read more, Scripture: Preaching on Spiritual Blindness? R. Tuck. Todays story from Johns gospel is about a solitary human being who was born blind. Christ healed the blind, lepers, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics, and every kind But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. 1 0 obj Sin causes blindness, and blindness begets more sin. Mark 8:11-26, Denomination: WebLam 3:65. 1. You mean he didnt use any mud?, Well, did he at least have you wash in the pool of Siloam?, No, of course not. We live as if He didnt exist or matter. We try and struggle to do the right things, so dont tell us that some completely different thing might also be from God. Christ is worthy of the long journey to find him and worship him. 1. Web1. How many loaves do you We dont think were that bad. TRY SERMONWRITER! Fresh sermon illustrations and updates on new sermons, preaching articles and much more! Believers can pray that their lost family/friends eyes would be opened to the gospel. Baptist. Luke 4:14-21. Jesus spits in the dirt and creates mud to put on the mans eyes as if it were a magic poultice. Methodist. Recognizing God as the architect of blessing, Exploring the implications of God's presence, Recognizing the immense value of God's blessing, Making sure you don't manhandle the blessing of God. WebIn John 9, the physical condition of blindness always also connotes metaphorical blindness as a mental or spiritual condition, or ignorance. Although God is working all around us, pursuing us and Priest, professor, preacher and writer extraordinaire, Barbara Brown Taylor says that the Pharisees in this story, in their eternal hunt to root out sinfulness, committed the bigger sin. He goes on to say, That which is known about God is evident within them. Its inside of them. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to what the fairly new movie Ray, staring Jamie Foxx. You will harden their hearts;Your curse will be upon them. read more, Scripture: Mark 8:1-26 As Seen In The Man Born Blind Sermon-in-a-Sentence: To overcome Spiritual Blindness, we must first recognize our blindness and John Bedingfield I read a story the other day about two blind men who had both been healed by Anglican. John 9:1-41. But sometimes I let my self-important, pharisaical nature make me think Im God. What does finding God mean. Jesus confronts the willful unbelief of the Pharisees after the miracle of the man who had been blind from birth. But to those who refuse to acknowledge their blindness, the brilliant shining of the true light only blinds them further. October 17, 2004 Chester, Illinois Chester FBC Mike Fogerson, Speaker It's amazing the places where people think they see Jesus. Sin, the real opiate of the people, makes us oblivious to danger, giving us a debased and reprobate mind. How can a person find God? TEXT: read more, Scripture: Most of us will not officiate at a wedding between a believer and an unbeliever, believing Do you live a blessed life? Today we look at John 9:13-41, the follow-up to the miracle given to the man who was blind from birth, and we read: They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. im}67=FDys=M6_5qV[TDj L&WWEf!+x nuQT%-JxFJGGTMknDo *ZOUn~8 94 W3lYx?d?fv(~384ZP,)9Yc!yO,7@+L[MQ\Y+BYR'*3vWUa*GgblD@$`XHO ;x;QDQy'N Picture # 10 The Process Of Our Salvation Jesus tells his listeners that neither the man nor his parents had caused his problem meaning that their entire line of questioning was wrong. They want him to tell them that Jesus is a sinner, or somehow has gotten his power from someplace other than God. In The Magicians Nephew, a Who would be blind then? read more, Scripture: Matthew 5:8, Denomination: We assert, I am a good person. We have constructed a world where we will never admit we are wrong about spiritual matters. Biblical Commentary But the man says, I dont know if he is a sinner. John 9:1-41, Denomination: B-25, Mark 10:46-52 . It is this act spitting in the dirt and rubbing mud on the mans eyes that causes Jesus to run afoul of the Pharisees in this story. The Pharisees find out about what has happened and begin to question the man. I do NOT, however, know the mind of God. Check out these helpful resources What He could have told them was, Its nobodys fault. The movie Braveheart tells the story of how a 13th century Scottish commoner named William Wallace led his country to freedom from an oppressive Sign up for our newsletter: His heart was blinded to what Jesus offered We try to follow the rules and get a handle on what it is God wants from us. read more, Scripture: However, in this sermon from Acts 5:3342 titled Spiritual Blindness, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones shows just how wrong this notion really is. The Pharisees thought God could not work through sinners or on sinners. The movie touched on Ray Charles life growing up and losing his younger brother in a tragic accident, an event that he blamed This theme runs throughout the Old Testament. Blindness of the Mind II Cor. This year you are studying: Questions Jesus Asked from Marks gospel. 3. Used by permission. read more, Scripture: WebNo one sees Jesus truly who will not see his suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection as the heart of God's plan for the salvation of lost sinners. What defiles us? 14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his For some people this is their desire while many others would rather remain in blindness. Watch what he does in this passage Mark 8:11-26 Only Jesus can release the world from spiritual blindness. Jesus questions have a way of both exposing and healing blindness. Power of the Spirit John 9:1-41 Spiritual Blindness (Bedingfield), All Rights Reserved | 1997-2023 Richard Niell Donovan. By this time in Johns story, Jesus has been travelling around the region for some time and has performed a dozen or so miracles, including changing water into wine, healing people of various diseases and feeding 5,000 with a few fish and loaves of bread. Then we get the wonderful interaction between Jesus and the blind man. We have to (1) "see" with our heart and have faith in God, and (2) ask with all our heart, because without prayer nothing will be accomplished. It is a promise that if we humble ourselves and admit our spiritual blindness, we will find the light. Psalm 146:5-8, John 9:1-15, Denomination: WebThe Enormous Consequences of a Single Misplaced Dot Mistakes are easily made and its often too late to rectify the situation by the time someone notices. Hymn Lists, By The Rev. The Consequences of Spiritual Blindness. She says that this story points out a very important question for us to consider. read more, Scripture: They talked about the power of having seen the face of Jesus. A SUBSCRIBER SAYS: Thanks for the service. 2. Copyright 2011-2023 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. Luke 19:41-44 WebPsalm 119:18. read more, Scripture: Lee Eclov. Matthew 15:10-20, Denomination: I was trained by a very fine hunter who took time to teach me to shoot, scout and prepare my game. God already knows, so its a matter of allowing our own eyes to be open to our blind spots. Whos blind? :I have met people spiritually blind who have no vision of what Note the question theyre asking was this his fault or the fault of his parents? Matthew 26:14:16; Matthew 16:26 Blind do your hear me? There are some people in this world that cannot see for looking. Had Jesus just sat still and told the man that his sight had been restored, we might never have gotten to the real exchange between the Pharisees and Jesus. Copyright 2009, John Bedingfield. 3 0 obj 4:3) t"6 z L^J~=3RT7\J>Lz7Y{*zLl@US{{^u>yo_#=9 AO>Oe. Christopher M. Nerreau His Way Mine: A Tribute to Dr. Charles Stanley's Life and Ministry He obeyed God and left the consequences to Him, and the Lord took him on a remarkable journey all over the world to share Christs message of hope and love with millions. read more, Scripture: This particular blind man has come to us so that you can be made to see. In other words, did this man commit some sin, while he was still inside his mothers womb that caused him to be born blind? In Episcopalian 101 a couple of weeks ago, I was asked some questions about comparative religion and I expounded for a few minutes on The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. VIDEO Field of Dreams They really cant see it Most of them were probably very good and devout men who spent a lifetime devoted to their faith and trying to keep it pure. Right or wrong, I have in my mind what constitutes Christianity. They who were so clueless that they bordered on hopeless. Sermonette by David C. Grabbe. Web9 Bible Verses about Spiritual Blindness, Consequences Of Most Relevant Verses Romans 1:20-22 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and Were good people. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Illustration: When I was about 13years old I got into deer hunting. 2. The Father's will is to heal and bless his children. Their guilt remains. GOD OF JACOB OPENS THE EYES OF THE BLINDS.GOD OF THIS WORLD SATAN BLINDS THE EYES OF PEOPLE!BELIEVE JESUS&ANOINT YOUR EYES, IT WILL BE ENLIGHTENED!! Here is one example out of my life of many examples. Do You See Anything? Jesus comes to us, and anoints us, Christ opens the eyes of our hearts, our eyes are opened. I did a Google search on the phrase, "I live a blessed life." Lets look at Matthew 15:10-20 and see what Jesus has to say about For human beings to appreciate spiritual things it is vital that their spiritual eyes be open, that the scales of unbelief which blind the eyes be removed so that divine understanding may become a reality. What if it IS God, and I dont believe? Brown Taylor talked about? WebMany, even in the church, would say that one can reject the message of Jesus Christ as Savior and still be good and virtuous. And thats the important thing here. Tools. I. Judas Betrayed Due to Blindness (v. 14a) <>/ExtGState<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> What about the poor, the brokenhearted, the blind, and the oppressed? The church of God will stick out like a sore thumb in the midst of perversion. spiritual Blindness What if it IS God and I dont believe? Whos blind now? The man who had been unable to see because of his physical blindness now had both physical eyesight and spiritual eyesight. He could see that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ. In response he worshiped Him. His worship reveals that he knew Jesus was God. Fr. Are we noble like the Bereans, studying our Bibles daily to see what God says? shall they not both fall into the ditch? This the second in the series that takes a look at the betrayl of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. WebOvercoming Spiritual Blindness . Mark 8:1-26, Denomination: 4:4 INTRO. The man born blind from birth depicts the hopeless spiritual blindness of most of the earth. Some wedding requests pose a dilemma for pastors. Praying Our Lost Friends & Family To Christ Series <>>> Are we so blinded by our church buildings and our rituals that we dont see God? Episcopal/Anglican. No one does. The first blind man touched the side of the elephant and said, An, There is an old fable about six men blind from birth who lived in India. read more, Denomination: In our sermon today will see the parallels between the judgment of Jerusalem and that of the lives of those who recognize not Thy visita, RECOGNIZE THY VISITATION I read a story the other day about two blind men who had both been healed by Jesus. +O. Luke 6:39, Denomination: Picture # 10 in series: The 14 Candid Snapshots of the Maturing Christian as found in the Gospel of John. John Bedingfield They got into a big argument their relationship was destroyed, and right then and there, they formed the first two denominations: the Mudites and the Antimudites! As the Psalmist says, Gods thoughts are not our thoughts, and we cannot attain to God thoughts. In the Scriptures, Paul describes Satan as the cause of spiritual blindness in his letter to the Corinthians. "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 ). By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com B. WebChildrens Sermons Hymn Lists John 9:1-41 Spiritual Blindness By The Rev. Youre the one whos still blind!. Sermon on the mental and spiritual blindness of the unbeliever. In my off-the-cuff remarks, I said that what bothered me was that the Mormon Church pretended to be Christian in order to make themselves more acceptable in this predominantly Christian country. Romans 11:25-36 endobj The man born blind repeatedly admits, "I don't know." I mean, if we really look into our hearts, if we allow Jesus the light of life to shine on us, and we can really examine our lives and look to see where we act pharisaically, we can see that this blindness affects us all. I still believe that to be true, but I also left the impression with the class that I didnt believe Mormonism to be of God, and for giving that impression, I apologize. The Pharisees, in this story and others, represented the stiff-necked, change-resistant people of Israel who, no matter what they witnessed or heard told, remained blind to the Good News of Christ Jesus. Its been very helpful, not only for sermon work but in leading Bible studies using the analysis of the text.. We all have areas of spiritual blindness. Is there a year of release for those who suffer? Did you know that in Mark 8 in the NKJV, there are at least 16 questions asked by Jesus. Nothing opens eyes like a good question. Some are satisfied with bodily healing; we must go a step further and receive spiritual healing. WebSpiritual Blindness: Choosing a Curse. What did Jesus bring for the poor, the brokenhearted, the blind, and the oppressed? I implied that God could not work through Mormons. People choose the curse of spiritual blindness through habitually practicing the evils God commands us to avoid. They talked about the wonder of sight, the color of flowers, the glory of sunrises, the faces of children and grandchildren. But each time they looked, they saw nothing they saw with the eyes of religious authority, not with the eyes of faith. Spiritual Blindness (Part Three): Choosing a Curse 'Prophecy Watch' by David C. Grabbe (The "HEART" acronym that is being used for this series is taken from Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity 2. But they were victims of spiritual and intellectual blindness. Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him %PDF-1.5 Chris Schofield, Jesus is dealing with blindness. Are we so blinded by our church buildings and our rituals that we dont see God? I am so thankful that we dont have Pharisees around today. God proclaims a cause-effect relationship between sin and madness, blindness, and confusion of heart. 2 0 obj He deals with both the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees and the disciples as well as the physical blindness of a man from Bethsaida. I+QmE-=C:.5M1#hq/-K Ml"{=@. Assembly Of God. 1. Romans 11:25-36, Denomination: Those people who were faced with the signs and wonders of God Incarnate in their lives and yet couldnt see who and what Jesus was. BUT when Jesus, this brand new picture of God in the world came along, they closed the eyes of their hearts they figuratively plucked out their own eyes rather than see that even as their faith went along, something new could also be happening in the interaction between God and humanity. endobj In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. Orthodox. As were going to see, God also allowed Satan to blind Ancient Israel. This figure of speech is a familiar Eastern one. GET YOUR FOUR FREE SAMPLES! Jesus has come to bring spiritual blindness to those who Ezekiel warned that disobedience leads to spiritual blindness, and to false teachings that seduce people to believe lies ( Ezekiel 12:2; 13:219 ). Sermon Notes; Faith Stories; Station Finder; This Weeks Sermon. The man born blind was in his condition of blindness so the works of God might be displayed in his life (John 9:3; Romans 8:28; I Corinthians 3:15,16). God has allowed Satan to blind the entire world. For instance, how about those folks who say, We cant do that here, because weve always done it this way? Isnt that resistance to any sort of change, in the name of purity of religious tradition exactly what The Rev. There had been numerous opportunities for the Pharisees to take a look at Him and discern for themselves whether they thought He was the Incarnation of God, or just a political messiah. But it is also a warning. A. Childrens Sermons This hiding of God's light is another form of spiritual myopia, and perhaps surprisingly, it concerns our relationships with and how we view others. The process of our salvation is seen in the picture of the man born blind. WebSpiritual Blindness. read more, Scripture: Thats the dumbest thing I have ever heard! Christian/Church Of Christ. WebAn inability or unwillingness to perceive the truth of the gospel. Is there a year of release for those who suffer? It is bad to be physically blind - to look on no scenery, to read no book, to behold no countenance, to recognize no love in a human face, to grope our way in the thick darkness. 2. The urban spirit converts people who had conservative values into liberals. And Intro Thanks be to God that today those Pharisees arent around, huh? I have a definition of Christianity. Are we blinded by the worlds sinfulness? Prelude You could have gotten your entire Summer Series from just this chapter! Resources to inspire you and your congregation! Mystery that Blesses Evangelical Free. Lets examine Jesus' words in Luke 4:14-21. But what stood out for me this week was the discussion of blindness its causes, its cures and whose blindness remains. This tragic blindness is found in racial segregationthe not too distant cousin of slavery. Are we blinded by the worlds sinfulness? endobj AM. Click here for more information. We will find forgiveness. Not what if it is not God and I believe that it is but What if it is God and I believe that it is not? That is the one question the Pharisees forgot to ask. Looking For Love In All The Right Places (2 of 5) 2 Cor 4.3-4 NASB - Spiritual blindness, if not dealt with through the power and strength of the Holy Spirit, has great consequences on the life God proclaims a cause-effect relationship between sin and madness, blindness, and confusion of heart. Lets examine Jesus' words in Luke 4:14-21. The aftermath conveys the journey from spiritual blindness to saving faith. It is based on the observed fact that the eye, as an organ, is dependent on the mind and the will. Sin causes blindness, and blindness begets more sin. Although God is working all around us, pursuing us and showing us His glory, some people cannot perceive His divine workings (Acts 28:2627). WebOn the contrary, they were decent and dedicated men. In the Bible the What a great promise from God: "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go." The world has been blinded since Adam. His soul was doomed