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This podcast is a production of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, USA. Watermark exists to be and make more fully devoted followers of Christ, looking to God's Word as our only authority, conscience and guide.
Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? Good to see you. I hope all is well. Welcome to church. If this is your first time ever with us, here's what I want you to know. We're not here to play games with God. We believe God is here, and we have the joy and the privilege of meeting with him together. So, I don't know if you came here to meet with God, but I believe he's here to meet with you today.
Before we jump into the Word of God together, I just want to continue to bring good news your way, which I feel like I've had the joy of doing the last few weeks. If you remember, last week we shared that God released about \$1.6 million through our church to reach the nations with the Word of God. That was incredible news, but it gets better. Last week, we had closed giving, but there were still checks in the mail that were being processed. I'm so glad to tell you today that God has released \$2,438,345 through this church family.
Here is what that means, if you're acclimating. When we started this partnership with the Seed Company, we said we had seven different opportunities we could unlock. With what was released by God up until last week, we unlocked six of the seven. With what has been raised now, we were able to unlock the seventh, and we were able to go back to the Seed Company, and they were able to unlock an entire eighth opportunity.
So, just so you know, what we have gotten to be a part of… This is what happens when the people of God sync up with the heart of God and respond to the leading of the Spirit of God. We as a church, by responding to God, will be able to make the Word of God accessible to 17,102,597 people, which is incredible.
With all eight opportunities unlocked, it will mean that 10 languages will get their first Scriptures ever, 10 languages will get their first full New Testament ever, and 3 languages will finally have the full Bible for the first time. Then there will be four engagements toward completing full Bible in four different sign languages. This is just a reminder that together, surrendered to Jesus, God wants to use us to reach the world, literally the world. It's a joy to get to do that with you and to celebrate that with you today.
Let's pray, and then let's meet with God through his Word by the leading of his Spirit. I just want to give you an opportunity to pray really quickly. Here's what I want to ask you to pray specifically. Just say, "Jesus, I want to see you clearly this morning." Would you pray that? Then, pray that for the people around you. Say, "God, would you help my friends, my family, and the other people in this room to see you clearly?" Then, would you pray for me? Would you pray that I would see Jesus clearly and that God would use me and speak through me to you?
Lord, there are no routine Sundays in your kingdom. This is the only time in history that this specific group of people will be gathered. So, God, would you do what you have had planned in your heart for a long time? I pray that you would give us eyes to see you, that you would unlock our hearts in a supernatural way to respond fully to you, God. I pray that you would shut the door to the Enemy, and I pray that as the seed of your Word is sown right now, it would fall on good soil that would lead to fruitfulness over the course of the next week. We love you, and we give this time to you. In Jesus' name, amen.
When I was 16 years old, I got my driver's license. When I got my driver's license, I had a Class A restriction on my license, which many of you have as well, which just means I have to wear corrective lenses when I drive. I've always resented that restriction. One of the reasons I resented it was because (I've shared this before) I feel like I've been able to see fine all of my life. I have an astigmatism in my right eye, but my left eye can do the heavy lifting, and I don't feel like I have needed glasses.
So, even though my license said I need glasses to drive, I was like, "No. I can drive just fine without them." So, I proceeded to start driving without my glasses, and I was like, "I'm crushing this, so that restriction is pointless." When I went to get my license renewed, I was like, "Look. I'm going to show these people that something is different now than it was when I originally got my license. I'm going to take this driving sight test again, and they're going to see that I don't need restrictive lenses. They're going to ask my forgiveness for putting it on there in the first place, and they're going to remove it."
So, I went to the DPS. I waited in line. I got up to the counter, and I put my face up to this machine where I'm looking at the R chart. The lady asked me to read line three, so that's what I did. I proceeded to read line three. Do you know that feeling when you go to the eye doctor, and they ask you to read the chart, and you read it, and you feel pride in that moment? Do you know what I'm talking about? You're like, "I might be the first one ever to read that line." So, I read line three. I crushed line three. I got every single character in line three.
I pulled my face away from the machine expecting to see amazement and wonder on the DPS worker's face. Instead, she looked confused and unsatisfied. She looked at me like I had taken an unnecessary pause. She looked at me and said, "You didn't finish." I was like, "What are you talking about?" She was like, "Well, you didn't read the third column." Line three had three different columns to it. She was like, "You didn't read the third column." I was like, "I didn't read the third column because there were two columns."
So then I put my face back up to the machine. I have an astigmatism in my right eye, so I put my left eye where my right eye goes. Guess what I saw: column three. The lady wasn't lying. (If anyone wants to go for a drive after church, I'll be happy to drive you around, safe and sound. No problem here.) That was a jarring moment. It really was. It was a humbling moment, but it was a jarring moment, because one second I felt very confident, and the next second I was very confused and insecure. The reason was I was confident that I was seeing when I wasn't.
The reason I share that with you is I just wonder if that might describe your relationship with Jesus, at least right now. Is it possible that you've even stepped in here this morning with a confidence that you were seeing Jesus clearly when you aren't? Is it possible that you wouldn't even know it, you wouldn't even realize that you're not seeing Jesus?
My hope is I might be able to, in some ways, serve as that spiritual DPS worker behind the counter to just say, "Hey, you're not finished. There's more to see. There's column three to Jesus. You might think you're seeing, but you're actually not." If you're sitting there, and you're like, "I don't know what you're talking about when you say I'm not seeing Jesus; I feel like I _am_ seeing Jesus," let me give you some working definitions so you can evaluate where you're at.
When I talk about seeing Jesus, I'm talking about a biblical concept known as _spiritual sight_. Think about when Jesus feeds 5,000, then feeds 4,000, and gets onto a boat with his disciples, and they're worrying that they didn't bring bread. Jesus is like, "Hello, McFly. If there's one thing you don't have to worry about, it's where you're going to find bread. I'm in the business of making a lot of it." Jesus says to them, "Having eyes, have you not seen?" Spiritual sight.
_Spiritual sight_ is simply beholding Jesus in a way that results in worship. So, if you want to know if you're seeing Jesus clearly, just look. Are you living a life of worship? Every Sunday we end by saying, "Have a great week of worship." Do we mean "Have a great week of singing a lot"? No. Is your life a life of worship? Spiritual sight is beholding Jesus in a way that results in worship. _Spiritual blindness_ is an inability to see Jesus, which results in a lack of worship.
So, if you're at a point where there is a lack of worship in your life, there's a lack of sight. So just evaluate. Are you working right now with spiritual sight or spiritual blindness? If part of you is like, "You know what? If that's the definition of spiritual sight…there's a lack of worship in my life…that's indicating to me that there's a lack of sight…" If you're having that realization, then even right now, in the quietness of your own heart, just say, "Jesus, I want to see."
If you have a Bible, I want to invite you to turn with me to Luke 24, which is a story about sight. It's a story about spiritual sight. We just read it yesterday if you're on the Journey with us. If you're not, you can hop on tomorrow. We're starting the gospel of John. It's my favorite gospel. Enjoy it. But jump in with us.
We're looking at Luke 24, which is a story known as the _road to Emmaus_, and it's a story about sight. The reason I say it's a story about sight is because here's what it says in verse 16: **"But their eyes were kept from recognizing him."** Then you go to verse 31, and it says, **"And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him."** So, this is a story about sight. It starts with people who have spiritual blindness; it ends with people who have spiritual sight.
When verse 31 says, "And their eyes were opened," I'm just letting you know, as your pastor, that's my prayer for you and for me, that today your eyes would be opened and mine would be as well. If you're here, and you don't have a relationship with Jesus, I hope you see him for the first time. If you've known Jesus for a long time, I hope you see him again as if you're seeing him for the first time. That's my hope and prayer. As we walk through the story, I just want to give you some key truths you need to know when we're talking about spiritual sight.
1\. _It's possible to be with Jesus and not see Jesus_. Just think. Did I just describe you? It's possible to be with Jesus and not see Jesus. Look with me at Luke 24:13. **"That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him."**
So, this story is taking place the day Jesus rose from the dead. This is the day that disciples found the tomb empty. So, you have two people who are making a seven-mile journey, and it says they're talking about everything that has happened. What all are they talking about? Well, there's a lot there. Think about everything that has happened over Holy Week. You have the triumphal entry. Jesus cleanses the temple. They're probably talking about the fact that Jesus had been arrested and was on trial.
Barabbas, a criminal, a murderer, was released instead of Jesus. Jesus was crucified between two criminals. The sky grew dark in the middle of the day. The curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. People who had died actually came back to life and out of the tombs. I don't know if you've read that part in the Gospels. Jesus was buried. His tomb was heavily guarded by soldiers. It had been a crazy week. That's what they're talking about.
Then Jesus kind of comes up and starts eavesdropping on their conversation. He invades their personal space. He gets closer than anyone should. He moves in close, and he doesn't just eavesdrop; he interjects himself into their conversation. When he does, the text is clear that they don't recognize him. Their reality was that they were with Jesus, but they didn't see Jesus.
So, I'm asking you: Is that _your_ reality right now? Here's how you will know. I've already established that a lack of worship is always due to a lack of sight. So, is there a lack of worship in your life? When I talk about a lack of worship, I'm talking about… Is there a lack of gratitude toward Jesus in your life right now? Is there a lack of awe or affection for Jesus right now? Is there a lack of desire to spend time with Jesus?
Is there a lack of joy in Jesus? Is there a lack of comfort or peace in Jesus for you right now? Is there a lack of reverence for Jesus or a lack of dependence upon Jesus? Is there a lack of submission to the leadership of Jesus or a lack of obedience to the ways of Jesus? If there's a lack of any of those things, then there is a lack of sight. It's possible that you're with Jesus but you're not seeing Jesus.
We see this in the two guys who are on the road to Emmaus. We even see it in the next verse. Look at verse 17. Look at what is true of them. **"And he said to them, 'What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?' And they stood still, looking sad."** Isn't that interesting that the resurrected Christ is with them and they're sad? Why are they sad? It's because they don't realize their comfort is right in front of them. Dale Ralph Davis puts it this way: their darkness is only an inch away from the light. But they don't realize it. There's a lack of sight. Is this true of you?
I know it has been true of me this past week. One of the things I've been trying to do… Not every night, but what I've tried to do at night is to carve out space to just sit and be still with the Lord. So, I'll set a timer for 10 minutes, and it'll either be a time where I just sit quietly and seek to enjoy God's presence and just listen if there's anything God wants to say to me or I'll ask the Spirit of God to process the day with me and show me anything I need to say "Thank you" for.
On Tuesday night of this week, I was viewing those 10 minutes…it's only 10 minutes…as the thing standing in the way of me doing what I really wanted to do, which was to just relax on the couch and watch a show. That's what I really wanted to do. Just think about that. Those 10 minutes were standing in the way of what I wanted most.
Do you know what that showed me? It showed me that I wasn't seeing Jesus clearly. For some reason, at least on Tuesday night, I was blinded to the reality that Jesus is more refreshing, more replenishing, more enjoyable, and more satisfying than relaxing on the couch truly could be. It was a lack of sight.
So, is it possible that _you're_ with Jesus without seeing Jesus? If right now your relationship with Jesus is all discipline and no delight… Like, if you have discipline for Jesus for days but there's no delight, then there's a sight issue. God isn't up in heaven, like, "Oh, that's my boy. That's my girl. They don't like it, but at least they do it. Isn't that awesome, angels? Did you see how they just muscled through that time with me today? Oh, my heart is full of joy. I love it when my kids do it out of obligation. That's my favorite." No.
Or if you're completely caught up on the reading plan right now, but you're consistently looking at porn or consistently harsh with your spouse or refusing to forgive or consistently bending the truth, there's a sight issue. Or if you're hardly reading the Bible right now… I get up here every Sunday, and I'm like, "Hey, just pick right up with us. Let's finish the year well. We're starting the New Testament," and some of you are like, "I've already read the New Testament." What?!
"I've already read it. Been there, done that." Okay. If you've had that thought, like, "I already know it, so I don't think it'll do it for me…" Sight problem. Get to the doctor quickly, because there's something going wrong in your heart. There's a sight issue. If you hardly pray…you don't see the value in it or the point in it…there's a sight issue. It's possible to be with Jesus without seeing Jesus.
2\. _It takes a work of God to see Jesus_. Look at verse 15. Again, it says, **"While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him."** Isn't it interesting that their eyes were _kept_? Why weren't they able to recognize him? They weren't able to recognize Jesus because God actually prevented them from recognizing him. It shows that it takes a work of the Spirit of God for anyone to actually see Jesus. You desperately need God's help to see God.
God in his kindness gives us his Holy Spirit, and his Holy Spirit, who is God living inside of us… The Holy Spirit actually gives us the capability, the capacity, to see Jesus. The Holy Spirit's primary objective in the life of a Christian is to glorify Christ. I get that from John 16:13-14. Jesus says, **"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you."**
The Holy Spirit's objective is to help you see Jesus as clearly as possible. So, if you're here even right now, and you walked in here without a relationship with Jesus Christ, but something in you, ever since you walked in, feels like your heart is on fire right now… It's like Jesus is pounding on the door of your heart. Something in you feels like you're understanding in a way that you never have.
For some reason, you're here, and you're realizing you need Jesus, you want to be made right with God by Jesus, you want to be saved and forgiven by Jesus. If that's you right now, do you know what's happening? The Holy Spirit is helping you see Jesus. A miracle is taking place in your life.
If you are a Christian, and you've known Jesus for decades, yet you feel like you've been in this season where you're just kind of going through the motions, and your time with the Lord has felt a little empty, and your prayer life has felt like something you're just muscling through, and yet even since we sang this morning or prayed together or even in the first little bit of this sermon, if something in you feels like you're getting fresh perspective, fresh desire is being kindled, and there's a fresh conviction against sin, a miracle is taking place in your life. The Holy Spirit is giving you a new ability to see Jesus clearly. It's what the Holy Spirit does.
Show of hands. Who here wears contacts or glasses? Oh, a lot of you. Okay. Some of you know exactly what it's like to wake up in the morning, and you don't see until you put your glasses on or your contacts in. You know that experience where life, your reality, is going to be very distorted. You will not see clearly. But then you put those glasses on. Or you hit the age of 40, and you have to go get readers.
You're that person… You're not just trying something out, where it's like, "Oh, do I want to do these cool motions to look cool with glasses?" No, you need them. You can't read without them. That's what the Holy Spirit does. He opens up your spiritual eyes, puts a contact in, puts glasses on your heart. When you have that moment where you're like, "Man, I feel like I'm seeing Jesus clearly," that's him. It takes a work of God to see Jesus.
I love what people say in John 12:21. It says, **"So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, 'Sir, we wish to see Jesus.'"** I love that. "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." I found myself praying this week, "Holy Spirit, I wish to see Jesus. I want to see Jesus." That's a prayer that I believe God loves to answer.
I would encourage you to incorporate that prayer into your routine over the course of the next week. "Holy Spirit, I wish to see Jesus." But don't just pray it for yourself; pray it for others, too, because remember, everyone needs the Holy Spirit in order to see Jesus. Follow along in the story, because it's going to show us why it would be important to pray for spiritual sight for others. Verse 17:
**"And he said to them, 'What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?' And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, 'Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?'"**
It's kind of like they're like, "Are you blind?" Which is really interesting. It's fascinating, actually. They're like, "Dude, you don't know what's going on? Where have you been? Open your eyes." And Jesus is like, "Yeah, okay. We'll see." But I love that Jesus plays dumb. He says to them, "What things?" Like, he just wants to see what they think are the important details to share. It's a brilliant technique.
**"And they said to him, 'Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.'"**
Remember, Jews were waiting for a dominant political figure, one who would come and deliver them from oppression to Rome. They were looking for a messiah who would come and overthrow Rome and establish a worldwide, earthly kingdom. So there's disappointment.
**"Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."**
If you're missing it, let me tell you what's happening here. Other people had already seen Jesus, and they had shared, "Jesus is alive." When I said that they had seen him, they had already believed Jesus had risen from the dead. Yet they share the story, and these two people hear it, but they're not convinced.
Now even Jesus himself, the resurrected Christ, is standing in front of them, yet they still don't get it. What is the point I'm trying to make? Remember, we're talking about the fact that it takes a work of God to see Jesus, and I've told you to pray for others that they'll see Jesus. What this story shows us is that the Holy Spirit helps people see Jesus at different times and at different paces.
Where are the high school students in the room? Just raise your hand. You're all over _here_. Okay, I'm going to talk to you for a minute. For the high school students in the room, some of you right now are on fire for Jesus. Some of you, not all of you in that section… Some of you are here because your friends are here, and that's a great reason to be here, but some of you… Your heart is lit up for Jesus right now, and you want to see revival in your school.
But while you're seeing Jesus, maybe some of your friends aren't seeing him clearly like you're seeing him. That can feel very isolating. You can even feel a little bit alone right now. Some of your friends might even think you're too spiritual, like, you're kind of over the top because you don't want to do all of the things _they_ want to do, and you're drawn to Jesus in a way that others aren't. Just remember, people see at different times and at different paces. So, pray for your friends. Pray for your schools that God would do a miraculous work.
Others of you here… Your roommates, your spouse, or your children aren't seeing Jesus the way you're seeing Jesus right now. They might love Jesus; they're just not seeing Jesus like you're seeing him. If that's you, don't lose heart. Pray for them. Pray for your family. Pray for your roommates. Pray for your kids. Pray for your friends. Don't lose heart.
Some of you know what I'm talking about right now. Revival is happening in our world and, honestly, in our nation…renewal that's leading to revival. The Spirit of God is moving and working in our nation and in our world in a way that the Spirit wasn't working just five years ago, and some of you see it. Some have described the season we're in as a window that is open that won't always be open.
Some of you see that, and you feel this urgency, like, "This is the time for the church to see God, to pray, to repent, to lean in, to worship. God is doing something. Revival is happening. We want to be a part of it." Yet many hear all this talk about revival and are like, "Yeah, I don't buy it." Something skeptical grows inside of you. Something in you resists that, and you just don't see it.
Those of you who _are_ seeing it find yourself frustrated at those who _aren't_ seeing it. I'm just telling these people who _are_ seeing it: Don't lose heart. Pray that everyone would see it. And if you're seeing it, here's what I want to invite you into. There's a small group of people on Sunday mornings who gather in this room at 7:45 a.m. just to walk this room, to walk the rows, to pray over each seat in this room.
A group of us, about five of us this morning, gathered together in this room to pray, because we want to see renewal in our body. We'd love to invite you into that, if you want to just come and pray. There's no agenda. It's literally just to pray. If you're seeing clearly right now, and you want to join us in begging God for revival, just show up here at 7:45 a.m. every single Sunday and pray. It takes the work of God to see Jesus.
3\. _The Word of God exists for us to see Jesus_. Look at verse 25. This is Jesus' response. **"And he said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?'"** Watch this. This is amazing. This is why we're doing Join the Journey. **"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."**
Okay. I need everyone locked in with me on this, because I need you to understand. This is so interesting how Jesus plays this. He is physically with two people who don't understand that it's him, and _this_ is his big reveal. This is the moment where it's, like, cue the final countdown, drop the smoke bomb, and be like, "It's me! It's Jesus. You didn't see me, but I've been right here. Don't you feel crazy?"
But his big reveal is "Hey, guys, turn in your Bibles. I'll just show you. Start with Moses," and he just walks them through the Scriptures. If you want to know how important your Bible is… The eternal Son of God left heaven, came to earth, lived perfectly, died sacrificially, and rose victoriously, and instead of saying, "I'm here. It's me. I beat death," he's like, "Hey, turn in the Bible and let me show you me." Isn't that crazy?
I wonder where he turned them. It says, "Starting with Moses." Well, Moses wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, so he could have easily gone to Genesis 3:15. "Hey, guys, I'm the Serpent crusher. That's me. Genesis 3:15 says the Serpent will strike the heel. That was the cross."
He could have turned to Leviticus 16, the Day of Atonement, and said, "Hey, you know the two goats, one that's killed to cleanse the sanctuary and one that's released into the wilderness to carry the sins of the nation off? I'm both. I died. I've cleansed. I've carried sin away." Isaiah 53: "I'm the suffering servant here in the flesh, yours truly."
It's amazing that he takes the Word of God to show himself to them. The reason I want to highlight this is some of you are waiting for God to do something extraordinary in your life for you to get back on track with him. What if God is just waiting for you to do something ordinary in your life, which is to take his Word, to open it up, and to see Jesus in it? What if he's just waiting? You're like, "God, just show yourself to me." He's like, "Open the Bible and I will."
I think about the video we saw recently about a Bible dedication, people who received their Bible for the first time. We're going to have the privilege of seeing a dedication. But what happens at these dedications? It's a ceremony where the Bibles are brought in on camels or they're ushered in. People dress up in their finest attire, and they're handed their Bible, and what you see is some people kissing the Bible. Why? Is it because of just this book in and of itself? No. This book doesn't just teach us _about_ Jesus; it allows us to meet Jesus. The Word of God exists for us to see Jesus.
Maybe we need a daily Bible dedication ceremony in our own private places. Maybe you need to have your own dedication where every morning this week you pick up your Bible and just hold it. You grab it. You kiss it. You thank God for it. You hold it up, and you just think, "I have been waiting for this. This is what I've needed.
God, thank you that I finally have your Word. Forgive me for letting it sit like it's just some random, common history book that I finished or will never finish at some point in my life. No, you've spoken. Now I get to read it and hear it and meet with you. God, I praise you for it. I know this book exists for me to see Jesus. It's not just about knowing God's Word; it's about knowing the God of the Word." Would you engage the Word of God differently this week?
4\. _You will know when you have seen Jesus_. You'll know it. Verse 28: **"So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, 'Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.' So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them."** Just like we just did. It was a common practice at the end of the meal to, basically, share the Lord's Supper together. That's what they're doing.
Verse 31: **"And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight."** Isn't that interesting? He's like, "I've just been waiting for them to see me." When they saw him, he was like, "Okay. Mission accomplished." But when they see him, they begin to make connections. So, when I say you'll know it when you see him, this is it. Verse 32: **"They said to each other, 'Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?'"** I love that. Their hearts burned while Jesus spoke to them while helping them understand the Scriptures were about him.
So, here's my question to you: When's the last time your heart burned while you were reading God's Word, in seeing Jesus in the Word? When's the last time your heart burned? When your heart burns for Jesus through the reading of God's Word, do you know what's happening? Internal worship is happening. The fire of passion and zeal for Jesus is being fanned. When's the last time your heart burned?
Verse 33: **"And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, 'The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!'"** I don't know if you just missed it. It was late, and they're like, "Let's go. This is too good. We just have to go. We have to go back." So, they make the journey back because it's worth sharing.
Here's my question. I've asked you when was the last time your heart burned when you read and saw Jesus in his Word. Here's my second question for you: When's the last time you had such a meaningful and joy-inducing time with God that it was worth sharing? Like, it was so good you were like, "Man, let me just tell you. I met with God today." When you truly see Jesus, you will know you have, because the result will be passion for Jesus, zeal for Jesus, emotion for Jesus, excitement to talk about Jesus, excitement to talk _to_ Jesus. There will be less "I should" and more "I get to."
If there's no passion right now, there is no sight, but that can change quickly. I told you about my Tuesday night. By Thursday morning, I was sitting with God, fighting back tears, because I was overwhelmed at just how good God is. As I was reading the story of Zacchaeus, there were two words that jumped out of the page at me, and my heart began to burn. This is what God does when people want to see him. So, my question to you is…_Do you want to see Jesus?_
Let me tell you about another time I was at the Department of Public Safety. It might have been the same time. I just can't remember, so I want to be careful with what I say as fact. It might have been the same time where I wanted that restriction taken off my license. This is going to make me sound like a terrible person. Remember, I was probably in my teens when this was happening, so please, grace.
I'm standing in line, and do you know what I start doing? I start listening to the other people at the counter read the eye chart, and I start memorizing. (I see the judgment on some of your faces. It's hurtful. I told you it happened when I was a teenager.) I start memorizing their answers. Look, guys. I got up to the counter, and I was like, "I can't do that," so I made the right choice.
But there was a moment where I was willing to settle for knowing the right answer without seeing what other people were seeing. You can totally do that in Christianity. You can know all of the right answers. Who cares? Why would you settle for knowing the right answers and never seeing what other people are seeing? Seeing is where the joy is. Seeing is where the comfort and peace are. Seeing is where your help and hope are. See Jesus. It's an invitation. See Jesus.
I love Revelation 1, where John gets a vision of the glorified Christ. In verse 17, John says, **"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead."** Like, let's all be clear. If Jesus walked through those doors right now, no one would be like, "Huh. So that's Jesus." No. You wouldn't have to be like, "I should probably get on my knees right now." No, you'd just fall to your knees. Your knees would be like, "I know what to do. I don't have to wait for the mind to inform the knees. These knees have been made for Jesus."
I'm trying to make a serious point here, people. Look. I'm serious. I know it's hard to take me seriously, but please don't miss what I'm telling you right now. You've been made to worship. Your body has been made to worship. Don't fight. See him. Do you want to see Jesus? If you want to see Jesus, let me encourage you to do a few things this week.
First, I want to encourage you to set an alarm on your phone to go off at an opportune time for you, and when it goes off, be reminded to stop and pray and say, "Holy Spirit, I wish to see Jesus." Pray that every single day. God loves to answer that prayer. "God, I want to see you." Secondly, ask God if there's anything keeping you from seeing him. Matthew 5:8 says, **"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."**
Thirdly, get where you can see him. Here's what I mean: Cultivate a space where Jesus can have your undivided attention. Do things you've never done before. Turn your phone off. Like, off. Not "Do not disturb." No, off. Put it in the other room. Get where no one can interrupt you. Fourthly, read God's Word until your heart begins to burn. That might mean you need to slow down. It might mean you need to reread what you just read. You might need to write it out. But read until your heart burns.
Think about how this passage ends in verse 35. It says, **"Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread."** Isn't that interesting? My fear is that you'd start chasing this euphoric moment with Jesus that is going to require you to get away or go on a spiritual retreat. But where were their eyes opened? Just sitting at the dinner table.
Don't wait on God to do something extraordinary; do something ordinary and watch him do something extraordinary. Psalm 119:18 says, **"Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."** Read until your heart burns. Then, the fifth thing is pretty similar. Just sit with him. Sit with him until you see him. Read, pray, and listen until you see him. Let's pray together.
If you're here, and you don't have a relationship with Jesus, but you sense that you're seeing him clearly for the first time, I invite you right now to say, "Lord Jesus, would you come into my life? Would you forgive me of my sin?" Just tell him, "I want a relationship with you." If you're a Christian, and you're seeing Jesus again more clearly than you have in a while, just say "Thank you" for it. If you want to see him more clearly, just say, "God, I want to see you. I wish to see Jesus."
Lord, would you have your way in our lives? I pray that your people would see you this week and the result would be worship. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.