When Jesus Looks at You — E.A. Johnston

Peter’s Call to Follow Jesus

Our message today, friends, is taken from the life of Peter. I believe many Christians can relate to Peter because of his humanness. Although his thoughts were more visible than the other disciples, he is the most prominent of the twelve in the record of the Gospels.

He is mentioned more than any of the other disciples. Let us begin our study in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 5, where we find Peter employed in his daily trade as a fisherman. Jesus finds him while Peter is washing his nets, and it is here where Jesus first calls Peter to follow him.

And it came to pass that as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Genesaret and saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.

And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net broke.

And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. And so also was James and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. Jesus seems to be more engaged with Peter in this story than the others. Of the two boats, Jesus chose Peter's to bring forth his sermon.

Of the gathered fishermen on the shore that day, Jesus spoke to Peter only, regarding the instruction to cast his fishing net into the water. And when the men came to land with their giant catch of fish, it is Peter to whom the Lord addresses, with the call to follow him.

Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. Well, our message today, friends, is entitled, When Jesus Looks at You. Our passage today is in the life of Peter, but our message today is about you and your relationship to Jesus.

Peter’s Rashness and His Need for Transformation

Let us begin with Peter. When Jesus first laid eyes on Peter, he saw a big, burly, brash fisherman, a man full of himself. Peter was not only rash, he was clumsy. He tried to cut off the head of Malchus, but only managed to chop off his ear.

Peter often spoke before thinking. He had a big mouth and was always putting his foot into it. He liked to argue with Jesus and tell him what to do. Here are some examples of Peter. When Jesus wanted to wash Peter's feet, Peter demanded, not only my feet, but also my hand and my head.

When Jesus wanted to go to Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the scriptures, Peter grabbed him by the arm, literally yanking him aside and yelled at him, not so, Lord. When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, standing there with Moses and Elijah, Peter blurts out with his big mouth, it is good for us to be here.

Let us make three tents. God the Father reprimands Peter by declaring, this is my beloved son, hear him. The next thing you know, Moses and Elijah are gone. Peter ran them off. But there were other times when Peter's boldness made Jesus smile.

Peter Steps Out in Faith

When the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee, and they were caught in the midst of a sudden storm, and they toiled in the rowing, while Jesus observed them from his vantage point on the hillside.

When Jesus finally came to the rescue, by walking on the water towards the storm-tossed boat, we see the following, but straightway, Jesus spake unto them saying, be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. I believe friends, that when Jesus heard Peter say that, that he wanted to join Jesus out on the water, that Jesus got such a kick out of Peter's faith, Jesus said, come on, come on.

And I can just picture the smile on Jesus' face, as Peter walked out on those bouncing waves, as he made his way carefully to Jesus. Jesus knew Peter wouldn't make it all the way to him. He knew Peter would sink, but he got a kick out of Peter's boldness in wanting to get out, get out of the natural and into the supernatural.

And that is what Jesus wants from us friends. He wants us to step out on faith and trust him to do supernatural things through us, to take a ordinary person like you and me and do the extraordinary through us, to such a degree that all man can say is, this is the Lord's doing.

It is marvelous in our eyes. God wants to use us in big ways to fulfill his plans and purposes through us. If only we had a big enough faith to believe that God can do such great things through us. I believe God used D .L. Moody to such a great degree because of the following story.

When D .L. Moody was in England, he heard a man say to him, the world has yet to see what God can do with a man holy and completely sold out to him. To this, Moody replied beneath his breath, by God's grace, I will be that man.

Moody's comment was in the same spirit as Peter's challenge. Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. In other words, Jesus, if you are who you say you are, then show me by doing something supernatural in my life.

And Jesus did just that. And God took a humble man like D .L. Moody, an uneducated man who could not properly spell the word dead, and had him shake Great Britain for God. And listen friend, God wants to shake the world with you.

God wants us out on the water with him as well, in a vital, supernatural walk with him. Listen, once you get out on the water and live in the supernatural, you don't want to get back into the boat of the ordinary.

Peter’s Denial and Jesus’ Loving Look

There is one more instance in the life of Peter, which I would like to focus the rest of our time on today. It is from the Gospel of Luke chapter 22, beginning in verse 54. Let us look at it now. Then they took him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house.

And Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.

And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. About the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth, this fellow also was with him, for he is a Galilean.

And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew, and the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. I will stop reading there, friends. I want us to focus in on those terrible words, and the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter.

What kind of a look was it? Was it a look of betrayal? Did Jesus look at Peter with a betrayed look in his eye? Was it a look of anger? Did Jesus peer across the courtyard with angry eyes at Peter, for his denial of him?

Was it a look of disappointment? Was there disappointment in the eyes of Jesus, as he looked at Peter? No, none of these. Jesus had already predicted Peter's denial of him, so Jesus was expecting it. No, friends.

The look that Jesus gave Peter was this. When Jesus looked at Peter, it was with love. It was a look of love. When Jesus looked at Peter, he didn't focus on Peter's present failure, as much as he saw Peter's hidden potential.

Jesus Sees the Believer’s Future by Grace

When Jesus looked at Peter, he did not see a boastful braggart, who boasted that he would never deny his master. No, sir. When Jesus looked at Peter, he saw the man that Peter would become by grace, the Peter of Pentecost.

He saw the end result of Peter, after Peter had been made Christ-like, being made conformable to his image, even unto death. Jesus could look ahead, and know that he would hang on a cross for Peter, for Peter's sins, and Jesus could see into the not-so-distant future, and see Peter hang on a cross for him.

When Jesus looks at you, he sees the hidden potential in you, friend. He sees the person, after he's molded you, with his nail-pierced hands. When Jesus looks at you, he sees you bearing fruit for the Father's glory.

He sees your spiritual victories done in his name. He sees the final product of you. He knows the very worst about you, yet he sees the very best in you. When Jesus looks at you, he sees what you cannot.

He sees the vast potential in you, and the wonderful possibilities which lay before you, friend. When Jesus looks at you, he sees the very best in you, the best in you now, and the very best you can become.

When we look at our children, we look at them with love. We know their weak points, and we know their strong points. When they fall down, we help them get up, and encourage them on to do better next time.

Jesus’ Love Calls for Obedience and Fellowship

Jesus looks at us with a Father's love. He loves you. He wants the very best for you, in the will of God the Father. Jesus wants you to have the faith of a Peter, who wants to join Jesus out on the stormy sea, in a walk of faith.

Jesus wants you to go out, and launch your net into the deep, in areas where you can trust him more. Jesus wants you to know how much he loves you. Why friend, he loved you so very much that he died for you.

He redeemed you by his blood, and with his death. That's how much he loves you. And what does he ask of us, his followers? If you love me, keep my commandments. He wants our obedience. He wants our faithfulness.

He wants our affection. He longs to spend time with you friend, as hard as it is to fathom. The creator of the universe, desires your company, in a close walk with him. He wants you to walk with him, in an intimate love relationship, where he can share his heart with you, and you can share your heart with him.

He is vastly disappointed, when you don't spend time with him, in a daily walk with him, through prayer, and faith, and the reading of his word. Allow me to share a story with you. There was a man, who loved his family.

He wanted to provide the very best for them. So, he became a workaholic. He worked a minimum of 80 hours a week. I was walking by this man's office one day, and he stood by his desk, with a pained look on his face.

I entered his office, and asked him what was wrong. He said, that he'd just come back to town, after dropping his daughter off, at her new college campus. And with a sad look, he said this to me. I stood there, in her college dorm room, and hugged her goodbye.

And I realized, I didn't know her. I didn't know her. But it was too late for that now. What he was saying was this. The very family, he said he claimed to love so much, he never spent any time with. He made a lot of money, but he never spent much time with his daughter.

And she grew up, with an absentee dad, who worked all the time. And this man was a success in his office, but a failure as a father. I could still hear, his pained words. I didn't know her. And as I thought about that sad story, and apply it to us, as believers, are we not as guilty, in regard to our relationship with Jesus Christ?

Serving God Must Not Replace Knowing God

You see friends, a Christian, can get so wrapped up, in their service to God, that they can be as guilty as that businessman, through their neglect of God. We can get so busy serving God, that we end up not spending time, with God.

Time, walking with Jesus, in an intimate love relationship. Listen friends, Jesus doesn't want our service, as much as he wants us. When Jesus looks at you, he's looking at a friend, whom he desires, to spend time with.

Jesus waits for you, every day. And he looks forward to spending time with you, when Jesus looks at you. He looks at you with love. He loves you so much, he desires your companionship. He desires to be with you.

Leaving the First Love

He takes notice, when our love fades. He said to the church, of Ephesus, in Revelation, I know thy works, and thy labor. In other words, he was well familiar with what they had done for him, as believers.

But he tells them, nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. When Jesus, reinstated Peter by the sea, early that morning, he asked Peter three times, how much have you done for me lately Peter?

No, he didn't say that. Jesus looked at Peter and said, Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me? Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved him. And Jesus, when he looked at you, he asked the same question.

Do you love him? How do you show someone your love? By spending time with that person. Through sharing affection to them. Through an intimate relationship with them. Isn't that right? By being faithful to them.

Loyal to them. Loving to them. When you love someone, you want to spend time with them. And the more you love them, the more you want to spend time in their company. Is that not so? Jesus, wants us, in a red hot love relationship with him at all times.

Christ and the Believer in the Song of Solomon

He wants us to walk with him, beneath a cloudless sky of unbroken fellowship. He wants us to have all our dependence upon him. He wants us, read the Song of Solomon, and see how intense the love is, between the two lovers.

The picture of Christ and the believer. Read that impassioned cry, my beloved is mine, and I am his. That's what Jesus desires of us. An intimate love relationship, which grows deeper every day. To where we can say, with the lover, in the Song of Solomon, he brought me to the banquet and house, and his banner over me, was love.

Returning to Jesus Before the Dying Hour

How is it, with you friend? Have you left your first love? Is Jesus as sweet to you today, as he was a year ago? As when he first saved you? When Jesus looks at you, is your back turned toward him? Are you like Martha, who's preoccupied with many things, and who neglected to sit at his feet?

Like her sister Mary, who knew the one thing needful. What are your excuses, for not spending more time with him? Do me a favor, right now, pause, and imagine, you have come to your dying hour. You are on your deathbed, and you only have an hour to live.

In that dying hour, will you wish, you would have spent more time with Jesus, while you were here on earth serving him? In that dying hour, will you regret, that you were preoccupied, with just about everything but him?

Will you wish, that you could live your life over, and get to know God, in a more intimate way? Now is your chance friend, the good book says, return to me, and I will return to you. He waits, for your return.

But remember this, dear friend, when Jesus looks at you, whether, you have denied him like Peter, or neglected your daily walk with him, there is one thing for certain, when Jesus looks at you friend, he looks at you, with love.