Open my eyes!

In May of 2023 Aaron James received the first ever eye ball transplant but this procedure was done only for cosmetic purposes it will not regain the man’s eyesight parts of the cornea can be transplanted to help someone restore some types of lost vision but we can not heal the blind medically.

In the Old Testament no blind person is healed.

I was shocked when I learned this. There are miracles of resurrections, miraculous food provisions, curing the leper, but no blind men were healed in the old testament. Compared to some of Jesus or the OT prophets miracles healing the blind seems mundane, especially in the day of cataract surgery but healing the blind is amazing, and something that should not be glanced over lightly.

God created the eye.

Exodus 4:11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?

The eye is miracle from God.

Proverbs 20:12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made them both.

I love this verse. When I think about the complexities of an eye and ear, I tell the evolutionist phewy. One of my favorite books is by Dr David Menton. The hearing ear and seeing eye out of answers in Genesis. I think they have made it into a DVD video. I would love to have you watch it, but I think it would only be interesting to me. God’s creation is amazing. Never forget that.

Giving sight to the blind is a God sized miracle.

Psalm 146:8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous.

The Messiah would open the eyes of the blind.

Isaiah 29:18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.

Isaiah 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

The Messiah will Heal blindness and set prisoners free.

Isaiah 42:6–7 I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

Isaiah has a lot to say about the Messiah and one key to His identity is the miracle of healing the blind. But did you notice that last verse. It was more than just opening the eyes of the blind it was bringing them out of prison.

Pastor, what does this have to do with the Holy Spirit?

Good question, Jesus healed the blind. We know that Jesus healed blind people on about eight different occasions in the Bible.

The only other healing of the blind in the Bible is circumstantial.

Acts 9:17–18 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

That sounds more like cataract surgery than healing of the blind or a cornea transplant. Notice the Holy Spirit is involved in this story. But this is different from what Jesus did this is when God took Paul’s eyesight away for a certain amount of time and He is restoring it. Let’s take a look at curing the blind. DON’T FORGET ABOUT THIS MIRACLE IT WILL BE IMPORTANT

Jesus came healing.

Malachi 4:2a But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings...

Jesus did a lot of healing in the Bible and they often point to the fact that He was Messiah, but their something different about Jesus. He is healing

WINGS …kanaph (s3671) means edge or extremity. Often used of a birds wings, but also the edge of a garment or bed sheet as in the hem.

Jesus presence commanded miracles and healing.

Matthew 9:20–22 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

Remember when Jesus said I AM HE and the Roman soldiers fell over JESUS is a WALKING MIRACLE but occasionally He and the Spirit work in synergy and it is something amazing to watch.

BUT, the Spirit is involved in Jesus healing the blind.

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

Jesus is the Messiah the anointed one that shouldn’t lose it’s power on you as the reader. We talk about being filled with the Spirit and being anointed by the Holy Spirit. What does that look like. It looks like Jesus. Hear me out… I have no problem with speaking in tongues in the Holy Spirit. I have no problem with being filled with the Spirit anointed by the Spirit. We can talk about the nuances of these things later but no this. Do you want to know who the example of those things is it is Jesus. The Spirit isn’t the author of chaos and confusion but of the Spirit controlling you to have you be more like Christ.

Jesus is the example of the Spirit filled life.

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Spirit filled life is a life style. It isn’t throwing yourself around on the floor. It is being more like Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is working in the background when Jesus heals the blind.

Matthew 9:27–31 When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.” But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country.

You don’t read about the Holy Spirit in this story but with what we have already read and what we will read HE IS THERE!

Jesus used healing the blind as proof that He was the Messiah.

Matthew 11:2–5 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”

Jesus healed a demon possessed blind man.

Matthew 12:22–23 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

Not all blind men are demon possessed.

John 9:1–3 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

We would be in trouble if all blind people were demon possessed. Just imagine! I know some wonderful people. The point to this story is what happens next.

The Pharisees questioned the power behind Jesus healing the blind man.

Matthew 12:24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

Jesus said Satan would be foolish to cast out Satan.

Matthew 12:25–26“But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?”

You can’t have a double standard about the spiritual power.

Matthew 12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.

The Pharisees claimed to have performed exorcisms, if Christ’s was by the power of the devil. than what does that make the Pharisees exorcisms. Be careful before you judge a pentecostal healing ministry. Are there fakes out there. No Doubt! But are there fakes in a baptist church. No doubt! What we are looking for is genuine Spirit Filled followers of Jesus Christ . Sometimes I wish that we could as a church really embrace That with one mind and one mouth glorify our father who is in heaven. All that being said I am not an ecumenicalist. I believe that you have to know what you believe and why you believe it and worship with like faith people that is very good for your soul.

Jesus power to heal the blind was a work of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus power to Cast out demons came from the power of the Holy Spirit. When you fear the enemy. You have the Father who will sentence them to eternity in the lake of fire. The Son of Man Jesus who died on the cross and the Spirit who gave Jesus the power to cast out the demon possessed blind. I love it when Jesus tells some people he healed to be quiet like we saw earlier in Matthew when Jesus healed the Blind but not when He cast out demons. GO Shout it from the roof top.

This is Jesus and the Spirit working in synergy.

Don’t blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 12:31–32 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

This wasn’t simply about blaspheme being unforgivable.

1 Timothy 1:13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Paul was saved and he was a blasphemer. Jesus even said blasphemy will be forgiven. No this is something more than that.

Jesus pleaded with these blasphemer’s to join Him.

Matthew 12:30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

The unforgivable sin is at it’s root a heart issue.

Matthew 12:35–37 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

It’s about the heart and then what proceeds out of your mouth. The moment you surrender your heart to Jesus you will proclaim His name. Let the Spirit open your eyes to the truth. Let Him banish the devil from your heart. You will no longer be blind. If you reject the Spirit in your heart that is the only unpardonable sin. The day of Judgment God says what have you done with my son. The Spirit bears witness that the gospel was available. Maybe He even made salvation available to you. But now it is too late. Today is the day of salvation. Accept Christ! It’s a heart to the mouth issue.

The Holy Spirit pleads with the heart to open your eyes and believe in Jesus!

Romans 10:9–11 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.

IT’S A HEALING MIRACLE That’s the answer to the unpardonable sin. Right there! It is the opposite of what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 12. In that chapter the Pharisees were giving the credit of Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s work to the devil. That is blaspheme. IF you die with someone else on the throne of your heart. There is no coming back from that. I believe Jesus said that every sin is forgivable. BUT there is a day. Judgment day when it’s over.Today is the day of salvation.

I often have people ask me about the unpardonable sin. I am not an expert on politics, I am not an expert on current events, on psychology I read the Bible. If you know jesus… If you read the Bible. If you follow God’s moral law it will give you a proper lense to examine those issues but I am an expert on Spiritual things. Meaning I have read this book dozens of times and study it daily! People ask me about the unpardonable sin.. The apostle Paul was a blasphemer, a sinner, a killer of Christians. That is the kind of person that people believe is unpardonable. Jesus saved Him changed his life. Jesus caused Him to be blind and his blindness was healed the only blind man not healed by Jesus and when Jesus healed the Blind it was in the power of the Holy Spirit. And His power to heal the blind is authenitcated by Jesus who can save you is begging you to join Him. No matter who you are know matter what you have done. Jesus is able to save you. If you reject the Spirit’s call and stand before God on judgment there no longer remains forgiveness it’s too late.

Today is the day of your salvation