The Passover That Saved Our Souls

 The Pain of God's Servant

Book of Mark Chapter 14

As we open up chapter 14 in the Book of Mark, we see that Our Lord Jesus will be facing His last day before His murder on Mount Calvary.

Mark first mentions the Jewish Passover because the Passover was the time that a sacrificial lamb would be slaughtered in order for sin to be forgiven for one year.

But if the right sacrifice were offered then this forgiveness could be forever.

Heb 9:11  But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 

Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 

Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 

Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 

Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 

Heb 9:17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 

Some perfect man had to die in payment for our sin or we all would be held accountable for our own sin, and we are all guilty of sin!

Heb_10:4  For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

This is why the Lord Jesus came to this earth, to die in sacrifice for all sin from the time of Adam until last human to be born.

We next see that the chief priests and the scribes, the religionists, are plotting to murder the Lord Jesus Christ not realizing that He came to die.

The murder of the Lord Jesus was premeditated murder, but the sacrifice of Jesus was by the hand of God!

We also know it is the religionists of today who are plotting the downfall, the murder of the true Church!

Mark ties the death of Jesus Christ to the Passover, for the Lord Jesus Christ is our Passover!

1Co_5:7  Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us":

The same people in the streets, who were openly preparing to praise God and their religious leaders, were now hiding in darkness preparing to kill God!

These religionists had been exposed by Jesus and they hated Him for it, even when it was the truth.

The things Jesus spoke of were always true!

We see many of these same things today!

Those who serve Satan are always plotting to murder the followers of Christ and the Jews!

All religions are corrupt and they hate the true Christian for pointing this out to the world.

It is many false, so-called, Christians who are ruining the testimony of the Church!

False preachers are also being pointed out and they are even turning on the true Church!

In this chapter we see Mary, in the house of Simon the leper, who showed true love to our Savior by anointing Him with oil and washing His feet with her tears and drying them with her hair.

The Lord Jesus rewarded Mary by making sure all those who read the Word of God would know of the thing she had done for Him.

Mar 14:9  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. 

We see where the heart of Judas Iscariot had turned to his own pocketbook, rather than to the Lord.

Judas went to betray Him!

Mar 14:10  And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. 

This fit right into the plan to murder our Savior, but it also fit right into the plan of God for our salvation.

This anointing of Jesus points us toward His burial, His death.

Mar 14:8  She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. 

It is fact that the Lord Jesus Christ had to die to save the believers of this world! 

The Lord Jesus did die for all mankind, but it must be believed!

We must understand that when jealousy and envy enter into our hearts, we had better find a way to deal with them before they fester into major sin!

Judas had convinced himself that he had been mistaken about Jesus, and He could not be the true Messiah if He came to die.

These are the thoughts of false religion!

Many say a God who could die would be weak and could not be much of a God, yet the grave of Jesus is still empty and the graves of all false messiahs are still full of their bones.

We know that the Lord Jesus gave Judas every chance to repent, but he could not find repentance in his heart.

In this same chapter we have the Lord's Supper.

The Lord Jesus took the bread and divided it among all His disciples.

This bread symbolized the death of Christ!

His body was so broken by the things the Lord went through, but not one of His bones were broken.

He gave the bread to His disciples to eat.

"Take, eat this is my body"  This means we are to take and receive Christ into our life.

Next, He took the cup.

The bread and the cup are to remind us that Jesus gave His life freely, no one could take the life of Christ!

Jesus gave thanks and He thanked God the Father for forgiveness knowing God the Father would deliver Him through His sacrifice.

It is the same for each believer who will be delivered through the sacrifice of the true and perfect Messiah.

He gave the cup to all the disciples showing that we all must partake of the blood of Jesus, if we are to live eternally with Him in His Father's house.

Jesus identified His blood as the blood of the New Testament!

These things accomplished our Lord wanted to sing.

One day soon the Lord may allow us the privilege of singing along with Him.

*****Mar 14:26  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. 

No doubt that Jesus sung with the voice of happiness and the voice of salvation.

God was singing to and with His disciples.

It is believed they sang these hymns from the Book of Psalms, in celebration of the great hope which God gives us in His deliverance and His salvation.

Psa 113:1  Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. 

Psa 113:2  Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. 

Psa 115:3  But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. 

Psa 116:1  I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. 

Psa 116:2  Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. 

Psa 116:3  The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. 

Psa 116:4  Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. 

Psa 117:1  O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. 

Psa 117:2  For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD. 

Psa 118:8  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. 

Psa 118:9  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. 

Psa 118:10  All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them. 

Psa 118:17  I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. 

Psa 118:28  Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. 

Psa 118:29  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 

Then Jesus said to His disciples that they all would be offended in Him, because of the things He was about to do.

This would have sounded like very strange words coming from Him, but it was the truth.

*****Mar 14:27  And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 

Mar 14:28  But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 

The Lord Jesus Christ knew there were only a few hours left before His murder on Mount Calvary.

He also knew that His disciples would become afraid of their own death and they would flee away from Him.

Once accepting the truth of Jesus, we do not ever have to fear death again!

Anytime we flee from Jesus it is a sin!

Jesus said "all ye shall be offended of me this night".

That word offend means "to stumble", "to fall", or "a falling away".

Much of the modern Church is doing the same thing today!

The Church has become too afraid to stand on the truth of the Word of God, and are fleeing from the truth of God, and compromising on God's Word.

We are witnessing the "Great Falling Away" from the truth of God, today!

The Church is afraid of being called, "racist", "bigots", and many other names, when we are to let the Word of God speak for us.

The Lord Jesus stated that it was Jehovah, His Father, who would be behind His death.

The Scripture said, "I will smite the Shepherd".

The Lord Jesus had already said that He was the Shepherd of His people.

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 

This Prophecy of the Old Testament applied to our Savior!

Zec 13:5  But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 

Zec 13:6  And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 

Zec 13:7  Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. 

It is a shame that we do not take our stand on the One who has the power to save us! His name is Jesus the Messiah.

For the disciples, the threat coming from the world and the weakness of their flesh, would be too much to overcome.

This is the same crossroads that much of the Church faces today!

Are we going to take our stand with Jesus or are we going to be so afraid of the world that we scatter and hide from them?

Yes, our flesh is weak, but we are home to the Holy Spirit who has all power.

Then the Lord says, I will meet you at the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection.

The Lord Jesus is informing these disciples that He had already forgiven them for the things they did by fleeing from Him.

He would have to rise from that death to do this!

Our power comes from our resurrected Lord, and not the death of our Lord!

There is no power in His death!

In His death the Lord took all our sin and placed it in the Burning Lake of Fire where it belongs!

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 

Php 3:11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 

Our faith is most important in this issue of the truth.

1Co 15:16  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 

1Co 15:17  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 

1Co 15:18  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 

1Co 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 

1Co 15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 

1Co 15:21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 

God the Holy Spirit raised up the Lord Jesus Christ on the third day.

God the Father showed the Lord Jesus openly to chosen witnesses and many did eat and drink with Him.

We know that Jesus appeared to over five hundred people at one time. There were plenty of witnesses to the resurrected Christ.

We know that Christ Jesus made this special appointment to meet with His disciples to gather them, to assure them, to comfort them and to strengthen them, proving what He said was true.

If the Lord Jesus Christ has called us, He will always return to us in our time of need and in the time to redeem us!

It was now up to the disciples to trust Him in His Word!

Again Peter speaks up, not realizing what he would do.

*****Mar 14:29  But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 

What did Peter do?

1) Peter contradicted the Words of Jesus Christ.

Peter could not face his weakness nor his failure.

The Lord had said these things because they would be true.

2) Peter prefers himself, putting himself above all the others.

He said they might Lord, but I never will and Peter was wrong again.

None of us are as strong as we think we are, and the Lord Jesus Christ understands this.

We are still to do our very best, our very best is what we owe to the Lord.

3) Peter placed his strength, his confidence, and his boldness, in his own strength.

Our true strength comes to us when we rely on the Lord and seek His protection in all things!

Peter had to be informed of just how miserable his strength would be, and we can be sure Peter was hurt by this truth.

*****Mar 14:30  And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 

Mar 14:31  But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. 

Certainly, Peter was sincere!

The Lord Jesus was not harsh, He just wants us to realize our weaknesses before they get us into trouble in this world.

Certainly, Peter was loyal to Christ and He would remain that way, but we are all just sinners in need of the power of God that comes by Jesus Christ.

We have no power ourselves!

We must depend upon the Holy Spirit who lives within us and the Lord Jesus Christ who loves us and God the Father who is Almighty.

This is our defense in this world and we have no other defense!

We must trust the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter became vehement which was close to violent, or furious, that the Lord would say such a thing and the other ten said the same thing.

Judas had already left to do his dirty work.

The Lord Jesus said to Peter, when you hear the cock crow, you will remember these words you have said.

Peter and the other ten were still blind to the cross.

It may have been the image of Jesus hanging on a cross that caused Peter to deny Him.

The world still has this same image today, a crucified Christ. 

The Catholic Church still displays the Lord Jesus Christ dangling from a cross, but I serve a risen Savior!

A person who died on a cross had to be guilty of something, but the Lord Jesus was innocent of all charges.

We must realize just how weak we are in our flesh!

We are not above sin!

We are also not above failure!

We just do not know our strength under certain circumstances unless that strength is in the Lord, who cannot fail and who cannot sin!

The Word of God is true in all cases and we must never deny the truth of the Word of God.

The Lord Jesus is our Creator, and He knows us better than we know ourselves!

We must be obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jer 17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 

Jer 17:7  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 

Keeping the words of Jesus insures us of the power of the Holy Spirit!

Joh 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments. 

Joh 14:16  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 

Joh 14:17  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 

Joh 14:18  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

It was time to pray for the strength of the Lord.

It is time today to pray for the strength of the Church!

*****Mar 14:32  And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 

Mar 14:33  And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; 

Mar 14:34  And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 

Mar 14:35  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 

Not any of us could ever understand the depth of sorrow and agony experienced by the Lord Jesus at Gethsemane.

We have just read about this thing with the disciples whom Jesus loved, and He loves all His disciples.

Even greater than this was the fact of His death as He took upon Himself all the sin that had ever been committed and all the sin that would be committed until the end of time upon Himself so He could bury all that sin in Hell where it belongs.

Even great than this, Jesus knew that His Heavenly Father could not look upon sin and for a moment in time, He would lose fellowship with His Father.

The Holy Spirit would leave Him for a moment and He would truly be on His own in this sinful world.

Certainly, there was a search for relief that could not be found.

Certainly, He was disappointed with His close friends.

There was no answer from His Father for a better way, His death was the only way!

These things must be done according to the Word of God, the plan of God!

Our Lord Jesus had a great need for prayer and Gethsemane had been His place of comfort and a place for prayer upon this earth!

Jesus began to sweat as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground.

The conflict within Him began to cry out.

"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me."

He received no answer from His Father.

This had never happened to Him before.

Jesus felt the need for His friends to give Him strength and all they knew was sleep.

Psa 69:20  Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. 

Our Lord Jesus suffered much more than we can imagine and the Devil tried his best to kill the Lord Jesus at this time rather than allow Him the death of the cross.

The Lord Jesus had to die on that cross in order to free us from sin.

Joh_12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

You see in our hour of weakness; the Devil will try his best to kill us all!

He is still a coward looking for any weakness we have.

When we have any separation from God, the Devil will try his best to kill us or ruin our testimony!

Jesus prayed harder because He could find no relief.

*****Mar 14:36  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. 

We must understand that once we are saved, we are then the adopted sons and daughters of the Almighty God.

Since we are then family, we are permitted to address our God with Abba which could be said to mean "Daddy", showing our love and affection for our Heavenly Father.

By being adopted into the family of God, we are also heirs of the Heavenly inheritance.

Because we are family, we are forgiven, and justified, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

Our Heavenly Father could not take what Jesus refers to as "this cup" because Jesus would have to do this Himself, which He had the power to do.

Jesus could have said no to these things if He so chose to do so.

He would have then been unholy and unrighteous and He could not change His character!

Sin is a heavy burden and the Lord took upon Himself all the sin from the time of Adam and Eve until He returns with His wrath.

The Lord Jesus needed to be alone with His Father, but He kept His disciples near to Him, about as far as we could throw a stone.

The Lord Jesus prayed to ask His Father if there was some other way to secure salvation for believers.

He was not trying to get out of His death on that cross.

Jesus just did not want to lose fellowship with His Father even if it would be for just a moment in time.

The Lord Jesus addressed His Father in the most tender of ways saying Abba Father.

The Lord Jesus acknowledged that nothing is impossible for His Heavenly Father.

But God the Father only does what He has willed to do and it is God's will that all be saved.

It was God's will that He gave His Son to bear the judgment of sin for every person.

The Lord Jesus knew all these things but His flesh struggled with this truth.

The pressure of being cut off from His Father for any amount of time was just too heavy.

He knew His Father would not, but He cried out with His love.

We must understand that the Lord Jesus was not fearing nor shrinking from death itself!

Joh 10:17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 

Joh 10:18  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. 

In reality, death for a cause is not such a great price to pay.

We know that over 2500 members of the terrorist group Hamas gave their lives for a useless cause and it meant nothing to most of the world other than stupidity.

Notice also that their leaders are always far away in another country safe and secure, what a joke that people would blindly follow a false messiah of their own.

There are many who have martyred themselves for many different causes and the only ones that were important where those who gave their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ did not come to this earth to be a martyr!

The Lord Jesus came to this earth to be a sacrifice for our sin, not His, He had no sin.

The Lord Jesus was the sacrificial lamb of God, given to take away the sins of the world.

How can we describe this cup?

1) Isa 51:17  Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. 

This is the cup of God's fury.

2) Psa 11:6  Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 

This is the cup of God's wrath.

3) Psa 116:13  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. 

This is the cup of our salvation.

The Lord Jesus wanted the disciples to pray with Him to give Him strength for His own prayer, but after an exhausting day and a special meal and songs of rejoicing, they were just too tired to help their Master.

This is the same excuse many of us will use when it is our time to serve the Lord!

We should ask ourselves, why does God love us so much? Most of us are of little use to Him.

*****Mar 14:37  And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? 

Mar 14:38  Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 

Mar 14:39  And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. 

Mar 14:40  And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him. 

It is no wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ gets so disappointed with us some days.

When we put on the armor of God, we must always be ready for the battle with evil that surrounds us!

The Lord spoke to all three of them, but the Lord addressed Peter so he could remember what he had said earlier.

Peter declared that he would stand with the Lord Jesus through anything that would happen to Him yet, he could not stand with Him with prayer.

Notice the Lord used Simon rather than Peter. 

These were things the old Peter would say and do, and not the new Peter.

When we allow our own flesh to get the best of us, we are a disappointment to our Savior!

The Lord had not asked the disciples to pray all night, He had only asked for one hour.

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 

Even under such a burden, the Lord returned to His prayers searching for strength.

We should understand that if the Devil could have caused the death of the Lord Jesus Christ this night, there would be no salvation for anyone.

Jesus had to die upon that cross.

Joh_3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Joh_12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

The Lord Jesus had found no relief from His Father so He continued with His prayer.

The Lord Jesus got no answer to His prayer and He was disappointed with His disciples, but He knew the will of God for His life and He continued with His ministry of the truth.

He was satisfied with the task that lay before Him.

*****Mar 14:41  And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 

Mar 14:42  Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand. 

God the Father had given the Lord relief in His soul.

We can see this as we read these words in this passage in the Book of Psalms.

Psa 138:3  In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. 

There was no shrinking away from the task at hand for the Lord.

Jesus also knew He had been betrayed into the hand of sinners.

We know that this death of the Messiah was the most heinous crime in history for He was the Son of Man, the Perfect man, and was killed by foolish men from Israel but this was also the plan of God for our Salvation.

It is the sin of the world that would cause the death of our Savior beginning with the sin of Adam!

Jesus' relief came to Him because He knew He was in the will of God the Father.

We are never happy nor content until we are in the will of God the Father!

Being in the will of God is the safest most joyous place we can be!

Here comes Judas the traitor.

*****Mar 14:43  And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. 

Mar 14:44  And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. 

Mar 14:45  And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. 

Mar 14:46  And they laid their hands on him, and took him. 

In the darkness of the night He could see the light of the torches coming to get Him.

None of those with Judas would have known where the Lord and His disciples were located without Judas providing that information.

Judas was a follower who turned against the Lord Jesus Christ.

Much of the modern church could be called the Judas Church today!

The modern church is full of swords and staves as they crucify our Lord again and again and again.

Jesus was treated as a false Messiah even though He was the true Messiah and the world has not been the same since.

A kiss on the cheek of our Savior pointed the enemy to this simple humble Savior who had done no wrong.

Judas was a thief, a robber, but also a traitor.

Joh 18:3  Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. 

Joh 18:4  Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?

Then they laid their hands upon God and God's plan moves right along just as He planned it.

Act 13:26  Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. 

Act 13:27  For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. 

Act 13:28  And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. 

Act 13:29  And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 

Act 13:30  But God raised him from the dead: 

The Lord Jesus arose from that death as our Savior because death has no power over the Messiah, our true God!

Amen

Jesus Heals the Blind Man

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!