Right in Front of You

Introduction:

Have you ever been looking for something but unable to find it? You might spend minutes looking for it thinking it is hiding only to find it in plain sight? In our desire to find the object we were looking so hard to find, we failed to realize it was “staring us in the face.” We often face this same problem as we go throughout life. We are always looking for peace, happiness, etc., in the world that we fail to recognize the true source is right in front of us.

I.               Elisha’s Predicament

A.     6:8 - The king of Aram desired to wage war against Israel.

1.     6:13 - The king of Aram, after being told Elisha was in Dothan, sent his troops to seize him.

a.      6:16

b.     6:17 - Elisha prays for God to open the attendant’s eyes; he is able to see the mountain full of warriors ready to do battle.

B.     6:18 -Elisha prays for the Arameans to be struck with blindness.

1.     6:21-22 - Instead of having them all killed, Elisha requests food and water be placed before them.

a.      6:23 - Israel was made safe because of Elisha’s plan.

II.              Man’s Inability to See Jesus

A.     Man has always had difficulty in seeing Jesus for who He was.

1.     Matthew 12:38-42

2.     Luke 24:13ff

B.     The one thing these examples have in common is a failure of those involved to see Jesus for who He was!

1.     Some were prevented from seeing Him because of…

a.      Sheer hatred; Ignorance; Unwillingness

2.     Are things any different today?

III.            It’s Right in Front of You!

A.     Not Seeing God in Creation – Ps. 14:1; 19:1

1.     All one has to do is look at the creation around him to know there is a God.

B.     Not God Takes Care of Us – Matt. 6:25-33

1.     If we will only look around, we see that God has more than met our needs.

C.     Not Seeing His Love in Those Around Us – Ps. 17:17; 18:24

1.     God has blessed us with family and friends which are a source of love and encouragement for us.

D.     Seeing God in Ourselves – Gen. 1:27-28

1.     We all have special value because we have been made in the image of God.

Conclusion

A.     So many are looking for peace and prosperity in all of the wrong places, while the true source stares them in the face.

B.     Are you seeing God tonight?