The Eyes of God
The Eyes of God
J. Mike Minnix
Introduction
Sermon 1 in a series of 6 sermons entitled, "A Portrait of God."
Hebrews 4:13 ...
"13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." (NKJV)
Have you ever wondered what God looks like? Sure, we have all wondered about that at one time or another. The Bible tells us that God is not human, yet the Bible uses human terms to describe Him, so today we begin a series of sermons entitled, "A Portrait of God."
We know that God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24). Yet, God’s description of Himself involves anthropomorphic characterizations - human qualities. God is spoken of as having eyes, a mouth, feet, hands, arms, etc. For us to know God better, it is important for us to look at these characteristics and to learn what they teach us about the Lord and what they teach us about ourselves. Certainly God chose to have the writers use these examples of His nature and it is only sensible to realize that we are to learn from them. Today we begin by looking at the Ophthalmology of the Omniscient One. That is, we are looking at the subject of The Eyes Of God.
I read about a man who told his friend that he saw spots before his eyes. His friend asked, “Have you seen a doctor?” The troubled man answered, “No, I haven’t seen a doctor, only spots.”
Let me tell you that God does not see any spots before His eyes. His vision is clear and everything and everyone is open before Him. Perhaps you have seen a concave face representation of Jesus. A concave mask is one which is indented rather than protruding. If you have seen the concave image of Jesus, you have noticed the unusual characteristic which accompanies it. As you view the image it appears that Jesus is watching you. If you move, the face and eyes seem to follow you - actually, it is a bit eerie. Yet, the Bible tells us that the Lord does see all and know all. The scripture speaks of God has having eyes.
I. The Penetrating Eyes of God
Wherever we are, night or day, we cannot escape the eyes of God. The Greek name for God is Theos. It comes from the Greek root which makes up the word Theisthai, which means to see. In fact, the very name of God taken from the Greek language means, "The One Who Sees." So God is the One who sees all and knows all.
Look at Zachariah 4:10 ....
“The eyes of the Lord run to and from through the whole earth.”
Now consider Job 34:21 ...
“His eyes are upon the ways of man and he sees all his doings.”
Also we read in Proverbs 5:21 ...
“For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and He ponders all his goings.”
Our text, Hebrews 4:13, speaks of this all-seeing nature of God clearly. The word "open" in our text means, "to lay bare." This fact ought to be sobering to us, and must help us know that God can see into the secret chambers of our hearts.
Proverbs 15:3 reads ...
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good.”
Our vision is so limited that it is difficult for us to understand the eyes of God. Our eyes are made up of several parts, the most important being the retina. The retina contains rods and cones which receive light and shadows, and transmits them across the optic nerve to the brain. There are approximately 75 million rods and 7 million cones in just one of your eyes. Yet, your vision is extremely limited. For example, military intelligence has revealed that America has spy satellites circling the earth 100 miles in the heavens. The eyes of those satellites are so sensitive that they can see an object 2 feet square, more clearly than you can see me now. Man has created this process of long distance satellite vision. If we can do that with a camera, what do you think the God of heaven can do when it comes to seeing? Nothing is hidden from His eyes.
The Lord reminded Samuel that He does not see as man sees, the Lord looks on the heart while man looks on the outward appearance. God looks into the heart and into the soul.
1 Samuel 16:7 reads ...
“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’"
We can hear what a person says, and see what they wish for us to see, but only God can behold everything in the mind and heart of the person speaking. God is far more interested in your inward thoughts than the outward appearance you project.
Now, notice ...
II. The Precious Eyes of God
Knowing that God can see everywhere and everything, it will make you glad to know that God also has Precious Eyes. What do I mean by that? I mean that God has loving, kind, and compassionate eyes.
Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” So, let's look at how Jesus viewed sinners. Jesus saw you and cared for you before you even knew that He existed. Look at John 1:47-51, where we read ...
“When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.’ ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.’ He then added, ‘I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’" Jesus knew and cared about Nathanael before Nathanael knew about Him.
In 2 Chronicles 16:9a we read ...
"9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
God is always looking for people whose hearts are loyal so that He might bless them.
David once prayed ...
“Keep me as the apple of your eye,
Hide me under the shadow of your wing” (Psalm 17:8).
David knew that the very sparkle in God's eye revealed the divine love that was upon him.
One day the great astronomer was watching the sunset through his telescope. Into focus came two boys who were stealing apples. They were seven miles away. They had no idea that anyone was watching. One was pulling apples and the other was watching for anyone who might come along. That is a bit humorous, but think of how God sees our sins but does not immediately come to judge us. He gives us time to repent and to accept His love and grace. God's eyes are mighty but they are also preciously loving toward us, for He sees every sin but is loving and patient with us.
Now, think with me about ...
III. The Providential Eyes Of God
Psalm 32:8 reads ...
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go,
I will guide you with my eye.”
It is our duty to trust God’s guidance and leadership, for God can see the future that we cannot possibly see or know. He can see what is happening before it happens. He desires to guide us to that which is best for us. Now, look at the next verse. God does not want us to be so rebellious that he has to treat us like a horse. That is, he doesn’t want to put a bit in our mouths in order to get us to move in His positive and divine direction.
Did any of you have parents who could instruct you with their eyes? A look at your mother or father could tell you to come, go, stop, quit talking, straighten up! I did, and I am sure many of you did, too. One look from my father could scare the wits out of me. When my mother furrowed her brow, it felt like eternal judgment was around the corner. It would help us if we could see the eyes of God when He sees us going down a wrong path. In a way, we can do that. His Word, the Bible, is filled with His instructions. Reading it is like looking in the eyes of God. Maybe some people don't read the Bible often because they are seeking to avoid His restraining look.
Yet, there are times when a look from your mom or day could be so comforting. When something frightened you in the night and you called out, what a peace you had when your parent walked in to make sure you were okay. I see that in Genesis 16, where we read that when Hagar was banished to the wilderness, she became aware of God's care for her. Then she called Him: "You-Are-the-God-who-Sees." And the well of water she found in that desert place was called Beer Lahai Roi, which means, "Well of the One Who Lives and Sees Me."
Knowing that our heavenly Father sees everything we do should motivate us to live in a way that pleases Him, but it should also be a source of comfort to us because the God who sees also cares for His own.
Where are you right now? Are you in trouble or facing what feels like a life crisis? God sees and cares for you. Are in stepping in a direction that you know God disapproves of? God sees and it giving you that warning look that says you better straighten up! Wherever you are, God sees, knows and cares. You can and should turn to Him today.
Conclusion
During World War II an ocean liner left a British port headed for a harbor in the United States. Enemy subs and cruisers were scattered about, placing the ship in peril as it crossed the Atlantic. Therefore, the captain was given secret directions charting the route. Added were these instructions: “Keep straight on this course. Turn aside for nothing. If you need help, send a wireless message in code.”
After a few days out at sea, the crew spotted an enemy cruiser on the horizon. It appeared to be trailing them. The captain immediately sent a coded message: “Enemy cruiser sighted. What shall I do?”
The reply came from an unseen ship, “Keep straight on. I'm standing by.”
No friendly vessel could be seen, but the captain kept the liner on course until it safely reached the port. Within a short time, a British warship slipped into the same harbor. Although it had been out of sight, it had protected the passenger vessel all the way to port. For those of us who know the Lord, He is always watching and caring for us. He will see you till you reach the final destination. Just stay straight on course.
The Bible tells us to look the Lord. If you don’t know Him, you can look to Him now. He loves you. He sees you. He will save you!
Extra Illustrations:
“Within thy circling power I stand;
On every side I find thy hand:
Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
I am surrounded still with God." (Isaac Watts, 1854)
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God’s vision is so good that He can see a thing before it happens. All prophecy in the Bible proves it.
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From time-to-time someone will say to the preacher, “Today, you were preaching only to me.” Yes, indeed, God sees you and knows your need. And though the preacher may be totally unaware of the impact of the message, God sends it straight to the heart that needs it.
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God sees us completely
God sees us constantly
God sees us convictingly
God sees us compassionately.
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He numbers the hairs on your head. Luke 12:7
He knows your words before you speak them. Psalm 139:4
He knows your thoughts before you think them. Psalm 139:2
He knows your prayers before you pray them. Matthew 6:8
He knows when you get up in the morning and when you go to bed at night.
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Psalm 139:2-3
He knows everything you are going to do tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and every moment of every day until the moment of your death.
Psalm 139:16
He records every word you say and will some day call you to account for every careless, thoughtless, unkind and unchristian comment. Matthew 12:36
He sees everything you do in secret—both the good and the bad. Matthew 6:4
He hears every whispered word and will one day shout them from the housetops. Luke 12:3
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Jesus has seven eyes according to Revelation 5:6. This simply means that he has perfect vision.
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In the Book of Judges we read about times of gross sin and rebellion and great suffering in the life of the people. It is called the generation who did what was right in their own eyes. What does that mean? It means they did not consider what they should have done according to God’s eyes!
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“The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12