ON THIS ONE WILL I LOOK | Pastor Dan Prus

Heat. Heat.

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>> [bell]

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[applause and music]

>> Well, good morning everybody.

Um, I guess it's cheesy joke Sunday.

>> I'm not a good joke teller. Uh, so the

man said to God,

"What's a million years to you?" And God

said, "A second."

So the man said to God, "What's a

million dollars, too?"

God said, "A penny."

So the man said to God, "Can I please

have a penny?"

And God said in a second.

>> So just keep waiting for your miracle.

It's coming. Hey, I'm Dan. I'm one of

the pastors here at Grace Summit Church.

So good to see everybody. You made it

through Christmas. You ought to give

yourselves a round of applause for that.

Uh some of you may be still going

through it. I can see um Christmas is

about family, right? And we love them.

And then uh yeah, we're glad when it's

over.

And I can see some of you maybe are

still sitting next to Never mind, never

mind. [snorts] But uh just a couple more

days and we'll be coming into a new

year, the year of our Lord, 2026.

And uh let's pray that that is the best

year yet for you. Let's pray that's the

year the Lord comes back. In fact, let's

pray the Lord come back before New

Year's. Wouldn't that be a blast?

uh we wouldn't get to hear

1990s week, but we'd be with Jesus, so

it would all be good. Uh I'm going to

read a couple of verses out of Isaiah

Isaiah 66:1

66,

verses 1 and two specifically

to launch today, and I didn't look at

the clock in the first service, so I'm

going to intentionally do that. I got so

caught up in the message last service

about halfway through, I was like, I

have no idea how long it's been. Um, but

we got out of here on time as you can

see. And uh, we'll get you out of here

on time. You'll beat the Baptist to the

buffet, so don't get nervous.

Isaiah 66 verse1, thus says the Lord,

"Heaven is my throne, and earth is my

foottool. Where is the house that you

will build me, and where is the place of

my rest? For all those things my hand

has made, and all those things exist,

says the Lord. But on this one will I

look, on him who is poor and of a

contrite spirit and who trembles at my

word.

What a powerful portion of scripture.

We're going to unpack particularly verse

two and in fact that is the title of the

message on this one. Will I look? And

we're going to consider a few people

that God is looking people that meet

those qualifications in a moment. But I

didn't want to leave off verse one

because God is essentially asking us

where is this building that you build

that you call the physical church.

And God is looking at all of our

structures and some are impressive.

[snorts] My wife and I in September

spent a couple of weeks in Germany and

we saw some really really old churches.

Uh, one was in downtown mines in the old

city center, uh, which dated back to the

Roman Empire. Just beautiful structures

and you could go into this sanctuary and

look around and I mean, literally

breathtaking.

And it would go as high as you could

see. I mean, you had to really strain to

even see the top of this church. And

then another one, I think the oldest one

we saw, there were two really old ones

in the old section of Nerburgg, Germany,

uh, which had been bombed, 90% of that

area had been bombed out at the end of

World War II. But there are a couple of

churches still standing that were built

in the 1300s

in in a Gothic architecture type. And

really, again, breathtaking, just

beautiful. and the things that man has

built. But God is looking at all of

those buildings and this one that we're

in. And he's saying, you know, that's

not really what I'm after.

You got the wood from me. You got the

metal from me. You got the knowhow for

me. There's really nothing you could

build on this earth that God is like,

"Wow, that is really something. I think

I'll go to church there." [laughter]

What God is looking for isn't a

building. It's a particular kind of

person.

The woman at the well was told that God

isn't going to dwell just in the temple

in Jerusalem, nor in the hill of

Samaria. But God is looking for those

who worship in spirit and in truth.

And God said here through Isaiah that

the one I look on is the one who is of a

contrite spirit and one who trembles at

my word. I want to take you now over to

the book of John and consider with you

three people that the resurrected Christ

appeared to. We are looking at a window

of time of only 40 days.

It's just a short window from the

resurrection of Christ to the ascension

of Christ. Just a 40-day window that

we're looking at a few people and these

are just a few of them that the

resurrected Christ appeared to. 40 in

the Bible is a number of uh preparation

and transition.

You'll see this in Moses's life. He

spent 40 years as Pharaoh's son and then

he got kind of uppidity one day and got

himself in some trouble and became a

fugitive for 40 years. But there on the

back side of the desert, God was

preparing him to be the leader of the

Hebrew nation and to bring them out of

bondage and into the promised land. We

see the spies once they were in the in

the wilderness, the spies went out and

for 40 days they spied out what is

called the promised land and they came

back. This was a time of transition. It

was meant to get them ready. It was

meant to move them into the next season

of their life. But those spies, you know

the story probably came back, had a

negative report and so God sentenced

them one year for every day with that

negative report. That's why you got to

be careful about your attitude because

one day can hold you up for a whole

year.

And if you read the story, God literally

sentenced them one year for every day

that they had that attitude. So they

wandered in circles for 40 years. And

then they went in and and so uh then we

see Jesus for 40 days out in the

wilderness after he had been baptized by

John again transitioning and preparing

because until that point Jesus hadn't

done any miracles. He hadn't preached

any sermons. He was just Jesus of

Nazareth. Mary knew what the story was,

but nobody else really knew him. And

John looks at him and says, "Behold the

lamb of God which takes away the sin of

the world." And immediately the spirit

led Jesus into the wilderness for 40

days. He would come back and begin

preaching the gospel message. The reason

he came in the first place. I'm glad for

Christmas. I'm glad for the baby Jesus.

But I'm more glad for the reason he

came.

>> That he came to seek and save that which

was lost. And so 40 is a a time of

transition. And this is a 40-day period

again from the resurrection to the

ascension. We first come to a woman

named Mary. We pick it up in John 20:1.

John 20:1

But Mary stood outside the t by the tomb

weeping. And as she wept, she stooped

down and looked into the tomb. And she

saw two angels in white sitting, one at

the head and the other at the feet where

the body of Jesus had lain. Then they

said to her, "Woman, why are you

weeping?"

She said to them, "Because they've taken

away my Lord, and I do not know where

they've laid him." Now, when she had

said this, she turned around and saw

Jesus standing there and did not know

that it was Jesus. Isn't that something?

Looking right at him and can't see him.

Verse 15, then Jesus said to her,

"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are

you seeking?"

She supposing him to be the gardener

said to him, "Sir, if you've carried him

away, tell me where you've laid him, and

I will take him away."

Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned and said to him, "Raboni,"

which is to say, "Teacher,

on this one will I look, Isaiah said,

God said through Isaiah, I would submit

to you on this one God looks."

The one with a past, that's Mary.

Mary, Mark tells us, was the very first

person that that the resurrected Christ

ever appeared to. Isn't that something?

Of all the people that he could have

appeared to, if I were Jesus, I'd have

gone to Pilate's house.

>> I'd have been like, "Yo, remember me?"

[laughter]

That's what's up.

But Jesus goes to Mary out of whom Mark

tells us he had cast seven devils.

The girl had issues.

God loves people with issues.

She had a past.

You have a past.

I was thinking of one man after I

preached one time that came up to me and

said, "I gotta I gotta talk to you." And

so we we met and we chatted and he told

me, "Uh, I really want to serve Jesus.

I'm really serious about this thing. I

gave my life to him, but I'm a bank

robber and I'm wanted by the FBI."

And I said, "Yeah,

sure you are."

And so he convinced me enough to call

the FBI in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And

sure enough, they were very interested

in talking to this young man.

He had robbed uh three or four banks, I

believe, and they were going to dispatch

agents to come get him. And I said,

"Look, can I bring him?"

And they said, "Okay." Reluctantly. And

so I, as his pastor, was allowed to

drive him to to the FBI building and and

to walk in. And I had another guy with

me. And this guy, this is a side note,

it's really of no consequence, but I had

another guy with me that was on fire for

Jesus. And so we get up and the elevator

opens and there's these two armed FBI

agents in front of us. And we got this

fugitive with us. And my friend, his

name was John, who was on fire for

Jesus, was just like, "Hey, do you guys

know Jesus?"

And I was just like,

"There's a time for everything under

heaven.

And I could just see that these people

were not amused

nor even interested in what he had to

say. And the guy was taken into custody.

He was serious about Jesus, but he had a

past.

And his past

dictated that he needed to face his

past. And and coming to Jesus is not

that your past just disappears. I'm not

saying that. There was another woman

that I ministered to in jail and then uh

actually went to court with her and the

reason she was in court is for

abandonment of her child. She was a meth

addict and when she gave birth to her

child, she as soon as they took the baby

out of the room to tend to it, she

bolted from the hospital and never came

back. Went out to chase after her drugs.

She had a past and she had to face the

consequences of that past.

But don't misunderstand God's grace and

forgiveness and mercy with consequences.

Consequences are consequences.

But God's grace is with you through

those consequences.

And Mary was a girl who had the the

reputation as the one whom Jesus cast

seven devils out of.

She had issues. And you have issues.

Now, those of you that just in your mind

answered what I just said with, "No, I

don't.

Your issue is you.

>> And so we all have something in common

with her. Some severe, some maybe not as

severe or we don't think they're as

severe, but we all have a past.

And there's some interesting parallels

with what happened here. Because first

of all, Mary was the first. I think that

was by design. I think, you know, Jesus

is like, "Let me go get that one that

had the reputation that has all the

baggage that has, you know, they talk

about her around the corners and, you

know, everybody looks at her kind of

crosseyed and and she can't seem to

outlive her pad. Let me go to her first

and he reveals himself and he first

calls her woman."

And it's in a garden. Did you know that

the tomb was a garden tomb? It was in a

garden literally. That's why she thought

this is the gardener.

H reminds me of another garden and

another woman.

Way back in Genesis 2, there was another

woman who we know her as Eve, but

actually in Genesis 2, you don't even

see her name Eve. It's just that woman,

the woman. And the woman said, and the

devil said, and the woman said, and the

woman

failed in the garden, and she was

stripped of her identity in the garden,

and she fell into sin in the garden.

Isn't it ironic that Jesus comes to

another woman in a garden and calls her

woman?

Genesis 3:15 is the very first prophecy

Genesis 3:15

in the Bible. And it talks about how the

seed of the woman would crush the head

of the serpent. I love that prophecy.

This is that being fulfilled.

Jesus is the seed of another woman named

Mary. Are you tracking with me this

morning? And he has crushed by being

crucified, buried, and rising again on

the third day. He has crushed the head

of the serpent. and he's there to talk

about it with a woman.

And then

when she's puzzled about who he even is,

he calls her Mary.

Mary means beloved.

Isaiah 43 and verse one says, "Fear not,

for I have redeemed you. I have called

you by your name.

You are mine.

I didn't call you by your behavior. I

didn't call you by your label. I didn't

call you by what people say about you. I

didn't call you by your criminal

history. I didn't call you by any of

that. I called you by your name.

[clears throat]

And he calls Mary, who had been

previously addressed as the woman, by

her name.

One of the things the devil will try to

do

when you have a past is steal your

identity and make you think that you are

what you did. But what you did is what

you did. It's not who you are. It

doesn't define you.

Somebody needs to receive that this

morning

because y'all y'all did stuff. Come on.

Don't be looking so holy. Yeah, we'll

ask the people sitting next to you what

you did if we have to. You did stuff.

And and we are not defined by what we

did,

but by the fact that he's redeemed us

and he calls us beloved.

Next, I would like to take you to a man

named Thomas. Still in John chapter 20,

John 20 · chapter mention

now in verse 24. Now Thomas

called the twin, one of the twel was not

with them when Jesus came.

The other disciples therefore said to

him, "We've seen the Lord."

So he said to them, "Yeah, right.

Unless I see his hands in his hands the

print of the nails and put my finger

into the print of the nails and put my

hand in his side, I will not believe."

And after 8 days, his disciples were

again inside and Thomas with them. Jesus

came, the doors being shut, and stood in

the midst and said, "Peace to you."

He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger

here and look at my hands and reach your

hand here and put it into my side. Do

not be unbelieving, but believing." And

Thomas answered and said to him, "My

Lord [snorts] and my God.

on this one will he look the one with

doubts.

Have you ever doubted?

Have you ever had a crisis of faith?

I don't think you know what kind of

faith you have until it's been

challenged to the point where you are so

confused and so broken and scratching

your head like Thomas was like, "This

doesn't make sense. I thought Jesus, the

Messiah, we've heard it all of our

lives, was going to come and be a

military leader and break the chains of

Rome off of us so that Israel could be a

great nation again. That's what I

thought. That was my expectations. And

yet, I saw him crucified on a Roman

cross.

I saw him die.

And now people are saying he's alive.

And I just can't I can't wrap my head

around that. His faith was in crisis.

And so Jesus invites him in to the

evidence.

He says, "Touch me.

Taste and see if the Lord is good. Try

me and see

if I'm not who I say I am."

Those of you that are dealing with

doubts, I challenge you. Yield yourself.

Step into the evidence.

There's lots of it.

The empty tomb is in evidence.

Even Jesus's enemies admitted that the

tomb was empty. They tried to make up

stories to explain it.

There's a creed in 1 Corinthians 15 that

was basically a news flash that scholars

have dated to within months of the

resurrection. And it says that Jesus

died for our sins, was buried, rose

again, and then started to appear to

people.

Cphus and the 12 and at one point over

500 people at one time. And he said most

of them are still alive. If you want to

go ask him about it,

that's how we know the resurrection

wasn't a legend that was built over

time. That that dates to within months

of the resurrection. People were

testifying to the resurrected Christ

that they had seen him.

And so Thomas finally gets it

when he sees him face to face. There was

another man in crisis, John the Baptist.

I referred to him earlier. He was

baptizing there at the Jordan. He saw

Jesus cross the hill. And he it was who

said, "Behold the lamb of God which

takes away the sin of the world." What a

testimony.

He knew that. He knew that he knew that

he knew that this was the savior of the

world. But John's circumstances had

changed.

And he finding himself in prison sends

two of his followers to go ask Jesus,

"Are you the coming one or should we

look for somebody else?"

I didn't think it'd go down like this. I

didn't think I'd be in prison.

I didn't think my life would turn out

this way. I didn't think they would die

of that disease or that cancer. I didn't

think that she would leave me. I didn't

think that he would betray me. Come on,

somebody. Your expectations sometime

sometimes can be shaken. And you're in a

crisis of faith. And Jesus answer to

that is touch me.

Enter into the evidence. Look around

you. Do you know that Jesus's life and

death and burial and resurrection

fulfilled no less than 300 prophecies?

And if that isn't enough, look around at

the great cloud of witnesses around you.

People that have touched and encountered

Christ and it changed their life.

I whom I'm speaking to you was a was a

full-fledged drug addict.

There was no hope. I never thought I

would get clean ever. I couldn't hold on

to even 10 or $15. It would drive me

right to the dope man's house. It was as

if I was in chains that were invisible.

I was in bondage.

I was lost. AND JESUS SET ME FREE. And

I'm not the only one.

There's a cloud of witnesses both in

heaven and sitting next to you that will

testify Jesus is alive. Jesus can change

you.

>> You may not even know how to articulate

it. I love the blind man. He said, "I

don't know how to answer all your

questions about Jesus. All I know is

once I was blind and now I can see. You

go figure that out."

The one with doubts.

And on this one will I look. John

John 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21. Now verse 15.

Simon Peter.

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus

said to Simon Peter, "Simon,

son of Jonah,

do you love me more than these?"

Simon had once boasted, "Lord, if

everybody abandons you, I won't. I'll

die for you.

Do you love me more than everybody

else?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord. you

know that I love you. He said to him,

feed my lambs.

He said to him a second time,"Simon, son

of Jonah, do you love me?" Didn't we

just have this conversation?

He said to him, "Yes, Lord. You know

that I love you." He said to him, "Tend

my sheep." He said to him the third

time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love

me?"

The third time, no doubt, Peter was

getting the message.

Three times he had denied him.

Three times he's asked the same

question. And so Peter was grieved

because he said to him the third time,

"Do you love me?" And he said to him,

"Lord, you know all things. You know

that I love you." Jesus said to him,

"Feed my sheep."

Most assuredly I say to you, when you

were younger, you girded yourself and

walked where you wished. But when you're

old, you will stretch out your hands,

and another will gird you and carry you

where you do not wish. This he spoke

signifying by what death he would

glorify God. And when he had spoken

this, he said to him the very same thing

that he met that he said when he met him

on the Sea of Galilee so so long ago,

three years before also at a miraculous

catch of fish. He said, "Follow me."

On this one will he look the one who has

failed.

And he says to the one who has failed

the same thing he said before he failed.

Follow me.

The devil loves to take people who have

failed and beat them up with it and

remind them of it and keep them down and

get them to to get to a disposition

where it's like, I don't want to be

around Christians anymore. I don't want

to go to church anymore because I've

failed so bad and everybody's going to

judge me. And that's the devil shouting

in your ear because Jesus doesn't talk

like that. Jesus says, "Follow me. I

told you follow me before you messed up.

I knew you'd mess up before you ever

messed up. I knew you'd mess up before I

called you. I called you anyway. I think

I know what I'm doing. Follow me."

And so if you can push past the voice of

the enemy and follow him anyway and come

to this place where you just submit to

him yet again because the gifts and

calling of God are irrevocable.

Hebrews 11:29, he doesn't change his

Hebrews 11:29

calling.

Oh, somebody can get free from that

right there. If you were ever called,

you're still called.

And the fact that you failed is actually

an opportunity for greater growth.

>> Oh, God takes the things the enemy meant

for evil and turns it around for the

good. The devil tried to take you out

with it. And you may have felt like I'm

going down for the last time. I've

screwed up one too many times. And God's

like, "Yeah, let me teach you something.

Let me have failure become your teacher.

Let it humble you. Let it bring you to

contrition." like Isaiah was talking

about and let me look on you and let's

see what we can do about this. And he

tells Peter, "When you were young, you

kind of did what you wanted, wore what

you wanted, went where you wanted."

Doesn't this describe some of our early

days of following Christ.

God is my Santa Claus.

And as long as I'm getting what's on my

list, we're good.

And we we pray that God will give us the

particular car and the particular

clothes and the particular job and the

money and the shoes and we want what we

want. We want to have God come along for

the ride. That just tends to be

how young Christians live.

But he says, "Peter,

now you learn some things.

Now you've learned what you testified so

long ago when I asked the question, "Who

do men say that I am?" And you said,

"You're the Christ, the son of the

living God." And then you asked me in

John chapter 6, "Will you also go away?"

John 6 · chapter mention

When the crowds were leaving and Peter

it was who said, "Lord, to whom shall we

go?" You said those things earlier, but

now it's going to be a deeper conviction

because of what you went through. John

the Baptist put it this way. He must

increase. I must decrease. This is the

path of Christianity.

The salvation of a soul is the miracle

of a moment. But the making of a saint

is the task of a lifetime.

>> And he says, "Peter, you did it the way

you wanted to do it in the early days.

As you get older,

where's all my old people?"

Woo.

When you're old

and you all going to get old.

I know. I know you don't think so, but

change going to come.

And when you're older, he says you're

not going to wear what you wanted.

You're not going to go where you wanted.

You're going to do some things that you

don't want to do.

That's an evolving, growing believer.

But it's like a marriage. You know,

I've

counseledled young people and they're so

giddy. They're excited and everything's

about the colors and the flowers and the

ceremony and the songs and

that's how it starts.

And I always think to myself, you have

no idea

what you're getting into. And I can't I

can't explain it to you. You

But isn't it true that as a relationship

changes over time,

it deepens

if you're doing it right. If you're if

you're investing in that relationship,

it actually deepens. you've you've

gotten familiar with them, but actually

the relationship is much deeper. You you

may not have the butterflies every time

they walk in the room. In fact, you may

want to throw something at them when

they walk in the room. But not my wife.

I love you, baby.

I got to go home after this. But

you know what I'm saying? You know, it's

not it's not easy, but it's more depth.

And that's what he's telling Peter. And

that's what he's telling you. If you

failed, your failure can be your

greatest teacher. And it can take you to

levels of intimacy with God like you

have never experienced before

in spite of your failure.

Ain't God good?

On this one will I look

on the one with a past, on the one with

doubts, on the one who has failed. On

this one will I look on Mary,

on Thomas, on Peter.

Insert your name here. On this one will

I look. Let's go back to Isaiah where we

started

chapter 66.

But on this one will I look on him who

is poor and of a contrite spirit and who

trembles at my word. In other words, you

take this seriously.

This is not entertainment to you. This

is the living, breathing word of God and

you receive with meekness the word that

is able to save your souls

and change your life and change your

mind and renew your mind and give you

guidance and direction. It's all there.

Add contrition

and a respect for the word to whatever

other baggage you have. And you have a

recipe for God to look on you.

On this one will I look. Put your name

in there. Richard Ashley, put your name

in there. Sienna, put your name in

there. Carla

William, put your name in there. on this

one will I look. Now watch this. It's

not that he just sees us. God sees

everything.

What it means is that he looks on you

with favor.

He's on your side.

On this one, he looks with favor. We

often use the priestly blessing here.

The Lord bless you and keep you and make

his face shine upon you and be gracious

to you. And the next part says, "The

Lord lift up his countenance upon you

and give you peace." What that means is

the Lord look on you with favor.

The same thought,

if he's looking on you with favor, you

can get through anything. You can

overcome anything.

So Lord, look on us.

We're poor. We're needy.

Some of us are broken,

shattered, even

dealing with things that are hard and

difficult. And

our faith has wavered. Our past has come

back to haunt us.

And in cases we failed again and again.

But look on us, Lord.

We know we need you. We know we want

you. We desire you. I lift up my eyes to

the hills. Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the maker

of heaven and earth. Look on us, Lord.

Look on us.

that we might be whole. Look on us that

your favor might be evident as we enter

into this new year.

May it be the year of the favor of the

Lord. Look on us, Lord,

in Jesus mighty and matchless name.

Amen.

Going to ask the prayer team to come

forward. The worship team is going to

lead us in another song. And if you

would like prayer for anything, feel

free to come up.

And everybody, if you would just stand

your feet, if if you would just worship

him and reflect and meditate on this

message and give God the glory in this

house.

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>> [music]