In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

               Luke 10:21-24

What was it that they saw?

Whatever it was, that vision inspired a total change in their lives.

As far as peoples’ relationships with God are concerned, you could say there are two ways of motivating them:

One way is to make them conscious of how rotten they are inside; point to their guilt until they are totally overwhelmed---and then demand a quick response. This will always bring results.

People will empty their pockets – give you lots of money.

They’ll work themselves to the bone to try to relieve the pressure of guilt.

The only problem with this kind of response is that it only lasts so long…

When people try to work off guilt, they either collapse with exhaustion, or

they settle into a comfortable rut in which they do just enough "work for God" to drain away the discharge from their moral abscess.

This is the kind of life that a vast number of believers live.

The kind of life you and I live all too much of the time.

The other way of moving people is to enable them to see how good God is!

If a vision of God's goodness can penetrate to the very heart of a person, he or she will be overwhelmed in a positive way—overwhelmed to the point where they yearn to do something to show their gratitude.

Now they are motivated by thanksgiving, praise and worship.

And when people are motivated by such things, they never wear out.

It boils down to two visions that move us:

First, is the vision of our inner rottenness, driving us to atone --- either grinding us down into a hell of despair or deluding further down into a hell  of hypocrisy.

Second, is the vision of God’s unspeakable goodness which inspires us to offer back to him the best that we have. This vision lifts us into a foretaste of heaven.

Hence, if we are not giving  God the very best that we have, it's simply because we are not seeing his goodness!

Of course, many people think they are offering God praise, when all they're doing is admiring themselves (and despising others).

For instance,

            The Pharisee goes up to the temple and says, “God, I thank thee!”

On the surface it looks like thanksgiving.  But what is he thanking God for? For God’s goodness? His mercy? His kindness? No! The Pharisee doesn’t even see God.  His eyes are on his own piety….and on that sleazy tax collector over there!

“God, I thank thee that I am not like other men. I’m not an extortioner. I’m not unjust. I’m not an adulterer. I’m not like that publican over there. I fast twice a week. And give tithes of all I possess."

There is nothing wrong with fasting. Nothing wrong with tithing, as long as your eyes are not on yourself while you’re doing it.

Because this man has his eyes on himself, he is unable to relieve the pressure of the guilt within. He hides his guilt from his own eyes by observing his lovely robes of piety.

His vision never gets beyond himself to God.

Meanwhile, over here is the tax collector, who is overwhelmed by the moral rottenness within him---and yet, he sees beyond it.

He knows he’s a mess, but he doesn’t stop there. He comes up to the temple beating his breast cying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!”

He sees God’s mercy.

Cries out for that mercy.

Receives it.

And finds peace.

The difference between the scribes, and Pharisees,

who knew their Bibles inside and out,

could win every argument,

and considered themselves exemplary citizens of Israel---

and this motley crew of men and women following Jesus,

was that Jesus' followers had eyes that looked beyond themselves;

they could see how good God was!

They could see a God who heals the sick,

                                                opens the eyes of the blind,

                                                turns water into wine,

                                                fills their nets  with fish,

                                                forgives their sins – wipes away their guilt.

When you begin to see such a God, what else can you do but love him? How can you hold back your love? How can you give such a God anything but your best?

Your best!

“I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 

Then turning to the disciples he said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” 

There has never been a time in the life of the Body of Christ when there has been a greater need for laborers.

Children---to have somebody to show them the way – teach them, love them discipline them, show them.

Wandering souls out there---who need somebody to take them by the hand and lead them out of the wilderness.

The daily needs in out fellowships---

People to provide transportation.

People to help keep our buildings as places dedicated to the use of God.

People to do phone calling.

People to do keep the accounts straight.

The short-cut to getting all the laborers we need is to stir up people’s guilt,

“Come on, you slouchers, can’t you see the need? Wake up!”

But when we harness people's guilt their response is always temporary.  The consciousness of guilt quickly fades.  

Nor will this approach bring comfort to those people out there who are already bogged down under the weight of guilt.

Nor can I bring relief to others if I'm on the same treadmill.  "Come up here, brother, and get on my treadmill.  It's better than yours!"

But if God gives us a revelation of himself, opens our eyes so we can begin to see him as these disciples saw him, taste that goodness with our mouths and our bodies, and our souls and spirits; then laborers will come out of the dust of the earth and join us in the harvest!

Of course, once the Lord gives us a clear revelation of his love for us, we are under a call to join the harvest.  We can no longer plead ignorance.  "Go work in my Vineyard," he commands.  "Go out there and find the forgotten ones and bring them into my Banquet Hall."

And, make no mistake. The forgotten ones will come.  They will be brought to the Banquet.  If we don't bring them, God will raise up people in our place who will. But they will come.

Our prayer is that as you read these words, the Lord Jesus will give you a revelation.  That he will move on you in the power of his Spirit, and give you eyes that see what he sees.

Notice how the men and women in the gospels began to see God. They saw because Jesus opened their eyes.

            If he hadn’t opened their eyes, they would still be blind.

            If he hadn’t opened their ears they would still be deaf.

…no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 

If you are going to know the Father, it will be because the Son reveals him.

The same Son who revealed the Father to those men and women way back then is doing the same thing among us now, even as I write these words….and even as you read them.

He is revealing to us things that prophets and kings longed to see, but never saw---while they were in this world of flesh and blood.

Look at what’s going on in your life right now and see if it is not true that God, through his Son, is causing you to see God's presence in areas where you have never seen him before.

Who else but Jesus is causing us to see God at Calvary?  Calvary is the fountainhead of every vision that ever was or ever will be.  But Calvary is not self-explanatory.

Thousands of people saw Jesus hanging on that cross and discerned nothing.  To their eyes he was a martyr---a fool dying.

Millions of people have stood before paintings of the crucifixion in art galleries all over the earth and have seen only a painters handiwork.

But when the Spirit of Jesus begins to move upon us, we begin to see a connection between this ugliness within us and that lonely death.  We see God tearing out his own heart and nailing it to that cross---in order to wash away our guilt and set us free. We behold the dying Lamb and experience Holy Love, cleansing us within.

Jesus is enabling us to see God by continuously sending into our lives the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The evidence that the Spirit is moving in our lives is again manifold.

The Spirit is giving us utterance in prayer. We lift our hearts to the Father, and open our mouths in thanksgiving---and inspired words begin to flow. 

He is giving us freedom to bear witness.  Words of authority flow from our mouths to our own astonishment, as we point people to the Lord Jesus.

A fresh spirit of praise and thanksgiving is welling up in our hearts. 

Victory over weaknesses, and hang-ups, and compulsions that once made a mockery of our wills is a gift from none but the Comforter sent from above.

Jesus is opening our eyes to see God by unlocking the Scriptures.

“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures…”

                                                                                                  Luke 24:45

Until He opens our minds to understand Scriptures, they seem but an assembly of fantastic tales and impossible rules.

But when He opens our minds, we begin to see the same God that David saw, the same God that

Isaiah saw,

Hannah saw,

Mary Magdalene saw,

Peter and John saw.

Now we go to the Bible, not to prove a point, not to put in a bit of "religious time," but to meet the Living God.

           Jesus is enabling us to see God in our circumstances.

Even if our circumstances are tragic, even if they are difficult, we begin to discern the presence of God in the midst of the fire.

You’re having problems on your job.  Time to check out whether God is leading you through this crisis  to a change of some kind..

You’ve had disappointment. How many times has disappointment become the threshold of a new experience of God better than any you’ve ever known before?

          Jesus is helping us see God in our brothers and sisters.

Most of us have been quick to see the flaws in our brothers and sisters.

“God, I thank you that I am not as other men…”

But now, we begin to look at the same people we’ve been judging and critiquing---in a new light.  We note their progress---so much progress, that we're convicted about our own slow growth

Look at what God is doing in their lives! 

            Where did he get the power to make such a radical change?

            Where did she acquire that patience?

            Listen to the wisdom coming out of that mouth!

            Lord, help me to have a forgiving spirit like his!

We look at our brothers and sisters and tremble with awe at what God is doing in their lives. What encouragement this is to us all!

              Jesus is enabling us to see God overpowering Satan, the prince of this world.

On the surface it looks like the prince of this world is winning the battle – everything is falling apart -- things are getting worse and worse.

But as the Lord pulls back the veil, we see Satan fall as lightening from heaven. And begin to understand that, beneath the surface, the demons are in disarray.

The battle has already been won. All that’s left of Satan’s kingdom is a shell. And the shell is cracking under the weight of God’s approaching glory.

Finally, Jesus is enabling us to see God bringing history, as we know it, to an end.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death. And you will be hated by all nations for my names sake.

"Wait a minute, I thought believers were supposed to enjoy prosperity…!"

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another and many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. Because wickedness is multiplied most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout all the world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come.

Everything that once seemed solid is swaying like jelly, melting, going down the river of history toward the waterfall. Soon there will be nothing left but God Himself. 

Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

It is still within our power to turn away from the vision God is giving to us. We are free to continue in the mediocre rut that leads to destruction.

But the Lord Jesus, at this hour, is renewing our vision.  And there is strength enough in that vision to enable us to forsake our old self-centered ways, to offer to the Living God, the best that we have in thanksgiving and praise as laborers in His Vineyard.