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Spiritual Blindness (Part One): The God of This World
'Prophecy Watch' by David C. GrabbeGod's sovereignty extends over both physical sight and spiritual understanding, and at times, He exercises His prerogative to blind as part of His purpose. He declares in Exodus 4:11 that He is the source of human abilities, including sight and blindness, affirming His control over both the physical and spiritual realms. As Isaiah 45:7 states, He forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates calamity, showing that His actions are not limited by human concepts of Him. In biblical accounts, God has used His servants, such as angels and humans, to blind those who oppose Him. For instance, He blinded the violent Sodomites through angels sent to deliver Lot, and at Elisha's request, He temporarily blinded the Syrian army. Similarly, Christ Himself struck Paul blind on the road to Damascus, symbolizing the spiritual blindness in which Paul walked prior to that moment. Through such acts, God demonstrates His authority over sight and understanding. God also warns of spiritual blindness as a consequence of disobedience. In Deuteronomy 28:15, He promises madness, blindness, and confusion of heart to the Israelites for failing to observe His commandments, rendering them unable to discern or find solutions apart from Him. This mental blindness exacerbates their plight, as they cannot even recognize the cause of their suffering or the need for repentance. In the New Testament, Jesus affirms this divine prerogative in John 9:39, stating that He came into the world for judgment, to make some see and others blind. This reflects God's purpose in both opening eyes and concealing understanding, as Solomon notes in Proverbs 25:2 that it is God's glory to conceal a matter. God's willingness to blind, whether physically or spiritually, underscores His supreme authority, even when such actions challenge human expectations of His nature.
Who Is the 'God of This World'? (Part One)
Sermonette byGod's blinding is a profound and often unsettling aspect of His sovereignty, demonstrating His authority over both physical and spiritual sight. In Genesis 19:11, the angels sent by God struck the violent men of Sodom with blindness, rendering them unable to find the door, as a direct act of divine intervention. In Exodus 4:11, the Lord declares to Moses that He is the one who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, and the blind, affirming that all human capabilities, including blindness, are under His control. This extends beyond the physical to spiritual blindness, where understanding and perception are also subject to His will. In Deuteronomy 28:28-29, God promises to strike with madness, blindness, and confusion of heart as a curse for disobedience to His commandments, leaving individuals to grope in darkness, unable to comprehend their plight or find solutions like repentance. Similarly, in John 9:39, Jesus states that part of His mission is to make the seeing blind and to give sight to the blind, highlighting His role in determining spiritual vision. In John 12:37-40, it is revealed that God Himself blinded the eyes and hardened the hearts of many, preventing them from believing despite numerous signs, as their disobedience kept them under a curse. Romans 11:7-10 further illustrates this divine blinding, noting that while the elect obtained understanding, the rest of Israel were blinded by God, given a spirit of stupor and eyes that could not see, as a consequence of their disobedience. Romans 11:25 explains that this partial blindness of Israel persists until the fullness of the Gentiles is brought in, showing God's purposeful timing in His actions. Finally, in II Corinthians 4:4, there is a suggestion that the blinding of minds, often attributed elsewhere, may align with the consistent pattern of God's sovereignty over sight, as He withholds truth temporarily or as judgment, distinct from mere deception.
Who Is the 'God of This World'? (Part Two)
Sermonette byGod's act of blinding is a consistent theme throughout Scripture, demonstrating His sovereignty over human understanding. God Himself takes responsibility for blinding, closing the eyes of individuals either as a judgment or out of mercy, according to His will. He hides and reveals truth as He moves His creation toward everlasting light, recognizing that without the necessary spiritual faculties, truth can be overwhelming and painful. Just as parents limit exposure to certain realities for their children, God limits what He holds His children responsible for, based on their capability. In His natural state, man cannot handle the knowledge and understanding that God possesses, so God opens or closes eyes as is appropriate. Scripture illustrates this in various instances, such as when God blinded Israel and hardened their hearts, as seen in Isaiah 6:9-10 and Isaiah 29:10-14. When Jesus came to His own, God withheld the blessing of recognition, so the Israelites could not see the Savior, not out of vindictiveness but as a testimony of their longstanding rejection. On the road to Emmaus, the eyes of the disciples were restrained until Jesus opened their understanding to see Him in the Scriptures. Romans 11:7-8 confirms that God gave Israel a spirit of stupor, eyes that should not see, and ears that should not hear, while the elect obtained understanding. In II Corinthians 4:3-4, the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, preventing them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. This aligns with God's purpose, as He has concluded humanity in unbelief to show mercy upon all, as stated in Romans 11:32. God consigns some to disobedience now, so that He may show mercy later, opening the eyes of those He has blinded when the time is right. His sovereignty ensures that there is no contest for the souls of men, and only the elect are equipped by the Holy Spirit to understand the deep things, while others await their chance in the resurrection.
The Eyes of the Blind Shall Be Opened
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe parable of the blind man parallels our post-conversion process throughout many parts of our life. We are given hope and a way of overcoming our lack of clarity.
God Is Still on His Throne
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. CollinsThe LORD is on His throne in Heaven, the location before which God's resurrected saints will occupy on the Sea of Glass.
Jesus and the Feast (Part One): Alignment With God
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughOnly in John 7 do we find some evidence of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day, providing a gold mine to discover what was on Jesus's mind during this time.
Wilderness Wanderings (Part Three) - Handpicked Children
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)God has allowed carnal nature to remain in His people so He can determine whether they seriously want to defeat the downward pulls of the flesh.
Where Hope Lies
Sermonette by Joseph B. BaityJesus Christ is the only solution; catastrophic steps in God's plan may be the painful road back to normalcy, while consequences of sins must come to the forefront.
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Nine): Romans 11
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughPaul poses two questions in Romans 11: Has God discarded Israel for all time? Will God graft physical Israel into the Covenant people of Abraham?
Sovereignty, Election, and Grace (Part One)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod, as Creator, takes the initiative (as the potter over the clay) for the elect's salvation, enabling us to build the repertoire of habits called character.
Christ's Mission Statement
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughLuke 4:16-21 and Mark 1:14-15, statements from Christ made at approximately the same time, constitute the composite mission statement directed at His disciples.
Maintaining Good Health (Part 6)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughWe can do nothing to gain the favor of God before our calling, but we are empowered by God to carry out a particular part of His plan to edify the body.
Truth-Based Worship Vs Spiritual Confusion
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsGod never accepts worship that comes from human reasoning and the traditions of man. The starting point for worship must always be God and His revelation.
So Far Away
Sermonette by Joseph B. BaityWhen the children of light judge and condemn those living in this world, they become the world and move away from God.
Hebrews: Its Background (Part Two)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus qualified as High Priest, teaching us about living by faith in the New Covenant, which mandates that we keep His commandments.