Stop Playing The Blame Game

"Stop Playing the Blame Game"

Author: Dr. Neal Gray

Passage: John 9:1-5

Purpose: We humans always look for a cause-and-effect. No surprise, because we are taught the "scientific method" in all of our schooling. But with God and His ways, things are different. The Lord arranges events that He might be glorified. The question is: will you glorify God in the events of your life?

INTRODUCTION

Opening

I didn’t know this about people when I surrendered to the pastoral ministry, but I certainly soon found out: even Christian people have some unhealthy ideas about life! Oh, yes.

Oh, no, though. What misconceptions I had as a church-goer. I thought that everyone at church was full of knowledge about God, Christ, and the Bible; they were emotionally happy and stable; and spiritually, that they were all devoted "to the max" to Jesus’ mission. Further, I thought that I was the only one who didn’t quite fit. I was a new Christian and they were mature Christians. I was growing, but they had grown up. Only I had flaws.

Of course, the fact is that we all have all sorts of wrong ideas about life. Jesus knows this. And Jesus wants to help. Let’s let Him help us today.

Scripture

Our Scripture is John 9:1-5.

WRONG IDEA ABOUT WHO JESUS IS

Introduction

Remember the setting of this story. The JEWS

HAD THE WRONG IDEA ABOUT WHO JESUS IS. And

they had just heard Jesus say two statements

that made them really angry. Let’s see.

I Can Keep You From Death

Jesus had told the Jews in the temple:

Truly, truly, I say to you, if

anyone keeps My word he shall

never see death. (John 8:51)

To this statement, they accused Jesus of

being possessed by a demon. What a horrible

misconception!

The Man of Truth was speaking to them,

and they could not rightly hear. They could

not understand that the Messiah would

ultimately keep them from the death of

eternal separation from God.

Hey, even you and I understand this

concept. Don’t we? Amen! But the religious

men of Jesus’ day had the wrong idea.

I Have Eternally Existed

The other statement was this:

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly,

I say to you, before Abraham was

born, I am." (John 8:58)

With this statement, the Jews "picked up

stones to throw at Him." For Jesus to say,

"I AM," reminded the Jews of God’s statement

to Moses:

And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I

AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall

say to the sons of Israel, ’I AM

has sent me to you.’" (Exodus

3:14)

So Jesus was equating Himself with God.

You and I would say, "Uh, yeah. That’s

right. Jesus is Lord!" But those religious

men had it wrong.

WRONG IDEA ABOUT SIN AND SUFFERING

Introduction

So, religious persons have gotten it wrong,

or at least have not understood, for a very

long time.

Seeing that they were about to hurt Him

with stones, Jesus went out of the temple. I

guess I would leave, too, if folks started

throwing rocks!

Possible Reasons for His Blindness

Outside of the temple, Jesus and His

disciples came upon a blind man. This man

had never had sight; blind from birth. For

the disciples--who were trying to be

theologians, who were trying to establish a

cause-and-effect for everything--they wanted

to establish just why that man had been

blind from birth.

In their day there were probably four

answers they would have given:

1. The pagans of that day, just as

today, believed in reincarnation.

And so, the situation of this life

was directed related to their

behavior in the past life. So, the

blind man must have sinned in his

past life they would say.

The Jews never did accept this

explanation.

2. Then there was the argument of

heredity. The Lord had told Israel

that He would visit "the iniquity of

the fathers on the children, on the

third and the fourth generations of

those who hate Me," (cf. Exodus

20:5).

This explanation had some Scriptural

merit. It could have been that the

blind man’s parents or grandparents

were very evil. It was worth

thinking about.

3. Third, there was the explanation

that the sin of Adam was passed to

each member of the human family. We

are subject to disease and death.

4. Finally, the Jews believed that a

child in the womb could sin.

This one is difficult for me to

conceive of (pun intended)!

Some Things Just Happen

The disciples were like we modern day

people, "inquiring minds want to know." But,

they had the wrong ideas. In their lifetimes

and in ours, some things just happen. Let me

say that again: IN YOUR LIFE, SOME THINGS

JUST HAPPEN, and it will be beyond you and