LET ME SEE THE FACE OF THE KING OF SAINTS

"Let me see the king’s face." -II Samuel 14:32 [KJV]

Beloved Absalom was now in a state of exile from his royal father. He had shed his brother Amnon’s blood. The king was enraged against him. Though he suffered Absalom to return to his house at Jerusalem, yet says he, “Let him not see my face.” Still there was love, great love in David’s heart, towards his son. Thus, O believer, thy heavenly Father may hide away His face in anger, because of thy provocations. That’s thy hell. But His love never abates. It is always the same towards thee, from everlasting to everlasting. That’s thy heaven to know. 

Was it not so, hell had long since been thy portion and mine. O think of, believe in, rejoice for everlasting, unchangeable love: love, that will never be wearied out by thy sins, till it hath brought thy soul, where sin and sorrow shall be no more for ever. But, was Absalom quiet and easy, to return to his house at Jerusalem? No, amidst all his enjoyments, there was a fly in the pot; his mind was corroded: his heart unhappy. Why? The king would not see him: and as though he had but this one desire in his soul, and all other enjoyments were nothing without this, says he, “Let me see the king’s face.” 

He could not rest till this request was granted him. Some folks are very fond of having their fortunes told. O soul, dost thou desire to know thy state? Thou mayest very easily know tonight, whether thou art in the way to heaven or hell. Is it the one desire of thy soul, to see the king’s face? the face of the King of kings—the King of saints, the Friend of sinners? Is thy soul restless and unsatisfied without this sight? Though surrounded with all that heart can wish, yet art thou saying? “Lord I cannot live at a distance from Thee, without the smiles of Thy love, the sight of Thy reconciled face in Jesus. Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon me, and I shall be whole: quite happy and comfortable. The light of Thy countenance will make me exceedingly glad. In Thy smile is heaven: in Thy frown is hell."

Here is a blessed and sure evidence, that thou art a child of God. Here is the proof of thy faith, and the regeneration of thy soul. It is disposed to God: as a loving desire, an earnest pressing after, enjoying the comforts of His Spirit: a sight of His face, and a sense of His love. You will not, you cannot, rest upon doctrines of grace, without experiencing the grace of the doctrines in your heart: not to be satisfied with believing the everlasting love of God, without feeling it shed abroad in your heart, by the Holy Ghost. 

 

My gracious Redeemer I’ll love, 

His praises aloud I’ll proclaim, 

And join with the armies above, 

To shout His adorable name.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us,
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi
Read more