Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
When I was a young child I can remember playing a little game with my friends. Rather than playing catch or going swimming, I would put on a blindfold and then make the attempt to get all the way to a predetermined location without seeing where I was going. In order to do this I had to place my complete trust in my friends and listen to them closely, as they gave me instructions on which way to go. Airplane pilots do the same type of thing when they learn to fly “under the hood.” This means that they wear a special hood that completely restricts their view outside of the cockpit. Rather than depending on their eyesight, the hood will force the pilot to fly without external references to the ground or horizon, learning to place their complete trust in their instruments in order to navigate.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
A lot of people depend on their eyes to see where they are going, but in order to enter eternal life requires trusting in what we cannot see. Like a pilot relying solely on his instruments, we must place our trust in the unseen things of God.
“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
When we look out into the world, they live their lives according to their own ideologies, philosophies and concepts, most often inherited by watching those around them. Like a pilot, people tend to trust the landscape that they see, following and accepting the things that are presented to them by the naked eye. But in order to become a Christian, we need to close our eyes to our worldly surroundings, and open up our hearts to the teachings of scripture. Biblical faith is to trust in the unseen things of God, rather than accepting the temporal scenario that we have been given by the world. The older that we become, the harder it can become to let go of all of the things that we have been raised in. We have learned since our birth to live like the world, act like the world and behave like the world, but for those who desire to live forever, we must reject everything that we see. We need to place our complete trust in the teachings of the unseen God, and begin to fly underneath the hood.
“(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” 2 Corinthians 5:7
All the things that we can see with our eyes are temporal. This word is defined as enduring for a certain time only, or temporary. Many people will come from different parts of the state to go camping up here in the woods. They set up their tents and their barbecue grills, and for a week or two they fish and relax in the beautiful environment that God created. But when their vacation is over they pack up their tents and leave, just like the Israelites did while living out in the desert. Each of us must prepare to pack up and leave this place, because God is creating a new Heaven and a new Earth, which are reserved for His faithful and obedient servants. Everything that you see will be gone, from the highest towers, to the largest of mountains, nothing shall remain. From the grandest of cathedrals, to the tallest of steeples,the world and all of its works shall be completely burned up. It makes me wonder why so many people pour so much money into a building when it’s only going to be destroyed by God anyway. That makes no sense to me at all. It’s no wonder why the early church met in people’s homes. They were more concerned about helping the poor Saints and other needy people in the world.
2 Peter 3 ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. ¹¹ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, ¹² Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ¹³ Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Sometimes when you walk down a dirt road, somebody will leave their footprints in the mud. Although we might not see the person who did it, the footprints are the evidence that they were there. We might not see the invisible things of God, but we know that He is real, because He has left the evidence of His Divine footprints throughout the creation of this world.
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:20
Another point, is that the Lord Jesus warned about judging by appearance. There is a huge difference between what we can see, and the invisible things of God. Our eyes can deceive us, leading us across a desert to an oasis that isn’t really there. Trusting in what we see can lead someone down a path that will eventually end in death.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Proverbs 14:12
Many people say that seeing is believing, but faith is believing in the invisible things of God. People such as these are blessed by God.
John 20 ²⁶ And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. ²⁷ Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. ²⁸ And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. ²⁹ Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Moses had this same type of faith.
“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:27
Many people worship graven images of stones, wood and rock, thinking that somehow this makes them holy. Many people who profess to follow Christ do the same thing, worshiping religious idols and trusting that they draw them nearer to God. But in all reality, they are no different than the heathen. God is not found in the things of this world, or devices made by the hands of men. God is Spirit, and those who desire to worship Him, must close their eyes to the world and all of its temporal distractions, and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
John 4 ²³ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. ²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Do you trust in the invisible things of God? When flying through stormy weather, a pilot needs to learn to trust in his instruments if he wants to eventually break through to the other side. If we want to get all the way home to Paradise, we must learn to trust in the teachings of Christ by closing our eyes to our worldly surroundings, and…….
…….Flying Under the Hood
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.❤️
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