The House You're Building

        Orient  John 9:1-41 John 9 turns us once again to the reoccurring task of the author, to convince the reader to believe in Jesus.  In the broader section, we see who Jesus is by another public miracle, the blind man healed of his sight.  Conflict with the Jews is again present (notice the repeated argument about the legality of healing on the Sabbath) and teaching his disciples is also included in this section.  As in previous miracles, there are responses to the miracle itself by different groups—the Jews, the man, and his parents.  In the opening, Jesus refers to Himself as “light,” a common metaphor that John introduced in the prelude and Jesus referenced previously at the Feast of Booths. The metaphor of blindness/sight is meant to point us to the spiritual realities of seeing our condition before God and need for the Savior Christ.     Introduction  When my daughter was younger, she played ...

                                   When you think of who you are, what first comes to mind?  We’ve all been at parties making small talk and often, the first thing people say is “what do you do?”  It’s easy to express your value, especially at an acquaintance level, which focusing on the outward.  It’s awkward to share who you are inside.  Now I’m not advocating we all go out and share our truth with everyone we met.  Be wise and know that privilege is earned by those who over time have earned your trust.  But honestly, I think most people don’t share who they are because they don’t know who they are.  The human race endlessly chases things on the outside to try to define who they are on the inside.     The Bible in 1 Peter 2:9-10 describes who we are in a world searching for identity.     But you a...

Luke 12 35 "Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! John 9 39 Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?" 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains. Commands: ready for action, keep lamps burning... Analogy: the wedding feast.  ...

Key Verse:   “And Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.’” John 9:39   In John chapter 9, Jesus opens the eyes of a man blind from birth and his life is changed forever.   He loses some things, but ultimately gains everything – just by seeing that Jesus is Lord.    On the other hand, others witnessed the same miracle and could not accept the truth.   They became blind because of it.   The key questions to ask yourself as you study this week are this: Have you accepted the truth?   Can you see?   Read John 9.   ·          Make a chart of the main characters of this chapter: Jesus, the Blind Man, His parents, and the Jews (Pharisees).   List everything you learn about each in this chapter.   How does each of the characters respond to Jesus’ miracle? What does it show about each of t...