Believing Is Seeing

Believing is Seeing

Text: John 9:1-38

I. Introduction

A woman named Rose Crawford had been blind for 50 years. "I just can’t believe it!" she gasped as the doctor lifted the bandages from her eyes after her recovery from delicate surgery in an Ontario hospital. She wept for joy when for the first time in her life a dazzling and beautiful world of form and color greeted eyes that now were able to see. The amazing thing about the story, however, is that 20 years of her blindness had been unnecessary. She didn’t know that surgical techniques had been developed, and that an operation could have restored her vision at the age of 30. The doctor said, "She just figured there was nothing that could be done about her condition. Much of her life could have been different."

Many of you under the sound of my voice are blind. Unfortunately, you fall into one of two categories. First, some of you, like Rose Crawford, walk around blind and think nothing can be done about it. You walk in darkness, bound, and blind unnecessarily. The second group are those of you that don’t realize you are blind, but you continue to bump into the same sins, temptations, and obstacles. You think you can see but the truth is you are blind as a bat and you need help.

I want to talk to you about gaining your sight. You have told that seeing is believing. However, I want to tell you today that believing is seeing. Many of you think that if I could just see a sign, a miracle, a change, an intervention, a blessing then I would believe. But today from this account found in John 9 I want to tell you that when you believe you will truly see! When you develop faith you will develop sight. This account teaches us some powerful lessons about life and sight.

II. Prayer

III. Rejection

The first lesson this account teaches us is about rejection. Many of you feel rejected. Overlooked. Forgotten. Unwanted. Unneeded. Unloved. Unaccepted. This story is filled with rejection.

Here is a young man that is born blind. His whole life is a story of rejection. His neighbors had rejected and overlooked him so long that when he was touched by Jesus their not even sure it was him. Maybe they hadn’t really looked at him close enough to recognize his facial features. His parents reject him. They won’t even defend him against attacks from the church leaders. He has probably been a disappointment to his parents all of their life. They won’t speak up for him. The church folk reject him. They won’t even rejoice over his miracle. They end up throwing him out of church because he has been healed. Rejected when he was blind, unable to enter, because he was unclean a sinner in the eyes of the church leader. Now he is whole and they reject him because he is whole. Rejected.

Everywhere he turned in blindness and in health he is rejected, until he comes into contact with Jesus. Notice that Jesus goes looking for the man. This man who has been attacked. This man that has been ridiculed. This man that has been thrown out and unwanted. This man that is rejected is the subject of a search and rescue mission by Jesus. In verse 35, the Bible tells us that Jesus goes looking for him. He singles him out. He goes out of His way to find a nobody. He had been rejected, but the Son of God goes searching for him and keeps looking until he locates him.

You have been seeking acceptance and approval. You have been trying to fit in. You have been trying to get in the clique and the club. You have been crying yourself to sleep thinking no one loves me or wants me. Your neighbors have laughed at you. Your friends have walked away from you. Even your parents or other family members have forsaken you. However, I am here to tell you that when everyone else turns their back on you, when everyone else forgets about you, when everyone else rejects you Jesus will seek you out. In fact, right now he is looking for you. The cool kids don’t like you, but Jesus is trying to find you. The in crowd has ridiculed you, but Jesus is walking the aisles right now trying to locate you. Mom and Dad, family has rejected you and declared that you are a nothing a nobody, but Jesus will find you this morning. He won’t give up looking until he finds you. He will push through crowds. He will push past church folk and find you. He can handle your pain. He will accept you!

IV. Sight