The Dangers Of Spiritual Blindness

The DANGERS of

SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS

Rev. John W. Gerald

I. BLINDNESS OF HEART

Eph. 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

This is where spiritual blindness starts. It is a blindness that does not appear to the victim. It is, nevertheless, fatal to the soul. It is called ignorance, and blindness of the heart. Those so blinded, are alienated from spiritual life. They are dead, and do not know it!

II. INNER DARKNESS

Mt 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

Mt 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

Singleness of eye represents singleness of purpose. A divided mind is hard to deal with. A person so afflicted is unstable in all of his ways. Indecision is frustrating, and prevents decisive action. But a person who does not know whether he will serve the Lord, or not, and puts off accepting salvation through Jesus Christ, is making a decision through default! Those who can only see what the flesh and the devil desire, will make decisions in the dark! Their decisions will not be influenced by spiritual truths, nor will they be made in the light of eternal interests.

III. SEEING NOT PERCEIVING

Mt. 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

Mt. 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Mt. 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

The parable (a story or illustration) is not needed for those who have spiritual discernment, but the story is interesting to the spiritually blind and darkened mind. People will listen to a story, who will not listen to truths preached without illustration. They may enjoy the story, and miss the truth it illustrates entirely!

Mt. 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

IV. THE WILLFULLY BLIND

Mt. 13:15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

The worst kind of blindness is WILLFUL blindness. The Pharisees knew that Jesus was from God, yet they condemned him to death for selfish reasons! They were afraid that he would take away their place and their nation!

V. THE SPIRITUAL BOTH SEE AND HEAR!

Mt. 13:16 But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Mt. 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have not heard [them].

The prophets only saw through visions from a distance. The disciples saw through personal experience, first hand. We have their record, and through divine inspiration are permitted to see the things of God. Eyes that are open to the truth can see the truth when they accept it from the Lord. We see and believe the things that pertain to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

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.

Those who do not "see" spiritual truths, yet presume to lead others will certainly lead them astray. Those who are led by the blind will fall with them in the end.

Mt. 23:16 Woe unto you, [ye] blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

Mt. 23:17 [Ye] fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

To those who are greedy of gold, the temple may have little significance, but the holy place is of greater value than that which adorns it, and is sanctified by it. It is greater than any of its components. Is heaven valuable for its streets of gold, or because of its inhabitants? Are the precious stones of their foundations more valuable than the walls? Is the ring on the finger more valuable than the bride who wears it? Obviously not!