John 12: 37-40
Subtitle: Blinders of the Heart.
Introduction:
This is the 2nd part of our series on The Believer’s Heart.
Last Sunday I mentioned a verse about the eyes of our heart.
That’s from Ephesians. 1:18
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
These “eyes of our hearts” need to be protected from blindness.
Christians should have 20/20 vision because in this heart where God speaks and guide us.
A blinded heart will never ever lead someone to Christ.
Matthew 15:14
…If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.
We don’t normally think of eyesight and the heart together.
But in this case, Paul is really talking about the very center of our being, the secret place known only to us and God.
How is the vision of your heart?
Today, we are going to study how a believer’s heart can be blinded.
The Three (3) Blinders of the heart.
1. The Influence of the World.
Our lives are affected by two worlds.
We possess a plural existence.
We are still living in this world and at the same time living in the kingdom of God.
But if we are not careful the influence of this fallen world will make the eyes of our hearts blind.
The Lord Jesus in his prayer in John 17 recognizes the danger of the influence of this world.
John 17: 11
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me…
John 17: 15, 16
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
We are in this world but not of this world.
It is possible for Christians to work with the world, but not influence by them.
Our Lord Jesus did not want us to hide from the world – what He wants is to be careful not to be influenced by the world.
John 17:15
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
1 John 2:15
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Yes in John 3:16 the scripture says, “For God love the world…” the word “world” here means, people and universe.
But the word “world” in 1John 2:15 means, it’s SYSTEM.
The world’s system can dilute your love for Christ.
Remember the parable of the sower?
Matthew 13:22
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
2. Continues Rejection of the Truth.
Many worldly people today try to deny the existence of truth – especially the truth of the Bible.
But sad to say many Christians today are willfully rejecting the truth.
There is a grave danger in this because if you do this habitually it will greatly affect your conscience. You will come to a point in your life that you will never recognize right from wrong, and the truth from lie.
Do you know that our conscience can get sick? If our conscience got sick again it will be difficult to recognize the truth.
If we are not careful, Satan can blind the eyes of our heart through deception.Deception is disinformation
Jesus exhorts us to “Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness will not overtake you…believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light” (John 12: 35-36).
2Timothy 3:5-7
Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.
You can always hear the word or the truth but if you have no regard in it, you will not benefit from it.
Mark 4:15
As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
If you take the truth for granted Satan will come to steal the seed of truth in your heart.
3. Willful sinning.
Psalm 19:13
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
Sin can make the vision of our heart blurred.
A willful sinner is one who deliberately sets out to violate the Word of God.
A person will sin to attempt to meet their own needs independent of God.
When we seek this path it always causes us trouble and heartache.
1 Sam 15:23 KJV
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Willful sinning causes us to grieve the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is an intimate part of our life and we must cease from grieving and quenching Him.
Eventually our own spirit will feel cast down in us.
If we continue in our sins then God may send a gentle reminder that we are to stop our willful sinning. His abundant grace will help us overcome.
Don’t let ourselves come to a point in our lives that because of willful sinning blur our conscience as well as our hearts and call wrong right and call right wrong.
Always keep in mind that God sees the secret sins as well as the public sins.
This should be great comfort to us because private sin can kill us and God is right there to help us out of every sin we get into.
Genesis 4:7
…Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
Conclusion:
At the closing of these to two (2) part series, I want you to be reminded of this Scripture again.
Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.
Just to remind you from our last Sunday’s sermon:
The heart is the seat of man’s inner life.
It represents your true character.
It represents your true identity.
