Looking Unto Jesus

Heavenly Father, we come before your throne tonight to praise you and thank you for your goodness and grace. We thank you, Lord, for the privilege of getting together to sing to your glory this evening, to go over scripture, Lord, that is a great reminder to us, a motivation to us to put Jesus first.

Help us, Lord, that we might truly look unto Jesus. Help us, Heavenly Father, that this week our minds might be stayed on the cross and on the resurrection, that Lord, we might just remember what you did for sinners like us, undeserving sinners, that deserve to spend eternity separated from you and because of what your holy son did on the cross of Calvary. Lord, we're going to be able to spend forever with you and we give you praise for that tonight.

Lord, just be with our team, our musicians, our singers, our music ministers, Lord, help them to guide and direct us in such a way as our hearts, Lord, will be set on fire for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We love you, Jesus. We thank you for your goodness and love to us and pray that you'll bless this meeting and help us that we might walk away from here just loving Jesus even more. We thank you and praise you for all that you've done and all that you are and it's in Jesus' holy, wonderful and precious name that we pray.

Amen. Welcome to our service tonight. I appreciate you being here to worship with us this evening. Of course, our theme is taken from Hebrews Chapter 12 where the writer of Hebrews tells us to look unto Jesus Christ who for the glory set before Him, the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and He's now seated at the right hand of God the Father. We're told to consider Him lest we become discouraged and wearied in our souls. There are many reasons why we should look to Jesus but one of them, according to Hebrews 12, is to look unto Him so that we don't become discouraged and that's what we're going to do tonight.

I wanted to share with you something interesting. This service, the songs that we've put together and the scripture readings we're going to be meditating on tonight was actually planned two years ago in January and February of 2020 and the intention was for us to enjoy this service that we're enjoying now in April of 2020. Of course, that wasn't to be and it dawned on me this afternoon that instead of singing these songs and these scripture readings that are calling us to look unto Jesus two years ago, God had other plans. He actually wanted us to go out and practice doing that for the last two years, to learn to look to Him lest we become discouraged and wearied in our souls. Now finally, after two years of waiting, we get to sing these songs and hear these scriptures read hopefully with a much fuller and deeper appreciation for what it means to look unto Christ.

So that's what we're going to do tonight. We're going to sing several songs. A lot of them are new songs. A lot of them are old familiar songs but I want to invite you to join the choir. Lyrics will be on the screens. The music, if you're a music reader, is in the worship guide. We want you to sing with us.

This is not a performance. This is a worship service. So please feel free to join in as together we, the Church of Jesus Christ, look unto Christ who is the author and the finisher of our faith. We're going to begin with a call to worship and we're going to read this responsibly if you would read the part of the congregation as we begin tonight. I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His righteousness and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. I will sing praise to the name of the Most High. Sing praises to the Lord who sits enthroned in Zion.

Tell among the peoples His deeds. I will sing to the Lord who sits enthroned in Zion. Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. Sing praises to God. Sing praises. Sing praises to our King. Sing praises for God is the King of all the earth.

Sing praises with a psalm. I will sing with your strength. I will sing aloud with your steadfast love in the morning, for you have made me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, the God who shows me steadfast love. O come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us sing to the Lord a new psalm, for he has done marvelous things.

His right hand is fully armed, and our salvation forgiven. I will sing of steadfast love and justice to you, O Lord. I will make music. Let's sing to him tonight. How shall I sing of majesty that angels do admire? Their thunderous voices bid me come. Sing, sing, O heaven and fire. Let dozens and dozens stand before your throne, O God of sky. Sing all your saints and earth to praise the Lord almighty.

Let planets spin in sheer delight, while galaxies conspire to fill the universe with light. Sing, sing, O heavenly choir. Let dozens and dozens stand before your throne, O God of sky. Sing all your saints and earth to praise the Lord almighty.

The saints who lived and died in grace have found their hearts' desire to gaze upon the Savior's face. Sing, sing, O heavenly choir. Let thousands and dozens stand before your throne, O God of sky. Sing all your saints and earth to praise the Lord almighty. So let my voice resound with those whose praise will never die.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Sing, sing, O heavenly choir. Let dozens and dozens stand before your throne, O God of sky. Sing all your saints and earth to praise the Lord almighty. Let dozens and dozens stand before your throne, O God of sky.

Sing all your saints and earth to praise the Lord almighty. Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise. The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace. My gracious Master and my God assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of thy name. He graced the power of reigning sin, he sets the prisoner free.

His blood can make the foulest gleam, his blood avails for me. Here in the earth is praise he done, your loosened tongues employed. Be blind, behold your Savior come, and be blamed for joy. Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits. And in his word I hope, my soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption, and he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. O from the depths I call to you, Lord, hear me come on high, and give attention to my voice. When I for mercy cry, Lord, in your presence who can stand? Give you our sins, we Lord, and therefore give message with you, that we may fear you, Lord. Out of the depths I cry to you, in darkest places I will call. Incline your ear to me anew, and hear my cry for mercy, Lord.

Were you to count my sinful ways, how could I come before your throng? Yet full forgiveness meets my gaze, I stand redeemed by grace alone. I will wait for you, I will wait for you, on the word I will renew. I will wait for you, surely wait for you, till my soul is satisfied.

So put your hope in God alone, take courage in his power to save, completely and forever one, by Christ emerging from the grave. I will wait for you, I will wait for you, on the word I will renew. I will wait for you, surely wait for you, till my soul is satisfied.

Now he has come to make a way, and God himself has paid the price, that all who trust in him today find healing in his sacrifice. I will wait for you, I will wait for you, on the word I will renew. I will wait for you, surely wait for you, till my soul is satisfied. I will wait for you, I will wait for you, through the storm and through the night. I will wait for you, surely wait for you, for your love is my delight. I wait my soul, wait for the Lord, I know his name, his love. Oh, and a watch and praise for God, my soul, oh, praise for the Lord.

Oh, Israel, your hope in God, for mercy is with him, and for redemption from their sins, his people him believe. God is love, in this the love of God who made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

For this reason I'll bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Magnificent, marvelous, matchless love, too vast and astounding to tell, forever existing in worlds above, now awkward and given to all. A fountain of beauty eternal, the Father, the Spirit, the Son, sufficient and endlessly generous, magnificent, marvelous, matchless love. Creation is dripping with faithfulness, the mountains exalted they stand, the seasons rejoice in your faithfulness, all life is sustained by your hand.

You crowd every meadow with color, you paint every shade in the sky, each day the dark waves as they're on for of, magnificent, marvelous, matchless love. How great, how sure, this love of heaven, Lord, forevermore, and innocent, marvelous, matchless love. What grace that you entered our brokenness, you came in the fullness of time. How far we have fallen from righteousness, but not from the mercies of Christ.

Your crosses referred to redemption, your death is the fullness of life, that they come forth in the stone hands of God. Magnificent, marvelous, matchless love. How great, how sure, this love of heaven, Lord, forevermore, and innocent, marvelous, matchless love. United in your resurrection, you lift us to infinite heights, could anything sever or take us from, magnificent, marvelous, matchless love. How great, how sure, this love of heaven, Lord, forevermore, and innocent, marvelous, matchless love.

How great, how sure, this love of heaven, Lord, forevermore, and innocent, marvelous, matchless love. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, you are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased. And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. So Jesus said, I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death. And he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. The Lord is my shepherd, I've all that I need. He makes me lie down where the pastures are free. Beside quiet water, he leads me to rest and guides me on paths of his righteousness. This he has done his great name to the grave, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

And though I walk through the valley, the shadow of death, because you are with me, no evil I dread. Your rod and your staff ever comfort my soul, in banquets of mercy my cup overflows. This he has done his great name to display, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen. He refreshes my soul. He refreshes my soul. He refreshes my soul.

He refreshes my soul. And glorious grace will follow me closely in all of my ways. And truly your goodness and glorious grace will follow me closely in all of my ways. I'll dwell in the house of the Lord almighty.

I'll dwell in the house of the Lord almighty. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen. Amen.

Amen. And Pilate again said to them, Then what shall I do with the man you call the king of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him! And Pilate said to them, Why, what evil has he done? But they shouted all the more, Crucify him! So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is the governor's headquarters, and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisted together a crown of thorns. They put it on him. And they began to salute him, Hail, king of the Jews! And they were striking his head with a reed, and spitting on him, and kneeling down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him away to crucify him.

And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which means place of a skull. And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, The king of the Jews. And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads, and saying, Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross. So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked. They mocked him to one another, saying, He saved others, he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.

Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And some of the bystanders hearing it said, Behold, he is calling Elijah. And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink, saying, Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down. And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion who stood facing him saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, Truly, this man was the Son of God. Now sorrows, what a pain for the Son of God who came, Ruined sinners to reclaim, Alleluia, what a Savior! Burying shame and scoffing rude, In my place, how them he stood, Sealed my pardon with his blood, Alleluia, what a Savior! Guilty, wild, and helplessly, Sartless Lamb of God was he, Full atonement can it be, Alleluia, what a Savior! Lifted up was he to die, In his finish was his try, Now in heaven exalted high, Alleluia, what a Savior!

When he comes, our glorious King, All his ransom home to bring, Then anew this song will sing, Alleluia, what a Savior! Now after the Sabbath toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow, and for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus, who is crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. And behold, he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him.

See, I have told you. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell the disciples. Behold, Jesus met them and said, Greetings, and they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. O can it be the one who died, has borne our sin in sacrifice, to conquer every single death, sing, sing Alleluia. For joy awaits this dawning light, when Christ's disciples lift their eyes. Alive he stands, their friend and King, Christ, Christ is risen. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.

O sing Alleluia, join the chorus, sing with the redeemed. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. Where doubt and darkness wants heaven, they saw him and their hearts believe.

But best are those who have not seen, yet sing Alleluia. Once bound by fear, now bold in faith, they preach the truth and power of grace. And pouring out their lives, they gave life, life everlasting. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.

O sing Alleluia, join the chorus, sing with the redeemed. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. The power that raised him from the grave, now works in us to powerfully say, he praise our hearts to live his grace.

Go, tell of his goodness. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. O sing Alleluia, join the chorus, sing with the redeemed. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed.

O sing Alleluia, join the chorus, sing with the redeemed. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. He is risen, he's alive, he's alive. Heaven's gates are open wide, he's alive, he's alive. Now in heaven, Lord, resign, he's alive, he's alive. Heaven's gates are open wide, he's alive, he's alive.

Now in heaven, Lord, resign. And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. But when Christ had offered up for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus shall reign wherever a song, thus his successive journeys run, his kingdom stretch from offshore to shore, till sun shall rise and set no more. Blessings abound where e'er he reigns, the prisoner leans to loose his chains, the weary find the eternal rest, and all the sons of one God bless. You are deep behind his grace, rising through the eternal days, just and grateful fear shall reign, Jesus shall reign. People and realms of every tongue, wow on his love his sweetest song, an infant voice that has shall proclaim, there are deep blessings on his name. You are deep behind his grace, rising through the eternal days, just and thankful fear shall reign, Jesus shall reign. Let every creature rise and ring, blessing and honor to our King. Angels he send with his songs again, and earth repeat the loud Amen. You are King behind his grace, rising through the eternal days, just and thankful fear shall reign, Jesus shall reign. You are deep behind his grace, rising through the eternal days, just and thankful fear shall reign, Jesus shall reign. Amen.

Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession. Let love be genuine, abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. Good shepherd of my soul, come dwell within me. Take all I am and mold your likeness in me. Before the cross of Christ, this is my sacrifice, a life laid down and ready to follow.

The troubled find their peace in true surrender, the prisoners their release from chains of anger. In springs of living grace, I find a resting place to rise refreshed, determined to follow. I'll walk this narrow road with Christ before me, where thorns and thistles grow and cords ensnare me. Though doubted and denied, he never leaves my side, but lifts my head and calls me to find.

And when my days are gone, my strength is failing. He'll carry me along through death's unveiling. Her struggles overcome, heaven's journey just begun, to search Christ's depths and ever to follow. These are several passages of scripture that I've paraphrased in part as a confession of our faith.

Christian, what do you believe? We believe that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. We believe this to be so because Christ was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. And we believe that since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, all whose faith is in him will have eternal life, and they will never perish, and nothing will be able to snatch them out of his hand. For this reason we celebrate, saying, The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my Father's God, and I will exalt him. The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation. Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. The grace of God has reached for me and pulled me from the raging sea, and I am safe on the solid ground. The Lord is my salvation. I will not fear when darkness falls.

His strength will help me scale these walls. I'll see the dawn of the rising sun. The Lord is my salvation. Who is like the Lord our God, strong to save, faithful in love?

My debt is paid, and the grief rewound. The Lord is my salvation. My hope is hidden in the Lord. He flowers each promise of his word.

When winter fades, I know spring will come. The Lord is my salvation. In times of waning times of need, when I know loss when I am weak, I know his grace will renew these days. The Lord is my salvation. Who is like the Lord our God, strong to save, faithful in love?

My debt is paid, and the grief rewound. The Lord is my salvation. And when I reach my final day, he will not leave me in the grave.

But I will rise, he will call me home. The Lord is my salvation. Who is like the Lord our God, strong to save, faithful in love?

My debt is paid, and the grief rewound. The Lord is my salvation. Glory be to God, the Father. Glory be to God, the Son. Glory be to God, the Spirit. The Lord is my salvation. Glory be to God, the Father. Glory be to God, the Son. Glory be to God, the Spirit. The Lord is my salvation.

As we close tonight, would you stand with me and listen to these reassuring, beautiful words from Jude. God says to us, now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy. To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever.

Amen. I pray my soul, praise for the Lord, my hope is in his worth. For heaven watch and wait for long, my soul, praise for the Lord. O Israel, Lord, hope in God, for mercy is within, and holy mention, common sense, gives me hope in relief.

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. I look at America tonight and my heart breaks. I see America going in so many wrong directions and the reason for that is because they don't know what we heard about tonight. The answer is not politics, the answer is not social change, the answer is the gospel, looking unto Jesus.

How can we change it? The way we change it is through witnessing the message that we heard tonight, is by taking it to those that we know, those that we come in contact with, letting them know that Jesus Christ is our only hope. Guys, thank you for the presentation tonight. It's not a presentation, it was a worship service. We thank you for the instrumentalists, the singers, the soloists, thank you Eugene, and I just praise God for the message that we heard this evening. You've been waiting all night to clap, so I'm going to give you that opportunity.