The 19th century novelist and essayist who wrote Treasure Island and The Strange Case
of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson was his name. Stevenson was intrigued
as a young boy by the work of lamp lighters, lamp lighters, who before the days of electricity
went about with a ladder and a torch, setting the streets ablaze with light in Edinburgh,
Scotland. In his fascination, in his childish, childlike fascination, he ran into the house
to exclaim to his parents, there's a man out there punching holes in the darkness. Jesus
came into the world and accomplished many great and marvelous wonders, yet his primary
purpose was to punch holes in the darkness. John chapter one, verse four and five says,
in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shoneeth in darkness
and the darkness comprehended it not. What is clear, brothers and sisters, from the teaching
of this text is that true sight is ironically contingent on having true blindness. There
is a blindness that is innate to fallen humanity that is necessary for Christian existence.
It's blindness to the deception that distorts our human nature. It is blindness to the illusion
that we can take care of ourselves. Those who think they can see are actually blind to
their self delusion and this self delusion imposes on them a deep and serious blindness,
but there is none so blind as he who will not see. The medieval monastic Christian theologian
John Cassian said that we tend to condemn in others what we refuse to see in ourselves.
God ought to help me preach here. We refuse brothers and sisters to see our own blindness
so we look at the moat that is in our brother's eye and see not the beam that is in our own
eye. Psychologically what is repressed in us is projected under other people. Walk with
me around the text. There is in this pericope a sightless man. The man has been blind from
the hour of his birth making the miracle even more remarkable. This man has never in his
entire life from the womb been able to see. The disciples assume the blindness of the
man is the result of sin. That question regarding his congenital blindness is an exploration
between the connection of sin and physical deformity. They are looking backwards to
find a possible cause while Jesus would have them to look forward to a divine purpose.
The man's blindness, hear me, the man's blindness is not about personal punishment but about
providential permission. Not all suffering is caused by sin but all sin causes suffering.
And there are times when God just allows calamity, God allows trials, God allows heartbreak, God
allows situations and circumstances in our lives for no reason other than he wants to
get glory. And there is no better witness than somebody who has been through it and
come out on the other side of it not knowing why God let it happen, not knowing what God's
purpose was, you just gave God's glory in the midst of it and now that you are on the
other side of it, come on devil bring it, bring it, bring it. Because what you have
to go through next cannot be compared to what you've already been through before. God will
make a way. I said God will make a way, God will open a door, God will turn it around
for his glory and for your good. That's why you ought not criticize anybody's
shout because you don't know what they went through to holler the way they holler. You
don't know what they're going through right now to make them praise God the way they praise
God because I believe if you just keep on praising in the midst of your stuff, God will
see you through. There ought to be some witnesses in this church this morning that I prayed and
shouted and cried and walked the floor but here I am this morning and because I stood
the test, I got a testimony. In this day, not only is the man blind but there are no social
safety nets such as Medicaid. There's no social security. He does not have or qualify for
Obamacare. The man is not only blind but he's reduced to begging for his subsistence. I
want to submit to you this morning, Lily Grove, that worse than being physically blind is
to have eyes wide shut. That is the condition of five people groups that came in contact
with this blind man as blind as he is from birth. There are five groups of people in
the text more blind than him. The first group is the disciples. They suffer from the blindness
of spiritual ineptitude. The second group of blind folk is his neighbors. They were
blinded by denying that he was the man that was blind. Psychologically, blindness denial
is a defense mechanism. A coping tool that we use to reject the truth about ourselves
or somebody else. We deny the fact that we need help by pretending like we don't need
help. Your blood pressure is 890 over 600. You're going to get a pork chop when you
leave here. I know it ain't good for me but I'm going to take authority over it. Greater
is he that is in me. Talk back to me if you can. I know I need to lose weight but God
made me. He made me who I am. I know I can't get in these clothes right now but I'm going
to get in them sooner or later. Give them away girl. Because as long as you are in denial,
you'll never make any progress. The next group are the Pharisees. They suffered from the
blindness of righteous indignation. They were offended that Jesus had the temerity to heal
on the Sabbath day. Even worse was the blindness of the man's own mother and father. They suffered
from the blindness of selfishness. They feared that if they testified he was blind and now
he could see, they would lose their synagogue seats. There are people at this church this
morning, there are people listening to me on social media who are so concerned about
their self image and their self esteem that they will do anything to make you believe
that they are more than they really are. But there are some of us in here this morning
who can admit I don't care if you like me, I don't care if you don't like me, I don't
care if you're on my side, if you're not on my side. I know I'm tore up from the floor.
I know I'm a sinner and a wretch undone. I know that if the Lord took his hand off me
right now, I'd be the biggest fool in Houston. I'm crazy with salvation. So imagine what
I would be if I was lost. Have I got a witness here? I need some folk here who've seen just
this past week, but you're in church this morning because you need grace and mercy.
He looked beyond my fault. The last group was the crowds around him. They suffered from
the blindness of rejection. After his eyes were opened, the Bible says they sent him
away. Now here, here, here's what I want you to see, Lili Grove. Sadly, sophomoreically,
no one of these groups that I just mentioned, the disciples, the crowds, the neighbors,
his mom and daddy, the Pharisees, not one group of these five acknowledged that a miracle
had taken place. No one rejoiced. No one praised God for the man's ability to see. No one asked
him what it felt like to be able to see his family, to see a flower, to see a sunrise,
to see a sunset for the first time. Get this. They were so concerned about the method of
his healing that they missed the miracle of his healing. They were so concerned about
we've never seen that before that they couldn't shout about what they just seen. And many
of us are so caught up in tradition and culture that we can't see God moving in a mighty way.
And so when God does a new thing, it does not awe us. It does not move us with thanksgiving
and praise because we are waiting for God to do what God has always done and God wants
to do a new thing to give you a new song to sing. Let me see if I can put it to you this
way. You ought not still be shouting over what happened 20 years ago. God should have
done something for you 20 days ago. Now, keep the 20 years in your calling purse just in
case you needed when you get down. But now God did something for you yesterday. Well,
let me shout. God has done something for me just yesterday. Is there anybody else here
who got some this morning shouting you want to do? He woke me up this morning. He put
food on my table. He helped me to pay my bills. He made a way out of nowhere. He gave me joy.
When somebody walked out of my life. That's that's the that's this man situation. But
I want you to see secondly a sovereign master. Note that the man has not expressed faith.
Neither does he ask Jesus to heal him. His role is passive until he washes in the pool
of Salon. Listen to me. Jesus healing of the blind man. This I'm trying to hold myself
down because because this is a this is the real shouting point. Jesus healing of the
blind man is creative rather than restorative. Come on. Ask me why. Ask the man blind from
birth. Never enjoyed sight that needed to be restored. So instead of Jesus giving him
something he had that he lost. Jesus creates something that he never had before. And in
so doing Jesus reveals himself as God very God because Jesus in this miracle creates
ex nihilo. That word ex nihilo is Latin for from nothing. Just like God created from nothing.
The man done asked to be healed. We don't know anything about his faith. We don't know
what Deacon family ministry he was in. We don't know if he went to church. We don't know anything
about his life. We don't know anything about his testimony. Jesus just comes by and feels
like blessing somebody. And this morning you might not even have a Bible. You might not
even be able to quote in his scriptures. But you in the right place at the right time.
And Jesus just might feel like blessing somebody. So why don't you say even me Lord. Let some
drops. I wish I had somebody to help me preach it.
Lord I don't know what I came here for. But since I'm here. Let some drops. I need somebody
to help me testify. That you can get blessed just sitting in the right pew. Because not
everybody came to worship. Not everybody came to give God's glory. Some folk just came to
spectate and look around and hook up and see who they could. But listen. There are some
of us who come here because we need something. No, no, no, no. It's more than need. We got
to have something. And so we come here because we woke up this morning with our minds on
Jesus. And if you sit around them kind of folk. That kind of praise is contagious.
You find yourself clapping when you don't even feel like. You find yourself crying and
ain't nothing wrong with you. You find yourself smiling and you ain't got nothing to laugh
about. You just around somebody who look like they feel like praise in God. You have my
permission. You have my permission. If you're sitting in a dead spot. You got my permission.
You're not going to insult me. You're not going to stop me from preaching. Just get
up and find you a section that look like they came to give God praise. Just find you a hot
spot. You know, sometimes when you drive it on 288 or 59, your call drops because there
are no cell towers and you're in a dead spot. There's some dead spots at the church. Some
people so mean and cantankerous. All they do is grumble and complain and gripe and murmur
and they don't like this and they can't stand that. Get out of that section and find somebody
who say, I don't care what you look like. I don't care what you got on. If you're going
to sit by me, it's going to be some racket. It's going to be some noise. So you might
want to go sit somewhere else because I'm asking God to do something for me. I need a
miracle. I need a breakthrough and when God brings me out, you think I'm after the food
this morning. Wait till God hears my prayer. Wait until God delivers my child. Wait until
God hears my Bible. He's a way maker. Hey. Hey. Don't wait till the battle is over. Go
ahead. Shout. Now, I'm trying to hurry here. Jesus performs, write this down if you think
you're going to forget it. Jesus performs a double miracle. In this particular instance,
he performs a double miracle because listen, not only is the man's eyes open, he can see
because it's very possible to have your eyes open and not see. The British professor of
neurology, Dr. Oliver Sacks says one must die as a blind person to be born again as a
seeing person. This man's eyes came open and I want you to get this. Neurologically, his
brain could not have been able to absorb all the information flooding into his visual cortex
from seeing for the first time. How could he know what a flower looked like if he never
saw one? How could he know that that was his mama if he'd never seen her face? But when
his eyes came open, everything he needed to know, he knew because his eyes were open
and he could see. Ask the Lord this morning, not just to open your eyes, but to let you
see. Brothers and sisters, Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud, put it on his eyes
and said, go wash, not in meekum fountain over there on Main Street. Go wash, not in
the reflecting pool in Washington, DC. Go wash, not in that shimmering pool at the
post-soak of Houston. But go where I tell you to go because your healing is tied to
your obedience. He went to the pool of salon because the pool of salon, the waters that's
in that pool come down from the temple and collect in a pool that Isaiah calls salon,
which means sent one. Jesus said, go wash in the pool that the sent one sent you to.
Now can you imagine? He's never seen before. He's got some spit mud on his eyes. It's 500
yards from the temple to the pool of salon. Can you imagine how many people laughed at
him from the temple to the pool? And when God gets ready to bless your life, he tells
you to do something that the other people don't make sense. And you know how many people
laughed at you from your divorce to your deliverance? You know how many people talked
about you from your job to the job God really wanted you to have? You know how many people
criticized you from when you were broke to now when you are able to pay everything you
need to pay? If you had paid attention to those people, you never would have made it
to the pool. But thank God you put blinders on, stop your ears up and say whatever God
tells me to do. I don't care what you say. Here he is at the pool of salon mud pies on
his eyes. He washes them off and he comes back seeing. And then I'm trying, I'm through
and finally I'm through. I can't say that but five times if I'm a Baptist preacher.
I'm reading through this time. I want you to see this supernatural miracle. When he
receives his sight, the neighbors say is that old blind Terry? Hide your purse because he
is going to start begging. Look straight ahead act like you don't see him because he's on
the side of the road acting like he ain't blind no more but he's still begging. Look
far. You know how you do when you get to Scott and 610? And the people on the side of the
road begging and you put your shades on? Or you start acting like you're looking for
something in your glove compartment? I wish I had a crook in here like me. You start pretending
that you don't see. And they say that that looked like a broke John. Another neighbor
said that that ain't that ain't him because the last time I saw him he was blind. He was
begging. He was nothing. He was nobody. It looked like him but it ain't no, no, no, it
can't be. And they said how did you come about seeing? He said a man named Jesus. Told
me to go wash and I came back. See it. The Pharisees called him in and said we don't
believe this. Now he's obviously a man can see but that they are in denial because a
whole lot of folk don't want you seeing because when your eyes are open you see them
for who they really are. I wish I had time to stay right there. So somebody said go
call his mom and dad. His mother and father come in the temple and they say tell us is
this your boy? They say yes he is. How is he seeing? And the parents who don't want
to lose their position in church because the mama leaves the songs in the choir and the
dad is chairman of trustees and they don't want to lose their vaulted position and they
don't want people talking about him behind their back and they don't want them causing
no ruckus. They don't want us stick out like a sore thumb. So they say ask him. He's of
age. Let him speak for himself and they bring the boy in one more time. They said come here.
When you woke up this morning you were blind. Now you're walking around here seeing. Tell
us who gave you your sight. He said a man named Jesus. They said don't give him any
praise. Don't brag on him. Don't shout about him. Don't glorify him. Glorify God. This
man is a sinner and the blind man who would not go along with their scheme because you
got to have enough nerve to stand by yourself. You got to have the courage of your conviction
that if nobody else wants to agree with you, agree with yourself. Don't give him any credit.
Don't give him any glory. Give God the glory. This man is a sinner and that blind man said
I ain't disputing that. I ain't tripping over that. I'm not even going to argue with you
about that. He might be a sinner. He might be everything you say he is. All I know
is when I got up this morning I was blind. But right now I can see. Have I got a witness
here? And when the Lord blesses your life, don't let anybody smother your hallelujah.
Don't let anybody tell you not to give God any praise. Don't you let that Negro sit next
to you talking about it. Don't take all of that. It don't take all that for you. You
speak for yourself. You don't know how many tears I've cried. You don't know how many
burdens I've had to bear. You don't know how many storms I've been through. You don't
know how heavy a load I've had to carry. And God brought me out and you think I'm going
to let you make me be quiet? I need somebody here who used to be blind. I said I need somebody
here who used to be blind. But God opened your eyes. I'm not talking about physical
blindness now. You are blind in the darkness of sin. You are blind in your own hysteria.
You are blind in your own depression. You are blind in your own sinful lostness. But
God came along and opened your eyes. And now that your eyes are open, you can see things
more clearly right now. It don't bother you anymore. What used to bother you doesn't concern
you anymore because you got clear vision right now. You can see what God is doing in your
life. You can see the doors. God is opening for you. You can see the ways God is making
for you. You can see the hope that God is bringing the bars in your life. And now that
you can see what God is up to, you don't even have to wait for Sunday to start giving God
praise. You don't have to wait until you add a little grove to start giving God praise.
When you look around and see what the Lord has done, you start giving God your best hallelujah.
If God has opened your eyes, now's a good time to tell Him thank you. If God has made
a way in your life, now's a good time to give Him the glory. If God had helped you to see
some things that you couldn't see just a few years ago, now would be a good opportunity
to tell God thank you. The Bible says they put Him out of their company and didn't want
anything else to do with Him. Nobody wanted to be with Him. The disciples didn't want
to be with Him. His neighbors didn't want to be with Him. The Pharisees didn't want
to be with Him. His parents didn't want to be with Him. The crowds didn't want to be
with Him. All of them left Him by Himself. And the Bible says, read it when you get
home. Jesus found Him. Jesus came to where He was and told Him, wherever you go, let
somebody know what the Lord has done. And the Bible says He went everywhere telling
everybody, I was blind but now I see. I was lost but now I'm found. I need a witness this
morning who don't mind testifying. It was nobody but Jesus. Nobody but Jesus. That's
why I'm raising my hands. You wondering why I'm hollering so much. You wonder why I praise
with such excitement. You wonder why I worship with such enthusiasm. It was nobody but Jesus
and you can act like you don't know who I'm talking about. You can sit down and act like
He didn't do anything for you. But for those of us who got a testimony, come on and help
me call that name. He's a rock in a weary land. He's a shelter in a time of storm.
He's a friend when you're friendless. Bread when you're hungry. Y'all know Him, don't you?
He's water when he first did. He's Adam's redeemer. He's Abel's vindicator. He's Abraham's
sacrifice. He's Noah's ark. He's Moses bush on fire. Y'all know Him, don't you? He's
Joshua's battle axe. He's Gideon's fleece. He's Samson's power. He's David's music.
He's Solomon's wisdom. He's distinctive in supernatural capacity. He's superlative in
sovereign majesty. He's exclusive in spiritual beauty. He's radiant in eternal splendor.
He's matchless in supernal deity. He's a God of gods. He's a prince of princes. He's
a pharise of ten thousand. He's a bridge over troubled water. He's a doctor in a sick room.
He's a lawyer in a courtroom. He's money when you're broke. Joy when you're sad. Peace
when you're confused. Is there anybody here who knows my Jesus? If you know Him to be
a mother for you. If you know Him to be company for you. If you know Him to be a doctor for
you. Come on, help me give Him glory. Help me tell God thank you. I was blind, but now
I see amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but
now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. You can help me say this next part, can't you?
Through many, through many, through many, through many, through many danger, tolls and
pain. I have already come. It was grace that brought me. Save the spa. Did He bring you?
Why don't you grab somebody? Tell Him He brought me. He brought me. He kept me. He never left
me. He made a way. He's been good to me. He's been a father for me. He's been a lawyer
for me. He's been a doctor for me. I know He's alright. I know He's alright. I know He's
alright.
You can't make me doubt Him because I know too much about Him. I know what God can do.
I know what God can do. I've seen the lightning flashing. I've heard the thunder roll. I've
felt sin's breakers dash. Trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of Jesus. Be
it in the still, fight on. He promised. Yes, He did. He promised never to leave me. Never
to leave me alone. The mother and father are gone, but Jesus is still there. I've got some
friends who walked away, but Jesus is still there. I've got some brothers who are in that
grave, but Jesus is still there.