Spiritual Blind Spots, Part 1

Jesus reserved his deepest expressions of anger for those who misconstrued the truth and turn their religious fervor to legalists imposing their strict practices on others. The Pharisees had a track record performance-based religion which they attempted to earn God's favor. The process alienated anyone who failed to meet their standard today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll exposes the blind spots first century, sellers will take our time to let the story unfold recorded in Matthew chapters 14 and 15 check title this message spiritual blind spot living translation. Matthew 1434 down through 1520 after they crossed the lake they landed at Stewart when the people recognize Jesus.

The news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe and all touched him were healed, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him why do your disciples disobey our age-old traditions, for they ignore our tradition of ceremonial handwashing before they eat.

Jesus replied and why do you buy your traditions violate the direct commandments of God. For instance, God says honor your father and mother and anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death, but you say it is all right for people to say to their parents.

Sorry I can't help you.

For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you in this way, you say they don't need to honor their parents and so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition, you hypocrites. Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he read for he wrote of these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship is a farce probably teach man-made ideas as commands from God.

Then Jesus called the crowd to come in here. Listen, he said and try to understand is not what goes into your mouth that defiles you your defined old by the words that come out of your mouth and the disciples came to him and asked, you realize you offended the Pharisees about what you just said. Jesus replied every plant not planted by my heavenly father will be uprooted so ignore them there blind guides, leading the blind at it.

One blind person guides another. They will both fall into it.

Did then Peter said to Jesus explained to us the parable that says people aren't defiled by what they eat.

Don't you understand, yet Jesus asked anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer, but the words you speak come from the heart. That's what defiles you for from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lining slander. These are what defile you eating with unwashed hands will never defile study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures by going to Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck called spiritual blind spots. One of life's greatest blessings is eyesight. Physical eyesight for the next few moments. I want you to imagine the change. It would make if you were by this night plunged into absolute darkness for the rest of your days. I've been struggling rather recently with a number of minor vision problems and the result is been more than often visits to my ophthalmologist. It wasn't long ago, I sat in his waiting room, which was almost full of people and while sitting there I I had a seat near the counter where people sign the end I looked up and coming through the door was a very attractive couple. I had to be in their late 30s or early 40s and they were laughing as they came in through the door, which is an unusual sound coming into a doctor's office on and they were so comfortable with each other.

They walked up to the counter together and sort of arm in arm, and the lady at the counter said, you'll need to sign in and she looked at the man, knowing that he was the one who was the patient but the wife took the pan and sign the man and then she said that. Here are a couple or three sheets of paper. I need some information from you and she hands them to the man but the wife takes them along with the pan and helped him to the seat.

The chair where they would sit.

It was through a brief conversation they had with the lady behind the counter and while watching them. It became clear that the man was blind.

I would've never guessed. As they walked in that he was physically without site. Their relationship seemed very healthy and happy and and they certainly weren't feeling sorry for themselves. As I was for myself with my simple little problems and doesn't everything seems simple when you see someone like that struggling with what you would hope would never be true in your own life. So while sitting there I spent a few moments with my eyes closed as I pictured my world like that.

Never being able to drive never enjoying the sunset, never seeing the colors, never noticing faces at a distance, or even a close, only knowing the voices of my family members and friends not being able to look at the front of our church which is always such a visual feast, especially in the seasons of the year as the stately pipes of the organs stand tall never see that all would hear it. Certainly not II would hear the voices of those I knew would love but this man had never met. Unless things change will spend his life seeing none of the things I've named and a thousand other things. I pause because I want you to imagine another kind of blindness but just as vivid met spiritual blindness reseal a person who is spiritually blind may have excellent eyesight. Physical eyesight may in fact be extremely intelligent, well educated responsible, caring, loving, engaged in life, enjoying the arts relating well with others, but in complete darkness spiritually and to make matters worse, he or she never has seen, because all they were spiritually blind are born like that. All are congenitally spiritually blind and never seen was that all about. According to second Corinthians chapter 4 Paul touches at least briefly on what that means to be without spiritual site look for yourself.

He begins by addressing unhealthy kind of ministry before he touches on spiritual blindness. Therefore, since God in his mercy he has given us this new way. We never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. By the way, this is one of those guidelines that help me and help us in this church make sure we are doing it right. We are not guilty of shameful deeds are underhanded methods that we don't try to trick anyone or distort the word of God, we tell the truth before God and all who are honest know this and now these changes from that realm of truth and light and and and the beauty of such as he moves toward this veil of blindness verse three.

If the good news we preach is hidden behind a veil.

It is hidden only from people who are perishing. Don't miss that.

The spiritually blind though they do not know what are perishing, in fact, Satan. We read in verse four, who is the God of this world has blinded the minds of those who don't believe they are unable to see the glorious light of the good news they don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God, who is spiritually blind look again at the verses let the verses answer the question. Those who are perishing, those whose minds have been blinded, not the eyes.

That's physical, those whose minds have been blinded by the enemy himself. Satan therefore they are those who don't believe. According to the same verse there perishing.

The mind is darkened, they don't believe in the gospel the Lord Jesus Christ. What is that mean that there blind that it's veiled again same verse look look at it for yourself. They are unable to see the glorious light of the good news. What's that that's the gospel.

Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures was buried, and rose again from the dead, and has been seen. They don't get it. It doesn't mean anything to them the light of that is a darkness in their minds. Furthermore, they don't under this to understand the message of Christ rendered hear the message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. I pause because I want you to grasp something that is easily overlooked. It explains why your friend whom you talk to about Christ is not interested.

Cannot imagine why you would be doing what you're doing right now, sitting and listening to some person with a Bible open, talking about print on a page of a Bible there's no excitement about spiritual things.

There isn't the conviction from those troopers that are presented for the person of Christ is mentioned 100 questions fly through that individuals mind, not one of which is a wonder if he would accept me as a follower, but questions doubting him or his power. So the whole life-changing truth of the gospel and of the person of Christ is blank.

This one I often say you're not able to reason in much depth with the gospel and with the person of Christ to an individual who is without the Savior until don't miss this. The Holy Spirit is at work and began his massage to life that which is been darkened, and veiled all that person's life and through a series of events different for every person. Ultimately, the light dawns and the person believes in, and suddenly he or she wonders how could I've spent so many years doubting the very things that now thrilled me to the very core of my being not physically blind. They are spiritually without site now were going to meet some like that as we turn to Matthew, especially when we get into chapter 14, but I want to sort of set the context by reminding you of where we been Jesus has fed thousands of people with only five flat brittle loaves of flatbread and a couple sardines real small fish. He multiplied them in multiplatinum people had all they wanted to eat. Remember in the 12 baskets of leftovers that were available after the meal is done that is just the disciples on the boat and he goes to the mountain to pray.

There out of the sea and the storm breaks on the CD in their afraid and he walks on the water.

We went over all of his last time and then Peter briefly walks on the water till he begins to sink in. Jesus grabs him they get into the boat.

Suddenly the storm stops. I thought about that when I look back on her chain is moved up the coastline and I thought Jesus been alive today and had he been so inclined. He could have bought into the eye of the hurricane and said stop suddenly.

The howling winds would stop the waves would have put their roaring, the rain would stop the flooding would've receded and all of life along the East Coast would have been a still and quiet is this room at that moment that has just happened on the heels of that, read on verse 34 of Matthew 14 the cross. The lake landed at Janessa Rick. When the people recognize Jesus as the news of his arrival spread throughout the whole air watch closely.

Soon the people were bringing all their sick to be healed.

There was no question as to whether he could heal or not sorted proven that these healed one after another, one after another, and so they bring all of their people who are sick and they made him at least if they couldn't get to him to have those who they brought with the touch that at least the friends of his robe and and all who touched and healed a LL don't miss that were building to a climax here. One miracle after another miracle. Some of the miracles, the people ate other miracles. The people felt all the miracles, the people saw one of his friends fired all of this is following Jesus and the crowds were enlarging the numbers are increasing word reaches Jerusalem were the official teachers reside and they make their way all the way to Galilee to give estimate and there they want to see Jesus. Now you hardly need to be told that if someone were able to do that these days, word would travel nerve there wouldn't be many people of this nation who would not have heard about an individual that powerful.

The winds of a hurricane who stop the flooding, who stop the rain who fed the hungry, who healed the sick is right there you can see they came to look at it. That's is all about.

He wasn't one of them. He wasn't a Pharisee. He wasn't a scribe, so naturally he's called into question because he's been breaking a lot of their man-made rules and their sick of it. So we read in verse one that they arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus nothing wrong with her physical site member, you may be spiritually blinded, but you have good eyesight is the mind is blocked that's darkened now want to point out three major blind spots among the spiritually blind.

The first is this and I get it from verse two.

They asked him why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition, for they ignore our tradition of ceremonial handwashing before they eat. This is after all of the miracles I've been describing that's the question that's a question I got your disciples don't wash like we thought them to since they were little boys.

I come there breaking the rules. So the first blind spot among the spiritually blind is they ask the wrong questions. That's of Rome question I would've thought people who were in Jerusalem heard about this one would come and say who are you anyway you get this incredible power still storm and stop the winds and feed the hungry, just the morsels of food you do that and what we need to do in order to be wanting a followers that would be a question. It would make sense when Malik and we got in line for this woodlot to be one of Europe's like. These 12 that are following. That's not what they they want to know how come your disciples aren't washing their hands like they should know what I thought about.

I thought about the firemen who stumbled out of the twin towers just before they collapsed and now is there collapsing these fine motor industry debris all over the dust all over them there exhausted. Some of them are bloodied from helping people and their they're making their way these few that got out and a news reporter stops and says to one of them or did your you and your men at the station last night did you play poker that's the wrong question. Or how about you guys at breakfast this morning all of you in the fire station did you pray before you before you ate your cereal bowl of cereal.

You pray had a man stop me after the first morning service.

He's a medical doctor and they were holding up medical evangelistic gatherings in the country of Peru not long ago and it was remarkable response as they were doing their medical assistance and also sharing the good news. He said we would put a call into crusade many, many came to Christ, so he said to one of the locals want to know about us. So we walked up to me with this paper and been taking pictures obviously as a reporter he said to him, he's an American. He said you voting for this year. Wrong question.

It works like this when you're witnessing to someone else and you are very carefully explaining how Christ died for our sins and that he was raised from the dead, miraculously, and that death of Christ completely covered his blood covered our sins completely past, present and future. Nothing can wash away our sins. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. We make it real clear and the person says to us when we finished that Jesus married Mary Magaly like he married her or are you pro-choice are you pro-life or you think we evolved from apes. What you think about that wrong question has nothing to do with the subject at hand.

This question your disciples don't wash like they should.

And believe me, these Pharisees and scribes had away. This portion wash you what this way that way this many times in this way the water comes down elbows Britt thought this might that way. This way every bill you for wash like that. I'm in you huge appetite. By the time you finish watching him like that. And these disciples hadn't done that and furthermore, Jesus did move a lot of other man-made rules. The truth is, men your man-made rules are so powerful in your eyes that they cancel out the written word of God is refreshing to see how Jesus broke his customary protocol in order to make his point.

No man-made rule, no regimen, no ritual would bring special favor with God. Please keep your finger in this passage because will pick up our study right here in Matthew chapters 14 and 15 tomorrow Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled his message spiritual blind spots and if you'd like to learn more about this ministry.

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