Blind No More
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
In this passage of Scripture, we find Jesus heading back to Peter’s house, his base headquarters. As he nears the house two blind men are following him and begging him for mercy and healing. The fame of Jesus was spreading all over the land. The fame of Jesus is mentioned eight times in the Bible and four of them are here in Matthew.
The events that occurred in Peter’s home had spread like wildfire throughout the land. The two blind men had heard the news and they had made their way to the house.
The men must have been waiting for Jesus to pass by and when he did, the men would not be denied. In this text we see that Jesus healed the men due to their faith...
I want you to notice by way of introduction three simple, yet important things about this passage:
Notice with me,
The Merciful Cry
The Merciful Cry
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
As Jesus passes by, the men cry out, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on us!"
This cry expresses the men's desperation and their belief that Jesus is the only one who can help them. They acknowledge Jesus as the Son of David, a title that was often used to refer to the long-awaited Messiah, and by doing so, they demonstrate their faith in Him.
Moreover, the men's cry for mercy is a recognition of their own unworthiness and their need for God's grace. They know that they cannot heal themselves, but they trust that Jesus can show them mercy and restore their sight.
The Moving Conversation
The Moving Conversation
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
This conversation reveals the depth of the men's faith and their trust in Jesus' ability to heal them. By affirming their belief in Jesus, the men demonstrate their willingness to place their lives in His hands and to trust in His power and authority.
Moreover, the men's response reflects a deep understanding of who Jesus is and what He is capable of. They recognize that Jesus is not simply a teacher or healer, but rather the Son of God with the power to perform miraculous acts.
The Miraculous Change
The Miraculous Change
Matthew 9:29–30 (KJV 1900)
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened...
After the men cry out for mercy, Jesus asks them if they believe He can heal them. When they respond “yes”, Jesus touches their eyes, and immediately their sight is restored.
This change is truly miraculous because it is a complete and instantaneous transformation. The men who were blind and could not see are suddenly able to see clearly. This healing demonstrates Jesus' divine power and authority over sickness and disease, and it affirms His identity as the Son of God.
Moreover, the miraculous change in the blind men's sight has significant spiritual implications. It represents a spiritual transformation that takes place when we believe in Jesus and receive His grace. Like the blind men who were given new physical sight, we are given new spiritual sight when we believe in Jesus and are born again.
31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
People could look at these guys and tell they were different.
If one of these guys were in the service today and could testify, this is what he would say, “Preacher, I once was blind, but now I see!”
Jesus has always been able to make blind men see!
Men who are blind are in darkness.
Men who are blind are in doubt…They aren’t aware of their surroundings!
Men who are blind are dysfunctional…There are certain things they cannot do!
I want you to see today that as a sinner, there were some things I was blinded to, but now by the grace of God, I can see!
After an encounter with the Lord, I, like these men, was blind no more!
I want to share six things with you this morning that I was blinded to before salvation, but praise be to God, by His grace, I now can see:
1-The Love of God
1-The Love of God
The proof of love is ever in its gift. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). “Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25). “He loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
He loved me enough to die for me!
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
While we were yet sinners!
Jesus said, “I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matt. 9:13). “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15).
It isn’t that we deserve God’s help and salvation, for we merit nothing but His undiluted wrath and unmitigated punishment.
I praise God today that I am no more blinded to it, but I can see His love!
Number 2, by God’s grace, I can see:
2-The Power of Prayer
2-The Power of Prayer
There is power in prayer today!
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Praise God I can see:
How prayer can save a sinner:
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
It couldn’t be simpler…Just call out to God in prayer!
I can also see how prayer can sustain a saint:
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
What a picture we have of the goodness of God! I’m glad I can see it today!
Thirdly, I once was blind, but now I can see:
3-The Wages of Sin
3-The Wages of Sin
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sin will deceive you defile you, and destroy you!
25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man,
But the end thereof are the ways of death.
I was driving up the road the other day and I just got to thinking about people around me whom I’ve watched sin destroy…I began to cry as I thought about it, it broke my heart...I’m so sick and tired of seeing sin destroy people, and they can’t see it because they are blind, but I can see it because I once was blind, but now I see!
I thought about this…I once was blind, but now I can see:
4-The Story of Calvary
4-The Story of Calvary
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
At one time in my life,
I was blinded to the cost of Calvary
I was blinded to the cost of Calvary
It cost God His only begotten Son! It was a sacrifice that no human could fully understand, but that demonstrated the depths of God's love for us and the lengths to which He was willing to go to save us from our sins.
I was blinded to the cross of Calvary
I was blinded to the cross of Calvary
To die on the cross was to die the death of One cursed. It was to die the most painful of deaths. It was to writhe in agony one a rough piece of wood, after having been beaten with a scourge, after having been tried and convicted, after having been beaten by the soldiers, after having been mocked and made to bear your cross to the place of your execution. It was a horrible death! Yet, it was this death that He was destined to die.
I was blinded to the Christ of Calvary
I was blinded to the Christ of Calvary
The Lord of glory! The Son of God! The One whom angels worshiped! The Creator of heaven and earth.
There they crucified Him. It was the crime of crimes. No darker deed has ever been done. Human sin could go no further than that.
I once was blind, but now I can see:
5-The Reality of Hell
5-The Reality of Hell
Satan does everything in his power to blind sinners to the reality of Hell! Many people, even in the church today do not believe in a literally burning Hell, but my friend, the Jesus said:
Mark 9:43–48 (KJV 1900)
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Jesus spoke about Hell in the New Testament 11 times, while He spoke of Heaven only once!
There is a Hell and everyone who does not accept Jesus Christ will find themselves there one day!
I praise God today that one time, I was blind, but now I can see...
6-The Closing of This Age
6-The Closing of This Age
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
It’s high time ya’ll! This means that the alarm clock is going off and we’ve hit snooze a few times too many!
The end is coming! If we are going to get busy for God, it’s time we did it!
The trumpet’s going to sound, the tribulation will begin, and the throne of David will soon be established!
We ought to live intensely for Christ today! There’s no more time to waste!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Jesus touched the eyes of these blind men and they were able to see things they had never seen before and the same is true of every sinner who comes to know Christ!
We were blind and couldn’t see the truth of the Gospel, but now if you’re a child of God, you can see!