BORN BLIND
John 9:1-7
Introduction: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" is what Paul the author of Hebrews tells us. But we live in a time that says "show me and I will believe." This has found its way into the realm of the church. A Bible believer’s attitude is tell me and I believe the Bible. This is how we ought to view miracles in the Bible.
Last week I preached a message on a miracle found in the Bible. It was the axe that swam. As I was driving home after church, I turned on the radio and was listening to Dr. Ennis’ message that he preached and was pleasantly surprised that he was preaching about miracles or the "show me and I will believe" attitude. He went to 2 Peter 1:16-21, which says “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost.”
There are some people who want so much to see miracles in today’s word. I have seen the Lord rise people up from the beds of affliction. But I do not believe that we have to have that to be assured of our God’s power. Why? We have a more sure word of prophecy. Some people are trying to vindicate their ministry with miracles. We are do not need these miracles to vindicate our ministry. We have a more sure word. We have God’s completed word.
I have seen men on television that passes themselves off as men of God who have had "miracles" occur in their ministries. Yet at the same time, they womanizing or cheating people. I have yet found a place in the Bible that says that we must expect a miracle.
I had someone comment about my own physical condition recently. I made this statement several times in the past four years of diagnosed diabetics. I have never asked the Lord to remove the diabetics from my life. I am not trying to be a martyr or place myself on some high spiritual pedestal. I view my physical condition from this point of view. This disease could be the cause of my death. This disease did not catch the Lord off guard. This disease is not beyond the Lord’s power to heal. But for the very first time in my life as a believer, I must totally trust Him daily for the strength to do His work. I must do all the right things. I must eat right. I have to get exercise. (Going door to door has that benefit in it.) I must monitor my blood sugars. But if the Lord so desires that this disease is to work on my body, I can not complain. It is His body to do as He sees fit.
Does it take a lot of faith to believe a miracle? No, if you realize that God did it.
Our account comes on the heels of chapter eight. Jesus has publicly declared that he is the light of the world (John 8:12). Boy, did some of the religious crowd get bent out of shape.
He also declared that if they did not believe that He was the Sent One, they would die in their sins (john 8:24). When folks are confronted with their sins, several reactions are seen every time. They do nothing whatsoever about the situation. They repent and get right with God when confronted. Or they fight against that confrontation. Only the middle option is the one that God will bless. (Proverbs 28:13 ” He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.)
Chapter eight concludes with the Jewish leaders taking up stones and wanting to kill the Lord Jesus. But His time was not yet. Not only was not the time, neither was it the method. Not only was it neither the time, nor the method, in which He was to die, it was not the place.
With that as our background for the message, let’s look at "Born Blind." As I mentioned last week and will try to do in each of these messages, I will try to put a practical spin on them. After all, this Bible is to be a daily living book to guide us into great victorious living.
I. THE PASSING OF THE SAVIOUR
Vs. 1
In the previous chapter, our Lord has dared to declare without reservation this truth "Before Abraham was, I am." He has designated Himself as the Old Testament name of God as revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. The meaning of the term, "I AM THAT I AM," is "The Eternal, Self-existent One who only can say I always will be what I always have been." When He made this claim, demonic venom filled His enemies’ minds and hearts they seized stones to kill Him but He was able to go by them and went out of the Temple.
Some men would have fled from this danger. But we are not speaking of an ordinary man. We are looking at our Lord Jesus.
On the way out, He stopped to heal a poor man who had been born blind from birth. What a marvelous picture of His matchless grace!
One of the lessons that want to bring out is this. Jesus left us with an example that we should follow (1 Peter 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps”).
No matter what is going on in our lives, we ought to ready and looking for opportunities to help our fellow man. One person said that the only thing worse than loving and caring too much is not caring enough. Our Saviour was in danger. These men were serious about killing Him. But He stopped and helped one insignificant blind man. Probably the only people who really cared for him were his parents. But Jesus cared. He risked His own life to help another.
II. THE PROCLAMATION OF THE SAVIOUR
Vs. 4
At the end of the first quarter of the last century, man was heralding in the dawn of what they wanted to call the brotherhood of man. When World War I concluded, men declared that that world was safe for democracy. Since that day we have seen numerous of dictators arise and were worse than the ones before. Why is that? On that day a little over 2000 years ago, the sun went down on the face of the world when they crucified our Saviour. Man has not gotten better. He has grown worse. Men will continue on the slippery path to destruction until the Lord Jesus comes back from Heaven sitting on the white horse with the crown on His head to conquer and rule and reign.
What lesson can we derive from this passage? Each day, friends and family go toward the abyss of eternity where there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. We must do the works of Him that has sent us into the world with the message of the Gospel and declare that Jesus Saves, Jesus Saves.
III. THE PRESENTATION OF THE SINNER
Vs. 1
He is seen just as he is: BORN BLIND. These are tragic yet true words. He is an exact picture of the every sinner born of Adam’s lost race--born blind.
God told Adam in Genesis 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Spiritual; death came immediately after man’s sin. This is followed by physical death at the end of his span of years. Paul reminds us of this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die”. We are born spiritually dead because of the relationship with Adam who is our multiple great, great, great, great, great grandfather.
IV. THE POWERLESSNESS OF OTHER SOLUTIONS
Being born blind means that something was lacking at birth. Only a creative miracle could supply this need. No doubt some could say that we must do something for this man. All other solutions are really useless efforts.
Much is done in our day is nothing less than an attempt to educate folks into the kingdom of heaven. It is as ridiculous to try to educate a man into the kingdom of heaven as it is to give a man in a casket a book on etiquette.
No doubt the eye doctors of that day gave him some salve to try to clear up his condition. No matter what they tried, he was still blind.
Man does lots of activities in order to rid himself of his condition of spiritual blindness. He tries religion to cure him of spiritual blindness. It is to no avail.
He tries rituals. All his rituals can not cure him of his spiritual blindness.
He tries reformation. No matter how hard he tries to reform himself, he still can change his spiritual blindness.
This man needed a heavenly touch. He needed the touch of the Omnipotent. The spiritual blind needs the same touch. That is the reason why the Lord Jesus Christ said to Nicodemus in John 3:3 “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
The disciples are trying to figure out who sinned. They were looking at the cause instead of seeking a cure.
This is also shows another way man tries to find a way to cure spiritual blindness. They figure if they know what caused the problem, they may be able to cure it. It is my belief that all disease is a direct result of man’s sin in the Garden of Eden. I do not believe there will be a cure for every disease until Jesus comes back as the conqueror of the ages and sets up His kingdom on earth for His thousand-year reign.
V. THE PREFORMANCE OF THE SAVIOUR
Vs. 6-7
Our Lord spat on the ground, made clay of His spittle. He anointed the blind man’s eyes. He then instructed him to wash in the pool of Siloam. I can imagine some would think this cure would be unsanitary. Had he produced some golden ointment and charged a lot of money for it, they would think this would be okay. Had He taken the blind man back into the Temple and preformed some long ritualistic service over him, He could have subdue their anger. This was the kind of cure they had performed many times which is not really a cure.
In our religious society, there is very little use for the old-fashioned gospel singing and old fashioned preaching on sin and salvation. This is offensive to many. They want something new and exciting. They want new music. They want new type preaching. They want new type religion.
What is effective? In this day, Paul gives us the answer. 1 Corinthians 1:18
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
Romans 1:16
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
The doctrine of the blood redemption may be offensive to many religious crowd but we know it is effective because of it is Christ’s blood.
NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
Oh! Precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Refrain
Conclusion: There are several lessons that we can see in this account today. Let’s try to apply them today.
1. We see the obedience on the part of the blind man. If he had not obeyed Christ, then he would have never been cured. The same can be said for the spiritually blind sinner. He must obey Christ in regards to His cure for their blindness. The sinner must realize that he is lost. Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Until the lost man realizes that he is lost, he can never be cured of that condition. John Newton who wrote the “Amazing Grace” understood this when he penned these words:
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
Jesus told men to come. John 6:37
“him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
2. We see the astonishment on the part of the crowd. They could not believe what they were seeing. They did not believe even though they could see. Brother Gail said that there are still people who think he will return to the booze even though it has been since 1961 since Christ came into his life. Religious crowd really does not like changed lives. They really like the credit. They were astonished that this blind man could now see. They were astonished that the man would not back down from the fact that Jesus had cured him. May we always look for those who need help and point them to the One who can cure them!
