Spiritual Vision
Spiritual Vision
Matthew 16:13-28 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Peter’s Confession of Christ
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, [a]Elijah; but still others, [b]Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are [c]the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon [d]Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are [e]Peter, and upon this [f]rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth [g]shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth [h]shall have been loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He [i]warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was [j]the Christ.
21 From that time [k]Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “[l]God forbid it, Lord! This shall never [m]happen to You.” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on [n]God’s interests, but man’s.”
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his [o]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [p]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then [q]repay every man according to his[r]deeds.
28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
I. What is spiritual vision?
a. It is the ability to “see” and maintain a perspective beyond that of the natural.
i. Matthew 16:13-17 NASB
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, [a]Elijah; but still others, [b]Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are [c]the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon [d]Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
II. WHY IS SPIRITUAL VISION IMPORTANT?
a. It guards followers of Jesus against the deception of the enemy
i. 2 Kings 6:17 NASB
17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
1. In this story found in 2 Kings chapter 6, Elisha is a prophet with such clear spiritual vision he can see the future attacks of the nation at war with Israel and warn Israel’s king. The enemy is so frustrated at this that they send an army to surround Elisha. Elisha’s servant is terrified but Elisha, being able to see in the spirit asks God to open his servants eyes to see the truth.
a. They did not need to be afraid in the natural because they had their enemy outnumbered in the spiritual.
ii. Every attack of the devil targets our mind
1. The word “warfare” in the NT ALWAYS appears in the context of the minds
a. The enemy’s attacks (spiritual, emotional, and physical) are intended to make us fearful, which often leads us to think wrongly about God, the kingdom of heaven, ourselves, and the kingdom of darkness (that it is much more powerful/influential than it really is)
i. God doesn’t want me healed, He is angry with me, He doesn’t love me, I am too messed up, the devil is too powerful, I need to give up, etc…
b. The end goal of the enemy’s attack is to corner followers of Jesus into making decisions out of fear of death or lack instead of faith in the nature of our Father
2. Deceived and fearful followers of Jesus are disobedient and ineffective
iii. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but [a]divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.
b. Without it we cannot advance the kingdom of heaven into the kingdom of darkness
i. Matthew 16:17-19 NASB
17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon [d]Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are [e]Peter, and upon this [f]rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth [g]shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth [h]shall have been loosed in heaven.”
1. When we have eyes to see what the Lord is doing or desires to do in the spiritual, we can partner with Him in the natural, through the use of our natural tongues.
a. This requires maturity and an understanding of authority, covering and submission. More on this to come in the future.
ii. 2 Kings 6:17-20 NASB
17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike this [a]people with blindness, I pray.” So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he brought them to Samaria. 20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
1. Elisha spoke with confidence because he could see what the Lord was doing in the spiritual. The Lord was with Elisha so Elisha spoke with authority and confidence. Elisha bound and then loosed the enemy’s vision on earth and the Lord responded from the heavens.
iii. We cannot defeat the kingdom of darkness or advance the kingdom of heaven if you cannot identify them in the spirit.
c. What I’m describing in this section is really only accomplished by the mature or maturing in Christ. Those with spiritual eyes and spiritual vision. When we are naturally minded, we should not be trusted with this authority because we will do more damage than good to the kingdom of heaven.
III. SUBMISSION AND SPIRITUAL VISION: Temple Rock or Stumbling Block?
a. Matthew 16:21-23 NASB
21 From that time [k]Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “[l]God forbid it, Lord! This shall never [m]happen to You.” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on [n]God’s interests, but man’s.”
i. In verses 17&18 Jesus calls Simon, Peter (which means rock) and tells him that the church would be built on this rock because of the spiritual revelation he received from Father God. Then a few verses later Jesus addresses him as Satan and tells Peter that instead of the rock that the church will be built on he is now a stumbling block.
b. Stumbling Block – My will be done, I want to see my own idea of Your kingdom manifest, with my interests considered before anything else.
i. It is possible, for you to have spiritual vision, receive divine revelation from the Lord, even declare/prophecy the Lord’s will on earth, and still be an obstacle to the work of the church of Jesus Christ and the advancement of the kingdom of heaven.
c. Temple Rock –Your will be done, I want to partner with You, submit to You and Your governance and be a stone in Your Holy Temple, not my own.
i. James 4:7 NASB
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
ii. Jesus lived in submission to the Lord, evident in His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, that is why He was able to effectively resist the devil and see him flee.
1. Many of us have some sort of spiritual vision, even know the word of God, but we are rebellious and do not walk in submission to the Lord. And then many of us wonder why we are not effective, why we do not see victory or why the devil does not flee when we resist him.
d. How is it possible for us and Peter to move so quickly from a temple rock to a stumbling block?
i. We forget to maintain our spiritual vision.
IV. MAINTAINING OUR SPIRITUAL VISION
a. Big picture = daily submission to Jesus and his priorities at the cost of all other priorities.
i. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
1. When we choose to die to ourselves and become followers Jesus, Holy Spirit enters us and opens our spiritual eyes. This is a large part of what Jesus came to do over 2,000 years ago.
a. Luke 4:18
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
ii. Grow in Faith
1. Until we continually place our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, our spiritual eyes cannot fully be opened.
a. As followers of Jesus, are we believing the reports of the natural world, or the reports of heaven?
i. The Lord speaks “…my sheep know my voice…”
b. Those who partner with the kingdom of darkness do not have true spiritual vision, see James 3:13-18 for scriptural backing
i. “…earthly, natural, demonic.”
2. To maintain our spiritual vision, we must determine that what God reveals to us in the spirit is TRUE, and act upon it.
a. Many times we ask to see in the spirit, but when we do, we do not act based upon what the Lord has shown us in faith but make a fear decision anyway.
iii. The Secret Place: Meeting with your Spiritual Ophthalmologist
1. Prayer: Asking God to access your vision, and make corrections as needed
a. Ephesians 1:18-19 NASB
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart [a]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 [b]saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
i. Ask God, in faith, for more spiritual vision
2. Meditation and Study of our bibles: Your Spiritual Snellen Eye Chart
a. Psalms 19:8 NASB
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
b. How well do you know the word of God? I mean the whole thing? Have you read it completely through? How deeply can you see into the word of God with clarity?
V. BLURRING OUR SPIRITUAL VISION
a. When I was a child, my mother was always telling me that I would mess up my eyesight. Why? Because of a few bad habits I had:
i. Sitting too close to the television screen when I watched tv, or played video games
1. We must be careful not to entertain ourselves so much, that we begin to blur our spiritual vision. The cultural mountain of media is not partnered with the Lord. The majority of what is offered as entertainment is intended and designed to oppose Jesus, who spilt His blood to save you from sin and an eternity in Hell.
2. My vow to the Lord
a. Nothing that dishonors you will be allowed before my eyes
ii. Staring at the microwave when I was heating up food
1. We are not called the microwave generation for nothing. Now a days it seems like every generation in the USA is the microwave generation.
2. We want everything fast including our spiritual food. With social media, podcasts, YouTube, and livestreams, we can grab quick 3 to 5-minute sermons or encouraging words and fool ourselves into believing we have been spiritually fed.
3. We must take the time to open the word for ourselves, and eventually make our own, non-GMO, organic, unprocessed spiritual food.
iii. Putting on other people’s glasses
1. Many of us adopt perspectives and theologies of groups around us, before even reading the word of God once through for ourselves.
a. This is like begging to be deceived.
2. Read the bible for yourself at least once through, then weigh the theology you and others developed against what you have read, not the other way around.
a. Don’t unknowingly allow the spiritually blind to “proof read” your spiritual vision.
iv. Reading in a dark room
1. John the beloved writes in the beginning of his gospel account that Jesus is the light of the world. Whenever we approach the word of God with any other intention aside from coming to know the person of Jesus, we are reading in the dark, without the light.
2. I’ve spoken with people who have “read the bible,” but all they wanted to do was find contradiction and error. They might as well be reading in a dark room.
VI. THE COST OF SPIRITUAL VISION
a. Everything
i. Matthew 16:24-28
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his [o]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [p]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then [q]repay every man according to his[r]deeds. 28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
1. Everyone who ever lived, is alive today, and has yet to be born will have to pay this cost (everything). It either costs a person everything upfront and they live in light of eternity and spend eternity with Jesus, or, they pay it at the end of a life that rejected Jesus and it costs them everything for all of eternity.
a. Spiritual vision gives us an eternal perspective. That eternal perspective is huge in preparing us for the return of our King Jesus. All followers of Jesus, without exception, are called to live as if Jesus could return at any moment. We cannot do this without spiritual vision.
2. The disciples, like all TRUE followers of Jesus count this cost and determine that Jesus is far more valuable than anything else this life can offer. I don’t want us to forget that almost all of the disciples ended up paying this cost with their actual lives.
a. I don’t say this to scare anyone, but rather demonstrate that Jesus is in fact worth it all.
VII. CALL TO REPENTANCE
a. Our Holy Father in heaven, you are worthy of all glory, honor and praise. We have neglected our spiritual vision, some of us to the point of spiritual blindness. Forgive us Jesus, for You died to give sight to our blind eyes and we have despised Your sacrifice. Restore us Lord, restore sight to our blind eyes once again so that we can see and partner with You in all that You are doing. Today and forever we choose to turn away from and despise the things that blur our spiritual vision. Thank You Jesus for your grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Thank You for restoring our spiritual sight. In the beautiful, powerful, matchless, and undefeated name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
VIII. MY PRAYER FOR THOSE UNDER THE BCF COVERING
a. Ephesians 1:18-19 NASB
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart [a]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 [b]saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
IX. MY CHALLENGE TO EVERYONE WATCHING
a. Colossians 3:1-4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
3 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 [a]Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
