Why is God Hiding Himself?

Sometimes you and I are confronted with what we'd call agnostics, but maybe they're not fully agnostics, but maybe just people we know that have some questions. And the questions might be along the lines of saying, listen, if God exists, why does He hide Himself? Look, if God wasn't hiding and was intervening in every day-to-day affairs, we would have peace, we'd have no problems, there would be no sickness. All would be happy. And in a sense, it's a vision we have of the world tomorrow, isn't it? And those people then would look and say, well, look at all the religions. There's so much infighting amongst religions, with all different ideas and thoughts of doctrine. And look at the world. Look at the world. If you look at the situations, you listen to the news, and if you don't have the hope that we have, people might come to the conclusion and say, look, we're going to exterminate ourselves. It's going to be near the walls sooner or later. And therefore they say, if God exists, why doesn't He intervene? Why is He just sits and watches? I mean, you could clear the smears. And yeah, the person might even ask you and say, look, God created us, if you believe that God created us, I might say, look, with a desire to know truth, to know things, to know... but what is truth? And then I have heard some cases where we say, look, well, there's free moral agency and all that. And then they say, oh, please, free moral agency? If God is good, they would say, He created us with a tendency to do evil. Why couldn't He have created us with a tendency to do good? Yeah, give us a choice, but let us be inclined to do good, not inclined to do evil. They would say, look, look at all the bad, all the things that are going on. So you believe in a loving, caring God? But how can you believe in that? And so the question I have is, how would you answer that? How do you answer that? Does God reveal Himself?

Now, some people actually do not want an answer. You know, they might just say that to you, and actually don't want an answer. They just want to maybe kind of put you in awkward position, like into a corner, and prove to you, well, that you can't argue yourself out of it.

Now, Paul does give us some interesting principles that I want to quickly highlight. One of them is in 2 Timothy, chapter 2. Second Timothy, chapter 2. Because some people just want to argue. So in 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 23, it says, Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes. So some of these cases, it's not worth to get into a battle. It really is not worth, because it says, avoid those disputes. It says, knowing that they generate strife. Knowing that then it just becomes contentious, and that contention just leaves you a bad feeling in your stomach. Why did I get myself into this thing? You feel, why did I get it? Why did I get it? And verse 24, And the servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility, correcting those who are in opposition. Yes, if they are willing to listen, and they are opposed, and they are raising some questions, yes, in humility, answer those questions. If God perhaps will grant them repentance, you know, so that they may know the truth. It may be they willing to change, have to accept that. And verse 26, And that they may come to their senses, and escape the snare of the devil. You see, it's a trap. They're falling in. Has he been taken captive by him to do his will? You know, I mean, it's interesting if you look at our booklet on evolution and creation, and some evolutions themselves admit that one of the reasons or rationale that they say they don't want to accept God, is because then they don't have a conscience to prick them, quote-unquote, so that they can do evil. They can do whatever they want. And so there it is. It says, taken captive by him, by Satan, to do his will, in other words, to disobey to God. And so, yeah, we have a few principles. In summary, let's just say that avoid arguments. Don't argue. And if there is a genuine question, teach in humility. Don't be arrogant. It says, I know it all, and whatever it is, teach in humility. I mean, just one or two pages further down in your Bible, in Titus chapter 3 verse 9 through 11, look at how Paul writes it. But avoid foolish disputes. Titus 3 verse 9. Avoid foolish disputes. So it's the same theme, and he's saying, avoid these arguments, genealogies. I mean, this person with that genealogies and this and that, avoid that. Avoid those arguments. Avoid those strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable and useless. And now look at verse 10 and 11. Reject a divisive man, a man after the first and second admonition. So yes, we help them, but after a while, if they just keep coming back on the same thing, just avoid that dispute. He says, verse 11, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning. You see, there is an ulterior motive for that, which is basically to justify a lifestyle which is not godly.

So yes, we do have to show, or rather to answer, people when they ask us a genuine question. Look at 1 Peter, 1 Peter, chapter 3. Just a little bit further ahead. 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 15. 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and always be ready to give an offense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you with meekness, that was with that humility and gentleness and kindness, with meekness and fear. So we have to be ready to give an answer. So people ask us a genuine question. They say, look, why do you believe in God and why is he hiding? And they ask a genuine question, we need to be able to answer. Now obviously some of them, as I said, they might just be argumentative, and what we see in the itemity and tithes is, don't get involved in an argument. Because in the end, they just want to justify themselves to keep swimming. So you need to help them, that maybe they can repent, but sometimes you've got to leave God's God to work with them through his Spirit to prick their minds to repentance. And so it is a tough decision for you and I to decide when to answer or when not to answer. We have to evaluate the situation. We need to answer, as it's crazy up, to defend. Everyone asks the reason for the hope that is in you with meekness. But if it becomes argumentative, then we have to be careful, because the man of God should not be in that sort of contention, as we read before. So let us go back to the question.

Why is God hiding himself?

Well, is God really hiding himself? Or has he revealed himself in various words? Turn with me, please, to Romans chapter 1 verse 20.

For since the creation of the wall, since the wall has been created, God's, in other words, his invisible attributes are clearly seen.

In other words, he's not hiding, are clearly seen. How? Being understood by the things that are made. Being understood by the things that are made.

Even his eternal power and Godhead, or divinity, or divine nature, so that they are without excuse. They don't have an excuse.

The evidence that God exists is clearly seen to mankind by the very creation that is around our eyes. As we heard in one of the hymns that we sang early on today.

The beautiful order in creation, beautiful flowers, the harmony in that creation, how everything just works to get the design behind it, his mind boggling. Our minds, the capability of us to be able to think and to be self-conscious.

It's a miracle. It's not something that could have just happened. Look at verse 19 of the same chapter. Romans chapter 1 verse 19. Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

For what may be known of God, that God exists, what may be known of God, is manifest, is shown, is revealed to mankind, to people. Because God has shown it to them.

It's plain to them. In fact, look a little bit further at verse 21 and 22. Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as a God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts with docket. Professing to be wise, they have become fools. Professing to be doctors and theologians or whatever they are, or great experts in science and geology and whatever it is, they've become fools.

For instance, how did a tiny little hummingbird learn to hover above a flower? How? How did this little bird work it out? I mean, I can't work it out. Can you? Can we just now kind of hover and hover over the coffee there? We can't!

Look at the giraffe's neck.

I mean, there is even some focus about the giraffe's neck. Because if you're young and you bend down suddenly, etc., it's not a problem. But as you get a little older and you bend out a little fast, you can feel the blood rushing through your head. You've got to be careful. You've got to be careful. Do these things carefully. Now, giraffe, it's got that long neck. That long neck suddenly goes down. Look at the blood rushing down to its head. That is a miracle of creation. Because the giraffe's head, the blood, in the vein, arthrois, where he's got the valves. And so when it goes down, some of those valves close to prevent the blood rushing to the head. How did the giraffe work it out? They had to do that. I mean, the first time didn't do so. He died. So the second time wasn't successful. They also died. But how many times did they have to try to work that out? I don't know, because they're already dead.

The Wonder of the Cell. Our booklet, Creation of Evolution, on page 43 and 45, it describes the human cell. And it says, one tiny little so-called simple cell. One cell. Simple cell. If you enlarge it to the size of a city like New York City, and that's big. It's one cell. You enlarge it to the size of a city in New York City. You will see the equivalent of a hustling and bustling factory with many doors and paths and roads and machinery, etc. working there to make that cell function.

One simple cell.

It's unbelievable.

Well, look at another example.

Blood clotting. Now, you make a cut, and if the blood wouldn't clot, you would bleed to death.

But there's a miracle that happens on the blood. At that moment, that clots and stops the bleeding to death. There's actually an illness in some people that if the blood doesn't clot, you've got to be careful. But it's a natural thing that got made into these blood cells to clot.

How do they know when they need to clot and when not? They go in and they have a little instruction book, and when something goes wrong, they say, Okay, let's now do something else.

Look at the human eye. There are millions of cells in the human eye.

I mean, how many of us go to a doctor and high specialist, and they do this, and they do different tests for this, and for macular degeneration, this and that, and whatever it is. So complex. You, to be a doctor in the eye, you have to study for years and become a specialist then. And you know what? Maybe you have cataracts and you put this thing, and yeah, I had one down here, and yeah, it's a lot better, but I can't read. It's out of focus. It doesn't work. I'm afraid of doing the other one, because then I go like this, I struggle reading the Bible. So I say, well, the other one now is getting, what do I do? But the point is, there's this miraculous eye with millions, maybe even billions of cells. Again, that's described in our booklet, Creation Revolution, on page 44. There is some brief description of how amazing the eye is, and all these cells have to work perfectly, because if one of them does not, the eye would not function. Although one of them does not work properly, the eye would not function. So God reveals Himself by His amazing creation.

I mean, I jokingly say to our kids or grandchildren, or look at this wonderful thing, maybe at the street, or at this car, or something. And then I joke at them, you see this car, or this computer, or whatever. You see, this thing just happened, because it took millions of years, and it just happened. We just left it there, and it just happened. And they say, Dad or Grandpa, you're mad.

Even the children can say, no, that's not, because what? Because somebody made it, right? How much beer is an ant than a computer? An ant! Mankind can't make an ant, a living ant, we can't. We can make computers, but he can't make an ant. That takes more creative power.

So God has revealed Himself by an amazing physical creation. But not only that, He has revealed Himself historically. Let's now go through a few points in history, of Biblical history, how God has revealed Himself. And so we're just going to look at various scriptures, basically, in a time sequence, and see how God has revealed Himself historically. So we're going to start in Genesis 2. Genesis 2. We're going to start in verse 7. We're answering the question, why does God hide Himself? Well, for one, if you have eyes to see, you'll recognize that creation requires a Creator. Life requires a life-giver. That's a law of science. That's a law of science. You know, life requires life to procreate and things like that. But anyway, so God reveals Himself by the creation, but He's revealing Himself historically. Let's look at, starting in Genesis 2, verse 7. And the Lord formed a man of the dust of the ground. So now we have God. He had an interaction with man because He shaped Him. He formed Him. There was a one-to-one relationship between God and man.

Look a bit further in verse 15. And the Lord God took the man and put him in a garden to tell and keep it. Now, if you take somebody to a garden, that means you talk to him, you communicate with him, says, Well, come with me. Here's the garden. Look at it. This is what you gotta do. I mean, there's a lot that is not written yet, but obviously it had to happen.

There was a relationship, a one-to-one relationship between God and man right here at the beginning. So He moved him. He communicated with him. And then look at it, verse 19. And then out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see that He would call them and whatever Adam called each living creature. That was its name.

How many times we've got our little grandchildren. He has this thing and he has a little teddy bear or whatever it is. And what do you want to call it? Oh, I want to give it.

And the little child gives the little teddy bear this name. So it becomes the name of this little teddy bear. Now, think about the interaction that you have had with your child on a one-to-one relationship, talking, communicating with that child, showing him the little teddy bear, allowing the child to name the teddy bear, and things like that. Well, God did that with animals. And He named them.

He gave them different names. Oh, we'll call that one a lion. Oh, we'll call that one tiger. Oh, we'll call that one an elephant. And God said, okay, fine. That will be the name. So there was a relationship there. And God, verse 20, so Adam gave names, told cattle to the birds of the air and to every beast of the field.

But for Adam was not found a helper compatible to him. So we can see there was that communication. And Adam felt alone. He says, I mean, there's a male dog and a female dog. There's a male cat and a female cat. But I'm by myself. I don't have. And so, verse 22, then the rub which the Lord God had taken from the man, He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. So He gave him a wife.

And you can see there was an interaction between God and man. They knew God as we know our parents. There was a one-on-one personal interaction. Like we know our parents, there was that relationship to the point that they walked together in the garden. They went for a walk. Like, you take your children for a walk. Well, let's go to the park, or let's go to the zoo, or let's go to train junction, or whatever it is.

You go to different things and you do. So they went and had and went for a walk in the garden. Look at it, three of a sight. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in a garden in the cool of the day. And so they did that regularly. But Yah is a situation. Yah is a situation that now after man and Adam and Eve had done something wrong, who hid Himself?

Who was hiding? Look at chapter 3, verse 8. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God. Who was doing the hiding? Was God or man? God revealed Himself to mankind, and mankind has historically been hiding from God. God has revealed Himself to mankind, and historically it's been mankind that has hidden Himself from God. You remember the story of Christ saying, oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you know, how often have I wanted to do this to you or that to you as a father and as a child, but you have killed all the prophets that have said to you.

It's man that has done bad things to God, not the other way around. Let's continue a little bit further, following historically, in Genesis 6, verse 5. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuously. Things deteriorated so much that mankind as a whole was just bad. And it says, like in the days of Noah, it will be the time of Christ. So we can see things around us are getting just like that.

They're getting bad. You watch the news and you get to a point where it says, I actually don't want to watch any more news because it's bad. Things really got bad. Now, think about it. Mankind was destroyed. There was only Noah and Mrs. Noah and three children and their spouses, eight people in total. Did they know that God existed? Yes. Did they know that had there been a punishment for disobedience? Yes, they did. Now, look at it.

Just a hundred years later. I mean, Noah was still living. Noah was still living a hundred years later in Genesis 11, verse 4. Genesis 11, verse 4. And they said, Come, as let us build ourselves a city and a tower will stop us in the heavens. Let us make a name for ourselves lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the old earth. In other words, God had told them, Listen, I want you to spread yourselves out, to start populating the earth and spread yourselves out.

And do you know what mankind said? No. I'll snap my nose against you, God, and I'll do what I want. I'll make a big city in a tower so we can get all the way up to heaven. So mankind knew God's power. There were only a hundred years old in it. A girl. Noah was still living. And sure, they had a lot of children, and the earth was repopulating, and the people lived many years.

Okay, now I know that after the flood, their age dropped drastically. But in the first few years, they still lived a long time. So, the rati, they rebelled against God, and they do not want to spread and populate the earth, because God had given them an instruction to that. Well, let's look at a further example about the nation of Israel. The nation of Israel. God's chosen people, right? God had chosen those people. God's chosen people. So we're jumping a little bit ahead now, till the time of Moses. So let's go to Exodus, chapter 5. Exodus, chapter 5.

We'll look at verse 19.

And the office of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble. After it was said, you shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota. So what do we have here? We have Moses. Stand to them, because they wanted, they were slaves. They wanted to get out. So Moses said, right, let's leave Egypt, because God had told him to do that. So following that instruction.

And Luke and I are in verse 20. Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron, who stood there to meet them. And they said to them, let God, let the Lord look on you, Moses and Aaron, and judge you, because you, Moses and Aaron, made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in the hand to kill us. They cursed the leadership. They cursed Moses and Aaron.

And look at it! And they claimed that God would judge Moses. Look how they turned it around. I mean, Moses was following God's instructions to say, all right, let the people go. And they said, no, we won't let the people go, Pharaoh said. And he said, okay, you're going to work hard, but you can see it was all part of a plan to actually let the people go. But you know what their reaction was? Instead of supporting what God had instructed through Moses, they turned against Moses and they said, let God judge you, Moses, for what you're telling us. Well, when Moses was actually telling them what God had said, they're turning it around.

A little bit further, in chapter 14. Now, they had left Egypt. You know, Exodus 12 is the Passover. They crossed the Red Sea in chapter 14. Exodus 12, they crossed the Red Sea. So it's just after that or around that. I mean, they left Egypt, but they were still ready to cross the Red Sea, a big apartment. So look at it in verse 12.

A big part of verse 14. What am I saying? Exodus 14 verse 12. It says, Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, That is allowed that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would be better for us to serve the Egyptians than we would die in the wilderness. So they were now approaching right there, approaching the Red Sea. They already left part of Egypt, but they're kind of in the last stages of leaving Egypt.

They had seen the miracle of the firstborn. That was plenty evidence that God was like. And now they were in front of the Red Sea, and Pharaoh's obvious behind them. And they say, Let us alone! We want to serve the Egyptians! Brethren, they did not want to serve God. Then let's look a bit further.

Now they've crossed the Red Sea in Chapter 15, Exodus 15, verse 23 to 26. Now when they've just crossed the Red Sea, now they come to an area. They are three days into the wilderness, and they don't have water. And now they come to Mara, and they could not drink the waters of Mara, because they were bitter. Verse 23, verse 15, I'm reading. Therefore they called it, before the name of it was called Mara, and the people complained against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? And so Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, when he cast it into the waters, and when he cast it into the waters of the waters, we made sweet.

And there he made a statue for an ordinance for them, and there he tested them. And then he said, If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, give here to his commandments, and keep his statutes, I'll put none of the diseases on you that are brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you. And so we see, young, is they murmured, they complained against the leadership. How many people today are complaining? Oh, they! They at the head office, or they at the council, or they, whatever it is.

They this, they this. We've got to be careful, brethren, when we murmur it against the leadership that God has put in place. Look, Moses was not perfect. He had his faults. As we know, we read the story. No man is perfect. But there is an authority that God has put in place, and we've got to be careful, brethren. We've got to be careful. Look a little bit later in Exodus 16, verse 2-8.

And it says, And all congregations, children of Israel, complain against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. Again, they're complaining, they're moaning against the leadership. Look at verse 3, And then the children of Israel said to them, Oh, then we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, and when we ate bread to the fool. And they were slaves. They were complaining of slaves. But I said, Oh, God, we had died.

For you've brought us out into the wilderness to kill the sole assembly with hunger. And then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I'll reign bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

And you know the story. That they had bread and manna every day, except on Friday they doubled the quantity, and then they had the Sabbath, and God was testing them, whether they would obey them or not. You see, God was working with them, and they were rejecting God. And the leadership that God had appointed. Look at chapter 17, verse 2 through 4. Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, Give us water, then we may drink. So Moses said to them, Why do you contend with me?

Why do you tempt the Lord? Why are you going at me? It's unbelievable when a person becomes a leader in the church or something, there's always people attacking those people. It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. They contend. And the people thirsty there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, Why is it that you brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? I mean, God has been intervening with them, and continuously they are complaining. So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, What shall I do with these people? What can I do, God? I mean, he was really stressed. He was really getting stressed. He said, What do I do?

What do I do? They are almost ready to stone me. They were just about ready to stone him dead. They were so angry. And then a little later, God, from Mount Sinai, speaks to them to 10 commandments. Look at Exodus 20. In Exodus 20, we have the description of God giving them the 10 commandments. And immediately after, God gives them the 10 commandments. Because the 10 commandments end in verse 17 of Exodus 20. On verse 18. So all the people witnessed the thunderings and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountains smoking.

And when the people saw it, they trembled and stood the far-off. Then they said to Moses, You speak with us, Moses, and we will hear. But let not God speak with us, lest we die.

They did not want God to talk to them on a one-to-one basis. Is God hiding there? Is God hiding? They didn't want God to speak to them. And so historically, it's mankind that has been driving themselves away from God. You can read in other sections. At the edge of the Promised Land, they sent the spies. The spies come back. And you know there's only two of those twelve spies that gave good word. And so they said, No! Let us go back to Egypt! Let us go back to Egypt! Let's make a captain! You can read that in Numbers 14. Let us go back to Egypt. You read how the prophets said, time and time again, they rebelled and turned away from God. Let's look a little bit now at the New Testament and look at Hebrews 1. Hebrews 1. Hebrews 1, verses 1 and 2.

God, with various times and in various ways, God in various ways. For one, as we know, he walked through the Word, through the spokesman. But God, in various times and in various ways, spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets.

As in these lost days, now, in the New Testament era, has spoken to us by his Son. So, he used the Father through the Word, used human beings, which were the prophets. Now he sent the Son. The very Word became a human being and he's talking to us through the very Son. Reminds you of that parable that the King sent servants and they kept killing the different... and then he sent his own Son and they killed the Son. Well, you can see exactly the parable of this in the hour with the story of Christ. And he says, he's in his lost days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed here of all things, as we heard in the sermon, that Christ is his heir of all things.

Through whom, through Christ, also he made the walls? Through Christ, the highest made everything. Through Christ, Christ was the one that actually was the agent of creation, the one that actually did the creating. So God has revealed himself in the past and now he's revealing himself through the very Son.

Look at John chapter 1, verse 1 through 3. John chapter 1, verse 1 through 3. John chapter 1, John chapter 1, verse 1 through 3. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was of the form of God, of the kind of God, was of that what we call today a family, but it was of that kind. And he was in the beginning with God, you know, he the Word was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, through the Word, and without him, that's the Word, nothing was made that was made.

The God being, the Word, under the instruction of the Most High, of the highest, created everything as the agent of the Most High. He was that rock there was of the Israelites. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

1 Corinthians chapter 10.

Verse 4 through 6.

An old rank of the same spiritual drink and the old rank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. That rock was Christ. And with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples to the intent that we should not last after evil things as they also lasted. So God has revealed himself. Then the Word emptied himself and became a human being. Look at Ephesians chapter 2.

Verse 5 through 8. Let us mind, let us mindset this attitude, being you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God. He was in the form of the God-kind. In other words, He was the Word in the form of God. Did not consider it robbery to be equal to God. He was equal to God. In other words, He was equal with the Father. But, verse 7, He made Himself. He made Himself of no reputation and took the form of a bondservant and coming the likeness of a man. In other words, He took the form of man. So He was of the form of God, of the God-kind, and He became of humankind, mankind. And be found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. So when people say that God cannot feel for all the problems, that He has no compassion, that He has no feeling, He has. Because God, the being, the Word, through whom all things were created, that being became man, humbled Himself of that power, became a human being, and He died for us, and He suffered for us. So He has compassion. He understands what suffering is. Look Isaiah 53, which is a prophecy of Christ, of the suffering servant. Isaiah 53, verse 1-4 says, Who has believed our report, and to whom was the arm of the Eternal, been revealed of the Lord? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness, and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. It was when Christ came, out of this root of Jesse, out of the family of David, He was not somebody that says, Oh, so very pretty, and as a human, there was no beauty that we should desire Him. Verse 3 says, And we heed, we heed, as it were, our faces from Him. Who is hiding? Us. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne out griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we, steaming stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. They said, Oh, God is punishing you for what you said. But no, God wasn't punishing Him.

He was suffering for us, so we could be given eternal life.

And so, as God hiding Himself, no. He has not hidden Himself, as we can see by the creation, physical creation. He is not hiding Himself, as we can see by history, historically. But what's more, He has now come as a human being to reveal Himself to us. It became Jesus Christ. And mankind thought when He revealed Himself that He was blaspheming. Let's look at a few points, very briefly, how Christ revealed Himself and what He revealed to us. Which otherwise we would not know because of what Christ did for us. In John 8, John 8 says very clearly how He revealed Himself. Look at verse 56. John 8 verse 56, He says, Your father Abram was rejoiced to see my day, and when he saw it, he was glad. Then did you say to him, You are not even 50 years old. Who are you that say that, that you've seen Abram? And Jesus said to them, Most surely I say to you, Before Abram was, I am.

And they knew very well what He's talking about because they saw that as blasphemy. Because I am was the one that talked to Moses. I am was the one that is eternal. And when they took up stones to throw it in, why? Because they understood in their minds that it was blasphemy. And therefore they wanted to kill Him. But Jesus in that case, He Himself, so that they could not kill Him because His time was not yet.

He also revealed the Father. He came to reveal the Father. Look at John chapter 1. John chapter 1 verse 18.

John chapter 1 verse 18.

John chapter 1 verse 18. No one has seen God, that's the Father at any time. The One Begotten Son, in some versions of manuscripts, it says, the One Begotten God. But anyway, the One Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, you know, was He has a very close intimate relationship with the Father. He declared Him. Christ came to declare the Father, to reveal the Father. And He says, if you know Me, you know the Father. Him and I are one. You read that in John 14. You read that in John 17 as well. So, He revealed Himself. He revealed the Father. Also, He revealed a promise of eternal life.

Under the Old Covenant, for Israel of the Old Covenant, the promise was only an abandoned physical life. The promise to the Old Covenant was only an abandoned physical life. Was not eternal life.

But in John, 1st John, 1st Epistle of John, Chapter 1, Verse 2. 1st John, 1st Epistle of John, Chapter 1, Verse 2. In fact, at the end of Verse 1 says, our hand is at hand concerning the world of life. Verse 2, the life was manifested, and we've seen Him. And bear witness and declare to you that eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us. Not only was eternal life manifested to us by Christ being with us, eternal life, but was manifested to us because it's a promise now that we have for eternal life. You have other scriptures that talk about parables that Christ said. The wicked will have the punishment forever, but the just will have eternal life. And many other scriptures that show that Jesus Christ revealed that we have a promise of eternal life.

And then, Jesus Christ revealed that we are to inherit all things as we are in the sermonette. Let's turn to the scripture that we went, that was discussed in the sermonette, which is Romans 8 verse 17. Romans 8 verse 17.

It was very aptly prescribed in the sermonette. A wonderful gift we have here. A promise we have here. Romans 8 verse 17 that says, And if children then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, heirs of God. Yes, it's not just in everything a fortune, but it's in everything God, to be God. Hairs of God. It's even a scripture that says, in John, that says, You are accusing me of being equal to God when I said I'm the son of God. Hasn't scripture itself said that you are gods and the Lord cannot be broken? Scripture cannot be broken. You are gods. So we are going to be joint heirs of God. We're not yet gods, but we are going to be, that's what it is, heirs of God and joint heirs of Christ. If, indeed, we suffer with them, that we may be glorified to that glorious position of being sons of God, together with them. So, indeed, we are to be sons of God in his family and to inherit all things. In fact, the scripture I was referring to, let me go to it very briefly, which is John chapter 10. John chapter 10. John chapter 10. John chapter 10, verse 34 to 36. And Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said you are gods? Yeah, because in verse 33 he's saying, Because you, being man, make yourself God. So they said, they understood that Jesus Christ was making himself God, being a man. And then the answer that Jesus gave, that one says, Is not written in your law, I said you are gods. And if he called them gods, to whom the word of God came, which is to mankind, and the scripture cannot be broken. That's a powerful statement. We are to be gods in the family of God, as sons of God. Obviously far inferior than Jesus Christ, far inferior than the Father. There's no comparison, but we're going to be of that kind. We are to inherit God. We are to inherit God, but we are to inherit all things. Look at Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2. Verse 6 through 8. Hebrews chapter 2. Verse 6 through 8. One testified in a certain place, saying, What is man that you are mindful of him? Or the son of man that you take care of him? You made him a little lower than angels. We as mankind are a little lower than angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of your hands. And you've put all things in subjection under his feet. And obviously it's talking about Christ, but it's also talking about us that are to inherit with Christ. Co-heirs with Christ. We are to inherit all things. So Jesus revealed all these things. Jesus also revealed that he threw the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is not hiding. Revelation! You read in Revelation 1. Verse 1. The Revelation that the Father gave to Jesus, to Christ, to giver to us, to the angel, to gather to John. And it's a revelation. It's not the hiding. And then we read. We read that Christ is going to rule the world. Look at Revelation 2. Revelation 2.

Verse 27.

He shall rule them with a rod of iron. They shall be dashed to pieces like the pot and vessels.

When I watch in the news some of these demonstrators arguing against some of the leadership, rightly or wrongly, but just that attitude of utter destruction and stubbornness and whatever it is. When Christ comes back, you and I know that the world will fight him.

Look at Revelation 17. Verse 14. Revelation 17. Verse 14. It says, these will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them. For He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and those who are with Christ with them are called and chosen and faithful, which I hope it's you and I.

That will remain faithful to the end. But as we read just now in Revelation 2, verse 27, he says, He shall rule them with a rod of iron, and they will be dashed in pieces like a pot of vessels.

These rebels, they, Christ, will not quibble with them, will not play with words with them, will not quarrel with these theologians and whatever it is, with their own ideas. Christ will fix them up really well, one shot. Does it mean that Christ is not going to be kind and compassionate and loving? Yes, He will, because a rod of iron as a shepherd is to protect the sheep. But that rod of iron is not a protecting instrument to the wolves. So, Christ will be very merciful. But, as we can see, God has not hidden. Christ has revealed to us when He came back, not only Himself, but the Father is revealed to us that we're going to have eternal life. He's revealed to us that we're going to become sons of God, that we're going to inherit all things, that He will rule the world with a rod of iron. Reverend, is God hiding Himself? Man has been hiding. God has revealed Himself by the creation, through history, and man has been hiding. And Christ has further revealed a whole number of other things that we do not understand beforehand. God has not hidden. He's the answer to the agnostic. That is the answer that we can use. You can use the agnostic. No, God has not hidden, because look at the creation. And then He says, well, if they don't want to take it, you know they have no excuse. You can't change their mind. You can do your best, but you can defend yourself. You can defend from Scripture showing that God has not hidden since the time of Adam. It was mankind that hid. Even when giving to 10 colonists says, now don't let God talk to us.

But there will be a time when Christ will intervene. And then mankind will really know. But in the meantime, He's testing the hearts. Meantime is allowing that option to mankind to say, all right, you want to go wrong? Do it. But you know, God is testing our hearts. God, that is such an important principle.

God is testing how we're going to conduct ourselves, even in the Church. When there are different trials in the Church, God is testing our hearts. But it does test sick and you'll find knock and the door will be open.

It does give the option to humbly approach Him. And then He will reveal us, not to the agnostic, but to us. There's one extra dimension that reveals Himself to us. Through His Holy Spirit. Because you and I know the power of God. Through God's Holy Spirit, when you and I repent, and when we are, you and I commit to obey Him, then He reveals Himself to us in a different way, because Christ says, I'll dwell in you through the Spirit. And when we repent, become baptized, and recognize that we need God's help, which only God can help us with His Spirit. That is the real proof, beyond the one to the agnostic, but to us. That God is there, and that helps us, because He helps us to overcome, and He's helping us to become better people. Just look at what you were 20 years ago, or 10 years ago, or 3 years ago, and how you are changing. And that is only to God's glory, that what He's doing to you and I, through His Spirit, I beg your pardon. You can see, brethren, that God is revealing Himself. Just look at God's power, and His work He's doing in your life.