Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I thought this morning we would take a little test.

Here is the first picture.

Here is the second picture.

Color blindness is not something that is new - but there is something that is new in the world of color blindness - glasses that correct the issue.

Let’s watch a quick video of a young man seeing colors for the first time.

Video

We have taken three weeks to look at - and the idea of spiritual blindness.

Jesus is like those glasses - when you meet Jesus your whole world changes

Let’s take a look at - Stand if you are able!

John 9:35-41

Let’s Pray

John 9:35

The church grapevine worked in Jesus’ time too - He heard that the Jews had put the blind man out of the synagogue

So Jesus went out and found him.

John Chrysostom said, “The Jews cast him out of the Temple, the Lord of the Temple found him.”

This is beautiful isn’t it - Jesus found him.

John Chrysostom said, “The Jews cast him out of the Temple, the Lord of the Temple found him.”

How many of us did Jesus find?

Jesus put the man to the test - “Do you believe?”

John 6:

We have a beautiful picture of a belief in Jesus in this chapter

Faith

Verse 11 - A man called Jesus

Verse 17 - Jesus is a Prophet

Verse 38 - Lord, I believe you are the Son of Man

This is true for us as well

First - we know of Jesus - maybe we hear is name.

Or Jesus is what those “Christians” believe

Then we think - maybe Jesus was more than just a historical man.

Jews know Him, they may not believe Him, but they know Him, Muslims recognize Him as a prophet along with Moses and others.

Finally, we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior and we believe in Him and worship Him.

Now this is important.

John 9:38

Jehovah Witness’s do not believe that Jesus is part of the trinity

They will knock on your door and they will tell you that the trinity is not in the Bible.

They will tell you that Jesus is not God.

And yet - right here in - it says, the man worshipped Jesus.

Jesus didn’t say, “Stop worshipping me, worship God.” That’s not what happened.

Jesus accepts the formerly blind man’s worship

Now if a Jehovah Witness comes to your door, be sure to grab your Bible.

Don’t let them read from their Bible - their Bible says “He said: “I do put faith in him, Lord.”

And he did obeisance to him.”

Define Obeisance

Obeisance - a gesture expressing deferential respect, such as a bow or curtsy.

This is important - did he worship Jesus or did he simply, bow and curtsy.

See why you need to use your Bible - one says, And he worshipped Him.

The other says, he bowed to him.”

Jesus did not stop him from worshipping Him and if he was simply bowing out of respect, Jesus did not stop that either.

Jesus deserves our worship - He is why we worship.

John 9:39-41

The conclusion of the story of the blind man comes to a comparison of the physical blindness and spiritual blindness

Some of us are spiritually blind - we see people as an us versus them

Christian vs. Non-Christian

The tattooed vs. the non-tattooed

The skinny vs. the fat

Those sinners vs. me

Black vs. White

Gay vs. Straight

We forget that we are all made in the image of God.

There is not one of us better than another.

William Barclay put it this way,

“It is a tremendous thing about Jesus that the more we know Him the greater he becomes.

The trouble with human relationships is that often the better we know a person the more we know his weaknesses and his failing; but the more we know Jesus, the greater the wonder becomes; and that will be true, not only in time, but also in eternity.”

- William Barclay

The more you get to know me - the more you will realize that I am just a sinner, called by God, to preach the word.

The more I get to know you - you are just a sinner like me.

We both need Jesus.

We are both spiritually blind if we look at someone and don’t see them as the image of God.

All the more important now as we hear all the war rhetoric - this week we heard our president say, we will utterly destroy another country.

If that happens, how many images of God will be lost.

It’s not us versus them.

May the Lord remove our spiritual blindness.

Conclusion

Let’s take a spiritual blindness test.

Who needs Jesus?