Wednesday, June 30, 2010
No Settling
This past weekend at the Resolved conference in Palm Springs I think it was Steve Lawson who said that "nothing should be more attractive to us than Jesus Christ." But it seems sometimes that almost everything is. Pulling us like a magnet, sin seems to draw us into it's deceptive web; promising joy but leaving us empty and less human. And sin does not act alone; it often has our cooperation. We are willing participants in treason of the highest (or would that be lowest) order. All who have been born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ ought to live, as Peter put it, holy and set apart lives. But often we settle and seek for far less than God's glorious ideal. Trust Jesus above sin and self. Preach the gospel to yourself, rehearsing the truth, reminding yourself and fellow travelers of the untold mercies of God. Remember that it is Christ and Him crucified that is your life and peace. He who took the nails and bore our shame is worthy, so attractively worthy of all our allegiance. Here's incentive for not settling: "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:21
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Primary Point of the Christian Life
Worshipping God through Jesus is the main idea and primary point of the Christian life.
If we are to respond properly to God we must, this side of the Fall and the Cross, come to God through Jesus Christ and be reconciled to Him, regenerated, born again to a living hope, Spirit-indwelt new creations, new worshippers living by faith. No longer living for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:14-15); walking by the Spirit so we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
Col 1:15-23 speaks of Jesus' supremacy and all-sufficiency. It answers the questions: who is Jesus Christ? And Do you know Him?
There is no middle ground. On these two questions hang everything. We must know, follow, love, adore Christ. He is the sum and substance of the Christian life. Either a person knows God through Jesus Christ or they do not know God. John 17:3 says that eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
You must be a believer in Jesus Christ to truly worship God. We worship God because He commands, encourages and enables it. Knowing that Christ's blood washes our sins away only leaves us saying hallelujah what a Savior and thank you Jesus! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! May Jesus Christ be first in our Iives functionally as He is positionally in the universe.
"Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised" Psalm 48:1.
If we are to respond properly to God we must, this side of the Fall and the Cross, come to God through Jesus Christ and be reconciled to Him, regenerated, born again to a living hope, Spirit-indwelt new creations, new worshippers living by faith. No longer living for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:14-15); walking by the Spirit so we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
Col 1:15-23 speaks of Jesus' supremacy and all-sufficiency. It answers the questions: who is Jesus Christ? And Do you know Him?
There is no middle ground. On these two questions hang everything. We must know, follow, love, adore Christ. He is the sum and substance of the Christian life. Either a person knows God through Jesus Christ or they do not know God. John 17:3 says that eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
You must be a believer in Jesus Christ to truly worship God. We worship God because He commands, encourages and enables it. Knowing that Christ's blood washes our sins away only leaves us saying hallelujah what a Savior and thank you Jesus! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! May Jesus Christ be first in our Iives functionally as He is positionally in the universe.
"Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised" Psalm 48:1.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Nothing more Attractive
Nothing should be more attractive to us than Jesus Christ. Nothing should; but everything is. Or at least it seems that way to those of us who claim allegiance to Jesus but are constantly pulled to other hints in our tendency to wander and proneness to idolatry.
Forgiveness. The cross. God's love, grace, mercy. These are the reasons why we can even come to God in worship. Nothing should be more attractive to us than Jesus. Nothing but God can satisfy the deepest longings and needs of our hearts. So the task of ordering our lives around and leaning Godward is one that is simply monumental and humanly impossible. We cannot do it save for the grace and mercy of God in Christ. We cannot do it but God can do "exceeding abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think" by His Spirit for His glory. So we are to look to Him, relying on Him, to do in and through us what only He can do. If we or our children profess faith in Christ and follow Him obediently, it will only be due to God's sovereign choice and enabling. We, in His strength, are to follow Him and trust Him for the strength, wisdom and patience to do what pleases Him. and He will be pleased to use us in His process of gathering worshippers who will worship Him "in Spirit and truth" John 4:24.
Forgiveness. The cross. God's love, grace, mercy. These are the reasons why we can even come to God in worship. Nothing should be more attractive to us than Jesus. Nothing but God can satisfy the deepest longings and needs of our hearts. So the task of ordering our lives around and leaning Godward is one that is simply monumental and humanly impossible. We cannot do it save for the grace and mercy of God in Christ. We cannot do it but God can do "exceeding abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think" by His Spirit for His glory. So we are to look to Him, relying on Him, to do in and through us what only He can do. If we or our children profess faith in Christ and follow Him obediently, it will only be due to God's sovereign choice and enabling. We, in His strength, are to follow Him and trust Him for the strength, wisdom and patience to do what pleases Him. and He will be pleased to use us in His process of gathering worshippers who will worship Him "in Spirit and truth" John 4:24.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Challenge
Phil. 2:13 says "It is God who is at work In you; both to will and to work for His good pleasure." We know that the things that are impossible with man are possible with God. He is the One who wills and works amazing things.
I challenge you to try something humanly impossible today; so that you will learn that it is God who is able. That He would be made famous; that others might acknowledge that fame and yield to His sovereign greatness.
I challenge you to try something humanly impossible today; so that you will learn that it is God who is able. That He would be made famous; that others might acknowledge that fame and yield to His sovereign greatness.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Only God Restores Sight
Matthew 9:27-31 tells of two blind men who came to Jesus and asked Him to restore their sight. He healed them and they went out and told others about Him. We see so that others might see God's goodness. Like Elisha asking God to open the eyes of his servant, "Lord, open his eyes that he would see that those who are with us are greater than those against us." Elisha saw what others couldn't and desired for them to see too so he went to God on their behalf.
God is merciful. At His own discretion and solely by His sovereign choice He rewards faith. He is the sovereign King of the universe who delights to bless His people who acknowledge him as such. And God sees what we don't. He is the one who corrects our vision so that we might see and in turn help others see.
God is merciful. At His own discretion and solely by His sovereign choice He rewards faith. He is the sovereign King of the universe who delights to bless His people who acknowledge him as such. And God sees what we don't. He is the one who corrects our vision so that we might see and in turn help others see.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
A Father Like That
I want to tell you a story of a father and his son. I have known Bob Hendershot since 1992. He has three sons but I want to tell you about his oldest son, Trevor. Trevor has Down Syndrome. He is 20 years old and just graduated high school this week. Although I had not seen them for several years I recently had the privilege of seeing them again when I spoke at the Voyagers Bible Church Men’s Retreat on the last weekend of April this year. Each year at the retreat, on Saturday night, they have a time of testimonies – where men get up and share significant things about what God has done and is doing in their lives. Bob came up with his son Trevor. Bob told how when Trevor was born 20 years ago he blamed God, saying ‘What did I do to deserve a son like this God? I don’t deserve a son like this’. He told how the church had been so supportive, how the people of Voyagers had come alongside and loved them and ministered to them. When I first came to Voyagers to serve as a pastor there in early 1992, the Hendershots had a ministry to families affected by Down Syndrome. As Bob shared he told of tough times – how his father had made some mistakes in his upbringing and how he had made some of the same – but all the while God was faithful. He told the story of how Trevor had been chosen as homecoming king at the local high school. A wonderful story; one only God could orchestrate.
As Bob spoke it was evident how much love he has for his son and how much God has blessed him through his life. Bob closed by saying that now he says to God, “What did I do to deserve a son like this God? I don’t deserve a son like this.” But now he says it with thankfulness, grateful for God’s gift that has made such an impact in his and many other lives. God has taught him so many tings and blessed him so much through Trevor’s life. He sees things differently now than 20 years ago. At 1st he blamed God: “What did I do to deserve a son like this?” But his blame was turned to praise – so now with humility he says “I don’t deserve a son like this.”
I see some tie-ins with Bob’s story of not feeling like he deserves what God has provided. We have a problem – we need God to forgive our sins, but we deserve to be judged for them. The whole world is accountable to God – He is holy, righteous and will not excuse our sin. We are sinful and have substituted ourselves for Him. The wages of sin is death and what we have earned for our sins is separation from God. God’s active judgment against sin is real. God’s solution is Christ suffering for us – God substituting Himself for us - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God absorbs the cost in mercy; and offers us the benefit by grace. The response is turning from our sins in repentance and to God in faith. In humility we declare that we don’t deserve a Father like that – who gives us every spiritual blessing in Christ.
When Bob was done and he motioned for Trevor to follow him off the stage. But Trevor pulled away from Bob and stood center stage and addressed the group of 150+ men. One thing you need to know: while Bob had been speaking Trevor held a book in his hands and kept asking “Now daddy?” Each time Bob would patiently say “No Trevor, not now.” Trevor probably asked 3-4 times. “Stand up!” he said loudly as only Trevor can. “Stand up!” I thought he was going to read Scripture to us. But instead he started to sing the hymn “Be Thou My Vision” – as only Trevor could sing it. We could make out some of the words and we all began to sing along. Bob moved over to Trevor and said “C’mon son, let’s go” but each time Bob would come close Trevor would move away again and continued to sing. He didn’t miss a beat. Each time Bob came close to lead him off stage Trevor would move further away and keep singing. He sang all 4 verses. There was not a dry eye in the house. The Son Bob said he did not deserve, taught us all a lesson in worship.
Early on Bob couldn't see what a major blessing his son Trevor was and would be. God taught him and showed him – in a long and painful way – and is still teaching him - just how great He is and how good Trevor is for his soul. God became his vision. He learned once again how God is crafting a story by mercy, inspiring faith and obedience – how much he needs God’s mercy, how his faith is dependent, and how to walk in obedience to the heavenly command – relying on Him to be His vision even when he can’t see what God is doing. God sees what we don't. He knows what He is doing. He is a Father that loves us and gives us what we don’t deserve. It is solely because of our heavenly Father and His only begotten Son that God does not give those who come to Him by grace through faith alone what their sins deserve – wrath and punishment; He took what we deserved, paid the cost and gives us what we don’t deserve – forgiveness. We then, can see spiritually. God is our vision.
Soli Deo Gloria
As Bob spoke it was evident how much love he has for his son and how much God has blessed him through his life. Bob closed by saying that now he says to God, “What did I do to deserve a son like this God? I don’t deserve a son like this.” But now he says it with thankfulness, grateful for God’s gift that has made such an impact in his and many other lives. God has taught him so many tings and blessed him so much through Trevor’s life. He sees things differently now than 20 years ago. At 1st he blamed God: “What did I do to deserve a son like this?” But his blame was turned to praise – so now with humility he says “I don’t deserve a son like this.”
I see some tie-ins with Bob’s story of not feeling like he deserves what God has provided. We have a problem – we need God to forgive our sins, but we deserve to be judged for them. The whole world is accountable to God – He is holy, righteous and will not excuse our sin. We are sinful and have substituted ourselves for Him. The wages of sin is death and what we have earned for our sins is separation from God. God’s active judgment against sin is real. God’s solution is Christ suffering for us – God substituting Himself for us - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God absorbs the cost in mercy; and offers us the benefit by grace. The response is turning from our sins in repentance and to God in faith. In humility we declare that we don’t deserve a Father like that – who gives us every spiritual blessing in Christ.
When Bob was done and he motioned for Trevor to follow him off the stage. But Trevor pulled away from Bob and stood center stage and addressed the group of 150+ men. One thing you need to know: while Bob had been speaking Trevor held a book in his hands and kept asking “Now daddy?” Each time Bob would patiently say “No Trevor, not now.” Trevor probably asked 3-4 times. “Stand up!” he said loudly as only Trevor can. “Stand up!” I thought he was going to read Scripture to us. But instead he started to sing the hymn “Be Thou My Vision” – as only Trevor could sing it. We could make out some of the words and we all began to sing along. Bob moved over to Trevor and said “C’mon son, let’s go” but each time Bob would come close Trevor would move away again and continued to sing. He didn’t miss a beat. Each time Bob came close to lead him off stage Trevor would move further away and keep singing. He sang all 4 verses. There was not a dry eye in the house. The Son Bob said he did not deserve, taught us all a lesson in worship.
Early on Bob couldn't see what a major blessing his son Trevor was and would be. God taught him and showed him – in a long and painful way – and is still teaching him - just how great He is and how good Trevor is for his soul. God became his vision. He learned once again how God is crafting a story by mercy, inspiring faith and obedience – how much he needs God’s mercy, how his faith is dependent, and how to walk in obedience to the heavenly command – relying on Him to be His vision even when he can’t see what God is doing. God sees what we don't. He knows what He is doing. He is a Father that loves us and gives us what we don’t deserve. It is solely because of our heavenly Father and His only begotten Son that God does not give those who come to Him by grace through faith alone what their sins deserve – wrath and punishment; He took what we deserved, paid the cost and gives us what we don’t deserve – forgiveness. We then, can see spiritually. God is our vision.
Soli Deo Gloria
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Mercy, Faith and Obedience
Matt. 9:27-31 is a picture of mercy, faith, and a lack of obedience. The focus is on Jesus’ authority & the faith of 2 blind men. In this story we see what everyone wants: mercy; what everyone needs: faith, and what everyone struggles with: obedience.
What Everyone Wants: Mercy
The first thing we observe about the two men is they were blind. Blindness was and is a common problem in the Middle East. Some were born blind; others became blind due to sickness and disease. The fact that Jesus healed so many cases of blindness reflects how common it was. Unsanitary conditions, infectious diseases carried by swarms of flies, blowing sand, accidents, war, excessive heat and malnutrition all played a part in making it such a danger. The 2 men tracked Jesus, crying out loudly; continually shouting, yelling with great intensity – trying to get His attention in the midst of a huge crowd. They could not see Him but they were trying to get to Him. They said Have mercy on us. Mercy is God’s inexhaustible and infinite compassion and loving-kindness – shown to needy sinners to alleviate the misery brought on by sin. In mercy God withholds from us what we deserve (punishment; God’s wrath against our sin), by grace He gives us what we do not deserve (forgiveness; unmerited kindness and love). God is merciful. He shows compassion and loving-kindness for His Name sake; alleviating the misery brought on by sin. He does so at His own discretion, by His sovereign choice. Rom. 9:15-18 recounts says, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy; it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs but on God who has mercy; So then, He has mercy on whom He desires."
They had the right attitude; they admitted their need for forgiving mercy. You need to admit your need for forgiving mercy. Daniel prayed Dan. 9:18 on behalf of himself and his fellow Israelites: We are not presenting our prayers before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great mercy. Jeremiah Lam. 3:22-23 said The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. The writer of Hebrews said Jesus was made like His brethren in all things so He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest Heb. 2:17. Paul reminds us of the surpassing riches of God’s grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus Eph. 2:7. That Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy. Mercy and grace work hand and hand – mercy holding back what our sins deserve; grace giving what we don’t deserve.
What everyone needs: Faith
The 2 blind men called Jesus Son of David. Without a doubt they were confessing Jesus as the Messiah, the One who would rule forever. Son of David was one of the most common titles for the promised deliverer – a royal title, pointing to His descending from the family of King David and His subsequent right to set up and rule over the coming Kingdom of God. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the way to the cross multitudes of people cried Hosanna to the Son of David Matt. 21:9. To call Jesus the Son of David was to call His the promised deliverer - something unbelieving Jewish leaders knew well. [they rebuked people for calling Jesus that 21:15-16]. Every Jew who heard the 2 men would have known what they were saying – and taken it to be a clear confession of belief in Jesus as the Messiah. They boldly and publicly declared their faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. They had the right belief. In the same way, you need to acknowledge Jesus as King by faith. Faith is reliance on God, trust that He can and will; and therefore placing all your hope in Him. They were physically blind but they saw better than others. In the time of Jesus there was a huge Messianic expectation; and people believed that when the Messiah came He would Open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. Is. 35:5-6. The lame would leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute would shout for joy. If Jesus was the Messiah, the blind men must have reasoned, He would have mercy on them and they would have their sight. Their need drove them to faith. They were focused on the right person – the most merciful person who ever lived - the Lord Jesus – they staked their lives on Him – a rock-solid, truth-grounded, promise-anchored trust in Christ to save them spiritually from sin and physically from blindness. They walked by faith not by sight. They “saw” what others could not: Jesus is the Sovereign King of the universe and so they relied on Him. When we realize how dependent we are on God for salvation – His death for our sin, His life for our righteousness – we understand why the Bible insists salvation comes only through faith in Him.
Jesus did not heal them right away. He waited until they were indoors. The men had faith enough to follow Jesus into the house. He lets them get all the way to Him and asks…do you believe that I am able to do this? Do you trust that I can heal you & make you see? Are you relying on Me to do this? The answer: Yes Lord. Yes we believe You are able to do what we asked of You; & Lord we believe that You are the Divine Messiah, the coming Savior promised long ago by God through the prophets. True faith is dependent on God. Jesus is the author (giver) and perfector (sustainer) of faith. God gives faith as a gift & God rewards those who believe. Heb. 11:6 He rewards those who earnestly seek Him by faith. Jesus touched their eyes and said “Be it done to you according to your faith”. D.A. Carson observes that, Jesus’ authoritative word, “According to your faith” does not mean “in proportion to your faith” (so much faith, so much sight) but rather “since you believe, your request is granted.” (Your faith has healed you 9:22). Their eyes were opened. God is powerful and merciful. God restores physical and spiritual sight.
What everyone struggles with: Obedience
Jesus sternly warned them, don’t tell anyone about this! This may reveal Jesus’ desire to avoid undue and untimely attention that might impede his true mission. Whatever the case the seeing disobey. They go out and spread His fame; proclaiming their belief that Jesus was the Messiah – a great thing to do – but something Jesus asked them not to do right then. We have no such warning today – just the opposite – Go and tell everyone what great things God has done for you. Preach the Gospel to all. As Paul said, Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel! But timing is everything – and Jesus had told them no to. So why do the seeing not obey? Think about what we believe. We believe that at the moment that we come to believe in Jesus, placing our trust in Him and His finished work on the cross, we by faith also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). This story reminds us of another foundational truth – that when we have experienced God’s grace in Christ, and received the Holy Spirit, obedience is not an option; but to obey is not automatic when we come to faith. The Christian life is not lived by remembering an experience we had – it is lived in the daily grind of discipleship; following Jesus lovingly, dependently and obediently. It is lived soberly in simple obedience to Jesus and what He says. The right course the right action, is to apply what Jesus says. Do what He tells you to do in God’s Word. Our experience, our thinking, our feelings - even some we think come from the Holy Spirit, should never lead us to contradict Jesus’ clear commands. The way to make it in life is to trust God’s mercy by faith and live in obedience. One thing I consistently try to get across is we can do nothing without Jesus, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Everything we do should flow from the life of Christ in and through us – that we would worship God, build up believers and reach others for Christ – out of the outflow of Christ’s life in us. As we are saved by grace, so we live by grace and serve by grace. God intends for the Christian life to work this way – we yield to the work of God in us, making moment by moment choices to be doers of the Word and not just hearers who deceive ourselves. God does not want us to be deceived – thinking that we are somehow in control or that we call the shots – we are to be in all things under Him – seeking what He wants above what we want. That will lead to deeper worship of God, more connectedness in the family of God and more fruitful outreach for Christ among the unsaved. To live like this we need to walk with Jesus, being corrected by the Word; shaped into who God wants as we live under Him.
It would be easy to say what did Jesus expect right? How do you hide a miracle like that – anyone who knew them would know. He expected obedience. Sometimes we think if only a person would get saved their life would turn around. True – but not a guarantee that it will happen right way. Proof - the 2 men do not listen to Jesus. We get expert at justifying disobeying Jesus’ commands: ‘He would want us to do this.’ ‘He really wasn’t serious.’ ‘He didn’t really mean that’. When God’s Word and our thoughts collide God will win – like the father who tells his wayward or rebellious son – you can do this the hard way or the easy way – but either way I am going to win – so why not make it easier on yourself. This story of Jesus healing the blind men reminds us we need to be born again and then walk by/rely on the Spirit so we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
What Everyone Wants: Mercy
The first thing we observe about the two men is they were blind. Blindness was and is a common problem in the Middle East. Some were born blind; others became blind due to sickness and disease. The fact that Jesus healed so many cases of blindness reflects how common it was. Unsanitary conditions, infectious diseases carried by swarms of flies, blowing sand, accidents, war, excessive heat and malnutrition all played a part in making it such a danger. The 2 men tracked Jesus, crying out loudly; continually shouting, yelling with great intensity – trying to get His attention in the midst of a huge crowd. They could not see Him but they were trying to get to Him. They said Have mercy on us. Mercy is God’s inexhaustible and infinite compassion and loving-kindness – shown to needy sinners to alleviate the misery brought on by sin. In mercy God withholds from us what we deserve (punishment; God’s wrath against our sin), by grace He gives us what we do not deserve (forgiveness; unmerited kindness and love). God is merciful. He shows compassion and loving-kindness for His Name sake; alleviating the misery brought on by sin. He does so at His own discretion, by His sovereign choice. Rom. 9:15-18 recounts says, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy; it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs but on God who has mercy; So then, He has mercy on whom He desires."
They had the right attitude; they admitted their need for forgiving mercy. You need to admit your need for forgiving mercy. Daniel prayed Dan. 9:18 on behalf of himself and his fellow Israelites: We are not presenting our prayers before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great mercy. Jeremiah Lam. 3:22-23 said The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. The writer of Hebrews said Jesus was made like His brethren in all things so He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest Heb. 2:17. Paul reminds us of the surpassing riches of God’s grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus Eph. 2:7. That Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy. Mercy and grace work hand and hand – mercy holding back what our sins deserve; grace giving what we don’t deserve.
What everyone needs: Faith
The 2 blind men called Jesus Son of David. Without a doubt they were confessing Jesus as the Messiah, the One who would rule forever. Son of David was one of the most common titles for the promised deliverer – a royal title, pointing to His descending from the family of King David and His subsequent right to set up and rule over the coming Kingdom of God. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the way to the cross multitudes of people cried Hosanna to the Son of David Matt. 21:9. To call Jesus the Son of David was to call His the promised deliverer - something unbelieving Jewish leaders knew well. [they rebuked people for calling Jesus that 21:15-16]. Every Jew who heard the 2 men would have known what they were saying – and taken it to be a clear confession of belief in Jesus as the Messiah. They boldly and publicly declared their faith in Christ as Savior and Lord. They had the right belief. In the same way, you need to acknowledge Jesus as King by faith. Faith is reliance on God, trust that He can and will; and therefore placing all your hope in Him. They were physically blind but they saw better than others. In the time of Jesus there was a huge Messianic expectation; and people believed that when the Messiah came He would Open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. Is. 35:5-6. The lame would leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute would shout for joy. If Jesus was the Messiah, the blind men must have reasoned, He would have mercy on them and they would have their sight. Their need drove them to faith. They were focused on the right person – the most merciful person who ever lived - the Lord Jesus – they staked their lives on Him – a rock-solid, truth-grounded, promise-anchored trust in Christ to save them spiritually from sin and physically from blindness. They walked by faith not by sight. They “saw” what others could not: Jesus is the Sovereign King of the universe and so they relied on Him. When we realize how dependent we are on God for salvation – His death for our sin, His life for our righteousness – we understand why the Bible insists salvation comes only through faith in Him.
Jesus did not heal them right away. He waited until they were indoors. The men had faith enough to follow Jesus into the house. He lets them get all the way to Him and asks…do you believe that I am able to do this? Do you trust that I can heal you & make you see? Are you relying on Me to do this? The answer: Yes Lord. Yes we believe You are able to do what we asked of You; & Lord we believe that You are the Divine Messiah, the coming Savior promised long ago by God through the prophets. True faith is dependent on God. Jesus is the author (giver) and perfector (sustainer) of faith. God gives faith as a gift & God rewards those who believe. Heb. 11:6 He rewards those who earnestly seek Him by faith. Jesus touched their eyes and said “Be it done to you according to your faith”. D.A. Carson observes that, Jesus’ authoritative word, “According to your faith” does not mean “in proportion to your faith” (so much faith, so much sight) but rather “since you believe, your request is granted.” (Your faith has healed you 9:22). Their eyes were opened. God is powerful and merciful. God restores physical and spiritual sight.
What everyone struggles with: Obedience
Jesus sternly warned them, don’t tell anyone about this! This may reveal Jesus’ desire to avoid undue and untimely attention that might impede his true mission. Whatever the case the seeing disobey. They go out and spread His fame; proclaiming their belief that Jesus was the Messiah – a great thing to do – but something Jesus asked them not to do right then. We have no such warning today – just the opposite – Go and tell everyone what great things God has done for you. Preach the Gospel to all. As Paul said, Woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel! But timing is everything – and Jesus had told them no to. So why do the seeing not obey? Think about what we believe. We believe that at the moment that we come to believe in Jesus, placing our trust in Him and His finished work on the cross, we by faith also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). This story reminds us of another foundational truth – that when we have experienced God’s grace in Christ, and received the Holy Spirit, obedience is not an option; but to obey is not automatic when we come to faith. The Christian life is not lived by remembering an experience we had – it is lived in the daily grind of discipleship; following Jesus lovingly, dependently and obediently. It is lived soberly in simple obedience to Jesus and what He says. The right course the right action, is to apply what Jesus says. Do what He tells you to do in God’s Word. Our experience, our thinking, our feelings - even some we think come from the Holy Spirit, should never lead us to contradict Jesus’ clear commands. The way to make it in life is to trust God’s mercy by faith and live in obedience. One thing I consistently try to get across is we can do nothing without Jesus, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Everything we do should flow from the life of Christ in and through us – that we would worship God, build up believers and reach others for Christ – out of the outflow of Christ’s life in us. As we are saved by grace, so we live by grace and serve by grace. God intends for the Christian life to work this way – we yield to the work of God in us, making moment by moment choices to be doers of the Word and not just hearers who deceive ourselves. God does not want us to be deceived – thinking that we are somehow in control or that we call the shots – we are to be in all things under Him – seeking what He wants above what we want. That will lead to deeper worship of God, more connectedness in the family of God and more fruitful outreach for Christ among the unsaved. To live like this we need to walk with Jesus, being corrected by the Word; shaped into who God wants as we live under Him.
It would be easy to say what did Jesus expect right? How do you hide a miracle like that – anyone who knew them would know. He expected obedience. Sometimes we think if only a person would get saved their life would turn around. True – but not a guarantee that it will happen right way. Proof - the 2 men do not listen to Jesus. We get expert at justifying disobeying Jesus’ commands: ‘He would want us to do this.’ ‘He really wasn’t serious.’ ‘He didn’t really mean that’. When God’s Word and our thoughts collide God will win – like the father who tells his wayward or rebellious son – you can do this the hard way or the easy way – but either way I am going to win – so why not make it easier on yourself. This story of Jesus healing the blind men reminds us we need to be born again and then walk by/rely on the Spirit so we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
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