Colorblind

City Harbor Church – Hampden, Baltimore, MD

“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 5You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.” – 2 Corinthians 4:6

Now we have vision, we can Spiritually see because God is our light! But we are spiritually colorblind.

Natural Color Blindness

Causes

Genetics

Physical or chemical damage to the eye

Damage to part of brain that processes color information

Cataracts (clouding of the eye’s lens

Age

What does this look like?

Deuteranomaly, Don’t see green well

Protanopia, Don’t see red well

Tritanopia, don’t see blue well

Acromotopsia, little or no color at all

Spiritual colorblindness.

We see that Biblically, salvation is like receiving sight but because we can’t see with our natural eyes the spiritual realm (what God is up to) it is like we are spiritually color blind. Seeing what God sees is like full color sight.

What do we see with spiritual colorblindness?

Hopelessness

Depravity of the world

Things don’t change

What does God see?

Everything

For he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.- Job 28:24

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. – Hebrews 4:13

Our hearts

People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7

Your desires & thoughts

for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. – 1 Chronicles 28:9b

Hope for you and your future

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremian 29:11

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

A work in progress

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6

A redeemable world

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that anyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life – John 3:16

What we can’t see

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12

The Eternal

“I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.” Revelation 1:8

This is what matters!

Diagnosing spiritual colorblindness or Symptoms of

You regularly struggle with the same sin (don’t see the harm it does to you and others)

You are constantly discouraged by what you see around you

You are constantly frustrated by things you can’t change

Overwhelmed

It’s difficult to be thankful

You are carrying bitterness or unforgiveness. (Don’t see the effect it has on you)

Lack of vision and purpose

You don’t keep your eyes on Jesus (Peter in the storm)

These aren’t all totally bad! We are talking about colorblindness not rose colored glasses!

How do we fix our spiritual colorblindness?

Don’t look back (to old life, sin)

Luke 9:62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Don’t focus on others

Obey – Prov. 29:18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.

Abide with Jesus

Benefits of putting on Spiritual color fixing glasses

Victory over Sin

Peace

Joy

Forgiveness (from you, towards you)

You see God working

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.