I Shall Know Him

The title of this message 'I Shall Know Him' is taken from one of the very many hymns of Frances Jane Van Alstyne (aka Fanny Crosby). Incidentally it was exactly 100 years this 12 February 2015 that Fanny, as she was popularly called was translated to be with The Lord in glory. Despite being blind shortly after her birth, she wrote over 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with over 100 million copies printed. Some of her songs include such popular hymns like 'Blessed Assurance'; 'To God Be The Glory'; 'Pass Me not, O Gentle Saviour'; 'I Am Thine, O Lord'; 'Safe in The Arms Of Jesus'; 'Tell Me The Story of Jesus' etc.

While on a visit to Lake Chautauqua Institute, in Western New York State, she met John R. Sweney. After a busy day at the camp meeting, both of them were taking a rest on the front porch of the grand hotel when John asked an interesting question of Fanny. "Fanny," he asked, "do you think we'll recognize our friends in heaven?" Initially her response was positive. She then added, "John, that's not what you really want to know. You wonder how an old lady who has been blind all her life could even recognize one person, let alone her Lord and Saviour. Well I've given it a lot of thought and I don't think I'll have a problem. But if I do, when I get to heaven, I'm going to look around and when I see the one who I think is my Saviour, I'm going to walk up to Him and say, 'May I see your hands?' When I see the nail prints in the hands of my Saviour, then I'll know I've found my Jesus." "Oh Fanny," John said, "that would make a great song." "No thank you," she replied. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed". Well the next morning, bright and early, Fanny met John for breakfast and before they went their separate ways, she dictated the words of this great hymn.
[Culled from barryshymns..co.uk]

This song has always been one of my favourite hymns since I gave my life Christ because it emphasises heaven and focuses the believer to the hope of seeing our Lord, face to face one day. What a wonderful day that will be! The first stanza of the song goes thus:

When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see
I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.

Chorus:
I shall know Him, I shall know Him
And redeemed by His side, I shall stand.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.

Brethren, we have just read about a woman who lived more than 90 years without her eye sight, yet she was confident that she will know Her Saviour when she sees Him. Why was she very confident of recognising her Master? This we shall consider in this message.

Anyone who will know the Saviour must:

Love God
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:5 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." Our love for God and Christ is seen in the fruit we bear. If you love Me, our Lord Jesus says "keep My commandments" (John 14:13). Obedience to God's Word is the only way to prove that we love Him. "Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us." (1 John 3:24).

Love the Brethren
In John 13:34, The Lord states very categorically as follows "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." The schisms and animosities we hear these days in our churches stem firstly from our lack of fear and love for God and then hatred for the brethren. 1 John 4:7-8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Verse 20 "If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?"

Believers are commanded to love in a greater and special way, all true Christians, whether they are members of one's own church or followers of one's theological persuasion or not. Any person who possesses a living faith in Jesus Christ The Lord and remain loyal to God's inspired and inerrant Word, while standing against the prevailing spirit of our day, is my brother or sister in Christ. Such persons deserve special love and support.

Be Kingdom minded
Our Lord Jesus in Matthew 6:33 commands believers to seek above all else God's Kingdom and His righteousness. To ‘seek’ means to search for or make a strenuous and diligent effort to obtain something. God's Kingdom is where God rules and domineers. His commandments are the laws of His Kingdom and members of His Kingdom are those who obey the laws of the Kingdom. For us to be citizens of His Kingdom therefore, He has to rule in our lives. This implies that we must seek to obey the commands of Christ (John 14:15, 21; 2 John 6), possess His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9), and remain separated from the world (Romans 12:1-2).

Be Heaven focused
As believers our lives are with Christ in heaven (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:1-3). We must therefore set our minds on heaven and our attitudes governed and determined by things above. Our values, ethos and lifestyles must be considered from eternal and heavenly perspective. Spiritual grace, blessings and power are with Christ in heaven and He bestows these on these who diligently seek Him on earth (Luke 11:1-13; Ephesians 1:3; Hebrews 11:6).

Love His Appearing
To love Christ's appearing is to live in light of His coming. It is to behave as if He were coming in the next second. Believers who have this mentality are careful of where they go to, where they work, what they say and generally will not do anything that would make them to be found wanting should He come suddenly. They lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20). They do not see this world as their home because they are strangers, pilgrims, sojourners or temporary residents in it (1 Peter 1:1).

Sincere and true believers have an intense longing for the second coming of The Lord Jesus Christ to take us from earth to be with Him in heaven (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). To such believers living a life of moral purity becomes an utmost priority. John the beloved says in 1 John 3:2-3 "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

Have Fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ
Our fellowship with The Father through His Son Jesus Christ must be kept central if we are to know Him. Fellowship is not about slow or energetic music, weeping when certain songs are sung, neither is it about performing a lot of religious activities etc. Fellowship with God is marked by truth and holiness (1John 1:5). It is about reflecting God's character (2 Corinthians 3:18). It is about a life lived in union with the incarnate, crucified, risen and ascended Christ whose Spirit lives within every true believer (Romans 8:9).

Remain in the Truth of God's Word
To remain in the truth is to abide in God's Word (John 15:7), because God's Word is truth (John 17:17). The truth is therefore both the living Word of God (John 1:1) and the revelation of God's written Word. The presence of His Word in our hearts separates or sets us apart from the world and sin. This separation makes us to be near God, to live for Him and to be like Him.

Be Pure in Heart
To be pure in heart is to have the same attitude of heart like God. It is a heart that loves righteousness and hates sin. The Psalmist describes the most significant characteristic of the Messiah in Psalm 45:6 in terms of loving righteousness and hating wickedness. Righteousness characterises God’s Kingdom. Those who are pure in heart are those whose mind, will and emotions are in tune with the heart of God. It is a heart of inward holiness, right motives and goals. It is only those who are pure in heart that will see God (Matthew 5:.

Conclusion
Brethren we shall only know The Lord only and only if we had a relationship with Him while on earth. Heaven is for those who consciously prepare themselves to be there. The Bible teaches that nobody will get into heaven without preparing and working assiduously. Luke 13:23-24 "Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Our Lord Jesus makes it clear that a great majority of people will not follow Him on the road that leads to life. This is because following Christ entails a lot of self denial. It involves a sincere endeavour to obey His commands, earnestly seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, and persevere until the end in true faith, purity and love.

It is only those who endure to the end that will be saved (Matthew 24:13). Paul the Apostle understood this as he says in 1 Corinthians 9:27 "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." Paul, a man who wrote more than 45% of the New Testament knew that it is possible to fail to get the inheritance of final salvation if we should stop living a holy life, exercise self-control and endure hardships for Christ. When compared to the way many of us live in this generation, there is no doubt that most Christians are unaware of the strictness of God's righteous requirements for those who will be in heaven. His standards are the same from generation to generation (Psalms 100:5; Hebrews 13:. He says what He means and He means what He says. God's grace is essential for anyone who wants to be in heaven. This grace is a heavenly strength that God makes available to all those who call upon Him. Such grace is always sufficient for us, even in our weaknesses. This is because it causes Christ's power to rest on us and live within us as we walk through life towards our heavenly home.

Are you a child of God or a child of the devil? Do you have a relationship with The One Who made you? Should the trumpet sound or you die now will you be with Him in glory? Examine yourself now and see if you are in the faith. If you are in a church that does not build you up and prepare you for eternity with Christ, then come out of that place now. It is nothing but a synagogue of satan (Revelation 3:9). Repent of your sins and turn to The Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

Till we meet again on this platform remain blessed in Jesus' name, Amen.