John 9:24-36
The formerly blind man responds to the Pharisees: 
  I told you the story already but you would not listen. (v.27)
  Do you want to hear the story so you can become His disciples? (v.27)
  You don’t know where “this man” comes from and yet he opened my eyes (v.30)
The Pharisees are blind to the truth that the former blind man is proclaiming.
He teaches the Pharisees truth! 
I.	He teaches about Prayer (v.31)

A.	God does not listen to sinners (John 9:31)
B.	God listens to the prayers of true worshipers and those who do His will.
Turn & read John 4:21-26:
(v.23-24) “True worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.” 
Important wording: God is seeking people to worship Him by His standard!
	Spirit: Right heart attitude and motive given to the saved by God’s grace. Ultimately the Spirit of God makes one worthy and able to worship God. 

	Truth: Complete surrender and submission to God’s Word as the only source of truth thus producing a life of obedience out of love and devotion to God.
ONLY the prayer of the “righteous” (those right with God) person is powerful. 
The prayer of the wicked is useless and even an abomination to God.
 The blind man has pretty good understanding of prayer. The Pharisees have no clue about prayer. 
II.	He teaches about the Power of God
John 9:32: “Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing!”  WOW!!
He gets it! He understands that God is the only one who possesses ultimate power. Only God is powerful enough to heal a man who was born blind, cast out a demon or even raise the dead.  This is an impossible task, only God could do these types of miracles!
As I mentioned last week, this man is a visible example of the power of God to the Pharisees.
Those of us who have been supernaturally transformed by God’s salvation are much like the blind man in that we are a visible display of the power of God that transforms a life. 
Every place you as a true believer go is a divine appointment to demonstrate the power of God to a dark and lost world! We must not minimize our daily interactions with others or neglect to tell what God has done in our life.
II Corinthians 5:17-18a: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is new creation. The old is passed away behold the new has come. All of this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself.
The visible life others see is a more powerful display of God’s transforming power than the words we profess. Many profess to know God yet live a life that is contrary to God’s Word so we as true believers, must not just profess Christ but display Christ by the way we live. 
James 2:14-20:
James’ argument is that many profess to have “faith” yet their works disprove their claims. They claim to know God yet they have no works to back up their claims because they don’t have God’s enabling power to consistently display the works of God. 
Just like this man, we that are truly saved are the proof of God’s Power to change! It is not done by just making statements but is seen by the life we live. 
He states: “This man Jesus must be from above because He is doing things that nobody on earth has ever done or could do. In fact, this miracle hasn’t happened since the world began.”
This statement is focused NOT on bring attention to himself but ONLY to the one who could do such a miracle, Jesus. The blind man gives uniqueness to Jesus above all others because He alone can totally transform a person. 
His faith is not complete but it progressing closer to toward salvation and everlasting life.
The Pharisees, because of their hatred for Jesus. are only dangerously heading toward eternal destruction. 
III.	He teaches about God’s Sovereign Control over ALL things.
John 9:33: “If this man was not from God, he could do NOTHING.”
A.	God alone is the one with ALL power
Psalm 62:11: “Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this; that power belongs to God.”
The Pharisees were so power hungry and arrogant that they attacked anything and anyone who threatened them losing control over the people. They “thought” they had a corner on God and they were to be the rulers over all things religious.  Their pride was detestable.
B.	God distributes His power to His people
Psalm 68:35: “Awesome is God from his sanctuary; the God of Israel-he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.”
Ephesians 6:10: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
God’s power is on display in those who are truly saved. 
C.	The wicked don’t understand or receive God’s Power
Matthew 22:29: “But Jesus answered them, you are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.”
Jesus stated to his disciples in John 15:5: “For apart from me, you can do NOTHING”!
Paul reminds the church in Ephesians 1:22-23: “And He put all things under his (Jesus Christ) feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
Hebrews 2:8: “Putting everything in subjection under his feet; he left nothing outside his control.”
God in His power is in Complete control over all!
The Pharisees are angered by this whole situation not just because it is outside of their control but mostly because they could not control Jesus.  
2 IMPORTANT POINTS: 
1.	This miracle just like every event is designed by God for an eternal purpose.

2.	Not one event is independent of God’s Sovereign control. All things work together toward 1 conclusion God’s glory; God executes all things perfectly in accordance to His plan and purposed end.
Jesus reminded the disciples in John 9:2: “Jesus answered, it was not this man or his parents but that the works of God may be displayed in him.”
All in God’s Sovereign purpose!
We can rest in the purpose of God’s eternal and everlasting plan. 
There are 2 responses to God’s Sovereign plan:
1.	Faith: Blind man 

2.	Rejection: The Pharisees, reject and throw out those who have faith.
John 9:34: “You were born in utter sin and you going to teach us? They throw him out! 
The Pharisees are intentionally trying to insult the man by saying he was born in utter sin but it ends up being a compliment. They are calling him a sinner and implying they are not! 
This is the problem with “religious” people, they see the sin in everyone else but never see it in their own life. 
This blind man already knows that he is a wicked sinner. All of his life he has been told that he is unworthy (reason for his blindness). He has never been accepted by society and if Jesus had not healed him, he would have continued to live in hopelessness.   
Yet these are the ones who Jesus comes to save!
Luke 5:31: “Jesus answered them, those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” 
Jesus did not come to save the righteous (in their own eyes) but the sinners to repent. The lost!
Pharisees are the righteous who “think” they are sufficient in themselves; they feel as if they are not in need of anything. They are better than everyone else. 
These are the modern-day church goers who do everything on the outside and yet are empty on the inside. 
They have information without transformation.
God’s truth is eternal regardless of who accepts it or rejects it. 
(John 9:34) They throw him out of the temple, which is NOT really a punishment, it is actually a reward. 
The temple was so corrupt Jesus started and ended his earthly ministry by cleansing it from corruption. 
I love this!!! They throw him out and Jesus comes looking for him!
This is how salvation works. Jesus seeks the lost and finds them in order to save them!
	No one is righteous & No one seeks God (Romans 3:11)
	All have gone astray! (Romans 3:12)
	Not that we loved God but He loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (I John 4:10)
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. The seeking is on the part of the shepherd for his sheep.
No place in scripture is salvation an act of a person deciding or choosing to be saved but Jesus seeking the lost. 
 (John 9:35)
Do you believe in the Son of Man? Who is the Son of Man?
“Son of Man” is the name given to Jesus as the Messiah to be the human race’s only perfect representative. He will rule over the earth and will succeed as being the “last Adam” where the “first Adam” failed. The Son of Man is also the completer of all of God’s covenants with man: Noahic, Abrahamic, Davidic, and the new covenants.
Jesus is asking him, do you believe I am the Messiah, the one the world seeks?
The man responds, who is he that I may believe in him.
How would he not know who Jesus is?
1.	This man had never seen Jesus, he only heard his voice tell him to go and wash. 

2.	 Jesus did not have significant physical qualities that made him stand out. 
Isaiah 53:3 described Jesus that “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.” 
Jesus tells him: John 9:37: “You have seen him and it is he who is speaking to you.”
The greatest miracle occurred not when the man is healed from his physical blindness but when Jesus heals him of his spiritual blindness and gives him salvation.
Salvation is the greatest miracle of God because it not only gives sight to the spiritually blind but transforms the whole person from the inside out and transports them out of the family of Satan into the family of God. This is life’s greatest miracle!!
How do we know this occurred in the blind man? He says, “LORD I Believe”! 
He goes from sir to LORD; then he worshipped Jesus! He gave up everything but gained Jesus!
How do I know if I am truly saved? Worship! Who or what you give yourself to!
What you worship is the one who receives your time, money, devotion, service and commitment!
What Enemies of the Cross Teach Part 3 Those Who See and Those Who Are Blind