INTRODUCTION
" SLIDE #1
" Have you ever thought that life had dealt you a bad hand? I mean it seems like you can never get ahead, that you have allowed your past to haunt you to this day?
" When we feel like life has somehow cheated us, it is so easy to turn away and blame God for what has happened.
" Today we are going to encounter a man of which we know little about.
" The fact is that when Jesus was with the disciples, they noticed whose sin made this person blind.
" In those days, being blind was a sentence to poverty, there was not much one could do other than to beg for what they needed to survive, or to rely on family.
" For this man, we also find from the text that he was blind from birth.
" The disciples asked Jesus the question because the thinking of the day was that people struck with such maladies as a direct result of someone's sin.
" We do not know a lot about this man other than he is blind from birth and that his parents are still living.
" In our series Spring into Life, we are looking at the lives of some of the people Jesus had some direct contact with to see how their lives were changed.
" This blind man is going to have the opportunity for a new life. The question is, will he take the offer?
" This man is going to embark on a journey of faith. He is not going to simply confess Jesus as his Lord at first sight, this man will have to embark on a journey.
" Let's walk that journey with him this morning.
" As we examine his journey we will gain a few insights as to what we can expect on our own journey of faith. The truth of the matter is that we at one point were all suffering from a spiritual blindness that only God through Jesus Christ can heal!
" Let's begin with our first observation.
" SLIDE #2
SERMON
I. The progression of the journey.
" We begin with a man Jesus and the disciples see as they are passing by.
" The question as to why he was blind is posed to Jesus.
" SLIDE #3
" John 9:3-5 (CSB) - 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," Jesus answered. "This came about so that God's works might be displayed in him. 4 We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
" So, Jesus does not answer their question directly, but He says that this man's tragedy came about so that God's works MIGHT be displayed in him.
" Now we begin the journey. This exchange had to have taken place close to the blind man because Jesus then begins in verse 6 to make mix some mud and spit together and then proceeds to rub it on the eyes of the blind man.
" When we are going to tell someone about Jesus, we need to introduce them to Jesus.
" This man received a unique introduction to Jesus.
" At this point, the blind man does not know what is happening, he does not know Jesus yet.
" However, Jesus then tells this spit mud covered man to do something.
" He tells the man to go to the pool of Siloam (SI LOW UM).
" Now this man has to decide with to do. What would you do if you were him, eyes full of spit mud?
" A step in this man's journey to faith is the question of obedience.
" The man has to decide if he is going to be obedient to his man he just met. Why not just go anywhere, why not just wipe the spit mud off himself?
" Then when it did not work, he could blame Jesus for him staying blind!
" How many people do that, they live in disobedience to Jesus, and then they blame Jesus for their issues.
" The man goes to the pool, washes, and HE CAME BACK WITH SIGHT!
" The man chose obedience and he was blessed!
" Blessing follows obedience and that is part of the faith journey!
" As we dig through the chapter until the man had vision, he had not seen Jesus, but other people saw the man was no longer blind!
" They were quizzing him about how he was healed. The man had to convince people that he indeed was the man who was blind!
" When asked how he was healed, I verse 11 the man said…
" SLIDE #4
" John 9:11 (CSB) He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So when I went and washed I received my sight."
" So even at this point in the journey the man is not fully aware of who Jesus is, he just knows that Jesus healed him.
" Now the people took him to the religious leaders who we will talk about in a bit, but they kept pressing the man as to who healed him, and they wanted to know more about the healer.
" In verse 17 we see now the man say that Jesus was a prophet.
" This makes some sense since some of the prophets did miracles.
" The leaders kept on the man and in verse 25 the man is getting tired of the grilling as to who Jesus was.
" The leaders said Jesus was on the devil since He VIOLATED THEIR interpretation of the Sabbath law.
" So, in verse 25 we see…
" SLIDE #5
" John 9:25 (CSB) He answered, "Whether or not he's a sinner, I don't know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!"
" After some more of the exchange with the leaders, they finally kick him out of the synagogue.
" Then he sees Jesus again, and Jesus asks him a vital question.
" SLIDE #6
" John 9:35-38 (CSB) - 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, and when he found him, he asked, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" 36 "Who is he, Sir, that I may believe in him?" he asked. 37 Jesus answered, "You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." 38 "I believe, Lord!" he said, and he worshiped him.
" Jesus asks him if he believes in the Son of Man, another term for Messiah.
" Still the man does not know, but he wants for information.
" Jesus says I am He, then the man completes this part of his journey by worshipping Jesus!
" Now life is good! Yes and no!
" The next lesson we can see from this encounter is something we do not want to have to deal with in our faith journey…
" SLIDE #7
II. Facing opposition.
" Now you would think everyone would be rejoicing over the fact that this man who was once blind can now see!
" What should have been a joyful time turned into an inquisition.
" His neighbors who had seen him before were trying to figure out if this was the same man who was blind. Some said no, he just looks like him.
" They started asking him how he was healed, which is a good question.
" He explained how it was done and how this man called Jesus did it.
" So, for some reason, they take the man to the Pharisees.
" Now the Pharisees start in on him, and they are mad because Jesus healed him on the Sabbath! Spitting is irrigating the ground.
" The Pharisees started saying that Jesus was not from God since He healed on their precious Sabbath.
" The leaders then questioned whether the man was ever blind, so they fetch his parents.
" Now it goes from bad to worse.
" SLIDE #8
" John 9:21-22 (CSB) - 21 "But we don't know how he now sees, and we don't know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he's of age. He will speak for himself." 22 His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed him as the Messiah, he would be banned from the synagogue.
" They quiz the parents, the parents are afraid of the leaders, so they acknowledge he is their son and that he was healed, then because of their fear, they said, go ask him, he is of age to answer for himself.
" Fear, fear can cause one to back down quickly as it did for the parents.
" Now back to the man, they called him back and demanded that he give glory to God since Jesus was a sinner in their eyes.
" They wanted him to deny Jesus.
" You know, a funny thing about opposition, it can cause you to wilt under the pressure, or it can cause you to stand firm.
" This man has a backbone!
" Still unsatisfied, the authorities demand further details. They are hoping either to uncover evidence of a hoax or perhaps to bully the man into denouncing Jesus.
" The answer of the healed man now shifts in tone. He no longer responds with a respectful, factual answer. He replies with defiance (No, I won't tell you again!) and ironic sarcasm (Are you desiring to become his disciples?). Bryant, B. H., & Krause, M. S. (1998). John (Jn 9:26-27). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.
" The blind man makes a defense for Jesus saying no one in history has healed blindness and that unless Jesus was from God He would not have been able to heal him!
" This, along with accusing them of wanting to be a disciple of Jesus set them off. Whereas his parents were afraid to get banished from the synagogue, this man stood firm, then in verse 34, they kicked him out.
" Next, we see something wonderful.
" SLIDE #9
III. Cherished by Jesus.
" Jesus was not looking to heal the man and forget him.
" Verse 35 tells us that Jesus heard the man had been thrown out, and Jesus went and found him.
" The issue of being thrown out of the synagogue would have many negative effects on the man, so Jesus looks for him.
" Jesus has a conversation with him, seeking to take the man to a deeper level of faith!
" The man responds and worships Jesus!
" Jesus cares for you, you are not just a part of the church, you are a part of HIS family!
" When you are in Christ, you are cherished by Him. It does not matter what others think!
" Our last thought is found in verses 39-41
" SLIDE #10
" John 9:39-41 (CSB) - 39 Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things and asked him, "We aren't blind too, are we?" 41 "If you were blind," Jesus told them, "you wouldn't have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.
" SLIDE #11
IV. The benefit of the journey.
" Jesus openly affirms that his ministry causes a judgment or a division among the people.
" Some believe, and some don't. Now he reveals the true significance of his claim to be the "Light of the World."
" He is the spiritual Light. Some gain sight (faith) because of him. Others end up with no spiritual sight (unbelief) because of him.
" The worth it because Jesus is the Son of God!
CONCLUSION
" The man born blind, he received physical healing, but his deeper need was a spiritual healing.
" This man was healed of physical blindness and he allowed Jesus to heal him of his spiritual blindness!
" Are you walking in the dark with nowhere to go, are you walking through life in spiritual blindness and darkness?
" Come to the light today!
