Do We Hear What God Has to Say?
Notes
Transcript
Do We Hear What God Has to Say?
Do We Hear What God Has to Say?
Text: John 9: 35-41
Series: Seeing Jesus Clearly
Setting: Gospel Community Church, Price, Utah
Church, as we come to the end of John chapter 9, something incredibly important happens. All throughout this chapter, voices have been speaking loudly, confidently, and persistently. Everyone seems to have something to say about what has happened to this man who was born blind.
We’ve heard the voice of the believer, simple and unpolished, declaring with conviction, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
We’ve heard the voice of the world, neighbors and parents who are unsure, confused, hesitant, and afraid of the consequences that might come from saying too much.
And we’ve heard the voice of religion, interrogating, accusing, pressing for answers, and certain that it already knows the truth before it even listens.
But as we reach the end of the chapter, something shifts. The noise begins to settle. The debates quiet down. The arguments lose their momentum. And finally, Jesus speaks. At that moment, the most important voice is no longer the believer’s testimony, the world’s opinion, or religion’s judgment. The real question of John chapter 9 is not what the blind man said, and it is not what the Pharisees said. The real question is this:
Do we hear what God has to say?
This question matters because God has not left us without a voice. He speaks clearly, faithfully, and authoritatively through His written Word. Scripture is not silent, confused, or contradictory. God has revealed His heart, His truth, and His will to us in the pages of the Bible. And yet, if we are honest, we often struggle to listen.
Instead of submitting ourselves to God’s voice, we gravitate toward other voices, voices that feel more comfortable, more familiar, or more convenient.
We listen to the voice of our self-serving flesh, which tells us what we want to hear and justifies what we want to do.
Or we are subtly deceived by the voice of the enemy, the one Jesus later calls “the father of lies”, who twists truth just enough to make darkness feel like light.
John chapter 9 exposes this tension. It shows us how easy it is to hear many voices and still miss the voice of God. And as Jesus speaks in the final verses of this chapter, He is not only addressing the blind man or the Pharisees, He is addressing us.
He is calling us to examine which voice we trust, which voice we follow, and whether we are truly listening when God speaks.
Join me as we open in prayer.
Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
Let’s take off starting in
Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
John tells us, “Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him…” This verse reveals the heart of Christ before He ever speaks a word. The religious leaders had expelled the man from the synagogue, cutting him off from community, identity, and spiritual belonging.
In their system, he had become inconvenient, his testimony disrupted their authority.
Yet the moment he is cast out by religion is the moment Jesus goes looking for him. This is not accidental; it is the pattern of grace. Where religion excludes, Jesus pursues. Where self-righteousness pushes away, Christ draws near.
Scripture consistently affirms this divine initiative. Jesus Himself says,
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
and again,
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
The man does not find Jesus, Jesus finds him. This reminds us that salvation does not begin with our search for God, but with God’s merciful pursuit of us.
For many believers, faithfulness to Christ brings misunderstanding or rejection, in different areas of our lives.
The beautiful thing is this verse assures us that rejection by religious people is never rejection by Christ Himself.
Now let’s look at 35 paired with 36...
Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?”
When Jesus finds the man, He asks a direct but gracious question: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” Jesus does not interrogate him the way the Pharisees did. He does not demand explanations, credentials, or theological clarity. Instead, He calls the man to faith.
The man responds with openness rather than resistance, saying, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” This response reveals a heart that is ready, humble, and willing to trust once truth is revealed.
Scripture affirms that God responds to this posture: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV). Faith is not born from self-confidence but from honest dependence. Jesus invites belief, not performance, and He meets sincere seekers with revelation.
Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.”
Jesus answers the man’s question with deeply personal words: “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” This is the moment where physical healing gives way to spiritual sight. The man who once sat blind and begging now stands face-to-face with the Son of God.
What we are seeing in John 9 is that Christianity is not presented as an abstract belief system, a set of moral principles, or a collection of religious facts to be mastered. It is presented as a personal encounter initiated by God Himself.
For the man born blind, Jesus stands physically in front of him and reveals Himself. For us today, the encounter is no less real, even though it is different in form. Scripture teaches that we are drawn to Christ by the Father, experience Christ through His revealed Word, and are given sight by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is no longer walking the roads of Galilee, but He is seated at the right hand of God, look what it says in...
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
We come to know Him through God’s written Word, where Christ is clearly revealed, and through the Spirit who opens our eyes to see Him rightly.
Jesus Himself explains this divine process in that verse I mentioned earlier when He says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” .
Our faith is not blind wandering or spiritual guesswork. We are not left to figure God out on our own. The Father draws us, the Son intercedes for us, and the Spirit illuminates truth within us.
The apostle Paul reminds us that...
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Without divine revelation, spiritual sight is impossible. This is why Christianity is not merely learned; it is revealed.
This is precisely what Jesus affirms when Peter confesses, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responds...
And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
Peter did not arrive at that confession through intelligence, effort, or religious training. He saw because God opened his eyes.
The same is true for every believer. We do not come to Christ because we are clever enough to piece the truth together; we come because God graciously allows us to see.
The Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and presses it into our hearts, testifying to who Jesus truly is.
As Jesus promised in...
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
At some point, then, Jesus must move from being someone we talk about to Someone we trust and follow. It is possible to know facts about Christ without knowing Christ Himself.
The Pharisees knew Scripture, but they missed the Savior standing before them.
True faith begins when the Spirit opens our eyes so that Jesus is no longer merely a subject of discussion but the Lord of our lives. This is spiritual sight, not just knowing about Jesus, but recognizing Him for who He truly is, trusting Him, and responding in worship and obedience.
And this is exactly what we see from the once blind man in verse 38
He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
The man’s response to Jesus’ self-revelation is immediate and profound: “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. This moment marks the climax of the narrative. Belief leads directly to worship because genuine faith always bows down to our divine Savior!
The man does not merely acknowledge Jesus’ power; he submits to His authority.
Worship here is not ritual, it is surrender.
Scripture consistently connects faith with submission to Christ as Lord:
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
This man’s worship stands in sharp contrast to the Pharisees, who see the same evidence but respond with pride. Where they analyze, he adores. Where they resist, he submits. Worship is the natural fruit of spiritual sight.
Moving on to 39...
Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
Jesus then broadens the moment beyond the individual, declaring, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” This statement introduces a great spiritual reversal. Jesus is not condemning human weakness; He is confronting spiritual pride.
Those who recognize their blindness, their need, their darkness, are the ones who receive sight. But those who claim clarity and independence reveal a deeper blindness.
Scripture echoes this theme repeatedly:
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
Scripture teaches us that God reveals Himself to the humble, but pride blinds the heart. It is not ignorance that keeps us from seeing Jesus—it is being wise in our own eyes.
Jesus’ mission exposes what is already present. His light reveals whether a person longs for sight or clings to self-assurance.
To grasp this truth, imagine if the blind man had refused to acknowledge his condition. Only someone who knows they are blind would allow mud to be placed on their eyes and walk through town looking foolish in obedience. Spiritually, the same principle applies. Only those who recognize their blindness will submit to Christ’s healing work. Jesus promises sight to those who admit their darkness.
Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.
The Pharisees, overhearing Jesus, ask, “Are we also blind?” Their question is not born from humility but from offense. Jesus responds, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”
Their condemnation does not come from ignorance but from denial. They believe they see clearly, yet they have never confronted the depth of their sin. Scripture warns of this self-deception:
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
The Pharisees cleaned the outside through religious behavior but never dealt with the darkness within.
This very point Jesus is making was foretold in Isaiah.
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Yet the leaders missed Him because they could not perceive their own need.
Charles Spurgeon captured this danger when he wrote that it is not our weakness or darkness that hinders Christ, but our supposed strength and light. Those who insist they see on their own terms shut themselves off from grace.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Church, as we bring this message to a close, let’s sit for a moment with what Jesus says in verse 39: John 9:39 “That those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”
That single sentence presses in on us and forces an uncomfortable question, not about others, not about the Pharisees, but about our own hearts.
Jesus is not merely making an observation; He is issuing a spiritual diagnosis, one that exposes how easily we can mistake confidence for clarity.
To help us feel the weight of what Jesus is saying, I want you to close your eyes for a minute as I paint the picture of the story unfolding a little differently.
Go ahead close your eyes, I’m not gonna steal your purses I promise.
Okay, now picture Jesus meeting a man who was born blind. Jesus tells him He is going to heal him, bends down, makes mud, places it on the man’s eyes, and sends him to wash in the pool of Siloam.
Now imagine that a few hours later, one of the man’s friends walks by and sees him sitting in his usual spot, but this time his eyes are still caked with mud. The friend asks what’s going on, and the man casually responds that some guy put mud on his eyes and said it would help him see. He admits it didn’t really make sense, but then shrugs it off and insists that he’s fine, that nothing is wrong with him. He’s all good.
When you stop and think about it, that sounds ridiculous. A man born blind insisting that he’s fine. And yet, spiritually speaking, that is exactly how many people live.
Only someone who knows they are blind longs for sight.
Only someone who understands their condition is willing to let Jesus put mud on their eyes and then walk through town looking foolish in obedience.
Only someone who knows they need help will submit to a process they don’t fully understand.
Until a person recognizes their blindness, they will never truly run to Jesus for healing.
So now the question is “are you gonna keep sitting there with your eyes closed thinking your all good, or open your eyes to the truth of what God has to say?”
This is why Jesus’ words are both hopeful and sobering. The promise is clear: if you recognize your blindness, Jesus will give you sight. But Jesus also says something deeply unsettling. Those who believe they can see on their own cannot.
The Pharisees are standing there when Jesus says this. They hear Him and respond, “Are we also blind?” In other words, “Surely You’re not talking about us.” And Jesus answers, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.”
They are not condemned for being blind; they are condemned for pretending they are not. They are blind to their own blindness.
These men knew the Law. They knew Scripture. They knew how to look righteous. But they never dealt with the darkness of their own hearts. They focused on cleaning the outside while the inside remained untouched.
And because they believed they had already arrived spiritually, they missed the Savior standing right in front of them. God had promised long ago, through the prophet Isaiah, that He would send a Savior to open blind eyes and bring people out of darkness into light. When that Savior came, the desperate ran to Him, but the self-satisfied walked away.
That is the great danger Jesus is exposing here, not the sin we hate, but the sin we have learned to manage; not weakness we admit, but strength we trust; not blindness we confess, but sight we assume we already have.
If we truly want more of Christ, we must recognize a growing need for Him. Those who drink the most are the ones who feel the thirstiest. Those who eat the most are the ones who feel the hungriest. And those who see the most are the ones who flee the darkness and run toward the light.
So the question Jesus leaves us with is simple but searching: are we desperate for Jesus, or merely familiar with Him? Are we willing to say, “Lord, I don’t see as clearly as I think I do”?
The promise of this passage is beautiful and full of hope. If you recognize your blindness, Jesus will give you sight. But the warning is just as real. If you insist you can see on your own, you may miss Him entirely. May we never be a people who say, “We see,” while standing in the dark. Instead, may we be those who fall at His feet and say, “Lord, I believe,” and worship Him. And may God, in His mercy, give sight to humble hearts.
Amen? Amen!
Let’s Pray!
