ABIDING IN THE LIGHT
Text: John 9:26-41
“Several years ago, a Greensboro, North Carolina, newspaper carried a story about a tractor-trailer rolling along on a side street in a southern city. The driver came to a low bridge and misjudged the height of his rig. When the truck came to a stop, it was wedged tightly between the bridge and the street. Wreckers were called to remove the truck, but with all of their skills and equipment they could not budge it. Among the bystanders was a young student. The lad walked over to the men and suggested that the tires on the truck be deflated. As the air screamed from the tires, the great truck began to settle slowly away from the bridge. A wrecker was chained to the truck, and it was gently pulled backward. When the truck was free of the bridge, the tires were reinflated and the trucker was again on his way”. (Enest A. Fitzgerald. Keeping Pace: Inspirations In The Air. Greensboro: Pace Communications, Inc., 1988, p. 57) Until this young student came along, everyone was blind as to what the solution was. Until people have the light of Christ in their lives, they, too, are blind to the fact that Jesus Christ is the answer to the problems of life. Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness!
There is an old proverb that says, “There are none so blind as those who will not see”. One of the major reasons that people cannot see as they should is because of the blinders that they wear.. Sometimes people will put blinders on horses that will keep horses from being able to see to the sides. These blinders are little pieces of leather that are attached to the bridle that goes on the horse’s head. Sometimes people put blinders on themselves so that they will not see the things that they are trying to avoid. The point that I am getting at is that there is more than one kind of blindness. There is physical blindness as well spiritual blindness.
The ninth chapter of John tells us about a man who was born blind. It also tells us about how Jesus brought about healing. This man was born with eyes that could not see. When Jesus healed him, not only could he see, he also experienced salvation.
THE REVOLUTION
Jesus brought about a revolution in the life of this man who was born blind. One kind of revolution that Jesus brought about in the life of this man who was born blind was change. All of his natural life this man had lived in physical darkness. When he became an adult, he had to take to the streets as a beggar (John 9:8) and rely on the genuine goodwill and passersby in order to be able to live. How tough it must have been for him to wonder from day to day if he was going to go hungry. Then the day came when Jesus brought about change in the life of this blind beggar as He healed him of his blindness.
A second kind of revolution that Jesus brought about for this blind man was overthrowing the darkness. Sometimes we hear the word “revolution” and we think about the definition of a revolution that relates to a war. For instance, we think about historical battles such as the American Revolutionary War (1775), the French Revolution (1789), the Chinese Revolution (1911), or the Russian Revolution (1917). We tend to think about the changes in government that resulted from wars that were revolutionary. In a revolutionary war, there are usually two opposing sides from the same country that go to war to gain control of the government. One side wants to overthrow the other. For this man who was born blind, Jesus brought about a revolution where the darkness was overthrown by His light. Not only did Jesus heal the man of his physical blindness, but He also healed him of his spiritual blindness.
“Jack Eckerd, founder of the Eckerd drugstore chain, became a Christian in 1983. Soon afterward, walking through one of his stores, though he had looked at the magazine racks a thousand times before, this time he saw with new eyes the pornographic magazines for sale there. He called his company president and ordered him to remove Playboy and Penthouse. The president was stunned because those magazines brought in several million dollars of profit annually. Eckerd insisted. Those magazines were cleared form the shelves of 1,700 Eckerd drugstores. He was simply yielding to the Lordship of Christ. “Why else would I throw a few million dollars out the window?” He would not let money blind him.” (Leslie B. Flynn. The Miracles Of Jesus. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1990, p. 134). What Mr. Eckerd did was revolutionary because he saw with the eyes of a Christian. Eckerd also brought about a revolution in that he opened his store to the light of Jesus Christ and overthrew the darkness of the influence that those pornographic magazines would have.
THE REVELATION
There cannot be a revolution unless there is a revelation. For a Christian, a revelation is when God discloses something to a person. The man born blind was healed as God revealed the light of the world through His only begotten son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God is always revealing Himself through the light of Jesus that shines in the lives of His adopted sons and daughters. People who love darkness love the darkness because their deeds are evil (John 3:19). “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:20 NIV). Those who live in the dark will be slaves to sin (John 8: 34) until they come to know the truth that will set them free (John 8:32). That truth is found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and no one can come to God except through Jesus (John 14:6). Jesus is the light that shines in their darkness so that they may have the opportunity to see where they have been blinded by sin.
Those who have received the light of life that Jesus gives will become beacons of the light themselves. Christians are beacons. When we think of a beacon, we usually think of a lighthouse. A lighthouse guides and warns ships at sea by shining in the dark of night. Without lighthouses there would be many ships that would get in the path of danger because the did not have the light to warn and guide them. Without beacons ships are blinded by the darkness just as people who do not know Jesus are blinded by sin.
“There was an officer in the navy who had always dreamed of commanding a battleship. He finally achieved that dream and was given commission of the newest and proudest ship in the fleet. One stormy night as the ship plowed through the seas, the captain was on duty on the bridge when off to the port he spotted a strange light rapidly closing with his own vessel. Immediately he ordered the signalman to flash the message to the unidentified craft, “Alter your course ten degrees to the south.” Only a moment passed before the reply came: “Alter your course ten degrees to the north.” Determined that his ship would take a backseat to no other, the captain snapped out the order to be sent: “Alter your course ten degrees---I am the CAPTAIN!” The response beamed back, “Alter your course ten degrees---I am Seaman Third Class Jones.” Now infuriated the captain grabbed the signal light with his own hands and fired off: “Alter your course, I am a battleship.” The reply came back, “Alter your course, I am a lighthouse.” No matter how gig or important any of us think we are, God’s Word stands forth as an unchanging beacon. All other courses must be altered to His.” (James S. Hewett. Ed. Illustrations Unlimited. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988, p. 280).
THE RESPONSE
A response is an action regardless of whether or not it is words or deeds. Every time we react to something, we reveal something of our character. “For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34 NIV). The Lord searches our hearts and know the motives behind our thinking (First Chronicles 28:9). “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19 NIV). The heart is therefore a harbor (James 3:14).
It is in the heart that we respond to who Jesus Christ is. When the heart that was once in darkness becomes open to Jesus Christ, His light shines in the darkness. His light also shines as to how we once lived in that darkness. When we receive Jesus into our hearts we either receive Him as a visitor or a permanent resident. When Jesus dwells in our hearts, He becomes our Lord and Savior. When Jesus is our Lord and Savior, He is a permanent resident that we have invited to dwell in our hearts.
I have an uncle, Uncle Joe, who once knew Hank Williams, Sr. My uncle played in a band along with some of his other high school classmates. Hank Williams had heard about their band and wanted to be a part of it. The band rejected Hank’s offer because they did not think that he was good enough. History tells the rest of the story.
There are often people who reject Jesus, not because He is not good enough, but because His light exposes to them the truth about the darkness. They reject Jesus because they do not feel good enough. The point that I am making is that those who live in the darkness are blind to the truth about the darkness. They are blinded first because of ignorance. But, once the truth has been told and they still reject who Jesus is their blindness becomes a matter of choice.
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God" (John 3:19-21 NIV).
Consider the choices of those who knew the former blind man. His neighbors could not believe that he was the same person (John 9:8). Others, claimed that surely this must be his look alike (John 9:9). When the former blind man gives his testimony, he makes it clear that he is the man who was once blind (John 9:10). The Pharisees got curious and wanted to know the details of this story. First, they asked the former blind man. Then, they asked his parents. Although his parents were happy for him, they refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. Anyone who acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah was excommunicated from the synagogue (John 9:22). The parents wanted their son to speak for himself and when he did, the Pharisees kicked him out of the synagogue (John 9:21, 34). It is obvious that the whole ninth chapter of John backs up the truth of John 3:19-21.
It is not God’s will that anyone should be blinded by the darkness. That is exactly why God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to bring His light into our darkness. It is when we receive the gift of God’s love, light, mercy and grace that we can truly experience salvation and become a member of God’s family. God sent His only begotten Son, so that you and I could have the right to become members of God’s family as adopted sons and daughters (John 1:12). Only God’s children will be heirs of salvation (Romans 8:17)! Only God’s children abide in the light!
