Learning to See

Introduction

The lectures so far have not been aimed at exciting your passions for what is strange. The goal has been to develop your imagination for what is actually there.

To see what is there beyond the surface of the text and what is there beyond the surface of this room.

Learn to Live by the Unseen

When you hear the word “imagination” what do you think of?

Imagination is the human faculty of forming mental images, sensations, or concepts of what is not present to the senses.

We need more of that. We need to overcome the cultural pull that says if it is in your mind, it isn’t real. If you can’t see it, it isn’t real.

What all can you imagine right now?

Can you imagine your loved one who has passed? I can imagine my grandfathers. I can see their faces. I can hear their voices.

Can you imagine your wedding day? I can. I can remember so many vivid details. I can remember seeing Amy come down the aisle. I can remember her face and nothing else in that moment. I don’t even remember seeing her dad who was standing right next to her at that moment.

I can imagine present things too. I can imagine my house that I do not see at this moment.

All of that, of course, is me using imagination to visualize things I have seen.

What about imagining what I have never seen?

Notice the role of “seeing” in Hebrews 11.

First of all, he tells us that it is about things “not seen.” (Heb. 11:1).

Noah built an ark because he “saw” a flood coming (Heb. 11:7).

Abraham “saw” a city that could not be seen (Heb. 11:10).

They died “seeing” the promises that could not be seen (Heb. 11:13).

Abraham “saw” resurrection without seeing it (Heb. 11:19).

Joseph “saw” the unseen exodus at his death (Heb. 11:22).

Most explicitly, Moses acted as one who saw Him who is unseen (Heb. 11:26).

Christ saw the end from the beginning (Heb. 12:2).

We have to learn to see so clearly, that we live by it (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

Form Your Imagination

We need to learn to “see” the history of God’s people (Matt. 8:23-27).

This doesn’t necessarily mean we put precise faces on the characters.

It does mean we consider the reality of it all.

To see what is described and be able to call up an image of the story.

Can you imagine what it would be like to be there.

We are meant to “connect” with these stories of old. They are OUR history.

Abraham is YOUR forefather.

The cross is the most important moment in all of human history.

We need to learn to “see” the heavenly realities (2 Kgs 6:15-16).

When we are given a description from someone who was able to see into what is unseen, we want to have our imaginations trained by that.

Those glimpses show us what is actually there.

We need to be constantly awakening our imagination to the reality that God is here…right now.

What would that one thing do for us?

Illustration of my dad being home.

We need to learn to “see” what a story teaches.

This is true of historical stories (Deut. 8:3; Jn. 6:31).

It is true of “made up” stories (Lk. 15; Judges 9:8-15; cf. Isa. 14:7).

You can’t “put yourself” into a story of talking trees right?

Or can you?

Our histories tell us that the solution to a string of bad kings is to form a democracy.

But the old stories tell us that the solution to a bad king is a good king.

Which of those sounds like this? Which story are you telling your children? Which story do you believe?

I want to form the “moral imagination” of my children.

The world is busy confusing and killing their moral imagination.

rebellion is heroic,

innocence is naive folly,

evil is misunderstood,

authority is oppressive,

purity is for losers,

death is meaningless.

The solution is not to suppress imagination, it is to light it on fire with the truth.

I want stories that tell my children that:

good is good,

evil is evil,

sacrifice is noble,

sin destroys us,

the righteous will receive reward,

the wicked will be judged,

there is hope in redemption,

death is not ultimate.

"Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed." - G. K. Chesterton

So that children end up able to see what the adults have learned not to see which is something else the old stories get right (Matt. 21:16).

One of the reasons we struggle is because we have learned to ignore what can’t be seen as “not real”

We have killed our imagination.

The Test of Death

We live in a culture that tries to deny death (Ecc. 7:2-4).

How many people go through most of their lives without seeing a dead body.

That used to be a fairly common sight.

It used to be a constant theme in stories written for children.

But somewhere during the 20th century, psychologists (working without categories such as the soul, the supernatural, or eternity) decided that contemplating death would be harmful to children.

So, they pushed to remove those elements from classic stories or to write entirely new stories where death is not seen or heard.

“If the evil one wanted people to forget their own death so they could be more easily tempted to live in sin, one effective strategy would be to remove the awareness of mortality from their minds and surroundings.” Andrew Pudewah

But God puts death right at the heart of His story (Gen. 2:17; 5:24).

Death is central to the story (Gen. 2:17; 5:24).

Abraham buries Sarah

Jacob buries Rachel

Think of all the tomb scenes in scripture.

Death is an ever present central reality (and so is the hope of resurrection).

It is set up as a great enemy and a final reckoning (Heb. 2:14-15)

But He teaches us to look at death through the lens of victory (1 Cor. 15:26; Rev. 20:14).

This is what good stories do for children.

They help them see death as both judgment (for the wicked) and deliverance for the righteous and innocent.

Little Match Girl.

Death is where we learn how well we see the unseen. It is where we learn to mourn while singing about victory.

Sing “O Death”

Conclusion

What about you?

Will your death be victory? Will those who mourn your death mourn with victory on their lips?

Do you see what can’t be seen yet?

If you need to become a follower of the one who conquered sin and death or need to reconcile with Him, then won’t you come now.