OPEN THEIR EYES
“... to open their eyes and to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the Power of Satan to God, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith
in Me” (Acts 26:18)
When Paul was chosen by God, he
was instructed to spend his fife as an apostle to the Gentiles, so that they
would receive blessings through knowing Jesus.
I. Open
Their Eyes
Science demands evidence and proof
as a basis for belief. Otherwise,
beliefs are considered superstition, Some people
pursue religion in the same manner as they would science; however, their
efforts prove fruitless and time-consuming.
There are things that cannot be seen, but this does not mean they do not
exist. For example, neither air nor love
can be seen, yet both exist. Faith is
the pursuit of a metaphysical spiritual realm - though it cannot be seen, it
does exist. When Paul was on the road to
Damascus to
persecute Christians, a glorious bright light shone on him, causing him to fall
to the ground, and temporarily blinding his physical eyes. However, it was then that his spiritual eyes
were opened; he began to recognize that Jesus Christ is God and Savior, and
that knowledge of Him is of surpassing worth (Acts 26:13-15; Phil 3:8).
The Spirit searches all things,
even the deep things of God. After Jesus
ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit descended. It lives within our heart and opens our
spiritual eyes so that we may see the mystery of the spiritual world and the
value of eternity. On earth, everyone is
blind; in Christ we will can see (I Cor 2:6-12; Eph
1:17,18).
II. Return from Darkness to Light
'My days are like a shadow that lengthens.... '
(Ps 102: 11)
After the sun sets, darkness sets
in. While death is the equivalent of
entering darkness, the light of life is Jesus.
Life is in Him. He said, "I
am the resurrection and the fife. He who
believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever fives and believes in Me shall
never die" (John 11:25,26).
'The night is far spent; the day is at
hand. Therefore let us cast off the
works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light.' (Rom 13:12)
The rise of evolution and the
development of humanism displaced God from man's heart. Man became own master, thus supplanting God’s
position. Because human values are
constantly changing with time and place, human morals began to deviate from
God's standard. From a human standpoint,
mankind has become more and more civilized.
In God's eyes, though, sins have multiplied from day to day and the
world is full of darkness. Human lives
are full of licentiousness, lewdness, debauchery, drunkenness, dissension and
jealousy. People live their lives
according to their own fleshly lusts.
After we have come to know Jesus, relying on his words as truth and
being filled with His spirit, we will gradually be able to control our lustful
desires, remove any evil habits, and dwell in the light of goodness,
righteousness, and truth (Rom 13:11-14; Eph 5:8-14).
III. Turn from the Power of Satan to God
The earthly world is composed of
over a hundred countries; the spiritual world has only two: God's kingdom and
Satan's kingdom. Human beings can belong
to only one or the other. Satan is the
devil, an evil power that controls the whole world. He incites people to rebel against God,
commit sin, and thereby become enemies of Him. Living under sin is the
equivalent of living under Satan's control and in the anger of God; this in
turn separates us from God's life and blessings, making life a tragedy (Eph
6:12,13).
Jesus came to this world to spread
the heavenly gospel. His resurrection
from death was proof that all the authority under heaven and on earth belonged
to Him. He is the gate of heaven,
delivering those who believe and are baptized from the power and authority f
Satan. He unites us with God and gives
us a part in God's kingdom, to enjoy His abundant grace (John 10:9; Rom
5:8-11).
IV. Receive Forgiveness of Sins
According to the Bible, all people
in the world are sinners - By God's standard, all have sinned and fallen short
of His glory. The wages of sin is death
for the soul and the body. Death of the
flesh is a return to dust; death of the soul is eternal punishment in hen after
God's judgment. However, Jesus was born
into the world in order to save all people.
According to the law, nearly everything imperfect must be cleansed with
blood for remission. Jesus offered
himself to be crucified on the cross and shed his precious blood, thereby
becoming a fountain for the remission of sins.
Those who receive Him as their Savior will obtain justification and the
stature of God's sonship, receive the Holy Spirit as
evidence of their position, enjoy abundant grace in this world, and obtain
salvation in the future (Rom 3:23; 5:12-14; Heb 9:22; Gal 3:26-29).
V. Receive an Inheritance Among
Those Who Are Sanctified
While King Solomon lived, he had
unsurpassed wisdom, fame, wealth, enjoyment, and respect. These things were the ideals for others of
his era to pursue and envy. Yet, before he left this world, he concluded that
human life was vanity. Humans come into
this world empty-handed. Similarly, we
die empty-handed. Everything is like a
sweet dream. Upon awakening from the
dream, we discover all is
vanity and a striving after wind (Eccles 1:2). At Jesus' second
coming all the elements will be consumed by a great inferno. A new heaven and a new earth will appear with
righteousness in their midst. The
magnificence of that kingdom is beyond our comprehension. When Jesus descends from heaven, all the saints
will be resurrected, be transformed into spiritual bodies, and be lifted up
into heaven to live together enjoying eternal grace and happiness. This is mankind's last and greatest hope.
Every believer who remains holy
and follows the Word of God will meet with Him in the heavenly kingdom to share
His glory and rule with Him forever (2 Pet 3:8-13). Life on earth is brief;
life in heaven is eternal. Life on earth
is vain and toilsome; in the heavenly kingdom is eternal rest and joy (Rev
21:3-5).
In Christ, we live in the light,
have eternal life, and have God's spirit to renew our lives.
In Christ, we belong to God and
become His precious children.
In Christ, our sins are forgiven,
and we become justified and sanctified.
In Christ, we have the hope of entering
the heavenly kingdom, to enjoy everlasting happiness and grace.
May the Lord open our spiritual
eyes, so that we may recognize the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus.
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