Spiritually Shortsighted

Jonathan Anderson

Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 4 months ago

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I am convinced that almost all teenagers struggle with being shortsighted.

What did you eat yesterday?

Breakfast- sugar cereal / doughnuts / “coffee” / pancakes with syrup, chocolate chips, and whipped cream.

Lunch- three hot dogs with american cheese ketchup and mustard. How many oz of pop?

Dinner- large pizza, brownie, ice cream, etc...

Why do teenagers eat like that? Because they can, for now… It will not last. If you ate all that stuff at my age you would be 300 lbs in a month. If I walk by and smell freshly baked chocolate chip cookies I gain five lbs.

Teenagers eat like garbage disposals because they don’t think past the next five seconds. They don’t see how their choices and decisions now will effect their lives in 5, 10, 15 years.

Illustration: Seth- “I wish someone would have told me.”

We can get this way in our spiritual lives. We make choices and decisions based on the next five seconds, 5 weeks, 5 years, or 5 decades. And if we live our spiritual lives that way we end up becoming spiritually shortsighted. And it effects every area in our lives.

The Bible teaches us that we should be look far off into the future. We should be looking father ahead than the next 5 seconds, 5 weeks, 5 months, 5 years, or 5 decades. How far should we be looking ahead? EONS! AGES! ETERNITY!

Ephesians 2:7 ESV

7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ages- αἰών EONS

And when we look not merely at this life only, but we look forward to our true life to come it changes so much about our daily living.

How does having an eternal perspective in our spiritual life change our everyday living?

I. Having an eternal perspective enables a long-lasting, determined, joyful obedience to God

Hebrews 11:8–12 ESV

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

Key Verse:

Hebrews 11:13 ESV

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Who are the “These all” in v. 13? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sara.

What happened to them? They died in faith, not having received the promises. What does that mean? What things did God promise to them? Abrahamic Covenant.

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

When Abraham died had he received the things promised to him? No, he didn’t have descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore or the stars in the heavens, and he didn’t have possession of the land.

But Abraham was not spiritually nearsighted. He was able to see things far away.

Hebrews 11:13 ESV

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

“Having seen them afar off” How did Abraham see the promises of God even though the fulfillment of those promises were far away? By faith! He trusted God to keep His promises. He believed in God. It was as if Abraham, with faith filled eyes, could see the future kingdom of God filled with his descendents, as numerous as the stars in the sky, and he could see himself living in the land that God had promises him, and he could see all the other nations of the earth that God would bless. He had none of it in this earthly life, but he could by faith see if far far away.

Go up beforehand and see your lodging. Look through all your Father’s rooms in heaven; in your Father’s house are many dwelling-places. Men take a sight of lands ere they buy them. I know Christ hath made the bargain already: but be kind to the house you are going to, and see it often. — Rutherford, Samuel

And it was Abraham's faith that allowed him to see the promises from far away.

And what did that do to their obedience?

Hebrews 11:8–10 ESV

Illustration: Amirsho

How does having an eternal perspective in our spiritual life change our everyday living?

II. Having an eternal perspective changes the things that we value

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Illustration: Pavement, you brought pavement

1 Thessalonians 2:19–20 ESV

19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.

Application: Having an eternal perspective will change the way you look at your job. Did you know that?

Ephesians 6:5–8 ESV

5 Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

What else might change for you this year if you had an eternal perspective?

How does having an eternal perspective in our spiritual life change our everyday living?

III. Having an eternal perspective reorients our view of suffering

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Illustration: Jeremy / Tajikistan

Mark 10:29–30 ESV

29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.

How do you develop an eternal perspective?

Colossians 3:1–4 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Romans 8:18–21 ESV

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Romans 8:22 ESV

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

Revelation 21:3–4 ESV

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Philippians 3:20–21 ESV

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

1 Corinthians 15:24–28 ESV

24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

Do you suffer from spiritual shortsightedness?

Do you have an eternal perspective and does that perspective change your day-to-day living?

Is your life characterized by long-lasting, determined, joyful obedience to God?

Is your value system radically different?

Is your view of suffering radically reshaped and reoriented?

How would this year be different if each one of you saw eternity from afar? How would the attitude of the church be shaped if Eons filled our vision instead of minutes?