Open Your Eyes

Taking the blinders OFF

Isaiah 6:8–10 NASB95

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” 9 He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ 10 “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”

We’ve been talking about how prior to the First Christmas morning the world was walking around in the dark. On Wednesday night I was reading from 1 John chapter 2 and saw where men who claimed to know God but hated their brother were blind, even though the light was shining in the world.

Here we have a commission handed to Isaiah he is told to go to a people with ears that can’t hear and eyes that can’t see.

Seems harsh, but i want to look into this for a second, we talked about this light coming into the world, and we talked about how this for the first time brings actual hope, until now there has been flashes of godliness and moves of the Spirit but never a sustained presence in such a way as to change the hearts of all people.

And the people that would be sent this great light have eyes that don’t work.

Blinders are used in various ways, and in every case they are for the betterment of the animals, and if the blinders in this case were talking about listening to the Lord it would be a good thing, but in the text we see that the ears don’t work either.

So if you can’t see and you can’t hear, how are you to function in this world.

Isaiah was given the task but what we actually know from Scripture is that this job was going to be carried out by the Lord.

Learning to See

Deer hunting story about not being able to kill deer because I couldn’t see them in the woods.

Learning to look for them.

The Pharisees were not happy with Jesus being called the Messiah, because they talked about Him being from Galilee, they would say search the Scriptures see where He is supposed to be born.

Key Prophecies & Fulfillment

Born in Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 states the Messiah would come from the small town of Bethlehem, which Jesus' lineage fulfilled, despite some Jewish leaders questioning it (John 7:42).

Virgin Birth: Isaiah 7:14 predicts a virgin will conceive and bear a son (Immanuel), a prophecy confirmed in the New Testament (Matthew 1:21-23).

Line of David: Prophecies in Isaiah (9:6-7) and 2 Samuel (7:12-16) foretold the Messiah would be a descendant of King David, establishing an eternal kingdom.

If they had only looked at the story with understanding they would, could only submit that this man must be the Lord.

But the reason I fear that they didn’t press was because they were happy to have men stumbling in the dark because they were putting their lamps under a basket.

How can God’s love dwell in someone who doesn’t share the blessed gospel.

Our job as Christians, NOT JUST PASTORS is to do our best to show people Jesus!

Give them Jesus, tell them your story, love them when they are ugly to you.

When they SEE HIM!

Isaiah 6:1–7 NASB95

1 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

Don’t worry about what they say, worry about what they see! Maybe they’ll see it in you.