son of God | Thoughts of a Retired Pastor

John 9:8-41 –

Therefore, the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” Therefore, they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore, some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?”

He said, “He is a prophet.” But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So, they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”

He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.” The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.” They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him. And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore, your sin remains.

Seeing Jesus as a man – The blind man was

Confronted by Jesus
Commanded to do something
Was obedient to the commands of Jesus
Was delivered from darkness and given light

The healed man knew that it was “a man that is called Jesus” who had healed him. He was blessed by Jesus despite an inadequate understanding of Christ. His heart was right toward Jesus. It was tender and willing to do what Jesus said. A man must learn about Jesus before he can learn of Jesus, before he can ever come to know Jesus personally. The blind man could have stopped at any stage and failed in his spiritual journey.

Matthew 11:28-29 – Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Seeing Jesus as a Helper or a Healer – The blind man still saw Jesus as a man, but as a man who had done a great thing by helping him and healing him. Many confess Jesus was:

Great teacher
Great moralist
Great teacher
Great example

But this concept of Jesus still falls far short of the truth.

Luke 4:22 – So all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

Luke 4:32 – And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.

Seeing Jesus as a prophet – The blind man recognized Jesus as a man chosen by God, but still only a man.

Matthew 16:13-14 – When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

Matthew 21:10-11 – And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Matthew 21:46 – But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

Seeing Jesus as the Savior

The man who had received his sight now confessed the immortal words, “One thing I know, I was blind, now I see. He was confessing his personal experience; he was blind, but now he could see. He could not answer the theological question – Is Jesus a mere man as all other men, or is He of God? But he could answer one thing – his own personal experience. He saw that Jesus was more than a mere man. Like a child, he did not know the theological terms nor how to express the nature of Jesus, but he did know one thing – Jesus had delivered and saved him from blindness.

John 3:17 – For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

1 Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Seeing Jesus as being “of God”

This was the man’s final answer to those who questioned him. He confessed that Jesus was “of God.” He knew that the works of Jesus were proof that He was from God.

John 7:28-29 – Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”

John 8:42 – Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.

Seeing Jesus as the Son of God

Matthew 14:33 – Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

John 1:34 – And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

John 3:16-18 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 10:36 – do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

1 John 4:15 – Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

Believing Jesus to be the Son of God and worshipping Him

John 5:24 – Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Romans 10:9-10 – that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

1 John 3:1

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Your position in Christ covers your sin, your failure, your weakness, your frailty.

John 1:6-13 – There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

There is no better position in life than to be His child.
He does not have grandchildren or step children.
What are some of your rights as a child of God?

Translated from one family to another – not a child of wrath any longer.

Ephesians 2:1-3 – And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

Grafted into the family of God

Ephesians 2:11-13 – Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Called out of darkness into His marvelous light

1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

You are free from all previous family obligations.

You are no longer the servant of sin

Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

You are no longer the servant of poverty

Philippians 4:19 – And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

You are no longer the servant of sickness

1 Peter 2:24 – Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

You are no longer the servant of helplessness

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

You have the rights and privileges of the new family.
The blood of Jesus

Hebrews 9:22 – And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

The name of Jesus

Philippians 2:10 – That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.

James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The Word of God

Luke 11:28 – But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 – For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe.

Romans 10:17 – For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when you received the word of God which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe.

The Holy Spirit

Acts 1:8 – But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.

In the Covenant made with God and you when you accepted Christ, you have every provision you need.
God is able to do so much with so little.

A boy’s lunch fed 5000 hungry people
Short prayer of 63 words by Elijah caused fire to fall from heaven and devour the sacrifice, the wood, the altar, the water and the dirt around the altar
A cloud the size of a man’s hand produced a great rain
A small child in a stable looked so helpless and defenseless until He stretched out His arms on the cross and cried out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Your life totally yielded to God Almighty

Smith Wigglesworth could not even speak publicly as a minister of the Gospel. His wife preached for him in the mission church they had founded. He was tongue-tied, but he was loosed when he received the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. Fourteen people were brought back from the dead through the prayers of this tongue-tied, uneducated preacher.

What can God do through you?

What will you let God do though you?

Thoughts of a Retired Pastor

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