Seeing with a Single Eye

Eyesight is an important issue. Our eyes allow us to see the world around us so we can participate in it to a full extent. What you do not see you cannot enjoy. What you do not see you cannot react to. What you do not see you cannot benefit from.
Have you ever run into something in the dark because you did not see it? It is possible to have eyes and not see something because of darkness. It is possible to not see something that is right next to you and all around you. I run into things all the time in the middle of the night. I knock things over and make a general fool of myself. I cannot react to the door if I do not see it.
Our eyesight determines our spiritual health, whether we are full of light or full of darkness. Light speaks of transparency, purity, and holiness. Without light there is no sight. Darkness speaks of carnal living, deceitfulness, and selfish living.
A single eye sees the spiritual world in relationship to eternity.
How is your eyesight? Our eyesight determines our worldview, our goals, our desires, and our spiritual condition. Jesus said that a “single eye” is the key to a body that is full of light. What does this mean? Light speaks of purity, holiness, genuine sincerity, and a transparency. If we are going to live holy and transparent purpose-filled lives for God in this world, we must have a single eye. The Lord is speaking in the spiritual realm. A single eye is an eye that can see the spiritual world that is eternal. That is it.
Paul said, I don’t live my life by the things of this material, physical world, 2 Cor.4:18. Do you know that you have eyes in your heart and spirit that can see the invisible? (See also Eph. 4:18,19) The key to a single eye is to realize that the eternal things are real things. God’s definition of reality is does it last forever. Do you know many people who have this kind of eyesight? People often brag about their 20-20 vision but if you cannot see the spiritual realm, then you are blind to what really counts, because the spiritual realm is eternal.
An Evil eye sees the physical world in relationship to ME.
We react to, enjoy, and gain benefit from the physical world. If all you see is the physical world all around you, then your eye is evil. If all you see is your life: your problems, your bills, your paycheck, your house, your friends in relationship to YOU, then you have an evil eye. If you don’t care about the world of anyone else but the world that you see, then you have an evil eye. If the only thing you can live for is the thing that you can see, then you have an evil eye. I live for my paycheck. I see that. I live for bread. I can eat that. I live to have security. The only kind of security that matters to a person with an evil eye is money in the bank. An evil eye is tyrannized and dominated by the physical world; how we appear, our reputation. We primp and prepare ourselves to look good to people, but when we are alone with God we do all kinds of unspeakable things that break God’s heart and we don’t even care. God? Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Soul? Heaven? Hell? All of those things we have never seen, never touched, felt, or tasted.
We are living in a day when the eyes of Christians are evil. Laodicean living is rampant and widespread (See Rev.3:16-19). We are being conned by our culture and evangelized by a world that is going to hell that the world that matters is the world that you see. The only bread that matters is the bread you eat. The only money that matters is the money you put into your account. The only sight that matters is the sight that gives momentary pleasure. The only clothes that matter are the ones we want. This world has a very powerful message: I don’t know what world you live in, but I live in the world where I have to EAT, MAKE MONEY, WEAR CLOTHES, LIVE IN A HOUSE, DRIVE A CAR. That is what is important because that is what I can see. An evil eye sees this physical world in relationship to us and how it can make us more comfortable and feel about about ourselves. If my wife or husband can’t help ME feel good about myself, then I am out of here. I will go find someone else who can make ME feel good. The only sight that matters to this world is the thing you can touch, handle, taste, feel, drive or eat so I can get through another day and feel good about ME and have a little excitement. But those things are not the real world, because all of those things pass away. The church of Laodicea was a church full of Christians with evil eyes. They had physical riches, many goods, and needed nothing in the world that they could see. They did not see that they had needs beyond daily bread and their own wardrobe. They were blind to the spiritual world and eternal things. God tells them that they were wretched, miserable, poor, and blind, and naked. They did not see that world. They were blind to it. Their eye was evil. God says, come to me and buy real gold, and be clothed with real clothes, and put in your eyes some spiritual eyesalve that you can see the things that are eternal, because eternal things are lifes’ greatest realities.
If you live life in relationship to how things and people relate only to you, then you have an evil eye.
When you are running after only the bread and money that is physical and care nothing for the real world that is eternal, then you are spiritually blind. You have an evil eye and not a single eye.
1. A single Eye can SEE GOD!
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matt.5:8. Hebrews 11:27; Moses saw the Lord who was invisible and this sight of God with his spiritual eyes allowed him to do the impossible. We also are challenged and commanded to look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. But wait, I don’t see Jesus, I don’t see that he died or rose again, with my physical eyes. Oh, have a single eye: see the LORD and all He did for us. Have you seen the Lord? The Lord must open your eyes to see him. Remember when He was risen from the dead talking to those two on Emmaus? Their eyes were closed and they could not see him. They saw a physical man, but they could not see that this was Jesus. Finally, “their eyes were opened, and they knew him” Luke 24:31.
Eph. 3:17-21, Paul prays that the eyes of the understanding of these believers would be open, that they might know the hope of their calling and the riches of the inheritance that are theirs in Christ, and they might see the exceeding greatness of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ is who is now seated at the right hand of God. All of this is foreign to the world that only sees with an evil eye. Jesus Christ in heaven? Where is that. I have never touched, him, seen him, or heard his voice. To most, he does not even exist.
Jesus said, I am with you and will never forsake us, and we sit all depressed saying “I am so lonely.” You know Jesus is with you, but what you really believe is, What good is Jesus if I can’t see Him, touch him, and hear him.
We need to open the eyes of our understanding and know that He is with us and He gives His power to us. What was up with Paul and Silas in that Philippian jail? Were they crazy? No, Jesus was with them and they saw him with eyes of faith. What was up with Joseph in that Egyptian prison? Was he crazy? No, he knew he did right and God was with him and he saw him with eyes of faith.
2. A Single Eye can SEE ETERNITY
One with a single eye sees that there is an eternal destiny for all. A Single eye first of all sees that there is a heaven that I must gain. (2 Cor. 5) Yes, I know that this earthly house of this tabernacle is going to dissolve, and that I have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, and I am groaning for this eternal house that I cannot see with my physical eyes, but I see it with the eyes of my spirit. Because I am confident of this, I seek to “persuade men.” That is not popular or politically correct in a world that sees only with an evil eye, but I am not of this world. I am a new creature, reconciled to the eternal God and commissioned to be His ambassador.
Do you remember when Elijah was going into heaven, and Elisha wanted a double portion of the spirit of God upon him. Elisha, said, “If thou see me, when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” Elijah wanted Elisha to see the greatest reality: people go to God and live somewhere forever. Elisha “saw it” when the chariot of fire scooped up Elijah and took him to heaven! He saw the reality of the spiritual world. He had a single eye.
The world that I live in that I have seen with a single eye is a world where everyone is going to go to live somewhere forever. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
The disciples were living in the physical world. They were hungry. We’re cutting out and getting some food. Jesus was weary, too, but He did not go with his disciples. I wonder why. It is because Jesus had his eyes on the soul of that woman that he had to see. He looked into the soul of that woman and saw her for what she was; lost, in sin, and need of the Messiah. When the disciples came, all they could think of was eating. Jesus said, “I have meat that you know not of” (John 4:32). Read, John 4:34,35. Lift up your eyes and look on the fields! Jesus is not talking about the physical fields of wheat that make the physical bread. He is talking about the spiritual fields of lost souls. Real bread is telling others of Christ! Do you see that? If you have an evil eye, you will miss it. If you have a single eye, you can’t miss it. The disciples were so bound by their physical eyesight and their physical needs they could not see the needs of that woman or the whole city that was coming to Jesus. They were bound by their physical sight. The disciples did not even want to see the Samaritans. They did not like the Samaritans. They were Jewish and the Samaritans were some sort of half breed Jews that had mixed false religion into the worship of Jehovah. The Samaritans could not help them, so why take notice of them. We need to set our sight on people who can HELP us, right? No, we need to set our sight on people who need help. If you only see life in relationship to yourself, you will be depressed. If you are bound by what you see with your two little eyes, you will be depressed. If your only reality is your own little world of :
I gotta buy eggs at Key Food I went to the bank and complained about the line. My Mom got mad at me. A new video came out today; did you see that movie?
Do you have a single eye where you have seen there is a land where moth and rust doth not corrupt and where thieves cannot break through or steal? Oh, is heaven real to you? Giving to God and His church would not bother you. If we could go to heaven for a split second and really SEE it, I submit to you we would not moan about tithing. We would give every last penny we had! People in this world with evil eyes hoard money, leaves behind millions, and a fool spends their money. Don’t leave your money on earth so that fools can spend it!
A single eye also realizes those lost without Christ face an eternity in hell. Do you see the lost on their way to a Christ-less eternity? Do you know why there is so much racial strife today? Because people see with their physical eyes. Where you from? PR? Jamaica? White?, etc. They hang together. White? Black? They hang together. We are all members of the same race! There is one race: the human race and we will all spend eternity somewhere.
And you do not eat the bread you cannot see, you will never have the joy of the Lord.
3. A Single Eye can see the WARFARE
Do you know there is a war going on all around us? Most people don’t In 2 Kings 6:13, the King of Syria sent an army to surround the city with chariots and horses where the Prophet Elisha stayed. His servant woke up in the morning and said, “UH-OH, we’re in trouble.!” The prophet prayed, Lord, open his eyes, and he saw: and behold: the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha! Yes, more that be with us than those that be with them! Our God if of greater power than any human army!
We are in a battle, the sad thing, is many don’t even see it. Our eyes are not open to the battle that wages between the principalities and power and rulers of the darkness of this world. Our eyes are not open to how the Devil seeks to destroy our homes, destroy our marriages, our children, our personal purity. Those under the greatest attack don’t even know they are under attack. Eph.6:10-18.
We are living in a world of spiritual wickedness and warfare, but for most people it is not even a part of their world. Their world is D’Agostinos, Omelets, Hi, Mom, How you doing?, the Sale at Banana Republic, and what we saw on TV while the Devil is deceiving, destroying in a battle.
My new car has a dent! I am so depressed! That new dress that I wanted was too much money and now I can’t wear it to the wedding! I am going to be so embarrassed. We care so much how we look to people who are pieces of dust, but what we say to God, do in His sight, and we don’t even care when He looks dead into our soul. We primp to look good to people but don’t care how we appear to God.
What if there were bombs going off around you and you did not hear it or see it? That would be a tragedy, right? What if your house was on fire and you did not see it or hear it? Would that not be a tragedy? Well, you are heading toward a fiery hell, and you are blind to it and that is far, far worse.
If you only live with the physical eyes you will make mountains out of molehills and be half depressed the rest of your life. The physical world that is full of physical things that break and we cry and make a big thing about, don’t even matter to God compared to the eternal things.
Are you like Balaam? You eyes are blind to God trying to stop you from your selfish direction. Balaam was driven by his physical eyesight. He was wrapped up with the reward.
Let the light of God’s Word and Holy Spirit into your life so you can see with a single eye!