Introduction

Good morning, church family. Today, we are going to dive into an enlightening passage from the Gospel of John that confronts us with spiritual blindness, teaches us about seeing in a whole new way, and reassures us about the certainty of our salvation. Gregory Palamas once said, "The greatest need we have is not physical sight but spiritual sight." That’s what we will be exploring today – our need for spiritual sight.

Opening Scripture Reading – Let's open our Bibles to John 9:1-34. As we journey through this scripture, we see Jesus healing a man born blind and using this miraculous event as a metaphor for the spiritual blindness that can afflict us all. The Pharisees, despite witnessing this miracle, are unable to recognize Jesus as the Son of God, illustrating that spiritual sight is not about physical perception but about understanding and accepting the truth of God's word.

Opening Prayer – Let's bow our heads for a moment of prayer. Father God, as we delve into Your word today, we ask that You open our hearts and minds. Clear away our spiritual blindness and help us truly see Your truth. May we not only learn but also apply these lessons in our daily lives. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Understanding Spiritual Blindness

Understanding spiritual blindness is not about the inability to see physically, but rather the inability to perceive, understand, and accept the spiritual truths that God reveals to us. It's a condition of the heart and mind, not the eyes. In John 9, we see a stark contrast between the man born blind and the Pharisees. The man, despite his physical blindness, was able to see Jesus for who He truly is - the Son of God, the Messiah.

On the other hand, the Pharisees, despite their physical sight, were spiritually blind. They witnessed the miracle of the blind man's healing, yet they failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. This contrast beautifully illustrates what spiritual blindness is - it's not about what we can see with our physical eyes, but what we can perceive with our hearts and minds.

A. Spiritual blindness can manifest in various ways in our lives. It can be an inability to recognize God's work in our lives, a refusal to accept His truths, or a lack of understanding of His word. It can also be a hardness of heart that prevents us from receiving God's love and grace. Regardless of how it manifests, spiritual blindness keeps us from fully experiencing God's presence and blessings in our lives.

B. The danger of spiritual blindness is that it often goes unnoticed. Like the Pharisees, we can be so caught up in our own beliefs, traditions, and prejudices that we fail to see the truth right in front of us. We can be so focused on the physical, tangible aspects of life that we miss the spiritual realities. We can be so consumed by our own desires and ambitions that we fail to see God's plan for our lives.

C. Overcoming spiritual blindness requires humility, openness, and a willingness to let go of our preconceived notions. It requires us to seek God with all our hearts and to be open to His truth, even when it challenges our beliefs and comfort zones. It requires us to be attentive to His voice, to meditate on His word, and to allow His Spirit to guide us.

D. The journey from spiritual blindness to spiritual sight is not always easy. It can be a painful process of self-discovery, repentance, and transformation. But it's a journey worth taking, for it leads us to a deeper understanding of God, a closer relationship with Him, and a richer, more fulfilling life.

Learning to See

Learning to see, in the spiritual sense, is a transformative process that requires us to shift our focus from the physical to the spiritual, from the temporal to the eternal ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO