Blindness
Notes
Transcript
Text: John 8:48-59
Series: Seeing Jesus Clearly
Setting: Gospel Community Church, Price, Utah
Bring us back into John, feast of booths, Jesus at temple teaching, with a lot of Jews there.
but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Throughout chapter 8 Jesus has been teaching at the temple and the Jewish religious elite have been arguing with Him.
Telling them things like.
I am the light of the world.
I am from above, you are from below.
If you abide in word, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
“I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? 47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
And then we have today’s verses.
The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.
Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
Jesus is not hiding His identity at all, Amen?
Yet we have this blindness to it.
Why?
How can one have ears and not hear or have eyes but not see?
The phrase from Nate Bargatze comes to mind, “I can read fine, it’s this dumb brain that can’t get it”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1RYYApnd4eQ
So, is it just our dumb brain can’t get it or is there more to it?
Why say to Jesus you have a demon or call Him everything besides the Christ?
Why is the Glory of God and the Glory of the Son missed by them?
Why when the talk of death being no more, they get mad?
Why does Jesus being greater than Abraham and the prophets get their blood boiling?
Why do they not believe that He is God, the Great I AM?
Not just the jewish religious elite, jews in general, or the general human race for that matter, why is all this missed?
Several thoughts on the matter. Let’s look at scripture.
Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
We see here a talk of growing dull.
A numbing so to speak.
What is dullness?
A knife comes to mind. Sharp, it’s a useful tool. Dull it’s dangerous and not really that good for much.
What are we when we’re sharp? God glorifying, obedient, life living creatures, made for Him & His glory. We’re loving, truthful, thoughtful, life builders, and thankful! Full of joy in Him, satisfied, content, & humble.
So how do we grow dull?
And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
Keep on ignoring the truth that is all around.
In the case of mankind, ignoring creation truths.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
You want to start knocking off some of your sharpness, here’s your sign!
Ignore truth! (Reread & breakdown)
In the case of believers, ignoring scripture and it’s heart.
Dullness awaits if we don’t abide in these truths!
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
What type of faith is it if we speak it but don’t act upon it?
It isn’t faith, it’s mere words that come across fake.
Is our God fake? Then let’s be doers and not hearers only.
Let’s not become dull hearers only!
Quit deceiving yourself into thinking God loves you just the way you are, with no action in Him!
He saved you for a purpose! This moment, this area!
Another dullness that can happen to confessing believers.
The dullness of the scribes?
“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,
They forgot about who it was about!
Let’s not become dull in this sense either. For some this might come as a news flash, christianity isn’t about you!
The scribes, the pharisee’s, just mankind in general, your not all that!
The quicker you can get over yourself and actually listen to truth, the sharper you become!
Our preconceived notions and honors we bestow upon things aren’t always best!
Stop, listen, get into eternal thought over temporal thought.
Such a huge stumbling block of dullness is giving so much thought to the temporal!
Death of this temporal life, their focus on their heritage, their focus on tradition. All brought a dullness that missed Christ!
We mustn’t do the same.
Become sharp, by actively staying in his Word, take faith in His word and become doers!
Share actively your truth of Hope in only Him! Focusing your energy on the eternal over the temporal.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
We’ve discussed the missing of the Messiah through the continued dulling of the Truth and now I’d like to close with where this can ultimately lead to.
“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.
What happens when we ignore truth?
We make our own truths and become rebellious to real truth.
Look at the Pharisee’s.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
This is where harmless dullness can take us!
The Great I am made manifest and they pick up stones to stone Him!
No seeking truth, no listening or seeing what is done, just an instant rebellion to it!
From miracles that define creation, to genuine love for all, to specific prophecies fulfilled, to death on a cross without a fight, to being rose to life. So many have dulled truth that they are flat out rebellious to it!
This is the warning of today’s verses! How can the pharisees be so naive?
The same way we all can be...a continued ignoring of truth, with a dullness to follow of what truth is, wrapped up in a fake truth the rebels against true truth!
TRUTH
God is, He is the great I am, the Alpha and Omega. No one made Him or created Him, He’s always been. No one defines Him as in being over Him to say who He is.
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
We are created in His image and likeness, we’re not a blob the just came into being all by itself, we’re created.
We fractured a relationship with our creator by not believing in Him but by believing in everything else.
This brought on the wrath of God towards unholiness, namely us mankind, which is rightly deserved.
But through God’s abundance mercy and grace, love was showed to us through His son.
By taking upon the wrath of God on a cross for you and I, even though not one thing was ever done wrong by Him.
We received His righteous robe and He took our filthy sins. The great exchange!
We now have life in Him forever more, no matter what the temporal brings!
When we read verses like...
Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
My hope and prayer is for a rejoiceful soul not a soul of rebellion and stoning!
Thank you Lord!
