#1doomed To Fail: Spiritual Blindness

#1 DOOMED TO FAILURE BECAUSE OF SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I do this lesson in two parts.

But this is part one of a several part lesson!

Years ago at President John Kennedy’s grave an eternal flame was ignited.

The experts said it would burn for ever.

A Priest was sprinkling "HOLY WATER" on the grave, and some way the water put out the eternal flame.

Someone had to re-ignite the flame?

I. MANY OF TODAY’S WOES AND PROBLEMS CAN BE POINTED TO ONE PROBLEM: SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS AND MISPLACED PRIORITIES WITHIN OUR SOCIETY, EDUCATION SYSTEMS AND THE CHURCH.

A. Many of the shames faced today are because we place so great a value on success and winning at all cost.

The little league coach cheated on the age of his players to play older boys against the younger. Of course they won. What a disgrace when the news media

broke the story?

B. What about the lady that ran the first few miles of a marathon, jumped in a taxi, rode to the end of the race, rested and when the other ladies were visible

running in exhaustion --- she jumped up and ran at great speed to the finish line? She won? But what did she win?

C. Our high schools allow coaches to scream and curse out the team members in the goal of motivation to win. The coaches may win, but the examples they lead are sad and twisted.

D. College teams accept sin and criminal behavior as the norm to get good players to have a winning program. The athletes are examples of what we do

not want our young people to be.

Drunken parties and wild orgies are tolerated to have a winning team.

Where is the code of ethics?

E. Pro sport players spend fortunes on illegal drugs.

drug induced performance may enhance the winning, but at what cost.

One pro team member boast of having sex with 15,000 women? And we still cheer him on?

Gambling, drug addictions, and wild sexual exploits are accepted to win.

F. What are we telling our youth?

A piece of eye candy exposed herself on national TV during a half time show, and this was seen by many in the sanctuaries of God across this country?

G. Our music videos and fleshly dance and gyrations are accepted right in many churches.

H. WHERE IS THE OUT CRY FROM THE PULPITS THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN THE TEMPERAL AND NOT THE ETERNAL?

II. THERE IS A TERRIBLE DISEASE WITHIN THE HEARTS OF MANY PEOPLE TODAY.

A. The church seems satisfied to see and focus on so little.

We use people to build the church instead of using the church to build people.

B. The church is not the cure, BUT THE CHURCH CONTAINS THE CURE.

C. The modern church has one goal, growth and a bigger budget. We count a church successful that meets this criteria.

D. THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS, WHEN WE ARE SO SEEKER FRIENDLY THAT WE ACCEPT ALL --- TO COMPROMISE REACHING OUT.

E. We accept football games in worship services, we dismiss services to excuse the lack of attendance.

F. Several churches dismiss all but their Sunday morning service in the summer to accommodate the sports and games of vacation.

G. This brings the average attendance up for the year.

WHAT ARE OUR PRIORITIES?

III. WHAT IS BLINDNESS? CAN WE HAVE OUR SIGHT AND BE SPIRITUALLY BLIND?

TEXT:

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Matthew 15:14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Luke 6:39 And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

A. BLIND:

Sightless,

UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO DISCERN OR JUDGE

Having no regard to rational , discrimination, guidance, or restriction.

LACKING IN DIRECTING OR CONTROLLING CONCIOUSNESS

Drunk --- out of control.

Lacking a growing point or producing flowers or blooms to bear fruit.

Hidden, difficult to discern, difficult to discover.

To withhold from light.

To conceal.

B. Legally blind: Having less than 1/10 of normal vision.

C. THERE ARE MORE PROBLEMS THAN JUST PHYSICALLY BLIND,

THERE ARE THOSE THAT ARE MENTALLY BLINDED AND REFUSE TO LISTEN AND ACCEPT GOD’S WISDOM.

D. THE REAL SAD JOURNEY ARE THOSE BLIND TO SPIRITUAL SIGHT.

They walk in little faith and believe every negative word that comes to their ears.

E. Blind eyes can lead to blind hearts.

F. NONE SO BLIND AS THOSE THAT WILL NOT SEE.

Matthew Henry

G. Samson saw more as a blind man than he did with sight. Samson’s eyes seemed to always focus on women and the flesh, until his eyes were destroyed, then Samson saw what God saw.