Notes

Juniors Preaching Idea 2

Key Verses:
John 9:1-34
John 9:1-7; 11-12; 18-21

Receiving What You Need

Key Points of Text:
1. Blind Man Appears
2. Jesus finds blind man first
3. Jesus mixes spit and mud and applies it to the blind man's eyes
4. Jesus sends the blind man
5. The Blind Man is Healed
6. Ex Blind man tells them what happened
7. Parents respond by saying their child can speak for himself

What is means:
1. You and I are the Blind Man
2. Jesus has called and found us
3. Unknown
4. God makes ways for us but we have to be obedient to Him
5. Salvation is Personal

Expanding on the Points:

1. The Blind Man:
Just like the Blind man each and every single one of us have our needs. Some may be looking for a physical healing while others may need spiritual healing. Other may be looking for satisfaction to fill the emptiness in their souls. Often times we are like the woman with the issue of Blood. The woman with the issue of blood had her problem for 12 years. (Luke 8:43) And the Bible says that the woman had spent all of her money on trying to get help from doctors and what not. Just like that woman with the issue of blood, many of us look for the solution to our problem in other things like drugs or alcohol. It doesn't even have to be a bad thing. It can even be clothes and cars or video games. The bottom line is that we all have problems or things we need that can only be answered or filled by God. Without God we are blind in our sins, we are blind in our failures or blind in our emotions. But God!

2. Jesus approaches the blind man
This is something I found very interesting and very deep. This is the great thing about God. One way or another God is calling you to Him. He does not walk passed the blind man waiting for the blind man to tell Him something but instead approaches the blind man knowing he is in need. If you are here now it is because God is calling you trying to seek you. He does not forget about you or your condition. I don't know how many of you have been called by the Lord whether it be through your parents telling you to go to church or a longing in your spirit telling you to read the word or go to church, but the Lord is calling you but waits for you when you are ready. Like the pastor says, God does not force himself on anyone. If that were the case he would have just made robots to worship Him day after day. Revelations 3:20 talks about how the Lord is at the door calling us. Waiting for us to open the door. The Bible also says that we love Him because He first loved us. God isn't scared to make the first move. He made the first move 2000 years ago when he died for you and me.

3. Jesus mixes mud and spit into the eyes of the Blind Man

4. After God treats the man's eyes, he sends him to wash off/Blind man is healed
After the Lord places the mud on his eyes, he commands the man to go wash off. He did not just take off the mud from the man's face and boom there was the miracle. Instead he tells the man to clean his eyes. Remember that this guys is blind and cannot tell where he is going. He was blind from birth so he cannot really go back to his memories and think back to when he last saw the pool. So the blind man has to walk to this pool, not knowing where he is stepping, not sure if this will heal him but he has hope. Many times we ask God to do something in our lives and feel like he does not answer. We ask Him for many things like "Oh God make me a great preacher, make me a great teacher" it could be anything make me a great singer. That when I sing people begin to speak in tongues and your fire descends. We may ask God for a better job or a happier life. What do you juniors want? Help me get better grades on my test? I don't know what you ask Him for but whatever it is, that is fine and dandy. Just like with the blind man, the Lord starts his work, but it is up to you if you want Him to finish it. Many of us are quick to tell God what we want but are hesitant when the Lord wants something from us. We ask Him, to let us become a great preacher and the Lord says ok but sends you to read the word and pray more and fast. How many of us fast like we should? We ask the Lord to help us do better on the next test and the Lord says I will help you understand the material but you have to study it before you can even begin to understand it. Many of us want a great paying job and the Lord is telling you just give your tithes and I will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing and give you that Job you have been asking for. It is important to understand that God is always willing to help you when you are in need, but He expects us to be obedient to what He commands us to do. It is only when we are obedient to Him that we will finally get what we are looking for.

5. Pharisees go to the man's parents to ask them what had happened
So the Pharisees are frantically looking to find any fault in Jesus so they go to the parents of the Ex-Blind man and the ask them if their son was truly blind and who healed him. So they tell the Pharisees that their son was born blind but do not tell them who healed their son because they were scared to be affiliated with Jesus in any way, but there is another message here because it says that they responded by saying that their son was already of age and that he could speak for himself. Have you ever heard of the term guilty by association. It is part of the law that guilts you for just being with the wrong people. For example, if you are driving a car or in a car with one of your buddies and the police happens to pull you over and your friend had drugs with him, not only does he get in trouble but everyone else in the car does too. That's what being guilty by association means. The Lord does not work that way though. Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes and the worst of the worst. He was criticized for it but was never guilty of anything. Just because you are hanging out with friends at school who are not saved doesn't mean you are not saved either. Isn't that wonderful. Here is the thing though, just like you cannot be guilty by association, you cannot be saved by association. Many people do not understand this including myself when I was younger. I thought, "well my parents are in a good stance with God, so that must mean I am too" there is nothing to worry about right? The word of God says that the father is unable to save the son and the son is unable to save the father, instead salvation, restoration, transformation is personal. There comes a time in your life when you have to decide what you want to do with your life. There comes a time where your mom's prayer is not going to keep your name in the book of life. There comes a point to where you have to seek after God yourself. You have to pray to God yourself. The blind man's parents told the Pharisees that their son is of age and can speak for himself. It is time that you seek the Lord for yourself and experience him for yourself.

6. The Blind Man speaks for Himself
After the miracle occurs it is important to realize that the man that was blind does not stay quite about what just happened. Instead his is not afraid to say what happened. Many of us are ashamed to talk about the mighty God that we serve. Many of us when asked questions have no idea how to respond because we feel ashamed of the gospel. We still do not know God on a personal level. I remember being asked in school why I do not celebrate Halloween and what is the first thing we say? My religion. We are ashamed to speak the truth because of what people might think of us. We are afraid to stand out. But let me tell you that we are not of this world so if you stand out that is even better. Many of us want to blend in with the crowed so that we do not get noticed at all. Our friends do drugs so we have to do them too. Our friends wear pants so we have to do it too. Our friends curse so I guess I will too. We have to realize that there lives are empty without God. They are blind just like you and me once were. This is where your testimony comes into play. Oh no not testimony! Yes testimony. We have to understand that we may be the only example that they have in order to learn more about God and to draw near to Him. If they see us the same way they see the next person, they are going to assume you have the same problems that they do and that there is no possible way you can help them. This is a bit off topic but I want to include this. Not only does your testimony affect those outside of church but also inside of church. If I am out partying with my friends smoking weed and a brother or sister sees me, what is he or she going to think. They are going to assume that I am not a real Christian and that anything I say from up here is a lie even though what I say is true. The youth loving going to a place to eat called Yama Sushi. They are known for their, yep you guessed it, their sushi. Anyways, if one day we decide to go to eat at Yama Sushi and we see that the health department gives them a D as well as cockroaches on the floors and walls, no matter how good the food looks and tastes, we will not eat there again. The same thing with your testimonies. If someone sees that you speak the word of God but see your life is a mess, they will not want to hear what you say.