“Are We Blind Too?” (Part 1 of 2)

The religious leaders scrubbed in John's Gospel thought they were spiritually wise, but in reality they simply couldn't or wouldn't believe in Jesus today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg invites us to consider our own spiritual condition returned this morning to John chapter 9 and we read from verse 39. These three verses and I will pray and study them together. Jesus said for judgment. I have come into this world so that the blind will see, and those who see will become blind, some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked what are we blind to. Jesus said if you are blind you would not be guilty of sin, but now that you claim you can see your guilt remains father with our Bibles open before us. We humbly ask that you will come and by the Holy Spirit, teach us from the Bible show us our our Savior and shows ourselves Lord and then matches up for your glory and for our good. We pray in Jesus name on then in the British Parliament when the time comes for its members to vote. They ring what is called the division Bell. Some of you are familiar with the phrase the division Bell.

That is because you have an interest in Pink Floyd and I'm not going to get into that with you this morning. The division Bell do a chart affair Isabel that is sounded within the precincts of Parliament calling the members to vote.

Something similar happens in Congress. But there is no special name for the least. I checked yesterday and there wasn't yesterday and it means that the members have about eight minutes to assemble themselves in the appropriate division lobby in order to vote for or against the resolution.

And so the notion of the Bell and the sounding of the bell immediately calls the question and folks know it is decision time. I want to suggest to you that is the most appropriate introduction that I can find for where we are this morning in relationship to these concluding verses of John chapter 9 because by his coming into the world. Jesus, if you like sounds the division Bell and this division is an inevitable division and it is an unavoidable division. Indeed, the inevitable consequence of the coming of Jesus is just that division to be confronted with the claims of Jesus is to find oneself at a crossroads at a crossroads, one has to make a decision and the way in which we turn defines so much that follows from and this division we have learned runs all the way through John's Gospel classically in chapter 3 and in verse 18 we noted earlier in this study. In John nine whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only son so what we discover is simply this, that the inevitable consequence of the presence of Jesus in the world is a separation separation between those who claim to have religious insight even though they are in fact spiritually blind and those who are conscious of the fact that they are blinded by sin, pray that we might be given the site of which the sin inherent in their nature has robbed them in this contrast is clearly seen in this chapter we have spent obviously the vast majority of time looking at the incident concerning the healing of the man born blind this man was awakened to the fact of his spiritual blindness. He might've thought that his greatest need in life was in order to have his physical sight restored. Of course, Jesus had done. But when all is said and done Jesus seek him out in order to ask him a question. The question that is found in verse 35. Do you believe in the son of man, and the response of the man is eager he is genuinely interested.

Who is he, serve the man asked, tell me so that I may believe in him and he stands in direct contrast to the Pharisees who refused to see what was right before their noses. They were the ones who claim to have the site, but they were in fact the ones who were blind to the truth so I said you again to be confronted by the teaching of Jesus is to find oneself standing at a crossroads, and this is not a truth that is tucked away in corners of the Bible, but actually simply stands as it where in strategic positions all the way through the gospel records I was talking with someone earlier this morning about a baby that was born on Friday and I was thinking of all the joy that is in that people taking the little girl in her arms and making pronouncements about how her little features are and who she looks like, and perhaps what she will become, and over the years we have all engaged in that and observed that and repaired all kinds of things said about the children held in the arms of an older person, but none of us. I would suggest, however, Herod anybody take a child in their arms and say what Simeon said when he took the child Jesus in his arms, on the occasion that Mary and Joseph brought him for dedication at the temple listen to what he said when he took the child Jesus in his arms.

This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. What a strange thing to say about a baby. I think it could be said really about.

No other child, for there is no other who fulfills the role that Jesus fills, but the Pharisees refused to see this and they did not like the division that was suggested. Jesus had declared that he didn't come into the world to condemn the world, we saw that back in verse 17 of chapter 3, but he came to save. This is not some kind of contradiction in verse 39 Jesus said for judgment.

I have come into this world.

Some bright spark said well I thought he said that he didn't come for condemnation is exactly right. He didn't come for condemnation judgment is an inevitable consequence of the coming of Jesus. When the light shines when the division Bell sounds as it where those who come to the light find it to be the light of life, while those who refuse the light turn away into deeper darkness is for this reason that I've said to you in the past. What I remind you of again. Now, namely that it is a dangerous thing to sit and listen to the preaching of the Bible in Parkside church and the reason it is dangerous lies in the fact that if the teaching of the Bible.

If the proclaiming of the good news does not soften your heart it will harden your heart if the teaching does not draw you to Christ, it will inevitably drive you from Christ. When you resist the truth when it is made clear to you, you leave the preacher with only one option, namely to try again and the next time to try and say it even more plainly than before and in doing so. The preacher then exposes the listener to the risk of further rejection of the good news and that listener never knows when that rejection will prove to be the point at which their heart is hardened beyond recovery. I say to you that if, in listening, you remain unconverted, you are in a dangerous, vulnerable position. That's the significance.

Is it not of what we read as a sort of parallel passage in our Scripture reading from Isaiah chapter 6 if you care to turn that I remind you of it. If you don't quote it for you. Most of us when we read Isaiah 6 only go as far as verse eight, the declaration of God, the revelation of himself responsive Isaiah in humility and in contrition and in penitence.

The question of God who will go for us and who will I send responsive Isaiah. I will go for you.

Well I do I will go for you and then usually that becomes the basis of omission we talk and are calling people to serve Jesus and and to go out and and and and a very valid missionary dog.

It is but but it goes on to verse nine because once Isaiah says he was prepared to goal what a strange commission he receives. And God said, go and tell this people be ever hearing but never understanding be ever seeing but never perceiving make the heart of the people calloused make their ears dull close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes here with arrears understand with their hearts and turn and be healed. Strange thing to say what a bizarre commission to be given to a prophet. How are we to understand what we are helped when we look at the five or so occasions in the New Testament where Isaiah 6 is quoted, but will also help by considering the way in which Isaiah responded to that commission.

What did he do did he take that commission and say okay I get it. What I'm supposed to do is make the story so complicated that most people will be able to get make it so complex and so convoluted that folks are bigger how I don't understand that at all know he didn't do that what'd you do, he made a commitment to clarity and simplicity. So much so that in chapter 28 of Isaiah.

The reaction of people to his prophetic ministry is to say, why is he treating eyes like kids verse nine of Isaiah 28. Who is he trying to teach, to whom is he explaining his message to children weaned from their milk to those just taken from the breast wire coming and speaking so plainly speaking as if we were children, talking to his insert ABC language. You see, he understands that by teaching with this clarity and with the simplicity.

The imperatives of nine and 10. In chapter 6 become the inevitable outcome of his ministry that if the word of God does not shine into soften it will shine and it will be your heart and hardened it. The reign of God's word does not irrigate your soul and soften it up to receive the seed that is planted, it will harden it and make your heart like a corrugated tin roof.

God's word won't see you.

What will some people are waiting for their own personal miracle their own personal intervention and what John tells us in chapter 12 is that even after Jesus had done all of these miraculous signs, still they did not believe in, and then he was on to quote exactly Isaiah chapter 6 verses nine and 10 is the same thing that you have in the story that Jesus tells of the rich man and Lazarus.

Remember and and the rich man dies and goes to hell and and looks over and can see Lazarus.

The picture is a metaphor and he cries out that there would be intervention in the lives of his brothers in the responses it. There's no point in anybody going to your brothers because it they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, then they will not listen. Even though someone should rise from the dead. In other words, the confidence of heaven is in the Scriptures. That's why James says humbly.

James 121 I think from memory hungrily accept the word planted in you that can save you today if you hear God's voice do not harden your hearts. If you think for a moment that you can hold the gospel as it is preached to you at arms length and some kind of intellectual critical detachment then you're very posture reveals the blindness of your own mind. Jesus said for judgment.

I have come into this world so that the blind will see, and those who see will become blind. There is a division then that is inevitable, then we come in verse 42. The question asked by the Pharisees, which is a revealing question insofar as it reveals how they saw themselves, and it reveals how they view Jesus some Pharisees who were with him heard them say this and asked what are we blind to. You're not suggesting that we are blind are you Jesus and not actually suggesting that we need to come to you so that we might have our site restore it doesn't occur to these characters that they could possibly be blind and never does. The people who are blind you see one indications of your blindness is that you don't think you're blind. The indication that you're on the way to cite is in the awareness that your blind will first thing the Bible does when the light shines is shows up the darkness and when the light shines in and shows up our blindness, then we know, unless someone makes me see I am to remain forever blind by the greatest blindness is the blindness that is wrapped up in religious formalism such as represented here by these Pharisees. They regard themselves as the guides of the blind.

You can read that in Romans two they regard themselves as a light that shines to those in the darkness they regard themselves as instructors of the foolish, Paul mentions all of that what he is arguing to the point in Romans three when he says, and so the whole world is accountable before God, whether you are a Gentile coming from that background, or whether you are a Jew feeling yourself to be the custodians of all of this truth insert makes their question all the more striking doesn't one can almost hear the snake's only see the sneer on their faces. What we blind to sense the smugness of their tall cancer flavor of the derision directed at Jesus blind there were so blind you know how blind they were like the man in Luke 18 remember the wonderful parable Jesus tells of the Pharisee and the tax collector to those confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else looks as in Luke 18 Jesus told the story context is clear is that to those who are confident in their own righteousness to people who were sure they could see two people who were dead certain that they were not the blind people to those who are confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else all those poor people can see Jesus told a parable. There were two men went up to the temple to pray and the Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself God. I think you are not like other men, robbers, evildoers, adulterers like this tax letter here. After all, I fast twice a week. I give 1/10 of all I get people to go and that's pretty good pretty good given remarks out of 10 Jesus said, but the tax collector stood at a distance he would not even look up to heaven, but he beat his breast and said God have mercy on me and send and then the sting in the tail.

Jesus says I tell you that this man, the tax collector went home justified before God for everyone who exalts himself. Like the Pharisees who think they can see will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted until a man or woman falls at the feet of Jesus and says I am a blind man. I am a blind woman. They will never rise to see as long as we sit in the supercilious perspective of the religious formalists declaring you know I have been around church for a long time. My my my uncle Jim gave me a Bible when we were married. I know that because I saw it.

Just the other day I hadn't seen it for years, but I know it somewhere you know that all that kind of thing.

I'm so glad that I don't need to trust in Jesus, I'm so glad that I'm like the Pharisee in the story I'm I'm not like other men, and actually I really up my contribution since I came here as well. Although I don't expect you to know much about Jesus turn the whole thing on his head. You're not suggesting that we are blind are you Jesus. You see our response to Jesus shows what we think of ourselves and our response to Jesus shows what we think of Jesus and what he think of Jesus is this actually that he is deluded that he's a madman that is demon possessed, not for me is one of the great and intriguing things I learned is that people continue to come and listen to the Bible being preached and actually you've already made your decision concerning Jesus you decided to Jesus was either deluded or even deceitful unless you move from one of those two positions to acknowledge that he is who he is that he is the light of the world and of those who follow him, will not walk in darkness, then you walk out into a darkness that is that that is just completely utter darkness.

I look out Jesus answers verse 39 there's a division yes 40 is a question in verse 41. There's an answer answer that he gives is a puzzling answer is certainly not an easy little versus they were probably expecting Jesus to say yes you are blind once or know of course you're not blind you're the Pharisees, you have all that all the new strapped around her wrists and flashing on your forehead.

They probably expected either yes or no. But instead of doing that, he does what he does often as he just reaches in and twist her nose is a little bit by responding and what is a paradoxical fashion note, let me just quote to you a Phillips paraphrase of this verse is that I think it will. I think it will help us get the sense of it. Phillips paraphrase is verse 41, which he reads. If you were blind you would not be guilty of sin, but now that you claim you can see her go remains like a really bad riddle is the incentive 50 saviors of 15 times in row and still not get it, Melissa. Now Philip is it if you were blind, returned Jesus.

Nobody could blame you. But as you insist, we can see your guilt remains and before their very eyes. Jesus has done what God alone can do if they been without any understanding of spiritual things. Then of course there wouldn't have been blameworthy because they have a knowledge of this stuff there culpable because they are unwilling to see beyond the horizon is aware of the Old Testament reminder from Alastair Greg gaining spiritual site is nothing we can do for ourselves completely dependent on God to open our eyes to the truth of the gospel you're listening to part one of a message titled, are we blind to his Truth for Life with Alastair Greg if you would listen to our program for any length of time. Now, you know, we believe God is the one who opens blind eyes through the teaching of his word. In fact that's at the very core of all we do here at Truth for Life. Our mission is to teach the Bible so that unbelievers will be converted so that those who already believe will grow in their faith.

And so the pastors and members of local churches will be even more committed to following Jesus. You can be part of this mission through your regular prayers and your financial support. When you give to Truth for Life, you are investing in the lives of the people I just mentioned them to express our gratitude for your donation today we want to invite you to request a book that we've selected, titled, gentle and lowly, the heart of Christ for sinners and sufferers. This is a brand-new book that simply and yet profoundly explains Jesus passion to save sinners. You might wonder at times. Whether your repeated mistakes have been exceeded. Jesus patients may be worried that your failures will outpace Jesus desire to forgive you weld the book gentle and lowly explains that nothing could be further from the truth. This book draws directly from the Bible to show us just how much Jesus heart is committed to saving sinners. He understands our human weakness and he longs for us to come to him so that we can be forgiven even if we come time and time again, you can request your copy of gentle and lowly today when you make a generous one time gift simply The image in the mobile app or visit Truth for Life.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884.

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The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living