05-06-2018 – Jesus Gives Sight to the Blind
This is from the bulletin insert. The full sermon notes are below.
05-06-2018
Jesus Gives Sight to the Blind
John 9:1-12
Read John 9:1... The poor and disabled would often
receive alms from those coming to worship. See Luke 4:18-19 (cf. Isaiah 61:1-2)...
Jesus healed many blind (Matthew 9:27-28; 11:5; 12:22; 15:30-31; 20:30-24; 21:14; Mark 8:22-25).
Read John 9:2-5... The disciples assume this man’s sin, or his parent’s, made him blind.
Exodus 20:5; 34:7 says, "[God] punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
Deuteronomy 24:16, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son.”
Paul exhorts believers to take the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner (1Corinthians 11:26-29), warning them (verse 30), “That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (John 11:11-12; 1Corinthians 12:2; 15:51; 1Thessalonians 4:14; 5:10).
Jesus uses “we” (verse 4) because true disciples do the work of God (cf. John 14:12-14; Ephesians 2:10). Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world.” “...let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Read John 9:6-7... Jesus uses saliva on other occasions (deaf/mute, Mark 7:33; blind man, Mark 8:23), but only here does He use saliva and dirt to make mud [clay].
The pool of Siloam was at the SE corner of the wall surrounding the city. The blind man obeying Jesus, went to the pool, he washed, and then he could see. Genuine saving faith includes believing in and obeying Jesus Christ.
Read John 9:8-12... Jesus’ healing the blind man stirs up the man’s neighbors into confusion: “Isn’t this him?” “Yes it is he.” “No, he just looks like the man.”
The man declares, “it is me, I was blind!”
The crowd wants to meet the miracle worker. The man who was healed never saw Jesus.
This story illustrates the problem with unbelieving people, they are blinded (2Corinthians 4:4), “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
The god of this age is the devil (Ephesians 2:2), “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”
1John 3:8, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.”
The blind man did not know who Jesus was.
Lost sinners are like a blind man, they can’t look for or find Jesus on their own (Romans 3:10-12), “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one,” 23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 6:23), “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8:1-2), “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
Salvation heals our spiritual blindness.
Acts 2:21, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" [only Jesus Christ the Lord].