Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Focusing on Jesus and His wonderful face is essential to a fulfilling life, and seeing Him is more important than anything in this whole world.
K.P. Yohannan emphasizes the transformative power of focusing on Jesus, stating that when we turn our eyes upon Him, the challenges and pains of life become less significant in the light of His glory and grace. He illustrates this by referencing Peter walking on water, highlighting that distractions from Jesus lead to sinking in our troubles. By looking to Jesus rather than the world or others, we gain His perspective, recognizing our need for His grace and mercy. Yohannan encourages believers to seek Jesus in both the extraordinary and ordinary moments of life, praying for restored vision to see Him clearly.
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There is a beautiful chorus that goes, "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."1 All the difficulties, all the pain, all the letdowns, all the delays and all the suffering and sacrifice will grow dim when you look to Him. It is when I look to the world that I begin to have problems. Peter walked on the water when he looked to Jesus. But the instant he stopped focusing on Jesus, he saw the wind and waves and he began to sink (see Matthew 14).
It is when I look away from Jesus that I begin to sink. It is when I look to other people that I begin to have problems. When I compare myself with you, then I begin to have problems. But when I look to Jesus, I have His perspective. Then I see that I am in great need. Then I see that I am a sinner. And I see His grace and mercy and love for me. I see His power. I see His glory. His holiness surrounds me. And that is the key--seeing Him. That is more important than anything in this whole world.
Prayer O Lord, whom have we in heaven but You? You are our only hope. You keep us going. Lord, I pray that You would help us turn our eyes to You, that we might see You and worship You. For the one who feels they have lost sight, Lord, I pray that You would restore their vision and help them to see You once more, full of love and grace. Father, help us to see You in the little things, the ordinary things. And may our new sight give us the strength to continue on for Your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. Notes: 1 Helen H. Lemmel, "Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus" (1922).
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Focusing on Jesus
- Comparing ourselves to others leads to problems
- Seeing Jesus is key to a fulfilling life
- Prayer is essential to seeing Jesus
- Restoring our vision of Jesus gives us strength
Key Quotes
“And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” — K.P. Yohannan
“It is when I look away from Jesus that I begin to sink.” — K.P. Yohannan
“Seeing Him is more important than anything in this whole world.” — K.P. Yohannan
Application Points
- Make a conscious effort to focus on Jesus and His love, mercy, and power every day.
- Pray and ask God to help you see Him in the little things and ordinary things.
- Recognize that comparing yourself to others leads to problems and lose sight of Jesus' perspective.