Acts 3:10 - And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened to him.
They were filled with wonder when they saw that God had healed the man they had seen for years at the gate to the temple called Beautiful. That my friends is an earthly taste of a coming wonder that cannot be compared with anything this side of heaven. Men have always looked into the heavens with wonder. Personally seeing your own child be born is a wonder. The great Blue Whale is a wonder. The Himalayas are a wonder. The seven wonders of the world are a wonder. There are many things and experiences that we have called wonders. But there is an experience for the follower of Jesus Christ that will cause us to enter into an eternal wonder as we cast our new and sinlessly clear eyes upon Him. We will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His wounds we will wonder how could we not have loved Him more? He allowed Himself to be bruised in such a fashion for us and that prepared, spotless body was disfigured in our place. We will gaze and we will wonder as we see the wounds we had so often heard and thought about that now are more glorious than we could have ever imagined. We will wonder why this all powerful Son - God - Christ was not only voluntarily subjected to the savagery that produced those wounds, but He DESIRED them. "For the joy that was set before Him"? What joy? Me!? And after the Creator suffered for the creation, He eternally wears those crowns in a majestic expression of His everlasting love for His bride. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His glory we will wonder why He cared about any of us. The Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and yet He cared about us. Rebellious - prideful - blasphemous - selfish - completely sinful and thoroughly deserving of eternity in hell. So "what is man that thou art mindful of him?". Look at His brilliance and august glory, unlike anything ever imagined, somehow shining forth all His infinite attributes in one breathtaking spectacle. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His beauty we will wonder how could we have been transfixed by this present world and anything that claimed to be beautiful. His beauty is on a different level than we think of anything now called beauty. Take all the mountains, the oceans, the stars, the rainbows, and all the beauty of nature in all its forms and realize that they all came from just the spoken Word of this Beautiful Creator, then what flawless radiance must emanate from the Source? If it has not yet "entered into the heart of man what the Lord has prepared for those who love Him" we can be most sure that it has not yet entered into our hearts the abject and perfect resplendence of the Preparer Himself. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His power we will wonder why He ever endured the rebellion of our cursed race as long as He did. He isn't just powerful, and He isn't just the most powerful, no, He is ALL powerful. He could have destroyed His entire creation with just a Word and created another. As we look and experience the presence of His divine power we will realize that we never really knew what power was. Hurricanes? Tornados? Nuclear weapons? Saturn five rocket? The Sun? The explosions of a million super novas? Mere shadows of the only authentic power which we will see inherent in the Risen Christ. And yet in the presence of this incredible and frightening power we will be granted an eternal sense of glorious salvation and the everlasting safety of His grace. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His heaven we will wonder why we did not look for and desire this place more than our earthly existence. Seraphim, cherubim, the colors, the expanse, the songs, and of course the centerpiece, The Lamb and The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Our inheritance undefiled and reserved for us, we now take possession and occupation. He could have prepared for us a place that was supreme and pristine, without sin and corruption but without His presence. An eternal paradise for which we would have been forever grateful, but no, consider this surpassing glory, we will enter the Celestial City in which is His dwelling place. The Taj Mahal - a shack. The White House - ghetto. Heaven itself with the Creator and Redeemer welcoming us forever to be with Him. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see the Person of His Word which He is called by Himself, we will wonder how could we ever have doubted for a moment. "And His name is The Word of God". We have heard His Word; we have spoken His Word; we have read His Word; we have trusted His Word; we have studied His Word; but there His Word is - Jesus Himself. He is His Word and His Word is Him. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God". We're there, we see it, we see Him, we are now experiencing the complete power and presence of the Word, Jesus Christ the Eternal Incarnation of the Word of God. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His Lordship which encompasses everything from eternity past to eternity future we will wonder, just wonder, in worship and amazement. All the sermons from Edwards to Spurgeon didn't even begin to touch the hem of His garment. All the imaginations of the greatest theological minds were dark reflections of what we now wonder before. The sovereignty taught by Calvin...infinitely wanting. The grace taught by Luther...infinitely wanting. The fear of God taught by Edwards...infinitely wanting. The glory taught by Spurgeon...infinitely wanting. All the words of God's choicest servants are now broken and pale, falling hollow and insufficient before His Regal Lordship. And as we remember that Aaron's high priest wore HOLINESS TO THE LORD on his headpiece, we realize that was a small key that now has unlocked a heavenly room and drawn back the mysterious veil and has allowed us to see Him who IS Holiness, face to face. The Unique Lord. The Only Lord. The Everlasting Lord. The Sovereign Lord. The Glorious Lord. The Loving Lord. The Gracious Lord. THE LORD OF LORDS, worshipped of angels and pristinely HOLY! August, High and Lifted Up, Separate from sinners and approachable ONLY through the portal of His own Blood.
WHEN WE SEE HIM, IN THE LORDSHIP OF HIS UNSPEAKABLE GLORY...WE WILL WONDER...FOREVER!!!!!!!
They were filled with wonder when they saw that God had healed the man they had seen for years at the gate to the temple called Beautiful. That my friends is an earthly taste of a coming wonder that cannot be compared with anything this side of heaven. Men have always looked into the heavens with wonder. Personally seeing your own child be born is a wonder. The great Blue Whale is a wonder. The Himalayas are a wonder. The seven wonders of the world are a wonder. There are many things and experiences that we have called wonders. But there is an experience for the follower of Jesus Christ that will cause us to enter into an eternal wonder as we cast our new and sinlessly clear eyes upon Him. We will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His wounds we will wonder how could we not have loved Him more? He allowed Himself to be bruised in such a fashion for us and that prepared, spotless body was disfigured in our place. We will gaze and we will wonder as we see the wounds we had so often heard and thought about that now are more glorious than we could have ever imagined. We will wonder why this all powerful Son - God - Christ was not only voluntarily subjected to the savagery that produced those wounds, but He DESIRED them. "For the joy that was set before Him"? What joy? Me!? And after the Creator suffered for the creation, He eternally wears those crowns in a majestic expression of His everlasting love for His bride. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His glory we will wonder why He cared about any of us. The Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and yet He cared about us. Rebellious - prideful - blasphemous - selfish - completely sinful and thoroughly deserving of eternity in hell. So "what is man that thou art mindful of him?". Look at His brilliance and august glory, unlike anything ever imagined, somehow shining forth all His infinite attributes in one breathtaking spectacle. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His beauty we will wonder how could we have been transfixed by this present world and anything that claimed to be beautiful. His beauty is on a different level than we think of anything now called beauty. Take all the mountains, the oceans, the stars, the rainbows, and all the beauty of nature in all its forms and realize that they all came from just the spoken Word of this Beautiful Creator, then what flawless radiance must emanate from the Source? If it has not yet "entered into the heart of man what the Lord has prepared for those who love Him" we can be most sure that it has not yet entered into our hearts the abject and perfect resplendence of the Preparer Himself. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His power we will wonder why He ever endured the rebellion of our cursed race as long as He did. He isn't just powerful, and He isn't just the most powerful, no, He is ALL powerful. He could have destroyed His entire creation with just a Word and created another. As we look and experience the presence of His divine power we will realize that we never really knew what power was. Hurricanes? Tornados? Nuclear weapons? Saturn five rocket? The Sun? The explosions of a million super novas? Mere shadows of the only authentic power which we will see inherent in the Risen Christ. And yet in the presence of this incredible and frightening power we will be granted an eternal sense of glorious salvation and the everlasting safety of His grace. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His heaven we will wonder why we did not look for and desire this place more than our earthly existence. Seraphim, cherubim, the colors, the expanse, the songs, and of course the centerpiece, The Lamb and The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Our inheritance undefiled and reserved for us, we now take possession and occupation. He could have prepared for us a place that was supreme and pristine, without sin and corruption but without His presence. An eternal paradise for which we would have been forever grateful, but no, consider this surpassing glory, we will enter the Celestial City in which is His dwelling place. The Taj Mahal - a shack. The White House - ghetto. Heaven itself with the Creator and Redeemer welcoming us forever to be with Him. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see the Person of His Word which He is called by Himself, we will wonder how could we ever have doubted for a moment. "And His name is The Word of God". We have heard His Word; we have spoken His Word; we have read His Word; we have trusted His Word; we have studied His Word; but there His Word is - Jesus Himself. He is His Word and His Word is Him. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God". We're there, we see it, we see Him, we are now experiencing the complete power and presence of the Word, Jesus Christ the Eternal Incarnation of the Word of God. Oh, we will wonder...
When we see Him...and see His Lordship which encompasses everything from eternity past to eternity future we will wonder, just wonder, in worship and amazement. All the sermons from Edwards to Spurgeon didn't even begin to touch the hem of His garment. All the imaginations of the greatest theological minds were dark reflections of what we now wonder before. The sovereignty taught by Calvin...infinitely wanting. The grace taught by Luther...infinitely wanting. The fear of God taught by Edwards...infinitely wanting. The glory taught by Spurgeon...infinitely wanting. All the words of God's choicest servants are now broken and pale, falling hollow and insufficient before His Regal Lordship. And as we remember that Aaron's high priest wore HOLINESS TO THE LORD on his headpiece, we realize that was a small key that now has unlocked a heavenly room and drawn back the mysterious veil and has allowed us to see Him who IS Holiness, face to face. The Unique Lord. The Only Lord. The Everlasting Lord. The Sovereign Lord. The Glorious Lord. The Loving Lord. The Gracious Lord. THE LORD OF LORDS, worshipped of angels and pristinely HOLY! August, High and Lifted Up, Separate from sinners and approachable ONLY through the portal of His own Blood.
WHEN WE SEE HIM, IN THE LORDSHIP OF HIS UNSPEAKABLE GLORY...WE WILL WONDER...FOREVER!!!!!!!
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2 comments:
Thanks for this reminder Rick. Too often we focus on the physical and take the wonder for granted. If we don't take God for granted and walk in wonder, stepping out on faith believing, aren't be spirit-flled and spirit-led?
Very important that we get this. Thanks!
Reminds me of the hymn "We Shall Behold Him"...
"The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance; The stars shall applaud Him with thunders of praise. The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those awaiting; And we shall behold Him, then face to face...Face to face, in all of His glory...Face to face, our Savior and Lord."
How I long to behold Him, and at the same time, tremble at the thought.
Wonder of wonders...our Savior and Lord.
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