Not Much Theology

I asked John to choose songs about grace for today, and I didn't know he was going to choose

! that last one, but it's my wife's favorite song, one of her favorite songs.

And I don't know if you picked it because of this reason, but that was one of the songs we did in my retirement service.

Thank you, John.

Would you turn your Bibles to John chapter 9?

John 9 · chapter mention

I mentioned on Wednesday that the last several days that I saw a pastor before he left,

but he reminded me, and in fact, one of the times Peggy was there, and he reminded her as well,

that he gave me two really good passages.

One of them was Psalm 23, and the other one was John chapter 9, verses 1 to 12,

John 9:1–12

which is what we're going to look at this morning.

Before we begin there, though, I would like to just kind of ask you to think about this.

How many of you are highlighters or underliners?

You know what?

Wow, most of you are highlighters.

Highlighters or underliners, people who, when they read a book, they have to have something in their hand,

some kind of marking device, so that they can underline or they can highlight or whatever it is.

I'm a highlighter, but I highlight with particular rules.

That's just the way I am.

Some of you know that.

That means that you can't have more than one highlight on a page,

and only one, but there's no highlights in my Bible.

This week I got a new phone.

I had to sync it with my account for my Bible program,

and I got all of the highlights, 500 and some highlights,

that my wife puts into our shared Bible account.

John was a highlighter, but John was a highlighter like I'm a highlighter.

The apostle John told of only seven miracles in the whole book of John.

Only seven.

Even though at the end of the book he says that if I had written everything that Jesus had done,

the world itself could not have contained all of the records.

Let me just remind you of those.

By the way, I should have mentioned this before I remind you of those.

We have the vent fans, the circulation fans running,

but the temperature outside is only 32,

and you can't run air conditioning if the temperature outside is 32.

So I apologize.

I know it's a little warm.

Some people are warmer than others.

But we do have those circulating fans running.

The miracles in John, first back in chapter 2,

Jesus turning the water into wine.

In John chapter 4, the nobleman's son that Jesus said,

John 4 · chapter mention

just go home, he's well now.

In John chapter 5, the healing of the lame man by the pool of Bethsaida.

John 5 · chapter mention

In John chapter 6, the multiplying of the loaves and the fishes.

John 6 · chapter mention

Later in 6, him walking on the water.

Today's passage in John chapter 9 of him curing the man born blind.

John 9 · chapter mention

And then the one yet to come, the raising of Lazarus.

All of those put forth the concept, the idea of faith.

Have you ever borrowed a book from someone who was a highlighter or an underliner?

Okay?

It can be really interesting.

I've borrowed books from Pastor Knoyer.

Pastor Knoyer is beyond underlining.

He is a write-down.

He's written a whole text, okay, in the margin.

You borrow a book from him,

and you get just as much enjoyment out of reading the columns

as you do reading the actual book.

Well, what we're going to try to do today

is to figure out why did John put this particular miracle in his writing.

We're going to see, I think, I hope,

that it connects with John's overall purpose.

That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

So we're going to review this highlight

and with the goal of seeing how does this help us to believe.

Two points that I'm going to give you that I hope you take away.

So I'm going to tell them to you right up front.

The first one is a better understanding of the connection

between sin and suffering.

And the second, the encouragement and example of faith

that we see in the individual.

Well, John chapter 9, verses 1 to 3.

John 9:1–3

And he passed by, as he passed by,

he saw a man blind from birth.

And his disciples asked him,

Rabbi, who sinned?

This man or his parents that he was born blind?

Jesus answered,

It is not this man that sinned or his parents,

but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Now, first, let me set the context for you.

What we do know is that this was a Sabbath.

We'll see that later in the part that Pastor Knoyer will do

next week or the week after.

We don't know exactly where it takes place,

but it would make sense if it took place right outside the temple.

After all, it was a great place to beg.

People went there thinking about God,

thinking about doing good things so God would see.

So handing someone, begging on the steps,

money, maybe God would see that.

He's right there in the temple.

So it was a good place.

There was also a lot of people going back and forth.

So it was kind of like an off-ramp.

Okay?

You could depend upon seeing a lot of people

so that it was a good place to beg.

It's in this context, though,

that we see Jesus and the disciples.

They see this man that the text says he was born blind.

We don't know how they knew that.

Okay?

But it's in this context that the disciples

turn from the man to a theological question.

We see a great difference

between the response of the disciples

and the response of Jesus.

The interest of the disciples

was prompted by theological curiosity

rather than compassion.

To the disciples,

they look at this man

and they think,

ah, theological puzzle here.

Now, it doesn't seem that their motives

were entirely pure.

They may have had the same idea

that children have

when one child is going to be punished

and the other children,

hey, what did he do?

Is he really going to get it this time?

They may have had that kind of curiosity.

Oh, there's some deep, dark sin

in this man's life.

Let's ask Jesus what it is.

Or maybe there's this deep, dark sin

in his parents' life.

Well, let's ask Jesus what it was.

Their question,

Rabbi, who sinned?

This man or his parents?

That he would be born blind.

Assumed or accepted

the popular doctrine of that day

and quite frankly,

all too often of our day.

And that is

that physical suffering of a person

is always the direct result

of personal sin.

to Jesus.

To look in this man's direction

presented an opportunity

for grace.

His focus

was on putting

God's power

on display.

First of all,

for this man's benefit

and then

also for ours.

They wanted to know,

so how did he get that way?

And Jesus answered,

what can we do for him?

That brings us to

what I said was

one of the things

I wanted you to take away.

And that is

because this same question

so infiltrates

our day,

I think it's important

for us to understand

what the biblical connection

is between sin

and suffering.

So,

I'm going to begin with that

first of all,

stating it very simply.

Suffering in general

is ultimately

the result

of sin

in general.

All the way back

to the garden,

Genesis chapter 2,

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

what was God's instruction

to Adam and Eve?

In the day that you

eat of it,

that is

in the day

that you sin,

you will die.

The presence

of suffering,

the presence

of pain,

the presence

of disease,

the presence

of all bad things

is the direct result

of mankind's

sin.

Not only

the first man,

but every

subsequent man

after that

with, of course,

the exception

of Jesus Christ.

So,

it is true

that there is

a general

connection

between

sin

and

suffering.

It's also

true

that

sometimes

there is

a specific

connection

between

an illness

and sin.

I'm going to give you

a few biblical

examples.

first one I'll give

you is

Miriam.

Miriam is

Moses'

big sister.

All right?

And Miriam

gets a little

bit tired

of her little

brother

being in charge,

making all

the rules.

He thinks he's

the only one

that walks

with God.

Not that any

children would

ever think

that.

And so,

she says,

so what do

you think?

You're the

only one

that knows

God?

And

instantly,

she gets

leprosy.

Instantly.

Earlier,

in the book

of John,

one of the

other miracles

that's displayed

is the man

who was

lame

by the

pool of

Bethsaida.

And remember,

Jesus said,

do you want

to be healed?

And he said,

well,

I'd like to,

but there's

nobody to

get me in

the water.

We are not

told that

that man

was born

lame.

I don't

know if

he did

something that

caused his

lameness or

not.

I do know

this,

that after

Jesus healed

him,

Jesus said,

now,

you've been

healed.

Go,

don't sin

anymore,

because something

worse might

happen.

Number three,

in the passage

we use,

every time we

do communion,

we see,

in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11,

we see Paul

writing to them

and him saying,

you guys have

got it all

wrong,

you're doing

this really

incorrectly,

and the

result of

your sin

is that

there's a

lot of

you sick

and some

of you

have even

died.

Finally,

biblical

examples,

Ananias and

Sapphira.

They simply

told the

wrong amount

that they

sold their

property for.

Now,

it seems

that they did

that so that

they could get

the acclaim

of men

in the

house of

God.

But the

result,

both of

them died.

Those are

biggies.

Let's take a

smaller,

easier to

connect

example.

Let's say

that I have

a tremendous

anger problem.

I just get

overwhelmingly

mad.

And so,

I get,

for some

reason,

something

happens,

and I

just become

overwhelmingly

angry.

And I

run back

there to

that brick

wall,

and I

just start

pounding it

with my

fist.

What will

happen?

I will

get at

least a

bloody

fist,

maybe a

broken

fist.

Is that

the direct

result,

direct

consequence

of my

sin?

Yes,

it is.

So,

there is,

in general,

a connection,

sometimes even

a specific

connection.

In

addition,

third thing,

sometimes,

there are

several passages

in the Old

Testament,

especially,

some in the

New,

but mostly in

the Old

Testament,

that suggest

that an

individual

receives

punishment

for the

sins of

their parents.

text.

Perhaps you've

seen,

read one of

those texts.

Perhaps you've

even struggled

with it.

How can

this be?

That's not

the God

that the

rest of

the Bible

talks about.

We want

to look at

one of

those,

and then

just think

about why

is it that

it says

that?

Turn with

me back

to Exodus

Exodus 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20.

Little

hint,

if I'm

going to

Exodus

Exodus 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20,

what am I

going to

look at?

Ten

commandments,

very good.

It's one

of those

passages

that ought

to just

be right

on the

tip of

your tongue.

If I'm

going to

Exodus

20,

it's

something

to do

with the

Ten

Commandments,

with the

law.

Exodus

Exodus 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20

and verse

5.

You

shall not

bow down

to them

or serve

them,

for I,

the Lord

your God,

am a

jealous

God,

visiting the

iniquity of

the fathers

on the

children to

the third

and fourth

generation of

those who

hate me.

Wow,

that sounds

like God

punishes

people to

the third

and fourth

generation

for a

person's

sin.

Let me

make three

points about

that to

help,

about this

and texts

like it in

the Old

Testament.

first,

it is

true

that when

Israel went

into captivity

in Babylon,

did the

children have

to go

also?

Yes,

they did.

So were

they impacted?

Yes,

they were.

And in the

same way

today,

if dad

or mom

is the

primary

breadwinner

and they

are not

working hard

and they

lose their

job,

will the

children

suffer?

The answer

is yes.

Yes,

they do.

It's also

true

that when

the people

went into

captivity in

Babylon and

the children

turned back

to God,

what did

he do?

He had

brought them

right back

out and

put them

right back

into the

land of

plenty that

he had

given to

their

forefathers.

Second

thing I'd

like you

to think

about there

is that

Old Testament

passages must

often be

understood in

a societal

or national

sense.

In other

words,

it's what one

generation teaches

to the next.

MacArthur

says it this

way,

the point

is that

the corrupting

effect of

a wicked

generation

seeps into

subsequent

generations.

I would

say it a

little differently

than that.

I would

say every

once in a

while,

not very

often,

but every

once in a

while,

I see

some of

my old

nature,

not just

in me,

in my

children,

and now,

only once

in a

while,

in my

grandchildren.

The same

things that I

struggled with,

the same

sense,

it must be

genetic.

Whatever it

is,

I think that's

also the thing

that is

speaking of

here.

third,

this idea

must be

balanced by

many passages,

I'm only

going to name

three of them

for you,

Deuteronomy 24

Deuteronomy 24:16

verse 16,

Jeremiah chapter

Jeremiah 31:29

31 verses 29

and 30,

and Ezekiel

Ezekiel 18:20

chapter 18

verse 20,

all of those,

and many,

many others,

say clearly,

a person

suffers only

for their

own sins

and not

for the

sins of

their parents.

So while

we simply

cannot say

that the

sin and

affliction

are never

linked,

once we

move beyond

that general

statement to

a connection

between sin

and individual

suffering,

we've gone

beyond the

biblical

evidence.

And in

this case,

the disciples,

back in

John chapter

John 9 · chapter mention

9,

in this

case,

the disciples

have claimed

a very

direct

connection

between

suffering

of blindness

by this

man and

some

specific

individual

sin.

And since,

in this

case,

the man

was born

blind,

what does

that tell

you?

It tells

you that

either it

was his

parents,

or he

must have

somehow

sinned

in the

womb.

I don't

know.

Maybe he

kicked his

mom too

hard or

something.

I don't

know.

Something must

have happened.

Let me say it

clearly.

Here's the

point.

There is not

always a

direct link

between

suffering and

personal sin.

I could

review the

book of

Job here,

but I

thought it

would be

better to

look at a

couple of

other New

Testament

passages.

I'm going

to have you

actually turn

to one of them.

I wasn't

going to do

this, but

it's all

right.

Turn to

Luke chapter

Luke 13 · chapter mention

13.

Luke chapter

Luke 13 · chapter mention

13.

I'm going

to read to

you verses

1 through

5.

There were

some present

at that very

time who

told him

about the

Galileans

whose blood

Pilate had

mingled with

their sacrifices.

And he

answered them,

do you think

that these

Galileans were

worse sinners

than all other

Galileans because

they suffered

in this way?

No, I tell

you, but

unless you

repent, you

will all

likewise perish.

Of those

18 on whom

the tower in

Siloam fell

and killed

them, do you

think that they

were worse

offenders than

the others who

lived in

Jerusalem?

No.

What color

are those

words in

your Bible?

In mine,

they're red.

In other

words, it's

the direct

teaching of

Christ.

And the

direct

teaching of

Christ says

there's not

always a

direct link

between

suffering and

personal sin.

I'll give you

two other

examples.

In Acts

Acts 28:4

chapter 28

verse 4,

we have at

the end of

the book of

Acts, Paul

is being

transported for

trial back to

Rome.

And he

undergoes

shipwreck.

And so he's

lost in this

shipwreck, but

he miraculously,

by the work of

God, him and

everyone on that

boat is saved.

So now, he is

on the island, he's

collecting sticks to

start a fire, and

what happens?

A snake jumps out,

bites him on the

hand, and the

people standing

around say, oh,

boy, he must be a

really bad sinner.

I wish we knew

what he did.

Because he

escaped the

shipwreck, but he

got bitten by the

snake.

And the result?

Nothing.

Not only is there

nothing as a

result, but every

one of those

people that are

standing around

begins to think,

he must be the

God.

So they start

trying to worship

him.

Eventually, they

take him to

other people in

the village that

are sick, so

that they can just

look at Paul, and

maybe Paul will

pray for them, and

maybe they'll be

may well.

Third, of course, the

best illustration is

clearly Jesus.

Jesus' suffering did

occur because of

sin.

It did not occur

because of his

sin.

There was no sin

in the life of

Christ.

The Bible gives us

lots of reasons,

other than sin,

that God allows

suffering to come

into our lives.

So while Jesus

did not deny the

general connection,

he refuted the

idea that personal

acts of sin were

always the direct

cause of suffering.

So on one hand,

there's the

overarching

relationship between

sin, between the

reality of sin in

this world and the

reality of pain.

On the other

hand, we err when

we reduce that to

a one-to-one

relationship in

individuals' lives.

So how do we tell

the difference?

How do we know

when it's one and

when it's the

other?

Let me give you

some guiding

principles.

First of all, in

your own life,

in your own life,

remember that what

God is doing is

for your good and

for his glory.

If what God is

doing is for your

good and for his

glory, then when

you find yourself in

the midst of some

kind of suffering,

there's two questions

you can ask

yourself.

The first one is,

has God been

speaking to me over

a long period of

time of a personal

sin that I've

refused to deal

with?

God used to

speak to me.

He's used other

people to challenge

me and to help me

and I haven't

listened to them.

He's used the

teaching of his

word, whether that's

through a sermon,

whether that's through

our own personal

devotions, whether

that's through a

song that we hear,

something, a message

that we hear on the

radio.

Has God used some

direct teaching to

try to teach me

that?

Finally, have I

already endured some

smaller consequences,

some smaller pain and

suffering that has

now seemed to just

continue?

I've ignored it.

I knew God was

talking to me.

I knew God wanted me

to change this, but I

refuse to do it and I'm

simply not going to

change.

Secondly, second

question.

Is there a direct

teachable connection?

Remember that God

wants our good and

his glory.

So what he wants is

not our punishment,

but for us to learn

the lesson.

Let's go back to the

example that I gave

earlier about personal

sin and its direct

outcome of pain and

suffering.

If I have a huge

anger problem and I

run to the back of the

church and I start

beating it with my

fist, that brick wall,

I will first notice

that my hand starts to

bleed, perhaps starts to

hurt.

Little things.

You might try to stop me.

What are you doing, you

idiot?

You might try to hold me

back.

Okay?

So I've got other people I'm

ignoring.

I've got the small issue,

the small consequence of my

blood.

If I continue to do it, I can

expect my hand to be more

mangled.

Right?

There's the little steps that

God takes in our life.

First, he does not, if I run

back there, hit the wall with

my fist, he does not give me

brain cancer.

So I'm sitting there thinking,

hmm, I wonder why I have

brain cancer.

Maybe it's because of my

anger problem.

God wants to teach us and so

he uses things that we can

make the direct connection on.

If the answer to those two

questions is yes, then I need

to pray.

And I need to do.

I need to work to walk closer

to Christ to say, I give, I'm

not going to continue in this.

If the answer is no, then don't

obsess over the lesson.

I hear people all the time, well,

I'm going through this terrible

trial and I just hope God teaches

me the lesson quickly.

Maybe God just wants you to

glorify him even in the midst

of suffering.

And he's not going to take it

away.

Jesus said here that the works

of God might be displayed in

him.

That's in my own life.

What about in the lives of

others?

I see someone going through

tremendous pain and suffering.

What do I say to them?

I do not know if their

suffering is a consequence of a

sin or not.

I don't know that.

So I don't ask them.

I don't suggest it.

Rather, I work to have the mercy

of Christ rather than the

judgmental curiosity of the

disciples.

It may give me opportunity for

testimony to the person.

It may be the opportunity to just

point them to the goodness and

grace and mercy of Christ.

God's sake.

What about the man in this story?

Did God cause his blindness of

this man for his whole life just

so God could demonstrate his own

glory?

Paul would have said, may it

never be.

God sovereignly chose to use this

man's affliction that he already

had for his own glory.

The reward to the man.

He saw the face of his healer and

his savior.

The reward to others.

People through the ages and

perhaps even here today.

Read this and believe that Jesus

is the Christ as was John's goal

and purpose for writing this in the

first place.

And receive eternal life.

Verses 4 through 12.

We must work the works of him who

sent me while it is day.

Night is coming when no one can

work.

As long as I am in the world, I am

the light of the world.

Having said these things, he spit on

the ground and made mud with the

saliva.

Then he anointed the man's eyes with

the mud and said to him, go wash in

the pool of Siloam, which means

scent.

So he went and washed and came back

seeing the neighbors and

those who had seen him before as a

beggar were saying, is this not the

man who used to sit and beg?

Some said, it is he.

Others said, no, but it is like him.

He kept saying, I am the one.

So they said to them, then how are

your eyes opened?

He answered, the man called Jesus

made mud, anointed my eyes and said

to me, go to Siloam and wash.

So I went and washed and received my

sight.

And they said to him, where is he?

He said, I don't know.

Remember God, John's purpose.

John's purpose was that we believe.

We believe not just in the miracles,

but we believe in Christ.

Not just the works, but the person.

So the first thing we notice here is

Jesus declaring that he is the light of

the world.

And then proceeding to illustrate that

by giving a light to this man who had been

born blind.

The act is the fulfillment of the Old

Testament promises of what the Messiah

would do.

In Isaiah chapter 42, verse 6 and 7,

Isaiah 42:6

I am the Lord.

I have called you in righteousness.

Speaking of Christ, I take you by the hand

and keep you.

I will give you as a covenant for the people,

a light for the nations to open the eyes that

are blind.

Several other reasons.

There are several other cases in the New

Testament where Jesus heals blind people.

But this miracle is unique because it's the

only one where the man is said to have been

born blind.

In other words, congenital blindness.

This man has never seen.

And so it raises the bar of what this miracle

really says.

This connection in this context to light

points back to the deity of Christ.

The picture of Jesus being the light appears

over and over in the book of John.

Beginning, right at the beginning, John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

I'm going to read just a couple of the verses

out of the passage that's overall 1 through 14.

Verse 4,

And him was life, and the life was the light of

men.

The light shines in the darkness, and the

darkness has not overcome it.

Verse 9,

The true light, which gives light to everyone,

was coming into the world.

He was in the world.

The world was made through him, yet the world

did not know him.

He came to his own, and his own people did not

receive him.

But all who did receive him, who believed in

his name, he gave the right to become the

children of God.

The idea of his being the light comes up again

in John chapter 8, the previous chapter.

John 8 · chapter mention

We said, I am the light of the world.

And here, he says exactly the same thing.

But this time he does it with an illustration.

The healing of the blind man shows that Christ

not only took the theory, not only took the theology,

not only took the teaching, but he applied it

individually in people's lives.

I don't have time to talk about the means.

Let me just tell you, I looked in six different

commentaries.

Six different people had different ideas.

Okay?

If you go to six different doctors, they all tell you

something different that's wrong with you.

They don't know.

All right?

So no one knows why Jesus chose, in this case,

to do it as he did.

But I want you to think with me about this man,

this poor blind man.

He's still blind when Jesus sends him.

It isn't until he washes that he becomes seeing.

So this pool is on the other end.

If this took place at the temple,

this pool is on the other end of Jerusalem

from where he is.

He's still blind.

The trip that this man must have made

simply because Jesus told him to.

Okay?

He is an example of faith because he had no promises.

Jesus didn't say,

go wash and you're going to be able to see.

Jesus put mud on his eyes and said,

go wash.

There were no commitments that God made to him.

But the man obeyed.

And he came back seeing.

This man didn't have all of his theology laid out.

This man didn't understand all the details.

This individual had said,

go and wash.

And he went and he washed.

And he sees.

Jesus opened the physical eyes of this blind man.

But more importantly,

he opened the spiritual eyes of this man.

He was physically seeing things

for the first time in his life.

This man was born blind.

He had always been blind.

He had never seen a sunset.

He had never seen the face of his mother

or any of his other family members.

He had never seen anything.

But when he saw,

there was one that he wanted to see

above all others.

Jesus.

The account of the healing of the blind man by Jesus

beautifully illustrates

the salvation process.

Not physically,

but spiritually,

all we were sinners.

All we were blind.

Jesus sought us out.

He revealed himself to us.

He showed us mercy.

He showed us mercy.

Just like that in salvation.

And in the life of this blind man.

Just as the blind man was healed,

only when he obeyed Jesus' command

and washed in the pool.

So we are only saved

when we humbly and obediently

embrace the truth of the gospel.

And what is the truth of the gospel?

That all men are sinners.

Each and every one of us

was lost in our sin.

Each and every one of us

was blind just as much

as that man.

But God sent his son

who had the power

over creation

that could even make

a man born blind

to see.

And he touched us.

And because of that,

we have salvation.

The man born blind

is a picture

that helps us

to understand

the connection

between suffering

and sin.

But more importantly,

it gives us a pointer

to the one

who was the answer

for that sin.

Jesus Christ.

Let's pray.

Great God and Father,

creator of the universe,

who have not only provided

healing,

solution to our sufferings,

but more importantly,

you have provided us

with your son,

Jesus Christ,

in the answer

to our sin.

Lord, I don't know

where people are today.

I don't know

if there's anyone here

that has not come

to the place

of having a personal

relationship with you,

a relationship

that provides the answer

for their sin.

but you do.

Father, I trust

that you will work

in that person's life

to bring them

to the place

of accepting you.

Father,

there may be some

here today

that are suffering.

Maybe some

that we know,

perhaps some

that we don't know.

And Lord,

the encouragement

that suffering

is not always

the direct connection

to sin.

but that you are

always the answer

for that suffering.

It gives us hope.

It gives us comfort.

So I pray, Lord,

that those individuals

that are suffering

would be encouraged,

but also would be

dependent upon you.

Father,

I thank you

for your word

and the truth

that it provides.

In Christ's name.

Amen.

Would you stand, please?

Amen.

keep it.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

DR.

UNA

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