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Big Idea:
God blesses us by letting us behold his glory, and it deeply satisfies our souls.
Mr. Eclipse
I think it’s a sense of belonging, belonging to this incredible universe, both belonging and a humbleness That how minuscule we are, and yet we’re a part of this fantastic cosmic wheel of motion in the solar system. You almost get a three-dimensional sense of the motions of the Earth and the moon around the sun when you see this clockwork displayed right in front of you, this mechanics of the Eclipse taking place. It’s almost like lifts you up off the planet and you can look back down at the solar system and see how it’s all put together.
Andy Crouch
All our lives, what we really have been looking for is blessing. We once lay on a mother’s breast, looking for a face. We were not looking for magic because we did not need it. All we needed was a person.
One day we will come to the end of our lives. Whatever magic medicine managed to do will have come to an end. Our need at that moment will be just what it was the moment we were born.
Numbers 6:22–27
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Genesis 3 Adam & Eve
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence [face] of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Cain:“Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden” [Gen 4:14]
Jacob:“So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered” [Gen 32:30]
Moses:“You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” [Exodus 33:20]
Psalm 27
You have said,
“Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, LORD, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
Psalm 31
Make your face shine on your servant;
save me in your steadfast love!
Michael Glodo
We need to be seen and known by God to fully know ourselves.
This interpersonal, relational need is the essence of our nature and its satisfaction is found in seeing and being seen by God.
God made us with faces so that his could shine on ours.
Numbers 6:22–27
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
The Fulfillment of This Blessing—Now
We look everywhere for substitutes. Our lives are spent looking in different places for what we lost — the only thing that will deeply satisfy us, which is the deep delight of God’s face shining upon us.
Charles Spurgeon
When our Lord smiles on us, we see the face of God—that face not veiled with frowns, but bright with smiles: a face full of love and favour, a face which was once turned away, but is now turned towards us in peace. “The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.”
Dearly beloved, is there any grace conceivable like the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? and is there any light conceivable like the shining of the love of God?
Charles Spurgeon
A few moments ago the fog surrounded this place, and we seemed as if we were descending into pitch darkness; but, in an instant, light poured in through yonder windows, and there was an immediate change; and now the sun is shining upon us, a thing to be noted in this rarely sun-lit land.
In this I see a symbol of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We come upon a period of gloom and deep depression, and midnight lowers upon our day; and then a breath of the heavenly wind chases away the fog, and the Sun of Righteousness rises, and the scene is changed. Let us have the favour of God, and all our troubles are less than nothing.
Fulfillment Later – Rev 21
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” One day we will see God’s glory fully, and it will deeply satisfy our souls. It will be the most beautiful, soul-satisfying thing we’ve ever seen, and it will make us deeply happy.
We will see him and be with him
David Mathis:It “will not be momentary or static, but eternal and dynamic — ever clearer and deeper”
Jonathan Edwards:“After they have had the pleasure of beholding the face of God millions of ages, it will not grow a dull story; the relish of this delight will be as exquisite as ever.”
That is our hope. That is what we long for. God blesses us by letting us behold his glory, and it deeply satisfies our souls. We get to experience it now, dimly, but we will experience it fully one day, and it will satisfy your soul for eternity.