Brethren, is that fan, do they
need to be turned down? Are they all right? You all right?
All right. John 16. John 16. There are two kinds of seeing,
two kinds of sight. Carnal sight, seeing with these
eyes, is what William Cowper referred to as judging by feeble
sense, judging by what we feel and what we see. And then there's
faith's sight, the sight of faith, seeing by faith. True sight,
faith that sees what's not seen with these eyes. That's true
sight. Hebrews 11.1 says, now faith
is the substance of things hoped for. It's the substance of things
hoped for. The evidence of things not seen. Not seen with the carnal eye.
Not seen with the carnal eye. Let me read a hymn to you by
William Gatsby. He said, the just by faith shall
live. That's repeated all through the
Scriptures. The just by faith shall live,
nor fear the powers of hell. All blessings that a God can
give in Christ most richly dwell. By faith in Jesus' blood, the
just shall live indeed, shall have a settled peace with God,
and from their sins be free. When sense and reason fail and
all things dark appear, by faith the just shall say, "'Tis well,
Jehovah will appear." If providence should frown and crosses still
increase, by faith the just shall live and own God their salvation
is. By faith in Christ as God, As
prophet, priest, and king, the just shall live and live to prove
that death has lost its sting. We live by faith. Those justified
by Christ, born of the Spirit of God, are given faith and we
live by faith. We walk by faith, not by sight. Now, the Lord Jesus speaks of
both these kinds of sight in John 16. In verse 16, He said,
A little while, and you shall not see Me. Now, this is carnal
sight. In a little while, their carnal
eyes would see Him crucified on the cross. They would then
see Him buried and He would be out of sight and they wouldn't
see Him for a while. For a little while, they would
see Him with these eyes. And then in verse 16 he says
it again, a little while, and you shall see me because I go
to the Father. Now this is faith. Now they would see him with their
carnal eyes after his resurrection. He'd come to them and they would
see him bodily with these eyes. But it wasn't seeing him with
these eyes that gave them this joy. Notice there he says, you
shall see me because I go to the Father. This is what he'd
been talking about that night. I must go to the Father. If I
go, I'll send the Spirit to you. And He'll bring all these things
to your remembrance. He'll give you faith and cause
you to believe and cause you to see me by faith. That was
the promise that night. Back in John 14, verse 19, He said, yet a little while,
and the world seeth me no more. The world only sees with carnal
sight. He said, the world will see me no more. But you see me,
talking to those who have faith. You see me. Here's why. Because
I live, you shall live also. That's the same thing he's saying
in our text. Because I'm going to my father. I'm coming out
of the grave when I've accomplished redemption, I'm going to the
Father, I'm going to send the Holy Spirit, and you shall see
me by faith. You'll see me by faith. Now,
first I want us to see here, what effect did carnal sight
have on the apostles? What effect did it have on them?
He said here in verse 16, a little while and you shall not see me.
Down in verse 20, He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that
you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice, and
you shall be sorrowful. Christ speaks here of His crucifixion. He's talking about His burial.
And for a little while, His disciples saw Him no more with carnal sight
when He went to the grave. They didn't see Him anymore,
not with these eyes. They had faith before Christ
went to the cross. Everybody that believes on Christ
is born of the Spirit of God. He said that clearly. Have to
be, must be. And he gives them faith. They
had faith. Now he said it was little faith. Much of the time
they were in unbelief, but they did have faith before he went
to the cross. They saw Christ though crucified
with carnal sight. They heard with these ears what
had happened and they heard he was buried and it was all their
feeble sense. It wasn't faith, it was by this
sight that they saw. And they went through this for
a little while. Now while this was the case with
them, the world was rejoicing. The world was rejoicing. The
unregenerate world that did not have faith was rejoicing. Because
they saw Christ as a blasphemous sinner. And they thought they
were doing God's service to crucify Christ. Get Him out of the way
to crucify Him. And they rejoiced when He died.
And the irreligious world rejoiced when He died too. but those who had faith by looking
and hearing and knowing all this by just their carnal sight and
their carnal reason and their carnal understanding. What did
they do? They sorrowed and they lamented. It made them be overcome with
unbelief. The faith they had was overcome
by their unbelief, by their carnal sight, by what they heard and
what they saw with these senses, just with the flesh. That shows
us something of the danger of judging by carnal sight. The
world judged by carnal sight. They didn't have faith. They
judged by carnal sight. They saw Christ. Just think of
how you would have seen Christ. People say, if I could have just
seen Him when He walked this earth. They saw Him. You know
what they saw? They saw a man, just a man, who was despised
and rejected by the rulers, established rulers that everybody knew and
everybody respected, he was rejected by all of them. That's what they
saw. They saw a man who established religion rejected. They saw a
man who was poor. They saw a man who never owned
a piece of property in this world to lay his head. You know how
we carnally men judge by Oh, he's blessed when you've got
more, when you've got a lot of stuff, temporally speaking, and
when you're accepted of everybody, temporally speaking. Oh, you're
blessed, but when you're rejected by men and you don't have anything
and you're in utter poverty, the carnal world looked upon
him and rejected him and considered him a blasphemer. They judged
by carnal sight that when he went to the cross, by what was
happening to him on the cross, by him being nailed to a tree
and by all the things that were transpiring and him being beaten
and all the things that men did to him, they judged God had rejected
him, God was smiting him and afflicting him because he was
a blasphemous sinner. That's the danger of judging
by carnal sight. And His disciples who had faith,
when they saw by carnal sight, they lamented and became sorrowful
and became cast down in unbelief. You see the danger of judging
by carnal sight? Mark 16.10 says, after His resurrection,
He appeared to Mary Magdalene, and she told them that had been
with Him as they mourned and wept. You just see them all together
mourning and weeping. And she went and told them, he's
risen. And they, when they had heard that he was alive and it's
been seen of her, believe not. all that he had told them. He
told them I'm going to the cross. He told them I'm going to be
despised and rejected. He told them I'm going to lay
down my life. He told them I'm going to be
buried and rise again the third day. He told them all of this,
but judging by carnal sight, they were overcome with unbelief,
and they did not believe it, even when Mary Magdalene, whom
God had cast out seven devils, when she came and said, he's
risen, they said, we don't believe you. And then He appeared to
two more, and they went and bore witness as well and said, He's
risen! And the rest of them didn't believe
either. That's what unbelief will do
when we judge by carnal sight. And when our Lord appeared to
those on the road to Emmaus, here was their lamenting, here
was their sorrow. They had lost their hope. And
they said, we trusted that it had been He which should have
redeemed Israel. That's what happened, judging
by carnal sight. The world that didn't have faith
rejected Him and nailed Him to a tree, and the disciples who
had faith, judging by carnal sight, lost their hope, was cast
down, mourned, and when they heard the good news, they couldn't
believe. Looking with these eyes, judging
by feeble sense. But Christ promised that because
he went to the Father, he would send the Spirit of God so that
his children shall see by faith. He promised that. He shall send
the Spirit and make his children see by faith. He said in verse
16, second part, he says, and again, a little while, and you
shall see me because I go to the Father. He just declared
His expedient. It's profitable that I go to
the cross and then go to my Father because I will send the Comforter.
I'll send the Holy Spirit to you. So in a little while, again,
He appeared to them. They came to where they were
and He appeared bodily and they saw Him bodily with carnal eyes. They did see Him that way. But
He gave them the Holy Ghost. He breathed upon them and gave
them the Holy Ghost, and they saw Him by faith, and that's
when their sorrow turned to joy. That's what He promised. He promised
them their sorrow would turn to joy. Carnal sight resulted
in unbelief and lamenting and sorrow even in them that had
faith. But beholding that same sight
by faith, He said, your sorrow shall be turned to joy. The same
thing that made them sorrow, Christ crucified, Christ buried. The same thing that they saw
with carnal sight that made them weep in sorrow, when He increased
their faith and renewed their faith, that same sight, the same
cross with the same Lord Jesus that laid down His life turned
that sorrow into joy. That's the difference between
seeing with these eyes and seeing with faith. Why? Because when they looked by faith,
they saw their victorious Redeemer. He said in verse 20, the second
part, You shall be sorrowful, but your sorrows shall be turned
into joy. Faith is the true sight of the
believer. And that's of the Spirit of God.
It's the true side of the believer. Faith beholds the spiritual.
It's spiritual, it's within, it's in the heart. Faith believes
the Lord and faith beholds, sees what is the reality, what is
true, what is real, what is eternal. Faith is the substance of things
hoped for. It's the evidence of things not
seen. Faith beholds that when Christ
went to that cross, He did just what He said He would do. He
declared God just. Faith sees there was a reason
He went to that cross. He didn't just go to that cross
for Himself. He didn't go to that cross for
everybody. He went to that cross for God His Father. He went to
that cross to declare the righteousness of God. He went to the cross
and laid down His life to declare God just. And he did it by bearing
the sin and the curse that his people deserved so that God is
completely, totally, thoroughly satisfied. His law is honored. And faith beholds that when he
did that, he justified his people. We'll never worship God, we'll
never believe God, till he gives you faith and makes you see,
makes you know the law is fully satisfied. You died in Christ
on Calvary's cross, and God is satisfied toward his people.
That's what faith believes. and He's made us by His blood,
by His death, by dying in our room instead, Christ Jesus has
made us the righteousness of God in Him. The righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus. Would you dare say to anybody,
I'm the righteousness of God? God says you are. If you're brought
to faith and believe Him, that's what this book declares to us.
He hath made Him sin for us who know no sin, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him. It's in Christ. It's in Christ. You can't get better than that.
The righteousness of God. Look back there at John 16.10. He said the Spirit will convince
you of righteousness because I go to my Father and you see
me no more. Now think about this. This is
just the reason that the carnal world, the people that don't
have faith, this is why they say they don't believe. Because
He went to the cross and was buried and we don't see Him anymore.
So we don't believe Him. He's got to show me for me to
believe. That's what the world says. But
when He gives you faith, faith beholds what He did on the cross,
and He went in that grave, and He came out of that grave, and
He went to the Father, and because we don't see Him anymore with
these eyes, we see Him by faith, and we believe God that He's
made us the righteousness of God in Him. That's what faith believes. Now
Christ gave a parable here to illustrate this. Is sorrow turning
to joy? And it's timely since Kristen
just delivered a child. He said here in verse 21, A woman,
when she is in travail, hath sorrow, because her hour is come. But as soon as she is delivered
of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that
a man is born into the world. Our Lord Jesus, when He went
to the cross, That was the travail of his soul. That's what the
scripture calls it. Isaiah 53 says, he shall see
of the travail of his soul. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many for he shall bear their iniquities. He saw,
that was his travail. And when our Lord Jesus Christ
saw that perfect sacrifice, or God saw that perfect sacrifice
of His Son, He's satisfied, completely satisfied. And Christ sees His
children justified by Him, made righteousness in Him, and He's
satisfied. And He came out of that grave,
and when He came out of that grave, brethren, That was just
like a child being born. His body, His church, His people
were quickened together with Him and came out of the grave
in Christ Jesus and were raised together in Christ and we sat
down at God's right hand in Christ Jesus. Just like a new man being
born. That's what Paul's talking about
in Ephesians 2 when he said, even when we were dead in sin,
by God's grace, He's quickened us together with Christ, raised
us up together with Christ, made us sit together in heavenly places
in Christ. Now, He comes in time and He
quickens you inwardly and gives you faith to behold you were
risen with Him when He arose. But when he goes on there in
Ephesians 2, he tells us, in one body, on a tree, he made
all his people one in him. We were born that day, brethren.
We came out of the grave that day a new man in newness of life. Our body of sin was crucified
and we died in Christ and we came out of that grave a new
man and sat down at God's right hand in him. And this is what,
when He circumcises the heart and by His grace gives us faith
to believe Him, this is what faith believes. I am seated there
with Christ. I'm hidden with Christ at God's
right hand. That's what He gives you faith
to behold. And so, when He does that, the sorrow that they had,
the sorrow they had, just like a woman in childbirth is sorrowing,
that sorrow was turned to joy when they beheld Christ by faith. Christ's apostles saw Him arise
by carnal sight. They did see that. They saw Him
rise up and go out of sight. But it was more than carnal sight
that gave them joy. They went back to Jerusalem rejoicing.
They went back and the Spirit of God was poured out on them
in great measure, and they went to preach Christ with great joy,
and that joy no man could take from them, because it's of the
Spirit of God. He said there in verse 22, I
will see you again. That right there is where our
faith comes from. He said, I will see you again.
What did God say? When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. He told Noah, when I see the
rainbow in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant. It's when he sees
you. Somebody would say, well, now
I've got to believe. Well, yeah, you've got to believe.
But one day, if you get Alzheimer's and you don't even know who you
are, you'll be glad when he sees you. He said, I'll see you again.
It's in the light of His countenance, His face looking upon us, that
He gives us faith by the Spirit and we believe Him. I'll see
you again and look, your heart shall rejoice. This is spiritual. This is in the heart. Your heart
shall rejoice. And your joy no man taketh from
you. What's our joy? What's your joy,
believer? Psalm 149.2 says, let Israel
rejoice in him that made him. And let the children of Zion
be joyful in their king. It's Christ. Isaiah 61.1, I will
greatly rejoice in the Lord. I'll greatly joy in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my
God. For he hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness. As a bride groomed, decketh himself
with ornaments. As a bride adorneth herself with
her jewels. He's adorned his people with
his righteousness. That's our joy. It's him, and
he is that righteousness. Now lastly, remember Our Lord
said, those who see by faith are the blessed. That's the joy. They're happy. They have joy. True joy is joy in the Holy Ghost. It's in the new heart Christ
gives. It's where all blessings are in spirit. It's faith to
rest in Christ. Believe in we're made the righteousness
of God in Him. And that's how it really is.
That's how it really is. Remember what he said to Thomas?
I had this Sunday, and I was going to preach this Sunday morning.
I'm really glad I didn't, because Brother Ian preached from that
passage. Go over to John 20. Remember what he said? Listen
to this. John 20, verse 25. He wasn't there when the Lord
gave him the Holy Ghost, when He gave him the Holy Spirit.
And so he said in verse 25, they told him, we've seen him, he's
alive. And he said to them, except I
shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger
into the print of the nails and thrust my hand in his side, I
will not believe. That's mighty bold, wasn't it? And the Lord told him in verse
27, he said, Reach hither your finger, behold my hands. Reach
hither thy hand, thrust it into my side. Be not faithless, but
believing. Now listen to what he said. Jesus
said to him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me with your carnal
eyes, thou hast believed, blessed, happy, full of joy, or they that
have not seen with these eyes and yet have believed me." They've
seen with faith. The just shall live by faith.
Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5, 7, we walk by faith, not by sight. Have you ever seen Christ by
carnal sight? If we're walking by sight, we're
going to be in danger. Because you've never seen Him
by carnal sight. We see Him by faith. Listen to
what Peter said, 1 Peter 1.8. Whom having not seen, not with
these eyes, you love. And whom though now you see Him
not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full
of glory. Why did Moses leave Egypt? Hebrews
11.27 says, By faith Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath
of the king. Christ said no man is going to
take your joy from you. He wasn't fearful of the king.
The king couldn't take his joy from him. He left Egypt. He wasn't fearful of the king.
Why? For he endured as seeing him who is invisible. He saw
by faith. He saw Him. By faith He saw Him. He saw God who is invisible by
faith. Hebrews 2.9 says this is so of
all God's people who is given faith, but we see Jesus. We do. If you have faith, you
see Him. Faith is the evidence of things
not seen. We see Him who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with
glory and honor. at God's right hand. Carnal religion
glories in appearance. Carnal religions got to have
movies, and they got to have plays, and they got to have something
to entertain the flesh, and pictures, and crosses, and all of those
things. It's vain, superstitious idolatry. Paul spoke of carnal religion
who glory in appearance and not in heart. You know what they
did? They gloried in appearance and not in heart. They rejected
Paul. Paul was beaten, he was shipwrecked,
he went through every kind of trial under the sun, he was finally
arrested and put in prison, and that's where he stayed most of
the time, wrote three-fourths of the New Testament from there.
And they gloried in appearance, and they commended themselves
by comparing themselves with themselves, which the Spirit
of God says never do. And so they rejected Paul as
an apostle and tried to turn men away from him and tried to
turn men away from the gospel of Christ that Paul preached.
Paul said, we're not commending ourselves again. He wrote this
to the Corinthians. He said, we're giving you something where
you can glory on our behalf. You can take up for us and defend
us to them that glory in appearance and not in heart. But how did
Paul answer them? He preached the gospel of Christ.
He said, because Christ died, we've died in Him. And because
He lives, we live in Him. And He said, being born of the
Spirit of God, wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh. Though we've known Christ after
the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more after the
flesh. That's what Christ was telling
them. That's what he's teaching in our text. When I've gone to
the Father and sent the Spirit, you're not going to know me anymore
after the flesh. You're going to know me in a
greater way, in a more lasting way, in a way that's going to
bring you eternal joy. You're going to know me in spirit.
You're going to know me by faith. That's how we know Christ. Carnal
religion looked at Christ's life and they rejected him because
of him. But by the Spirit of God, true religion knows Christ
by faith. We worship Christ by faith. We
live looking to Christ by faith. We walk by faith. He's the joy
set before us just like God, His Father, and His people was
the joy set before Him. And so by faith we run the race
looking to Christ who's the author and finisher of our faith who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despised
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God. The blessings
of God are spiritual, brethren. They're experienced in the new
heart by the Spirit of God. That's why when things get dire
and everything looks impossible, we still have hope because it's
a spiritual blessing. We're saved by hope, but hope
that's seen is not hope. What a man seeth, why does he
yet hope for it? But if we hope for that we see
not, then do we with patient wait for it. Now, God gives us
outward blessing. He gives you outward things.
And God sometimes takes away outward things. But God's blessing
and His joy, it's not in the outward things. It's in the heart. whether He
takes things away or whether He gives you things. That's not
the blessing. If He's chastening you, just
taking something from you is not what's going to chasten you.
Many times God blessed His people spiritually in the heart without
giving them anything new temporally. In the scriptures you see that.
Sometimes He blessed them in the heart and took things away
from them outwardly. But on the other hand, when He
took everything away outwardly from the children of Israel,
carrying them away into captivity, those that weren't born of the
Spirit and that wasn't sanctified to their heart to teach them
the spiritual blessing of it, He didn't profit them at all
because God took things away from them. He just cast them
down that they didn't have anything. And when He delivered them back,
He didn't profit them spiritually either. He just made them feel
better because He gave them some outward things again. With those
who were His, He blessed them in their heart and granted them
repentance toward God and faith in Christ. And that's the blessing. That's the joy. Before that trial
came, Job believed God in spirit by the Spirit of God. He believed
God before the trial ever came. God said that about him. He's
a righteous man. He's only righteous in Christ.
He believed God. And you know why his faith didn't
fail in that trial? It didn't. You know why it didn't?
Same reason Peter's didn't. Christ Jesus is the author and
finisher of faith of all his people. That means he's your
head. He represented his people. He was Job's surety. And it's
by his perfect faithfulness that his people have been perfectly
faithful to God. God's not He's not looking at
our little mustard seed we call faith. It would be non-existent
sometimes. And it is sometimes. The perfect
faith of God's people is Christ. And the reason Job didn't fail
is Christ was interceding for him before the Father. And then
he came, just like he did to Peter, and taught Job an end. That's why Job, in the midst
of the trial, was able to say he believed God and say, I know
that after worms destroy this body, he's going to raise me
again and I'm going to see my Redeemer with my eyes. Brand
new eyes that he gives me. When he raises, my body will
do. I'm going to see him and not another. He believed God. And when God sanctified that
trial to his heart, You know why his latter end was greater
than the beginning? It wasn't because God gave him
physical, temporal things again. It wasn't. You know why it was
better? God made him know Christ more
in spirit through faith. That's why it was better. Job learned a little bit better
that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away temporal things, but
the spiritual blessings of God, the calling and gifts of God
are without repentance. He never takes them away. Job
learned a little more better. There's just one thing needful,
Christ. This is what Christ is teaching
us. That's what he was teaching the apostles that night. That's
why he did it. Couldn't he have just given them
strong faith to see what he was doing and know what he was doing?
Yeah, but he showed us something and showed them something by
doing it the way he did it. He showed us carnal sights, not
what saves. The carnal blessings, not what
you see with these eyes. It's not in temporal things.
It's not in Christ being with us in bodily presence that is
the blessing. He's done something even greater
by going to the cross and redeeming us and going back to the Father
and sending the Spirit. These blessings are spiritual.
This kingdom is spiritual. And He's doing this, He's working
everything in our lives to teach you and me and prepare you for
that day when your body is about to go back to the dust. and you
won't be able to find one ounce of assurance in anything in your
flesh and nothing in carnal things. I saw something on TV the other
day, I mean on the news the other day, that this guy who was a
great stock investor and he owned billions and he was one of the
greatest investors they ever had and had all these billions,
that he died. And my thought was, today he
don't own anything. All those billions are gone.
Then what? There's one thing we need, it's
Christ. One thing. Everything our sovereign
Savior brings to pass in a believer's life is working together for
our spiritual prophet to teach us Christ is our joy because
He's our righteousness. He's our holiness. He's our redemption. And He makes you know this through
faith that He gives you. And He makes you know all the
blessings are spiritual. They're eternal. They're never-ending. Paul said, our light affliction
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory. How so? While we look not at
things which are seen, but at things which are not seen. For
the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which
are not seen are eternal. Look to Christ, don't look to
the temporal. Why not? He that observeth the
wind shall not sow. He that regardeth the clouds
shall not reap. If you try to sow and you go
out and you just keep seeing clouds, well, I won't sow today.
There's clouds. You go out tomorrow, well, I'm
not going to sow today. There's too many clouds. Ah,
things just look bad. Looks like there's some rain
coming. I'm not going to sow today. The next thing you know,
the season's over. Faith believes God whether the
clouds and the storm or the hail or the hurricane or there's a
drought, whatever. No man and no corner thing can
take Christ your joy from you, child of God. Nobody. Listen
to this. The redeemed of the Lord shall
return and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy
shall be upon their head. They shall obtain gladness and
joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am
he that comforteth you. Who art thou that shouldest be
afraid of a man that shall die? I put my words in thy mouth,
I've covered thee in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant
the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion,
thou art my people. So here's the truth. Because
this is so, and it's so of God's children, that by the Spirit
we have faith and we look to Christ and He's going to keep
you looking to Him and keep this joy in your heart. This is so. You're going to be like Habakkuk.
Remember what he said? The just shall live by faith.
This is what that means. Here's what Habakkuk tells us
exactly what it means, that the just shall live by faith. Here's
what it means. This is what he was able to say. Although the
fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines,
the labor of the olive shall fail, the field shall yield no
meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there
will be no herd in the stalls. Oh, we're not blessed anymore. Does that mean we're not blessed?
If all that happens, does that mean you're not blessed? Hezekiah was given great honor
and great riches, and everybody looked at him and said, oh, he's
blessed. And that trial just started. No, if he takes all that away,
that don't mean that you're not blessed. It's what he said. Yet
will I rejoice in the Lord. Oh joy in the Lord. Not by any
power of his own. He knew better than that. He
said before that seeing these things coming, I have no strength
in me. How is he going to do it? The
Lord said. By me giving you the Spirit, giving you faith, your
sorrow is going to be turned to joy and no man is going to
take it from you. Nothing carnal is going to take
it from you. Nothing temporal is going to take it from you.
You are not even going to be able to take it from you. Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will enjoy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my
strength. He will make my feet like Heinz
feet. He will make me to walk upon
my high places. Now let me give you one last
word. One last word. You keep looking to Christ, and
looking to Christ only, that's the only place you're going to
find any joy. It's seeing that He's your only righteousness.
You don't have any. It's Him. He is the believer's
acceptance with God. God's pleased with him. You keep
looking to Him. You keep walking, putting one
foot in front of the other, looking to Christ. Peter didn't sink
down until he looked away and looked at the waves and looked
at the temporal things. Don't look at the wind. Don't
look at the waves. Keep looking to Him who rules
them. Keep looking to Him. Because there's another meaning
to this word when it says, He said, and again in a little while
you shall see me. Hebrews 10.37 says, Yet a little
while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry. He's coming back. So you keep
looking to Him. It might be tomorrow, it might
be tonight, it might be tomorrow, it might be the next day. Whenever
it is, He's coming. You keep looking to Him. Then,
you'll see Him with these eyes, like Job said, and you will see
Him and know Him as He is and be perfectly united to Him in
one. For now, you keep looking to
Him by faith, and don't look at things with carnal sight and
sink down. Look to Christ. He's your strength.
He's the only one that can make your feet like Heinz' feet. Keep
looking to Him. Amen. Father, we thank You for this
Word, ask You to bless it, ask You to make it alive in our heart
by Your Spirit. Lord Jesus, we ask you to send
the Spirit now. Work this in us. Fill us with
your joy. Make your joy be full in our
hearts by making us see we are complete in you, righteous in
you, accepted in you. You're our strength and you'll
never let us go. Lord, that's our joy. We got
a mighty God who is our Savior. That's our joy. Make us know
it, make us rejoice in you alone, and keep us looking to you alone. Grant us repentance toward God,
and grant us faith in our Lord Jesus. Thank you, Lord. In Christ's name we pray, amen.