Living Miracles: From Blindness to Sight
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Bible Passage: Matthew 9:27-31
Bible Passage: Matthew 9:27-31
For 51 years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn't see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see. A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight. He found it overwhelming. "I never would have dreamed that yellow is so...yellow," he exclaimed. "I don't have the words. I am amazed by yellow. But red is my favorite color. I just can't believe red. I can see the shape of the moon--and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light. You could never know how wonderful everything is."
This morning as we enter the Word of God I want us to understand 2 perspectives. First I want us to see from the perspective of those who are blind. There are some in here who have never seen the daylight. Some in here who have never had their eyes opened. The result of this is that you do not know how dark the darkness you walk in is. The second perspective is from those who have forgotten how dark their blindness was. You have grown comfortable walking in the light. You no longer marvel at the miraculous work that it took to save you and to give you sight. This morning in the Word we will see 2 men who desperately wanted to see. They sought Jesus, they persisted in their seeking. They believed wholly in Jesus ability to heal them and they could not stop talking about what he had done. This morning in the scripture we will see 3 things. First, the Persistent Pursuit. Second, the Faith fueled healing. Third, the Bold beauty of belief. Turn with me in your Bible to Matthew 9:27-31
27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.
1. Persistent Pursuit of Power
1. Persistent Pursuit of Power
27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”
The first thing we see here is the desperate and determined plea of the blind men. These guys wanted Jesus to heal them and they needed His healing. These men it says followed him and would not stop. They not only followed him but they followed Him into the house. Can you imagine someone so persistent that they are not only willing to walk behind you yelling at you to have mercy but would also follow you into your home? What would you do in that situation? The other side of that coin is where would you have to be to be that persistent? We all should be persistently seeking Jesus and the power in Him to heal our lives.
I love telling stories about my kids because so many of you know them on a personal level and you know their personalities. Rylan is our persistent one. If I am talking or his mother is talking and he wants our attention, he will say mom, or dad, 1 million times! If he wants something he will not stop asking until you threaten to put him outside or ground him to his room. Rylan is consistently persistent.
Are you in your life this persistent with Christ? Remember I asked us to see this from 2 sides today. For those of you who have never experienced Jesus can I tell you that there is good reason for you to persistently chase after Christ. As these men did.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Jesus can help you overcome all challenges in your life.
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
If you have never experienced love in your life, you can experience real love in Jesus. He gave everything for you to have a future.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Jesus will help to guide your life with love at the center.
The other side is for the believe who has lost that persistence in chasing after Christ.
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
4 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
These men chased after Jesus with persistence because they wanted to see. They believed that Jesus could give them sight and so they stopped at nothing to find Him. For some in here you have chased all kinds of things and none of them have given you hope or a future. Jesus can and will give you sight and open your eyes and your life. For those in here who have been given the sight, have you lost that persistence in chasing after Christ? We must maintain that desire to seek Christ.
29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
These men did not simply seek after Jess, they believed in His power.
2. Faith-Fueled Healing
2. Faith-Fueled Healing
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.”
Jesus meets us at the point of our belief. The healing that Jesus provided was because of the belief that these men had in Him. These men truly believed in Jesus power to bring them sight. For the person here today who has never been given sight, you must believe in the power of Jesus to give you sight. For the ones who have been given sight and have had a personal encounter with Jesus we must never lose that faith in His power in our lives.
To all appearances, the most absurd thing that ever was done by mortal man is to throw away good corn, burying it in the ground. If you had never seen or heard of its results, it would seem the way of waste and not the work of [farming]. Yet the farmer has no doubt, he longs to be allowed to cast away his seed, in faith he even covets fair weather that he may bury his corn. And if you tell him that he is doing an absurd thing, he smiles at your ignorance, and tells you that thus harvests come.
This is a fair picture of the faith that grows from experience. It helps us to act in a manner contrary to appearances, it leads us to commit our all to the keeping of Christ, burying our hopes and our very lives with him in joyful confidence that if we are dead with him we shall also live with him. Jesus Christ who rose from the dead will raise us up through his death unto newness of life and give us a harvest of joy and peace.
These men did not care what the appearances were they trusted in Jesus. They believed in Him and because of their belief they were given sight. It was a blessing for them to receive sight. I do not want to lose sight here that they did not receive sight because of Jesus faith but because of their faith in Jesus. We often reach a point where we tell Jesus that we will believe in Him if He will do this or do that. Jesus asked them if they believed then he touched their eyes and said that according to their faith be it done to you. Here is the challenge. For some in here you have prayed and asked for things and you have not recieved those things. You have pleaded with God for the things you want. When we approach the throne of God we must not waiver in our belief of what He will do in our lives. This is one of those challenging scriptures because it calls us to a place of the idea that something may or may not happen based on our belief. It however is scriptural and all through it is hard to wrap our minds around is a way of living that all of us must learn to live in.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
The trust in Jesus lead to healing for the blind man. Our faith in Jesus leads to the same deliverance. This is not to say that faith gives us a blank check or everything we want. Faith gives us access to the power of Christ for the Glory of the Father. These men were persistent in their pursuit of Jesus. These men were standing in their faith. This led to healing that led to the world seeing the beauty of their belief.
3. Bold Beauty of Belief
3. Bold Beauty of Belief
30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.
These men were persistent, they were filled with faith, and it led them to tell the world about what Jesus did. What a perfect time for us to either gain that heart, or return to that heart, as we enter the Holyday season. As we approach Christmas and we begin to focus on the blessings of God in our lives and the Hope that He brings, may we return to a heart of proclaiming Jesus in our world. May we never grow weary of telling the good news of the gospel of Christ. If you have not experienced that in your life I pray you will today. If you will today, you will not be able to keep quiet. He will open your eyes and will bring overwhelming joy in your life. For those in here who have experienced the healing of Jesus in their lives, it is time for us to return to the joy of our salvation. The world needs believers who are overjoyed with our salvation. The world needs to see people who have recieved sight after being blind and cannot stop telling the world!
Have you ever seen a child who has gotten a gift that they have wanted for so long? It is amazing that it could be a silly gift that is inexpensive, but when they get that gift they are so overwhelmed with joy that they have to tell everyone they see about it! This should represent us and the freedom we have recieved in Christ day, after day, after day.
Notice in the Scripture that these men were told by Jesus not to tell anyone, but they did not listen. They could not listen. Could you imagine what it must have been like to one moment be blind and the next moment to see? The thing is we were blind and now we see because of what Jesus did. We were all sentenced to death and unable to pay for the penalty of our sin. Jesus paid it all! He did the work we could not do and allowed us to have the benefits of His work.
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
9 Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord,
exulting in his salvation.
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
5 For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
1 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
May we return to the joy of our salvation. This Holyday season can I invite you who have recieved the gift of Christ to return to they joy of your salvation? Can I invite those of you who have never recieved it to receive it this morning and find the joy that surpasses understanding and a hope that endures forever?
