Text Acts: 9:18-19
State Subject: When God Removes your blindfold
A blindfold is a covering over the eyes that will prevent one from being able to see. Church you need to realize that the devil uses blindfolds today to keep the world from seeing the truth. He has the world blinded into thinking that wrong is right and right is wrong. Church once the devil has you blindfolded he will do all in his power to keep you in the dark. The blindfold that the devil uses is sin. And the way he starts the blindfolding process through temptation; for he dangles silver and gold before your eyes and lead you to desire the riches of the world, then as you begin to desire it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full grown gives birth to death. And only God has the power to save your soul from sin and death. Some of us this morning make be saying, I can see, but church, the blindness we are speaking of this morning is spiritual and the death we are speaking is spiritual death
Moreover church, if God has not removed your blindfolds then you are still walking in darkness. God in his infinite wisdom shows in through the conversion of Paul who is Saul of Tarsus in our text, how we can be in service for the Lord and still be spiritual blind.
Let us look at Saul before God removed his blindfold. Well, Saul was a man who hated the church, He hated Jesus, he hated Christians, and he hated anything that had to do with Christianity. Because of His hatred, he did every thing in his power to destroy it. Church, Satan hates the church and when we speak of the church we are not talking about these walls of bricks, and these seats of wood, we are talking about the body of Christ. We are the members of the body of Christ, therefore the devil hates you this morning and he will do everything in his power to destroy you, for we know he comes only to kill, steal and to destroy. In other words, he wants to blind you and lead you to sin and death today.
The scripture lesson tells us that Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. That is what the devil is still doing today, he is searching for anyone who is “of the Way” You see church, in the first century the Christians was characterized as being different, the lived different, loved different; they gave different, there was something about them that reminded people of Jesus, who himself ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”
Let us look again at Saul, this man Saul was a Pharisee, so this means he has a deep love and appreciation for his Jewish faith and could easily speak to people who was rooted in Judaism. He was an educated as a rabbi by Gamaliel in Jerusalem. That means he could relate to the educated people. He spoke Aramaic and Greek. That meant that he could speak to people in their own language. He was a Roman citizen through his father. With causes other Roman citizens to listen to him. In other word church, he was not just a go-to church ever week kind of person. He was passionate about what he did. He was serious about his belief in God. He knew the scriptures backward and forward. He studied the Scriptures daily and applied them to his life. You see my brothers and my sisters the Jews of those days knew the Scriptures well, and Saul above average because he was educated by the best professor in the world and even though he believe in God and was active with his faith- he was spiritual blind because he did not know God.
Saul had a religion but he did not have a relationship. Church some of us today, can repeat the Sunday School benediction, we can recite the 23rd Psalm, we can recite the Apostle’s Creed, but we do not really know God, in that we are still spiritual blind. For we are not living in love and harmony with our neighbor, we are still worrying about our health, we are still worry about what we are to wear and what we are to eat, we do not give to the poor, nor do we visit the sick and shut in, we are still hurt and angry we some one who made us mad 10- 15 years ago, in other words we do not forgive those who has hurt us.
Yes church some of us are like Saul, you see Saul had a wonderful religion, but he missed a wonderful relationship with God. In some way it make seem unlikely that God choose Saul to one of the major leaders of the church, especially since he originally wanted to eliminate the church, however church I stopped by this morning to let you know that God can take your background and making good use of it. God can and sometime will take our background, Sister Thompson and use it as a testimony for others who are struggling. Someone who had a drug and alcohol addiction can tell someone about the saving Grace of God. Some one who been healed can tell other about a healing God.
Yes church there are many people who profess God but do not really know God, for when Saul met the Lord on the road to Damascus, he asked who are you Lord. Suddenly Saul realized that this was not the God that he had been serving, this was not the God he knew. So he cried out who are you. All the studying, reading, and now Saul realizes that he does not know God at all. God to him was some distant far off God who had created the heaven and earth and all things that are in it.
Now he comes to know God the Father and God the Son is One. For Jesus said to Him, I am Jesus whom you persecute. Church Saul realized that he had not been seeing clearing, that he had not been seeing God for who He really was, he was not seeing the Scriptures correctly that he was not seeing the Way to God. Therefore our scripture lesson tells us that Jesus blinded him let him know that he was not seeing what God really wanted him to do with his life.
There are many people like Saul today; there are people who are spiritually blind who attacks those who are not. There are people who are spiritual blind who think they are doing right when they will not stray away from the old way of doing things, they will not let go of old traditions, they say that is they way we all ways done it never bothering to ask is it what God wants us to do. There are some who the only God can get them to change is He has to strike them blind. Sometime God has to allow a sickness, death, or a great tragedy to come upon us before he can get us to change our way.
Paul was spiritual blind and Jesus had to physical blind him in order to get his attention. Now Saul recognized that Jesus was the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. For he now asks, “ Lord what will you have me to do?” And Jesus said I arise and go, arise and go into the city and it will tell to you what you must do. We know the story of how God began to convert Ananias at the same time, as God began to change us, He will also change the heart and mind of those who He send us to. And the one He sends to us.
We are talking this morning about when God removes your blindfold, you see church God told Ananias to go to into the street which is called Straight and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold he prayeth.
And the bible says that Ananias went and entered the house and putting his hands on him said Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee on the way sent me, that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And they tell me immediately there fell from his eyes as it been scales; and he received sight and arose and was baptized. Church when God removes your blindfold, you too will make it known to the world that I have been redeemed, bought with a price, yes my whole life is changed. Saul did not care what the others thought of him for right away he was baptized into the Holy Ghost and church once you are baptized with the Holy Ghost you can not sit still, you have to shout every now and then, you have wave you your hand, stoop you feet and praise the Lord in a loud voice. Once God remove your blindfold you will stop hating your brothers and your sister, and you will love not only your brothers and sister, but you will find your self loving your enemy you will forgive the unforgivable, you will give until it hurt, you find your self singing this little light of mind am going to let it shine, you will know that Jesus is the Son of God. When God removes your blindfold you can sing "Amazing Grace how sweet thou sound that saved a wretch like me, for I was once lost but now am found, was blind but now I see. When God removes your blindfold you can say, I believe in God the Father Almighty, that He is the Maker of Heaven and Earth, I believe in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, I believe that He was conceived by the Holy Ghost that He was borned of a Virgin Mary, that He was crucified dead and buried, but early, early on that third morning He stepped out of the grave no with some power but all power, all power all power of heaven and earth in His hands. When God removes your blindfold. Amen.
