43: Preaching/Teaching-John 9

You have a Story

The Gospel according to John 2. Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (9:1–41)

This chapter portrays what happens when the light shines: some are made to see, like this man born blind, while others, who think they see, turn away, blinded, as it were, by the light (9:39–41).

Today I want every person to leave knowing that they have a story to tell.

Components of a testimony:

The first component of our testimony is that it is:

1. Authentic

There is an elephant in the room!

John 9:1–2 NASB95

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”

Put the description of the blind man here:

The only logical answer to why this guy could be blind is because he or his parents had sinned.

The disciples here are like Job’s friends.

This happened because you did something wrong.

But this idea of Karma and doing good works to earn the favor of God is still a very prevalent idea today.

This is most religions: Do enough good, earn your way. But Jesus addresses this point.

Trials to Testimonies!

John 9:3 NASB95

Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Can you picture being born blind your whole life. This is how people viewed him his whole life, there is not just something wrong with you but there is something wrong with you because of what you did.

Now there is truth that our sin can be a reason we are going through something.

Our sin has consequences!

But we also cannot assume because someone is sick or going through a struggle it is because they have sinned.

But this also has greater implications.

It means whether our sin has caused our struggle or someone else’s sin has caused our struggle.

That God can use your mess and turn it into a message.

Do you believe the messiest part of your life can be turned into a message?

Should I share about my testimony and how Heather found it when she did not even know me and thought it was disgusting.

God can turn our darkness into life.

The next component of our testimony is that it is:

2. the power of the gospel (4-7)

One of the things that makes our testimony so powerful is that our story is intertwined with God’s story.

Our testimony is kind of like a hamburger.

What is your favorite hamburger place:

I love Stomps.

Our testimony is like a big juicy hamburger-

John 9:4 NASB95

“We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.

Jesus was on mission when he was here.

Luke 19:10 ““For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.””

What kind of work was Jesus doing when he came. He wanted people who were blind to see.

While Jesus was reaching the lost he was making disciples.

Night would eventually come when Jesus would be betrayed.

John 9:4–5 (PNTC Jn): There is special urgency in performing the works of God (niv again offers the sing. form) as long as it is day, i.e. while Jesus is still with them. He is himself the light of the world (v. 5)—a repetition of 8:12, without the dramatic egō eimi. This does not mean that Jesus stops being the light of the world once he has ascended. It means, rather, that the light shines brightly while he lives out his human life up to the moment of his glorification. Throughout that period he is the light that exposes the world, judges the world, saves the world.

John 9:5 NASB95

“While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”

The Gospel according to John 2. Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (9:1–41)

This chapter portrays what happens when the light shines: some are made to see, like this man born blind, while others, who think they see, turn away, blinded, as it were, by the light (9:39–41).

Jesus plan to see blind people see him still continues on today.

This is our testimony even today, I was blind but now I see.

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound….

Upon arriving safely home, Newton did not venture out to seek more slaves, instead he began to learn Hebrew and Greek. He occasionally accepted requests to speak about his conversion in front of various congregations. Newton was eventually ordained and began to lead his own church. God changed him from a man who was an advocate for the slave trade to a man actively working towards abolishing it. Newton's literary work against the slave trade encouraged abolitionist William Wilberforce to continue his legal fight against slavery in England.

In later years, Newton began to lose his memory. Although his thoughts were limited, Newton said he could remember two things, “That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.” With this conviction of newly found life that he found only in Christ, Newton passed from his earthly life in 1807, at the age of 82. Newton did live long enough to see the signing of The Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.

John 9:6–7 NASB95

When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.

The Last component of our testimony is that it is:

2. Brings people to decision.

Talk about a DO and a struggle with a DO

Sharing our testimony is not a confrontational tool.

But when Jesus is intertwined with our lives it is confrontational.

John 9:8–41 NASB95

Therefore the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is not this the one who used to sit and beg?” Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the one.” So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” They said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought to the Pharisees the man who was formerly blind. Now it was a Sabbath on the day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied clay to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews then did not believe it of him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. For this reason his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.” The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. “We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. “Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you teaching us?” So they put him out. Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.