Power Of Faith
Notes
Transcript
Picture of Salvation
Picture of Salvation
This blind man represents need for salvation in four ways: He could not go to the temple, He could not see, No one else could help him and he made no effort to seek salvation
He could not go to the temple
He could not go to the temple
The temple was a place of worship for those who were qualified to go in and worship. Because he had a physical defect he was disqualified from going into the temple to worship.
All people are disqualified from worshipping the Lord because we have a spiritual defect. It is called sin. Sin separates us from God and therefore we cannot worship Him in our defective state.
For the unregenerate person there is no desire to worship. They are perfectly fine living in and for the world without a relationship with God. They are content in their sin because they are blind to their condition.
He could not see
He could not see
Just as this man could not see, so the lost person cannot see their condition of lostness. Jesus puts it this way: 16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14: 16-17
The lost person does not have the Holy Spirit and cannot have the healing relationship with the Father. They cannot communicate with the Father because they don’t have the spiritual awareness or ability to discern spiritual matters. Paul puts it this way : 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Cor. 2:14
The spiritually blind person cannot see to have a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ.
No one else could help this man
No one else could help this man
This man had a condition that no one could cure. He had been born blind and was now in his 20’s. No one can help a spiritually blind person except Jesus.
I am sure this man sought many ways to get well through doctors, other people, and maybe even religion. He could find no cure for his condition.
The lost are looking for peace from their spiritual blindness. They look for it in many different ways. They look for it in relationships with others, popularity, success, wealth, and power. These are all futile efforts to cure the disease of sin in their lives. Jesus says :27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. John 14:27
The only way to get this peace is through Jesus. He says: 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6
This man did not seek salvation
This man did not seek salvation
Though this man may have sought a cure for his blindness, he did not seek salvation. He was so consumed with his condition and hopelessness that he did not seek salvation. This was a greater need than being healed from his blindness.
This is the way the lost person is. They reserved themselves to the defeated state of hopelessness because they try to fix their sin rather than be saved from their sin. Jesus is the only one who can save a person from their sin. The beautiful thing about salvation is not only are you saved from sin but you are healed at the same time.
Jesus Is the Power
Jesus Is the Power
When Jesus encountered the blind man he spit on the ground and made clay, he applied the clay to the mans eyes, and told Him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. What Jesus was doing was substantiating His claim to be the Son of God. He does this in two ways: Healing him from blindness therefore proving to be the light of the world, and sending him to wash and proving that those who drink from him will never thirst.
Light of the world.
Light of the world.
Jesus had just left the temple and proclaimed that He is the light of the world in John 8:12
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
A blind person cannot see to follow anyone. So a spiritually blind person cannot follow Jesus because they cannot see Him. Jesus says that He is the light that allows the darken light to see. When a person looks to Jesus they no longer walk in darkness or sin, but have the light of life!
Never thirst
Never thirst
Jesus also said in the temple that he was the bread of life and ta anyone who drank from Him would never thirst. John 6:35
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.
Believing in Jesus brings about the satisfaction of the thirsty soul.
Jesus uses this miracle to bring glory to the Father by substantiating his claim in the healing of the man. He removed the darkness from the mans eyes and made him clean by washing and believing in Jesus.
Faith is Required
Faith is Required
Jesus told this man to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The man could have went away and done nothing, but instead he went and did what Jesus said. Why did he do this? He had tried everything else to get well and nothing worked? The answer is that he had faith in Jesus. He believed that what Jesus said would come true.
The Bible makes not that Siloam means sent. This is an important note because it illustrates that Jesus was sent to us to bring healing for our sin sick souls.
The man went and did what Jesus told him to do and He was healed. It was obvious to him and others that Jesus had made him well.
The obvious is that before he washed he was blind, but after he washed he could see. The second is that other people noticed the difference.
Will you have faith this morning?
Will you have faith this morning?
Perhaps you can in someway identify with this blind man this morning. Not that you are physically blind, but there is a spiritual deficiency in your soul. Maybe you find yourself in a defeated state of addiction, Maybe you have a depression of hopelessness, it may just be that you sense that something is missing in your life. I have good news for you this morning! You can have victory today.
The Bible says in John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
This means that God loves you so much that He was willing to send His own Son to take your sickness and die so that you can be made well.
He did this on the cross of Calvary. He took your punishment which is perishing and gives you eternal life. It is the ultimate demonstration of His love for you.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus died for us. Praise God that He did not stay dead, but rose from the dead on the third day. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and that He can forgive you and give you eternal life? If you do then you must repent of your sins and believe Jesus by following Him.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.