Cling To Jesus Always, Even in Times of Trouble
Are you limiting God, or living with your spiritual eyes wide open? This message is a reminder that God is always working in your life. Are you open to what the Lord wants you to do in your life? If you open your eyes and grow in faith, blessings will follow.
Are you on a spiritual journey of growing and believing in the Lord? You are never alone when you stand for the things of God. This story starts with someone who doesn’t know who Jesus is and he comes to believe in him as Lord and Savior. That is the same spiritual journey all of us are on. The question is: where do you end up at the end of your journey? Do you believe? Do you have expectations of who or what God should be? Don’t limit God.
God Is Always Working. Are Your Spiritual Eyes Open?
Storms Of Life
As most of you may already know, my stepfather, Joe—who raised me from the age of 8, passed away on March 12. For several weeks he was experiencing some physical issues and, at 95 years old, he was not always able to bounce back to complete health. Joe was going to move into assisted living, but before he was moved, he fell and was hospitalized for 10 days. Soon after, Joe was placed in hospice and, in less than a week, he passed away.
At times you may find yourself wondering “why God?” At times, things can become overwhelming in life. Much like a sudden, unrelenting storm. Trees fall, the power goes out, winds blow fences down. The storms of life can bring unexpected things to happen and then your life changes. Like the blind man in today’s message, unexpected events can help us grow with God.
Are you willing for Jesus to open your spiritual eyes to what he has for you today?
In John 9 we find the story of Jesus healing a man who was born blind. Jesus heals the man’s physical eyes and then he begins a spiritual journey, where he graduates from repeating what others said regarding the man they called Jesus who healed him, to calling Jesus “Lord” and believing Jesus is the son of God. This man grew in his knowledge and understanding of who Jesus is.
This blind man started on a spiritual journey every believer finds themselves on. Some people start their journey without knowing Jesus at all. Others know about the man named Jesus but that is all. Still others know the name Jesus; they may even be religious but refuse to believe Jesus is the Son of God. Then there are people like the man in the story who was healed. People who grow in spiritual wisdom and understanding regarding Jesus being the Son of God. These people place their faith in Jesus. Their lives are changed for all eternity.
In this story we find the religious Pharisees could see with their physical eyes, yet they were spiritually blind to who Jesus truly was, that being the Son of God. We all have a choice of what we will believe. We have a choice to hear the truth of God or to close our hearts and minds to the truth. The religious Pharisees knew the name Jesus but refused to believe he was the Son of God. Their minds were already made up. The Pharisees and religious leaders refused to believe because they had expectations of how the Messiah should act. Some people were spiritually blind at first regarding Jesus, and in the course of events they came to the knowledge of Jesus being the Son of God and believed.
We are all on a spiritual journey in life. Do not limit God.
The more you know about Jesus, the more you will be used by God to share the gospel. The more you will worship the Lord.
The question is: do you believe? Are you willing for Jesus to open your spiritual eyes to what he has for you today? It doesn’t matter if you grew up in a religious family. It doesn’t matter your level of religious education. It doesn’t matter how long you have been a Christian. It doesn’t matter your age. What matters is: are you willing to listen and grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus? What matters is: are you willing to lay aside what others might say and cling to Jesus? Will you cling to Jesus and the truth of the gospel? Will you believe and worship Jesus even if it were to cost you something? What if it costs you a family relationship, your status or position, a friendship, or something else that you hold dear? Do not be quick to say “no” to what God is doing around you. The Pharisees were quick to discount the miracle of healing a blind man; they were quick to judge the situation, to reject Jesus and call him a sinner. They were spiritually blind and legalistic in attitude and thinking.
What If You Were Blind, And Then Jesus Healed You?
Today, I want us to step into the blind man’s shoes. What if you were blind from birth? All you know is blurred shapes or darkness. The thinking at the time was that this man’s blindness was due to sin. The parents' sin caused his blindness. Or was it the man who sinned? Maybe his family? But Jesus tells us no.
‘As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him’ (John 9:1-3, NIV).
Note Jesus’ response to the disciple’s question: No, it is not due to their sin.
‘As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” (John 9:4-11).
How would it feel to be born blind, like this man? The impossible became possible! Color and light and shapes became vibrant and clear. He is now able to see people’s faces and connect the voices that he once only knew by their voice; to experience the true brightness of day.
The religious Pharisees were not concerned about the miracle of the man’s ability to see. Instead, they only cared about Jesus working on the Sabbath by healing the man. No work is to be done on the Sabbath. The Pharisees viewed the act as not of God. They believed this man, Jesus, is not from God because he does not keep the sabbath.
‘Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. 17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”’ (John 9:16-17).
The man who is healed from his physical blindness has decided that the man they call Jesus is a prophet. In verses 18 to 23 the religious leaders did not believe that the man was really blind in the first place, so they called on his parents. His parents confirmed that the man had been born blind but refused to say much more for fear of being put out of the synagogue.
‘They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”’ (John 9:18-19).
Instead, the blind man’s parents tell the Pharisees, "He is of age; he will speak for himself" (John 9:21).
In verse 24 the Pharisees question the man again.
‘A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”’ (John 9:24-25).
The Pharisees then ask him to repeat what had happened to cause his eyes to be opened. Not liking the man's response, the Pharisees accuse the man of being one of Jesus' followers. In verse 30 the man responds to them.
‘The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”’ (John 9:30-33).
At that, the religious leaders threw the man out.
‘Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”’ (John 9:35-39).
You’re On a Spiritual Journey—Are You Open to What God Is Doing?
Did you notice that the man who was healed began a spiritual journey? When asked who healed him, he responds with, “The man they call Jesus” (John 9:11). Later, he tells the Pharisee, “He is a prophet” (John 9:17). The Pharisees accused Jesus of being a sinner (John 9:24). But the man who was healed responded with these words, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25). The one who is healed cannot deny the miracle he experienced. He then refers to Jesus as a godly man from God (John 9:31-33). Then Jesus asks the healed man a direct question: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (John 9:35). And the man responds with, “Tell me so that I may believe in him” (John 9:36). And later the man responds, “Lord, I believe” (John 9:38). This man’s spiritual journey started with not knowing Jesus and ends with confessing Jesus as Lord.
Every person on earth is on a spiritual journey: the Pharisees, the religious leaders, the man who is healed, the woman at the well, the roman soldiers, the leper, the person next door, the grocery clerk, the rich man, the homeless beggar, the addict, the bully, the church goer, and the agnostic. The Lord has a plan for every life.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-18).
The question is: do you believe in Jesus? Are you on a spiritual journey of growing in the Lord or are you, like the Pharisees, rejecting what God is wanting to do or has done?
What you may be experiencing in life is not due to some sin you or your family committed in the past. From the time Adam and Eve sinned, sickness and death entered creation. Greed, war, murder, and all sorts of evil happened because of the sin and rebellion of Adam and Eve in the garden. Many awful things have happened in people’s lives but, like here in the case of the man born blind, they are not due to a person’s sin.
Are you open to what the Lord is wanting to do in your life? When you say yes to Jesus, hold on tight. Others in life may judge you and try to get you to deny Jesus.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
How should you respond to what God is doing in your life? Do not respond to what God is doing in your life as the Pharisees did. Instead, respond in the same manner the man who was healed responded. Place your faith in Jesus.
The Lord Is Working in Your Life, Even When You Mess Up
However, understand that there are consequences to sin and rebellion.
‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”’ (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
This verse declared God’s plans for hope, prosperity, and blessings. This was spoken to the people of God who had rebelled. Because of their sin they were taken captive by other nations and suffered, and yet when the people turned back to God, he delivered them. Their captivity was not so much to harm them but to bring about a change of heart and turn back to God. The same is true today. The bondage of sin is all around. When you cry out to Jesus, he is faithful and just to forgive and redeem you from the bondage of sin and death. The world, much like the Pharisees in the story we just read about, will threaten you, make fun of you, and you may need to defend and stand up for what you believe. But know: you are never alone.
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).
In John 14:18 Jesus said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).
Know the Lord is working in your life. Just as Jesus healed the man’s physical eyes, his spiritual eyes were opened also, and he believed.
The religious leaders refused to believe the man’s healing. They refused to believe in Jesus and refused the spiritual healing that was being made available to them. In their rejection of Jesus, they refused the spiritual deliverance and healing that Jesus offers to all who will believe.
Are You Limiting God or Living with Your Spiritual Eyes Wide Open?
No matter what you are experiencing, no matter what you believe now, Jesus’ desire for you is to be healed of your spiritual blindness. You may not believe you are spiritually blind. The religious leaders in the verses we just read thought they were not spiritually blind. But they were.
The religious leaders and the man who was healed of his physical blindness were both on a spiritual journey. Until you say yes to Jesus and have faith in Jesus, your spiritual eyes are blinded to the truth of God’s word. The Pharisees had a knowledge of God they could see with their physical eyes, but they refused to believe, which made them spiritually blind to the truth of the gospel. The Pharisees had a blind spot. They limited God. They believed Jesus to be a sinner because Jesus acted differently than they believed he should. The man that was healed chose to believe and refused to be swayed by others. He simply believed and embraced Jesus with all his heart. The man who was healed journeyed from knowing about Jesus to worshiping Jesus. We read that he may not have known everything about Jesus but one thing he did know: he was once blind and now he could see. His personal experience and openness to what the Lord was doing in his life allowed him to see Jesus for who he truly was: the Son of God.
What about you? Don’t be like the Pharisee and limit God. Don’t be like the religious leaders and think God must work in a particular way. Remember, he is God Almighty. Hold on to Jesus no matter what others may say; no matter the cost. Believe and worship Jesus with your spiritual eyes wide open.
One last thought: The disciples were being included in opening spiritually blind eyes. When you share your faith in Christ, when you share the gospel, you are participating in opening spiritually blind eyes. It is the Lord who does the healing and opening of a person’s spiritual eyes. However, Jesus made it clear that the work of opening spiritually blind eyes is not over yet. Jesus told his disciples, “We must do the works of him who sent me” (John 9:4). God will use you as you share your faith in Christ with others and he will open their spiritual eyes if they would only believe.
Hold on to your faith as the man who was healed. Do not be swayed by threatening words or how others might limit God. Do not fear what others might fear. Cling to Jesus' words and grow in the Lord. He will open your spiritual eyes to see the light of the gospel that is available to all who will believe. Rejoice like the Psalmist.
“I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. 8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place” (Psalm 31:7-8).
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