I WILL BEHOLD THY FACE–PSALM 17:15
“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”
Introduction:
One of the promises that continually encourages God’s people is the promise of seeing Jesus in Glory. Over the centuries many Christians have died for the cause of Christ singing His praises as they suffered for Him.
While our suffering may not be as great as some of those who have gone before us, we still have the promises of the Word of God that we too will “see Him as He is.”
I. I WILL BEHOLD HIS FACE
A. He will manifest Himself to us, Psalm 4:6, “There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.”
1. We will be glad, Psalm 21:6, “For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.”
2. We will walk with the Lord, Psalm 89:15, “Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.”
B. We shall know Him, Job 19:26-27, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27- Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another [not a stranger]; though my reins be consumed within me.”
1. Moses had this hope, Numbers 24:17, “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”
2. Paul had the same hope, Philippians 1:23, “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:”
C. It will be a time great rejoicing, Psalm 119:111, “Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.”
1. The promise of God rejoices the heart, Psalm 19:8, “The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.:”
2. By the Word of God we are called by His name, Jeremiah 15:16, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.”
II. I SHALL BE SATISFIED
A. With Eternal Life, Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
1. For the pure in heart, Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
2. Based on the love of Christ, Ephesians 3:19, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
B. With my inheritance in Christ, Psalm 36:8-9, “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9-For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.”
1. In the resurrection, Isaiah 26:19, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.”
2. As those who came out of the grave at the death of Jesus Christ, Matthew 27:52-53, “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53- And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
C. I shall be satisfied with Your likeness, Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
1. With a changed body, Philippians 3:21, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
a. Some will not die, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52- In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
b. In a moment every believer of all time will be changed, We shall be like Jesus, 1 John 3:2-3, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3- And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
2. In God’s presence, Colossians 3:4, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
a. Not because of our righteousness, Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all as an unclean thing , and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
b. But as Daniel prayed for God’s great mercy, Daniel 9:18, “O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.”
c. For His great love, Ephesians 2:4-6, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5- Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, ( by grace ye are saved;) 6- And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”
CONCLUSION:
We are blessed with the promises of God and will one day look into His eyes in Glory. That will the greatest moment in our life. We will be in that “changed” body, a body like His body, absolutely perfect and without sin or any of its weaknesses. It will be a great day!