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January 20, 2021 3:00 am
There's a big difference between can't and won't, but what stands in that gap is not a laughing matter can be a matter of life and death today on Truth for Life Alastair Begg contrasts a blind man who can't see with religious leaders who won't see the message that begs the question, do you believe we begin today in John chapter 9 verse 30 Leon Morris observes in their response of the man and our staff to hear the man answered. He says the man's chain of reasoning is pretty good for someone who had been a beggar all his life and presumably a stranger to academic and forensic argument, and it is quite remarkable is this man has got some gristle to this man has got truth on his site. This man is not in any doubt at all as to what is taking place for him and so look at how he answers in verse 30 I'll paraphrase it for him.
He what he says to them as I find this truly remarkable your unbelief in face of the evidence is more of a miracle in my queue and he jumps on the back of that and he uses their same form of argumentation pointing out we know that God doesn't listen to sinners. I don't let on sample you if you are aware of the five you don't know God and you're aware of your sin.
What is being said here can be best understood not only give you one cross reference.
I could weigh you down with them but I want is Psalm 66 and verse 18.
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. The verse does not say if I had sin in my heart. God wouldn't hear me know if I had cherished sin in my heart if I was committed to my sin, then God would listen to me. He says we know that's true. God does not listen to the impenitent. He hears the cries of the penitent, but he does not listen to those who are willful in their unbelief and in their sin. Secondly, he does listen to the godly man who does as well kind of.
Matthew 633 statement seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. God does not listen to the cries of the impenitent does listen to the cries of those who do his will. Thirdly, he says, no one has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God. He couldn't do anything that I knew that was the case because they are even in the miraculous events that we have in the Old Testament. There is no record of any man.
Opening the eyes of a man born blind and so with a simple logic. I get with a compelling logic.
The man beats them at their own game turns the tables on them and says you know you're the one to be starting off with the premise. We know this, therefore, that we know this, therefore, that he says let's do the same thing.
We know that God does not listen to the cries of the impenitent. We know that God does listen to those who do his will. We know that there is no record of ever anybody having a man open a man's eyes. Therefore, he says. Conclusion deduction. If this man were not from God.
He couldn't do note, let's pause there for just a moment because there's a lesson here for each of us in speaking to people concerning faith in Jesus Christ. We may think that the high point in John chapter 9 is arguably verse 25 when he says I don't know about what you know but I do know what I know and that is I know that I was once blind and now I can see. I know my experience, I know what happened to me and our friends walk away from is a idiot because they would be able to say that they've had experiences of different things in different places and so on. What I want to do at that point you see what this man is convinced of his testimony.
But when push comes to shove, and the challenge reaches for him.
He is able to step up and say well it's just think about this for a moment and why don't we think about this to and have you considered that. And do you agree that this this and this leads to the deduction so his faith was resting in the expedience of what Christ had done for him to this point and he was absolutely without any doubt concerning it, but I was in the beginning and the end of his argument. Now what we discovered is that they feel the sting of this and in verse 34 they do.
The only thing that got left to do and that is they throw him out, but you will notice they don't throw them out until they have given their own answer to the question with which the chapter began out of the chapter begin while remember with the disciples asking Jesus to send this man or his parents that he was born blind.
The Pharisees say we know the answer to that question. The reason you were blind is because you were steeped in sin worth you are a miserable sinner. That's what you are. How dare you lecture us. Don't you realize that we've going to school for this very understand that we have the legacy the historical background of of of the Judaism on our site and use some upstart beggar from the streets here thinks to come in and confront us see how how the challenge of truth gets under the skin of those who know they don't know the very truth they are encountering.
We are not to be surprised when our friends and neighbors want eventually to throw us out. Frankly, we are to get thrown out a lot more than we do. Many of us the reason we are not thrown out. The reason were accepted maybe because we are more represented by the fear of the parents, then we are represented in the faith of the man once blind, we are ready to fudge the questions. Well I don't know about that, I'm not so sure about that.
Well, maybe you could ask someone else about that, on have the courage of your convictions.
How dare you lecture us. You're gone and they threw him out. Know this. Pause for a moment and think about this man that this point in the story. I just sat for up here a while say to myself what an incredible few hours or a couple of days however long, is recorded here, it was in the life of this man, this is not this is not an invented story.
This is an historical narrative.
This is an encounter with Jesus. This is one of the signs that has been placed in the Gospels, so that as a result of seeing the sign men and women might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God, and then not by believing they might have life in his name. So this man stands is assigned to us of what it means to be spiritually blind and how we need Jesus to make us see in the same way that he needed Jesus to restore his physical site audit and meaning for him. He must've awakened to a fairly normal day. I would imagine a routine for him would either to be lad or to go by his routine path to his place of begging there. He would sit and make the usual sounds and listen for the passersby in the hope that it would be a good day looking at him as he sits there. Having never seen the sun rise or set over the Sea of Galilee. Look at him as he is identified solely and specifically by his predicament.
He is a blind man he is a beggar. Was he aware, I asked myself of his becoming the focus of the conversation as in verse two, because if you have friends who are blind you know that there sensors almost inevitably are heightened their other senses. Their sense of a fragrance, their sense of sound or sense of hearing. Their sense of touch their sense of taste they are able to teach those of us who can see a ton of stuff that we don't see even though we can see.
Therefore, it is not difficult for us to imagine that as the man sits there his ears to Stop.
Did he hear somebody say who send this man or his parents and did he say to himself I wonder if there are asking about me and then then he says all you are asking about me who send this man or his parents that that he was born blind on the are talking about me on what they're asking in the answer. Neither this man sin, nor his parents sent has fantastic, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. Can you imagine sitting there trying to think yourself into it. You've been blind since your birth sitting on the side of the road is a new routine day you're a beggar and suddenly you are the focal point of the conversation and who and what it is that is answering.
Says that this blindness. This blindness that I know is there an order the work of God might be displayed in his life. Can you imagine them saying I wonder what that means.
I wonder what that is going to mean. And then he hears a spit and then and then whoever this individual is says to them I'm going to put this mod on your eyes, would you have said okay go ahead unless you inherit the dialogue before you see the words of Christ basis to the works of Christ, the work of Christ was an evidence of the word he had spoken he had said this is in order that the work of God might be displayed in his life. Now this is the work of God. The man is six is submits to this and does as he's told. And he comes back. See what an incredible story and then to his parents and then to the community. All the confusion and then to the religious leaders is a walking miracle is a challenge to the religious formalism and in the attempts of the Pharisees to intimidate them despite what he knows to be true. He gives as good as he got because these individuals. These religious formalists couldn't, wouldn't leave their eyes don't tell me that you can't believe tell me that you won't believe tell me that you won't because there is not enough evidence of the living God in creation and in your life and in your very sense of moral ordinance as to condemn you for your unbelief in God. There is not enough in nature to save you but there is nothing major to condemn you not tell me you can see, tell me you won't see that is what is pointed out here that is what is made so graphically clear and John in a summary statement a couple of chapters later in John chapter 12 summarizes the response of these Jews and he says in verse 37 of John 12 even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence.
They still would not believe in him. They still would not believe in it was in the absence of evidence. It was in the absence of good evidence. It wasn't the compelling nature of the truth that they confronted. They flat out refused to believe in him and he's been thrown out. Now what he must've said to himself. What you do now he knew what it was to operate as a blind man but he had not no track record as a seeing man right picture them in my minds eye. Walking away from this confrontation with the religious leaders I saw him walk out into his community.
He was in the crowd but his whole existence have been defined by his blindness walking down the street like a like a sheep without a shepherd. Almost there when he needed was a shepherd. Now look at verse 38, which is the end and of the same time the beginning was a long introduction wasn't Jesus hair that they had thrown him out, and when he found him when he found him see Jesus is about to identify himself in the very next chapter is open on the page beside you as the good Shepherd. What do shepherds do they seek out sheep. Jesus is identified in Luke's gospel. Chapter 19 as the Son of Man came seeking to save those that were lost on ask the man had been healed unsought the man had been found and Jesus finds him in order that he might confront him with this most important question, and when he found him, he said do you believe in the Son of Man. The question I want to leave in your mind because this is the great question. Do you believe in the Son of Man Son of Man is a self designation for Messiah for the Christ for the Savior.
Do you believe in Jesus the nature of that belief. The significance of that belief. The sum and substance of that belief is far more than an intellectual awareness of the existence of a Jesus of Nazareth. It means the casting of myself upon. It means the relying of myself upon. It means entrusting all of my life and all of my eternity into the hands of Jesus of Nazareth, believing that he is the person that he claimed to be.
Do you believe I conclude with the site yesterday. I managed to finish a book that has been part of my summer reading some of you have enjoyed down the big screen place next to the rock 'n' roll Hall of Fame that amazing film into into thin air, which was directly tied to John Krakauer's book into thin air and another book that he wrote called into the wild and I've been reading out for couple of weeks under the Banner of Heaven, which is Krakauer's exposé, as it turns out, of the radical fringes of the fundamentalist Mormonism and particularly the polygamist sect that spin around the circumference of things, but as he comes to the end of his book after 334 pages. He has a little section called authors remarks and he says the genesis for this book was a desire to grasp the nature of religious belief that I wanted to find out about religious belief and since he was brought up in the West and since he was brought up in a framework of Mormonism. He used Mormonism as a sort of template or that the that the prism through which he considered religious belief might have wished that he had chosen Christianity of the New Testament.
But anyway, that's what he did and as he ends the book he quote someone who says that those who write about religion or what to their readers to come clean about what their view of the world really is to acknowledge where they stand in relationship to faith or in relationship to believe versus unbelief. And he said well II think that's fair that one as an author has to come clean about one's own theological framework, and then he said so here is mine. I don't know what God is or what God had in mind when the universe was set in motion. In fact, I don't know if God even exists. Although I confess that I sometimes find myself praying in times of great fear or despair or astonishment, or other display of unexpected beauty, and then he says, although I don't know these things. Accepting the essential inscrutability of existence secrete phrases and accepting the essential inscrutability of existence. In other words, the mystery of life itself. Accepting the on answered questions factor accepting the inscrutability of existence itself is surely preferable to its opposite, i.e. capitulating to the tyranny of intransigent unbelief.
He says I think I'm in a better position saying I don't know that if I'm in the position of saying I flat out don't believe I don't want to know. He said I think this is the better of the two positions.
I think he's right. Don't you, then he closes and if I remain in the dark about our purpose here and the meaning of eternity. I have nevertheless arrived at an understanding of a few more modest truth. Most of us feared most of us yearn to comprehend how we got here and why.
Which is to say, most of us ate to know the love of our Creator and we will no doubt feel that ate most of us for as long as we happen to be alive. I tell you if I had it. If he had put his telephone number just right underneath that I have called them yesterday afternoon sitting on my back patio say hey John, I love your book, you're breaking my heart with the end you're killing me with your hand. Have you ever considered this. Did you know that Jesus John can make blind men see. Do you know that.
Do you remind the person next to you. Do you believe in the Son of Man, you may even as you sit here and cry out to him, Lord, Jesus Christ.
I dutifully help all of my unbelief with the question. Each of us must answer. Do you believe this is Truth for Life. Alastair will be back in a minute to close the program with prayer so please keep maybe this question do you believe has you wondering what exactly does it mean to follow Christ to encourage you to visit Truth for Life.org/the story you'll find very helpful video presentation that explains how Jesus sacrifice on the cross frees us from sin and brings salvation.
God's saving grace is not anything we can earn on our own. It's a gift freely given to those who believe again.
Visit Truth for Life.org/the story the account in John chapter 9 of the blind man begins as Jesus restores that man's physical site but it does not end there. The Bible tells us that Jesus heard about this man's encounter with the Pharisees and went and found him. That is the heart of our Savior. He came to seek and save the lost.
That's also the subject of a book or recommending this month. It's a book called gentle and lowly in it's all about the love of Christ for us even though we are sinful.
In brief, and easy to read chapters, this book gentle and lowly takes us into scripture to reveal the compassion and patience of Christ would love to send you a copy of the book gentle and lowly. When you donate a gift of any amount. Visit Truth for Life.org/donate or you can click on the book image you see in the mobile app or call us at 888-588-7884 and while you're on the website you may be interested in viewing a selection of Christ centered resources. We put together on subjects like aging well or dealing with the challenges of being a caregiver, finding peace in times of grief.
We put this list together to offer you encouragement. If you're dealing with any of these challenging end-of-life issues. You'll find a list of books that Truth for Life.org/hope now here's Alastair to close with prayer father, thank you that were not left to our own devices when it comes to the Bible.
Thank you, that each of us if we have a Bible can at least go home and read John nine again some of his need to read the whole of John's Gospel and to do so with the expectation and the simple prayer Lord Jesus Christ. If you are real, show yourself to pray Lord that you will bring us to genuine living faith in your son Jesus made a grace of the Lord Jesus love of God our father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. We are portion today and always. Amen Bob Lapine hope you can join us again tomorrow as Alastair concludes the message we've heard today by making three observations about one significant question. Do you believe the Bible teaching Alistair Begg is furnished by borderline Learning is for Living