Understanding The Invisible

To receive the impossible we need to believe in the invisible!

The Invisible World – Much of our world today believes in an invisible realm. One we cannot see or touch in a material sense.

Apart from the fact that the majority of the world’s population believes in one form of deity or another we know this to be true with the heightened interest in all things ‘spiritual’:

Spiritism ; psychics ; mystics ; mediums ; the paranormal.

Many people believe in an invisible environment that not only exists but AFFECTS the visible and tangible.

An immaterial world, that relates to the material world.

We do not always understand how this happens yet as Christians we believe we have encountered a spiritual reality that we have never seen with our physical eyes.

My primary reason for considering this theme today is to pave the way for what I will share with you over two Sundays, starting in two weeks time. I want to unwrap the dreams that God has given me for our future, and I am convinced that to embrace the possibilities of what I will share will require a glimpse into the invisible future. Into a world of DREAMS and VISION.

Comprehending the invisible reality around us is one of the most challenging characteristics of the Christian life.

To receive the impossible we need to believe in the invisible!

• Our Faith is in an invisible God

1 Tim 1:17 - Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen

Hebrews 11:27 - By faith he (Moses) left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible

It seems so much easier to grasp and understand what you can see, hear, feel, smell or taste. We call this empirical evidence i.e. evidence from our human senses. Yet God is not always encountered or experienced in those ways.

So how do we relate to an invisible God?

• Through Creation – Romans 1:20 - For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

• Through Jesus – Colossians 1:15,16 - He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him

(The Message: 1:15) We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen

• Through Prayer – Matthew 6:6 - But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

We are constantly asked to believe in what we cannot see – and we do! – Because we have discovered a greater depth of sight –that is not based on empirical evidence but spiritual evidence.

• Our Battle is against an invisible enemy

Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

(NLT) For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

If there is a struggle in this unseen, invisible realm it must not only be real but significant.

Jesus illustrated the connection between the earth and the ‘heavenlies’.

Matthew 16:17-19 - Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

( The Message: 16:19) And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.

• Our Hope is in an invisible future

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

(The Message: 11:1) The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.