Sept. 22, 2019 - Eyes Opened - John 9:6-34 & Gen 3:6-23

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*Jury Duty:  (Process, Legal system, Beyond Reasonable doubt vs. All reasonable doubt)
With that in mind, today we're going to walk through a passage that involves an INVESTIGATION...
Not only that, but we're going to walk through it in a certain way (you'll find out later)......with us finishing up this passage next Sunday...
SO - you may end up thinking that today's sermon doesn't really HAVE AN ENDING....
Well - it's because this weeks sermon is going to FLOW straight into next weeks...
And so you may get that feeling.
If you remember last week - we saw how Jesus healed a man born blind.
Well - that story actually carries through the rest of chapter 9...
...and so we're going to read through all of it to start, and then we'll talk through how we're going to approach it.
Remember - as we read through this text...be thinking about HOW INVESTIGATIONS are done in our legal system...
We're going to start in v6 from last week so we can get a foundation for the story today...
John 9:6–34 ESV
6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
So - lot of information...
But what i want to do today is compare this story - with another story in Scripture...
We can see that what took place in this passage today - was an INVESTIGATION
A miracle took place
An investigation ensued
Findings were discovered
And Judgment was rendered
NOW - what we're going to do today is - go to another story in scripture where these same things occurred. 
Miracle / investigation / findings / judgment
AND THEN - we'll compare and contrast those 2 stories...pulling out truths along the way.
The other story we're going to compare with this one is another story where:
Eyes were opened
Let's look at Genesis 3:6-23
Genesis 3:6–23 ESV
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
First thing we want to see in these stories is this:
SLIDE:  Eyes Opened: Unto Blindness vs Unto Sight

Eyes Opened

In our passage in John, we saw Jesus come along and come across a MAN BORN BLIND...
So by default, this man was PHYSICALLY BLIND...Jesus put mud on his eyes, sent him to go wash in the pool of Siloam......and he came back SEEING!
His eyes were OPENED! - Physical sight was GAINED!
What about our other story...in Genesis 3
Genesis 3:6–7 ESV
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Here we ALSO have eyes being - OPENED 
But what came with this opening?  - Knowledge was GAINED!!
That's just WHAT HAPPENED! - That’s the INCIDENT
NOW - what's next?
SLIDE:   The INVESTIGATION!
The Investigation
**My accident (when the cop showed up, he immediately began his investigation)
Let's look at the INVESTIGATION from our passage in John
John 9:8–12 ESV
8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”
You can understand that anytime a BLIND man starts to SEE - an INVESTIGATION is sure to follow...
Here we see - Neighbors and those who had seen this guy on the street - they begin ASKING questions...
and this is what investigations are all about...
Asking questions
Gathering information
Not really getting any answers - but they're searching...
It continues...
John 9:13–15 ESV
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
John 9:17 ESV
17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
John 9:19 ESV
19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
The parents testify, and so the Pharisees are still wondering what happened...so they bring the BLIND man back again...
John 9:26 ESV
26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
SO - think thru this...Who is conducting this investigation?
The Pharisees...And it's OBVIOUS that they are without KNOWLEDGE in all of this...
But what about the INVESTIGATION from Genesis 3?
Let's go back to the garden...
Genesis 3:9–11 ESV
9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
Who's conducting this investigation?
God is...
NOW - let's compare...the 2 stories
SLIDE: Table - Investigation
TABLE
John 9: (Lead Investigator - Pharisees), (Standard:  Bias against Jesus), (Approach: Seeking to justify bias)
Genesis 3:  (Lead Investigator - God), (Standard:  God’s holiness), (Approach: Seeking truth / knows truth)
As we walk through life - we need to know that ALL of life should be FILTERED through the Word of God...A lot of times we will:
Assume things about God and decide that those assumptions are TRUE...
apart from the Word of God
We actually have preachers out there today preaching that you DON'T have to FORGIVE people...
That you DON'T HAVE to show MERCY to people!
When we base our life and what we believe on things contrary to God's WORD - we are basing our life on foolishness and that which will destroy us.
2 Timothy 3:16 ESV
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
His word is our STANDARD...as Christians..
But for the lost - the UNBELIEVING - their assumptions about life rule the day...
SO - the investigation (at this point) has been completed...
Up next - 
SLIDE: The Findings

The Findings

In our passage in John, what were the findings?
The miracle took place...
The man's eyes - blind from birth - were opened and now he could see!!
What were the results of that?
We actually see the FAITH of the man GROW right in our text...
John 9:11 ESV
11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”
How does he address Jesus? - "The man Jesus"
John 9:17 ESV
17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
From - "the man Jesus"
to now - the Prophet Jesus"
John 9:38 ESV
38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
this NOW SEEING man calls Jesus - Lord...
So we see this man's faith GROWING...
from the man Jesus -
to the prophet Jesus -
to the Lord Jesus
This mans EYES were OPEN physically - AND Spiritually!
Salvation came to this man!
And we see that:
SLIDE:
The eye-opening of salvation leads to the worship of Christ and the proclamation of His truth!
How about the Genesis Investigation?
What were the FINDINGS in that case?
Eyes were opened in the garden - SIN poured IN...And here we go...
Genesis 3:8–10 ESV
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
Let's stop there...
How did Adam and Eve respond to their EYES being opened - and SIN flooding in?
They HID from the Lord!
This is what SIN does!
It AVOIDS the Lord...
I can't tell you how many people I know -
who DON'T KNOW God (Christ) - and will REFUSE to talk about Him...
They will AVOID Him at ALL cost!!
SIN - hides from God!
But what else?
Genesis 3:11–13 ESV
11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
God asks Adam what happened...His response?
The women that YOU gave to me - SHE gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate!
WOW
Adam - the first man - tossing Eve UNDER the DIVINE Bus...
And all the ladies said - OF COURSE He did!!
OH but don’t get to high on yourselves…it’s your turn…
Genesis 3:13 ESV
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Another deflection of blame here…
This is what SIN does!
Listen - SIN will NOT admit wrong doing….
WHY?
Because sin…is saturated with - PRIDE
So let’s compare our findings/evidence in this case…between the 2 stories...
SLIDE: Table - Findings / Evidence
UP NEXT:
SLIDE: Verdict (Judgment)

The Verdict

We’ve seen the Investigation
We’ve seen the findings....now let’s look at the Verdict/Judgment
From our passage in John we read this in v34
John 9:34 ESV
34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.
After receiving his sight…and after proclaiming truth about Jesus…
And after praising Jesus for what He had done…
Judgment came down: CAST OUT OF THE SYNAGOGUE
See - the synagogue was like the 1st century garden of eden…
EXCEPT - it WAS (in a sense) - ruled by man (Pharisees)
And SO - we can see here how SIN responds to the GLORY of GOD…
Remember?!! - The man born blind was given sight - SO THAT God would be glorified!
And BECAUSE that’s true…
SIN - Cast the man born blind (now seeing - now a WALKING testimony of God’s grace in Jesus) OUT of the synagogue.
Sin wants to SILENCE the truth of Christ
Sin wants to DESTROY the truth of Christ…
But how about our other STORY?
What was the verdict in Genesis 3?
Genesis 3:23 ESV
23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
Same kind of verdict here right?
Here we also have a - CASTING out
But the difference is this - Who is the Judge?
God is the judge!
And what’s His standard?
Holiness - His divine command is the standard…
Genesis 3:11 ESV
11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
His command is the standard
But that’s not the only part of this judgment…
Genesis 3:16–19 ESV
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Along with being cast out - separated from communion with God due to sin…
pain
frustration
suffering
and death
All of these things come with God’s judgment against SIN…BUT…
Something else also came with it…
Genesis 3:14–15 ESV
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
God not ONLY rendered judgment on Adam and Eve…
but He also rendered judgment on the Serpent…ON SIN ITSELF…
And we see here a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ here in v15.
God points to the way of SALVATION that was coming!
SO Let’s compare our two stories…
SLIDE:
TABLE: Verdict
SLIDE: SUMMARY (John 9)
Growing Faith
Truth Proclaimed
Christ Worshipped
We’ve seen - Eyes being Opened
On one side: From blindness to sight (from darkness to light)
The man born blind - given SIGHT by Christ
AWAKENED to see - Jesus
Faith coming alive…Truth then being proclaimed…And Christ being worshipped
On the other side: (Genesis 3)
SLIDE:
Separation From God
Deceit Proclaimed
Self Worshipped
From sight to blindness (from Light to darkness)
Adam & Eve - eyes opened to know good and evil…SIN poured in…
Separation from God came…
Lies and deceit being proclaimed…
And self being worshipped…
And so for us - we must ask ourselves…
Have my eyes been opened - UNTO LIGHT?
Is my life one of PROCLAMATION of truth…One of GROWING faith?
OR
one of lies and deceit about who you are before God?
one of pride and lack of humility before the Lord?
Questions we must ask ourselves - and answer ourselves…
And next week we’ll see how all of this culminates into the reason Jesus came!
Today we saw
the incident
the investigation
the findings/evidence
the verdict
In a sense - next week we’ll look at Sentencing...
To be continued…
Let’s pray
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