CAN WE FIND GOD?

Copyright 2013 by Simeon M. Susi, Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any form without written
permission from the author.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise
indicated are taken from the Holy Bible,
The New King James Version. Copyright 1979,
1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Designed and printed in the Philippines by
Church Strengthening Ministry, Inc.
Paraaque City, Philippines
EAN 480652317233-2
Dedication
To my beloved wife, Tessie, now in glory
with her Lord and Savior;
To my Spiritual Father, Milton D. Haack,
a godly man of God;
and
To the Christian Churches in Bataan
and Pampanga.
Table of Contents
Foreword 7
Preface 8
1 God is Incomprehensible 13
2 God Revealed Himself
to the Honest Seeker 21
3 God Revealed Himself
Thru the Medium of Words
The Bible 40
4 God is Revealed Thru
the Wonders of Creation 48
5 God is Perfectly Revealed
Thru the Person of Jesus Christ 53
6 The Sinner Can Approach God
Thru Christ 56
7 The Tabernacle Where God
Meets Man A Picture of
the Lord Jesus Christ and
the Worshiper 64
8 The Christian Vision of God 72
7
Foreword
I
t is an honor to write a foreword to the
book, Can We Find God? written by brother
Simeon Susi, Jr. For many years I served
as missionary in Pampanga, and had happy
fellowship with the author. Upon reading this
book, I am delighted to observe the conservative,
uncompromising stand our brother has toward
the truth of the Word of God.
It is our sincere prayer that this book will
have a wide circulation and be a blessing to
many who are struggling with the question,
Can We Find God?, and find the answer in a
personal faith relationship in the Lord Jesus
Christ, the One who said, I am the way, the
truth and the life (John 14:6).
Milton Haack
8
Preface
T
oday we have observed among modern
converts of Christianity, the results of
what conservative christians called
easy believism. They professed faith in
Christ, and claimed to be Christians, yet as
some says, They dont look like one. I was
reminded of a great statesman and leader who
became interested in the life and teachings of
Christ; kept on reading the bible, attending
church meetings, and one day was asked by his
colleagues if he already became a convert to
Christianity. Sadly He replied, I am still looking
for Christians. In many so called Christian
countries today, like ours, where social ills is
prevalent corruptions, filthiness of the flesh,
and a departure from the Word of God; many
among the unsaved people are disappointed to
Christianity. A bigger percentage of our young
PREFACE 9
people no longer believe in God. Perhaps the
reason is, they dont see a difference between
the life of a non-believer and one who claimed
as such. It is a sad thing, why particularly our
country the Philippines, known as the only
Christian nation on this part of the globe;
the fruit of faith is not seen among many
who professed to be believers in Christ. Does
this mean Christianity failed us? I believe, it
did not fail us, but as one said and I agreed,
Christianity did not fail us, but we failed
Christianity.
One of the reasons why how little the
precious things of Christ are known and
valued among modern professing believers,
is that, our knowledge of Him is mean. Some
of our preachers are always in a hurry to get
converts thru a superficial preaching of the
Gospel. They often forget that the salvation of
a soul is a work of the Holy Spirit, and should
give Him the liberty to work in the minds and
hearts of the listeners; pray fervently for their
enlightenment to come to a saving knowledge
10 CAN WE FIND GOD?
of Christ, instead of hurriedly asking them
for a decision to accept Him. Paul said, My
message and my preaching were not with wise and
persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the
Spirits power, so that your faith might not rest on
mens wisdom, but on Gods power (1 Cor. 2:4-
5 NIV). Many altar calls became a routine
entertainment, and the result is a nominal
Christianity.
Another reason of shallow Christianity,
is perhaps, what Mr. Ravenhill eloquently
expressed, and I quote: The tragedy of the
late hour is that we have too many dead men in
the pulpits giving out too many dead sermons
to too many dead people. He further said,
Preaching is a spiritual business under God,
a spiritual preacher will produce spiritually-
minded people.
Thirdly, some preach the Love of God,
and ignore the truth that a holy God hates
sin. We often say, God hates sin but love
the sinner, say Jerry Bridges, and this is
blessedly true, but too often we quickly rush
PREFACE 11
over the first half of this statement to get to
the second. We cannot escape the fact that God
hates our sins. A holy God cannot forgive
sin unless it is judged and condemned. The
door of forgiveness was only opened to us
after sin was condemned in the holy person
of our Lord Jesus at Calvarys cross. The pain
He bore was more than what our eyes could
see and imagine. What we cannot see is the
excruciating pain that caused Him to perspire
like drops of blood at Gethsemane as He
anticipated the cross (Luke 22:44); and that
we believers, will never come to understand
the depths of that agony, because God laid
on Him the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6-10).
One must be serious in seeking God to
find Him (Jer. 29:13). It is the purpose of this
booklet to explain a deeper search for God,
and ones awareness of the working of the
Holy Spirit in leading us thru the word to
know Him. While it is true that salvation is
a gift from God, the recipient must come to a
deeper understanding of himself and God, to
12 CAN WE FIND GOD?
feel the hunger for the need of this gift. This
is the work of the Holy Spirit, convicting us
of sin and our wretchedness, to be awakened
to the call of God. There is no true conversion
without conviction.
May God bless this booklet.

S.M.S.
13
1
God Is
Incomprehensible
C
an you search out the deep things
of God? Can you find out the limits
of the Almighty?, asked Zophar
the Naamathite to Job (Job 11:7). In his book
The Eleven Lectures on the book of Job, William
Kelly commented on this question: Nobody can
he said, God must reveal Himself. In our quest
for God, we have admitted that in our sinful
condition, He is beyond our comprehension.
Like the question of Zophar to Job, we cant
find Him, until He reveals Himself to us. Our
carnal minds, no matter how better educated in
the secular field cannot fathom the mysteries
of God. Our minds, said John Stott, Though
14 CAN WE FIND GOD?
wonderfully effective instruments in the empirical
science, cannot climb up into the infinite mind
of God. There is no ladder, he said, Only a vast
immeasurable gulf. David, as he meditated on
the omniscience and omnipresence of God,
bowed in worship and said Such knowledge is
too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee
from your presence? If I go to the heavens, you
are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are
there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle
on the far side of the sea, even there your hand
will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast
(Psa. 139:6-10 NIV). When Solomon determined
to build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem,
awed by His greatness, proclaimed, The temple
which I build will be great, for our God is greater
than all gods. But who is able to build Him a temple,
since heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot
contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build
a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?
(2 Chro. 2:5-6). God is so awesome to us seeker
GOD IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE 15
that we need grace from above to be able to
know Him.
The Atheist in his proud mind concluded
that there is no God. The Bible gave light
to that perception: the natural man does not
receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14). We
cannot search God thru the empirical field,
or by mere observations and reflections of
the senses, like most learned men do in their
search for the meaning of things and events
around them. Many thinkers of this world did
not find God. They thought that thru rational
explanation they could explain the mysteries of
God. We may apprehend Him, said Matthew
Henry in his commentary on the book of Job,
but we cannot comprehend Him; we may know
that He is, but cannot know what He iswe
should be thankful for what He has revealed
of Himself. Another depth of his mystery
is that, our God is a Triune God. The Triune
God is One (Deut. 6:4), but revealed Himself as
16 CAN WE FIND GOD?
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This
again is beyond human comprehension, but
this truth was revealed in the many pages of
the Holy Scriptures, from the Old down to the
New Testament, and could only be discerned
by the believers mind when he honestly and
prayerfully search the word of God thru the
guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit in him.
From the beginning of creation, the word
God in the Bible is in the plural form
ELOHIM (Hebrew), when it is used of the
God of Israel it has a singular verb or adjective
(as if it were to say, The God is).
4
It was
further revealed that the Triune God were
actively involved in the process of creation.
The movement of the Holy Spirit is seen in
the first two verses of the first chapter of the
Book of Genesis. Secondly, when God created
man, He used the word, US and OUR. Let
Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness (Gen. 1:26). These words did not
refer to angels, as some suggested, because
creation is a sole prerogative of God, and that
GOD IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE 17
angels were also created beings (Col. 1:16).
However the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was
with Him in creation. He was in the beginning
with God. All things were made, through Him and
without Him nothing was made that was made
(Jn. 1:2-3). God was first mentioned in the first
verse and first Book of the Bible as without
beginning. In the beginning God created (Gen.
1:1), meaning, before everything existed, God
was there. The same phrase was mentioned in
the first verse of the Gospel of John, and we
read, In the beginning was the word (Jn. 1:1),
and the word referred to Christ who existed
before everything begun.
Again, the Lord Jesus was distinguished
from God the Father, but identified with Him
in His deity. John wrote: In the beginning was
the word (Christ) and the word was with God,
and the word was God (Jn. 1:1-2). The Word
referred to the Lord Jesus Christ, and could
be read in the fourteenth verse of the same
chapter: and the word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
18 CAN WE FIND GOD?
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth (Jn. 1:14 AV).
In the baptismal formula, quoting from the
Gospel of Matthew, the Lord Jesus commanded
His followers to Go and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt.
28:19). A careful reader will notice the word
name, is in the singular form, but referred
to Three distinct Persons, and in introducing
them, every person was preceded by the word
The, which means being introduced separately,
they are not only distinct persons from one
another, but equal in their divine standing.
In the Old Testament, the Trinity is intimated
in many instances. When Moses was tending
the flock of his father-in-law, and came to
Horeb, the mountain of God, the Angel of
the Lord appeared to him in the midst of a
burning bush; and as he turn aside to see the
glorious sight, why the bush was burning but
not consumed, he heard the voice of the One
who called him (the Angel of the Lord) and
GOD IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE 19
said: I am the God of your father; the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob
(Exo. 3:6). The same Angel of the Lord spoke
to Jacob in a dream and told him, He is the
God of Bethel (Gen. 31:11-13).
The Angel of the Lord is distinguished in
name from the Lord God, but identified with
His deity. There were many instances like this
in the Old Testament, and He (the Angel of
the Lord) is believed to be the pre-incarnate
Christ. Adam Clark had something to say on
this mystery: The Angel of the Lord is not a
created angel certainly; for He is called Jehovah
(v. 4), and has the most expressive attributes
of the Godhead applied to Himand who was
this but Jesus
5

Admittedly, we cannot comprehend this
mystery, but was revealed in His Word,
especially in the New Testament where it is
more enlightening to the believers who are
comfortable in believing the One God, who
revealed Himself in Three Divine Persons. It is
only by searching the Scriptures prayerfully that
20 CAN WE FIND GOD?
we could be enlightened to the awesomeness
of God. Paul in ending his second epistle to the
Corinthians wrote: The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Cor. 13:14).
The wisdom needed to know God is not found
here below but from above. It is only thru the
Word of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit,
could men be enlightened about his Creator.
21
2
God Revealed
Himself to the
Honest Seeker
T
hank God, in revealing Himself to us.
And you will seek Me and find Me, when
you search for Me with all your heart (Jer.
29:13). If He did not reveal Himself, we will
be groping in the dark. Our God did not want
to be the unknown God to His creatures.
He loves us, and has a message for us. He
wanted everyone to glorify Him and enjoy Him
forever. This was His plan from the beginning
He created man in His image and likeness. Man
is a moral creature; that means he is holy, good
and endowed with intellect to know God and
22 CAN WE FIND GOD?
to glorify Him. But sinned marred that glory
in him. In the Parable of the Lost coin (Luke
15:8) man was lost and buried in the dust. The
silver coin is the picture of the lost man. The
image imprinted became rusty and distorted.
(In some countries their currency in coins
were minted with the picture of their rulers
engraved in those coins ). The image of God
is distorted in men men who are lost. This
truth is seen in the moral breakdown of our
society. Admittedly, we have advanced in the
field of secular education, like science and
modern technology, but our society is morally
sick. Sin is pervasive sexual perversion, drug
addictions, immorality, broken marriages and
the exposure of sex through the modern style
of clothing. All is seen and glamorized in the
Televisions and the Print media, and sold like
hot cakes in our markets. Worst still, this
malady is morally accepted in many countries
today. This kind of evil stemmed from mans
departure and rebellion to God; And even as
they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 23
God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those
things which are not fitting; being filled with all
unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, evil mindedness; they are whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things,disobedient to parents,
undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,
unmerciful: who, knowing the righteous judgment
of God, that those who practice such things are
deserving of death, not only do the same, but also
approve of those who practice them (Rom. 1:28-32).
The message of God is distorted by many
religious sect today. Men are religious, but
blind to the truth of God. Their Christianity is
superficial, because it is adulterated by their
carnal reasoning. They dont agree that the Bible
is Gods Word, but insisted that It contains
the word of God, meaning, they do not agree
with some of the sacred truths revealed in the
Holy Scriptures that do not conform to their
religious plans and ideas; like compromising
the truths of the doctrine of separation with
24 CAN WE FIND GOD?
idolatrous people, for the sake of unity.
By the way, what are the words that are not
inspired in the bible (I am referring to the
protestant Bible containing 66 books). One
said, who will separate the gold from the
dross? If the Bible is not totally inspired, as
they claimed, who will believe what it says?
The devil planned to distort the Word of God
from the beginning of creation (Gen. 3:1-5),
because if he will succeed in his plan, he will
finally convince man to lost his confidence
in God.
Another problem going on among some
professing churches today is their involvement
in partisan politics; taking sides in partisan
political issues, rather than preaching the Gospel
of Christ to many lost souls; that they may be
enlightened to the grace of God, and be separated
from the pollution of our unholy surroundings.
Many so called Preachers professed to preach
God, but exults themselves by preaching much
about what they have learned in their secular
education; including issues in politics, sports, show
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 25
(movie) business, and the man-made doctrines
of their religious teachers, setting aside the
message of the Bible, or trying sometimes, to
equate it from their own ideas. People like
to hear this kind of messages, and kept them
awake in their meetings. Paul said the time
will come that men will not put up with sound
doctrine, instead to suit their own desires, they
will gather around them a great number of
teachers to say what their itchy ears want to
hear, they will turn their ears away from the
truth and turn aside to myths (2 Tim. 4:3-4
NIV). William MacDonald properly articulated
this problem: The Apostles foresees a time
when people will show a positive distaste for
health-giving teaching. They will willfully turn
away from those who teach the truth of Gods
Word. Their ears will itch for doctrines that
are pleasing and comfortable. To satisfy their
lust for novel and gratifying doctrines, they
will accumulate a group of teachers who will
tell them what they want to hear.
1
26 CAN WE FIND GOD?
The other reason why many disagree with
some of the truths, stated in the Bible, is that,
truth hurts. Man hates to hear the truth about
himself. The flesh hates to hear his sins. Christ
was hated by the religious leaders of His time, in
the flesh, because He preached the truth about
their hypocrisy, calling them like whitewash
tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly,
but inside are full of dead mens bones and
all uncleanness (Matt. 23:27-28).
Truth hurts, but it heals the heart of him
who accept it, and confess it to God. One
must be hurt to be awakened to the truth of
Gods Words. David said, Before I was afflicted
I went astray, but now I keep your word... Then
he reiterated, it is good for me that I have been
afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes (Psa.
119:67, 71). When Peter preached the Gospel on
the day of the Pentecost, and accused the Jews
in crucifying the Lord Christ, they were cut or
pricked to the heart and repented and were
baptized in the name of Christ (Acts 2:36-38).
Gods message must prick the heart of man
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 27
to know the truth from God. Sin is temporary
insanity. The prodigal son who squandered his
possession in a far country with prodigal living,
did not come to his senses until convicted by
God, and resolved to go back to his Father and
confessed his sins (Luke 15:13-20). The word
of God hurts and convicts us to be awakened
to the truths of ourselves; For the word of
God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of
soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
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 (Heb. 4:12-13).
God is patient despite all these departures
from the truth. He gave man a span of one
hundred and twenty years during the time
of Noah before the judgment before God
destroyed man by the flood (Gen. 3:5). He
is patient, not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet.
3:9). God kept searching and seeking man;
28 CAN WE FIND GOD?
working in him thru the Holy Spirit to come
to his senses and like the owner of the coin,
searching thru the lamp (the Word of God),
sweeping the dust, until the coin was found.
Jesus said, Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in
the presence of angels of God over one sinner who
repents (Luke 15:8-10). This is the miracle
of Christianity today, not seeing a vision,
like many people claimed, but witnessing a
sinners change life.
God kept on calling man in Christ Jesus
to provide him a new life, to recreate and
fashion him in His likeness. No one can provide
a new heart and a new life to man except God.
Secular education cannot renew the evil heart.
This is evident in many of our modern youths
today. Our percentage of illiteracy is much
smaller than the past couple of decades, but
morally everyone agrees that the problem of
society today are the unruly educated youths.
Religion, I mean a mere membership to a
religious group, cannot renew the heart. We
see these things in our time, many religious
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 29
organizations surfaced, religious buildings
are full of people every Sundays, but sin is
all around from Monday to Saturday. Only
God can create a new heart in man (2 Cor.
5:17). God loves the sinner. He wanted him
to come to Him, and like a physician, will
provide him balm from his spiritual troubles;
He came and became flesh, and dwelt among
us, to offer His Holy Body on Calvarys cross,
that we may be healed; forgiven from our
sins and enjoy eternal life with Him forever
(Jn. 10:28-29; 17:22). But we must search Him
with all our heart, mind and soul, so He will
disclose Himself, even His glory.
Before we seek God, first He work a desire
in us to seek and find Him a desire in our
inner being to search for Him; for it is God
who work that desire before we seek Him.
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save
that which was lost (Luke 19:10). Zachaeus, a
publican and a chief tax collector who have
enriched himself by excessive collection of
taxes (Luke 19:8), came to his senses when He
30 CAN WE FIND GOD?
desired to see Jesus Who He was (Luke 19:2-
3). God worked in him thru the Holy Spirit,
convicted him of sin (Jn. 16:7-9) and when
did that work of conviction begin, he did not
know. All he knew was the time when Jesus
called him on top of the sycamore tree and
said: Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for
today I must stay at your house (Luke 19:5). All
of us who responded to the Lords invitation
to find rest (Matt. 11:28) could point a time
in our life when we did heed and come to that
invitation. But when did God begin to work
for that desire to seek Him, we cannot tell.
In the discourse of the Lord Jesus to Nicodemus,
He used nature to illustrate spiritual truths.
He said, The wind blows where it wishes, and
you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where
it comes from and where it goes... (Jn. 3:8). He
spoke of the new birth and like the wind; we
did not know where it came from when did
God begin a work in him. A.W. Tozer wrote:
Before a sinful man can think a right thought of
God, there must have been a work of enlightenment
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 31
done within him, imperfect it may be, but a true
work nonetheless and the secret cause of all desiring
and seeking and praying which may follow.
God, thru the Holy Spirit is preparing our
heart to seek Him, convicting us of sins; of
the vanities of life without God, working in us
a desire for holiness, a desire to be forgiven
by God, and a desire to seek the One who will
provide the panacea of our spiritual illness,
the cause of our restlessness. That desire will
prepare our heart to find God in Jesus Christ,
for He said, Come to Me all you who labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matt.
11:28). Notice that He is calling those who are
burdened with sin and those who are tired
looking for the elusive joy and peace in this
world but cannot find them. Augustine said;
Our hearts are restless, until they rest in you.
The working of God thru the Holy Spirit
before conversion is the dawn of light in
understanding Him. As He reveals Himself,
without that inner desire done by the Holy
Spirit, one will not find Him. This we have
32 CAN WE FIND GOD?
observed, that when God spoke to men to reveal
Himself (2 Pet. 1:20-21), many did not believe in
His Words the Bible. It is only the work of
men, they said, men who wanted to persuade
us with their ideas... God revealed Himself
through the wonders of creation, many did
not see God, but they saw creation. Finally
God revealed Himself perfectly in the Person
of Jesus Christ, the image of the unseen God
(Col. 1:15), but He was rejected, mocked and
crucified by His own people. He was the Light
that shines in darkness, and the darkness did
not comprehend it. Light is enough to be
seen by men, and yet God sent a witness to
testify that the Light came shining but still
many did not see Him (Jn. 1:6-10), because
they were blind. But to those, whom the light
shone, those who seriously responded to the
working of God in them, saw God in Christ.
They believed in Him and gave them the right
to be called the children of God, who were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God (Jn. 1:12-13).
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 33
They responded to the work of God, and found
Him in Christ.
To know God we must desire to obey Him,
fear Him; by fear I mean, not a servile fear,
but reverence, for Holy and Reverend is His
name (Psa. 111:9, AV). We need faith to know
Him, and faith like salvation is a gift from
God (Eph. 2:8-9). Faith comes from above, and
endowed by God to one who honestly desired
to find Him. Faith comes by hearing the word
(Rom. 10:17). It is the power to know God;
to believe Him, and obey Him. The writer of
Hebrew made this clear and I quote: Without
faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6).
Paul said that man can be accepted righteously
only through Gods message of faith, not by
the deeds of the Law (Rom. 3:20-23; Gal. 2:16).
The Law condemns, because man fall short
of Gods standard of holiness expressed and
embodied in the Law. The Law was given to
us in order to know that we failed God (Rom.
3:23). Only by Gods message of faith in Christ
Jesus could men be declared righteous because
34 CAN WE FIND GOD?
God condemned sin in Him to satisfy the holy
requirements of the Law. He is merciful and
just, meaning He loves us, but did not overlook
sin. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin
for us, that we might become the righteousness of
God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). This message of faith
thru Christ is the power of God to salvation for
everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16), but could
only be understood by the power of faith, for
in it the righteousness of God is revealed from
faith to faith... (Rom. 1:17). And one must have
faith to understand it. Thus we observe many
who heard the simple gospel message the
message of salvation by grace through faith,
did not agree with it. Almost majority of the
worlds religion, preach salvation by works, or
faith plus works except genuine Christianity.
Only one who has faith can truly understand
the message of Gods grace.
Abels offering pleased God when he offered
the first born of his flock because he knew
(knowledge) what God desired a lamb that
pictured Christ death at Calvarys cross. Why
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 35
did he know? Perhaps his parents told him
and gave instructions on the law of offering,
but it requires faith to understand and believe
it. Cain did not understand the right offering
and God did not accept it (Gen. 4:3-5). Abels
faith look forward to Calvarys cross. Faith
is not leaping in the dark, or as some infidel
says, Faith is blind following. Faith is based
on knowledge knowledge from the Word
of God. Faith without knowledge (reflection)
is fanaticism. This is the problem why many
became prey of religious cults. They dont take
time to search the scriptures and ask God to
enlighten their minds. They are easily carried
with every wind of doctrines and fascinated
with the eloquence of preaching.
Faith is the power to believe and obey God.
By faith Abraham obeyed God when he was told
to leave his country and go to a land he did
not even know (Heb. 11:8). He left Ur of the
Chaldees (Gen. 11:31; 12:1-4), the metropolis
of the ancient world; the center of civilization,
that will provide him worldly opportunities
36 CAN WE FIND GOD?
to gain prominence and luxury in life. Yet
he obeyed God. By faith he dwelt in the land of
promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents...
for he waited for the city which has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:9-10).
Abraham like Moses would rather obey God
than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin (Heb.
11:25).
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted
to him for righteousness (Rom. 4:3). What did
he believe in God? First, God told him that
his descendants will be as numerous as the
stars in heaven, and he believed the Lord (Gen.
15:1-6), despite humanly speaking, he knew
that it was physically impossible for him to
beget children; he being a hundred years old
and Sarah his wife is barren (Rom. 4:17-22).
Secondly, the Lord said to him that through
his seed all the nations of the earth shall be
blessed (Gen. 22:18), and the Seed, that God
promised to come from the fruit of his body
in the flesh is no other than the Lord Jesus
Christ (Gal. 3:16). He believed God and look
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 37
forward to that promise by faith; though, I
believe, he did not clearly see as we see it
in our case today, because we have the New
Testament in our possession that explicitly
revealed all these truths before our eyes (1
Pet. 1:9-12). Abraham believed, looking forward
to the cross daily. We believers today look
backward to the cross, clearly explained to us
in the scriptures, more than in Abrahams case.
But thru his faith in Gods promise, he saw the
beam of light that points to the Savior and
the cross further away than we see it today.
By faith Abraham obeyed God when he was
asked to offer his son his only son as a burnt
offering at Mount Moriah. This I believe is the
greatest test of his obedience. Isaac is the only
son from Sarah and that through him Gods
promise of posterity will come. How could this
be fulfilled if Isaac would be offered as a burnt
offering? Secondly, Abraham loves his son,
and God knows this. Take now your son Isaac,
God said, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering
38 CAN WE FIND GOD?
on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you
(Gen. 22:2). God wanted to know if Abrahams
love for Isaac exceeds that what belongs to
Him. In the words of J. Oswald Sanders: of
course it was not Isaac God wanted, but the death
of Abraham of that thing which had caused him to
give Isaac pre-eminence over God in his affections.
4

Abraham passed the test, did not hesitate to
offer his only son, but God prevented him,
and provided a lamb as a substitute for Isaac.
That lamb is a picture of Christ our substitute
at the cross. Then Abraham lifted his eyes
and looked, and their behind him was a ram
caught in a ticket by its horn. So Abraham
went and took the ram and offered it up for
a burnt offering instead (substitute) of his
son. God commended Abraham, now I know
that you fear God, since you did not withheld your
son, your only son from Me (Gen. 22:12). Only
the power of faith in God could one be able
to obey. By faith the saints of old obeyed God.
God provided the seeker wisdom thru faith.
This is not secular wisdom, but spiritual wisdom,
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF TO THE HONEST SEEKER 39
not the wisdom of this world. Paul says: We
do however speak a message of wisdom among the
mature, but not the wisdom of this age...No, we
speak of Gods secret wisdom, a wisdom that has
been hidden and that God destined for our glory
before time begun. None of the rulers of this age
understood it, for if they had, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory...but God has revealed
it to us by his Spirit... (1 Cor. 2:6-10, NIV).
40
3
God Revealed
Himself Thru the
Medium of Words
The Bible
G
od revealed Himself thru the language
of man. He inspired men of old to write,
and made known His mind and plans,
for prophecy never came by the will of man, but
holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). He inspired men as
they write, yet retained their personality and
style of writing. Inspiration is the proof of
the accuracy and inerrancy of the Scriptures.
Paul the Apostle confirmed inspiration All
scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF THRU THE MEDIUM OF WORDS THE BIBLE 41
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instructions in righteousness, that the man
of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for
every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
By inspiration, ordinary man became
infallible, because God superintended them
as they write. Inspiration according to Webster
dictionary is the Divine influence upon human
beings as that resulting in the writing of the
scriptures.
1
By inspiration the Prophets, Apostles,
and other sacred writers were qualified to
set forth divine truths without mixtures of
errors, and exactly expressed Gods mind, and
were written in the original manuscript of the
Bible. Merrill Unger quotes Warfield, on this
subject, as a supernatural influence exerted
on the sacred writers by the spirit of God, by
virtue of which their writings are given Divine
trustworthiness.
2
These men wrote individually
for a span of different period of time, about
forty men of different profession and probably
written in a span of one thousand five hundred
years, from the first book to the last, yet they have
42 CAN WE FIND GOD?
one progressive message a progressive revelation
of God leading us to Christ. This revelation was
written in a book we were privileged to have
and read the Bible.
God desired to communicate His message
clearly so that we will understand Him. Even
today, He is still speaking to us. This does not
mean that the Bible is not the final revelation;
but when we say He is still speaking to us, He
reveals the truth about Him and ourselves,
as we read and meditate upon His words. He
speaks to us thru His written Word the Bible.
I remember a time when I was leading a Bible
Study group in one of the towns in our province;
after the meeting, a man from the audience
stood up and volunteered to preach and join
us in our missionary work. He even offered
his vehicles to be used in remote places for
our convenience. I then asked what prompted
him to decide on that good proposal, and he
replied to our surprised, I sensed that God
told me to preach. Amazingly, I ask, knowing
that it was his first time in the meeting, what
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF THRU THE MEDIUM OF WORDS THE BIBLE 43
did God tell you to preach about? he had no
answer and remained silent and perplexed.
Today God no longer speak literally, like He
spoke in time past to the prophets, priests
and kings in the Old Testament; although He
could if He wanted to. But what I am saying
is that the Bible is the complete revelation
of God for Our spiritual need, (present and
future); and this includes His final plans at
the end times. If up to at present, He still
speaks literally, adding to what the Bible says
as some religious group claimed, when will
revelation ends? One person wrote a song,
and the lyrics did not conform to the truths
of the Scriptures; yet he insisted that the
Holy Spirit dictated to him the lyrics of the
song. The Holy Spirit was sent to enlighten
us to the truths of Gods words, not to add
another truth (Jn. 14:26; Rev. 22:16-19). As
Ive have said before God continue to speak to
us, giving us particular messages as we read
and meditate prayerfully upon his words, the
Bible. God speaks to us deeper truth so that we
44 CAN WE FIND GOD?
will grow in the knowledge of Him. The Bible
is the inevitable outcome of Gods continuous
speech, said Tozer, I think a new world will
arise out of religious mist when we approach
our bible with the idea that it is not only
a book, which was once spoken, but a book
which is now speaking.
3
God also speaks thru His servants, in preaching
and teaching the Word. He commanded us to
preach. It is His desire to preach the Gospel
to everyone. This was made cleared at the
birth of the early church in Jerusalem. At
the day of the Pentecost the disciples were
endowed by the Holy Spirit the power to
speak in other tongues to preach the gospel
clearly in the languages of those who were
gathered around them; particularly Jews who
have resided in different nations and acquired
different languages Now there were staying in
Jerusalem, God-fearing JewsWhen they heard this
sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment,
because each one heard them speaking in his own
language. Utterly amazed, they asked: are not all
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF THRU THE MEDIUM OF WORDS THE BIBLE 45
these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how
is it that each of us hears them in his own native
language? (Acts 2:5-8 NIV). God gave them
spiritual gifts to speak in the language of those
people gathered around them to preach the
message of salvation in clear terms by word
of mouth. However today, some claimed to
possess the gift of tongues, but the problem is,
unlike what happened at Pentecost, what we
are hearing today by these so called tongues
speakers are not translatable words, but
gibberish and ecstatic utterances. If ever
there are still people who were endowed with
the gifts of tongues nowadays, it must be a
reproduction of what happened at Pentecost,
meaning, the apostles spoke thru the power
of the Holy Spirit, translatable languages that
they did not learn from school. It is important
to note that many people (Jews) who acquired
different languages from different nations where
present at that time, and heard the apostles
spoke in their own languages, like, Parthians
and Medes and Elamites... Egypt and parts of Libya...
46 CAN WE FIND GOD?
Rome... Cretans and Arabs... (Acts 2:5-11) they
heard the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ
preached by the Apostles. From thereon up to
the present, the Bible is preached by Christians
in every place of the globe. Presently it is
translated in almost every language of the
world, because God wanted all men to know
Him and His plans.
Our language, although admittedly sometimes,
fall short in explaining spiritual things, like
some of the Old and New Testaments writers
who use similes and metaphors in describing
their visions of the awesome God; yet despite
the inadequacy of our language, our need to
know Him His holiness, love, mercy and
His desire for our salvation and eternal life,
are explicitly clear.
Today, many professing Christians do not
take time to read the Bible. No one will grow
in faith without searching the Scriptures daily.
It is thru searching the Scriptures that our
knowledge of Christ grows deeper (Jn. 6:39;
2 Pet. 3:18). A true believer must hunger for
GOD REVEALED HIMSELF THRU THE MEDIUM OF WORDS THE BIBLE 47
the Word. It is the evidence of Gods life in
him. The Lord Himself exhorted us to search
the Scriptures and obey Him.
Satan planned to destroy the Bible. This
was evidenced by history. The Bible became a
closed Book before the age of the Reformation.
It was not permitted by the professing church
to be read. Many were persecuted burned at
stake, imprisoned, and excommunicated, because
of their faith in God and in the truth of His Word.
The devil did not like men to know the truth of the
Christian faith. He desired that they remain in the
dark, and be a companion of him (Satan) in hell.
Thank God that Martin Luther was enlightened to
the truth of the Bible, when he read and meditated
on the Book of the Romans, and discovered that
Salvation is a gift of divine grace, and that men
has no power to earn it. Even today many religious
people in Christendom were made to believe by their
religious leaders, that only those who are leaders
of their churches, have the right to interpret
the Bible. Satan planned to destroy the Bible
in many subtle ways but God preserved it.
48
4
God is Revealed
Thru the Wonders
of Creation
T
he power to create is a sole prerogative
of God. In the beginning God created...
(Gen. 1:1). The Bible introduced God in its
first page and first sentence, and the evidence
of His Omnipotence is creation. No one can
create except Him. He created something out of
nothing. Men make something out of something,
like building a house out of lumber and bricks.
God spoke and things came to existence; by
faith we understand that the worlds were framed
by the word of God, so that the things which are
seen were not made of things which are visible
GOD IS REVEALED THRU THE WONDERS OF CREATION 49
(Heb. 11:3). Creation is the evidence of the
glory of God. The heavens declare the glory of
God; And the firmament shows His handiwork (Psa.
19:1). Paul says that the wonder of creation
reveals to man a Living God, and man is without
excuse not to acknowledge Him; because what
may be known of God is manifest in them, for God
has shown it to them. For since the creation of
the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,
being understood by things that are made, even
His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are
without excuse (Rom. 1:19-20).
Too bad men worshiped the beauty of
creation (nature) more than the Creator of
nature. From the cradle of ancient civilization,
up to the present, men worshiped nature, like
the sun and stars. Men who professed to be
wise refuted the truth of Gods creation. They
postulated that every living things evolved
from a single cell, until it became a complex
one, but where that single cell came from,
they could not explain. Men could have known
God if he pondered and reflected seriously and
50 CAN WE FIND GOD?
honestly over the awesomeness of creation,
for behind this beauty an intelligent and
omnipotent God is seen.
Men worship and served the creature (men
and beast) more than the creator (Rom. 1:25).
They made their gods and became vain in their
imagination. In their sinful and darkened mind
they made an image of God like corruptible man;
and birds and four-footed animals and creeping
things (Rom. 1:23). This is idolatry and God
hates idolatry because men reduced Him to
a mere creature.
God commanded us not to make carved
image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath you shall
not bow down to them nor serve them. For I the
LORD your God, am a jealous God (Exo. 20:4-
5). The natural man is futile to imagine God
in his darkened mind; to make an image of
Him. A true image of God is not found in all
the world. Says Calvin, Any image of God is
Itself impious, because by their corruption,
His majesty is adulterated and He is figured to
GOD IS REVEALED THRU THE WONDERS OF CREATION 51
be other than He is. Note that when Moses
delayed his going down from the mountain,
after God gave him instruction including the
two tablets of stone the commandments
written by Himself; the people on the foot of
the Mountain began making their own god.
In their vain imagination they made a golden
calf, out of gold and fashioned it thru their
engraving tools. The image of the calf denotes
strength, and God is strong, but they limited
His strength with that of a calf. This is their
concept of God, and said; This is your god, O
Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!
(Exo. 32:4). They imagine a figure representing
the object they worshipped; They fashioned
their concept of God for tangible image that
they thought represented God.
But more than these, we have to understand
the commandment of the Lord, when He said,
and I repeat You shalt not make for yourself
a carve image or any likeness of anything that
is in heaven above and or that is in the earth
beneath He is saying that idolatry is not
52 CAN WE FIND GOD?
merely the worship of strange gods but making
an image of a true God, thru the imagination
of mens darkened mind. Idolatry consist not
only in the worship of false god, but also in
the worship of the true God by images In its
Christian application this means that we are not
to make use of visual or pictorial representation
of the Triune God or of any Person of the
Trinity, for the purpose of Christian worship.
The commandments does deals not with the
object of our worship, but with the manner of
it; what it tell us is that statues and pictures
of the one whom we worship are not to be
used as an aid to worship Him. Christ said,
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:24). Only thru
the power of the indwelling Spirit in the life
of a believer could we truly know and worship
the living God. Only the regenerate man can
worship Him.
53
5
God is Perfectly
Revealed Thru
the Person of
Jesus Christ
T
he Lord Christ was called the Word
of God. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. He was called the Word because He
revealed God to us His mind and plan. The
words of our Lord Jesus Christ are life and light.
By obeying His words we found life eternal
life. We also found the beam that lightened
our paths in lifes dark and thorny roads. In
Him was life, and the life was the light of men (Jn.
54 CAN WE FIND GOD?
1:4). His words were the best counsel we have
ever heard, because they are the words of God.
He was called Wonderful, Counselor (Isa. 9:6),
because we heard from Him the truth we need.
In Him was found the life of God His moral
glory. He is called the Living Word, because
everything He said about God was manifested
in His life His holiness, mercy and love.
The glorious glory of God was veiled in His
flesh, when He came here, but a preview of
that glory was seen by his disciple when He
transfigured before their eyes at the mount
(Matt. 17:1). Soon He will be revealed to all
of us, believers, when He comes the second
time. He is the image of the invisible God... In
Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily
(Col. 1:15; 2:9).
The holiness of Christ is the holiness of
God; the love of Christ is the love of God. The
Bible is Christ-centered. It is full of Christ; He
is woven in all the fabric of Scriptures from
Genesis to Revelation. A serious reader of the
Bible guided by the Holy Spirit will see the
GOD IS PERFECTLY REVEALED THRU THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST 55
Lord Jesus Christ in its pages. He is the Gem
of the Bible. John Stott said: The Bible is the
Prism by which the light of Jesus Christ is broken
into its many and beautiful colours. The Bible is the
portrait of Jesus Christ. We need to gaze upon Him
with such intensity of desire that (by the gracious
work of the Holy Spirit) He comes to us alive...and
fill us with Himself.
1


It is the Holy Spirit that
illumined our minds to understand and see
Christ in the Bible, but we should desire to
seek Him. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in My Name, He will teach
you all things, and bring to your remembrance all
things that I said to you (Jn. 14:26).
56
6
The Sinner Can
Approach God
Thru Christ
1. GOD IS HOLY
In introducing God to us, John said God
is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we
say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk
in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth
(1 Jn. 1:5-6). The sinner will have a problem
after reading these verses: How could a sinner
like us, buried in the quagmire of sin, meet
a Holy God? Holiness is one of the attributes
of God. When we say He is holy, He cant
be otherwiseholiness is inherent in Him
THE SINNER CAN APPROACH GOD THRU CHRIST 57
(1 Pet. 2:21-22; Heb. 4:15). He is impervious
to sin cannot enter His holy Person. When
Christ was tempted, it was not to prove if
He could sin, but He was tempted to prove
that He could not sin. God is holy and in our
sinful condition could not approach Him. You
are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot
look on wickedness (Hab. 1:13). The Bethsemes
of old exclaimed, Who is able to stand before
this holy LORD God? (1 Sam. 6:20). How can a
vile sinner like us have fellowship with Him,
seeing that even the righteousness we claim
are only filthy rags before his purer eyes? (Isa.
64:6). The holiness of God bars men to come
closer to Him as pictured by the linen fence
of the tabernacle of old. The tabernacle is the
place where man could meet God. But there
is a fence, a linen fence that surrounded it,
meaning, No Trespassing to sinners. We will
discuss about the tabernacle later.
58 CAN WE FIND GOD?
2. GOD IS LOVE
God is Love (1 Jn. 4:8), and Love like holiness
is also inherent in Him. God is Love. Love is
the character of God. We cant separate Love
from God, He is Love. H. A. Ironsides said: God
is gracious, but it would not do to say God is grace;
God is merciful, but I would not properly say that
God is mercy. God is kind, but I cannot say God
is kindness; God is just, but I cannot say God is
justice, but I can say because the Scripture says
so, that God is Love. This is the divine nature of
God. Because He is a God of Love, He loves us
though we are not lovable. This is Grace (Eph.
2:1-5, 8-9). Grace is undeserved love. Grace is
Gods love bestowed to unlovable people like
we are. Love that descends is Grace In this
is love, not that we love God, but that He loved
us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins (1 Jn. 4:10). It is Gods love to us sinners
that sent His Son into the world to bridge the
gulf between Him and us (Jn. 3:16). He loves us
and wanted us to be secured in Him, though
THE SINNER CAN APPROACH GOD THRU CHRIST 59
we are sinners. He knows our frame, that we
are prone to sin to grieved Him, but God
secured us believers in His arms and I give
them eternal life neither shall anyone snatch
them out of My hand (Jn. 10:28-29). The truth
that our loving God secured us in His hands is
woven in the pages of the Bible. It conforms to
the general context of the whole Scriptures.
If this is not clear and settled in the mind of
every believer in Christ, we will be robbed of
the joy and peace brought about by the finished
work of Christ at Calvarys cross. Salvation is a
free gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). It is a finish work
and man has no participation in that work;
neither has he any part in maintaining that
salvation. While we were exhorted to do good
works, as a fruit of faith, we cannot maintain
to take care that great gift. Suppose I will
give a new Bible to a friend as a gift; I will
not charge him anything, for it is a gift, but I
can say, You take care of that Bible, cover it
with plastic, so that it will not wear easily.
That is a proper advice. But in the case of
60 CAN WE FIND GOD?
the free gift of Salvation, we cannot maintain
it as long as we are in the flesh, because we
cannot guarantee perfect holiness until God
will cloth us in a glorious body. It is God who
kept and maintain it, otherwise it will wear.
Peter said, Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant
mercy has begotten us to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to
an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and
does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept by the power of God through faith
for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time
(1 Pet. 1:3-5). Secondly, we are sealed by the
Holy Spirit upon conversion (Eph. 1:13; 4:30)
until redemption meaning until we are cloth
with the glorious body. Sealed means we are
Gods possession. We have to thank God for all
this assurance, and so we can absolutely say,
We are saved. God loves us and He wanted
us to be secured in His loving arms.
In the Old Testament, a sinner cannot
approach Gods altar without shedding of
THE SINNER CAN APPROACH GOD THRU CHRIST 61
blood. He offered animals; bulls, goats, and
lambs as sin offering. Those offerings pictures
the Holy Body to be offered at Calvarys
Cross. Those offerings were temporary means
to atone sins through the forbearance of God
(Rom. 3:25) until the final offering of Christs
body as the culmination of forgiveness of sins
of all ages. For it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore,
when he came into the world, He said: Sacrifice
and offering You did not desire, But a body you
have prepared for Me... (Heb. 10:4-5).
Our sins were judged, before forgiven. A
Holy God judged and condemned our sins in
the Person of Christ on the cross (Isa. 53:5-6).
The agony that Christ suffered at the cross is
unbearable and insufferable. We cannot fathom
in our carnal minds the pain and depths of His
sufferings for our sins because Gods wrath at
sin was poured upon Him (Rom. 8:3). The pain
He suffered most was more than the result of
the nails that pierced His hands and feet, or the
crown of thorns that they plotted and buried
62 CAN WE FIND GOD?
in His forehead; the spear that wounded His
side, and the lashes that ribboned His flesh
at every stroke of the whip; all those were
excruciating pain, but there is more that we
could not deeply imagine thru our minds to
described the pain He suffered most, because
the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all
(Isa. 53:6). For He made Him who knew no sin to be
sin for us, that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). God sent His own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account
of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh (Rom.
8:3). The depth of His agony and pain is the
result of our sin. He was forsaken by God at
that darkest hour at Calvarys cross, when He
cried, My God, My God, why have you forsaken
Me? (Matt. 27:45-46). He could have avoided
the cross, but He bore it for our sake.
Now the door of forgiveness was open to all,
who by faith will come to Him, acknowledging
our sins and thanking Him for what He did
on the cross; asking Him to open our hearts,
and poured our life to Him, accepting Him
THE SINNER CAN APPROACH GOD THRU CHRIST 63
as our Lord and Saviour. He is alive today
and because He was raised from the dead, the
sinner who comes to Him by faith is declared
righteous by the Father, forgiven, justified,
and at peace with God (Rom. 5:1).
64
7
The Tabernacle
Where God
Meets Man
A Picture of the
Lord Jesus Christ
and the Worshiper
T
he Tabernacle of old is a picture of
Christ. Every detail of it points to the
Person and Work of Christ. It is also a
picture of Gods plan for Mans salvation and
the way to worship Him. Its blueprint and
specification was committed to Moses, while
he was at the Mount Sinai. It is a rectangular
THE TABERNACLE WHERE GOD MEETS MAN 65
plot of ground, One hundred fifty feet long
and seventy five feet wide (Exo. 27:9-13, Living
Bible). It is enclosed by a linen fence measured
seven and a half feet high (Exo. 27:17-18, Living
Bible). The linen fence signifies that God is
Holy and the sinner is barred from entering
within. It has however a door, a symbol of
Christ as the only Door and the only Way to
Heaven (Jn. 10:9; 14:6). One who would enter
must first pass to the brazen altar, which
pictured the cross The Cross where Christ
gave His life as a ransom for our sins. This
is the starting point of salvation. Then you
will see the wash basin with water, for the
cleansing of the worshipper, before entering
the Tabernacle proper.
The Tabernacle proper is a tent like structure
measuring forty five feet long, fifteen feet wide,
and fifteen feet high. It is divided into two
compartment or rooms. The first room is called
the Holy Place where the priest ministered
daily in this sanctuary. Inside are the Table
of Showbread, a picture of Christ as the Bread
66 CAN WE FIND GOD?
of Life (Jn. 6:35), the bread that gave life and
strength to the Israelite as they journeyed into
the wilderness up to the Promised Land. Today,
we believers feed upon Christ thru the Word
and as we rely on Him daily, meditating on His
Person, we are strengthened in our spiritual
life. The Lamps or the Golden Candlesticks
points to Christ as the Light of the world (Jn.
8:12). Notice that inside the Tabernacle, there
is only One source of Light The Lamp. It
means that the Church today have only one
source of Light, one basis for truth-Christ and
His Words. The next furniture is the Altar of
Incense; it is the type of the glorified Christ
interceding for us (Heb. 7:24-25). The incense
also shows the fragrance of His Person. He is
pure and without sin.
The second compartment is known as the
Holy of Holiest. It is separated from the first
room by a thick veil. The veil is the picture of
Christs body that must be rent (death) so that
we believers can enter the holiest place where
God is. This heavy curtain forbids anyone to
THE TABERNACLE WHERE GOD MEETS MAN 67
enter that room except the high priest once
a year with blood taken from the altar of the
burnt offerings. But into the second part the
high priest went alone once a year, not without
blood, which he offered for himself and for the
peoples sins committed in ignorance: (Heb. 9:7).
This veil was rent from top to the bottom at
Christs death signifying that the way to Gods
presence was opened to the forgiven sinner
(Matt. 27:50-51). Then in the same room was
placed the Ark of the Covenant, a rectangular
box shaped furniture made of wood and pure
gold. We will find inside the ark two tablets
of stone, and the Ten Commandments written
on top by the finger of God; also the rod of
Aaron that budded and blossomed, and the
golden jar of manna. On top of the ark is a solid
gold covering known as the Mercy seat, and
over the ark are Cherubim of glory shadowing
the mercy seat. This is the place where God
meets man. It is only by Gods mercy that man
can meet God, thru the work of Christ on the
cross. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of
68 CAN WE FIND GOD?
His great love with which He loved us, even when
we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together
with Christ (by grace you have been saved)
(Eph. 2:4-5). The Mercy seat is a picture of
Christ so that the sinner washed by His blood
can come and approach the Throne of Grace.
I will not discuss further its detail in this
writing. What I wanted to clarify is that it was
planned in the mind of God even before the
law was given to Moses on the mount. The
Law demanded obedience. Now therefore, if you
will indeed obey My voice, and keep My covenant,
then you shall be a special treasure to Me above
all people; for all the earth is Mine (Exo. 19:5).
Moses announced Gods desire embodied in
the Law, and the people without being aware
of their inability to obey it, in unison replied
to Moses; Then all the people answered together
and said, All that the LORD has spoken we will
do... (Exo. 19:8) In their ignorance of Gods
holiness, they thought they could be saved
by obeying the law, not being aware that it
was given to know their sinfulness. Therefore
THE TABERNACLE WHERE GOD MEETS MAN 69
by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified
in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of
sin (Rom. 3:20). They could not obey the holy
standard of the law. Gods standard is so high
that man falls short of it. For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
The Law says we are sinners and points us
to Christ for forgiveness and cleansing. It is
like a mirror that clearly shows the dirt of
our face (our sins) and points us to the water
for cleansing (blood of Christ). Therefore the
law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we
might be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24).
The Law is holy, just and perfect. It demanded
death to the transgressor. If that was the final
covenant of God to us, we will all be doomed
to hell. We need grace and mercy from Him,
so Moses sprinkled on the altar blood and the
people did not understand this, but kept on
shouting, we will keep the law (Exo. 24:6-8).
Paul said, for they (the Jews) being ignorant
of Gods righteousness, and seeking to establish
70 CAN WE FIND GOD?
their own righteousness, have not submitted to
the righteousness of God (Rom. 10:4-5).
The attitude of the people during that time
is the same today. The flesh desire to go to
heaven on its own merits; that they could enter
heaven by their good works. They could not
accept what the apostle Paul said For I know
that in me (that is, in my flesh,) nothing good
dwells (Rom. 7:1) because, deeply embedded
in the sinners heart is a spiritual cancer
called Pride. Only a heart convicted by the
Holy Spirit of its true condition could one be
awakened to God.
The Tabernacle is a figure of the cross; a
picture of Gods mercy to us sinners. We will
notice that after Moses came down from the
mount, the people already corrupted themselves
by making a golden calf an idol abominable
to God (Exo. 32:1-6). Without Gods mercy, they
would have been destroyed right away. So the
Tabernacle was already in the mind of God,
shadowed by His mercy on us thru Christs
suffering on the cross for our sins. This was
THE TABERNACLE WHERE GOD MEETS MAN 71
illustrated by the door at the entrance of the
fence, a wide door, and as one enters you will
come face to face with the brazen altar where
animals will be offered, the blood poured, just
as Christ the true figure, shed his blood to
offer forgiveness to us sinners, and a way to
heaven. God had provided a way to sinners,
to find Him. Jesus said I am the door. If anyone
enters by Me, he will be saved (Jn. 10:9).
So God provided a way for us to find Him.
The Way is Jesus Christ: Jesus said to him, I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me (Jn. 14:6). We
could find God, as He revealed the Way, and
we must come by that way, for there is no
other way Only One Way Jesus Christ. We
must come to Him as a repentant sinner and
He will not cast us out. ...This is the work of
God, that you believe in him whom He sent (Jn.
6:29). All that the Father gives Me will come to
Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no
means cast out (Jn. 6:37).
72
8
The Christian
Vision of God
C
an we see God? Paul said: God, Who alone
has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable
light, whom no man has seen or can see...
(1 Tim. 6:16). It is true that no mortal eye can
see God, who is a spirit, although we read
that some Old Testament saints saw Him in
various forms, but They were merely temporary
appearances by which He chose to speak to His
people. but in His essential Being, no man
has seen God. Moses saw Gods glory, he saw
His back parts (Exo. 33:18-23), Isaiah saw Him
seated on the throne (Isa. 6:1-4), Ezekiel saw
God in awesome form and lacked words to
described His splendor, using similes, likened
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF GOD 73
Him to things, he previously saw, but cannot
described Him fully (Ezek. 1:26-28). Paul saw
Him as light brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13)
and finally John saw Him and likened Him to
jasper and sardine stone (Rev. 4:3).
Only the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to us
clearly the nature of God, in order to know Him
perfectly. John said no one has seen God at any
time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom
of the Father, He has declared Him (Jn. 1:18).
Christ is the image of the invisible God. In
Him we saw the moral glory of God; His love,
holiness, mercy and compassion; His Words
that gave life and strength; His justice, His
pure and perfect life.
His shining glory is veiled in the flesh, but
a few of His disciples, had seen a preview of
that glory, when He transfigured at the mount
(Matt. 17:1-2).
Today, we who have not seen Him with our
carnal eyes, yet believed in Him, are blessed
said the Lord Jesus to Thomas (Jn. 20:29). We
are blessed, because we see Him clearly by the
74 CAN WE FIND GOD?
power of faith today. The natural man want to
see anything before believing; but to God, it is
the other way around, blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have believed. Peter
reiterated this in his epistle: whom having not
seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet
believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and
full of glory, receiving the end of your faith; the
salvation of your souls (1 Pet. 1:8-9). We love
Him and believe Him. But more than that we
are blessed, because as we meditate upon His
Words, we see Him clearly than the saints
of old, who were with Him, when He was in
the flesh, because the Holy Spirit is with us
to glorify Him, and enlighten us about Him.
Jesus said, And I will pray the Father, and He
will give you another Helper, that He may abide
with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the
world cannot receive but you know him, for He
dwells with you and will be in you He will teach
you all things and bring to your remembrance all
things that I said to you (Jn. 14:16-17, 26). This
was the blessing the privilege we have now
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF GOD 75
that even the saints in the Old Testament,
including those with Him in the flesh did not
have, before His resurrection. There were many
things that they did not understand in His
Words, until He was raised from the dead.
Today, He is alive, glorified with the glory He
had, before everything existed He is God.
We who believe, enjoy fellowship with Him
daily. Soon we shall be with Him. He promised
to come again, and that sure promise is our
blessed hope (Titus 2:13). Let not your heart be
troubled, He said, you believe in God, believe also
in Me. In my Fathers house are many mansions;
if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again and receive you to
Myself; that where I am, there you may be also
(Jn. 14:1-3).
These truths are like cold water to our
tired and troubled hearts in this dark world
where we are temporarily settled. We believers
rely on His promises and live by them. It also
strengthens our faith in Him, when He said, You
76 CAN WE FIND GOD?
believe in God, believe also in Me, meaning,
if we can trust and rely in the God of the old
testament, we can also rely in Him, for He
Himself is God. I and my Father are one, He
said (Jn. 10:30). We can trust Him daily for
our spiritual and physical needs.
Secondly, He is assuring us a place in heaven
The many mansions or dwelling places,
where there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,
nor crying nor pain (Rev. 21:4), because there
is no more sin that caused all these troubles
in our earthly life.
Thirdly, He will be with us there. His
presence will be with us, where I am, He
said, there you may be also. Heaven is a
beautiful place and we look forward to that,
and anticipates the joy that awaits us in that
awesome place (Rev. 21:18-23), but, however
glorious that place is, what thrills us most is
the Occupant of heaven that August body
Who sat on the throne like a jasper and a
sardine stone God, the Lord Jesus Christ;
the One whom we owe everything. The One
THE CHRISTIAN VISION OF GOD 77
who redeemed us through His blood, and loved
us, and gave Himself for us. We shall see His
face (Rev. 22:4), and again John reiterated in
his first epistle: We shall be like Him, for we
shall see Him as He is (1 Jn. 3:2).
Anyone reading this booklet, and have not
found God, will find Him in Jesus Christ. He
came here on earth more than two thousand
years ago, as pictured by the Good Samaritan,
Who came where we are, wounded by the
devil, leaving us half dead, naked, and saw
us with compassion, bandaged our wounds,
pouring oil and wine and took care of us
(Luke 10:33). We cannot approach God in that
condition, because He is holy. But He loved
us, and came in the likeness of sinful flesh,
to wash us through His blood that we may
be healed, forgiven for our sins, and enjoy
fellowship with Him. Today he is calling us,
to come to Him, confessing our sins that we
may be cleansed, believing that He died for
us and now He is alive and ready to accept us
just as we are. A blessed hope indeed.
78
Notes
PREFACE
1
Ravenhill, Leonard, Why Revival Tarries, (Send the
Light Trust, 1972, p.2)
2
Jerry Bridges, Pursuit of Holiness, (Navpress, 1978,
p.32)
CHAPTER 1
1
Kelly, William, Eleven Lectures on the Book of Job,
(Wilson Foundation, 1919, p.92)
2
Stott, John, Basic Christianity, (OMF Literature Inc.
1989, p.12)
3
Henry Mathew, The Bethany Parallel Commentary on
the Old Testament, (Zondervan, p.896)
4
Macleod Donald Shared Life, The Trinity and the
fellowship of Gods People (Christian focus publication,
2002 p.12)
5
Clarke Adam, The Bethany Parralel Commentary of
the Old Testament, Bethany House Publishers, 1985,
p.134
CHAPTER 2
1
McDonald, William, Believers Bible Commentary,
(Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990, p.2125)
2
Tozer A.W. Pursuit of God, (Christian Publication Inc.,
1982, p.11)
NOTES 79
3
Confession of St. Augustine, (Whitaker House, 1996,
p.11)
4
Sanders, J.O. Men from Gods School, (Marshall, Morgan
and Scott, 1965, p.24)
CHAPTER 3
1
The New Webster Dictionary, (Simon and Schuster,
1980)
2
Unger, Merrill The New Ungers Bible Dictionary
(Moody Press, 1988, p.620)
3
Tozer A.W. Pursuit of God, (Christian Publications Inc.,
1982, p.82)
CHAPTER 4
1
Calvin quoted by J.I. Packer, Knowing God, (Intervarsity
Press, 1973, p.45)
2
Ibid., p.44
CHAPTER 5
1
Stott, John Understanding the Bible (Zondervan, 1980,
p.89)
CHAPTER 6
1
Ironside, H.A. Epistle of John, (Loizeaeux Brothers,
Inc., 1971, p.138-139)
CHAPTER 8
1
Mcdonald, William, Believers Bible Commentary,
(Thomas Nelson Publisher, 1990, p.1469)