WHEN JESUS COMES LOOKING FOR YOU
John 9:1-38
- The Crabb family sings a song that says:
"He came looking for me"
"He made a way, when there was no way that I could see".
"When I drifted far, Jesus was near, to rescue my soul and calm all my fears."
"Now I'm safe from all harm, since I met the One who came looking for me"
Aren't you glad that Jesus came looking for you? Often you will hear new believers say "I found Jesus", but the reality is He found them. Jesus stated His purpose for coming to earth in - Luke 19:10 (He says) the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. There are many examples of Jesus personally seeking and calling out certain individuals in the scriptures.
1) Jesus called Andrew & Peter to be His Disciples - Matthew 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
2) Jesus called James & John to be His Disciples - Mark 1:19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. and straightway he called them
3) Jesus called Zacchaeus unto Himself - And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
4) Jesus called Saul to be an Apostle to the Gentiles - Acts 9:3 And as (Saul) journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:
The fact is, if we have been born again it is because Jesus sought us out and called our name! Listen to what Jesus said to His disciples in - John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain....
Because of His marvelous grace Jesus calls us unto salvation. For someone here, this may be the day that He calls your name! As we walk through this passage I would like to preach on the thought "When Jesus Comes Looking For You". Let's begin by considering what happened to this man earlier in the day.
Jesus was walking through the area and noticed a beggar who had been blind since birth. Jesus spit on the ground, made some clay and then He put it on the man's eyes. He instructed the man to "go and wash in the pool of Siloam". The blind man obeyed and received his sight! The townspeople asked him what happened. In v11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
The Pharisees accused Jesus of being a sinner and this man responded by saying “I don’t know whether he is a sinner or not, but I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” The Pharisees asked him again, "What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?" (v26) I love the way he responded, he said "I have already told you once and you didn't listen, why do you want me to tell you again... Do you want to become His Disciples also?" This infuriated them even more, v28 (says) "they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses' disciples. 29 We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is."
The man who had been healed went on to testify about Jesus, he said v30 Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. 31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. 32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. 33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. 34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
When Jesus heard that they had cast the man out, He went looking for him. When Jesus found him, He did something greater than He had done before. Earlier in the day Jesus healed this man physically, now Jesus is about to heal him spiritually and eternally. I want you to know that what Jesus did for this man, He can and will do for you today!
- Look with me to verse 35 as we examine:
I. THE INVITATION - v35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
Notice the phrase "when He had found him". Jesus heard that this man had been cast out by the Pharisees. And Jesus cared enough for him that He took the time to search him out. When He found Him, Jesus asked him a very important question... He said "dost thou believe on the Son of God?" This is an invitation to salvation.
When conversing with Nicodemus back in Chapter 3, Jesus explains that belief in Him is necessary for salvation. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus cared enough to give this blind man his sight, but even greater is the fact that He was willing to give a dead man a new life. Jesus has the power to do anything He chooses in your life. He can restore your marriage, He can bring a financial blessing into your life, He can heal you physically, He can deliver you from addiction. He has the power to do these and many more things in your life, but the greatest thing that He can do for you is to save your soul. The Bible tells us that Jesus seeks to save lost sinners.
You may not believe that it is possible for you to be saved. You may have it in your mind that God could never forgive you for the places that you've been, the things that you have said and the things that you have done. You may consider yourself an outcast in this world. You may be interested to know that the outcasts were the very people that we see Jesus reaching out to in the Bible. In fact, the man in this passage had just been cast out by the religious crowd. My friend, the religious folk may discard you but Jesus will never abandon you! How will you respond to His invitation to salvation? Will you accept His offer, or will you reject it? Let me encourage you to put your faith in the One who came looking for you!
- Moving on to v36 let us consider:
II. THE REVELATION - v36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? 37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
After Jesus asked this man if he believed in the Son of God, he asked Jesus "who is He, Lord?" Jesus said "I am He". Jesus clearly reveals Himself as the Son of God. He is the Messiah, He is the Savior... He is God in the flesh! Jesus is the very source of salvation. He said in - John 14:6 ...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus is God’s Son who became man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for your sins, and rose from the grave. Sin separated you from God (both now and in eternity). But by Jesus' death on the cross and by His resurrection, He has made it possible for you to be forgiven and reconciled to God.
Just as the blind man realized that Jesus was the Son of God, you must realize that Jesus is your only hope of salvation. There was nothing that this man could do to help himself physically or spiritually. Everything that happened to him, happened because of Jesus. You can't do anything about your spiritual condition, but Jesus can. He is the only answer for your sin problem. I encourage you to trust in him and receive the salvation that He is offering you today!
- Now that we have seen the invitation and the revelation, let's consider:
III. THE TRANSFORMATION - v38 And he said, Lord, I believe.
Earlier in the day Jesus changed this man's life, now He will change his eternal destiny. Jesus revealed to this man that He was the Son of God, He extended an invitation to receive salvation and this man gladly accepted that offer. Notice that he didn't have to do anything to be saved other than to put his trust in the Son of God. This is because salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone. If you will trust in Jesus you can pass from death unto life. Listen to what Jesus said in - John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
There is no doubt in my mind that this man's life was never the same again, and you have the opportunity to receive a life changing miracle just like he did! You can be saved today!
- After the invitation, the revelation and the transformation... this man responded by worshipping Jesus. Notice in verse 38...
IV. THE ADORATION - v38b And he worshipped him.
Here is a man who had been cast out of his lifelong religious community. But Jesus sought him out and found him. He invited him to be saved. The man accepted Jesus' offer and was changed immediately. And he responded by worshipping Jesus. This is the very last thing we ever hear about this man. We don't know the details about the rest of his life. But I am confident that he continued worshipping Jesus. That is the natural response of those who have truly met the Savior. This man is in Heaven worshipping Jesus as we speak.
If you have been touched by the Master... if He has sought you out, called your name, and brought you from death unto life I hope that you spend your days worshipping Him. Jesus is worthy of our worship and adoration!
In verse 35 Jesus asked this man "do you believe in the Son of God?" That is a question that you must answer as well... "do you believe in the Son of God?" Jesus is your only hope of salvation and He came looking for you! He left the glories of Heaven and came to be the sacrifice for your sins. He is extending an invitation for you to be saved. If you will put your faith in Him you can receive salvation. Jesus can change your life just as He did for this blind man. When He does, you will likely respond in the same way, you will worship Jesus, the Son of God! And then you can tell the world about the day "When Jesus Came Looking For You"
