John, chapter nine, I'm going to read the whole of the chapter again. This will be the second sermon on this section of John. John, chapter nine, beginning at verse one. As Jesus 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? And Jesus answered, it was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 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, Jesus sat 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 Salome, which means scent. So he went and said, and he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had been seen, 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 he is like him. He kept saying, I am the man. So they said to him, then how were your eyes opened? He answered, the man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, go to Salome and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight. They said to him, where is he? He said, I do not know. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now, it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, he put mud on my eyes and I washed and I see. Some of the Pharisees said this man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. But others said, how can a man who is a sinner do such science? And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, what do you say about him since he has opened your eyes? He said he is a prophet. The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? His parents answered, We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees, we do not know. Nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is of age. He will speak for himself. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, He is of age, ask him. So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. He answered, whether he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know that though I was blind, now I see. They said to him, what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He answered them. I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? And they reviled him, saying, You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from. And the man answered, Why, this is an amazing thing. You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 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. They answered him, you were born in utter sin and you would teach us. And they cast him out. Jesus heard that they had cast him out and having found him, he said, Do you believe in the son of man? And he answered, And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? And Jesus said to him, You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you. He said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him. Jesus said, For judgment, I came into this world that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things and said to him, Are we also blind? And Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no guilt. But now that you say we see, your guilt remains. Let me pray. Father, we thank you, Lord, for this account. We thank you for the signs that you have revealed, that you have done and have written down to the Apostle John and others. We thank you, Lord, for these signs that we can look upon. And by your grace, behold the glory, your glory in Jesus Christ. Behold the Son of Man and believe and worship him. Father, I pray that that is what we would do here today. We would behold in this sign glory. We would be humbled before the Son of Man, We believe by your grace and worship. I ask it in Jesus name. Amen. There's really two main parts to this message this morning, and it would correspond, I think, to the text, and that is the first part would be the glorification of Jesus Christ, the Christ exaltation in the sign. In other words, the son of man, as he is revealed in this sign. And then secondly, as is the trend in God's John's gospel account, it is the man's response to seeing this light. The light shines in the light of Christ, shines into this world through this sign. And there is this reaction to it. that follows and a great portion of the text is given to revealing and recording this debate, this confrontation between this man who has had his sight regained and the Pharisees, the hypocrites of the day. And so in the first part, we see that the son of man is revealed. And secondly, it is revealed, clearly revealed that in order to see the light in order to embrace the son of man. One must be not religious, but born again. So first, this is indeed a glory filled sign. And we talked about the first couple of these in the last week that I preached upon this text. And firstly, we have pictured and proclaimed here the all knowing, all powerful and sovereign God who has, yes, determined this man's blindness. This is no accident. This blindness and and other such birth defects and handicaps and ailments like it are not a matter of chance. The sovereign Lord rules over such things. Exodus 4 11. Moses has just informed the Lord that he has made a mistake, that that that because he is slow of speech, that the Lord's choosing of Moses was an unwise choice to which our Lord responds by taking the opportunity to inform Moses that he is quite aware of the situation. Exodus chapter 4, verse 11, Then the Lord said to him, to Moses, Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Who makes man blind? Is it not I, the Lord? So the sovereign Lord reigns over such things. And secondly, in that the Lord has purpose. The Lord reigns with purpose always, as Jesus would explain regarding this man's condition in today's text. In verse three, it was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. The Lord decrees or allows, if you must, such things as this man's blindness for a reason. And ultimately, that reason is for his own glory to be known. This man was born blind and live much of his life in utter darkness that the works of God might be displayed in him. And this brings glory to God. And as well, grace to this man. It brings grace to this man as well, but regarding his elect, all such things, actually all things, as Romans 828 informs, are determined by God ultimately for our good. All things are for his glory and for our good. It reminds me of the account of Lazarus, Jesus' friend, who becomes ill and died. It's coming up in John's account. It's found in John chapter 11. But let me just read the two statements that Jesus made, informing us as to the purpose for Lazarus' illness and eventual death. John 11, for Jesus, having heard of his illness, said, This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it. And a little later, in verse 14 and 15, Jesus told his disciples very plainly, Lazarus has died. And for your sake, I am glad that I was not there. so that you may believe. Jesus, upon hearing of his friend's illness unto death, waited two more days before going to him, not merely so his friend would die, but that he might raise his friend from the dead and and thus be glorified as the resurrection and the life. And so that God's elect might believe and in believing, have eternal life. all things for His glory and our good. And thirdly, just as Lazarus's illness and death led to Jesus being exalted as the resurrection and the life and revealed as the Christ, the Son of God, so too is Jesus in today's account through this man's blindness revealed as the Christ. Matthew chapter 11, there is that account of John the Baptist and when he's in prison And he's heard about the deeds of the Christ. And so he sent word by his disciples to Jesus and said to him, Are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another? Are you the one? And Jesus answered them, Go and tell John what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear and the dead are raised up and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me. Are you the one who is to come? They asked Jesus. And he responds, the blind are receiving their sight. In other words, yes, I am. So this miracle work of Jesus testifies that he is indeed the long awaited Messiah, the Christ. And fourthly, even more, this sign reveals that Jesus is of our is God. He is our God. Jesus is the all knowing, the all powerful, the sovereign creator that is glorified in this man's blindness. For it is it was spoken of all through the prophets that the Lord, our God, the Lord, our God would come to save us. Isaiah 35, four, say to those who have an anxious heart, be strong, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be open and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer in the tongue of the mute sing for joy. Your God will come to you, and when he does, the eyes of the blind shall be open. Jesus has come to us, the long awaited Messiah, the savior of the world has come to us, and he comes accompanied by such signs as a man blind from birth being granted eyes to see. And thus it is revealed that in Jesus, our God has come to us, our creator, our maker. I think we can see this as well in the manner in which Jesus grants this man's sight. Jesus chooses here to work this miracle by by taking the dust of the earth, right, and making mud and rubbing it on this man's eyes. And this is an act of creation reminiscent of the Genesis account, isn't it? Where God formed man from the dust of the earth. He gave him of himself. God gave of himself through breathing life. into man. Likewise, Jesus here takes the dust of the earth. He spits on the ground and thus takes of the dust and gives of himself through his saliva. He mixes his own saliva with the dust of the earth and makes mud, and then he rubs it on this man's face that eyes might be formed in him. In this, Jesus is revealed in a most graphic manner as the creator. the one who formed man from the dust of the earth and is himself the source of life, both physical and spiritual life, physical life as well as spiritual life. For fifthly, Jesus revealed here is the light of the world to blind sinners, the light of the world to blind sinners. This man's physical blindness pictures are spiritual blindness. Is this man physically speaking was born into utter darkness? and was completely unable to do anything to change his condition. So, too, are all of us, spiritually speaking, born into utter darkness, unable to affect in any positive way our condition. It is revealed to this man's blindness that we, too, are born helplessly blind. But praise God, it is likewise revealed through this miracle that this Jesus, The Son of God is both able and willing to grant us eyes to see. This is why he's come, he has been sent that blind men might see and in seeing believe and in believing be granted eternal life. So we who are born blind must be made to see if we are to live. We must be born again. Jesus said in John 3, 3, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He must be born again. Sixthly, after anointing the man's eyes with the mud that he had made, Jesus told the man to go wash in the pool of Siloam. to go wash in the pool of Siloam. And you may have noticed that John makes a point to mention the meaning of Siloam. Siloam is a Hebrew word that means scent. So why is John pointing this out? Well, I believe, as we have seen over and over again, a major theme of this gospel account is that Jesus is the obedient son sent of the Father. Jesus is sent into the world. Jesus is the sent one. And so we have in this sign this blind beggar being granted eyes to see, this poor soul being delivered from his darkness through the creative work of God manifest in him and by coming to the sent one. to be washed clean. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. This picture is the new covenant promise, the new birth, being born again, born of water and spirit. This creative work of God manifest in us, this new creation. and then washing in the scent one, being born of water and spirit. This idea of water and spirit was spoken of by the Prophet Ezekiel in connection with the new covenant promise of regeneration. Ezekiel 36, he says, I will sprinkle clean water on you. I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and a new spirit. I will put within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules. So God, through Jesus, through the sent one, is saving sinners by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. In Christ, through the new birth, sinners are made clean and made new. Today's sign points us to Christ as that one. Now, in the accounting that follows this miracle. Again, we see the necessity of the supernatural new birth revealed. For as the light of Christ through this sign, this miracle shines forth. There is on the one hand, this poor blind beggar who is miraculously made to see And with His new eyes He beholds the Son of Man, right? It is Him who you are seeing. And He sees Him, and He believes in Him, and He worships as Jesus. And on the other hand, there are those, the Pharisees, who while they profess to see, are really blind. And their blindness is revealed, and their inability to see the light, In fact, in the hardness of their heart, their condition seems only to be worsened as the light of Christ shines in upon them. To them, Jesus is a blinding light, a rock of offense over which they stumble. And again, the absolute necessity of the spiritual and supernatural new birth is here revealed. Mere outward religious expression is not enough. A mere verbal profession is not enough. For one must be made miraculously to see if he is to believe and in believing have eternal life. You must be born again if you are to see the kingdom of God. God must do a work upon you if you are to be saved, and it is a miraculous and an obvious work. It goes far beyond mere profession. If you have been born again, then you have been changed, dramatically changed. You will have been cleansed and you will have been made anew. And you will have the testimony of this man. I once was blind. Now I see. Salvation is not about cleaning up your act and following a set of rules or conforming to a Christian culture. Coming to Christ is not about mere outward conformance. True religion, true piety is found not in profession alone. And there are those today who are engaged in an empty and worthless religious expression. And it is the kind that these Pharisees in Jesus' day were practicing. There is nothing new under the sun. And therefore, we must always be careful to not just write these Pharisees off as a religious bunch from back in Jesus' day, that religious sect that murdered the Son of God. We should instead recognize that we have a lot in common with these Pharisees. a lot in common. We, like them, promote the Word of God as the Word of God, sacred, inspired and holy. We uphold the law of God to be esteemed. We are zealous for the sovereignty of God and the glory of God. We hold the oracles of God. We profess to be the people of God. We carry out the religion of God. We profess to be the people of the promise We profess to have the favor of God upon us, to be blessed of God. And we, like the Pharisees in this account, profess to be of the true seed of Abraham. Do we not? We, like the Pharisees in this account, profess to have God as our father. And we, like the Pharisees in this account, profess to see. We profess to see. So it seems to me that we ought to be making sure that we are not also like these Pharisees, in that our profession is a mere empty profession. And it also seems to me that if that is indeed the case, if we are unlike the Pharisees, truly of God, then we should be able to stand up to the same scrutiny that Jesus put these Pharisees under when they made such claims. For when they professed to be sons of Abraham, Jesus challenged them with these words. If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did. And when these Pharisees professed to have God as their father, Jesus said to them, if God were your father, you would love me. And when they professed to see, Jesus said to them, if you were blind, you would have no guilt. But now that you say we see, your guilt remains. For though they were blind, they professed to see, yet they saw nothing. If they were truly seeing the Son of Man, they would have, as this blind beggar did, believed in Him and worshipped Him. And they would have had the testimony of this man, I was blind, now I see. So progressively through chapters eight and nine, we see these Jews who profess to see being revealed as religious hypocrites, for they did not do the works of Abraham, nor did they love the one scent of the father, nor did they have the testimony of this blind beggar. In other words, they were not born again. And this causes me to want each one of us who now profess to see. to consider what it means to be born again, that we might know where we stand this day. And I pray that through this we all, regardless of where we stand, would be moved to humble ourselves and to come to the One who was sent, that in Him we might be washed and made anew and granted eyes to see the Son of Man, that we might believe, and in believing, grants an eternal life. So help us, God. So first, let's look at and consider, are we who profess to be the true seed of Abraham doing the works of Abraham? If you are Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, says our Lord. And we must begin by asking, what are the works of Abraham? What are the works of Abraham? Well, they are the works of faith, right? The works of faith. What was it that Abraham did that he was counted as righteous? Genesis 15, 6. And he believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness. He believed the Lord, he trusted the Lord, and he had faith in the Lord. And that faith produced works, right? If I asked you to show me that Abraham believed God, where would you take me? Show me that Abraham believed God. Where would you go? What account would you turn to? I bet you'd take me up on a mountain. Up on a mountain to behold Abraham standing over Isaac, knife in hand, ready to plunge it into his one and only beloved son. And why would you take me there? Because there it is obvious that Abraham trusted God, that he believed in God. On that mountain, it was revealed that Abraham knew God as the gracious sovereign. Here's how it is spoken of in Hebrews chapter 11. By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises That is, Abraham was in the act of offering up his only son of whom it is said through Isaac shall your offspring be named. So up on this mountain, we have the one who received the promise, Abraham offering up his only son. And what was the promise? That you would be the father of many nations, that your descendants would be as numerous as the stars. And for that promise to come to pass, His only son would have to live and grow and be married and have children. And yet, here's Abraham on this mountain with that son on an altar, and he stands ready to slaughter him. The one through whom the promise would have to come and why? Why was he willing to do this? Because God told him to do so. And as the text reads, He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead. God would fulfill his promise if he must raise Isaac from the dead to do so. He believed in God. He was a man of faith. And that faith didn't lay dormant within him. It produced works. It made itself known. Abraham's faith was perfected. It was completed in him. through the works that it produced. Faith has a purpose. There is an end to our faith, and that end is the works of faith. This is what James teaches in James chapter 2, where he, in fact, uses the same example of Abraham. Let's turn there, if you would, James chapter 2. James chapter 2, beginning at verse 14. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? In other words, one professes with his mouth to be a Christian. Is that enough? Verse 15, if a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food and one of you says to them, go in peace, be warmed and filled with without giving them the need things needed for the body. What good is that? So also faith by itself does not that if it does not have works is dead. And so the answer to my question is no. A mere profession is useless for salvation, as useless as saying to a needy brother, be warmed and not actually giving them some clothing. Your words will not warm their body. Just as your mere profession will not save you. Continuing in verse 21, James appealing to the example of Abraham, was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? And then James explains, you see, that faith was acting along with his works and faith was completed by his works. And the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. And he was called a friend of God. Faith did not lay dormant in Abraham, nor did faith produce merely an empty profession of the mouth. In the one who truly possesses faith, that faith is always perfected and completed in him through works. And this is not just speaking of nice little good deeds. I mean, consider the example given. Abraham willing to sacrifice his own son because he believed God, because he had faith. It seems to me that a true and a deep trust in the all-powerful, sovereign God who is working all things for our good ought to produce some worth in us that the world would look upon as reckless and foolish. Now, I asked you, where would you take me that I might see that Abraham believed God? And I think all of us would go where the author of Hebrews does and where James does to that mountain where Abraham offered up his only son. So now let me ask, where would you take me that I might see that you believe? Where would you take me that I might see that you believe God? I know this causes me to look at my life. What am I doing with my time? my resources, my finances, am I living for me? Am I living in unbelief? Am I living for the moment, for the here and now, for this place, for this world, this life, this world I would profess to have come out of? If we would return to Hebrews 11, we would see that those of faith have this in common. They walk in this world as citizens of another world. In other words, they walk with hope. They walk with hope, eagerly anticipating eternal life. They walk as strangers and exiles on this earth. Seeking a homeland that is not of this world, desiring a better country, a heavenly one. They are in many ways freed from this world, this life, freed from worldliness and selfish living. Freed from trusting in the things of this life for their comfort and their happiness, and thereby they are freed from the worries and anxieties of this world. They are free to serve the living God, free to live for him, free to serve others, not self. Free to give. and not store up. By way of application, what do you suppose it looks like when when one truly believes in the God who owns a cattle on a thousand hills and the God who said, don't worry about what you wear, what you will eat, the God who said in my kingdom, it is more blessed to give than receive. What does it look like when one truly believes in that God? I can't help but think of that poor, poor widow who gave up her daily provision, who gave up this day's bread, her last two pennies. Seems to me she came to the temple that day and was moved with affection for her God and empowered by her reckless belief in him. And thus she gave all she had. even her day's provision. And she did so knowing that she would not go without. Knowing that in her God she was rich. Knowing that she would not be left to starve. And even if she did go without, her God's grace would be on her in such a way that in her hunger would be found her greatest joy and satisfaction. Seems to me the world would look upon that as reckless, even foolish. Sadly, many in the church would look upon that as reckless and foolish. I praise God that it is looked upon that way. Don't believe the lies. It is the foolish man who builds the bigger barn. It is the man of faith. who gives even of this day's bread. Are we doing the works of Abraham? Are we believing God? Secondly, do we who profess to have God as our father love Jesus Christ? Jesus said, if God were your father, you would love me. Well, again, we should ask, what does love for Jesus look like? What does this look like? I thought Deuteronomy 6 would be a good place to start, where we find this commandment stated, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And then I took a look at the verses that follow this commandment. I took a look at some of the things that our Lord identifies about the people of Israel when they are truly loving him with all their heart, soul and might. And here's what I found, and I'll just list them and let you read the text for yourself. First, first, they cherish his commandments. They cherish his word. They hold his word dear and teach it diligently to their children. His Word is on their hearts and their minds, and so they talk about it continuously when they sit down, when they walk, when they lie down, when they rise, which is all the time, continuously. Those who love the Lord gather about His Word. And secondly, they remember the Lord. They do not forget the Lord, but fear Him and serve Him always. Thirdly, they do not go after other gods, the gods of the Gentiles, the idols of this world. In other words, they keep themselves unstained from the world. They are not worldly. They're not given to worldliness. And fourthly, those who love the Lord are careful to keep the Lord's commands. They obey their master. They do what is right and good, not in their own eyes. but in the eyes of their God. And thus did Jesus say in John 14, 15, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. If you love me, you will keep my commandments. But let's be careful here. Jesus did not say, If you keep my commandments, you will love me. He said, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. So this is not about mere duty or works righteousness. No, this is about a moral inclination. This is about possessing a true heartfelt love for Jesus, a love that produces a true desire for His will to be done, His mission to be accomplished, His name to be praised, His glory to be known. When we love Jesus, we are for Jesus, for His cause, and thus we live this life not for self, but for Him. And if it is real, then that will be our joy anyway. Seeking and serving Jesus is as food for we are satisfied ultimately in him and him alone. John says in first John five three, for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not burdensome. Love is from God. And if the love of God has been poured into us through the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, then, like faith, it will not lay dormant. It will be producing fruit. It will be perfected in us through acts of obedience and service. So who are you living for? Who are you living for? Self or Jesus? Do you love Jesus? It is also true that a love for Jesus does not exist apart from a love for the brethren. The Apostle John is adamant about this in his first epistle, 1 John 4, 20. He who does not love his own brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him, whoever loves God must also love his brother. And John said back in verse 12 of chapter four that no one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. So if God abides in us, if his love has been poured into us, it will be perfected in us again. We have this idea that it will not lie dormant, but be perfected, completed in us through self-sacrificial acts of love. Acts of love towards the brothers. And so, I should ask myself, do I ever set self aside in the service of another? Do I ever lay aside my own comfort and pleasure to love on another who is in need? Or is everything I do determined by selfish desires? What is good for me? What I want? What I deserve? What brings me gain? Does the love of Christ dwelling within me and thus being perfected in me through acts of self-sacrificial love towards others result in such acts of love, true love, heartfelt love towards those in need? Do I love Jesus? Thirdly, do we who profess to see have the testimony of this blind beggar? Do we who profess to see have the testimony of this blind beggar? I was blind, and now I see. I was lost in ignorance and unbelief following the course of this world, following Satan. I was blind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved me, even when I was dead in my trespasses, made me alive together with Christ. By grace, I have been saved. Now I see. Do you have the testimony of this blind beggar? Have you been delivered from darkness to light? Have you been radically born again of God? And are you united to Christ in this? willing to forsake all else to walk in His light. I just love the boldness of this blind beggar in this account. He's being interrogated by his authorities, those who stand over him, those who have control of God's temple, all religious expression as this man knows it. They could have him stoned. These authorities stand ready to excommunicate this man. from the religion of God, the worship of the temple, the community of the covenant. But in the face of all of that, this man just continues to proclaim what he knows to be true, what Jesus has done for him. His parents will say nothing out of fear, but his eyes have been opened by Jesus and this he will proclaim. Who has done this to you, they demand of Him. Demand Jesus, He says. And what do you say about this Jesus? Inferring as to whether or not He is of God or not. And the beggar answers, He is a prophet. He is a prophet. In other words, He is of God. They keep pushing and reviling this man who was moments before a blind beggar on the corner of the street. And now he's the instrument by which the hypocrisy of these elites is being exposed. John 9, 29, they say, we know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from. And the man answered, why, this is an amazing thing. This is amazing. You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. You do not know where he comes from, the leaders of God's religion. the authorities of Judaism, doctors of the law. And you don't know where this man comes from. They answered him, you were born in utter sin, and would you teach us? And they cast him out. Do you have the testimony of this man? And are you willing to be cast out because of it? Are we willing to be hated by those who yet walk in darkness? Some of whom may be in your own family. Jesus said in Matthew 10, Do not think that I have come to bring peace to to the earth, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword for I have come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter in law against her mother in law. And a person and a person's enemies will be those of his own household. Are you willing to be an outcast for your testimony in this community, in your workplace, perhaps in your own family or among your friends? Somewhere, if you are testifying of Christ, you will be cast out. You will be an outcast. Do you have the testimony of this man? born blind who now sees, even when it means being an outcast among some. Are we doing the works of Abraham? Are we loving Jesus Christ? And are we sharing in this man's testimony to the point of being cast out among some? In other words, have you been born again? radically changed by God? Have you had your eyes open to see the Son of Man and thus to believe and to worship? Well, if not, then let me just close with this. If not, let me bring your attention to the account of another blind man. His name was Bartimaeus. And Bartimaeus, though he could not see, would not cease in begging for Jesus to have mercy on him. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me, Jesus. Son of David, have mercy on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he cried out all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me. And then Jesus stopped and said, call him. And they called the blind man, saying to him, take heart, get up, Jesus is calling you. Take heart, get up, Jesus is calling you." And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, what do you want me to do for you? And the blind man said to him, Rabbi, let me recover my sight. Give me eyes to see. And Jesus said to him, go your way. Your faith has made you well. And immediately, Bartimaeus recovered his sight and followed him on the way. If you are yet in darkness, unable to believe in and worship the Son of Man in spirit and in truth, then I would urge you to learn from this helpless beggar, Bartimaeus. Cry out to the Son of Man. Cry out to Jesus to have mercy on you. And do not let yourself be silenced. No matter where the rebuke would come from, just cry out all the more. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. For in Jesus we have one who is both able and willing to save. Humble yourself, for he gives grace to the humble. He does not resist the humble, but gives grace to the humble. And one day you will be able to rise and take heart, for Jesus is calling you. That's prayer.