Good morning everyone, it is so good to be here this morning with you all. Right now we get to send out the kiddos to their class where you have the opportunity to learn about God in a way that makes sense to you. Then, remember, you gotta pay attention real good so that you can come find me after service and tell me something you learned today. Then of course we also want to welcome those of you joining us online, etc.

So we are still looking at Isaac this morning and seeing how God used him to impact the world, as well as impact us here in 2024. It’s hard sometimes to think about how to take Scripture and make it impact my life today. I mean these are ancient stories of men who were far from perfect. I guess that’s kind of the point though isn’t it. I mean, stories of people that were far from perfect kind of relates to us today who are people who are far from perfect, right? I mean just recently I have been challanged in my own personal time with the Lord about leaving enough margin for the Lord. What I mean by that is understanding the impact that God has on me personally and…well frankly taking that for granted sometimes. Maybe I’m the only one, but how easy is it to get wrapped up into your own stuff that you forget to think about the situations in your life from a Biblical perspective. Not that we think “un-Biblically”, but maybe we don’t think that what we are dealing with has any connection to Scripture. However, we read throughout Scripture that Scripture should impact our daily thinking. For instance, look at

Psalm 19:8 (ESV)

the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;

“enlightening the eyes”, the NET translation says, “give insights for life”…what an amazing gift we have from the Lord when we can actually count on him to give us insight into life, and light up our eyes, give understanding into the world around us. But many times we don’t rely on that understanding…many times we kind of figure that we can deal with life on our own and maybe we don’t really need to consult Scripture because we have it all figured out. So, like I said the Lord convicted me recently of my own need to rely on the Lord more than I have been in various areas of life. You see, the Lord impacts every area of our life, unless we are comfortable struggling on our own.

So this morning we are going to look at a story that shows us a physical shortcoming that is a metaphor for a spiritual shortcoming we all struggle with from time to time. My hope this morning is that you will be challanged in your own walk with the Lord and be encouraged to rely on him a little more than you are right now. We will also see what happens to us when we are focused on ourselves and not on the Lord. Go ahead and turn over to Gen. 27 where we are going to look at

Isaac’s Blindness

Yeah, Isaac is apparently blind now..This is actually a pretty interesting story and a great metaphor that we will discuss in a bit. To start off though, let’s look at

Genesis 27:1–4 ESV

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”

You know, someone once said,

“The end of life reveals the ends of life” —unknown

When sideshow promoter P.T. Barnum was dying, he asked, “What were today’s receipts?” Napoleon cried out on his death bed, “Army! Head of the army!” Naturalist Henry David Thoreau said only two words: “Moose … Indian.” But Isaac, the man who meditated and prayed in the fields at evening (24:63) and who petitioned God on behalf of his wife (25:21), only wanted one thing: a savory meal of wild game. Instead of seeking to heal the family feud that he and his wife had caused by their selfish favoritism, Isaac perpetuated the feud and destroyed his own family.

Where did Isaac’s focus go? Where did Isaac’s spiritual insight go? Remember the passage we looked at in Psalms that said the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Here Isaac’s eyes are not enlightened. You see, Isaac’s failing eyesight is a picture of his spiritual blindness. You see, Isaac indicated here that he is unsure of when he would die. However, we know that Isaac lived quite a while longer. You see, later we will see Jacob leave, then he will be with Laban for 20 years in order to marry Rachel and Leah, and then they will have kids and live entire lifetimes before Isaac will finally die at 180 years old. So, while it seems Isaac may be dying in this story, we know that is not the truth. The reason that is important is because his failing eyesight is not due to his imminent death, it is due to God’s hand on his eyes.

Why did I say that this is a picture of spiritual blindness? Because Isaac in unable to discern the truth. Isaac put himself above the Lord.Isaac was sure he was going to die, and yet his greatest desire was to enjoy a good meal at the hand of his favorite son and cook, Esau. When Isaac’s father Abraham prepared for death, his concern was to get a bride for his son and maintain the covenant promise. When King David came to the end of his life, he made arrangements for the building of the temple; and Paul’s burden before his martyrdom was that Timothy be faithful to preach the Word and guard the faith.

You see, Isaac had become focused on himself, and not on what God had called him to, leading to spiritual blindness. He was unable to discern what was true about himself and about his family due to his spiritual blindness. Isaac had become so focused on what he wanted that he was no longer able to see, or no longer chose to see, the truth about what God had already called him to do. Remember way back in chapter 25 God has already said that the older would serve the younger. God has already declared what will happen, yet Isaac is clinging to his sinful favoritism towards Esau, which gave him pleasure. Let me say that again. Isaac was more focused on what gave him pleasure, than on what God said. Do you ever fall into that same sinful behavior? Listen, I’m not talking in a vacuum…the reality is that we all fall to that same sinful behavior at one time or another. The question is, are you content to stay there, or do you want to refocus on what God has said?

This morning I would like to briefly look at the causes, the consequences and the way to overcome spiritual blindness. Let’s start out with the

Causes of Spiritual Blindness:

What exactly will cause us to be blind and not see what is actually right in front of us the way Isaac was unable to see that it was Jacob and not Esau right in front of him. First of all is

Disobedience to God's Word

Are you purposefully disobedient, or do you simply not know what God’s word says? You see, the result is the same, but the answer actually matters when you look at your own heart. Are you ignoring or neglecting Scripture? You see, sometimes we get so busy with our own internal concerns that we become callous to what Scripture is instructing us to do. We may have a desire to obey Scripture, but we are not actually paying attention to our own time with the Lord. Are you studying Scripture? Are you at least reading Scripture and attempting to apply it to your heart. If you are not…then you are at the very least, becoming spiritually blind. Maybe you could say that your vision has not developed fully yet because you are still reading the way a baby Christian would read. Let me just step on a few toes here real quick. If your time with God solely revolves around the Daily Bread magazine, or the verse of the day Bible apps, you are not developing your spiritual eyesight. I don’t care how long you have been a Christian, if this is all of the Scripture you see daily…you are neglecting Scripture, and it is time for you to repent of that neglect.

That’s not all though. You see, there is another thing that we do, and all of us have done this at some point in our lives. So let me ask you, Are you rationalizing disobedience? When we rationalize our disobedience to God’s commands we create a barrier between ourselves and our God…or maybe it shows that we have made ourselves our own god. This barrier though will blind us to the truth of his word which leads us further into sin. Some of you know exactly what I am talking about. You have rationalized your own sin causing you to fall further and further into that same sin. Maybe that is the sin of pornography, or the sin of financial irresponsibility, or the sin of abandoning your family spiritually. Whatever the sin is, the cause is that you have been justifying it for far to long, and it is time that you repent of that rationalization.

Another cause of spiritual blindness is

Pride and Self-Righteousness

Ouch…I know I know I know…I’m not talking about me or you…I’m only talking to your neighbor today, so no worries. What does that mean though? Well pride we have talked about before. I don’t remember who said it first, but Pride is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. An aspect of pride is trusting in your own understandings and not seeking Scriptural advice. When we rely on our own understanding we become spiritual blind to the truth of Scripture. Then of course self-righteousness can blind us to our own faults and shortcomings causing us to feel superior to others. When we do that, we fail to see our own need for repentance and God’s grace. Another cause of Spiritual blindness is

Allowing sin to cloud our judgment

What does it mean to allow sin to cloud our judgement? Well this is similar to rationalizing disobedience that we talked about before. When we give in to temptation and sin, it can cloud our judgment and distort our perception of reality. This clouded judgment can lead to spiritual blindness as we become unable to discern right from wrong. If this is something you have done, or routinely do, then you need to repent of that and refocus on the Lord. Of course if you do not repent, that that means you are Living in unrepentant sin. Continually living in unrepentant sin can harden our hearts and dull our spiritual senses. This hardness of heart can lead to spiritual blindness, making it difficult for us to recognize God's truth and grace. Do not go one more moment. Right now, if there is something that you have previously rationalized or dismissed as no big deal, yet you know that it is sinful. Go to the Lord right now and repent. Don’t allow your blindness to grow further, but ask God to take the scales from your eyes so you can clearly see the truth of Scripture. This isn’t an exhaustive list of what causes spiritual blindness, but hopefully it can cause you to start rooting out sin in your life so that your sight can be restored. If not, there are the

Consequences of Spiritual Blindness:

Just like a cause, if something is real, then there are consequences. Let’s talk about it…First of all you will start

Making poor, harmful decisions

We see this all over our lives and the lives of those we love, don’t we. Someone that doesn’t see the harm they are causing themselves many times due to addictions, right. We are spiritually blind we tend to more easily Ignore moral boundaries. We all know what this looks like. This is someone who thinks that theft is not that big of a deal, or that lying to get a more financially attractive deal is ok. Maybe its the moral boundaries of pornography addiction that a large percentage of church attending men and women struggle with. Maybe its the moral boundaries of extra marital physical or emotional attachments that a large percentage of Christian marriages are effected by. When we are spiritually blind, we may fail to recognize the moral boundaries set by God. This can lead to making decisions that harm ourselves and others, resulting in broken relationships and long-lasting consequences. Of course many times we will decide to Follow worldly wisdom in order to feel better about our circumstance. There are a lot of good and well meaning people out there that will give you platitudes and empty promises. Spiritual blindness may cause us to rely on worldly wisdom rather than seeking God's guidance. Following worldly wisdom often leads to decisions that prioritize temporary gains over eternal truths, resulting in long-term harm. Another consequence of spiritual blindness is

Missing God's blessings and guidance

Have you ever missed out on something God was doing in your life? well, I guess we might not fully know, but I suspect we have all missed out on God’s blessings at one time or another. What causes us to miss out of those things? I guess a really good example would be Failing to recognize God's presence. I know many of you here this morning have struggled to look at your day and realize where or How God was working in your life. Many times you have struggled to read Scripture and see what God was doing through that passage or that story. We all struggle with that sometimes. However, is this consistently your perspective? If so, you may be experiencing some spiritual blindness. You see, spiritual blindness prevents us from recognizing God's presence and blessings in our lives. This can lead to a sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction, as we miss out on the joy and peace that come from walking in fellowship with God. Some of you know exactly what I am talking about because you are struggling to experience the joy that only the Lord provides this morning. Pay attention because we are going to talk about how to get that back in a few minutes. Another way we miss out is failing to recognize divine opportunities. God is working in your life daily. However, if you are spiritually blind you will be unable to see those opportunities that God has placed in front of you. This could be opportunities to share the Gospel, these could be opportunities to take a step in your career, or even opportunities to do something with your family. When we are spiritually blind, we overlook these opportunities and the guidance that God provides. This can result in missed blessings and unfulfilled potential as we fail to align ourselves with God's will.

So that is alot of pictures of what it could look like, or what Isaac may have been dealing with himself. However, the question we have to answer before we leave this morning is

How to Overcome Spiritual Blindness

Listen, alot of what I am going to tell you now is going to be things you have heard me say before. However, there is nothing magical about the Christian life, we have everything we need. So, pay attention and write this down, grab your phone and take a picture of these slides coming up…

1. Seek God through prayer and Bible study

I told you this is stuff I’ve said before. :) If you stick around you’re gonna hear me say it about 2000 more times this year alone. The reality is that regular prayer is required. When we engage is regular, heartfelt prayer, we are able to commune with God and seek his wisdom. Through prayer, we can ask God to open our eyes to His truth and guide us in the paths of righteousness. It’s truly that easy…The problem is that many of us don’t do it until we are faced with tragedy or turmoil. Prayer is only part of it though, the other part is that Diligent Bible study is essential. You see, studying the Bible attentively helps us understand God's will and His character. By focusing our time in Scripture, we gain insight into God's wisdom and are better equipped to discern truth from falsehood. A great place to start is in a small group of Sunday Morning Bible Study…but notice I said start, not finish. You should be reading and studying on your own, and if you don’t know how…just ask and me or someone else would be happy to help you, but start today.

2. Humble yourself before God

In other words…you don’t have it all figured out, so quit pretending you do. Acknowledge your own limitations. Listen, I know Im not the only one who thinks I have to deal with everything myself, right…Humility means that you recognize your need for God’s guidance. The truth is when we humble ourselves before God, we open ourselves up to receive his grace and direction in our lives. As long as I believe I can do everything without God, God will allow me keep trying. Maybe it’s time to acknowledge it doesn’t work, and humble yourself before God. Of course that means you will need to Confess your sin. When you keep things in secret you are unable to experience God’s healing. When you attempt to keep things in secret to God, then you are continuing the lie that you are equal to God. Confessing our sins before God requires humility and honesty. Then, as we confess our sins, we acknowledge our need for His forgiveness and cleansing, allowing Him to heal our spiritual blindness.

3. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth

I’m not sure if you have noticed yet that the way to overcome Spiritual blindness is pretty much the opposite of what causes Spiritual blindness. So how do we allow the Holy Spirit to open our eyes? We need to Submit to the Holy Spirit's guidance. Submitting to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in your life starts by responding when you are convicted of sin. Surrendering to the Holy Spirit's work in your life enables Him to enlighten your eyes and strengthen your heart. In other words, as we submit to the Holy Spirit, He empowers us to see and understand the truth of God's Word.

Whatever stage you are in this morning…I think you know what steps you need to make next. First of all you need to acknowledge your own spiritual blindness and then go to God asking him to clear your vision so that you can see clearly again. Second you need to repent of the sin that caused, or continues to cause your spiritual blindness. Isaac lived by his feelings and the desires of his own heart, don’t let that be what guides your life. Allow the truth of Scripture and the Holy Spirit be what guides your life.

Let’s Pray: pray that the Holy Spirit will convict everyone this morning as we seek to overcome our own spiritual blindness. Pray that the Lord will show us any and all ways that we have contributed to our own spiritual blindness and give us the strength to eliminate those things and allow us to grow deeper in our relationship with the Lord.

Now we are going to move into a time of communion. I want to ask everyone here this morning to reflect on your own spiritual blindness and what it means to ask God to remove the scales from your eyes. Maybe you are not blind, but you sure don’t have 20/20 vision, so ask God to make clear to you the areas that you need to humble yourself before him. Do not leave here this morning without refocusing your life on God. Do not leave here this morning the same as you came this morning…Allow God to change you into the person you have been called to be…and start by asking God to fix your own blindness…

Ok, let me tell you about what happened with Paul. Paul had been serving in a town called Ephesus for three years and he wrote this letter to the church in a place called Corinth. Paul had heard about some things that the church in Corinth had been doing. So, he decided to write them a letter to help them refocus. When he wrote about communion he wrote because they had been taking this act of worship for granted and dividing the church because of their own spiritual blindness. Paul wrote this letter to remind them why we celebrate communion and basically tell them to get their act together. Here is what Paul said.

1 Corinthians 11:23–28 (ESV)

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

This morning as you come up to take communion remember what we are doing as we celebrate this act together. Remember that Jesus sacrificed, not just for you, but for all of Ogle County. Remember that we are focused on him and not on ourselves…When you take this, examine yourself and turn from yourself and back to the Lord this morning…Again…don’t leave here unchanged, but allow the blood and body of Christ to change you.

Let’s pray: pray that God would continue to show us our own blindness so that we can clearly see his sacrifice for us individually and corporately.