If You Know You Know - John 9

We Intro

Seeing Shanna for the first time.

I know not the way He leads me, but well do I know my Guide.

—Martin Luther

Martin Luther

How do I reach people for Jesus?

Setup

All a blind man could do in that day was beg.

Main Text

I Know I Am Sent - John 9:1-7

John 9:1–2 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?”

Romans 5:12 NLT

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

It is easier to discuss sin than to minister to a concrete need.

John 9:3–7 NLT

“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!

How were you healed?

John 9:10 NLT

They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?”

John 9:15 NLT

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!”

John 9:19 NLT

They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?”

John 9:26 NLT

“But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?”

It is easy to focus on the mechanics of the miracle instead of trusting the maker of the miracle.

The mechanics of the miracle don’t matter.

John 3:4 NLT

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

John 3:9 NLT

“How are these things possible?” Nicodemus asked.

John 6:52 NLT

Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

The how question can become paralyzing.

How can you trust in a God that you can’t see?

How can you love a God that supports ________?

How can you love a God that doesn’t support ______?

The answer to their real question isn’t how, but who.

Galatians 2:20 NLT

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I Know I Am Healed - John 9:10-33

Someone who has been healed doesn’t care how.

Who healed you?

A Man Called Jesus - John 9:10-12

John 9:10–12 NLT

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.

A Prophet - John 9:17

John 9:17 NLT

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.”

A Man of God - John 9:24-34

John 9:24–34 NLT

So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.

The man gained his sight and lost everything he knew.

I Know He Is Lord - John 9:35-41

It is not enough to believe that He is “a man called Jesus,” or a “prophet” or “a man of God.”

There is a critical moment in everyone’s life where define the person of Jesus.

1 John 5:1 NLT

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.

John 10:27 NLT

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

The blind man did not see and believe; he heard and believed.

John 9:35–38 NLT

When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.

The greatest miracle of this chapter is not the opening of his eyes, but the opening of his heart.

John wrote his Gospel to prove Jesus is the the Son of God, and used testimonies to do so.

Revelation 12:11 NLT

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.

Your testimony cannot be discounted because it points people to Jesus.

Before people will listen to the story of Jesus, they may need to hear your story.

What if they reject me?

John 9:39–41 NLT

Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.

The same light that leads one person can blind another.

If someone rejects the light, it does not mean they are rejecting you, they are rejecting He that is in you.

Closing

The most effective way to reach people for Jesus is YOU.