JESUS.CHRIST.THE.SAME.YESTERDAY.TODAY.AND.FOREVER_ TUCSON.AZ TUESDAY_ 63-0604
E-24 Now, we find that these men hungering, they come to see what this Man looked like. And they asked the question, "Sirs, we would see Jesus." Now, they'd heard about Him, heard others speak of Him, read of Him in the Bible, but they wanted to see Him.
Now, to my text. The Bible said He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Then if these men was desirous to see Him, and God made a way that their anticipation could be satisfied... He made a way that they could see Him, by one of His servants. Now, if--if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, and we have the same sincere desire to see Him, isn't He obligated to show Hisself among us?
E-25 Now, that's a great big statement. But if the Bible isn't right, then where are we at? See? But the Bible said He's the same. And He--He can't be just the same in some manner; He's got to be the same in every manner that He ever was. He says He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And these Greeks wanted to see Him, because faith had come by hearing, and they come and was satisfied, went away knowing that that was the Messiah.
E-26 Now, if we are desirous tonight to see this One Who... We go to church, whether we feel like it or not, and where we--our church, we pay our tithings. Is--is it to a myth? Is it to just a--a building that we're paying to? Is this man who is our pastor, just an impersonator of something there's nothing to? Is the Christian religion like Greek mythology or Roman mythology or something, it's just a myth? Or is it a reality?
Now, to me, the--this Bible is either right or It's wrong. Every Word is true or there's none of It true. See? And now, if He made this promise, then it's not you and I obligated to this promise. It's not you and I obligated to prove this promise. He's the One's under obligation because He was the One Who said it. Right. We're only quoting what He said, that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And here's...
E-27 How many here would like to see Him, just--just for--say so, raise your hands. Say, "I--I like..." Now, there was two there, only two that wanted to see Him, and here's two or three hundred wants to see Him. Well then, why can't we see Him if He's the same yesterday, today, and forever? Now, that's the way we want to look at it. It's either the truth or it isn't the truth. And that's why I expressed it the first time. This Bible is either the Truth or it isn't the Truth. Therefore, when the Bible says anything you can just hold on to it, for God's obligated to this Word, for He was the One made the promise. If God said so, all right, it's so.
Now, it will depend on what you're looking for. You usually get what you look for. I want you to remember that. Now, if you want to see God, God could be seen. If you want to hear God, God can be heard. Just as He was yesterday, so is He today. He doesn't change.
E-28 Now, reminds me of a little story, and yet it's true. I live in Indiana. My native home, I'm a Kentuckian by birth, and we live by the Ohio River. Enough water goes through there a day to make lettuce grow all over Arizona. Millions of gallons of water pass down that dam, and it looks like that some way we could bypass it. We got more than we need there; it's almost a swamp, and--and you need the water here. But it will be someday in that great Millennium that is to come, when sin is taken from the earth and them things will be right.
E-29 There was an old fisherman lived down on that river. He was a deacon in my church. His name was Wisehart, a very fine old man. And there was a certain Sunday school in our city, a fine church, a great fine internationally known denomination, a fellowship, fine pastor, and fine people. And there was a certain family in our city that went to this church. And there was a little boy in this family who got real enthused one day, after hearing so many flannel-graph readings and so forth, till he said to his mother, he said, "Mama, if God is a great God, as you say He is, could anyone see Him?"
She said, "Son, you should ask your Sunday school teacher. Mother's not able to tell you that."
So he went to the Sunday school teacher and he said, "Teacher, I would like to ask you something. You tell me about great God," said, "that's so great and He opens the Red Sea for the Israelites, and He makes the sun to shine, and He whirls the earth perfectly in time in its orbit, and so forth." Said, "Could anyone see Him?"
She said, "That's too deep for me. You'll have to ask the pastor."
So he got to the pastor and he said, "Pastor, could anyone see God?" Said, "He's so great. I hear you speak of Him from the pulpit telling how great He is." Said, "Could anyone see Him?"
Said, "No son. No one could see Him," said, "because you just can't see God. That's all. We just have to believe it."
E-30 Well, the little fellow, it didn't suffice him. So he... One day he was with the old brother, fisherman, on the river. And they'd went up to what's called the Six-mile Island. It's six miles (an island), from Louisville, Kentucky, to this island. They'd been fishing up there, and they'd caught a good catch of fish, and on the road down there come up a storm. And there we have many storms that--that wet country, lightning and thunder, and great gushes of rain, and...
And so after the... They had to go to the shore and get behind trees. And after the storm was over, they went back in their boat and started down. It was in the evening time, or the afternoon rather, and the sun setting back over here in Tucson somewhere. It was reflecting its light in the sky, and there was a rainbow came out across the eastern horizon. And the old fisherman was paddling his boat with his oars, as, everything fresh, the rain had washed the dust off. And it's a lovely time. And only a man who's used to the oars can appreciate that rhythm of the tipping of the oars as the boat glides its way through the water. His white beard hanging down... And he kept watching that rainbow.
E-31 And the little boy, enthused, looked around to see what the old gentleman was looking at, and he noticed the old fisherman, the crystal tears dropping off of his white beard. And the little boy, setting in the bow of the boat, become so enthused till he rushed towards the stern of the boat and said to the old fisherman, "Sir, I'm going to ask you a question that my mother, nor my Sunday school teacher, nor my pastor could--could satisfy my longing to know something."
He said, "What is it, son?"
He said, "Can anyone see God?"
And the old fisherman, so overcome by his--the little fellow's question, pulled the oars into the boat and threw his arms around the little boy, and the tears run down his cheeks. He said, "God bless your little heart, honey. All I've seen for the past fifty years has been God." See, see?
You can get so much God on the inside that you can see Him anywhere you look. See? But until that desire to see Him, you won't see Him. You can see Him in the sunset. You can hear Him in the call of the birds. You can watch Him everywhere. He's on every hand. But the old man had so much God inside of him, he--he could see God everywhere. And I think that's kinda the way we ought to look for God, and we can see God anywhere we look.

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If you want to see Him, you take Him at His Word. That's all. Then He'll be on the inside.

He'll take the cover of your eyes and show you He was bringing you to Him the whole time. He was building you to the point that you would desire Him with all you heart. He will show you that you were a finished work in Him, before there ever was anything created.

He will show you how sure your salvation is.

Oh, what a blessed assurance!