Thursday, October 9, 2014
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My wife was on this airplane flight, and she was sitting in the aisle seat, and a mother was sitting next to her in the middle. And this little four-year-old girl, the daughter of that mom, was at the window. The daughter had never flown before, so she wanted to be where she could see. So as they taxied out on the runway the little girl was kind of looking straight ahead like a business woman. Then as they climbed up through the clouds; it was one of those cloud-covered days, the little girl occasionally glanced out the window.
But when they got above the clouds, all of a sudden her nose was pressed to the glass; she's looking intently all over back and forth, and after a few minutes of inspecting the sky, she turned to her Mom. She said with real concern, "Where are they?" And her Mom said, "What are you talking about?" She said, "I can't see them, Mommy! Where are they?" And her Mom said, "But where are what?" She said, "The angels, Mommy! Where are the angels?" The poor little girl! She thought she knew where to find these spiritual beings, but they weren't where she thought they would be.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Looking Out the Wrong Window."
That poor little girl! She searched, but she was disappointed. She didn't find what she was hoping she would find. She's not the only one this has happened to. It could have happened to you. A lot of people are looking for spiritual reality today. They're looking intently, and they're not finding it where they thought they would. You look out that window spiritually and you go, "Where is God? Where is this spiritual peace? Where is eternal life? Where is the love I thought I'd find here?"
Jesus answers that in our word for today from the Word of God in John 6:35, where He declares, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry. And he who believes in Me will never be thirsty." Now, Jesus is addressing something that is throbbing inside of each one of us; this spiritual hunger and thirst. It's what the Bible calls eternity in our hearts.
I think you already know that we need something spiritual to fill the hole in our heart. Maybe you would classify yourself as a spiritual seeker. You've lived long enough to know that earth stuff and earth relationships are not enough to complete us. Jesus says He's the end of that search. We're always seeking; seems like we're never finding.
Maybe in a sense you've been looking out spiritual windows hoping to find some peace and some reality. You've looked in maybe this religion or that religion, maybe crystals, or horoscopes, or psychic powers, or whatever. You've checked out an unconventional spiritual group that maybe some would call a cult. So many windows you could look through today, but each view has ended up unsatisfying and disappointing.
There are reasons why all the roads except the one to Jesus and His cross leave us hollow inside. It's because what we really need is not spiritual experiences or warm feelings or beliefs, or even a caring group. We need to get rid of the sin that's blocking us from our relationship with our Creator. It's a sin wall. The Bible says in Isaiah 59:2, "Your sins have separated you from your God." And what we're searching for is a bridge across that separation. How do we cross this Grand Canyon between us and God? We're trying hard. We're looking in all these things, but we haven't found a way to get to Him.
Romans 5:8 says, "But God proved His love for you in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." See, only one person can remove that wall and it's Jesus. Are you tired of looking out that window for spiritual reality and coming up disappointed? Where is God? Where is the love and peace I need from Him? It begins at the cross when you say those two words with all your heart. As you observe Jesus' death on the cross, you say, "For me! This is for me, Jesus, wasn't it?"
If you want to know this Jesus, if you want to get started with Him and finally find what has eluded you in all your searching, the One you've been looking for, His name is Jesus. Then I invite you to go to our website ANewStory.com. There I will have the privilege of just sharing with you briefly how you can begin this personal relationship with Jesus. That's ANewStory.com.
A religion won't do it for you, or an experience, or a group. See, you're looking for a love relationship with the One you were made by and made for. Why don't you look His way? Because Jesus is everything your heart has ever looked for.