This week we’re talking about something that defines us on sight. Our face! Your face is how you’re most commonly identified, followed by your voice. Our face is made up of individual parts viewed as a whole: the forehead, the brow, the eyes, the nose, the mouth, the cheeks, the chin. We know that both animals and people have faces. Some can be cute, some can be fierce, some can be attractive and some can be downright ugly. Our face is an indicator of how we’re feeling and those emotions are conveyed through muscles. It’s said it takes more muscles to frown than to smile, and while it’s debated how many muscles frowns and smiles use, there are around 43 muscles in our face. In the United States, we use the term “face” in strange ways called idioms. Here’s some I knew of:

“You’ve got a baby face” 

“Their face fell” 

“Put on a brave face”

“Keep a straight face”

“Give a poker face” 

“Put on your game face”

“About face!”

“Why the long face?” 

“Save face”

“Lose face”

“Face the music”

“Face facts”

“You’ve got egg on your face”

“Fall flat on my face”

“Until you’re blue in the face”

“Put your best face forward”

“Rub it in their face”

“Cut off your nose to spite your face” 

Do any others come to your mind?

Our face is a barometer for or a measure of our mood. When we’re angry, we scowl. Our brow furrows, our eyes narrow, our lips become pursed, we clench our jaw. When we’re happy, we smile, our eyes are open and bright, our face is lifted, and our brow is relaxed. 

Luke 11:34 NLT 

“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness.”

In happiness, we’re not thinking bad or aggressive thoughts towards others; but when we’re angry, we can be full of thoughts of vengeance. Jesus was speaking of the spiritual in that verse, but it applies to the natural as well! As Christians, we struggle just like everyone else, but we have to choose to live as Jesus lived and remember that He’s our hope! He’s our hope even in dark times! We can run to the presence of God and give our burden to Him. Our face conveys information to others, as a clock face conveys the time. We can look at someone and know what time it is– time to steer clear, time to give them some space and time to avoid them so they don’t snap our heads off!

We often evaluate whether a person is friendly or not by their face. We also consider and decide a person’s attractiveness to us based on their face first. Everyone has individual and unique opinions of what they find attractive. We look at just a part of a person and instantly evaluate their mood, attractiveness, and approach ability. In nature, we observe the face of the moon and enjoy its peaceful or ominous glow. We can admire the beauty of a mountain/rock/cliff from afar and determine whether it seems treacherous or inviting because we can see the face of it with our eyes. We can’t see the whole of the moon, or a whole mountain at once, only part– only the face, only what’s before us. This same concept is described by Paul about the Lord, the Rock of Israel. (2 Sam 23:3)

1 Corinthians 13:12 

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” 

Though we have a relationship with Jesus Christ, ( at least I hope and pray you do) we can’t currently look at the actual face of our Lord, but we can spend time in His presence. The Bible uses the terms “face,” “countenance,” and “presence.” From Merriam Webster:

Let’s look at the Hebrew word for face, which is panim (pah-neem).

So in both English and Hebrew, face also means countenance, which is the look or expression upon the face. It also means “presence” which simply defined would be “in the company of.” So when we spend time in God’s presence, we are seeking the face of God and spiritually seeing or feeling His countenance upon us. Look how many times panim is also translated as “before!” A perfect verse to show this is Deuteronomy 1:30: The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.

God met with Moses in Exodus 33 in the tabernacle and Moses said to Him, “Now therefore, I  pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation [is] Your people.” And He (God) said, “My Presence (panim) will go [with you], and I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence (panim) does not go [with us], do not bring us up from here.” [Exodus 33:13-15]

Moses in verse 33:18 asks to see the Lord’s glory. God tells him in Exodus 33:20 “…You can’t see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live.” Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the law and commandments. To combine and understand face, countenance, and presence we can look to Exodus 34. Moses, having been in God’s presence, must wear a veil when he comes down the mountain, because his own face reflects the countenance of God’s. In the New Testament, Peter, James, and John were with Jesus, when He was transfigured before their eyes.The Greek word for face is prosopon.

Matthew 17:1-2 NKJV 

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured (changed, transformed) before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Let’s look to Psalm 67:1,2 

…God be merciful unto us, and bless us; [and] cause His face to shine upon us; Selah. 2 That Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations.

Psalm 42:11 and Psalm 43:5 are identical verses which say:

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

He is the saving health. The health of my countenance comes from the Lord. Some other translations say, “The help of my countenance and my God,” (NKJV); “my Savior and my God!” (NLT)(NIV); “my salvation and my God.” (ESV); “For the help of His presence, my God.” (NASB20) 

Why does this matter? Because “the health” is yeshuot in Hebrew. It is a form of Yeshua which means Salvation and is JESUS. “Thy saving health” is “yeshuateka.” Salvation is His name! Before I knew Jesus, my face continually had a scowl. I had a deep crease in my brow from always being in a state of anger or being perturbed about something. My countenance did not reflect His glory. I had not been in His presence and my face reflected my soul’s condition.

Jesus was in preparation to become the saving health of all nations. Every Jew, every Gentile– all of mankind would be able to receive this saving health. When you truly receive Him and accept His love, you will never be the same.

Moses had a life changing experience when he went up Mount Sinai to receive the law of God.  Paul wrote about it in 2 Corinthians and how those who receive Christ experience this change. Remember the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross.

2 Corinthians 3:13-18 NLT  We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. 16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (liberty). 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like him as we are changed into His glorious image.

What are some ways that experiencing God’s presence has changed your life?

The Holy Spirit is God’s messenger to us since Jesus ascended into heaven. Jesus said in John 16:13, “when the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” Jesus Christ is our mediator. We have the full and complete Word of God and we know what 1 Timothy 2:5 says: For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit is our intercessor, literally intervening on our behalf. Romans 8:26-27 NKJV Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit [is], because He makes intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God. These are the reasons our countenance, our face, can reflect God now! People can know we have been in God’s presence. They may not know the reason, but they can see that our face is different from others.  

In the time to come, when we receive our final transformation, the glory of the Lord will not fade from our face because we will forever reflect the Lord of glory, being forever in His presence. Paul described us as seeing through a glass darkly, but we have received revelation of God by the Spirit of God through salvation in Jesus Christ!

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord.

In the same way we can’t look directly at the sun, we can only view God’s glory through a special lens– the lens of the Holy Spirit. Imagine what it will be like to truly look at Jesus, the one who died for you! While we are in this world, in this present body, we are limited by the physical plane; but when we spend time in God’s presence in worship and prayer, our face is changed here in this place, just as Moses’ was upon Mount Sinai in that time. And just as for Moses, when he came down from the mountain with the glory of God reflected on his face, it doesn’t last. Moses came down to a host of problems; Moses came down and sin was right in his face, while everyone danced around worshiping idols they had Aaron make while he was gone. Though he surely felt the Lord with him, he was in this world as we are and it is so easy to “lose” the glory of the Lord as it fades away from our face after a time.  We have to commit to seeking His face again and again so that we are truly LIVING in this world because:

• In the Lord’s presence we find fullness of joy. 

[Psalm 16:11] You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

• When He looks upon us, He gives us peace. 

[Numbers 6:26]  The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.

• When His presence goes with us, He gives us rest. 

[Exodus 33:14] And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.

• In His presence, we are refreshed.

[Acts 3:19] Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

Have you ever experienced a time when you undeniably felt God’s presence with you?

When you experience the presence of God, you don’t want to leave; you just want to stay there! Just like when you’re in love with someone, you want to spend all your time with them. You want to go wherever they’re going. You want to give them your undivided attention and likewise to receive theirs. Our relationship with Jesus should be no different. He’s waiting to be with you. Busy lives, sin, or lack of accountability (excuses) can cause us to miss out on experiencing the fullness of His presence in our daily lives. Relationships take work, they take time, they take attention and they require personal sacrifice. After nearly 30 years of marriage, I have to choose daily to make my relationship with David a priority. We need to think of our relationship with Jesus as a marriage, because it is! We professed a vow. We took His name in a covenant relationship. We are to be faithful; we are to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength because He first loved us.

Jesus is an ever present help in times of trouble, but how do we treat Him when we don’t have a need?

Are we still hanging on His every word?

Are we still seeking Him out for what He thinks we ought to do in any given situation?

Are we pursuing His face and His presence, not because we need something, but just because we love Him?

Song of Songs 8:6 says, “Set me as a seal upon your heart, As a seal upon your arm; For love [is as] strong as death, Jealousy [as] cruel as the grave; Its flames [are] flames of fire, A most vehement flame.” 

His love for us is stronger than death when He endured the suffering on the cross. Because of  His great love for us, death could not hold Him. 

His jealousy for us is as cruel as the grave when He lay in it for our sin.

The flames of His eyes burn with jealousy for us over the things we give more “face time” than we’re giving Him. They are vehement flames of passion for us. They will burn until the end.

Revelation 1:12-14 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands [One] like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair [were] white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;

Revelation 2:18 “…These things say the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire…”

Revelation 19:12-13 His eyes [were] like a flame of fire, and on His head [were] many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He [was] clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

He has told us the end from the beginning.

Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God [is] a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 5:24 “…Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he [still] lives.”

This is a long distance relationship on paper; but when we meet with Jesus face to face in worship and in prayer and in the Word of God, we KNOW that He is ever present. We can feel the Father’s smile upon us. We can know that we’re reflecting His glory and not just through our countenance, but that our whole body shines brightly in this dark world. 

Psalm 80:3, 19

Turn us again(KJV)/restore us (NKJV), O God, and cause Your face to shine; and we shall be saved. … 19 Turn us again(KJV)/restore us (NKJV), O LORD God of hosts, cause Your face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Will you commit to pursue the face of God more than ever before?

-CC