Monday, March 04, 2013, 8:58 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me this morning with the song “I Will Lift My Eyes” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Matthew 20:29-34 (ESV):
On the Way
Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast, so the crowd may have been a crowd of people on that same journey, yet the indication here is that the crowd was following Jesus. Jesus had just finished telling his disciples that, in Jerusalem, he would be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, that they would condemn him to death, and that they would deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged and crucified, yet he would be raised on the third day. And, in a subsequent conversation he told them that they would drink the cup that he was to drink, not that they would be the sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world, but that they would also be persecuted, mocked, flogged and/or crucified (or killed) for their testimony for Jesus Christ.
On Jesus’ way to Jerusalem there were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” What is remarkable to me about this statement is that these blind men recognized that Jesus Christ was indeed the promised Messiah, the Son of David. So, they were not just crying out to a miracle worker or a man with a reputation for healing diseases, but they were crying out to Almighty God to heal them. And, I love the fact that, after the crowd rebuked them and told them to be silent, that they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” They were determined in their cries to God, and they did not easily give way to those who would try to put a damper on them, or to try to stop their pleas for mercy.
Lord, Have Mercy
As I read this passage of scripture, and especially in light of this song based off Psalms 121-125, where the psalmist said he would lift his eyes to his Lord Most High, the Lord Jesus gave me a picture here of the spiritually blind calling out to God for mercy, and those, as well, who have come into relationship with Jesus Christ, but who have been blinded by the lies of Satan to God’s truths, calling out to God to open their blinded eyes, too.
The men had first of all heard about Jesus Christ and/or had witnessed his miracles. They certainly knew of him by reputation, yet it was God who put within them the knowledge and the ability to believe that Jesus Christ truly is the Son of God, i.e. the promised Messiah. The Bible tells us that none of us can come to Jesus Christ unless the Father draws us, so I believe the Father was drawing these men to his Son. Also, the men had to have heard about Jesus Christ in order to know to call on him, and the Bible poses the question, “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” And, “How are how are they to hear without someone preaching?” And, then it makes the statement: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” As well, it teaches us that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (see Ro. 10:13-17).
So, they heard about Jesus, and the Father put within them the knowledge of who Jesus is and the desire to even call on him for mercy, and I believe also the tenacity to keep pursuing Jesus despite persecution, rejection, or others trying to silence them. This is a picture of how we are drawn to Christ, and it is also a picture of how Jesus continues to call us to himself and to call us to his truths. And, we may truly face this kind of opposition and persecution when we do call out to Jesus in faith, asking for his mercy upon us, yet we must persist and we must continue in our pursuit of God and of his truths, and we must follow Jesus Christ in surrender and obedience to his will for our lives, no matter what.
Jesus’ response
I love the fact that Jesus asked the men what they wanted him to do for them, instead of him making the suggestion. I believe that is a great question and a great approach to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, too. I believe many evangelistic approaches put words in people’s mouths that do not come from the people’s hearts. I personally believe that we would do well to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people, and then allow them to respond in their own words in answer to this question, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Many people make decisions to “receive Christ” because they think it is going to give them assurance of heaven when they die, or because of pressure (emotionally based) to do so, or because it seems like the right thing to do at the time, or because they were sold a bill of goods, i.e. they were led to believe that they didn’t really have to make any immediate changes, but they could kind of grow into this faith, but that nothing was really required of them other than to “believe,” and yet “believe” was not really defined Biblically.
So, I believe if we would take the evangelistic approach of asking people, based upon what we have shared with them, what they would like Christ to do for them, it would first of all help us to see how well the people actually understand what was shared, and we would see if their hearts were really there with their words. I think it is dangerous to put words into people’s mouths and then to tell them what took place in their hearts, and based upon that to assure them salvation and eternity with God in heaven. Only they know and God knows what really took place, so I believe we would do well to ask more questions and allow people to respond in their own words from their own hearts rather than to suggest or to declare what may or may not be true, and thus risk giving them a false hope of heaven.
Our Eyes Opened
The men knew what they wanted, and they had no trouble at all articulating it to Jesus, either. They wanted their eyes opened. They wanted to receive their sight. And, I believe that when the Holy Spirit of God has prepared a person’s heart for the gospel, and the Father has drawn them to Christ, and they are convicted of their sin (their spiritual blindness), they will know enough, if the true gospel has been presented to them, to voice to Jesus what it is they want him to do, too. It may not be with all the right words, or said with the best of grammar and perfect flow of thought, but they will be like that other blind man Jesus healed. He didn’t know much, but what he did know is that once he was blind, and now he could see, and he told what he knew – simple, yet enough.
The men realized they were blind and they recognized they needed Jesus and his mercy for them to be healed of their blindness. That is where each and every one of us must come. We must see that we are sinners in need of the Savior, and we must call out to Jesus for mercy and for him to heal (save) us of our sins. And, Jesus will respond to our pleas with compassion and mercy, he will forgive us our sin, and he will welcome us “home.” These men lifted their blinded eyes to Jesus and he healed them. We all need to lift our eyes to Jesus and to realize that our help comes from him and from no other.
Lifting Our Eyes
When we lift our eyes to the heavens and/or we fix our eyes on Jesus, this is not speaking merely of the use of our physical eyes, but this is speaking of our whole being – thoughts, attitudes, heart, emotion, and will. This means that the central focus of our lives, in all we do, think, are and speak is centered in Jesus Christ and his divine will for our lives, because of all that he has done for us in saving us from sin. We look to God, not to man, and not to the things of the world for our help. We seek God for all that we need, and for him to give us the strength and courage we need to live each and every day of our lives for Him and for His glory. And, God is faithful. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3 NIV ’84).
I Will Lift My Eyes / An Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes
To my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him,
Who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and
He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and
Your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes
To my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him,
Who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes
To my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord.
My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us,
He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior,
He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes
To my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord.
My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
My home now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord,
Who is on our side.
Our help found in Him.
He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken.
God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us.
He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord,
Who is on our side.
Our help found in Him.
He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
ttp://originalworks.info/i-will-lift-my-eyes-2/
On the Way
Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast, so the crowd may have been a crowd of people on that same journey, yet the indication here is that the crowd was following Jesus. Jesus had just finished telling his disciples that, in Jerusalem, he would be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, that they would condemn him to death, and that they would deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged and crucified, yet he would be raised on the third day. And, in a subsequent conversation he told them that they would drink the cup that he was to drink, not that they would be the sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world, but that they would also be persecuted, mocked, flogged and/or crucified (or killed) for their testimony for Jesus Christ.
On Jesus’ way to Jerusalem there were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” What is remarkable to me about this statement is that these blind men recognized that Jesus Christ was indeed the promised Messiah, the Son of David. So, they were not just crying out to a miracle worker or a man with a reputation for healing diseases, but they were crying out to Almighty God to heal them. And, I love the fact that, after the crowd rebuked them and told them to be silent, that they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” They were determined in their cries to God, and they did not easily give way to those who would try to put a damper on them, or to try to stop their pleas for mercy.
Lord, Have Mercy
As I read this passage of scripture, and especially in light of this song based off Psalms 121-125, where the psalmist said he would lift his eyes to his Lord Most High, the Lord Jesus gave me a picture here of the spiritually blind calling out to God for mercy, and those, as well, who have come into relationship with Jesus Christ, but who have been blinded by the lies of Satan to God’s truths, calling out to God to open their blinded eyes, too.
The men had first of all heard about Jesus Christ and/or had witnessed his miracles. They certainly knew of him by reputation, yet it was God who put within them the knowledge and the ability to believe that Jesus Christ truly is the Son of God, i.e. the promised Messiah. The Bible tells us that none of us can come to Jesus Christ unless the Father draws us, so I believe the Father was drawing these men to his Son. Also, the men had to have heard about Jesus Christ in order to know to call on him, and the Bible poses the question, “How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” And, “How are how are they to hear without someone preaching?” And, then it makes the statement: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” As well, it teaches us that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (see Ro. 10:13-17).
So, they heard about Jesus, and the Father put within them the knowledge of who Jesus is and the desire to even call on him for mercy, and I believe also the tenacity to keep pursuing Jesus despite persecution, rejection, or others trying to silence them. This is a picture of how we are drawn to Christ, and it is also a picture of how Jesus continues to call us to himself and to call us to his truths. And, we may truly face this kind of opposition and persecution when we do call out to Jesus in faith, asking for his mercy upon us, yet we must persist and we must continue in our pursuit of God and of his truths, and we must follow Jesus Christ in surrender and obedience to his will for our lives, no matter what.
Jesus’ response
I love the fact that Jesus asked the men what they wanted him to do for them, instead of him making the suggestion. I believe that is a great question and a great approach to sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, too. I believe many evangelistic approaches put words in people’s mouths that do not come from the people’s hearts. I personally believe that we would do well to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people, and then allow them to respond in their own words in answer to this question, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Many people make decisions to “receive Christ” because they think it is going to give them assurance of heaven when they die, or because of pressure (emotionally based) to do so, or because it seems like the right thing to do at the time, or because they were sold a bill of goods, i.e. they were led to believe that they didn’t really have to make any immediate changes, but they could kind of grow into this faith, but that nothing was really required of them other than to “believe,” and yet “believe” was not really defined Biblically.
So, I believe if we would take the evangelistic approach of asking people, based upon what we have shared with them, what they would like Christ to do for them, it would first of all help us to see how well the people actually understand what was shared, and we would see if their hearts were really there with their words. I think it is dangerous to put words into people’s mouths and then to tell them what took place in their hearts, and based upon that to assure them salvation and eternity with God in heaven. Only they know and God knows what really took place, so I believe we would do well to ask more questions and allow people to respond in their own words from their own hearts rather than to suggest or to declare what may or may not be true, and thus risk giving them a false hope of heaven.
Our Eyes Opened
The men knew what they wanted, and they had no trouble at all articulating it to Jesus, either. They wanted their eyes opened. They wanted to receive their sight. And, I believe that when the Holy Spirit of God has prepared a person’s heart for the gospel, and the Father has drawn them to Christ, and they are convicted of their sin (their spiritual blindness), they will know enough, if the true gospel has been presented to them, to voice to Jesus what it is they want him to do, too. It may not be with all the right words, or said with the best of grammar and perfect flow of thought, but they will be like that other blind man Jesus healed. He didn’t know much, but what he did know is that once he was blind, and now he could see, and he told what he knew – simple, yet enough.
The men realized they were blind and they recognized they needed Jesus and his mercy for them to be healed of their blindness. That is where each and every one of us must come. We must see that we are sinners in need of the Savior, and we must call out to Jesus for mercy and for him to heal (save) us of our sins. And, Jesus will respond to our pleas with compassion and mercy, he will forgive us our sin, and he will welcome us “home.” These men lifted their blinded eyes to Jesus and he healed them. We all need to lift our eyes to Jesus and to realize that our help comes from him and from no other.
Lifting Our Eyes
When we lift our eyes to the heavens and/or we fix our eyes on Jesus, this is not speaking merely of the use of our physical eyes, but this is speaking of our whole being – thoughts, attitudes, heart, emotion, and will. This means that the central focus of our lives, in all we do, think, are and speak is centered in Jesus Christ and his divine will for our lives, because of all that he has done for us in saving us from sin. We look to God, not to man, and not to the things of the world for our help. We seek God for all that we need, and for him to give us the strength and courage we need to live each and every day of our lives for Him and for His glory. And, God is faithful. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3 NIV ’84).
I Will Lift My Eyes / An Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes
To my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him,
Who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and
He who watches will not sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and
Your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes
To my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him,
Who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes
To my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord.
My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us,
He made us alive with Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior,
He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes
To my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord.
My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
My home now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord,
Who is on our side.
Our help found in Him.
He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken.
God will supply all we need.
Our Lord has done great things for us.
He’s our friend, indeed!
Praise be to the Lord,
Who is on our side.
Our help found in Him.
He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
ttp://originalworks.info/i-will-lift-my-eyes-2/