Today as we look at John 10:10, we notice that Jesus felt compelled to teach the people how to discern between a thief and a good shepherd.
He spends a lot of time in the early verses of John chapter 10 doing this and clearly distinguishes himself as the Good Shepherd.
In verse 10 he warns that “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”
In the second part of that verse he makes the contrast and says “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Now we know that Jesus our Messiah was not one to mix words and he was not one to stammer on his tongue.
He said what he meant and meant what he said. So what inspired and motivated such words?
Let’s look together at John chapter 9 as we take a look at the events leading up to Jesus’ teachings.
What we see first is a blind man, the Bible doesn’t give us his age,
but he is an adult whose independence, ability to work and take care of himself was non-existent. Blindness robbed him of them.
He was shackled by his infirmity and unable to see from the day he came out of his mother’s womb.
He resorted to begging.
Brothers and sisters, here is a man who knew nothing about abundance, he was always lacking, always in need of something.
He wanted more:
more money,
more food,
more peace,
more joy,
more comfort,
more love.
The sad state of affairs in this man’s life was that inspite of his needs, when he looked around there was no one who could help him.
No one was there to fulfill his physical or spiritual needs. Not even the pious, religious hypocrites called the Pharisees.
From birth he longed to see the light.
He grew into a man and he was still longing to see the light.
He wanted to step out of that dark place.
He wanted more.
Then one day - God- yes – God,
unknowing to this poor man was about to step onto his street.
He was about to turn the corner where he was and make a difference in his life.
The Bible tells us that Jesus, upon seeing this man was not too interested in
why, who, or what caused the infirmity.
He didn’t care who his mother or his father were.
He wasn’t interested in the color of his skin, neither did he want to know which block he lived on.
All Jesus was interested in was that God was going to receive the Glory.
He anticipated that the glory and the presence of God was now about to be manifested on that street and in that man’s barren life.
John 9 vs 1 tells us that the disciples asked him a certain question and Jesus said
“ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this blindness happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
John 9:4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
John 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ ”
Hear these words brothers and sisters
“This happened that the works of the Lord might be displayed in Him.”
In other words beloved,
Jesus was about to show off what Almighty God could do.
He was about to put the power of God on exhibition to destroy the works of the enemy.
He was going to show the world what God has the power to deal with a broken and unproductive life.
He was going to show what he could do in the midst of darkness.
He was going to show how He the Light of the World, could take a poor, blind and destitute man, and turn his life around, brighten his world,
and give him abundant life.
Brothers and sisters this blind man wanted more.
I believe that he prayed for it,
he wept and longed for a better day where he could have life in abundance.
You may be longing for a better day today - you may be praying for the abundance of rain.
Maybe you are tired of the abuse,
tired of being jobless,
tired of being homeless,
tired of living in an unhappy marriage and having a broken life.
But I say to you don’t give up! Never stop hoping! Jesus is on your street, he’s turning the corner and he’s about to knock on your door.
In John 9:10 Jesus said “I have come to give you life and give it more abundantly.”
What does that tell us?
I said earlier that Jesus says what he means and means what he says.
He’s is the total opposite of that liar Satan who the BIble says was a liar from the beginning.
These words came straight from Jesus’ mouth.
These were his pronouncements,
His declarations for everyone who would receive them..
He said this is what I want for you.
A life where you do not lack, and even though I believe that Jesus is interested in our physical and material circumstances,
I also believe that the abundant life that he promises here is less about quantity and more about quality.
Look my brothers and sisters,
it’s not how many BMW’s you own,
how many mansions you have on a hill,
or how many gadgets you have that determine the abundance of your life.
But it’s the quality of life that you have.
So Jesus said to them I have come to give you a better quality of life, one that is more fulfilling.
He uses the Greek word per-is-són, meaning "superabundant," or "overflowing," .
Do you recall what he said to the woman at the well?
He said to her in John 4 vs 13
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.
Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
He was offering her a life of more value and purpose than the one she had.
One that would be overflowing.
This was spiritual abundance that God was talking about.
She thought that she was living it up
- until she met Jesus the real life giver.
In John Chapter 9 we see that sometime after Jesus took care of the physical needs of that blind man that he went back to him in verse 35-38 and asked him a simple question.
Jesus knew that even though he was healed from his physical blindness and would then be able to satisfy his material needs that he could not satisfy that void within;
he was still spiritually blind and so Jesus went to him and asked him a simple question
John 9 vs 35
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
It was when he said “I believe” that his spiritual eyes were open.
Hallelujah!!!
We are thankful that Jesus,
the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World still offers to every man, boy and girl the opportunity to live a life of meaning, a life of worth, one that is filled with the power,
strength and the presence of God.
But the story is not finished,
it doesn’t end there.
I am telling you ladies and gentlemen that when Jesus turned the corner on the street that the blind man was on,
I am certain that he didn’t do it alone.
I’m not talking about the disciples who were present but I’m talking about the demons of hell.
Yes - every time God’s glory is about to be manifested in our lives the devil gets angry, he always wants to destroy the plans of God.
But I am so glad, that this poor man, obeyed the instructions of Almighty God and canceled the plans of the enemy.
Many times we say God I want abundant life and He tells us what to do, but we say “No Lord, that’s too silly, no Lord that’s too simple, no Lord what are my friends and family going to say?” and we rewrite the course of our lives.
This story could have been written differently if this blind man was disobedient.
If we want to see the glory of God in our lives we have to be obedient to his commands.
So this man obeyed Jesus - and you would think that the Pharisees, those who were supposed to lead the people of Israel in spiritual matters would be happy.
You would think that they would leap with joy to see the glory, power and presence of God manifested,
to have seen this broken, desolate beggar, changed and transformed.
But they decided that they would take on the character of the devil.
They would be the thieves who came to steal, kill and destroy and that’s why Jesus felt the need to warn his people,
to warn you and I not to be fooled.
That’ why Jesus took the time to carefully teach them how to identify the enemy.
Jesus warned us in John 10 vs 10.
The Enemy Has come to:
-steal away, or take away the power God gave you
-to kill your strength,
-to distract you from God’s glory,
-to steal you away from God’s presence.
They went back for the blind man, brought him before the Pharisees interrogated him and tried to weaken his resolve.
They wanted to steal his faith and destroy his testimony, steal his joy, integrity and spirituality.
Then they threw him out of the synagogue.
The enemy also tried to diminish the glory and presence of God.
Remember, all the people around had seen what God could do.
The devil was angry and so he used his #1 strategy.
He tried to create doubts in the blind man’s mind and that of those who were witnesses to the event.
That’s what he still does to us today,
He makes us doubt whether God did anything in our lives,
questioning whether he is able to do anything for us so that he can complete his plan of destruction.
He wants to steal your marriage,
your children,
your peace,
your comfort,
your testimony,
ruin your goals,
overturn your values,
trample on your morals,
and defy your principles so that he can lead you back on the streets begging again for mercy and for your mere existence .
That’s the same trick he pulled on Adam and Eve and stripped them of the glory of living in the presence of Almighty God.
Jesus came to give us life but not just an abundant life, but to give us life MORE abundantly.
This is what he offered to this blind man,
not only physical sight that would brighten his physical world but spiritual sight that would illuminate his spiritual life.
The Bible tells us that “He is able to more than we could ask or think according to his riches in glory.” Ephesians 3:20
Jesus is ,
Our Saviour 2 Peter 3 vs 18
Our Hope 1Tim 1 VS 1
Our Helper Hebrews 13 vs 6
Our Healer
Our Purifier Mal 3 vs3
Our Shepherd Psalm 23vs1
Our Restorer-Psalm 23 vs3
Our Resting Place Jer 50 vs 6
Our Lord and Master John 13 vs 13
Our Peace Eph2 vs14
Our Wisdom 1Cr1vs30
Brothers and sisters, the presence, power and strength of God was manifested.
What men could not do Jesus was able to.
What the priest and Pharisees could not do, Jesus was able to do.
It was revealed and evidenced what God can do in the most complicated situation and that when Jesus comes the tempter’s power is broken;
When Jesus comes the tears are wiped away.
He takes the gloom and fills your life with glory.
All is changed when Jesus comes to stay.
So if you are looking for a change,
more of his Power,
more of his Strength,
more of his Glory,
more of his Presence,
more of Jesus
- the way to abundance is simple.
It doesn’t require any deep intellectual knowledge, for when they interrogated the blind man he couldn’t speak with any eloquence of words nor could he give any grand explanations of what happened to him.
All he knew was that once he was blind,
- but now - he could see.
This simple man showed us the way to having a life that was broken and destitute transformed into one of quality and abundance.
First of all he had the desire
- he wanted more-
Do you want a better life?
Is it your desire to have more of God’s power, strength and glory in your life?
Secondly- He was obedient-
after Jesus spat and rubbed his eyes he sent him to the pool to wash.
- without hesitation he went.
What is it that God is asking you to do today to be made whole?
Thirdly - he gave all the glory to God for his new life- even after the enemy tried to confuse him- he pointed them to Jesus. Finally - He believed and confessed that Jesus is the Christ, and finally the Bible tells us that this man worshiped God.
John 9 vs38.
Despite the pressure and ridicule, he worshipped him.
And he said, “Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.”
