Luke 10 23 24 NKJV Then He turned

Luke 10: 23 -24 (NKJV) Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it. ” 23

Stop & Smell The Roses Luke 10: 23 -24

Stop & Smell The Roses • “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it” • Some have said it like this… • “Stop and smell the roses” • We all understand what that means, but do we heed it?

Stop & Smell The Roses • Some will say that it’s meaning is to slow down and enjoy life • Others might say that it’s meaning is to be thankful for our blessings • Still others point to the need to recognize the blessings around us

Stop & Smell The Roses • Truth be told, we all need to slow down in this fast pace world every once in a while • We could probably all use an extra dose of thankfulness • Then again, how many times do we miss blessings in this life?

Stop & Smell The Roses • Would this idea carry more weight if it came from Jesus? • Would we heed this saying if it came from God and not others? • Can we do our best to be sure that we aren’t missing the blessings of life in 2014?

Our Text • Jesus is thanking the Father in Luke 10: 21 -22 • He then turns to His disciples and says the following to them in private… • Do you see here what Jesus is saying to the disciples?

Our Text • He begins by telling them just how blessed they are to see what they were seeing • I’m sure the life of a disciple was a fast paced life • We know from scriptures that Jesus had to take measures just to be alone

Our Text • It was probably easy for a close disciple of Jesus to be so busy with the work that they never stopped to realize what was really happening • Jesus here is reminding them of just how blessed they were to be seeing Jesus in the flesh, and all that accompanied it

Our Text • He then tells them that many prophets and kings wanted to live long enough to see Jesus in the flesh and hear Him speak, but did not • What they were potentially taking for granted, many who came before them and after them desired greatly

Our Text • It’s basically Jesus’ way of telling them to stop and smell the roses • He wanted them to appreciate the time they were living in • He wanted them to be thankful for the spiritual blessings that they had surrounding them

Life Moves Pretty Fast • James explains that life can be over in the blink of an eye (Js. 4: 14) • Jesus wisely prayed for the needs of that particular day (Matt. 6: 11) • How often do we stop and think about the blessings of any given day?

Life Moves Pretty Fast • “This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118: 24) • How many times have we stopped to rejoice in a day? • How many times have we decided to be glad just because we were alive?

Life Moves Pretty Fast • What Jesus wanted was for His disciples to stop and think about the moment • He wanted them to recognize the blessing of what they were seeing and hearing • Do we recognize our spiritual blessings?

Our Spiritual Blessings • What about the blessings we enjoy in Christ? • We have the blessing of knowing the gospel, so that we could obey it • Are we thankful for that? • Do we share it with others through various means?

Our Spiritual Blessings • What about the blessing of God’s word? • We show thankful we are for it by how much time we spend in it • Think about those who do not have God’s word, or those who have to read it in secret

Our Spiritual Blessings • Are we thankful for the time God has allowed us to gather to worship Him? • Do we take that for granted? • How many people, even in this country, would love to gather to worship and be encouraged, yet they are not able

All Good Things… • “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more…” (Jn. 14: 19) • Their time with Jesus on this earth would come to an end • There will come a time in this life when we gather with the saints to worship Him one last time…