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Seeing The Invisible! By Pastor Bill Taylor A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 5//Issue 6 By faith Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. (Heb11:27) By faith we understand the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so the things which are seen weren’t made of things which are visible. (Heb11:3) God has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He’s appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the Word of His power. (Heb1:1-3) The visible things are made by God and continue to exist because of the invisible “Word of His power.” For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which aren’t seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which aren’t seen are eternal. (2Cor4:17,18) For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2Cor5:7) John speaks of Jesus and eternal life in a way that’s often misunderstood. Most people in the so called “churches” around us have no real idea what he’s talking about. The life was manifested, and we’ve seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us, that which we’ve seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1Jn1:2,3) These verses connect powerfully with You worship what you don’t know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth. (Jn4:22-24) You can’t normally see a spirit. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I’ll pray the Father, and He’ll give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (Jn14:15-17) Jesus says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but can’t tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who’s born of the Spirit.” (Jn3:8) A Spiritual person is incomprehensible to the natural man because he’s motivated by invisible things that carnal men aren’t aware of. For the natural man can’t receive the things of the Spirit. (1Cor2:14a) Eye hasn’t seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (1Cor2:9,10) The things God has for us can’t be known thru the senses. They can only be known through the Spirit. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (Col 3:1,2) To obey this we must set our affections on Spiritual things which are invisible to us. We can only know such things if we’ve been awakened to the Spirit realm because God has opened up a heart in us that’s sensitive to His things so He can reveal them to us thru His Spirit. This is something natural people don’t have access to. It’s like another dimension. But it’s the only way in which our Spiritual God can really be known. There are two aspects of the natural realm which are problematic to our existence. One is that the natural realm is a façade. The things that are seen aren’t made of things that are visible. (Heb11:3) Things in the natural realm may appear in ways that aren’t necessarily Truth. Often we can’t determine what the Truth is from looking at the natural, since the visible realm can be deceiving. The other aspect is that the visible realm is temporary. The body I’m in today will likely be dust sixty years from now unless the Lord comes. In a few years my body won’t exist but my soul will and yet my soul is invisible and my body is visible. So which is real? Is the body real? Yes but the soul is more real because that’s the part that lasts and yet it’s invisible. It’s the invisible that’s real enough to last, while the visible is becoming unreal and will soon vanish. So our life is called a “vapor.” For what is your life? It’s even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. (Jms4:14b) That life is a vapor isn’t speaking of our existence, our soul, because that’s eternal. But James is speaking about the body – the temporal life. There was a movie out a few years ago called Dead Man Walking. It was a terrible movie, stupid, sentimental, full of Catholic heresies and perverted scriptures, but it gave some insights into what goes on in prisons on death row. When a man is condemned to death there’s not much sense in becoming attached to him. He won’t be around much longer. And when they send him down the hall to the electric chair they call him a dead man walking. The guards say “Clear the hall; get out of the way; a dead man’s walking.” He’s going down but he’s not coming back! Now everything connected to this material realm is like that. The visible realm is a dead man walking. It can’t continue to exist as it now is. Do you know how often it says in the prophets this sinful world will be utterly destroyed? The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed. Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty. The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up – and it shall be brought low. The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, but the idols He’ll utterly abolish. They’ll go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty when He arises to shake the earth mightily. In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they make each for himself to worship, to the moles and bats, to go into the clefts of the rocks and into the crags of the rugged rocks from the terror of the Lord and the glory of His majesty when He arises to shake the earth mightily. (Is1:28;2:10-12,17-21) I’ll punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I’ll halt the arrogance of the proud and lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I’ll make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I’ll shake the heavens and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger. (Is13:11-13) Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants. And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower. The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, for the Lord has spoken this Word. The earth mourns and fades away, the world languishes and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they’ve transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few left. The new wine fails, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh. The mirth of the tambourine ceases, the noise of the jubilant ends, the joy of the harp ceases. The city of confusion is broken down; every house is shut up, so that none may go in. There’s a cry for wine in the streets, all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. In the city desolation is left, and the gate is stricken with destruction. When it shall be thus in the midst of the land, it shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done. They’ll lift up their voice, they’ll sing; for the majesty of the Lord they’ll cry aloud from the sea. Therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light, the name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we’ve heard songs: “Glory to the righteous!” But I said “I’m ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, indeed the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.” Fear and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall be that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit, and he who comes up from the midst of the pit shall be caught in the snare; for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. (Is24:1-8,10-18) The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall and not rise again. (vs19-20) It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. They’ll be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, after many days they’ll be punished. Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously. (vs21-23) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2Pt3:10) These are a few of the many scriptures where the destruction of the world is foretold. The prophets also describe the people who’ll be destroyed and why. But the people who won’t be destroyed are also mentioned and the reasons they’ll be saved also given. “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “that will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you’ll go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You’ll trample the wicked, for they’ll be ashes under the soles of you feet on the day that I do this,” says the Lord of hosts. (Mal 4:1-3) The certain destruction of the world and the wicked together with the salvation of the righteous are among the most important doctrines of both the Old and New Testament. They’re referred to in the epistles. (2Th1:6-10) Jesus speaks about it in the gospels. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will by no means pass away.” (Mt24:29,35) Very often in the bible the term “eternal life” is describing a kind of life. Although in some places eternal life may mean “immortality” in other verses it refers to a way of life that leads to “immortality.” That which was from the beginning, which we’ve heard, which we’ve seen with our eyes, which we’ve looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the Word of life – the life was manifested and we’ve seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us. (1Jn1:1,2) This passage doesn’t make much sense until you understand the eternal life John’s speaking of is a way of living. It’s a kind of life, a quality of life, demonstrated by Jesus to His apostles. Eternal life is the quality of living for things which are eternal, setting your affections on eternal things, being continuously aware of eternal things, valuing eternal things, and making decisions in the light of eternity instead of temporal expedience or temporary pleasure. So the person who’s living the kind of life that’s eternal is concerned with the things which are forever and his affections and interests are connected to those things. (See our Glory of His Grace book “Eternal Living!”) Remember the things which are seen aren’t eternal. While we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which aren’t seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which aren’t seen are eternal. (2Cor4:18) Therefore the Spiritual person or the one who’s living in eternal life is living in the way of seeing what isn’t visible. For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2Cor5:7) The invisible Spiritual realm is what we see by faith. We’re not looking at the temporal realm in such a way as to be deceived by it or become attached to it. We can’t say we don’t look at the temporal realm at all. We can’t say it doesn’t have existence. It would be wrong to say that the temporal life isn’t real. But the temporal realm is temporary so its reality is temporary. It’s not permanently real! And because of that if you attach your reality to the temporal you’ll have a very short subsistence. Everything you’re attaching your affections to, and the decisions you’re making, will all come crashing down when that temporary reality ends and you’ll have nothing to hold on to if you’ve no continuance in the eternal realm. God’s using the temporal reality for various purposes but one is to change us. In the temporal realm there’s change. In the eternal there isn’t. In the eternal Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, forever. (Heb13:8) And Let the righteous be righteous still (Rev22:11) speaks of eternity where whatever you are you’ll be forever, because when you enter the eternal every thing becomes unchangeable. So God uses this present changeable realm to perfect us for eternity and we must cooperate with God in this while not being captivated by temporary things. The temporal realm can be very deceptive. If you set your affections on temporal things, they’ll cause you to have a temporary life, but if you set your affections on eternal things you won’t be captivated by the temporal. So even though believers physically reside in the temporal realm we don’t live a temporal life. And the way we do this is by not giving excessive importance to temporal things. Again, if you set your affections on and spend your life dealing only with visible things you’ll never get to know the invisible, and God’s invisible! If you spend your time dealing only with the visible, physical things you can see, touch, feel and the senses can apprehend, you’ll never get to know God. Therefore if you want to know God who’s eternal, and if you’d like God to reveal eternal things to you (and the things which are eternal are invisible – 2Cor4:18) you’ll have to close your eyes at times and draw away from the visible realm. You must choose to spend time in the invisible realm with God. Is a thought visible? Is a prayer visible? Is the Word of God visible? When you read you can see words but that’s just ink on paper. What that ink represents is often invisible; like thoughts in your head and in your heart! The meaning of God’s Word is Spiritual, and must be revealed by His Spirit. So to get to know the invisible or the eternal realm you have to draw away from the clamor, the bustle, the distraction, the enticements, and the importance the visible realm tries to impress upon you concerning itself. You must draw away toward the eternal if you’re to know the things which are invisible. A hundred years from now my earthly body won’t exist but my spirit and soul will live with God. (Mt22:32) Until the resurrection not in my body but only in My soul will I exist and live with God. So if you get to know the real me it won’t be because you recognize my body. You can only really know me by knowing who I am and what I’m like inside. The inner me is the real me! Therefore, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we’ve known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (2Cor5:16) You’ve never seen Jesus! When the Day of Judgment comes and the saints are raised with Christ, we won’t know Jesus because we knew His face. The only ones Jesus will recognize in that day are those who knew Him by the Spirit and who He knew by their inner man, because that’s the real person. The faces aren’t the real people. And we see this where Jesus deals with the people of His day saying, “You’ll say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence’” and He’ll answer, “I don’t know you where you’re from. Depart from Me you workers of iniquity.” (Lk13:27) “You think you recognize Me because you recognize My body? You never knew me. You never touched My heart. You never got to know what was in Me. You never understood what I felt about, what I cared about, what I was made of. You never saw the real Me – never looked for the inner Me! You’re an utter and complete stranger to Me and yet you think you’ve a right to have a relationship with Me because you know what I look like? That’s absolutely insane!” The madness is that carnal people in this physical realm think they can judge according to external “appearances” when they’ve never seen what’s inside us! They haven’t the slightest idea what the Spirit is doing in us so they’re totally deluded. They’re deceived because they believe in things that appear to be a certain way when those things can be deeply affected by invisible things that aren’t apparent. Concerning carnal human beings, they don’t realize it but it’s invisible things that deceive them; wicked spirits they aren’t aware of. It’s very easy for the invisible inner part of a person to put on a visible external behavior that will fool you into thinking they’re something they’re not. That’s why there are con men. That’s why young ladies can be seduced by wicked men. That’s why churches are filled with false “christians.” I’m continually amazed at how far from God some of the people even in this church turn out to be at times; how you can make yourselves appear more “spiritual” outside than you really are inside. If I was going by what I see with my physical senses I’d be deceived all the time. But God’s not deceived. He knows what’s really in you. He knows how far from Him you are when others may think you’re very close to Him. He knows your secret sins and how to bring them all to light. He knows how to deal with hypocrites, and He does! (Lk12:2) We can only be a real church if God who sees the invisible is in control and able to deal with what He sees. Mankind in general has a much higher opinion of itself than it ought. Men love to deceive themselves with flatteries. Many professing “christians” and even “churches” think they’re sure to go to Heaven when they’re really going to Hell. They’ve an unrealistic opinion of how well they’re pleasing God and think they’re really great Christians when they know nothing yet as they ought to know. (1Cor8:2) They’re deceived by false appearances of religiosity in the visible realm. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he hasn’t seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind. (Col 2:8,18) They’re deceived by things they misperceive thru the senses, and misunderstand by fleshly “wisdom.” Don’t touch, don’t taste, don’t handle, which all concern things which perish with the using – according to the commandments and doctrines of men. These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. (vs21-23) The only way to really be saved is to find out from God what His opinion of you is. Only when God exposes what’s really wrong can men repent and get a true salvation. In “My Father’s House” we’ve been on a pilgrimage for over ten years. In the beginning I couldn’t have dreamed it would take this long to get our people Spiritual because I couldn’t see how much was really wrong. These things were hidden in the invisible realm. But God who sees the hidden things knew how much of a battle it would require for our people to really get right with Him. And He worked patiently and gave me His patience to make the way for us to deal with all that was wrong in the unseen so we could truly cleanse the people and help them prepare for eternity. (1Cor1:7) You can’t eagerly anticipate the coming of the Lord unless you have a relationship with Christ in which you’re purifying yourself just as He’s pure. (1Jn3:2,3) Otherwise you won’t be prepared for His coming, and His coming will be a terror to you, not a joy! (2Cor5:11) The ability men have to deceive themselves and others is such that if we judge only by what we see, we won’t know who’s real or who’s not. But God sees the true motivations. And motives are the invisible things that determine whether someone’s pure or not. A motive is a spirit. If the motivation is love, truth, humility, then the person is real and God knows it. And God who looks upon the heart can bring out the purity or the reality of what’s in that person so it can be seen. Thus Paul says, For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized. (1Cor11:19) God who sees the invisible will expose the differences between those who falsely claim to be His, versus those who are actually doing His will. God sees which of us really has a heart for Him and He’ll reward those who are right, whereas He’ll expose and reject those who are serving for selfish reasons. Things which are seen by God in the invisible realm will be brought out by Him into the visible realm. For all the hidden things are going to be revealed (Lk12:2) It’s an important work of the Holy Spirit to expose anyone in the church who hinders the true believers from having a real unity. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:3) The true life of a saint isn’t visible to this world. Sinners can’t see the life of Christ that’s in us! But if we’re Spiritual we can recognize the eternal kind of life. Therefore, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we’ve known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. (2Cor5:16) The world sees only the visible, the fleshly appearance, but we who are of God know each other by the invisible, the inner man and the things of the Spirit! Unity in the church is found only among those who are seeking for immortality by living the “Christ life!” (Rom2:7;6:22) God’s bringing those of us who are actually doing that into unity with Himself, His purposes and each other. Those who pretend to be of us but aren’t really seeking to live the Christ life will be exposed and rejected. God’s separating the true from the false, (Mt3:12) so they can repent and get right or get embarrassed and leave. What makes us truly members of Christ and brings us into unity with the family of God isn’t the visible – it’s the invisible. What makes us brothers and sisters is the invisible unity of purpose we have – to know God – to love God – to serve God – to do the will of God – to attain to the calling of God. All these things are invisible, though their fruit is often visible. People can pretend they’re in unity with us while they’re really hiding their true nature. But God sees who’s true and who isn’t. And He won’t allow the pretenders to hinder His church. At the right time He’ll expose them as He did with Sapphira and Ananias. (Act5:1-10) When the church has a heart to obey Jesus, He’ll help us see what’s going on in the invisible and show us how to deal with it in whatever fashion necessary. Nothing of eternal value originates in the visible realm. Everything originates in God and therefore everything we need to know is found in the Spirit – all the riches of knowledge and wisdom. (Col 2:3) Jesus is made unto us wisdom. (1Cor1:30) Every enemy that can come against us must be defeated in this realm; God teaches us to overcome by the Spirit. (Zech4:6) For thus has the LORD of hosts said: “Cut down trees, and build a mound against Jerusalem.” (Jer6:6) When the Lord says, “Cut down trees, and build a mound against Jerusalem.” Nebuchadnezzar cuts down trees, and builds a mound against Jerusalem. (2Kng25:1) Jerusalem is destroyed because God spoke. Not because Nebuchadnezzar heard with his ears what God said – but when God spoke it affected Nebuchadnezzar’s spirit! That’s the power of God’s Word. Jesus is the Head of all principality and power. (Eph1:20,21) When He speaks in the Spirit realm, something happens causing things in the natural realm to move according to God’s will. “Will you not fear Me?” says the Lord who put the oceans in place and holds them in bounds (Jer5:22) and threw the stars in space. Concerning God, the natural realm has no power at all! When God speaks the natural realm obeys. So are you to serve the natural, be in bondage to the natural, be afraid of the natural or temporal realm? It’s God you need to know and fear. He’s the one who upholds this natural realm by His Word, (Heb1:2) and who’ll bring it to a complete end when the time comes. (2Pt3:10) When you’re wise enough to understand that, you’ll stop setting your affections on or trying to find your pleasures in the natural and instead you’ll look to God as seeing Him who’s invisible. (Heb11:27) You must get to know Him and make sure you’re pleasing Him, because even though the Spirit of God may seem very subtle, He’s extraordinarily, awesomely powerful and you’d better not despise or think little of Him. Yesterday the Lord called me back to prayer after I already prayed a couple hours. It was a very quiet voice. He didn’t force. He didn’t threaten. He didn’t even reason. He just gave me the sense that we weren’t finished. So I went back to prayer and was very blessed that I did. This morning I was doing my normal bible reading. There are six portions of the bible I read thru regularly. The bible can be split up into five major categories: the Gospels, the Epistles, the prophets, the wisdom books (Job thru Song of Solomon), and the historical books including the Law of Moses. I usually read some from all five everyday. For example I start in Genesis reading about two pages a day until I get to Job, then I start over again. Then I do the same reading in Job up to Isaiah, and Jeremiah up to Malachi. It’s not a legal thing, I just like to do it. I love to read the Prophets, and also I like to read Isaiah daily. Isaiah is so powerful and has so much to say. Recently I’ve been reading ten chapters in the middle of Isaiah over and over. I’ve probably read Isaiah fifty times in the past two years. And now I am re-reading these ten chapters and still getting revelation out of them. Also I read from the beginning of Jeremiah on to the end of Malachi and when I get to the end of that I start over. Everyday I read some from the Gospels all the way thru Acts and when I finish Acts I start over in Matthew; likewise with the Epistles. I’ve found this a beneficial thing for me because there’s a different perspective in each of these areas of scripture and it’s nice to have some instruction out of each of them everyday. This morning I was reading in 2nd Corinthians, chapters 2-7 and I’ve read these over and over for the last few days because God has been talking to me very strongly about the invisible and there’s a lot of instruction concerning that in these chapters. But when I finished with Corinthians this morning I went back to John where I was reading in the Gospels and God showed me – You worship what you don’t know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. (Jn4:22) The Truth is most so-called “christians” today don’t know what they worship. Only true Christians know what they worship. The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth (Jn4:23) Are you worshiping the Father in Spirit and Truth? Because the hour has come that if you’re to worship God you must worship Him in Spirit and Truth. But what we’re seeing is most so called “believers” today aren’t worshiping in either one. They don’t have the Spirit and they don’t have the Truth. Yet, God is seeking such to worship Him. (Jn4:23) To worship God in Spirit and Truth you must know His Word accurately and rightly divide His Word because His Word is Truth. (Jn17:17) But you must also spend time fellowshipping with Him in prayer until you’re aware of the invisible realm, until the invisible realm is powerfully real to you because that is Spirit. Only then can you perceive God’s will truthfully thru the Spirit and worship Him! The beginning of obedience to God is obedience to the written Word. “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it’s he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I’ll love him and manifest Myself to him.” (Jn14:21) What Jesus means is “If you don’t love Me enough to obey My written commandments, you wouldn’t obey anything I asked of you in person. But if you really love Me you’ll obey My written commandments, then I’ll come to you and give you personal instructions and leading by My Spirit and you’ll get to know me in the invisible realm.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it You’ll manifest Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he’ll keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We’ll come to him and make Our home with him.” (vs22,23) The world doesn’t understand where Christ’s true disciples are from because we’re motivated by something they’ve no apprehension of. (Jn3:8) They’re motivated by worldly, visible things. They look upon us and think we look like them so they assume we’re motivated by what motivates them, but they misjudge and misconstrue everything we do. Because what’s motivating us is coming from a realm they have no awareness of – the invisible Spiritual realm; Jesus making His home with us. The Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him (Jn14:17) Unbelievers are like Thomas. If they can’t see it they don’t believe it. (Jn20:25) And yet it doesn’t take a lot of sense to understand most of the important things in life can’t be seen. Thoughts can’t be seen. Motives can’t be seen. Promises can’t be seen. The future can’t be seen. The true story of what’s really going on in political back rooms can’t usually be seen. History can only be partially seen. What really happened is often out of sight and kept secret. What things are composed of can’t really be seen. We can keep breaking matter down into more microscopic parts and subatomic particles but then we can’t see what those are made of. We reach a point where we can go no further! The realm ordinary people live in is composed mostly of what they can see so they haven’t much apprehension that there’s another realm even more important that can’t be seen. True worshipers must worship God in Spirit and in Truth. (Jn4:23a) If you’re to worship God in Spirit and in Truth you must know His Word – His Word is Truth. Also the idea of worshiping in Truth indicates we must worship in a way that apprehends His worthiness accurately. People, for example, who think God takes bribes, like if they throw a few dollars into a “faith” pastor’s pocket God will bless them, aren’t worshiping God in Truth. They may be thankful thinking, “God! I’m so glad You’re going to bless me and make me rich. I really worship You!” but they don’t really know Him at all. God won’t receive bribes because He’s holy! There’s no Truth in their idea of who God is and what He’s like! So the worship they’re giving isn’t acceptable because it’s not accurate in its perception of Him. If someone tried to give you an award for being the father of the year and you didn’t even have children, would you accept it? What’s the sense of receiving erroneous worship? If I’m not who you think I am, you’re really worshipping someone else while you pretend to worship Me! It’s a case of mistaken identity! If you’re truly worshipping God, you must worship Him accurately. Don’t praise and worship Me for things I haven’t done. To be acceptable your exaltations must be according to Truth. God is seeking such to worship Him. (vs23b) Then who else can acceptably worship God except people who really know Him, His character, His heart, and His true virtues? No other worship is of any value! He can only be worshipped in Truth. Is Truth visible or invisible? Invisible! God is Spirit. The character of a man can be visible only in his actions and yet the actions themselves, unless you know the motives behind them, don’t reveal the character. Character actually originates in the invisible part of man. And the character of God can be revealed in His actions, but to know Him you must know Him by the invisible part. You need to know His heart and what motivates His actions. Who can worship God in Truth except a people who truly know God? The Father is seeking such to worship Him. (Jn4:23) To worship Him in Spirit, you must know Him by the Spirit! This morning I was reading from John and I stopped at John 3 because I felt I’d read enough in the gospels, so I was ready to go to the Prophets where I’m reading in Jeremiah, when I sensed the Spirit saying, “Read on thru John 4.” Now God wasn’t speaking audibly but in my heart I realized the Spirit was saying, “You’re not done yet! Go on to the next two chapters!” And that’s when the Spirit began opening up this teaching about Spirit and Truth. Concerning Spirituality, I’m involved in the most religious things anyone can be involved in. I’m reading more scriptures daily than almost anybody you know, but God stops me in the middle and says, “Don’t follow your schedule! Follow Me!” And I do. Why? Because I know the Spirit. That’s why you’re being blessed with this teaching! It isn’t how much reading I do, although I love to read the bible, but it’s by the Spirit. The invisible God is real to me and I’ve come to know Him. He leads me and feeds me so I can teach you! When you’re worshiping in the Spirit you may bow before God because the Spirit’s leading you to bow down and not because you see me or someone else bow. People who worship in the flesh usually do what everyone else does. People who worship in the Spirit do what the Spirit does. People who don’t know the Spirit do what they see everybody else is doing and they think because they’ve done that they’ve worshiped God. People who know the Spirit are listening for what God is leading them to do and they’ll do what the Spirit says even if no one else is doing it. But then there are also hypocrites who’ll do something different just to draw attention to themselves. The person who does things to draw attention to himself flops in a Spiritual church because the Spiritual people know it isn’t God. When the person who’s Spiritual does something distinctive we can tell if God is in it because the invisible Spirit of God is perceptible to us. God wants to be worshipped by people who perceive and respond to His Spirit. Spiritual people walk by faith, not by sight by looking on the things that are invisible and eternal. (2Cor4:18) Our eternal God lives in the realm of the invisible. But faith makes the invisible realm real. We can look on the words of the prophets and know this world is coming to an end. We can look on God’s promises of salvation, and know if we follow Jesus He’ll save us from the wrath to come! (1Th1:10) Faith causes me to react to the Word of God in such a way as produces the presence of Christ in my life so Jesus can actually lead me, guide me and cause me to make right judgments so I don’t sin. (1Jn3:9) The Spirit of Christ keeps me from doing things that are wrong and would mess up God’s plan or His work in mine or someone else’s life. So by the Spirit I know when to speak and when not to. (Jms1:26) My faith in Christ has helped me to know Him in such a way as He can communicate with me and I can perceive and obey His leadings. (Jn10:27) Ultimately, real Christians have such a faith in the invisible God as causes them to obey Him in the Spirit under even extreme pressures from worldly people and temporal things under the sway of the evil one which are trying to cause us to sin! But if the visible realm is more important to you than the invisible, you won’t obey the invisible God but the visible worldly influences. To be saved the invisible God must be more important, and His influences must be more perceptible to you than anything in this world. And your apprehension of God must go beyond the mere activities of religion, which are like “Today I’m reading twelve pages of the bible, but God also told me to read John 4.” Am I in sin if I don’t read John 4 and instead I read Jeremiah? Yes! But how would anybody but God know? Consider how much false religion there is where people aren’t even reading the bible, yet even where they’re actually reading it, if God were to say, “Don’t read Jeremiah today. Read more out of John.” many people would react like, “I’ve got a schedule. I’m going to read two pages out of John and I’m going to read two pages out of Jeremiah. I must keep my schedule.” If that’s the case then I’ve made my religious schedule (a ritual), more important than what the Spirit says. I’ve elevated my ritual above God! Even though I’m doing religious things, my religious things have become more important than God’s. “I’m on a read the bible in a year program and don’t get in my way because I’m going to finish my bible this year and even God isn’t going to stop me!” That’s what flesh does with religion. God is Spirit. He’s Almighty and nothing’s more important than Him. Nothing! Even though I may have some sound religious disciplines; and even though I may have a real need to go shopping or a godly reason to do something where there’s even love in it; when God speaks I obey because He’s Lord and I know His voice. (Jn10:4) This is one way God keeps us from turning our religion back to flesh. My reading stays Spiritual because when God says; “Read John 4” and I obey, it crucifies my reading. Or if I want to go shopping at two o’clock and I end up going at five because God said, “Stay home and spend more time with Me” that crucifies my shopping. Every time God moves on me in the Spirit, and says, “Do it My way instead of yours” when I obey, it crucifies my flesh and keeps me in His Spirit. It’s the Spirit of Christ who’s our Salvation. It’s never your rituals. It’s never your religious disciplines. It’s always the Spirit; though religious disciplines can be helpful. But nothing can ever be elevated above God Himself. Nothing! When you place your schedule ahead of God, your schedule becomes god and you fall into bondage. I don’t make up schedules to put myself in bondage. That’s a return to the beggarly elements. (Gal 4:9) As a disciple of Jesus I have the liberty to obey the Spirit. I desire to obey the Spirit and I delight in obeying the Spirit. (Ps40:8) So whatever value I get out of making plans or schedules rests in the fact that they never become more important to me than what the Spirit is saying. My Christian life is found in keeping close to the Spirit: recognizing and being led by the invisible Spirit of God. I know He’s real and my faith is to depend upon the reality of His guidance and to always give Him preference and precedence. That’s the Spiritual life and if you’re not there that’s where you need to be. We’re not following some kind of man-made intellectual religion. We’re learning to know the living Spirit of God, learning to be sensitive to His leading, learning to depend on Him. God wants a people who’ll do that. So we don’t depend on our own reasonings. We don’t cling to our own schedules or our own interests. It’s all right to have disciplines but they can never take precedence over the Spirit. And we’re always seeking, always asking, “God have I prayed enough or is there more to pray about? God, am I thinking about this right or can You show me a better way to think? Am I doing right here Lord, or is there something else You can show me?” I seek Him all the time and He often shows me a better way to think, to see, or to pray, because we’re not doing this by ourselves. There are too many “believers” who are trying to be Christians without Christ, trying to be Spiritual without the Spirit and you may be one of them. But what the Spirit is saying to the church is – “I’m real! Talk to Me! Depend on Me! Listen to Me!” So many times I hear believers praying, “God help me hear Your voice!” The Truth is you’re probably hearing His voice. It isn’t hearing most people have a problem with. It’s obeying! Another consideration is God may not speak in the way you’d like Him to, because He’s speaking from the Spirit realm, from the invisible and not from the natural. The natural is what you’re used to and that’s what you’d like to hear. You prefer it when the pastor tells you what to do because you can hear my voice and recognize the command is coming from me. But when the Spirit puts a thought in you, you often brush it aside as though it’s trivial! Well if you want to be Spiritual stop brushing these inward thoughts aside and start checking them out. They have a source – a place of origin. And if that source is the Spirit of God you must respect Him and pay attention to what He’s saying. Stop trying to be led by your senses, what you hear in the visible physical realm and start paying attention to the invisible. Check the invisible inner influences out and you’ll often discern it’s God speaking to you. It doesn’t matter how faint a whisper He uses as long as you obey. And when God sees your obedience to His Spirit He’ll start blessing. Don’t talk yourself out of it. Don’t reason and try to figure out whether it’s God or not. Ask Him if it’s Him! He’ll show you what’s of the Spirit! Stop trying to do this on your own. Give yourself enough space to get to know the Spirit realm and be sensitive to it. Also you can’t listen to radio, TV, news and music, even “Christian” music all day, and be able to hear God. You can’t constantly fill your ears with the clamor of this physical life and yet be sensitive to what God’s saying. You’ll learn to know God by drawing aside, like Jesus did; finding quiet places to meditate and pray. Jesus left everybody, even His disciples on many occasions, to get alone with God! (Mk1:35) And when He was alone with His Father He was communing with an invisible Spirit. Only when you get acquainted with the Spirit of God to where you can sense Him, will you be able to obey Him. If you won’t spend time getting to know Him in the invisible, it won’t do you any good to pray, “God, help me hear You!” The problem isn’t He’s not speaking loud enough. The problem is you’re not giving Him access to your heart and mind! You’re the one who’s not spending enough time with Him. You’re the one who’s not giving yourself the space to learn to hear His voice. If you’ll spend time seeking Him in the invisible you’ll get to know His voice. The bible says you must know His voice or you aren’t His. (Jn10:4) One primary purpose of Christ’s church is to teach you to know the voice of God’s Spirit. Then when we have church you’ll know when it’s time to prophesy, or pray, or praise! You’ll know when God gives you something to edify the brethren. You’ll have a sensitivity to the Spirit to know it’s time to be still, or it’s time to rejoice. Even at home you’ll know when it’s time to pray or when it’s time to witness. You’ll know by the Spirit when a scripture is being quickened to you to share with your spouse. In church you’ll know when it’s right to move or bow down or shout Hallelujah! You’ll have a sensitivity to God so He can use you to bless each other, and we can have a fruitful service where everyone is worshiping in Spirit and Truth. You won’t be thinking out of your head, or following what someone else is doing. You’ll do what the Spirit is showing you to do. And your part will make the whole better. Spirituality means you’re not along for the ride just following someone else but you’re worshiping God because you know Him and you’re led by Him. That’s what we’re called to. The Father is looking for a people like that. He wants us to be a people like that, and He’ll help us become a people like that! While we don’t look at the things which are seen, but at the things which aren’t seen. For we walk by faith, not by sight! (2Cor4:18;5:7) But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth. (Jn4:23,24) By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. (Heb11:27)
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