3d - Pt. 1 - Surrounded Series

I. Introduction

Out of sight . . . out of mind can be more than just a statement about forgetfulness. It can also be a dangerous and costly spiritual condition. I can remember growing up hearing this statement about church folks . . . "They are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good!" I want to suggest that perhaps in this day and age that we may have swung to the other side of the spectrum until we have become so consumed with earthly things that in turn we have become unaware of the heavenly things going on around us! We have moved from seeing demons behind every bush and angels in every hitchhiker to seeing and trusting nothing but what can be touched, smelled, tasted and sighted with natural eyes.

What if there is another dimension? Activity unseen.

I want to assert this morning a truth that we need to recapture.

Unseen doesn't mean unreal!

We need to reaffirm and embrace this truth. We should know this to be true. Just from the experiences we read about in scripture. From Genesis to Revelation there are at least 300 encounters detailed where the main characters encountered angels or spiritual forces outside our dimension. Adam and Eve, Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Daniel, Mary and Joseph, Peter, John, Phillip and Jesus Himself all knew that there was a dimension that was unseen that was very real.

We should grasp this due to what we are told in Ephesians.

Ephesians 6:12

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies,

but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

There it is the unseen world. The writer implores us to not only recognize the unseen but interact with it, combat it, and later in verse 18 he tells us to parter with the Spirit when we pray.

I want to strongly reassert the reality of the unseen because if we fail to embrace this truth/knowledge the fallout is we will also fail to live like it is true.

Our attention on the natural cannot keep us from paying attention to the supernatural going on around us. The natural will fight for our focus simply because if that becomes our focus we are set up for defeat. Whether we are unaware of our enemy or the forces on our side, if we fail to see them we fail! So, today let me talk to you about what happens when we can't see and then next week I will come back and deal with what happens when you can see!

Let me illustrate from Scripture.

2 Kings 6:13-23

“Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria. After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria. When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?” “Do not kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master.” So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory.

Out of this passage I want to teach us some simple lessons about the unseen.

We must see the unseen because if we don't . . .