20/20 Vision, Walking Around Blind

20/20 VISION, WALKING AROUND BLIND…

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (This is a two part lesson, or condense)

We are learning more and more about less and less until finally we know everything about nothing!

I was recently visiting my Dad. Dad is 90 years old. He has short term memory loss. He can’t remember if he ate breakfast or not. He can remember 50 years ago like yesterday. My Dad started singing a song: 2020 vision, walking around blind….

I never heard of the song… Thank God for Google… check it out… It was written by Joe Allison and Milton Estes in the late 1940’s and recorded by many in the early 1950’s…

The words: I been to the doctor, he says I am all right, I know he is lying, I am losing my sight.

He should have examined the eyes of my mind: 20/20 vision and I’m walking around blind.

Another verse says: With my eyes wide open I lay on my bed. If it wasn’t for dying,

I wish I was dead, but this is my punishment. Death is too kind --- 20/20 vision and walking around blind…

*TEMPORAL: OF OR RELATING TO TIME AS OPPOSED TO ETERNITY, earthly life, secular, carnal

*ETERNAL: endless, never stops, LASTING FOREVER, abundant life, life continues after death, perpetual…

PUT YOUR EAR TO THE GROUND… SEEMS WE CAN SEE THE TEMPORAL MUCH MORE THAN THE ETERNAL.

I remember watching WESTERNS as a child. The Indian would climb down off his horse and put his ear to the ground. He would listen closely to know if there were horses nearby. As he listened he would understand what direction the cowboys were coming. My friend, we need to put our ears to the ground.

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? DO WE FOCUS ON THE PROBLEMS OR ON GOD? THERE WAS A YOUNG PREACHER HELPING THE OLD PREACHER… THE YOUNG PREACHER COULD SEE THE TEMPORAL PROBLEMS. THE TEMPORAL VISION OF THE YOUNG PREACHER BRED FEAR AND ANXIETY. THE YOUNG MAN FOCUSED ON PROBLEMS AND TROUBLES…

2 Kings 6:13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. 14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. 15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

WHAT BREEDS FEAR IN THE YOUNG PREACHER YIELDS TO GREAT FAITH IN THE OLD PREACHER… THE GREAT DIFFERENCE IN FEAR AND FAITH WAS THEIR VISION… THE YOUNG MAN SAW THE TEMPORAL AND FEAR BREEDS FEAR… THE OLD PREACHER SAW WITH ETERNAL VISION. THE OLD PREACHER FOCUSED HIS VISION ABOVE, HE COULD SEE THE ETERNAL.

Elisha’s focus with eternal vision was to see GOD CAN! Look, there are more with us… why could the young preacher not see what the old preacher saw? LORD OPEN OUR EYES THAT WE MIGHT SEE…

1. LORD OPEN OUR EYES. (Eternal)

2. LORD CLOSE THEIR EYES. (Temporal)

3. FOLLOW ME.

4. OPEN THEIR EYES.

5. DON’T KILL THEM --- FEED THEM AND MAKE THEM FRIENDS.

2 Kings 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. 20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

WE MUST LEARN TO IDENTIFY TWO IMPORTANT ISSUES: TEMPORAL VISION VERSUS ETERNAL VISION.

Have we ever considered the differences between temporary and eternal? It is so easy to invest our time, talent and energy in the temporal. WHERE ARE WE INVESTING OUR TIME, TALENT AND ENERGY? HOW MUCH EFFORT AND ENERGY DO WE INVEST IN THE TEMPORAL VS THE ETERNAL? It is so easy to focus on the struggle of things, stress, finances, emotional overloads and look for peace and contentment.