Steven Furtick - How to Restore Your Spiritual Sight
This is an excerpt from: New Number Same Name
I started realizing a lot of us don’t have a supply problem; we have a sight problem. It’s not that God hasn’t spoken; we just can’t see. Realizing that one of the most frequent miracles Jesus performed in the Scripture was the healing of blind eyes, I went and studied different people he healed of blindness, because I believe we all have spiritual blindness, blind spots, things that we say, «Well, if I could go back, I’d do it differently, but I didn’t know that five years ago». «I didn’t know I was hurting my child. I was trying to discipline them, but now I see that I was too harsh. I was trying to provide for my family, but I ended up kind of abandoning them emotionally. In an attempt to give them what I didn’t have growing up, which was money, I didn’t give them what I did have, which is love. I’m looking back, and I was blinded by that».
The healing of the Savior and the new thing God is doing often brings restoration of spiritual sight, what Paul called the eyes of your heart being enlightened. In Mark, chapter 8, there is a mention of a man. I don’t believe we get his name in the Scripture, but Jesus did something amazing for him. Now, I don’t know when you’re watching this, but if you’re about to go to lunch, this might ruin your appetite. It’s kind of gross. «They [the disciples and Jesus] came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him». Pay attention to every detail that you can. It will reward your attention if you’ll pay attention to every detail in this little story.
Verse 23: «He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything? '» I told you this is not a very appetizing miracle. I need to read that again, because you didn’t even react to it, and it’s so weird. «When he had spit on the man’s eyes…» We just glossed over that, like that’s just something people do, like he did a «Hail Mary» over him or something. He spit on the man’s eyes, and then put his hands on him, and Jesus asked, «Do you see anything»? He looked up and said, «Um, you did pretty good. I see people; they look like trees walking around».
Now, I’m going to point out to you really quickly, the fact that he knew what trees looked like means he had been able to see at some time in the past. So, he’s restoring his sight. Some things God wants to bring you back to. You really do know what it means. He said, «I see it, but it’s blurry». Do you have any blurry blessings in your life right now? «I see it, but it’s blurry. It’s working, but it seems a little off. I don’t want you to spit on me again, but can I get a second touch»?
The Bible says something very powerful. «Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, 'Don’t even go into the village.'» What a great story. If that were the passage we were preaching from, we would say, «Every miracle is messy». Spit in your eyes is messy. We would also say that many miracles in your life happen over the period of time, because there were two touches involved. But we’re not viewing this miracle in isolation, because Jesus is consistent, but he’s also creative. Here’s what I mean. Go to Mark, chapter 10. Another blind man, this one whose name we do know. «Then they came to Jericho».
So, this is a different town. Bethsaida (Mark 8); Jericho (Mark 10). «As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means 'son of Timaeus'), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth…» He could hear, but he couldn’t see. «…he began to shout…» He could shout though he couldn’t see. He’s using everything he has available. «…'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! ' Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'»
Don’t you let them shut you up. Don’t you let them shut you down. Don’t you let them call you crazy. They tried to do it to me for almost 20 years, and if I had listened to everything they said about me, I wouldn’t be here preaching to your beautiful self. So don’t you dare miss what God has for you down the road. «Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me! ' Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him.' So they [the disciples] called to the blind man, 'Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.' Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 'What do you want me to do for you? ' Jesus asked him. The blind man said, 'Rabbi, I want to see.'»
Now, I can’t prove it in the text, because the text says the blind man threw his cloak. I can’t prove it in the text, because the text says he shouted loudly. I can’t prove it in the text, but I think when he said, «I want to see,» Peter and the other disciples backed up a little bit, because the last time Jesus did what he’s asking him to do… Maybe they even said to the guy, «Hey, man, you might want to… Do you have a change of clothes? Just to prepare you, this can be kind of traumatic if you’re not expecting it, just to let you know».
But watch this. Jesus is a healer. He’s consistent. He doesn’t tell the man, «No, I don’t feel like healing. Check back Thursday. Thursday is my healing day,» because he’s consistent. But the same Savior who is consistent is also creative, which means he is not constrained, which means he doesn’t have to do the same thing this time that he did last time, which means he’s going to heal the man, but this time… Watch. It’s a little different. Jesus just said, «Go». Verse 52: «'…your faith has healed you.' Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road».
Bartholomew, Andrew, John, James, and Peter are like, «Wait, Jesus. You forgot to spit. You’ve got to spit. Remember chapter 8? You’ve got to spit on him. It’s not going to work if you don’t spit. I mean, you spit on that guy, and you still had to do it twice». If you’re taking notes as a disciple, here’s what you’re writing down, because you’ve never seen anything this amazing before. Right? Jesus is walking around healing blind eyes, and stuff, so you’re keeping notes. «Okay. We’re going to have to do this without him one day, so what does he do? Okay. He spits, and then the first touch doesn’t really work, so you’ve got to do it twice. Okay».
Then Jesus walks right up on this man named Bartimaeus. The man is screaming, and they’re like, «You’re not supposed to scream». Jesus is like, «I don’t mind him screaming. It doesn’t bother me». The man throws his cloak, and Jesus is like, «Let him throw off anything he wants to». Jesus looks straight at that man and heals him how he wants to, how he chooses to. He’s healing you, but maybe not how you want him to, maybe not how you’re used to. God said in Isaiah, «Remember when the sea split? It’s not going to split this time. Instead, I’m doing a new thing. Even now it springs up. The song you’re singing from 700 years ago… The sea split. This time, the water isn’t going to split; it’s going to spring, but it’s still water».
I wonder, is this not the wisdom of God because he knows we’ll get addicted to miracles and not be dependent on him? So he says, «You wanted me to do it like that? Nah, I’m not splitting the sea this time. This time it’s coming from a different place». Now, you assume God isn’t speaking. I wonder, are you just not seeing and he’s speaking? The same Savior who spit in the man’s eyes didn’t spit this time. This time he just spoke, because he’s creative. He doesn’t have to spit. He can speak. He can spit. He can spit while he speaks, like me. A lady told me one time, «I sit on at least the fourth row, because watching you preach is like being at SeaWorld. I’ve got to get out of the splash zone». She said, «You spit when you speak».
See, God doesn’t always have to spit when he speaks. He’s consistent, but he’s creative. Sometimes the fact that he is so creative causes you to forget how consistent he is, because while you’re waiting for him to spit, he’s just speaking. One word: «Go». One word from God. «This is what the Lord says: Go». I came into the first weekend of our twentieth year of ministry to declare to you that not only is this the praise church but this is the proclamation church. This is the proclamation church where the Word of the Lord reaches beyond the barriers of a physical campus or location, beyond the demographic of a certain socioeconomic status or class, beyond the backgrounds we’ve all experienced up to this point.
God said, «Forget all of that. I am not defining your life by the former». This is the most beautiful thing he gave me in so long, because after he said, «Forget the former thing,» in verse 20 he said, «Even the wild jackals and the owls know how to honor me, because I provide water in the wilderness». The sea is not splitting this time. It doesn’t need to. The same people aren’t going to call you this time. They don’t need to. It’s not going to feel the same way this time. It doesn’t have to. He said, «I provide water in the wilderness, so the animals honor me». «…and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen…» That’s who you are.
Verse 21: «…the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise». Let’s splash around in this water for a minute. He said, «I want you to forget the former, because you are the people I formed for myself». Since he is God and is not limited by time, he formed you for a future that only he knows. So, everything you feel insecure about, let it go. It’s not going to matter, because he is your former. «What do you mean, 'former'»? The same Hebrew word Isaiah uses for former is translated as potter and planner. So what’s he saying? «Let go of your plan so I can show you my purpose».
Let go of every plan you made without God. Let go of every plan you made by consulting your past. Let go of every plan that was limited to the people you have around you right now. There are new rivers, new streams, new blessings, new wells, new beginnings. What has stayed the same for 20 years now in this church is the name, the name of Jesus, the Great I Am in flesh, incarnate, in action. The numbers have changed. The numbers have changed greatly. I used to preach to a room full of 19 people. My passion wasn’t lower. I didn’t talk softer. I screamed louder, because I was desperate and youthful. Nothing changed about that when the numbers changed. But it’s an amazing thing how sometimes God is speaking to you, but you don’t recognize him because it doesn’t come from where you expected.