“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.” Hebrews 12:2
***** LOOK TO CHRIST AND LIVE SALVATION is as free as a look. Christ says, “Look unto Me and be ye saved!” (Isaiah 45:22). Without performance! Without payment! Without preparation! LOOK TO CHRIST AND LIVE! “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22). “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). --Scott Richardson *****
“LOOKING UNTO JESUS”I suppose when we tell men to “Look to Christ” or read “Looking unto Jesus”, this puzzles some people. One may say, “If Christ were in Jerusalem, I would sell out and go and look upon and listen to Him.” Another may say, “If Christ were on earth today, I would look to Him and sit at His feet.” My friends, men speak like Nicodemus, “How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” (John 3:4). By nature, we are so bound to the flesh. Our saving relationship and connection with the Lord Jesus has nothing to do with our natural eyes, ears, and flesh – BUT WITH THE RENEWED MIND AND HEART. To look to Christ is to hear Him in the MIND, believe and love Him in the HEART, bow and receive Him in the WILL! One does not need a college degree to look. You may not be able to read, but you can look; you may be destitute of virtue, but you can look; you may have no merit, but you can look. Looking to the Redeemer requires my PERSONAL interest and attention. Another can pray for me, but no one can look for me; I must look to Christ myself – not to His apostles, His church, His law, His ordinances. “Look unto Me”, He said, “and be ye saved.”--Henry Mahan *****
Noah found Grace in the Eyes of the LORD “And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:7-8). Now there are some in this world who promote a religion of works and obedience. Usually it goes like this, “You have to do this to be saved, or if you’re not obedient in this area, you may not be saved.” Some will even try to apply it to scripture and will twist the scripture to have it fit what they are promoting. Now, if God gives you grace, it will lead to obedience; as it is the love of Christ which constrains us from sin (2 Corinthians 5:14). We must always keep in mind, though, that we are not saved, or kept saved by our doings. We are kept by the power of God and preserved in Christ Jesus our LORD (Jude 24 - 25). Now recently I heard it proclaimed by one of these works mongers that Noah was saved by his obedience in building the ark. They went as far as to say that if Noah did not build the ark, it was possible that he would have perished and ended up in hell. This is what is being promoted in some churches today. Beloved of God, Noah is saved the same way as every one of God’s elect. We are saved by the grace of God in Christ plus nothing! We who are saved, we who believe on Christ have “found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” We do not deserve this grace, nor can we earn it in any way. Also, Noah was one of God’s elect chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). He could not have perished as he was one of God’s lost sheep, but like all of God’s sheep, he “found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Now some will say, “Well, why preach or why evangelize if God will save His people?” Because we do not know who God’s sheep are, only He does. Also, we are commanded to preach the Gospel, and God does the saving. And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). We proclaim the good news of salvation for sinners in Jesus Christ our LORD! Christ is the sinner’s substitute who died in the place of sinners like me before God’s justice and law on Calvary’s tree. God manifested in the flesh: the sinless one dying for sinners! This good news is not up for debate -- it is truth proclaimed. We preach that salvation is in Christ alone, by faith alone, through God’s grace alone and for His glory alone! The scriptures are our one foundation for preaching, and it alone will root out errors which men promote. We are saved by His obedience and death - what a wonderful, merciful Savior is Jesus our LORD! Oh sinner friend, may you also, “find grace in the eyes of the LORD.” –Pastor Wayne Boyd *****
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