Genesis 3:2–3 (ESV) —2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

It is always dangerous to alter God’s Word, either by addition (as do modern cultists) or by deletion (as do modern liberals).

Genesis 3:4–5 (ESV) —4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

• Having led Eve first to question God’s authority and goodness and then both to augment and dilute His Word, Satan now was ready for the “kill.”

Resist the devil by maintaining faith in God’s Word.

Ephesians 6:16 (ESV) —16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

The First Human Sin

The next few verses are among the most important in the Bible, recording the great tragedy of man’s fall.

• Romans 5:12 (ESV) —12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
• 1 Corinthians 15:22 (ESV) —22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

No descendant of Adam has ever lived to an age of conscious awareness of right and wrong without actually choosing wrong.

Genesis 3:6 (ESV) —6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

The tree was:

• (1) “good for food” (that is, something appealing to the physical, bodily appetites);
• (2) “pleasant to the eyes” (that is, something appealing to the emotions—the esthetic senses);
• (3) “desired to make wise” (that is, appealing to the mind and spirit, and to one’s pride of knowledge and spiritual insight).

This threefold description is perfectly parallel to the outline of 1 John 2:16: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Genesis 3:7 (ESV) —7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

The serpent had promised that they would acquire wisdom and become as gods, knowing good and evil.

The result was that they suddenly desired to hide these from each other, and from God.

We can never COVER our sin. We can never escape God’s eye of judgment by anything that we ourselves can fashion or accomplish.

Genesis: Origins, Beginnings

In the Beginning (time), God (force), created (action),
the Heavens (space), and the Earth (matter).

A loving, eternal, all powerful, personal God
created us in His image for a purpose
OR
Nothing  X Nobody = EVERYTHING

The plain meaning of Genesis is unmistakable.

• Let the Bible determine your system of belief…
• Or bring your system of belief to the Bible and make the Bible fit it.

“The only proper way to interpret Genesis 1 is not to ‘interpret’ it at all. That is, we accept the fact that it was meant to say exactly what it says.” (Morris)

“Where the Bible makes plain sense,
seek no other sense,
lest you turn it into nonsense”.

The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. https://www.crossway.org/

The post Genesis Bible Study – Part 23 first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

Galatians 4:4–7 (NKJV)  4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

We are adopted into God’s family.

• Adoption is to take a child or minor into a new family legally
• It is primarily the process by which we either give a child a new family, or a family a new child.
• When you adopt someone into a family they become partakers of the full blessings, privileges and inheritance of that family
• But…. You can UNadopt someone right? An adopted child can renounce that adoption as an adult, right?
• In the same way, you can lose you salvation by renouncing your adoption in Christ, right?

Biblical/Roman Adoption

When Paul wrote Galatians and used this adoption example, he did not have to define and explain adoption. The original readers of the letter would have been 100% clear and educated on what this “adoption” was because it was very open, very common and very well known in that day.

The Adoption Pattern: as I read what adoption was THEN, picture in your mind all the ways that our Christian adoption into God’s family exactly parallels it.

In Roman times, the head of the family was both a manager of the family’s estate – a bookkeeper and a financial caretaker for the family’s fortune, and a priest, who basically ran the family religion.

It was a long drawn out, very official, very formal ceremony, like a wedding.
It was that public. It was that kind of celebration.

Four Adoption Results:

1. You had a new father. 
2. You were heir to his estate, the primary reason for this adoption.
3. All the adopted son’s previous debts and responsibility were wiped out.
4. He would have to be purchased with a high price, which is one of the reasons that poor families would make this overture of a son that was desired by a wealthy family.

UnAdoption

Roman law said, “A man cannot disown an adopted son,”.

• So once you were adopted, it was permanent. 
• Another clear statement by Paul about eternal security.

The adopted son is more secure in his inheritance than a born son.

A born son could be disowned, sold, adopted out, or even killed.

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

When God adopts us into His family:

• When you understand “adoption” in historical context it totally changes this simplistic idea of we were “poor lost children with no hope that God adopted into His family” leaving the door open to that adoption being undone or rejected possibly in the future.

With that in mind how much deeper and richer is Paul in Romans:

Romans 8:16; 22–23 (NKJV)  16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

• Adoption was for the purpose of inheritance.
• Adoption as sons in that Roman context is for the privilege, the right to have an everlasting inheritance that was permanent, complete and irrevocable
• This is exactly the message that Paul now conveys in Galatians about our adoption by God and inheritance in Christ.

1 Peter 1:3–9 (ESV) —3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The post The Adoption of the Believer by God first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

John 10:1–10  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

• Jesus is the True Shepherd and contrasts Himself to the False Shepherds
• Jesus is the The Door of the Sheep Fold
• Jesus the Shepherd cares for His Sheep and gives them abundant life.

The post Book of John – Message 46 John 10:1-11 first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

John 10:11 ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd.”

Titles tell us about who people are. Many are exaggerated, some are just false, some are meaningless.

Ridiculous human titles:

• Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Bokassa aka: Bokassa 1, Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Central African people, united within the national political party, the MESAN, Sovereign Knight Grand Cordon with Collar of the Imperial order of Bokassa, President for Life and Full General
• Kim Il Sung, who currently holds the titles of Eternal President of the Republic, Eternal General Secretary of the Workers’ Party and Eternal leader of Juche Korea.
• Idi Amin Dada Oumee (c. 1925–1979): His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, CBE, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.

The Bible refers to Jesus Christ by many titles.

• He is called the Amen (Rev. 3:14; cf. 2 Cor. 1:20),
• the Alpha and the Omega (Rev. 22:13),
• the Advocate (1 John 2:1),
• the Apostle (Heb. 3:1),
• the Author and Perfecter of faith (Heb. 12:2),
• the Author of salvation (Heb. 2:10),
• the Beginning (source, origin) of the creation of God (Rev. 3:14),
• the Branch (Jer. 23:5),
• the Bread of Life (John 6:35),
• the Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20),
• the Consolation of Israel (Luke 2:25),
• the Counselor (Isa. 9:6),
• the Deliverer (Rom. 11:26),
• the Door of the sheep (John 10:7),
• Eternal Father (Isa. 9:6),
• the Faithful witness (Rev. 1:5),
• the First and the Last (Rev. 1:17)
• the Firstborn of the dead (Rev. 1:5) and over all creation (Col. 1:15)
• the Forerunner (Heb. 6:20)
• the Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14)
• God blessed forever (Rom. 9:5)
• the Guardian of souls (1 Peter 2:25)
• the Head of the church (Col. 1:18)
• the Holy One of God (John 6:69)
• I AM (John 8:58)
• Immanuel (Isa. 7:14)
• the King of Israel (John 1:49; cf. Zech. 9:9)
• King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim. 6:15)
• the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45)
• the Lamb of God (John 1:29)
• the Light of the World (John 8:12)
• the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
• Lord (John 13:13)
• the Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8)
• the Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5)
• the Messenger of the covenant (Mal. 3:1)
• the Messiah (John 1:41; 4:25–26)
• the Mighty God (Isa. 9:6)
• the Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)
• the Only Begotten (Unique One) from the Father (John 1:14)
• our Passover (1 Cor. 5:7)
• the Prince of life (Acts 3:15)
• the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6)
• the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
• the Righteous One (Acts 7:52)
• the Rock (1 Cor. 10:4)
• the Root and Descendant of David (Rev. 22:16)
• the Root of Jesse (Isa. 11:10)
• the Ruler in Israel (Mic. 5:2; Matt. 2:6)
• the Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5)
• Savior (Luke 2:11; Titus 1:4)
• the Servant (Isa. 42:1)
• Shiloh (Gen. 49:10)
• the Son of the Blessed One (Mark 14:61)
• the Son of David (Matt. 12:23; 21:9)
• the Son of God (Luke 1:35)
• the Son of Man (John 5:27);
• the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32)
• the Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2)
• the Sunrise from on high (Luke 1:78)
• the True God (1 John 5:20)
• the True Vine (John 15:1)
• the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6),
• the Word (John 1:1, 14),
• the Word of God (Rev. 19:13),
• and the Word of Life (1 John 1:1).

But perhaps His most endearing and intimate title is that of Shepherd.

Nowhere in all of Scripture is Jesus Christ more clearly portrayed as the Shepherd of His people than in the tenth chapter of John’s gospel.

Why the image of the shepherd?

Shepherding was, and still is to a certain extent, a very common occupation for those in the Middle East.

As we look at the characteristics of a good shepherd it will become clear that God chose this motif at least in part because His people are so apt to act like sheep.

• Isaiah 53:6 (ESV) —6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Sheep have no sense of direction

• 1 Peter 2:21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Sheep blindly follow what the others are doing

• 1 Corinthians 11:1-2 ESV Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.

Sheep are defenseless

• 2 Samuel 22:3 (ESV) —3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

We are much the same way.

Sheep can’t get up without help

• Psalm 43:5 (ESV) —5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Sheep are emotional and recognize the Shepherd’s voice

Since they are emotional, they also have the ability to build friendships with other sheep and stick up for each other when in a fight.

Sheep are not meant to carry burdens

This is why God compares us to sheep in the Bible. We were not meant to carry our burdens.

• Cast your burdens on the Lord, and He will sustain you (Psalm 55:22).
• 1 Peter 5:6–7 (ESV) —6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
• Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
• Psalm 68:19-20 The Lord deserves praise! Day after day he carries our burden, the God who delivers us. Our God is a God who delivers; the Lord, the sovereign Lord, can rescue from death.

Sheep will settle for less

• God compares us to sheep in the Bible because we don’t always know what is good for us.
• We settle for far less than what God would have for us because of our sin and/or our lack of KNOWING what God has for us

Sheep are valuable

God compares us to sheep in the Bible because He views us as priceless.

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
• Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
• Psalm 139:13-16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
• Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
• 1 John 3:1a “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”

Sheep cannot care for themselves when wounded and are susceptible to injury and disease and need care

Often we are brokenhearted and need His healing, but we won’t let Him touch us.

• This is why God compares us to sheep in the Bible.
• “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds” (Psalms 147:3).
• “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” ~ Jeremiah 17:14
• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” ~ Isaiah 41:10

Sheep are innocent

We are to be innocent as lambs. Pure and righteous.

Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

• Not goats who are independent, strong-willed, and destructive.
• And He’ll “separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:32).

————————————————–

The Characteristics of a Good Shepherd

The focus of a good shepherd was to be on his flock–their provision, guidance and safety.

The good shepherd provides nourishment and refreshment for his sheep.

Psalm 23:1–3 (ESV) —1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

The good shepherd is sacrificial.

The shepherd is also involved enough with his flock that they know his voice.

In summary, the good shepherd showed great concern for his sheep.

• He provided for them in terms of nourishment and rest.
• He guided them, leading the way.
• He was intimately involved with the flock and concerned for the safety of each individual.
• He was willing to sacrifice his own comfort, even his own life, for the sake of his sheep.

Understanding the level of love, commitment and sacrifice expended by the shepherd on behalf of the sheep not only tells us

• How much Jesus loves us
• But also raises the bar for those who seek to lead in the church.

John 10 portray Jesus as “The Shepherd” and as we come to a fuller understanding of the common description of  Jesus, we understand more about HIM and US!

The post Book of John – Message 45 John 10:11 first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

1 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV) —3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

Satan always tries to flip upside down every standard, institution or role that God has instituted. God gave different responsibilities and roles to men and women to:

• Offset the sin curse, and
• Give us living examples of spiritual truths such as the Bride of Christ (the Church)

One of the most attacked aspects of our society is MEN. Why? Because God gave the role of leadership and accountability to men.

• In our society, sitcoms, commercials, movies and culture portray men as insensitive apes who care only about sex and beer, who are clueless about anything thoughtful or meaningful and who couldn’t get dressed for work in the morning if a woman wasn’t there to make sure they did right.
• Men are portrayed as buffoons, dolts, dumb, simple minded and at best slightly lovable idiots who know only sports and babes.
• Even worse, aggressive feminism portrays men as aggressive predators, potential rapists and would-be child molesters at worst… at best they are unnecessary oppressors of women who on the one hand are on the one hand put forth as empowered saviors of society while claiming constant victimhood and helplessness against men.

Men at all levels are attacked:

• Male – toxic masculinity that saturates western culture and oppresses women and children
• Father – part of the patriarchy that oppresses women and creates power and privilege for men who control and dominate their wives and children
• Christian – you subjugate women and treat them second class, living out the patriarchy of an out of touch religion
• White – you’re a racist on top of all the rest

Our society today attacks men at all levels as evil and in need of being molded into “male feminists”, men who hate what they are, who admit they are racists, oppressors, misogynists and violators of women…

• at best, men are just treated like insensitive idiots who need to shut up and do what their wife tells them to do.

All of this couldn’t be MORE ungodly or unbiblical. Christians should NEVER be part of this, even in jokes (“men are so dumb…”) or stereotypes.

Both men AND women in the Bible have God ordained roles, and are both honored and rewarded for fulfilling those roles

• We have no problem proclaiming this about women (and rarely hear lessons rebuking their faults)
  • In churches, Mothers Day and Womens Conferences are all about encouraging women and proclaiming the glories of mothers and wives
• But men are fair game to rebuke and point out their flaws (and rarely hear lessons honoring and encouraging them).
  • In churches, Fathers Day and Mens Conferences are all about telling men how they fail, and rebuking their failures of being a husband and father

So today, on Fathers Day (2021) this message is going to praise, thank and encourage MEN as we look at what the Bible says about the importance of men and fathers.

Without Fathers

Fathers should be celebrated and honored for their role, their sacrifice and their influence not only on their own family but society as a whole. Look at the problems “fatherlessness” bring:

Poverty

• Children living in female headed families with no spouse present had a poverty rate of 47.6 percent, over 4 times the rate in married-couple families.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states, “Fatherless children are at a dramatically greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse.”

Physical and Emotional Health

• Children of single-parent homes are more than twice as likely to commit suicide.

Educational Achievement

• Father involvement in schools is associated with the higher likelihood of a student getting mostly A’s. This was true for fathers in biological parent families, for stepfathers, and for fathers heading single-parent families.
• 71% of high school dropouts are fatherless; fatherless children have more trouble academically, scoring poorly on tests of reading, mathematics, and thinking skills; children from father-absent homes are more likely to be truant from school, more likely to be excluded from school, more likely to leave school at age 16, and less likely to attain academic and professional qualifications in adulthood.

Crime

• Compared to peers in intact families, adolescents in single-parent families and stepfamilies were more likely to engage in delinquency.
• A study using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health revealed that if the number of fathers is low in a neighborhood, then there is an increase in acts of teen violence.
• Children age 10 to 17 living with two biological or adoptive parents were significantly less likely to experience sexual assault, child maltreatment, other types of major violence, and non-victimization type of adversity, and were less likely to witness violence in their families compared to peers living in single-parent families and stepfamilies.

Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy

• A study using a sample of 1409 rural southern adolescents (851 females and 558 males) aged 11 – 18 years, investigated the correlation between father absence and self-reported sexual activity.
• The results revealed that adolescents in father-absence homes were more likely to report being sexually active compared to adolescents living with their fathers.

About Fathers

Ephesians 6:4: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

• Fathers were given to instill discipline and responsibility in children
• Fathers are there to teach children about the Lord

Proverbs 1:8: “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.”

• Fathers instruct their kids in life, help them grow, be mature and disciplined

Psalm 103:13: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.”

• Fathers are compassionate and want what is best for their children

2 Samuel 7:14-15: “I will be a father to him, and he’ll be a son to me. When he does wrong, I’ll discipline him in the usual ways, the pitfalls and obstacles of this mortal life. But I’ll never remove my gracious love from him.”

• Good fathers want their children to do right, so they do the tough job of disciplining them, and toughen them up when life calls for toughness

Proverbs 23:24: “The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.”

• Fathers instill righteousness in their children by both example and teaching
• A father gets great joy from seeing their children be “good”

Proverbs 4:11-12: “I will guide you in the way of wisdom and I will lead you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered, and when you run, you will not stumble.”

• Fathers get wisdom from their Heavenly Father then impart that wisdom to their children so the will be “upright”: law abiding, God fearing, respectful and honest

About Husbands

Ephesians 5:28-29: “In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.”

• Godly husbands love their wives as they love themselves, and strive to love them as Christ loves the Church
• Godly husbands do not subjugate, dominate or intimidate their wives… they love, cherish and protect them unlike ANY OTHER culture in the history of man

Proverbs 30:18-19: “There are three things that amaze me—no, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman.”

• The love a man can have for a woman surpasses the value of all else… how many men give their lives, time, incomes and energy to support their wife, care for her, make sure things are taken care of when he is gone
• Men who spend their life providing for their wives and children should be HONORED and esteemed

Mark 10:9: “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

• Husbands should be elevated in importance and encouraged in their role as leader of the marriage and family

Biblical Truths about Men and Fathers

The man was created first and given the responsibility to lead.

• Scripture teaches that first the man was created by a direct divine act of creation and given the responsibility to lead; subsequently, the woman was created by God from the man (Gen 2:5–9) and for the man (Gen 2:18–20).
• He is to subdue the earth and is given the name “Adam,” which also serves as the name of the entire human race.
• God calls the man to account and holds him responsible for the fall.

Fathers encourage and comfort their children

1 Thessalonians 2:11–12 “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”

• Paul highlights some ways fathers love and lead their children: through encouragement, comfort, and persistently reminding them to live in a way that glorifies God.
• The writer of Hebrews says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” (Hebrews 10:24) and the unique relationship between father and child creates many opportunities to do so.

When children try to do something difficult, a good father encourages them.

• When a child is hurting, a good father comforts them.
• And a good father demonstrates how to live out God’s calling.

Fathers, Husbands and Men Make Decisions that Affect Those Around Them

Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

• Fathers and husbands make important decisions for their families about how to use their resources, how to spend their time, what to prioritize, and even what ideas and worldviews will influence those decisions.
• A father plays an important role in shaping their family’s ideology.
• A good father makes choices that help their spouses and children orient their lives around God and recognize opportunities to serve his purposes.

God Models the Importance of Fathers

We recognize by secondary application how important Fathers (men) really are because we see God model the role of Father for all of us:

• Matthew 5:45 (ESV) —45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
• Matthew 6:9 (ESV) —9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
• Matthew 6:32 (ESV) —32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
• Romans 1:7 (ESV) —7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Romans 15:6 (ESV) —6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 8:6 (ESV) —6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

Jesus us the importance of Fathers by how He treated His Father:

• John 16:28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”
• John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
• John 14:31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.
• John 5:19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
• John 14:28 You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
• John 15:10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

The apostle Paul taught that to honor one’s earthly father is not only a commandment but the first commandment that, when obeyed, has a promise of things going well and living long on the earth.

• Ephesians 6:2–3 (ESV) —2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

What Does a Real (Godly) Man Look Like?

Endurance

A man gains respect by his ability to endure, to take knocks without crumbling or giving up.

• This requires control of the emotions, especially the tendency to self-pity.
• He recognizes the struggle, and prepares himself for it accordingly.
• 2 Corinthians 6:4 (ESV) —4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;

Nothing to hide

Godly men are determined to walk in the light

• 1 John 1:7 (ESV) —7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

They are accountable

• They open their lives to the caring scrutiny of other men.
• Secretive men will almost certainly become compromised and undermine their own masculinity.
• A godly mans yes will be yes and his no will be no.
• Not ‘reading between the lines’, no game playing.
• Straight down the line truth.

Courage

A true man is not easily intimidated.

• This does not mean he has no fears, but that he can control and overcome them.
• In relationships, in conflicts, when there is a need to speak out, masculinity is brave
• Galatians 2:11–12 (ESV) —11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.

Risk is the hall-mark of the brave heart.

• Philippians 2:29–30 (ESV) —29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
• When a man takes no risks out of fear or pride, faith cannot grow.

Courage makes a man optimistic for the future.

He is always looking forward with vision, his head held high:

• Philippians 3:13–16 (ESV) —13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

Its what you know, not what you feel.

Men should be clear-thinking, not governed by unstable feelings.

• This quality is vital in church leadership.
• Mood-swings and changeable emotions bring serious instability if they control a man. [Intemperance is a disqualification for church leadership]
• Shallow excitement can be as unhelpful as negativity; neither express real faith.
• True faith is the conviction of things not seen, which a man thinks through, embraces and acts upon.
• Hebrews 11:1–2 (ESV) —1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.

Keeping the right company

Real men will enjoy the company of challenging men. They won’t mind being rebuked if they need it.

• Proverbs 27:5–6 (ESV) —5 Better is open rebuke than hidden love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

They can exchange ideas, discuss deep theology.

• They will learn from others, old and young!
• They will seek to know more and to learn more from other men.

Take control of the situation

A manly man has initiative and takes a lead.

• Not all men will be ministers.

Yet all can lead in the sense that they personify godly masculinity.

• Husbands can lead their families;
• single men can lead in focused devotion to Jesus.
• Whatever a man’s type of character – extrovert, introvert, self-confident, talkative, easy-going, idealistic — his spirit can be fused with godly masculinity.

A man controls his emotions and passions

• Single or married, a real man tames his passions.
• He doesn’t abuse women or children; he protects them.
• He keeps his hands off a woman who is not his wife and treats his wife with love, respect and dignity.
• He keeps his eyes off pornographic images.
• He protects a single woman’s virginity and innocence.
• He’s not defined by his exploits below the waist.
• He’s a man with a heart, head and conscience.

A man provides for his family

First Timothy 5:8 says, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

• These are strident words.
• When a man doesn’t work and provide for his family, he feels a sense of shame.
• His self-worth sinks.

A man who doesn’t work, who can’t keep a job, who moves from job to job, or who refuses to assume his responsibility creates insecurity in his wife and children.

• Every man needs to provide for his family, which also means taking responsibility to provide for emotional and spiritual needs.
• A father should train his children and prepare them to become responsible adults who know how to negotiate the swift and sometimes evil currents of culture.

A man protects his family

To borrow an illustration from John Piper and Wayne Grudem on the essence of masculinity:

• Being a protector calls for more than ensuring physical safety.
• Proverbs 4:10–15 (ESV) —10 Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. 11 I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. 12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble. 13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. 14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. 15 Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.
• A father who protects his children by passing on wisdom, helping him build godly character, and teaching him to reject the lies and temptations of the world.
• This father protects not only his son but the generations to follow as the wisdom he shares gets passed on.

A man serves and leads his family

Serve and lead may seem like a contradiction, but they are inseparable according to Scripture.

• While the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:23 that “the husband is the head of the wife,” he quickly puts to rest any notions that this leadership allows for selfish male dominance.
• He completes the sentence with, “as Christ also is the head of the church.”

The passage goes on to say that husbands should love their wives “just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (verse 25).

• This paints a picture of leadership contrary to how the world views it.
• A man is called to be a servant-leader – to take responsibility for his wife and children and to put their needs ahead of his own.
• He is called to demonstrate selfless, sacrificial love – the type of love we see in God toward his children.

A man follows God’s design for true masculinity

Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

• The core of a man’s life should be his relationship with God.
• The man who walks humbly with God is motivated and empowered to step up and assume the difficult responsibilities that come his way.

—————————————————————-

We may not be able to cleanse society of their male hating, husband hating, Christian hating, father insulting ways… but we as the Church should NEVER be part of it, joking or otherwise.

• We should be careful not to fall into the culture traps of denigrating and insulting men as patriarchal, abusive tyrants full of toxic, women oppressing masculinity.
• We should celebrate, honor, elevate and reward REAL MEN who love God, love their wives, love their children, provide for their families, protect the weak, and lead the Church.
• Ladies if you have a hard time loving your man, or men in general, perhaps you have been influenced by our culture and need to ask God to cleanse you of that and have your mind renewed by the Word.

On this Fathers Day, honor men, honor husbands, honor Fathers, even though flawed, even though imperfect… why don’t you give them a break for one day and tell them how much valuable they are to God’s plan and your life.

There’s plenty of time later to remind them of their failures.

The post Father’s Day – Men Are Important first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

John 9:35–41 (ESV) ³⁵ Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶ He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” ³⁷ Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” ³⁸ He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.”   40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”   41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Jesus finds the man whom the Pharisees had thrown out, since he urgently needs help, and above all needs to know the identity of the one who had healed him and whom he had steadfastly refused to deny.

The question that Jesus directs to him does not mean, “Do you believe in the existence of the Son of Man?”, but rather, “Do you put your trust in the Son of Man?”

Throughout Scripture blindness is used metaphorically to represent fallen man’s inability to comprehend divine truth.

• Isaiah 43:8 (ESV)  8 Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!
• Isaiah 56:10 (ESV)  10 His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
• Jeremiah 5:21 (ESV)  21 “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not.

It continues today even in the Church:

• John 3:19 (ESV)  19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
• Acts 26:18 (ESV)  18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
• 2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)  4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• Ephesians 4:18 (ESV)  18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
• Revelation 3:17 (ESV)  17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Have It Your Way

Those who willfully continue to walk naturally in darkness may also find that God judicially blinds them, giving them over to the darkness they love (cf. Rom. 1:21–25).

• Romans 1:21–25 (ESV)  21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.   22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,   23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.   24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,   25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

The Lord spoke to the crowds in parables because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

• Isaiah 6:9–10 (ESV)  9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’   10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
• Isaiah 29:9–10 (ESV)  9 Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink!   10 For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).
• Isaiah 44:18 (ESV)  18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

As spiritually blind sinners, the unsaved are confined to the darkness, unable to see the light of divine truth.

• They “walk in the ways of darkness” (Prov. 2:13; cf. 4:19; Eccl. 2:14);
• “substitute darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isa. 5:20);
• grope along with no sense of direction (cf. Acts 17:27),
• since the one who “walks in the darkness does not know where he goes” (John 12:35; 1 John 2:11);
• “participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness” (Eph. 5:11);
• belong to “the domain of darkness” (Col. 1:13);
• and do not have fellowship with God, who is Light (1 John 1:6; cf. 2:9).

The only cure for spiritual blindness is saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would bring spiritual sight to His people

• Isaiah 9:2 (ESV)  2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
• Isaiah 29:18 (ESV)  18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.
• Isaiah 42:7 (ESV)  7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
• Isaiah 49:6 (ESV)  6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

More light in the Gospel stories:

• Matthew 4:16 (ESV)  16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
• Luke 1:79 (ESV)  79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
• Luke 4:18 (ESV)  18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
• John 8:12 (ESV)  12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
• John 12:46 (ESV)  46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

Light in Believers:

• 2 Corinthians 4:6 (ESV)  6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
• Ephesians 5:8 (ESV)  8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
• Colossians 1:13 (ESV)  13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
• 1 Thessalonians 5:4–5 (ESV)  4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.   5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.
• 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)  9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

The post Book of John – Message 44 John 9:35-41 (1) first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

John 9:24–25 (ESV)  24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”   25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

John, the Gospel of Believing,  and the Gospel of UnBelief

God Himself calls all men to believe in His Son but, the vast majority do not.

• We see unbelief in a number of forms. 

The Pharisees are a League of the Their Own

What stands out is the willful, truth-rejecting, hard-hearted unbelief of the Pharisees, the scribes, the chief priests, and the rulers of religious Israel. 

We Will Face This Same Unbelief

Our responsibility is to carry on the gospel ministry, to preach Jesus Christ. 

• You’re going to confront unbelief. 
• Most all of the people to whom you give the Gospel will reject it. 

Unbelief demands more and more evidence, but when it receives that evidence, it doesn’t respond as any appropriate person should, any thinking person. 

• Unbelief does biased research. 
• It can look at facts and come to the complete wrong conclusion. 
• Unbelief is self-centered, selfish, ego-centric. 
• Unbelief starts with a predetermined conclusion and works backward looking for anything that will substantiate that conclusion

Four steps of hostile conflict from unbelief

• Intellectual – people will at first simply state their unbelief hoping to find agreement
• Emotional – then they start to get upset or angry, facts don’t matter
• Verbal – then follows the verbal insults, attacks, threats, name calling
• Physical – finally come the physical acts of violence, constraint, injury, etc

This progression is true of unbelief in the face of any kind of truth – Bible, politics, relationships

Unbelief is intransigent

Will not bend.  Cannot be convinced. 

Unbelief is irritational

With true facts, if you come to a wrong conclusion, you’re irrational. 

————————————————————–

John 9:24–25 (ESV)  24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”   25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

At this all pretense to impartiality on their part disappears, “unwilling to believe” is on full display: “We know that this man is a sinner.”

The formerly blind man obliges: he gives glory to God—not by denial, but by fearlessly reiterating the truth that he knows and has experienced.

• The Pharisess know perfectly well, that this miracle clearly refutes any idea that Jesus is a sinful man.

The formerly blind man knows only one thing: he can see!

John 9:26 So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”

John 9:27 He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?”

Understandably exasperated by the Pharisees’ repeated questioning and obvious bias, the healed man answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again?”

Remember, the Pharisees would never have been his “friend” his entire life

His bold rebuke and biting wit struck a nerve. Incensed at his insolence, the Pharisees exploded in rage:

John 9:28–34 (ESV)  28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.   29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.”   30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.   31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.   32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind.   33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”   34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

They saw Jesus as:

• deranged (8:48), untrained (7:15), blasphemer (19:7), from an insignificant family in the despised village of Nazareth (cf. 1:46).

Ironically, the blind man has discernment to see through the tricks of these men

And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.   –   

God Be Merciful to Me a Sinner – The Essence of the Gospel

• YOU are a sinner, we are not (refer to OTHERS as sinners but not themselves)
• YOU were born in sin (implying they were not)
• God does not listen to sinners

But the Bible teaches:

Luke 18.13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

• Admit you’re a sinner, you can’t need a Savior if you don’t need to be saved
• The Law shows us our sin

Matt 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Realize that you cannot rescue yourself from this dilemma
• You are as helpless as the blind beggar, doomed unless Jesus comes along

Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

• Place your faith in Jesus
• Faith is belief and trust put to action (parachute)

———————————–

Application:

• Learn how to recognize unbelief, what to expect, how to deal with it
• Sharing the Gospel is not complicated: I’m a sinner, I can’t save myself, I was blind, Jesus healed me.

The post Book of John – Message 43 John 9:24-34 first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

Message 42 – John 9:13-23

John 9:13–16 (ESV)  13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.   14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.   15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”   16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.

The Pharisees follow a typical in their approach to a work of God

• In their eyes, Jesus had broken the Sabbath, not because He had violated any of the divine Sabbath regulations revealed in Scripture, but because He had ignored the restrictions and extrabiblical applications of the rabbis.

This was not the first time Jesus had deliberately violated traditional Sabbath regulations.

• Why did He deliberately provoke the leaders by violating their Sabbath regulations?

• First and foremost, because it displayed His divine authority as Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5 (ESV)  5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”).
• But He also did it to demonstrate that such extrabiblical standards were an unnecessary and oppressive burden on the people.

Jesus pointed out, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Instead of uniting everyone, Jesus often divided men. They were divided between those who accepted Him and trusted Him, and those who did not.

John 9:17–19 (ESV)  17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”   18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight   19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”

• Most of the religious leaders had made up their mind about Jesus – saying that He was not of God, yet some disagreed (John 9:16).

• That the high-handed Pharisees would ask the opinion of a lowly beggar reflects either their scorn and mockery of the man, or their confusion and division (v. 16).

He said, “He is a prophet.”

• That wasn’t what they wanted to hear so they just switch gears and take another approach

John 9:18 (ESV)  18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight

• It was easier for the religious leaders to believe that the man was never really blind than to believe that Jesus healed the man.
• They are determined to undermine the facts

Isn’t this how unbelievers always act? Isn’t this how the foolish and ignorant act?

• They want what they want, they believe what they believe, and they will ignore and explain away or jump to a new objection… anything to avoid the truth.

John 9:19–23 (ESV)  19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”   20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind.   21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.”   22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.)   23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

The religious leaders asked the parents to verify that the man was truly born blind.

• The tone of their question implies that they wondered if the parents were part of the same imagined conspiracy.
• But his parents testify that their son had been born blind

21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes.

Many of the rulers in Jerusalem really believed in Jesus, but were afraid to say it because they didn’t want to be cast out of the synagogue (John 12:42).

• John 12:42 (ESV)  42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue;

So the parents say their son can speak for himself: Ask him, He is of age, ask him:

The parents were so frightened by the threat of excommunication that they did all they could to put the attention back upon their son and away from them.

So they call the blind man to testify again

• With the son positively identified and the Pharisees left with no legitimate excuse for denying that a genuine miracle had taken place, they were still unwilling to believe the claims of Jesus.
• They wanted the healed man to join them in that unbelief… (next message)

Application:

• When we are asked to prove/defend Jesus who brought us out of our spiritual blindness, we must not be scared of what man will say or do, just give credit to Jesus
• Witnessing is often much simpler than we make… just tell people what Jesus had done for you… what you used to be, what you are now

The post Book of John – Message 42 John 9:13-23 first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

John 9:6–12 (ESV)  6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud   7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.  

He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva: Jesus used what was undoubtedly one of His more unusual methods leading to a miracle.

Note: using saliva as a medicine upon the eyes – was not so strange in the ancient world.

• Ironically, the Pharisees were right on a deeper level when they said a man could be born blind because of his parents’ sin

Our spiritual blindness is similar to the blind man in that way as well

• There is no solution for our defect to be found among men
• This man had no hope for a cure on earth  (Matt 5:3 “poor in spirit”)
• The only hope for his condition was that the Creator Himself might provide a solution
• Unless God healed Him, he would remain blind forever

John wants us to see the parallels between this man’s physical condition and the world’s spiritual condition (OUR spiritual condition before salvation)

And then the man went and washed, after which he gained his sight

• This took faith, even when Jesus did not even promise the blind man sight in the doing of this. It was surely implied; but the man acted on faith even in the implied promise of Jesus.

 Jesus told him to go to a fairly unimportant pool in Jerusalem…there were probably closer places to go

This pool was the source for the water the priests carried to the temple for the water drawing ceremony

• So it seems Jesus selected this pool for maximum symbolism and maximum public exposure

7 So he went and washed And came back seeing:

This event has its intended effect:

 John 9: 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”   9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.”   10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?”   11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.”   12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

We now understand why Jesus sent the man to wash in the pool

• It was because of the pool’s significance, it’s use, it’s location, it’s symbolism
• It reminds us of the living water and the light of the world at the Feast of Tabernacles
• And it’s surrounded by witnesses, who could see the man’s testimony

It is a clear picture of salvation

• We are saved because the Lord does a work in our hearts, causing us to be born again
• We all come from dirt, used to fashion the first man, Adam
• And likewise, we must be born again, into the likeness of Christ

• We don’t see the face of Jesus personally
• We hear Him, obey Him and our eyes our opened by Him
• We now have only the testimony of our healed “blindness” to declare to the world

What is the application of this story to our lives?

• We can understand salvation from the viewpoint of those who are still blind
• We can see that there are times when FAITH is the necessary step to receiving something from God (peace, answered prayer, confidence, assurance)

We can ask God to open our eyes about the things we are blinded to (sin, lack of compassion, spiritual laziness, lack of love for lost souls, etc).

The post Book of John – Message 41 John 9:6-12 first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.

9  1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.   2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  

Jesus was often reviled, but never ruffled. “One of the things worthy to be noticed in our Lord’s character is his wonderful quiet of spirit, especially his marvelous calmness in the presence of those who misjudged, and insulted, and slandered him.” (Spurgeon)

As Jesus is leaving the temple on the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, He comes across a blind man, one born blind

• The disciples decide to use this man’s plight as an object lesson in theology

• We often suspect that where there is a more than ordinary sufferer, there is a more than ordinary sinner.

So they assumed that blindness was God’s way of visiting the iniquity of parents on the children

Jesus will soon show a different way.

3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.   4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.   5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

• He says that neither option they suggested is correct though the general cause of all disease, deformity and sickness is the sin curse
• God doesn’t transfer the guilt of one person to another
• Neither can a child sin in the womb, though it is true that all people possess an evil nature from birth

Instead, this man was made to be blind by God so that the works of God might be displayed in him

We rarely stop to consider that God’s plan for our lives almost certainly includes physical ailments and limitations

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.

• Just as the sun is the physical light of this world, He is spiritual Light.

Jesus was declaring publicly: I AM GOD, I AM THE MESSIAH, I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

• Sometimes we read this without knowing the background and we just accept it casually like “we live in a dark world, and Jesus is a good person bringing light to the darkness”
• While that is true… it is the very LEAST we can take way from this

So having explained this man’s predicament and set up the reason for Jesus’ acting on His behalf, Jesus then proceeds to heal him.

The post Book of John – Message 40 John 9:1-5 first appeared on Brent Riggs - Serious Faith.