WEBVTT

00:00:00.520 --> 00:00:07.740
 Good morning, Watermark. That's good. That's good. For those of you who don't know me,

00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:13.720
 my name's Chris. I am one of the pastors here at Watermark, and it's just exciting to be

00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:19.500
 here again. I know it's still warming up a little bit, but I pray that God's Word would

00:00:19.500 --> 00:00:25.900
 actually warm our hearts this morning as we really get into His Word together. Actually,

00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:37.079
 let me just pray for us first. Father, I just thank You that You're a God who speaks.

00:00:38.179 --> 00:00:44.299
 You're a God who hears us. You're a God who knows us. And I pray, Lord, this morning You

00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:51.140
 would open our eyes to see You. Open our eyes to see who You are and to live in the light

00:00:51.140 --> 00:00:55.780
 of the beauty and majesty of Jesus. In Your name. Amen.

00:00:57.859 --> 00:01:05.060
 Okay. It's been a crazy week in many ways. We've had a stock market crash. We've had kids

00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:10.599
 who are just being off school because of flu. There was the bus crash yesterday in Hong Kong.

00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:16.620
 But it's been a crazy week in many ways. And one of the reasons why we're going through

00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:22.859
 this series on who is this man is because we do live in a world which is filled with

00:01:22.859 --> 00:01:29.260
 all kinds of insecurity, all kinds of things that are happening around us. But when we

00:01:29.260 --> 00:01:35.100
 encounter Jesus, it changes our perspective of everything that's happening in this world.

00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:41.540
 Whatever you see on the news, when you encounter Jesus and see Him for who He really is, you can

00:01:41.540 --> 00:01:48.920
 see with a new perspective. And so when we looked at last week at Nicodemus, we looked at a guy

00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:54.960
 who thought as a Pharisee that he could be in a right relationship with God if he just kept the right

00:01:54.960 --> 00:02:01.280
 rules. If he just did good things, then he could kind of make his way up to God. And Jesus came and

00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:06.700
 said to him, basically, you've got no way of getting up to God. The only way that you can be in

00:02:06.700 --> 00:02:11.780
 right relationship with me is because God has come down to you in Jesus Christ. And He wants a

00:02:11.780 --> 00:02:17.939
 revolution in your heart through faith in who Jesus is. That's what we looked at last week.

00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:23.539
 And so this week, we're going to look at this amazing story. I love this story. This is just a

00:02:23.539 --> 00:02:29.640
 great story about, in John 9, about this blind man. And so we're going to dive right into the story.

00:02:30.099 --> 00:02:34.819
 If you've got your bulletin open in front of you, just follow along. I'm going to track through the

00:02:34.819 --> 00:02:38.919
 story. And we're going to look at a few different categories. We're going to look at the blind.

00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:43.639
 We're going to look at Jesus giving sight to the blind. And we're going to look at four responses

00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:50.000
 that John goes through in this passage. Okay? So that's where we're going. So first of all,

00:02:50.019 --> 00:02:56.840
 the blind. Jesus is walking along with His disciples in Jerusalem. And then it says,

00:02:56.840 --> 00:03:06.640
 as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. Okay? He saw a man blind from birth. I don't know

00:03:06.640 --> 00:03:12.960
 about you. When I am passing by in my work and I'm going, I don't see people around me. I just think

00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:17.860
 I'm late. And I just see, okay, there's 10 WhatsApp messages. I've got a whole lot of stuff to do. But

00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:29.440
 Jesus sees this guy. He sees this guy. And He sees that He's blind from birth. That means He has never

00:03:29.440 --> 00:03:37.180
 seen the light of day. He has never seen the sun. He has been in darkness all of His life. This is

00:03:37.180 --> 00:03:43.520
 what John's trying to tell us through this story. Because in John's gospel, darkness and blindness are

00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:51.460
 both physical and they are spiritual. And so John is going to draw us through and show us that

00:03:51.460 --> 00:03:59.460
 every single one of us is actually like this blind guy in relation to God, in relationship to His

00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:06.800
 purposes in the world. We're blind. And John knows what the Old Testament says. So there's a passage in

00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:13.120
 Isaiah. It says this. It says, we hope for light. And this is the people of God who'd gone away from

00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:20.600
 God. He says, we hope for light and behold darkness. And for brightness, but we walk in gloom. We grope for

00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:27.220
 the wall like the blind. We grope like those who have no eyes. For our transgressions are with us.

00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:35.199
 We know our iniquities, transgressing and denying the Lord and turning back from following our God.

00:04:36.579 --> 00:04:42.060
 See, the people then had walked away from God who was meant to be their light of direction,

00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:47.199
 of purpose, of purpose, of truth, of hope, of how to see in the world. They had walked away from Him.

00:04:47.420 --> 00:04:53.519
 And they were like people where the lights had gone off. And they were now groping around trying to find

00:04:53.519 --> 00:05:03.480
 truth, trying to find how to find meaning in their world. And so that's the context where John then comes

00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:12.400
 in. And he shows you a couple of blind people, the disciples. And the disciples, what they're doing,

00:05:12.460 --> 00:05:18.540
 they don't see this man. All they do is they're judging this man for his suffering. And what's

00:05:18.540 --> 00:05:26.220
 their question? Their question is, okay, whose fault is this for the suffering? Okay, was it this man who

00:05:26.220 --> 00:05:35.040
 sinned or was it his parents? Because one of them sinned. And Jesus replies, you focusing on the cause

00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:41.580
 gets you nowhere. Playing the blame game doesn't get you anywhere. You need to see purpose in this.

00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:50.380
 This happened that the works of God might be displayed in him. You see, this man's life is to

00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:55.939
 be like a billboard. You know that there's huge billboards in Causeway Bay. You know, have you seen

00:05:55.939 --> 00:06:02.920
 the new one with the big screen that's moving? It's crazy. That's what his life was meant to be

00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:13.439
 with a big sign saying, God at work. Displaying in full HD quality the glory of God, His goodness,

00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:19.899
 His kindness, His power, His ability to take those who are broken, who are blind, and to restore and to

00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:27.060
 heal and to change them. You know, that many side of beauty that Kevin talked about when he talked

00:06:27.060 --> 00:06:32.179
 about the glory of God a few weeks ago. Do you remember that? That's what he was meant to display

00:06:32.179 --> 00:06:39.659
 in his life. But how often are we like the disciples and we're just simply playing the blame game and we

00:06:39.659 --> 00:06:46.459
 don't see this bigger purpose? You know, we don't see because we're saying, oh, well, if you hadn't put

00:06:46.459 --> 00:06:52.779
 stocks, money in those stocks this last week, we'd be in a better position now. We're saying, okay, if I

00:06:52.779 --> 00:06:59.240
 hadn't given into that temptation, then I wouldn't be in the mess I am now. If I had a better boss, then I

00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:04.139
 wouldn't be in this situation. And it's all the blame game we play again and again and again, but it

00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:10.839
 doesn't get you anywhere. Because right in the midst of whatever you're going through, frustrations and

00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:17.479
 disappointments, struggles, suffering, Jesus wants to show purpose and hope. And he wants you to see

00:07:17.479 --> 00:07:25.839
 and to be a display of his glory as you see him. But we're often blinded by our own perspective in life.

00:07:27.579 --> 00:07:30.179
 And so Jesus goes on. He says, verse four,

00:07:30.180 --> 00:07:39.740
 night's coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

00:07:40.939 --> 00:07:46.920
 I don't know if you see, Jesus has switched from the man to the bigger issue of darkness in the world.

00:07:47.480 --> 00:07:54.379
 And what Jesus is saying is every single person in the world is as blind as this blind guy in front of

00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:59.340
 me. And you know, there were many other religions and philosophies around at the time of Jesus.

00:07:59.339 --> 00:08:06.799
 Jesus. And he's going to say to them, none of them will give you 2020 vision of God, of yourself,

00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:13.500
 of your circumstances, or the people around you. Because only God knows the depths of your heart.

00:08:14.099 --> 00:08:20.699
 And only God knows where he wants to take you. And the only way you're going to see that is when

00:08:20.699 --> 00:08:27.799
 you see that I am your light. I am the light of the world. And he's not just one out of a lot of other

00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:36.519
 lights. You know, choose your light. He's not that. He says, no, I am the light, the light of the world

00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:43.299
 in a world which is blind. That can be offensive to many of us. But Jesus repeats it in the book of

00:08:43.299 --> 00:08:50.180
 John at least twice because he wants us to see this. Now, one of the things that I think we sometimes

00:08:50.180 --> 00:08:54.259
 struggle with, it doesn't matter whether you are a seeker or whether you've been a Christian for a long

00:08:54.259 --> 00:09:01.159
 time, we struggle with the idea that maybe we're blind. I do. You see, I was walking along the other

00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:06.299
 day over Footbridge in Shion One. And you know, it's one of those ones where everyone is walking

00:09:06.299 --> 00:09:10.439
 down on the right-hand side so people can walk up on the other side, you know. And everyone's doing

00:09:10.439 --> 00:09:16.080
 that obediently. But there's one old guy with two bags who decides he's just going to go down the left

00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:21.200
 side. And so he's walking down the left side and everyone else is trying to push past him, get past him.

00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:28.200
 He doesn't care. He's going straight down. And then up the other way comes this other big tall guy,

00:09:28.340 --> 00:09:33.960
 respectable looking, comes up, starts walking up and he comes face to face with this other older guy.

00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:39.460
 And he's trying to get past him. The other guy's not leaning past. And they're just eyeballing each

00:09:39.460 --> 00:09:45.420
 other. You can see the egos flashing. You can see steam coming out of the taller guy's mind. He wants

00:09:45.419 --> 00:09:51.979
 to punch this guy, but he's too respectable. So eventually he kind of submits and moves down

00:09:51.979 --> 00:09:57.019
 kind of angrily, kind of comments under his breath. Oh, I can't believe him. And he walks on,

00:09:57.500 --> 00:10:06.099
 filled with love and compassion and joy. Not. I think he despised that guy, right? And as I'm

00:10:06.099 --> 00:10:10.459
 watching on and I'm looking at this scene going on and I'm trying to call the other guy to come over

00:10:10.460 --> 00:10:17.600
 and he's not listening. And I'm thinking both of these guys are idiots, right? I mean,

00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:22.500
 they're just so blind. They can't see what they're doing. Aren't they stupid? And then

00:10:22.500 --> 00:10:29.420
 suddenly I went to, I started walking away and suddenly I, I remember that I was twitching on

00:10:29.420 --> 00:10:33.519
 a passage about blindness. And I thought, who's blind here?

00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:42.759
 The guy who walks down, he's blind. He can't see just how selfish he's being. The guy who's coming

00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:48.720
 up, oh, he can only see the other guy's sin. He can't see his own anger and can't see his own

00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:54.279
 frustration, his own judgment of the other guy. And me, I'm judging all of them.

00:10:54.279 --> 00:11:02.519
 And I can't see it because I, we all feel so justified. The guy walking up, he feels justified

00:11:02.519 --> 00:11:13.240
 by the other person's sin to be angry and to be hateful. And you know what? I realized

00:11:13.240 --> 00:11:20.159
 sin often leads to sin, often leads to sin. And the cycle continues. Think every marriage,

00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:28.939
 every workplace, every school, that's what happens. And we can only see each other's sin.

00:11:29.339 --> 00:11:30.799
 And we rarely see our own.

00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:40.179
 We can't see that actually each of those guys, they need a savior to save them. I need a savior

00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:46.120
 to save me. And deep down, we long for love. We long for tolerance. We long for forgiveness

00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:51.240
 and peace. But what the media doesn't tell you when it talks about tolerance is the greatest

00:11:51.240 --> 00:11:56.240
 barrier to tolerance in our world and love is not more education. It's not more equal

00:11:56.240 --> 00:12:03.720
 opportunities. It's that we need light because we're blind to ourselves. And the worst thing,

00:12:03.779 --> 00:12:09.899
 the most blind thing is we think everyone else is the problem. Right? Just think in your marriage,

00:12:09.899 --> 00:12:15.980
 just thinking, isn't it? Everyone else is the problem. And that's why we blame and judge everyone

00:12:15.980 --> 00:12:28.459
 like the disciples, because we don't see. And Jesus says, this world is so dark that even when the light

00:12:28.459 --> 00:12:38.779
 comes into the world, they're going to try and snuff me out like a candle. Night is coming. When your light,

00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:46.419
 Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, the one person who has God's 2020 vision, who can bring you light into this

00:12:46.419 --> 00:12:55.000
 blind and groping world, you will seek to kill him on a cross. And you'll feel absolutely justified in

00:12:55.000 --> 00:13:06.279
 doing it. And we think that 2,000 years ago, that was just gone in the past. But every single day,

00:13:06.279 --> 00:13:12.539
 when I'm not looking for God's glory to be displayed in my life, but I've made it all about me,

00:13:13.199 --> 00:13:24.679
 I'm seeking to snuff Jesus out of my life. Because I'm blind and I need light in my life. Anyone like me?

00:13:24.679 --> 00:13:37.179
 That's the blind. We then see as this story carries on that Jesus gives sight to the blind. This is

00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:44.359
 beautiful. You see, right after Jesus says, I'm the light of the world, what does he do next? He doesn't

00:13:44.359 --> 00:13:51.059
 say, okay, I just came from the world. He switches right back to the blind guy in front of him.

00:13:51.059 --> 00:13:59.559
 And he does something incredibly weird. He gets some earth from the ground and he spits on it.

00:14:00.079 --> 00:14:05.819
 And he gets on the earth, like creating, just as God created Adam out of earth. Jesus is beginning

00:14:05.819 --> 00:14:14.779
 a recreation process. He's going to give this man new eyes to see. And he spits on the earth. And

00:14:14.779 --> 00:14:21.899
 many scholars believe that just as in the old Testament, if an unclean person spits on somebody,

00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:28.240
 they become unclean. So Jesus, who's the only clean one, when he spits on there, he becomes,

00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:35.339
 that becomes clean and free. And so what he does, he spits, he creates this, puts this mud pack on the

00:14:35.340 --> 00:14:45.540
 guy's eyes and gives him two commands. What are the two commands he gives? Go wash. Go wash in the

00:14:45.540 --> 00:14:57.379
 pool of Siloam. What does the man do? He went and washed. Okay. Think about it. Jesus could have done

00:14:57.379 --> 00:15:02.480
 what he's done in many other places, which is just healed in there and then. Okay. There you go.

00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:10.320
 Healed. But he doesn't. He doesn't. Which I think is fascinating. I think just, just from what, um,

00:15:10.820 --> 00:15:16.700
 the testimony that was shared earlier, God doesn't always work in exactly the same way with every

00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:22.440
 person. You know that? And sometimes we do start comparing all our experiences with everyone else

00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:27.300
 and saying, oh, I didn't have as great a testimony as that person. And then she says, no, no, no, no.

00:15:27.299 --> 00:15:34.019
 God works every single person differently because he knows what you need in your life. And so what he

00:15:34.019 --> 00:15:40.819
 does, he, he tells the blind man, go to the pool of Siloam. How is the blind man going to get there?

00:15:41.859 --> 00:15:46.979
 Jesus doesn't go with him. So what has he got to do? He's got to kind of walk through the city to try

00:15:46.979 --> 00:15:53.339
 and find this pool. Right? What do you think was going on in his mind while he was going through that?

00:15:53.340 --> 00:16:00.860
 All he has, the only thing to compel him to go were the two commands of Jesus, go wash.

00:16:03.100 --> 00:16:09.759
 He trusts the word of Jesus to go. And I think as he's going along there, I think he's wondering to

00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:20.560
 himself, ah, okay, uh, am I being stupid? This is crazy. What am I doing? As I'm going, but he trusts Jesus' word.

00:16:20.559 --> 00:16:29.419
 You know, he's only just met Jesus, but he trusts his word. Takes his step of faith,

00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:35.979
 goes to the pool of Siloam, which Port John points out means sent because the water was sent from

00:16:35.979 --> 00:16:42.379
 outside the city to bring life to those inside the city. Just as Jesus is sent from outside our dark

00:16:42.379 --> 00:16:50.500
 world into, uh, to, into giving us light and life and sight to those who believe and trust his word.

00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:59.919
 And some of us have been in church a long time and you're still wondering, can I trust Jesus?

00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:11.460
 Is it stupid to trust in somebody that I've never met or I've never seen? And John's point is this,

00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:17.539
 when you take a step of faith out to trust Jesus and trust his word, what is going to happen? He's

00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:25.220
 going to bring you sight in your life. He's going to open your eyes. That's the point. And some of us,

00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:31.140
 Jesus is saying to us right now, will you step out? Don't just sit here and listen. I'm calling you

00:17:31.140 --> 00:17:39.920
 to step out and trust me maybe for the first time in your life. And that's the pattern for the

00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:45.900
 Christian life. Do you see that you're blind? Will you trust Jesus as your light to give you sight

00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:51.540
 and step out in faith to trust and obey him? It's the pattern of the Christian life.

00:17:53.080 --> 00:18:02.580
 And that's the story. Simple. Very simple. And then John is going to show us there are four

00:18:02.580 --> 00:18:10.519
 different groups of people who show us how we can respond to this. And this is great. I love these

00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:16.220
 four different people because they're exactly the way that we respond today. Okay? Here are the four

00:18:16.220 --> 00:18:27.639
 groups. The skeptical neighbors. Okay? Let's start with them. Skeptical neighbors. Verses 8 to 12.

00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:34.259
 Man goes back to his neighborhood where he'd only ever known begging there. Okay? He's only ever been

00:18:34.259 --> 00:18:39.400
 a begging. And now he goes back and he goes, guys, it's me. I'm back. And what do they do?

00:18:40.200 --> 00:18:46.180
 They go, is that the guy who used to beg here like every single day for the last 10 years?

00:18:46.980 --> 00:18:51.700
 And they go, oh, I think he is. Maybe he's not. I'm not sure. And they're just talking about him

00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:57.840
 right in front of him. And he's there going, it's me. It's me. It's me. And they go, I'm not really sure.

00:18:59.780 --> 00:19:06.540
 I mean, how blind are they? Right? They've never seen this guy. Even though they walk past him so

00:19:06.539 --> 00:19:14.059
 many times. So then finally they go, okay, so how are your eyes open? We want some evidence

00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:21.159
 that it's really you. And he says, well, okay, Jesus did this miracle for me. And then they say,

00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:29.180
 where is he? He's like, I don't know. And they're like, not good enough. Sorry.

00:19:30.860 --> 00:19:38.420
 And that's actually some of us. Because everywhere around you is evidence of God's extraordinary

00:19:38.420 --> 00:19:45.380
 power and grace and glory and the blindness of human beings who need a savior. And yet we keep saying,

00:19:45.380 --> 00:19:54.340
 I need more evidence. And the Christian faith is reasonable and rational and intellectually credible.

00:19:55.060 --> 00:20:00.700
 I mean, just look at the intricacy of creation. Look at the desire for love and the need for

00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:06.520
 relationships. Look at our desire for justice, morality, our delight in music and art and beauty,

00:20:06.780 --> 00:20:12.220
 that God-shaped hole that every single society throughout every single place in human history

00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:18.579
 has had desiring to worship something. Even in the most atheistic societies, spirituality is

00:20:18.579 --> 00:20:29.380
 flourishing. Why? Why? Because worship is embedded in our souls. It's not just the product of random

00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:35.319
 chemicals hitting each other and then us just working out how to live life. There is evidence around us.

00:20:35.360 --> 00:20:41.600
 Look at the resurrection of Jesus, which changed and started a movement without violence,

00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:47.740
 which has transformed society, changed millions of lives with a love story that is unparalleled in any

00:20:47.740 --> 00:20:53.759
 other story in the whole of history. And yet some of us hide behind there. There's not enough evidence.

00:20:55.699 --> 00:21:00.579
 And the thing that I think sometimes the issue is, it's not, our problem is not fundamentally

00:21:00.579 --> 00:21:07.740
 intellectual. It's that we're sometimes blinded by our pride, by our certain experiences,

00:21:07.740 --> 00:21:12.200
 by all kinds of things which make us say, I don't even want to look at it.

00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:20.940
 And Jesus says, and here's the challenge, will you go and examine the evidence for who Jesus really is?

00:21:22.460 --> 00:21:27.039
 Will you truly examine that? That's the skeptical neighbor.

00:21:27.039 --> 00:21:35.779
 Second group, verse 13 to 17, 24 to 34, it's the self-righteous Pharisees.

00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:44.240
 These are great guys. These are the religious leaders. We often think of them as the bad guys.

00:21:45.619 --> 00:21:49.039
 But actually, everyone around them would have thought, these are the good guys.

00:21:49.500 --> 00:21:53.819
 These are the great guys. They're intellectuals. They're powerful. They're moral.

00:21:53.819 --> 00:21:56.439
 We talked about them like Nicodemus last week.

00:21:58.919 --> 00:22:03.720
 And they knew that God had commanded his people in the Old Testament,

00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:06.960
 you've got to keep the Sabbath, Saturday.

00:22:07.619 --> 00:22:11.619
 They knew that this was the key sign that whether you were trusting or obeying God

00:22:11.619 --> 00:22:12.799
 is whether you kept the Sabbath.

00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:18.659
 And so they made really, really sure that they were going to keep the Sabbath.

00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:22.759
 They basically put a fence around it.

00:22:22.820 --> 00:22:27.759
 They defined what work was, so they came up with 39 categories for work.

00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:28.340
 Okay?

00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:33.820
 So that included carrying, making bread, sowing, reaping.

00:22:34.600 --> 00:22:40.040
 And then they said, anything that looks like any of these things is also work.

00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:46.220
 So when Jesus starts making mud in the ground like this,

00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:49.839
 they go, that's like making bread.

00:22:51.700 --> 00:22:54.420
 He's working on the Sabbath.

00:22:55.220 --> 00:22:59.240
 That's why verse 16, they say, this man is not from God,

00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:02.279
 for he does not keep the Sabbath because he's making bread.

00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:05.519
 Now, we think that's strange.

00:23:06.940 --> 00:23:12.379
 But Sabbath keeping for them was just their way of them staying in control of their lives.

00:23:12.759 --> 00:23:16.899
 So they felt justified and okay with God because they had made one rule.

00:23:17.399 --> 00:23:19.519
 But they were blind to who Jesus was.

00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:25.399
 This is, I always get challenged by the Pharisees.

00:23:25.720 --> 00:23:27.779
 Those of us who've been in church a long time,

00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:30.420
 we know how to play the Christian game.

00:23:30.420 --> 00:23:32.279
 We know the right rules.

00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:33.480
 We know the right things to do.

00:23:33.600 --> 00:23:34.460
 You know, we're nice.

00:23:34.560 --> 00:23:35.200
 We give regularly.

00:23:35.340 --> 00:23:36.019
 We serve.

00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:38.259
 We try and be good husbands or spouses.

00:23:38.820 --> 00:23:40.740
 And we think we're okay.

00:23:42.620 --> 00:23:44.220
 And then Jesus comes along.

00:23:46.740 --> 00:23:48.360
 And what's really interesting,

00:23:49.820 --> 00:23:51.820
 when does Jesus perform this miracle?

00:23:53.580 --> 00:23:54.019
 When?

00:23:54.300 --> 00:23:54.860
 What day?

00:23:56.160 --> 00:23:57.100
 On the Sabbath.

00:23:58.240 --> 00:23:59.740
 Why does he choose the Sabbath?

00:24:00.420 --> 00:24:02.120
 He could have chosen a Friday.

00:24:03.039 --> 00:24:04.480
 Monday's a good day for a miracle.

00:24:05.060 --> 00:24:07.019
 Why does he choose the Sabbath?

00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:12.920
 Because when Jesus passes by,

00:24:13.140 --> 00:24:15.360
 he's not about affirming your blindness.

00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:17.360
 He's not about affirming your sense of,

00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:18.900
 I'm doing okay in the world.

00:24:20.380 --> 00:24:22.160
 He doesn't go to the Pharisees and say,

00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:23.900
 great job, guys.

00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:25.460
 Couple of little tweaks here and there,

00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:26.539
 but you're good to go.

00:24:26.660 --> 00:24:27.600
 He doesn't do that.

00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:31.659
 Because he's forcing the Pharisees to choose,

00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:32.919
 will you trust me,

00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:35.740
 or will you trust in your own methods

00:24:35.740 --> 00:24:38.480
 for trying to get God's favor and blessing in your life?

00:24:38.959 --> 00:24:40.319
 Do you want to rely on yourself,

00:24:40.579 --> 00:24:41.719
 or are you going to rely on me?

00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:44.660
 And the thing is,

00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:45.480
 the Pharisees,

00:24:45.600 --> 00:24:46.620
 their whole world,

00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:48.460
 their whole sense of security

00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:50.779
 is right under threat right now.

00:24:51.019 --> 00:24:52.779
 And Jesus is doing it deliberately.

00:24:54.680 --> 00:24:55.200
 Because

00:24:55.200 --> 00:24:59.500
 Jesus wants

00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:02.880
 not to keep you on the throne of your life.

00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:05.500
 He wants to dethrone us from our lives.

00:25:05.500 --> 00:25:08.079
 He wants to show us

00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:10.619
 that he is the only one

00:25:10.619 --> 00:25:11.880
 we can truly trust in,

00:25:11.940 --> 00:25:13.299
 not in any of our good works

00:25:13.299 --> 00:25:14.920
 or the things that we've done well.

00:25:17.079 --> 00:25:17.819
 And that's why,

00:25:17.900 --> 00:25:18.839
 as you think through,

00:25:19.140 --> 00:25:20.380
 the Pharisees are threatened.

00:25:20.559 --> 00:25:21.960
 That's why when the blind man

00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:24.119
 goes through his whole logical argument later on

00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:24.920
 of just saying,

00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:25.359
 listen,

00:25:25.519 --> 00:25:26.779
 this guy must be from God

00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:28.019
 because of all the stuff he's done.

00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:29.019
 And the Pharisees are going,

00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:30.779
 you're born in utter sin.

00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:32.200
 How dare you teach us?

00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:35.380
 Because they're under threat.

00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:38.100
 Let me ask you,

00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:40.220
 are you ever,

00:25:40.600 --> 00:25:42.700
 do you ever feel threatened by Jesus?

00:25:45.340 --> 00:25:47.980
 Does following Jesus ever scare you?

00:25:50.120 --> 00:25:51.920
 Because if it doesn't

00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:53.480
 at any point in your life

00:25:53.480 --> 00:25:55.000
 and you've been in church a while,

00:25:55.500 --> 00:25:56.319
 let me tell you,

00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:57.840
 you probably are not seeing Jesus

00:25:57.840 --> 00:25:59.180
 as he wants you to see him.

00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:02.180
 Because when he comes,

00:26:02.200 --> 00:26:04.299
 he comes to dethrone us

00:26:04.299 --> 00:26:07.140
 and our ways of trying to save ourselves

00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:08.799
 so that we lean on him utterly.

00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:10.580
 And sometimes that's scary.

00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:13.580
 Sometimes that's scary.

00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:16.380
 And that means he's calling us

00:26:16.380 --> 00:26:17.500
 to trust him.

00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:19.960
 You know,

00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:20.900
 for some of us,

00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:21.700
 it's like you're dating

00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:23.620
 that non-Christian girl or guy

00:26:23.620 --> 00:26:25.600
 and you know that's not healthy spiritually.

00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:27.019
 And Jesus says,

00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:28.279
 he comes to you and says,

00:26:28.360 --> 00:26:29.559
 will you hear my word?

00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:31.700
 Trust me by stepping out of that.

00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:32.779
 And we blindly say,

00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:33.860
 yeah,

00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:35.240
 but I read my Bible every day.

00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:36.440
 I just want to keep this.

00:26:37.400 --> 00:26:37.740
 Right?

00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:39.880
 We think we're okay

00:26:39.880 --> 00:26:41.340
 because we're doing certain things,

00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:42.140
 but we don't see

00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:43.880
 where he's calling me to trust him.

00:26:45.779 --> 00:26:47.420
 C.S. Lewis said this,

00:26:47.420 --> 00:26:50.000
 Christ says,

00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:50.759
 give me all.

00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:54.259
 I don't so much want your time,

00:26:54.519 --> 00:26:55.560
 so much of your money,

00:26:55.860 --> 00:26:56.840
 so much of your work.

00:26:56.920 --> 00:26:57.980
 I want you.

00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:01.700
 I've not come to torment your natural self,

00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:02.460
 but to kill it.

00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:04.720
 No half measures are any good.

00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:06.640
 I don't want to cut off a branch here

00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:07.360
 and a branch there.

00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:09.800
 I want to have the whole tree down.

00:27:09.799 --> 00:27:13.119
 hand over the whole natural self,

00:27:13.259 --> 00:27:15.779
 all the desires which you think innocent

00:27:15.779 --> 00:27:17.559
 as well as the ones you think wicked,

00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:18.960
 the whole outfit.

00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:23.180
 I will give you a new self instead.

00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:24.720
 In fact,

00:27:25.139 --> 00:27:25.720
 love this,

00:27:25.879 --> 00:27:27.659
 I will give you myself.

00:27:27.660 --> 00:27:27.900
 love.

00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:32.220
 My own will shall become yours.

00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:34.519
 To the Pharisee,

00:27:34.600 --> 00:27:35.700
 when you meet with Jesus,

00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:37.779
 he wants to dethrone you

00:27:37.779 --> 00:27:39.220
 so he can give you life

00:27:39.220 --> 00:27:42.720
 and see what it means to trust you.

00:27:42.820 --> 00:27:44.640
 And if that doesn't scare you a little bit

00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:45.140
 and say,

00:27:45.220 --> 00:27:45.420
 God,

00:27:45.560 --> 00:27:46.620
 help me,

00:27:47.500 --> 00:27:49.180
 then maybe you haven't seen Jesus.

00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:52.000
 Maybe you haven't seen him,

00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:54.820
 but he wants you to find sight in him.

00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:56.920
 Skeptics,

00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:59.019
 self-reliant Pharisees.

00:27:59.259 --> 00:28:00.000
 Third group,

00:28:00.300 --> 00:28:01.519
 the fearful parents,

00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:03.140
 18 to 23.

00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:07.900
 I've so much sympathy for these parents.

00:28:08.500 --> 00:28:10.700
 They've lived with a blind,

00:28:11.180 --> 00:28:13.519
 shamed son for all of their lives.

00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:17.039
 They've experienced the judging looks

00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:18.920
 from people like the disciples

00:28:18.920 --> 00:28:21.860
 who've just always looked down on them

00:28:21.860 --> 00:28:24.380
 and seen it as their fault that he's blind.

00:28:24.380 --> 00:28:27.960
 And they long to be accepted in the community.

00:28:30.040 --> 00:28:31.660
 Don't we sometimes want that?

00:28:33.280 --> 00:28:35.560
 And some of you have experienced the pain

00:28:35.560 --> 00:28:37.440
 of having children who have sicknesses,

00:28:37.520 --> 00:28:38.200
 disabilities,

00:28:38.760 --> 00:28:40.780
 being treated differently from others.

00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:44.399
 And sometimes you just want a sense of normality.

00:28:45.559 --> 00:28:47.379
 I think that's what the parents wanted.

00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:52.680
 And they know that their son is healed,

00:28:53.059 --> 00:28:55.399
 but they also know the cost of what it would take

00:28:55.399 --> 00:28:59.160
 to admit that Jesus was the one who did it.

00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:01.259
 You know,

00:29:01.340 --> 00:29:01.720
 it says,

00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:03.400
 they feared the Jews

00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:05.900
 because they could be thrown out of the community.

00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:07.840
 I mean,

00:29:07.980 --> 00:29:09.160
 in churches,

00:29:09.340 --> 00:29:12.440
 sometimes if there's a very serious church discipline issue,

00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:15.400
 a member might be asked to leave the church,

00:29:15.460 --> 00:29:17.960
 but then they can go to a hundred other churches.

00:29:17.960 --> 00:29:20.400
 But here,

00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:23.660
 if they get thrown out of the synagogue,

00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:25.059
 they're thrown out of the community.

00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:28.000
 That's been like defriended from Facebook,

00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:30.360
 like your colleagues not talking to you.

00:29:30.600 --> 00:29:32.920
 You're not invited to anything at Chinese New Year.

00:29:33.120 --> 00:29:34.880
 It's like you're on your own.

00:29:36.259 --> 00:29:37.200
 That's serious.

00:29:38.360 --> 00:29:39.620
 And they're afraid.

00:29:40.900 --> 00:29:41.840
 Do you get them?

00:29:41.960 --> 00:29:43.079
 I get that.

00:29:43.079 --> 00:29:45.960
 You know,

00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:47.839
 some of you in your high school

00:29:47.839 --> 00:29:49.099
 or in your office,

00:29:49.299 --> 00:29:50.220
 and you're afraid

00:29:50.220 --> 00:29:52.099
 that if you really stand up for Jesus,

00:29:52.220 --> 00:29:53.779
 really tell someone about Jesus,

00:29:53.960 --> 00:29:55.480
 what's going to happen?

00:29:55.659 --> 00:29:57.000
 What are they going to think about me?

00:29:57.139 --> 00:29:58.639
 Am I going to get thrown out,

00:29:58.759 --> 00:29:59.299
 excluded?

00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:02.079
 There is a cost.

00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:06.279
 And so they're afraid.

00:30:06.500 --> 00:30:08.399
 But I think what John is doing

00:30:08.399 --> 00:30:09.339
 in writing about them,

00:30:09.419 --> 00:30:10.839
 he wants to show you,

00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:12.319
 not to condemn the parents,

00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:13.839
 but I think he wants to show you

00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:16.679
 how amazing the blind man's faith is.

00:30:18.399 --> 00:30:19.720
 So we've had the skeptics,

00:30:19.799 --> 00:30:20.519
 the self-reliant,

00:30:20.579 --> 00:30:21.139
 the fearful,

00:30:21.659 --> 00:30:22.559
 and now you have

00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:24.720
 the worshipping blind man.

00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:27.419
 This is great.

00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:28.000
 I love this guy.

00:30:28.460 --> 00:30:30.039
 He's just cool.

00:30:30.099 --> 00:30:30.759
 I think he's British

00:30:30.759 --> 00:30:32.039
 because he's very sarcastic.

00:30:32.759 --> 00:30:37.679
 But once Jesus has touched him,

00:30:38.619 --> 00:30:39.299
 this guy,

00:30:39.579 --> 00:30:41.980
 his faith just begins to grow exponentially.

00:30:43.099 --> 00:30:43.759
 Verse 11,

00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:45.000
 and again,

00:30:45.179 --> 00:30:45.879
 you see,

00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:48.000
 everyone's journey in faith is different.

00:30:48.419 --> 00:30:48.879
 Nicodemus,

00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:49.500
 he's like,

00:30:49.960 --> 00:30:50.279
 clever,

00:30:50.460 --> 00:30:50.899
 intellectual,

00:30:51.079 --> 00:30:52.639
 takes like ages to get it.

00:30:53.139 --> 00:30:53.419
 Okay?

00:30:54.139 --> 00:30:55.279
 But he does get it eventually.

00:30:55.919 --> 00:30:56.559
 This guy,

00:30:56.679 --> 00:30:57.019
 he's like,

00:30:57.119 --> 00:30:58.139
 he's on fire.

00:30:58.759 --> 00:30:59.019
 I mean,

00:30:59.259 --> 00:30:59.839
 verse 11,

00:30:59.939 --> 00:31:00.659
 he calls Jesus,

00:31:00.899 --> 00:31:01.679
 he's the man.

00:31:01.980 --> 00:31:02.500
 He's a man.

00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:03.279
 He's just a man.

00:31:03.619 --> 00:31:03.879
 Okay?

00:31:04.419 --> 00:31:05.419
 Verse 17,

00:31:05.559 --> 00:31:06.559
 when questioned again

00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:07.240
 about Jesus,

00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:07.480
 he says,

00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:08.579
 he's a prophet.

00:31:09.579 --> 00:31:10.439
 Verse 33,

00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:10.859
 he says,

00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:12.799
 if this man were not from God,

00:31:12.899 --> 00:31:14.480
 he could do nothing.

00:31:15.659 --> 00:31:16.699
 And then finally,

00:31:17.139 --> 00:31:18.079
 in verse 38,

00:31:18.199 --> 00:31:19.220
 just in one chapter,

00:31:19.779 --> 00:31:20.039
 okay,

00:31:20.839 --> 00:31:22.359
 he falls down before Jesus

00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:23.099
 and says,

00:31:24.259 --> 00:31:24.659
 Lord,

00:31:24.779 --> 00:31:25.480
 I believe.

00:31:26.019 --> 00:31:27.720
 And he worships him.

00:31:28.839 --> 00:31:30.720
 Do you see the progression of faith?

00:31:30.720 --> 00:31:32.960
 This,

00:31:34.240 --> 00:31:35.039
 and,

00:31:35.380 --> 00:31:36.660
 this is amazing.

00:31:36.900 --> 00:31:38.759
 The word for worship there in John

00:31:38.759 --> 00:31:40.960
 is only ever used for God.

00:31:42.120 --> 00:31:43.400
 So what is he doing?

00:31:43.480 --> 00:31:44.539
 He's recognizing.

00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:45.980
 John is showing you,

00:31:46.120 --> 00:31:47.120
 it doesn't matter

00:31:47.120 --> 00:31:49.079
 where you are in your faith journey,

00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:51.339
 where I want to take you

00:31:51.339 --> 00:31:52.519
 every single day

00:31:52.519 --> 00:31:53.960
 is from seeing Jesus

00:31:53.960 --> 00:31:54.680
 just as a man,

00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:55.500
 just as a prophet,

00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:57.180
 to seeing that he's truly God

00:31:57.180 --> 00:31:58.120
 and worshiping him.

00:31:58.959 --> 00:32:00.059
 That's where God is trying

00:32:00.059 --> 00:32:01.319
 to take you every single day.

00:32:02.759 --> 00:32:02.779
 And,

00:32:02.879 --> 00:32:05.959
 and this uneducated beggar,

00:32:07.319 --> 00:32:07.599
 okay,

00:32:07.959 --> 00:32:08.779
 he's before,

00:32:08.939 --> 00:32:09.079
 like,

00:32:09.299 --> 00:32:09.599
 imagine,

00:32:09.719 --> 00:32:11.359
 he's before the greatest minds

00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:12.179
 that they had around

00:32:12.179 --> 00:32:12.799
 in the society.

00:32:13.059 --> 00:32:14.279
 These guys are smart.

00:32:14.699 --> 00:32:15.479
 They say to him,

00:32:15.679 --> 00:32:15.899
 okay,

00:32:16.039 --> 00:32:18.000
 this man was born in sin.

00:32:18.439 --> 00:32:19.839
 This Jesus is a sinner.

00:32:21.219 --> 00:32:22.399
 What do you say about him?

00:32:22.759 --> 00:32:22.979
 I mean,

00:32:23.159 --> 00:32:24.099
 that's pretty intimidating,

00:32:24.399 --> 00:32:24.679
 okay?

00:32:24.899 --> 00:32:26.059
 You've never been to school.

00:32:26.059 --> 00:32:27.339
 Guys,

00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:28.299
 really smart.

00:32:28.679 --> 00:32:29.480
 Have you ever had that?

00:32:29.940 --> 00:32:30.220
 You know,

00:32:30.519 --> 00:32:31.539
 you have these guys

00:32:31.539 --> 00:32:32.299
 who've got amazing

00:32:32.299 --> 00:32:33.220
 intellectual arguments.

00:32:33.379 --> 00:32:33.940
 They come at you

00:32:33.940 --> 00:32:34.879
 and you feel like,

00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:37.539
 I'm trying to talk about Jesus

00:32:37.539 --> 00:32:38.559
 but I don't really know

00:32:38.559 --> 00:32:39.319
 how to say it.

00:32:39.879 --> 00:32:40.559
 Anyone been there?

00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:41.619
 Anyone felt intimidated?

00:32:42.720 --> 00:32:43.019
 I,

00:32:43.079 --> 00:32:44.159
 I love this

00:32:44.159 --> 00:32:44.879
 because

00:32:44.879 --> 00:32:47.579
 this guy,

00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:49.179
 he's not the brightest

00:32:49.179 --> 00:32:49.940
 of the bunch

00:32:49.940 --> 00:32:52.279
 but because

00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:53.879
 he has a testimony,

00:32:54.419 --> 00:32:55.019
 look at this,

00:32:55.019 --> 00:32:55.759
 he says,

00:32:56.359 --> 00:32:58.400
 whether he's a sinner or not,

00:32:58.559 --> 00:32:59.500
 I do not know.

00:33:00.859 --> 00:33:01.180
 Listen,

00:33:01.460 --> 00:33:03.359
 you guys are way smarter than me.

00:33:04.720 --> 00:33:06.180
 I'm just a simple guy

00:33:06.180 --> 00:33:07.200
 from the streets

00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:10.259
 but one thing I do know,

00:33:11.339 --> 00:33:13.400
 though I was blind,

00:33:13.960 --> 00:33:15.440
 now I see.

00:33:17.099 --> 00:33:17.700
 You see,

00:33:17.759 --> 00:33:18.359
 you may not have

00:33:18.359 --> 00:33:19.160
 all the arguments.

00:33:19.319 --> 00:33:20.220
 Some of you will be great

00:33:20.220 --> 00:33:21.059
 at apologetics

00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:22.119
 and defending the faith

00:33:22.119 --> 00:33:23.059
 but some of us,

00:33:23.159 --> 00:33:24.139
 many of us will be like,

00:33:24.439 --> 00:33:24.559
 hey,

00:33:24.619 --> 00:33:26.179
 that's just way over my head

00:33:26.179 --> 00:33:28.179
 but every single one of us,

00:33:28.239 --> 00:33:29.000
 if you are a Christian,

00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:30.519
 you have a testimony to tell

00:33:30.519 --> 00:33:32.899
 and that is powerful.

00:33:34.459 --> 00:33:35.039
 You don't need,

00:33:35.199 --> 00:33:36.299
 some of us hold back

00:33:36.299 --> 00:33:37.319
 from sharing our faith

00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:37.959
 because we think

00:33:37.959 --> 00:33:39.079
 we haven't got enough knowledge,

00:33:39.239 --> 00:33:39.919
 we haven't studied

00:33:39.919 --> 00:33:40.679
 the Bible enough,

00:33:40.819 --> 00:33:42.279
 we haven't been to enough classes

00:33:42.279 --> 00:33:43.099
 and listen,

00:33:43.220 --> 00:33:43.940
 this blind man,

00:33:44.019 --> 00:33:44.500
 he hasn't done

00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:45.519
 any of those things

00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:48.519
 but he's got a testimony to tell

00:33:48.519 --> 00:33:50.180
 and so have you

00:33:50.180 --> 00:33:52.639
 if you come to faith in Christ

00:33:52.639 --> 00:33:54.359
 and sometimes

00:33:54.359 --> 00:33:55.240
 when we're afraid

00:33:55.240 --> 00:33:56.119
 and we see others

00:33:56.119 --> 00:33:57.119
 who intimidate us,

00:33:57.200 --> 00:33:58.079
 whether it's in our workplace

00:33:58.079 --> 00:33:58.920
 or our friends

00:33:58.920 --> 00:34:01.740
 and that fear of others

00:34:01.740 --> 00:34:02.940
 blinds us

00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:04.319
 and it will,

00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:06.059
 we just come back

00:34:06.059 --> 00:34:06.379
 and say,

00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:06.759
 Jesus,

00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:08.000
 open my eyes

00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:09.139
 to see you again,

00:34:09.900 --> 00:34:10.719
 open my eyes

00:34:10.719 --> 00:34:16.019
 and you see

00:34:16.019 --> 00:34:16.879
 that blind man,

00:34:17.839 --> 00:34:19.279
 he's just

00:34:19.279 --> 00:34:20.579
 had the opportunity

00:34:20.579 --> 00:34:21.599
 to escape

00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:22.439
 the shame

00:34:22.439 --> 00:34:23.159
 of his blindness

00:34:23.159 --> 00:34:24.980
 like a man

00:34:24.980 --> 00:34:25.879
 who's lived with the shame

00:34:25.879 --> 00:34:26.539
 of being unemployed

00:34:26.539 --> 00:34:27.279
 for years

00:34:27.279 --> 00:34:28.019
 and now he finally

00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:28.739
 gets a job,

00:34:29.539 --> 00:34:30.179
 he can leave

00:34:30.179 --> 00:34:31.059
 the shame behind,

00:34:32.399 --> 00:34:33.839
 he can find a place

00:34:33.839 --> 00:34:34.480
 in the community

00:34:34.480 --> 00:34:36.119
 and he's willing

00:34:36.119 --> 00:34:37.059
 to give that up

00:34:37.059 --> 00:34:39.000
 because he sees Jesus.

00:34:39.000 --> 00:34:41.019
 He's extraordinary.

00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:43.460
 He knew the very community

00:34:43.460 --> 00:34:44.019
 that his parents

00:34:44.019 --> 00:34:45.019
 longed to belong to

00:34:45.019 --> 00:34:45.659
 was not one

00:34:45.659 --> 00:34:46.239
 that could ever

00:34:46.239 --> 00:34:47.199
 give him sight.

00:34:47.820 --> 00:34:49.460
 Only Jesus could

00:34:49.460 --> 00:34:50.860
 because only Jesus

00:34:50.860 --> 00:34:51.719
 saw him

00:34:51.719 --> 00:34:52.860
 and loved him

00:34:52.860 --> 00:34:54.139
 and healed him

00:34:54.139 --> 00:34:57.219
 and the blind man

00:34:57.219 --> 00:34:58.119
 gets thrown out.

00:34:58.119 --> 00:35:03.440
 when he is thrown out

00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:04.219
 and you know

00:35:04.219 --> 00:35:04.779
 there is sometimes

00:35:04.779 --> 00:35:06.380
 a cost to following Christ,

00:35:07.159 --> 00:35:09.819
 who comes to find him?

00:35:11.619 --> 00:35:13.119
 Who comes to find him?

00:35:15.339 --> 00:35:15.859
 It says,

00:35:15.960 --> 00:35:16.559
 Jesus heard

00:35:16.559 --> 00:35:17.519
 they cast him out

00:35:17.519 --> 00:35:18.719
 and having found him,

00:35:19.099 --> 00:35:20.279
 he came to him.

00:35:20.599 --> 00:35:21.400
 It's Jesus

00:35:21.400 --> 00:35:22.839
 who comes to find him.

00:35:23.859 --> 00:35:25.299
 Just wherever you are

00:35:25.299 --> 00:35:26.059
 right now,

00:35:26.059 --> 00:35:28.099
 some of you

00:35:28.099 --> 00:35:28.639
 have been seeking

00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:29.579
 to follow Christ,

00:35:29.699 --> 00:35:30.480
 you've struggled

00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:31.539
 with loved ones,

00:35:31.579 --> 00:35:32.360
 you feel alone

00:35:32.360 --> 00:35:33.500
 in many ways.

00:35:34.900 --> 00:35:35.900
 The amazing thing

00:35:35.900 --> 00:35:36.480
 is Jesus

00:35:36.480 --> 00:35:37.900
 always takes the initiative.

00:35:38.119 --> 00:35:38.940
 He sees you

00:35:38.940 --> 00:35:40.440
 and he comes to you.

00:35:42.199 --> 00:35:43.719
 He knows following Jesus

00:35:43.719 --> 00:35:44.539
 is costly

00:35:44.539 --> 00:35:47.559
 because he paid

00:35:47.559 --> 00:35:48.679
 the greatest cost

00:35:48.679 --> 00:35:49.500
 for us.

00:35:49.500 --> 00:35:52.280
 the only one

00:35:52.280 --> 00:35:53.539
 who has ever seen

00:35:53.539 --> 00:35:55.199
 truly blind people

00:35:55.199 --> 00:35:56.079
 like you and me.

00:35:58.139 --> 00:35:59.260
 He's seen the depths

00:35:59.260 --> 00:35:59.960
 of your heart

00:35:59.960 --> 00:36:00.719
 and my heart

00:36:00.719 --> 00:36:03.659
 and he still loved us

00:36:03.659 --> 00:36:04.500
 enough

00:36:04.500 --> 00:36:06.460
 to go to the cross

00:36:06.460 --> 00:36:08.400
 to face the greatest agony

00:36:08.400 --> 00:36:10.659
 for you and for me.

00:36:12.340 --> 00:36:13.800
 For my sinfulness,

00:36:13.980 --> 00:36:14.940
 for my blindness,

00:36:15.340 --> 00:36:16.280
 which every day

00:36:16.280 --> 00:36:17.320
 I keep being blind

00:36:17.320 --> 00:36:18.500
 in so many areas.

00:36:19.500 --> 00:36:20.559
 And yet he did that

00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:21.079
 for you

00:36:21.079 --> 00:36:21.820
 because he wants

00:36:21.820 --> 00:36:22.800
 to bring you sight

00:36:22.800 --> 00:36:24.699
 so you may see God,

00:36:25.039 --> 00:36:26.440
 you may see his glory,

00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:27.940
 you may see his beauty,

00:36:28.199 --> 00:36:29.639
 and you may see his purpose

00:36:29.639 --> 00:36:30.480
 in your life.

00:36:33.920 --> 00:36:35.300
 So the only way

00:36:35.300 --> 00:36:37.420
 you can see Jesus

00:36:37.420 --> 00:36:40.719
 is if you realize

00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:41.260
 you're blind.

00:36:42.739 --> 00:36:43.780
 If you realize

00:36:43.780 --> 00:36:44.320
 you're blind

00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:45.679
 and you need him

00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:47.139
 to open your eyes today.

00:36:47.139 --> 00:36:51.539
 fall and worship him.

00:36:51.719 --> 00:36:52.019
 He doesn't,

00:36:52.139 --> 00:36:53.420
 Jesus is not just a man.

00:36:54.279 --> 00:36:55.639
 He's not just a prophet.

00:36:56.319 --> 00:36:57.139
 He's the one

00:36:57.139 --> 00:36:57.659
 who's worthy

00:36:57.659 --> 00:36:59.039
 of your worship today.

00:37:00.179 --> 00:37:01.900
 And when you worship him

00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:02.460
 and you're tempted

00:37:02.460 --> 00:37:04.039
 to judge everybody else,

00:37:04.579 --> 00:37:06.460
 you've been hurt

00:37:06.460 --> 00:37:07.500
 by your coworkers,

00:37:07.779 --> 00:37:08.460
 your friends,

00:37:08.559 --> 00:37:09.480
 your church family.

00:37:09.679 --> 00:37:10.679
 You've got resentment.

00:37:10.859 --> 00:37:11.980
 Instead of saying,

00:37:11.980 --> 00:37:13.980
 ah,

00:37:14.300 --> 00:37:15.380
 it's their fault.

00:37:16.760 --> 00:37:17.820
 You can turn to Jesus

00:37:17.820 --> 00:37:18.300
 and say,

00:37:18.440 --> 00:37:19.320
 open my eyes

00:37:19.320 --> 00:37:20.159
 to see you.

00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:21.480
 What would it mean

00:37:21.480 --> 00:37:22.360
 for me to display

00:37:22.360 --> 00:37:23.059
 your glory

00:37:23.059 --> 00:37:23.699
 and your beauty

00:37:23.699 --> 00:37:24.539
 in this situation?

00:37:24.539 --> 00:37:25.539
 Because it's not about me,

00:37:25.599 --> 00:37:26.320
 it's about you.

00:37:27.199 --> 00:37:28.079
 Open my eyes

00:37:28.079 --> 00:37:28.860
 to see you.

00:37:29.619 --> 00:37:30.900
 Open my eyes.

00:37:31.559 --> 00:37:32.519
 The blindest people

00:37:32.519 --> 00:37:33.480
 are those who don't think

00:37:33.480 --> 00:37:34.059
 they're blind.

00:37:34.059 --> 00:37:36.400
 So are you skeptical,

00:37:36.739 --> 00:37:37.139
 fearful,

00:37:37.420 --> 00:37:38.079
 self-reliant,

00:37:38.199 --> 00:37:38.840
 feeling alone?

00:37:39.420 --> 00:37:40.739
 Jesus comes to you today.

00:37:44.159 --> 00:37:45.219
 We're going to take communion

00:37:45.219 --> 00:37:45.779
 in a second.

00:37:46.980 --> 00:37:48.460
 But I want you just to stop

00:37:48.460 --> 00:37:51.420
 and to think about this.

00:37:51.940 --> 00:37:52.719
 As a communist steward,

00:37:52.799 --> 00:37:53.320
 I want to invite you

00:37:53.320 --> 00:37:54.019
 to come forward.

00:37:55.259 --> 00:37:56.259
 Where am I blind?

00:37:58.500 --> 00:37:59.960
 Do I see Jesus

00:37:59.960 --> 00:38:01.219
 right with whatever's going on

00:38:01.219 --> 00:38:02.360
 in my life right now?

00:38:02.440 --> 00:38:03.199
 Where am I blind?

00:38:04.059 --> 00:38:07.119
 Where do I need his light?

00:38:09.920 --> 00:38:10.940
 Where do I need

00:38:10.940 --> 00:38:12.340
 to worship him?

00:38:13.059 --> 00:38:14.460
 Just close your eyes now

00:38:14.460 --> 00:38:19.299
 and just respond to him now.

00:38:23.059 --> 00:38:23.940
 Respond to him.

00:38:34.059 --> 00:38:50.079
 As you just think about

00:38:50.079 --> 00:38:51.460
 where you're up to with Christ,

00:38:52.460 --> 00:38:54.340
 ask him now

00:38:54.340 --> 00:38:55.299
 to open your eyes

00:38:55.299 --> 00:38:56.059
 to see him,

00:38:56.759 --> 00:38:58.380
 to see your need of him

00:38:58.380 --> 00:39:00.440
 and to realize

00:39:00.440 --> 00:39:01.799
 as we come to take communion,

00:39:01.800 --> 00:39:02.800
 communion.

00:39:03.160 --> 00:39:04.240
 Communion is the time

00:39:04.240 --> 00:39:05.039
 where Christ,

00:39:06.300 --> 00:39:08.019
 the only one who saw truly,

00:39:08.820 --> 00:39:10.300
 who sees what you're like,

00:39:11.400 --> 00:39:13.340
 yet he went to the cross for you,

00:39:14.340 --> 00:39:15.620
 that you would be able

00:39:15.620 --> 00:39:16.700
 to see him again

00:39:16.700 --> 00:39:19.900
 and see the glory of God.

00:39:19.900 --> 00:39:26.400
 maybe you need to just confess

00:39:26.400 --> 00:39:27.420
 where you're blind.

00:39:29.460 --> 00:39:30.559
 If you're not a believer,

00:39:30.680 --> 00:39:31.840
 we ask you not to come up

00:39:31.840 --> 00:39:33.260
 and take the communion elements,

00:39:33.420 --> 00:39:34.420
 but just to think about,

00:39:34.680 --> 00:39:36.360
 am I really blind?

00:39:36.920 --> 00:39:37.599
 What are the things

00:39:37.599 --> 00:39:39.079
 that I don't see in my life?

00:39:39.639 --> 00:39:40.940
 Do I really see God?

00:39:40.940 --> 00:39:42.740
 Do I really see Jesus?

00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:48.220
 But once you've just thought about this,

00:39:48.280 --> 00:39:49.340
 if you are a believer,

00:39:51.139 --> 00:39:54.980
 respond to see

00:39:54.980 --> 00:39:56.980
 the one who is not just a man,

00:39:57.099 --> 00:39:57.940
 not just a prophet,

00:39:58.139 --> 00:39:59.220
 but the one who's worthy

00:39:59.220 --> 00:40:00.559
 of all worship

00:40:00.559 --> 00:40:01.860
 in whatever circumstance.

00:40:03.559 --> 00:40:04.260
 And then come up

00:40:04.260 --> 00:40:04.980
 and take communion

00:40:04.980 --> 00:40:06.800
 and we'll take it back

00:40:06.800 --> 00:40:07.639
 to your seats

00:40:07.639 --> 00:40:08.480
 and we'll take the communion

00:40:08.480 --> 00:40:09.280
 elements together.

00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:23.200
 Thank you