Amazing Grace: Once Was Blind Now I See
Notes
Transcript
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? Is it not yet a very little while until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest? In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
"In 1736, John Newton, a young sailor, found himself on the deck of a storm-battered ship off the coast of Ireland. The waves roared like lions, and the ship threatened to split apart. Desperate and hopeless, Newton cried out to God—a God he had long rejected. At that moment, his life began to change. Newton would later describe his spiritual state during those years as 'utter blindness.' He was blinded by sin, pride, and rebellion, and only the sovereign grace of God could open his eyes to the truth.
Newton's story is far from unique. Throughout history, we see this same theme repeated in the lives of saints and sinners alike: Augustine, whose spiritual blindness led him down a path of hedonism before God’s light pierced through; William Cowper, Newton’s dear friend, who wrestled with the dark blindness of depression yet found hope in God’s redeeming grace; and even the Apostle Paul, once a zealous Pharisee blinded by religious pride, brought to his knees by the risen Christ on the road to Damascus.
The Bible and history are filled with these stories of spiritual blindness and divine light. But the question remains: why does God allow suffering, blindness, and brokenness in the first place? Why does He allow us to grope in the dark before opening our eyes to His truth?
In John 9, we find an answer. Jesus and His disciples encounter a man born blind, and the disciples immediately try to make sense of his suffering: 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' It’s a question humanity has asked for centuries: why does God allow pain and suffering? Jesus’ response is profound. He redirects their attention away from blame and onto purpose: 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.'
This passage reveals three key truths that echo throughout history: God is sovereign over suffering, Christ alone has the power to redeem, and the proper response to grace is faith, worship, and testimony. Just as John Newton’s physical storm led to spiritual sight, the blind man’s healing in John 9 reveals that God uses even suffering to display His glory and bring about our ultimate good.
mp:Christ is the Light who opens blind eyes and redeems sinners, calling us to trust Him, worship Him, and proclaim His grace to the world.
1. The Sovereignty of God in Suffering (John 9:1-5)
1. The Sovereignty of God in Suffering (John 9:1-5)
Key Verse: “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (v. 3).
Explanation:
why does God allow suffering, blindness, and brokenness in the first place? Why does He allow us to grope in the dark before opening our eyes to His truth?
The disciples question the cause of suffering, but Jesus emphasizes God’s sovereign purpose in ordaining it for His glory.Suffering is under the providential control of God, serving His purposes and ultimately working for the good of His people (
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
It is day not Night. Christ is working. All things to his good.
Let man, then, work while he liveth, that he may not be overtaken by that night when no man can work. It is now that faith is working by love; and if now we are working, then this is the day—Christ is here. Hear His promise, and think Him not absent. It is Himself who hath said, “Lo, I am with you.” How long? Let there be no anxiety in us who are alive; were it possible, with this very word we might place in perfect security the generations still to come. “Lo,” He says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”3 That day, which is completed by the circuit of yonder sun, has but few hours; the day of Christ’s presence extends even to the end of the world. But after the resurrection of the living and the dead, when He shall say to those placed at His right hand, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom;” and to those at His left, “Depart into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;”4 then shall be the night when no man can work, but only get back what he has wrought before. There is a time for working, another for receiving; for the Lord shall render to every one according to his works.5 While thou livest, be doing, if thou art to be doing at all; for then shall come that appalling night, to envelope the wicked in its folds.
st augustine
LBC 1689, Chapter 5.4 (Of Divine Providence): "The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom, and infinite goodness of God so far manifest themselves in His providence, that His determinate counsel extendeth itself even to the first fall, and all other sinful actions both of angels and men."
Application:
Trust God’s sovereign hand in trials. He works all things according to His will (Ephesians 1:11).
Recognize suffering as an opportunity to glorify God and grow in grace.
Illustration:
The Life of Job: God's sovereignty in Job’s suffering and restoration (Job 42:2
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
John Newton: “Everything is necessary that He sends; nothing can be necessary that He withholds.”
2. The Power of Christ in Redemption (John 9:6-12)
2. The Power of Christ in Redemption (John 9:6-12)
Key Verse: “He went and washed and came back seeing” (v. 7).
Explanation:
The healing demonstrates Christ’s sovereign power to save. Just as the blind man could not heal himself, sinners cannot regenerate themselves (John 6:44).Salvation is entirely the work of God—monergistic grace—accomplished through Christ’s perfect obedience and atoning sacrifice (Titus 3:5-7).Theological Reference:
LBC 1689, Chapter 10.1 (Of Effectual Calling): "Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time effectually to call...enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God."Application:
Salvation is not about human effort but God’s sovereign initiative. Rest in Christ’s finished work (John 19:30).Respond in faith and obedience, trusting in His power to accomplish what He has begun (Philippians 1:6).Illustration:
Compare the man’s physical blindness to spiritual blindness: Ezekiel 37’s valley of dry bones or 2 Corinthians 4:6 (“God…has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”).
3. The Response to Grace (John 9:13-38)
3. The Response to Grace (John 9:13-38)
Key Verse: “He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him” (v. 38).
Explanation:
The healed man’s response reflects the proper reaction to grace: faith, worship, and bold testimony. His understanding of Jesus grows—from a man (v. 11) to a prophet (v. 17) to the Son of God (v. 38).The Pharisees’ rejection highlights humanity’s natural resistance to God’s truth due to spiritual blindness (1 Corinthians 2:14).Christ’s work inevitably causes division: some worship, while others harden their hearts (Luke 12:51; Matthew 10:34).Theological Reference:
LBC 1689, Chapter 14.2 (Of Saving Faith): "By this faith a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word for the authority of God Himself, and also apprehendeth an excellency therein above all other writings and all things in the world."Application:
True faith leads to worship and obedience. Examine whether your response to Christ reflects a heart transformed by grace.Expect opposition when standing firm in faith, but trust in God’s sustaining grace (2 Timothy 1:8-12).Illustration:
Contrast the Pharisees’ spiritual blindness with the healed man’s growing faith. Use Matthew 11:25: “You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.”
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Summary:
God sovereignly ordains suffering for His glory and our ultimate good.Christ alone has the power to bring spiritual sight and redeem sinners.The proper response to grace is faith, worship, and obedience.Gospel Invitation:
Jesus, the Light of the World, opens blind eyes and saves sinners by sovereign grace (1 Peter 2:9).Come to Him in repentance and faith, acknowledging your need for His mercy.Challenge:
Like the healed man, let your life glorify God’s sovereign grace. Boldly testify to His work in your life and worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).
