That's My Story And I'm Sticking To It

THAT’S MY STORY AND I’M STICKING TO IT

JOHN 9:1-12

SOMEONE SAID TO HELEN KELLER, "WHAT A PITY YOU HAVE NO SIGHT!" TO WHICH SHE REPLIED, "YES, BUT WHAT A PITY SO MANY HAVE SIGHT BUT CANNOT SEE!"

TEXT – PEOPLE WHO COULD NOT SEE. NOT JUST THE BLIND MAN . . .

THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS WERE BLINDED BY JUDGMENT.

“RABBI, WHO SINNED, THIS MAN OR HIS PARENTS, THAT HE WAS BORN BLIND?” THE TRADITION . . . ABNORMALITY (10 FINGERS, 10 TOES, 2 ARMS, 2 LEGS, HEAR, SEE) . . . THIS TYPE OF THINKING GAVE BIRTH TO THOSE WHO EVEN TODAY BELIEVE IN THE DOCTRINE OF REINCARNATION, THE BELIEF THAT THE SOUL OF THE DEAD RETURNS TO EARTH IN A NEW BODY? . . . OUTWIT, OUTSMART, OUTLIVE – SIN . . .

ONE OF THE PRINCIPLE COMPONENTS OF THE THEORY OF REINCARNATION IS KARMA, THE DOCTRINE THAT EVERYONE GETS WHAT THEY DESERVE. THAT THERE IS AN IMPERSONAL FORCE IN THE WORLD THAT CAUSES US TO BUILD FUTURE DEBITS AND CREDITS BASED ON OUR BEHAVIOR.

THIS THEORY WHEN APPLIED TO ALMOST ANY PROBLEM, PRODUCES A WARPED WAY OF THINKING EXPLANATION.

THE CHILD THAT WAS BORN WITH OR HAS LEUKEMIA, THE CHILD WHO IS CRIPPLED, THE CHILD WHO IS DYING OF STARVATION ARE ALL TOLD: “YOU ARE GETTING EXACTLY WHAT YOU DESERVE; YOU HAVE THESE PROBLEMS BECAUSE YOU OR YOUR PARENTS COMMITTED SOME GREAT SIN IN A PREVIOUS EXISTENCE OR SITUATION."

THE FOUR-YEAR-OLD BOY ABUSED BY AN ANGRY FATHER WITH A LIT CIGARETTE, THE SIX-YEAR-OLD GIRL BEATEN, HER ARMS AND LEGS BROKEN BY AN ANGRY AND IRRATIONAL MOTHER ARE TOLD: "YOU WERE NOT THE VICTIMS OF INJUSTICE. YOU JUST GOT WHAT YOU HAD COMING TO YOU BECAUSE OF SINS YOU COMMITTED IN A PREVIOUS LIFE—SINS YOU CANNOT REMEMBER." GINA CERMINARA, SAYS ANY BIRTH ABNORMALITY "IS PROBABLY OF KARMIC ORIGIN."NKING.

THE DISCIPLES WERE GUILTY OF SUCH THINKING. SUCH ELITIST THINKING. A THINKING THAT SUGGEST:

I’M FINE . . .

I’M PUT TOGETHER

I GOT IT GOING ON . . . BECAUSE I HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG. THAT’S AN ELITIST ATTITUDE. FOR THE TRUTH BE TOLD:

YOU HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE

YOU DRIVE . . .

YOU LIVE . . .

YOU EAT . . . NOT BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING WRONG . . . .

THERE’S SOME OF US WHO PRAY “THANK YOU LORD”

THERE’S SOME OF US WHO PRAY “THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVEN’T DONE.”

HAVEN’T EXPOSED – WICKEDNESS/WEAKNESS

HAVEN’T EXPOSED – SHORTCOMINGS

HAVEN’T EXPOSED MY SICK IDEOSYNCRACIES . . .

THAT’S WHY JESUS SAID IN MATTHEW 7:1-2 "DO NOT JUDGE, OR YOU TOO WILL BE JUDGED. FOR IN THE SAME WAY YOU JUDGE OTHERS, YOU WILL BE JUDGED, AND WITH THE MEASURE YOU USE, IT WILL BE MEASURED TO YOU.”

JESUS REPRIMANDED – DISCIPLES “NEITHER . . .”

THE DISCIPLES WERE BLINDED BY JUDGMENT.

THEN THE BLIND MAN NEIGHBORS WERE BLINDED BY SKEPTICISM.

V.8 – NEIGHBORS WERE USE TO SEEING THE BLIND MAN AS A BEGGAR . . . POSITIONED HIMSELF TO GET BLESSED/GOT BLESSED . . .

BROKE . . .

BROKE DOWN CAR . . .

BROKEN RELATIONSHIP . . .

PICK-UP THE TAB

I CAN DRIVE

DISCIPLES – BLINDED BY JUDGMENT

NEIGHBORS – BLINDED BY SKEPTICISM

THIRDLY, THE PHARISEES (RELIGIOUS LEADERS) WERE BLINDED BY RELIGION.

RELIGION: A SYSTEM OF BELIEFS.

RELIGION: WHEN THE WHERE WE WORSHIP – WHO . . . (EX)

RELIGION: WHEN THE WHEN WE WORSHIP – WHO . . . (EX)

RELIGION: WHEN THE HOW WE WORSHIP – WHO . . . (EX)

WHEN THE PHARISEES - SABBATH . . .

SABBATH – REST. . .

I’M SO GLAD MY BREAKTHROUGH. . .

DISCIPLES – BLINDED BY JUDGMENT

NEIGHBORS – BLINDED BY SKEPTICISM

RELIGIOUS LEADERS – BLINDED BY RELIGION/RELIGIOUS TRADITION

FOURTHLY, THE BLIND MAN’S PARENTS WERE BLINDED BY FEAR

THE PHARISEES . . .

“IS THIS YOUR SON? WAS HE BORN BLIND? HOW DID HE RECEIVE HIS SIGHT?

YES – HE IS OUR SON, YES – HE WAS BORN BLIND, BUT HOW HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT . . .

SOME PEOPLE AFRAID OF LOSING THEIR STATUS. . .

LET’S ASK OUR FRIEND, THE BLIND MAN . . . WHAT IS HIS TESTIMONY?

WOMAN CAUGHT IN ADULTERY

HEADED MY WAY . . .

NATURAL – SUPERNATURAL . . .

DOUBT HIM: BUT I CAN’T DOUBT HIM . . .

IT’S NOT A GLAMOROUS . . .

THIS IS MY STORY . . .

* portions of this sermon have been aided through the wisdom, knowledge, and insight of other contributing SermonCentral Contributors.