Lessons from Looking Up
Yesterday, millions of people repeatedly looked up at the sky to catch a glimpse of “The Great American Eclipse”, to see the sun and moon in perfect alignment. The tragedy in this is how many of those same people do not know and do not marvel at the God who made them, nor do they recognize all that they point us to and reveal to us. But our God has some crucial lessons to teach us, if we would simply look up.
LESSON 1: OUR GOD IS A GREAT, BIG GOD!
Psalm 19:1-2 - The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
If you wanted to know that the God we sing to and worship is a GREAT, BIG GOD, all you need to do is go outside and look up into the sky. You will quickly realize that He’s not just big, He’s huge, massive beyond our wildest dreams! The stars are not simply going “twinkle, twinkle”; rather, like a billboard in the sky, they are SHOUTING to us every night, “HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!” He’s infinite, indescribable, incredible, amazing, astounding, stunning, and glorious beyond words!
Sadly, people have so wrongly concluded and taught that the celestial bodies in space are either cosmic accidents that formed themselves by chance, or divine gods deserving our worship and veneration. But the Bible plainly tells us in Genesis 1:14-19 that they are neither; they are creations of an all-wise, all-powerful, all-good God.
Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”
And Psalm 147:4-5 says, “He counts the numbers of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.”
Surely we can relate with David when he said…
Psalm 8:3-4 - When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit Him?
How remarkable a thought that despite how small we are, yet God is mindful of us, cares for us, knows us, and loves us, so much that He came to earth in the form of a man, Jesus, to die on a cross for our sins to rescue us and bring us back to Him. Have you been undone by that glorious thought?
As we consider the greatness and glory of our God, oh how we should fall down to our knees in worship before Him! And even more, how we should offer up our lives to serve Him and to be used for His glory!
LESSON 2: EVERYTHING POINTS TO JESUS!
Not only do the sun, moon, and stars reveal the greatness and magnitude of our God, but they also point us to the true Son, who far outshines the sun, and to His gospel.
Jesus said in John 8:12 - “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” He said in Revelation 22:16, “I am…the Bright and Morning Star. And Malachi 4:2 says, “But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”
Copernicus, a Renaissance astronomer, lived in a time when people believed that Earth was at the center of the universe, and the sun revolved around the Earth. He discovered that in actuality, the sun is at the center of a system of planets (our solar system), and the Earth revolves around the sun! This became known as the COPERNICAN REVOLUTION. Brothers and sisters, has a Copernican Revolution taken place in your life? Do you still see yourself at the center of your own universe, and believe that everything revolves (or should revolve) around you? Or have you come to see each aspect of your life (family, work, money, time/schedule, relationships, hobbies, entertainment, goals and dreams…) as planets, that are only in their proper alignment when they revolve around Christ? He must be the largest star, with everything revolving around Him, or else your life will be out of orbit, and on track for a cataclysmic disaster.
We are also instructed by the moon. While the moon has no light of its own, it reflects light from the sun. Similarly, Jesus said to His followers in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world”. This means that we are to “be like the moon and reflect the Son!” A good question for self-reflection is, when people look at you, are they seeing the light of Jesus and being drawn to Him?
Last but not least, yesterday’s eclipse provides us a beautiful illustration of the gospel. While the moon is far smaller than the sun and has no light of its own, yet during a total solar eclipse, the moon and sun look the same, having the appearance of the same size and shape, AND the two appear to become one. When we consider the sun representing Christ and the moon representing the church, what a picture this gives us of God’s plan and purpose for us! For by His grace, through the blood of Jesus, He has made us ONE with Christ, united with Him, an already and not-yet reality that will be fully consummated at the marriage supper of the Lamb. And He is continually conforming us into the likeness of Jesus, until we are glorified and “like Him” in heaven! Oh how these realities should motivate us to deeper love and devotion to Him, and living lives worthy of this great calling!
LESSON 3: JESUS IS COMING SOON!
In Luke 21, Jesus said…
Luke 21:25-28 - “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
Have you noticed the nations being distressed and perplexed, and people being anxious and fearful about what’s going on in our world and about the future? Jesus knew all these things would happen, yet instructed us on how we should respond. He didn’t say, “when these things begin to happen…freak out!” Rather, He said, “look up!” NOT “Look around”. NOT “Look inside”. NOT “Look out!” But “LOOK UP!” Why? Because our redemption draws near. Jesus is coming back soon! In light of that reality, we should be moved to action.
Ask yourself: Are you actively using the time God is giving you to serve and fulfill Christ’s mission of reaching the nations with the gospel and making disciples before He returns? God has the date on His calendar, and when He comes, we want to be those who are ready and found faithful.
So saints, where are you setting your gaze? What are you marveling at? Where are you looking?
May God grant us the grace to turn our eyes upon Jesus and look at Him, awaiting His glorious return.
LESSON 1: OUR GOD IS A GREAT, BIG GOD!
Psalm 19:1-2 - The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.
If you wanted to know that the God we sing to and worship is a GREAT, BIG GOD, all you need to do is go outside and look up into the sky. You will quickly realize that He’s not just big, He’s huge, massive beyond our wildest dreams! The stars are not simply going “twinkle, twinkle”; rather, like a billboard in the sky, they are SHOUTING to us every night, “HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!” He’s infinite, indescribable, incredible, amazing, astounding, stunning, and glorious beyond words!
Sadly, people have so wrongly concluded and taught that the celestial bodies in space are either cosmic accidents that formed themselves by chance, or divine gods deserving our worship and veneration. But the Bible plainly tells us in Genesis 1:14-19 that they are neither; they are creations of an all-wise, all-powerful, all-good God.
Psalm 33:6 says, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”
And Psalm 147:4-5 says, “He counts the numbers of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.”
Surely we can relate with David when he said…
Psalm 8:3-4 - When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit Him?
How remarkable a thought that despite how small we are, yet God is mindful of us, cares for us, knows us, and loves us, so much that He came to earth in the form of a man, Jesus, to die on a cross for our sins to rescue us and bring us back to Him. Have you been undone by that glorious thought?
As we consider the greatness and glory of our God, oh how we should fall down to our knees in worship before Him! And even more, how we should offer up our lives to serve Him and to be used for His glory!
LESSON 2: EVERYTHING POINTS TO JESUS!
Not only do the sun, moon, and stars reveal the greatness and magnitude of our God, but they also point us to the true Son, who far outshines the sun, and to His gospel.
Jesus said in John 8:12 - “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” He said in Revelation 22:16, “I am…the Bright and Morning Star. And Malachi 4:2 says, “But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”
Copernicus, a Renaissance astronomer, lived in a time when people believed that Earth was at the center of the universe, and the sun revolved around the Earth. He discovered that in actuality, the sun is at the center of a system of planets (our solar system), and the Earth revolves around the sun! This became known as the COPERNICAN REVOLUTION. Brothers and sisters, has a Copernican Revolution taken place in your life? Do you still see yourself at the center of your own universe, and believe that everything revolves (or should revolve) around you? Or have you come to see each aspect of your life (family, work, money, time/schedule, relationships, hobbies, entertainment, goals and dreams…) as planets, that are only in their proper alignment when they revolve around Christ? He must be the largest star, with everything revolving around Him, or else your life will be out of orbit, and on track for a cataclysmic disaster.
We are also instructed by the moon. While the moon has no light of its own, it reflects light from the sun. Similarly, Jesus said to His followers in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world”. This means that we are to “be like the moon and reflect the Son!” A good question for self-reflection is, when people look at you, are they seeing the light of Jesus and being drawn to Him?
Last but not least, yesterday’s eclipse provides us a beautiful illustration of the gospel. While the moon is far smaller than the sun and has no light of its own, yet during a total solar eclipse, the moon and sun look the same, having the appearance of the same size and shape, AND the two appear to become one. When we consider the sun representing Christ and the moon representing the church, what a picture this gives us of God’s plan and purpose for us! For by His grace, through the blood of Jesus, He has made us ONE with Christ, united with Him, an already and not-yet reality that will be fully consummated at the marriage supper of the Lamb. And He is continually conforming us into the likeness of Jesus, until we are glorified and “like Him” in heaven! Oh how these realities should motivate us to deeper love and devotion to Him, and living lives worthy of this great calling!
LESSON 3: JESUS IS COMING SOON!
In Luke 21, Jesus said…
Luke 21:25-28 - “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
Have you noticed the nations being distressed and perplexed, and people being anxious and fearful about what’s going on in our world and about the future? Jesus knew all these things would happen, yet instructed us on how we should respond. He didn’t say, “when these things begin to happen…freak out!” Rather, He said, “look up!” NOT “Look around”. NOT “Look inside”. NOT “Look out!” But “LOOK UP!” Why? Because our redemption draws near. Jesus is coming back soon! In light of that reality, we should be moved to action.
Ask yourself: Are you actively using the time God is giving you to serve and fulfill Christ’s mission of reaching the nations with the gospel and making disciples before He returns? God has the date on His calendar, and when He comes, we want to be those who are ready and found faithful.
So saints, where are you setting your gaze? What are you marveling at? Where are you looking?
May God grant us the grace to turn our eyes upon Jesus and look at Him, awaiting His glorious return.
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