“Blinded Eyes Opened”
CONT. in ministry of Holy Spirit …
·We have all of Him we will ever need … BUT … He doesn’t have all of us … we “leak”.
·We are His TEMPLE … He lives w/in us.
·We have everything we need to live the “Victorious Christian Life” … BECAUSE … we were IDENTIFIED w/ Jesus when He died on cross.
NOW … WHY don’t we live like it? BECAUSE … we are BLIND … NOT PHY. … BUT … SPR. BLIND.
I don’t know what it’s like to be PHY. BLIND … don’t WANT to know. BUT … Jesus had something to say to CHRISTIANS who are SPR. BLIND …
Rev. 3:14-19 – all turn
The condition of many CHRISTIAN hearts – 3:14-16
NOW … He tells us WHY … 3:17 … “blind” … AND … don’t KNOW it.
NOW … He tells us WHAT TO DO about it … 3:18 … “anoint your eyes w/ salve, that you may see”.
- Medical School in Laodicea … developed an eye salve … “Phrygian Powder” … to heal diseases of the eyes.
We have an “eye problem” … “blind” to POWER & PRESENCE of God in our lives.
- We need “scales” removed … SO … can “see” the Spiritual power that indwelling Holy Spirit has for us.
Saul/Paul … Acts 9:18 - “Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once;”
We need our BLINDED EYES OPENED … LIKE … Blind man Jesus healed.
- John 9:25 – “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."
We are like those in Mark 8:18 – “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?”
We need our SPR. EYES anointed w/ “eye salve” of Holy Spirit … SO … we can “see” the outworking of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
We need to say with JOB - Job 42:5 - "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.”
It’s the ministry of the Holy Spirit … to OPEN UP our spiritually blinded “eyes”.
·WHAT do we NEED to see?
·WHAT is THERE for us to see?
·WHAT are we BLINDED to?
2 Kings Ch. 6 – all turn
6:8 - WAR! K. of Syria told officers where to sent troops to AMBUSH army of Israel.
6:9 – Elisha warns K. of Israel not to go there.
6:10 – K. of Israel sends word to his army where enemy waiting to ambush … several times.
6:11 – K. of Syria thought spy in his army.
6:12 – No internal spy … Elisha ”wire-tapping” conversations … (“Home-land Security”)
6:13 – K. of Syria wants to CAPTURE Elisha.
6:14 – Syrian army surrounds Dothan.
6:15 – Elisha’s servant … early … saw army.
- FELT LIKE … Custer at “Little Big Horn” … Davy Crocket at “Alamo” … Sadaam Hussein looking up from his hole in ground!
“What shall we do?” Ever felt like Satan has you surrounded? You’re NO MATCH for Satan.
Eph. 6:12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
BUT … Don’t want to FOCUS on power of Satan.
WHAT did servant SEE … FOCUS ON? Problem … strength of enemy … hopelessness of fighting battle in own strength.
6:16 –
1 John 4:4 – “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Romans 8:31 – “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
WHAT IS OUT THERE … THAT … our eyes are not seeing? … That we are BLIND to?
6:17 – WHAT would you “see” … IF … Holy Spirit were to OPEN OUR EYES?
SATAN wants you to FOCUS on your … problems … circumstances … trials … problems … burdens - heartaches … the SYRIAN ARMY …
- “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
INSTEAD … we are to FOCUS our eyes on JESUS … AND … on the POWER of the Holy Spirit who lives w/in us.
Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to REVEAL to us … THAT WHICH … we already HAVE … BUT … are not able to SEE.
We need to pray … “Lord, open my eyes, that I might see Your”:
·PRESENCE - Hebrews 13:5 – "I will never (2)leave you nor (3) forsake you."
·POWER - Matthew 28:18 – “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
·PEACE - John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
·VICTORY - 1 John 5:4 – “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.”
·LOVE - Romans 8:35 – “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
·FORGIVENESS - Jeremiah 31:34 – “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
·HIS WORD - Psalms 119:18 – “Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.”
·WISDOM - James 1:5 – “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
·REST - Matthew 11:28 – “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
AND … it’s all YOURS … IF … we will only OPEN OUR EYES to what the Holy Spirit has ALREADY PROVIDED for us.
IT’S NOT LIKE … we have to BEG God for these things.
- They are OURS … IF … we would just OPEN OUR BLINDED EYES … AND … “see” what God has already given us.
Malachi 3:10 – “And try Me now in this," Says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Ephesians 3:20 – “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”
Philippians 4:19 – “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
CONCLUSION:
My prayer ISN’T so much … “Lord, give me victory in my Christian life.”
- AS IT IS … “Lord, OPEN MY EYES to SEE what You have ALREADY PROVIDED for me … through the indwelling Holy Spirit.”
THE POINT IS …
·We ALREADY HAVE the VICTORY!
·We ALREADY HAVE all the RESOURCES we need.
·We ALREADY HAVE the indwelling of the Spirit.
·We ALREADY HAVE everything we need to … conquer sin … resist temptation … overcome Satan … live victoriously … serve God ... live for Him.
We just need to “see” it with our EYES OF FAITH.
- EITHER THAT … OR … God is a LIAR … AND … Jesus died IN VAIN.
WHAT WE NEED IS … for the “scales” to be removed from our eyes … (like the servant of Elisha) … AND … “see” what is ALREADY OURS.
HOW DO I KNOW WE ALREADY HAVE IT? BECAUSE … the PERSON of the Holy Spirit lives WITHIN US!
Romans 8:31, 37 – “ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
And all God’s people said … “AMEN!”
STAND - PRAY
