The Journey of Faith

Every journey of faith involves three things...

Encounter

Along the journey of faith there are encounters with God. These encounters look differently at different points along our journey. Here are a few that we see in scripture and in our faith journeys.

The Initial Encounter (God reveals Himself)

The Missional Encounter (Moses & the burning bush)

The Communal Encounter (Jesus Transfigured)

The Daily Encounter (Pillar of Cloud & Fire)

As we turn to John 9 we see an initial encounter where a man who was born blind encounters Jesus and journey of faith ensues.

Let’s check it out...

John 9:1–7 ESV

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 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 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

In these verses we see some things in this encounter that are a true about all of our encounters...

(1) Every Encounter Has A Purpose

As soon as Jesus’ disciples come upon this blind man they start trying to figure out why He was blind. They were trying to figure out whose fault it was. His? His parents?

Jesus responds with...

It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Just like this blind man your encounters with God have a purpose. They are not random or accidental. They have a purpose. Most always it is simply to bring glory to God.

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(2) Every Encounter Shines A Light on Jesus

Jesus continues in v. 5...

John 9:5 ESV

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus reminds his disciples here that He is the light of the world. He is the one who gives sight to the blind physically and spiritually.

Note: Many Bible students are amazed to discover that the Old Testament contains no story of the giving of sight to the blind. The only New Testament example outside the Gospels is the encounter between Ananias and Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9. But when we examine the ministry of Jesus, there are more instances of the healing of blind people than any other type of miracle (Matt. 9:27–31; 12:22ff.; 15:30ff.; 21:14; Mark 8:22–26; 10:46–52; Luke 7:21ff.). (HNTC: John)

The point of this encounter and miracle was to further make it known that Jesus is the one who restores the spiritual sight of man. The light here was on the light of the world and the man without sight.

We need to be careful to not make our encounters with God about us. They are aid us and help us, but they are all about Him.

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(3) Every Encounter Is Intended To Change Us.

John 9:7 ESV

and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

Now, not every encounter with Jesus results in such radical physical transformation. However, every encounter is intended to leave us changed. The level of change us up to us.

[THE RICH YOUNG RULER LEFT UNTRANSFORMED BUT VERY INFORMED]

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Challenge

Along the journey of faith we all face seasons of challenge. Seasons where our faith in Jesus and God’s promises are brought into question and scrutiny.

This man born blind face the very same thing after his encounter with Jesus. The challenges he faced are some of the same ones we face on our journey of faith.

(1) Personal Doubt/Uncertainty

John 9:8–12 ESV

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?” Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 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.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

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(2) Public Doubt

John 9:13–23 ESV

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 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.” 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. 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.” 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 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 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.” (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.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

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(3) Outright Attack

John 9:24–34 ESV

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.” He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 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?” And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 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. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

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Resolve

As we journey with the Lord there comes times of resolve. Moments when our faith is strength or our rebellion is firmly planted. The choice is up to us.

In the concluding verses of this chapter we see the blind man who could then see arriving at a place of resolve. Let’s check it out...

John 9:35–41 ESV

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.

Here we learn a couple of powerful principles about arriving at a place of spiritual resolve.

(1) There Is No Instant/Microwave Version Of Spiritual Maturity

This man went through a bit before he made this confess of belief. However, when made the confession it was rock solid.

There is not short cut to spiritual maturity. It takes time, encounter and challenges to arrive at resolve.

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[I DON’T TRUST OVERNIGHT SPIRITUAL MATURITY & NEITHER DID PAUL - Pastoral and Deacon Requirements]

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(2) You Can Revolve To Do The Wrong Thing In The Name of God.

John 9:39–41 ESV

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.

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