Hello Family and Friends,
Here is my sermon
notes from Sunday, August 23, 2015
Sermon Title: “Clearer
Vision” – Part 3 of 4
Series title: “God
May Use Our Suffering” Alternate
Title: Once I was Blind, Now I can see. Incident: Here, the religious
leaders question a formerly blind man and
when they are not satisfied with his answers they excommunicate him. Theme is: The main
theme in chapter 9 is Spiritual Blindness and coming to Salvation. Some Lessons: Jesus is Light for a Spiritually Blind World. God can
demonstrate his power through our problems. Please note that the word “Jews” in
verse 18 is in reference to the religious leaders not the people of Israel in
general.
Was presented Sunday, August 23, 2015
Written by: Bill
Ferguson
Scripture Reading
…......................................... John 9:
13 – 34
Referring
Scripture.......................................... Isaiah
42:6-7
Responsive Reading …………....
Psalm 1 ………………….. UMH #738
The Words of God for
the people of God, thanks be to God!
Right before our
very own eyes we see faith in progress. In verse 13 – 34 the
religious leaders questioned the formerly blind man. The religious leaders
were unable to stop (throttle) the healed beggar's willingness to
testify for Jesus. In fact the more the Pharisees questioned this man
who had received his sight, the stronger and clearer the man became
about who Jesus is. Their blind obstinacy helped his clarity.
Let’s investigate and
see how his vision gradually cleared:
1. At first, in 9:11, the
man recognized his healer as “the man called
Jesus.” He recognized Yeshua by name.
2. Then in 9:17 he believed that Jesus was “a prophet.”
3. Then, in 9:32-33, he saw Jesus as the One who
was “from God” and had performed a
miracle never done before. The
healed man’s faith was getting stronger. He was growing spiritually.
4. Then finally, in
9:35-38, when confronted by Jesus, he
believed that Jesus is the “Son of Man”
(the Messiah, worthy of worship). In the man born blind, we see a progression of faith in action.
It shouldn't come
as a surprise to us that the healing of the man born blind should cause a stir.
For one thing, his healing
on a Sabbath caused so much stir that the people brought it to the attention of
the Pharisees.
Because the people
discovered both a miracle and a mystery surrounding the healing of the blind
man, they took him to what they considered
to be the most dependable place for exploring such matters. The
Pharisees quickly concluded that whatever else the healer might be, he
wasn't from God, for otherwise he would not work on the Sabbath. The
religious leaders had much to learn about
God's Sabbath. In their quest for “truth,”
these Pharisees tried a number of explanations to invalidate the miracle: 1. perhaps the man had not been blind from birth
or had not been totally blind; 2. Perhaps
God did this miracle directly (the Pharisees would not recognize a human
agent involved in the healing).
When the formerly
blind man pointed out the obvious answers that they had been so studiously
avoiding, they responded by viciously berating him and expelling him
from their presence. In essence, they excommunicated the man from
the Temple. He was no longer
welcomed to come and worship.
The astonishing
fact of the man's newly given vision eluded this group as if they were blind
themselves. Indeed they were blind. But their blindness was not physical.
Their blindness was spiritual. Later
Jesus pointed this out as their problem, over their strenuous (strong)
objections.
Isn’t it
interesting that no one cheers and congratulates the man on his healing? Instead, they (the religious leaders)
condemn the healed man and they condemned Jesus for doing good on
the Sabbath. Jesus' message is saying: “It is
right and good to care for others in need even if it involves working on a day
of rest.” Friend, God requires compassion not ritual.
Because the
formerly blind man had been blind during the interview with Jesus, he
couldn't tell the Pharisees who Jesus was. He could only exclaim, “I washed, and
now I see.” Soon the formerly blind man would see even more
clearly. Oh, that all human-kind
would echo; “I
was washed and now I see.”
As time progressed
the man had clearer vision and understanding. Listen, as we grow in faith, like this man who was
once blind, we too will have a clearer vision and understanding. Friend, our personal description of
Jesus to others makes an impact. It did with this man. John, the
disciple, encourages all of us whose eyes, hearts, and minds have
been opened by Christ Jesus to speak out for the Lord. This lesson is
for us because the formerly blind man's vision of Jesus got clearer and clearer
as he reflected on what had happened and listened to the accusers frantically
trying to discredit what he knew to be undeniably true. The message is
saying: As we grow spiritually, we too will understand more clearly. At first his description of Jesus wasn't
accurate, but it was heartfelt. He said what he understood. Listen.
New believers often bring this quality of freshness and earnestness to
their statements about Jesus. How quickly we forget the wonder of being
able to see spiritually for the first time! The scripture message asks: “Do you remember when you began to see more
clearly?”
Listen. Believers
can testify that we were once blind to our own separation from God, blind
to our need, blind to God's influence in our lives, and blinded
by the world around us. Friend we may not be able to explain in detail
how Jesus has done what he has done in our lives, but we can say with
conviction: Once I was blind, now
I can see!
The religious
leaders still did not believe that the man had been blind so they called for
his parents to testify. They, apparently, were hoping the
man's parents would refute their own son's testimony.
Now watch what the parents do. It’s tragic. They knew their son, and they knew his
previous condition, but how he could see, they didn't know. Instead
of giving praise for their son's healer, they responded, “Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”
The parents didn't deny their son's story, but neither did they
support the claim their son had. Perhaps
their statement reflects their unbelief. We know from verse 22-23
that their son had been excommunicated. We can assume that they were intimidated by the Pharisees and were
afraid they too would be excommunicated. I feel that this is a mirrored
look at how some non-believing parents may react when a miracle happens to
their child or when their child (even if their child is an adult) becomes
a believer – Born Again. Non believing parents often struggle with the
idea that their child has become a Born Again believer. Sometimes these
non-believing parents not only reject the faith but their child as well.
I've seen situations where non-believing parents try and lead their new
Christian child in another direction – even to another religion. They confuse their own children.
The Pharisees
summoned the man a second time. They tried to make the man confess his
wrong in proclaiming Jesus as a prophet and to make him agree with them that Jesus
was a sinner.
The religious
leaders were looking for a loophole. In reviewing the case, the
Pharisees had no intention of believing or following the One who had performed
the healing miracle. They wanted to disqualify Jesus. They
avoided the truth in their quest for a loophole. Listen. There are many
in this generation who still search for a loophole to support their unbelief.
In doing this they are choosing to walk in the darkness. In reality
they are in rebellion against God and that, my friend, is very dangerous.
Occasionally we
will meet people who only want to argue and debate the merits and claims of
Jesus without ever deciding to follow him. Like the Pharisee, they mask
their rejection under a thin cover of inquiry. Perhaps, like the Pharisees, they
have too much to lose. Or they think they do. Prestige, power,
and personal independence are hard to give up. It is easier to keep
the argument on intellectual grounds than to face our spiritual and moral
shortcomings. Sometimes, people have worked hard to get to
their comfortable place in life and are unwilling to consider change. Friend,
we must help them see that Christ Jesus gives both the power and the desire
to change. Oh, change might not
happen overnight. Often change is gradual over a period of time.
Notice what
the man said (verse 25), “One thing I know: I
was blind, now I see.” Many Christians, having been blind
and then receiving spiritual sight, have testified the same! Listen. Believers don't need to know all
the answers before they share Christ Jesus with others. All they must
know is how Jesus changed their lives and how he’s working in us now. Each
of us is our own expert in that topic!
We should tell people what Jesus did for us, and trust God to
help our words draw others to him. We’ll continue with the conclusion of our series next week.
If you feel the Holy Spirit speaking to
your heart to make a new commitment, or to rededicate your life, you are
welcome to come forward during our closing hymn.
Dear Heavenly
Father, we praise Your Name. Forgive
us of our sins. Thank You for Your gift of spiritual sight through
Christ Jesus. Continue to lead us that we may see you more clearly,
follow you more nearly, and love you more dearly. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.
