# What are you looking at

Category: Peace & Assurance
Key Passage: Luke 11:34
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: May 12, 2024

Luke chapter number 11 in God’s Word this morning.

And we’re really just going to try to hone in on one phrase here for just a bit. I’m trying to be wise with time this morning on Mother’s Day, and so we’ll try to focus in really on a phrase here. Let’s stand if you would as we read God’s Word together, if you’re able, just to show it respect.

Luke chapter number 11. We’ll start in verse number 34. Luke 11 and verse number 34. And the Bible says, “The light of the body is the eye.” We’re going to try to focus on that. Would you read that just that phrase right? Would you read that out loud with me, please? Here we go: “The light of the body is the eye.”

I hope that sticks in your mind and in your heart. We’ll read a couple more verses myself. I’ll read them out loud to us together as far as reading, but me out loud.

“Therefore, when an eye is single, or focused, if you will, that whole body also is full of light. When an eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If that whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give the light.”

That little phrase there: “The light of the body is the eye.” We’ll try to focus on that for just a bit this morning. Would you pray with me that God would really just embed that truth in our hearts?

Would you pray that as I pray the same? Father, would you take this truth, and Lord, you apply it to every single person here? Lord, many might need it in other ways, and so, Lord, I pray that you would apply it as needed. And Lord, let it not just be information, but let it be transformation for us from your Word today. And Father, we thank you for what you do. And we ask for that in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated.

We have just a one-car garage. If you come by our dining room and then you go to the right, there’s a little laundry room right there. And then you go outside the laundry room, and it enters into our garage. There’s a little platform and there are steps going down—just a one-car garage, and of course, on out the end, the garage door, whatnot.

Well, there’s a light switch there by those steps. That works out good if you’re coming out from the house; you need to turn the light on, whatnot. That’s fine. But sometimes you come out, the garage doors open, of course, because it’s very bright inside there.

And your pastor is cheap and doesn’t like to spend money. Anybody out there like me? Come on now, you know. So, you know, garage doors are up. You know, I’ll turn that light off. I think it’s ingrained from her dad. If you left the light on in the room you’re in, you’re in trouble, you know. My brother’s here; he can testify with me, you know.

And anyway, it’s just there, you know. So, you know, you come out, the garage doors open. It’s very light and bright in the garage, you know, and you turn the light off. You go out the garage, you go outside in the yard and do whatever you need to do—take the trash out, kick the dog, you know, the cat. You have the cat. Anyway, whatever it is.

And then a little later on, you’re going to come inside. You don’t want to go all the way up there to the front of the garage and turn the light switch on and then come back, close the garage door. I mean, who wants to double walk? You know, I mean, I’ve already got my steps in; I’m good, you know.

So you step inside and you close that garage door. I don’t know about your garage, but when I close that garage door, it gets very dark. And then, I mean, initially, if you wait for a couple of minutes, you kind of adjust a little bit. Still, you really can’t see. But the problem is you close that door, and then initially you really can’t see anything that much at all.

Then you start thinking, “Where’s that toolbox at? Where’s the chair at?” You know, where’s that stuff that my daughter left in our garage, you know? And dirty big black and slattery, I tripped over that thing. No, I’m joking. But you start all these, you know, and you’re trying to make your way through.

If you just stand in my garage when the garage door is closed and it’s light outside, especially if you’re looking back at the garage door, we do not have insulation, drywall in a garage. There are a couple places that you look, especially the garage door, and as you look, there is a little light that comes in.

It’s not much. It’s enough to kind of, for you to orient yourself, “Okay, I’m going the right direction.” Now, it doesn’t show you that tool you left out last week before you trip over. It doesn’t show you that. But it is just enough light to give you what you need. And you can kind of look for the places where the light is coming in.

This isn’t a perfect illustration. But the Bible there says, “The light of the body is the eyes.” If you will, inside your heart, the light comes into you, just like in my garage, there are a couple cracks on each side of that garage door where the light can come in. And in your life, in your life, there’s something that brings the light into your body, and the Bible says it’s your eyes.

It is so very, very vital what you’re looking at. How many of you have a—be honest—you have a nightlight in your house somewhere? You have a nightlight in your house somewhere? All right, you big babies out there! Goodness gracious, you know. We have somewhat one of those. But, you know, when things are dark, you need those nightlights.

Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord Jesus Christ in these dark days has got Christians all over this world to be nightlights? It’s wonderful. I was talking to someone recently at the workplace, as far as they know, they’re the only Christian. And they weren’t trying to be braggadocious. They weren’t trying to pat themselves on the back. We were just openly talking about a conversation. And they said, “You know, I’m a little surprised how much there’s a difference, the light in there, just because, and I’m not the best Christian, but just because I feel like, because I’m there at the workplace and there’s a little light there.”

That’s what God wants. God wants His people to be nightlights all over the place. Anybody out there you’d like to shine the light of Jesus in this world? Isn’t it a wonderful thing? People are hurting all over the place. This world is full of hurting people. I mean, it seems like just a day or two doesn’t go by before you hear of another just totally hurting person. And isn’t it a wonderful Christian just shining the love and the light of the Lord everywhere?

Now, I use both of those to say this: If my eyes are not focused on the right place, then I don’t have any light to give off. And this world gets darker as God’s people do not have their eyes in the right direction. Because the light of the body is the eyes. And if I’m looking at the wrong thing, I don’t have any light to shine in a dark world.

It’s amazing what happens about our eyes. Look over, if you will, in Genesis. Genesis chapter number three. This is when it all went bad. God created Adam and Eve in the garden. Everything was wonderful. It was great. There was no thorns on the rose bushes. There were no hospitals. There were no funeral homes. There was no charge. You could go and order a Big Mac with a Mountain Dew and you never gained weight, and they never charged you for it.

I mean, all right, okay, let’s go up a notch. There were medium-rare steaks, come on now. And we’re going to do it, let’s do it right, you know. And Dr. Pepper, too, now, you know, you never gain weight. We’re going to do it. Got to do it right, you know. And it’s just a perfect world, and everything messed up in this one instance. Sin came, death came, tears came, heartache came, burdens came.

Well, let’s see how this happened. Let’s see how this happened. Before we get there, just let me say one more thing. Let’s don’t get into that, “Well, it’s all Eve’s fault. It’s all Adam’s fault.” It’s our fault. Amen. How about let’s just go there first of all? All right, you know, before we get there. But I want you to see how this thing happened.

Genesis chapter number three. Would you look at verse number six? And Satan is there tempting Eve. But I want you to notice the progression here. Look at verse number six. “And when the woman…” What’s the next word? “…saw.” That’s where it all started going downhill. Oh, when she started looking at that thing.

“…that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the…” What’s the next word? “…eyes.” Oh, it all started with what she was looking at. “…And a tree to be desired to make one wise.” She took of the fruit thereof, and then gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. It all started with eyes.

Friend, I hope if nothing else this morning, you just realize, man, it is so important what I’m looking at. Whether it be with your physical eyes or with your mind’s eye, what you’re looking at is vital. Amen. It is so crucial in our day and time. So many people are negative and down and dark and just bad that Christians are shining, but you’re not going to be shining if your eyes are looking at their own thing. Because the light of the body is the eyes.

Look if you will over in the book of Joshua. Joshua chapter number seven. Joshua chapter number seven. This is the children of Israel when they came into what is called the promised land, and they were going to take this land that God had promised to them. It was a very fruitful place. And they came to a great big city, Jericho.

And they marched around the city seven times—the last day, seven days, the last seven days, seven times, other days one day, one time around. And they blew the trumpets, and they shouted, and the walls came tumbling down. How many ever sang that song, “The walls came tumbling down”? Yeah. And they marched flat, and they marched right in there, and had a great victory there at Jericho.

And they came to the next city that they were going to have a battle at, just a little bitty city. And they said, “We don’t need all the military.” I mean, the Marines don’t do anything anyway. They just talk about—well, they just act like they do everything. I’m teasing. I’m trying to get Brother Dumpers stirred up a little bit here, you know. Actually, they’re the ones that typically do the work, you know.

But anyway, you know, they said, “We don’t need the Navy. We ain’t got no boats in the desert anyway.” You know, is that better, Brother Dump? You like that one better, you know? Forget the Navy, you know. I mean, where’s the boat at in the middle of the desert? Anyway, Brother Bill, I’ve got to get the army in there. Anyway, we’ll get them all, you know.

But I said, “We don’t need all the military. It’s such a small little bitty city.” And they went over to Ai to take Ai, and they got their—they got the snot beat out of them. Thirty-six people died. Now, imagine that. Thirty-six dads never came home. Thirty-six husbands never came home. Thirty-six men never lived their life out. They’re gone.

Now, what’s the problem? What’s the problem? The general, the five-star general Joshua, he’s like, “Lord, what’s going on?” And the Lord said, “Israel hath sinned.” That’s a pretty amazing statement. It wasn’t just one man, one kid. And God said, “Now, Israel—Israel, I’m holding all of you responsible.” And by the way, Achan could have confessed any time, but he never did until they went by tribes, 12 tribes, and God said, “That one tribe there,” then that one family there, and then that one immediate family—one man, Achan, has sinned.

Finally, after all that, Achan confesses. If he had confessed earlier, I think there had been mercy. “Whoso confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy,” the Bible says. But in every confess to him, God pointed him out. And of course, Achan was judged, and him and his family, and the very sad thing, they had a victory after that.

But I want you to notice, Achan explains what happened, how he ruined his life, ruined his family’s life, and they were gone after this, friend, and how 36 other people died. I don’t want you—Achan really, once God points them out, Achan says, “All right, this is what happened.” And I want you to see what the Bible says here in the book of Joshua, chapter number seven. Are you there already? Amen? Good.

Look at verse number 21. Joshua 7 and verse number 21. He says, “When I saw…” Wow. Where did this thing—36 men getting killed, Achan’s family getting judged, getting killed themselves—where did it all start? He says, “When I…” What’s the next word? “…saw.” It’s all about the eyes, friend.

“…When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of 50 shekels weight, then I coveted them.” That’s the next thing. He saw, then he started coveting, and took them. “And, behold, they are hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.” He knew better. It was a cursed thing. Now, Jericho they could take—no, excuse me, this is Ai. They could not take. Later on they could take, but the first, first fruits—God’s always for first fruits—they could not take.

But he says, what happened? He says, “When I saw it.” And the next thing, after I saw it, I coveted. So the whole human race, it fell with Eve over there and Adam, and it started by her seeing it. Now they got this tragedy in Israel, and this tragedy in his family. It all started with him seeing it.

Friend, I’m just trying to emphasize a little bit here before we really get to preach it a whole lot, just the importance of your eyes. What are you looking at? Your mind’s eye. What do you dwell on all day long? What do you spend your time just thinking about?

Look over in Acts chapter four. We’ve got just one more illustration, and we’re going to just not very long, but try to just get to the point here in a minute. This is Peter and John, some great preachers and Christians in the Bible. God had used them to do some mighty miracles. And they were out preaching Jesus. By the way, they weren’t just preaching God—God’s wonderful. They were preaching Jesus, amen.

By the way, I like it if someone prays in the name of Jesus, amen. They don’t mind too bad. They’re not their favorite thing, but they don’t mind too bad. We mention God, but Jesus is the exciting thing, because, hey, you get saved by believing in Jesus. For you, Jesus is the dividing line. That’s why 1 John 4 says, “Hey, first thing you do about a church, find out what they say about Jesus.” That’s so vital, so very important.

They’re preaching Jesus, and they get taken in and threatened at their own trial. And I want you to notice what they say. Look in verse number 20. You’re in Acts 4. Look in verse number 20. Just a little principle we’re going to get real quickly, then we’re going to move on. They said, “You better stop preaching in Jesus.” They threatened them and warned them and eventually persecuted them, beat them. But he says here, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have…” What’s the first word? “…seen.”

Then he says, “…and heard.” I mean, these they say, “Hello, we can’t help but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” The importance of what you’re looking at. Can I for just a minute get to the point? Can y’all wait me out there? You all out there?

Hey, let me ask you this: If I went to your house and somehow I could view the history of what you watch on your TV the last week, what would be on there? And I can get your phone and I can look on your phone and see what you’ve been scrolling through trying to find what will be on your phone. If I could go on your computer and find out what you’ve been looking at on your computer. Yes, pornography? Not just pornography, other things. What have you been watching? What have you been looking at?

Can I just be honest for a second? Hey, listen, I’m a conservative with a capital C, but the honest, simple truth is even the conservative news is fearmongering, and it’s all negative, negative, negative. I’m just saying, what are you watching? If you want to be bright and shining for the Lord, it is all about what? Where is your eyes going to, friends?

If you’re dwelling in your mind’s eye looking at all the bad, bad, bad, you’re not going to have a whole lot of light. And this whole world needs Christian shining right before the Lord. And if your eyes are going to be focused on what God wants them focused on, you’re going to have to work at that. So very hard at that end time and say, “I’m determining my eyes. They’re going to be looking at the right things.” It’s vital because the light of the body is the eyes. And if I’m looking at all the bad, bad, bad, horrible bad, I’m not going to have much light to give off.

Look over—you’ll know—look over in Hebrews chapter number 12. Hebrews, kind of in the back part of your Bible, before James. Hebrews, James. We got James sitting on the front row here. What about that? James and Bradley, they’re the only two brave enough men to sit on the front row. What about that? There you go. There you go, Brother Bradley. That’s all that, brother. Hebrews, right before the book of James.

By the way, ladies, you can use this. You heard about the couple that were fighting about who’s supposed to get up and make the coffee in the morning? You’ve heard this. And she said, “It’s in the Bible.” He said, “What in the Bible?” She said, “Sure enough, it’s on the top of a couple pages right there. He brews.” Come on now, you know. That’s Bible. We’re going to preach the Bible whether you like it or not, you know. So there it is. There it is. The ladies use that thing. Let me tell you, tell that man to get made the coffee in the morning, you know.

Hebrews chapter number 12. Ms. Linda says, “I’m going to take that thing right there.” Hebrews chapter number 12. Look at verse number two. Look at verse number two. Man, if we could do this, if I could do this, it would be so good. I try. I’m not always there. Look at this. Hebrews 12. Look at verse number two.

He says, “Looking”—very interesting—“looking unto whom?” Man, if I keep my eyes on Jesus. And the Old Testament, Isaiah, he says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.” But 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.

Jesus didn’t have everything just kind of just handed to him. Oh, no, he endured the cross. Watch it, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. The King is looking unto Jesus. If I could somehow work at it and have my eyes just looking unto Jesus, you know, it’d give me faith. I’d be more on top side. I’d have more courage.

I really think the context of Luke 11 over there, if you look back over there where we started at this morning, Luke 11, I really think the context is talking about Jesus more than we realize. You’re back over there, Luke 11. I know we’re turning around just a little bit in the Bible. That’s all right. You’re in church. That’s what you’re supposed to do, amen, you know. But do you go back over there to Luke chapter 11?

And I just, I tend to think he’s focusing a lot about himself. It’s Jesus. He has a right to do that. Look in verse number 29. Luke 11, verse number 29. “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation. They seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.”

Now, what’s he talking about there? He’s talking about as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale. So shall also the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. When he died and then three days and three nights, he was in the tomb. And he led captive those in paradise and went home to the Father. But he’s talked about that’s the sign of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. So what you got? He’s really referencing me. You’re not going to get a sign besides me. I’m your sign. Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection.

Verse number 30: “For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation.” Now, verse number 31, notice what he says here. So verse number 29 and 30, we know it was about Jesus. Verse number 31, “The Queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” Who’s that greater than Solomon? Jesus. Yeah.

“The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment of this generation and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonas. And behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Now, he’s really—he’s talking about Jesus. Talk about himself.

Verse number 33: “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.” Who’s the light of the world? Jesus is the light of the world. When he departed, he’s living in you, if you’re a born-again Christian. He said, “You’re the light of the world,” because Jesus is to be in you. Then he goes to this phrase: “The light of the body is the eyes.”

Now, friend, can I say this? Your eyes—it is very clear from that context right there, Hebrews 12, verse number two right there—our eyes are supposed to be on Jesus. It does do good sometimes. I’ve heard about Jesus all my life. You know, I was in church nine months before I was born. You understand what I’m saying there? I grew up with it, heard it all my life. And if I’m not careful, I just get a little numb to it.

It does do good sometimes to think about Jesus on the cross. And I picture him sometime looking down on me saying, “Paul, I’m going through this for you.” And I’ll have him using my name. I’ll see him with a cat o’ nine tails being whipped and looking down saying, “Paul, I’m going through this for you.” I’ll see him when they’re putting the crown of thorns on his head, and I’ll see him looking down saying, “Paul, I’m going through this for you.” And I’ll see him carrying that cross up that hill of Golgotha, and I’ll think about him looking down and saying, “Hey, I’m doing that for you, for you, for you.”

And when you make that real, and you get your eyes and you get your mind focused on Jesus’ love for you personally, it’ll lose something to you. It’ll bring some light to your body. The light of the body is the eyes. But you’ve got to work at that.

You don’t have to go over the book in the morning time, say, “I’m tired,” or whoever may be it for you, “I’m tired. I don’t feel like reading.” But, “Lord, I need to see you. My mind is on all the bad, the problems, and the drama over there, and the drama over there, and the situation,” and you get all that. And you’re going to say, “Lord, I need to get my eyes on you, Jesus. You are a light, and the light of the body is the eyes, so I must get my eyes on you, Jesus.” And get in that book and say, “Hey, Lord, please speak to me from your Word.”

Friend, if you don’t work at it, your eyes will be on the worst things around you because they all got flesh. Work at it. Get your eyes on Jesus. Work at it.

Peter, we talk about Peter sometimes. Well, Peter, he’s sick. You know, he’s walking on water. Well, he beat me. I’ve never walked on water a day of my life. You ever have anybody say, “Float, just relax and you can float”? I’m saying, how can I float when I’m drowning? How can I relax, man? You can’t relax when you’re drowning. I’m at the bottom of the pool. “Relax and you’ll float.” It’s crazy, you know.

Peter beat me for sure walking on water, but the truth is, when he was walking out there to Jesus on the water, remember what happened? The wind and the waves, and he got his eyes—yeah, I read it for you, we’re right out of time, but I read it for you—but when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me.” All about his eyes.

Now, here’s the problem. Here’s the problem. You know what Ephesians 2:2 says? It says Satan is the prince of the power of the air. And already in time, there’s so much more in the air. It used to be, you know, years and years ago, there weren’t really any radio waves as far as where we can hear things through the radio. It is amazing. Praise the Lord. Lord is going to let us start this radio station pretty soon.

And from over here, Brother Bradley, I’ll probably get it all wrong. Ask him later on to get it right for you. But over here in the front room of Building C is the radio station office. It’s big. I mean, it’s just a mega office. You’ll like it. It looks like a CEO or an executive IBM office. I’m teasing with that, okay? Don’t go over there and look at it right now. Brother Bradson, don’t send them over there right now. It’s a mess right now.

But anyway, they’re working on it, and it’s not even big. Anyway, the radio station is going to send through the internet over here to the antenna, the tower over there by Cracker Barrel and Sam Riley. Anybody go to Cracker Barrel over there? Amen. You got to get fried okra when you go over there. But anyway, you go to the Cracker Barrel right there, and you look a little north there, and you’ll see a mountain. On top of that mountain, there’s a tower on top of that. We’re going to be the third or the second down on that tower, 95 feet up. 95 feet up. If you go up to take a tape measure when you climb up that tower.

Anyway, you know, that’s where they intend. It’s going to send these waves out. And praise the Lord, your radio is going to be able to kind of discern those waves, and it’s going to translate into good godly music, good godly programming.

Now, here’s the problem. Satan is the prince of the power of the air. We’re going to have, by God’s grace and God’s doing it all, but God’s grace, we’re going to have this radio station. But I’ll be honest with it, there are many radio stations you turn your dial to that are filthy.

On the internet, there are some good things on the internet, but there’s plenty of junk on the internet. All kind of different types of junk on the internet. That loop tube, you know, that box, you know, we call it. It’s not really a box anymore; it’s the flat screen, yeah, and age, you know. But there’s some good things on there. I mean, you can find some good things on there, but the majority of it, wow, even the commercials. Whoa. I mean, my life, I try to watch a basketball game, and the commercials, like, whoa, you know.

Now, why is that? That is because Satan is the prince of the power of the air. And going through the air, you know, some of you will know much better about these. There are radio waves, there are TV waves, there’s 4G, 3G, 5G, there’s a cellular wave. There are all kind of waves.

And here’s what I’m getting at: Satan is really trying to dominate what you’re looking at in our day and time. And he’s got many, many different kinds of tools to dominate what you’re looking at, because he knows the Bible, and he knows the Bible says the light of the body is the eyes.

And if you can get your eyes looking at the wrong thing, whether it be physical eyes or mental eyes, and you’re just focused on all the bad, you’ve got no light shining. And that person at work that needs a good godly Christian that comes into the joy of the Lord, they need someone just shining, we come in, and we’ve got darkness because our eyes are looking at the wrong thing. Oh, so important, friend.

Now, let’s go back to the garage real quickly here. We’re going to bypass some things because we have pictures. And then how many are going to take Mom out to eat after serving? How many are going to take Mom out to eat after serving? Wow, I thought there’d be more than that. How many are you cooking for Mom? Anybody cooking for Mom? Whoa, wow. I’ll come to your house and see how that tastes. Well, that’s interesting there, you know. Give us an ad. Well, I know where you live. I don’t need the address. We’ll be there. We’ll be there. She’s a good cook. Amen. So that’ll work, you know.

But let’s go back to the garage. Remember I said it’s very dark in there when the garage doors closed? Hey, when you got saved or when you get saved, it’s like you opening that garage door, and the light of Jesus comes in. Boy, you can go around for all eternity shining brightly because Jesus came in. So very, very important.

Then after that, Christians, while you’re living in this sin-cursed world, very dark, you’re going to have to work at it because I know why bad news sells, because we all got a flesh. They know what sells. But you got to work at it. I want my eyes to be on the right thing. You got to work at that.

There was a lady. We used to preach in a nursing home in Chicago. I mean, some other college students, and we would go up there every Sunday for two school years during college time. We went up there pretty much every Sunday. We’d go up there to preach there. And it was a large nursing home, if I remember right, three stories each. The two top ones had two—excuse me—four wings. And either the second or third floor on one wing, kind of just kind of hidden from the world, back of this wing over there, we go down there.

There’s a little old lady named Viola, we’ll call her Grandma. And we’d come; she’d be in her wheelchair typically, and she would have a shawl. You know how some of them—them ladies back in the day, they’d be sitting there and they’d have a shawl covering their legs, you know. And we look—we look at Granny, Grandma—and her fingers were all gnarled up, and she was just living in pain.

We’d like to go back and talk to her because her husband was a pastor for years and years; he’s in heaven. And her children, the best we could tell, all of her children had passed, and she’s just one living. She’s kind of hidden from the world, living in pain. Sometimes she would come down to the day room where we had service sometimes. She’s in so much pain she couldn’t come. But she’d be down there just kind of gnarled up fingers and everything.

And we wanted to go talk with her because she’d tell us stories about the ministry. We’re young preacher boys. And honestly, and this may be exaggeration a little bit, but sometimes it seemed like when she was good enough, they had wheeled her into the day room. We’re having church service. When they’d wheel her in, it just seemed like that room got brighter. She had such a sweet spirit about her. She’s just on top side.

I think about her sometimes. All of her—her husband gone, her children grown—she’s just kind of left in this nursing home to rot away, if you will. And yet she had such a light. I promise you she worked. We could tell by our conversation, she worked at keeping her eyes on the right things, and she shone brightly. Friend, where are your eyes at?

Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? Would you bow your heads and close your eyes?

Our heads bowed, eyes closed. There’s a story in the Old Testament about the children of Israel. They were awfully bad about complaining, and they were murmuring and complaining. And God was just tired of it, and he sent these fiery serpents in there, and they began to bite the children of Israel. And when they bit them, it was death.

And God said, “Now, Moses, I want you to do something. I want you to make a pole, and I want you to put a brazen brass serpent on that pole.” Now, brass in the Bible stands for judgment. That snake represented the sin. By the way, just like the children of Israel had sin in their lives, we all do.

And then you tell the children of Israel, “If you get bit by that snake, would you look up there, look up there to the serpent on the pole, and live?” Look, and we live. Now, here’s the thing: All of us have been bitten by sin, all of us, every single person. The Bible says all have sinned. And because of that sin, we deserve a judgment. It’s called a lake of fire. It’s a very sad thing. God doesn’t want you to go there. He made that place for the devil and his angels.

But Jesus Christ, he died on the cross. That’s for that pole that Moses built and that serpent. Jesus took our sin on that cross. Typically when you get bit, you want to look where you got bit. You want to look at the wound. You want to look at yourself. And typically we want to trust in ourselves to be good enough to get to heaven. I’m going to say, I’m not going to look to myself to get me to heaven. Jesus, I’m going to look to you on the cross. The Bible says, “Look and live.”

And when you look to Jesus, you believe on him. You trust in Jesus to pay for your sin debt. That’s how you get saved. Death will not get you. You’ll bypass that lake of fire, second death. You have everlasting life. “Whosoever believeth in the Son hath everlasting life.”

Maybe this morning you say, “There was a time in my life. I remember the time in my life when I looked to Jesus. I called on him. I knew he was my only way to heaven. I have looked to Jesus for my salvation. I know he’s my only way. I’ve trusted him to be my Savior.” I’ve been saved before. If that’s you, with their heads bowed and eyes closed, “Preacher, I’ve looked to Jesus. I’ve been saved.” If that’s you, would you slip your hand up? Just slip it up. “Preacher, I know I’ve done that. I remember the time I’ve done that.” Many, many, many hands. Thank you. Thank you. Many, many hands. Wonderful.

Thank you so much. You can put your hands down. Maybe you’re there this morning. You say, “Honestly, I don’t know that I could put my hand up. I don’t know that I truly looked to Jesus and trusted in what he did on the cross to pay for my sin debt. I don’t know that I’m going to heaven. I don’t have a time in my life when I believed I’ve looked to Jesus fully to get me to heaven.” If that’s you, right there where you said it in your heart, would you do this right now? Would you call on Jesus?

“Jesus, right now, I’m getting my eyes off of myself being good enough. I’m getting my eyes off religion. I’m getting my eyes off of all that as far as me getting to heaven. I’m looking to you, Jesus. Would you save me? Would you come into my heart and be my personal Savior? Jesus, I look to you. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me.”

Our heads bowed, eyes closed. No one’s looking around. You said, “Preacher, I just looked to Jesus. I just trusted Jesus Christ to be my Savior. I looked to Jesus. I called on him.” I just did that. If that’s you, would you slip your hand up? “Preacher, I just looked to Jesus to save me. I trusted in him and him alone to be my personal Savior.” Would there be anybody else? Anybody else? “I just looked at Jesus. I just called on him and him alone to be my Savior.” I’ve seen one hand. Is there anybody else that looked to Jesus? Anybody else?

Hey, Christians, you’ve been born again. In this whole world, our day and time, day to day, it’s a battle. It is so important to keep your eyes on Jesus and on the right things. He’s the light of the world.

“Preacher, God spoke to my heart. I need to get my eyes off some things and get my eyes on the right things.” God spoke to my heart. If that’s you this morning, you just lift your hand. “Preacher, God spoke to my heart. I need to get my eyes off the wrong things, eyes on the right things.” You slip your hand up. Many hands. Somebody else said, “I need to get my eyes on the right thing. God spoke to my heart.” Anybody else said, “I need to get my eyes on the right thing”? God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else said, “I need to get my eyes on the right thing”? So vital. The light of the body is the eyes. Need to get my eyes right. Anybody else need to get my eyes right? Just slip it up. You slip it up. Anybody else? Anybody else? God bless you. God bless you. Wonderful. Wonderful. Thank you for letting the Lord work in your heart. Wonderful.

If I just let my eyes go in neutral, they’ll go to the wrong thing every time. That’s right. You come. You come. Happy to get my eyes on the right thing. It is amazing in marriage. Satan will have us look at all the bad things of our spouse. They did a hundred wonderful things and one wrong thing, and Satan will put that wrong thing right in front of you. Divide a marriage. Keep your eyes on the right thing. Oh, let’s look to Jesus. Look to Jesus.

Can apply it to child rearing. Sometimes we’re just to see all the bad at our children. And someone else says, “Well, that’s a good boy. That’s a good girl.” And, well, they’re so obedient and they work. And you’re thinking, “Who are you talking about? Not my son, my daughter.” And sometimes we’ll just see all the bad. We never see the good. Let’s just get our eyes right. Let’s get it focused on what God wants us to have them focused on. The light of the body is the eyes. So vital. Where are we looking? What are we looking at?

What are we looking at? Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. Oh, look to Jesus. Look and live. Salvation in day-to-day. Look to Jesus. He’ll add faith to you. He’ll bring light to you. He’s the light of the world. Let’s look at him. If he’s going to shine through me, I must be looking at him.

Because the light of the body is the eyes, looking unto Jesus. He’s everything for him. He’s worth looking at for him.

Oh, let’s determine our end time, '24. Let’s get our eyes on the right things: Jesus. All the things he wants us looking at. 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 has set down at the right hand of the throne of majesty.

He’ll help you. You’ll see Jesus. He went through times of testing. He’ll help you during times of testing, Jesus.

Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - What are you looking at - Sunday AM 05122024