FACE TO FACE
Dear Friends: This is Sept. 12th, a day after the memorial for 9/11. This Word has been working on me since before we left Florida in mid-August, and also before Katrina, which in many ways has the same implications of false security and the blame game. This is the first opportunity I have had to get it down on paper. I had no way of anticipating the events or the connection to this Word, except that all God's Words lead to a security "in Christ." From the Trade Towers (financial might) to the Pentagon (military might) and right on through the forceful might of the elements (Hurricane Katrina), we are left with a reality that in this world, nothing is safe. To place our security in things of this world surely will lead to disappointment and despair. We are not to be foolish and think that catastrophic things can only happen to other people. While we often hear of the Scripture which Jesus speaks regarding God "sending rain on the just and the unjust, and making the sun rise on the evil and on the good" (Matt. 5:45) we also need to understand Jesus' words when He speaks of the calamities that befall all men, both good and bad. In Luke 13:1-5, Jesus says that the people were looking at things wrongly. They were focusing on whether or not the victims of Pilate and the eighteen people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them were more sinful than others. This was a very common view in those days, much like the people's view that the rich young ruler reflected the blessings of Abraham, so that he appeared to them to be right with God.
When we look at these (and other) issues we can get very confused. Yet when we turn our eyes to Jesus and see His solutions, the distractions of the issues lose their exalted position. We are then free to deal with the issues, empowered by God, and with His understanding to deal with all things, from a position of security. In the Luke 13 passage, Jesus states in both instances that WE are to repent! Does that answer seem odd considering the questions the people were feeling? He is dealing with their focus. They were fearful and wondering what they should do. He was saying "be prepared," like a bride was to be ready for her bridegroom. "Except you repent, you shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13: 3 & 5) It does not appear that He was focused on the temporal things of this life as they were.
Paul writes, about the glory of God, "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, [is dying] yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, [trouble] which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 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 unseen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:16-18) Why is it that we have this strong tendency to give greater value to the temporal? It is because of our focus! We have drifted or been led very far from the clear message of Jesus Christ, Who clearly tells us that we cannot serve two masters. In Matt. 6: 19-34, Jesus tells us to serve God only, for only God can preserve us. All else fails, things come and go, but God is eternal. The verses in this text that I am drawn to are "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore your eye be single, [clear] your whole body shall be full of light, but if your eye be evil, [foggy] your whole body shall be full of darkness...." (Matt. 6: 22 & 23) God wants our undivided attention. Only when we have this relationship will we be equipped to deal with life's realities in really meaningful ways. When our focus is on the temporal issue at hand, we do not see the eternal consequences. This does not mean we don't deal with issues, but rather we deal with Him Who is above the issues, and He imparts to us His wisdom, His attributes, to deal with them. With man there is no remedy! It is when we mix the two focuses that we become helpless. Luke translates these words of Jesus a bit differently. "If your whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole body shall be full of light..." (Luke 11:36)
When we understand Paul's words in the passage quoted above about light afflictions being for a moment, as a lifetime ordeal which we shall endure while we are still here in the flesh, and that our investing in the temporal is foolish, we will see that we are mixing light and darkness. And the only way to get rid of the darkness is to run to the Light!
In the Light, in His Presence, Face to Face with God, there is exposure. Now, the flesh does not want exposure, but the flesh is temporal. The soul wants freedom, yet is bound by the lusts of the flesh that war against it. Because we have this struggle, this "momentary light affliction" I call it, we get exhausted in our futile attempts to get right with God, much like Paul's revelation in Romans 7. Though he wants to do the whole will of God, he finds something within him warring against it. This is not a bad thing, because it leads us to total dependence upon the Lord to do the very work in us that we desire. It causes us to cease from our own labors. He not only put that desire in us, He gives us the ability to do it. The only catch is that we must die to the tendency of our flesh which wants to provide the power to do it, so that it can boast in itself! It's subtle, but it is there. Always deceiving us as it masquerades as piety, the flesh is the very thing we are being delivered from. When we focus on the issue of our sin we do not see that the problem is our flesh wanting to rule and reign. Whether the flesh "sins" with the individual transgression, or "sins" with the exalting of itself as it battles the transgression, it still opposes God. It does not submit to Him as it boasts of what it has accomplished by its own power. A flesh victory over the flesh is still a spiritual failure! It does not provide eternal benefits. On the contrary, it builds confidence in the flesh that later develops into a boasting of the flesh which denies the Mercy of God and the Blood of Jesus Christ. Just look at the passage in Matt. 7: 21-23 in which people boasted in what they had accomplished in Jesus' name. He says, "I never knew you." Their testimony was not how they trusted in the Blood Of Jesus Christ, but rather in what they had done!
In dealing with the exposure that sets us free, it takes faith to come to God. Only faith pleases God! Faith manifests itself by its actions (works). Some works reveal fear, as we substitute fleshly (blemished) offerings that religiously atone for our transgressions. The faith that pleases God is when we completely look to Him to provide what we finally realize we cannot provide for ourselves, Holy Offerings. Though we are told to "be ye Holy; for I am Holy," (1 Pet. 1:16) it is pretty obvious that that which is unholy cannot make itself holy. Darkness cannot make itself light. In desperation, being brought to the end of our resources, we are to come to Him to Whom nothing is hidden, for "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do." (Heb. 4:13) This is a reference to Psalm 90 which also refers to our temporal condition on this earth. "The days of our years... (contain strength, labor and sorrow) is soon cut off and we fly away" (Ps. 90:10) Yet the naked part which Hebrews refers to says this: "You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance" (Ps. 90: 8) This word "Countenance" is the same word as "Face" and "Presence," and it reveals that the brightness (Light) of His Presence exposes and drives away the darkness. When we realize that nothing of us is hid from Him we either have to hide ourselves behind religious fig leaves (which do no good) or repent of our evil ways and draw near to Him. This has always been His intent. He knew where Adam was when he called out "where are you?" (Gen. 3:9) I make that reference to religious fig leafs, but they also put on aprons (coverings). Both are significant in that within sin there is a conviction of wrong that is being denied. I think there is a stronghold of sin in our lives that believes the lie that God cannot look upon sin. It is us who cannot look upon God because of our sin! Yet there must be a way to get to God, there h as to be. There is, and it is in the covering of Christ, the Lord Our Righteousness!
Before I get into the passages about our meeting God "Face To Face," I need to deal with the fear that is rightly felt concerning sinful man coming into the Presence of God Who is Holy. The words "Face" and "Presence" are the very same word in Hebrew (as is the word "Countenance" previously mentioned). "In His Sight" is also connected to "Face" and "Presence." Moses sought and found Grace in God's Sight. Exodus 33 is the beginning of this understanding, and I recommend you read the whole chapter. Moses says to God, "Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found Grace in Your Sight, show me now Your way, that I might KNOW you, that I might find Grace in Your Sight...." (Ex. 33:13) Moses sought it so that he might KNOW God and His ways, and we see that he found it as God responds: "And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that you have spoken: for you have found Grace in My Sight, and I KNOW you by name." (Ex. 33:17) This is in response to God telling Moses to lead His people to the Promised Land. Moses in turn responded by reminding God that "this nation is Your people." (Ex. 33:14) To this response God says, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest [peace]." (Ex. 33:14) Moses says to God: "If Your Presence does not go with me, carry me not hence." (Ex. 33:15) Moses would not even consider doing any of this if God was not going to be with him! In this discussion with God, God assures Moses of His provision. This comes from drawing near to God. Moses goes on to ask: "I beseech you, show me Your Glory." (Ex. 33:18) The rest of the chapter, verses 19 through 23 tell of the Hand of God covering Moses to protect him from the Glory! This is the area of Scripture that is so often quoted: "You cannot see My face, for there shall no man see Me, and live." (Ex. 33:20) After God passes by, He takes away His protective Hand and Moses sees God's back parts (from the position of the clift of the Rock) . Keep in mind that Moses was a sinner like we are (in Adam all men are made sinners). It is God who called Moses out. It is God who prepared Moses for God's purposes. God worked in Moses to make him uncomfortable with the riches of Egypt and caused him to roam wildernesses and deserts. All because God wants to manifest His Love to His creation.
Everything I just quoted in Exodus 33 (12 through 23) is preceded by this less-discussed (I've never heard it discussed) statement by God, "And the Lord spoke to Moses Face to Face, as a man speaks to his friend...." (Ex. 33:17) Is this a contradiction of Scripture (vs. 20) or is it just something we have been afraid to look at? I trust it will be a liberating understanding that illuminates our access to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!We are all Partakers! From whomever or whatever we draw near to, we take from. As we were warned not to be "partakers of her sins" (Rev. 18:4), we are likewise encouraged to become partakers of the things of God that are freely given to us of God. "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." (Heb. 3:14) This confidence can only come to a person through the direct revelation of God, for "God has revealed them to us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God." (1 Cor. 2:11) There are a number of things which we are made partakers of: "the inheritance," (Col. 1:12) "the benefit," ( 1 Tim. 6:2) "the divine nature," (2 Pet. 1:4) and "His promise in Christ" (Eph. 3:6) and we are "partakers of the heavenly calling ... if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." (Heb. 3: 1 & 14). I repeat verse 14 of Heb. 3 because it is so vital to our growth in Christ. When we lose this confidence (which was imparted to us) we fall away from the very fellowship with God that sustains us. Anything that causes us to draw away from God is antichrist. No matter what the offense or transgression, our God wants us to come to Him. We can only come in Christ's Righteousness to begin with, and some of us lose sight of that through religious thoughts of self-righteous merit. We are to seek to please Him, but we draw near to Him in faith, faith in Jesus Christ! Sin comes in many forms and its intent is to keep us from God, most deceptively as religious justification. "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exh ort one another daily, while it is called To-day; lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." (Heb. 3:12 & 13) This "evil heart of unbelief" can only come about by a rejection of Him who calls us. It is a corruption of a pure heart, the one we have been given from above. That pure heart gets corrupted by our partaking of that whorish Babylonian spirit that tempts us to go after strange gods, which are no gods at all.
We may not be erecting a golden calf, but things of this life get woven into the fabric of our faith, that cause us to depart from the living God, while we wrongly assume we are with God. This "God" of our making is designed to serve us and provide things of this life. If we maintained a pure knowledge of our Holy God we would not forget where we came from and where He brought us. We are no different from the Israelites, brought from the bondage of Egypt into the Promised Land. Do we go a-whoring after other gods? Hosea describes the results of this whoredom. "Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. My people ask counsel at their stocks [wooden images], and their staff [divining rod] declares unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms has caused them to err, and they have gone a-whoring from under their God." (Hosea 4: 11 - 12) Through their whoredoms they chose to come out from under God's protection! Again, in Jeremiah, we read about backsliding Israel, who played the harlot: "And I said, after she [Israel] had done all these things, Turn thou unto Me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister saw it.... Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness [easy acceptance] of her whoredom that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks." (Jer. 3: 6-9) They substituted worshipping God with a worship of things.
When we forsake Christ as our only Holiness we stand naked before God, but falsely assume we are clothed in a righteousness that protects us. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on that Cross (altar) makes us Holy! This is why we must walk by faith and not by any other confidence. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God [or, in view of God's mercy], that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Rom. 12:1) This presenting of our bodies as a living sacrifice is a placing of our lives on the altar of God, the Cross of Jesus Christ! It is not a fleshly work of bodily subjection, it is a dying to self that recognizes it has no worthiness, yet it has confidence in that Holy Altar to make it worthy. It is only reasonable that like the olive branches which boasted of themselves and not the root, we too can be cut off if we boast not in the root! (Rom. 11:16-21) "If the root be Holy, so are the branches." (Rom. 11:16) Christ IS Holy, thereby making us Holy. I may not appear to be bearing as much fruit as I think I should, yet my confidence in Christ is that I will bear His fruit, for He is in me, and works within me to do this very thing.
When we truly do have confidence in Christ we will come to God knowing of His love for us. That love is revealed to all mankind by the Cross of Christ, and illuminated by the Spirit of God. When we fully rely upon Him we exhibit our faith for all to see, even in, and especially in, our times of trouble. Paul writes about his bonds (imprisonment) "that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel." (Ph. 1: 12) This was based upon his knowledge of the love of God and his security in Christ which were not subject to the laws of sin and death. He did not fear what man could do to him. Nor was he threatened by those who preached Christ differently from him, though he does declare that good will, sincerity, love and truth is to be preferred over envy, strife and contention. (Ph. 1: 15-18) Through bonds, suffering, and conflict, Paul looked to God, not allowing the things of this world to rule his life as he reflected "the faith of the gospel, ... the gospel of Christ." (Ph. 1:27) How opposite was his view, compared to today's focus on worldly gratification! He did not rant and rave against the opposition; no, He drew near to God. He gives us the example in his life, and in his words: "stand fast in one Spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified [dismayed] by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token [sign] of perdition, but to you of salvation and that of God." (Ph. 1:27 - 28) Today, we have allowed teachings to lead us to believe that we have the power so nothing should terrify us and we can defeat whatever threatens our comfort zones. Paul is exalting what God has done for him in Christ and telling us not to fear what man can do to us. When we rant and rave against the opposition we show that our focus is on earthly things, not heavenly. When we don't esteem Him more highly than things and we don't exalt what He has done fo r us, we look for what He will do. We "testify" of our faith. Either we trust God in and through all things, as Stephen did while being stoned to death, or we rant and rave, rebuke, bind, and condemn all things that we perceive are against us. What do our actions say about our faith? An honest evaluation would reveal that much of what today is claimed to be faith is actually fear. While maybe fooling ourselves with this militant Christianity, our adversaries see it as an evident token of perdition, because we do not rest in our faith.
When we reflect these negative witnesses, the adversary merely laughs and encourages it. Yet when we abide in Christ as our protection we rest in the knowledge of the Truth that "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world," (1 John 4: 4) and nothing "shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8: 39) When we seek to preserve this life in the flesh we choose to lose our life in Christ. When we do this we honor man, not God. If any would think I am encouraging adversity through bad behavior I would say as Paul said, about sinning more so Grace could abound, "God forbid!" We are just not to fear the opposition, for the conflicts pertain to things of this life that we live in the flesh. So much of our warfare is carnal, based upon preserving this life's comforts, when we are called to die to it. The Lord uses all things for our good, and often brings trials to purge us of the evil we have picked up along the way. We are not to fight against Him as we wrongly assume we are resisting the devil. James writes: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (Jam. 4: 7- 8) This cleansing and purifying admonition is a warning to make us aware of the pollutions we have brought into the Temple of God. We are to place ourselves daily upon that altar as living sacrifices, needing to be made Holy, and by faith knowing that only God can purge us with the fire that is required. This fire will not consume us as we draw near to God under the covering of Christ.
I would like to say, "in conclusion," but I am faced with the wonderful reality that with God we have no end. How unsearchable are the riches of Christ! (Eph. 3:8) "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable." (Psalms 145:3) "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and His ways past finding out!" (Rom. 11:33) "But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches the deep things of God." (1 Cor. 2:9) Those deep things cannot be unearthed by man, they must be revealed by God's Spirit! Every good thing in us is a work of God, whereas the heart of man without God "is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked," (Jer. 17: 9) and leans toward its own understanding. "For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." (1 Cor. 1: 18). Oh, that we would maintain the faith to believe that the power of God could reveal His provision in our every need! "For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men"... [and we that have received this Grace should be] "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem [rescue] us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:11, 13 & 14). Is our faith in Him to do this? Lord, help us to know that Christ loved us "and gave Himself for it [us, the church, so that] ... He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be Holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-27)
It is God alone preparing us for the upcoming event. Be prepared, that is, look to Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith! "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." (Rev. 19: 7- 8) It is His Righteousness that I am to put on, not my own. I am learning to let go of all false hopes of man, even my own interpretations of the Bible, and turn to the God of my salvation. In Him alone can I trust, all else fails! I will leave you with Jesus' own words: "Let not you heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's House are many mansions.... I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go [and He DID) and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:1- 3)
I pray that even one word of this may provoke you to go to God. I'm sorry I cannot fully convey my deepest thoughts concerning this Face-to-Face need we have, yet I know you are aware of our very need for it. May He give us all the Grace to pursue it!
With much love, Joe (with Mercy)