Looking Unto Jesus

[Scott Richards]

Peter could walk on water as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus.

"Looking unto Jesus."

It is ever the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan's work is just the opposite of this, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ. He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith, Hebrews 12:2

You do not repent enough.
You will never be able to continue to the end.
You have not the joy of His children.
You have such a weak hold on Jesus.
You don't pray enough.
You don't love enough.
You don't forgive enough."
All these are thoughts about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within.

But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self. He tells us that we are nothing, but that "Christ is all in all." Remember, therefore, it is not your hold on Jesus that saves you-It is Christ' hold on you; It is not your joy in Christ that saves you--it is Jesus Christ Himself.

It is not even your faith in Jesus. Look not to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.Look not to your hand with which you are grasping for Christ. Instead look to Christ who by His love and strength holds on to you. Look not to your hope, but to Jesus for Jesus is the source of your hope.

We shall never find joy by looking at
1. Our prayers,
2. Our accomplishments,
3. Our feelings;

It is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. The only way that Satan can be overcome and the only way we can have peace with God is by "looking unto Jesus."

Turn your eyes directly on Him.
1. Let His death be fresh on your mind
2. Let His sufferings be fresh in your heart.
3. Let His merits be your aspiration.
4. Let His glories be your great goal.5.
Let His intercession fulfill your deepest need.

When you wake fresh every morning, look to Him.When you do your daily work, When you lie down at night look. Don't look to your hopes Don't look to your tearsDon't look to your joyDon't look to your fearsLOOK ONLY TO JESUS

Follow hard after Him, and close to Him and He will never fail you.You cannot follow Satan while you are looking straight to Jesus.You will never stray while you are looking at Jesus.You never get lost while you are walk hand in hand with Jesus.

How can you go wrong when you are looking right at Jesus?

When you stay close to Jesus
His character rubs off on you.

Henri Nouwen wrote, "When I met Mother Teresa in Rome , I saw immediately that her inner attention was focused constantly on Jesus. It seemed that she saw only him and through him came to see the poorest of the poor to whom she has dedicated her life."

When you stay close to Jesus,
His love flows through you.
When you walk with Jesus,
It changes all your relationships.

When you follow Jesus you are headed up the path to Glory. And if ever there is a time that you don't want Jesus around, brother or sister, you are headed down. Let me tell you the tragic story of Rico Marshall, an eighteen-year-old senior. It seems that Rico had everything going his way -- a scholarship to theUniversity of South Carolina , a first place award in the school's talent contest and he was quite popular among his peers.

Rico was driving home from a school basketball game one Friday night when he was stopped by a
County Patrol Car. On the seat beside him lay a bag containing several chunks of crack, a highly concentrated form of cocaine.

To avoid arrest, he swallowed the drugs. Later that night he went into convulsions and his parents rushed him to thehospital. Early Saturday morning Rico Marshall died. On the wall of Rico's bedroom was a poster of his hero -- a basketball star named Len Bias. Len was the star of the
University of Maryland basketball team who was drafted #1 in the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. The night he was drafted, Len died of an overdose of cocaine.

What a pathetic story! Rico's model was Len Bias. I guess that he looked at that poster every day.

In fact, if Rico was like most teenagers, that poster was the first thing he saw in the morning and the last thing he saw at night. Len was his hero. Let me ask you a question.

Who's on the poster on your wall?
Who are you looking to for a model?
When you think about the one person that you have a burning desire to be like, who do you see? Who's on the inside of your locker, on the top of your desk?
Who's on the dashboard of your car?
Who do you most want to emulate?

TURN YOUR EYES ON JESUSO soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's a light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free!

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.

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!