Light-Bearing for the Glory of God

Introduction: As you are turning to John Chapter 9, I want to mention a group of people who are charged with the care of others: Nurses. I was reminded of this Thursday night as I attended the pinning ceremony for Meredith and her classmates. At the end of the ceremony, each nurse is given a Florence Nightingale globe and reminded of her mission. Each of the graduates then recited the Nightingale Pledge which ends with these words: I will devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care

Transition: Nurses provide a much needed resource to those who are in the hospital or sick enough to require care at home. This is a wonderful and compassionate calling to assist with physical needs. And we as a congregation are privileged to have several nurses in our church family.

There are many, however, with spiritual needs for which no nurse is charged with caring for. These folks aren’t even aware of their need, and they aren’t asking for help.

A question that arises is: what is to be done about those living in spiritual darkness? And, what is our role in ministering to them?

The Good News is that Jesus has already provided a solution to the problem of spiritual blindness. In this morning’s message we are going to see God’s solution, and we are also going to see how we can be involved in this ministry as compassionate and caring Light Bearers.

I invite you to turn with me to the ninth chapter of the Gospel of John. We are going to be looking at the miracle of Jesus’ healing of the Blind man in vv. 1-7

Transition: The title of this morning’s message is Light Bearing for the Glory of God and we will be looking at how we can be part of this vital ministry. We are going to look at our mission, our method, our mode, and the outcome. The first thing I want you to notice is our mission:

The Mission of Light-Bearers is to carry the Light into the Darkness ()

Explanation: The events of Chapter 9 take place some time after the Festival of Tabernacles, as described in Chapters 7&8, and Jesus is probably still in the city of Jerusalem. Remember that John is writing for the purpose of showing Jesus is the Messiah, and that he has crafted his narrative under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit around Seven (7) miracles or signs. This healing of the Blind Man is the 6th sign and John makes use of this miracle to teach several significant truths for the people of God

The first thing we want to note is the Divine Initiative. Jesus is the One who is passing by the blind man. Jesus is the One who stops by the blind man and begins to interact with him. The blind man was incapable of going to Jesus, and as a matter of note, he didn’t even know who Jesus was. In the Sovereignty of God, Jesus came and brought light into this man’s world.

Illustrate: The truth of not being able to save ourselves is highlighted by a news story about a British cave diver named Josh Bratchley. Bratchley was a member of the team that helped save a Thai soccer team that had been trapped in a cave for about two weeks during the summer of 2018. Bratchley was exploring an underwater cave in Tennessee last month when his surface line was accidentally cut. He was trapped in an air bubble at the end of the cave for over 24 hours until he was rescued by another cave diver. When he was found, Bratchely was sitting on a ledge and waiting for help. He knew there was absolutely nothing he could do to save himself. He knew his rescue was in the hands of someone else.

Argument: Many people go through life thinking they can take care of themselves. The consider themselves to be capable, and would refuse help if offered. The truth is that no one of get by in this physical life completely by ourselves. We all need help at one point or another, even someone like a Josh Bratchley who has rescued others. And, most importantly, when it comes to spiritual darkness, we all need Divine assistance. All humans are born with a corrupted sin nature (; ; ), all humans have sinned (), and none of us seek God on our own (). If Jesus had not come to us, we would remain hopeless and lost. But thank God, He did come, and He came to seek and the save the Lost ()

Application: I want you to talk to believers for a moment. If you have had your spiritual sight restored by the Master, I want you to reflect for a moment on how that process occurred. Who was it that shared the Light of the World with you? Who carried the Gospel to you and presented it in a way you could understand? You do realize that you didn’t come to Jesus by yourself - that there was someone God sovereignly made use of to tell you about Jesus.

Now, consider this: you have the same privilege and calling. As a follower of Christ you are a Light-Bearer. You already have the Gospel. You can be the one who takes the Light into the darkness. You can share the light of Jesus with those who are blind and don’t even know it

Transition: As you prepare to go, as you pray about taking the light, think about how you will take the Gospel. The manner and methods of a light-bearer are important. And this brings us to the second point:

The Manner of Light-Bearers is to carry the Light with Compassion ()

Explanation: Note the contrast between Jesus and his disciple in their approaches to the blind man. The disciples assumed that his condition was directly tied to an act of sin. They weren’t sure if he was blind because of his own sin or because of the parent’s sin, but they were confident that sin was involved. Their approach smacked of legalism. They thought if a person had a physical illness, was poor, etc. - the condition was God’s judgment on sin.

Contrast their attitude with the manner of Jesus. He did not focus on the issue of sin at all. He simply observed a blind man who needed healing; He saw a man who was reduced to begging; He saw a man who was totally dependent upon others. After correcting the disciples lack of understanding, Jesus focused on the bigger concern - that of the Glory of God. In His compassion and care for others, Jesus healed the man

A man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out. A SUBJECTIVE person came along and said: "I FEEL for you, down there." An OBJECTIVE person came along and said:” It’s logical that someone would fall, down there." A CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST came along: "You only THINK that you are in a pit." A PHARISEE said: "Only BAD people fall into a pit." A NEWS REPORTER wanted the exclusive story on his pit. A FUNDAMENTALIST said: "Didn’t you see the warning signs? You DESERVE your pit." The COUNTY INSPECTOR asked if he had a permit to dig a pit. A PROFESSOR gave him a lecture on: "The Elementary Principles of the Pit." A Prosperity Preacher said: "Just CONFESS that you’re not in a pit." An OPTIMIST said: "Things COULD be worse." A PESSIMIST said: "Things WILL get worse!!"

Jesus came by and delivered him out of the pit

Explanation: The reasons for specific dysfunctions are varied. The reality is that we live in a fallen world and sin has consequences. How those consequences play out in individual lives is beyond our comprehension. Our reality is that God has us in this specific place at this specific time and we are surrounded by folks that are trapped. They need someone to care enough about them to bring them the Gospel. As humans, it is beyond our power to deliver another from the domain of darkness. But we most assuredly capable of sharing the truth of Jesus with them while we minister in a compassionate way.

Transition: While we are compassionately taking the light into the darkness, it is also important for us to remember to take the light in a timely manner:

The Mode is Light-Bearers is to be underscored by a Sense of Urgency ()

Explanation: Jesus reminds the disciples of an important truth. He tells them that this task is urgent and that unlimited time is not available. Jesus is speaking of the upcoming limits of His own personal ministry as the Light of the World. This healing takes place about 6 months before Calvary. Jesus knows His physical time is limited, and that He is to be engaged with the Father’s business while He is still on earth. Jesus also reminds them of the coming night in which no one can work

We recognize the urgency of completing tasks in other areas. We know the homework must be turned in by Wednesday; we realize the order must be ready to be shipped by Friday; we know the grass needs mowing on Saturday. But somehow there is a disconnect in the area of sharing the Gospel with the Lost. We tell ourselves today is not really a good day - he or she looks tired; tomorrow or next week will work better. We are never promised tomorrow, and even if we get tomorrow, with they? Consider again the words of Jesus, “lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” ()

Transition: As we go forth with compassion and urgency, we can also take light into the darkness with confidence. Our confidence, is not dependent upon a skilled presentation or the ability to answer all questions: our confidence is based upon Jesus.

The Outcome for Light-Bearers will be successful because of Jesus ()

Explanation: Another device John uses to help his readers understand Jesus is the Messiah is his use of the Seven (7) I AM statements recorded in his Gospel. Here in v. 5, Jesus repeats His claim of being the Light of the World. This is the second I AM statement, and we first encountered it in Chapter 8:12 when He declared this truth at the Festival. When Jesus used this manner of speaking, when He said that He was the I AM … He was in fact, declaring Himself to be Yahweh, the God who can. As the Creator of the entire Universe, and the Creator of the blind man, it was no problem at all for Jesus to cure him of his physical blindness. And we will see later in the chapter (vv. 35-38) that Jesus delivers the blind man from spiritual darkness as well.

Argument: Make no mistake, we are not Jesus. We do not have the ability to physically heal on demand as the Messiah did. Yes, there are some heretical false teachers who claim the ability to heal, but they are impotent and weak. They are limited to curing dizziness or ringing in the ears or anxiety. Not a single one of them can heal broken limbs, restore sight to the blind, or raise the dead. Jesus not only could, He did!

Neither can we save anyone. In ourselves, we do not possess the ability to forgive sin and make another righteous before God. The wonder and beauty is, God does not even expect us to try - Salvation is His business, not ours! God would simply have us go to the spiritually blind in the power of the Holy Spirit and tell them about the power of Jesus. When we do just that, we are successful! We are the messengers, and we are to go and tell - that is Gospel success and we can do it!

ASK: What does this message mean for you and your life?

I want to talk first to those of us who are Christ-followers. Consider those persons you know personally who are living in spiritual darkness. Probably, two or three names popped into your mind, but there is at least one. Pray and ask God to show you how HE sees them. Then pray and ask God for an opportunity to share light with them, this next week.

Imagine with me what it could be like if each of us who are trying to live for Jesus would share the Gospel message with a lost person this week. Imagine what God could do with all those Gospel conversations!

I want to remind you: you can do this! God desires for Jesus to be known and worshiped.

And, now I want to talk to another group of folks. There are some who are involved in the process of learning about Jesus. You know about Jesus, but you haven’t yet trusted Him as your Lord and Savior. If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of your spiritual need, I invite you to come this morning. If your spiritual darkness is being invaded by His light, come down and I will talk with you and pray with you about becoming one of His.

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