate God? I can hardly imagine the joy that flooded Mary's heart when she gazed for the first time upon the holy child Jesus. As she beheld the babe, she must have rolled over all the words of the angel in her heart. As she nursed her child, with loving eyes she must have looked upon him and said to herself, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." I have no doubt, but that every word of the prophets became precious to her, as she held him of whom all the prophets spoke at her breast. I think, as his virgin mother looked upon him, and as the wise men and shepherds gazed into his face, they might all have said with the spouse of old, "Thou art fairer than the children of men." At his birth, the angels of heaven and the wise men of earth crowded together to see his face.
It would, I think, have been no small thing to have seen the face of Jesus of Nazareth in the years of his maturity, when his face beamed with joy. "At that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, Father I thank thee," blessing God for that eternal decree of election by which he had hidden the things of the kingdom from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes. Those who saw him and heard his words must have been made to rejoice in his sinless smile, as he said "Even so, Father, for it seemed good in Thy sight."
What a rare vision that must have been which Peter, James, and John beheld, when they looked into the Savior's face, and saw it transfigured before them. Beams of light glowing in every feature, his whole Person was made to shine with glorious splendor. Seeing such a spectacular sight, who among us would not have been like the apostles, content to dwell upon the mount, and there to die?
Sometimes, I have felt that I would like to have seen the face of my beloved Redeemer ever in his agony and grief. By faith, I have gone with him to Gethsemane and up to the judgment hall. By faith I have stood at the foot of the cross and seen him bearing my sins. And the sight of faith is much better than the sight of the physical eye. Yet, sometimes, I have thought that, perhaps, I could know him better and love him more if I had been able to hear his groans and see his blood sweat. What a sight it must have been to those holy women who stood by, watching their God, their Lord, their Master as he bore the penalty of their sins. Surely, our hearts would have been astonished to behold the Man of Sorrows, whose visage was so marred that his manhood was hardly discernable.
Some of us have wished that we might have been with Mary and those holy women, Joseph and Nicodemus, when they took his blessed body from the cross and laid it in the tomb. What a sight that must have been. Immanuel had died! But, then to have seen him after his resurrection, this would have been a most blessed sight. That very Christ who cried "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me" was raised up by the power of God! He who cried "It is finished," and gave up the ghost, revived and was raised in the newness of life. And, I think, those who saw the God-man ascend into heaven must have realized that theirs was a rare privilege indeed. These things we have seen by faith. Though we could wish to have seen then with the physical eye, we do rejoice that we have had the far better sight of faith. I mention these visions of Christ as he was upon the earth only that they might inspire a holy panting after that heavenly vision which is promised to us in our text.
Proposition:Children of God, I want now, if the Holy Spirit will give me utterance, to speak to you about that heavenly vision which the saints shall enjoy throughout the eternal day. Here the Holy Spirit tells us that which will be the greatest joy of heaven. Concerning the children of God, it is written, "Ánd they shall see his face" – Oh, I pray that God will give us a heart to rejoice in hope of our glorious privilege. Soon, you and I shall see our Savior. The very Christ who died in my place at Calvary, fully satisfying the wrath and justice of God for me, I shall see him Face To Face! This is heaven to my soul.
1. What Is This Heavenly Vision?
2. How Are We Going To See Christ In Glory?
3. Why Do We Consider This Vision Of Christ The Greatest Bliss And Joy Of Heaven?
4. Who Are They To Whom This Promise Is Given? "They shall see his face."
I. The first question for us to consider is – What Is This Heavenly Vision?
"They shall see his face." These words describe for us the chief blessing of heaven. This is the heaven of heaven, the glory of glory – We shall see Christ.
A. Some People Have Gotten Very Carnal And Unscriptural Ideas About Heaven.
Often, I meet with men of a carnal mind who have very poor estimates of what heaven will be. Those imaginations that occupy the hearts of some men have no appeal whatever to me.
1. Some of our very intellectual folk think that heaven will be a place where they can greatly increase their knowledge.
Such is not the heaven I desire. Knowledge is valuable if it is used properly. The proper use of knowledge is wisdom. But knowledge is not happiness in itself. I desire to know what God is pleased to teach me. I desire to know Christ. But beyond that, ignorance is bliss. True knowledge shall be greatly increased in heaven. But it is a spiritual knowledge, not carnal.
2. Many think of heaven only as a place where they can gratify their carnal desires.
They seem to think only of the comforts and pleasures that heaven might bring to them in a physical way. To them the streets of gold, the gates of pearl, and the walls of jasper are enough.
3. I have even heard men talk about heaven as though it were a place that would gratify their religious pride and self-righteousness.
Some Baptists seem to think that there will be a special place for them in glory. In pride and self-righteous bigotry, they suppose that all of God's saints will serve them.
B. While I Reject Such Carnal Ideas Of Heaven, We Certainly Realize That There Are Many Things In Heaven That We Shall See And Enjoy.
1. We will see the holy angels.Men of God, we will commune with cherubim and seraphim. Gabriel, and all the heavenly hosts, shall be known by us.
2. We will see the patriarchs who served God in those early days.
3. We will know those men and women who walked with God before the flood – Abel – Enoch – Noah.
4. The apostles and prophets will be seen and known by us.
5. Those martyrs, with whose blood the pages of church history are written, shall be seen.
6. And those brethren, with whom we enjoyed sweet fellowship upon the earth, will be seen by us.
7. Some of us have loved ones who fell asleep in Jesus many years ago, and we shall see them.
Yet, for all of this, the greatest joy and fulness of heaven will be just this – we shall see Christ. Even if we consider all the blessings of heaven, we would be constrained to confess that if Christ were not there heaven itself would not be desirable.
C. That Which We Desire Above All Else In Heaven Is The Sight Of Christ.
With the Psalmist we most gladly declare – "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." (Ps. 73:25).
1. Christ is all in all to us here, and we long for a heaven in which he shall be all in all to us forever.
Here upon the earth, it was a sight of Christ which first turned our sorrow into joy. The daily renewal of communion with Christ lifts us up above the cares of this world. Ever here, we say, if we have Christ we have enough. If Christ is all to us now, what shall he be in glory? The Paradise of God is a heaven of intense, eternal, spiritual fellowship with Christ. Heaven is a place where it is promised – "They shall see his face."
Moses, we are told, saw his back parts. He saw the train of his majesty. But, there, we shall see his face.
a. Brethren, we shall literally see our Savior's face.
Though he is glorified, that very man who died at Calvary is upon the throne of glory. And we shall see him – The God-man. Oh what a sight, I shall see my Well-Beloved – Those hands – Those feet – That side – That head – But that face – I shall see him!
b. And there is a spiritual sight which is sweeter still.
It seems to me that our text implies a greater ability in the next world by which we shall be able to more fully see Christ. Here, upon the earth, the very best of us are only infants. Now we know in part. Now we see through a shaded glass. But in heaven, we shall see the Savior face to face. And we shall know even as we are known. Mark you, my friends, we will see Christ in such a way that we shall know Him! We shall know the heights, depths, lengths, and breadths of the love of Christ that posses knowledge.
3. For Another Thing We Shall See The Savior Always.
When our text says, "They shall see his face," it implies that the saints in heaven shall never at any time cease to see him. What joy! Never at any time shall we unlock our embrace of the Savior! It is not so now. Sometimes we are near the throne, at other times we are afar off. Sometimes we are as bright as the angels, at other times we are as dull as lead. At times we are hot with love, but at other times we are cold with indifference. But, the day will soon come, when we shall forever be in the closest possible association with Christ. Then we shall see his face without ceasing.
4. Once more, We Shall See His Face As It Is Now In The Fulness Of Glory – "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me." (John 17:24).
I cannot begin to describe that glory. Even if I knew it, I would be like Paul, unable to speak of it. But John gave us a little glimpse of it in chapter one of the Revelation verses 13-16.
"I saw one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet were like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength."
Thus you see what the heavenly vision is, "They shall see his face." We are going to see Christ himself literally. We shall see him spiritually, so as to know him. We will see him always. And we shall see Christ, face to face, in the fulness of his glory.
II. Now, my second question is, How Are We Going To See Christ In Glory?
When our text says, "they shall see his face," the word "see" appears to imply a clear, full, undimmed sight of Christ.
A. Brethren, We Will See Christ Clearly, Because Everything That Hinders Our Sight Of Him Here Will Be Removed.
"There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away!" (Rev. 21:4).
4. And we shall see Christ with a full and clear sight in glory, because there nothing will stand between us and our Savior – In glory there will be no rival in our hearts. We will love Christ supremely.
B. And We Will See Christ Personally.Now we see him by faith, but then faith will be turned to sight, and we will see Christ personally for ourselves. The language of Job is a proper confession of every believer's future prospect. "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me." (19:25-27).
C. My Soul, We Shall See Christ In All The Fulness of His Person And Work!
1. We shall behold, fully, the glorious Person of our Savior.
a. We will see him who is God over all and blessed forever.
b. We will see the man, Christ Jesus.
2. In that day, we will see Christ in the Fulness of His Covenant Engagements.
3. When we see him face to face, we will see him in all His Offices.
4. In the world to come, we will see Christ in the Fulness Of His Saving Grace.
D. When We See His Face, Our Eyes Shall Be Full Of Adoration.
In that world of glory to come there will be no voice heard that speaks of the power of man's free-will, or the goodness of man's works. No. In that day we shall say, "not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be honor, and power, and glory, and dominion forever and ever." We will join the songs of the redeemed – "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever"…"Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy own blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation: and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth." (1:5-6; 5:9-10).
We shall see the Savior face to face. We will see him clearly and personally, in all his glorious Person and saving grace. And we shall see him in such a way that we will worship him in holy adoration.
III. Now in the third place, I want us to consider this question – Why Do We Consider This Vision Of Christ The Greatest Bliss And Joy Of Heaven?
I have said that seeing Christ face to face is the heaven of heaven, the glory of glory. But why do we place such importance upon this one aspect of our eternal inheritance?
A. When We See Him Our Salvation Will Be Complete.
1. Soon the resurrection day will come, and all men shall see the great God and Savior.
a. When the wicked see his face, they will be consumed in his fierce wrath.
b. But we shall see him and live – We will be like the burning bush, glowing with the glory of God, but not consumed.
2. Then we shall stand in the presence of God in perfect salvation.
B. When We See His Face We Shall Be Conscious Of His Favor.
C. When We See The Savior's Face We Will Have A Perfect And Uninterrupted Fellowship With Him.
In glory, we shall all be Enoch's walking with God. Not until we see his face will we fully know the meaning of being one with him.
D. When We See Him There Will Be A Complete Transformation – "We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." This feeble tongue of clay can never spell out the meaning of those words. My mind cannot really grasp the blessing. But, oh how my heart rejoices to know that it is so!
1. These eyes shall see things as he sees them.
2. This mind shall think as he thinks.
3. My will will be one with his will.
4. My heart shall be one with his heart.
E. When We See The Face Of The Son Of God We Will Be Perfectly Satisfied.
F. In A Word, I Say That Seeing Christ Face To Face Is The Greatest Glory Of Heaven, Because In Heaven Christ Is All.
IV. My last question is this – Who Are They To Whom This Promise Is Given? "They shall see his face."
The Apostle tells us that those who shall see his face are none, "but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
A. Everyone Of Those Who Are The Objects Of God's Eternal Grace Shall See His Face.
1. Every soul that was chosen of God in the council of love shall see Christ in the courts of glory.
2. Every one predestined to be his son shall be his son. 3. Every soul for whom Jesus died at Calvary shall see his face in heaven – They are accepted, pardoned, justified, sanctified, and purchased. They shall see him. 4. Every man, woman, and child who is called by the Spirit of God and regenerated by divine power shall see his face. 5. Everyone that repents of his sin and believes on Christ shall see him. 6. Every heart that bows in submission to King Jesus shall see the King in his beauty. 7. Every man who loves Christ shall see Christ.They may have been the vilest, most abominable wretches ever to walk upon the earth, but they are washed, they are justified, they are sanctified. And "They shall see his face!"
B. To Add One Thing More, They Shall All With Equal Clearness See The Face Of Christ.
I read of no secondary joys in heaven. None of God's elect shall be placed in the back settlements of Canaan. Whoever invented the doctrine of degrees in heaven knew nothing of free-grace. There is as much foundation for such a doctrine in the Scriptures as there is for the doctrine of purgatory, and no more. All the saints shall see the Savior's face. What more can anyone want? The dying thief went with Christ to paradise, and so did Paul. Heaven is altogether the reward of grace, not of debt.
1. We are all loved by God with a perfect love.
2. We are all chosen in Christ.
3. We all have the same blessings of grace in the covenant.
4. We are all redeemed by the same blood.
5. We are all accepted in the same righteousness.
6. We are all the sons of God upon the same grounds.
7. We all have the same hope and the same inheritance.
1. Some of you have no part in this free-grace promise. Unless You bow to worship him now, you will see his face only in judgment.
2. Brethren, we can all say amen to Peter's words – "Unto you therefore that believe, he is precious."
a. As Christ is all in heaven, let him be all in your hearts.
b. Let him be all in our worship.
c. Let him be all in our church.
d. By the grace of God he shall be all in our preaching.
3. Comfort one another with these words – We shall see him Face To Face.
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