Cheap Sunglasses

CHEAP SUNGLASSES

(ALL my sermons use illustration found on www.sermoncentral.com and all scripture in NIV unless otherwise noted)

This morning the puppets performed a song by Brandon Heath called “Give Me Your Eyes” to have the eyes of Jesus. “Give me your eyes for just one second, give me your eyes so I can see, everything that I keep on missing, give me your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken-hearted, ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten, give me your eyes so I can see.”

I have always wondered what a different world we would live in if everyone had the view of others that Jesus has. Most of us accept that there is far more going on in the world then what we see. The world, the hatred, the confusion, the lies, the pain and suffering has kept us from seeing things the way they really are. OH, to have the eyes of Jesus, to know what God knows, to accept that what really counts is not what we see, but what we don’t see. To have CHEAP SUNGLASSES, that would filter the things we see and allow us to see what God sees.

I think the Apostle Paul was trying to tell us that viewing things differently is the key to having peace in life. This morning I want you to turn to the 4th chapter of the 2nd letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, read with me a short passage and perhaps we can pull some bits of wisdom from God’s inerrant Word to allow us to view things differently.

2 Cor 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

PRAYER

I think there are three things we should look at from this passage this morning. Well the truth is that there are many thing we can gleam from this short passage, but I want to look at three very important things. The first is simply this:

I. DON’T LOSE HEART

I feel this is the problem with why we no longer see things as they really are, many of us have given up. We know that there is evil, hatred, pain and suffering in the world and that is how we automatically see things. We have lost the ability to see things through the eyes of Jesus, because the glare of the world has blinded us. We just need some cheap sunglasses, the cost nothing, they come with the gift of grace given by God to all those willing to accept His Son.

I speak from past experience, I speak as a man that knows what it means to lose heart, and yet so does Paul. Listen to what he says:

2 Cor 11:22-27 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

If anyone had reason to lose heart, it would be Paul, but somehow he had discovered the secret of seeing things in a different light, perhaps he had purchased the sunglasses I speak of. Seeing things through the grace and love of Jesus Christ can give you a complete perspective, Paul had reason to lose heart but he never did.

The story is told of a Sunday class that had been asked the question, “in your time of discouragement, what is your favorite Scripture.” A young man said, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” Psalm 23:1.

A middle age woman said, “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1. Another woman said, “In this world you shall have tribulations, but be of good cheer, I have overcome this world.” John 16:33-35. Then old Mr. John who was 80 years old, with head of white hair and dark black skin, stood up and said with as much strength as he could muster, “and it came to pass” it appears 85 times in the bible. The class started to laugh a little thinking that old Mr. John’s lack of memory was getting the best of him. When the snickering stopped, he said. At 30 I lost my job with six hungry mouths and a wife to feed. I didn’t know how I would make it. At 40 my eldest son was killed overseas in the war. It knocked me down. At 50 my house burned to the ground. Nothing was saved out of the house. At 60 my wife of 40 years got cancer. It slowly ate away at her. We cried together many a night on our knees in prayer. At 65 she died. I still miss her today. The agony I went through in each of these situations was unbelievable. I wondered where was God. But each time I looked in the bible I saw one of those 85 verses that said, “and it came to pass.” I felt that God was telling me, my pain and my circumstances were also going to pass and that God would get me through it.