Pastor Richard Waialeale
March 20, 2016 - W1612

You ever miss the things that are made for peace, God opportunities, the things of Jesus because our mind is so made up? My momentum is going one way, and I've got my mind set already and I just totally miss Jesus going right past me.

Today I want us to refocus our eyes because anyone can develop eyes to see the things of God, by following these three principles we're going to share with you today.

1. Train your eyes to see what God is doing.

   Luke 19:37-39 says, “…the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’ [But] some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’ 

   The irony of this story is that when they said "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," the crowd is actually quoting scriptures in Psalm 1:18, so they know the scriptures. And it was a messianic Psalm, in that it was predicting the coming of the Savior, the promised king, the Messiah.

   And in that same Psalm, Psalm 1:18, it says, “The stone the builders rejected [referring to rejecting Jesus] became the cornerstone.” So the people who were praising him at one moment later had a change of heart. They're going to reject Jesus. And then the Pharisees, too, knew the Scriptures, and they totally missed the triumphant entry of Jesus. They were more concerned about losing their control, power and authority, so they asked Jesus to keep his people quiet. But Jesus was here to establish God's kingdom, His eternal kingdom.

   That is why in Psalm 109:17 it says, "He also loved cursing, so it came to him; and he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him."

   That scripture refers to Judas. What that scripture is saying is what goes around comes around. Oftentimes you see what you said used against you later. He also loved cursing, so it came to him. You will see what you're looking for. In fact, you will attract what you take delight in and what you are looking for.

   So how do we train our eyes to see what God is doing?  

   The Holy Spirit will reveal things to you, and then you'll see it and you'll recognize it. Now, here's the lesson for us today. Look for evidence of Jesus everywhere, in your home, at work, at church, outside, whatever you're doing, at the beach, at a game, at wherever you are. There's evidence of Jesus everywhere. Look forward to His arrival, and be intentional about it. Look for Jesus, and then mark Him out as the source of every blessing.

2. Don't have your mind made up in advance. Let the scriptures make up your mind for you.

   In Matthew 21:4?5 it says, "This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 'Say to Daughter Zion, "See, your King comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

   Jesus is fulfilling scriptures, prophecy over 500 years old.

   And the crowd didn't recognize it because their eyes and their minds were already made up. They knew the scriptures, but they didn't have it in their heart.

   Evangelist D.L. Moody said, "The scriptures were not given for our information but for our transformation."

   In the end, the Word of God will be true, and it's not what man thinks. See, you can rise above anything, any setback, but there's one thing you can never rise above. You can never rise above your thoughts.

   The way you think will shape your future. It will shape your eternity. And that's why the Divine Mentor, understood through doing daily devotions is so important to a Christian. If you don't let the Bible shape your thoughts, the world will. The daily news will. The elections will. Your friends will.

   In fact, it says in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

   There are only two things that can change a person: brain surgery and Jesus. So you choose, right? There's no better way to renew your mind than the constant exposure to scriptures.

   Let's say you're trying to do devotions and then you're reading and then there are so many things that can come through your mind, through your thought life.

   And let's say you're doing your devotions, and then all of a sudden you hear this song and you start singing to yourself, "Let me tell you a story about a man named Jed. A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed …”

   Listen, that kind of stuff happens to everybody. Let's say you have an issue or a situation that comes into your life and its right here. Where's Jesus? He's out here somewhere.

   But what's in front of you is your situation, your problem. So you're looking at Jesus through your thought life. You're looking at Jesus through your situation, through your problem. But wait! Switch it around. Look at your thought life and your problems through Jesus. You switch it around, do not look at Jesus through your problem. Look at your problem through Jesus.

   Train your eyes to see what God is doing, and let the scriptures make up your mind for you. You know, as we begin this series on The Divine Mentor, the Divine Mentor is how we do devotions. In the weeks to follow, we will start to learn and be filled with how we do our daily devotions and how sitting at the foot of The Divine Mentor can change our life.

   Every single person that did daily devotions had their lives changed.

3. Where is your chair?

   Where is that place where you can meet with God on a daily basis, recognize Jesus and train your eyes to see Jesus? If you do find that place, it will change your life. Where is that place that you can read His word and let it touch your heart and let it change you from glory to glory?

   And, see, the amazing thing is that you don't need to have a nice porch and a nice chair to do it. God's presence will meet you anywhere. Find that place where you can sit with The Divine Mentor and train your eyes to see what God is doing and let the scriptures make up your mind. And when you read the word and you start doing the devotions, I guarantee you it will change your life. Recognize Jesus.

   A wise man once said, "When Jesus is all that's left, then Jesus is all you got." Amen?

   Questions:

1. What are three things that you can develop to see the things of God?

2. Why did the people and Pharisees reject Jesus?

3. What is the purpose of doing devotions?

4. Why is it important to let the Bible shape your thoughts?

5. What does it mean the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?