The Pharisees' Blindness

I. EXORDIUM:

Are you a Pharisee?(self-righteous) Only CHRIST knows my heart, If I were I would not have accepted the LORD.

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that self-righteousness need to be surrendered to the LORD and with humility and acceptance that one is a sinner, we can accept the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

IV. TEXT:

John 9:41 (Amplified Bible)

9:41 Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but because you now claim to have sight, your sin remains. [If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but because you insist, We do see clearly, you are unable to escape your guilt.]

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS for You have healed my blindness and deafness and I accepted You as my LORD and Savior, because You first loved me.

1 John 4:19 (Amplified Bible)

4:19 We love Him, because He first loved us.

VI. TITLE:

The Pharisees' blindness

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Author: John the Apostle, son of Zebedee and Salome, and younger brother of James.

—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

B. Date and Setting:

Written between a.d. 85–90 from Ephesus, after the destruction of Jerusalem (a.d. 70) and before John’s exile to the island of Patmos

—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

C. Audience:

New Christians and searching non-Christians.

—Life Application Concise New Testament Commentary

D. Purpose:

John 20:31 (New Living Translation, Second Edition)

But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. Self-righteousness is the blindness of the Pharisees.

"Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin; but because you now claim to have sight, your sin remains."

"but because you insist, We do see clearly, you are unable to escape your guilt."

Blind or "tuphlos" means opaque and smoky. Smoky people are like pain in the necks you don't want to be around them because they are full of themselves, rather than being filled with GOD's WORDS and with the HOLY SPIRIT.

Matthew 15:14 (Amplified Bible)

15:14 Let them alone and disregard them; they are blind guides and teachers. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (Amplified Bible)

2:8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;

2:9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

Self-righteous means abounding in one's own opinion. All people don't have any excuses or alibi not to come to JESUS. Being guilty of sin is because you rejected the LORD JESUS as LORD and Savior.

John 15:22-24 (Amplified Bible)

15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin [would be blameless]; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

15:23 Whoever hates Me also hates My Father.

15:24 If I had not done (accomplished) among them the works which no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of sin. But [the fact is] now they have both seen [these works] and have hated both Me and My Father.

Proverbs 26:12 (Amplified Bible)

26:12 Do you see a man wise in his own eyes and conceit? There is more hope for a [self-confident] fool than for him.

Examples of self-righteousness in the bible:

1. The Pharisees prayer

Luke 18:11 (Amplified Bible)

18:11 The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—extortioners (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here.

2. Groupings in the church. We are ministry-involved but don't forget to greet other people in other ministry. Don't be self-centered only in your group.

Romans 12:16 (Amplified Bible)

12:16 Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.

3. The cheating rich people in the time of the Revelation

Revelation 3:17 (Amplified Bible)

3:17 For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.