Two Kinds of Blindness

[Music] go to the book of John chapter 9 I will go back to my Old Testament study it's kind of like the spirit must want me to clear some files address issues and be specific and there's not as much liberty to just preach whatever I want as you might think well connected with John 8 John 9 is John 859 so we'll start there then they took up stones to cast at him that's Jesus they hated Jesus I'm gonna shocking really best person ever lived kindest loving healing beautiful true they take up stones they're gonna kill him what they took up stones to cast at him but Jesus hid himself well how do you know we got a guy that hides himself sometimes you've reveals themselves and sometimes you have to seek him I mean this is another subject for another time but why do we have a God that hides himself everyone said in the Book of Psalms like oh god how long you'd be so far away how long are you gonna hide yourself from me why do we have a God that hides himself if you ever think about it he always gives us just enough of himself to where you know he's real and you can't deny that but never so much that you don't have trial in situation it's a perfect balance and sometimes you can feel like God is sitting right there in the room with you and the next day you might feel like he's a million miles away if there even is a god we got a god that hides himself I think part of the reason why he hides himself is that because he wants to draw us out and to seek Him for even seeking Him process of seeking him is so important for us but in this case he hid himself because they wanted to kill him so they couldn't see him in other words in a way they're blinding it's terrible to be blind but it'd be really terrible to be spiritually blind if you can't see and what is salvation I mean even the most famous gospel song I mean it may as well be America's national anthem I wish it was really amazing grace once we go Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now I'm found was blind but now I see Salvation sing isn't that the truth when it actually comes I mean all said you see and you wonder why did I see that before I've literally heard people tell me that they started to notice birds and flowers after they got saved all the sudden you see God's creation you see other things I saw something I never seen before the body of Christ didn't even know it existed all said boom there's old world out there your eyes get open I saw why Jesus died on the cross as a Catholic I used to look at a crucifix and wonder but when jesus opened my eyes there's just clear as a bell he died for my sins he took my place as a substitute I could see but they couldn't see Jesus because they hated him and wanted to kill him and he went out of the temple going through the midst of them and so passed by they couldn't even see him though he went right by him you know how dreadful they'd be to be so blind that Jesus walked right by you and you don't even see him Jesus doing something right in front of your eyes and you don't see him or Jesus is working in a circumstance or a situation and you think you got to figure it out and you don't even see that it's him it's not everybody else it's not all the bad people of the evil it's yeah you can't see him focus there is two kinds of vision and two kinds of blindness so the next verse because there is no chapter breaking the original Gospel of John as Jesus passed by he saw a man which was blind from his birth and his disciples asked him saying master who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind and believe it or not in that day that was a rational question because most blindness was a result of venereal disease of the parents they didn't put drops and stuff like that like people do now so a lot of blindness came from venereal disease but that still is only a natural question and so Jesus answers in a very unique and often misunderstood way verse 3 3 neither have this man sinned nor his parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him so he doesn't even really answer the question the answer to the question what caused this you would have to go all the way back to the Garden of Eden and Jesus doesn't bother to do that here although Paul does in Romans 5 the answer to every question like that what went wrong how did this person get born blind why is there an earthquake in India why do these people have this disease you can't go back far enough and if you're asking that question about your own life where did I go wrong sometimes people think they got the answer always in seventh grade I looked at a dirty book and ready to smoke to join that's where everything went wrong you have not gone back far enough you got to go back to the garden to find out what went wrong but Jesus is in a different direction here so his answer is that the works of God are gonna be manifest in this man whatever did go wrong God knew about it from the beginning God knew about everything that was going to go wrong from the beginning and God made a provision for everything that went wrong from the beginning we can trust God sin reeks so much damage and so much destruction truly the wages of sin is death and it's downright frightening the power of sin but we should trust God God knew from the beginning the works of God are going to be manifest and he goes on in the next verse I must work the works of him that sent me while this day night comes when no one can work night is coming what's problem with night you can't see especially when back into Israel you know they didn't have like power lights we went to India one time Chris and I out to a village and you could put your hand in front of your face and barely see it okay because it was night and when night comes you can't no one can work and there is a night coming to this world and it's dawning on us very fast I believe we're in a little reprieve but night is dawning and it's coming down and you got to do what you can do while you can and he's also teaching something else to every single human being you take your whole lifespan it's like a whole day it's like a day in a sense it might be a day that lasted 57 years it might be a day that I said 80 years it might be a day less at 12 years might be a day that lasted 10 years but you know what in the human lifestyle you got a morning in together noon and you got a twilight and you got an evening and then you got the black and dark night in other words you only have so much time to respond to God you got to do it while it's light you don't want to wait until it's too dark to do anything he says as long as I'm in the world I am the light of the world you got that right and Jesus Christ at this point in spirit is in the world but physically he's not he's at the right hand of God but he said you are the light of the world you are the spiritual light of the world let me go to the next verse we'll just kind of walk through this way of us spoken he spat on the ground and made stick clay of the spittle and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay now this made everything John calls you back to Genesis it even starts in the beginning okay everything in John starts called you back to Genesis because the idea of the gospel is that there is a there was an original creation and it was good but something happened night fell the fall came so now in Jesus comes a new creation how many are glad for the new creation that's what it says in the very famous verse 2nd Corinthians 5 but any man be in Christ we read it he is a new creation and that's all right that's a true reading Bryce makes us a new creation but what it literally reads is If any man be in Christ behold a new creation what does that mean that means that coming into Christ means that you are participate in the new creation God's making you over God's making me over God's making you over God's making the world over God's making the environment over God is not gonna stop until like he says in the book of Revelation behold I make all things new and I'm so happy about that right the old is passing in the new is coming so he spits on the ground and makes clay well that's like the first the first creation only this isn't a creation but a recreation and he and you talked about intimate he spits yeah when's the last time you ever had a preacher spit on you well now you know why no one sits in the front row [Laughter] that's too close it's too intimate see I haven't made this point before it I'd like to make it again in the first creation there is a distance in everything he says let there be light and by his word light came and let everything come into being all by the command let there be cattle at the big grass let to be trees that there be fields let there be in the ocean let's be the fish but where they came to man he does not create us by command the Creator gets down into the dirt and with his hands he forms us it's so personal it's so close and he does something like mouth-to-mouth he breathed into his nostrils when is the last time someone breathed into your nostrils I hope not too many people do that the breath of life and the woman is even more personal and even more refined but now in the region he spits in the clay and forms clay a paste or something and he puts them over the blind eyes the man and then he said go wash in the pool of siloam now even the names of these places have significance this is the temple tree shakes there's a pool of siloam what is so long mean so long means the scent the scent one the scent one you know other Greek word for that would be that's Hebrew mr. long shallow the Greek would be the Apostle okay Jesus is the one the father sent from heaven to remake us the apostles of Jesus are the only reason you believe you would be blind as a bad foot one for the apostles he committed everything to them ever notice he didn't write a book he committed everything to the twelve and one east his commandment to the man blind go wash in the pool of the apostles now what are your parcels tell us repent and be baptized every one of you and you will receive the remission of sins so the guy makes his way to the pool of Siloam and he washes and it says he said to him go wash of the pool so long which is by interpretation sent and he when is way therefore and washed and he came back seeing mat at the cross at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart washed away was there by faith what I received my sight now I'm happy all the day right and he could see now the neighbors therefore and they which could be which which had seen him that was blind said since the one that said and begged him I can't believe it's him some said this is him others you know he's like him but he said no I'm him there's always an argument in John some people said look that's not him it couldn't be him he's blind as a bat he who sits around begs that's not him he could see now there was no no that's him and he said no I'm the one therefore said they unto him that how are your eyes open that's a good question in that how were your eyes open basically what happened to you how did you change now at first he didn't know that much how were your eyes open he answered and said a man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said unto me go to the pool of Siloam and wash and I went and washed and I received my sight how are your eyes open but there's a man some man out here named Jesus and they said unto Him where is he I don't know do what this is teaching about spiritual sight is that it's progressive he didn't really know that much but he did know Jesus now we know when you start off the Christian life you don't know that much you don't have to thank the Lord you don't have to know everything it's enough to get your eyes open you don't have to know everything but you do have to know that it's Jesus right and for some people that's all they know first it's Jesus where is he I don't know he doesn't even know where he's at and here's where the trouble begins they brought him to the Pharisees that used to be blind I think this is really important to talk about the Pharisees for a minute the word Pharisee means Holy Ones they were the holy they were the ones that could see the best they memorize Scripture and they made it their life's goal to keep all 613 of the laws of Moses they counted them 613 and I mean they'd even keep law you know you read in the Bible about washing hands those are laws that apply to priests for the priestly ministry Pharisees say we're not taking any chances we're gonna wash our hands just like that - they were washing their hands like surgeons before their meals but here's the ironic thing about the Pharisees that people don't get because people look into them as that black hats there are many sects in Judaism in first century when Jesus came the ones closest Jesus in theology were the Pharisees they were the ones that did believe the Bible at least they were the ones that did believe that there was a messiah there's a death there's a resurrection there's a judgment that the Messiah was gonna come so they were the closest to Jesus and yet they thought they knew and they thought they saw so they bring him before the Pharisees and it was a Sabbath day verse 14 when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes Pharisees had a big thing about the Sabbath they think about the Pharisees is that for every one of the laws of God that give commentaries they would have commentaries of the laws of God and then they develop commentaries on the commentaries about the laws of God and then they develop commentaries of the commentaries of the commentaries about the laws of God so they went from really knowing the law of God to being so blind to the law of God that they didn't have a clue let's just give you one example the law of the Sabbath what does the Bible say ten commandments remember the Sabbath to keep it holy it's different than every other day of the week right and six days shalt thou labor and on the seventh out you'll rest for the Sabbath is to the Lord your God hey that's simple and bless it it gives everybody a day off and makes him take a day off and regenerate right Pharisees had 1500 sub laws governing the Sabbath by the time they were through with it you were so glad when it was the next day after the Sabbath you couldn't wait for Sabbath to get over because they made something that was a blessing to God a burden to God people in the modern day do this with the church do this with the Bible do this with witnessing do this with a ton of stuff okay spiritual blindness is a great great danger these were the back to the Bible Movement of the day but they calcified into something so blind that when the word of god came in the midst of them they killed him this is a warning so it was a Sabbath that Jesus made the client opened his eyes then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight he said unto them he proclaimed my eyes and I washed and now I see huh yeah well I'll be happy about that Amen he begged at the temple every day now he's free and could see that should be the point right nope therefore said some of the Pharisees this man isn't of God he doesn't keep the Sabbath he's working on the Sabbath this is a warning where if you get spiritual blindness you can't see the point anymore because you're so focused on the offense you're so focused on the hate you're so focused on the prejudice that you don't even get the point a normal human being let alone a child of God be so happy for anyone to be liberated but the Pharisees experts on the law immersed in the word or in the commentaries on the word back to the Bible movement of the day and when they conclude about Jesus Christ who is the word of God come in the flesh he couldn't be working on the Sabbath I've been a man that is a sinner do such miracles there's a division among them so so far the the guy that was blind says they say who healed yet a man named Jesus the guys that can see go how can this man that's a sinner do such miracles one says he's a man named Jesus He blessed me the others talk about the same man there's a man he's a sinner how could two people to do the same thing and have such totally different kind conclusions about it how can it be so far removed from each other spiritual that's why the Bible says that to him who has eyesight ears to hear more will be given you stay open and stay teachable but DM who doesn't have even what he thought he had will be taken away from him no one can be static spiritually you're either going in to light insight and insight or you're going into darkness no one stays the same way as the Bible says in Proverbs the path of the just is theirs the shining of the light unto the perfect day you begin at the peep of sunlight a Christian life light a little bit alight resurrection light on Easter morning it just keeps going up you should go down that path it just keeps getting brighter and brighter all these years later everything's a lot more clear than it ever has been before what's the other way to the where's the wickedness is the darkness going in deeper into the dark losing their vision as they go they could see it one time they could see it a lot clearer is another time just goes darker and darker and darker no these guys who used to be the back to the Bible movement of the day just called Jesus a sinner verse 70 then they said to the blind man again what do you serve him did he open your eyes what do you think about it well he's a prophet ever before he said he's a man now he's a prophet man he's got to be a prophet what is a prophet a prophet is a spokesman for God prophet of God then she called him a man in the sinner he's no he's a prophet what do you say him that open your eyes is is he a sinner he no he's a prophet but the Jews didn't believe it's concerning him that he'd been blind now this is a clue as to how people become spiritually blind because believe me it's a condition that can happen to any one of us why wouldn't they believe that he was blind pretty it'd be pretty easy to establish city's blind you'd think set by the temple every day is a public miracle everyone that walked by him every day giving him alms they could verify it's the same guy if they don't want to believe the guy can believe everyone but they won't believe no they won't why does that doesn't fit with their narrative they don't want to believe that Jesus is the Messiah so they won't even let obvious miracles testify to it they're committing themselves to a course and they have no idea what the end of it is gonna be which is the deepest darkness you can lose what you once had you cannot see as good as you used to see you're either either on one trajectory or the other you're either going into the greater light or the lesser light and and and these Pharisees who had more light than anyone else in Israel at one time they were the back to the Bible movement the resistance to worldliness they was formed in the days of the hellenization they stood up even they had martyrs among them for the word of God now they're calling the Messiah a sinner and teeth this is a very very deep verse 18 they wouldn't believe that he didn't deadlines it couldn't be it just couldn't be they wouldn't even let themselves think it would not believe that he'd been blind and received his sight until they called the parents of him that had received his sight and they asked them saying is this your son who you say was born blind how then does he now see this is it really scary even the parents get caught up in spiritual blindness is there be anything that you could ever say Wow our lifelong prayer has been answered by God God has sent this prophet Jesus into the house of God and our son was blind from birth can see incredible right you'd think I'd be a no-brainer don't you but they'd already been warned if you give any credit to Jesus you're out of the synagogue now to be kicked out of the synagogue and Judaism is to be shunned is to be rejected it's kind of a form of a living death so they asked him saying is this your son he says born blind how does he now see the parents Anton said we don't know we know that this is our son yes he is and that he was born blind but by what means he now sees we don't know yes they do you think if your son's born blind you can see it hasn't talked with you do you think you're gonna say hey how'd this happen of course you are how did this happen a man named Jesus mom dad he's a prophet but then when they get called up and the Bible says every one of us would be called up to make a good confession then when they get called up these words spake his parents 22 because they feared the Jews well there's a good way to get spiritually blind the fear of man the fear of man is a snare you try to please man you will lose your sight sight is a beautiful gift from God I'm so glad I could see that Jesus is real and that there's a heaven to gain hell the shot but sin is evil but there's a solution to man it's the best thing that ever happened to me you give in to fear man that'll all be taken away people that fear man now churches has accommodate things they know isn't right it's not it's not right but because they want to look good just remember the fear of man doesn't just mean craving terror it also means to regard man in other words to try to get the pleasure of man to try to get the approval of man to try to earn the applause of men that is the fear of man too many many people at once saw losing their sight because they're afraid of losing that child these words he says he's of age ask him let him speak for himself these words speak his parents because they feared the Jews notice that for the Jews had agreed already that if any man did confess that he was Christ he would be put out of the synagogue you know you know what comes to my mind as I read that Jesus said beware of blind guides leaving the blind where does it end up in the pit blind guides leading the blind Pharisees that they were following and they were so eager to please that they actually denied the one who blessed their son now they're going down the same road the Pharisees are going down well we go on you know at first the Pharisees loved John the Baptist the first they believed in him they felt he was speaking for them what's happened what happens now how you start out they finish goes on therefore is said his parents he's of age ask him in 24 then they call the man that was blind and said to him come on give God the praise we know this man's a sinner by the way when they say this man is a sinner they're not saying it the way we say it because one of the problems with Pharisee ISM and first century Judaism they didn't believe in original sin sinner is a technical term to them that means he is a blatant transgressor the publicans and sinners referred to prostitutes tax collectors and in this case Jesus is a sinner to them and they want to make him confess that Jesus is a sinner because Jesus is a Sabbath breaker and of course in their mind a false prophet come on give God the glory confess this this man as a sinner and that's what spiritual darkness is going to try to do to and this is how many are descending in the spiritual darkness you know what political correctness is not just a little irritating fad it's actually a spiritual warfare here's how it works God called us to live in this world to confess to the truth now what truth because there's a lot of truth in there what truth in particular that truth of the spirit of Antichrist is currently can how about the truth about marriage for this cause shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife it's no such thing as gay marriage how about the truth about the exclusivity of Jesus Christ all religions don't lead to heaven there's only one how about the truth about life did anyone see the Senators give each other to high-five after knocking down a law that the Congress passed against late term abortion way to go buddy life we're to confess to it but political correctness which is actually spiritual warfare isn't content just shutting our mouth no they go further they're gonna make you confess to what you know is it true if they can and that is another Avenue into spiritual darkness come on confess Jesus is a sinner give the glory to God he says first 25 he answered and said I don't know if he's a sinner or not I don't know there's only one thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see how he develops this in later debate with them then they said to him what did he do to you how did he open your eyes he answered I already told you you didn't hear and that's a good way into spiritual blindness refusal to hear why would you hear it again you want to be his disciples then they reviled him and said you are his disciple but we're Moses's disciples we know that God spoke unto Moses but as for this fellow we don't know where he comes from now let me elaborate on that because in their way they just said something stronger about it first they said he's a man and he's a sinner he's a false prophet well when they said we don't know where he comes from they're making an allusion there's a scandal that surrounded the virgin birth they're basically saying he is a bastard he is a bastard which is what the rumor was we don't know who his father is he's a bastard see this is the way darkness goes you go deeper deeper and deeper into it you lose sight of who he is and even worse you can't see anything but evil about him or you can't say it just keeps tumbling out your mouth worse abuse of Jesus or the Holy we don't know where he comes from the man answered and said to them why this is a marvelous thing you don't know where he comes from and yet he opened my eyes we know that God hears not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and does his will though that's who he hears all this man just said something stronger about Jesus never first he said I don't know really who he is I don't know where he is his name is Jesus He healed my eyes he's a prophet he's a good man he helped me God hears his prayers because he's a worshipper of God see his site is getting better their site is being taken away now when okay gone if this man were not of God he couldn't do anything it's always clear as a bill to him the answer did sit in them you were all together born in sins and you're gonna teach us let me call him a bastard hey the darkness the hatred the prejudice let me read a passage in the Epistle of John then I'll go back to John 9 so hold your finger there but in first John chapter 2 same apostle yeah this this same this revelation 1st chapter 2 it says verse 8 again a new commandment I write unto you which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is past and the true light now shines how many are glad of that but he that says he's in the light and hates his brother is in darkness even until now he that loves his brother remains in the light and there's no occasion of stumbling in him but he that hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and knows not where he's going because that darkness is blind in his eyes this is real this is the Word of God to Christians go back to John 9 I'm gonna try it he says and 34 they oh they they cast him out 34 they were named well it says they cast him out that means they excommunicated it they put him out of fellowship they banished him from God Jesus heard that they cast him out and when he found him he said unto Him do you believe on the Son of God this time for the vision to be more complete he's a man he healed me don't know where he is he's a good man he's a prophet he's a worshipper of time time to take it up another level he says do you believe in the Son of God he answered and said who is he Lord that I might believe in him and jesus said unto him you've both seen him and it's he that talks with you and he said lord I believe and they worshiped him you know when you know your sight is complete when you worship Him I believe that Jesus is the Son of God I believe that Jesus is the remission of our sins I believe that Jesus is the only way we we're gonna keep on seeing him first forever praise God and Jesus said for judgment I come into this world and I work judgment is a word that means crisis in other words it's a crisis now everything's gonna go one way or the other nothing stays the same crisis means everything goes to the left or the right into the dark or the light there's no status crisis for judgment I came into the world that they would see not might see and they would see might be made blind what well the back to the Bible movement of the day that really got it when worldliness just flooded Israel and when almost no one stood for God they really went back the Bible they really stood for the Word of God they resisted unto death man they could just see so clearly now they're calling the son of God a bastard now they refused to know what they could have seen with their eyes right in front of him this guy really was blind and he really does see and Jesus did it no that's how spiritual blindness comes prejudice you judge a matter before you even have the facts that's the sure guide to spiritual blindness and pride they loved the praise they couldn't believe that John says they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God they're more concerned about what men thought all the matters what men thought they weren't caring about what God thought it's all about what man thinks for good or evil it's looking good false loyalty what we always talk we didn't think of a side be like this yeah well it doesn't matter what we think I mean what's the Bible say nope so you ignore truth even mock truth you can get cynical and think that nothing's true anymore did everything's just a joke this is this is I mean God can heal this God can give us back our sight again this is why I'm always asking God give me back my sight we all have this stuff those that see might not make those who see now might see and those which see might be made blind literally you're gonna blind them it's nothing he's gonna reach out his hand to blind them is the he being who he is their rejection of him their mockery of him their ridicule of him their prejudice against him that's what's blinding him some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words and said to him are we blind also jesus said to them if you were blind you would have no sin but now you say we see therefore your sin remains it's one thing to say you know I don't know I don't get it I got all these passions I got all these ideas I got all these prejudices but really I don't know to notice it I know and I'm gonna ignore everything it goes against my narrative isn't that isn't that what happened um last fall with the left when they shut everyone up from telling them what they really thought so they they that they thought all the poles were gonna left let them have the power and they became hoisted on their own petard they blinded themselves by their own prejudice that's where they had no idea what was coming that is a spiritual shadow what's happening to the whole world father in the name of Jesus open our eyes take us out of the path of darkness turn us around take us away from hatred and Prejudice mockery scorn reproach all the marks of spiritual blindness let us love one another always and let us walk after you and let us admit that we don't see so that we can see let us not be willful we're many things O Lord God we a fandant herd but oh god let us not make each other stumble we ask in Jesus name Amen god bless you all you

Channel: Believers in Grace Fellowship

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Keywords: john, blindness, bill randles

Id: -SfwBTQoXJQ

Length: 46min 34sec (2794 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 01 2018