The blind man Jesus healed has gone through a gauntlet of questions, and all He can say is, "I couldn't see, and now I can see." The last bit of questioning is found in John 9:28: Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” 34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue. When they couldn't refute the evidence of Jesus healing this man, they stooped low to character assassination and called out the man as a sinner because he was born blind. Come to think of it, I am a born sinner like this man. I was blind to the truth, and in the midst of my sinful life, I heard the message of hope through Jesus, believed my faith in Him, and surrendered my life to His will. He is my Savior, and my blindness is gone! I can't explain it, but I know this in my heart and through what God's Word tells me. That is enough.
The point for me to realize is who is Jesus to me now? Of course, He is my Savior and my Lord, and I still believe. I am bombarded every day to quit believing because I live in this ungodly world, and the enemy is after me constantly. Like the accusations from the Pharisees to the blind man, my enemy attacks my faith all the time. I must resist Him and ask the Holy Spirit to empower me and guide me in my walk so I do not faint. Jesus is faithful in giving me encouragement along the way through what I study in His Word and through other fellow believers. Further, in John 9, Jesus brings out a very important word for you and me. Here are the scriptures. John 9:35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” 37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” 38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus.
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” 41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
In the modern-day church, we have allowed a pre-packaged religious type of worship to take over the very intense worship that is experienced by a born-again believer. This subtle attempt to package Jesus has taken the heart out of the mix, and we are experiencing the effect it has on the intensity of our faith. I have seen many examples of frustration by people who have eyes wide open to the truth, and in that frustration, I also see a sleeping giant of His church that is just waiting to impact the world with a true life-changing faith. The people I hear from don't know what to do to "right the ship" and make the church "the church" again. Much like the frustrated former blind man, we are being asked questions we can only answer by saying, "I once was blind, but now I can see!" So what now?
39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” There are many who have gained some limited spiritual eyesight through religious practices, but there is much more to see when Jesus heals their spiritual eyes. God's grace is so far beyond what we can accomplish or pay back, so our reliance has to be on Jesus and Jesus alone. NOT RELIGION!!
Get with God alone today and ask HIm to show you how to respond to your eyes being opened and be open to Him showing you the real truth and you will find what He wants you to do. The reason many new church starts are growing so much is that those serving in them are not bowing to religion, but they are bowing to Jesus and worshipping Him without their past way of doing things. God spoke to Isaiah and said the following Isaiah 43: 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. In John 9:37, Jesus says the following 37: “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you! " This is a wake-up call for all believers who can now see to draw together and "be the church," the real church, because Jesus has given us His eyesight to be able to see the world and our faith with clear eyes that see the truth. The result of something new God was showing Isaiah is unstoppable when we hold onto it, and Jesus is still doing a new thing, but only if we can give up the old things. What did the blind man say when Jesus opened up His spiritual eyes? In verse 38, the scripture says, And He worshipped Jesus! My question to you is this. What do you see?
Today's Message,
David Warren
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