Blind to the truth
2 Cor. 3:12 ¶ Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:
13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(KJV)
I want to begin this message in reference to the scripture text I just read.
Paul was writing to the church at Corinth concerning their spiritual blindness.
After Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets containing God’s commandments, he kept a veil over his face to shield the radiance of God’s visible glory that was on his face.
In verse 14, Paul is saying that it is as if the veil is still there for those Jews who have not accepted Christ.
They could not see that the old covenant (God’s “life agreement with the Israelites based on His laws and promises to them and on their faithfulness and obedience to Him) was a temporary measure to point people to Christ.
Only through faith in Christ can people see that the new covenant, because of the greater glory, has replaced the old.
As verse 17 says, “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
Liberty that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
Faith in Jesus Christ liberates people from the guilt and slavery of sin, and from the power and control of Satan.
And the Lord makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.
So in using these verses as a foundation for this message, we can go on to say how people are still blinded to the truth today.
2 Cor. 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
The word “blind” in the context of this message means, “unable or unwilling to perceive or understand.”
That is the reason the Jews in Paul’s day would not accept Jesus Christ and the New Covenant.
Simply because they were so bound by religious laws they were either unable or unwilling to see and understand the gospel.
They were blind to the truth.
There are millions today who are blind to the truth of the gospel.
Reading 2 Cor. 4:4 again, “2 Cor. 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
The “god of this world” is Satan. This merely indicates that Satan is the major influence on the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people.
His influence also encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce.
The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions.
Satan is also called the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2.
He is the “ruler of this world” in John 12:31.
To say, for example, that Satan is the “price of the power of the air” is to signify that in some way he rules over the world.
This is not to say that he rules the world completely. God is still sovereign.
But it does mean that God, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed Satan to operate in this world within the boundaries God has set for him.
When the Bible says Satan has power over the, we must remember that God has given him domain over unbelievers only.
Christians are no longer under the rule of Satan. Colossians 1:13
Sinners on the other hand are caught “in the snare of the devil.” 2 Timothy 2:26, and lie in the power of the evil one 1 John 5:19, and are in bondage to Satan.
So, when the Bible says that Satan is the “god of this world” it is not saying that he has ultimate authority, but that he rules the unbelieving world in a specific way.
Satan’s scheme is promoting false philosophies in the world, philosophies that blind the sinner to the truth of the gospel.
Millions are going to hell because they have been blinded by the “god of this world.”
You must understand that it was Adam and Eve’s sin in disobeying God that created this problem.
When they chose to disobey God, by listening to the influence of Satan, they made Satan their master in the place of God.
Because they chose Satan’s plan, he took control over the world, and as a result a curse filled the earth.
The problem is, many Christians today are being blinded by the influences of Satan and his dominion.
We have the Bible, the inspired Word of God, to enlighten us and to give us spiritual insight, and to inform us with spiritual understanding.
We have the Bible to make things clear to us, to teach us, to instruct us, and to enable us to understand in a spiritual sense.
We have been enlightened concerning the evil and diabolical philosophies of this worldly system controlled by Satan.
Yet so many Christians get caught up, sometimes unknowingly, in the ideas and influence of the world.
Many “Christians” have been blinded to the truth, either through the influence of Satan and his devices, or by simply ignoring what the truth really is.
Or, by not reading the Word of God, but instead are listening to the falsehoods and the deceptions of a worldly society.
I say, “God, please open our eyes to the truth, and not be deceived by this world’s lies and hypocrisy.”
So many today are trying to mix Christianity with politics.
In other words, if you stand against the killing of unborn babies, you are being politically incorrect.
No, it has nothing to do with politics. The killing of unborn babies is sin.
Transgenderism, homosexuality is perversion, it is an act of unstable and reprobate minds.
And if you believe these things are okay, you have been blinded to the truth.
What is truth? The gospel is truth. The Bible is truth. Jesus is truth. And yet:
there are thousands of people who sit in our church pews every Sunday who have willingly turned their minds from the truth.
2 Timothy 4:4, “2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
What is a fable? The dictionary says a fable is a falsehood, a lie.
Many Christians have been influenced by the devil, believing his lies of deception, and turning away from the truth of God’s Word.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “How could you be so blind?”
How can the church be so blind today? How can we not see the condition we are in?
How can we not see how the devil is destroying families, relationships, even our walk with God?
Church, listen, this morning; let’s keep our eyes upon Jesus! Let us meditate upon the Word of God.
“Titus 1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
Meaning not giving attention to man made doctrines that conflict with the Word of God.
1 Timothy 4:3, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;”
“Not endure” means, they will not put up with sound doctrine.
“Sound doctrine” meaning biblically true doctrine.
But they will ignore the true Word and listen to preachers and teachers who teach what they want to hear, being willingly blind to the truth.
Mt 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.
Isaiah 9:16, “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”
Church, let us not be led astray with this world’s philosophies, or religious falsehood.
Let’s hold on to the truth. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2Th 2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
1Co 16:13 ¶ Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Let us not become blind to what God’s Word says. Don’t allow the devil to deceive you with vain words, and the latest trends of the religious world, jumping on the bandwagon of every thing that comes along.
Stay with the truth! Stay with the truth! Stay with the truth!
If the Bible says something is right, its right, and if the Bible says something is wrong, its wrong!
The Bible is not out-dated, obsolete, out of style, past its prime, or bygone.
I am closing with a reading by Billy Graham:
In the summer of 1949, my team and I were preparing for the most intensive evangelistic mission we had ever attempted, a citywide outreach in Los Angeles, California.
Although the press had ignored it, several hundred churches had come together to prepare and pray for the planned three-week-long event. We believed God had led us there, and many were praying He would use the meetings to bring many to Christ.
Just weeks before the mission was to start, however, I experienced a major crisis of faith–the most intense of my life. Some months before, a fellow evangelist whom I respected greatly had begun to express doubts about the Bible, urging me to “face facts” and change my belief that the Bible was the inspired Word of God. “Billy,” he said, “you’re fifty years out-of-date. People no longer accept the Bible as being inspired the way you do. Your faith is too simple.” I knew from my own reading that some modern theologians shared his views.
For months doubts about the Bible swirled through my mind, finally coming to a boil during a conference at which I was speaking in the mountains east of Los Angeles. One night, alone in my cabin at the conference, I studied carefully what the Bible said about its divine origin. I recalled that the prophets clearly believed they were speaking God’s Word; they used the phrase “Thus says the Lord” (or similar words) hundreds of times. I also knew that archaeological discoveries had repeatedly confirmed the Bible’s historical accuracy.
Especially significant to me, however, was Jesus’ own view of Scripture. He not only quoted it frequently, but also accepted it as the Word of God. While praying for His disciples, He said, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). He also told them, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law” (Matthew 5:18). Shouldn’t I have the same view of Scripture as my Lord?
The Word of God is never out of date! Don’t be blinded to its truths.
