HOMECOMING’S ENCOURAGEMENT—John 9:1-41
Points 1-3 presented to:Union Grove Baptist Church--‘Homecoming Service’—SEPT. 14, 2025. Points 4-10 UNUSED!
Attention:
A true brother in Christ, recently went to be with His Savior & Lord Jesus Christ, after spending 80+ years on this earth. He had lived with numerous physical problems, particularly involving his back. He had had back problems since his young days growing up on the farm. There, he was expected to & did, regularly carry very heavy bags of various things needed for the farm’s success. But that initiated his back problems.
As an older man, he finally resorted to back surgery, which left him more crippled than without it. He had to have an electronic nerve ‘stimulator’ installed in order to be able to walk.
As his pastor, I never knew him to walk without his ‘Rollator’(a walker with wheels). He was permanently bent forward. He would take very slow steps. And each step would be only a few inches at a time, with his legs shaking violently. But he & His wife would faithfully attend the services at Salem Baptist where they were members. He was a man of godly wisdom, & he had been a deacon. He also had taught Sunday School for years, & had held many other offices in the church throughout his days. He always pushed a smile thru his constant pain. He had the respect of everyone in the church who knew him.
*My Christian brother was a fantastic example of commitment for all around him! And as a result, he was a great source of encouragement to everyone!
That kind of commitment, with the encouragement spawned from it, despite his physical pain, makes me balk at the sorry/lame excuses some people use to justify themselves for NOT taking part in church services!(though honesty is a blessing!)
‘Homecoming’ is a celebration of the encouragement that each of us has received in Christ, thru the local church, here at Union Grove!
Need:
‘Homecoming’ is a standing testimony to lives changed by Christ Jesus. And so, ‘Homecoming’ is a standing testimony to the power of Christ Himself as He has worked in the past, is working now, & will ever be working in our future.
‘Homecoming’ is a standing testimony to the value of making disciples of Christ. ‘Homecoming’ is a standing testimony to the overall importance of the Church that is built on Christ, by God’s grace, thru personal faith in the forever prominent Cross-work of Christ Jesus.
‘Homecoming’ is a standing testimony to the power of God to work in each of your lives, when you invite Christ to change your life, no matter where or among whom you live.
The apostle John recorded details surrounding Jesus’ miraculous healing of a man who had been born blind.
And thru that historic event, we know that the holistic healing of body, soul, & spirit is found in Jesus alone.
‘Holistic’—•“comprehending the parts of something as intimately interconnected & explicable only by reference to the whole.”?•OR--•“concerning the whole person, taking into account: spiritual, physical, emotional, & social factors.”
God’s people are encouraged holistically, thru the Christian church...Union Grove being a good example.
A ‘Homecoming’ celebration is a source for personal encouragement among God’s people.
And we will attempt to answer the question:
?HOW does Homecoming encourage God’s people?
1—‘Homecoming’ Encourages…
CLARITY(:1-3)
Explanation:(:1-3)Pertinent Questions answered
:1a—“Now as Jesus passed by,...”
The last reference as to Jesus’ whereabouts is 8:59, where the Jews attempted to stone Him, whereupon Jesus “hid Himself & went out of the temple.” That is, Jesus left the Temple complex due to active persecution.
Jesus is on His way ‘elsewhere’ & His disciples have rejoined Him. In the process of His having left the temple environs, Jesus was now “passing by” a particular but unnamed place.
And “as Jesus passed by”, he takes notice of certain “a man” who was probably begging.
:1b—“He saw a man who was blind from birth.”
The “blind man” was ‘probably’ sitting & begging in a high-traffic area somewhere in Jerusalem.
Disabled people had no financial security other than begging, or to be involved in some limiting occupation that did not involve their particular disability.
:2—“And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
The 12 “disciples”(Jesus’--“His”) had a concern about the presence of physical deformities among men, by calling attention to the “man” who had entered life “blind.”
The disciples approach Jesus as their very respected teacher.
The disciple’s supposed, & it was commonly thought, that any physically unwelcome deformities & distresses(such as blindness), were the result of personal “sin.”
•In their opinion, those “sins” exhibit a physical manifestation of God’s judgment—played out through such things as “blindness.”
•Such a line of thinking goes so far as to hold that the “sin” of the parent would be exemplified in the illness, pain, or suffering experienced by their children!
•And such suppositions condemn all personal ‘maladies’ to the realm of “sin’s” effects.
“Rabbi”—rabbi—1) ‘My great one,’ ‘my honorable sir’; 2) Rabbi, a title used by the Jews to address their teachers (& also honor them when not addressing them). Strong—My master, i.e. Rabbi, as an official title of honor; of Hebrew origin[from br rab; but contracted from bbr; abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality)] with pronominal suffix.
“Sinned”(See :3, 34—amartia)—amartanw—1) To be without a share in; 2) To miss the mark; 3) To err, be mistaken; 4) To miss or wander from the path of uprightness & honor, to do or go wrong; 5) To wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin. Strong—properly--To miss the mark(& so not share in the prize), i.e. figuratively--To err, especially (morally)--To sin.
:3—“Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.””
Jesus’ response to His disciple’s inquiry & solution, revealed their naiveté or ignorance. Jesus attempts to remove & inform their ignorance. As the adage goes: ‘No question is a stupid question.’
Jesus stated that “Neither the man nor his parents” were the direct cause of the man’s blindness.
•Jewish Rabbis generally preached a ‘cause & effect’ relationship between “sin” & suffering. And there is abundant evidence that “sin” indeed does produce negative effects for & around the one who “sins.”
•EXAMPLE: We don’t want the church’s ‘benevolence fund’ to be squandered on the rank sinfulness of others.
But the cause or culprit behind the man’s blindness was not what Jesus focused on. The ‘cause’ of the man’s blindness was irrelevant to God’s purposes for the man.
The man’s being born blind was the reality that the man had to face in his daily walk.
The presence of the man’s blindness was effectively an open platform, thru which “the works of God” would be displayed!
*It’s no so much ‘WHAT’ may be difficult in your life, as it is ‘HOW’ you respond to the difficulty in your life!
•Our lives are meant to be ‘showcases’ for the exhibition of God’s power!
The FACT of the man’s blindness is not the major concern to Jesus. Of greatest concern to Jesus, is that we HONOR GOD THRU our blindness or other maladies(sufferings/calamities/distresses/pain)! In fact we are called upon by God to honor Him, even thru those maladies that we have brought upon ourselves thru personal sinfulness!
Still, it is VERY important that we answer the question of ‘WHY am I suffering?’ And to admit that your ‘sufferings’ & my ‘sufferings’ are both diverse, as well as numerous!
•More than anything, in the midst of our, or someone else’s, distresses & sufferings, God’s people must answer the “Why” by calling upon God Himself! We must call upon Him, NOT in order to ‘belly-ache, moan, & whine’ at Him or to rail against God....
•But rather, God’s people are to bring their ‘burdens’ to God for the purpose of seeking God’s face, & so, finding His perfect direction in the midst of, & DESPITE their suffering! God’s people seek God’s hand & power in their lives, so that “the works of God” will be exhibited/wrought in our ‘situation’ or season of suffering!
Our’s is a question that MUST be answered!..... ‘WHAT’ does God want to accomplish thru you/me? HOW is God enlightening your/my particular path? And ‘WHAT’ is your/my part in submitting yourself/myself to God?
•IF we allow our personal disabilities or burdens to be alleviated or lessened thru Christ Jesus, THEN we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to alleviate the personal burdens of others thru Christ Jesus!
**God’s intent is to provide THE solution to all the ‘debilitating things’ that all creation suffers, regardless of the origin of the suffering.
*God should be manifested(“revealed”) in us no matter our circumstances!
•The extension of God’s perfect love toward each of us, is seen in HIS help, rescue, aid, deliverance, patience, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, forbearance, etc., etc., are all intended to be made plain to ALL people who are within the Christian’s ‘sphere of influence’!
**Ex. 4:10-11—“Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech & slow of tongue.” So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?”
**!That makes EACH of us responsible to & answerable to God for HOW we respond, or THE WAY we respond, to the life & lifetime we’re blessed with on earth!
•Our creation in the womb is an act of God’s creative work. And our life on earth, with the limitations that are our’s in this flesh, are to be lived out as a testimony to God’s power, as it works in whatever we’ve been granted.
Php. 2:12-13—“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
•That is very easy for me to preach. BUT, it’s another matter entirely to live it out day-to-day!
•Just this past week, I was having a short conversation with one of our members. During the conversation, I started naming some of my physical maladies. As I did so, I was jolted into recognizing how God had used me DESPITE my multitude of physical shortcomings.
Argumentation:
Mat. 7:1-5—“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; & with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; & look, a plank is in your own eye? “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, & then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Rom. 1:18-23—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness & unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, & changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--& birds & four-footed animals & creeping things.”
1Cor. 3:10-15—“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, & another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Illustration:
One of my Daddy’s favorite expressions was: “I see said the blind man.”
•Stating this great truth:
‘I admit, that previously, I was wrong. And now, I clearly understand.’
• Even without all of their physical attributes, such a person CAN be vastly more discerning & understanding of reality, than a person with all their physical attributes intact.
CLARITY
Application:
?Does YOUR relationship with Union Grove, Encourage CLARITY for YOUR relevant/pertinent questions?
?Is YOUR ‘Homecoming’ a testament to, & a source for Christian encouragement?
2—‘Homecoming’ Encourages…
The PRESENCE Of LIGHT(:4-5)
Explanation:(:4-5)
:4—“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
:5—“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Jn. 1:4—“In Him was life, & the life was the light of men.”
Jesus is that Divinely authoritative “light”, Who exposes the world for what it is! Those who enjoy His “light” experienced thru His tangible flesh, will potentially be engulfed in spiritual darkness from His bodily absence, thru His ministry of the Cross.
The “day” signifies Jesus’ presence. Jesus was the embodiment of the fullness of God the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. And in the “day” you are able to fully & wisely comprehend your direction.
*We must be careful NOT to suppose that Jesus’ bodily absence means God's people, Christians, are presently operating in the “night.”
•Christians operate in the “night”, only in the sense that Jesus is ‘bodily’ absent....
HOWEVER, the Church is the body of Christ!
•1Cor. 12:12, 27—“For as the body is one & has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”.....“Now you are the body of Christ, & members individually.”
•So, the “day” is still experienced in the presence of Jesus’ ‘born-again’ followers(the Church). They are those who are faithful to do God’s “works”, in & thru Jesus by His Holy Spirit.
Mat. 5:14-16—““You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp & put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, & it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works & glorify your Father in heaven.”
While Jesus was on earth, it was God’s design that Jesus “work the works” of God the Father. He was granted full authority to do so.
•The revelation of salvation could not have been accomplished without Jesus’ “works.”
•And so it follows that Jesus’ disciples, as well as all those who are born of faith in Christ Jesus, commit themselves to “work the works” of God the Father.
Argumentation:
Jn. 3:16-21—““For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””
Rom. 13:10-14—“Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, & let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry & drunkenness, not in lewdness & lust, not in strife & envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, & make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
1Tim. 5:24, 25—“Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, & those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.”
2Cor. 4:5-7—“For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, & ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God & not of us.”
Illustration:
Why do we use light-fixtures?
Because we need light in order to see clearly!
In fact, whenever we surrounded by darkness(too little light), we may be hurt or even killed when attempting to move around with no visible landmarks/guides.
The PRESENCE Of LIGHT
And we particularly need God’s spiritual light, in Christ Jesus, in order to fully function ‘holistically.’
Application:
?Does YOUR relationship with Union Grove, Encourage the PRESENCE Of LIGHT in YOUR life?
?Is YOUR ‘Homecoming’ a testament to, & a source for Christian encouragement?
3—‘Homecoming’ Encourages…
HEALING By JESUS’ HAND(:6-7)
Explanation:(:6-7)Trust in The Healer
:6—“When He had said these things, He spat on the ground & made clay with the saliva; & He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.”
That Jesus used spittle &/or clay in bringing about the man’s healing, does NOT mean that you or I could do the same with the same result.
•Jesus was DEFINITELY NOT a magician!
•The act of using His spittle may have been a testimony to the Jews who would have considered such an action as unclean.—BECNT
:7a—“And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam”(which is translated, Sent).”...
The blind man was instructed to “Go” & to “wash” in a specific pool, the one named “Siloam”(“Sent”).
Its “pool’s” name MAY have derived from its bringing(sending) the water from the Gihon spring in the Kidron valley, to the pool inside the city wall, via Hezekiah’s Tunnel.—BECNT
However, on the day that Jesus ‘SENT’ the blind man to the “Siloam”(“Sent”) “pool” , the “pool” obviously took on a whole new meaning altogether, from what would soon take place with Jesus’ sending!
:7b—“So he went & washed, & came back seeing.”
*The man obeyed Jesus, by “going” & “washing.”
•He then returned from the experience with the ability to “see” for the first time in his life!
•You will return from any obedience to God on your part, with an ability to see as God sees, which you did not have before you obeyed!
This recalls Elisha’s ministry to Naaman the Syrian(2Kgs. 5:1-14). Naaman was a man who was told by Elisha the prophet to merely wash in the Jordan River seven times, & then his leprosy would be cured. Had Naaman refused to wash himself in that particular river, then he would have remained leprous.
Argumentation/Illustration:
You can go out into the world, spit on the dry ground & make clay out of it, & then go anoint the eyes of some people who are blind. You can send them to Jerusalem in Israel to wash in the “pool of Siloam.”
But doing that will not accomplish anything but a muddy mess, & a wasted effort, & offering false hope!... UNLESS God compels it, UNLESS God compels you, UNLESS God’s power is behind, in, & thru it all!
I remind you that no one who has such physical blindness ever been miraculously cured in such a way, except by Jesus Himself!
HEALING By JESUS’ HAND
Isaiah prophesied some 700years prior to Jesus’ arrival, about the redemptive Cross-work of Christ Jesus....
*Isa. 53:5—“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
The personal testimony of Jesus’ saving you,...
Along with the living testimony to your confessing Jesus as Lord, speaks to the Healing power of Jesus’ Hand!
Application:
?Does YOUR relationship with Union Grove, Encourage HEALING By JESUS’ HAND?
?Is YOUR ‘Homecoming’ a testament to, & a source for Christian encouragement?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
*Please recall my physically crippled Christian brother, who was a fantastic example of commitment & encouragement for everyone around him!
‘Homecoming’ is a celebration of the encouragement each of us has received in Christ, thru the local church!
Action:
‘Homecoming’ Encourages…
1. CLARITY(:1-3)Pertinent Questions answered
2. The PRESENCE Of LIGHT(:4-5)
3. HEALING By JESUS’ HAND(:6-7)
Pnt#s 1-3 presented to:
Union Grove Baptist Church('Homecoming')
2434 Old Lawyer’s Road
Marshville, NC 28103
Points 1-3 presented to:Union Grove Baptist Church--‘Homecoming Service’—SEPT. 14, 2025. Points 4-10 UNUSED!
