Bob Cassell, Messenger
If someone asks, “Are you spiritually blind?” What would be your response? Would you know what they are talking about? Do you think you can see into spiritual matters, or do you know you are spiritually impoverished?
Someone asked Ray Charles, in a music session as conveyed by my friend, Johnny Gimble, “Hey Ray what’s the worst thing about being blind?” Ray responded, “Hell man, you can’t see!”
His majesty the Devil does not want us to talk about spiritual blindness because he is the root cause of an unbeliever’s blindness! It is his Ace Trump! In spite of this darkness, unbelief, and deception somehow the empty human spirit knows something is wrong. What is wrong is the problem and not the awareness that something is wrong.
In my early and most rebellious years I knew something in me was unfilled and empty, but I simply had no idea what that something was. I recall coming in one night in a drunken state and my mother intercepted me at the door. I was caught off guard and didn’t know what to say when she said, “Oh Bobby, why are you being this way, you get in and out of trouble, you take risks and get out of control. I am worried about you; if you keep this up someone is going to kill you, or you are going to die.” I didn’t know what to say, so I uttered… “I’m sorry Mom, but it seems like I am looking for something, but I don’t know what it is. Whatever it is, I know I haven’t found it… you have lived longer than me and have more experience. Can you tell me what I’m looking for?” “I don’t know Bob; I only know I love you and don’t want to see you hurt or maybe killed.”
What a deplorable human condition. To be totally lost with no idea of how to be found. I was miserable but had no answers or remedy for my problem. My soul was empty and blind because of the description in … 2 Corinthians 4:4 “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe NOT, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
This was a perfect description of me because I was of them that believed not! Doesn’t this blinding work of Satan stir your soul with indignation and resentment… to know that it is Satan who has blinded your mind so that you cannot see the light of the gospel of Christ! This condition is critical because the light of truth is something you must have in order to know Jesus Christ, the light of the world. He is your only hope and Satan knows it!
You are not left without hope and are not alone in your blindness because God did something for you that you could never do for yourself. He took over for you in this impossible condition. He personally commanded the light to shine out of DARKNESS!
2 Corinthians 4:6, For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face (person) of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:21, Now he which stablishes us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God.
By the super surpassing Grace of God, you have access to see the radiant light that shines out of darkness to you, and this light points to the light of the world, even Jesus Christ, the only Savior…. And it is God and not you, who makes both us and you (yes, you are included) stand firm IN CHRIST!
If you are not standing firm in Christ, you will not stand at all because you are standing on your own weak human foundation; it will not hold you up, you will certainly fall and your fall will be great and unto eternal damnation.
1 Corinthians 3:11, For no other foundation can any man lay than that laid, which is Jesus Christ.
How is it possible to stand before God in righteous garments and enter heaven?
The answer is simple! He has done it all and that means all that is required for you to become a member of his family, and to live in heaven forever has been done by him. It is his work…He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his spirit in our hearts as a deposit, GUARANTEEING WHAT IS TO COME!
2 Corinthians 1:21,22, Now he which established us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
This is what God does so graciously for you. To clearly see the truth of this glorious guarantee and then continue to doubt is to remain in darkness and willfully ignore the light that God so freely gives to liberate you. To ignore or presume on God’s GRACE is one of the most egregious violations of the Human Spirit. The uncertain and doubting soul needs only to open and then receive the best and surest offer that has ever been made to a human being.
2 Corinthians 3:12, Seeing then that we have (present possession) such hope, because of the merits of Jesus Christ, we have boldness and confidence, not in ourselves but in HIM!
Please notice, this so great salvation does not originate or place hope in man or in man’s best efforts. This hope is far outside of man and must embrace a worthy object. That worthy object is God who cares, calls, and comes to your rescue; when you believe in his son who suffered, bled, and died in your place, your stead, and in your room.
Isaiah 12:2-5, GOD is my salvation; I WILL TRUST and be not afraid: WHY? For the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song: his is also become my Salvation.
HE IS Isaiah’s salvation, he is my salvation, is he your salvation? If he is your salvation, you can trust and be not afraid! This is the clear declaration of this verse… trust and be not afraid. It is impossible to be trusting and afraid at the same time. If your trust is weak and fearful, perhaps you have placed it in the wrong object. Here is the proper object for your believing and trusting faith…the Lord is my strength and my song. HE HAS become my Salvation! This is an amazing result! This is so wonderful that it cannot be contained, and I rejoice with you!
Anyone reading this verse should not be intimidated by those who believe not, nor muzzled by scoffers, WHY? Because we have been liberated from bondage and damnation and there is in wait an eternal future, and an eternal home, not here but there, in the Heavenlies.
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name…. He is worthy!
Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me and I will answer thee… this is the right thing to do! It is the only thing you can do to appropriate everlasting life.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
When you respond to the invitation in Jeremiah to call or when you realize that salvation is in no other, you have come to the right conclusion. Your admonition is to call on him, trust him, and believe in him. When you have completed the human responsibility to believe or call… he answers! When he answers, you will see what he does and not what you have done.
The doing is done because he has done it. The victory is won because he has already achieved it, it truly is finished! You can’t achieve what has already been won so gloriously, so perfectly, and so finally by Jesus Christ, the exclusive savior.
When you clearly see, what he has done for you, you will be so affected that you will be compelled to make known among the Nations and your family this joyful message. Then, with joy unspeakable you will want to say with Isaiah, sing to the Lord for he has done glorious things Isa.12:5.
Let this amazing truth be known to all the world, for great is our known and knowable God who is Holy, Gracious, Loving, Merciful, Forgiving, and Righteous.
May I implore you to pause and meditate on a most critical and eternal matter: that matter is the eternal destiny of your soul. You are alive and breathing in this moment by means of God’s permissive GRACE! If you have no assurance you are going to heaven, that absence of assurance is the most empty and tragic condition of your life. It is tragic because that emptiness can be replaced by assurance and fullness wherein there is no doubt about your eternal destiny!
Please know there are no secrets regarding how you may be assured of Heaven. God wants you to know, and you can know. You must look not on the inside of you for human peace; you must look on the outside to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, and place all of your trust in him as the object of your uncertain and weak faith.
Do not be concerned you don’t have enough faith; you are overflowing with faith. Be deeply concerned regarding where you place your faith! Strong faith is not called for, God knows you do not have great faith; the requirement is to place all of your weak faith in Jesus Christ. He is the worthy object, and unless your faith is in HIM you have no life and are facing destruction and eternal damnation!
This condemnation can be eliminated by a simple act of Faith that embraces the living person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is this simple, though Satan and MAN has complicated it, the simplicity is to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved! Acts 16:31.
Do you hear and see this amazing truth? It is a truth you can believe, yet this truth can be rejected and scoffed at, but to the eternal damnation of the scoffer!
It is a fool who knows to do good or to receive the perfect gift of eternal life that is in Jesus Christ and rejects, scoffs, or dismisses that amazing and legitimate offer!
He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life and He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of GOD abideth on him. John 3:36.
What a damming proclamation… to have the wrath of GOD poured out on your living soul unto condemnation.
May I ask you to pause for a few minutes to slowly and carefully consider the eternal truth that is contained in this verse of scripture. This truth is not from a limited and needy human being, it is from the heart and mind of the God of the universe, and it is pointed to you… it is a gift that is for you… it is personal, and it is eternally true.
Ephesians 2:8,9 For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT OF GOD is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 10:13 For whosoever, (that’s you) shall call upon the name of the Lord (that’s Jesus) shall be saved.
Your responsibility is to call! His sure promise is to save you when you call, and he will, because he is God and is not willing that any should perish but that you shall have eternal life. 2 Peter 3:9.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him, with long life (eternal) will I satisfy him, and show him my Salvation Psalm 91:15,16.
What an offer from the LIVING, LOVING, AND CARING GOD. What fool would see just a glimpse of this beautiful truth and then reject or continue in the total blindness and darkness of Satanic unbelief.
He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that BELIEVETH NOT is condemned already (what is the reason?) because he hath not believed in the name of the ONLY begotten SON OF GOD John 3:18.
BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED Acts 16:31.
