I Once Was Blind, But Now I See

In one paragraph

This message came from John 9, the account of a man born blind whom Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Pastor Carl walked through the story verse by verse, then circled back to draw out what it shows about how ordinary people encounter Jesus and what happens to them when they do. The sermon opened with the disciples' question to Jesus: who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Pastor...

Read together

1. Revelation 12:11 we overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and by the word of our testimony
2. 1 John 3:1 see what great love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called his children
3. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances, this is God's will for those who belong in Christ Jesus
4. John 9:1-41 the healing of the man born blind and his progressive recognition of Jesus
5. John 3:1-2 Nicodemus telling Jesus no one could do the works he does without being from God
6. John 3:17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through him
7. John 12:47 if anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them I did not come to judge the world but to save the world

Talk about it

1. The pastor pointed out that the disciples assumed the man's blindness had to be someone's fault, either his own or his parents'. Where do you see that kind of thinking, that suffering must mean someone deserves it, show up in your own life or in the people around you?
2. The blind man's testimony never changed, no matter how many times he was questioned or pressured. He just told what he knew from his own firsthand experience. What would your own version of that simple testimony sound like?
3. The man's understanding of Jesus grew in stages, from 'some guy called Jesus' to 'a prophet' to 'Lord.' Can you trace a similar kind of gradual recognition in your own faith story?
4. The man's parents held back out of fear of excommunication, of losing their place in the community. What does it cost people today to openly identify with Jesus, and how does that fear affect the way we talk about what God has done in our lives?
5. The pastor drew a distinction between Jesus coming for judgment, meaning so that people can see and make a reckoning about who He is, and coming to judge. How does that difference change the way you think about your own role when you share your faith with someone?