Amen, thank you for tuning in. Wednesday in the Word, as we get into our wonderful Word of God tonight, on our message, When Your Ears See Better Than Your Eyes. You know, our senses can really fool us sometimes, but this is based on a book by Tom Sullivan, if you could see what I hear. But I called it, When Your Ears See Better Than Your Eyes. Here on behalf of Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church, welcome. I want you to tune us in at our webpage at bcbchurch.org. You get an opportunity. Here tonight as we look, take your copy of the scripture to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 7, and we look at the wonderful word of God, for we shall walk by faith and not by sight. Here, based on the book by Tom Sullivan. Amen. Let's open up with a time of prayer before we go any further. Let's ask the Lord to bless us. Heavenly Father, we gather in your presence. with hungry hearts and open spirits as we come before your word to walk by faith and not by sight. Forgive us of our sins and wash us, cleanse us so that we may hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Lord, as we open our ears like the blind man's hearing, sharpens our hearts like your armor of Ephesians 6 and anoint our lives for the calling that you've placed upon us. Father, we pray for the seven million lost souls in Georgia, the 139 counties throughout. and stir us to evangelism. Help us, Lord, to stand at the crossroads of faith and hope, building lives for eternity. In Jesus' marvelous body name we pray, amen. Well, welcome to Wednesday in the Word tonight. As we get into it, we're going to eventually be going into the steps of a good man with our men's Bible study on Wednesday night, so you pray for that. But I thank God here tonight as we look at 2 Corinthians 5, verse 7, 8, man, that takes us into the wonderful Word of God. You know, I'm glad that years ago a man told how he got lost in a cave. And when he did, we began to look and realize here as, first of all, that he would hear an echo And so he got lost in the cave on a tour. The lights flickered and suddenly darkness swallowed everything. He panicked until a blind man next to him calmly said, hey, relax. I can see better than you can think. He couldn't see, but he could hear every echo and sense every shift of the air. And so he felt every contier beneath his feet. And what the sighted man feared, the blind man navigated with confidence. And that leads us to the true story behind tonight's message. Tom Sullivan, a blind young man that lived a life most people wouldn't even believe possible. His autobiography in the film, if you could see what I hear, tells of a man who refuses to let blindness define him. The story of Tom Sullivan portrays here as a happy-go-lucky character who'd be right at home in the animal house, or one of the beach party movies, apart from the fact that he cannot see. And the movie's message is different from the book. It seems to be that blindness doesn't matter that much in the movie. That's a message, anyway, up until a chilling scene late in the film in which it matters very much to him. Although the movie's based on a novel said to be similar to Sullivan's own life story, I would think that the filmmakers had kind of jolted things up a lot to make it more funny, But the real life Sullivan behaves like his characters in his movie. He needs professional help because they made up a lot of that. But I believe that if it was that, he would need some professional help. Because in the movie, there were several problems that had nothing to do with blindness, but areas like emotional maturity, promiscuity, And so alcoholism, self-destructive behavior. Sullivan decides to go skydiving and makes his first jump solo. And despite the fact that he can't see the ground, he free falls past the danger point and then he nearly lands on power lines. Well... The immaturity, as played by actor Mark Singer, Sullivan interrogates himself by little jokes about his blindness by a behavior designed to kid or embarrass others, and by acting in general like a smart-aleck. are, and as we face it, the way that he behaves, especially in bars while grabbing strange women. If he weren't blind, somebody would have decked him, knocked him out. And most of the movie is devoted to Sullivan's childish things. And toward the end, there's absolutely a chilling scene in which a little girl falls into a swimming pool, and it's up to the blind man to save her. And after this scene, Sullivan has a moment of great clarity. And he says he has finally realized how he sings to others. He is blind, but this moment of truth has a certain power. But unfortunately, it comes at the end of a relentless tribal movie. Wonder what happened to Tom Sullivan? Well, retirement. In April 2025, Tom Sullivan announced his retirement from his daily radio show. In an interview with an affiliate of WPHM, he announced plans to produce a new podcast. He hears what others overlook, he senses dangers before they arrive, and he trusts his ear more than most trust their eyes. You know what? The Christian life is exactly like that tonight. If you could see what I hear, you'd see faith. If you could see what I hear, you'd hear God in the darkness. If you could see what I hear, you would trust him without needing to see him. And so when ears see better than your eyes, I wonder, what would it look like if you trusted what God said more than what your eyes see? Well, first of all, we see the hearing of faith because each and every one of us when it comes to the hearing of faith we've got to be able to have that and so for we walk by faith and not by sight amen and so Paul says we don't walk by what seems real We walk by what God says is real. Paul means that we live according to the revealed Word of God, not the fluctuating evidence of our senses, of our taste, of our hearing, and our eyes, and all of those other senses. Paul means we live according to the revealed Word of God, not the fluctuating evidences of our senses. Faith is not blind, it simply sees with a different set of eyes. So what would your life look like if you trusted what God said more than what your eyes see? Well, again, first of all, it's the hearing of faith. Because when we look, we see in Romans 10, 17, so then faith coming by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Well, faith comes by hearing with God's word. But first of all, we see the priority of hearing. Because each and every one of us, Tom Sullivan could not see, but he could hear. And what he heard shaped how he lived. Many Christians have perfect eyesight, but spiritual deafness. And so the priority of hearing, in Psalms 85 verse eight, I will hear God, the Lord will speak. I will hear what God the Lord will speak. And so to listen with an intentional obedience is what the psalmist is saying. And so, other words, Warren Wiersbe said one time, hearing God's the first step towards obeying God. Tony Evans tells of a noise-canceling headphones blocking out distractions so that we could hear only the clear signal. But you see, the Holy Spirit gives spiritual noise cancellation, and so there's the priority of hearing. I will hear what God the Lord will speak. But secondly, the hearing of faith is the problem of noise in 1 Kings 19, verse 12, because when we see that, it was about a still, small voice. Every one of us, we know that the old prophet, he saw a storm come and everything that began to happen. But God was not in any of those things. He was in the still, small voice. And so it's a whisper that calms us. God speaks not in chaos, but in clarity. Maze Jackson once said, most Baptists don't hear God because they can't hear anything over the sound of their own opinions, unquote. And so, we see the hearing of faith. Faith comes by hearing God's Word. It's the priority of hearing in Psalms 85, 8. It's the problem of noise in 1 Kings 19, verse 12. But thirdly, it's the promise of guidance according to Isaiah chapter 30, verse 21. And I'm glad that Isaiah said, thy ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way. Well, this describes the Spirit guiding the believer moment by moment, each and every day of our lives. You know, a man explained how he once got lost turkey hunting. Fog rolled in thick as gravy, but he heard one familiar sound, his buddy tapping a metal thermos. That ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, let him home. God's word taps the thermos of grace when life fogs up. That's from the Hayden Boys of Alabama podcast. And so we see the hearing of faith. So faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Amen. You know, as we look, we see the illustration of the Chilean miners, and there were 33 miners trapped for 17 days. They believed the message, we're coming for you. And faith begins by hearing the promise of God. Well, in 2010, 33 miners were trapped 2,300 feet below the earth when a copper mine collapsed in Chile. For 17 days, they were sealed in darkness. No sunlight, no hope, no visible sign of rescue. People in the service assumed they were dead. And then, through a tiny drilling hole the width of a grapefruit, they received their first message from the outside world. We're coming for you. We're coming for you. And so they couldn't see rescue. They couldn't touch rescue. They couldn't feel rescue. But they heard the word of their salvation, and they believed it. And when the capsule finally came down the rescue shaft, many miners were already rejoicing. They said, we were saved the moment that we believed the voice from above. Well, faith begins the same way. You may be trapped underground in fear, sin, or confusion. You may not see any evidence of deliverance, but you can hear God's word, hear his promise, hear his gospel, hear his voice in scripture, praise his mighty name. You can be saved long before you ever see daylight. Faith doesn't start with the eyes. Faith starts with the ears. And so I'm going to ask you again, Listen, what would your life look like if you trusted what God said more than what your eyes see? Well, secondly, because first we said it's the hearing of faith out of Romans 10, 17, but secondly, we see the seeing of the unsighted. In Hebrews chapter 11, verse one, faith sees what eyes cannot, and I'm glad. Now faith is the substance of things hopeful, the evidence of things not seen. Well, I'm glad. that when your ears see better than your eyes. I'm glad, keep on listening. Because first of all, faith sees the invisible. In Hebrews chapter 11, verse 27, he endured as seeing him who is invisible. And I'm glad we cannot be seen by human eyes. Adrian Rogers said, faith is the spiritual eyesight that sees God in the dark, unquote. And so faith sees the invisible, amen? But I'm glad that the seeing of the unsighted. Oh, so secondly, faith steps when sight stops. In 2 Kings 6, verse 17, the Bible says, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And you know what? God opened not the physical sight, but the spiritual sight. I'm glad that he's got warriors surrounding us. I'm glad there's an angel that goes before us and behind us and writes notes down and keeps a great record of everything that we do in this body. And we're gonna have to give an account for it one of these days. And so, like the one that was in harm's way, Lord opened his eyes so he can see all of the angels on the hillside. God opened not physical sight, but spiritual sight. Paul Harvey once told of miners trapped underground for days. When rescued, they came out shouting, we saw the light. And before we saw the light, that meant hope before sight. So faith sees the invisible. Faith steps when sight stops. And I'm glad the seeing of the unsighted. Thirdly is faith shines in darkness. In Psalms 119 verse 105. The Bible says thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Well God doesn't give us headlights. He gives us a lamp and enough to trust him one step at a time. Old Charles Law would say that a lot of times when we was on WYXC 1270 A.M. Cartersville out in the old radio broadcast many years ago. Brother Charles Law would come on before us, I'm thinking, and then Gospel Precepts would come on behind us. And you know, I don't know about you, but if God had given me headlights, I'd have sped right past his wheel doing 90 in a 35. And so it's the seeing of the unsighted, Hebrews 11.1. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. You know, as we look on, we see Lewis Burrell, that he was blind at age three, invented the Burrell system. And I see through touch, faith sees differently. Lewis Burrell lost his sight at the age of three. He grew up in a world of shadows, but he refused to live in darkness. And one day, a retired soldier showed him a strange raised dot code used by the military to send messages at night without light. Nobody thought that it was significant. Nobody believed it was useful. Nobody thought a blind boy could improve it. But Louis Burrell saw something no one else saw. with his fingers, with a vision born not of the eyes, but of the heart. He created the Braille system, a written language for the blind, used across the entire country and the world today. Lewis once said, and I quote, I live in a world where everything must be touched and felt. That is how I see, unquote. Well, faith sees the future before it arrives. It touches the promises of God before they become reality. It believes what others cannot see. And I'm glad Hebrews 11.1 teaches, the world says, I believe it when I see it. But faith says, I see it because I believe it. The unsighted see more with faith than the sighted see with eyes. And so, it brings me to my third and closing point. And that is, I ask you again, What would your life look like if you trusted what God said more than what your eyes see? Huh? Well, we talked about the hearing of faith in Romans 10, 17. We talked about the seeing of the unsighted in Hebrews 11, 1. But thirdly, the walking of the believer in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18. And the word of God says, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And so I'm glad that every one of us, when we look, we can walk with direction. In Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6, he shall direct my paths. And I'm glad that he does, praise God. I'm kind of skipping through that very quickly. But I'm glad that yassar is the Hebrew word, but to make straight, to level, to smooth the pathway. Warren Wisby said, trusting God irons out life's wrinkles, unquote. Amen, praise God. I need some iron in myself each and every day, praise His mighty name. And so, the walking of the believer in 2 Corinthians 4.18, we walk with direction in Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6, but we walk with armor, hallelujah. In Ephesians 6, verses 13 down to verse 17, put on the whole armor of God, hallelujah. And so, I'm glad that the armor is Christ himself. That's what I'm talking about. Amen? You better put on Christ every day when you get up, man, before you drink that cup of coffee or Coca-Cola. And so, the walking of the believer. We walk with direction in Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6. We walk with armor, which is Jesus. Ephesians chapter 6, verses 13 down to verse 17. But thirdly, we walk toward eternity. Hallelujah, praise his mighty name. Thank you, Jesus. John chapter 20, verse 29. Blessed are they that have not seen, yet have believed. I'm glad recent discoveries in Israel of the ancient synagogue floors with inscriptions of Yahweh show believers worshiped a God they could not physically see, but trusted fully. And so the walking of a believer, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, praise God. For the things which are seen are temple, but the things which are not seen are eternal. And so I'm glad we see the illustration of the C&I dog, a blind woman walking New York City with her guide dog. She trusts what she cannot see. Faith follows the one who sees ahead. And I'm glad that each and every one of us, a blind woman named Sandra lived in Brooklyn and commuted every day to Manhattan. Well, she walked crowded subways, busy streets, dangerous intersections, all without sight. What kept her safe? a trained seeing eye dog named Gideon. One day her friend asked her, hey, how do you trust that dog? You can't see anything he sees. And Sandra smiled and she said this, because Gideon sees what I cannot. And when he pulls, I move. She didn't walk by her eyes. She walked by trusting the gentle pull of a guide who sees the danger ahead. Well, walking by faith is trusting the one that sees the road ahead when you don't. When God pulls, you better move. When God stops, you better wait. And when God turns, you better follow. Faith doesn't mean you know the path. Faith means you know the guide. Hallelujah, praise his mighty name. Thank you, Jesus. And so as I get ready to close out, hearing what heaven sees, God holds our hand even when we cannot see. And faith sees Jesus in the storm and trusts what God says more than what your eyes see. You know what? We see the boy on the bridge. A father and his young son were walking across a high wooden bridge over a river. The father said, hold to my hand. But the boy shook his head and said, no daddy, you hold my hand. The father asked, well, why? The boy said, because I might let go, but you will never let go of me. You know what? That's the difference between walking by sight and walking by faith. Sight says I must hold on to God. Faith says God's holding on to me. And when you trust what God says more than what your eyes see, you stop trembling on the bridge of life. and you start walking with confidence, because you know the Father sees what you cannot. If you could see what I hear, you'd see Jesus walking on your storm. You'd see angels encamped around about you tonight. You'd see prayers rising like incense. You'd see the shepherd leading through the valleys. You'd see the crossroads of faith and hope building lies for eternity over at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church. But if you reject Christ, You'll walk into eternity blindfolded, straight into hell. Will you choose Jesus tonight? What would your life look like if you trusted what God said more than what your eyes see? As I close out, I wonder, what voices are you listening to? What voices are you listening to? God's or the world's? Turn off that noise and open the word of God daily. Will you? I wonder. Secondly, are you living by sight or by faith? Hmm. Are you living by what I see or by what God says? Replace the fear talk with scripture talk. And lastly, listen, if I died tonight, Where would I spend eternity? You need to come to Jesus right now and lay down your sin, your pride, and your resistance and be saved here at Wednesday in the Word at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church. You don't need to waste another moment. Friend, if you're lost, Jesus is calling. The Romans wrote, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Whosoever is you, you can put your name there, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord. Understanding that in my sinner, but believing that Jesus Christ died on the cross to free me from the punishment of my sins, I now receive him as my Lord and Savior. And from this day forward, I desire to live the pleased Christ and in placing my trust in him for the gift of eternal life. Put it in your own words, but mean it from the very depths of your heart. No head knowledge, but a heart knowledge. When your ears see better than your eyes. Well, friend, if you're lost, tonight Jesus is calling. If you're saved but wondering, why don't you come home? If you're discouraged, come hear his voice again and be rejuvenated because you're missing out on the best things of life. I hope and pray. Lord Jesus, we ask you to save the lost. of the 7 million in Georgia. And Lord, I ask you of the 139 counties. Bring revival to Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church and all of our churches in Bartow County and across this country. Sharpen our ears to hear, straighten our feet to walk, and fill our hearts, O Lord, with faith. Let us live at the crossroads of faith and hope, building lives, Lord, I pray, building lives for eternity that we ask all in the mighty name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you for tuning us in. God bless you. So,