And then the next day, so it was like Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, another guy out of the blue asked me, an atheist said, George, what are you going to talk about on Sunday?
And I said, well, I'm still trying to figure out a little bit about it, but it's a little bit about, you know, suffering and whether sin causes our suffering.
And he said, my, and then I'm going to leave out the swear words and all that he said, but my bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep.
He said, that's like one of the deepest, that is the deepest question that human beings ask.
Why does, why do bad things happen to good people?
And we had a bit of a conversation about it.
So let's look at the text.
It's John 9.
All three of those types of issues sort of end up, I'm not going to really talk very much about how Jesus can be God, but all three of those things are in this text.
So why don't we just turn and look?
It's John chapter 9 and see sort of what happens in the Bible text in light of these questions and the questions that you yourselves have as well.
John chapter 9.
And it begins like this.
As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
Now, just sort of pause there for a second.
And I didn't know this before I prepared this sermon, but there's a very interesting thing happening at the original language level.
And it's this very few first few words.
John very skillfully does two things.
First, he just says some period of time is now passed from what happened in John 8 to what's happening now.
Just some undisclosed period of time.
Might have been a day.
Might have been a week.
Might have been two weeks.
He doesn't tell us.
Just some time passes.
The other thing he does is in the original language, he uses the same words, a similar word, important word, as in the previous verse.
So he connects the two stories.
And he says, basically, I want you to listen in because what I'm talking about right here is actually connected to what Jesus just talked about,
whether it was a week earlier or a month earlier or two weeks earlier, but it's directly connected.
And in the earlier story, in John chapter 8, what launches the story is when Jesus makes the claim,
I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
And that statement of Jesus that I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
That sort of is what happens in John 8.
And now Jesus, John is saying, this next story, even though it happens a bit later, that listen in, because it's really interesting,
Jesus is going to take this idea and sort of do some really interesting things with it.
And that's how John writes it, very simply.
And I didn't pick up on it in English because it's something that's in the original language.
So read verse 1 again.
As Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth, and his disciples asked him,
Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?
Now just sort of pause there for a second.
He's just asked the big question, hasn't he?
I mean, I have had times in my life, in fact, I've even had times just within the last week
where I wonder, I catch myself, or actually I didn't catch myself at first,
but I found myself drifting into asking, like, are some of these things that are happening to me,
is that because I've sinned?
In fact, it's a very, very human problem for Christians and non-Christians
wondering if what's going on in their life is because they've done some particular sin
or some pattern of sin in their lives.
In fact, for many of you, or maybe not many of you, maybe some of you this morning,
you're really struggling with that.
There's some really, really hard things, some maybe dark things,
some unpleasant things that you're going through,
and your life is filled with this sense of doom that somehow or another
you've done something that makes the unhappiness and the trouble that you're going through
that you somehow or another deserve it.
And you're not quite sure what to do about something like that,
but it can be a very, very...
Some of you this morning, you came here reluctantly
because that really describes your inner life.
You put on the Christian smile and welcome people,
but the smile is on the outside and the inside.
There's a type of suffering and a type of darkness that you're struggling with.
So this is a real question.
They say, Rabbi, in verse 2,
who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.
So how does Jesus answer?
How does he answer?
He answers in a very, very interesting way.
He says in verse 3,
It was not that this man sinned or his parents,
but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
And then listen to this.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
I am the light of the world.
So he repeats this thing that was in John chapter 8.
He makes the claim the second time in a very different context.
I am the light of the world.
It's a very, very, very big, very, very grandiose claim.
Now, I'm going to return to this,
circle back around to these opening verses,
because in a sense,
everything that's going to happen after this
helps to put in context what Jesus has just said.
But it's really important for you to note here
that Jesus doesn't say that suffering never follows from sin.
I mean, that would be foolish, wouldn't it?
I mean, the person who drinks too much,
gets behind the wheel of the car,
and then goes off the road and crashes
and becomes very disabled.
We can see there's a very direct connection there
between a particular sin of drunkenness
and the second sin of getting behind the wheel of a car
and the suffering that they happened.
But Jesus makes the more general comment
that as a general rule,
what does not happen is that there's sin,
and then there's a particular type of suffering
that comes with it.
By saying this, he denies karma.
By saying this, he says that, in a sense,
Buddhism and Hinduism are wrong.
He also says that Islam is wrong,
because in Islam, there is this idea
of this overwhelming fate,
that God has predetermined the course of your life.
And so if things happen to you,
it's all part of God's direct plan.
And nobody can ever make any claim against God
or ask him what he's doing.
There's nothing like the book of Job in the Koran.
And what Jesus is saying here is,
Jesus is saying these whole ways of thinking are wrong,
that what's going on in sin
and whatever is going on with suffering,
the way we're going to try to understand this
is what's going on is that the works of God
might be displayed in that person's life.
But it's not going to be very obvious at first
what that means until we read the rest of the story.
But before we do that,
you know, if you think about it for a second,
anybody can make a claim like that, can't they?
I mean, this is one of the hardest things I have
to try to communicate to people
when I talk about the Christian faith
with those in coffee shops,
is that, you know,
a Christian believes that this is true.
But anybody can make a claim like that.
I mean, you know, Gary could say,
I'm the light of the world.
Dana could say, I'm the light of the world.
You know, George could say, I'm the light of the world.
Well, I don't know, sunshine, you know,
maybe your friends think you're a ray of sunshine,
you know, but that's a pretty big claim.
And like,
and so what's going to happen here
is that Jesus is going to vindicate his claim.
And I mean, he's going to really vindicate his claim
by the end of the story,
but he's going to vindicate his claim.
How?
In a very, very dramatic way,
by doing something that human beings cannot do.
Let's see.
How does it go?
Verse six.
Having said these things, right?
So having said,
I am the light of the world.
I'm the light of the world.
Having said this,
what does he do?
He spits on the ground
and made mud with the saliva.
Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud
and said to him,
go and wash in the pool of Siloam,
which means scent.
So he went and washed and came back seen.
And by the way,
nobody's ever thought that this is,
Jesus believes that somehow spitting in mud
will cure a person who's been born blind.
That's a whole other topic of conversation
to why he might have done that.
But he does this partially just to show
that he can do a miracle in different ways.
He doesn't have to do it all the same time.
And so he does this particular thing.
And the neighbors, in verse eight,
and those who had seen the man
who before as a beggar,
sorry, verse eight,
the neighbors and those who had seen him
before as a beggar were saying,
is this not the man who used to sit and beg?
Some said it is he.
Others said nobody is like him.
And he kept saying,
I am the man.
It's me.
I'm the guy who was there,
you know, that you all saw.
So they said to him,
then how were your eyes opened?
And he answered,
the man called Jesus made mud
and anointed my eyes and said to me,
go to Siloam and wash.
So I went and washed and received my sight.
And they said to him,
where is he?
He said, I do not know.
Now, if you think about this,
this man is a,
it's a very remarkable thing.
It's in fact,
I can't even begin to imagine
what it's like for this man
because he has never seen.
That means he has never seen light.
He, if you were to say to him,
it's bright outside,
there would be no place in his brain
to understand what that means.
He's never seen a color.
Like he doesn't even have a memory of color
or a memory.
In a sense,
he can't even long for color
because all he's ever known
is darkness,
the dark,
his entire life.
So he has no memory,
no longing,
no yearning.
And on one level,
he doesn't even really know
what he's missing on one level.
And so in a very powerful way
and in a very particular way,
Jesus is saying he is the light of the world
and he does a remarkable miracle
to actually bring light
and sight
and openness to this man
who once only knew darkness
and now he knows light.
And,
yeah,
I'll take a minute.
This miracle actually
is a really significant miracle
in another way
because it helps us to understand
a little bit
about how most miracles work.
I mean,
in a sense that
this is a miracle
and it works because
God has the power
and he just does it,
right?
And Jesus doesn't pray
that the man would receive his sight.
He just does it.
He just,
he just,
he just does it.
And in all miracles,
in most miracles,
you see this combination
of things that goes on.
On one hand,
what,
and by the way,
medicine can't disprove miracles
and the more we know about medicine,
all it would do is
it would just increase the wow.
Wow.
This must have gone on.
And I guess,
I don't know if Jeremiah is here today
and maybe he'd be able to tell us
about different ways
that a person might never
have been able to see
and maybe he's missing
an optic nerve,
maybe there's something
actually physically missing
in the eye.
You know,
we don't know what it is.
But what would have happened
is that Jesus would have had to do
an act of creation
within the man.
Maybe there is an optic nerve
which was never there from birth
and Jesus would have created
an optic nerve
where no optic nerve
existed before.
He creates something
out of nothing
within the man.
But you see,
that's exactly what God does
at the beginning,
isn't it?
The beginning of the gospel,
how does it begin?
You know,
in fact,
I quoted this to the guy
trying to understand miracles
and who Jesus was.
I said,
you know,
the gospel begins,
in the beginning was the word
and the word was with God
and the word was God.
He was with God
in the beginning.
All things were made
through him
and without him
nothing was made
that was made.
In him was life
and the life
was the light of men.
And so what,
God makes everything
out of nothing
and Jesus,
who is God,
the son of God,
he makes something
within the man
that wasn't there.
And also,
Jesus would have had to
maybe have removed
something that was there.
Maybe there was something
that was blocking,
something that was clouding.
And so at the same miracle
where Jesus just wills
something to be there
that wasn't there before,
he wills things
that shouldn't be there
that were stopping the sight
just to be gone.
He removes them.
God can bring things
into existence
and he can take things
out of existence
because he is God.
And the third thing
that goes on in the miracle
is that there's inner healing.
Because even in ancient times
they knew
that if a person started to,
if a person's eyes were open,
you have to learn how to see.
Somebody really unhappy, eh?
You have to learn how to see.
It's not just something
that just your eyes are there
and all of a sudden
you can see.
You have to learn.
So it's a very interesting thing.
It shows that the miracle of Jesus,
there's an act of creation,
there's an act of removal,
and there's an inner healing
in the mind
so that the mind,
as soon as the eyes are open,
he's able to see.
For the first time in his life,
he sees red
and blue
and brown
and green.
and the warmth
that he always experienced
at certain times of the day,
he now realizes
is from the sun.
And, I mean,
I'm smiling when I can say this,
but can you imagine
the way his face would change
to all of a sudden
see color
and see faces,
see people?
people?
And so the people
don't believe at first
that it's the same guy.
I mean,
who can heal a man born blind?
And his face even looks
a little bit different.
It really is the same guy.
So some of us might say,
okay, George,
well, that's very easy,
you know,
but people back then
were gullible.
So here's a bit of a timeout.
People back then
were gullible.
We're not,
right?
Like,
we don't have anybody
bothered by conspiracy theories
or anything like that.
We're,
we just effortlessly believe
that a few people
can tweak things
in Facebook
and we, like,
automadons,
like we're robots,
we just vote one way?
Really?
Come on.
Who's gullible?
Like, okay,
you know what?
Being gullible
is a human problem
that's existed
in every age.
Right?
It's existed
in every age.
It's not that we're not gullible
and they were.
And so one of the things
which is so interesting
in this text
is that this text,
12 times in the text,
remember,
this is an ancient biography
of Jesus,
12 times in the text
it's emphasized
that the man had been blind.
And what we see
is an investigation
into
whether or not
he actually had been blind.
And the investigation
is carried out
by skeptics.
It's carried out
by those
in the position
of the elite
who are skeptical.
carry out
an investigation.
And John records it.
Look at what happens
in verse 13.
So the crowd,
they bring to the Pharisees
the man
who had formerly
been blind.
So what they do
is they bring,
you know,
they say to themselves,
I don't know,
we're just all simple people.
You know,
we're just business people.
We're just people
who sweep
and stuff like that.
We're going to bring
this guy
to the educated people,
the people
who understand,
they've learned,
they know how to read,
they know how to write,
they've studied,
and they're in positions
of power and authority.
And if you really want
to know something,
you go to them.
And they know the scriptures
and they know the way
the world works
and they just know
and understand things.
Let's bring this guy
to them.
So that's what happens
in verse 13.
They brought to the Pharisees
the man who had formerly
been blind.
Now it was a Sabbath day
when Jesus made the mud
and opened his eyes.
Uh-oh.
Right?
Once again,
Jesus isn't breaking
the Sabbath.
He's breaking
one of the regulations
that was humanly invented.
Okay?
That's what's going on.
Anyway,
the same humans
who invented it
are a bit pissed off
that he's gone ahead
and done something
he shouldn't have done
according to them.
Verse 15.
So the Pharisees again
asked him
how he had received
his sight.
And the man
who had been blind,
the he,
said to them,
he put mud on my eyes
and I washed
and I see.
So some of the Pharisees
said,
this man is not from God.
He does not keep the Sabbath.
But others said,
how can a man
who is a sinner
do such signs?
And there was a division
among them.
So they said again
to the blind man,
what do you say about him
since he has opened
your eyes?
And the man said,
he's a prophet.
Now,
they all just go,
okay,
well,
I guess he did it.
No,
no,
they're skeptics.
They're just as much
a skeptic
as the next
real skeptic
that you meet.
And so
they said,
verse 18,
the Jewish leaders
did not believe
that he had been blind
and had received his sight.
Why?
Well,
because,
you know what,
back then there were
con men and con women
and there's con men
and con women today.
I mean,
there are,
right?
There's all sorts
of crazy people.
People who make
all sorts of claims.
People who claim
that they were,
you know,
UFOs captured them
and they spent time
and there's all sorts
of crazy people,
right?
Back then and now.
So they're not going
to just take a big claim
like this at face value.
So,
verse 18,
the Jews did not believe
that he had been blind
and received his sight
until they called
the parents of the man
who had received his sight
and asked them,
is this your son
who you say
was born blind?
How then does he now see?
Two questions.
His parents answered,
we know that this is our son
and that he was born blind,
but how he now sees
we do not know,
nor do we know
who opened his eyes.
Ask him,
he is of age,
he will speak for himself.
His parents said these things
because they feared
the Jewish leaders
for the Jewish leaders
had already agreed
that if anyone should confess
this to be Christ,
he was to be put out
of the synagogue.
Therefore,
his parents said,
he is of age,
ask him.
Now,
just sort of pause here
for a second.
This is so contemporary,
isn't it?
This is just so contemporary.
I mean,
the fact of the matter is
is that we always deal
with groups
that are completely
and utterly closed.
I mean,
some of you have probably
been in situations,
maybe you're in the civil service
and you have to prepare
a report
and maybe,
you know,
the deputy minister
or whatever,
somebody like two or three
or four levels above you,
they're telling you
how everything is going great,
everything's going rosy,
and all the other people
who are just underneath
that top dog,
you know,
when she's saying
all these things,
you know,
they don't want
to rock the boat
and you're down
like four levels
below that person
and what she's saying
and you don't want
to put up your hand
and say,
well,
actually,
the program delivery
sucks
and nothing's working
and no,
it's very hard
to do that
when there's groupthink,
isn't it?
I mean,
and it could just be,
you know,
the,
I mean,
I don't know,
you know,
it's just the governor general
of the,
not at the,
who is it,
who just reported
that all of the spending things
of the Ontario government
were way wrong.
You know,
I'm sure,
I'm sure there must have been
a couple of people in there
who knew,
but it's really hard
when all the people in power
are saying one thing
and you know
you're not going to be liked,
it's going to ruin your career,
you're going to be in trouble
if you actually try
to speak the truth.
It's a very human problem.
That's what's going on right here.
In fact,
I wish now
that the first fellow
who asked me
my question about these things,
he had,
he had been formerly
behind the Iron Curtain
and escaped
from the Iron Curtain
and it would have been
a real way
to relate to him
and say,
listen,
you know,
they're dealing right there
with the same things
that you dealt with
when you live behind
the Iron Curtain
and you're allowed
to speak the truth
because it just gets
the powers mad
and that's what's going on here.
There's this,
they're afraid
to speak the truth.
It's a very,
very contemporary issue.
And so,
how is it now?
They've done an investigation.
They know that he was born blind.
And by the way,
this was probably
a very,
very public figure
because there's only
a certain number
of entrances
into a place.
He would have been there
all of the time.
He would have been there
for years
and he would have been
a well-known fellow.
This is a guy,
there's lots of people
who know that he used
to be born blind.
His parents said
he was born blind.
Now he's seen.
So verse 24,
what do they do?
What do they do?
What do the educated,
the elite,
the people in power,
what do they do?
Well, let's look.
So for the second time
they called the man
who had been born blind
and said to him,
give glory to God,
we know that this man
is a sinner.
Isn't that wonderful?
Isn't that exactly
what powerful people do
when the truth
is inconvenient?
Like,
I don't know
what's going on,
but we know
this can't be the truth.
So,
give glory to God
is like calling him
to make a solemn oath.
Like,
if you go into court
and you have to
declare the truth,
the whole truth
and nothing but the truth
or however they word it.
So they basically say,
listen,
we're going to make you
take an oath
and by the way,
before you take the oath,
we already know
what the answer
is supposed to be.
So give us the answer
we're expecting you
to give us.
So how does the man respond?
Verse 25,
he answers,
whether he,
isn't this,
this is one of the greatest lines
I think in the Gospels
and it's in the hymn
Amazing Grace
as well.
He answered,
whether he is a sinner,
I do not know.
One thing I do know
that though I was blind,
now I see.
The inconvenient truth.
One thing I know
that though I was blind,
now I see.
They said to him,
what did he do to you?
How did he open your eyes?
He answered them,
I've told you already
and you would not listen.
Why do you want to hear it again?
Do you want to become
his disciples?
Remember,
this guy had been a beggar
for 25 years.
He knew how to take guff.
He knew how to give guff,
right?
Like,
you know,
they're not pushover
street people,
right?
They know how to give it back.
Like,
they've gotten it
from lots of people.
So,
he's being cheeky now.
Oh,
you want to be his disciple,
eh?
And,
verse 28,
and they reviled him.
So,
you can see
they really are interested
in the truth.
They reviled him.
You are his disciple,
but we are disciples of Moses.
We know that God
has spoken to Moses,
but as for this man,
we do not know
where he comes from.
The blind man
who now sees,
answered,
why?
This is an amazing thing.
You do not know
where he comes from,
and yet he opened my eyes.
We know that God
does not listen to sinners,
but if anyone is a worshiper
of God and does his will,
God listens to him.
Never since the world began
has it been heard
that anyone opened the eyes
of a man born blind.
Like,
this is the most remarkable miracle
in the history of the world.
He's not making any comment
about whether or not
a surgeon could do it now.
That's science.
He's talking about a miracle.
This is the most,
this is an unbelievably remarkable,
this is just a spectacular miracle.
He continues,
if this man were not from God,
he could do nothing.
Isn't that true?
He could do nothing.
They answered him,
you were born in utter sin,
and would you teach us?
And they cast him out.
Kicked him out of the synagogue.
They expelled him.
And,
you know,
this is,
how does he,
how does he respond
to all of this?
I've lost my spot
in my notes.
Actually,
yeah,
this is,
this whole story
actually is going to shed
a little bit of light
into something that happens
at the end of the Gospels
and takes place
in the book of Acts.
See,
there's a really,
I mean,
one of the undeniable
historical facts
about how the Christian faith began.
I mean,
other than maybe
a few Marxists
who live under a rock,
like,
other than a few Marxists
living under a rock,
everybody knows
that Jesus existed,
everybody knows he dies,
even the most hardened skeptics
do not doubt
that he died
by crucifixion.
And,
and yet,
within a short time
after his death,
literally,
and I mean literally
in the old-fashioned sense
of literally
to mean literally,
like literally,
tens of thousands
of people
come to believe
that he had risen
from the dead
in the very city
where the crucifixion happened.
That's an undeniable
historical fact.
It's not as if,
you know,
in most other religions,
there's,
in most other religious movements,
I, you know,
I say,
by the way,
guys,
I'm the light of the world,
you know,
believe in me,
and I suck one of you
into believing it,
and they go,
whoa, okay,
give me all your money,
by the way,
because we have to live on it.
And then, you know,
I suck in a couple of others,
and there's this slow growth.
Now, this is like a spectacular,
this is like from zero
to,
in fact,
what happens in the book of Acts
in chapter two,
the disciples proclaim
that the tomb is empty
because Jesus has risen
from the dead.
He is the one
that the scriptures
had predicted would come
that God had promised,
and the,
is it not just me,
it's going in and out,
right?
A little bit?
Okay.
And the Bible says
that 3,000 men
are baptized that day,
and what that means for,
I don't know why
they just said men,
that means it might have been
10,000 or 12,000 people,
and then like a week later,
there's another 2,000 added to it.
That means there's like
maybe 10,000 people.
That means like within
like a month and a half,
there's like 20,000 Christians
in Jerusalem
who all believe
that Jesus rose from the dead.
So on one hand,
this miracle helps to put
a little bit of light on that,
that on one hand,
I mean the man comes to believe
as we're going to see
in a moment, right?
But then some people
just refuse to believe.
The problem isn't evidence,
it's just an absolute,
complete, utter,
willful refusal to believe.
And that goes on
in all of our lives.
But look how it happens
with this man.
Verse 35,
Jesus heard that they
had cast him out,
and having found him,
he said,
do you believe in the son of man?
And the son of man
is from Daniel.
It's sort of a figure
that it's hard for Jewish people
to read that text
because it basically sounds
like Daniel's describing God.
And he's called the son of man.
It's in the book of Daniel.
And the man answered,
and who is he, sir,
that I may believe in him?
Jesus said to him,
you have seen him?
And it is he who is speaking to you.
And he said,
Lord, I believe.
And he worshipped him.
Just so you know,
that word worshipped
is the exact same word
that's used in John 4
when the woman at the well
says to Jesus,
are we supposed to go
to worship God
in this mountain
or in Jerusalem?
Same word.
It means worship
as God.
And verse 39,
Jesus said,
for judgment I came
into this world
that those who do not see
may see
and those who see
may become blind.
Some of the Pharisees
heard these things
and said to him,
and by the way,
when I say these next words
in the original language,
it's scornful.
It's not like,
good grief.
Are you talking about me?
It's like,
who are you?
Who are you?
You ignorant hick.
Who are you,
you ignorant hick,
to call me blind?
Like, how dare you?
You're hardly smart.
I mean,
you don't have the education.
You don't have the smarts.
You don't have the connections.
You don't have the family.
How dare you?
That's how we're to hear,
are we also blind?
It's scorn.
It's a sneer.
It's a put down.
Jesus said to them,
if you were blind,
you would have no guilt.
But now that you say,
we see,
your guilt remains.
So what's going on here?
Just to sort of wrap this,
what's going on here in this story?
It's a wonderful story,
isn't it?
And, you know,
the most important thing
I can do to you
is help you to hear the story
because the words of the Bible
will do its own work in you
if you just hear the story.
But here's the first thing.
If you could put it up,
Andrew,
what Jesus is saying
is that every human being
is blind from birth.
Jonathan,
you are blind from birth.
Daniel and Christine,
you are blind from birth.
Don,
you are blind from birth.
George,
I was born blind.
Every human being
is blind from birth.
You know,
it's a very,
very wonderful thing.
If this starts to grip us,
if this was the only thing,
by the way,
it would just be
unbelievably depressing.
Obviously,
this story says
a whole lot more.
But it's a very,
very,
very wonderful thing,
you know.
how is it
that we could possibly
share the gospel
with somebody
who has maybe
an ideology
or politics
that we just abhor,
a lifestyle
that we think
is completely wrong?
Well,
if this grips us,
there's a real power.
You know what?
Because that person,
you know,
that we just think
is so wrong
or so evil,
you know what?
Me and him
or me and her,
we're the same.
we were both born blind.
We're both born blind.
This text isn't saying
that Christians
were born seen
and that other people
are born blind.
This is saying
every human being
is born blind.
It's a very,
very powerful equalizer.
I mean,
I have to confess
that I have fear
about trying to share
the gospel
with some people
and I,
in fact,
just a couple of months ago
the Lord convicted me
that why was it
in a coffee shop
that I,
I'm just going to be
really honest with you.
Why is it
in a coffee shop
I invited three people
to consider coming
to one of my Easter services
but the fellow,
the gay fellow
who was in a partnered relationship
I didn't invite him.
And it,
and it,
and the Lord convicted me
of sin.
Like,
why did I do that?
Why did I have
that sin of omission?
You know,
the fact of the matter is
is that every human being
is born blind.
And,
and here's the second thing,
the hard part for us
is that,
well,
why doesn't Jesus
just heal our blindness?
Like,
why does it,
he's up in heaven,
why doesn't just heal,
heal your blindness,
heal your blindness?
Well,
I really,
I have to confess
that sort of,
that question
struck me this week,
especially as I'm trying
to figure out
how John 9
fits in with the rest
of the book
that why it goes on
to the death of Jesus
on the cross
and his resurrection.
And then,
believe it or not,
I got,
I got help from the movie
The Guardians of the Galaxy
Volume 2.
I'm not making that up.
I really was.
I was praying to the Lord.
Why is it?
Why is it,
Lord,
like you don't just heal?
And,
you know,
one of the things about prayer,
I'm a real slow learner.
Some of you folks
are really good at prayer.
So pray that I learn
how to pray better.
But one of the things
I try to slowly learn
is that when you ask
a prayer of God,
often he puts a thought
in your mind right away
and often it's the answer.
I don't like the answer.
I keep thinking
for something else.
So I've been praying
about this for several days.
Nothing's coming to my mind.
All of a sudden,
Volume 2,
The Guardians of the Galaxy
comes in.
And what comes into my mind
is how Drax defeats
the monster
towards the beginning
of the movie.
And if you've seen the movie,
it's a silly movie.
But there's this big monster
and all of the
Guardians of the Galaxy
are fighting the monster.
And it's very, very funny.
The little cute Groot
is dancing to some music
while all these,
they're all being thrown
all over the place.
And finally,
the only way
that the monster is killed
is Drax,
with his swords,
gets eaten.
And he kills the monster
from the inside.
And that's the second point
you would put it up.
But some things
can only be defeated
from within.
You know,
it's especially true
if love and truth matter,
isn't it?
I mean,
what's one of the things
that makes us feel
that we are loved
is when somebody
has this bit of a sense,
you can tell
that they know
what it's like
to be within.
Like love
works from within.
Like you can see
one teacher
maybe with a kid
who's crying
and all they do,
they don't really love the kid,
so they just tell the kid,
shut up,
smarten up,
you know,
and if the strap
was still allowed,
you know they'd give
the strap to that kid
right then.
But other teachers,
they know there's something
going on in the kid
and they love the kid
and they want to know
what's going on
within the kid
and they ask the question
and they come and put
their arm around them
because,
you know,
if love matters,
often in love,
it has to be dealt with
from within.
Same with truth,
isn't it?
Real truth
doesn't coerce.
Real truth
doesn't coerce.
Real truth
is allowed
to work within.
And to God,
love and truth
really matter.
He really does love you
and he loves me.
And so some things
can only be defeated
from within.
And that's why
if you could put up
the next slide,
Andrew,
that on the cross,
death and darkness
devoured
the light of the world
to their doom.
that's what happens
in John 19.
In John 19,
it is the light
of the world
who's hanging
on the cross.
The light
of the world
is hanging
on the cross
and sin
devours
him
in a sense.
Darkness
devours
him.
death
devours
him.
But you know
what's just so interesting?
This is why
the resurrection
is so important.
It isn't that
death and darkness
devour
Jesus
and then
it's like
they go,
oh,
he doesn't taste
very good.
Vomit
him out.
That would still
leave death
and darkness
raining,
wouldn't it?
they don't
vomit
Jesus
out.
They are
doomed
when they
swallow
him
and devour
him
and they're
defeated
in his
resurrection.
The light
of the world
conquers
darkness
and the light
of the world
conquers
dark
and light
is essential
to life.
And in the same
way for you
and me,
I,
like you,
was born blind.
And you know
what?
If we are honest,
every single
human being
is a little bit
a walking
darkness
and every human
being in some
way is a,
not in every
human being,
in the most
literal sense
is a walking
death.
It's the one
thing we know
that will happen
to us that's
inescapable
is our death.
And Jesus,
the light of the
world,
has to enter
in.
And burst
asunder
the darkness
and death.
He has to
enter in
to defeat
it from
within,
to deal
with our
darkness
and to deal
with our
death.
If you could
put up the
final thing,
the light
of the world
enters in,
my eyes
are opened,
sight is
given,
and the light
shines within
where darkness
used to rain.
The light
of the world
enters in,
my eyes
are opened,
sight is
given,
and the light
shines within
where darkness
used to rain.
You know,
first of all,
one of the things
about the gospel
which is so
wonderful is the
already not yet,
and that we need
to understand
all the time
with the gospel.
On one hand,
this is exactly
literally true.
When you invite
Jesus into your life,
the light of the
world comes within.
And that's a
possession now,
the light of the
world,
that's uncreated
light,
eternal light
now comes and
lives within you.
And that,
it will never
leave.
How can you
remove uncreated
light?
How can you
remove eternal
light?
And in a sense,
when we die,
all that will
happen is that
that promise of
that eternal
life and light
and uncreated
light that's within
us,
it just,
it carries us
through the
valley of the
shadow of death
into a brighter
future,
the new heaven
and the new
earth.
But that's the
already,
but on the other
hand,
there's the not
yet,
isn't there,
where we still
have to have
God's will
because he
respects us
and loves us.
There's time
when I have to
let the light
of the world
to shine
within the
different things
of my shame
and my confusion
and my darkness
and my suffering
where I really am.
And it's that
already,
not yet.
But there's two
other things,
which I know
it's already
41 minutes,
but just very
briefly,
if you could
go back
and look at
those early
verses,
they're very
precious.
Chapter 9,
verses 3 and
following,
it was that
Jesus says,
it was not
this man's sin
or his parents,
but that the
works of God
might be
displayed in
him.
We must
work the
works of
him who
sent me
while it
is day.
Night is
coming when
no one can
work.
As long as
I am in the
world,
I am the
light of the
world.
And one of
the things
which is so
powerful about
this is that
Jesus says
here,
this person,
don't think in
terms of whether
this man's
sin or his
parents.
You know what
happens when we
think in those
terms?
It creates
pride and
inaction,
doesn't it?
Like if I
think,
oh, look at
that poor street
person,
or look at that
person who's
suffering,
just imagine the
terrible things
they've done in
their lives to
lead them to
that,
and look at
me.
Like I'm
healthy.
Like I have a
house.
I have a
beautiful wife.
I have kids.
Like just think
how good I am.
And like they
deserve what
happened to
them.
That's what
happens when
you get caught
up with fate
and karma.
It just,
it furthers
pride.
It creates
hardness of
heart.
It creates
distance from
human beings.
But what does
Jesus say?
Don't think in
terms of sin.
What should
you think of?
Think of how
the glory of
God and
the works
of God
can work
in them.
What is
that saying
to me?
Walk
towards the
person.
Walk
towards the
person.
Walk
towards them
to bring
a comforting
arm,
to sit
with them
in their
suffering,
to deal
with them
and to
bring some
relief.
That's
why we,
that's,
that's why,
that's why
you have
people who
go to
Angola
and that's
why you
have people
who work
amongst the
poor and
that's why
you have
people who
work,
we walk
towards them.
The gospel,
one of the
implications of
the gospel is
you walk
towards the
person,
you walk
towards the
suffering.
And then the
final thing,
the works,
what is it,
we must work,
but the works
of God might be
displayed in him.
It means that it
is possible that
there is meaning
in suffering
and that God
can redeem
our suffering.
that's what it
means.
Sickness
and failure
and death
can have
meaning.
That even
if you are
very old,
your life does
not have to
be a waste.
You do not
have to listen
to how the
world puts
you in your
place and
calls you and
labels you
failure.
And your
life never
passed.
That no matter
what point in
time that you
have given
your life to
Jesus and
the light
comes into
the world,
that that
light can
begin to
redeem your
suffering and
give meaning
to your life
and that God
can use you
with your
messy past
and your
messy present
to bring
him glory.
To bring
him glory.
as the
light of
the world
shines within
you and
shines through
you.
You are
not a
failure
when you
put your
faith and
trust in
Jesus.
He can
and will
redeem
even the
darkest
things about
you and
turn them
to great
glory.
There was
a same
sex attracted
man in
a church
that I
had a
long talk
with a
couple of
years ago
and he
was saying
to me that
he couldn't
understand how
it is that
he could be
called to be a
Christian.
This was in
another city.
I wasn't able to
have a follow-up
with him although
I gave him a
recommendation for
a church.
I never knew
what happened
to him.
And I said
to him,
you know,
I don't know
how God is
going to
exactly redeem
what goes on
in you but I
know he
will.
And you
know,
I said,
men like me
who are
heterosexual,
we have
sexual problems
and life
isn't just a
bed of roses
just because
I'm opposite
sex attracted.
But here's
what I do
know.
Who knows
what
unbelievable
things you
can accomplish
for God
when you
let Jesus
into your
life and
you choose
to be
faithful.
Who knows
out of your
struggle to
remain faithful
what works
of literature
or poetry,
who knows
how it will
soften you
for his
passion in
ways that
will shock
and astonish
the world.
Who knows
only the
Lord knows
what greatness
might flow
from you
allowing the
Lord in
and the
faithfulness
to follow
him.
But I
know that
he will
redeem.
what goes
on in
your life
if you
trust in
him.
I don't
make that
claim as
a human
being.
It's what
the Bible
tells us.
Please
stand.
if you're
here and
you have
never given
your life
to Jesus
there is
no better
time than
right now
to just
to say
Jesus
for the
light of
the world
please come
into my
life as
the light
of the
world
and shine
your light
in every
aspect of
who I am
and make me
yours.
There is no
better time
than now
just to say
that in the
words of
this scripture
and for
every one
of us who
are struggling
with different
parts of
darkness
there is no
better time
than now
than just
to say
to Jesus
Jesus I have
been struggling
with this
darkness
Jesus I
just bring
your light
to bear
and help me
Lord to
follow the
light
to know what
it means to
follow the
light in this
particular case
help me to
trust that as
your light
comes into
that which is
dark that
and as
you lead
in terms
of the
light coming
into the
darkness
that your
light will
only bring
life where
there is
darkness
Lord I
believe help
me to
believe more
and just
shine your
light in
those dark
areas of
my life
in those
areas that
aren't
dark
Lord I
thank you
so much
for the
light that
is there
I thank
you so
much that
the light
does not
reign within
me
I mean the
darkness
does not
reign within
me anymore
that you
the light
of the world
reign within
me
do that
business with
God
Father pour
out your
Holy Spirit
upon us
pour out your
Holy Spirit
upon us
draw us
again and
again to
the gospel
draw us
again and
again to
Jesus
thank you
Father that
the light
of the world
was devoured
by darkness
on the cross
and that you
defeated the
darkness and
the death
and sin
from within
for us
thank you
Lord for
that great
victory
for us
thank you
that the
darkness
will never
put the
light of
the world
out
you have
conquered
and you
offer to
live within
ordinary
human beings
like us
forever
to fit us
for the light
Father thank you
for Jesus
Jesus thank you
for what you
have done
for us
and all this
we ask and
thank you
in Jesus
name and
all God's
people said
Amen