I. WHAT IS WILFUL BLINDNESS?
Wilful blindness is a deliberate shutting of the mental, emotional, and spiritual “eyes” against the light of the truth. It is a deliberate decision and choice to (a) resist, (b) refute, (c) reject and (d) oppose the truth. Whether it is the truth of matters in the ordinary world, or the truth of God as revealed in Scripture, or the truth of the Gospel, or the truth revealed to someone by the Holy Spirit. While this is serious enough in the natural man, it is catastrophic among those who consider themselves to be Christians.
II. SCRIPTURE EXPOSES WILFUL BLINDNESS
God and Christ show us the nature of wilful blindness in many passages of Scripture:
BLIND WATCHMEN IN ISRAEL FAIL TO FULFIL THEIR CALLING
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (Isa 56:10)
THE WILFULLY BLIND ARE TO BE LEFT ALONE
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (Mt 15:14)
III. THE WILFULLY BLIND ARE CONDEMNED TO HELL (MATTHEW 23)
1. THEY LEAD OTHERS TO HELL
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
2. THEY ARE HYPOCRITICAL PRETENDERS
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
3. THEY ARE ZEALOUS IN MAKING CONVERTS TO THEIR LIES
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
4. THEY HAVE NO SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
5. THEY DEBASE SPIRITUAL THINGS AND GOD HIMSELF
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
6. THEY FOCUS ON THE INCONSEQUENTIAL AND NEGLECT THE CONSEQUENTIAL
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
7. THEY FOCUS ON THE EXTERNAL AND NEGLECT THE INTERNAL
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
8. THEY ARE OUTWARDLY PIOUS BUT INWARDLY CORRUPT
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
9. THEY CREATE SHRINES FOR THE ONES WHOM THEY MURDER
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
10. THEY CONDEMN THEMSELVES TO THE DAMNATION OF HELL
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
As we can see, the Lord had some very harsh words for these people, as well as some very severe judgments. Therefore it behooves everyone to ensure that they are not wilfully blind, but always welcome the truth.
Wilful blindness is a deliberate shutting of the mental, emotional, and spiritual “eyes” against the light of the truth. It is a deliberate decision and choice to (a) resist, (b) refute, (c) reject and (d) oppose the truth. Whether it is the truth of matters in the ordinary world, or the truth of God as revealed in Scripture, or the truth of the Gospel, or the truth revealed to someone by the Holy Spirit. While this is serious enough in the natural man, it is catastrophic among those who consider themselves to be Christians.
II. SCRIPTURE EXPOSES WILFUL BLINDNESS
God and Christ show us the nature of wilful blindness in many passages of Scripture:
BLIND WATCHMEN IN ISRAEL FAIL TO FULFIL THEIR CALLING
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (Isa 56:10)
THE WILFULLY BLIND ARE TO BE LEFT ALONE
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (Mt 15:14)
III. THE WILFULLY BLIND ARE CONDEMNED TO HELL (MATTHEW 23)
1. THEY LEAD OTHERS TO HELL
13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
2. THEY ARE HYPOCRITICAL PRETENDERS
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
3. THEY ARE ZEALOUS IN MAKING CONVERTS TO THEIR LIES
15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
4. THEY HAVE NO SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
5. THEY DEBASE SPIRITUAL THINGS AND GOD HIMSELF
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. 19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.
6. THEY FOCUS ON THE INCONSEQUENTIAL AND NEGLECT THE CONSEQUENTIAL
23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. 24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
7. THEY FOCUS ON THE EXTERNAL AND NEGLECT THE INTERNAL
25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
8. THEY ARE OUTWARDLY PIOUS BUT INWARDLY CORRUPT
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
9. THEY CREATE SHRINES FOR THE ONES WHOM THEY MURDER
29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
10. THEY CONDEMN THEMSELVES TO THE DAMNATION OF HELL
32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
As we can see, the Lord had some very harsh words for these people, as well as some very severe judgments. Therefore it behooves everyone to ensure that they are not wilfully blind, but always welcome the truth.
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