Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me."

I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!"

Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.

Let’s not get so caught up on religion that we forget who Jesus is.

Historical/Cultural Context -

The Gospel of John was written between 90 AD and 100 AD. Scholars also believe that John wrote the three Epistles and the book of Revelation around the same time-frame as he wrote this Gospel. The Gospel of John was written after Matthew, Mark, & Luke had been written and circulated. John has been dubbed by most scholars as “The Spiritual Gospel.”

Biblical Text -

John 9:1–17 NKJV

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

-[Prayer]-

Life Principle - Jesus Is God In The Flesh, A Miracle Worker Who Deserves All The Credit For Those Miracles & Is Controversial To This Day

Life Point- Jesus Is The Miracle Worker

Exegetical -

John 9:1–7 NLT

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

Homiletical -

So Jesus and the disciples are walking along and they come up to this blind man. The disciples ask who sinned that this man is like this.

How is it that they just assumed because he had a physical ailment that he got it by sinning? How often do we do that today? Yes some sins can leave us physically messed up. Such as liver and kidney issues from too much alcohol. But this is not always the case.

Some people are sick because sin has entered the world. Not that they sinned to make themselves that way or that a specific person sinned to make them that way. It is just the force of sin. Sin entered the world When mankind fell in the Garden of Eden and because of that we have a breakdown of genetics, and sometimes people are born with physical problems. That is all.

However, in this man’s case he was born that way so that Jesus could make him well. To bring Glory to God.

So Jesus spits on the ground and makes mud with his spit. Then he put the mud on his eyes.

My first reaction to this is that it is gross. I don’t want some guy putting muddy spit in my eye. But this blind man in faith allows Jesus to do this. This shows great faith in Jesus. He was tired of being that way, so he placed his faith in Christ.

When you are tired, and I mean truly tired of something in your life you will place your faith in Jesus and let Him change you. I can hear it now, but Pastor you don’t know what I am going through! Are you tired of it yet? Because when you are, then you can truly submit to Christ and ask Him to change you in your situation so that you can walk out of it.

Jesus sends this man to wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. Now Siloam literally means to be sent and this man was sent to the pool by Jesus to wash his eyes. Now when this man went to the pool he still could not see, but after he washed his eyes he came back being able to see.

There are some points about this that we need to recognize

1) He submitted in faith to allow Jesus to put muddy spit in his eyes.

2) He was obedient to what Jesus told him to do and went and washed his eyes.

You know sometimes Jesus is going to ask us to do things that make no sense to us. What do you mean Jesus that I need to tithe and I will be blessed. That makes no sense to us, give 10% plus offerings of my entire income to the church and I will be blessed? But that is what he promises.

Malachi 3:10 NLT

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!

Luke 6:38 NLT

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

2 Corinthians 9:6–9 NLT

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

By the way this is the only time God says to test Him in anything.

Sometimes it may hurt to start tithing, so you pick a percentage and start from there and then go up a percent each week or each month and watch the blessings start to happen.

Just like the man who is healed you are heading for the pool and nothing is happening, but you have that promise from God and then all-of-a-sudden the miracle happens.

Why? Because you stepped out in faith and then you took another step, and another step until it happens.

Tithing is not the only thing that doesn’t make sense that God asks you to do. Sharing the Gospel can be a hard thing too. It is through the foolishness of preaching that people are saved and when you share the Gospel you are preaching God’s word.

1 Corinthians 1:18–25 NLT

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

We need to step out in faith in whatever God asks us to do and continue in Faith until we see the fullness of the promise of God. Until the miracle is fully fulfilled.

Life Point - Jesus Is The One Who Deserves All Credit For His Miracles

Exegetical -

John 9:8–12 NLT

His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!” They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied.

Homiletical -

When Jesus works a miracle we need to be like this beggar. Did he keep it secret?

No, he told everyone he came in contact with about what Jesus had done for Him

A Testimony is what this man gave. Jesus put mud on my eyes, I washed in the pool and now I can see!

By the way a testimony is not something that you recount all the bad things you’re going through or a gossip session. A Testimony is I used to do this or that, or I was blind but I’m not anymore. Why? Because of Jesus. That’s why! A Testimony is a time to brag on Jesus, not just your problems, but how Jesus worked your problems out.

I should be able to ask each and every person in here, “What has God done for you or with you this week?” Each and every one of us should have an answer to that question.

So not only did this guy give all praise to Jesus, when others heard about it they asked where Jesus was and unfortunately His answer was “I don’t know.” Out answer should be quite different. He is at the right hand of the father and He lives in my heart. Let tell you about Him.

Life Point - Jesus Is Controversial

Exegetical -

John 9:13–17 NLT

Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them. Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”

Homiletical -

Now during this time it was common practice that if God worked a miracle you were supposed to go to the religious leaders and show them. So that they could verify God had worked a miracle.

Well, there seems to have been a debate as to whether this was a true miracle or not because it was worked on the Sabbath.

You see during this time, you could do no work on the Sabbath. As a matter of fact, the religious leaders went overboard and made just about everything a sin if it was done on the Sabbath.

You plan on cooking? Well you best do it the day before because you can’t do it on the Sabbath. That kind of thing.

So to get an answer they haul this poor guy before the religious teachers known as the Pharisees.

The pharisees were split. They all recognized a miracle had happened, but because it happened on the Sabbath some said that Jesus was not from God others said that if he isn’t from God, how can work such a miracle?

Because there was such a deep split they ask the ex-blind man what he thought? He is like, This guy has to be a prophet because look what he has done!

To this day the works of Jesus remain controversial. There are multiple so-called documentaries who try to denounce Him as God and there are multiple documentaries who do just the opposite.

To this day there is no one more hotly debated than Jesus. He causes a polarizing effect amongst people. As C.S. Lewis said, He is either who He says He is, or He is a liar or lunatic. There is no in-between. You need to come to the decision of who He is, and it needs to be the right decision.

Life Principle– Jesus Is God In The Flesh, A Miracle Worker Who Deserves All The Credit For Those Miracles & Is Controversial To This Day

Call to Action – altar call….