Recovery Of Sight In The Season of New Wine Part 2
Recovery Of Sight In The Season of New Wine (Part 2)
Tuesday March 11, 2025
John 4:35-38 ESV
Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. [36] Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. [37] For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' [38] I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Numbers 23:19-20 NKJV "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? [20] Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
After God speaks, it often appears as though all hell breaks loose to prevent His word from coming to pass.
Mark 4:35-41 NLT As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake." [36] So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). [37] But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. [38] Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?" [39] When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. [40] Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?" [41] The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!"
When the storm and waves of fear, doubt and confusion begin to trouble our hearts, we need to act like Jesus, rebuke the wind, and command stillness.
Psalm 42:5 NKJV (see also Psalm 42:11; 43:5)
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.
Psalm 46:1-2,10-11 NKJV
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. [2] Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
[10] Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! [11] The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
God’s word does not merely have power. God’s word is the power of God.
There is no power on earth or hell that can prevent God's word from prospering.
Matthew 24:35 NKJV
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
Psalm 29:4 NLT
The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
Romans 1:16 NKJV
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
When man speaks, he has to do much to bring his word to pass. When God speaks, the power to accomplish is encoded in the word.
Isaiah 55:9-13 NKJV
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. [10] "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, [11] So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. [12] "For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. [13] Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the LORD for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
The best the enemy can do regarding God's word is to rob people of faith.
Hebrews 4:2 NKJV
For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
Luke 9:62 NLT But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."
Hebrews 10:35-39 NKJV
Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. [36] For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: [37] "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. [38] Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." [39] But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
God watches over His word to perform it.
Jeremiah 1:11-12 ESV And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see an almond branch." [12] Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it."
God is not nervous about His word coming to pass . And neither should you be.
When God says He “watches over His word,” He is not standing nervously wringing His fingers like a gambler hoping the dice will roll in his favor.
So why is He watching?
He steps back and watches to see who will be worthy of activating His words by faith.
We must view every experience through the lenses of God’s word. We must look at things the way God looks at them. That is the only way we can reach the same conclusions as God about our circumstances. That is the only way we can receive the outcomes God has in mind for us.
2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."
Jeremiah 1:12 ESV Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it."
We see well only when we see through the eyes of faith
We walk by faith and not by sight 2 Corinthian 5:7
The just shall live by faith. Hebrews 10:38
It is impossible to walk by faith or to live by faith if we do not see by faith.
Spiritual blindness is the greatest of all problems.
Spiritual blindness is seeing life through any other lenses different from God’s word.
The broke know they are broke, the sick know they are sick, but the spiritually blind does not know he is blind.
Matthew 23:24 NLT Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!
Spiritual people are most at risk of spiritual blindness.
When we assume we see, we are at the greatest risk.
Spiritual Blindness in the Old Testament
Isaiah 42:18-20 NLT
"Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind! [19] Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD? [20] You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don't really listen."
Jewish Spiritual Blindness in the days of Jesus
John 8:39 NLT
"Our father is Abraham!" they declared. "No," Jesus replied, "for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example.
Abraham gave us the example of faith.
The blind church in Laodicea
Revelation 3:17-18 NLT
You say, 'I am rich. I have everything I want. I don't need a thing!' And you don't realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. [18] So I advise you to buy gold from me-gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.
The recovery of sight is an important part of Jesus’ mission.
Luke 4:18-19 ESV "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Yet Jesus did not bother with teaching the blind.
Matthew 15:14 NLT
so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch."
John 9:39-41 ESV Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." [40] Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?" [41] Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains.
Matthew 16:1-4 ESV And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. [2] He answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' [3] And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. [4] An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.
He came to heal those who are humble enough to acknowledge their blindness.
Mark 10:51-52 NLT "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked. "My Rabbi," the blind man said, "I want to see!" [52] And Jesus said to him, "Go, for your faith has healed you." Instantly the man could see, and he followed Jesus down the road.
New Wine Is Healing and Recovery of Sight
New Wine Is Recovery
Mark 10:51-52 ESV
And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." [52] And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.
How you see determines your mood, your reaction and your outcomes.
Joel 2:28-29 ESV
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. [29] Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
To see visions, we need to open our eyes . To dream dreams, we need to close our eyes. Some of us need to close our eyes so we can see better. The old has nothing to do with chronological age but with those who are dealing with rigidity, those who are stuck in the ways things used to be. They are unable to see the new opportunities being presented before them.
Ezra 3:10-13 ESV And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. [11] And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. [12] But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, [13] so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.
Haggai 2:1-9 ESV In the seventh month, on the twenty-first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet: [2] "Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to all the remnant of the people, and say, [3] 'Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? [4] Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts, [5] according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. [6] For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. [7] And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. [8] The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. [9] The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.'”
