Bible Study Series: John 9:1-35, "A Cure For The Virus"

THE CURE FOR THE VIRUS

John 9:1-38

YOU ARE A DISPLAY OF GOD’S WORK

1. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

A. Two types of blindness are dealt with in this text; physical blindness and

      Spiritual blindness.

    1. We all were born spiritually blind; blind to the light of Jesus Christ.

    2. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command in the Garden of Eden,

        every living person was born in sin and shaped in equity.

    3. Jesus deals with the physical blindness of the man first.

B. He was born blind for the glory of God.

   1. His blindness was designed by God to show God’s works.

   2. The word day represents your life.

   3. The word night represents your death.

   4. We have a short period of time to do God’s work.

   5. We are instruments of God’s glory.

C. The physical blindness of this man was God’s design for his good.

    1. Spiritual blindness is a man's choice.

    2. To get your attention God may give you a physical defect, then

         through time cure is to develop your faith in Him.

    3. The cure was the beginning of the blind man’s spiritual development.

D. Many times we want to blame our problems on something we have done

      or something that was done to us.

    1. We can come to the wrong conclusions when all we see is the bad

         in our situation.

    2. Jesus pointed to the good of the man’s blindness.

    3. The good is he was chosen to be an instrument of God’s glory.

    4. God’s design for our troubles is to get out attention.

    5. God designed our troubles to be our blessings.

LIGHT WAS DESIGNED FOR YOU

V: 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

A. Originally, Man was formed from the dust of the ground, perhaps with

     water to make a mold of his body.

   1. At the beginning of creation, the earth was formless, void, and in

       darkness until God made light.

    2. Jesus in the beginning became the light of the world.

    3. The God we serve can correct or change anything He

        creates to suit His purposes.

    4. The ground represents God’s creation.

        a. The salvia represents the life He breaths into man.

        b. The washing in the Pool of Siloam represents the invitation

            to be cleansed of his sins.

    5. Jesus sent the blind man to the pool, which represents God’s

        command of obedience to be blessed.

    6. The word Siloam means sent, therefore it may represent the

         sending of Jesus by the Father for His Glory.

    7. The Father sent Jesus and He sends us to the pool of forgiveness.

    8. Let me suggest that after receiving his sight, he was not saved, but

        received the grace of God which would eventually lead to salvation.

YOUR RECOVERY WAS DESIGNED FOR YOU, NOT OTHERS

V:8. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, "No, he only looks like him."

But he himself insisted, "I am the man."

10 "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.

11 He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

A. Sin is like a virus (my conclusion).

    1. I did a little research on viruses in defense of my conclusion.

    2. According to an article published in the Medical News Today and

        reviewed by the University of Illinois;

• Viruses are living organisms that cannot replicate without a host cell.
• They are considered the most abundant biological entity on the planet.
• Diseases caused by viruses include rabies, herpes, and Ebola.
• There is no cure for a virus, but vaccination can prevent them from spreading.
•  

          Virus-first hypothesis: Viruses evolved from complex molecules of

          nucleic acid and proteins either before or at the same time as the first 

          cells appeared on Earth, billions of years ago.

     3. Transmission

        A virus exists only to reproduce. When it reproduces, its offspring     

        spread to new cells and new hosts.

       The makeup of a virus affects its ability to spread.

       Viruses may transmit from person to person, and from mother to child    

        during pregnancy or delivery.

    4. They can spread through:

        touch

       exchanges of saliva, coughing or sneezing

       sexual contact

       contaminated food or water

       insects that carry them from one person to another.

YOUR BELIEF IN JESUS IS THE CURE

B. Sin is like a virus, in that we are the host cells.

    1. Without a host, sin cannot spread.

    2. The Bible says resist the devil and he will flee.

    3. The vaccine for resistance is the Word of God through the

        power of the Holy Spirit.

C. Notice in the text, the spread of sin (the virus) is through unbelief.

    1. His neighbors, friends, and others didn't believe the miracle.

    2. Just, think if one person could have believed in the miracle, it

        could have stopped the spread of the virus.

    3. Those who knew the blind man when he was blind, claimed he

         looked like him but was not him.

    4. Notice the blind man was forced to defend the work of   

        Jesus, who he did not know.

D. Think of the spread of Covid19, with all the expert knowledge we

       have and is made available to everyone.

   1. Despite the constant warning by the medical experts, city and state

       officials, many people refused to take the recommended preventative

 measures to save their lives and the lives of others.

   2. Many are in a state of unbelief.

JESUS LOVES YOU IN YOUR RECOVERING STAGE

V:12. "Where is this man?" they asked him.

"I don't know," he said.

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. "He put mud on my eyes," the man replied, "and I washed, and now I see."

16 Some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."

But others asked, "How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?" So they were divided.

A. Notice the spread of the virus (sin) came from the top officials and spread

     Throughout the population.

   1. The top officials were more concerned about politics than they were the

       welfare of the people.

   2. Unbelief in the Word is the key to the spread of sin (the virus).

   3. There was no investigation, but a definite conclusion against the

        Word ignoring the proof of the Word.

B.  You should not take someone’s opinions as the truth, when they are

      Not supported with facts.

    1. If you have questions, about the Word, you should do your own

        investigation of the Word.

    2. The previously blind man said I am the one that Jesus healed.

C. Don’t let no one destroy your testimony about Jesus.

    1. The devil will take what you know is true about Jesus and

         classify it as a magicians trick.

    2. We have to open our eyes and see the good before we can see

        Jesus. 

YOUR TESTIMONY BUILDS YOUR FAITH

V:17.  Finally they turned again to the blind man, "What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened."

The man replied, "He is a prophet."

18 The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 19 "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?"

TELL YOUR STORY AND TELL IT AGAIN

V:20.  "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself."

A. Look how God develops our testimony through the unbelief of others.

     1. The more you defend what Jesus did for you, the more your faith

         grows in Him.

     2. At first the previously blind man responded that it was Jesus who

         cause him to see.

    3. On further questioning. he responded that Jesus was a prophet.

    4. You are your own best defense against doubters.

         a. Some times those closes to you want back you up.

         b. The previously blind man’s parents wouldn’t back him

             up for fear of their own situation.

    5. You have got to tell your story and tell your story over

        again about Jesus.

MOVE FEAR ASIDE WITH LOVE AND SOUND MIND

V: 22.  His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

A. Notice how your opinions can severely affect the thoughts of others.

    1. What you say about Jesus has power beyond you.

    2. You can have a negative effect on others or a positive effect.

    3. You have to decide if the Word is important enough to you,

         to tell others about Jesus.

    4. You have to determine if you love others enough to tell them.

         about your Jesus.

B. His parents let their fear stop them from giving God praise.

    1. His parents let their fear stop them from expressing their

        gratefulness to the God who gave their son his sight.

    2. Look what the Bible says;

            

        Matt 10:33

        But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before  

        my Father which is in heaven.

    3. The question is, do you want the consequences of not pleasing

        God to please man?

GIVE GOD GLORY IN THE FACE OF OPPOSITION    

V:24.  A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God, "they said. We know this man is a sinner."

25 He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

26 Then they asked him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

27 He answered, "I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?"

A. There will always be someone who criticizes you for your beliefs.

     1. But you never know who is standing on the sidelines hearing

         your testimony will come to belief in Jesus.

     2. At your own risk, you must always tell the truth about Jesus.

B. Giving glory to God never comes in a lie.

    1. You cannot make people believe what they refuse to believe.

    2. It takes courage to stand on the truth in the face of opposition.

 SPEAK THE TRUTH AND BE SET FREE

V:28. Then they hurled insults at him and said, "You are this fellow's disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don't even know where he comes from."

30 The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."

A. Notice how confident the previously blind man became as He continued

        to testify for Jesus.

    1. There are religions that teach part of the Old Testament and

        none of the New Testament.

    2. The Old Testament is filled with miracles performed by God through

         hands of ordinary faithful men.

    3. This previously blind man had not read the Old Testament but had

         heard the Word taught by the same men who were insulting him.

B. The Pharisees knew the Word, but they refused to give

     Jesus credit for being the Word.

   1. The previously blind man held on to his testimony as proof of the

        Word taught to him by his accusers.

   2. The Pharisees became angry that they could not convince the

        previously blind man to deny what he knew was the truth.

ASK GOD TO SHUT DOORS TO SAVE YOU

V:34. To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

36 "Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."

37 Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you."

38 Then the man said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.

A. Jesus is not concerned about your social status.

     1. Jesus did not address the issue of the physical sighted man

         being thrown out of the Synagogue.

     2. Jesus closes the door to places He does not want Christians to be.

     3. Jesus did address the accusations of the man being called

         a sinner.

     4. You should not hang around people who refuse to believe.

B. Jesus is concerned about your spiritual welfare.

    1. Let me suggest that all that the previously blind man

        went through was to get him prepared to accept Jesus as

        his Lord and Savior.

    2. Had the previously blind man been born with his

        physical sight, he may not have received Jesus,

    3. Jesus shows Himself into your life when you need Him.

    4. To be a Christian you need to be rejected from the world

         to gain heaven.

C. Worship the Lord in spirit and truth

     1. God is better to us than we are to ourselves.

     2. His plan for us includes trials and tribulations which leads to

         our salvation.

     3. Every day see the goodness of God and worship Him

Do you want a virus which kills or a life with Jesus who saves?

In summary:

YOU WERE BORN TO GIVE GOD GLORY

YOU WERE BORN IMPERFECT TO BE MADE PERFECT

YOUR  IMPERFECTIONS WERE DESIGNED TO DRAW YOU TO GOD

GOD LOVES YOU ALL THE WAY TO PERFECTION

Rev. M. Mitchell

This Week's Sunday School Lesson,"Born To Lead", JUdges 15:9-20, 6/28/2020

BORN TO LEAD

Judges 15:9-20

INTRODUCTION

His Commission

Judges 13:2-5

2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3 The angel of the Lord  appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

 Married in Disobedience

Judges 15:1-3

1 Later on, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson took a young goat and went to visit his wife. He said, "I'm going to my wife's room." But her father would not let him go in.

2 "I was so sure you thoroughly hated her," he said, "that I gave her to your friend. Isn't her younger sister more attractive? Take her instead."

3 Samson said to them, "This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines; I will really harm them."

A. From birth, God chose Samson to be the judge of Israel.

     1. God gave Samson's mother strict instructions on how to

          raise him.

B. Early in his life, Samson was a ladies man.

     1. The troubles in his life were do to his pursuit of love.

     2. Against the advice of his father, He chose a Philistine woman to be his

        first wife.

     3. The father of Samson helped him get the Philistine woman as his wife

         in disobedience to the command of God.  Judges 14:3

   

       Deut 7:3-4

       Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons   

       or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your sons away

       from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord 's anger will burn

       against you and will quickly destroy you.

     2. The nation of Israel was under the control of the Philistines because of

          their sins.

     3. The Philistine father in law gave Samson’s wife to another man.

     4. This set Samson in a rage to get even with the Philistines.

     5.  Samson took 300 foxes, tied their tails together in pairs with a fire

          ball, and loose them on the Philistine crops which were burnt down.

      6. Samson act of revenge was selfish, considering only himself  and not

          welfare of Israel

The Text

THE BATTLE FOR LIFE

V:9 The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. 10 The men of Judah asked, "Why have you come to fight us?"

"We have come to take Samson prisoner," they answered, "to do to him as he did to us."

A. At that time, Samson had not begun to act as a leader to free Israel

     from the hands of the Philistines.

    1. God used Samson’s encounter with the Philistines to stirred up an anger

        in him to become the leader he was chosen to be.

    2. It is our imperfections that God works to grow our faith.

B. Israel had become accustomed to being under the control of the  

     Philistines.

    1. They had forgotten that God designed them to be a free nation and              

         role models for His righteousness.

    2. They did not see Samson as their leader because he was not acting

         as a leader.

    3. They readily gave him up to the Philistines rather than to stand and

         fight before God.

REJECTED BY FAMILY

V:11 Then three thousand men from Judah went down to the cave in the rock of Etam and said to Samson, "Don't you realize that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us?"

He answered, "I merely did to them what they did to me."

12 They said to him, "We've come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines."

Samson said, "Swear to me that you won't kill me yourselves."

13 "Agreed," they answered. "We will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you." So they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock.

A. Samson was gifted with extraordinary strength.

     1. This is evident by the 3000 men Israel sent to capture Samson. 

     2. In his early years, Samson was not known for his wisdom but

         his boyish desire to please women.

    3. God did not judge him for his sins, but allowed him to suffer

         the consequence of them.

     4. The death of his wife was the result of his disobedience to God’s

          command.

     5. However, even in his foolish, he was wise enough to persuade

         his people not to kill him so he could fight the Philistines.

THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, JUST STAND

V:14.  As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. 15 Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.

16 Then Samson said,

"With a donkey's jawbone

I have made donkeys of them.

With a donkey's jawbone

I have killed a thousand men."

17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone; and the place was called Ramath Lehi.

A. It was with the power of God that Samson was strengthened to single

     handedly kill a thousand of Israel’s enemies.

    1. This gave the Israelites confidence in Samson's ability to lead

         them.

    2. At the moment the battle was to be won, God laid aside the foolishness

        Samson, and empowered him with the victory for Israel.

B. It was with the power of the Holy Spirit that ropes that bind him was

     Changed to weeds.

    1. The Holy Spirit put a song in his heart so he did the work of any army

        defeating the Philistines.

    2. Sometimes it is our selfish desires that place us in the battlefield of   

        life.

    3. Samson said, “I killed”. He would soon learn that it was God who 

        killed using him as an instrument of His divine glory.

    4. God’s plan for us is not changed by our foolishness.

    5. Instead, God uses our foolish hearts to bring us to the place where he

        can use us.

DESIRE THE LIVING WATER

V:18.  Because he was very thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, "You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?" 19 Then God opened up the hollow place in Lehi, and water came out of it. When Samson drank, his strength returned and he revived. So the spring was called En Hakkore, and it is still there in Lehi.

20 Samson led Israel for twenty years in the days of the Philistines.

A. It was Samson's thirst for water that brought him back to the reality, that

     he needed God.

    1. Sometimes it is our physical needs that bring us to the reality of the

        spiritual enlightenment of the Word of God.

    2. When we work hard we sweat which brings us to a need for God's

 life giving water.

    3. The source of the living water is Jesus Christ.

B. Our spiritual strength comes from the living water of Jesus Christ.

    1. The living water is where we are, to refresh us in times of need.

    2. When we wage a battle against Satan we will thirst for the water

        of Christ.

             

       John 7:38

       Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living   

       water will flow from within him."

C. Samson knew God because He had been taught the Word by his

     parents. 

    1. He strayed away pursuing the desires of the world.

    2. It was God who brought him back to the mission he was

        born to do.

    

       Prov 22:6

       Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not   

       depart from it.

   3. He was blinded by the desires of the world, but God restored his sight

       to lead Israel for 20 years.

Rev. M. Mitchell

Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church

5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North

Houston, Texas 77041

For more lessons, follow me on facebook and visit my blogs;

Revmmitchell.com and goodnewsrevmitc.blogspot.com

Bible Study Series: John 8:1-20," Handling Social Injustices"

   

HANDLING SOCIAL INJUSTICE

John 8:1-24

START YOUR DAY WITH JESUS

V:1. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

A. The best way to start your day is a talk with Jesus.

     1. Notice, Jesus was in the temple early in the morning.

     2. There ought to be a temple in your heart for Jesus to enter.

     3. He stands at the door waiting for us to invite Him in.

B. When the Church doors are open we ought to be there.

    1. Doing this pandemic, we have been having Church on social

        media.

        a.  Sunday School on zoom

        b. Church services on you tube

        c. Tuesday and Wednesday night Bible studies on zoom.

    2. Services may not be in the building, we called church but its

        still Church.

    3. The real church is in the spiritual building of Jesus Christ

         which has no walls.

     4. Where two or more are gathered, Jesus is in the mist.

C.  Real church deals with real problems.

     1. None of us are perfect and all of us have problems.

     2. The reason for Church is to fix imperfect people.

     2. Its how you deal with the problems that counts.

     3. All of us will have to stand before Jesus and give an

         account of our sins.

     4. Before Jesus, every sin carries the same weight.

     5. Before we think about judging anyone, we need to see

         ourselves as sinners at the mercy of God.

D. Notice the Jewish leaders wore the hat of justice, but were really                

     the workers of the devil.

     1. They brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus for judgment.

     2. Notice, they didn’t bring the male adulterer who was involved with

        the woman to stand before Jesus.

         a. That is social injustice at its core.

         b. Prosecute one, but make amends for the other.

     3. They pointed the finger at the woman, but did not point the

         finger at the sins of their bias hearts.

     4. There are two sides to every story. They willingly and purposely

         left out the other side which was sin in its self.

     5. Their agenda was not justice but self promotion.

LAWS SHOULD BE APPLIED EQUALLY

V:5.  In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."  8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

A. Civil matters came under the jurisdiction of the teachers of law, the

      Pharisees and the Sanhedrin court. Jesus was not assigned the

      job of judgment.

     1. They had the power to convict, but wanted Jesus to do their dirty

          work.

     2. Their intentions was to trap Jesus, and get rid of the woman.

     3. Jesus said I came not to judge the world but to save the world.

     4. Jesus knew the men who brought the woman to Him were up to

        no good, so He did not respond to their questions.

     5. Jesus chose a non verbal way to draw the focus on the accusers.

     3. Jesus does not tells us what He wrote on the ground.

     4. Let me suggest that He wrote the commandments that affected

        the hearts and minds of the Jewish men accusers.

B. There is no one who is without sin.

    1. Reading the Word of God will convict you of your sins.

    2. I would bet that each accuser saw on the ground his sin.

C. Jesus challenge the men who had no sin to throw the first stone.

    1. The men realized that their hidden sins were brought to light.

    2. If they threw a stone, it would have to be first at themselves because

        they coveted the life of their neighbor.

    3. Is there anyone in your life that you are judging?

    4. Having witnessed the police violence shown on social media,

         are you judging or asking for mercy?  

     5. The more you judge others the more you disrupt the peace in

          your life.

LET THE WORD CONVICT YOU OF YOUR SINS

V:9. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11 "No one, sir," she said.

"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

A. The older men first, could mean the older we are the more we know

     our sins.

   1. The older might also refer to those of the higher rank of the Jewish

       civil structure.

   2. Jesus had publicly made their complaint look foolish.

   3. By writing on the ground, Jesus also exposed their desire

        to find fault with Him.

B. Finally only the woman was left with Jesus.

    1. We should be careful not to judge others unless we want to be judged.

    2. Jesus does not judge our sins, but grants the mercy of repentance.

    3. Jesus allows our sins to be exposed, so we can work on our weaknesses.

    4. We are God’s work in progress.

    5. He showed the woman mercy, not justice.

    6. We can’t expect to sets of standards of justices;

         one for the police officers who did wrong, and none for the

        looters who burnt down businesses and left the owners and employees

        with no place to work.

LOOK FOR THE LIGHT

V:12. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

A. The work of teaching the Word of God is never done.

    1. Jesus continued to teach the Word to those who wanted to hear.

    2. The light is the WORD of God.

    3. Without the Word, we live a life of darkness.

    4. Knowing the Word is one thing, but it is living our lives

         according to the Word that brings a life of light.

B.  What does darkness look like?

    1. Not knowing the truth

    2. No desire to seek the truth

    3. Inability to make right decisions

    4. Being controlled by emotions rather than trusting God.

    5. Living according to the standards of man rather than

        the commands of God.

    6. Those who live in darkness follow the crowd.

 

WILL YOU BE A WITNESS FOR JESUS?

V:13. The Pharisees challenged him, "Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid."

14 Jesus answered, "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. 16 But if I do judge, my decisions are right, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid.

A. There are two types of people who come to Church.

      1. There are people who come to hear the Word.

      2. There are people who come to find fault.

B. The Pharisees didn’t like Jesus because He spoke the truth.

    1. They were the guardians of the truth which they did not know or

         practice.

     2. With the woman they claimed was in adultery, Jesus gave them a

          lesson on not judging others.

     3. They rejected the Word, and therefore continued in darkness.

     4. They had no interest in the truth, but only their own personal agendas.

     5. They continued in darkness to find fault with Jesus, the true light.

C. The Pharisees had the Word in front them but challenged the

     validity of it.

    1. They were facing the truth, but tried to prove it to be false.

    2. They had God in front of them, but tried to prove Him to be

         the devil.

C. How to prove Jesus was sent by God?

    1. How do you prove that Jesus is God?

    2. The Jews had a rule that by two or more witness a thing could be

         proved.

   

Deut 19:15

One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

3. That didn’t work back then, because the Jews would pay people

     to lie.

  4. That will not work today because people will lie to agree with others.

  5. There are many religions and many religious books.

  6. People of other religions are as convinced that their religion

      is the true religion as you are of your Christian faith.

  7. Jesus said I testify for myself and the Father testify for Me.

  8. The first century Jewish historian Flavious Josephus said this:

        “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to    

        call him a man. For he was one who performed surprising deeds and

        was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over

        many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ.”

          a. After His resurrection, Jesus was seen by over 500 men

    

             1 Cor 15:6

             After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at

             the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have   

             fallen asleep.

           b. You have you own testimony about what Jesus has done in your    

                life.

            c. I am not sure you can prove to a non believer, that Jesus exists.

            d. But you are required to develop an argument for Jesus.

              

     Col 2:2-5

     God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the    

     treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will

     delude you with persuasive argument.   

c. While we may not be able to prove Jesus, we have our faith.

           

      Col 2:6-8

      Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,      

       having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and     

       established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing

       with gratitude.

d. Let us not be caught up in the emotional darkness that drives this current

    moment of justice.

    But rather, let us live in the righteous of Christ who will bring about

    justice through our prayers and dedication to Him.

e. Emotions dry up quickly and we are left with anger and frustration.

f. When emotions dry up, the movement is put on the sidelines until the

    next outburst.

h. When we live in the light of Christ, our hope for justice is kept alive.

       

 STUDY TO APPLY THE WORD

  A. The leading Jews had the Old Testament and claimed to know the

       Father.

       1. They didn’t know Jesus, so they didn’t know the Father.

       2. They claimed the first person in the Holy Trinity, but

            not the Son or the Holy Spirit.

  B. The Jews knew the prophecies of the coming of the Messiah.

       But they chose not to believe them.

   

           Matt 2:3-5

           When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with   

            him.  When he had called together all the people's chief priests and   

            teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

            "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "

THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

V:18 I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who    

       sent me." 19 Then they asked him, "Where is your father?"

      "You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. "If you knew me,   

      you would know my Father also."  20 He spoke these words while

      teaching in the temple area near the place where the offerings were put.    

      Yet no one seized him, because his time had not yet come.

A. There is a time for everything.

     1. The Jews knew about the birth of Christ, but they chose not to worship

          Him.

      2. God allowed His chosen people to stay in the dark.

   

         John 3:19-20

        This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved   

        darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone

        who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear

        that his deeds will be exposed.

     3. Jesus is our offering from the Father.

        a. He is author of justice

        b. He is the light that keeps our love for all people, even our enemies

            alive as we seek social justice.

        c. There is a lot of hate going around to day, even in the Christian

            community.

         d. You can see hate in the anger that eventually promotes violence.

DON’T LET DEATH CATCH YOU WITHOUT JESUS

V:21. Once more Jesus said to them, "I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come."

22 This made the Jews ask, "Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, 'Where I go, you cannot come'?"

23 But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."

A. People chose not to believe.

    1. They had the facts, but chose to ignore them.

    2. They had the evidence that Jesus was a man of God

         a. They witness His miracles.

         b. The witness His healing of all who came to Him

     3. They had His testimony about the Father.

     4. They were given the consequence of their unbelief, which

          was eternal death.

B. We have all the safety guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid19,

      Yet many people ignore the guideline and expose themselves and

       others to this virus which has claimed the lives of many.

    1. God has given us the wisdom to stay safe.

    2. It is up to each individual to follow the guidelines.

    3. To ignore the safety guidelines puts others at risk.

    4. Is it God or Satan driving our desire to be normal again?

    5. Is it God or Satan that is driving our desire for justice?

Rev. M. Mitchell