Looking At Things Not Seen - Part 2 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, The praise of my God and King, the triumph of His grace.

This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, a wonderful Savior to me. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, where rivers of pleasure I see. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, that shadows of dry thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord, He taketh my burden away. He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved. He giveth me strength as my day. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, that shadows of dry thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me there with His hand. With the wordless blessings each moment he crowns, and filled with his goodness divine, I sing in my rapture, O glory to God, for such a Redeemer as mine. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, that shadows of dry thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me there with His hand. I hope you will take time to write and let us know that you have listened to the broadcast.

Maybe you're one who has intended to write for a long time and just haven't done so. Plan to do it this week, and if you can help us with the support of the program, we'll greatly appreciate it. We depend on our listeners for support. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. I also encourage you to visit our website at BaptistBibleHour.org. There you will find The Baptist Witness, you'll find both our Sunday and daily broadcasts, and a lot of other information that I think can be a blessing to you.

That's BaptistBibleHour.org. In the riveted rock I'm resting, safely sheltered I abide. There now falls more storms molesting, while within the cleft I hide. Now I'm resting, sweetly resting, in the cleft what's made for me. Jesus, blessed Mark of ages, I will find myself in Thee. Long pursued by sin and Satan, weary, sad, I long for rest. Then I found this heavenly shelter, opened in my Savior's breast. Now I'm resting, sweetly resting, in the cleft what's made for me. Jesus, blessed Mark of ages, I will find myself in Thee.

Peace which passeth understanding, joy the world can never give. Now in Jesus I am finding, in His files of love I live. Now I'm resting, sweetly resting, in the cleft what's made for me. Jesus, blessed Mark of ages, I will find myself in Thee. In the riveted rock I'll hide me, till the storm of life is past. All secure in this blessed refuge, He not the fiercest blast.

Now I'm resting, sweetly resting, in the cleft what's made for me. Jesus, blessed Mark of ages, I will find myself in Thee. Now today we bring you the second part of the message, looking at the things not seen. As we read the life of Jesus, we see that He came down from heaven. The fact that He is now passed into the heaven reminds us that He came down from heaven, and while He was here, He lived a perfect life, was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Knowing that He experienced temptation, Satan tempted Him greatly, but he resisted it.

And so when we may have struggled with temptation, we're coming to one who understands us. He tempted in all points like as we are, yet He has compassion for us. He doesn't defend sin or excuse sin, but He's ready to forgive sin and to help us to overcome it. Then ultimately, as you well know, He went to the cross and there He put away sin. Hebrews 9 26, Now once in the end of the world, He hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. In that time that He suffered on the cross, He paid the sin debt.

And while we often preach about that, it's the heart of the gospel, and while we sing about it, it's something that I'm sure we've never been able to fully grasp. How Jesus suffered not just the physical pain, but suffered the wrath of His Father. Because the sins of all those that will ultimately live with Him in heaven were put upon Him. He was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And being made sin for us, for all who will ultimately live in heaven, it's just beyond our grasp to think the corruption, the sin being put upon Him. And then because God the Father is holy, He poured out His wrath sufficiently that Jesus paid the price necessary to redeem us.

Oh, how we ought to be thankful for His redemptive work every day that we live. So it says, Hebrews chapter 9 verse 26, Now once in the end of the world He hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And then in 1 Thessalonians 1 10, And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He hath raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Now there's an expression that many today who claim they believe the Christian doctrine will object and say, you know, the God that I honor, the God that I want to preach, the God that I love is a God of love. God would never punish anybody. Well, God punished His Son, Jesus, when He was on the cross. And God will punish sin and sinners. So He delivered us from the wrath to come because wrath is coming. There are those who will be under the wrath of God cast into hell to suffer forever. One of the most chilling expressions in the Bible is that when Jesus said, There will be those stand in His presence.

And He will say, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity. To think of being cast away from Jesus to be under wrath forever.

And at that point, there is no escape. There's no time of mercy yet to be meted out. The day of mercy is over. Yes, there are those that will suffer the wrath of God. But He delivered us from wrath. And now we look for His return.

Hebrews 9, 28. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him, He shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Look to those things which are not seen. Are you looking for the coming of Jesus Christ? Does the thought cross your mind even?

Is there any time that you think about it with great anticipation? Oh, how wonderful to think that one day Jesus will come back. If He takes me on to be with Him before that return, I'll still be a part of that because when He comes back, He's going to bring those with Him and catch those that are alive. To meet them in the air and raise those that died.

Oh, what a time. Yes, He's coming and we should be looking for Him. 2 Peter 5, 10 says, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. So when you're thinking only about the things that are seen and about your treasure here on earth, today's coming is going to be burned up. So you need to be focused not on the things that are seen, the things that are going to be burned up, but those things that are eternal. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation at Godliness? So as we anticipate that time that Jesus Christ will come back, it ought have an impact on our lives. He that hath this hope purifieth himself, even as he is pure. You see, it's not just a doctrine to believe, it's a truth to be embraced and to change our life.

What manner of persons ye ought to be. Verse 12, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Where do you want to be when that happens?

What a horrendous sight. And the heavens are on fire and being dissolved, the elements melting with fervent heat. Wherefore, beloved, seeing we look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blemish. So once again, in view of the Lord's return, the admonition is given that it should have an impact on how we live. So then as we look for those things that are not seen, we can't help but think about the list of the faithful in Hebrews chapter 11.

Concerning Abraham, it says in the ninth verse, by faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Looking for a city.

Can you say that today? I'm looking for a city which hath foundations, a solid place to live. Oh, it's sad to see in our country today that many of our large cities have a terrible increase in crime. There's been a softening attitude about how criminals ought to be punished, and so often they're released to go out and commit another crime, shortly after being arrested.

And you see them declining. The cities at once were beautiful and desirable, become places of fear. And so we're looking for a city, a beautiful city, a perfect city, a city of peace, a place of joy, looking for a city which hath foundations. Hebrews 12, 13 says, let us go forth, therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach, for we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. So you can settle down in a city and say, well, this is where I'm content to be. And that city can undergo some dramatic changes, and a lot of negative things happen to it. And the fact is, what we need, what we long for is that city that is to come.

No continuing city here. Time changes things, but we're looking for one to come. We're looking for that day when the Lord comes, and whether we meet him because we die before the second coming, we're looking for the time to be with him. Second Corinthians chapter five, we move on from where our text is in the fourth chapter and look at chapter five, verse one. For we know that if our earthly house, this tabernacle, were dissolved, we have a building of God, and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. Paul says, my body is wearing out.

This whole body's not going to last. But the fact is that though this tabernacle were dissolved, though we get to the place this body can't make it any farther, we have a building or a body, a place in heaven, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is in heaven.

Can you say that? Are there not times that you groan amidst the troubles of life and say, oh, I do long for that day when at last I'm at rest? When at last I'm in the presence of Jesus, when all the battles and disappointments and sorrows are behind me, groaning, earnestly desiring it, makes us think of what he said also in Romans 8, 22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our body. Yes, looking to that time when we finally are with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5, 8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

How wonderful to realize that. That when the child of God departs this body, is carried home, he goes home to be with the Lord. Some have taught the doctrine of soul sleeping, but the soul doesn't sleep. The soul immediately goes into the presence of the Lord.

So we're confident, Paul says, willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Look today. Look at the things which are not seen.

Look at the home over there. I think about those who used to sit in this congregation, some for many years, singing about Jesus, praying to Jesus, talking about Jesus, ready to tell you how much they love the message of his saving grace. And they've gone on to be there. I think, my, what it must be. After talking about these things, reading about these things, hearing about these things, now to be present with Jesus, to see him, knowing now there's nothing uncertain about my future, I'm at home with the Lord. Yes, we grieve when one is claimed by death. But as Paul says in the letter to the church at Corinth, he says, we sorrow not. Or it says in the letter to the Thessalonians, we sorrow not even as others which have no hope.

Yes, our emotions move us to grieve and shed tears when our loved ones pass on. But we're not sorrowing as those that have no hope. We sometimes are a little envious to think about the fact they're already there. They're safe home at last. They're enjoying the bliss of heaven.

Think about those who over the years would have been sitting here today if they were still alive, but they're in a better place. They're already at home with the Lord. No more conflicts, no more sickness, no more tears but joy and peace forever with Jesus. I love the hymn that says, there is coming a day when no heartache shall come, no more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.

All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore. What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see and I look upon his face, the one that saved me by his grace, when he takes me by the hand and leads me through the promised land.

What a day, glorious day that will be. That was written by Jim Hill. I was at a gathering once where Mr. Hill was present and they asked him to come forward and lead that song. And there was something special about hearing him lead it. And you just knew that he felt deeply about the things that he had written in this hymn. Not long ago he passed on to go home and be with the Lord.

So now he's experiencing what he wrote about in that beautiful hymn. Where are you looking? Are you looking at the things which are seen? Is that your focus?

Is that your scope? It can become very depressing. If you look at the daily news, day in and day out, you hear of all the troubles, people that have died from mass shootings, car wrecks, wars, all kinds of things that you just say. It just depresses me to look at where I am and what our circumstances are in this life.

Do you find just frustration repeatedly and disappointments? Well, today would you look by faith at the things which are not seen? Look with joyful anticipation about seeing the Lord and living with Him forever.

Do you think about that? Do you read about it in His Word? Do you rejoice in it with great expectation to think no matter what I may suffer here, no matter how long my trial may seem to last, it's not going to last forever.

There's an ending place out there somewhere, but when I'm finally in the Lord's presence, no cutting off the time after a while, but that's forever, forever at home with the Lord. May you today who have never looked, look unto Jesus. Look up to Him that hung on the cross. Look up to Him who rose from the dead. Look up to Him who ascended back to heaven. John 3.14 says, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Look upon those things that are not seen.

Jesus was lifted up, lifted up on the cross like the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness and the people were told to look, look and live, look. I'm calling on you today, look unto Jesus. He alone is the Savior of sinners. He is alone, the one who can help us and sustain us in the midst of the trials of life and help us to reason as did the Apostle Paul.

What I'm having now is light affliction compared to what I'm going to get. Oh, what joy it ought to bring to us when we're looking at the things which are not seen. They're wonderful, they're glorious, and we anticipate them not because we deserve them but because of God's love, His marvelous grace, the saving work of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for this wonderful truth and pray that you would help us when we get distracted and are consumed with looking at the things which are seen, to turn our eyes away by faith and look to that which is not seen, to be continually looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. We look to you, dear Savior, for our help to meet the trials and troubles of life. We look to you to sustain us in every detail of all of our afflictions, and oh, we look for that glorious day. We pray, even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus, when we shall see Thee and be with Thee forever.

Hear us, for Thy name's sake we pray, amen. Well, as we look to the things not seen, we don't as yet see our Savior Jesus Christ. We don't see Him face to face, but one day we will. And when He comes back, He will be seen by all in His mighty entrance. And we have that precious hope of someday being with Him, living with Him, seeing Him forever.

Yes, many things that are unseen at the moment, but can be viewed by the eye of faith are those things that give us comfort and joy and hope. Again, I urge you to write us, and until next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. What a day, what a glorious day that will be.