Looking unto Jesus

By Pastor Nick Bibile

Heb 12:2 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.

Looking is an act, a verb, looking to Christ. The English word ‘looking’ does not give the full meaning. The Greek word here for looking is ‘aphorao’ this word comes from two other Greek words, ‘apo’ and horao. Apo means to off and horao means to fix the eye upon an object. So the word ‘Looking’ in Greek aphorao means to turn off the eye from other things and fixing your eyes, here on Jesus. Off from the world and on, on Jesus.

Now looking to Jesus is not, looking at a picture or an image, not looking with head knowledge, not a mere understanding of him but looking to him with your whole soul in faith and trust.

We fix our eyes upon him with our whole soul a he is the author and finisher of our faith. In him, there is salvation. As Jesus endured the suffering, shame and punishment which were due to us. So, we must fix our eyes upon him who endured the cross, on your behalf. The wrath of God is upon you unless you fall at the feet of Jesus asking for mercy and following him in his steps.

Augustine read Cicero’s works and commended for their eloquence, then he said, “They are not sweet, because the name of Jesus is not in them.” Every God fearing pastor’s goal is to nourish the believers with Christ’s knowledge and secondly to promote holiness in their walk.

1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

Philip 3:8 I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

However, there are so many external false Christians who are looking to him but they do not see anything that they should desire him. When they look at Christ, they do not see any beauty, loveliness or sweetness of Christ as they get their beauty and sweetness from the world. Look at the sinners when they look at Christ how they see him:

Isa 53:2 He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

But on the other hand, the true Christians, when they look at Jesus, they will mourn of their sins.

Zech 12:10 And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

There are worldly Christians who are looking for happiness outside of Christ. But for the true Christian the only happiness is Christ alone. Christ is the sun and the center of our life, he is the object of our faith, he is our salvation, he is the Rock where we can stand on, he is our hiding place and comfort from our enemies of sin, he is the ladder between earth and heaven, the only mediator between God and man.

My friend are you looking to Christ? Or are you looking to the world for happiness? Christ, the very God of God became a son of Man, we who are pitiful creatures, made of dust became the sons of God only by grace. Are you experiencing this grace?

Think of the angels in heaven. They are holy, without sin, the do not need salvation, forgiveness, justification; they do not need the gospel to be saved. Yet Peter tells in 1 Pet :12

“It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

The angels in heaven who does not need salvation yet they desired to pry and to peep. How about you, are you looking on to Christ? Christ is excellent and sweeter than all the things the world is going to offer you.

Many are going after the world to find happiness. The highest and the pinnacle of Christian’s happiness is Christ Jesus and this is our duty to look on to Jesus. We receive our greatest joy at the foot of Jesus, listening to his words.

1Jo 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

The world and the false Christians wants to see something so they get happiness, they want to feel something so they get happiness but we don’t walk by sight we have not seen Christ yet we love him.

1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Are you turning your eyes off from the worldly things that are set before you and fixing your eyes upon Jesus? Some of you who are listening to this sermon are entangled with worldliness, you cannot be without your T.V, and your eyes are gazed and fixed upon those Hollywood stars. Their lives are an abomination to God, The media is sneering at true Jesus with full of pride, they are shaking their fists in His face, and a hurling dung at Him, mocking him, then how can you adore these Hollywood stars and the media if you say you are a Christian? Is this happiness to you? Then later you shut the TV off and read your Bible, how can you walk with darkness and light together?

Ge 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

What communion hath light with darkness? (2 Cor 6:14)

Lu 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.

What is the favorite sin of many so-called Christians? Television. Enjoying watching lust, perversion, ungodly, unholy, impurity and enjoying its lusts. God, Jesus, true Christianity and the Bible is mocked and scorned. Even those suppose to be good channels are attacking the Christian values. Instead of looking to Christ for sweetness and happiness, they are looking at the TV for their happiness.

When a movie or TV show presents us with mild profanity, an occasional adulterous affair, or a limited amount of violence, many would say it is not that bad, little poison is ok, every day a little poison is ok. This is your measurement. There were no movies, cinemas or TV during the time of the puritans and great preachers like Spurgeon but what if the Puritans and great preachers like Spurgeon living today, what will be their opinion, how will they re-act?

Let me give you a quotation of Spurgeon.

“Flee all sin, without exception, and follow after everything that is pure and holy, without exception. Others wallow in what they call the pleasures of sin: abhor such things, and protest against them. Shun, also, everything that is doubtful; for, “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” If you are not sure it is right, it is sin to you. Avoid the appearance of evil.

1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

The word appearance in Greek is eidov, (idos) which means appearance of any form of evil, in any shape or fashion. The root word is eidw (ido or oida), which means to see from your eyes and senses, observing, paying attention and cherishing.

1Jo 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

What God calls the lust of the eyes and the sinful cravings of the heart are typically portrayed by worldly so-called Christians as harmless.

After watching those movies, dancing, entertainment, have you become closer to God? Does it glorify God? Do you have a desire a thirst for the Bible? After watching those worldly things on TV, are you growing in holiness? Answer these honest questions without compromising. It the TV is causing you to sin dump it in the trash, do not regret.

Mt 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Television is like a great river with different channels flow into the living rooms and bedrooms with high definition. The world makes their decisions, values and goals based on this river of filth. The parents put their kids in front of the TV so they will not be disturbed.

Romans 13:14 which says, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

Walk in boldness of the spirit, avoid every appearance of evil, do not conform to this world, stand up for the truth. Live near to Christ not near to your Television or to any other worldly desires.

Do you get convicted when you look at the delicacies of this world or are you enjoying with happiness. Does the TV or the other worldly entertainment bring great happiness to you or conviction? Do you mourn over your sins, do you weep over them bitterly? If you do you are a true child of God, if you do not you are only a hypocrite.

When your hunger is for other things than our Lord Jesus Christ, your sanctification slows down or you may not grow at all as a Christian, which means you are only a Christian by name but truly a hypocrite.

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

There is a road set before us and we are to run the race. We have a great multitude of witnesses who have gone before us, the Old Testament saints, the reformers, the puritans and the other saints. They have set us an example in running the race.

The hindrance and the obstacle in running the race is sin, the weight of sin, the weight of sin will slow you down. In this race sin will tempt you, delicacies of sin, pleasures of sin will be in front of you when you run this race, but many will stop the race and eat the sweetness of sin, enjoy the pleasures of this world and this weight of sin will slow down the race and they are the ones who will never grow in holiness, the remain the same as they are entangled with the sins of this world.

They do not see the loveliness and the sweetness of Christ. Christ Jesus and the Bible is boring to them, when you talk of godly things they have no interest but talk of worldly things they become alive, they are dead to Christ and alive to the world. They are not startled or alarmed at the very appearance of evil, it will not break their hearts as they are used to it their hearts are so callous and will not feel any sorrow for their sins. Everyday they are sinking deeper and deeper into hell.

Remember in Pilgrims Progress, when Christian was taking the narrow road, two men joined him and their names were Formalist and Hypocrisy. Christian asked them where did they come from and they said, “We were born in the land of Vain-glory.” Yes, my friend, pride is an abomination to God. Are you one of them full of pride and born in Vain-glory, does not want to be humbled at the foot of Christ, filled in pride and worldliness. Christian saw these two men did not enter the narrow gate but took a short cut by climbing the wall and joining Christian. Christian asked them, “Why you did not enter through the narrow gate?” Their answer was, “Its too far” Many do not want to go through the narrow gate as it is too far and too difficult.

Hypocrites love the crown but do not want to carry the cross of suffering, they do not want to crucify their flesh, they have no desire to crucify their world pet sins but they want heaven. They do not want to cling to Christ in holiness but they want the short cut to heaven. They are clouds without water, trees without fruit, twice dead, ready to be pluck by its roots and throw into the fire of hell. True Christians can overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb, as he is the center of their lives, they will not love their lives but will love Christ who loved them and redeemed them.

Re 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

When you are Christian, you leave behind all what you loved before and now Christ Jesus becomes your sweetness, and he is your pinnacle of happiness. Once you are in Christ “Do not look behind you to the world.” The angels said to Lot:

Gen 19:17 Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

Do not go back to the fleshpots of Egypt. Look to Christ and look upward instead of downward to this world, if you belong to heaven you will think of heaven, if you belong to Christ, you will think of Christ, but if you belong to this world, you will think of this world.

2Co 4:18 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.

Look to the King in his beauty, look to the one seated on the throne, look to the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, look to him he is altogether lovely, look to him so you can grow into his image, flee from the world and run to Jesus.