WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:06.639 Welcome to NECF sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.660 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.939 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.879 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:23.079 right in. Amen. Hallelujah. Let's have a seat. 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:46.039 John chapter 14 verse 12. John chapter 14. On 00:00:46.039 --> 00:00:50.240 Sunday, we were introduced to our team for the 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:54.020 year. So by the grace of God, I'll just be building 00:00:54.020 --> 00:00:57.060 on what we started on Sunday with the foundation 00:00:57.060 --> 00:01:00.939 by which We've laid on Sunday and then to build 00:01:00.939 --> 00:01:13.099 a little bit. John 14 from verse 12. Most assuredly, 00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:18.319 I say to you, he who believes in me, the works 00:01:18.319 --> 00:01:23.540 that I do, he will do also. And greater works 00:01:23.540 --> 00:01:26.540 than this he will do because I go to my Father. 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:31.180 And whatever you ask in my name, that I will 00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:34.500 do, that my Father may be glorified in the Son. 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:38.579 If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:43.519 Hallelujah. And we said the theme for the year 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:48.739 is Greater Works. It's Greater Works, and I want 00:01:48.739 --> 00:01:53.799 to believe that our hearts are inspired, you 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:56.859 know, for what God we want us to do this year 00:01:56.859 --> 00:02:00.739 and beyond. Our hearts are inspired and directed 00:02:00.739 --> 00:02:06.299 and stayed up to do the works, you know, that 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:10.360 God has called us to do. So we started by saying 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:17.240 that it is important to, in a bit, to understand 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:19.120 this text. There are some certain questions that 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:24.039 we just want to ask. These questions will help 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:29.979 us to understand the stakes. And one of the questions 00:02:29.979 --> 00:02:35.300 we asked was, who is Jesus speaking to? Who is 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:38.360 the audience by which Jesus is speaking to? And 00:02:38.360 --> 00:02:42.500 we also asked a question about what the works 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:48.699 of Jesus are. What works did Jesus do? And then 00:02:48.699 --> 00:02:52.349 what are the greater works by which He's calling 00:02:52.349 --> 00:02:57.509 the disciples to do and invariably calling us 00:02:57.509 --> 00:03:00.129 today who are the disciples of the disciples 00:03:00.129 --> 00:03:05.590 to do. Hallelujah. So we observe from the scripture, 00:03:05.810 --> 00:03:08.610 we will observe from the scripture that Jesus 00:03:08.610 --> 00:03:13.949 was speaking specifically or contextually to 00:03:13.949 --> 00:03:17.770 his disciples. He was not speaking to the crowd. 00:03:18.349 --> 00:03:22.379 All right. He was very particular about the audience 00:03:22.379 --> 00:03:25.360 he was speaking to. Not to the crowd, not to 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:29.840 the 5 ,000, but the people he was speaking to 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:33.099 is very, very important. The kind of people Jesus 00:03:33.099 --> 00:03:36.740 was speaking to is very important. The timing 00:03:36.740 --> 00:03:43.819 of the speech is very important. So, specifically, 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:47.199 he's addressing the disciples. Of course, the 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:53.099 12. the 12, even including Judas Iscariot, because 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:55.500 he was there before he, he didn't wait till the 00:03:55.500 --> 00:03:59.500 service finished. He didn't wait till that explanation 00:03:59.500 --> 00:04:01.400 finished because in the course of the conversation 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:04.139 we saw, you know, he went out to go and do what, 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:07.580 you know, the devil has inspired in his heart 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:11.979 to do, that is to betray Jesus. So Jesus was 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:16.019 particularly addressing his disciples who he 00:04:16.019 --> 00:04:21.259 had. Been with for about over three years. So 00:04:21.259 --> 00:04:24.300 in these three years, they have listened to him 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:28.639 teach them. In these three years, they have heard 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:36.180 him taught many things in many ways concerning 00:04:36.180 --> 00:04:39.459 his mission and what he will do. And these three 00:04:39.459 --> 00:04:42.519 and a half years, they've seen him done many 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:45.850 works. They've seen him perform miracles. They've 00:04:45.850 --> 00:04:48.769 seen him done many things. So they've heard him 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:51.069 and they've seen. They've heard, they've seen. 00:04:51.209 --> 00:04:55.810 And this hearing Jesus and seeing what he did 00:04:55.810 --> 00:04:57.829 was even very important. It's a very important 00:04:57.829 --> 00:05:00.550 criteria. Even when Judas was to be replaced, 00:05:00.649 --> 00:05:03.189 later on we'll see, you know, they had to go 00:05:03.189 --> 00:05:05.230 to look for someone that was with them from the 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:07.730 beginning, right from the baptism of John the 00:05:07.730 --> 00:05:09.310 Baptist, right from the teaching of John the 00:05:09.310 --> 00:05:11.310 Baptist, right from the ministry of John the 00:05:11.310 --> 00:05:15.240 Baptist, to when Jesus, you know, was with them 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:17.639 and they were all through the follow to the end 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:22.339 up onto the resurrection. So this was particularly 00:05:22.339 --> 00:05:27.500 important for the mission that they will do. 00:05:27.899 --> 00:05:32.920 So by implication, doing greater works is for 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:38.579 those who have become disciples. All right? If 00:05:38.579 --> 00:05:42.600 you are not a disciple, then I don't think... 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:46.480 you will be able to do greater works. In fact, 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:49.279 you will not do what Jesus did, talk more of 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:56.319 doing greater. So for us to do greater, for us 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:59.079 to do the works that Jesus have done, or to do 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:02.819 greater works, it means that we must be disciples. 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:07.220 Now, discipleship is not just a cliche. We're 00:06:07.220 --> 00:06:09.439 not just telling you just be a disciple because 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:14.139 we won't, no. Discipleship is important. It's 00:06:14.139 --> 00:06:20.060 very crucial to doing the works of God. To become 00:06:20.060 --> 00:06:23.639 a disciple, you must first believe, right? Because 00:06:23.639 --> 00:06:28.300 these people believe Jesus. To become a disciple, 00:06:28.420 --> 00:06:32.699 you must first believe that Jesus is who he said 00:06:32.699 --> 00:06:38.600 he is. Later on, we'll see that when Jesus rose 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:42.199 up and then he taught them, they later believed 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:45.949 Jesus. And it is in the belief that they believe 00:06:45.949 --> 00:06:48.089 Jesus that he was able to hand over a ministry 00:06:48.089 --> 00:06:53.149 to them. So fundamentally, you must believe in 00:06:53.149 --> 00:06:59.949 Jesus. Who he said he is. The Messiah who came 00:06:59.949 --> 00:07:07.750 from God for not only to die for our sins. All 00:07:07.750 --> 00:07:10.610 right. The Messiah who came from God to die for 00:07:10.610 --> 00:07:14.189 our sins. die for the forgiveness of our sins. 00:07:15.189 --> 00:07:20.310 So, they have to come to a point of belief that 00:07:20.310 --> 00:07:23.209 this is who Jesus is. We'll see it in their sermons 00:07:23.209 --> 00:07:26.350 in the book of Acts. This is the one that God 00:07:26.350 --> 00:07:29.689 has sent. This is the one to whom God has appointed. 00:07:30.569 --> 00:07:33.990 That through him, we'll see it in their records 00:07:33.990 --> 00:07:37.629 in the book of Matthew. They recorded and they 00:07:37.629 --> 00:07:39.689 were pointing to Jesus as the promise of the 00:07:39.689 --> 00:07:43.379 Father. Because the context of the work that 00:07:43.379 --> 00:07:46.240 we're going to do will be related to the identity 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:49.199 of the Messiah, will be related to the identity 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:53.899 of who Jesus is. Hallelujah. Because in the identity 00:07:53.899 --> 00:07:57.459 of the Messiah or Jesus, the Savior, we'll find 00:07:57.459 --> 00:08:01.160 ourselves in him. Hallelujah. So we are not doing 00:08:01.160 --> 00:08:03.660 something separate from what Jesus is doing even 00:08:03.660 --> 00:08:07.199 now. We are doing what God in Christ has done 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:10.399 and we see Christ is all in us by the Spirit 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:16.120 doing. So there's a relationship. So they have 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:19.620 been with Jesus and have learned very well from 00:08:19.620 --> 00:08:23.839 him. Okay? They've seen him. So he's speaking 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:26.060 contextually to the things they've seen him done. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.540 They've seen him done. Give me that text, verse 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:37.580 12. John chapter 12, chapter 14, verse 12. It 00:08:37.580 --> 00:08:45.230 says, the works that I do, he will do also. The 00:08:45.230 --> 00:08:46.669 works that I do, which means that they might 00:08:46.669 --> 00:08:50.009 have seen the works that Jesus have done. That 00:08:50.009 --> 00:08:54.610 same work, that person will do also. Hallelujah. 00:08:56.269 --> 00:09:01.350 So, these are those who have seen and know his 00:09:01.350 --> 00:09:04.950 works. Alright? They've been with him, so they've 00:09:04.950 --> 00:09:09.070 seen his works and they know his works. Okay? 00:09:09.740 --> 00:09:15.620 They know his purpose. They know his will because 00:09:15.620 --> 00:09:19.419 in his works they will know his will. They know 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:23.379 his purpose and thereafter they will do his will. 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:29.500 So for us to do his work and to do greater, we 00:09:29.500 --> 00:09:33.580 must be intentional about building a life around 00:09:33.580 --> 00:09:37.240 knowing Jesus. We must be intentional this year 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:40.789 and beyond. We must be, listen, Church shouldn't 00:09:40.789 --> 00:09:48.649 be church as usual for us. Knowing God should 00:09:48.649 --> 00:09:52.470 not be as usual for us. We must, as the brother 00:09:52.470 --> 00:09:56.169 was leading us in prayer, we must seek to heighten 00:09:56.169 --> 00:10:01.110 our desire. We must make knowing God a top priority. 00:10:02.210 --> 00:10:06.490 If knowing God or knowing Jesus Christ must be 00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:09.850 a top priority for us, then there will be a need 00:10:09.850 --> 00:10:15.669 for arranging our priority, our programs, our 00:10:15.669 --> 00:10:20.450 schedules, and give knowing him a top priority 00:10:20.450 --> 00:10:25.070 in our lives. If your desire, number one, is 00:10:25.070 --> 00:10:28.870 to do greater works, then knowing God, being 00:10:28.870 --> 00:10:32.710 a disciple actually, being a student, being a 00:10:32.710 --> 00:10:37.000 disciple must be your topmost priority. It must 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:40.679 be greater than any other thing. Even greater 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:45.139 than your academics. Even greater than life itself. 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:50.000 Because it's not going to be for passive people. 00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:54.799 So we must give priority to learning and to knowing. 00:10:55.379 --> 00:10:57.799 Because there's only one pathway by which we'll 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:04.710 know Jesus. We'll know God. There's only one 00:11:04.710 --> 00:11:07.409 way that God has revealed himself to us, through 00:11:07.409 --> 00:11:10.009 Jesus Christ. And how can we know about Jesus 00:11:10.009 --> 00:11:14.509 Christ by the scriptures? Hallelujah. So the 00:11:14.509 --> 00:11:16.929 story of the word, the written word particularly, 00:11:17.230 --> 00:11:21.970 preached and taught and practiced must be our 00:11:21.970 --> 00:11:26.289 priority. We cannot do greater works outside 00:11:26.289 --> 00:11:30.509 the knowledge of God that we have, outside what 00:11:30.509 --> 00:11:33.779 is written for us in scripture. There is no new 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:35.659 revelation that we can have beyond what has been 00:11:35.659 --> 00:11:40.480 given. So we will understand the character of 00:11:40.480 --> 00:11:43.419 God. We will understand the will of God. We will 00:11:43.419 --> 00:11:46.399 understand the desire of God. We will understand 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:51.340 what God is doing now in our season. So you must 00:11:51.340 --> 00:11:55.379 also be intentional about the time of fellowship 00:11:55.379 --> 00:11:57.899 because in the fellowship as this, as a fellowship 00:11:57.899 --> 00:12:00.259 together, you know, we learn the word together. 00:12:01.289 --> 00:12:03.950 We must be intentional about the time of fellowship 00:12:03.950 --> 00:12:07.389 with other Christians, with other believers, 00:12:07.429 --> 00:12:11.970 and also a time to fast and pray as an individual. 00:12:12.009 --> 00:12:16.250 Listen, if you will do greater works, your spiritual 00:12:16.250 --> 00:12:20.149 life, you know, you must change, let me use the 00:12:20.149 --> 00:12:24.350 word, you must change gear this year. You cannot 00:12:24.350 --> 00:12:26.090 be doing what you've been doing all along the 00:12:26.090 --> 00:12:28.149 years and expect another result. And that is... 00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:34.740 That is stupidity. You've been doing something 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:37.100 in a particular way and then you are seeing one 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:39.159 result and you are expecting that you continue 00:12:39.159 --> 00:12:40.740 that way like the way you've been doing last 00:12:40.740 --> 00:12:42.639 year and then to see another result. I mean, 00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:47.740 that's no wisdom. So there must be a rearrangement 00:12:47.740 --> 00:12:51.740 of our priority to knowing God, to knowing the 00:12:51.740 --> 00:12:55.580 Word, to fasting. Listen, basic disciplines. 00:12:56.600 --> 00:13:01.100 That is necessary to knowing God. We must go 00:13:01.100 --> 00:13:03.840 back to the basics. Relationship with believers. 00:13:04.299 --> 00:13:09.320 You know. The word of God. Spending time to pray. 00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:16.940 Spending time with God. You and God alone. These 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:19.340 are basic disciplines that we must go back to. 00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:21.740 These are basic disciplines. If you've been doing 00:13:21.740 --> 00:13:24.879 it last year, praise God for that. This year. 00:13:25.639 --> 00:13:31.500 You must seek to have a quality time than ever 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:39.340 before. There's always room for growth because 00:13:39.340 --> 00:13:45.259 consistency will bring about perfection in that 00:13:45.259 --> 00:13:48.559 particular exercise. So it is important that 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:53.139 we know that God will work with us based on the 00:13:53.139 --> 00:13:59.929 knowledge. we have about him. This is how we 00:13:59.929 --> 00:14:03.250 build ourselves for greater works. This is how 00:14:03.250 --> 00:14:06.450 we build ourselves for greater works. So discipleship 00:14:06.450 --> 00:14:11.690 is key. And each and every one of us must be 00:14:11.690 --> 00:14:15.590 disciples of Jesus. Disciples simply means you 00:14:15.590 --> 00:14:18.590 must be a student. And a student doesn't skip 00:14:18.590 --> 00:14:22.070 classes. A student doesn't earn, it is no graduation. 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:25.620 You can't say, okay, for the next three months, 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:27.539 I'm going to be a disciple and after that I've 00:14:27.539 --> 00:14:30.419 graduated. No, no, no. Discipleship is a lifelong 00:14:30.419 --> 00:14:35.080 thing. For the rest of your life, you must continually 00:14:35.080 --> 00:14:39.500 grow. You must continually keep on learning the 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:42.720 things of God. It is in this learning that we 00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:45.360 get better, that we get our mind transformed, 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:47.679 that we get ourselves acquainted with the plan 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:49.620 of God, that we get ourselves acquainted with 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:51.799 the will of God, and then we are able to do. 00:14:52.190 --> 00:14:56.590 what God is calling us to do. I went on to begin 00:14:56.590 --> 00:14:59.909 to ask, okay, what are the works Jesus did? This 00:14:59.909 --> 00:15:03.590 was where we started to know what are the works 00:15:03.590 --> 00:15:08.649 that Jesus did, right? So we said that the work 00:15:08.649 --> 00:15:14.429 Jesus did includes the things Jesus did, practically, 00:15:15.549 --> 00:15:20.950 right? And also the things he taught. His teachings 00:15:20.950 --> 00:15:24.370 and his actions, and we made reference to what 00:15:24.370 --> 00:15:26.509 Luke wrote in the book of Acts, chapter 1, verse 00:15:26.509 --> 00:15:34.190 1 to 3. Luke, Acts, rather, chapter 1, as he 00:15:34.190 --> 00:15:36.009 was writing to Theophilus, he says, the former 00:15:36.009 --> 00:15:39.909 things I made, oh, the former accounts I made, 00:15:39.950 --> 00:15:44.929 oh, Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both 00:15:44.929 --> 00:15:49.960 to do and to teach. So Jesus did some things 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:54.779 and he taught. All right? Until the day in which 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:58.820 he was taken up after he, through the Holy Spirit, 00:15:58.919 --> 00:16:01.559 had given commandments to the apostles whom he 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:04.039 had chosen, to whom he also presented himself. 00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:06.179 So what commandment did he give them? Of course, 00:16:06.179 --> 00:16:09.419 we know the commandment. Matthew 15, 16. All 00:16:09.419 --> 00:16:13.899 right? The commandment he gave them to remain, 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:17.059 they will be in due with power and all that will 00:16:17.059 --> 00:16:24.639 happen. By the coming of the Spirit. So, the 00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:27.120 works of Jesus has to do with the things he did 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:30.320 and the things that he taught. And we say that 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:35.440 when we go through the Synoptic Gospels, we can 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:38.899 see summarily that Jesus revealed the Father 00:16:38.899 --> 00:16:42.980 through the powerful works he did. Okay? The 00:16:42.980 --> 00:16:48.159 powerful works that confirms his divine identity. 00:16:49.230 --> 00:16:53.129 Jesus performed works. Works has to do with the 00:16:53.129 --> 00:16:57.830 miracles he did. Including healing the sick. 00:16:58.009 --> 00:17:09.730 He cast out devils. He raised the dead. We see 00:17:09.730 --> 00:17:13.089 him in the gospels exercising authority over 00:17:13.089 --> 00:17:18.890 nature. Speaking to the storm. Walking on water 00:17:18.890 --> 00:17:21.829 and all these things were miraculous things Jesus 00:17:21.829 --> 00:17:26.109 did. Turning water into wine, miraculous activity 00:17:26.109 --> 00:17:31.710 that Jesus did. He accomplished redemption. You 00:17:31.710 --> 00:17:33.589 know, the forgiveness of our sins. These are 00:17:33.589 --> 00:17:39.490 what Jesus did. We see him proclaiming and demonstrating 00:17:39.490 --> 00:17:42.089 the kingdom. Of course, by the miracles he did, 00:17:42.109 --> 00:17:44.710 he demonstrated the kingdom. And then he proclaimed 00:17:44.710 --> 00:17:48.829 the goodness. of salvation. And what we also 00:17:48.829 --> 00:17:55.230 see him do is laying the foundation of the church. 00:17:56.390 --> 00:18:01.230 You know, commissioning the apostles, the foundational 00:18:01.230 --> 00:18:04.670 apostles, you know, bringing, ushering them into 00:18:04.670 --> 00:18:08.450 the era of the church. These are what Jesus did. 00:18:10.670 --> 00:18:14.390 Hallelujah. So in Matthew chapter 11, verse 1 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:23.359 to 4, we also, you know, looked at a sign that 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:31.299 proves Jesus' identity as a Messiah. Matthew 00:18:31.299 --> 00:18:37.480 chapter 11, verse 1, when John was arrested, 00:18:37.559 --> 00:18:48.380 Matthew 11, Now it came to pass that when Jesus 00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:56.480 finished, Matthew, yes, when Jesus finished commanding 00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:00.240 his 12 disciples, that he departed from there 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:05.420 to teach and to preach in their cities. And when 00:19:05.420 --> 00:19:07.880 Jonah heard in the prison about the works of 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:11.039 Christ, he heard about the works of Christ. And 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:13.779 these works of Christ, including... the teaching 00:19:13.779 --> 00:19:16.539 of Christ, right? Including the miraculous things 00:19:16.539 --> 00:19:21.880 he was doing. When John had heard in prison about 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:25.079 the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 00:19:25.079 --> 00:19:28.220 and said to him, are you coming? Are you the 00:19:28.220 --> 00:19:35.420 coming one? Or do we look for another? So if 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:37.359 I was Jesus, I would simply say, yes, I'm the 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:41.180 one that has been promised to come. And I'm here, 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:44.029 right? It's as simple as that. But Jesus gave 00:19:44.029 --> 00:19:47.890 him a coded communication. It's a code by which 00:19:47.890 --> 00:19:49.910 when he decodes as a prophet of God, he will 00:19:49.910 --> 00:19:51.849 know what Jesus is referring to. And what was 00:19:51.849 --> 00:19:54.569 the coded language Jesus gave him? Jesus answered 00:19:54.569 --> 00:19:59.349 and said to them, go and tell John the things 00:19:59.349 --> 00:20:02.710 which you hear and the things which you see. 00:20:02.769 --> 00:20:04.849 So what are they hearing? They're hearing the 00:20:04.849 --> 00:20:07.630 teachings of Jesus, all right? And they're hearing 00:20:07.630 --> 00:20:09.630 about the works of Jesus and they are seeing 00:20:09.630 --> 00:20:13.759 the works of Jesus. So, what are these? Verse 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:21.319 5. The blind see. Okay? And the lame work. The 00:20:21.319 --> 00:20:27.519 lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:33.039 are raised up. And the poor have miracle money 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:38.160 transferred to their bank accounts. The what? 00:20:39.500 --> 00:20:43.960 they heard the gospel preached to them. So these 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.980 things were literal things that happened, but 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:50.799 in their literal nature, they communicate something 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:54.819 spiritual concerning the Messiah. Hallelujah. 00:20:55.500 --> 00:21:01.460 So Jesus graciously explained about himself. 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:05.759 This about himself. John chapter 5, verse 36. 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:16.140 John chapter 5, verse 36. That I have a greater 00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:21.519 witness than John's. Or rather, let's read from 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:28.059 verse 35 to give us a better understanding. He 00:21:28.059 --> 00:21:31.119 was the burning and shining lamb. He's talking 00:21:31.119 --> 00:21:34.259 about John. And you were willing for a time to 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:37.180 rejoice in his light. Concerning John, he's speaking 00:21:37.180 --> 00:21:39.920 concerning John. But I have a greater witness 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:44.079 than John's for the works which the Father has 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:47.140 given me to finish. The very works that I do, 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:51.359 what do they do? They bear witness of who? Of 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:55.440 me. So the works Jesus was doing or Jesus do 00:21:55.440 --> 00:22:02.799 bear witness of who he is. That the Father has 00:22:02.799 --> 00:22:05.259 done what? Has sent him that he is a Messiah. 00:22:06.059 --> 00:22:13.140 John chapter 10, verse 22. So the works that 00:22:13.140 --> 00:22:17.299 Jesus did reveal his identity. That's what we 00:22:17.299 --> 00:22:20.599 are establishing. The works that Jesus did reveal 00:22:20.599 --> 00:22:25.119 who he is. Verse 22. Now it was the feast of 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:30.140 dedication in Jerusalem and it was winter. And 00:22:30.140 --> 00:22:32.619 Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:36.640 Then the Jews surrounded him and said to him, 00:22:36.759 --> 00:22:41.319 How long do you keep us in doubt? If you are 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:45.599 the Christ, tell us plainly. Which means that 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:49.359 they were expecting the Christ, right? Jesus 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:53.200 answered them, I told you and you do not believe. 00:22:54.380 --> 00:22:58.380 The works that I do in my Father's name, what 00:22:58.380 --> 00:23:03.869 do they do? They bear witness. Of who? Of me. 00:23:05.369 --> 00:23:07.930 But you do not believe. Because you are not of 00:23:07.930 --> 00:23:13.250 my sheep. As I said to you. My sheep hears. My 00:23:13.250 --> 00:23:19.089 voice. And I know them. And they follow me. And 00:23:19.089 --> 00:23:24.589 I give them eternal life. And they. Shall never 00:23:24.589 --> 00:23:26.650 perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out 00:23:26.650 --> 00:23:31.569 of my hand. My father who has given them to me. 00:23:31.609 --> 00:23:36.039 Is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch 00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:40.039 them out of my father's hand. I and my father 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:43.880 are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:48.700 stone him. Why? Jesus answered them, Many good 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:52.839 works I have shown you from my father. For which 00:23:52.839 --> 00:23:57.019 of these or which of those works do you stone 00:23:57.019 --> 00:24:00.880 me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good 00:24:00.880 --> 00:24:05.390 work we do not stone you. But for what? For blasphemy. 00:24:05.890 --> 00:24:10.289 And because you being a man, make yourself God. 00:24:11.490 --> 00:24:13.410 That statement of saying that he and the father 00:24:13.410 --> 00:24:15.710 are one simply means that he and the father have 00:24:15.710 --> 00:24:18.369 the same nature. They understood his communication. 00:24:19.130 --> 00:24:20.970 That was why they pick up stones to stone him. 00:24:21.529 --> 00:24:23.390 Because that is blasphemous. How can you that 00:24:23.390 --> 00:24:25.309 we know your father, we know your mother, we 00:24:25.309 --> 00:24:27.730 know your siblings, we know your house, we even 00:24:27.730 --> 00:24:29.569 know your business, we know your shop, your carpentry 00:24:29.569 --> 00:24:32.619 shop. and then from nowhere you wake up and you 00:24:32.619 --> 00:24:35.799 tell us that you and the Father are one? I mean, 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:40.140 let's not be too quick to judge them. But some 00:24:40.140 --> 00:24:44.259 of us would have done even worse. So Jesus answered 00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:47.799 them, Is it not written in your law, said you 00:24:47.799 --> 00:24:52.759 are gods? If he called them gods, to whom the 00:24:52.759 --> 00:24:55.019 word of God came, and the scripture cannot be 00:24:55.019 --> 00:24:59.640 broken, do you say of him whom the Father sanctified? 00:25:00.349 --> 00:25:02.789 and said into the world, you are blaspheming 00:25:02.789 --> 00:25:07.069 because I said I am the son of God. If I do not, 00:25:07.069 --> 00:25:11.289 if I do the works of my father, if I do not do 00:25:11.289 --> 00:25:14.170 rather the works of my father, do not believe 00:25:14.170 --> 00:25:17.829 me. All right? Listen, because there are many, 00:25:17.890 --> 00:25:19.829 many people that have come up in the name of 00:25:19.829 --> 00:25:23.509 God. There are many people. We even see in the 00:25:23.509 --> 00:25:26.549 statement of one of the fathers, is it Gamaliel? 00:25:26.970 --> 00:25:29.529 He was trying to defend Jesus or the apostles. 00:25:30.740 --> 00:25:32.319 He was saying that if these people are fake, 00:25:32.359 --> 00:25:35.059 they will fade away. Which means that many that 00:25:35.059 --> 00:25:37.539 have come have gone. And many will see, come 00:25:37.539 --> 00:25:39.140 and go. There are many fake people, even in our 00:25:39.140 --> 00:25:41.480 generation. There are many people that this year, 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:44.700 they will be exposed. Because by their works, 00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:48.380 we will know who they are. Hallelujah. By their 00:25:48.380 --> 00:25:50.700 deeds, we will know. Alright? So he says, but 00:25:50.700 --> 00:25:54.640 if I do, if I do, that is the works of the Father. 00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:57.700 Though you do not believe me, believe. If you 00:25:57.700 --> 00:25:59.940 don't believe me, as I'm saying that I'm from 00:25:59.940 --> 00:26:04.279 the Father, all right, believe the works. Believe 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:06.960 the works because the works I do from the scripture, 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:12.059 the works I do. Believe the works that you may 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:16.799 know and believe that the Father is in me and 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:20.140 I in him. By the works, they should believe. 00:26:20.619 --> 00:26:23.599 Therefore, they sought again to seize him. But, 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:27.500 He escaped out of their hand. Hallelujah. So 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:29.980 the works that Jesus did was very, very crucial. 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:35.180 Amen? It was very crucial to revealing his identity. 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:40.000 It was very important in revealing who he is. 00:26:41.700 --> 00:26:44.000 And even when Jesus rose from the dead, let's 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:48.619 look at the testimony of his own disciples. Luke 00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:54.680 24 from verse 13. Luke 24 from verse 13. Now 00:26:54.680 --> 00:26:56.900 behold, two of them were traveling when Jesus 00:26:56.900 --> 00:27:01.119 was killed and then they were scattered. They 00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:03.279 were disappointed. Now behold, two of them were 00:27:03.279 --> 00:27:06.460 traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, 00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:11.339 which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they 00:27:11.339 --> 00:27:14.039 talked together to all these things which had 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:18.960 happened. All right. So it was while they conversed 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:22.079 and reasoned that Jesus himself drew near and 00:27:22.079 --> 00:27:25.559 went with them. But their eyes were restrained, 00:27:25.579 --> 00:27:30.859 so that they did not know it was Jesus. And he 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:32.960 said to them, What kind of conversation is this 00:27:32.960 --> 00:27:36.160 that you have with one another as you walk, and 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:38.079 your faces are looking sad and disappointed? 00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:42.140 Then the one whose name was Caiaphas answered 00:27:42.140 --> 00:27:44.579 and said to him, Are you the only stranger in 00:27:44.579 --> 00:27:47.519 Jerusalem? And have you not known the things 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:51.400 which have happened there in these days? And 00:27:51.400 --> 00:27:54.599 he said to them, what things? So they said to 00:27:54.599 --> 00:27:58.940 him, the things concerning who? Concerning Jesus 00:27:58.940 --> 00:28:04.839 of Nazareth, who was a prophet. Okay. Now this 00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:08.539 is the explanation of who Jesus is. Who was what? 00:28:08.660 --> 00:28:14.559 Was a prophet. Mighty in works. That's the same 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:20.240 word for works. Mighty in works. And word. what 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:25.559 he spoke before God and all the people. Jesus 00:28:25.559 --> 00:28:30.980 was mighty in works and mighty in words. Okay? 00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:35.200 And how the chief priest and our rulers delivered 00:28:35.200 --> 00:28:37.720 him to be condemned to death and crucified him. 00:28:38.500 --> 00:28:44.720 That we were hoping. What was their hoping? That 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:49.740 it was he. who was going to redeem Israel. So 00:28:49.740 --> 00:28:53.079 they saw the characteristics of him who was to 00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:59.440 deliver Israel in Jesus. How? By his works and 00:28:59.440 --> 00:29:03.400 by his words. Okay? Indeed, besides all this 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:06.559 today, it's the third day since these things 00:29:06.559 --> 00:29:10.519 happened. So the way of hoping was he who was 00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:15.920 going to redeem them as the Messiah. Because 00:29:15.920 --> 00:29:21.180 Jesus was a prophet to them, mighty indeed, and 00:29:21.180 --> 00:29:26.180 worked before God and all the people. So they 00:29:26.180 --> 00:29:30.119 could see that Jesus fit into the description 00:29:30.119 --> 00:29:33.119 of the Messiah as promised in the scripture. 00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:38.779 So how? His works, by words and by his deeds. 00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:42.119 Hallelujah. Now, let's look at another example 00:29:42.119 --> 00:29:46.920 in Acts 2, verse 22. when Peter was also preaching 00:29:46.920 --> 00:29:53.339 the first sermon. This is what he said about 00:29:53.339 --> 00:29:57.380 Jesus. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus 00:29:57.380 --> 00:30:04.740 of Nazareth, a man, what? Attested by God. How 00:30:04.740 --> 00:30:10.259 did God attest of Jesus? To them. A man attested 00:30:10.259 --> 00:30:15.900 by God to you, by what? By miracles, right? Wonders 00:30:15.900 --> 00:30:21.339 and signs which God did through him in your midst, 00:30:21.420 --> 00:30:24.819 as you yourself also know. So he reminded them 00:30:24.819 --> 00:30:28.819 of what? Of the signs and the miracles that Jesus 00:30:28.819 --> 00:30:32.619 did was God actually attesting of who Jesus was. 00:30:33.259 --> 00:30:37.500 That he is the one. So Peter in his sermon speaks 00:30:37.500 --> 00:30:40.480 of how God attested that through the miracles 00:30:40.480 --> 00:30:43.930 Jesus performed, The signs and wonders, they 00:30:43.930 --> 00:30:48.049 speak of who Jesus is. So the miracle of Jesus, 00:30:48.430 --> 00:30:52.390 the works of Jesus, the things Jesus spoke about 00:30:52.390 --> 00:30:54.230 himself, the teachings, because all that Jesus 00:30:54.230 --> 00:30:58.430 taught was about himself. All right? About himself. 00:30:59.069 --> 00:31:02.069 He expanded the scriptures to them of all the 00:31:02.069 --> 00:31:05.769 things concerning who? Concerning himself. This 00:31:05.769 --> 00:31:08.410 was the context of his ministry. This was the 00:31:08.410 --> 00:31:11.000 basis of his teaching. the things concerning 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:14.119 himself. So it means that the works that he did 00:31:14.119 --> 00:31:19.640 and what he was saying align together with his 00:31:19.640 --> 00:31:23.940 purpose on earth. Hallelujah. So the miracles 00:31:23.940 --> 00:31:26.980 of Jesus prove not only that he is the Messiah, 00:31:27.180 --> 00:31:32.259 but they also foretold what he did in redemption. 00:31:32.839 --> 00:31:35.819 All right? Or what we will do in redemption. 00:31:36.440 --> 00:31:38.819 Now, let's look at one example of his miracles 00:31:38.819 --> 00:31:42.460 quickly. Let's look at one example of the miracles 00:31:42.460 --> 00:31:48.500 he did and let's see how he speaks more concerning 00:31:48.500 --> 00:31:52.200 him. Now, John chapter 9. Let's go to John chapter 00:31:52.200 --> 00:32:12.579 9. In John chapter 9. Now, as Jesus passed, he 00:32:12.579 --> 00:32:17.160 saw a man who was blind from birth. And his disciples 00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:23.460 asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned? This man 00:32:23.460 --> 00:32:28.579 owe his parents that he was born blind. I mean, 00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:34.539 this kind of mindset. Jesus answered, neither 00:32:34.539 --> 00:32:39.380 this man nor his parents sinned. but that the 00:32:39.380 --> 00:32:45.680 works of God should be revealed in him. I must 00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:49.599 walk the works of him who sent me while it is 00:32:49.599 --> 00:32:53.440 day. The night is coming when no one can work. 00:32:54.099 --> 00:32:57.740 As long as I am in the world, I am the light 00:32:57.740 --> 00:33:01.259 of the world. You know, people easily associate 00:33:01.259 --> 00:33:05.299 bad things that happens to us or to them or to 00:33:05.299 --> 00:33:09.420 others with sin. You know, the reason why your 00:33:09.420 --> 00:33:12.279 life is not working is maybe because something 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:14.279 is wrong. You are not doing something that God 00:33:14.279 --> 00:33:17.960 is not happy with you. Or someone has done something 00:33:17.960 --> 00:33:20.680 that God is not happy with. So, it's as though 00:33:20.680 --> 00:33:23.359 the bad things that happen is God dealing with 00:33:23.359 --> 00:33:27.339 us. God is the one punishing us for either one 00:33:27.339 --> 00:33:31.599 sin or the other. And they are associating this 00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:36.380 blindness on this man to actually sin. And clearly 00:33:36.380 --> 00:33:39.349 we can see Jesus Christ. answering them and saying, 00:33:39.390 --> 00:33:41.450 neither the man nor his parents were the ones 00:33:41.450 --> 00:33:45.650 that sinned. But then the verse that followed 00:33:45.650 --> 00:33:51.650 sometimes gets us confused. Alright? Give me 00:33:51.650 --> 00:34:04.609 verse 4. Verse 3. Jesus answered, neither this 00:34:04.609 --> 00:34:07.789 man nor his parents sinned. but that the works 00:34:07.789 --> 00:34:12.030 of God should be revealed in him. Some translation 00:34:12.030 --> 00:34:16.409 will say that he was blind. He was born blind 00:34:16.409 --> 00:34:20.449 or he was made blind so that God's work will 00:34:20.449 --> 00:34:26.230 be established in him. And the question is, you 00:34:26.230 --> 00:34:31.889 mean God decided and God planned in all eternity 00:34:31.889 --> 00:34:36.039 that he will create a blind man? So that he will 00:34:36.039 --> 00:34:42.260 heal him to show his power to people. I mean, 00:34:42.280 --> 00:34:45.860 think about the character of God. It's just like 00:34:45.860 --> 00:34:50.599 saying God created sin. Listen to this. It's 00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:53.280 just like saying God created sin so that he will 00:34:53.280 --> 00:34:54.739 forgive us, so that we will know the love of 00:34:54.739 --> 00:35:04.800 God. Alright? It would be unfair For the character 00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:08.719 of God to say that he created the man blind to 00:35:08.719 --> 00:35:14.900 show his power. This does not in any way align 00:35:14.900 --> 00:35:17.519 with the character of God all through the scriptures. 00:35:19.699 --> 00:35:23.420 Okay? It will mean that God created sickness. 00:35:23.820 --> 00:35:27.360 Alright? It will mean that God created the blindness. 00:35:28.500 --> 00:35:31.079 It will mean that God created the evil things 00:35:31.079 --> 00:35:36.260 we see. The wickedness. We see. And this will 00:35:36.260 --> 00:35:39.659 not be a justification to the character of God. 00:35:40.559 --> 00:35:42.800 Because the scripture says that God is a good 00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:45.739 God. In him there is no darkness. In him there 00:35:45.739 --> 00:35:49.880 is no evil. And blindness is not good works. 00:35:51.559 --> 00:35:54.760 Are we together? Is it something good to be blind? 00:35:56.260 --> 00:35:58.599 That is why you open the blind. The blind eyes. 00:35:59.599 --> 00:36:04.420 God's work is to open the blind man's eyes, not 00:36:04.420 --> 00:36:11.699 to make him blind. Are we together? So blindness, 00:36:11.800 --> 00:36:15.559 both physical and spiritual, is a work of Satan. 00:36:15.739 --> 00:36:17.820 That's what I want to establish from this, even 00:36:17.820 --> 00:36:19.239 though it's not our focus. Maybe we can go back 00:36:19.239 --> 00:36:21.480 and study again the Greek and the Hebrew and 00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:23.960 contextual interpretation of that verses. But 00:36:23.960 --> 00:36:27.440 I want you to know that blindness, whether it 00:36:27.440 --> 00:36:30.360 is physical, All is spiritual is not from God. 00:36:32.059 --> 00:36:35.500 Alright? It is the work of Satan. Jesus came 00:36:35.500 --> 00:36:39.619 to undo the works of darkness. That is God's 00:36:39.619 --> 00:36:42.019 character in Christ. We see him undoing the works 00:36:42.019 --> 00:36:46.159 of darkness. So neither the man nor his parents 00:36:46.159 --> 00:36:50.340 sinned, but the works of God, regardless of where 00:36:50.340 --> 00:36:55.539 that particular blindness is coming from, whether 00:36:55.539 --> 00:36:59.820 it is as a result of sin or whatever it is, God's 00:36:59.820 --> 00:37:02.860 responsibility or God's work in that situation 00:37:02.860 --> 00:37:09.000 is to bring what? Is to bring solution. Is to 00:37:09.000 --> 00:37:13.760 bring healing. That is God's work. Is to see 00:37:13.760 --> 00:37:21.460 that the man is met well. And concerning every 00:37:21.460 --> 00:37:24.079 situation that must have happened, listen, sometimes 00:37:24.809 --> 00:37:26.510 Let me deviate a bit. Sometimes you may look 00:37:26.510 --> 00:37:27.969 at your life and your situation and things that 00:37:27.969 --> 00:37:32.110 happened to you. And sometimes we quickly begin 00:37:32.110 --> 00:37:35.530 to look, where did I get it? What sin did I commit 00:37:35.530 --> 00:37:39.429 that I'm facing this? As though God treats us 00:37:39.429 --> 00:37:44.829 based on our behavior, right? It's because we 00:37:44.829 --> 00:37:47.630 are good to God, so we enjoy his goodness. And 00:37:47.630 --> 00:37:49.789 when we are bad, or when we do something wrong, 00:37:49.849 --> 00:37:52.449 or when we sin, then we see God's other side. 00:37:53.119 --> 00:37:55.460 If there's another side of God, apart from goodness, 00:37:56.179 --> 00:37:59.860 they will begin to see the wrath of God, the 00:37:59.860 --> 00:38:02.079 punishment that comes with what? With living 00:38:02.079 --> 00:38:07.340 contrary to his will and his purpose. So no matter 00:38:07.340 --> 00:38:09.500 what happens or what will happen in your life, 00:38:09.579 --> 00:38:12.619 or no matter what situation you are facing, God's 00:38:12.619 --> 00:38:17.340 work must be revealed in your life. And what 00:38:17.340 --> 00:38:19.659 does God reveal in your life? He takes away every 00:38:19.659 --> 00:38:24.769 darkness. All right? God's work in every temptation, 00:38:24.949 --> 00:38:28.550 in every trial is to bring an escape route. It's 00:38:28.550 --> 00:38:30.690 to create an escape route for us. It's to bring 00:38:30.690 --> 00:38:34.489 us to a place where we understand him. He brings 00:38:34.489 --> 00:38:40.449 order to every darkness. So darkness must be 00:38:40.449 --> 00:38:43.389 cast away by light. So Jesus will go on to say 00:38:43.389 --> 00:38:46.429 that he is a light, right? Jesus said he was 00:38:46.429 --> 00:38:49.699 a light that entered the world. Reference to 00:38:49.699 --> 00:38:52.420 1 John 4, verse 1, when John was giving testimony 00:38:52.420 --> 00:38:55.099 about Jesus as the light that entered the world. 00:38:56.119 --> 00:39:09.599 Not 1 John, John 1, verse 4. In him was life, 00:39:09.699 --> 00:39:11.960 and the life was the light of men, Jesus himself. 00:39:12.780 --> 00:39:18.099 Okay? Verse 5. And the light shines in darkness, 00:39:18.829 --> 00:39:20.849 And what happens when light shines on darkness? 00:39:21.809 --> 00:39:26.170 Darkness leave, right? Darkness disappear. Genesis 00:39:26.170 --> 00:39:29.869 1 .1. Darkness does not comprehend it. Jump to 00:39:29.869 --> 00:39:37.269 verse 8 and verse 9. Verse 8. He was that light. 00:39:38.710 --> 00:39:41.710 He was not that light. Talking about John. John 00:39:41.710 --> 00:39:45.030 the Baptist was not that light, but was sent 00:39:45.030 --> 00:39:49.289 to bear witness to that light. Verse 9. That 00:39:49.289 --> 00:39:53.469 was the true light which gives light to every 00:39:53.469 --> 00:39:57.889 man coming into the world. That light was coming 00:39:57.889 --> 00:40:02.250 into the world. This is the gospel. So let's 00:40:02.250 --> 00:40:04.869 continue our reading. Chapter 6, verse 6 of John 00:40:04.869 --> 00:40:11.449 chapter 9. When he had said these things, he 00:40:11.449 --> 00:40:14.829 spat on the ground and made clear with the saliva 00:40:15.500 --> 00:40:18.039 And he anointed the eyes of the man. Anointed 00:40:18.039 --> 00:40:20.800 means he rubbed it on the eyes of the man. All 00:40:20.800 --> 00:40:23.980 right. Let's be very deliberate about what we're 00:40:23.980 --> 00:40:27.139 explaining here. He rubbed it. That is, he anointed 00:40:27.139 --> 00:40:30.559 the eyes of the blind man with a clay. Okay. 00:40:30.860 --> 00:40:35.940 And he said to him, go wash in the pool of Silom, 00:40:35.980 --> 00:40:42.179 which is translated scent. So he went and washed 00:40:42.179 --> 00:40:48.449 and came back seeing. Hallelujah. There was an 00:40:48.449 --> 00:40:51.750 instruction. Jesus did something, right? And 00:40:51.750 --> 00:40:54.610 when Jesus did, he gave an instruction. And the 00:40:54.610 --> 00:40:59.130 instruction is to go and do what? And wash. You 00:40:59.130 --> 00:41:00.670 familiar to something that was done in the Old 00:41:00.670 --> 00:41:06.429 Testament? Who can remember? Is it Elijah or 00:41:06.429 --> 00:41:13.809 Elisha? Elisha? And Naaman, right? He was asked 00:41:13.809 --> 00:41:17.269 to go and dip himself in the pool. How many times? 00:41:18.210 --> 00:41:19.869 Seven times. And then he would be made whole 00:41:19.869 --> 00:41:24.769 of leprosy. And then he was angry. He mean upon 00:41:24.769 --> 00:41:29.050 all the luxury and all the resources we have 00:41:29.050 --> 00:41:33.230 in my country land. Instead for you to just come 00:41:33.230 --> 00:41:35.030 out and do the things you're supposed to do. 00:41:35.510 --> 00:41:40.510 Lay hand on me. Perform some gymnastics and let 00:41:40.510 --> 00:41:42.630 healing take place. So I should go and wash myself 00:41:42.630 --> 00:41:46.690 in the river. And then he took the servant girl, 00:41:46.769 --> 00:41:52.230 right, to speak sense into him. Forbear. And 00:41:52.230 --> 00:41:55.269 when he lived in obedience, we see that he was 00:41:55.269 --> 00:41:58.230 made whole. So similarly to this, Jesus said, 00:41:58.349 --> 00:42:05.449 go and wash yourself. Go and wash. Verse 7. And 00:42:05.449 --> 00:42:08.269 he said to him, go wash in the pool of Siloam, 00:42:08.309 --> 00:42:11.429 which is translated sin. So he went and washed 00:42:11.429 --> 00:42:15.670 and came back seeing. He came back what? Therefore, 00:42:16.690 --> 00:42:20.309 the neighbors and those who previously have seen 00:42:20.309 --> 00:42:25.449 those who seen that he was blind said, isn't 00:42:25.449 --> 00:42:30.929 not this he who sat and begged? Some said, this 00:42:30.929 --> 00:42:35.469 is he. Others said, it's like him. He said, I 00:42:35.469 --> 00:42:41.429 am he. Hallelujah. And listen, this year, right, 00:42:41.590 --> 00:42:45.860 that will be the testimony of God concerning 00:42:45.860 --> 00:42:50.239 your life, that men will begin to ask, is it 00:42:50.239 --> 00:42:56.179 not God the fruit that we know? Do you know why? 00:42:56.719 --> 00:42:58.559 Because God has done something in your life. 00:42:59.860 --> 00:43:03.619 Amen? And listen, what God will do in your life 00:43:03.619 --> 00:43:10.300 is founded upon obedience. All right? Some of 00:43:10.300 --> 00:43:13.679 us here, listen to this carefully. The reason 00:43:13.679 --> 00:43:17.460 why we've tarried on a mountain for so long is 00:43:17.460 --> 00:43:21.119 because we've not applied the instruction that 00:43:21.119 --> 00:43:26.559 God has given us. It's simply because everywhere 00:43:26.559 --> 00:43:30.400 you turn, the same word this brother Chris will 00:43:30.400 --> 00:43:33.360 give you, it's the same word Pastor Victor will 00:43:33.360 --> 00:43:35.360 give you, it's the same word Pastor Chidi will 00:43:35.360 --> 00:43:38.820 give you, but you've listened and you've refused 00:43:38.820 --> 00:43:42.409 to obey. And you're expecting you see a different 00:43:42.409 --> 00:43:45.570 result in your life. I'm speaking to somebody. 00:43:46.670 --> 00:43:50.070 So you must be intentional to follow the leading 00:43:50.070 --> 00:43:52.650 in obedience to what God is saying part -time, 00:43:52.690 --> 00:43:55.909 part -season. You know, sometimes we hold on 00:43:55.909 --> 00:43:57.989 to one method that God has done something in 00:43:57.989 --> 00:44:00.170 your life. Or maybe something that God has said. 00:44:01.650 --> 00:44:03.449 It's not everywhere we see Jesus putting spirit 00:44:03.449 --> 00:44:08.719 and healing the blind. Alright? is sometimes 00:44:08.719 --> 00:44:11.559 some people, by touching the hems of his garment, 00:44:11.780 --> 00:44:15.980 they were made whole. Alright? You must seek 00:44:15.980 --> 00:44:19.400 to know what God is saying per time, per season, 00:44:19.480 --> 00:44:23.079 in order for you to enjoy in your living the 00:44:23.079 --> 00:44:25.699 goodness of God. It's in obedience that you will 00:44:25.699 --> 00:44:28.099 see the manifestation of greater things in your 00:44:28.099 --> 00:44:34.480 life. Because instruction comes. It's encoded 00:44:34.480 --> 00:44:39.070 in instructions. You pray and then you have a 00:44:39.070 --> 00:44:42.130 leading. Alright? And then you're loved by the 00:44:42.130 --> 00:44:46.150 leading of the Spirit. You have God spoken to 00:44:46.150 --> 00:44:49.610 you, instructions given to you. And when you 00:44:49.610 --> 00:44:53.329 don't obey, you don't expect to see. Hallelujah. 00:44:53.750 --> 00:45:00.469 I don't know why we're debating, but... Therefore, 00:45:00.570 --> 00:45:05.090 they said to him, How will your eyes open? He 00:45:05.090 --> 00:45:09.940 answered and said, A man called Jesus made clear, 00:45:10.260 --> 00:45:14.820 anointed my eyes, and said to me, Go to the pool 00:45:14.820 --> 00:45:19.599 of Siloam and wash. So what happened? I went. 00:45:20.739 --> 00:45:29.380 A man called Jesus made clear, anointed my eyes, 00:45:29.719 --> 00:45:33.760 and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and 00:45:33.760 --> 00:45:37.099 wash. So I went and washed and I received my 00:45:37.099 --> 00:45:41.260 sight. Did he argue? Did he try to deliberate 00:45:41.260 --> 00:45:44.619 the technicality or the cleanliness of this miracle 00:45:44.619 --> 00:45:53.420 or how gross or how sanctimonious it is? He moved 00:45:53.420 --> 00:45:58.000 in obedience. Hallelujah. And then he received 00:45:58.000 --> 00:46:02.360 his sight. When you want to know how God wants 00:46:02.360 --> 00:46:05.849 to do it, You want to understand how the miracle 00:46:05.849 --> 00:46:08.070 will happen. You want to understand the technicalities 00:46:08.070 --> 00:46:11.530 of how God wants to move. I don't want to move 00:46:11.530 --> 00:46:15.969 God. Oh, God is the one moving. So when God gives 00:46:15.969 --> 00:46:18.989 us instruction, sometimes on the pulpit, sometimes 00:46:18.989 --> 00:46:23.429 through pastor, sometimes, you know, by conversing 00:46:23.429 --> 00:46:25.469 with people that God has blessed you with, instruction 00:46:25.469 --> 00:46:28.769 comes. Our sister was telling us, all right, 00:46:28.829 --> 00:46:32.550 instructions will come and instructions are coming. 00:46:33.779 --> 00:46:36.239 Right now. And if you will not live in obedience, 00:46:36.480 --> 00:46:39.320 don't expect to see. First of all, you are the 00:46:39.320 --> 00:46:43.940 first partaker of the greater works of God. Are 00:46:43.940 --> 00:46:46.239 we together? You are the first one that will 00:46:46.239 --> 00:46:50.119 experience the works of God. Of course, you've 00:46:50.119 --> 00:46:53.059 experienced it in salvation. Are we together? 00:46:53.719 --> 00:46:55.880 And it doesn't end there. You will continue to 00:46:55.880 --> 00:46:59.300 see the work of God in your life. Are we together? 00:47:00.019 --> 00:47:02.860 You will see it is in healing, in healing. He 00:47:02.860 --> 00:47:05.519 will be healed, alright? Do believers get sick? 00:47:05.820 --> 00:47:10.300 Yes. Do we receive healing? Yes. You see it in 00:47:10.300 --> 00:47:16.800 God intervening miraculously in your life. But 00:47:16.800 --> 00:47:18.840 the scripture will say, don't forsake the garden 00:47:18.840 --> 00:47:21.820 of the brethren. You refuse to go to serve. When 00:47:21.820 --> 00:47:23.960 your healing will be there to meet your need, 00:47:24.219 --> 00:47:28.400 you will not go. When you're living in disobedience, 00:47:28.400 --> 00:47:34.030 it's difficult for you to experience. It's the 00:47:34.030 --> 00:47:38.289 use of God. So I went and washed and I received 00:47:38.289 --> 00:47:41.250 my sight. Then they said to you, where is he? 00:47:41.590 --> 00:47:46.630 He said, I do not know. See, you don't need a 00:47:46.630 --> 00:47:48.750 depth of revelation to enjoy the power of God 00:47:48.750 --> 00:47:53.309 in your life. This man doesn't even know who 00:47:53.309 --> 00:47:55.969 Jesus is. You don't need a depth of revelation. 00:47:55.969 --> 00:47:59.590 You don't need Greek and Hebrew to not only enjoy 00:47:59.590 --> 00:48:01.230 the power of God, but even to walk in the power 00:48:01.230 --> 00:48:05.559 of God. You don't need depth of revelation to 00:48:05.559 --> 00:48:08.440 walk in power. What we need is obedience. The 00:48:08.440 --> 00:48:11.699 one you know. The one you know. The one you already 00:48:11.699 --> 00:48:16.559 know. Are you practicing it? The one you already 00:48:16.559 --> 00:48:19.679 know. This is how we're going to walk in letter 00:48:19.679 --> 00:48:23.360 walks. You don't even need to know the technicalities 00:48:23.360 --> 00:48:25.199 of how the miracle will happen. Maybe you have 00:48:25.199 --> 00:48:30.719 that on the signing letter. Alright? Obedience. 00:48:31.820 --> 00:48:35.380 The works of God will be manifested through your 00:48:35.380 --> 00:48:46.800 life. They brought him who formerly was blind 00:48:46.800 --> 00:48:49.800 to the Pharisee. You see them? They have a problem. 00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:51.940 And the problem they had was that Jesus healed 00:48:51.940 --> 00:48:55.440 on the Sabbath. Now, who is the Lord of the Sabbath? 00:48:57.019 --> 00:48:59.820 I want to give you some... Some pictures. Maybe 00:48:59.820 --> 00:49:02.920 we can go and make research. The blind, Sabbath, 00:49:03.300 --> 00:49:08.079 the pool. These are familiar things that as a 00:49:08.079 --> 00:49:09.840 Bible student, you know. What do we call them? 00:49:11.599 --> 00:49:15.980 They are... I'm forgetting the word. They are 00:49:15.980 --> 00:49:18.500 symbols, right? But it speaks of something very, 00:49:18.539 --> 00:49:24.920 very spiritual. Okay? The blind, the pool, the 00:49:24.920 --> 00:49:28.590 Sabbath, Jesus. I will use the word, violating 00:49:28.590 --> 00:49:31.269 the Sabbath rule, because he's the Lord of the 00:49:31.269 --> 00:49:36.969 Sabbath. Okay? So, they brought him to who? They 00:49:36.969 --> 00:49:39.989 brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. 00:49:40.210 --> 00:49:44.269 Now it was Sambath when Jesus made the clay and 00:49:44.269 --> 00:49:48.710 opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked 00:49:48.710 --> 00:49:53.949 him again how he had received his sight. He said 00:49:53.949 --> 00:49:56.909 to them, He put clay on my eyes and I wash and 00:49:56.909 --> 00:50:04.389 I sing. Simple. He put clay on my eyes and I 00:50:04.389 --> 00:50:09.469 washed and I sing. Therefore, some of the Pharisees 00:50:09.469 --> 00:50:12.230 said, this man is not from God because he does 00:50:12.230 --> 00:50:15.489 not keep the Sabbath. Others said, how can a 00:50:15.489 --> 00:50:19.070 man who is a sinner do such signs? And there 00:50:19.070 --> 00:50:20.650 was a division among them, so they were debating. 00:50:22.219 --> 00:50:24.340 This man is all from God because he did not keep 00:50:24.340 --> 00:50:27.639 the Sabbath. Then I said, okay, if he's all from 00:50:27.639 --> 00:50:34.340 God, how did he do this sign? So, there's a problem 00:50:34.340 --> 00:50:38.179 here. Alright? With them, not with us, obviously. 00:50:42.139 --> 00:50:45.139 Verse 17. They said to the blind man, what do 00:50:45.139 --> 00:50:47.960 you say about him? Because you open your eyes? 00:50:48.880 --> 00:50:54.179 He said, he is a prophet. Now, I want you to 00:50:54.179 --> 00:50:56.079 understand how we are progressing just by reading. 00:50:56.960 --> 00:50:58.940 What was the reason of the opening of the eyes 00:50:58.940 --> 00:51:01.780 of the blind? This is the reason, not just for 00:51:01.780 --> 00:51:06.460 show. Listen, there's no miracle Jesus said that 00:51:06.460 --> 00:51:10.559 was just for miracle's sake. Every miracle has 00:51:10.559 --> 00:51:14.420 a message. And the message points to his identity. 00:51:16.360 --> 00:51:21.469 Revealed in what was done. Are we together? Now, 00:51:21.570 --> 00:51:24.889 this man realized that he is a prophet, right? 00:51:25.110 --> 00:51:29.670 So he can underline prophet. Because they were 00:51:29.670 --> 00:51:31.969 probing, ah, something is wrong here. He is a 00:51:31.969 --> 00:51:34.210 prophet. But the Jews do not believe concerning 00:51:34.210 --> 00:51:37.090 him that he had been blind and received his sight 00:51:37.090 --> 00:51:41.409 until they called his parents, the parents of 00:51:41.409 --> 00:51:44.670 him who had received his sight. So Saul was blind. 00:51:44.769 --> 00:51:47.070 He told you, I see. He don't believe that he 00:51:47.070 --> 00:51:51.440 saw. They called his parents. And they asked 00:51:51.440 --> 00:51:55.260 them saying, is this your son who say he was 00:51:55.260 --> 00:52:01.340 born blind? How then does he now see? His parents 00:52:01.340 --> 00:52:04.840 answered to them and said, we know that this 00:52:04.840 --> 00:52:07.699 is our son. Of course, they cannot say they don't 00:52:07.699 --> 00:52:12.059 know this is their son. But by what means he 00:52:12.059 --> 00:52:15.780 now sees, we have no idea. We do not know. Or 00:52:15.780 --> 00:52:20.599 who opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of 00:52:20.599 --> 00:52:23.659 age. That means he is mature enough to answer 00:52:23.659 --> 00:52:27.119 for himself. Ask him. He will speak for himself. 00:52:28.699 --> 00:52:31.719 His parents said this thing. Why? Because they 00:52:31.719 --> 00:52:34.699 feared the Jews. For because they feared the 00:52:34.699 --> 00:52:37.239 Jews. For the Jews had agreed already that if 00:52:37.239 --> 00:52:40.559 anyone confessed that he was Christ, if anyone 00:52:40.559 --> 00:52:43.440 confessed that Jesus was the Christ, he would 00:52:43.440 --> 00:52:48.760 be excommunicated from the church. Alright? Therefore 00:52:48.760 --> 00:52:54.079 his parents said, He is of age. Ask him. So they 00:52:54.079 --> 00:52:57.000 called the man who was blind again and said to 00:52:57.000 --> 00:53:01.699 him, Give glory to God. We know that this man 00:53:01.699 --> 00:53:04.420 is a sinner. Which man are they saying is a sinner? 00:53:04.619 --> 00:53:09.199 Jesus is a sinner. Then the man answered, The 00:53:09.199 --> 00:53:11.300 man is smart. The blind man is smart. He answered 00:53:11.300 --> 00:53:17.039 and said, Whether he is a sinner or not, I do 00:53:17.039 --> 00:53:21.699 not know. But one thing I know, that I was blind 00:53:21.699 --> 00:53:28.619 and now I see. Can your testimony be denied? 00:53:30.179 --> 00:53:34.519 Were you blind? Yes. Can you see? Yes. So your 00:53:34.519 --> 00:53:38.980 opinion about who did it doesn't matter. Hallelujah. 00:53:40.980 --> 00:53:43.380 Then I said to him again, what did he do to you? 00:53:44.119 --> 00:53:48.340 How did he open your eyes? He answered them, 00:53:48.400 --> 00:53:52.199 I told you already. And he did not listen. Why 00:53:52.199 --> 00:53:54.440 do you want to hear it again? Do you want to 00:53:54.440 --> 00:54:01.800 become his disciples? He was poking them in their 00:54:01.800 --> 00:54:06.800 hearts. And they reviled him and said, you are 00:54:06.800 --> 00:54:10.059 his disciple. But we are Moses' disciples. We 00:54:10.059 --> 00:54:15.039 are coming to talk. I was just laughing because 00:54:15.039 --> 00:54:18.469 I know that this way we are going to study. You 00:54:18.469 --> 00:54:20.710 see, they were saying that they were disciples 00:54:20.710 --> 00:54:24.090 of Moses. If they were truly disciples of Moses, 00:54:24.329 --> 00:54:27.130 they would have known who Jesus is. If they were 00:54:27.130 --> 00:54:29.570 truly following Moses, they would know who Jesus 00:54:29.570 --> 00:54:33.030 is. For Moses did what? He wrote about Jesus. 00:54:33.769 --> 00:54:37.010 Moses wrote all the teachings of Moses. The ministry 00:54:37.010 --> 00:54:41.110 of Moses was about Jesus, isn't it? Then they 00:54:41.110 --> 00:54:43.349 reviled and said to him, you are his disciple, 00:54:43.530 --> 00:54:48.360 but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God 00:54:48.360 --> 00:54:51.920 spoke to Moses. As for this fellow, we do not 00:54:51.920 --> 00:54:55.039 know where he is from. The man answered, look 00:54:55.039 --> 00:54:57.880 at his answer in verse 30. To them, why is it? 00:54:58.440 --> 00:55:01.019 Why? This is a marvelous thing that you do not 00:55:01.019 --> 00:55:05.019 know where he is from. Yet he opened my eyes. 00:55:06.739 --> 00:55:12.380 Now we know that God does not hear sinners. By 00:55:12.380 --> 00:55:16.610 the antichrist, God does not hear sinners. But 00:55:16.610 --> 00:55:20.449 if anyone is a worshipper of God and does his 00:55:20.449 --> 00:55:26.030 will, he is him. So this man is now schooling 00:55:26.030 --> 00:55:32.829 them. By his experience of the goodness of God, 00:55:32.969 --> 00:55:37.849 he was better positioned to be a testifier of 00:55:37.849 --> 00:55:40.730 who God is. And if you have experienced the goodness 00:55:40.730 --> 00:55:45.000 of God, you become equipped. empowered to speak 00:55:45.000 --> 00:55:52.719 more about who Jesus is. Hallelujah. So, verse 00:55:52.719 --> 00:55:55.760 31, right? Now we know that God does not hear 00:55:55.760 --> 00:55:58.139 sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God 00:55:58.139 --> 00:56:02.980 and does his will, he hears him. Since the world 00:56:02.980 --> 00:56:05.900 began, it has been unheard. That is him speaking 00:56:05.900 --> 00:56:08.920 up to now. Or that anyone opened the eyes of 00:56:08.920 --> 00:56:13.559 one who was born blind. Okay? If this man were 00:56:13.559 --> 00:56:18.179 not from God, he could do nothing. So first of 00:56:18.179 --> 00:56:22.039 all, this man in his Bible study to these Pharisees, 00:56:22.139 --> 00:56:26.159 he told them that Jesus is a prophet. He told 00:56:26.159 --> 00:56:30.619 them that he is from God. That's a team, if you 00:56:30.619 --> 00:56:34.639 look at it clearly. He has painted to them the 00:56:34.639 --> 00:56:38.380 identity of who the Messiah is. Even without 00:56:38.380 --> 00:56:42.760 going to theological seminary like them. Okay. 00:56:45.579 --> 00:56:49.519 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 00:56:49.980 --> 00:56:53.780 They answered and said to him, you were completely 00:56:53.780 --> 00:56:59.159 born in sins and you are teaching us and they 00:56:59.159 --> 00:57:03.559 excommunicated him. So they are now saying that 00:57:03.559 --> 00:57:07.960 this man, you were born in sin and you are now 00:57:07.960 --> 00:57:14.010 the one to teach us. How dare you? So they excommunicated 00:57:14.010 --> 00:57:19.210 him. So Jesus heard that they had cast him out 00:57:19.210 --> 00:57:22.969 of the church. All right. And when he had found 00:57:22.969 --> 00:57:25.110 him, he said to him, do you, now listen to this. 00:57:26.110 --> 00:57:30.989 Do you believe in the son of God? He answered, 00:57:31.210 --> 00:57:36.530 who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? Imagine 00:57:36.530 --> 00:57:41.869 all the things he said. And see, he doesn't even 00:57:41.869 --> 00:57:46.909 know. who Jesus is. He answered and said to him, 00:57:46.989 --> 00:57:50.090 Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him? And 00:57:50.090 --> 00:57:52.889 Jesus said to him, You have both seen him, and 00:57:52.889 --> 00:57:56.289 it is he who is talking to you. Then he said, 00:57:56.510 --> 00:58:04.110 Lord, I believe. Lord, I believe. And what did 00:58:04.110 --> 00:58:09.389 he do? He worshipped him. And Jesus said, For 00:58:09.389 --> 00:58:12.289 judgment I have come to this world, That those 00:58:12.289 --> 00:58:16.469 who do not see, does that summarize a miracle? 00:58:17.429 --> 00:58:20.889 Huh? Does that summarize a miracle? For judgment, 00:58:21.050 --> 00:58:24.070 I have come into this world that those who do 00:58:24.070 --> 00:58:26.989 not see may see. Is it physical seeing or spiritual 00:58:26.989 --> 00:58:29.690 seeing? It's something spiritual. All right? 00:58:30.309 --> 00:58:34.050 And those who see may be made blind. Who are 00:58:34.050 --> 00:58:36.630 those who see and are made blind? The Pharisees. 00:58:37.150 --> 00:58:40.349 They refuse to believe. All right? Then some 00:58:40.349 --> 00:58:42.530 of the Pharisees who were with him had these 00:58:42.530 --> 00:58:46.989 words and said to him, Are we blind also? Jesus 00:58:46.989 --> 00:58:49.530 said to them, If you were blind, you would have 00:58:49.530 --> 00:58:54.809 no sin. But now you say, we see. Therefore, your 00:58:54.809 --> 00:58:57.349 sins remain. So technically, Jesus told them 00:58:57.349 --> 00:59:01.530 that you guys are blind. Hallelujah. So we see 00:59:01.530 --> 00:59:04.269 that the miracle Jesus did, the works he did, 00:59:04.409 --> 00:59:10.989 speaks of who he is. Speaks of who he is. And 00:59:10.989 --> 00:59:15.809 when we do the works of Christ, work in these 00:59:15.809 --> 00:59:18.110 dimensions, we reveal the identity of who God 00:59:18.110 --> 00:59:22.409 is. We reveal God as who he is and what he's 00:59:22.409 --> 00:59:25.670 doing. Hallelujah. I just want to stop here. 00:59:25.710 --> 00:59:27.489 There's more to talk about. I just want to stop 00:59:27.489 --> 00:59:32.429 here and thank God for what God is planning to 00:59:32.429 --> 00:59:37.730 do in our lives, first of all. What God is planning 00:59:37.730 --> 00:59:42.369 to do in our lives. We appreciate you being here 00:59:42.369 --> 00:59:45.449 today. We hope you carry this word with you throughout 00:59:45.449 --> 00:59:48.349 your week. Don't forget to check the show notes 00:59:48.349 --> 00:59:51.090 for additional insights. Stay connected with 00:59:51.090 --> 00:59:53.789 us through our website or follow us on social 00:59:53.789 --> 00:59:57.449 media. If you are encouraged, share this message 00:59:57.449 --> 01:00:00.469 with someone you care about. Until next time, 01:00:00.510 --> 01:00:01.449 stay blessed.