DID YOU SEE WHAT I SAW?

MIKE CUNNINGHAM

April 20, 2008

 

 Those of you who were here last week know I did something I had never done before. I went out on a limb and turned a letter commenting on my sermon from the previous week into a sermon in itself. Judging from some of the feedback I received, the idea wasn’t a dud. Here’s a sampling. “Wow! Praise God from whom all blessing’s flow! How refreshing and honest!” “If Douglas isn’t a real person, you’re a very good storyteller.” “Just read your sermon (A letter from Douglas). After reading it I am convinced that the Holy Spirit is working in Douglas’ heart. I think Douglas is one of God's chosen and he does not even know it YET. I hope this is not just a onetime letter from Douglas because I would be very interested to hear more about him as the Holy Spirit continues to work in his heart. I also think Douglas should be proud of his GED and not think so low of himself. I would rather be titled a child of God then to be titled a Doctor, Lawyer or Professor.”  

 

 This morning I’m going to do something else I’ve never done before. I’m going to offer my view on that letter and turn it into a sermon. I’ve entitled it: “DID YOU SEE WHAT I SAW?” Through my God given eyes of faith I envisioned a timeless eternity in which God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit dwelled alone in the splendor of His majesty. It was in eternity past that He conceived of a plan to create our world and vast universe, including everything which would occur in the course of time, and everyone who would arrive on the scene of human history at specific moment in time,

And that included a young man named Douglas and you and me and each of our loved ones. At a preordained moment in time the Holy Spirit inspired a man named Moses to make the following incredible revelation to His chosen people.

 

Genesis 1:1 (NIV) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

 That letter from Douglas jogged my memory and I remembered that the Holy Spirit thousands of years later had inspired the Apostle John to elaborate on this awe inspiring fact.

 

John 1:1-14 (NIV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 The young man’s letter caused me to remember that from time to time God reminded the Jews through King David that He alone is the one true God and how people ought to respond to that revelation.

 

Psalms 33:1-9 (NIV) 1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. 4 For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. 5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. 6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

 Later the Holy Spirit inspired David’s son King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, to remind His human creatures why He created them. As I thought about the letter I remembered that fact.

 

Proverbs 16:4 (NKJV) 4 The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.

 The divinely inspired author of what has become known as the Epistle of Warning together with the Great Apostle Paul and finally in the last book of the Bible the Apostle John reiterated these eternal truths.

 

Hebrews 11:3 (NIV) 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Colossians 1:16 (NIV) 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

 Revelation 4:11 (NIV) 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Isaiah 42:5 (NIV) 5 This is what God the LORD says-- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:

Acts 17:28 (NIV) 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

John 15:5 (NIV) 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

 No human being has an excuse for not worshiping their Creator. Oh how I wish all people would wake up to that fact.

Romans 1:20 (NIV) 20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Psalms 19:1 (NIV) 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalms 104:24 (NIV) 24 How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

  Every human being ought to constantly be singing praises of thanksgiving to his and her Creator, but they don’t, do they? It’s also sad that often even His children who know better would rather wallow in self pity and ignore His manifold blessings.

Psalms 136:1-9 (NIV) 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. 4 to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. 5 who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. 6 who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. 7 who made the great lights-- His love endures forever. 8 the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. 9 the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever.

 When I thought of Douglas and his letter my memory was once again jogged, and the following passage concerning certain creatures that were special objects of His eternal love came to mind.

Ephesians 1:11 (NIV) 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

 Millions of books could be written without being able to come close to the full magnificence of that single sentence. I was able to see clearly that every one of Douglas’s life experiences, both the good and the bad, were all working together for his ultimate good and God’s own glory (Romans 8:28). I also saw that every one of them was each falling into place exactly as his Creator had planned and foreordained on the other side of eternity. Did you see what I saw? Consider the following passages as a sampling.

John 1:12-13 (NIV) 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

John 3:3-8 (NIV) 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Titus 3:5 (NIV) 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

1 Peter 1:3 (NIV) 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1 Peter 1:23 (NIV) 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

 Although Douglas didn’t realize it at the precise moment it occurred, it did happen exactly as planned in eternity past. Consider the following promises God made to His adoptive children. These are some of the things I saw clearly saw between the lines in that letter from Douglas.

Deuteronomy 30:6 (NIV) 6 The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NIV) 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

 He may not have realized it at the time, but I and those three folks whose feedback I quoted earlier were able to see that Douglas had become a new creature in Christ. Did you see what we saw?

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 I have to say the letter we’ve been considering was one of those good works God prepared in advance for you and I to hear or read. I saw that. Did you see what I saw? I hope you didn’t miss that one. Consider what else I saw in that letter.

John 5:21 (NIV) 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.

Ephesians 2:1 (NIV) 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV) 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.

Colossians 2:13 (NIV) 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

 As I have already mentioned several times, Douglas may not have been aware of it the moment it happened, I also saw that this inquisitive searcher of truth finally found it much like his spiritual forefathers did. And I was able to see in that letter how they found it. Did you see what I saw?

Matthew 11:25-27 (NIV) 25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. 27 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Matthew 13:10-11 (NIV) 10 The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" 11 He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

Matthew 13:16 (NIV) 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

Matthew 16:15-17 (NIV) 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

John 6:37 (NIV) 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

John 6:44-45 (NIV) 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

John 6:64-65 (NIV) 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

John 10:3-6 (NIV) 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

John 10:16 (NIV) 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

John 10:26-29 (NIV) 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

 When I thought of God working in the heart and mind of young Douglas I was able to imagine a wonderful scene of something He had planned to happen to another one of His chosen ones a long time ago.

Acts 16:12-14 (NIV) 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message just as He had opened the hearts of each of His adoptive children throughout history.

 In that letter did you see what I saw? Did you see Satan trying diligently to thwart God’s eternal purpose in bringing Douglas into His family? I hope you did. I saw our life-long adversary striving with everything he had to lead him astray through exposing him to bitterly angry men spewing falsehood and nonsense out of their mouths from so called Christian pulpit’s and radio. Earlier I saw Satan try his best to turn Douglas into a chronically angry person when his mother deserted him and his dad. And I also saw the irresistible power of God working mightily and overcame as He kept drawing Douglas forward in his search for truth. And I saw how God responds to such a sincere act of worshiping Him with his mind.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV) 7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

 These are just some of the wonderful things I saw in that letter to Douglas. Did you see what I saw? I would sure like to know. Finally, I can’t think of a better way to end this message than by offering my heart-felt gratitude and saying: PRAISE GOD THROUGH WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW, PRAISE HIM ALL CREATURES HERE BELOW, PRAISE HIM ABOVE THE HEAVENLY HOST, PRAISE FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOST!

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