A Life Transformed

A Life Transformed

John 9

Ice Breaker

• Good morning church!  Let me remind you of our study on Wednesday nights at 6:30pm.  God’s Amazing Grace through the eyes of Paul in the book of Romans.
• Let’s open with a word of prayer.

Introduction

• There was an estate auction that happened a few years ago and the auctioneer picked up a dusty instrument case and opened that case and pulled out an  old fiddle that seemed to have quite a bit of wear and tear.  As he held up the instrument the auctioneer said $100 – who will bid $100 for the fiddle.  The bidding was slow and only went up a few dollars at a time when an elderly gentleman stood up and went to the auctioneer and asked for the fiddle.  This elderly man took the fiddle and tuned it a little and then played a beautiful song with the bow.  After the man finished the song, the auctioneer said who will give $1,000 and the bids begin to come in quickly as the price increased.  When the gavel was struck the instrument was sold for $7,500.  A bystander questioned as to why the fiddle had gone from just a few hundred dollars to several thousand – and the answer came back sharply – because it had been in the master’s hand.
• You see each of us is like that old fiddle – just ordinary folk – but in the master’s hand we can become a beautiful instrument.
• I want us to see one man’s journey with Jesus.  It is a short story only 41 verses tell us about this man but it is a good snapshot of how our lives should be different when we encounter Jesus.
• For you see when Jesus enters the picture, things begin to change.  We can’t stay the same. 
• Through our ignorance, through our resistance, and even through our rebellion – God is changing us, molding us into the likeness of Christ.
• Let’s look at our man today who is truly a work in progress.  Turn in your Bible to John chapter 9.

Point 1 “The Handicap”

As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2     His disciples questioned Him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3     “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “⌊This came about⌋ so that God’s works might be displayed in him. 4     We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. 5     As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 1. 1-5)

• A common belief in Jewish culture was that any calamity or suffering was the result of God’s punishment for sin.  Especially, the loss of sight because of the significance of the disability. 
• Jesus is quick to point out that not all suffering or troubles are a direct result of your sin but could be do to the fact that we live in a sin-sick world.

Point 2 “The Great Physician”

After He said these things He spit on the ground, made some mud from the saliva, and spread the mud on his eyes. 7     “Go,” He told him, “wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he left, washed, and came back seeing.

8     His neighbors and those who formerly had seen him as a beggar said, “Isn’t this the man who sat begging?” 9     Some said, “He’s the one.” “No,” others were saying, “but he looks like him.”

He kept saying, “I’m the one!”

10     Therefore they asked him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”

11     He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So when I went and washed I received my sight.”

12     “Where is He?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he said.

13     They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. 14     The day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. 15     So again the Pharisees asked him how he received his sight.

“He put mud on my eyes,” he told them. “I washed and I can see.”

16     Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He doesn’t keep the Sabbath!” But others were saying, “How can a sinful man perform such signs?” And there was a division among them.  (John 9.6-16)

• A couple of things to note from this passage of scripture:
• Were not sure why Jesus spit on the ground and made mud – probably not that theologically important.  But it may very well have been a rebellious statement because the Pharisees had rules against working with mud and healing on the Sabbath day.
• There was nothing special (healing wise) about the pool of Siloam
• Notice that the neighbors were in disbelief
• Notice the Pharisees were stunned, confused, divided and accusing Jesus of wrong doing.
• Don’t be surprised when God starts changing your life that your friends or family might not recognize you, that the world mite criticize you and you might have to keep defending your own story.

Point 3 “The Opposition”

Again they asked the blind man, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?”

“He’s a prophet,” he said.

18     The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight.

19     They asked them, “Is this your son, ⌊the one⌋ you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

20     “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered. 21     “But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for himself.” 22     His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him as Messiah, he would be banned from the synagogue. 23     This is why his parents said, “He’s of age; ask him.”

24     So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner!”

25     He answered, “Whether or not He’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”

26     Then they asked him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

27     “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become His disciples too, do you?”

28     They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’ disciples. 29     We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where He’s from!”

30     “This is an amazing thing,” the man told them. “You don’t know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes! 31     We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him. 32     Throughout history no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind. 33     If this man were not from God, He wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

34     “You were born entirely in sin,” they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out. (John 9. 17-34)

• The Pharisees interrogated this man twice and even his parents.  Notice that they parents were afraid of this religious group, they did not want to be ostracized in the community, and put the burden back on their son.
• Here is the key to this whole chapter – look back at verse 25.  After being pressured and pushed around, this guy says “I don’t know all about Jesus but I do know this – I WAS BLIND AND NOW I SEE!!!!! (His personal testimony of what happened)
• You don’t have to fully understand every doctrine of scripture,  you don’t have to know all of the workings of the Baptist Faith and Message, you don’t have to even be able to fully explain it to the rest of the world but you do need to know that you have been touched by the Master’s Hand.
• Don’t you know this old boy sang “He touched me, o He touched me, and o what joy now fills my soul, something happened and now I know He touched me and made me whole.

Conclusion “Seal the Deal”

When Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, He found him and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36     “Who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?” he asked.

37     Jesus answered, “You have seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.”

38     “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped Him.

39     Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”

40     Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and asked Him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?”

41     “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see’—your sin remains. (John 9.35-41)

• Jesus comes back into this man’s life and takes him from just knowing about God to knowing God.  That is an important step for us.  There are a lot of people that know about God but they have not taken the important step of believing in God.
• As a matter of fact that was the problem with the Pharisees.  They knew a lot of God’s laws but they did not know the heart of the Law-Giver. Verse 41 – if you were blind (or could admit that you were spiritually blind – you would be forgiven) but because you are too proud to admit that then your sin remains.
• See it is not enough to be just touched by Jesus – if it were Jesus would have never come back to this young man but Jesus comes back to make him a disciple, a new creation, a believer.
• Healing people physically/emotionally was never Jesus’ main goal it was always to build a bridge to a bigger problem – their spiritual sickness.  Jesus said I come to seek and save that which is lost.
• There are only two kind of people in the building today – those that are spiritually blind and those who can say “I was blind but now I see”
• If you have done like this man and said “Yes Lord – I believe” then thank God for that this morning, but if you have never taken the time to consider your blindness, you need a touch from the Master this morning and you need to say “Yes to Him”.
• There may be other decisions that you need to make this morning but whatever that is will you give Mike or myself the privilege of talking with you.