Looking to Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Helen H. Lemmel wrote that beautiful hymn we sing every once in a while:
1. O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Saviour, And life more abundant and free!
Chorus. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face; And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.1. O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Saviour, And life more abundant and free!
I wonder if Sister Lemmel had been reading Hebrews 12:2 shortly before writing this hymn???
Read Hebrews 12:2-3
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
I’m sure Helen had read these words at some point in her walk with Christ, but Kenneth Osbeck shares with us her words:
one day, in 1918, a missionary friend gave her a tract entitled “Focused.” The pamphlet contained these words: “So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness.”
These words made a deep impression upon Helen Lemmel. She could not dismiss them from her mind. She recalls this experience following the reading of that tract:
Suddenly, as if commanded to stop and listen, I stood still, and singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody. The verses were written the same week, after the usual manner of composition, but none the less dictated by the Holy Spirit.
The text starts out with the English word “looking to” which carries the sense of “looking away from everything else to something” or in this case “Someone.”
It is emphasizing the fact that we must avoid being distracted by other things around us and we must look to Jesus
JESUS the Son of God
It is in Jesus’ name that desperate people pray, grateful people worship, and angry people swear. From christenings to weddings to sick-rooms to funerals, it is in Jesus’ name that people are hatched, matched, patched, and dispatched. From the Dark Ages to postmodernity, he is the man who won’t go away. John Ortberg
One can see a parrellel to this text and the story given in Matthew 14:22-31 where we are told that Jesus had his disciples get into a ship and to go on before him to the other side and he was going to stay behind and pray.
Sometime in the fourth watch of the night or shortly before dawn around 4:00 a.m. Jesus wet unto them walking on the sea.
The disciples were terrified - but Jesus called out to them “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”
Peter - ever bold, loud-mouthed Peter said, “Lord if it is you call me to come to you on the water”
Now this speaks to Peter’s faith - he wasn’t going to attempt to walk on the water for anwyone else. Just like - no one else had the words of life - no one else could allow him to walk on the water.
Jesus say - “Come”
Peter got out of the ship and he walked on the water -
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid and began to sink.
Osbeck says on his notes on the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”
“How easy it becomes even for those of us who profess to be faithful followers of Christ to get caught up in the “things of earth,” so that our heavenly vision and values become blurred and dull. This often happens even when we are active in our Christian activities, we become so involved in merely doing things for God that we miss the real blessing of enjoying the personal fellowship of Christ Himself in our daily lives.”
The Scripture writer tells us why we need to look away from everything else and look only to Jesus:
He is the “author and finisher of our faith.”
Hebrews 2:10 gives us a little more as to what “author” or “founder” means -
Hebrews 2:10 “10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
The word “faith” would contain all there is of the entire Christian experience
So Jesus becomes the author or founder of our faith by His death and resurrection he has become the “source of eternal salvation” He is our Salvation!
The idea of “finisher” or “perfecter” it means bringing to its completed or final state. In His offering for Sin Jesus completed by his death the salvation that was initiated by the Father when he sent His only begotten Son into the world.
When we focus on other things - or look to something else - Just like Peter we are going to sink or suffer for it.
If you look at the world, you'll be distressed
If you look within, you'll be depressed.
But if you look to Christ, you'll be at rest.
Corrie Ten Boom
When we face Temptation - - Look to Jesus
When we face misunderstanding - - Look to Jesus
When we face stress - - Look to Jesus
When we are burdened and sorrowful - - Look to Jesus
Sister Lemmel went on to write the third verse:
3. His word shall not fail you--He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!
Chorus. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face; And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.
As we pray tonight I want you to pray as if Jesus is sitting, standing, kneeling right there beside you - talk to him like you do anyone else
Let him know you intend to look to Him this week when pressed down by trouble or problems or weakness or whateve