One of the most popular prayer requests in the body of
Christ myself included is that we might better see and hear what the Father is
doing and saying that we might be more effective in our walk with Him and
ministry to others. Since Jesus is our
role model it is fitting that we should follow in His footsteps.
In John 5:19 we
see that Jesus did nothing of Himself.
He only did the things He saw His Father doing. Likewise in John 14:10 we see that Jesus spoke
nothing on His own accord only that which He heard His Father saying. Some might disqualify themselves from being
able to hear and see what the Father is doing as Jesus did because He was God
and we are not. Though Jesus was with
God and was equal to God from the beginning, He laid aside His equality and
privileges as God to take on the form of a servant. He (The Word) became flesh and dwelled among
men. (See Philippians 2:5-8 John 1:14)
Jesus was both the Son of God and the Son of man. He was on an assignment from heaven to redeem
mankind from the fall and only an innocent man could become the sacrifice
necessary to pay the required price. If
Jesus had used any of His privileges as God and not faced His assignment as a
man He would have disqualified Himself as the perfect human sacrifice. Everything He did and said was as a man under
the influence of the Holy Spirit. Those
who have been born again from above and filled with His Spirit have been
transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom
of God
If we have any disadvantage to Jesus it’s because of our
past. Jesus had no corrupt past to
hinder His ability to see and hear. The
rest of us need to repent and change our way of thinking. We need our minds renewed that we can develop
hearing ears and eyes that see. Jesus
made a remarkable statement in John 9:39. “For judgment I have come
into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may
be made blind.”
It is easy to understand that Jesus came to give sight to blind people
but why would He make blind those who see?
Jesus was not speaking of natural eyesight but spiritual vision. The Pharisees and religious people of that
day thought they could see but Jesus revealed their blindness. Jesus tried to convince the Pharisees even
calling them blind leaders of the blind.
Most of them rejected Him as their Messiah while others saw Him for who
He truly was. The Pharisees were students
of the word of God but somehow when the living word came on the scene they
didn’t recognize Him. Their spiritual
blindness prevented them from entering God’s Kingdom and they became a
roadblock to others who sought to enter in.
(See Matthew 23:13)
In John 3 Jesus said He didn’t come into the world to
condemn the world but to save it. When
Jesus said He came for judgment it was to judge or condemn the things that block
spiritual vision. There are several
things that cause spiritual blindness and deafness but the main culprit is
deception and hardness of heart.
In Mark
Though the disciples heard Jesus with their natural ears they did not perceive of His words. We see in verse 17 Jesus points to a heart condition as the reason for their misunderstanding. Hardness of heart is the major cause of blindness but what causes our hearts to become hard?
Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Sin is deceitfully attractive because it appears to be the
answer to our immediate need. Unbelief
is the major sin the Pharisees were bound by.
Unbelief is rooted in pride which says (I know best). Fallen humanity needs something to elevate
itself back up from the fall and pride presents itself as the solution. Jesus warned His disciples of religious pride that
puffs men up in their mind. It falsely elevates
and only sets us up for a greater fall.
Out of the heart the mouth speaks. Whatever is planted and growing in the heart
will come forth like seed from the mouth.
Those who receive the word or seed will find the same things sprouting
up in their own heart. Doctrine is like
seed sown that reproduces after its own kind.
The hearts of the Pharisees were so overgrown with unbelief and pride
their teaching was toxic. As Jesus spoke
out the pure doctrine of God it could not take root in their hearts because of
their overgrown condition.
Now he who received
seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness
of riches choke the word,
and he becomes unfruitful. Matthew
13:22
Though wealth is not sinful it has a deceitful
tendency. Wealth can lead one to believe
they are in need of nothing while not recognizing their true condition. The church
of Laodicea
Wealth empowers us to do whatever we want. It is good if our desires are one with Christ
but the Laodiceans evidently allowed wealth to rule in their lives above God.
Jesus also warned His followers of the deceitfulness of the
doctrine of Herod. Herod represents
political power. People have a tendency
to rely on government to meet all their needs.
Though wealth, religion and government are all God’s idea without the
influence of His Spirit in our lives these things become perverted little
gods. God’s Kingdom is not void of
wealth, governing authority or religious worship but it is never used to coerce
or manipulate people. We see today how
people have become so dependant upon government that they can hardly function
otherwise.
Though there are many other ways our hearts can become
hardened I will end with self deception.
Anyone who repeatedly hears the word without doing it develops a
hardened heart. James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer
of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a
mirror; 24 for
he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he
was.
A deceived person doesn’t know it. The Pharisees were deceived they appeared
holy on the outside but were full of corruption on the inside. Jesus came as the light to expose darkness
but men loved and held on to darkness rather than the light because they didn’t
want their deeds exposed. Religious
pride is likely the most powerful bondage there is. It appears to be powerful enough to block the
effect of God’s word. Jesus told the
Pharisees they made the word of God ineffective by their own traditions. (See Mark 7:13)
When Jesus said “beware” He was saying guard your heart,
don’t allow any deceptive thing to harden your hearts and cut off spiritual
perception. We have seen that sin,
riches, religious pride, dependence upon human government and hearing the word without
doing it all contribute to blindness of heart.
These things only have power if we don’t recognize them for what they
are and keep them in the dark. Light is
more powerful than darkness but we must be willing to expose our hearts to the
light of Christ.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the
light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood
of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
(1 John 1:6-7)
I am reminded here of a word pastor Greg Daley
shared recently concerning the above verse.
He pointed out that the blood of Jesus Christ only cleanses in the
light. Anything we hide in darkness or
behind a religious façade will miss the cleansing process. Though darkness is powerless against light it
appears possible to make the light and the blood ineffective by hiding our
stuff in the darkness or covering it with a religious appearance.
Written By John Scheda
No comments:
Post a Comment