We Would See Jesus

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Telephone numbers 0703 03636 59, 0703 76811 98. Email address lsmedia at livingseed.org or visit our website at www.livingseed.org. Let us sit back and listen as the servant of God brings forth the Word of Life. Just to raise one or two issues for us to pray about this morning.

I would like us to read from the Gospel according to John. John the Beloved. John the son of Zebedee.

John that we have learned so much from how to be intimate with God. In chapter 12 of the Gospel that he wrote, the story of the Savior Jesus. In verse 20 of John chapter 12, if you are there now.

I would like for us to note this. Just for verses 20 to 23. The Bible says, and there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast.

The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee. And desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew.

And again, Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto them, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Amen.

There were certain instances, certain times, when Jesus announced that the hour is come. That the Son of Man should be glorified. There were certain situations that Jesus saw.

And he concluded that the hour is come. That the Son of Man should be glorified. And this morning we are looking at one of such situations.

And I would like for us to check it out. Because it looks like what you and I might be particularly interested in. Verse 20 tells us that there was a feast.

A feast in Jerusalem that usually drew all the worshippers of God according to the Old Testament, the Old Covenant. And proselytes, those converted to Judaism, also came to this feast from several countries abroad. But here were certain Greeks.

This tells me that this was not all of the Greeks. But certain Greeks that were part of the delegation from Greece. Were part of the convoy that came from Greece.

Certain of them were among the people that came up to worship at the feast. But what is particular about these ones is that they had one desire on their own hearts in coming to the feast. They were having one longing.

Their yearning was focused on one thing. Yes, there was a feast. And there was going to be a feast of joy.

There was probably also going to be a feast of the Word of God as we will be receiving. There was probably opportunity for a feast of prayer in the worship. And maybe also a feast of praise worship that was going to take place.

But in the midst of the feasts, they decided that what they needed is not any of the excitements of the feasts. They would see Jesus. Their search was for Jesus.

Everybody else just came to have a good time of fellowship at the feast. Where multitudes from distant places and from near gathered together at the worship. And where there were good singings.

There were good messages. There were good moments of prayer. There were a defined times of the study of the Word of God.

But for these Greeks, they made up their mind that what they needed above all and in the midst of all of this is to see Jesus. The Bible said the same came to Philip which was of Bethsaida of Galilee. And requested from him saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

And Philip, the Bible said, came and narrated this request to Andrew. And Andrew took Philip along to come to tell Jesus. The Bible said Jesus answered them saying, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

If Jesus would be glorified in any life, that life must see Jesus first of all. It is crucial. It is very important.

It's a necessity. It is a need that you cannot replace with anything else. It is indispensable.

That for us to receive the glory of Jesus manifest in our lives. For Jesus to find opportunity to glorify himself in a life. That life must see Jesus.

And that life must make the desire of seeing Jesus, the pursuit after seeing Jesus, to be more important than anything else. When Jesus heard that as far as Greece, people have come and their desire is to see Jesus. The Bible says, Jesus, he answered and said, the hour therefore is come.

That the Son of Man should be glorified. The rest of the story will be dealt with in the course of time. The process through which we come to see Jesus.

But for this morning, the interests of our own life and the point of prayer is to plead with God like the Greeks pleaded with Philip. Saying, oh Father, I would see Jesus. Don't permit that I would have seen much, much and yet Jesus I have not seen.

Don't allow me to be carried away with many other things that are seeable, that are visible. And to miss seeing Jesus. The Greeks were so completely given to this longing that when they caught up with Philip, they wanted to be as polite as possible and to be as humble as possible so that their requests will not be missing.

They won't pass by the answer they were needing. So that they don't lose the opportunity to see Jesus. So whether they were older biologically in age than Philip, they were international people in that meeting.

Philip was a local, but they humbled themselves and told Philip, one thing you could do for us and we will forever be grateful is to show us Jesus. So they said, sir, sir, we would see Jesus. And when the request reached Jesus, Jesus said, the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

Now let's take it the other way. Note that if God is coming onto us to say that he wants to make us to be the light of the nations. And he's commissioning us in this MLR to a greater task.

That, in other words, is saying the hour is come. That Jesus should be glorified in every one of our lives. The hour is come.

It is time. It is time that each one of us should become a shining light. That is not like the moon, but is like the sun.

The difference between the moon and the sun. Is that whereas the moon has no light from within itself. It has no light in his own life to offer.

It can only reflect the light of the sun. Whenever it is having such opportunity to be positioned so to do. The sun, on the other hand, itself is a burning and a shining light.

There's no other definition for the sun. The whole planet sun is a nuclear power plant. That is emitting waves of heat and light.

Because great burning activity is taking place at the heart of the sun. The very inner life of the sun is fire. And so, wherever you can see the sun, you are seeing light.

Very interesting. If you remember that in John chapter 5, Jesus spoke about John the Baptist. And in verse 35, he presented John as a burning and a shining light.

That he, John, was a burning and a shining light. The kind of light God is looking for in us. For Jesus to keep shining through us.

And keep reflecting his glory through our lives. It's not the type that is only borrowing somebody else's light to go and show another. It's not the kind that is hearing a good message to go and re-preach it.

It's not the kind that is merely telling the story of the life that another carries. God wants each of us to be carriers of light. And to be a carrier of light, you yourself must be that light.

And for you to be the light, I am yet to find light that is not at the same time consuming the object of light. It started when I was a little boy living in the village. There was no electricity, and so it was reed.

We used reeds, dried reeds, in order to have light in the night. A year. You would go and cut reeds that are dried, and come and keep them so that when night falls, you will light that dried reed in order to see around, wherever you needed to go.

And even within the house. Even though we were having touched hearts. But we had to take the risk to have light at all.

Of course, God helped us. We didn't always have a fire accident. I started seeing from the beginning that if you would carry light, you must be ready to be burnt.

You must be ready to be consumed by the fire. You can't hide away or shy away from burning and hope that you will be shiny. The reason we always brought a good sizable heap of our dried reeds is because every reed, in the course of its service, will be burning and it will terminate its service by being burnt out.

You will drop that one. Of course, I mean, why sir? We will watch to see that it's progressing towards the end. We will quickly pick another one and transfer the fire before we cast away the remainder.

It's in this light that I began to understand what John meant when he said, I must decrease that he might continue to increase. It's in this light that I'm understanding what Paul meant by the death that he says, I died daily. John was a burning and shiny light.

Of course, Jesus was a burning and shiny light. Every one of the disciples of Jesus in the first century, they burnt and burnt out. You can't hope to be burning carefully in order to shine brightly.

You must be ready to expose yourself to as much consummation or consumption of fire as you can. In order for your light to also feel free to go far and wide. Every one of those that people used right up to this century in which we are standing, they released themselves to burn and burn out for God.

They released themselves to be consumed by the house, the zeal of the house of the most high. The desire to be completely available to shine for God. And they burnt and burnt out.

It is their burning that was their shining. And it is their burning that has become the blessing of their lives that we know. Even if we talk of the missionaries that brought the gospel to our various lands, they were burning and shining lights.

They were not planning to save any part of them and take back home. And for many of them, even their dead bodies could not be carried back. They were burning and shining lights.

But I am noting with us today that Jesus must be the pursuit, the primary longing and desire of our lives first of all. Jesus must be the burning ball of fire that is consuming our heart first of all. For it is Christ in us that is the hope of glory.

We must eat Jesus, drink Jesus, talk Jesus. He must be our all in all. The only one treasure that we are seeking after.

For as the Bible says, it is in him the mystery of the most high. For the life of humanity that is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge. And that we are complete in him who is the head over all principality and power.

For the fullness of the Godhead dwells in him bodily. So we would see Jesus. I'd like us to plead with God in prayer to say I don't need anything else.

I am not even interested in a good message. So if what I'm telling you is only sounding interesting and exciting and impressive and you are not seeing Jesus. Brother, can you tell me, sir, I would see Jesus.

Go and sit down. The issue is that make looking for Jesus in everything that you are involved in. Your primary objective, your primary goal, your primary object of search.

That in our Bible study, in our workshop, in our singing and praying. Can you keep telling God, sir, we would see Jesus. Now, of course, the Greeks who didn't know any better, they were coming to Philip.

And Philip would take their problem to Andrew and Philip and Andrew would take their problem to Jesus. Yet the Jesus they really needed to see, only the father could reveal him unto them. Even the Philip and Andrew, they were there with him all along.

They saw the physical Jesus, but they never knew Jesus. I'm sure you will remember that here in John chapter 14, Jesus felt quite disappointed. This is at the end of everything.

Jesus is at the point of being crucified now. Do you notice that in verse eight, the Bible says Philip came to say to the Lord Jesus, as he was sharing with them. Show us the father and it will be okay for us.

And Jesus said to him, have I been so long with you and yet you have not known me, Philip. He that has seen me has seen the father. And how sayest thou then, show us the father.

He that has seen me has seen the father. So coming to a Philip looked okay physically. As a matter of fact, even the Philip has not yet known Jesus.

He is yet to see him with the eyes of spiritual understanding. He is yet to catch a revelation of who Jesus really is. As to believe in him, according to the measure of his person and therefore to qualify for the greater works.

For Jesus said that whoever believes in him, in verse 12, the works that he, Jesus, does, the life he, Jesus, lives, the same life that person will live. And we in fact manifest that life in many more opportunities than was seen in Christ. The works that I do, shall he do also.

And greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my father. Note therefore that for us, it is not a Philip we want to grab. It's not a Philip we want to come to and start begging that he should please show us Jesus.

In Matthew chapter 11, first of all, and in verse 27, Jesus guided us carefully in this matter. Who do we need to grab? Who do we need to go and beseech his mercy? Ask that he should please be gracious unto us in this matter. In verse 27 of Matthew chapter 11, first Jesus made this all important announcement, which I need to resound.

All things are delivered unto me by my father. And no man knows the son except the father. Neither knows any man the father except the son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him.

First, the all important announcement. Why should we be so desperate to see Jesus? It is because if we fail to see Jesus, we will have missed it all. There is nothing we could collect outside Jesus.

There is no help that the father could give unto us except through Jesus. For it has pleased the father that in him all fullness should dwell. We noted that it is Christ that is wielding, is controlling, and is deciding on all things that belong unto the father.

It pleased God to appoint him the heir over all things. All things are delivered into his hand. Now, this is not a matter of Christian religion.

Christianity can be a religion that somebody has chosen. And it's okay. Thank you for choosing Christianity as a religion.

But whether you choose Christianity as a religion or not, as far as the father is concerned, for every dealing with him, to be able to reach him at all, you must pass through Jesus. If the father announces his intention to do anything, to bring anything about in our lives, and we are interested in being partakers of such a blessing, Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth.

He is the life. There is no way about him. There is no avoiding Jesus and reaching the father.

It's not a matter of religion. Choose your religion if you like. But kiss the son.

Unless you befriend the son, you will perish in the way, the Bible says. When his anger is only kindled but a little. The Bible says it has pleased God through the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus to reconcile all things unto himself.

Whether they be in heaven or they be on the earth, it is through the intermediary intercession, it is through the mediation of Christ that anything and any being can be reconciled unto God, including those that are in heaven. This thing goes beyond the earth. It even goes beyond humanity.

So to say among human beings it's a matter of which religion you choose, that's a big lie of the devil. Even among dogs, even among trees in the forest, even among the beings in the heavens, there is only one mediator. Only one that can reconcile all things unto God.

And his name is Jesus. When Jesus says all things are committed into my hand, he is not over speaking. In fact he has no space to properly state it.

It's an understatement. He is actually the proprietor of all things. For all were created by him and for him.

Whether they be thrones in heaven or earth or under the earth, whether they be dominions, whether they be principalities or powers, whether they be visible or invisible, all things were made by him and for him. So when the Greeks came saying we would see Jesus, those were very wise Greeks. They had caught an understanding that is very critical for every being in heaven and on earth to catch.

That knowing and treating with Jesus is the key to becoming all that God has earmarked for us to be in creation. And Jesus said, not only that all things have been committed into my hand, not only the fact that I'm the one that must decide who has what, when and how, but to get to me is not easy. I'm not as easily accessible as those of you around here, the disciples would imagine, Jesus was telling them.

You can be with me and you will not know me, for it is the Father alone that knows me. And it was in chapter 16 of the same gospel according to Matthew that Jesus began to ask them, who do men say that I am? And when that question got complicated in the answering, he zoomed down to, but you, whom do you say I am? That was in verse 15 of the Matthew 16 now that he has zoomed down to them. Who are these them? They always came around Jesus.

They never missed an MLR, for instance. They were always there where the teaching of the word of God is done in church and in fellowship and in the discipleship centers. They were there.

Jesus was telling them. So now tell me, who do you say I am? And in verse 16, the right answer came from Simon Peter. He answered and said, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.

It is the answer of Jesus to Peter that is an eye opener to lead us into prayer this morning. Jesus, in verse 17 of that Matthew 16, answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Peter, the son of Jonah. Blessed art thou, Simon, the son of Jonah, or Bar-Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed what you have just said unto you. But my father, which is in heaven. This is a confirmation.

When Jesus said, only my father knows who I am. You will have said, that's unfortunate. Unfortunate, it means all of us who must depend on you for everything we are doing is finished.

Because nobody knows you now. Somebody you don't know, you cannot trace. How can you collect anything from that fellow? And yet all things are committed into your own hand.

But here we see that the father is willing to reveal Jesus unto whosoever comes to him to request that revelation. I cannot tell how the other disciples were struggling to crack their head, to imagine, to try and pieces all their experiences with Jesus in the course of their time with him together. So as to gain a mental picture, an intellectual picture, a theological picture of Jesus.

How they were struggling with their intellect. How they were doing all the necessary analysis of everything. And all that they could find was a total confusion in their heart.

Because at every point, they could only stop to ask, what manner of man is Jesus? What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the waves of the sea obey him? They were always baffled. So even now that they are trying to struggle to pieces their experiences with Jesus together, hoping that it is by that that they will gain a knowledge of who he is, that is together. They were only baffled.

But Peter, since he has done all of that over and over again and he was tired. He started praying. Peter said, I didn't know this question will come, but he has put us on the spot now.

Oh Father, you must help us. We have always only marveled at him. So please come to our rescue.

Who is this? Please reveal to me who this person we call Jesus is. Jesus didn't need to ask him how he got the right answer. He just knew, unless you go to the Father, you cannot collect it.

Even if he has called you already to be with him, to learn of him. And he's in fact already sending you that you may go and preach and you are casting out devils. If you will see Jesus, it is the Father you need to approach.

It is before the Father you need to present yourself and fall on your face, pleading for his mercy. Lord, I would see Jesus. This ought to be our posture of heart that is pleading with the Father, that is worshipping and desiring him to reveal Jesus unto us.

It ought to be the posture all through our lives. Whatsoever we are doing, though we are working in an office, we are praying, Lord, that I may see Jesus. When you are listening to a message, you are praying, Lord, thank you for those good scriptures and the good explanations.

But me, I would see Jesus. As for me, it is seeing Jesus that is my matter. Show me Jesus in this message.

That's a wonderful session of prayer, oh Lord. Thank you for the brother. But I would see Jesus.

And you are not talking to a human being. And please, you are not talking to an angel. And not even a primary apostle like a Philip.

But you have gone to the Father. Father, I would see Jesus. We will be talking in the course of the meeting of how the seeing of Jesus translates into the abiding of Christ in us.

So that Christ in us becomes for us the hope of glory. But what we need now is to begin to go to the Father. And to make it a perpetual habit.

Ever going to the Father. You want to read the Bible? Can you please first go and ask the Father, Lord, I don't just want to read the letter. Or gain what I call revelation but does not translate into Christ's life in me.

I want to see Jesus. Please reveal Christ unto me here. Reveal Him unto me afresh.

I don't even just want to recall the image of Him that I received before in the past. I want to see Him afresh. And I want to see Him freshly.

Perhaps in an aspect that I never knew of Him before. I want you to reveal Jesus unto me. And to make this our lifeline.

The connection that we have done to the Father for Jesus' life to keep flowing to us. And for us to keep knowing Him freshly and in an ever expanding dimension. Are you ready to begin the prayer today? Lord, I would see Jesus.

It is the beginning that leads to your glorifying Jesus in your life. When there can be a feast. But you are saying, it's okay.

Lord, thank you for the feast. But I would see Jesus. Can we stand as we pray? If you also would see Jesus.

As I am crying personally that I would see Jesus. Would you like to go to the Father now deliberately? How do we go to the Father? You just turn your heart to Him. You just tell your heart, I want to talk to God now.

I want to talk to the Father. Then you are connected automatically. You just switch on to Him.

And He is there. He is already there in order to respond unto us. It didn't take Peter a long time.

And Jesus knew. He couldn't have gotten this by experience. He couldn't have gathered this by much studies.

Though the study helps to enrich the understanding that we call. But He must have gone to the Father, Jesus said. He says, Simon, son of Jonah, I know where you got it from.

I know the secret. And because you know how to get to the Father, you are blessed already. Can you pray? Lord, help me also to know this road of blessedness.

And to ever keep it. To ever maintain my own path on it. To keep following this road of blessedness.

Always turning to the Father. Asking to see Jesus. Lord, that I would see Jesus.

The measure of benefit you will collect in this meeting is the measure of Jesus that you see. There is no secret to it. Even though you fill your notebooks with many good messages.

Even though you pray from now till next year. It's how much of Jesus that is revealed to you. That will be the measure of benefit that you have collected in your life.

Oh Father, so just be gracious to me, keep showing me Jesus. Keep revealing Jesus to my own heart. Until my inner being becomes a fire plant like the sun.

Until I am burning with the life of Jesus. He is actually the true light that lights every man that comes into the world. But he intensifies that light every time you see Jesus.

Until it becomes a perpetual burning fire. A perpetual burning fire. Only God, only God could have made the sun to be the nuclear plant that is not seeking any external fuel.

But is burning forever. Because he has the capacity to renew every fuel. Can you tell God, Father, cause that the revelation of Christ will become so concentrated in my life.

That I am burning, I am burning for as long as you need me. And you keep renewing the burning in my life. And the burning will be heat to warm cold hearts.

Hearts that are cold spiritually. They only need to touch me. And they must be careful to touch me carefully also.

Otherwise they would rather be burnt than be warmed. But then I am also emitting light to all those that are in darkness. Wherever I am found, nobody walks in darkness anymore.

Because I also, he has made me the light of the world. A light unto the nations. But first I realize is by seeing that I can know, I can believe and I can swallow the life of Christ.

I can receive that light, that fire inside of me. Lord that I would see Jesus. And that my seeing Jesus would be a lifestyle.

Hallelujah. That my seeing Jesus would be my manner of life. That is very normal and very, very, very normal actually.

That I would see Jesus at any point, at any time, in any place. And particularly all through this meeting. That I would see Jesus.

Hallelujah. That I would see Jesus. That I would see Jesus.

Because I realize it is the seeing of Him. And the knowledge that comes by seeing Him. And the experience of Him by that revelation.

That becomes the value of my life in your hand oh Father. That I would see Jesus. That I would see Jesus.

Oh blessed be thy name Father. Grant me this mercy. You have granted it to anybody who became of any tangible use in your hand.

You revealed yourself unto that person. You showed that person Jesus. Hallelujah.

That I would see Him. That mystery of God at work in a human being. Reveal that mystery of the God that is a man.

Because you are the life in Him. Reveal that mystery to me of how to carry the life of the almighty. The everlasting, the eternal, the limitless one.

In a limited body. In a limited life. And cause the revelation to be ever flowing.

That I would see Jesus. So that all that Jesus is as He is in heaven. So I am and I should be here in this world.

That I would see Jesus. Oh Lord answer our cry. Because if you don't help us at this point.

We can be like a Philip that has been around. Rubbing his body on that of Jesus as they walked. They ate together.

Years rolled by. He could not know Him. Because the proper seeing of Him.

He didn't know how to go and collect it. Lord that I, I would see Jesus. I would see Jesus.

I know once I see you and I keep seeing you. I will be unstoppable. I will be limitable.

I will have no boundary. Because you don't have any. And you have not stopped flowing in and through my life.

Oh Lord for the greater task. That beyond all I have seen of Him. That I would see Jesus.

That I would see Jesus. Oh Lord. Thank you for doing this.

Be exalted forever more. Hosanna unto your name oh Father. Blessed be your name.