Missing the Mark Series: Failing to Look Unto Jesus

Missing the Mark Series: Failing to Look Unto Jesus

Hebrews chapter 12 this morning, verse number 1 beginning. Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which thus so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 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. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied. And faint in your minds. Let's mark our Bibles to this portion of Scripture this morning in Hebrews chapter 12. We will be drawing from this portion of Scripture for the message this morning. Let's ask the Lord's blessing on what we have read.

Father, we do thank you for your word. As we saw in the Sunday school hour, it is the lamp to our feet, the light to our path, it is that by which we are to prove all things and hold fast that which is good. How will we even know what is good if there was not the good God that made us and that you have given us your word to show us the way that is right, the way that is good. We must walk humbly with you, Lord. So that we will know what is good, to know what is right. We must not tell you what we're going to do. We must let you tell us what to think. We must let you tell us through your unchanging word, by the leading of the Holy Spirit in that word, Lord, to show us, to teach us the way. You've told us that you will guide the meek in judgment. Lord, help us to be meek so we can be guided, so that we can be shown the right way. You will actually resist the proud, but you've told us that you'll give grace to the humble. Bless us as we open your word this morning, as we have opened it, and we've read this portion, and we will see other portions as well, to complement this passage, Lord, that we are looking at this morning. Help us in that, Lord. Help us to have a better understanding of your character, as well as the true nature of sin, so that we might walk in a way that's pleasing in your sight. We pray these things, asking them in Jesus' name. Amen.

For a number of weeks now, I've preached on this matter of missing the mark. And what are some of the ways that we miss the mark? What does that look like? What are the characteristics of that? And even this morning, the Lord has brought a number of things into my heart and mind in the past week, and I've just thought about this very truth here, that it is a sin not to look to the Lord in everything. And it is so true that we sin when we're not looking to the Lord. When we were lost in our sins in the past, we could not see the kingdom of God. We did not understand. It didn't even process in our thoughts. What does God think about this? But now that I am a Christian, my thought should be, what does the Lord think about this? What would the Lord have me to do? What example has my Lord set for me?

Surely, all we were thinking about in the old life of sin, and, if there is anyone that does not know Christ as Savior today, perhaps you haven't gone to the extent, the depth of all of this, but there are three things that control the life that is without Christ. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. It looks good. It's going to make me feel good. And then when I have it, or I get the opportunity, the opportunity to do whatever it is I want to do, then I can boast about it. Because I have it, or I've done it, or I whatever. And now, look at me. Look at who I am. Look at what I have. Look at what I've done.

As Christians, is it not, is it not just the opposite? There's nothing good in me. And we are commanded here, in this passage this morning, and I know that I've covered this word before, in a previous message in the past, probably two or three. But, this word here for looking unto Jesus, has the idea of, turn your eyes away from whatever else you're looking at, and look at Him. Look at that. Whatever you're being told here to look at. Well, in this context, it's looking unto Jesus. Turn your eyes away from the other things, and fix them upon Jesus, our Lord and Savior. If we're to turn our eyes away from something else, this indicates that the other things, it would be, it would be wrong for us to be looking at those other things, instead of looking unto Jesus. It would be wrong for us to set our gaze on whatever the other things are, instead of looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many things. We can set our, set our affection upon, to put our thoughts, or even our mental vision towards, and that's really what we're talking about here. We can't see Him. We love the one we haven't seen yet, physically with our eyes. But we are looking with faith in our hearts, unto Jesus. Someone we've never met face to face, but the very one, who has given us every good and perfect gift, and done all wonderful things that have happened in our lives. So, here we have these verses, just after we've come through chapter, 11, which is talking about that great cloud of witnesses. They, they live by faith as well. They live by faith in one that they had not seen with their physical eyes. Well, certain, certain ones had visions, I understand that, but, but they had not yet been transported into the presence of the one who they lived by faith in. And it, it, it, it, it explicitly says in that 11th chapter that they died not having received the promises, but having seen them a fall off. In fact, what was it said of Moses that he, he continued as seeing him who is invisible. As seeing him.

Now, all of that, we're living today, I believe, if the Apostle Paul believed that the Lord could come back, possibly in his lifetime, and he was to have an expectant attitude of watching and waiting, well, why certainly you and I need to be looking for the Lord to come back. In fact, we're told in Titus chapter 2, Titus chapter 2, verse number 13, what does it say there? In Titus chapter 2, verse number 13, we actually alluded to this recently. In verse 13, look at, with looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. The word looking here in this verse, Titus 2.13, is actually in other places translated waiting. Remember how Luke talked to, Luke recorded that word about Simeon. And this word for looking can also, it, it was translated there regarding Simeon that he was waiting. He was waiting for the Lord's Christ. He, he was, even like those in Jerusalem where Anna spoke to all those that were, same word, looking for redemption in Jerusalem, in Jerusalem. They were looking for redemption. This has got the idea of this word to accept favorably, to receive into one's, one into intercourse or companionship, to give access to or receive to oneself.

But it's got the idea of welcoming. Like, I'm looking for you. I've been expecting you. I've been looking for you to come. I've been expecting you to arrive and I have been, I have been gearing everything I've been doing towards keeping my, an eye out for you. We have a driveway doorbell that, that go ding, dong, ding, dong when somebody pulls into the driveway. Well, we're expecting, well, we're expecting somebody that doesn't surprise us. But if it happens at two o'clock in the morning, that is a surprise. We're not expecting that. We're not, we're not looking to welcome anyone into our home at two o'clock in the morning. Well, when someone is coming over, we not only have the driveway doorbell, but we have our children who are on, I mean, they're much better than the driveway doorbell. They'll see them before they, they clear the edge of the trees coming from right or left, whatever it is. They're here. And they're looking. That's prosdecomi. That, that's what this word is talking about. We're looking for them to come. And that's the attitude we are to have.

You know, what I'm getting at with this looking is, we sin for the want of obeying the positive command of God. Or commands that the Lord gives us. Haven't we seen that in the Sunday school hour? Sin often in our lives comes not with us setting out in the morning saying, you know what, I think I'm going to sin today. I believe that I'm going to go out and find a way to sin against the Lord. No, that should not be our attitude at all as Christians. But it is for the want or the lack as we've seen rejoice evermore, pray without fear, pray without fear, pray without fear, pray without ceasing in everything by prayer. Right? Or, you know, praying always. And so, I'm sorry, in everything give thanks is the passage I was trying to think of. That is, if we fail to trust and obey the Lord in those things, the proverbial vacuum will be filled with other things. And so we are to look, it is a, it's a sin for us not to look away unto the Lord and to now look for the blessed hope of His return. That is what our Lord expects of us. Paul told Titus, you preach these things. Don't let any man despise you. Don't let any man tell you not to preach these, preach these things because these are very, these are important, these are true.

So, this same word that we're talking about here that in Titus 2, 13 is also translated in Jude 1, or Jude verse 21. And it's there. Let's look over there at that verse. Jude verse 21. Same word. The idea of looking so that you can welcome into fellowship. Looking for, waiting to welcome. This Jude verse 21 here says, you know it well, keep yourselves in the love of God. Looking for the mercy of our Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. I know I mentioned the example this morning in Sunday school. If you're looking instead of texting, you know, while you're driving, if you're looking where you're going, there is a exponentially, well, a much smaller chance that you're going to run into somebody. Or if you do get in a wreck, it's probably somebody else that's not looking. Where they're going, right? And you can't avoid it at the last second. If you're looking where you're going, why are you smiling, Brother Chris? If you're looking where you're going while you're driving, then you are very likely to not get into a wreck.

I think I mentioned this morning, you might not necessarily get into a wreck. There's times where I should have gotten a wreck. You might say, you should have gotten a speeding ticket. Because you were speeding. You were breaking the law. You should have, you just didn't get caught in it. But you were not, you're not obeying the law or obeying the speed limit. Well, if you're not looking unto the Lord, then there's going to come a time. There's going to come a time. It may be right away. It may be a couple days from now. It's going to show up in some other area of sin in your life because you're not, looking. Remember Adam was told to dress and keep the garden, right? And it seems that he was not guarding and cultivating even in his wife's life like he should have been and standing up and because of the failure in the positive command, there was, well, we know the rest of what happens. There was this failure and this sin against the Lord.

Well, all of that to say, well, we don't live unto ourselves, do we? We must be looking for the glory of God and we must be looking for the return of the Lord for the good of our brethren because how we live among ourselves will be directly affected by our personal communion, our personal relationship with the Lord. How do we interact with Him? How do we obey Him? Our Lord in the Scriptures also tells us, in Luke chapter 9, look over there, in Luke chapter 9, I want us to see all of these, what kind of a view we're to have. How are we to look? We're to look unto Jesus, but this is expressed in a number of different ways. In Luke chapter 9, verse number 62, Luke chapter 9, verse number 62, Jesus said in this verse, Jesus said unto him, verse 62, I say 52, verse 62, no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God. We have the example of the children of Israel brought out of the land of, brought out of the land, the house of bondage. Well, don't go back to Egypt. Don't go back to the things the Lord has saved you from. Don't look back at those things. We have the, we have the example of Lot's wife. We're told to remember Lot's wife. She looked back. It was not just that she wanted to say, Amen, Lord, thank you for burning that place down. No, she was looking back with a heart of not having, not wanting to have left that place.

I wanted, I wanted to go back there. She didn't, she didn't even, she left because she sort of had to leave because her husband was leaving, but she, she looked back. She looked back to that place. And we're told here not to look back. Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back to, don't look back with any delight or even wishing that you could go back to the things of, the Lord, if the Lord has saved you from that past, forget those things which are behind. Don't look at those. Put your hand to the plow, he says, a man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is, is, is not fit for the kingdom of God. There's, the world is behind us. The cross is before us. It may be sinful habits and pleasures of the old life that we would look back at, but it could even be family and past friends that would draw us back towards those things of the past. Things that Paul would talk about, he used to boast in. God, but now God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom? The world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. I have nothing to do with that old life anymore. I have been saved from that. I am not going to look back at that. What, what, what fruit had we in those things where if we were now ashamed? Don't look back. Don't look back.

We're told in the days ahead of us in Luke 21. Luke 21 verse 26 that men's hearts will be, what does it say here? Luke 21, 26 failing them for fear and for looking after men's hearts. Those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then in verse 27 it says, and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh. Well, whatever exact time we're living in we certainly see that we can, I mean, have not the last five years, six years revealed a lot about how fearful people are because they're looking at things that are happening and we're just getting started. We're just getting started with all that's going to happen in the days ahead on the earth. People can be very easily manipulated by fear. And there may, you know, it may be something comes along and wipes me out, wipes you out. But you know what? The worst thing that can happen to us is we get transported into the presence of the Lord.

We can't live in fear. No matter how fearful a thing may be. I mean, David got afraid. He said, what time I am afraid, I'll trust in thee. It's, the key is that we're not controlled by fear. We see that people's hearts are failing them because they're so afraid. Because they're looking at the traumatic things. I think about what happened in Nepal just, what, the past few days. I can't imagine the fear that grips those people's hearts. Oh, you could hear it in their voices. They're shrieking and crying out these massive floodwaters coming down. But, we know that as Christians, we know that all things work together for good to those that love God. That are called according to His purpose. So, our hearts should not be failing us for fear, but instead, we need to look up as it says. Our redemption is drawing nigh. I think of what William Cooper wrote. He said, ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds ye so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your heads.

We're told in 2 Peter chapter 3, if you'll turn there with me, 2 Peter, chapter 3, verse 13. We're told there in verse number 13 of 2 Peter chapter 3, something very important as well, and it's this. It's these words here in verse number 13. Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth. Wherein dwelleth righteousness. Well, this context here is speaking about the dreadful day of God that's coming. And there's going to be many fearful things associated with that. But we are not, just as I'm not, I'm not looking for Antichrist, I'm not looking for, I mean, yes, the Lord is going to do it, but I'm not looking for the elements to melt with fervent heat. I'm looking for the Lord Himself to restore us. Return. I'm looking for Him. I'm looking to welcome Him as we've already seen. Looking for that blessed hope. That's what Paul tells us that we are to be looking for. And we're looking for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. Our human tendency is to focus on problems, trials, difficulties. Focus on those things.

But we ought to focus on when we see trials, we ought to think, look unto Jesus. When we see fearful things happening in the earth, we ought to think, this is all part of God's plan. Though the wrath of God is being revealed in a number of different ways against unrighteousness of ungodly men. We ought to expect these things to come to pass. And we ought to remember, as Paul says to the Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 4, verse 17, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. We ought to remember that it's working for us. This is temporal, but it's working for us an exceeding, eternal weight of glory. And it says there in verse number 18 of chapter… 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. You know, even God has given us things to enjoy in this world. Job enjoyed. Job had a lot of joy. He had a lot of children, livestock, blessings the Lord had given to him.

But when the Lord took them away, he said, the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He was not merely looking at the possessions. He saw the Lord in it. We must, even in the things we enjoy, we must say, God has given us this to enjoy, to enjoy richly. Thank the Lord. When we say the blessing over the meal, we're saying, thank you, Lord, for giving us this. Even in eating and drinking, we can think of the Lord in that. It's not that we're always reading a verse of Scripture or quoting a verse of Scripture, but we're conscious of and looking to the Lord in everything that we're doing. When we stop looking to the Lord and we look at ourselves, and we get our eyes on our troubles and the fearful sights, or what somebody else is doing over here and we get consumed and thinking about, we can only go so far of thinking about another, even brother or sister in the Lord, before we, it'll turn into gossip if it doesn't turn into prayer. Or if we need to go to that brother and talk to him about something, well, let's do that.

But very quickly, if we get our eyes off the Lord, it will turn into sin, that it ought not to be. I am, the Holy Spirit reminds me sometimes, just pray for that. There's nothing, there might be a situation you can't really do anything about it. Just pray for that brother. Pray for that sister. Pray the Lord will help them in this, whatever it may be. Well, we're told that we are not looking at the things that are temporal, but the things that are eternal. We're told not to look on our own things. I'm just going to breathe in, briefly mention a couple more here. Philippians 2, verse 4 says, Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. That means, do not fix your eyes upon, direct your attention to your own things, but also, but every man also on the things of others. Let me, let me read, just to you, I know we have, we have just a few more moments here, but I want to take this time to quote, I sent this to one of you yesterday. F.B. Meyer said, The healthiest people do not think about their health. The weak induce disease by morbid introspection.

If you begin to count your heartbeats, you will disturb the rhythmic action of the heart. If you continually imagine a pain anywhere, anywhere, you will produce it. And there are some true children of God who induce their own darkness by morbid self-scrutiny. They're always going back on themselves, analyzing their motives, reconsidering past actions, acts of consecration, comparing themselves with themselves. They're just consumed with thinking about themselves, right? In one form or another, self is the pivot of their life. Albeit that is, that it is undoubtedly a religious life, what but darkness can result from such a course. There are certainly times in our lives where we must look within and judge ourselves that we be not judged. But this is only done that we may turn with fuller purpose of heart to the Lord. May we not become such a, so introspective that we don't see the needs of others around us. That we don't minister to others. We're just always thinking about ourselves. What about me? Oh, it was, and it might even be very religious, you know, but it's so, so consumed with me that I don't think about my brothers or those that need the Lord about me.

John said, Behold the Lamb of God. Paul said, If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the, on the earth. Those who are enemies of the cross of Christ, Paul would say their God is their belly. They mind earthly things. They, they're always looking at, what did we say earlier? Lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, pride of life. That's what controls. Our view is different as Christians, isn't it? It ought to be different. Our, what we're looking at, even when we're looking at others, when we're looking at circumstances that are happening, in the earth, we need to see the Lord. We need to see the Lord even in, as we look at those things. We see, we look at a need in someone else's life. We, we, we, we pray, Lord, help that brother, help that sister. Draw this unsaved individual to yourself. Help them to see their, their need of salvation. And, and all of this, what do we, what do we, what do we see today?

Look away from all that would draw your thoughts from Christ. And look unto Him. Look for His soon coming with a warm, a desire to warmly welcome Him. Looking for, waiting for that blessed hope. Look forward with great expectation. Don't look back. Don't look inside of yourself, other than to say, yes, Lord. Yes, I believe that you're wanting to change this in my life. And then just submit yourself to it. But don't stay inside of yourself. Don't stay inside and think, I'm going to do this. You know, I'm going to, I'm going to improve myself. No, as the Lord speaks to me, I must just say, yes. I, I submit my will to you in that thing. Look forward with anticipation. Look up with hope. Fix your thoughts on heavenly things. I believe all of that teaches us what it means to look away unto Jesus. And I believe that it's, once again, for the want of that, that sin fills the vacuum in our lives. When we're not truly looking unto the Lord in all that we do, we will sin. We will sin against Him. That's why we must hide His word in our hearts.

That's why we must meditate on His wall day and night, delight in it, to do His will, that we might not sin against Him. Let's pray. Father, we pray that you would help us to be pleasing in our thoughts, our words, our actions. Help us to help us to have this fundamental central truth nailed down in our hearts, and worked out in our in our daily living, Lord, that we would, in everything we do, we would not look back, or set our gaze inward, or set our gaze on temporal things or, even set our gaze, on others, but we would truly look away unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Lord, help us to do this in a very practical way this week. I think about that hymn that we sing. So enchained, my spirit's vision, looking at the crucified. All for Jesus. All for Jesus. May that be our watchword. May that be the thought that controls in our hearts and minds that we would be truly looking unto and desiring that it would be all for the Lord. We pray now that you'd bless us as we can close this service with a final hymn. May this afternoon be, as we spend more time together, may it be a blessing. In Jesus' name we ask. Amen. Amen.