WHEN JESUS LOOKS AT YOU

Luke 22:61 KJV (WS)

And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

ILLUSTRATION:

To explain how God sees human sinfulness.

Cliff Barrows and I were in Atlantic City many years ago with our wives. We had had a service, and we were walking down the boardwalk. A man was auctioning diamonds and other jewelry. We decided to go in. When we got married, I had given my wife a diamond that was so small, you couldn’t see it with a microscope. So I decided to get her a better diamond. I had $65 in my pocket. I eventually bid it all and bought the diamond. It was a perfect diamond, I thought. The next day, I went to a jeweler, and I said, “Can you look at this diamond and tell me how much it is worth?”

He looked at it through his glass and said, “Oh, maybe $35 or $40.” “What?” I said. “This is supposed to be two carats!”

“Look at it,” he said and gave the glass to me. I looked at it, and even I could see it was full of defects.

And that’s the way God looks at us. We go to church and pray. We are good, moral people. But he looks at us through his own righteousness, and he sees in all of us the defects of our sin.

1. HE SEES WHAT YOU ARE AND STILL LOVES YOU

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.—Romans 3:23

2. HE SEES WHAT YOU HAVE DONE AND WANTS TO CHANGE YOU

Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?—John 4:29

3. HE SEES WHAT YOU NEED AND OFFERS IT TO YOU

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.—John 3:5–7

4. HE SEES WHAT YOU WANT AND GIVES IT TO YOU

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.—John 6:68

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.—John 10:27–30

5. HE SEES YOUR TRIALS AND REASSURES YOU

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.—1 Peter 1:6–7