WEBVTT 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.300 Thank you for listening to this message from 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:33.189 Lifehouse Church. You're new, and if you're not 00:00:33.189 --> 00:00:34.649 new, you know what this is all about. But if 00:00:34.649 --> 00:00:37.590 you're new, you may not. These balls, this is 00:00:37.590 --> 00:00:40.109 not our decor. We did not decide, hey, let's 00:00:40.109 --> 00:00:42.590 decorate the stage with fish tanks. That really 00:00:42.590 --> 00:00:44.549 wasn't the purpose of this at all. But these 00:00:44.549 --> 00:00:46.850 green balls represent invitations. These orange 00:00:46.850 --> 00:00:50.039 balls represent salvations. And we just believe 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:52.920 every single week we come in here that God's 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:56.219 working in and around all week long through invitation. 00:00:56.759 --> 00:00:58.700 And people come into Christ and we hear about 00:00:58.700 --> 00:01:00.880 it all the time. So I want you to do this. Just 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:02.619 put your hand forward. Just point it out towards 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:04.780 these green balls. We're going to pray over those 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:07.340 invitations and believe for God's hand in this. 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:10.519 Father, we thank you. Lord, you see each person 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:13.170 is represented in this. Tank, Lord, you know 00:01:13.170 --> 00:01:15.030 each person. You know their circumstances. You 00:01:15.030 --> 00:01:17.250 know what's going on in their lives. And, Lord, 00:01:17.290 --> 00:01:19.030 we just come. We bring them before you right 00:01:19.030 --> 00:01:21.709 now. God, we place these invitations in front 00:01:21.709 --> 00:01:24.010 of you because we're believing that those who 00:01:24.010 --> 00:01:26.250 are far from God are going to come near. God, 00:01:26.290 --> 00:01:27.769 that they're going to find you. And, Lord, they're 00:01:27.769 --> 00:01:29.890 going to know what it is to be born again, renewed, 00:01:30.030 --> 00:01:32.609 and refreshed in Jesus. So, Lord, we just ask 00:01:32.609 --> 00:01:34.870 that you would go out, Holy Spirit, begin to 00:01:34.870 --> 00:01:37.269 continue to move in their lives. And, Lord, as 00:01:37.269 --> 00:01:39.989 we get opportunity, we avail ourselves as well, 00:01:40.049 --> 00:01:43.150 God, to speak, Lord. to tell the truth, and Lord, 00:01:43.230 --> 00:01:45.310 to speak of you. And Lord, we just give you praise, 00:01:45.549 --> 00:01:47.569 we give you glory, and we give you honor. In 00:01:47.569 --> 00:01:50.109 Jesus' name, everybody say it together. Amen. 00:01:50.250 --> 00:01:51.810 Now give him a hand for what he's going to do. 00:01:52.349 --> 00:01:55.010 Yeah, come on. He's going to do it. He's going 00:01:55.010 --> 00:01:57.810 to do it. You may be seated this morning. It's 00:01:57.810 --> 00:01:59.909 good to have you at LifeHouse this morning. Thank 00:01:59.909 --> 00:02:02.590 you for joining us online. It's always amazing, 00:02:02.810 --> 00:02:05.090 especially on such a cold day, everybody coming 00:02:05.090 --> 00:02:08.349 out and shivering all the way to church. But 00:02:08.349 --> 00:02:12.379 how many know that sometimes It pays to stay 00:02:12.379 --> 00:02:15.020 just a little bit longer. Now, nobody's going 00:02:15.020 --> 00:02:16.639 to say amen to that because I'm preaching. They're 00:02:16.639 --> 00:02:19.360 like, he's going to preach long today. How many 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.939 know it pays just to stay a little bit longer 00:02:22.939 --> 00:02:26.219 sometimes? It really does. Sometimes if we linger, 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:28.560 thank you. I got one amen in the back. Sometimes 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:32.360 if we linger, sometimes if we stay, right? Sometimes 00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:34.520 there's more to be learned. There's more to be 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:37.819 grabbed a hold of. There's more to get. And sometimes 00:02:37.819 --> 00:02:40.879 if you leave the game early, right? And you miss 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:43.139 the greatest play of the whole game. See Hawkins 00:02:43.139 --> 00:02:45.840 Patriots today. You might miss the whole game 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:49.090 if you miss that last piece. So this is what 00:02:49.090 --> 00:02:50.509 we're going to do this morning. I'm going to 00:02:50.509 --> 00:02:52.370 come back around. I preached out of John chapter 00:02:52.370 --> 00:02:55.069 9 last week, but we're going to stay just a little 00:02:55.069 --> 00:02:57.129 longer in John chapter 9. I've been jumping from 00:02:57.129 --> 00:02:59.569 chapter to chapter, but we're going to come back 00:02:59.569 --> 00:03:01.289 around. We're going to linger just a little longer 00:03:01.289 --> 00:03:03.229 in John 9 because there's more to grab a hold 00:03:03.229 --> 00:03:06.349 of there. And John chapter 9 is really centered 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:10.479 around a miracle. A miracle that Jesus performs. 00:03:10.659 --> 00:03:13.460 A miracle that he does. And I don't know anybody 00:03:13.460 --> 00:03:16.060 that doesn't love a miracle. It's something that's 00:03:16.060 --> 00:03:18.740 miraculous. A story of the miraculous. And if 00:03:18.740 --> 00:03:20.919 you've ever had that happen in your life, or 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:22.819 if you've known or witnessed that take place, 00:03:22.939 --> 00:03:25.560 it never leaves you. I remember years ago as 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:27.379 a youth pastor, many years ago when I was youth 00:03:27.379 --> 00:03:29.840 pastoring, I remember going to a conference in 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:32.580 Pensacola, Florida. And they wheeled in a young 00:03:32.580 --> 00:03:36.139 man who was in a wheelchair type thing that was... 00:03:36.620 --> 00:03:38.500 actually couldn't even sit. He was standing up, 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:41.020 and he had a severe nervous condition. His whole 00:03:41.020 --> 00:03:43.419 body would shake and quake, and you could tell 00:03:43.419 --> 00:03:45.879 he was almost not even lucid, and they brought 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:48.599 him down front, and they prayed for him, and 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:51.699 I saw this with my own two eyes. That young man 00:03:51.699 --> 00:03:56.520 walked out of that place whole, complete, talking. 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.360 Yeah, come on. I know it was years ago, but I... 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:01.560 I'm still blown away every time I think about 00:04:01.560 --> 00:04:04.060 it. And I saw it with my own two eyes. There 00:04:04.060 --> 00:04:06.199 wasn't lightning. There wasn't thunder. God's 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:08.460 presence was in the place, and he walked out 00:04:08.460 --> 00:04:10.759 of there completely different. Well, Jesus heals 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:14.379 a man in John chapter 9 blind from birth, and 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:17.120 it's a miracle. This man has never seen the light 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.540 of day. He's never been able to differentiate 00:04:19.540 --> 00:04:22.060 the color blue from yellow. He's never seen his 00:04:22.060 --> 00:04:24.720 family's faces. He's never watched the sky above 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:26.920 roll past him. As a matter of fact, his world 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:29.199 was reduced to what he could hear, what he could 00:04:29.199 --> 00:04:31.600 feel, maybe what he could taste or touch. And 00:04:31.600 --> 00:04:33.600 that was very difficult in a society that he 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:35.759 lived in because it afforded no opportunities 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:38.180 for those that had this kind of challenge in 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:41.680 their life. It was blind and dark until he met 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.860 a man named Jesus. And in the strangest of ways, 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:49.339 Jesus walks up to this man, he spits on the ground, 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:52.939 makes some clay, smears some mud in his eyes, 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:56.100 and sends him to the pool of Siloam to go and 00:04:56.100 --> 00:05:00.620 wash. And when he washes, in an instant, his 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:04.079 world changes. In a moment in time, his eyes 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:07.939 open. Color begins to be something that he experiences. 00:05:08.060 --> 00:05:10.379 For the first time, he sees his relatives' faces, 00:05:10.500 --> 00:05:13.899 and he sees the sky above him roll by. Now, endless 00:05:13.899 --> 00:05:15.959 opportunities are in front of him. When everything 00:05:15.959 --> 00:05:18.699 was so closed off before, now everything is brand 00:05:18.699 --> 00:05:21.759 new. Everything about this man's life changed 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:25.060 in just a few minutes with Jesus. It's amazing. 00:05:25.839 --> 00:05:28.920 And while Jesus is lighting up this guy's world, 00:05:29.079 --> 00:05:32.600 everything changing for this one man. The world 00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:35.160 around him begins to stir. That's what we're 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:37.379 going to look at today. His Jewish neighbors 00:05:37.379 --> 00:05:39.899 and friends are trying to figure out what just 00:05:39.899 --> 00:05:42.319 happened. They see this guy, but they can't believe 00:05:42.319 --> 00:05:44.579 their own eyes. How could such a thing even take 00:05:44.579 --> 00:05:46.779 place? They're flabbergasted. How many know that's 00:05:46.779 --> 00:05:49.120 a word, flabbergasted? Go ahead and tell your 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:51.560 neighbor, say it's flabbergasted. Flabbergasted, 00:05:51.579 --> 00:05:54.319 it's just fun to say. Some are so shocked they 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:57.100 don't even know if it's the same guy. The religious 00:05:57.100 --> 00:06:00.339 leaders who hate Jesus are more infuriated than 00:06:00.339 --> 00:06:02.879 ever. You got to understand before this time, 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:04.980 before he heals this man, they already wanted 00:06:04.980 --> 00:06:07.740 to stone Jesus to death. Now Jesus goes and heals 00:06:07.740 --> 00:06:10.519 this man has even greater influence. And even 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:13.500 this guy's parents are rattled about their son's 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:16.959 healing. So rattled that they defer when they're 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:19.899 questioned about the whole matter. The only one 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:23.160 that's clear What's just happening at this moment 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:27.439 in time is Jesus. But for everyone that is surrounding 00:06:27.439 --> 00:06:31.180 this scenario, this incredible miracle that takes 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:34.120 place, they're all suffering from various kinds 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:37.339 of blindness themselves. So if you've got your 00:06:37.339 --> 00:06:39.120 Bibles, go ahead and turn to John chapter 9. 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:43.560 We're going to pick up at verse 8, verse 8 this 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:47.800 morning. And it says this. It says in John 9, 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:52.050 8, And those who previously had seen that he 00:06:52.050 --> 00:06:55.230 was blind said, Is not this he who sat and begged? 00:06:55.550 --> 00:06:58.910 Some said, This is he. Others said, He is like 00:06:58.910 --> 00:07:02.050 him. He said, I am he. Therefore they said to 00:07:02.050 --> 00:07:05.790 him, How are your eyes open? The formerly blind 00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:08.410 guy's neighbors are experiencing blindness themselves. 00:07:08.589 --> 00:07:11.250 I call this confusion blindness. Say confusion 00:07:11.250 --> 00:07:14.810 blindness. It's a thing, all right? They're blinded 00:07:14.810 --> 00:07:18.970 by confusion. The very nature of confusion actually 00:07:18.970 --> 00:07:21.189 brings some blindness to it. If you say you're 00:07:21.189 --> 00:07:23.490 confused about anything, there's something you're 00:07:23.490 --> 00:07:25.410 not seeing clearly. There's something that's 00:07:25.410 --> 00:07:27.649 not quite fitting, right? You're missing something 00:07:27.649 --> 00:07:31.449 in some way. And the formerly blind guy, I'm 00:07:31.449 --> 00:07:33.350 going to call him that all morning because that's 00:07:33.350 --> 00:07:35.529 what the Word of God calls him, his neighbors 00:07:35.529 --> 00:07:38.629 are confused. They couldn't get their head around 00:07:38.629 --> 00:07:42.110 the fact that their neighbor could now see. And 00:07:42.110 --> 00:07:44.889 they start questioning it. How many have ever 00:07:44.889 --> 00:07:47.550 heard this? This has never happened before. That 00:07:47.550 --> 00:07:49.649 means it can never happen, right? This has never 00:07:49.649 --> 00:07:52.589 happened before. I don't believe it. This guy 00:07:52.589 --> 00:07:56.209 looks like him, but, you know, I bet you that's 00:07:56.209 --> 00:07:58.769 a twin. I always heard rumors it was probably 00:07:58.769 --> 00:08:00.529 a twin somewhere back in the lineage, right? 00:08:00.709 --> 00:08:02.550 The one we never heard about. I bet you that's 00:08:02.550 --> 00:08:04.850 his twin. How many know everybody has a Doppler 00:08:04.850 --> 00:08:06.889 ganger? Do you know what that is? You've got 00:08:06.889 --> 00:08:08.670 to look alike somewhere. When I was in high school, 00:08:08.790 --> 00:08:11.350 I had a kid in school who looked just like me. 00:08:11.410 --> 00:08:13.769 No relation whatsoever. Teachers got us mixed 00:08:13.769 --> 00:08:15.290 up all the time. We probably could have had some 00:08:15.290 --> 00:08:19.709 fun. We never did. But they're confused. The 00:08:19.709 --> 00:08:21.889 Jewish people around, there's got to be some 00:08:21.889 --> 00:08:24.529 explanation. They refused to believe what was 00:08:24.529 --> 00:08:26.569 right in front of them. What took place? The 00:08:26.569 --> 00:08:28.310 miracle was there. There was confusion blindness. 00:08:29.349 --> 00:08:31.769 And the blind guy answers their question in verse 00:08:31.769 --> 00:08:34.090 11. He says this, and he answered and said, a 00:08:34.090 --> 00:08:36.590 man called Jesus made clay, anointed my eyes 00:08:36.590 --> 00:08:38.669 and said to me, go to the pool of Siloam and 00:08:38.669 --> 00:08:41.250 wash. So I went and washed and I received sight. 00:08:41.570 --> 00:08:44.289 And they said to him, where is he? He said, I 00:08:44.289 --> 00:08:46.659 do not know. They brought him who was formerly 00:08:46.659 --> 00:08:49.200 blind to the Pharisees. Now it was the Sabbath 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:51.179 when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:54.500 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:57.100 had received his sight. He said to them, he put 00:08:57.100 --> 00:09:00.639 clay on my eyes and I washed and I see. Therefore, 00:09:00.700 --> 00:09:02.480 some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.419 God because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:08.320 said, how can a man who is a sinner do such signs? 00:09:08.909 --> 00:09:11.330 And there was a division among them. So they 00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:13.750 said again to the blind man, what do you say 00:09:13.750 --> 00:09:16.230 about him since he has opened your eyes? And 00:09:16.230 --> 00:09:19.149 the blind man said, he is a prophet. There's 00:09:19.149 --> 00:09:21.730 a whole other group of individuals who are experiencing 00:09:21.730 --> 00:09:24.669 blindness around this miracle. The Pharisees. 00:09:25.029 --> 00:09:27.509 They don't see the power of Jesus. They don't 00:09:27.509 --> 00:09:29.850 see the miracle. They're completely blind to 00:09:29.850 --> 00:09:32.409 the fact that Jesus is the son of God, that he's 00:09:32.409 --> 00:09:35.169 the waited on Messiah. The Pharisees are suffering 00:09:35.169 --> 00:09:38.789 from what I call selective blindness. They just 00:09:38.789 --> 00:09:40.909 select them what they want to see, right? I'll 00:09:40.909 --> 00:09:44.450 choose what is true so I can make it fit my circumstance, 00:09:44.830 --> 00:09:48.110 my desire, or my bias. That's what selective 00:09:48.110 --> 00:09:52.289 blindness is. I choose to see what is true. It's 00:09:52.289 --> 00:09:54.789 only what I can make fit my circumstance, my 00:09:54.789 --> 00:09:57.350 desire, or my bias. If you have children in your 00:09:57.350 --> 00:09:59.309 house, raise your hand right now. Raise your 00:09:59.309 --> 00:10:02.269 hand. How many know your children suffer from 00:10:02.269 --> 00:10:05.399 selective blindness? Come on, especially if you've 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:07.019 got teenagers. Yeah, some of you are like, amen, 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:10.460 amen, amen, amen. Selective blindness, right? 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:12.840 You could take them to the doctor today, and 00:10:12.840 --> 00:10:14.580 they would be diagnosed. I just saved you 50 00:10:14.580 --> 00:10:17.960 bucks for the copay. Selective blindness. You 00:10:17.960 --> 00:10:20.320 can tell that child, go clean up your room. You 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:22.159 know what they'll do? They'll go in their room. 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:25.059 They'll put one pair of clothes in the hamper, 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:27.840 and they clean up their room. How many know that's 00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:30.950 selective blindness? The 5 ,000 other things 00:10:30.950 --> 00:10:33.190 that are all over the floor, they didn't even 00:10:33.190 --> 00:10:35.610 see it. I cleaned up my room. I did. They'll 00:10:35.610 --> 00:10:38.129 swear to it. They'll put their hand on the Bible 00:10:38.129 --> 00:10:40.029 and swear in the middle of the kitchen that they 00:10:40.029 --> 00:10:42.129 did it, right? They will. They're selectively 00:10:42.129 --> 00:10:44.909 blind. I choose to see. This was the Pharisees. 00:10:45.009 --> 00:10:47.370 I choose to see what I want to see so it fits 00:10:47.370 --> 00:10:50.049 my circumstance, so it fits my bias, so it fits 00:10:50.049 --> 00:10:52.129 what I'm doing. They're selectively blind. And 00:10:52.129 --> 00:10:54.409 you start to see in this scenario more and more 00:10:54.409 --> 00:10:55.870 people that are surrounding us, they're blind. 00:10:56.250 --> 00:10:58.110 In this portion of Scripture, even the formerly 00:10:58.110 --> 00:11:00.649 blind guy, still suffering from some blindness 00:11:00.649 --> 00:11:03.429 himself. When they question him, who healed you? 00:11:03.570 --> 00:11:05.529 The Pharisees question him. Well, he says, I 00:11:05.529 --> 00:11:08.870 don't know. This guy must be a prophet. He doesn't 00:11:08.870 --> 00:11:10.950 even know it's the son of God yet. He doesn't 00:11:10.950 --> 00:11:14.049 even know it's the Messiah. He's a Jew, and he 00:11:14.049 --> 00:11:17.570 knows this. Anybody that he's seen that had the 00:11:17.570 --> 00:11:20.110 power of God up until this time was a prophet. 00:11:20.289 --> 00:11:22.769 He knew in the history of Israel, anytime he 00:11:22.769 --> 00:11:25.350 saw a miracle take place, anytime it was written 00:11:25.350 --> 00:11:28.409 about or spoke about or taught to him, it was 00:11:28.409 --> 00:11:30.909 a prophet. And he scrambles. They're asking him, 00:11:30.929 --> 00:11:32.889 who healed you? And he's like, I don't know. 00:11:33.009 --> 00:11:36.570 Who is he? He's like, he must be a prophet. He's 00:11:36.570 --> 00:11:39.830 blind due to some ignorance, honestly, at this 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:42.759 point. It's ignorance blindness. We go on in 00:11:42.759 --> 00:11:45.480 verse 18, but the Jews did not believe concerning 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:48.139 him that he had been blind and received his sight 00:11:48.139 --> 00:11:50.179 until they called the parents of him who had 00:11:50.179 --> 00:11:52.440 received his sight. And they asked him saying, 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:55.759 is this your son who you say was born blind? 00:11:56.059 --> 00:11:59.940 How then does he now see his parents are up to 00:11:59.940 --> 00:12:02.679 bat now and all the confusion and everybody getting 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:04.860 questioned, they're up to bat. And his parents 00:12:04.860 --> 00:12:07.179 answered them and said, we know that this is 00:12:07.179 --> 00:12:10.509 our son. And then he was born blind. But by what 00:12:10.509 --> 00:12:13.350 means he now sees, we do not know. Or who opened 00:12:13.350 --> 00:12:16.190 his eyes, we do not know. He's of age, ask him. 00:12:16.250 --> 00:12:18.990 He'll speak for himself. Now, his parents said 00:12:18.990 --> 00:12:21.909 these things because they feared the Jews. For 00:12:21.909 --> 00:12:24.490 the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed 00:12:24.490 --> 00:12:26.789 that he is the Christ, they would be put out 00:12:26.789 --> 00:12:28.850 of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, 00:12:28.970 --> 00:12:33.240 he's of age, ask him. Dad and mom. You know, 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.539 get questioned about this whole scenario that's 00:12:35.539 --> 00:12:39.340 taken place. And here's what they do. They totally 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:43.019 bail on their son, right? They just throw their 00:12:43.019 --> 00:12:44.860 son under the bus. I can see the formerly blind 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:46.399 guy. He's like, well, thanks, Mom and Dad. Way 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:48.580 to take one for the team. They're like, we don't 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:50.580 know. We don't know how he got healed. We don't 00:12:50.580 --> 00:12:52.360 know who did it. We don't know anything. And 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:53.799 here's what the problem was. They were afraid 00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:55.679 of getting thrown out of the synagogue. They 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:58.179 were afraid of the social repercussions of this 00:12:58.179 --> 00:13:00.500 and where they were going to church and where 00:13:00.500 --> 00:13:03.179 they were practicing their religious duties. 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:05.600 And they're like, oh, no, just go talk to our 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:07.960 son. Right. They just saw him completely under 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:10.519 the bus. And he answered and said, whether and 00:13:10.519 --> 00:13:13.039 blind guy gets back up and he speaks again while 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:14.940 there's question him. And he answered and said, 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:18.539 you know. I'm sorry, let's go back to John chapter 00:13:18.539 --> 00:13:22.019 9, 24. So they again called the man who was blind 00:13:22.019 --> 00:13:23.879 and said to him, I hope when you get in the picture, 00:13:23.940 --> 00:13:25.360 I'm trying to unfold a picture of what's taking 00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:28.379 place here, right? Give him, give God glory. 00:13:28.700 --> 00:13:31.960 We know that this man is a sinner. They call 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:34.480 the blind guy back in. The Pharisees are still 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:36.960 questioning everybody and everything. And they're 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:39.559 telling him, we know that this Jesus is a sinner. 00:13:40.340 --> 00:13:42.960 And I love the blind guy's response to all these 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:46.070 religious leaders. He answered and said, whether 00:13:46.070 --> 00:13:49.250 he is a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing 00:13:49.250 --> 00:13:53.450 I know, that though I was blind, now I see. And 00:13:53.450 --> 00:13:55.929 they said to him again, what did he do to you? 00:13:56.070 --> 00:13:59.090 How did he open your eyes? And he answered them, 00:13:59.210 --> 00:14:02.850 I told you already. And you didn't listen. Why 00:14:02.850 --> 00:14:05.730 do you want to hear it again? Do you also want 00:14:05.730 --> 00:14:09.679 to become his disciples? I just kind of think 00:14:09.679 --> 00:14:11.080 the blind guy here, he's like, you know what? 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:13.600 I'm tired of these clowns questioning me. I know 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:15.679 they're already fired up. I know they're already 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:17.460 mad at Jesus. I think I'm just going to stir 00:14:17.460 --> 00:14:19.299 the pot a little bit more. Because he looks him 00:14:19.299 --> 00:14:20.700 in the eye and says, well, why? Do you want to 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:23.100 become his disciples? And I can guarantee you, 00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:26.059 they lit them up, these Pharisees. It even says 00:14:26.059 --> 00:14:28.580 in verse 28, it says, then they reviled him and 00:14:28.580 --> 00:14:31.320 they said, you are his disciples, but we are 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:34.240 Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses. 00:14:34.320 --> 00:14:36.759 As for this fellow, we do not know where he is 00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:39.210 from. And the man answered and said to them, 00:14:39.309 --> 00:14:43.210 why, this is a marvelous thing. What you do not 00:14:43.210 --> 00:14:46.950 know where he is from yet. He opened my eyes. 00:14:47.210 --> 00:14:50.129 Now we know that God does not hear sinners, but 00:14:50.129 --> 00:14:52.970 if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his 00:14:52.970 --> 00:14:56.389 will, he hears them. Since the world began, it's 00:14:56.389 --> 00:14:58.929 been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of 00:14:58.929 --> 00:15:01.590 one who was born blind. If this man were not 00:15:01.590 --> 00:15:05.590 from God, he could do nothing. Man, he preaches 00:15:05.590 --> 00:15:08.080 it. He gives it right back to the Pharisees like, 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:10.799 man, I don't know what your deal is. I don't 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:12.080 know if he's a sinner or not, but let me tell 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:14.019 you something. I know this. He wouldn't have 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:15.820 been able to do any of this unless he knew God. 00:15:16.179 --> 00:15:17.899 He says it. And they answered and said to him, 00:15:17.940 --> 00:15:20.259 you are completely born in sins. They're fired 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:22.919 up. They're mad. And you're teaching us. And 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:25.840 they cast him out. They throw formerly blind 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:28.480 guy who just experienced a miracle. They throw 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:31.960 him out. And look what Jesus does. Jesus heard 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:34.159 that they cast him out. And when he had found 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:38.059 him, he said to him. Do you believe in the Son 00:15:38.059 --> 00:15:41.399 of God? And he answered and said, Who is he, 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:43.600 Lord, that I may believe in him? And Jesus said 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:45.980 to him, You have both seen him, and it is he 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:48.580 who is talking with you. Then he said, Lord, 00:15:48.779 --> 00:15:51.500 I believe. And he worshiped him. He worshiped 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:54.080 Jesus. And Jesus said, For judgment I have come 00:15:54.080 --> 00:15:57.220 into this world, that those who do not see may 00:15:57.220 --> 00:16:02.899 see, and those who see may be blind. And what 00:16:02.899 --> 00:16:06.870 a scenario. What a story. What gave a man who 00:16:06.870 --> 00:16:10.929 was blind from birth the ability to see it all 00:16:10.929 --> 00:16:14.269 in one day? He not only begins to see physically 00:16:14.269 --> 00:16:17.009 what's taking place, but his eyes in the second 00:16:17.009 --> 00:16:19.389 encounter with Jesus are opened up spiritually. 00:16:19.690 --> 00:16:23.269 He sees God. He sees the Messiah. He sees the 00:16:23.269 --> 00:16:26.169 Son of God. And all those around him who had 00:16:26.169 --> 00:16:30.470 physical sight couldn't see. They were blind 00:16:30.470 --> 00:16:33.490 to something. Something had them shaded. And 00:16:33.490 --> 00:16:36.669 I submit to you today that it can be my religion 00:16:36.669 --> 00:16:41.029 that can cause me to be blind to God, or it can 00:16:41.029 --> 00:16:43.870 be my religion that will cause me to see God 00:16:43.870 --> 00:16:48.029 clearly. Let me say it again. It can be my religion 00:16:48.029 --> 00:16:50.549 that causes me to be blind to God, or it can 00:16:50.549 --> 00:16:52.990 be my religion that will cause me to see God 00:16:52.990 --> 00:16:56.419 clearly. I can be completely blind. Because of 00:16:56.419 --> 00:16:59.899 my religion or I will see God clearly because 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:01.620 of my religion. Turn to somebody right now and 00:17:01.620 --> 00:17:03.600 tell them that sounds confusing. Go ahead, tell 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:04.839 them right now. Tell them that sounds confusing. 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:07.339 That sounds like double talk, right? What does 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:10.759 that mean? That sounds confusing. My religion 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:14.819 will either blind me in some way or my religion 00:17:14.819 --> 00:17:17.039 will cause me to see clearly. And you might say, 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.599 well, how can that be? Well, it's in the definition 00:17:19.599 --> 00:17:23.359 of religion. See, religion has two definitions. 00:17:23.779 --> 00:17:26.519 And the first definition is this. A religion 00:17:26.519 --> 00:17:28.400 is the belief in and the worship of a supernatural 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:32.710 power or powers, especially a God or gods. If 00:17:32.710 --> 00:17:36.329 my belief and my worship is fixed on the superhuman 00:17:36.329 --> 00:17:40.289 power of Jesus Christ, if my belief and my worship 00:17:40.289 --> 00:17:43.569 is fixed on the superhuman one, God the Father, 00:17:43.670 --> 00:17:46.650 Jehovah, Jesus, the Son of God, right? And the 00:17:46.650 --> 00:17:49.670 Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit. If my belief 00:17:49.670 --> 00:17:51.670 and my worship are fixed on the one and only 00:17:51.670 --> 00:17:54.589 true God, the creator of the universe, the one 00:17:54.589 --> 00:17:57.170 who manages all that I see around me, the one 00:17:57.170 --> 00:17:59.529 who is above all gods, right? The King of kings, 00:17:59.730 --> 00:18:04.130 the Lord of lords. causes me to see everything 00:18:04.130 --> 00:18:08.630 clearly when my eyes and my heart are fixed on 00:18:08.630 --> 00:18:12.609 the superhuman one. No longer do I walk in a 00:18:12.609 --> 00:18:16.250 state of confusion. The longer I have walked 00:18:16.250 --> 00:18:20.640 with God, the less confused I am. The more I 00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.960 engage with him, the more I encounter him, the 00:18:23.960 --> 00:18:26.460 more I get into his presence, the less confused 00:18:26.460 --> 00:18:29.039 I get. The more the world becomes clear to me 00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:31.259 around me. Sometimes there's so much happening 00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:33.019 in the world around us, and we're trying to make 00:18:33.019 --> 00:18:34.660 sense of it all. And I'm here to tell you, if 00:18:34.660 --> 00:18:37.019 you get focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, if 00:18:37.019 --> 00:18:39.220 you encounter him, if you get in his presence, 00:18:39.380 --> 00:18:42.400 things begin to become clear. You start to understand 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:45.839 what's taking place around you. It becomes open. 00:18:45.940 --> 00:18:48.720 It becomes obviously. You know, obvious. The 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:51.099 former blind man first received his physical 00:18:51.099 --> 00:18:54.079 sight when Jesus first approaches him. But in 00:18:54.079 --> 00:18:56.640 the second approach, when Jesus comes up to him 00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:59.539 again, he receives spiritual sight. And he begins 00:18:59.539 --> 00:19:04.599 to see things for exactly what they are. In one 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:10.099 day, one day, he can see it all. If our religion, 00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:14.140 if our belief and worship is in the superhuman, 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:18.490 in Jesus, If we continue to have encounters with 00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:23.630 him, pursue him, our vision will become clearer 00:19:23.630 --> 00:19:29.069 and clearer and clearer. The shade will go up 00:19:29.069 --> 00:19:31.769 on what's taking place around you. And let me 00:19:31.769 --> 00:19:34.930 talk about a second definition of religion. The 00:19:34.930 --> 00:19:38.029 definition of religion that will blind you to 00:19:38.029 --> 00:19:40.750 God. And this was the kind of religion that the 00:19:40.750 --> 00:19:42.589 Pharisees had and the Jewish neighbors that were 00:19:42.589 --> 00:19:45.019 around him and even his parents, right? The ones 00:19:45.019 --> 00:19:49.720 who were confused, they had selective and convenience 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:52.559 and ignorance blindness. All those who surrounded 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:56.420 this man in this story. And it's this, it's the 00:19:56.420 --> 00:19:59.099 second definition. And religion, the second definition 00:19:59.099 --> 00:20:02.359 of religion is this, a particular system of faith 00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:04.920 and worship. Do you know what's missing in that 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:08.039 definition? Faith and worship are there. That's 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:09.740 what's in the first definition, by the way, right? 00:20:09.799 --> 00:20:13.009 Faith and worship. But instead of a supernatural 00:20:13.009 --> 00:20:18.549 or superhuman one, it's a system, right? The 00:20:18.549 --> 00:20:21.269 superhuman one is taken out of the equation. 00:20:21.650 --> 00:20:25.529 It's faith and worship within a system of some 00:20:25.529 --> 00:20:28.269 kind. Whether you make that up or whether it's 00:20:28.269 --> 00:20:30.390 something that's set up for you, it's a person 00:20:30.390 --> 00:20:33.109 who's worshiping the system of faith instead 00:20:33.109 --> 00:20:35.349 of actually leaning them into faith with Jesus, 00:20:35.390 --> 00:20:37.789 the superhuman one. And this happens all the 00:20:37.789 --> 00:20:41.390 time. It was this way with the Pharisees in Scripture. 00:20:41.549 --> 00:20:44.910 The Jews of that time and even some of his parents, 00:20:45.049 --> 00:20:48.210 they were all in love with the system and not 00:20:48.210 --> 00:20:50.670 so much with the one that the system was supposed 00:20:50.670 --> 00:20:53.690 to point to. They weren't in love with the King 00:20:53.690 --> 00:20:55.210 of Kings and the Lord of Lords. They were in 00:20:55.210 --> 00:20:58.849 love with the system. The Pharisees loved the 00:20:58.849 --> 00:21:02.309 system of worship of that day. They were experts 00:21:02.309 --> 00:21:06.569 in the law of God. Some of them probably loved 00:21:06.569 --> 00:21:09.230 the smell of the scrolls, right? They didn't 00:21:09.230 --> 00:21:11.089 have books back then. They certainly didn't have 00:21:11.089 --> 00:21:14.420 iPads. right? They would unfurl the scrolls and 00:21:14.420 --> 00:21:17.019 read in public. They probably breathed in deep 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:19.779 and loved the sounds of the scrolls unrolling. 00:21:19.980 --> 00:21:22.480 They loved that they got to wear a different 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:25.059 outfit than everybody else, right? They had the 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:29.480 Pharisee garb on and the costume. They loved 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:32.059 the respect and the attention it brought. They 00:21:32.059 --> 00:21:34.660 loved the fellowship with the fellow Pharisees, 00:21:34.660 --> 00:21:37.299 right? It was like a club. They were all in it. 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:39.759 They were all educated. They were all doing the 00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:42.210 same thing. They loved the fellowship with their 00:21:42.210 --> 00:21:44.589 brother. They loved the traditions of the group. 00:21:44.670 --> 00:21:47.210 They loved all the extra laws that they came 00:21:47.210 --> 00:21:49.450 up with and added to the law of God. They loved 00:21:49.450 --> 00:21:53.130 the community. They loved it all. They were totally 00:21:53.130 --> 00:21:56.069 in love with the system of faith and worship, 00:21:56.130 --> 00:21:59.910 and they totally missed God in the middle of 00:21:59.910 --> 00:22:04.289 it. This guy's parents, same thing, just a little 00:22:04.289 --> 00:22:08.059 different bet, right? That when there was a threat 00:22:08.059 --> 00:22:10.359 of getting thrown out of the synagogue because 00:22:10.359 --> 00:22:12.160 of believing in Jesus, they were like, peace 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:15.440 out, man. Go talk to our son. We're not talking 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:17.160 with anybody about it. We don't know nothing, 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:20.359 right? I don't know anything. They're just hiding 00:22:20.359 --> 00:22:23.819 somewhere when all the tension starts, when the 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:26.680 things begin. You say, well, how does that work 00:22:26.680 --> 00:22:30.099 with us? We can love church. We can love the 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:32.599 culture. We can love our life groups. We can 00:22:32.599 --> 00:22:34.990 love the people. We can love the practices of 00:22:34.990 --> 00:22:36.849 worship. We can love the songs that we sing. 00:22:36.930 --> 00:22:39.069 We can love the community that it brings. You 00:22:39.069 --> 00:22:41.069 can love the smell of the coffee over at the 00:22:41.069 --> 00:22:43.789 cafe. You can love the greeters at the connection 00:22:43.789 --> 00:22:45.990 station. You can love pulling into the parking 00:22:45.990 --> 00:22:48.210 lot and somebody being there just to smile at 00:22:48.210 --> 00:22:50.250 you and send you into the door. You can show 00:22:50.250 --> 00:22:53.049 up every week of the year and completely miss 00:22:53.049 --> 00:22:57.509 the superhuman one. Completely miss God. Never 00:22:57.509 --> 00:23:00.890 get into contact with him. Never encounter the 00:23:00.890 --> 00:23:05.539 holy one. You love the system of faith and worship. 00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:08.359 You love the prestige. You love where you sit. 00:23:08.740 --> 00:23:10.660 How many know you got a place where you sit? 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:13.460 Come on, raise your hand. I know, I see you. 00:23:13.500 --> 00:23:15.500 I look for you every week, right? If you move, 00:23:15.519 --> 00:23:19.460 it messes me all up. That's okay. As the worship 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:25.000 team comes. And there's even a flip side to religion 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:28.480 keeping us blind on this. We can also talk about 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:33.109 those who hate religion. They hate the worship. 00:23:33.289 --> 00:23:36.609 They hate the system. They hate people of faith. 00:23:37.309 --> 00:23:40.109 And they even carry a subtle hate for the superhuman 00:23:40.109 --> 00:23:42.569 one that's associated with it, right? They hate 00:23:42.569 --> 00:23:48.029 religion. Maybe this person's been burned once 00:23:48.029 --> 00:23:49.630 in the system of faith and worship. And I talk 00:23:49.630 --> 00:23:51.950 to people all the time. I can't tell you how 00:23:51.950 --> 00:23:54.049 many conversations I've had with people who got 00:23:54.049 --> 00:23:56.470 burned in the system of faith and worship somewhere 00:23:56.470 --> 00:23:59.500 at a church. Somewhere in a community, it happens 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:01.779 all the time. Been there myself, by the way, 00:24:01.799 --> 00:24:04.900 all right? And they've been wronged big time. 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.319 And maybe they've been burned once. Maybe they've 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:09.339 been burned twice. Maybe they've been burned 00:24:09.339 --> 00:24:12.720 seven times, maybe ten times. And they're so 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:16.960 frustrated. They're so hurt. They've been rejected. 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:20.039 They've been hurt. They've been betrayed by somebody 00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:22.539 in the system of faith and worship, right? And 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:25.480 they're so focused on the system of faith and 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:27.970 worship. that they can't see God any longer. 00:24:29.509 --> 00:24:31.809 Sometimes what happens when you get in the middle 00:24:31.809 --> 00:24:33.069 of something like this, and I've been there, 00:24:33.150 --> 00:24:37.309 right? You superimpose these people on God. You 00:24:37.309 --> 00:24:40.710 really do. You superimpose this person who's 00:24:40.710 --> 00:24:42.630 far from God and really isn't following God, 00:24:42.750 --> 00:24:45.210 who's acting out in all these kind of ways, even 00:24:45.210 --> 00:24:47.829 though they're in the system, right? We superimpose 00:24:47.829 --> 00:24:50.609 them onto God. Somehow God ends up guilty by 00:24:50.609 --> 00:24:53.660 association. Because somebody in the system, 00:24:53.819 --> 00:24:56.400 right, they're supposed to be representing God 00:24:56.400 --> 00:25:00.099 in some kind of way. But it's actually some lousy 00:25:00.099 --> 00:25:02.460 people who are just far from God, right? Sinners 00:25:02.460 --> 00:25:05.200 who have not fully surrendered to God. People 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.559 who have not given their hearts over. This is 00:25:07.559 --> 00:25:10.099 real. This is real. And if you've ever been hurt, 00:25:10.259 --> 00:25:13.319 it's hard to get past the system. It really is. 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:16.359 It's hard to get past the association with it 00:25:16.359 --> 00:25:18.759 all. And if that's you, I want to be the first 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:21.680 one to say I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:24.220 sorry that you suffered that frustration. But 00:25:24.220 --> 00:25:26.960 know this, people and systems fail. They really 00:25:26.960 --> 00:25:29.680 do. People and systems fail in some kind of way. 00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.539 They're flawed because, you know, they're flawed. 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:36.059 They're sinners saved by grace just like all 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:38.680 of us are. And sometimes they act out in sinful 00:25:38.680 --> 00:25:44.059 manners. But don't miss God. Don't miss the supernatural 00:25:44.059 --> 00:25:48.799 one. He's the one who does the miracles. He's 00:25:48.799 --> 00:25:50.740 the one who does the healing. There's nobody 00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:54.980 in this house that they carry a miracle with 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:57.039 them for you. There's nobody in this house. You're 00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:59.420 not going to find him, right? It's only with 00:25:59.420 --> 00:26:03.599 him. And Jesus left us the greatest example of 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:06.599 how to overcome this because for Jesus, the system 00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:09.720 failed him. If you look at the crucifixion of 00:26:09.720 --> 00:26:11.960 Christ and the worship team begins to play softly, 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:16.480 you'll begin to see that the system failed him, 00:26:16.500 --> 00:26:20.339 right? He had a dozen disciples who were following 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:22.500 him. And when it was time for Jesus to come to 00:26:22.500 --> 00:26:26.480 the hour, his greatest hour of pain, all his 00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:29.480 disciples scattered and left him. They scattered. 00:26:29.579 --> 00:26:33.420 They left. They got scared, right? Their sinful 00:26:33.420 --> 00:26:35.240 nature began to come up. Even Peter, who beat 00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:36.779 his chest and said, I'll be with you, Jesus, 00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:40.799 no matter what, denies Christ three times before 00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:44.240 the rooster crows. Three times he denies him. 00:26:44.720 --> 00:26:47.240 The religious system of that day, who should 00:26:47.240 --> 00:26:50.039 have recognized Jesus as the Messiah and the 00:26:50.039 --> 00:26:52.779 Savior of all time, that system failed. Not only 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:56.380 did it fail, but they were the very people who 00:26:56.380 --> 00:26:58.920 were going to crucify Christ. They're the very 00:26:58.920 --> 00:27:03.339 ones who set up Jesus to take a fall. And then 00:27:03.339 --> 00:27:05.460 instead of just punishing him, they want him 00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:10.240 crucified. But listen to what Jesus says in Luke 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:14.599 23 and 32. He says there were also two others, 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:16.680 criminals, right? Jesus was hung between two 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:19.900 criminals on a cross, led with him to be put 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:22.099 to death. And when they had come to the place 00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:24.720 called Calvary, there they crucified him and 00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:27.220 the criminals, one on the right hand and the 00:27:27.220 --> 00:27:30.480 other on the left. Then Jesus said, Father, forgive 00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:35.779 them, for they know not what they do. They're 00:27:35.779 --> 00:27:38.299 driving nails into Jesus' hand and his feet. 00:27:39.259 --> 00:27:41.960 This is after being scourged with a Roman whip. 00:27:42.589 --> 00:27:44.970 which was designed and built to rip the flesh 00:27:44.970 --> 00:27:48.789 from your body, to expose the bones. It would 00:27:48.789 --> 00:27:52.890 tear literally away. He has been bloodied. He 00:27:52.890 --> 00:27:59.809 has been nailed, hung in a tree. In crucifixion, 00:27:59.809 --> 00:28:02.430 most people die from asphyxiation because the 00:28:02.430 --> 00:28:04.349 weight of your body pulls down and begins to 00:28:04.349 --> 00:28:06.630 close off your lungs, besides all the torment 00:28:06.630 --> 00:28:11.480 and pain from the torture. And he ekes out in 00:28:11.480 --> 00:28:14.480 all that, Father, forgive them, for they know 00:28:14.480 --> 00:28:17.400 not what they do. Do you know why Jesus could 00:28:17.400 --> 00:28:22.000 do that? If you read in his word, his eyes were 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:25.660 always fixed on the superhuman one, his father. 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:28.880 He was always telling his disciples, I got to 00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:31.500 go get away with the father. I got to go encounter 00:28:31.500 --> 00:28:34.619 the father. I got to go. I'm doing my father's 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:36.640 business. I'm not worried about what's happening 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:39.240 around me. I don't care who's. falling apart 00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:42.460 right who's coming apart at the seams and I don't 00:28:42.460 --> 00:28:44.440 care about the system I don't care about any 00:28:44.440 --> 00:28:46.000 of those things he just said I got to get to 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:48.960 the father and it's in the encounter it's in 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:55.680 the encounter so if you're going to stay eyes 00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:59.619 wide open heart wide open ready to move forward 00:28:59.619 --> 00:29:01.759 in life seeing everything that goes on around 00:29:01.759 --> 00:29:04.599 you and seeing it for what it is you got to encounter 00:29:04.599 --> 00:29:08.039 the master You got to encounter the superhuman 00:29:08.039 --> 00:29:10.599 one. You're not going to find it in a system. 00:29:10.819 --> 00:29:12.920 And there's nothing wrong with systems. They're 00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:15.859 there for a reason. But you're not going to find 00:29:15.859 --> 00:29:18.279 it there. You're not going to find it in some 00:29:18.279 --> 00:29:22.039 form or faith of worship. You got to get to the 00:29:22.039 --> 00:29:24.599 superhuman one. You got to get to worship him 00:29:24.599 --> 00:29:27.640 and him alone. Amen? I'm going to ask if you'd 00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:35.069 stand this morning. And I venture to guess. If 00:29:35.069 --> 00:29:37.630 you bow your heads, close your eyes. I would 00:29:37.630 --> 00:29:39.910 venture to guess in this house, there are some 00:29:39.910 --> 00:29:43.470 here who have been burned by the system. There 00:29:43.470 --> 00:29:45.450 have been some here, you could probably tell 00:29:45.450 --> 00:29:48.990 a story, two, three, or four, how you were hurt 00:29:48.990 --> 00:29:51.710 in some way by those who shouldn't be hurting 00:29:51.710 --> 00:29:55.109 others, by those who should know better, right? 00:29:55.910 --> 00:29:59.890 Because they're following Jesus. Don't be blind. 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:03.599 Get your eyes off the people and get them on 00:30:03.599 --> 00:30:06.420 the Savior. Get your eyes off the circumstance. 00:30:06.539 --> 00:30:09.720 Get your eye off the system. Get your eye because 00:30:09.720 --> 00:30:13.400 he's where the healing is. He's where the joy 00:30:13.400 --> 00:30:16.519 is. He's where the peace is. He's where the vision 00:30:16.519 --> 00:30:19.500 is. He's the one who clears all things up in 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:21.799 our heart and our mind and our soul. And all 00:30:21.799 --> 00:30:25.900 it takes is an encounter with him. The word of 00:30:25.900 --> 00:30:29.450 God says, if you seek me, you will find me. Jesus 00:30:29.450 --> 00:30:32.390 is just waiting for us to seek him. He will come 00:30:32.390 --> 00:30:34.869 and encounter. You will encounter him, but you've 00:30:34.869 --> 00:30:37.049 got to seek him. You want to stand flat -footed 00:30:37.049 --> 00:30:39.009 and be prideful and just stand there in your 00:30:39.009 --> 00:30:40.890 stubbornness? Go ahead. You're going to be standing 00:30:40.890 --> 00:30:43.710 there a long time. You've got to humble your 00:30:43.710 --> 00:30:46.250 heart, and you've got to go after God. You've 00:30:46.250 --> 00:30:47.710 got to tell him, I don't have all the answers. 00:30:47.869 --> 00:30:49.710 I don't even understand all the things I'm feeling, 00:30:49.869 --> 00:30:52.069 but I'm just coming after you, Lord. I'm just 00:30:52.069 --> 00:30:55.210 chasing after you. I want you. I need you in 00:30:55.210 --> 00:30:58.640 my life. I need to know your presence. Some of 00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:01.140 you need this this morning. Some of you need 00:31:01.140 --> 00:31:03.599 his presence in your life. Some of you need an 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:06.640 encounter with him. And it will change how you 00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:09.559 see. Just like that blind man. A couple minutes 00:31:09.559 --> 00:31:11.940 in his presence changed everything. Come on. 00:31:12.180 --> 00:31:22.619 We're going to sing. Thank you for tuning in 00:31:22.619 --> 00:31:27.799 to this message from Lifehouse Church. powerfully 00:31:27.799 --> 00:31:30.579 by this message. If you have been personally 00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:33.160 affected by our ministry and you would like to 00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:36.400 partner with us as we love God, love people every 00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:38.359 day, visit our website at