The miracles of Christ Jesus

What Is A Miracle

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Jesus Used the Power of a King
Book of Matthew Chapter 8

The definition of power is “the ability to perform under one’s own authority any task”.
In the case of the Lord Jesus Christ we would say Supernatural Power!
The ability to perform supernatural tasks under His own authority!

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Jesus not only has “power”, but His power includes authority and ability!
We would never wish an ignorant, impatient, unmerciful man to possess such power and no man on this earth does possess such power, though some would have you to believe that they do.
All man-made power comes from God, good or bad. God provides the good and God may allow some bad if it fulfills His purpose!

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

We could say that Jesus shows us only a small portion of the power He possesses!
We can just open our eyes such as this season of Spring and see death come back to life and realize we have a God of life.
We sometimes forget His power of creation.
In fact we sometimes allow His power to save a soul, but forget His power to keep a soul saved when the same Scriptures say Jesus has “all” power on Earth and in Heaven!
Let us see what Jesus has to say:

*Mat 8:1 When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.
Mat 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

We should ask ourselves, just what is a miracle?
A miracle is a wondrous work of God that can be seen with our own eyes that takes place in this world.
There are no miracles that do not involve the work of our Omnipotent, all Powerful, God!
I repeat myself, there are “no miracles” that happen in this world that do not involve the hand of God.

Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

No human can be the cause of a true miracle!
Man does not have the ability to change this world, only God has that power, and that God is Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Not Allah, not Buddha, not any false deity!
We must not forget we live in a cursed world!
Only Jesus has the power to change this world or make changes to this world!
It is His world!

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

It would be better to ask ourselves, who can limit the power of God?
On the day of the Sermon on the Mount, a light came on in the mind of this leper.
This leper knew that to be healed of his leprosy all Jesus had to do was to just do it.
Do not let the doctor fool you, he or she cannot heal you, they can be used of God as an instrument of healing, but all healing comes by the will of God, just as this leper found to be true.
Medicines do not heal they are just tools of our Savior when they are prepared according to His will. We should realize that all medicines that work are made from some part of God’s creation.
On this day, all Jesus did was touch this leper and this is all any of us need, a touch from on High.

*Mat 8:3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Again we see the compassion of the Lord Jesus, but we also see amazing faith of a believer.
We begin to see where “faith is the key” to the workings of our Savior and our God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

If we believe in “typology teaching” and we should, we can also see that leprosy in the Bible is a type of moral corruption.
Immorality will lead to the destruction of the body even more than leprosy!
The Lord Jesus Christ can take away our sin just as easy as He healed this leper of His leprosy!
In the time of these lepers, they lived a life where no one would touch them for fear of catching that disease.
Many have found out, that we as humans need a touch from those we care about and who care for us.
The leper who ventured out in public in the days of Jesus, had to walk pronouncing that they were unclean.
They would say, “unclean, unclean”, and crowds would move to allow them to pass through.

Lev 13:45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
Lev 13:46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

The leper was treated as dead while he lived.
It is the exact same for each sinner who has not ask the Lord to come into his heart.
We are all the walking dead until, we accept Jesus Christ!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus immediately reached out to touch this leper to show him His great love, and immediately his leprosy was healed.
Jesus is the only one who can heal leprosy just as through Jesus is the only way sin can be forgiven!
Jesus did not like to broadcast to the world the truth of His miracles.
The message of Jesus is “Grace by Faith”!

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

*Mat 8:4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

We should clearly understand that the Lord Jesus Christ did not want a multitude of people coming to Him just to see some miracle.
The Lord Jesus Christ came to this earth with a plan of salvation. The same for the Jews and the Gentiles.

Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Mat 12:19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
Mat 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
Mat 12:21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

The laws of Moses were still in effect for the Jewish people and this leper needed to go to the priests.
Without the official verdict of the priests, this leper could still not return to communal privileges.
They still had to offer up the designated sacrifice to Jehovah.

Lev 14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
Lev 14:10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.
Lev 14:11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:

These laws still existed in the time of Jesus and they still do to practicing Jews today the exception being, they have no Temple nor Tabernacle to practice their religion that still cannot save.
Again Jesus shows His compassion and a healing based upon faith.

*Mat 8:5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
Mat 8:6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
Mat 8:7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

Capernaum was at this time, was the base of operations for the Lord and His disciples.
As Jesus was returning, He is met by a Roman officer. A Centurion would be in charge of 100 Roman soldiers.
Beseeching is not begging, but we could say he was pleading with Jesus and he got the attention of Jesus with the words that he spoke.
He was pleading for a servant. We do not know if this servant was a Jew or Gentile, and it did not matter.
Now palsy is known as paralysis, and no doubt the life of this servant was in jeopardy or could have been.
The pain comes from the uncontrolled contraction of muscles.
Leprosy and paralysis could not be cured by the medical professions of that day and not even today.
We see where this Roman officer had compassion for someone, who most Romans would consider a nobody.
Capernaum was in fact a military town and just like today cities near military bases are full of sinful attractions.
Notice what Jesus said. He did not say He would come and take a look at this man.
Jesus said: “I will come and heal him”.
You know, it did not matter how close to death this servant was, Jesus was intending to heal him!
When this Roman showed the same compassion, then the Lord Jesus also showed compassion which is a trait of believers and Jesus told the man He would come and heal his servant but then something astounding happened.
A sign of faith that even the Jews did not show.

*Mat 8:8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
Mat 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Many will teach you that the Gospels are all about the Jews, yet here we see Jesus with a Roman officer and Jesus treats him as He treats all people.

Act 10:35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
Act 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

The world has never gotten this one right. The world picks and chooses who they will deal with and all the others are left out.
The Roman officer humble himself before the Lord Jesus who he had never met, but knew only by reputation.

Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Here is a Gentile who had come to believe in the Jewish Messiah something these Jews had not done themselves.
We have already said it is faith that gets the attention of our Savior. Without faith we cannot please Him at all.
This Roman soldier recognized the power of God in this man called Jesus.
The truth is, no matter where we come from in this life, we are all unworthy to come before the Lord!
As a military man myself I understood the chain of command.
With the Lord Jesus Christ there is no chain of command!
When that veil in the Temple rent into two pieces the doorway to the throne of God was opened to whosoever would come to the Lord, who humbled themselves and were full of faith.
We next understand that this Roman soldier did all these things in the presence of the Lord and he did not do it for himself but for a lowly servant.
We can see the typology in this if we pay attention.
Jesus spoke to those who were present who were Jews.

*Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

We now see Jesus the Messiah as the Prophet.
He prophesies of the revival of the Gentile nations. The Church Age that we are now in.
We know that the Jews at this time felt that Jehovah was God of the Jews only, but the Messiah, God in the flesh, had a different message.
We are in the midst of the Church Age today, well in fact near the end of the Church Age.

The last Church Age is described this way:

Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

It is evident that these things are true today of the modern church who have booted Jesus out of the Church.
Say what we will but the modern Church does not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ which are commandments!

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

It is about time for the Church Age to end and it will end with a Banquet in Heaven when the Lord Jesus brings His Church home.
All those who will miss out on the marriage supper of the Lamb, will be left in this outer darkness. “Outside the banquet hall”

*Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This is what is called the “Judgment of God”.
The Lord Jesus is upfront claiming He will reject all those to lack the faith that this Roman soldier had!
The “Judgment” on unbelievers will be terrible!
Here Hell is described as an “outer darkness”. A home of pitch blackness. A place without any light at all but still a place of torment.
Terrible weeping with the striking of teeth together in rage but also in anguish.
Who would want to go to this place, but this is where all those who reject the Lord Jesus and His Power to forgive sin but it is He who can also takes away that sin by forgiveness?
The greatest enemy of the Church today is all those who claim the Lord Jesus Christ, but who also want to hold onto their sin saying it is God who made them the way they are in sinful lifestyles.
You will not be able to find this line of thought in the Bible or at least in a true Bible.
Today there is a Bible for every belief when in fact there is only One Word of God.

Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

If your faith tells you that God made you the way you are, then your faith is meaningless because God said we must be Born Again into a new life according to the works of Jesus Christ who had “no sin”.
To be a Christian still means to be “Like Christ”.

Jesus told this Roman to go on home and he would find his servant to be healed.

*Mat 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Notice the “as thou hast believed”.
Did you notice that Jesus did not need to be in the presence of this man with the palsy to heal him?
No matter where the Lord is, He can heal us!
In reality we can say the Lord is everywhere all the time.
When Jesus has “all” power then this is what it means.
All these miracles the Lord did, do prove that He was the Messiah, but He did not do these things for that reason.
Jesus did these things because He is full of compassion for us!
Did Jesus heal everyone that He knew were in need? No
Did Jesus heal to prove He was the Messiah? No
It is not the action of miracles that prove that Jesus is the Christ.
It is the truth of the Scriptures that prove that Jesus is the Messiah!
We should also notice that Jesus approves greatly when we have interceded on the behalf of others, because this is what He has done for all of us.
We should be able to see what true “faith” can accomplish!
The more faith we have, the more we can receive of the Lord!

*Mat 8:14 And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.
Mat 8:15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

We now know that it was Peter who lived in Capernaum.
We now know that Peter was a married man. A married man could not be a Pope!
We now see that Jesus does heal without a request.
It is the traits of compassion, mercy, and love that bring forth the “Grace” of God!
Jesus came into this home of Peter to rest because the flesh side of the Lord was tired, but the God side of Jesus does not ever rest.
We see that this mother did not ask for anything, Jesus just saw her suffering.
At this time Jesus had chosen His 12 disciples, yet Peter being a disciple did not earn him special privileges for his family. His family still suffered the same afflictions that are in the world.
According to the Book of Mark, Jesus had just preached a sermon in a Jewish synagogue.
Synagogues could be called a satellite of the Temple because not everyone could make it to the Temple on the Sabbath.
We should remember the Sabbath’s Day journey which is less than a mile.
This mother n law was in a home. There was no crowd, no publicity, no recognition.
Just a mother who had been overcome with a fever and just a touch from the Master set her free and she arose to help feed her family.
This is what God loves to do, to minister to His children.
God’s power is unlimited but so is His mercy!

*Mat 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
Mat 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

After a meal and a little bit of rest, the whole city turned out to see the miracle man Jesus Christ.
The ultimate cause of all sickness is sin.
The ultimate cause of all the wickedness in this world is those who are possess with evil spirits.
Do not be fooled. If you do not have the Holy Spirit living within you, then you are possessed by an evil spirit!
The Lord Jesus Christ can meet the needs of a multitude just as easily as He does for one individual such as Peter’s mother n law.
One reason that Jesus did not want to broadcast his healing was so that people would want to see His miracles rather than listen to His message.

There is not one miracle that will save us from going to Hell even though saving a rebelleous sinner as I was from Hell could be seen as a miracle by those who knew me.
Not one miracle can save us from the wrath to come.
Not one miracle can deliver us from evil.

Faith in the works of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, is the only thing that can save us from the wrath to come and eternal damnation!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

The world needs Jesus.
This city of Capernaum needed Jesus, but they chose the wrong reason.
It is great to be healed from sickness.
It is great to no longer possess an evil spirit.
These things will not get you through Heaven’s gates.
Why did God pour Himself into this body of flesh called Jesus?

Luk 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

The Lord Jesus Christ had the power to heal everyone in this entire world. but this world has a greater need, and it is not miracles.
Whether we like it or not the Lord Jesus is returning to “JUDGE” this world and no amount, of miracles can keep us from this “JUDGMENT”!
By casting out devils, Jesus proved that Satan, the head Devil, had no power to stand against the Lord.
He is just a liar and a deceiver!
The one main reason the Lord Jesus healed so many during His days on earth was to fulfill prophecy.
Jesus had to make the written Word of God to be real or we would not be able to trust the Word of God.
People try to deny it, but the Lord Jesus made the Word of God come alive!

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

We do not have to understand all these things, we just have to accept it as the truth that it is!
The power of God is not to be mocked!

Act 10:36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)
Act 10:37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;
Act 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

The one thing that the world rejects is that all these things put together proved that this Jesus was truly the Messiah.
The world may call Him just a good man.
The world may call Him just a prophet.
Jesus is truly the Messiah.
I call Him Lord!
This world we live in cannot ever be fixed.
The Lord Jesus Christ will make all things new!

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
2Pe 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
2Pe 3:12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

We can be a part of this new world only by faith in the works of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!

When Jesus Passes By

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

One Thing I Know

Book of John Chapter 9

Over and over today we see a certain group of people bound together to hate anything and anyone who disagrees with their cherished view. In fact they will entice false witnesses in an attempt to prove the other side is wrong. Some even claim to be Christian, yet they stand against the Word of God so this cannot be true.

They stand against laws put in place by our founders that have seen this nation prosper for nearly 250 years.

They would take away every freedom of the citizens just to put forth a socialist agenda when if the truth is known most everyone of them do these things for money which still is the root behind all evil!

In our lesson today we see these same traits in the Pharisee and the hardline Jews in the day of the Lord Jesus upon this earth.

These people were so full of pride, they placed their own oral traditions ahead of the written Word of God that is preserved by the Holy Spirit.

We will see a blind man, blind from his birth.

We will see a people so afraid of excommunication from the Temple and their religion, they will seek peace with these Pharisee at almost any cost.

We will also see our Savior who is so Omnipotent, that when He put His plan of salvation together before He created anything, He also placed certain people into the future, so He could prove who He really is.

We will also see another miracle by the Lord whose power goes far beyond that of man.

We will also see the same two groups of people that exist today, the Believer and the Unbeliever.

*****Joh 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

This man, blind from his birth could only be a beggar to help support his mother and his father. Beggars would find their way near the entrance of the Temple gates in search of those who would show compassion.

Blindness from birth is a physical ailment that even today cannot be healed. Even blindness that is caused during a lifetime for many reasons cannot be healed even though great strides have been made in medicine.

We must also separate physical blindness from spiritual blindness which can be reversed in those who are “Born Again”!

The greatest thing we see is that when Jesus passes by, good things can happen!

Many things can be said about our Savior, but we should not miss the fact that Jesus was very bold, but He committed no sin in all His days on earth and we know that no sin is allowed in Heaven.

The disciples asked a serious question, but this question was based on Jewish beliefs and they had already witnessed Christ heal so many.

Was this man blind because of sin? Physically the answer is no but spiritually, we all have sin in our lives.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Many even today believe that all suffering in this life is linked to sin. If we remember Job, the Lord said Job was perfect in his ways, yet Job lost everything he had plus all his children at the same time in one long miserable day.

The truth is we live in a wicked world and Satan is the person behind all sin.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The Lord Jesus came to break this bondage and set us free and we will certainly see this once blind man, go free. Just ask him and he will tell you. “Once I was blind but now I see”.

So how did Jesus respond to this question?

*****Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Neither had this man’s sin caused his blindness nor the sin of his parents cause this blindness. It was not so much the will of God that this man was born blind as it was for this blind man to appear before Jesus on this particular day in this particular place!

What were the works of God demonstrated to this man?

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Eph 5:9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
Eph 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

We see it was not just the healing of this man’s blindness it was the works of God which we all share if Jesus Christ as our Savior.

This once blind man now had the opportunity to show forth these works of God in his own life and this is what God ask us all to do once we are saved from a devil’s hell.

Jesus Christ came to this earth to die because He would obey His Father in everything that He asked of Him!

*****Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

We must remember Jesus Christ came to this world to save sinners. This was His Father’s mission. Jesus was the one sent from Heaven to do the work His Father had given Him to do. Nothing else He did was nearly as important as this one thing!

Jesus could have healed everyone He came in contact with and this would never have been enough to save this world!

Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Even today we have a work after salvation and it is to tell as many as we can about the work that Jesus did so that they to, can be saved.

As Christians we are tied to the work that Jesus has given us to do with Him!

This work involves a delivering from darkness, in fact from the power of darkness which is of the devil.

Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

Individually we only have the time from our own salvation till the day we die to do this work.

We should remember that for every sinner that is saved this world becomes a little brighter, but the truth is that as every Christian goes on to be with the Lord this world becomes a little darker.

The Bible says: 2Ti_3:13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

In other words our world is becoming darker every day. There are more who are going home to be with the Lord than there are new “Born Again” Christians each and every day!

This blame goes to the apostate church who no longer reaches out into this wicked world!

In other words Jesus is coming soon!

1Co 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;
1Co 7:30 And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;
1Co 7:31 And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.

We should understand that Christianity is a set of godly principles not a set of laws. It is how we apply these principles to our own life and reach out to others, so they can get the opportunity to choose that makes us Christians.

We are not bound by laws because we are bound by “Grace”!

Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Jesus Christ was the Light of this world when He was in it! It is now the Church that is to be the light of the world and the light of the church is growing dimmer!

All those who choose to come out of this darkness can only do so thru Jesus Christ for it is Jesus Christ who is the power behind the Church through the Holy Spirit!

And again Jesus displays the power of God.

*****Joh 9:6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
Joh 9:7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

If we remember the woman at the well. We know that it was no accident that Jesus just happened to stop at that well that day. It is the same on this day with this blind man. It was no accident that Jesus just happened to see him this day.

On this day Jesus would prove that He was truly the Light of this world by giving sight to someone, who never had sight, who had spent all His years in darkness.

We know that Jesus is not afraid to lay His hands on anyone even the diseased!

Jesus could have very easily have just spoken and the sight of this man could have been restored but Jesus chose a different method on this occasion.

What we can believe is that Jesus created a remedy to heal this man of blindness.

What is “faith?

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

By using the spittle and the mud that came from it and by following the exact directions given to him by Jesus, Jesus offered this man a chance to have “Faith” and then that same “Faith” to grow.

You see, we not just to believe on Jesus with all our heart, but we are to believe on the work Jesus did for our salvation.

You see if this man had just gone home to wash he would have remained blind!

It is really not so important to have physical sight as it is to have “Spiritual Sight”!

When we believe and obey the things of the Lord, it is only then that we can get the blessings!

Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

We should understand that God has His ways of doing things and our job is to obey, knowing that whatever God does is the right thing for Him to do at that time!

Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid!

God has every right to dictate to us the terms of His righteousness!

God says He will have mercy on whosoever He will have mercy on and this is His choice!

God also says He will have compassion on whoever He decides to have compassion on.

Our faith must be centered on the fact that God will never be unrighteous in His decisions. God will always do the right thing.

Now we may not understand why God does certain things, but God does not owe us an explanation for the things He has done.

God has given us all the information that we need in His Written Word, but God also has given us the opportunity to come to Him face to face and discuss these things with Him in our prayers.

If God cannot be swayed by prayer, then He would never have given us the opportunity to pray.

God will never change anything that goes against His Written Word but the things that do not affect His Word, do not change His plans, and do not go against His Will are things He is willing to discuss, if we have enough “Faith”!

If the Lord is willing to pray for our success, then He certainly is willing to give us things to meet our needs and many things we have ask for!

It seems like everything that Jesus did was known by the Pharisees and the hard line, Jews in very little time.

Today we would say that someone was stalking the Lord at all times.

*****Joh 9:14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
Joh 9:15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.

At this time these hardline Jews did not know for sure that Jesus was involved but we had better believe that they were pretty certain that He was.

No one had a cure for blindness at that time and neither do they even in our day! This was a miracle that could not be denied!

This man was blind, and He could not have described Jesus, at least His physical features.

According to the law of the Pharisees, not the Law of God it was a violation of the Law to cause this man to see on the Sabbath.

We can certainly see just how ridiculous this was.

All this man knew was that some man had put clay in his eyes and when he washed at Siloam, he had also washed away his blindness.

This man was full of joy that he could see. and these Pharisees wanted to dampen his joy and change it into breaking the law which deserved stoning, but the fact is this man had only taken a bath and rejoicing did not break any law.

We may never know how many Jews were stoned to death for breaking Jewish traditions that were actually against the commandments of God.

The truth is that the works of God cannot be matched by mankind!

Act 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
Act 5:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Again this man that was once blind had not seen the Savior and in reality, the faith that he had was not saving faith at this time.

*****Joh 9:16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
Joh 9:17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

Notice it was not that Jesus did not keep the Sabbath, Jesus did not keep those traditions passed down from generation to generation from the time these Jews had returned from Babylon.

Traditions are not the same as the laws of God and we know that Jesus was free from all sin.

Traditions are the same as adding to the Word of God which is sin in itself.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

These men were not divided by traditions they were divided by the truth!

In that day, to be named a prophet was the highest office that a man could hold. A prophet was still considered to be a voice from God!

Even in this great honor Jesus was still considered to be no more than a man.

These Pharisees just said that no miracle had occurred because this man could not have been blind.

*****Joh 9:18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.

We should understand that every Jew that studied the Scriptures would know that restoring sight to the people would be a sign of the Messiah.

Not only physical blindness but spiritual blindness.

Isa 29:18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
Isa 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

These people could see Jesus as a lot of things but until they saw Him as their Savior then they did not really know Him!

This has not changed today.

We should understand that all those who put any faith in Jesus as the Messiah were ex-communicated from Judaism and in most cases, they would lose their job and any source of income.

So when these parents were questioned they confessed that this was their son and that he had been blind from his birth, but they were not willing to say much more than this.

Their son was more than 30 years old, so he could speak for himself

*****Joh 9:24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.

Since these Jews could no longer doubt the blindness of this young man they then decided to put an end to his testimony.

We certainly need to give God the praise every day that He allows us to live but until we recognize that Jesus, the Son of God is God then our praise falls far short for everything that is not of God is of the devil.

So our question that we need to answer is, “just who is my God”?

It is Jesus Christ who is God of the Bible and He is certainly no sinner!

Most Jews have never progressed any further than this today. They reject the Lord Jesus Christ as God along with most of our world.

This man who was once blind had only one answer for them.

*****Joh 9:25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

We could say a lot more of these Pharisees and we will, but we must also admit that God will test us and many times this test will come right after we have been given a great blessing.

When we do not give God the credit for the good things in our life, we will certainly blame Him for the bad things which are of Satan!

God will test our faith from time to time!

When asked we must never be ashamed of our Lord.

Mar_8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

We should have enough “faith” that we do not deny the truth of our salvation nor the truth of the Scriptures.

If we have a personal experience with the Lord, we will know it, and this is our testimony!

When we are questioned by high authorities God will cause the Holy Spirit to give us the answers!

Luk 12:11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:
Luk 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

God will never leave us especially in our most difficult times!

We should also consider that almost a whole chapter is taken up with is one miracle, so it would be good if we spent some time studying these words and the Lord’s intent.

Have you ever noticed that those who insist that they always know everything in most cases know less than we do?

This is because we have the Holy Spirit living within us and He does know everything!

We should also notice that we are never given the name of this man because names are not as important to God as is the soul!

We may never know all we want to know about our Savior until we get to Heaven but the “One Thing” can know is, that we have been touched by the Lord Jesus Christ and we are saved from a sinners Hell!

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

As the questions kept coming to this man, he actually became bolder.

To open the eyes of some one, who was blind is a true miracle even in our day!

*****Joh 9:32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
Joh 9:33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.

Sometimes we over look, the wisdom of those who have faced great trials in their life.

There is no one even today who can heal blinded eyes of such a man as this one, though much progress has been made. No one but Jesus and those Apostles He gave some power to, could do the things that only God can do.

Miracles such as these died out with the Apostles. This does not mean that God is not still in the healing business because He still does these things every day. They just go unnoticed or some foolish man will take the credit for what God has done.

Even more than these miracles this man also received “Spiritual Sight”.

It is only the Word of God that can cause light to shine where darkness once ruled.

Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

We need to have good preachers to teach us the Word of God, but the fact remains that most souls are led to the Lord by the preaching of the Gospel.

We must understand that no eye is ever opened to see Jesus, except by Jesus!

Until we clearly see Jesus we will wander aimlessly in this world!

This man that was once blind could now clearly see the opposition to Jesus who was certainly of God!

This man knew that Jesus was not a liar.
This man knew that Jesus was not a deceiver.
This man knew that Jesus was not an evil man.
This man knew that Jesus was exactly who He said He was!

This man knew these things and he had not yet seen Jesus face to face!

*****Joh 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
Joh 9:36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

We must understand that Jesus wants a close personal relationship with each of us.

We must not be fooled, Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible and Jesus will accept all those who are cast out and rejected by society!

It is also obvious that Jesus sought this man, so he could clearly understand what had happened to him.

Act 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is!

*****Joh 9:37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
Joh 9:38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him

It is not so important to know who we are or what we do for a living, as it is important to know who Jesus the Messiah is and what He has done for us!

We must also understand that is more important to know why we love Jesus, than just to say we believe.

If we cannot believe all the promises of God, then how can we say we believe His Son!

The very moment we realize these things is the very moment we should ask the Lord to move into our heart. It must not be put off!

Without these things our worship is fruitless!

As this man was cast out of the Temple, we must cast out all our vain hopes.
We must cast off our carnal thoughts.
We must submit to the will of God!

Jesus does not have to be in front of us for us to talk to Him!

We must understand that the only foundation of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ!

1Pe 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
1Pe 2:8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

How are we saved? When we give ourselves into the hands of God the Father, fully dependent upon for all His things!

We can only do this through and by His Son and His Son is Jesus!

Jesus will never return to claim those who have rejected Him in the Church Age. Jesus has already paid the price for everyone who has ever lived!

Heb_10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

If the Holy Spirit lives within us:

1) We will remember the means of our “Faith”.
2) We will highly esteem Jesus Christ.
3) We will have the Holy Spirit within our souls.
4) We will enjoy the peace and comfort of the Lord.
5) We will be filled with the love of God for the Church.
6) We will be subject to the authority of Christ Jesus, the Son of God.

If we love the Lord and though He already knows those who love Him, we must still tell Him that we love Him!

Amen

Let’s Pray!