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Sermon Series: Today we’re starting a brand new mini series where we’re taking a look at how to love like Jesus and live like a missionary!

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 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?”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.” 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.

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.”

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. 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^[a] 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 sight¹⁹ 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^[b] to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. ²³ Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”)

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.” ²⁶ They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷ He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 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.

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”^{[c] 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;^[d] but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

 

People connect with stories. Jesus used them and so can we! Your story has a unique way of pointing people towards Jesus. By taking a close look at this part of God’s Word, we can learn how our story can be used to point people towards Jesus, and make disciples. 

1. Tell the truth

John 9:9, Prov. 12:22, 19:9, Ps. 101:7

2. Don’t be afraid of not knowing all of the answers

John 9:10-18, Rom. 11:33, 2 Cor. 12:2-3, Mark 4:10

3. Realize that not everyone will stand by you

John 9:19-23, Matt. 24:10-13, 1 Tim. 4:1

4. You will face opposition

John 9:24-34, 15:20, 16:33, Is. 54:17, 1 Pet. 5:8, Matt. 5:44

5. Don’t over complicate your story

John 9:25, Rev. 12:11, 1 Pet. 3:15, Ps. 107:2

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 9:25

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

• Take some time to read over John 9:1-41 and pray. 
• Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
• What surprised you as we talked about it?
• As you reflect on this part of God’s Word, put yourself in the place of the crowd in this story. How do you think you have reacted? Why?
• Take some time to pray for those in your life who do not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Ask that God would give you opportunities to talk with them, and for you to be able to tell them your story of what Jesus has done for you. 

 

Diving In 

1. Take some time to prayerfully think through your story. What were you like before you came to Christ? How has God transformed your life?

 

2. Are you ever tempted to edit your story somehow? If so, do you tend to make your story more or less sinful? Why do you think that is? 

 

3. What are some natural ways your story could come up in conversation? 

 

4. What stops you from telling your story of how Jesus has changed your life? Why is that? 

 

5. As you think through your story, who could you most naturally share it with this week? Spend some time in prayer, asking that God would give you the opportunity to do so. 

 

Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? 

• What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? 
• How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? 
• Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?

 

 

 

Small Group Guide: