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3. He Wants to Make His Face Sweeter to Us.
Not only does God sometimes hide His face from the righteous because He wants us to walk a lot closer to Him and not only does He do it because He wants us to depend on Him, but God also does it to make His face sweeter to us. Never is His face sweeter than after the time when we haven't seen It for awhile. Have you ever come to pray and said, "Lord, why did You turn Your face from Me? Why did You hide Your face from me?"
Did you ever play hid and go seek? I can recall when Becky was a little girl we played hide and seek. I would say, "Okay, Becky, it's my time to go hide. You close your eyes." She put her little hands over her face and peeked through.
I'd say, "Hide your eyes." She squinted her eyes tightly behind her fingers pressed against her face. After awhile I said, "It's your time to hide."
Quickly she would cover her eyes with her hands and say, "Come find me!" She thought she had hidden from me because she covered her eyes.
The Lord sometimes turns His eyes from us. He hides His eyes and hides His face. Have you ever been to that place? I have. Oh, listen. I preached one time about six months ago when I was tired and weary and it seemed like there was so much to think about. I had dictated over a hundred letters that day. I had so many decisions to make, money to raise, bills to pay, property to buy and sell, things to approve, staff members to advise and help, and folks to counsel (I counseled about twenty people that day). I was so tired and weary. I went to preach, and oh, the freshness was gone. While I was preaching, I said, "Lord, where are the tears?" I tried to cry and couldn't. I went to my room and said, "Lord, I'm going to pray all night if I have to; I'm going to get the sweetness back! I must have the sweetness!"
The next morning I stood to speak. It came so easily. The tears came and the joy came. When I thought about Heaven, I wanted to shout. When I thought about hell, I wanted to weep. When I thought about the love of God, I wanted to clap my hands and praise the Lord. When I thought about sin, I wanted to fall on my face and confess. Oh, how sweet it is! How sweet is the face of Jesus!
A mother died leaving a father and a little boy. They had the days of waiting for the funeral. Finally the day came when the funeral was conducted. The father and the little boy sat at the front, as many have done so often in this auditorium. Their hearts were crushed, for in the casket lay the body of their wife and mother. They followed the hearse out to the cemetery and heard the thud of the dirt as it beat on the casket that held the body of Mama and wife. They soon got in the car and drove back home. There was an empty place at the table. The little boy was tucked in bed that night and the dad went to his room. Out of the darkness of the night the boy said, "Daddy, are you there?"
"Yes, son, I'm here."
The little boy missed his mother. He missed the kiss on his brow, the tuck of the cover, the pat on the cheek, and the "good night." Again he said, "Daddy, are you there?"
"Yes, son, I'm here."
Then out of the darkness came the voice of the little boy. "Daddy, could I come and sleep with you?"
"Why, of course, you may."
The little boy got out of bed, ran in, crawled in bed and turned his face toward his daddy. The daddy went off to sleep, but soon was awakened by his little boy's voice in the darkness, "Daddy! Daddy!"
"Yes, son?"
"Daddy, is your face turned toward me?"
"Yes, son."
"Would you hold my hand?" The daddy reached out and took the little boy's hand in his.
The little boy whimpered and said, "Daddy, it's so much easier when you hold my hand and your face is turned toward me."
I thought about that night when my dad left home, never to come again in our house. I recall when my mother said "good-bye" to my dad. Our home was broken. My dad went away, never to walk back over our threshold again. I slept back in the back room of our little three-room apartment. I can recall that night. A big clock was up on our wall. It was a big grandfather clock. Everytime it would strike the hour, I would be awake. When Dad was gone for the first night, I called my mama and said, "Mama, can I come and sleep with you?" I don't know why, it just made it easier.
Oh, ladies and gentlemen, that is why God sometimes in His mercy has to say, "I am going to turn My back on you for a few minutes. I don't want to, but I'm going to. I don't want to turn My back on you. I don't want to hide My face. You haven't been in deep sin. You just haven't been as close to Me as you ought to be. You don't depend on Me like you ought to depend on Me. Our fellowship isn't as sweet as it used to be." So the Father turns His back.
I look up and say, "Oh, God, why? Why? Are You ever going to turn back again?"
The Lord turns His face back again and His face is so sweet to me!
And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joys we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
INDEX
More Life Changing Sermons by Dr. Jack Hyles:
Not only does God sometimes hide His face from the righteous because He wants us to walk a lot closer to Him and not only does He do it because He wants us to depend on Him, but God also does it to make His face sweeter to us. Never is His face sweeter than after the time when we haven't seen It for awhile. Have you ever come to pray and said, "Lord, why did You turn Your face from Me? Why did You hide Your face from me?"
Did you ever play hid and go seek? I can recall when Becky was a little girl we played hide and seek. I would say, "Okay, Becky, it's my time to go hide. You close your eyes." She put her little hands over her face and peeked through.
I'd say, "Hide your eyes." She squinted her eyes tightly behind her fingers pressed against her face. After awhile I said, "It's your time to hide."
Quickly she would cover her eyes with her hands and say, "Come find me!" She thought she had hidden from me because she covered her eyes.
The Lord sometimes turns His eyes from us. He hides His eyes and hides His face. Have you ever been to that place? I have. Oh, listen. I preached one time about six months ago when I was tired and weary and it seemed like there was so much to think about. I had dictated over a hundred letters that day. I had so many decisions to make, money to raise, bills to pay, property to buy and sell, things to approve, staff members to advise and help, and folks to counsel (I counseled about twenty people that day). I was so tired and weary. I went to preach, and oh, the freshness was gone. While I was preaching, I said, "Lord, where are the tears?" I tried to cry and couldn't. I went to my room and said, "Lord, I'm going to pray all night if I have to; I'm going to get the sweetness back! I must have the sweetness!"
The next morning I stood to speak. It came so easily. The tears came and the joy came. When I thought about Heaven, I wanted to shout. When I thought about hell, I wanted to weep. When I thought about the love of God, I wanted to clap my hands and praise the Lord. When I thought about sin, I wanted to fall on my face and confess. Oh, how sweet it is! How sweet is the face of Jesus!
A mother died leaving a father and a little boy. They had the days of waiting for the funeral. Finally the day came when the funeral was conducted. The father and the little boy sat at the front, as many have done so often in this auditorium. Their hearts were crushed, for in the casket lay the body of their wife and mother. They followed the hearse out to the cemetery and heard the thud of the dirt as it beat on the casket that held the body of Mama and wife. They soon got in the car and drove back home. There was an empty place at the table. The little boy was tucked in bed that night and the dad went to his room. Out of the darkness of the night the boy said, "Daddy, are you there?"
"Yes, son, I'm here."
The little boy missed his mother. He missed the kiss on his brow, the tuck of the cover, the pat on the cheek, and the "good night." Again he said, "Daddy, are you there?"
"Yes, son, I'm here."
Then out of the darkness came the voice of the little boy. "Daddy, could I come and sleep with you?"
"Why, of course, you may."
The little boy got out of bed, ran in, crawled in bed and turned his face toward his daddy. The daddy went off to sleep, but soon was awakened by his little boy's voice in the darkness, "Daddy! Daddy!"
"Yes, son?"
"Daddy, is your face turned toward me?"
"Yes, son."
"Would you hold my hand?" The daddy reached out and took the little boy's hand in his.
The little boy whimpered and said, "Daddy, it's so much easier when you hold my hand and your face is turned toward me."
I thought about that night when my dad left home, never to come again in our house. I recall when my mother said "good-bye" to my dad. Our home was broken. My dad went away, never to walk back over our threshold again. I slept back in the back room of our little three-room apartment. I can recall that night. A big clock was up on our wall. It was a big grandfather clock. Everytime it would strike the hour, I would be awake. When Dad was gone for the first night, I called my mama and said, "Mama, can I come and sleep with you?" I don't know why, it just made it easier.
Oh, ladies and gentlemen, that is why God sometimes in His mercy has to say, "I am going to turn My back on you for a few minutes. I don't want to, but I'm going to. I don't want to turn My back on you. I don't want to hide My face. You haven't been in deep sin. You just haven't been as close to Me as you ought to be. You don't depend on Me like you ought to depend on Me. Our fellowship isn't as sweet as it used to be." So the Father turns His back.
I look up and say, "Oh, God, why? Why? Are You ever going to turn back again?"
The Lord turns His face back again and His face is so sweet to me!
And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joys we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
INDEX
More Life Changing Sermons by Dr. Jack Hyles:
