If thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God.
The soul’s organ of sight
I. THE DUTY ENJOINED. Faith is
1. A transaction between God and the soul.
2. A voluntary process.
3. Is to be exercised regardless of apparent difficulties.
4. Is to be employed in connection with corresponding works.
II. THE BLESSED RESULT. We shall see the glory of God in
1. Nature.
2. Providence.
3. His Word.
4. The Resurrection. (W. W. Wythe.)
Persuasives to faith.
Mark
I. MAN’S SLOWNESS TO BELIEVE. The words of our text may refer to some checking, on the part of the elder sister, of the expectation of a wondrous work to be done by Christ. She had said, “I know that even now whatsoever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee.” She was doubtless no stranger to His wondrous power; and yet, now, when He is there, and her part should have been silent obedience, she must needs interpose, perhaps to prevent that very thing which, if effected, would be the consummation of their highest desires. And in this was she not a type of humanity? Will not men acknowledge that God can do all things, and yet interpose difficulties in the way of His doing that which would be most for their advantage? The fact is, man measures God by himself. He will not believe a thing can be done because he himself cannot do it, or because he cannot see how it can be done. Think rather of what He has done, and await what He may, and what indeed He promises to do.
II. MAN SHALL NOT LOSE BY BELIEVING. We are far from denying the possession of faith by the trembling, mourning sister of Lazarus. She knew that He had done great things. And now her faith and theirs was rewarded; for from that dark sepulchre he came forth whom they had so mournfully laid there; and had not the sister indulged the feeling that led her to interpose a check upon Christ’s act, the event might have rewarded her even more. Think of the rewards which Abraham, the father of the faithful, received upon his faith. Must not the result of trusting the infinite God be a good one? If you honour Him, will He not be likely to honour you? A right course is sure to be attended with profit: to trust in God is a right course; therefore it shall be attended with profit. And, as it could be shown that to believe on the Son of God, even on Jesus Christ, is the most righteous course for man to take, so it is that one which is attended by the most profit. It is the means of obtaining righteousness in the sight of God--justification--present peace and future glory--the greatest possible blessings.
III. FOR GOD HAS CONNECTED THE SIGHT OF HIS GLORY WITH THE EXERCISE OF OUR FAITH. “Said I not unto thee,” etc. Wilt thou, therefore, not desire to behold the light of God’s glory--a light that eclipses the sun, and pours fresh life and joy into the souls of them upon whom it falls--a glory that shall know no gloom, no cloud, no night, and yet be always pleasant, always sweet--yea, a thousand times more so than that of our brightest morning of joy after a night of sorrow? Dost thou rejoice to see the light and feel the heat of the sun? and wilt thou not desire to look upon and be beneath the blessing of Him whose smile fills a thousand suns with light? The very love of this world thus becomes an argument for the love of that which is to come. But men seem willing to lose the last in their too eager efforts to gain the first. That was wondrous glory which lit up the dark tomb of Bethany, and” which poured the light of life into those sightless eyeballs; but a greater glory shall shine into and revive the frame of him whom the Saviour shall call forth into everlasting life. How appropriate will the words of our text be in his easel
IV. THERE IS SOMETHING IN MAN WHICH MAKES HIM LOOK FOR GREATER THAN PRESENT BLESSINGS, and this makes the exercise of faith suitable to him. Our life, to a great extent, is one of expectancy. Let our cup be full in the present life, yet are we not completely satisfied. If the Scripture asks for faith it is in harmony with the constitution of man’s mind. The great future throws its shadow forward, and man is conscious of its coming. Rich in all good, it draws him, as the heavenly bodies act upon our earth; only too, too often, he supposes that future is bounded by the time of his physical death. Let him indulge the expectancy natural to his mind only in a larger degree, and let it have holier and better objects. Let him place his expectations in God and in heaven rather than in himself, his fellow creatures, or the world. Let him only transfer his faculty of trust to higher, or rather to the right objects, even to God and His promises in Christ Jesus. Consider, in conclusion, with what force and beauty the words of our text may be addressed to the faithful when they are surrounded by the scenes of heaven--when the promises of Scripture are more than fulfilled. The sceptic may look doubtfully on now, but he will look ruefully on then. Let us look forward with faith in Christ to that glory. (A. Hudson.)
Believing to see
Man always desires to see in order to believing. Martha is called upon to give an example of the contrary process: of believing in order to see. (F. Godet, D. D.)
The seeing of God’s glory suspended on faith
Though the sun shines, yet if my eye is closed I am in darkness. If you meet a man in the spirit of unbelief, or scorn, or pride, he will not unbosom himself to you; and if you so meet God, neither are you fitted to see, nor will He disclose to you, His glory. The order is, If thou wilt believe, thou shalt see. We recognize this order throughout our Lord’s procedure. “He could not do many of His mighty works there because of their unbelief.” “All things are possible to him that believeth.” What is needed is not so much a keen, strong intellect, that can fight its way through perplexities and falsehoods, that can cross-question witnesses, that can balance evidence--not this half so much as the spirit of a little child. This is heaven’s law throughout the economy of grace, He that believeth shall see. (J. Culross, D. D.)
The importance of faith
I. FAITH REPROVED BECAUSE OF ITS WEAKNESS. Martha’s was genuine, but weak, and Christ’s delay was to strengthen it. God’s dealings are mysterious, but gracious in design. Do not question Christ’s power or doubt His word.
II. FAITH ENJOINED BECAUSE OF ITS WORTH.
1. It enriches the soul. “Rich in faith.” “Precious faith.”
2. It is the channel of Divine communications--pardon, purity, peace, joy, etc.
3. It is the eye of the soul, and sees things unseen and eternal.
4. It is necessary to the saint passing securely through the world and out of the world. “All things are possible to him that believeth.”
III. FAITH ENCOURAGED BECAUSE OF ITS REWARD. “Thou shalt see.” Death vanquished by Christ. (J. Dobie, D. D.)
The honour given to faith
1. That which alone is worth seeing, which gladdens the soul, which Moses prayed to see, which holy men of old saw only in glimpses, which heaven and earth were intended to reveal, for the beholding of which our eyes were formed, for the appreciation of which our minds were made, for the revelation of which Christ lived and died, is “the glory of God.”
2. Christ does not speak of God Himself, but of some visible display of His invisible excellencies. The glory of God is that which shows Him to be the glorious Being He is, and through it we reach the knowledge of Himself; but the special glory here is that of the bringer of life out of death. That Lazarus’s resurrection was a signal display of Divine glory is evident from the greatness of the thing itself. To remove the penalty of death, to undo its work, to swallow it up in victory, are things in which man can have no share, and the glory God is to get from it is the greatest next to Christ’s resurrection. One man raised was to show His glory; what will not myriads do?
I. GOD’S PURPOSE TO REVEAL HIS GLORY. Man may hide himself because he has nothing of his own; God cannot, because all His fulness is His own. For His own sake and the creature’s He must show Himself. For the sun to withdraw its shining would not be half so terrible as God’s refusal to reveal Himself.
II. CHRIST’S DESIRE IS THAT WE SHOULD SEE THE GLORY OF GOD. Sin had hidden the Father, Christ came to roll off the clouds. Love for the Father makes Him desirous of this, for He desires the Father’s glory; and love to us, for He desires our blessedness; and all our life, consolation, holiness, heaven, lie in this.
III. UNBELIEF HINDERS OUR SEEING HIS GLORY.
1. It hinders Christ from working those works which show the glory Mat_13:58; Mat_6:5-6; Mark 9:23-24).
2. It hinders us from perceiving the glory that is in the works even when they are wrought (John 6:26). To unbelief the miracles appeared only striking things in which there was little meaning; it was faith that drew aside the veil.
3. It hinders us from enjoying the glory even after we have in some measure seen it. We only get rays at intervals when we should see the whole sun continuously.
IV. CHRIST’S REPROOF OF UNBELIEF AND CALL TO FAITH. Let Christ’s words shame us out of our unbelief. Trust Him in your sorrows as well as your joys, and you will see the glory of God in both. (H. Bonar, D. D.)
Faith is of supreme importance
An Evangelical clergyman, visiting the late Princess Charlotte at Claremont, Her Royal Highness said to him, “Sir, you are a clergyman; will you have the goodness to give me an answer to a question which I wish to propose to you?” The clergyman replied, “Most readily shall I answer any question your Royal Highness shall please to put to me.” “Then, sir,” said the Princess, “which is the way a sinner can be saved?” The clergyman modestly replied that Her Royal Highness must be informed upon that subject, and had frequent opportunities of knowing the opinions of eminent persons respecting it. Her Royal Highness said she put the same question to every clergyman, and their opinions being at variance, she requested to have his. He then replied, “Through faith in the sacrifice and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Her Royal Highness then observed, “That is what my grandfather told me; he said, ‘Faith in Christ is everything in religion.’” (Religious Tract Society Anecdotes.)