Title: An Eye for the Eternal Meta: As believers we need an eye for the eternal and we ought to mark that which is temporal or eternal. Then we must look at that which is eternal and set our eyes on living for and knowing those eternal realities. Things like who God is and the Word of God, the souls of men, the dealings of God in your life, providences of God, kind tokens of His presence and love. Tags: eternity,Christian,life,Bible,books 1 00:00:00,539 --> 00:00:02,210 The Devil will tempt us 2 00:00:02,210 --> 00:00:06,569 to make soft, even destructive, choices. 3 00:00:06,569 --> 00:00:08,840 In this regard, 4 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:13,960 the Christian can make foolish daily decisions. 5 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:18,900 Things that will not count for eternity! 6 00:00:18,900 --> 00:00:21,020 Esteeming things over people, 7 00:00:21,020 --> 00:00:25,500 things of the body over the soul. 8 00:00:25,500 --> 00:00:27,130 He'll get us to doing good things 9 00:00:27,130 --> 00:00:32,360 which are still not the best thing! 10 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:34,970 Puttering around with this, puttering around with that, 11 00:00:34,970 --> 00:00:39,520 and we never do get any reading done 12 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:41,650 that will improve our soul. 13 00:00:41,650 --> 00:00:43,690 Even good books. 14 00:00:43,690 --> 00:00:48,370 It is a battle to read the Bible. 15 00:00:48,370 --> 00:00:50,690 It is a battle to read good books, 16 00:00:50,690 --> 00:00:53,170 things that will improve our soul. 17 00:00:53,170 --> 00:00:55,430 That will change our life. 18 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:59,690 You see, transform our live by the renewing of the mind! 19 00:00:59,690 --> 00:01:01,930 Romans 12:2 20 00:01:01,930 --> 00:01:03,120 Think of Paul. 21 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,180 In 2 Timothy 4:13, 22 00:01:06,180 --> 00:01:07,270 he tells him: 23 00:01:07,270 --> 00:01:08,860 "When you come", he said, 24 00:01:08,860 --> 00:01:12,810 "bring my cloak which I left with Crispus 25 00:01:12,810 --> 00:01:15,070 and bring the books 26 00:01:15,070 --> 00:01:17,659 and especially the parchments." 27 00:01:17,659 --> 00:01:19,700 Probably the Scriptures. 28 00:01:19,700 --> 00:01:22,830 But he did say, "Bring the books"! 29 00:01:22,830 --> 00:01:24,610 I mean here's Paul. 30 00:01:24,610 --> 00:01:26,330 A mighty apostle and he says, 31 00:01:26,330 --> 00:01:27,330 "Bring the books". 32 00:01:27,330 --> 00:01:29,640 Inspired by God and he says, 33 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:30,640 "Bring the books"! 34 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,119 Taken up into third heaven. 35 00:01:34,119 --> 00:01:36,951 Paradise, saw things so glorious such as not 36 00:01:36,951 --> 00:01:38,609 being permitted to repeat them! 37 00:01:38,609 --> 00:01:40,970 But he says, "Bring the books". 38 00:01:40,970 --> 00:01:43,540 No doubt had a wide experience, 39 00:01:43,540 --> 00:01:46,400 widely traveled, talking with many men. 40 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,120 And yet he says, "Bring the books"! 41 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,230 Are you reading good books? 42 00:01:53,230 --> 00:01:54,470 Spurgeon says, 43 00:01:54,470 --> 00:01:58,159 "If you don't pick the brains of other men 44 00:01:58,159 --> 00:01:59,619 you don't have a brain yourself." 45 00:01:59,619 --> 00:02:05,090 Are you reading good books? 46 00:02:05,090 --> 00:02:06,900 Good value, good books! 47 00:02:06,900 --> 00:02:10,810 Things that are expositional to the Scriptures. 48 00:02:10,810 --> 00:02:12,560 Are you? 49 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:13,560 Why not? 50 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:14,560 Paul says, 51 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:16,019 "Bring the books". 52 00:02:16,019 --> 00:02:18,650 I'll tell you why, it's because the Devil is constantly 53 00:02:18,650 --> 00:02:20,489 putting pressure on the believer 54 00:02:20,489 --> 00:02:22,810 to distract him, to this and that and the other. 55 00:02:22,810 --> 00:02:26,200 And keep us from getting input 56 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:28,180 that will be ours personally. 57 00:02:28,180 --> 00:02:31,390 You know, you feel like when you've read it, 58 00:02:31,390 --> 00:02:33,520 you've mined that gold out for yourself 59 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:35,129 and it's precious to you. 60 00:02:35,129 --> 00:02:38,769 Oh yes, it's shared from a brother, 61 00:02:38,769 --> 00:02:40,670 whoever he is, maybe he's dead, 62 00:02:40,670 --> 00:02:42,940 but now it's yours. 63 00:02:42,940 --> 00:02:44,640 I found that. 64 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:50,499 And it's something you can share. 65 00:02:50,499 --> 00:02:53,749 A good measure of your activities 66 00:02:53,749 --> 00:02:56,329 can be analysed that way. 67 00:02:56,329 --> 00:02:58,559 By how much you got from it 68 00:02:58,559 --> 00:03:00,640 to share with somebody else. 69 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:03,569 It is important what we look at. 70 00:03:03,569 --> 00:03:05,680 It is important how we look at things, 71 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:06,879 isn't it? 72 00:03:06,879 --> 00:03:07,980 How you look at things, 73 00:03:07,980 --> 00:03:10,450 it makes a lot of difference. 74 00:03:10,450 --> 00:03:13,989 I've used this illustration before, 75 00:03:13,989 --> 00:03:17,349 If I were to ask my son to go out and stand 76 00:03:17,349 --> 00:03:18,610 in the woods for three hours, 77 00:03:18,610 --> 00:03:19,709 right there, three hours. 78 00:03:19,709 --> 00:03:21,540 You stand there. 79 00:03:21,540 --> 00:03:24,159 Torture it would be. 80 00:03:24,159 --> 00:03:25,620 But if he goes out to stand at a 81 00:03:25,620 --> 00:03:27,499 deer stand for three hours, great fun! 82 00:03:27,499 --> 00:03:29,499 "Didn't see anything, that's alright, but oh, 83 00:03:29,499 --> 00:03:34,310 it was great fun!" 84 00:03:34,310 --> 00:03:38,980 It's a matter of how you look at things, right? 85 00:03:38,980 --> 00:03:39,980 Somebody might say, 86 00:03:39,980 --> 00:03:43,299 back there in the days of the Titanic, 87 00:03:43,299 --> 00:03:44,919 before it was launched, 88 00:03:44,919 --> 00:03:46,680 "Come on board", says the captain. 89 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:47,959 I want to show it to you. 90 00:03:47,959 --> 00:03:49,989 "Look at all these chandeliers! 91 00:03:49,989 --> 00:03:51,349 Look at all this silverware! 92 00:03:51,349 --> 00:03:52,349 Look at all this stuff. 93 00:03:52,349 --> 00:03:54,540 Furniture and everything. 94 00:03:54,540 --> 00:03:55,650 Beautiful!" 95 00:03:55,650 --> 00:03:58,069 But that minute you step off, 96 00:03:58,069 --> 00:03:59,069 somebody comes up and says 97 00:03:59,069 --> 00:04:01,839 "Hey, did you know that thing is going to down 98 00:04:01,839 --> 00:04:02,999 in one day's time?" 99 00:04:02,999 --> 00:04:04,799 Are you sure? 100 00:04:04,799 --> 00:04:05,999 "Absolutely sure. 101 00:04:05,999 --> 00:04:06,999 It's going down. 102 00:04:06,999 --> 00:04:09,129 It will go down in one day's time." 103 00:04:09,129 --> 00:04:11,640 That puts a whole different perspective on it, 104 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:12,640 doesn't it? 105 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,040 I mean you feel, "What? 106 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:16,850 All that, for one day? 107 00:04:16,850 --> 00:04:19,750 It's going down!?" 108 00:04:19,750 --> 00:04:20,750 Absolutely? 109 00:04:20,750 --> 00:04:22,650 You're sure? 110 00:04:22,650 --> 00:04:23,650 "Yeah." 111 00:04:23,650 --> 00:04:26,160 Why did I look? 112 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:27,920 You know, the glitter and the glory and the glamour, 113 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:30,950 it only mocks the destruction. 114 00:04:30,950 --> 00:04:32,040 The termination, 115 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,540 the temporalness of it all the more. 116 00:04:36,540 --> 00:04:39,100 It's how we look at things. 117 00:04:39,100 --> 00:04:43,010 We're out there playing volleyball, 118 00:04:43,010 --> 00:04:45,750 the volleyball goes out of bounds. 119 00:04:45,750 --> 00:04:47,290 And it's obvious, everybody is hesitating. 120 00:04:47,290 --> 00:04:48,330 "Let him get it." 121 00:04:48,330 --> 00:04:52,440 And then if I do get it, oh boy 122 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,840 it's hard to pick up speed and chase that ball. 123 00:04:55,840 --> 00:04:57,920 Yet later in the day, you take off and run a mile 124 00:04:57,920 --> 00:04:58,920 and it's great fun. 125 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,520 You don't think a thing about it, no problem. 126 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,570 It's just a matter of how you look at things. 127 00:05:04,570 --> 00:05:09,660 Well, same way here. 128 00:05:09,660 --> 00:05:12,040 It ought to affect how we look at our sufferings. 129 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,970 Think of Paul, he was not some iron man, right? 130 00:05:15,970 --> 00:05:17,910 He felt it. 131 00:05:17,910 --> 00:05:21,810 He felt the affliction, he felt the disrespect. 132 00:05:21,810 --> 00:05:25,570 He felt what was going on here at Corinth. 133 00:05:25,570 --> 00:05:28,470 And yet, we find him saying in other places, 134 00:05:28,470 --> 00:05:30,880 "Yet none of these things moved me. 135 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:32,660 They don't move me, they don't stop me. 136 00:05:32,660 --> 00:05:36,100 They don't affect me, I keep right on plotting ahead. 137 00:05:36,100 --> 00:05:38,500 I don't count my life dear to myself, 138 00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:41,780 that I may finish my course with joy. 139 00:05:41,780 --> 00:05:44,330 And the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus 140 00:05:44,330 --> 00:05:46,680 to testify of the grace of God. 141 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:48,480 It doesn't move me! 142 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:50,280 Oh, yeah it's real. 143 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:51,630 I feel it. 144 00:05:51,630 --> 00:05:54,330 But it does not move me! 145 00:05:54,330 --> 00:05:55,680 I go on. 146 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:57,890 Realizing it's temporal. 147 00:05:57,890 --> 00:06:00,030 Realizing it's momentary." 148 00:06:00,030 --> 00:06:02,650 It's a matter of how you look at it. 149 00:06:02,650 --> 00:06:04,560 Like a miserable overnight stay in some tent. 150 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:06,430 Generally, when we go out camping, 151 00:06:06,430 --> 00:06:07,760 that's what it is for me. 152 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:08,760 Miserable. 153 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,180 But, it's for others. 154 00:06:12,180 --> 00:06:13,180 And it's just overnight. 155 00:06:13,180 --> 00:06:15,430 You get up in the morning and you go on 156 00:06:15,430 --> 00:06:16,930 and the sun's shining. 157 00:06:16,930 --> 00:06:20,860 You know, I got a little sleep, I guess. 158 00:06:20,860 --> 00:06:24,990 And that's the way with our lives. 159 00:06:24,990 --> 00:06:26,540 On resurrection morning, 160 00:06:26,540 --> 00:06:28,080 it'll all be over! 161 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:29,410 The Son will be shining. 162 00:06:29,410 --> 00:06:30,410 So what? 163 00:06:30,410 --> 00:06:33,560 It was so brief. 164 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,700 It ought to affect how we look at our losses. 165 00:06:37,700 --> 00:06:38,910 Think of these Hebrews here. 166 00:06:38,910 --> 00:06:42,650 You know they were having trouble. 167 00:06:42,650 --> 00:06:44,750 And he tells them, reminds them. 168 00:06:44,750 --> 00:06:46,450 He says in Hebrews 10:34 169 00:06:46,450 --> 00:06:47,830 "You took"... 170 00:06:47,830 --> 00:06:48,830 What?! 171 00:06:48,830 --> 00:06:51,820 "joyfully the spoiling of your goods 172 00:06:51,820 --> 00:06:56,139 knowing that in Heaven, 173 00:06:56,139 --> 00:06:59,330 you have a better and enduring substance." 174 00:06:59,330 --> 00:07:03,080 That is a powerful verse. 175 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:04,920 A powerful testimony 176 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,580 those early Hebrews, 177 00:07:07,580 --> 00:07:09,670 Christians. 178 00:07:09,670 --> 00:07:16,740 It ought to affect how we look at our vocation. 179 00:07:16,740 --> 00:07:19,840 To seek first the kingdom of God 180 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:21,070 and His righteousness. 181 00:07:21,070 --> 00:07:24,920 The Gentiles, the non-Christians. 182 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:25,920 They are anxious. 183 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,780 They are anxiously seeking the food, 184 00:07:28,780 --> 00:07:30,320 the silver, and all that stuff. 185 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:31,680 That's what they're looking for, 186 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:32,820 all this temporal stuff! 187 00:07:32,820 --> 00:07:34,640 They're trying to put it all together, 188 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:35,980 accumulate something. 189 00:07:35,980 --> 00:07:38,110 It says in Proverbs, 190 00:07:38,110 --> 00:07:42,060 "Do not weary yourself 191 00:07:42,060 --> 00:07:46,180 to make wealth. 192 00:07:46,180 --> 00:07:48,790 For when you look on it, it's gone. 193 00:07:48,790 --> 00:07:51,330 It'll make itself wings like the eagle 194 00:07:51,330 --> 00:07:52,700 and take off." 195 00:07:52,700 --> 00:07:55,270 Oh yeah, you're supposed to work hard. 196 00:07:55,270 --> 00:07:56,270 But there comes a point 197 00:07:56,270 --> 00:07:57,740 where you do not weary yourself! 198 00:07:57,740 --> 00:07:59,630 Don't be anxious! 199 00:07:59,630 --> 00:08:03,120 Don't kill yourself to make the next buck. 200 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:04,740 Seek first the kingdom of God 201 00:08:04,740 --> 00:08:06,010 and His righteousness. 202 00:08:06,010 --> 00:08:12,710 Trust God with the rest of all of it! 203 00:08:12,710 --> 00:08:15,450 It ought to affect how we look at our smallest matters. 204 00:08:15,450 --> 00:08:18,110 Whether we eat or drink, a cup of cold water, 205 00:08:18,110 --> 00:08:19,810 do all to the glory of God. 206 00:08:19,810 --> 00:08:21,940 That has eternal significance. 207 00:08:21,940 --> 00:08:24,540 Ah, it ought to affect how we look 208 00:08:24,540 --> 00:08:27,510 at our precious children. 209 00:08:27,510 --> 00:08:31,510 Realizing that they're mortal. 210 00:08:31,510 --> 00:08:32,510 They are mortal. 211 00:08:32,510 --> 00:08:33,969 They have a terminal disease, 212 00:08:33,969 --> 00:08:37,740 just like we do. 213 00:08:37,740 --> 00:08:41,229 And we ought to be so aware 214 00:08:41,229 --> 00:08:48,410 that we only have them for awhile. 215 00:08:48,410 --> 00:08:51,709 It ought to affect how I look at my possessions. 216 00:08:51,709 --> 00:08:53,399 Not being entangled with them. 217 00:08:53,399 --> 00:08:54,740 Like Spurgeon says, 218 00:08:54,740 --> 00:08:56,899 "Be like the wise fly. 219 00:08:56,899 --> 00:08:58,819 When it finds some sweets, 220 00:08:58,819 --> 00:09:01,459 it just takes a little sip and takes off again. 221 00:09:01,459 --> 00:09:06,629 The foolish fly, it takes a long sip 222 00:09:06,629 --> 00:09:07,629 wanders out into it, 223 00:09:07,629 --> 00:09:12,760 gets all bogged down, and is killed." 224 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:16,319 Hold our earthly possessions loose. 225 00:09:16,319 --> 00:09:18,720 It ought to affect how we look at sin. 226 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:19,720 Peter says, 227 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:22,180 "Seeing", seeing why? 228 00:09:22,180 --> 00:09:26,660 "Seeing all these things are going to pass away, 229 00:09:26,660 --> 00:09:30,019 what kind of people ought we to be 230 00:09:30,019 --> 00:09:35,100 in holiness and godly conduct?" 231 00:09:35,100 --> 00:09:41,470 Interestingly, in Romans 16, it says 232 00:09:41,470 --> 00:09:46,959 "Put a mark on those who cause divisions 233 00:09:46,959 --> 00:09:49,730 and dissensions contrary to the gospel." 234 00:09:49,730 --> 00:09:50,790 That word there, 235 00:09:50,790 --> 00:09:53,089 that Greek word there is the same as this. 236 00:09:53,089 --> 00:09:54,089 "Skopeo" 237 00:09:54,089 --> 00:09:57,230 In other words, put your eye on them. 238 00:09:57,230 --> 00:09:58,610 Fix your eye on them. 239 00:09:58,610 --> 00:10:00,120 Put a mark. 240 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:01,480 And so for us. 241 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:05,300 We ought to mark these things as temporal. 242 00:10:05,300 --> 00:10:07,749 Mark these things as eternal. 243 00:10:07,749 --> 00:10:11,120 Look at them, set your eye on them, mark them! 244 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,899 God, the Word of God, souls of men! 245 00:10:15,899 --> 00:10:19,709 The dealings of God in your life. 246 00:10:19,709 --> 00:10:24,540 Providences, kind tokens of His presence and love. 247 00:10:24,540 --> 00:10:27,630 Put a mark on them. 248 00:10:27,630 --> 00:10:28,630 ... 249 00:10:28,630 --> 00:10:34,820 Think of it. 250 00:10:34,820 --> 00:10:39,860 Memorize it. 251 00:10:39,860 --> 00:10:42,660 Do it. 252 00:10:42,660 --> 00:10:47,089 The overall outcome of our life 253 00:10:47,089 --> 00:10:51,869 who we are and our eternal destiny 254 00:10:51,869 --> 00:10:55,749 really is determined 255 00:10:55,749 --> 00:11:00,320 by our daily decisions. 256 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:04,100 Right? 257 00:11:04,100 --> 00:11:05,279 This is what we do. 258 00:11:05,279 --> 00:11:07,190 That's what Christians do. 259 00:11:07,190 --> 00:11:08,959 No option right? 260 00:11:08,959 --> 00:11:10,720 They do that.