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 . . .
Surrounded can lead to surrender.
Elisha's servant awakes, goes outside, looks up and because of what he sees in the natural and doesn't see in 3D he is ready to surrender.
I wonder how many of you today, because of what you can see and because of what you can't see, are ready to give up, throw in the towel, quit and accept defeat and bondage?
Sickness is closing in on every side. Hopelessness is tightening its grip. Loneliness is becoming more restrictive. Lack is looming. The impossible has imprisoned. Surrounded. Encompassed. Enclosed. Hard to breath. Harder to believe. If we don't see the unseen, then we will surrender.
However, this morning I just want to encourage you to open your eyes! See the unseen. It is time to recognize that what has surrounded you is in fact surrounded. Those for us are more than those who are against us!
Romans 8:31 - If God is for us, who can be against us?
Failure to focus can lead to fear.
Elisha's servant failure to focus led to fear. "What shall we do?" He is freaking out. We are boxed in. The bills are going to bury. The doubters are right. The pain is permanent. But Elisha stops him, prays and says go look again. That is what I want to do today. Stop - pray - then have you go look again.
PRAY
Open your eyes. Don't let fear win.
We need to be reminded from Psalms 91
You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
I trust in you and I’m safe!” (Come on say it - See the disease but you are safe. See the debt but you are safe. See the challenge but you are safe!)
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door. He ordered his angels (the unseen) to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path.
Elizabeth Elliot was right when she said, "Fear arises when we imagine everything depends on us."
Failure to focus can lead to flesh!
Elisha's servant lack of ability to see causes him to ask "What shall WE do?" Elisha is like "WE?" Do you have a mouse in your pocket? We aren't doing anything. Look again. We don't have to do anything. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty to the pulling down of strongholds! Not by might, nor by power but by my spirit says the Lord of hosts! We are going to stand here and see what is surrounding our surrounders and rest in Him! Don't let your lack of sight cause you to take matters into your own hands! See God so you will let God!
Open your eyes. Let God rescue. Let God step in. Some of us leave no room for God. Quit fighting by yourself. That is why it is also important to note that the servant couldn't see without help from Elisha. We can't rely on flesh but we do need someone who can see to help us to see that we are fighting in the flesh. We need people that will help us see. We need people who can say, “just sit still. Don't move. Don't use the card. Don't give up.” We need folks that will help us see that our surrounders are surrounded. We need folks that will focus so we don't fear. We need folks that will help us trust God.
You have folks around you now that can see.
