The Work of God
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Background to Text:
In John 8 Jesus declared that He was the light of the world. While there were those who rejected His teaching, verse 30 stated that many believed.
But Jesus further explained who He was very boldly in the presence of these people and the religious leaders. In our last message Jesus made it extremely clear who He was, by declaring that He was God.
This chapter started the same way it ended, with rocks in the hands of the people. At the beginning they wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery, and now they wanted to stone Jesus.
So our Savior escapes this volatile situation and without hesitation begins ministering again. The indication of the text is that right after Jesus leaves the temple He runs into this man who was blind.
All of chapter 9 is going to follow this theme of blind eyes receiving sight. The initial story is that of physical healing, and Jesus is going to use this as a real life illustration of spiritual blindness and the healing He can bring to those blinded by sin.
So this morning we’re going to look at a message entitled: “The Work of God.”
READ JOHN 9:1-7
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And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
PRAY
Three boys in the schoolyard were bragging about who had the highest paid father:
The first boy said, “My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a poem, and they give him $100.”
The second boy said, “That’s nothing. My Dad scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, he calls it a song, and they give him $1000.”
The third boy said, “My Dad is ever better than that. He scribbles a few words on a piece of paper, calls it a sermon, and it takes 6 or 8 men just to collect all the money!”
I think one of the things that stands out in our minds about a dad is the work ethic he has. Dads are dedicated to their work or at least should be, so that they can provide for their family.
Work is an important thing. In these verses we’re looking at this morning, the common theme is work. But this isn’t your ordinary 9-5 job. This is an ongoing work. The work of God.
Transition
This morning I want us to learn Three Truths about God’s work and how it applies in our lives, as well as the life of this blind man in our story.
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God Desires to Work in Our Lives
God Desires to Work in Our Lives
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And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Jesus stops and takes the time to notice a man that so many just glanced over. A man that they had grown insensitive to. It was common for people with infirmities to sit outside the temple to beg for money, because people were more likely to contribute when going to the temple than some other area of the city.
It wasn’t that Jesus just looked at this guy and that was it, but the Greek word for His action of seeing means to understand, give attention, possess knowledge of.
While this man could not see Jesus, Jesus could see this man and He knew everything about Him. He knew his story. He knew his background, and He knew his condition both physically and spiritually.
This reminds me of the fact that Jesus knows each of us the same exact way. While we were blind spiritually, and we could not see Christ, He could see us. He had compassion on us. For those of us who know Him, one day He healed our blinded eyes so that we could see.
So when Jesus looked at this man, He looked on him with compassion. But then we see a second look take place in verse 2 by the disciples. Instead of them looking at him with compassion, they look at him with condescension.
SLIDE
And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
It’s important to understand that Jewish rabbis in this day generally believed that suffering was linked to some sin that was committed.
It was almost this idea of cause and effect. Because you sinned you will have suffering. There are some ancient writings that teach that this man was born blind because his mother worshipped in a pagan temple during her pregnancy.
So since she worshipped another god, because of that sin, her boy was born blind. We don’t know if that story is true or not, but this is the idea that was taught. If you have suffering in your life, you or your family sinned in order to deserve it.
Think about the book of Job. You remember his “friends?” Chapter after chapter are these accusations against Job that he must have sinned against God in order to stir His anger against him. Yet, we know in chapter 1 that Job did not have this suffering brought upon him due to his sin.
While this isn’t the main theme of this message, I think it’s very important that we address it. Why do people suffer? Why is there sickness? Why is there death? What is the source?
The reason we live in a world full of sickness, disease, suffering, and brokenness is because of sin.
SLIDE
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Ultimately the reason this man had this blindness was because of the sin committed by Adam thousands of years prior. How many of you understand this morning, our world is not perfect?
Sin is what causes that. For this to be a perfect world, there would have to be no sin. Guess what? One day, if you know Christ, you’ll get to experience what that looks like as you live eternally in heaven.
But the disciples ask very specifically, “is this man’s suffering linked to him or his parents?” Really if we could boil down the question it would be this, “What did his family do to cause God to be so angry with them?”
What did I do to God to make Him so mad that now I have cancer? How did I make God so angry that now my child has an incurable disease? What did I do to God to make Him burn my house down? What did sin did I commit to lose my job?
Did I not read my Bible enough? Was it because I skipped church that one week? Is it because I didn’t pray enough, or have enough faith? Is it because I went back on a commitment I made to Him years ago?
What is the link between my suffering and my sin?
-About a month before we left our church in Kansas I had a lot of these same questions. Is my suffering being caused by not being good enough? I was trying to be faithful, doing what was right. I was pastoring a church. Trying to love our people and community.
-It seemed like things just kept getting worse and worse. At the end of January 2018 my wife’s grandfather had passed away. We just got back from the funeral and we all got the stomach bug.
-I mean COVID had nothing on this. I had to literally army crawl out of bed to go to the bathroom. So needless to say I didn’t preach that Sunday.
-The next Sunday I get a call that our church basement had flooded, which was a huge undertaking. Then sometime that same week Ali was born. The next week someone robbed our church.
-A few months later Gideon had his first seizure. The church was divided. Then that July I made the very hard decision of resigning the church.
And I kept thinking, “God, look at all that I’m trying to do for you. What did I do to deserve all this mistreatment? What did I do to make you so mad at you? Why aren’t you blessing me?”
Who did sin?
Friend, can I maybe bring some comfort to you this morning, not all of our suffering is linked to a direct sin we can trace. Yes, suffering is the result of a fallen world, but it doesn’t mean that because you did this wrong that’s why you’re suffering. Because God is making you pay. This is a dangerous path to go down. This path is a legalistic path.
I would remind you this morning that we do not work our way into God’s favor. As we consider father’s day please understand, I don’t know what kind of father you had growing up, but God is not some father that’s impossible to please and looks for ways to treat us with cruelty and abuse us. We can’t gain more of God’s love by what we do or don’t do.
However, I think we understand, there are times where suffering is linked to sin. Let’s say someone gets in an accident for drunk driving and is paralyzed as a result. There suffering is linked to that night they legally should not have drove. I think we get that.
But understand friend, that there are times where we suffer because that’s what happens in a world of imperfection.
All of us at some point will experience suffering. It may not be to the same degree or the same frequency, but we all will face hardships.
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But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
There will be days of sunshine and there will be days of rain. That’s just how life is. Our suffering and even our blessings at time are not always connected to our performance.
God doesn’t owe us anything according to what we do or don’t do. May we not have the elder brother syndrome.
You remember the story of the prodigal son? Luke 15 speaks of this account.
The younger son went out and spent all of his money on frivolous meaningless things. Then when he ran out of money he came back to his father’s house and his father welcomed him with open arms. What a great lesson for father’s day that we as father’s would do the same for our children.
But the father sends servants to the older brother. He tells him to come and celebrate because his brother has returned. They’re partying, dancing, and having a great time.
The elder brother responds to this: “where is my party? He goes and lives in his sinful ways and you kill the fatted calf for him? What about me? What about my faithfulness to do? Where’s my celebration for all I’ve done for you? I’ve been working hard and I get nothing?
Don’t view your Christian life as a way to work your way to God. As if you have earned God’s blessings because of what you do.
Don’t view your suffering and others suffering as always being some connection to a sin you’ve committed.
That leads me to this truth about God’s work. We live in a fallen world. We live in a sinful world. And God sent His Son into the world to redeem the world that the world through Him might be saved.
The work of God is not to throw the world into more turmoil, He is working His purpose and plan in order to save those who are in it. Sometimes that means suffering is part of that plan.
SLIDE
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
The work of God here was not handing out a punishment to this man because of his sin, rather the suffering of this man was an opportunity to do a work in Him.
God can take the suffering that is caused by sin in this world and use it to bring others to Him and to receive glory!
God desires in each and every one of us that no matter what suffering we are going through that we would know Him more and that He would receive the glory.
Maybe you don’t know Him as Savior. Maybe you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. Could it be that God is using your suffering, just like He used the suffering of this man, to do a work in your heart and save you?
So let me ask you this, what is the works of God? Well, Jesus already defined that for us previously in this book:
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Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
The work of God is a work of faith. God wants you and I to display faith as we suffer. For those who aren’t saved, He wants you to put your faith in Him as Savior.
For those who are saved, He wants you and I to learn how to trust Him through the hardships.
That’s a work that the Holy Spirit desires to do in our hearts, to transform us through the suffering that we endure.
SLIDE
This man’s blindness was not about what this man did, it was all about what Jesus was going to do.
Maybe what you’re facing today isn’t about what you did or didn’t do, have you thought that maybe it’s about what God wants to do in your life?
God desires to work in your life, and that work he wants to accomplish is learning to trust in Him.
God desires to work in our lives
Another truth about God’s work is that the time to do God’s work is now.
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The Time to Do God’s Work is Now
The Time to Do God’s Work is Now
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I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
Most occupations in Bible days were performed during the day. They didn’t have electricity like we have today, so at the break of the sun to the going down, they would accomplish their work in that span of time.
Jesus uses that same idea regarding His work on this earth. Once again, Jesus restates that He is the light of the world. And that as long as He is in the world, He’s going to accomplish His work.
When you consider the life and ministry of Christ on this earth, you see just that. He healed people, ministered to people, saved people, fulfilled prophecy. He made His life about doing the work that the Father had for Him.
I think it’s important that we as well understand the importance of doing God’s work while we’re on this earth.
We all have a limited amount of time on this earth. One day we won’t be here anymore. For each of us, there is coming a night where we won’t be able to work anymore.
May we, while we have breath, do the work of God.
SLIDE
Boast not thyself of to morrow;
For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Don’t put off doing what God wants you to for tomorrow, do it now! Give the gospel, serve the Lord, minister to others, get involved, help reach our community, invest in our children and young people, invite people to church.
Do the work now, because there’s coming a day where you won’t be able to anymore.
C.T. Studd once said, "Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last."
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See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
We don’t have time to waste. There are souls that need to be saved. There are blind that need to see. We are ambassadors with the message that they need to hear.
What are you doing for God right now? What are you doing to further His kingdom? Who are you trying to reach with the gospel? Who are you praying for that’s blind spiritually and needs to see Christ?
Are you sitting back waiting for your sun to set, or are you seizing the opportunity of this life to live out what God wants you to do?
Jesus knew that there was coming a day soon where He would be gone. Here’s the amazing thing, the work didn’t stop when Jesus died.
If we have been saved, then we have taken up the torch, and we can carry on and tell others about the light of the world that can help the blind to see.
The Time to Do God’s Work is Now! Not tomorrow, not when things settle down, but now is the time because night is coming.
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We Must Urgently Respond to the Work of God
We Must Urgently Respond to the Work of God
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When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
There’s some interesting things to bring out from this verse. First, just think about what Jesus is using to heal this man. Spit and dirt.
Last time I checked, those two things aren’t the most desirable things to have on your body. Those are things to wash off of your body.
I think Jesus is exposing the spiritual problem this man has with these items, by proving the point that he was unclean. He was sinful, and he needed cleansing.
In the same we we are unclean spiritually because of our sin. We need the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus to wash away our sins.
But I also think Jesus used this mud on his eyes to give the man urgency in responding to the message. You ever get mud in your eyes? What’s your first response? TO GET IT OUT!
And to get it out as fast as you can! The whole world stops until you get your eyes clear of that. Mud irritates it, it’s uncomfortable, and you are going to deal with the problem immediately instead of put it off.
This reminds us of the urgency that we should respond with when conviction is brought to us. Friend, if God is dealing with you and He is wanting you to make a decision, don’t put it off.
Just like you would get something out of your eye immediately because of the irritation, I would challenge you to immediately deal with times where the Holy Spirit is working in your heart.
Don’t put it off for a later time, respond quickly to when God is working in your life. This man does just that!
SLIDE
And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
If you remember back in chapter 7, the whole chapter was centered around the Feast of Tabernacles. At the last day of the feast they would take their pitcher and go to the waters of Siloam and it would be a reminder of the Messiah who would be sent for the salvation of the world.
As this blind man went to Siloam, it was a reminder of the fact that Jesus was Messiah. That through Him there is salvation. It reminds us also that HE was the SENT one come down from heaven.
And through this man’s obedience he was able to see for the first time in his life.
Could I challenge you to respond the same way? Whatever God says to do, wherever He wants you to go, that you would respond to His message with obedience.
Sometimes people look at the Bible and think, “man this is just a book that’s full of rules. God is trying to rule my life by saying I can do this and can’t do this.” They see the Bible as a killjoy.
You know why God has outlined how we should live our lives? It’s not that God wants to suck joy from our lives, no it’s quite the opposite. If you will live out what God has outlined in His Word, you will find joy in abundance!
What if this guy said, “No Jesus, I’m okay I’m not going to go to the pool of Siloam, I’m just going to keep sitting here and beg for money.”
What I find amazing is it’s not recorded here that Jesus promised healing if he went. I mean think about it, some guy comes up says that He has to perform the work of God.
And the next thing you know, you have some guys spit and dirt rubbed in your eyes and He tells you to go wash it off.
If that isn’t the weirdest day in your life I don’t know what is. Yet, he was compelled to do what Jesus said. While not everything in the Bible may make sense to us.
And while we may not always know the outcome of our faith, this man gives us a great example of just submitting to what God’s Word says.
When God is working in our lives, we need to respond to Him, and we need to respond with urgency.
Conclusion
Conclusion
God wants to work in our lives. The time to do His work is now. And as God works in our own hearts, we need to respond to Him quickly.
May we learn the truths of God’s work in these verses and respond in the right way.