When I See Jesus

Text:

Psalms 121:1-8:

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

 

Proverbs 29:18:

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

 

Theme:

When I See Jesus

 

Introduction:

• The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of poetry written by Solomon, son of David and King of Israel…the man, who when praying to God and requesting additional resources, asked for WISDOM. One result of this request was believed to be three thousand proverbs written by Solomon of which the book of Proverbs is an excerpt or portion.
• The book, Stanley’s Jewish Church, explains well the book of Proverbs,

“philosophy of practical life. It is the sign to us that the Bible does not despise common sense and discretion. It impresses upon us in the most forcible manner the value of intelligence and prudence and of a good education… It deals, too, in that refined, discriminating, careful view of the finer shades of human character so often overlooked by theologians, but so necessary to any true estimate of human life”

• Proverbs deals with the reality of life
  • As the Master said in John 17:11, “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”
  • We have to be in the world, but we must not be OF IT!
• The Book of Psalms is the 19^th book of the Old Testament and 2^nd of the books of poetry. It is known to be the longest book of the bible with 150 chapters and contains the longest chapter of the bible, the 119^th chapter of Psalms.  Psalms is also organized in five divisions.
  • The author is David, the God-Appointed King and originator of the Davidic line of Kingship and rule in Israel.
  • Psalms is a book of praise and song consisting of verses that were rhythmically relayed in song as in poetry.
  • Psalms can be divided into 6 classes based on their content:
    • Hymns of praise to Jehovah
    • Temple hymns
    • Religious and moral songs of a general character
    • Elegiac psalms, that is, lamentations, psalms of complaint, generally united with prayer for help
    • Messianic psalms
    • Historical psalms
  • This particular combination of scripture brings together…
    • Psalms and Proverbs
    • David and Solomon
    • The Father and the Son
    • The Experience and the Wisdom
    • The Poetic and the Practical
    • Who God IS and What God DOES
  • What our specific texts reveal to us is a simple truth → Jesus is the VISION that gives life
    • So, when will I have life …. WHEN I SEE JESUS!

Body:

• Psalm 121:1-8 gives us a very specific description of what God can do for us if we would just LOOK UP…
  • “I will lift up mine eyes”
    • The Bible has many references to the need for us to LOOK UP
      • Numbers 21:8, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.”
      • Psalms 5:3, “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”
      • Mark 8:25, “After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.”
      • Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
    • Psalm 121 shows us that LOOKING UP will give us…
      • Our HELP → “My help cometh from the LORD”
      • Our CREATOR → “which made heaven and earth”
      • Our ROCK → “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved”
      • Our WATCHMEN → “he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep”
      • Our KEEPER → “The LORD is thy keeper”
      • Our SALVATION → “The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore”
    • Then in Psalm 40 we have the scenario of NOT BEING ABLE TO LOOK UP…
      • Psalms 40:12, “For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.”
        • Sometimes the reasons for NOT LOOKING UP are outside (enemies) and sometimes they are WITHIN
          • ENEMIES → Psalms 109:3, “They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.”
          • WITHIN → Romans 7:23, “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
        • NOT ABLE TO LOOK UP because our head is down
          • We let the situations and struggles of life cause us to walk with our heads hung low!
          • David challenged us in this situation à Psalms 24:9, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.”
        • NOT ABLE TO LOOK UP because our sight is impaired or gone
          • We don’t have the ability to see!
          • The old hymn gives us our “balm” or healing … Jeremiah 8:22, “Is there no balm in Gilead….”

Amazing GRACE how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now I’m found

Was blind but now I see!

• NOT ABLE TO LOOK UP because we don’t know where “up” is…
  • We need a VISION that gives us hope and inspiration!
    • Our text concurs when it says in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”
      • Without vision we die…intellectually, mentally, spiritually, and sometimes even physically!
    • PROBLEM: We are looking to the wrong places à job, money, status, prestige, friends, family, etc.

 

Conclusion:

This is why we need the only true “VISION” — JESUS!!!

• • Our text in Psalm 121:2 makes it clear → “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth”
    • My HELP…my REDEMPTION…my SALVATION… my DELIVERANCE………comes from the LORD!
    • Therefore,
      • My sights need to be set on Jesus
      • My aspirations should always be looking toward Jesus
      • My only “VISION” MUST BE JESUS!
    • Then we can truly understand our text…

 “Where there is no vision, the people perish….”

• Where there is NO JESUS, we are DEAD!
  • John 6:53, “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
  • Solomon knew what he was talking about in Proverbs…JESUS IS OUR VISION!!!!!!
• That is why I want to SEE JESUS!!! è SEEING JESUS is like seeing…
  • the colors of daybreak
  • a beautiful rose
  • the hand of your rescuer when in distress
  • a newborn baby at birth
  • the face of your knight in shining armor
  • a long lost love
• SEEING JESUS just does something to me beyond what anything or anyone else can do
  • WHEN I SEE JESUS…there’s a burning oh what a burning in my soul
  • WHEN I SEE JESUS…
    • my feet then walk right
    • my eyes then see right
    • my hands then hold right
    • my lips then talk right
    • my life then FEELS right
  • WHEN I SEE JESUS…
    • there’s a song in my heart
    • there’s a testimony on my lips
    • there’s a SHOUT in my soul
  • The old gospel song says it best…

I’ve learned how to live holy
I’ve learned how to live right
I’ve learned how to suffer
For if I suffer I’ll gain eternal life

When I see Jesus amen
When I see Jesus amen
All of my trials and tribulations will all be over over
I’ll say hallelujah…thank you Jesus
Amen…Amen…AMEN…AMEN……

When I See Jesus

 

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