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Title: I can speak for myself
Text: John 9:1-41
*Introduction*: Over the years, I have been developing as an avid reader.
I have learned to appreciate great stories of people’s lives from their humble beginnings, tragedies, successes and even their fall from grace.
It is a true art form to tell somebody else’s story.
I find it amazing how certain authors depict the lives of individuals in such a way that you are reliving their life’s story.
However, no matter how I enjoy reading biographies, there is nothing like reading an autobiography of a person I find interesting.
An autobiography is not an eyewitness account.
It is not a historical profile of a personality.
It is someone telling their own story from their personal experience of the life they live.
In an autobiography, the person speaks for themselves.
Nobody can tell it like they can tell it.
You probably have people who know you like a book but they still can’t give your story justice the way you could.
Our story today is about man who had to tell his story like it was not allowing others to persuade him on who it was that he encountered and what really happen to him.
He had to speak up for himself on what the Lord did for him because nobody could tell it like the way he could tell it!
Amen.
After Jesus was accused of blasphemy by the Jews who refused to believe who He was, he avoids being stoned and leaves the temple.
As He was passing, he sees a man who has been blind from birth.
His disciples raised a question about this man.
They asked, “who sinned, this man or did his parents”?
It was believed the blindness was caused by sin of an individual or it could have been generational.
But in this man’s case neither was true.
Jesus said “this man did not sin nor did his parents.
He was born blind so the works of God can be manifest!
This is good news this morning!
The issue you have or the struggle you have been dealing with was not caused by anything foul you did.
It is not a generational curse but you have been chosen by God as a test subject to show off His glory.
(/That should free somebody up/) You had nothing to do with your situation but God is going to use you so people will know Him.
This morning Jesus is passing by and He sees you in your spiritual blindness.
He sees you in your dark situation and He is about to light up your life.
Jesus tells his disciples that “/he must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day night cometh and no man can work/.”
He had a set time to get the job done.
After he spoke these words, he spat on very the ground he created and that we are created from.
Spitting was not necessarily a bad thing at that time.
Saliva, in the Jewish culture was used for healing purposes.
Just like your mother would wet a tissue with her spit and cleared out the crust out of your eye.
But this was not the spit of an ordinary man.
Jesus was fully God and fully man.
Jesus took what was inside of Him and what this man was made out of rubbed it on this man’s eyes to heal him.
Jesus then instructs this man to go and wash in a pool of water called Siloam.
The text says that the man went and washed and came back seeing.
But how did he get to the pool of Siloam?
He was not only blind now but he had a mud pack over his eyes.
But the text lets us know he got there by some how and some way.
I don’t know but I can imagine how he made it.
I can imagine him yelling out asking for directions, feeling his way.
I can imagine somebody pointing in him which way to go.
I can imagine him getting there and bending down washing his face in the pool.
Regardless of his disability, this man was obedient and he made it there!
The fact that this blind man made it to his destination tells me a couple of things when you are dealing with an issue or a struggle.
First, your obedience to Christ supercedes whatever you are dealing with.
You must follow His lead despite what is happening in your life.
Second, when you are obedient, you will make it wherever you are going.
Some of you may not be blind physically but spiritually you can’t see your way out /but/ you have to go anyway.
You might be lame but go anyway.
Whatever you are dealing with go anyway.
If you have crawl, go!
If you have to scream getting there, go!
If you have stumble to get there, go.
Your obedience leads to your breakthrough.
Because of his obedience to Christ this man came back being able to see.
Now look at the reaction to those who knew this blind man.
The text tells us that his neighbors really were not sure if it was him or not when he can back seeing.
They were used to this man being blind and doing what blind people do.
It that cultured the blind would hang outside the temple and beg.
But a change has occurred.
This brother came back seeing and not begging.
*Pause*.
It’s hard for others to accept the fact that you changed.
They will only know the old you.
It is not a bad thing when people don’t recognize you after you had an experience with Jesus.
They really shouldn’t.
You can’t be the same when you have a real encounter with Jesus.
But the fact that people will try to hold you in your past and are skeptical about who you have become, /you have to tell them you are/!
This is why you have to speak for yourself.
*Point #1: You have to speak for yourself so no one can control over you*.
The man’s neighbors only knew him to be a blind beggar.
But after he met Jesus he had a new identity.
Some of you can identify with this man.
People close to you only know you to be one way.
They knew you when you were on drugs.
They knew you when you were depressed.
They knew you when bitter.
They knew you when were acting crazy.
But since you meet Jesus, they don’t you anymore.
There are some people you don’t need to know anymore.
But you still have to let people who you are! Who are you?
You are chosen.
You are anointed.
You are justified.
You are redeemed.
You are sealed with the Holy Ghost.
Don’t let people control you by your past behavior.
So when people try to tell you what you *were*, tell them who you *are* in Christ!
Not only do you have to speak for yourself about who you are…
*Point #2: You have to speak for yourself on what Jesus has done for you.*
After the man tells his neighbors who he was, he tells them what Jesus did for him.
Look at verses 10-12.
They asked him how was his eyes opened.
He tells them exactly what Jesus did for him with the dirt and the spit.
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