2017.03.12                                    John 10: 1-21

              I am the Good Shepherd

Good Morning…. I am glad to be with you this morning… I have Good News for You! His name is Jesus… We are on a great adventure… We are Experiencing the Life and ministry of Jesus… Once again this morning we are studying the Gospel of John… Turn in your Bible to John chapter 10…  As we begin today… Jesus is still in the Temple area… It is still the same conversation that ended ch 9… Jesus is still trying to shake the religious leaders…. He wants them to see the truth and repent and come to Him… They are false Shepherds… They are blind and they are failing to point the people to Jesus… As we continue… We will be looking at Jesus… He is the true Shepherd… let´s dig in… John 10… v1…

John 10: 1-21                       NLT  Neues Leben

1 “I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! 2 But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. 5 They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

6 Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, 7 so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. 9 Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. 10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. 12 A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. 13 The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.17 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”19 When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him. 20 Some said, “He’s demon possessed and out of his mind. Why listen to a man like that?” 21 Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

1 »Ich versichere euch: Wer sich über die Mauer in den Schafpferch schleicht, statt durchs Tor hineinzugehen, ist ein Dieb und ein Räuber! 2 Denn ein Hirte tritt durch das Tor ein. 3 Der Torhüter öffnet ihm, und die Schafe hören seine Stimme und kommen zu ihm. Er ruft seine Schafe, die ihm gehören, beim Namen und führt sie hinaus. 4 Wenn er seine Herde versammelt hat, geht er vor ihnen her, und die Schafe folgen ihm, weil sie seine Stimme kennen. 5 Einem Fremden aber folgen sie nicht, sondern laufen vor ihm weg, weil sie seine Stimme nicht kennen.« 6 Die Zuhörer wussten nicht, was Jesus mit diesem Bild meinte, 7 deshalb erklärte er es ihnen. »Ich versichere euch: Ich bin das Tor zu den Schafen«, sagte er. 8 »Alle, die vor mir kamen, waren Diebe und Räuber. Doch die Schafe hörten nicht auf sie. 9 Ja, ich bin das Tor. Wer durch mich hineingeht, wird gerettet werden. Wo er auch hinkommt, wird er grüne Weiden finden. 10 Ein Dieb will rauben, morden und zerstören. Ich aber bin gekommen, um ihnen das Leben in ganzer Fülle zu schenken. 11 Ich bin der gute Hirte. Der gute Hirte opfert sein Leben für die Schafe. 12 Ein Schäfer, der nur für Lohn arbeitet, läuft davon, wenn er einen Wolf kommen sieht. Er wird die Schafe im Stich lassen, weil sie ihm nicht gehören und er nicht ihr Hirte ist. Und so greift der Wolf sie an und zerstreut die Herde. 13 Der bezahlte Arbeiter läuft davon, weil er nur angeworben wurde und die Schafe ihm nicht wirklich am Herzen liegen.14 Ich bin der gute Hirte; ich kenne meine Schafe und sie kennen mich,15 so wie mein Vater mich kennt und ich den Vater. Ich gebe mein Leben für die Schafe. 16 Ich habe auch noch andere Schafe, die nicht in diesem Pferch sind. Auch sie muss ich herführen, und sie werden auf meine Stimme hören; und alle werden eine Herde mit einem Hirten sein. 17 Der Vater liebt mich, weil ich mein Leben hingebe, um es wiederzuerlangen. 18 Niemand kann es mir nehmen. Ich gebe es freiwillig hin. Ich habe die Macht, es hinzugeben, und ich habe die Macht, es wieder zu nehmen. Denn mein Vater hat mir diesen Auftrag gegeben.« 19 Wegen dieser Worte waren die Menschen1 wieder geteilter Meinung über ihn. 20 Manche meinten: »Er hat einen Dämon und ist verrückt. Warum hört ihr auf einen solchen Mann?« 21 Andere dagegen sagten: »Das klingt nicht nach einem Mann, der von einem Dämon besessen ist! Oder kann ein Dämon etwa den Blinden die Augen öffnen?

I am the Good Shepherd…

This is one of the most beautiful word pictures in all of the Scriptures… It is an illustration of God’s care for His own people…

There were many famous shepherds in the Old Testament…  Abraham was a shepherd…  Isaac was a shepherd…  Jacob was a shepherd…  Moses was a shepherd…  David was a shepherd…

But the most well-known Shepherd in the Old Testament was God Himself…

Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is – ” what?  “ - my Shepherd.”  Psalm 77:20,  Psalm 79:13, Psalm 80:1, Psalm 95 says… He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand…

These are all great texts… We do not have time for the many places that we find God illustrated as a Shepherd… But I want to look at one… Look with me at Ezekiel ch 34…

Ezekiel 34: 2-5                       NKJV   slt 2000

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.

2 Menschensohn, weissage gegen die Hirten Israels, weissage und sprich zu ihnen, den Hirten: So spricht Gott, der Herr: Wehe den Hirten Israels, die sich selbst weiden! Sollen die Hirten nicht die Herde weiden? 3 Das Fette verzehrt ihr, mit der Wolle bekleidet ihr euch, und das Gemästete schlachtet ihr, aber die Herde weidet ihr nicht! 4 Das Schwache stärkt ihr nicht, das Kranke heilt ihr nicht, das Verwundete verbindet ihr nicht, das Verscheuchte holt ihr nicht zurück, und das Verlorene sucht ihr nicht, sondern mit Gewalt und Härte herrscht ihr über sie! 5 Und so haben sie sich zerstreut, weil sie ohne Hirten waren, und sind allen wilden Tieren des Feldes zum Fraß geworden und haben sich zerstreut. 

v2a… Son of man… This is a title of the Messiah…

v2b… prophesy against the shepherds of Israel...  In this prophesy…. God Rebukes the false shepherds and says that He will seek and protect the flock…v11,12…

Ezekiel 34: 11,12     NKJV   slt 2000

11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.

11 Denn so spricht Gott, der Herr: Siehe, ich selbst will nach meinen Schafen suchen und mich ihrer annehmen! 12 Wie ein Hirte seine Herde zusammensucht an dem Tag, da er mitten unter seinen zerstreuten Schafen ist, so will ich mich meiner Schafe annehmen und sie aus allen Orten erretten, wohin sie zerstreut wurden an dem Tag des Gewölks und des Wolkendunkels.

v11… I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out... God says…. I will shepherd and gather my sheep…  

look at verse 23... Then He points to the Messiah as the true shepherd to come…  He says… I will

Ezekiel 34: 23,24                       NKJV   slt 2000

23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken..

 23 Ich will ihnen einen einzigen Hirten erwecken, der sie weiden soll, nämlich meinen Knecht David; der soll sie weiden, und der soll ihr Hirte sein. 24 Und ich, der Herr, will ihr Gott sein, und mein Knecht David soll Fürst sein in ihrer Mitte; ich, der Herr, habe es gesagt!

v23… My servant David…  David lived long before… Who is He talking about?  He’s talking about the Son of David… The Messiah… He will become the true Shepherd who will gather His people… not only from Israel… but from all the nations…  

This prophecy in Ezekiel 34 is fulfilled by Jesus…  He is that one true Shepherd…  Back to John 10 … v1,2… scroll down…

v1…  A thief and a robber… The Pharisees have shown that they are ungodly leaders… False shepherds of Israel… Proved  by their rejection of Jesus… the Messiah and the only hope of humanity…

v2… He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep… As we see in these texts… Shepherds were  common Old Testament pictures of the leaders of God's people… The good shepherds fed and protected the sheep…

Scroll down…  John 10: 3-6  

v3a… To him the doorkeeper opens… In towns, sheep from many flocks were kept for the night in a common sheepfold… They were overseen by one "doorkeeper….

v3b… He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out… The shepherd calls the sheep by name… The shepherd has a personal connection with the sheep…. They knew His voice… The shepherd leads them out… Here, Jesus speaks of calling his own sheep from the fold of Judaism…

v4… he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice... In the common sheepfolds of ancient times… the shepherd merely gave his distinctive call and his sheep came out from the others… following him out of the sheepfold… Sheep are experts at discerning their shepherd's voice…

Scroll down… John 10: 7-10…

v7… I am the gate for the sheep… Jesus is the gate… the only way into the fold of God´s people…   When Jesus speaks of the door in this passage… He refers to a   type of sheepfold that was used out in the fields…

It was an enclosure for sheep with only one entrance... It might be a cave… Or a stone or mud-brick structure with walls to protect the sheep…

The shepherd actually laid his body across the entrance… to keep the sheep in and to keep out the wolves… The shepherd was in fact the gate or door... Foto…

v8… All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers… Jesus is pointing to the false shepherds…

v9… I am the gate…Those who come in through me will be saved… They will come and go freely and will find good pastures… Jesus shows the choice and the contrast between Himself and the False shepherds who claim to speak for God…. They are deceived and they lead many astray…

 v10… the thief… kill and destroy… There is great danger for every believer... False teachers… They have poisoned their own hearts by filling themselves with pride…. They are Hypocrites…. They are like robbers and thieves… They are after us… How do we stay safe…? We follow Jesus… We must not loose sight of Jesus… Even as believers… We are in danger of a form of temporary Blindness… Let´s call it The Beam in the eye syndrome… Matt ch7… We are quick to hit someone over the head with our Bible… We apply the Word of God to others…  Without first searching our own hearts… We make 2 big mistakes….

Avoiding temporary Blindness

1 We compare ourselves with others instead of with the Word of God… That Scripture is for brother so and so… oh man… Sister blah blah needs to read this…

2 We do not let the scriptures shape us… We read and even memorize the Bible… But we don´t let it sink into our own Hearts and minds…

3 We do not let the Word of God move us to repentance… They become mere texts that we say we believe… We Call Jesus Lord…. But we do not do what he Says… Luke 6:46…

How do we avoid the same pride and hypocrisy that poisoned the Scribes and Pharisees?

1 We apply the Word of God to our hearts first…. Then we can see well enough to humbly help our brothers and sisters…  Then we all learn obedience and thankfulness…  

2 We listen to His voice… The voice of our Good Shepherd… We see with our ears as we study the Word of god and apply it to our own hearts first… Then and only then… Can  we truly follow him…

Scroll down to John 10: 11-15…

v11… The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep… The bad shepherd thinks the flock exists for his benefit, but the good shepherd lives for… and even lays down His life for the sheep…  

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

The good shepherd sacrifices for the sheep

The good shepherd knows his sheep

The good shepherd is known by the sheep

The faithful pastor is an under-shepherd… Shepherd´s assistant… He will with the Lord´s help…  display the same characteristics as the Good Shepherd… He will sacrifice for the sheep… know the sheep… and be known by them…  The title pastor translates the same ancient Greek word used here for shepherd… poimēn(greek)   Scroll down to v16-18…

v16… I must bring them also... They will listen to my voice… and there will be one flock with one shepherd.… These "other sheep" are Gentile believers… It includes the nations of the world… not just the fold of Israel... There is one flock and one shepherd…  Jesus calls out His sheep from more than one fold... He makes them into one flock… The redeemed…

v17… Therefore My Father loves Me… because I lay down My life that I may take it again...  Anyone can lay down his life… only Jesus can take His life up again… Because Jesus has the power to take up His own life… it is proof that He is God… And proof of His unique relationship with The Father.

v18a… That I may take it again … I have power to take it again… In this sense, we can say that Jesus "raised Himself" from the dead… He had the power to lay down His life, and He had the power to take it up again… This is very important truth…  

v18b... This command I have received from My Father… The death of Jesus was the plan of God… It was pictured in every OT sacrifice… Jesus willingly submitted to death on the cross... He knew that  then He would rise from the dead in victory over death and the grave… That was the command Jesus received from God the Father…. Let´s look at the last section…19-21…

v19… the people were again divided…

v20… He’s demon possessed and out of his mind… Jesus made such radical claims about Himself that people divided over Him… Some believed that anyone who claimed to be God… Must either have a demon or be mad...

v21… This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?...   Some of these people Repented and believed the good News of the gospel… They believed He was who He said He was... They saw the miracle with their eyes…. They saw the truth with their ears…  They Listened to His voice… They were moved to follow the Good Shepherd… They followed Jesus…

Many of us have seen the truth of who Jesus is with our ears…. We read and learn about Jesus as we study the Bible… The Holy Spirit uses this book to show what is in our hearts and minds…And then to correct us and to transform us step by step into the very image of Jesus… We become more like Jesus day by day… We follow our good shepherd and he blesses and transforms us to be like Him… That affects every relationship that we have… look with me at Colossians 3 v12-17…    

Colossians 3: 12-17                   NLT   Neues Leben

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

12 Da Gott euch erwählt hat, zu seinen Heiligen und Geliebten zu gehören, seid voll Mitleid und Erbarmen, Freundlichkeit, Demut, Sanftheit und Geduld. 13 Seid nachsichtig mit den Fehlern der anderen und vergebt denen, die euch gekränkt haben. Vergesst nicht, dass der Herr euch vergeben hat und dass ihr deshalb auch anderen vergeben müsst. 14 Das Wichtigste aber ist die Liebe. Sie ist das Band, das uns alle in vollkommener Einheit verbindet.

15 Euren Herzen wünschen wir den Frieden, der von Christus kommt. Denn als Glieder des einen Leibes seid ihr alle berufen, im Frieden miteinander zu leben. Und seid immer dankbar! 16 Gebt den Worten von Christus viel Raum3 in euren Herzen. Gebraucht seine Worte weise, um einander zu lehren und zu ermahnen. Singt Gott aus ganzem Herzen Psalmen, Lobgesänge und geistliche Lieder. 17 Doch alles, was auch immer ihr tut oder sagt, soll im Namen von Jesus, dem Herrn, geschehen, durch den ihr Gott, dem Vater, danken sollt!

When we see Jesus with our ears… When we let the Word of God soak into our lives… We are daily transformed to become more like Jesus… And others see Jesus in us… That is why we are here… To love and encourage each other…. And to show Jesus to this lost and dying world… Let´s pray…

2017.02.26                             John 9: 1-12

          The Man Born Blind             part 1

Good morning everyone, I am glad that you are here…. I have Good News for you… His name is Jesus… We are on a great adventure… We are Experiencing the Life and ministry of Jesus… As we study  the Gospel of John… We learn the truth about Jesus… He was not just some great man… He wrote his gospel so that we would believe in Jesus… And through believing in Him…. That we would find life in His name… He is determined to make sure that we understand that Jesus is God in human flesh… and to prove that He is the Savior and Messiah… John was the theologian of the early church… 

John’s gospel is to demonstrate that God has provided redemption and forgiveness to all that are willing to repent and cry out to Him… The Gospel of John is much more than just true history… It is a presentation of The Lord Jesus Christ in all of His Glory… John reminds us that Jesus demonstrated His Authority and power in many ways… He openly proclaimed His equality with God the Father… HE offered Himself as the true bread come down from Heaven… John 6:32,33  …. He offered Life giving heart changing water to anyone who would come to Him… John 7: 37,38… And as we studied in john ch 8… He revealed Himself as the light of the world… John 8:12…

The Glorious light of the Gospel shines into our lives… The Word of God transforms our cold black hearts… Our entire lives are flooded with truth… With light…

The metaphor of Light and Darkness appears all through the Word of God…

This morning Jesus is going to perform a miracle of incredible power… It is an Exclamation point on the truth that Jesus is the light of the world… Jesus will heal a man who was born blind…

Jesus has been teaching daily in the Temple during the Feast of Tabernacles…. His is proclaiming Himself as Messiah and God… Let´s start with the last verses of ch8…

John 8: 58,59                           NKJV   slt 2000

58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

58 Jesus sprach zu ihnen: Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch: Ehe Abraham war, bin ich! 59 Da hoben sie Steine auf, um sie auf ihn zu werfen. Jesus aber verbarg sich und ging zum Tempel hinaus, mitten durch sie hindurch, und entkam so.

They want to stone Him again at the end of the chapter… But They cannot… It is not yet time…

Remember… Jesus said no man takes my life from me…. I lay it down… John 10… v18…

Let´s continue now… Look with me at John 9: 1-12…

John 9: 1-12                     NKJV  slt 2000

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” 9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.”He said, “I am he.” 10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”12 Then they said to him, “Where is He? ”He said, “I do not know.”

Wow… This man had never seen the light… He was in total darkness…

Then Jesus gives Him the gift of light and sight… It is a living illustration of the miracle of the new birth… This man begins his new life by seeing with His ears… He obeys Jesus simple instructions and goes to Siloam to wash… He returns seeing for the first time… What a miracle…

Everything that Jesus says and does… He does to fulfill all righteousness… He is fulfilling every promise that God has made… And He is accomplishing every Prophesy that has been given… When Jesus says… in v5… “I am the light of the world.” He is speaking to the exact circumstances of this moment… He is giving light to the desperate needs of this man… He has lived his entire life blind…. Not only born blind… but condemned to a life of darkness and hopelessness…

We are not left in the dark about the meaning of darkness… God’s light has come into the world… and it is shining into a sin filled world… A world of suffering and sorrow… A world of disabilities and devastating diseases… God has not left us to alone… The Light of the Gospel is filled with hope for everyone who cries out to him… No Matter what happens… The Word of God helps us to cope with the sorrows and disasters that confront everyone of us… It is all part of God´s redemptive plan… The light of the Gospel sheds light on every part of our lives…

 In the fifth gospel… Isaiah… We discover many of the wonderful promises of God to a sin filled and rebellious people…

Isaiah 42 is just one example… It is one of the Servant songs of the Messiah… In it The prophet points to The Messiah the giver of life and light to a lost and dying world… look with me at Isaiah 42… v5-7

Isaiah 42: 5-7                 NLT  Neues Leben

5 God, the Lord, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. And it is he who says, 6 “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

5 Gott, der Herr, hat den Himmel erschaffen und ausgespannt. Er hat die Erde und alles, was darauf wächst, gemacht. Er gibt allem, was auf der Welt ist, Leben und allem, was auf ihr geht, Atem. Er sagt:

6 »Ich, der Herr, habe dich in Gerechtigkeit berufen und dich bei deiner Hand erfasst. Ich beschütze dich und mache dich zu einem Bund für das Volk und zum Licht für die Völker.

7 Dadurch sollst du den Blinden die Augen öffnen, die Häftlinge aus dem Gefängnis befreien und die in der Dunkelheit Gefangenen ans Licht führen.

Beginning in Verse 1 we see God calling on the earth to look at His chosen one… then in v5…

v5… God the Creator of everything says… I give breath and life to everyone…  In Genesis we read…. God said let there be light and there was light… Genesis 1: 3…  That light was Jesus the Messiah… John describes Jesus as the true light that gives light  everyman who comes into the world… John 1:9…

In Isaiah in verses 6 and 7 we see the connection between light and blindness… and freedom from the darkness of prison… look at it with me…

v6b,7… And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons….

The Lord God said that the Messiah is given as a light to guide the nations… And that he will transform hearts and lives…. That the blind will see and be set free from prison…

This morning we will look at one of the tens of thousands of miracles that Jesus did… Why do I say tens of thousands? Because the scriptures tell us in several places… Jesus healed everyone that came to Him… John also reminds us that if he wrote down everything that Jesus did it would fill many books... Many of the same people who a day earlier… Heard Jesus say that He was the Light of the World… Will now witness this incredible miracle… The healing of a man born blind…

This miracle alone should have changed their view of Jesus… But instead of repenting and coming to genuine faith… instead of acknowledging that there was no human explanation for what they had seen… all it does is harden their hatred and anger… 

So Jesus begins to abandon the leaders to their rebellion and focus on the disciples… Remember it is only about 6 months before the cross and the resurrection…   The religious leaders are only looking to build their case against Jesus… It’s a sad  fulfillment of the first chapter of John… “He came into His own, and His own received Him not.” John 1: 11… There is  great danger of rejecting the truth and hardening our hearts…

Everytime we study the Bible… We need to ask God to open our ears and hearts… Look with me now at John 9… We will take a closer look… let’s walk with Jesus… in the light…    V1,2…

John 9: 1,2       NKJV  slt 2000

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?“

1 Und als er vorbeiging, sah er einen Menschen, der blind war von Geburt an. 2 Und seine Jünger fragten ihn und sprachen: Rabbi, wer hat gesündigt, so daß dieser blind geboren ist, er oder seine Eltern?

v1… blind from birth… who sinned…

Born blind… That means that according to the religious leaders he was cursed by God… Uli has a blind Paten Tante… One thing that you notice right away… Is that her hearing is spectacular… I think this poor man heard every horrible thing that was whispered about him all of his life… How sad… Even if the disciples whispered to Jesus… He heard them… Cursed by blindness and excellent hearing… The blind man is a picture of the lost sin-blinded man who has no capacity to see Jesus…    The analogy is perfect…

In fact, the gospels use this analogy over and over... Paul talks about spiritual blindness many times…   Blindness perfectly illustrates man’s spiritual darkness and lost-ness...  Helpless… this blind man is at the mercy of others who choose to help him...  He’s like the sinner…  In this passage… God reaches the blind man through Christ…  Just like God takes the initiative through Christ for us sinners…  That’s how grace operates…  We’re lost… we’re dead… we’re blind… We cannot see the truth of the gospel… But God sees us…  He comes to us… And in His in compassion… Gives us sight and pours grace and mercy out on our lives…

v2... Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? The disciples saw this man as a theological puzzle… The disciples say who sinned… By the way… there is no such thing as generational sins or generational curses…

Jesus saw him as a suffering young man needing a miracle...

John 9: 3-5   NKJV   slt 2000

3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

3 Jesus antwortete: Weder dieser hat gesündigt noch seine Eltern; sondern an ihm sollten die Werke Gottes offenbar werden! 4 Ich muß die Werke dessen wirken, der mich gesandt hat, solange es Tag ist; es kommt die Nacht, da niemand wirken kann. 5 Solange ich in der Welt bin, bin ich das Licht der Welt.

v3… Neither this man nor his parents sinned… Jesus' response was neither this man… nor his parents sinned… Why do such bad things happen? Generally… because we live in a fallen world… Sometimes… So that the works of God can be revealed in him…

v4… while it is day… we must work…

while it is day… Jesus Points to our time here in this life… We do not know how much time we have… We need to use it for His Glory…  

Jesus knows that His own  Death is coming soon…  He has months…  Jesus is talking to the disciples… Some of them don’t have very long…  They have a few years…  Soon many are martyred for the sake of the Gospel… Jesus pulls us along with the disciples into ministry with the phrase we must work… What a calling… Staggering…     In the light of the fact that night is coming… We need to be careful not to waste our lives…  slide

My joy grows with every soul that seeks the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Remember, you have one life. That’s all. You were made for

God. Don’t waste it.”

― John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

We don’t know how much time we have...    People at a bakery in Heidelberg yesterday…  One young… gone… We don’t know.  Months?  Years?  We don’t know…  Less time with every breath…   It’s time to get to work… 

I love that we’re in the “we” here…     listen Christian… We need to get the sin and worldliness out of our days…  

We need to Stop wasting time…  Stop flirting with the world... Get to work… back to v5… scroll down…

v5… “While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”  But that’s only for a while longer…  He will always be the Light of the World…  But right now… He is shining in person in all of His Glory…  He’s going to give this man spiritual light… and He will start by seeing with his ears… v6,7…

John 9: 6,7                        NKJV   slt 2000

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

6 Als er dies gesagt hatte, spie er auf die Erde und machte einen Brei mit dem Speichel und strich den Brei auf die Augen des Blinden 7 und sprach zu ihm: Geh hin, wasche dich im Teich Siloah (das heißt übersetzt: »Der Gesandte«)! Da ging er hin und wusch sich und kam sehend wieder.

v6… He spat … and He anointed the eyes…   The blind man did not come to Jesus and ask to be healed… Jesus came to Him… Still, He expected the blind man to respond in faith and obedience… By the way… Faith and obedience are always connected…  As Jesus gave the man this simple task…  The blind man obediently went away and washed in the pool of Siloam…  And he came back seeing… His response to the Lord’s command symbolizes the obedience that marks genuine saving faith… note takers.. Rom. 1:5; 15:18; 16:26; Heb. 5:9…

v7… Go, wash in the pool of Siloam… Why the pool of Siloam?  All of this has taken place at Tabernacles… This is where they went every day during the Feast… It was during the great pouring out of Water on the altar… That Jesus said He was the living water…  We talked about that day a few weeks ago…

The Lord Jesus Christ is the true Siloam…. He was sent to offer living water to anyone who was willing to repent and believe the Good News of the Gospel… He has sent us… John ch 17…  So Jesus sent this man to wash…

This is a wonderful picture of salvation… Sovereign grace confronts a blind and hopeless sinner…  He can’t see Jesus…  But in His sovereign grace… Jesus  comes to him… He asks only a response of simple faith… Go and wash… Remember… He was still blind… It is a long way from the Temple to the pool of Siloam…  He finds his way to the cleansing waters… It is a symbol of Messianic salvation in Isaiah… and he comes back seeing… How wonderful… What a beautiful picture…

John 9: 8-12                   NKJV  slt 2000

8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.”10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” 12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

8 Die Nachbarn nun, und die ihn zuvor als Blinden gesehen hatten, sprachen: Ist das nicht der, welcher dasaß und bettelte? 9 Etliche sagten: Er ist's! — andere aber: Er sieht ihm ähnlich! Er selbst sagte: Ich bin's! 10 Da sprachen sie zu ihm: Wie sind deine Augen geöffnet worden? 11 Er antwortete und sprach: Ein Mensch, der Jesus heißt, machte einen Brei und bestrich meine Augen und sprach zu mir: Geh hin zum Teich Siloah und wasche dich! Als ich aber hinging und mich wusch, wurde ich sehend. 12 Da sprachen sie zu ihm: Wo ist er? Er antwortete: Ich weiß es nicht!

v9… Others said, "He is like him. " He said, "I am he": It seems too amazing to believe… but the man convinced them that he was in fact healed from congenital blindness…

v11… A man called Jesus… At this point, the man knew very little about Jesus… He didn't know anything more about Jesus than His name… and that He healed him...

v12… where is He? Can you imagine the questions… Impossible who… what does he look like… no Idea… We need to stop for today… Next week Jesus will find Him the man born blind will demonstrate genuine faith and will testify to the religious leaders of Jesus the Messiah… Let´s pray