JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
JOHN 9:1-7
AS I BEGIN TO LOOK AT THIS CHAPTER OF SCRIPTURE, MY MIND RUNS BACK TO WHEN I WAS RUNNING AROUND IN DARKNESS. YOU SEE, THE WORLD I WAS LIVING IN WAS DARKNESS TO THESE EYES OF MINE. THE PLACES THAT I WOULD GO WAS DARK PLACES. THE THINGS THAT I WAS DOING WAS DONE IN THE DARKNESS. THE THINGS I WOULD SAY WAS SAID IN THE DARKNESS.
OH, BUT ONE DAY HE TOUCHED ME AND MADE ME WHOLE. HE BROUGHT ME OUT OF DARKNESS INTO THE MARVELOUS LIGHT. JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.
NOW THE THINGS I USED TO DO, I DON’T DO ANY MORE. THE PLACES I USED TO GO, I DON’T GO ANY MORE, THE WALK I USED TO WALK I DON’T WALK ANY MORE. WHEN HE TOUCH YOU, YOU WILL HAVE A NEW WALK, NEW TALK, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE WHERE YOU ARE WALKING.
I’M SO GLAD THAT JESUS PASSED BY ONE DAY AND HEALED THIS BODY OF MINE, JUST LIKE HE DID THE MAN AT THE POOL.
I HEARD THE WORD OF GOD SAYING THERE IN ST. JOHN 9:1,’ AND AS JESUS PASSED BY, HE SAW A MAN WHICH WAS BLIND FROM BIRTH’. I WONDER HAVE HE PASSED BY YOUR WAY? HAVE HE OPENED YOUR EYES? IF HE HAS OPENED YOUR EYES SOMEBODY WILL SEE A CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE.
OH, BUT THERE WILL BE SOME WHO WILL WANT TO KNOW WHY, OR WHAT CAUSED YOU TO CHANGE. OH CHURCH, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TELL THEM, IT WAS NOBODY BUT JESUS. [ JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE].
YOU SEE, THE DISCIPLES WANTED TO KNOW WHO DID SIN, THIS MAN OR HIS PARENTS, THAT HE WAS BORN BLIND. THEY WANTED TO DISCUSS WHO IS AT FAULT, WHO IT IS THAT SINNED?
BUT JESUS DOESN’T GIVE THEM THE ANSWER THEY WANTED. HE SAYS THE IMPORTANT THING IS NOT TO PROBE AROUND IN THE PAST AND TRY TO FIND OUT WHO IS GUILTY. THE THING TO DO IS TO CURE THE MAN. YOU SEE, IT MAY BE TRUE THAT AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.
BUT AFTER A MAN IS SICK, THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO GET THAT POUND OF CURE FOR HIM. YOU SEE, IT WAS NOT THE QUESTION OF WHO SINNED FOR ROMAN 3:23 SAYS,’ ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD. IF CHRIST HAS NOT TOUCHED YOUR EYES, YOU ARE NOT SEEING. THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE TODAY IN CHURCHES that are BLIND AND DON’T KNOW IT.
IF YOU WERE SEEING TODAY, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND PAUL WHEN HE SAYS, ’ WHEN YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, THE OLD THINGS PASS AWAY BEHOLD ALL THINGS BECOME NEW.
THERE ARE MANY FOLK TODAY STANDING IN THE LIGHT OF THE WORD OF GOD WHO SAY,’ WHY DOESN’T SOME ONE TURN ON THE LIGHTS? THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT PILATE DID. HE ASKED, ’ WHAT IS TRUTH? AS HE WAS STANDING RIGHT IN THE PRESENCE OF THE ONE WHO SAID, ’ I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. [ JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE].
WE NEED TO LET CHRIST TOUCH OUR EYES, SO THAT WE CAN SEE. I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO NOTICE HERE, CHRIST TOUCHED THIS MAN ALTHOUGH THE MAN STILL COULD NOT SEE HIM. THEN JESUS ASKED HIM TO GO WASH AND THE MAN OBEYED. [ JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE].
THIS GOSPEL SETS FORTH THE DEITY OF CHRIST, IT ALSO SETS FORTH JESUS AS MAN. JESUS HAD JUST CLAIMED HIS DEITY AND NOW HE TOUCHES THE BLIND MAN, MAN TO MAN.
THE BLIND MAN MUST OBEY THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IF HE IS TO SEE. THE LORD SENT HIM TO THE POOL WHICH IS CALLED SILOAM, AND JOHN MAKES A POINT OF TELLING US SILOAM MEANS ’SENT’. EVEN THE NAME OF THE POOL BEARS TESTIMONY THAT JESUS IS SENT FROM THE FATHER.
HERE JESUS IS IMPLYING TO THIS MAN, THAT HE HAS BEEN SENT FROM THE FATHER, AND IN THE SAME WAY HE IS SENDING HIM TO THE POOL. YOU SEE THE BLIND MAN NEEDED THE WATER TO MAKE HIM SEE.
THE WATER REPRESENT THE WORD OF GOD IN MANY PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE. IT IS MY FIRM CONVICTION THAT THERE NEVER CAN BE A CONVERSION WITHOUT THE WORD OF GOD. THE BIBLE SAYS THE ENTRANCE OF THY WORDS GIVETH LIGHT; IT GIVETH UNDERSTANDING UNTO THE SIMPLE.
IT WAS THE WORD OF GOD THAT TOUCHED ME ONE DAY AND BROUGHT ME OUT OF DARKNESS INTO THE MARVELOUS LIGHT. I’M TALKING ABOUT JESUS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.
THE JEWS NEEDED THIS TESTIMONY, THEY MUST SEE BY THIS HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN, THAT JESUS IS THE GOD-MAN, WHO IS SENT FORTH FROM GOD. I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO NOTICE HERE, IT IS NOT THE METHOD OF HEALING THIS MAN, THAT IS THE IMPORTANT ISSUE.
THE PERSON WHO HEALS US IS THE IMPORTANT ISSUE. IT IS THE CHRIST WHO OPENED HIS EYES. THE BLIND MAN’S PART WAS TO TRUST AND OBEY.
YOU SEE JESUS USED DIFFERENCE METHODS OF HEALING PEOPLE. IF THE METHOD WAS THE TOUCH, THE MAN HEALED WOULD INSIST EVERYONE WOULD NEED THE SAME EXPERIENCE THAT HE HAD.
HE WOULD GO AWAY SINGING,’ THE TOUCH OF HIS HAND ON MINE’. WHEN JESUS HEALED OTHERS BY NOT TOUCHING THEM AT ALL, THEY WOULD INSIST THAT ONE DOESN’T NEED TO EXPERIENCE ANYTHING, NOT EVEN HIS TOUCH.
THEY WOULD GO AWAY SINGING,’ ONLY BELIEVE.’ THEN THIS BLIND MAN WOULD SAY TO ALL OF THEM THAT THEY ARE WRONG. HE’D SAY,’ YOU’VE GOT TO BE TOUCHED AND THEN YOU MUST GO TO THE POOL AND WASH. SO HE WOULD BE SINGING,’ SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER’?
THIS MAY SOUND RIDICULOUS, BUT THERE ARE LOT OF BLIND FOLK TODAY WHO WILL ARGUE ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF A CERTAIN CEREMONY OR EXPERIENCES TO BE SAVED.
1- THEY ARGUE ABOUT DENOMINATIONS
2- MAN MADE LAWS AND RULES
OH CHURCH, THE ALL IMPORTANT THING IS TO COME TO CHRIST, TO BELIEVE IN HIM, TO OBEY HIM. I HEARD THE WORD OF GOD SAYING,’ HIM THAT COMETH TO ME, I WILL IN NO WISE CAST OUT’. IT IS THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST THAT IS IMPORTANT.
YOU SEE, THE BLIND MAN WAS OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE, SHUT OUT FROM GOD, SO WERE YOU AND I. PAUL TELLS US THERE IN EPHESIANS 2, THAT WE WERE STRANGERS FROM THE COVENANTS OF PROMISE, THAT WE HAD NO HOPE, WE WERE WITHOUT GOD IN THE WORLD. THAT IS THE CONDITION OF EVERYONE BEFORE HE IS SAVED, WITHOUT GOD, WITHOUT HOPE, SHUT OUT.
THE MAN WAS BLIND. HE WAS UNABLE TO SEE THE SAVIOR. I’M REMINDED OF A MAN WHO ONCE HEARD A SERMON PREACHED ABOUT , I AM THE DOOR; BY ME IF ANY MAN ENTER IN, HE SHALL BE SAVED. AND AS HE WALKED HOME HE THOUGHT TO HIMSELF, ’I HAVE ALWAYS ADMIRED THAT PREACHER, AND I HAVE ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE PREACH ABOUT, BUT TONIGHT I COULDN’T UNDERSTAND HIM.
WHEN HE GOT HOME HE PUT HIS KEY IN THE LOCK AND PUSHED OPEN THE DOOR, ALONG ABOUT THAT TIME HE SAID,’ OH I SEE’. HIS FAMILY LAUGHED AND SAID,’ OF COURSE YOU CAN SEE. YOU WERE OUT IN THE DARK AND NOW YOU HAVE COME INTO THE LIGHT.
ALONG ABOUT THAT TIME, HE ANSWERED,’ YES, BUT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEAN. HE BEGIN TO TELL THE FAMILY ABOUT THE MESSAGE HE HAD HEARD. HE SAID,’ NOW I CAN SEE THAT JESUS IS THE DOOR, AND FAITH IS THE KEY THAT TURN THE LOCK. HE SAID,’ I NOW TRUST CHRIST AND I SEE HIM.
CHURCH THERE HAS BEEN A TIME IN OUR LIFE THAT WE WERE BLIND AND WITHOUT CHRIST [AM I RIGHT ABOUT IT]. THE BLIND MAN WAS BEYOND HUMAN HELP AND NO MAN COULD FIND THE CURE FOR THIS BLINDNESS.
YOU SEE WE WERE HELPLESS SINNERS IN THIS WORLD, AND NO ONE HAD A CURE FOR US ,BUT JESUS. THE BIBLE SAYS,’ FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON’ FOR OUR BLINDNESS. OUT THERE ON THE CROSS JESUS PAID IT ALL.
I STOPPED BY THIS MORNING TO TELL YOU; IF YOU ARE STILL IN DARKNESS, YOU NEED TO SEE JESUS. HE SAYS,’ BEHOLD I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO OPEN UP AND LET HIM IN.
THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT BLINDS US TODAY.
A...MONEY- THE RICH YOUNG RULER
B...HOUSES- BUT IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE ARE MANY MANSIONS
C...THE IN CROWD-PRODIGAL SON
AFTER WHILE AND BY AND BY
