Many people wear glasses--some wear contacts There are many specialists today who do cataract surgeries. Their primary function is to restore sight to the blind or those that are having difficulty seeing.

When someone receives their sight, it opens them up to a whole new realm of usefulness, delight, and mobility.

Remember the story in Mark Chpt. 8 where Jesus healed a blind man and he said he saw men walking as trees? John Chpt. 9, speaks about no man, since the world began, had ever opened the eyes of a blind man.

Today, I wish to share with you 3 types of Blindness.

I. Physical Blindness: (Still around today)
Many places in scripture, Jesus restored the sight to the blind. Bartimaes in Mark 11. Two blind me in Mat. 20. Man blind from birth in John Chpt 9.

I read a story one time about a class trying to imagine or create blindness so they would know what blindness was really like. One of the students went and talked to a blind man and asked him what it was like to be blind. The student said they had closed the room off, covered the windows, shut off all the lights to try and create the feeling of being blind. The student told the blind man that they had put on blindfolds in a dark room at night to create the feeling of blindness. The blind man said, "I commend you students for what you have tried to do but, here is the best way to associate with your quest to find how what blindness is like." "Go to your dark room, put your blindfold on then, walk backwards then, you will know what it is like to be blind.

I have had friends who were blind from birth and those who have lost their sight, later in life. Blindness is indeed difficult to deal withl

II. Mental Blindness: ( still around today)

Mentally blind people are those who will not and do not see the truth or reality as it is. They are often referred to as "closed minded people". Even though you prove something to them that they said they did not believe, they still refuse to believe it or accept it as truth. The Scribes and Pharisees were these type people, in Jesus time. Jesus taught the same scriptures they read, He med all the prophecies concerning the Messiah, He done miracles that no-one had ever did. ie. making blind see, cure leprosy, and raise the dead yet, they did not believe who He was. Scriptually, they were mentally blind.

There are also those who are prejudiced people and this is nothing new either. The Scribes and Pharisees were prejudiced due to race, social positions, knowledge, and talents. They did not like change and they did not like anyone challenging their traditions of ceremonies, diverse washings and rules of conduct.

I have seen modern day churches the same way. There are people who do not like any change in their church order of service. If the church bulletin or Order of Service is not followed to the letter, every Sunday, just as it is written, they get all upset., I have seen Song Leaders, Teachers, Pianists, and preachers placed on the bench in churches due to prejudice or jealousy of those who feel they are in Charge. This is not right. If God has blessed someone with a wonderful talent, then allow those people to use this talent for the Glory of God and for the benefit of the believers who will be blessed because of that talent.

III. Spiritual Blindness: (still around today)

These are those who are not aware of their condition. These are those who look good outside but, are spiritually empty inside. Jesus referred to the Scribes and Pharisees as Whited Sepulchres, He said they were white and washed on the outside but, inside, they were full of dead men's bones.
This is like looking at an arm on the outside which looks fine but under x-ray, the bone is broken.
There are people who have a distorted concept of what a Christian is. Christians are not perfect. The Bible plainly says that "all have sinned". These people use excuses of "hypocrites in the church. My answer to that is this. In order to hide behind something, you have to be smaller than what you hide behind. If you use a hypocrite as an excuse for not being a Christian or not attending church, then you are smaller than the hypocrite. People call churches or Christians "Money hogs". What does not cost money to operate today. Your house, your car, your food, your utilities, your fuel for your car, insurances, etc. all cost money but, these people think that a church can operate free. I read a story one time that explains this from this point of view as well as from the physical point of view. There were 3 blind men and they were asked to feel of an animal and tell what they thought it looked like. The animal was an elephant. One man felt the elephants leg and he said it felt like a tall tree like figure. The second blind man felt of the elephant's tail and he said it felt like a rope like creature. The third blind man felt of the elephant's side and said it felt like the side of a wall. Each of these blind men had a different concept of what an elephant looked like to them but, all were wrong even though they were sincere.

There are many sincere mentally blind people today who cannot accept the truth concerning Christ and His Purpose. There are many sincere Spiritually blind people today who can not see their condition of being lost.
They cannot see their present condition nor their future destination of destruction. The Bible says that if this Gospel be hid, it is hid to them which are lost.

We can live physically blind, all your life and, still be saved. You can live Mentally blind, in some cases and still be saved but, you cannot live Spiritually Blind all your life and be saved. To live and die in Spiritual blindness is the worst of all these.

Just as Christ opened the eyes of the Physically blind, he wants to remove all our blindness so we an see and feel His grace, love and mercy. To experience abundant life in Him and for us to see the unsaved as He sees them.

Christ wants to heal the Blindness of:
a. The lost condition of man
b. The emptiness of life without Christ
c. The hopeless effort of man to save himself
d. The shortness of life and the length of Eternity
e. The wonderful offer of forgiveness, His love, and Salvation

Are you affected by any of the blindness mentioned in this message? If so, go see the Great Physician. He is the Master Healer, Saviour, and Friend.

Oldbiker