Now I See | Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind (John 9)

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[Music] good morning vision church won't you high five your neighbor tell them they're looking good high five your neighbor like you mean it tell them you're looking good this morning if you have your bible open with me to john chapter nine we're gonna begin in verse one john chapter nine beginning in verse one also really quickly let's take a moment right now to make some noise for everybody watching online via the live stream right now good morning and welcome to vision church we're right there on the edge of uptown charlotte south end in west over hills we claim all three and we're just welcoming you in if you would take a moment right now and share the broadcast on youtube on facebook you never know who might be in need of the gospel today you never know who might be ready to receive the word of truth so hit the share button before i jump into the text i want to make a really important announcement um on sunday august the 8th we have an incredible gift come at division church his name is nick hall and nick hall if you don't know who that is he leads one of the world's largest evangelistic ministries in this generation nicole a few years ago gathered 100 000 people at the national mall in washington dc he rented out the minnesota vikings nfl stadium and 70 000 young people filled it and thousands came to know jesus christ through the preaching of the gospel he has preached to over 5 million people he is being raised up by the billy graham evangelistic association and it is an absolute honor to have him bringing the word of god right here at vision church on sunday august the 8th so mark your calendars and be here you do not want to miss this and let me just tell you this somebody like nick just doesn't just go anyplace he only goes where he really feels connected and we're blessed to have that evangelistic link with him to be right here anybody excited for that it's going to be powerful it really is but like nick would even get embarrassed by me talking about him like this but the truth is you're gonna leave hearing about jesus and hearing the wonders and the goodness of jesus christ all right if you have your bible we're gonna begin john chapter nine beginning in verse one as jesus was walking along he saw a man who had been blind from birth rabbi his disciples asked him why was this man born blind was it because of his own sins or his parents sins it was not because of his sins or his parents sins jesus answered this happened so the power of god could be seen in him we must quickly carry out the tasks assigned for us by the one who sent us night is coming and then no one can work but while i'm here in the world i am the light of the world then he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud over the blind man's eyes and he told him go and wash yourself in the pool of siloam siloam means scent so the man went and washed and came back seeing his neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other isn't this the man who used to sit and beg some said he was and others said no he just looks like him but the beggar kept saying i am the same one they asked who healed you what happened and he told them the man they called jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me to go to the pool of siloam and wash yourself so i went and washed and now i can see verse 12 where is he now they asked i don't know he replied that's all i want to read to you right there father we thank you so much for the power of your word i pray that you would move in the hearts and lives of every person in this building and watching via the live stream today i pray that i would be hidden behind the message of the cross that you would be strong in my weakness we pray that you would bring revelation truth and understanding to this text god illuminate it help us to see what you've called us to see change our lives today lord it's in jesus name we pray and everybody said amen so today over the next few moments i'm going to be taking john chapter 9 and we're just going to unpack it lesson by lesson thought by thought write down the gospel of john chapter 9. now couple thoughts here really quickly first of all the entire chapter 9 is all about this one miracle where the blind beggar was given sight and first of all like this is a strange miracle i mean jesus spits in the ground and rubs mud all over the dude's face and then he washes it off and now he's given sight and can see this is a truly remarkable story that took place about six months before jesus would ultimately give up his life for us on calvary's cross so what i want to do today is i don't want to come to the text with a preconceived notion or idea i just want to let the text speak to us as it is i want to encourage you when you read the bible when you study it on your own don't just come to the bible trying to get it to agree with what you already think no come to the bible with a blank canvas a heart wide open and let it speak to you let the bible bring life and revelation to you so that's what we're going to do right here the first truth that i want to show you is this the the first point i want to show you is why do bad things happen to good people look at your neighbor and ask why do bad things happen to good people because that is literally the exact question that the disciples were asking jesus here they are walking along the side of the road and there's a blind man begging and the disciples just stroll up on him and they're like hey jesus this dude here that's blind um was it his sin or somebody else's sin his parents sin because we know somebody sinned here because like you know bad things don't happen to good people that was their theology and it's important that you understand that in the ancient world many people had a cause and effect theology they believed that if your life was good and you were blessed and you had money and a good relationship then that must mean that you had found favor with god if your life is good you must be living right but that same theology in the other direction says if your life is bad if your life is in chaos then it must be your fault you must be a sinner and god must be judging and punishing you all right so this is the cause and effect theology that was at play here so first of all let me answer that question why do bad things happen to good people the answer is there are no good people you're like i'm a good person no you're not romans chapter 3 says that none of us are truly good and none of us are truly righteous romans 3 says that when god examines the hearts of the world that none of us are truly seeking after him we are all selfish and we're pursuing our own self-absorbed ambitions and there is nothing good inside of us according to scripture so why do bad things happen to good people well when you find a good person let me know all right but more seriously i want to focus in on this cause and effect theology that the disciples believed in they were like okay if he's in a bad situation then he's a bad dude or his parents are bad but jesus straight up rebuked this theology jesus came up against this mindset and he put the disciples in their place and jesus said no he's not blind and begging because of his sin or because of the sin of his parents he's blind so that the power of god can be demonstrated in his life now listen i know that we read this and we look at the disciples as they have cause and effect theology and we look at that we're like those silly disciples that was so foolish to think that it was because of his sin but the truth is many of us today still believe this and many churches and people all around the world teach that there's cause and effect theology i'm going to give you an example you remember in 2005 when hurricane katrina swept through the gulf coast and it pummeled new orleans louisiana do you remember that there were so many prophets and preachers who said this is god's judgment on the city of new orleans for their voodoo and witchcraft and all that stuff by the way i went to bible college near louisiana near in louisiana near new orleans and it is a wild place all right but like so many people were like see that's god's judgment and some people today look at the wildfires in the west coast in california on fire and these preachers would be like see that is god's judgment on hollywood and california and we buy into it we're like oh yeah go get them god teach them like show them right because everything's perfect in north carolina anyway so like be careful of this cause and effect theology because it's dangerous because it distorts the character of your god the disciples were like surely he did something bad and that's why he's going through a bad season but jesus said that's not why there's a there's a weakness here because the power of god's about to be demonstrated in his life it's important now listen why is cause and effect theology wrong because if we really got what we deserved we'd all be dead if god punished us for every sinful thing and every evil thing that we did homie how many of you know we will all be dead we'll be gone thank god anybody thankful that god doesn't judge us equally to our aren't you thankful that he doesn't just immediately pour it out now i'm going to show you the danger of this thinking and i'm going to tell you why i'm spending so much time on it right now because people with cause and effect theology here's what they think if their life is going well if their bank account is looking pretty good like there's four digits or five they're like i'm doing good right how many of you wish you had four digits or five anyway just keep your hand down i'm just um okay um but what i'm trying to show you is people think that their life is good and they're living deliberately sinful lives but they confuse that because their circumstances are good god must be okay with how i'm living after all god's blessing me after all my life is good you know i'm not i know i shouldn't be living this way i know it's not what scripture teaches i know i'm living a lifestyle of deliberate sin but because my circumstances are good god must be approving and it must be okay i've actually talked to people who look at me and tell me listen preacher like me and god have something worked out we have an understanding no you don't have an understanding all right hear me i've seen people get up here and preach teach and lead worship not necessarily at vision church but at the church in general and they're living a double life and because their circumstances were good because god was still using them because their life seemed to be 75 and sunny they assumed that they could just continue in this sin because after all they hadn't had any negative effect and i want to warn you that you're lulling yourself into a false sense of security your circumstances do not indicate god's approval or disapproval of your life there is one thing that determines a rightful standing in the eyes of god and it's not your circumstances it's your faith in jesus christ hear me the moment that you repent of your sin and ask for forgiveness the moment that you trust in jesus christ by faith scripture tells us that instantly you are justified in the eyes of god you are made righteous by faith you find his favor in that moment every sin has been washed away and now through heaven's perspective you stand blameless sinless forgiven when heaven sees you it no longer sees the mistakes and the guilt of your past it sees christ jesus covering you anybody thankful for the good news of jesus christ it's not my circumstances that indicate my rightful standing with god it's my faith in the finished work of jesus christ and that should encourage somebody today because you may be in here and you may be walking through a dark place you may be walking through a deep valley right now and you're overwhelmed and discouraged and you feel like god has been judging you you feel like god is angry with you you've been looking at your circumstances and you're thinking surely i must be doing something evil and wrong and i just came to tell you that your standing with god is based on your faith not your situation where is that in the bible glad you asked matthew chapter 5 verse 45 it says this he makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike the sun shines on the good and the evil it reigns on the just and the unjust it's not a reflection of god's approval or disapproval of your life now look i want to show you something else look with me in john 9 verse 4. look at verse 4. i'm gonna move on to the next truth the next truth is seize the day look at your neighbor with some attitude and tell them seize the day carpe diem somebody listen hey y'all y'all think jesus said it first you're welcome now i'll be honest with you this is a verse that never gets preached on when we go to john 9. like in fact i'll be honest in my rough draft i left it out but i felt strongly convicted to bring it back listen to this john chapter 9 verse 4. we must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us the night is coming and then no one can work but while i'm here in the world i am the light of the world these are the words of jesus christ again he said this six months before he was crucified on the cross this is powerful and i pray that every one of you leans into this jesus said that while it's the day you need to be about the father's business you need to be doing the work of the father right now while you can because night is coming and when night falls you will no longer be able to do anything else for the father what is jesus saying he's saying that the day represents your life here on earth you're 77 years you're 87 years people are living longer glory to god right but your life on earth is the day that jesus is talking about but the truth is night is coming 100 of everybody on earth is gonna die good news sermon you're welcome jesus is saying that you need to make the day count you need to be about the father's business right now you need to be living for what moves eternity today because when night comes you can't do it any longer now church i'm about to go off on this one i'm about to lose it right here this is powerful do you realize that when you die and you are absent from the body present with the lord you will no longer be able to evangelize to anybody you'll no longer be able to lead anybody else to jesus you won't be able to pray for the sick and they recover because they'll be no more sick you won't be able to make any more disciples you can only do the ministry of the father while it's day here on earth once life is over that portion of your existence dies with it jesus is saying recognize you have an opportunity before you you can be part of heaven's work right now you can impact eternity right now while it is day so be about the father's business so long as the day is shining so long as your heart is beating be about the father's business now some of you may be sitting here like this well now what is the father's business like what is god's plan for my life everybody asks this question i'ma help you right now you ready every one of you has been called or invited to the same mission now each of you is uniquely gifted you have unique abilities to bring about that mission into reality but we all share the same mission i don't care where you come from how long you've been a christian we all have the same mission you know what it is to win souls and make disciples when souls make disciples the church has nothing to do but these two things win the lost and make disciples of those who believe don't you guys love how god keeps it simple for us he like took all like the the commandments the hundreds of commandments and he breaks them down into two he's like look i know y'all can't keep all the 600 of them so just love the lord your god and love your neighbor anybody thankful that god keeps it simple well he does the same thing with your mission win souls and make disciples that's what you're called to do so while it's day live for the kingdom i want to ask you a question you don't have to answer it out loud just think about it introspectively are you living today for what he created you for are you living this moment for him or are you living it for you because the truth is far too many of us are living our day for me myself and i chasing selfish ambition chasing things that are empty at the end but the work of the kingdom is the work of eternity and that is what we should be about like do you like i just gotta hang right here because you're looking at me like you're scared someone's 9 30 did the same thing so you're all right you're in good company do you realize that the church is not about you being entertained do you realize that the church is not about us performing for you do you realize that i'm not here to impress you do you know what my job is my job is to equip you to do the work of the ministry see you think listen the world and even the church thinks it's my job to do the ministry uh-uh it's my job to mobilize the body to do the ministry see the moment that you got saved the moment you gave your life to jesus you became a minister of righteousness in the earth you became a light in the darkness and it's important that you hear what i'm saying to you today because you cannot just accept jesus and go on living your own way either he is your lord and your savior or he is nothing to you at all listen you you can claim to follow jesus but if you don't actually follow him you're lying to yourself like you are a chosen generation a royal priesthood you are the ministers of righteousness in charlotte north carolina that's who you are you're called to win people that you work with live with live beside to jesus christ and then once they believe it's your job to teach them to follow jesus with their life like i need you to know that that's why you're on earth that's why he's equipped you with the gifts he's given you i want to ask you are you living for you or are you living for him because night is coming and there come a day when you can no longer do the work of the lord on earth psalm chapter 90 verse 12 says it this way teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom teach us to number our days it sounds like a little depressing at first but it's incredibly powerful the bible is saying that you should recognize that your life is here for a moment and it is but a vapor it is here today it is gone tomorrow number your days and live with an eternal perspective recognize that you are not going to live forever and what you do today matters how you treat your neighbor matters how you treat the people that you work with it matters this is the day that the lord has made and use it for his kingdom and glory i just gotta hang here you can go and make a ton of money if you want to you can be famous if you want to somebody can build a statue of you if you want to you can build a great business that makes billions and outlasts but you know what all it is is it's sand castles in the waves it's here today it's gone tomorrow you can't take any of it with you everything you work so hard to accomplish it will all vanish there's one work that lasts the test of time and it is the work of the kingdom of god it is not what we leave behind it's who we leave behind it's the it's the work of jesus christ and it's the greatest work that the world has ever known all right i'm gonna keep preaching keep moving here we go we're gonna move down the text i want you to think back to this blind beggar i want you to understand this trouble didn't happen to him trouble happened for him oh i'm trying to talk to somebody this morning it didn't happen to him it happened for him you see the blind beggar refused to be a victim he had every right to be a victim he could have cried around and wallowed in self-pity and said oh my gosh poor me oh what a horrible life i've been what a poor hand i've been dealt can you believe i have to lay here and i can't see anything i don't i don't i don't have the fullness of life he could have literally laid there as a beggar and been a victim all the days of his life but instead he obeys jesus instead of feeling sorry for himself he made up his mind this is not what happened to me this is what happened for me jesus said he was blind so that the power of god could be demonstrated through his life i don't know who i'm talking to today i know life is not fair i know life may have dealt you a bad hand i know you may be in a dark place today and you may feel you may feel disenfranchised you may feel victimized but i came here to tell you the situations and the trials that you face in your life right now they are not things that have happened to you they are things that have happened for you romans 8 28 says that god makes all things work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose i don't know if you heard me the bible says god makes all things work together for your good and his glory did you hear that you got to refuse this victim mentality because so long as you're a victim you'll never be victorious oh that rhymes a little bit that rhymes a little bit so long as you're a victim you'll never be a victor or how you like that all right you got to look at your situation from a different perspective and say it didn't happen to me it happened for me real quick there's some prosperity preachers who would absolutely hate what i'm preaching to you right now there's some prosperity preachers even right here in this city who tell their congregations that god wants you to be healthy wealthy and blessed and live in your best life and the children of god don't shouldn't be suffering i just want to ask him a question have you read the bible because jesus the son of god suffered on a cross 11 of the 12 disciples were martyred for their faith in jesus christ they were his children they were in his will they were about the father's business and they still faced trials and suffering and disappointment somebody needs to tell you that trials serve a purpose my pain it serves a purpose but see my pain can either lead me further away from god or it can drive me straight into his loving arms the choice is yours are you going to look at life as it happened to me crying around or are you going to say no no no what the enemy meant for my evil god will use it for my good it didn't happen to me it happened for me and these tests and trials god's going to make something beautiful out of it yet and my best days are still to come because he who is in me is greater than he who's in the world and if god before me who in this world could be against me [Applause] i want you to look at this just really really quickly there are three things suffering and trials do for you you ready now look this is not popular preaching right here but welcome to vision church number one suffering equips you for the work of the ministry you say what watch this the disciples who were walking with jesus that day they saw the blind beggar and they're just like walking past him and they're like oh he's a sinner definitely a sinner jesus right there that's one and if it's not his sin it was his parents sin for sure jesus they were quick to point out what was broken but they had no empathy and compassion to alleviate his suffering because they hadn't walked where he has walked your pain your trial your suffering equips you with a heart of compassion empathy and understanding for people that are overlooked by religion it is your pain that equips you and compels you to be an effective witness and minister of the gospel of jesus christ to people who are broken you see that addiction that jesus brought you through that divorce that jesus brought you through that miscarriage that god brought you through all of that pain it serves a purpose it allows you to minister to people who are where you've been you can understand their pain in a way that i never could it is my pain that equips me for the work of my ministry your greatest pain and your greatest disappointment will often be the very place god is about to use you we want to look at our testimony and brag and be like oh look jesus did this for me jesus said homie it's not about you jesus did that for you so that you could lead others to right after you to follow him i told you what your mission is is to win souls and make disciples your pain equips you for that work because before anybody cares how much you know they want to know how much you they want to know that you care the next thing that suffering does and trials do they strengthen us they strengthen us i i will just say this real quick um when i played football back in the day like do you guys remember two a days like they've gone soft on everybody now but back in the day like they were like two a day practices in the hot august sun and nobody gave cared if you got water they're just like suck it up right and so like all the suffering like i'm from west virginia there were hills there and they made us run sprints up and down the hills with all the stuff on us and i like thought i was dying but the truth is all that suffering that i thought i was enduring it was building character in me it was making me stronger so on friday nights when it was cool and the breeze was blowing that was nothing i was ready there had been character there had been resilience built in me by the opposition that built what i needed to succeed what i'm trying to show you is that pain and suffering serves a purpose it didn't happen to you it happened for you god is equipping you to be a minister and he's building character inside of you to use you as an effective witness in the earth you say where is that in the bible also glad you asked that romans chapter 5 verse 3 we can rejoice too when we run into problems and trials for we know that they help develop endurance and endurance develops strength of character and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation it builds character in you you are who you are by the grace of god and every storm in every trial has helped develop and add something to you that you needed the third thing suffering and trials do is they correct you they correct you psalm chapter 119 verse 71 david said this it is good for me that i was afflicted that i may learn thy statues oh my goodness david said it was good for me that i was afflicted because then i learned to walk in your ways suffering and trials serve a purpose to drive you back into the loving arms of jesus christ it didn't happen to you it happened for you look at your neighbor tell him it happened for you all right skipping down with me to verse 12. john chapter 9 verse 12. this is powerful and i love this now real quick in john 9 12 the preceding verses the blind beggar is running around telling everybody that jesus healed him he's like going over here to this crowd hey hey you remember me i was the blind guy that's been laying here for like 30 years i can see then he runs over to the to the pharisees he's like hey y'all hey hey listen i'm healed i can see now you know i once was blind but now i see he's running around telling everybody what the lord had done for him he's talking about this miracle god has performed a miracle for me he's so happy to tell it and then one of the pharisees goes well hey where is this man that healed you and he goes i don't know good question i don't know the bible's trying to show you something don't focus on the miracle over the miracle worker because you can get so caught up chasing a miracle that you lose sight of the miracle worker himself church i'm trying to show you something powerful you got to be careful of churches and preachers that all they want to talk about is miracle miracle miracle miracle miracle i'm going to say this i believe in miracles i believe he is a miracle working god i believe he's able i've seen him do it but the miracle cannot become the focus if the miracle becomes the focus you're going to lose sight of jesus one and a half people are excited about that point that's all right i'm with you diane i love you i'm with you all right now look it's important it's important because i'm telling you they're going to be people that come in the name of jesus and preach and they want to make the focus the miracle don't let him do it because this man was so caught up in the miracle he lost sight of jesus the miracle points us to the miracle worker please don't ever get it twisted and here's the danger of modern christianity so many people call themselves christians but they're only in it for what they can get out of it so i'm here for my blessing i'm here for my experience i'm here for this i'm here for that i'm here to get mine or whatever i'm here to be healed and blessed and all that stuff but i just want to say to you like god will bless you god is a miracle-working god but we don't come here for what we can gain we come here to give back our praise to give back our love to give back our adoration to a god who has already paid a high price for us don't ever let the motivation of your life be what can i get from jesus let it be how can i bring you praise this blonde man this is so beautiful this blind man came back and later on in the chapter he found jesus and this time he never let him go and this time he bowed in worship and he praised the living god who was who is and is to come he he poured out his praise on jesus let that be the posture of your heart today it's not about what i can get from him it's about can i bring you praise if he i've said this a million times here's a million and one if he never does another thing for you he's already done more than enough for you to worship him adore him and praise him all the days of your life one more thought right here on don't focus on the miracle if you study john 9 you're going to see something profound four times in john 9 the people and the pharisees asked the blind man how did this happen they were like how did it happen how did it happen how did it happen how did it happen and all four times the blind man is like reciting the story he's like well you see there's this man jesus he spit in the mud he rubbed at my face i washed it off and now i can see he finally gets so tired of telling the story at the end he's like did you not listen the first time but but here's the thing here's the point i want to draw when the world asks you how answer with who i'm trying to show you something when the world asks you how are you able to forgive that person who wronged you don't give them a five-step plan to live in a better life tell them who forgave you that empowered you with the grace to forgive others when the world asks how do you have a peace that doesn't make sense don't answer with how answer with who his name is jesus when the world asks you how do you live the way you live how do you love the people that have wronged you how when the world asks you how our answer is who is jesus christ you with me on that so powerful all right i'm closing now we're landing the plane right here buckle your seat belts prepare for landing that was funny and you know it was all right the last thing that i want to show you in this text is when we read this story some of us come away with different conclusions we read about the blind beggar and some of us when we walk away from that text we we take away okay we should be more compassionate to to the people that are mis less fortunate than we are we should be more compass we draw away all these conclusions right but can i help you see what this is really all about and i pray that if you don't get anything else out of what i'm saying today you lean into right here the thing about this story and the blind beggar is that you are the beggar you see when you read the gospels and you read the word of god often we want to be the hero we want to insert ourselves hey we're one of the faithful disciples you know like we're one of the great we want to be a hero in the text but often in the text we're not the hero we're the one in distress or the one that needs saved we're the blind one we're the lame one we're the naked one we're that one that's who we are and if you don't see that you are the blind beggar in the story you've completely missed it all let me show you first of all the bible said that the beggar had been blind from birth he was born blind now you and i read that we're like well i can see but this is a picture of your spiritual condition and the truth is is that we were all born blind spiritually we were born selfishly with selfish ambition where we thought only about ourselves and what was best for us we were blind to the things of the spirit we were blind to the things of god we were blind to the ways of scripture in fact the bible goes a step further and it says you weren't just blind you were born dead spiritually there was nothing good in us we were dead spiritually lost in our trespasses and in this story it is not the blind beggar who found jesus but it is jesus who found him you see we want to think that one day we just woke up and decided it's time to live right we think that one day we just woke up and we're like you know it's time to go to church it's time to to to put god as the center of our life no no no you did not find god he found you in fact he's been pursuing you all along when you were blind and disoriented lost in your trespasses you didn't know where to go where to begin he came calling your name and some of you as you sit in this room this morning you are that blind beggar you are blind to the things of the spirit you're still living a life for yourself you're living selfishly you're not living for god you're living for you you're blind to the things of the spirit you don't see his power at work inside of your life but i want you to know this morning that he is coming near to you right now you being here today is not an accident or a coincidence jesus is walking towards you today it's not us who found him it's he who came to us thank god that he comes for us anybody thankful that he is the god who comes for us the bible says he's the god that will leave the 99 to find that one we were blind from birth jesus found us and we were born blind not necessarily because of our own sin or the sin of our biological parents we were born blind because of the sin of adam the great fall that fractured the universe in genesis 3 from adam a sinful nature reigned throughout all of humanity that is why we were born blind and that is why we were born with a selfish innate desire to please ourselves all that is in this world is lust pride and greed that was what was that was who we were that was our dna that was our makeup that's all we lived for and some of you right now are still blind and that's what you live for you live for lust pleasures of this world you live for greed material gain and you live for pride for notoriety for people to celebrate you that's still what you're living for if that's what you're living for you're blind you have yet to truly see there's a whole world out here that you have yet to truly taste and know but here's something i love he wasn't born blind without a purpose he was born blind so that the power of god could be seen in his life and every one of us were born sinners so that the glorious wonderful power of jesus christ could be displayed through our life only god can give sight to the blind only god can change the hardened heart of men only god can wash away our sin in our guilt only god can change the course and direction of our life only god you were born blind so that the power of the gospel could be seen in your life people that knew me before jesus all they can do is say that had to be god people who knew my family before they were saved they look at him and say only god could do that but i want you to look at this jesus said pay attention to this jesus said he was born this way so that the power of god could be seen in him what jesus was really saying to the disciples is this blind beggar is a miracle waiting to happen he's a miracle that's just been waiting for this moment his whole life has built up to this moment where he would receive a touch from jesus he's a miracle just waiting to happen do you realize that the greatest miracle of all is not healing it's not physical sight being restored to the blind it's not the lame walking because if god heals your sight if he heals your physical body it's still going back to the grave one day oh but when he saves your soul when he washes your sin away when he forgives you that is a work that the grave can't stop that's a work that the grave can't hold that's a work that is powerless over sin and death that's why the word of god says oh death where is your sting you've been swallowed up in victory some of you in this room right now you're a miracle waiting to happen you've been born blind chasing wandering stumbling in the darkness pursuing lust pride and greed but this morning the master has come and he's calling you by name he's inviting you to be touched and to be given sight one more thing i think there's significance to the dirt that was rubbed in the man's eye i know it's a little bit gross and weird jesus spit in the mud and then rubs the mud in his eyes but listen every time spirit the scripture says something there's a spiritual significance and i believe what jesus and his word are showing us this morning is that true sight begins with acknowledging and seeing our own dirt and our own mess you see the first step in being saved the first step in being born again is acknowledging that you are sinful if you don't acknowledge that you're dirty if you don't acknowledge that you're sinful if you don't acknowledge that lust pride and greed have taken root of your heart if you don't admit you're dirt he won't save you he can't forgive you you've got to confess that you've got to admit it you've got to look and face the dirt in your life oh but if you'll face it if you'll humble yourself and allow him to reveal that dirt he will wash your sins away he will cleanse you and make you whole if you're in this room today or you're watching online and you know you've been you know you're the blind beggar you know that's who you are i was that man he has a new life for you a new beginning that can begin right now i want you to pray with me right now father we come to you in jesus name and we admit that we are sinful and wicked we admit that there is truly nothing good inside of us we admit the dirt and the dysfunction of our own life god we confess our sin to you today and we ask you for forgiveness and we trust in the finished work of the cross of calvary we believe that jesus was born of a virgin mary he lived a sinless life he performed the miracles and he climbed up on that old rugged cross and he took my place in death the nails that were driven through his hands and feet i deserved them he took my penalty he took my sin he took my addiction my affair my lie he took it all upon himself and he who knew no sin became my sin that i may be called the righteousness of god through him i believe that he died and three days later was resurrected from the dead and because he lives and is a risen king i will live forever along with him father change my heart today change my desires help me to love what you love and despise what you despise live through me today help me to be about the father's business so long as there is light in my day it's in jesus mighty name we pray and everybody said amen in just a moment i'm going to count to three and i'm going to give you an opportunity to stand publicly as a response to the gospel that you've heard today and and standing you are saying i was the blind man but today i've been given sight i've been forgiven and my sins washed away you may ask why would you ask me to stand i'm not going to embarrass you but scripture commands that if we would be ashamed of jesus on earth he will be ashamed of us in heaven but any person who would acknowledge him on earth will be acknowledged in heaven every person jesus called to follow him he called to do so publicly this is not a secret faith this is not a secret life to be ashamed of we are not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power unto god through salvation if that's you and you were given sight today i'm gonna count to three and i want you to stand boldly all over this room one two three if that's you i see you i see you it's incredible incredible i see you my brother i see you please remain standing please remain standing for just a moment if you would please remain standing here's the reason your faith is contagious it encourages other people is there anybody else today who's going to stand alongside them and say that's me today i've been given sight a member from our prayer team is going to give you a decision card this is not strange we just want to connect with you because we're a church that's not just here to say good luck we want to live life beside you we want to encourage you you can't live this christian life on your own you can't do it you need a community i want to pray over those of you who are standing and by the way at 9 30 about 10 people stood boldly along with you you're not alone i'm so proud of every single one of you and i want to assure you based on scripture that heaven rejoices over just one of you who would do that today heaven is rejoicing now father i pray for these who have stood today who are bold who have had the courageous faith to say lord that is me i pray god that you would bless them and keep them no weapon formed against them would ever prosper i pray lord jesus that you would disciple them grow them develop them help them define meaningful relationship in this church or a church in this area that preaches the bible i pray lord god that they would grow into strong mighty men and women of god and that nothing would stop them from living out your mission for their life it is in jesus mighty name we pray and everybody said amen vision church why don't you stand to your feet and give the lord praise for all that he's done today and as we get ready to worship one more time those of you who made that decision today i want to encourage you in a few weeks we're about to do baptism on august 22nd the first commandment for all of you now is to be baptized it's the public declaration of the inward conversion also next week school of discipleship begins i want to encourage all of you who stood up today sign up for school of discipleship get in there it will change your life it's not just a course it's an open dialogue where you can bring your questions and and and will respond to you in faith let's love and worship him today he's a good god he gives
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Channel: Vizion Church
Views: 588
Rating: 5 out of 5
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Id: ZmAoT-yStHI
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Length: 54min 35sec (3275 seconds)
Published: Sun Jul 25 2021
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