Spiritual Catarats
Prov. 29:18, Acts 26:6-19
When our vision of Mans last condition and God’s Plan to save him becomes dim, we become lukewarm in our service.
When we lose a vision of the Churches responsibility to a lost world, our hearts grow cold to her needs to meet her responsibility.
The Urgency of our mission is lost and we are content to dewll in the house by the side of the road.
Like the little dog in Northern California last week, that was confused as to how to help his drowning master. While help tried to reach him, the dog fought to keep them away.
I: Without A Vision People Perish.
1. Abraham’s vision remained clear, Lots became near sighted.
2. Jacob allowed his vision to become dim and God wrestled with him all night.
3. Israel longed for Egypt when her vision of the land of milk and honey grew dim.
4. Isaiah’s vision of God caused him to long for a cleansing.
5. The Apostles vision of a Lost World kept them at the task of Soul Winning.
6. The Church has become cold and bickering when her vision has grown dim.
II: A Vision of the Everlasting Now Necessary.
1. The angel that met Mary at the Tomb.
a. “Go quickly and tell …” Matthew 28:7
b. The angel that sent Peter on his Mission. “Arise up Quickly!” Acts 17:7
c. The man of Macadonia pleaded with Paul urging hiim to come.
2. When a Christian looses the Urgency of the Now, he fails to be a soul winner.
3. The Church that acts like it has eternity to do its work will die.
4. The Eternal Now is pressed upon as we see 4,630 people die every hour. 3,087 die without Christ.
III: Men Often We Want God to Hurry.
1. Troubles open our eyes to our own needs.
2. Fatal darkness often clears the vision to God.
3. When sin brings shame to our family, we feel the need for God.
4. When deaths pale charger galloons through loved ones, we call on God to hurry.
5. How often we call on God to hurry.
IV: Spiritual Cataracts:
1. Blind is the Christian that will fully neglect the hour or Prayer in God’s house.
2. The Material World grows slowly over our eyes.
3. Prejudice and envy can blind us to Service.
4. The measuring of Progress as a Church and not individually.
5. Refusal to accept personal responsibility for a lost world.
6. Contentment with a lukewarm experience.
V: Lifted up Eyes.
1. “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields.” John 4:35
2. How ripe is my harvest?
3. How many can I help to gather into God’s barn?
4. “Say not ye there are yet 4 months” John 4:35.
5. “They are ripe already to harvest.”