Kingdom Exploits: Jesus heals the man born blind
There was a Father who was spending the morning with his young daughter. He thought to himself, ‘what can I do to occupy her?’ He had a picture of a map of the world, so he cut it into small pieces and gave it to her as a jigsaw puzzle, hoping that it would occupy her for a while. However, he was surprised 5 minutes later when his daughter came and told him she had finished the jigsaw. He asked her how she had completed it so quickly. She said, ‘oh it was easy. When you were cutting up the map, I looked on the other side and I saw a picture of a man and woman. So, I knew that if I could put the man and the woman back together again, I could put the world back together again.’
The heart of the human problem, is the problem of the human heart.[1]
We have broken relationships with each other and with God. Kingdom Exploits matter because there is a broken world which needs to know that the love of Christ can transform them and piece them back together again.
In John 9, we read the story of a man born blind. He encounters Jesus and receives both a physical transformation and a spiritual awakening (John 9:7, John 9:38). There are 4 things we can learn from this passage about Kingdom Exploits.
1) Kingdom Exploits produce transformation (John 9:7).
When we encounter Jesus, He transforms us so that we are not who we used to be. Kingdom Exploits make what is impossible with humans, possible for God (Luke 18:27).
The blind man would have been able to see things and do things which he could not before.
We emerge out of darkness into the light of Christ.
2) Kingdom Exploits reveal God’s glory (John 9:3).
Jesus’ disciples are convinced that someone must have sinned in order for this man to have been born blind. Jesus takes the shame away from this man’s illness, and He says, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned… but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.’
What if the purpose of your greatest challenge in life was to bring God glory?
God reveals healing and hope in the midst of suffering.
3) Kingdom Exploits require obedience (John 9:7).
Jesus gave the blind man an instruction: ‘“Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So, the man went and washed, and came home seeing.’
Jesus required this man to take action. Jesus did the work- but He also required obedience from the man.
What could be on the other side of your obedience to Jesus?
4) Kingdom Exploits require testimony (John 9:25).
The blind man’s testimony of Jesus is this: ‘Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!’
He doesn’t focus on what he doesn’t know, he focuses on what he does know.
What’s your testimony?
Your testimony holds power because it is the story of God’s transformative love in your life.
Don’t focus on what you don’t know, focus on what you do know about the character of God.
God is good, He is faithful, He is strong, He is powerful, He is kind, He can heal, He can provide.
He wants to do mighty things in you and through you, so that His works may be revealed to the world around you.
- Taken from Susie Raybould’s message
Next Steps:
- Pray about who you can share your testimony with this week.
- Go out and share the gospels of John, inviting people to encounter Jesus for themselves.
- Catch up with the service here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL7GP0Mx-p0