Reuben Archer Torrey (1856-1928) was both an evangelist and a Bible scholar.  
Long associated with D. L. Moody, he became most prominent during world 
preaching tours in 1902 and 1921.  His preaching in Wales in 1902 has been 
noted as one cause for the Welsh revivals of the early 1900s.  He was the 
first superintendent of the Moody Bible Institute and wrote numerous 
devotional and theological books.
         
Spiritual awakening followed R. A. Torrey throughout his career as an 
evangelist.  In revivals with the popular gospel singer Charles W. Alexander, 
Dr. Torrey filled meeting halls with his magnetic presence, passion, and 
earnestness.

To help the reading of this classic work, the original Scripture references 
have been replaced by the language of our time--the NIV.  Also, obviously 
archaic terminology and passages obscured by expressions not totally familiar 
in our day have been revised.  However, neither Torrey's meaning nor intent 
have been tampered with.

All Scripture references are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL 
VERSION (C) 1978 by the New York Bible Society, used by permission of 
Zondervan Bible Publishers.  

                                                      Tony Capoccia


                              Looking To Jesus
                                     by
                                R. A. Torrey
                                 (1856-1928)

         
If we are to run with patience the race that is set before us, we must always 
keep looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3).  One of the simplest and yet one of 
the mightiest secrets of abiding joy and victory is to never lose sight of 
Jesus.
         
1.  First of all, we must keep looking at Jesus as the ground of our 
acceptance before God.  Over and over again, Satan will make an attempt to 
discourage us by bringing up our sins and failures and thus try to convince 
us that we are not children of God, or not saved.  If he succeeds in getting 
us to keep looking at and brooding sins, he will soon get us discouraged, and 
discouragement means failure.  But if we will keep looking at what God looks 
at, the death of Jesus Christ in our place that completely atones for every 
sin that we ever committed, we will never be discouraged because of the 
greatest of our sins.  We shall see that while our sins are great, very 
great, indeed they have all been atoned for.  Every time Satan brings up one 
of our sins, we shall see that Jesus Christ has redeemed us from its curse by 
being made a curse in our place (Galatians 3:13).  We shall see that while in 
ourselves we are full of unrighteousness, nevertheless in Christ we are made 
the righteousness of God, because Christ was made to be sin in our place (2 
Corinthians 5:21).  We will see that every sin that Satan taunts us about has 
been borne and settled forever (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:6).  We shall always 
be able to sing, 
         
                             Jesus paid my debt,
                             All the debt I owe;
                        Sin had left a crimson stain,
                         He washed it white as snow.
         
If you are this moment troubled about any sin that you have ever committed, 
either in the past or in the present, just look at Jesus on the cross; 
believe what God tells you about Him, that this sin which troubles you was 
laid upon Him (Isaiah 53:6).  Thank God that the sin is all settled, be full 
of gratitude to Jesus, who bore it in your place, and worry about it no more.  
It is an act of base ingratitude to God to brood over sins that He in His 
infinite love has canceled.  Keep looking at Christ on the cross and walk 
always in the sunlight of God's favor.  This favor of God has been purchased 
for you at great cost.  Gratitude demands that you should always believe in 
it and walk in the light of it.
         
2.  In the second place, we must keep looking at Jesus as our risen Savior, 
who has all power in heaven and on earth and is able to keep us every day and 
every hour.  Are you tempted to do some wrong at this moment?  If you are, 
remember that Jesus rose from the dead, remember that at this moment He is 
living at the right hand of God in the glory; remember that He has all power 
in heaven and on earth, and that, therefore, He can give you victory right 
now.  Believe what God tells you in His Word, that Jesus has power to save 
you this moment "completely" (Hebrews 7:25).  Believe that He has power to 
give you victory over that sin that now besets you.  Ask Him to give you 
victory; expect Him to do it.  In this way, by looking unto the risen Christ 
for victory, you may have victory over sin every day, every hour, every 
moment.  "Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead" (2 Timothy 2:8).
         
God has called every one of us to a victorious life, and the secret of this 
victorious life is always looking to the risen Christ for victory.  Through 
looking to Christ crucified we obtain pardon and enjoy peace.  Through 
looking to the risen Christ we obtain present victory over the power of sin.  
If you have lost sight of the risen Christ and have yielded to temptation, 
confess your sin and know that it is forgiven because God says so (1 John 
1:9), and look to Jesus, the risen One, again to give you victory now, and 
keep looking to Him.
         
3. In the third place, we must keep looking to Jesus as the One whom we 
should follow in our daily conduct.  Our Lord Jesus says to us, His disciples 
today, as He said to His early disciples, "Follow me."  The whole secret of 
true Christian conduct can be summed up in these two words "Follow me."  
"Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (1 John 2:6).  One of 
the commonest causes of failure in Christian life is found in the attempt to 
follow some good man whom we greatly admire.  No man and no woman, no matter 
how good, can be safely followed.  If we follow any man or woman, we are 
bound to go astray.  There has been but one absolutely perfect Man on this 
earth--the Man Christ Jesus.  If we try to follow any other man we are surer 
to imitate his faults than his excellencies.  Look to Jesus and Jesus only as 
your Guide.
         
If at any time you are in any perplexity as to what to do, simply ask the 
question, What would Jesus do? Ask God by His Holy Spirit to show you what 
Jesus would do.  Study your Bible to find out what Jesus did do, and follow 
Him.  Even though no one else seems to be following Jesus, be sure that you 
follow Him.  Do not spend your time or thought in criticizing others because 
they do not follow Jesus.  See that you follow Him yourself.  When you are 
wasting your time criticizing others for not following Jesus, Jesus is always 
saying to you, "What is that to you? You must follow me" (John 21:22).  The 
question for you is not what following Jesus may involve for other people.  
The question is, What does following Jesus mean for you?
         
This is the really simple life, the life of simply following Jesus.  Many 
perplexing questions will come to you, but the most perplexing question will 
soon become as clear as day if you determine with all your heart to follow 
Jesus in everything.  Satan will always be ready to whisper to you, "Such and 
such a good man does it," but all you need to do is to answer, "It matters 
not to me what this or that man may do or not do.  The only question to me 
is, What would Jesus do?"  There is wonderful freedom in this life of simply 
following Jesus.  This path is straight and plain.  But the path of him who 
tries to shape his conduct by observing the conduct of others is full of 
twists and turns and pitfalls.  Keep looking at Jesus.  Follow on trustingly 
where He leads.  This is the path of the righteous, shining ever brighter 
till the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18).  He is the Light of the world, 
anyone who follows Him shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light 
of life all along the way (John 8:12).
         
         
Transcribed by Tony Capoccia of

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