The Father Revealed - 8/20/2023

When you think of God, what image do you see? A familiar image is a larger-than-life man sitting on His throne with white hair, a long beard, and a stern-looking face with piercing eyes. The picture usually includes angels surrounding His throne worshipping Him, as a bright light shines over Him. If there were no beard, no throne, no angels, and no lights, would you recognize Him? If God was standing in front of you as an ordinary man, with a normal voice and no supernatural signs happening around Him, how would you recognize Him? What clues would tell you that there was something about this Person that was different from any other man you had ever met?

We believe we would see the difference in His eyes and hear a familiarity in His voice. But one quality that would set Him apart from all other men would be His love, which would be immediately recognizable because we have felt it in various ways over our lifespan. We would recognize the heart of the Person who had rescued us on several occasions and had come near to us in our darkest hours. We would recognize in His voice; that still, small voice that spoke to our spirit and comforted, guided, and encouraged us when we needed it most. If we met God on the street in the form of a man, we wouldn't be meeting a stranger. We would recognize a friend. How about you? Would you recognize Him if all the glorious outward signs of His divine nature were hidden? The Bible tells us that God is near to every human, as close as our next breath (Acts 17:26-28). This means that no one in the world would be meeting a stranger. Each person would have some memory of that divine love and voice. The difference would be how each one responded when they encountered Him. Some would be glad to see Him. Others would be afraid or angry. And with that understanding in mind, let's listen to the explanation Jesus gave His disciples as to why they would be persecuted.