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WHAT A REDEEMER! #4

LASIK SURGERY FOR THE EYES OF THE HEART

When you look at spiritual truth through spiritual eyes, does it sometimes seem like you have cataracts? That your Bible bifocals are all fogged up? The book of Ephesians talks about our "eyes of the heart," and maybe some of us need that book-of-Revelation eye salve.

We don't know who to thank, but the Internet had this happy story floating around not so long ago. A little old man staying in one of those Florida retirement mobile home parks had had his eye on a nice little old lady who also lived in the park. She was a widow, he was a widower, and there were often activities for these senior citizens to enjoy together. One evening there was a community supper in the recreation center, and he maneuvered his way until he was sitting across from her. As the eventful evening progressed, he finally got up the courage and asked her the big question, just out of the blue: "Will you marry me?"

Well! She hesitated for just a few seconds, and then gave him the thrilling answer: "Yes, I will." They finished their meal, there were a few more pleasant exchanges, and they said goodbye. I don't know if he got up the courage to give her a little peck on the cheek or not, but the wonderful night came to an end.

By the next morning, though, some clouds had entered the picture. Our dear little Casanova just couldn't remember: Had his lady love said "yes" . . . or "no"? He remembered the meal, he remembered the menu, he remembered asking her . . . and he remembered some kind of a response. But what it was — he just couldn't resurrect. He didn't know if he was now an engaged man or still a lonely guy sitting by himself in the corner. So finally he did the only thing he could do. He called her on the phone and just flat-out told her his problem. "I simply don't remember things as well as I used to," he said. "I think I'm fine every other way, but my memory machine is just kind of missing on a couple cylinders. You understand. So if you could just tell me — when I asked you if you'd marry me, did you say yes or no?"

Well, without any hesitating she said, so sweetly, "Why, honey! Of course I said ‘yes.' And I meant it with all of my heart." And then she blushed and admitted to him: "Actually, I'm so glad you called, because when I got up this morning I couldn't remember who had asked me!"

Well, I'm sure there are days when my wife wonders if I have enough memory cells to find my way to the office. But have you ever felt intimidated by the stark reality that even comprehending the Christian message seems to be an overwhelming mental challenge? Friend, the Bible is a hard book! Even translated into our mother tongue, even paraphrased by friendly fellow believers of the 21st century, even with the most happy, elementary Bible-study tricks like VeggieTale videos, theology is a complicated, divisive, impossible-to-resolve monster. A great scholar of the faith writes an impressive tome, a huge, deep volume . . . and as soon as it's off the press, ten other scholars publish papers rebutting and ridiculing everything he has to say.

I want to make a confession to you. Last week we very gently explored the doctrine of predestination — and I can tell you, there are painfully hard verses and arguments and nuances to the words of Scripture . . . and they run in all directions! Just this last Monday, as we were grappling with the question of the atonement and what "redemption" is all about, we found an essay about that on the Internet. It was from a website called "Believe.com," and I want to tell you something — it had the vast, mysterious thoughts of the great legendary heroes of the Christian faith: Origen, Anselm, Abelard, Luther, Calvin. And we tried to get yellow highlighter pens out and find our way through it, but just this six-page essay was tough sledding. Have you ever felt overwhelmed by something like that? And after a while, like the little old man in the Florida mobile home park, you begin to wonder: "Did God say yes or no to me? Am I saved? Am I a Christian? Is there a wedding — or ‘second Coming' — anywhere in my future?"

Well, friend, even though this ancient Book called "Holy Bible" has some hard things in it, it also shares some wonderful news in with the Greek mysteries. We've always said here on the radio that if you're weary and beaten down, and not able to take in the vast scope of all 66 books, really just eleven words are enough. Acts 16:31:

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."

If that's all you ever learn, then that's enough. If you can't take in more than that, then you've taken in, right there, what's necessary. That's the bare minimum, and it's enough.

But here in the first chapter of Ephesians, we find some wonderful news. Because God has a plan for you and me to understand and rejoice in much MORE than the bare minimum. Listen to this:

"I keep asking" — this is the apostle Paul writing — "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may GIVE you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better."

Right away here we have to ask a question. Is that "Spirit of wisdom and revelation" a "big-‘S'" spirit — as in the Holy Spirit — or simply a spirit or attitude or human mindset of wisdom and revelation? The King James has a little "s", the NIV a big "S", and commentaries are all over the map. But does it matter? Of course, if God gives you a spirit of wisdom and the desire and spiritual ability to understand His revelations, He's going to do that through the Holy Spirit in any case. As we studied yesterday, the Holy Spirit is our seal, our mentor; He leads us into spiritual confidence and truth. So let's take this as a good-news, win-win discussion point, and go on to verse 18, which is incredible. Here it is:

"I pray also," Paul writes, "that the EYES OF YOUR HEART may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe."

First of all, let's just pause and reflect on that phrase: "the eyes of your heart." Isn't that great? Don't you want the eyes of your heart to be opened? Friend, I want that more than I can express. And God wants it for us. He wants His own Holy Spirit to give us this gift, keen eyesight — eyesight of the heart — so that we can have 20/20 vision when it comes to the matters of God's kingdom. The Message paraphrase reads like this:

"I ask [God] to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Him personally, your eyes focused and clear."

In his classic book, Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis — who was admittedly a genius as a religious apologist — affirms that the Christian faith is open to people of all IQs. If all you can grasp is Acts 16:31 — "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" — then you can have a mansion in heaven just for that. But then he too speaks of "eyes of the heart." Listen to this:

"[Christ] wants a child's heart, but a grown-up's head," he writes. "He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but He also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first class fighting trim. . . . He has room for people with very little sense, but He wants every one to use what sense they have. The proper motto is not ‘Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever,' but ‘Be good, sweet maid, and don't forget that this involves being as clever as you can.'"

So friend, God does call upon us to use our minds, to be humbly clever, to grow and mature in the faith . . . and then He promises us all the resources of heaven, all the tutorial powers of the Holy Spirit, all the instructional benefits of the Bible and all the gracious nudges of holy angels. And let's notice one thing more about what God hopes will happen when He gives us these enlightened "eyes of the heart." Is it so we can dissect the doctrines and win arguments? So we can go on the Internet and pound fellow believers into submission? Not at all, although there's nothing wrong with humble, Bible-based discussion. But this incredible letter to the Ephesians explicitly tells us that God wants us to have wide-open, 20/20 "eyes of the heart" so that we can have hope! So that we can comprehend what is ahead for you and me, this "glorious inheritance" that awaits us! So that we can glimpse His "incomparably great power for us who believe." Do you remember, way back in II Kings 6, how a servant of the prophet Elisha was discouraged because the armies of Aram had surrounded the city of Dothan? Everything was lost! This was hopeless! May as well give up! And Elisha quietly and confidently prayed, "Lord, just open this guy's eyes. The ‘eyes of his heart,' that is." And with both his physical and his spiritual eyes, the doubting servant suddenly saw all of God's invisible armies and chariots of fire filling the hills and absolutely overwhelming the puny enemy forces. Friend, that's what enlightenment is for: to give us eternal confidence that our God is able and that heaven is our home.