Seeing Jesus - Eyes on Jesus/Mind in Book

	For several studies, now, we have been taking a close look at Jesus.  As we complete this discussion, let's give a parting thought to ourselves.  In particular, let's consider our eyes and our minds.  If we are to be pleasing to God, we must keep our eyes on Jesus and our minds in the Book.
	"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us," Hebrews 12:1-3 urges, "let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart."
	Sadly, many people don't have their eyes on Jesus.  Their eyes are darkened.
	"And He was giving orders to them," we read in Mark 8:15-18, "saying, 'Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.'  And they {began} to discuss with one another {the fact} that they had no bread.  And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, 'Why do you discuss {the fact} that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?  Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?'"
	Some people have darkened eyes.  But there are others whose eyes are enlightened.
	"{I pray that} the eyes of your heart may be enlightened," Paul writes in Ephesians 1:18-23, "so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. {These are} in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly {places}, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come.  And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all."
	Some have darkened eyes.  Some have enlightened eyes.  Those in the latter group have their eyes focussed on the cross.
	"You foolish Galatians," Paul chides in Galatians 3:1, "who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed {as} crucified?"
	Few, if any, of these Christians from Galatia were present in Jerusalem during the crucifixion.  But, as Paul indicates, those who hear the Gospel message have had the crucifixion of Jesus portrayed right before their eyes.  A Christian must have eyes which are focussed on Jesus as He hangs on the cross.
	A Christian will see Jesus on the cross whenever he or she encounters someone who is lost.
	"Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and {then} comes the harvest'? " the Lord observes in John 4:35-36.  "Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.  Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."
	A Christian who sees a lost person sees someone for whom Jesus died on the cross.  Whenever a Christian encounters someone who is saved, that person is still seen through eyes which view Jesus on the cross.
	"Who are you to judge the servant of another?"  Paul asks in Romans 14:4.  "To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand."
	A Christian has eyes which are focussed on Jesus.  These eyes see Jesus on the cross when they encounter a lost soul.  This motivates that Christian to share the message of Christ's sacrifice.  These eyes see Jesus on the cross when they encounter someone who has been saved.  They don't judge according to human standards, but according to the measure of God.
	Some people choose to have darkened eyes.  Others seek to have eyes which are enlightened, which center on Jesus and the cross.  Some day, though, all eyes will look to the Master.
	"Behold, He is coming with the clouds," John points out in Revelation 1:7, "and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen."

	We must have our eyes on Jesus.  And we must have our minds in the Book, the Word of God.  This demands three things.  We must know it.  We must understand it.  And we must apply it.
	The first step is to know what the Bible says.
	"Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for {their} salvation," Paul expresses in Romans 10:1-3. "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.  For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."
	Zeal is very good.  But it is worthless if it is not founded on accurate knowledge. 
	"And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea;" Acts 17:10-12 records, "and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.  Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, {to see} whether these things were so.  Many of them therefore believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men."
	Here are people who want to know what the Bible says.  They realize that this knowledge can be obtained only through serious study.
	"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth," Paul cautions in 2 Timothy 2:15.
	"You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of," Paul adds in 2 Timothy 3:14-17, "knowing from whom you have learned {them}; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;  that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work."
	"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord," we read in 2 Peter 1:2-3; "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence."
	"For if these {qualities} are yours and are increasing," the passage continues in verses 8-11, "they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these {qualities} is blind {or} short-sighted, having forgotten {his} purification from his former sins.  Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you."
	Knowledge is essential.  But it is of no value if we do not understand what we have learned.
	Paul makes reference in 2 Timothy 3:7 to those who are, "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
	How can we learn but not understand?  Sometimes our pride gets in the way.  Sometimes it is our worldly mind which creates an obstacle.
	"And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men," Paul laments in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, "but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ.  I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able { to receive it.} Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?"
	"Let no man deceive himself," Paul adds in verses 18-23. "If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become foolish that he may become wise.  For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, '{He is} the one who catches the wise in their craftiness'; and again, 'The Lord knows the reasonings of the wise, that they are useless.'  So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God." 
	"Being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek," Hebrews 5:10-14 says of Jesus.  "Concerning him we have much to say, and {it is} hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes {only} of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."
	To have our minds in God's Word, we must know it and we must understand it.  Still, knowledge and understanding are worthless if we do not act.
	"Therefore putting aside all filthiness and {all} that remains of wickedness," James 1:21-25 instructs, "in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for {once} he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the {law} of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does."
	"What use is it, my brethren," James asks in verses 14-17 of chapter two, "if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for {their} body, what use is that?  Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, {being} by itself."
	"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit,'" James 4:13-17 notes.  "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are { just} a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead, {you ought} to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.'  But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.  Therefore, to one who knows {the} right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin."
	Jesus expresses this thought in the Sermon on the Mount.
	"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them," the Lord states in Matthew 7:24-27, "may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and {yet} it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.  And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."
	Jesus states this concept very plainly in Luke 6:46.
	"And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" the Master wonders.
	Let's keep our minds in the Book.  Let's know the Truth.  Let's understand the Truth.  Let's apply the Truth.  Because only the Truth will set us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."