A.M. Sermon
Spring Hill, TN
1/14/07
Series: “Discovering the Spiritual Realm” (Pt. 2)
Text(s): Ephesians 6:12; Rom. 8:37-39; Gen. 28; 2 Kings 6; 2 Cor. 4:16-18
Summary: In PART 2, we open our eyes to a greater spiritual reality all around us.
“Opening Our Eyes to the Spiritual World Around Us”
Introduction:
A. The Invention of Microscopes and Telescopes
1. During the first century A.D., Romans began testing the use of glass and its aid in helping bring a greater clarity to the surroundings of our world.
2. Different shapes and thickness of clear glass were used in experiments and it was discovered that when these “lenses” were placed over objects they appeared larger (http://www.microscope-microscope.org/basic/microscope-history.htm).
3. By the end of the 13th century, these glass lenses were developed into spectacles which would assist those with poor eyesight.
4. Early magnifying lenses were around 6x-10x power magnification. These simple microscopes were popular to observe small insects and were called “flea glasses.”
5. Around the year 1590, two Dutch spectacle makers Zaccharias Janssen and his father Hans experimented with multiple lenses. They discovered that several lenses placed in a tube dramatically increased the magnification power. This was the invention of the compound microscope.
6. Galileo heard of these experiments and developed a focusing mechanism and turned the lenses toward the heavens, invented the telescope.
7. With the invention of the microscope, we discovered that there was an entire world all around us full of microscopic organisms, bacteria, germs, and DNA coding.
8. With the invention of the telescope, we discovered a much larger universe all around us full of strange planets, nebulas, and black holes.
9. Suddenly our eyes were opened to a much more wondrous physical world around us of which we had been previously unaware.
B. Opening Our Eyes to the Spiritual
1. Our universe has always been full of microscopic organisms, bacteria, galaxies, and distant planets but we only became aware of these things that had always been around us when our eyes were opened with the assistance of magnification tools.
2. In much the same way, there is a much more astounding spiritual world all around us.
3. Although we may not be aware of it, it is a reality that our universe if full of spiritual beings and activity such as: angels, demons, God the Creator, Satan, cherubim, seraphim, the Holy Spirit, God’s providential activity, and the spirit within each human being.
4. We are part of a much larger spiritual world all around us; we simply need to have our eyes opened to this greater reality all around us.
I. The Reality of the Spiritual World
A. Christians are Part of a Spiritual War
1. In our struggle to be righteous in an unrighteous world, the Apostle Paul instructs us that we must realize what we are really up against.
2. He instructs us to put on the “full armor of God” that we might stand against the “schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11).
3. But it is then, that Paul gives a vivid description of the true nature of our struggle: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (6:12).
4. Paul makes it clear that we are fighting against the presence of evil spirits within our world; “against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
5. Satan and his malevolent demons are actively engaged in warring against us. Satan himself is present as he is our adversary who stalks about like a lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
6. Satan travels the globe influencing people which in turn are used as temptations to lure away the followers from God (Job 1:7; James 1:14).
7. Satan even disguises himself in the form of religious leaders and teachers; he appears as an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) even misleading people by using “power and signs and false wonders” (2 Thes. 2:9-10).
8. Paul is trying to open our eyes to the greater spiritual world around us; he opens this letter by saying, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18).
B. Christ Leads Christians in Spiritual Victory
1. During the life of Christ, the forces of spiritual wickedness had amassed all of its forces against Christ in an attempt to destroy his mission on earth.
2. This is clear from the dramatic increase of demon possession in the first century world (i.e. Legion, Mark 5:9).
3. The forces of spiritual wickedness, led by Satan (the dragon) attempted to destroy Christ on many occasions (i.e. Herod’s slaughter of children, Matt. 2:16ff; temptation in wilderness, Matt. 4:1ff; temptation in Gethsemane, Matt. 26:37ff).
4. Christ defeated the spiritual forces of wickedness when he was resurrected from the dead (Eph. 1:20ff) and he was seated at the right hand of God, “who is at the right hand of God, having gone to heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22).
5. Being unable to defeat Christ, Satan turned his spiritual forces upon the followers of Christ (Rev. 12:17).
6. Satan has launched his demonic forces against Christians, that is why Paul says we must arm ourselves with the “full armor of God” that we might be able to stand.
7. But we have not been left alone in this battle, angels of God have been dispatched from heaven to help us; angels are “ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14).
8. Jesus has promised us that if we put the Lord first in our lives, nothing can separate us from God and his love; “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39; cf. angels—and demons—are created beings, Psalm 148:1-6).
In further lessons in this series, we will investigate more of the specifics of these spiritual beings, but at this point the purpose is to bring our attention to a greater realization of the spiritual world. Let’s look at two examples of people in Scripture who came to a realization of a greater spiritual world around them.
II. The Realization of the Spiritual World
A. Jacob’s Eyes are Opened (Gen. 28)
1. After stealing his brothers blessing, Rebekah convinces Jacob to flee to land of Paddan-aram to the house of Laban (Gen. 28:1ff).
2. On his way toward Haran, Jacob comes to a certain place where he sleeps for the night with a stone under his head (Gen. 28:11).
3. While asleep, Jacob sees a ladder set on the earth with its top reaching into heaven and angels of God ascending and descending upon it (28:12); there God promises to give that land to Jacob’s descendents.
4. When he awoke, Jacob said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (28:17). He called the place “Bethel” meaning “the house of God.”
5. Extremely noteworthy is Jacob’s first words after this experience, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it” (Gen. 28:16).
6. Jacob came to a realization of the spiritual world present in the very place he was—his eyes were opened to a greater spiritual reality all around him.
B. Servant of Elisha’s Eyes are Opened (2 Kings 6)
1. The king of Aram was warring against Israel and each time he tried to launch a surprise attack upon them, yet each time they were warned and were prepared.
2. The servants of the king of Aram told him that it was Elisha the prophet of God that was warning the king of Israel of the approaching troops.
3. When the king discovered that Elisha was in Dothan, he sent horses, chariots and a great army by night to surround the city (2 Kings 6:14).
4. Early in the morning, Elisha’s attendant arose from the tent and saw the army, horses and chariots surrounding them.
5. The servant alerted Elisha, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15).
6. Elisha comforts the servant, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (6:16).
7. Elisha prayed to God, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.”
8. The LORD opened the eyes of the servant and he saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (6:17).
9. The entire time, there was invisible and spiritual protection surrounding Elisha.
10. The servant simply needed to have his eyes opened to the spiritual reality all around them.
Conclusion: “Fixing Our Eyes on the Unseen” (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
A. Long before microscopes and telescopes were invented, there had always been a greater physical reality around us in microscopic inner-space and a much larger world in the expansive outer-space.
B. Those realities were always there, long before Galileo and Jannsen. But these inventions helped us to open our eyes to a much greater reality all around us.
C. Our eyes need to be opened to the spiritual world that surrounds us as well. Only the lens of Scripture’s revelation and our faith in that evidence that our eyes can be opened to the spiritual reality.
D. It is upon the spiritual reality around us that we must not only open our eyes, but upon which we must fix our attention.
E. Paul made this point clearly in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “…while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
F. In this series we are going to investigate and discover the spiritual reality.
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