All I Know (Jonathan Josephs)

0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:05.840 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:07.760 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:10.680 Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:12.840 Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:13.560 in your life. 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:19.599 Enjoy the message. You know, I'd heard about mom guilt, 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:24.640 but no one ever told me about dad inadequacy and 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:27.680 that feeling sometimes we have his dad's feeling like not 0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:29.760 only are we not doing enough sometimes, but I know 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:32.680 some of us feel this condemnation from the enemy sometimes 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:35.720 telling us that we're not enough. And I just felt 0:00:35.760 --> 0:00:38.520 led to just prophesy over the dads today and ultimately 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:41.920 just remind you that before you were a father, you 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:46.199 were a son. And there's something so powerful about in 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:48.839 those places where we feel like we're not enough, reminding 0:00:48.840 --> 0:00:51.839 ourselves that I was a son first. Chris was just 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:53.920 sharing in the back about the prodigal son, about the 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.280 younger son who came home. But I love what the 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:58.720 father spoke over the older son. He said, my son, 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:02.800 everything that I have, it was already yours. And when 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:04.959 you can wake up every day and remind yourself that 0:01:05.040 --> 0:01:08.160 I'm a son. First, it's an opportunity to recognize that 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:12.160 everything your father has is available to you. So I 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:15.080 just speak life over you today and the blessings of 0:01:15.120 --> 0:01:17.920 your father and Heaven over you today. In the name 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:23.440 of Jesus, we honor you, your honor and your well. 0:01:23.440 --> 0:01:25.600 If we haven't yet met yet, my name is Jonathan. 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:28.360 I have the privilege of serving as the campus pastor 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:32.080 here at our Balentine location and welcome everyone's joe Us 0:01:32.160 --> 0:01:37.039 and certainly always an honor to be able to share 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:40.000 God's word. I feel so grateful today. It's also always 0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:42.399 an honor to stand behind the pulpit of my favorite 0:01:42.440 --> 0:01:48.240 preacher on the planet. And it's kind of like if 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:50.920 Michael Jordan invited you to play on his personal court. 0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:53.280 You know, you're not on that level, but it's still 0:01:53.400 --> 0:01:57.480 pretty it's pretty cool. It's pretty cool. And while I 0:01:57.520 --> 0:01:59.760 consider it's such an honor to stand behind this pulpit 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:02.200 to day, what's an even greater honor for me is that, 0:02:02.240 --> 0:02:05.240 for the last twelve years, the greater honor is that 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:06.880 I've been able to be a part of this church. 0:02:06.920 --> 0:02:09.680 And standing behind a pulpit is cool, but sitting in 0:02:09.720 --> 0:02:12.760 that seat week to week is so special. I'm so 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:15.320 grateful to be a part of this house under the 0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:18.960 leadership of such amazing pastors. Can we thank God for 0:02:19.040 --> 0:02:25.359 Pastor Stephen and Pastor Hawley and and the other thing 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:27.120 that's kind of cool about sitting next there is I 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:28.760 get to sit next to my wife of we just 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:33.680 celebrated fifteen years on Friday, fifteen years of marriage. The 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:39.120 Anna knows this right there. Well. I want to share 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:41.880 from a passage of scripture in John chapter nine. It's 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:45.440 this story about Jesus healing a man who was born blind, 0:02:45.480 --> 0:02:50.240 and ultimately the man starts getting interrogated by the Pharisees. 0:02:50.440 --> 0:02:52.440 And here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna give you 0:02:52.480 --> 0:02:56.200 just one verse right now. We'll let you take your seats. 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:57.880 I know the dads just wanted to sit down for 0:02:57.919 --> 0:03:01.200 Father's Day. That's it. Give me a break, So one 0:03:01.360 --> 0:03:03.880 verse and I'll give you my title. But then I'll 0:03:03.880 --> 0:03:05.560 ask that you'd be patient with me because I want 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:08.440 to work through the majority of this chapter John chapter nine, 0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:12.320 and work through this story together. Is that good? John 0:03:12.400 --> 0:03:16.040 Chapter nine, Verse twenty five. The Pharisees, they're asking this 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.440 man questions about who Jesus is. They're mad because Jesus 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:21.280 held him on the Sabbath. You know, they don't like that. 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:25.040 And so they asked this man a question about Jesus, 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:28.880 and look at his response verse twenty five. He replied, 0:03:29.200 --> 0:03:32.120 whether he is a sinner or not? I don't know. 0:03:33.240 --> 0:03:36.640 One thing I do know. I was blind, but now 0:03:37.400 --> 0:03:41.600 I see whether he's a sinner or not. I don't know. 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:45.600 I'm I'm not a student of the law like you guys. 0:03:45.920 --> 0:03:47.960 I'm just a I was a blind beggar just a 0:03:48.000 --> 0:03:51.600 few days ago. I don't know. But one thing I 0:03:51.640 --> 0:03:54.720 do know. I was blind, But now I see. My 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:57.920 title for today is all I know. All I know. 0:03:58.320 --> 0:04:00.160 And as you're taking your seat, turn to your neighbors, say, 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.960 all I know is that I'm so blessed to be 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:13.360 sitting next to you today. God has really been speaking 0:04:13.400 --> 0:04:16.360 to me through this passage. And since it is Father's Day, 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:18.080 let me show you a picture of my family real quick, 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:21.000 because I am a proud dad and my family right 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:26.320 here with my kids. And okay, so my oldest, Zion, 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:29.000 he's ten years old. And then we've got Elias, he 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:32.440 turns eight this week. He was actually born on Father's Day. 0:04:33.160 --> 0:04:35.479 And yeah, he came early. I kept telling people, I 0:04:35.480 --> 0:04:37.680 think Anna just pushed him out early because she didn't 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:40.320 want to get me a gift. Yeah, and see this 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:42.680 is the problem. And everybody laughs, they thought I was joking. 0:04:42.720 --> 0:04:45.240 And then guess what day. Our daughter, Olivia was born 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:49.120 on Father's Day? All right, So if you've got an 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:51.880 extra twenty in your pocket, just bless the Woman of 0:04:51.880 --> 0:04:53.920 God so she can get me a proper father this 0:04:54.080 --> 0:04:57.560 day gift this year. That's our family. We're so we're 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:00.960 so blessed. And and I grew with three sisters and 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:03.400 we'd always ask my parents, you know, who's the favorite, 0:05:03.400 --> 0:05:05.520 you know, and they would always say, we love you 0:05:05.560 --> 0:05:08.760 all the same. And that's true, but it doesn't exactly 0:05:08.800 --> 0:05:11.960 answer the question, right And as a parent, as a 0:05:12.000 --> 0:05:14.520 parent myself, now it's true, I love them all the same. 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:18.000 But tell your neighbors say, there's definitely a favorite. There's 0:05:18.040 --> 0:05:21.440 definitely a favorite, Zion, is there a favorite? There's a favorite? 0:05:21.440 --> 0:05:27.279 But in this passage in John chapter nine, I love 0:05:28.400 --> 0:05:30.719 what this man expressed in that one sentence. He's talking 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:34.480 about the tension of He's saying whether he's a sinner 0:05:34.600 --> 0:05:36.800 or not he makes the confession, I don't know, but 0:05:36.880 --> 0:05:38.880 one thing I do know, I don't know I know, 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:43.640 And the word no know shows up like eleven times 0:05:43.640 --> 0:05:45.440 in this one passage of scripture. You're going to see 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:48.159 it pop up over and over again, and it starts 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:51.000 speaking to me because I find myself in a season 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:55.640 of life right now where I find myself saying more 0:05:55.680 --> 0:06:01.240 than ever, maybe I don't know, I don't know. Situations 0:06:01.240 --> 0:06:03.080 at work, I'm trying to figure out where it's like, well, 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:05.400 what do we do about I don't know. Just talking 0:06:05.400 --> 0:06:07.320 to a friend the other day about health stuff. He's 0:06:07.400 --> 0:06:10.880 like everything one thing I read says do this, the 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:12.800 other thing says do that. He's like, I don't even 0:06:12.800 --> 0:06:14.560 know what to believe anymore. He's like, I just I 0:06:14.560 --> 0:06:18.039 don't know. I don't know. When it comes to even 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.320 when me and Anda do like marriage counseling. Now it 0:06:20.440 --> 0:06:22.200 used to be we'd go to talk about us, to 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:25.080 work on us. Now we're going to talk about the kids, 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:27.159 like how do we do this? It's getting harder and 0:06:27.200 --> 0:06:29.720 harder as they get older. We're trying to figure this 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:30.960 thing out. And I know some of you are like, 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:33.320 you only got a ten year old just just you wait. 0:06:35.360 --> 0:06:37.000 But even at the stage we're at right now, I 0:06:37.040 --> 0:06:40.000 find myself saying, I don't know, I don't know. Maybe 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:43.280 find yourself in that place today where you're facing situations 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:46.200 and if you're honest, you're like I, I just don't know. 0:06:47.120 --> 0:06:49.240 But where it really started to hit me was that, 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:52.600 even when it comes to my faith and my walk 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:56.479 with God, I find myself saying, yeah, I don't know, 0:06:57.160 --> 0:07:00.200 I don't know. There's two members in the church who 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:02.960 have really been undermining my confidence as a pastor and 0:07:03.000 --> 0:07:05.720 as a follower of Christ. And I don't want to 0:07:05.720 --> 0:07:08.240 expose anybody. It's not it's not you, Tad, You're good. 0:07:09.120 --> 0:07:11.120 But I'll just show you a picture real quick of 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:15.960 the two church members I'm talking about. Yeah, these two, 0:07:16.280 --> 0:07:19.400 these two, because they're at the stage now. It's so 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:22.080 amazing watching our kids grow in their faith, isn't it. 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:24.720 It's so awesome to see them just take steps towards Christ. 0:07:24.720 --> 0:07:26.400 And then at the same time, the thing that comes 0:07:26.440 --> 0:07:28.960 with it is they're asking me so many questions, and 0:07:28.960 --> 0:07:32.080 they're good questions too, and they'll ask me at the 0:07:32.080 --> 0:07:34.240 most unexpected times, like I don't get to I don't 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.480 get to do any research. You know, my youngest he 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:39.680 asked me. He some of the questions are fun, like 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.640 why did God make bad guys? And then you get 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:44.840 to explain to them, well, actually we're all bad guys, 0:07:44.920 --> 0:07:46.920 and apart from Christ, none of us are righteous. And 0:07:46.960 --> 0:07:49.640 you're walking them through that, and then ask me, why 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:54.000 did God make mosquitoes? Now that's a it's a tough one. 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:56.440 I hate him so much. That's like the equivalent of 0:07:56.480 --> 0:07:59.360 asking why does God let bad things happen to good people? 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:01.000 That's how I feel like every time I get a mosquito, 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:05.560 By Lord, why have you forsaken me? The other day, 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:08.520 we're driving home from school and my eight year old 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:10.960 he was getting ready to be baptized. He got baptized 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:15.640 in our church just a couple weeks ago, and we 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:18.280 were talking about the moment where Jesus was baptized. You 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:21.320 remember that story. Jesus is baptizing and a dove, the 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:23.680 Holy Spirit descends like a dove in the voice of 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:25.880 his father in Heaven speaks over him. This is my son, 0:08:25.920 --> 0:08:28.720 whom I love, whom I'm well pleased. And my eight 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:32.040 year old son, he said, Dad, if Jesus is God, 0:08:32.160 --> 0:08:38.440 how is God talking to Jesus. He's eight years old 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:43.000 and he's asking me about the Trinity. Have you ever 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:45.440 tried to explain the Trinity to an eight year old? 0:08:45.800 --> 0:08:48.679 Forget it? Have you ever tried to explain the Trinity 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:53.360 to a full grown, functioning adult. These are things that 0:08:53.400 --> 0:08:56.079 we believe, right, we believe in it. That this is 0:08:56.160 --> 0:08:58.720 something that the church, like followers of Christ, have believed him. 0:08:58.720 --> 0:08:59.959 But if you asked me the question, how do I know? 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:02.679 I gotta be honest. I don't know sometimes and I'm 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:04.280 trying to. If I had told you turn to your 0:09:04.280 --> 0:09:06.880 neighbor right now and explain to Trinity, you would be 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:09.920 pulling up chat GPT so quick and going to some 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:11.760 lame stuff. Well, it's kind of like an egg. It's 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:14.840 three parts that's all in one, and it's like, let's 0:09:14.880 --> 0:09:17.760 be honest for a second. We don't know. We don't know. 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:20.880 There's so many things that we believe, and if we're honest, 0:09:20.880 --> 0:09:23.440 we feel like, if we're honest, we could say that 0:09:23.480 --> 0:09:26.320 we don't know. And the problem is we feel like 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.520 we should. I know, I feel like I should. I'm 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:30.400 a pastor. I'm supposed to know these things. I went 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:32.800 to school for these things, and whether it's sitting down 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:35.000 with a couple trying to guide them in the ways 0:09:35.000 --> 0:09:37.680 of God as they navigate a situation in life, or 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:40.360 even just the own my own questions that I'm wrestling with. 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:44.960 I find myself saying I don't know. I don't know, 0:09:45.480 --> 0:09:48.680 but I'm realizing that if my confidence is built on 0:09:49.000 --> 0:09:54.080 all I know, I will always be insecure. And God's 0:09:54.120 --> 0:09:56.720 been teaching me through this passage that being in a 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:01.000 place of not knowing isn't always bad thing. In fact, 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:04.800 not knowing might just be a good place to be. 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:08.120 So let's start at the beginning of this story where 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:11.560 this man who is born blind has a miraculous encounter 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:13.719 with Jesus. And there's some things about knowing that I 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:16.600 want to show you through this passage today. Good if 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:18.720 we walk through the scriptures for just a moment. Ken 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:22.680 in verse one, it says, as he went along, he 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:25.880 saw a man blind from birth. Now right there, I 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.520 got grateful. I got grateful knowing that even when I 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:33.320 couldn't see Jesus, he saw me and his disciples. They 0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:36.680 asked him a question. Rabbi means teacher, teacher. They want 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:41.320 to learn something. Who sinned this man or his parents 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:45.040 that he was born blind? Rabbi, who sinned this man 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:47.960 or his parents that he was born blind? I love 0:10:48.000 --> 0:10:51.360 the fact that the disciples are willing to ask Jesus questions. 0:10:52.440 --> 0:10:54.880 They're saying, Jesus, we have teach us, teach Us. There's 0:10:54.880 --> 0:10:56.720 still at a place in their faith where they're willing 0:10:56.760 --> 0:10:59.000 to ask questions. Some of us grew up in a 0:10:59.040 --> 0:11:02.520 tradition of faith where we were taught not to ask questions. 0:11:03.320 --> 0:11:06.720 We thought faith was certainty in our answers. But faith 0:11:06.760 --> 0:11:10.400 is not certainty in your answers. Faith is where you 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:15.400 go with your questions. So they asked Jesus. They're looking 0:11:15.480 --> 0:11:18.160 at a man born in an unfortunate situation, and they're 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:21.040 asking him, how did this happen? What happened? Was it 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:24.040 something he did or his parents did. Now it's a 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:26.560 crazy question to us, because remember the man, he was 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:28.800 born blind. So when he says, did this man sin 0:11:29.320 --> 0:11:31.000 to be born that way, you're like, well, that doesn't 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:34.280 really compute. But it's kind of a bad question because 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:36.680 it was rooted in bad beliefs. Some of the bad 0:11:36.800 --> 0:11:40.520 questions we have are rooted in bad beliefs and here's 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:44.479 what I mean. They the Disciples had such a transactional 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:48.120 view of God that they believe that if anytime someone 0:11:48.160 --> 0:11:52.000 was in a situation of sickness or suffering, that God 0:11:52.080 --> 0:11:54.640 was so transactional that it must have been punishment for 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:58.520 something that they did. And so, rather than rather than 0:11:58.640 --> 0:12:02.559 basing their theology on what the scripture said about God, 0:12:02.559 --> 0:12:05.319 who is slow to anger, abounding in love, rich in mercy, 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:08.680 sometimes we begin to create a view of God based 0:12:08.679 --> 0:12:12.160 on our circumstances rather than the other way around. So 0:12:12.200 --> 0:12:15.079 they actually developed a theology that was common in that 0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:17.840 day that someone could commit sin while they were still 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:21.000 in the womb. So when they asked Jesus, why was 0:12:21.040 --> 0:12:23.360 this man born blind? It's rooted in the belief that 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:26.000 something must have gone wrong for him to be born 0:12:26.120 --> 0:12:28.760 in this condition. But they're asking him a question, and 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:31.160 look what Jesus says in response. He says, neither this 0:12:31.240 --> 0:12:35.080 man nor his parents sinned, but this happens so that 0:12:35.160 --> 0:12:39.400 the works of God might be displayed in him. They're 0:12:39.440 --> 0:12:42.640 looking at a situation and they're asking why why is 0:12:42.679 --> 0:12:45.520 this happening? And it's one thing to look at situations 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:48.200 in our life and wonder Why, God, Why am I 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:49.520 going through this divorce? 0:12:49.600 --> 0:12:49.800 God? 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:53.000 Why am I spiraling into this addiction again? God? Why 0:12:53.000 --> 0:12:55.400 am I being buried alive by shame again? It's one 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:57.520 thing to look at situations in our life and ask 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:01.720 why is this happening? But Jesus redirects their question with 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:04.960 their answer, and he doesn't necessarily say what caused it, 0:13:05.400 --> 0:13:08.000 but he answers why as and what is the purpose 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:10.880 of what they're going through? He said, forget about what 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:12.920 caused this man to be born blind. I want to 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:15.440 show you what's going to happen as a result of 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:19.199 his condition. This happens so that the works of God 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:22.080 might be displayed in him. In other words, that if 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.440 I can reframe my belief system to recognize God that 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:28.480 all things are working together for my good. When I 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:31.240 find myself in a situation saying I don't know how 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:34.160 I got here, I can change my question to say, God, 0:13:34.320 --> 0:13:36.880 even though I don't know what got me into this situation, 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:39.680 I know that there's something you are doing in me 0:13:40.040 --> 0:13:42.920 and through me, and through what I'm facing, You're going 0:13:43.000 --> 0:13:47.600 to get glory. This happens so that the works of 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:52.880 God might be revealed in him. After saying this verse six, Jesus, 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:55.600 he spit on the ground. He made some mud with 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:59.160 the saliva, and he put it on the man's eyes. Go, 0:13:59.360 --> 0:14:02.120 he told them, wash in the pool of Siloam. This 0:14:02.200 --> 0:14:04.360 word means scent. The scent one is sending him to 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:08.640 a pool called send. So the man went and washed 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:13.040 and came home seeing. Talk about blind faith for just 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:17.480 a moment, the ability to move in obedience even when 0:14:17.520 --> 0:14:21.160 you don't have all the answers. Remember, this man has 0:14:21.200 --> 0:14:25.080 never seen Jesus. In fact, when Jesus said go wash 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:27.680 in the pool, he didn't tell Jesus, go and wash 0:14:27.720 --> 0:14:30.680 and you'll be healed. He gave him no information. Can 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:33.960 you imagine sitting there hearing people talking about you in 0:14:34.000 --> 0:14:36.600 the background. Next thing you know, your eyes are getting 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:39.360 slapped with some mud, and you heard a spitting sound, 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:41.640 and now there's something goofy on your eyes, and you're 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:46.000 going wait a second, and then the man says, go 0:14:46.120 --> 0:14:48.720 and wash, And it says that he went and he 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:52.600 came home seeing. Blind faith is the ability to move 0:14:52.640 --> 0:14:57.200 in obedience on nothing but a word from Jesus. Some 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:59.840 of us are stuck in the circumstances we find ourselves 0:14:59.880 --> 0:15:03.000 in today because we need too many answers before we'll 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:06.360 move in obedience. Some of us stay trapped in the 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:08.240 place we are and we're praying God get me out 0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:10.440 of this situation. And God saying, I gave you in 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:12.760 an instruction, but you needed to know a B. C. 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:16.640 D If then when And God is looking for people 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:19.720 who have blind faith, faith enough to trust in his 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:23.480 voice and not all the answers. So this man goes 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:27.240 to the pool, he washes, and he came home seeing 0:15:27.520 --> 0:15:30.080 Can you imagine he's walking back to his village, seeing 0:15:30.080 --> 0:15:32.880 mountains for the first time, seeing the blue sky for 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:36.040 the first time, seeing his parents for the first time. 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:38.560 And it says this His neighbors and those who had 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:40.840 formerly seen him begging ask him, is this the same 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:44.040 man who used to sit and beg Some claimed he was, 0:15:44.120 --> 0:15:46.000 others said no, he only looks like him. They don't know, 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:50.200 But he himself insisted, I am the man. How then 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:53.280 were your eyes open? They asked. The man they called 0:15:53.360 --> 0:15:56.200 Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. 0:15:57.240 --> 0:15:59.640 He told me to go to saloam and wash. So 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:05.760 I went and washed, and then I could see. So 0:16:05.800 --> 0:16:09.080 they bring him to the Pharisees Verse thirteen. The man 0:16:09.120 --> 0:16:10.760 who had they bring the man who had been blind 0:16:10.840 --> 0:16:13.120 to the Pharisees. Now, the day on which Jesus had 0:16:13.120 --> 0:16:15.440 made the mud and opened up the man's eyes was 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.960 a sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:21.800 had received a sight. He's given the same testimony over 0:16:21.840 --> 0:16:23.880 and over again. He put mud on my eyes, the 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:27.280 man replied, and I washed, and now I see. And 0:16:27.320 --> 0:16:30.080 the Pharisees start going back and forth. This man Jesus, 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:32.080 he can't be from God. He doesn't keep the sabbath, 0:16:32.120 --> 0:16:34.280 but others are like. But how is he performing these signs? 0:16:34.280 --> 0:16:37.040 So they're divided. They don't know. And then they turned 0:16:37.080 --> 0:16:39.200 away again to the blind man. What do you have 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:42.600 to say about him? It was your eyes he opened, 0:16:42.920 --> 0:16:46.200 and the man replied, this man is a prophet. They 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:48.600 still did not believe that he had been blind and 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:51.760 had received his sight, until they sent for the man's parents. 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:55.160 Is this your son? They've got questions? Is this the 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:58.120 one you say was born blind? How is it that 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:01.800 he can now see? Look at this. We know he 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.680 is our son. The parent's answer, And we know he 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:08.240 was born blind, But how he can see now or 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:11.320 who opened his eyes? We don't know touch your neighbors said, 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:15.120 we don't know. Ask him. He's of age, he will 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:18.800 speak for himself. His parents said this because they were 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:23.280 afraid of the Jewish leaders who had already decided, who 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:28.159 had already decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was 0:17:28.200 --> 0:17:31.679 the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. They 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.520 had already made up their mind. You ever been in 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:37.919 a situation where someone's asking you for advice and you 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:42.040 quickly get the sense they had already decided, you know, 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:43.880 should I break up with her? Should I keep seeing? 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.960 You're like, I've been telling you, this relationship's toxic. And 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.440 sometimes people are asking you questions because they just want 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:55.520 confirmation or proof in what they already believe. Right, there's 0:17:55.560 --> 0:17:58.800 times in our marriage where we're arguing back and forth 0:17:58.840 --> 0:18:02.280 about something. Instead of actually listening to understand my wife's 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:04.720 side of the story, I'm just listening for my next 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:07.879 argument to prove I was right. It's what the Pharisees 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:10.879 are doing in this story. They're asking questions, But if 0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:14.440 we're honest, they're not actually curious, they're not actually trying 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:18.000 to understand they've already made up their mind about Jesus 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:20.080 that he isn't who he says he is, and they're 0:18:20.080 --> 0:18:23.000 looking for reasons to trap him. So even though they're 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:25.480 asking questions, it's not the same type of questions that 0:18:25.520 --> 0:18:28.640 the disciples are asking. The disciples are asking because they're 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:32.199 seeking understanding. The Pharisees are asking because they have a 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:35.480 questioning spirit. They're just trying to prove what they've already 0:18:35.520 --> 0:18:39.480 decided they believe verse twenty four. A second time, they 0:18:39.520 --> 0:18:42.159 summon the man who had been blind give glory to 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:45.640 God by telling the truth. They said, we know this 0:18:45.720 --> 0:18:49.760 man is a sinner. Here's our key verse and he replied, 0:18:50.280 --> 0:18:53.159 whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:57.000 one thing. I do know. I was blind, but now 0:18:57.480 --> 0:18:59.920 I see turn to your neighbors, say I don't know much, 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:07.480 but I know what he's done for me. This word 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:11.280 no that keeps showing up k n O W the 0:19:11.320 --> 0:19:14.680 Bible uses translates different Greek words into this word no. 0:19:15.240 --> 0:19:18.080 In this scripture, when the word no shows up, it's 0:19:18.119 --> 0:19:21.600 referring to a to a head knowledge. It's it's the 0:19:21.640 --> 0:19:24.000 type of knowing that you can that you can learn 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:28.520 right it's information. That's what the Pharisees possessed, maybe more 0:19:28.560 --> 0:19:31.240 than anyone. Remember, their influence in that society at that 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:34.679 time didn't become wasn't because of a political affiliation, but 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:38.240 because of their authorities in the scriptures. They would memorize 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:41.720 the scripture, study the scriptures, study the Law of Moses. 0:19:41.760 --> 0:19:44.920 Their authority was based on what they on, what they knew. 0:19:44.920 --> 0:19:48.000 But it was a knowledge that came simply through learning. Now, 0:19:48.040 --> 0:19:50.240 of course learning is good. I want my pilots to learn, 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:53.720 I want my doctors to learn. Learning is good. But 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:58.159 but their level of knowledge was solely connected to what 0:19:58.320 --> 0:20:02.280 they had learned. When the man says, I don't know 0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:04.600 whether he's a sinner or not. Can you imagine you're 0:20:04.720 --> 0:20:08.399 a beggar going toe to toe with the theological experts 0:20:08.480 --> 0:20:11.200 of your day and they're trying to get him to debate, 0:20:11.320 --> 0:20:13.480 what do you say about Jesus? What do you think 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:15.879 about the Messiah? And he's like, yo, this isn't my 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:18.680 area of expertise, this is this is your category. So 0:20:18.760 --> 0:20:21.119 he has the humility to say, hey, I don't know. 0:20:21.280 --> 0:20:23.080 I don't know. I didn't learn all that. I didn't 0:20:23.119 --> 0:20:24.600 go to school like you did. I don't know. I 0:20:24.600 --> 0:20:28.200 don't know, but one thing I do know. One thing 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:31.760 I do know, he referred. He begins to reference what 0:20:31.840 --> 0:20:37.640 he personally experienced. I was blind, but now I see. 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:40.679 Other times in scripture, there's another word for knowing, like 0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:44.040 in Philippians three ten, where Paul says, my one purpose, 0:20:44.119 --> 0:20:47.280 my one aim is that I would know Christ, or 0:20:47.280 --> 0:20:49.680 when Jesus prayed for us as believers, that we would 0:20:49.760 --> 0:20:52.399 know the Father. It's not the type of knowing that 0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:55.240 comes from learning. It's a It's a word that speaks 0:20:55.280 --> 0:20:59.120 to relationship. It's the way a father knows a son, 0:20:59.160 --> 0:21:01.520 the way a husband knows a wife. It's the type 0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:04.760 of knowing that comes through personal experience. Like if you 0:21:04.760 --> 0:21:07.280 ask me to tell you about Anna, I wouldn't just 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:11.600 tell you she's five foot four born January sixth I 0:21:11.600 --> 0:21:14.440 wouldn't just like read you information off her driver's license, 0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:18.760 right because I know her. I know we've been married 0:21:18.800 --> 0:21:21.480 for fifteen years. I have a relationship with her. So 0:21:21.520 --> 0:21:23.040 if you ask me to tell you about Anna, i'd 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:25.800 tell you while she's remarkably patient, how do I know? 0:21:26.119 --> 0:21:27.840 Because we're trying to teach our boys how to clean 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:30.760 up after themselves, and I still leave socks on the 0:21:30.800 --> 0:21:33.480 living room floor like a nine year old myself, and 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:37.000 she still lets me cuddle with her. She's patient, she's patient. 0:21:38.400 --> 0:21:40.720 I would tell you how she's an amazing listener. It's 0:21:40.800 --> 0:21:43.480 unbelievable to watch. Sometimes Anna will sit down with someone 0:21:43.520 --> 0:21:45.520 and ask just a couple questions and then they can 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:47.600 talk for an hour, and then she'll just wait to 0:21:47.680 --> 0:21:49.439 chime in at the end with a little bit of advice. 0:21:49.480 --> 0:21:52.560 She's really why she's an amazing listener. I would talk 0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:54.520 about her in a different way because I have a 0:21:54.560 --> 0:21:58.399 personal relationship with her. And so when this man is 0:21:58.440 --> 0:22:00.920 being questioned by the Pharisees, they're trying to figure out 0:22:00.960 --> 0:22:03.159 tell us something, tell us something we need to know 0:22:03.200 --> 0:22:05.800 so we can prove that Jesus isn't who he says 0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:07.080 he is. And the man's like, I don't know what 0:22:07.119 --> 0:22:09.320 to tell you about that. All I know is I 0:22:09.480 --> 0:22:12.919 was blind. But now I see. This is the power 0:22:12.960 --> 0:22:16.480 of your personal experience with God in your life. For 0:22:16.600 --> 0:22:18.840 the times where you don't know, for the times where 0:22:18.880 --> 0:22:21.360 you have doubts, for the times where you have questions 0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:23.879 that you can't seem to figure out, there's something so 0:22:24.080 --> 0:22:27.119 powerful about being able to stand confident in what you 0:22:27.280 --> 0:22:30.800 do know. I was blind, but now I see it's 0:22:30.840 --> 0:22:34.400 what I personally experience. I was sharing with our youth 0:22:34.480 --> 0:22:36.359 just a couple of weeks ago about how I know 0:22:36.440 --> 0:22:38.760 it's hard being in high school because people are asking 0:22:38.760 --> 0:22:40.880 you all the time about your faith and they don't 0:22:40.920 --> 0:22:43.760 understand it. Why do you believe those things about Jesus? 0:22:43.760 --> 0:22:45.560 Are you really trying to Are you really trying to 0:22:45.600 --> 0:22:48.320 stay pure intil marriage? You really go and serve on 0:22:48.359 --> 0:22:50.280 your free time? You go serve at the church. Why 0:22:50.280 --> 0:22:52.480 do you do all those things? And there's a temptation 0:22:52.760 --> 0:22:55.639 for us when people are challenging us in our faith 0:22:55.960 --> 0:22:57.960 to go to what we know. You know, well, I 0:22:58.040 --> 0:23:00.600 believe this about the Bible, and listen, I get that too. 0:23:00.640 --> 0:23:02.760 I went to school for this stuff. I love this stuff. 0:23:02.920 --> 0:23:04.600 The other day someone was asking me, he said, I 0:23:04.640 --> 0:23:08.600 don't know how you believe this Christianity stuff. I said, okay, why? 0:23:09.800 --> 0:23:13.600 He said, it seems so illogical to believe in the Bible. Wow, 0:23:14.280 --> 0:23:17.800 And everything within me wanted to start like going apologist mode. 0:23:17.840 --> 0:23:20.560 You know, I love watching this guy lately on YouTube, 0:23:20.560 --> 0:23:23.679 Wesley Huff, this historian and theologian, and he gives an 0:23:23.720 --> 0:23:26.199 amazing defense for the faith, And every time I watch him, 0:23:26.240 --> 0:23:28.320 I'm like, oh, I wish I knew all that stuff, 0:23:28.600 --> 0:23:31.080 but I can't. I can't remember how old I am 0:23:31.160 --> 0:23:34.399 half the time, let alone when the Bible was put together. 0:23:34.920 --> 0:23:36.480 This guy was saying, I don't know how you believe it. 0:23:36.480 --> 0:23:39.920 It's so illogical. And while I wanted to start defending 0:23:39.960 --> 0:23:42.520 my faith, something into me said stop and just said, 0:23:42.880 --> 0:23:46.320 just speak about your personal experience with God. Why do 0:23:46.400 --> 0:23:48.479 you follow Jesus? I just started saying, like all the 0:23:48.520 --> 0:23:52.080 moments in my life where I felt his hand, his 0:23:52.160 --> 0:23:55.679 hand on me, his hand guiding me through. Because you 0:23:55.720 --> 0:23:59.480 can talk someone into believing, you can give them information 0:23:59.600 --> 0:24:02.840 that might change their mind, but only personal encounter can 0:24:02.920 --> 0:24:11.760 change somebody's part. And there's a level of knowing that 0:24:11.800 --> 0:24:14.680 comes from being in real relationship with Jesus, where he's 0:24:14.760 --> 0:24:17.879 active in working in your life. That builds a confidence 0:24:17.880 --> 0:24:20.479 that no matter what storms come your way, even if 0:24:20.480 --> 0:24:23.119 it's the one thing you do know you can stand 0:24:23.520 --> 0:24:26.199 on it, not just for when people are challenging you 0:24:26.560 --> 0:24:29.919 about your faith, but for the questions you have about 0:24:29.920 --> 0:24:33.159 your faith, for the situations you're facing where you just 0:24:33.200 --> 0:24:35.320 don't know to be able to go back and say, 0:24:35.560 --> 0:24:39.040 I was blind, but now I see. This man's testimony 0:24:39.080 --> 0:24:43.119 has become an anthem for believers. Amazing grace, how sweet 0:24:43.119 --> 0:24:46.560 the sound save the wrench? Like me, I once was lost, 0:24:47.160 --> 0:24:50.720 Now I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. 0:24:51.440 --> 0:24:54.520 In preaching, Pastor Stevens taught us he said, in when 0:24:54.560 --> 0:24:59.840 you're preaching, you need an osp A one sentence premise. Ans, 0:25:00.720 --> 0:25:02.959 how can can you can you say your sermon in 0:25:03.000 --> 0:25:05.600 just one sentence what your message is about? But I'm 0:25:05.640 --> 0:25:11.640 realizing in life I need an ost a one sentence testimony, 0:25:12.840 --> 0:25:19.040 A one sentence testimony, not an elaborate story, but in 0:25:19.119 --> 0:25:21.680 one sentence, the ability to say, just like this man, 0:25:21.840 --> 0:25:25.399 I was blind, but now I see. We were with 0:25:25.440 --> 0:25:27.199 our leaders just a couple of weeks ago, and we 0:25:27.240 --> 0:25:29.479 were talking about this, and and I said, if you 0:25:29.520 --> 0:25:32.920 had to boil your story down into into into one sentence, 0:25:33.720 --> 0:25:35.639 it's I said, I bet you could do it like that. 0:25:36.000 --> 0:25:38.040 You know, like if I said to explain the Trinity 0:25:38.080 --> 0:25:40.520 to your neighbor, you'd have to you'd struggle for a minute. 0:25:40.960 --> 0:25:42.840 But if I said, tell your neighbor, right, now what 0:25:42.920 --> 0:25:45.280 God has done for you, you'd be able to do 0:25:45.320 --> 0:25:48.320 it in a moment because it's not real to you. 0:25:48.840 --> 0:25:50.439 Someone stood up in the room and they said, my 0:25:50.520 --> 0:25:53.320 marriage was at its bottom and God made it better. 0:25:53.920 --> 0:25:56.679 Someone said I was in bondage and an addiction and 0:25:56.720 --> 0:26:00.239 He set me free. And they weren't giving details, they 0:26:00.280 --> 0:26:02.879 weren't going into the whole, just one sentence, and you 0:26:02.920 --> 0:26:06.000 could feel faith rising in the room because it wasn't 0:26:06.040 --> 0:26:08.560 just things that people knew in their head. It was 0:26:08.600 --> 0:26:10.679 things that were real to them because it's what they 0:26:10.720 --> 0:26:15.160 had personally experienced by the power of Christ. You need 0:26:15.200 --> 0:26:19.080 a one sentence testimony in your life. I was looking 0:26:19.160 --> 0:26:22.040 at different scriptures that speak about what Jesus has done 0:26:22.040 --> 0:26:24.440 for us, and I put them in chat gpt to say, 0:26:24.720 --> 0:26:26.960 take the verse, make it one sentence. I want to 0:26:27.000 --> 0:26:29.040 show you some of these because when we go to 0:26:29.080 --> 0:26:31.280 the word of God to learn, which is so important. 0:26:31.280 --> 0:26:33.000 We go to the Word of God. Learning is good, 0:26:33.040 --> 0:26:37.440 but remember it's always an invitation. It's always an invitation 0:26:37.600 --> 0:26:40.840 to experience a reality in Christ. So when I read 0:26:40.840 --> 0:26:44.440 the scripture, it's not just for information, but for transformation. 0:26:45.000 --> 0:26:47.840 And here's what the scriptures say about you. Now. If 0:26:47.880 --> 0:26:49.960 you don't have a one sentence testimony, you might be 0:26:49.960 --> 0:26:51.959 able to find one on the screen right now and listen. 0:26:52.359 --> 0:26:54.320 Everything I'm about to read to you. If you are 0:26:54.320 --> 0:26:57.520 a believer in Christ, is true of you, but it 0:26:57.560 --> 0:27:00.239 may not be true to you yet. When I get 0:27:00.280 --> 0:27:02.080 to the one that's true to you, the thing that 0:27:02.160 --> 0:27:04.840 you know from the depths of your being, you can shout, 0:27:04.880 --> 0:27:07.160 you can praise, you can jump if you want to 0:27:07.359 --> 0:27:09.800 look at all these scriptures. The scripture says the Colossians 0:27:09.800 --> 0:27:12.800 two thirteen fourteen. I was guilty, but now I'm forgiven 0:27:13.320 --> 0:27:16.520 through Jesus. I was abandoned, now I'm adopted. I was 0:27:16.600 --> 0:27:19.920 spiritually dead, now I'm alive. I was anxious, but now 0:27:19.960 --> 0:27:22.520 I have peace. I was bound, but now I'm free. 0:27:22.800 --> 0:27:25.399 I was cursed, but now I'm redeemed. I was condemned, 0:27:25.640 --> 0:27:28.960 now I'm justified. I was in darkness, but now I 0:27:29.040 --> 0:27:32.160 walk in light. I was unlovable, but now I'm loved. 0:27:32.200 --> 0:27:35.320 I was broken, but now I'm healed. I was rejected, 0:27:35.320 --> 0:27:37.880 but now I am chosen. I was lost, but now 0:27:37.920 --> 0:27:42.159 I'm found. I was weak, now I'm strong. I was 0:27:42.359 --> 0:27:44.800 um righteous, and now I'm made right. I was empty, 0:27:44.840 --> 0:27:47.119 but now I'm filled with the spirit of God. I 0:27:47.200 --> 0:27:48.879 was looking for a church to bat me up and 0:27:48.880 --> 0:27:51.440 make some noise right here. I was a slave to sin, 0:27:51.840 --> 0:27:55.240 but now I'm free. I was in shame, but now 0:27:55.240 --> 0:27:59.520 I'm prowned with mercy. I was defeated, but now I'm victorious. 0:28:00.119 --> 0:28:08.120 This is what He's done for me. It's what He's 0:28:08.160 --> 0:28:13.320 done for me. And so even as a parent, as 0:28:13.359 --> 0:28:16.280 my kids are asking me these questions about faith, if 0:28:16.320 --> 0:28:18.000 I have answers, I want to give it to them. 0:28:18.040 --> 0:28:20.280 I want to teach them what to believe, teach them 0:28:20.400 --> 0:28:22.280 what we know. But I got to get better about 0:28:22.320 --> 0:28:24.240 not just telling them about what I know up here, 0:28:24.720 --> 0:28:28.240 but sharing with them the testimonies of what God has 0:28:28.320 --> 0:28:31.400 done in my life, in my family's life, what I've 0:28:31.440 --> 0:28:34.080 seen him do in this church and in this ministry. 0:28:34.240 --> 0:28:37.679 It's the confidence of knowing what I know, just to 0:28:37.800 --> 0:28:40.480 be able to say I know that I know. It's 0:28:40.520 --> 0:28:43.040 not just what I learned somewhere in a textbook or 0:28:43.080 --> 0:28:46.360 in a seminary course. It's what I personally experienced from 0:28:46.360 --> 0:28:49.160 the hand of God in my life. I was lost, 0:28:49.200 --> 0:28:52.400 but now I'm found. I was blind, but now I 0:28:52.480 --> 0:28:54.840 see again. Tell your neighbors say I don't know much, 0:28:55.680 --> 0:28:58.400 but I know what he's done for me. Come on, 0:28:58.480 --> 0:29:00.440 do you know what he's done for you? If you 0:29:00.520 --> 0:29:02.240 know what he's done for you, take a moment just 0:29:02.280 --> 0:29:11.960 to praise his name, for his faithfulness, his hand, his mercy. 0:29:13.480 --> 0:29:16.840 This man the honesty to say I don't know, and 0:29:16.920 --> 0:29:19.360 yet the confidence to say, but what I do know? 0:29:19.600 --> 0:29:22.960 I was blind, but now I see. They keep asking 0:29:23.040 --> 0:29:25.560 him the same question, over and over again. What did 0:29:25.560 --> 0:29:27.200 he do to you? How do you open your eyes? 0:29:27.800 --> 0:29:30.520 The man who at first is so intimidated being pulled 0:29:30.520 --> 0:29:32.720 in front of the Pharisees and questioned is you can 0:29:32.800 --> 0:29:36.160 see him growing a little bit sass Here he says, 0:29:36.480 --> 0:29:38.760 I've told you already and you didn't listen. You want 0:29:38.760 --> 0:29:40.640 to hear it again? Do you want to become his 0:29:40.760 --> 0:29:45.680 disciples too? He's like straight mocking them now. Then they 0:29:45.760 --> 0:29:48.960 hurled insults at him and said, you are this fellow's disciple. 0:29:49.640 --> 0:29:53.720 We are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke 0:29:53.880 --> 0:29:57.320 to Moses. But as for this fellow, we don't even 0:29:57.440 --> 0:30:00.880 know where he comes from. This is the only time 0:30:00.920 --> 0:30:06.080 the Pharisees say we don't know every other. We know this, 0:30:06.360 --> 0:30:10.000 we know that, so blinded by their certainty. And the 0:30:10.080 --> 0:30:12.480 one time they say we don't know is when they say, 0:30:12.560 --> 0:30:15.720 and we don't even know where this man comes from. 0:30:16.040 --> 0:30:20.320 The man says, now, that's remarkable. You don't even know 0:30:20.680 --> 0:30:24.680 where he comes from. Yet he opened my eyes. He's 0:30:24.720 --> 0:30:28.000 realizing something about the Pharisees in this moment. He's saying, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, 0:30:28.000 --> 0:30:30.840 wait wait wait. You give your life to studying these scriptures, 0:30:30.840 --> 0:30:33.760 and yet you don't see who the scriptures were talking 0:30:33.800 --> 0:30:37.760 about the whole time. Do you mean to tell me 0:30:39.080 --> 0:30:43.240 that you know all this but you don't know the 0:30:43.280 --> 0:30:47.560 one thing that matters most where this man came from. 0:30:48.760 --> 0:30:52.000 We know now look at him, prophesied. We know that 0:30:52.040 --> 0:30:54.200 God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the 0:30:54.200 --> 0:30:57.480 godly person who does as will. Nobody has ever heard 0:30:57.640 --> 0:30:59.880 of the opening of the eyes of a man born blind. 0:31:00.040 --> 0:31:02.680 It's the only time someone who is born blind receives 0:31:02.680 --> 0:31:05.840 their sight born blind. If this man were not from God, 0:31:05.840 --> 0:31:08.560 he could do nothing to this. They replied, you were 0:31:08.600 --> 0:31:11.160 steeped in sin at birth, how dare you lecture us? 0:31:11.200 --> 0:31:16.000 And they threw him out. Here's where the story gets 0:31:16.000 --> 0:31:20.959 cool to me. Remember, Jesus heals them by sending him 0:31:21.000 --> 0:31:22.880 to a pool. So Jesus spoke to him, but he's 0:31:23.040 --> 0:31:27.920 never seen Jesus. Then he's questioned by his neighbors, questioned 0:31:27.920 --> 0:31:31.000 by the Pharisees. Now, after he's kicked out of the temple, 0:31:31.760 --> 0:31:34.720 Jesus shows up again. Jesus must have been close the 0:31:34.800 --> 0:31:37.400 whole time, because it says that Jesus heard that they 0:31:37.400 --> 0:31:41.840 had thrown him out, and when he found him. First 0:31:41.920 --> 0:31:45.040 is Jesus who sees him. And now it's Jesus who 0:31:45.040 --> 0:31:49.080 finds him. And Jesus finds them, and he asks them 0:31:49.080 --> 0:31:51.440 not what he knows, but he asked them a question 0:31:51.480 --> 0:31:55.600 about what he believes. He says, do you believe in 0:31:55.640 --> 0:31:57.680 the Son of Man? He's asking him the same question 0:31:57.880 --> 0:32:01.080 the Pharisees were asking him. Do you believe in the Messiah? 0:32:01.240 --> 0:32:03.320 Do you believe in the Christ, the Son of Man, 0:32:03.480 --> 0:32:06.880 son of God? The man has a question? Who is he? Sir? 0:32:07.520 --> 0:32:11.560 Tell me so that I may believe in him. Jesus said, 0:32:12.280 --> 0:32:18.400 you have now seen him. In fact, he is the 0:32:18.440 --> 0:32:22.840 one speaking with you. What caught my attention is those 0:32:22.880 --> 0:32:24.920 first few words of Jesus when he meets the man 0:32:25.040 --> 0:32:28.240 for the second time. Remember when he sees him on 0:32:28.280 --> 0:32:32.040 the road, this beggar born blind, Jesus speaks to him, 0:32:32.040 --> 0:32:34.040 go wash in the pool. He puts mud on his eyes, 0:32:34.080 --> 0:32:36.719 and the man went home seeing he was physically healed. 0:32:37.320 --> 0:32:39.560 Now Jesus finds him again and he says this phrase. 0:32:39.600 --> 0:32:43.000 He says to him, you have now seen. This is 0:32:43.040 --> 0:32:48.239 the second seeing, the second seeing, because look at the 0:32:48.240 --> 0:32:52.280 man's response verse thirty eight. After Jesus says you have 0:32:52.400 --> 0:32:58.280 now seen, then the man said, Lord, I believe, and 0:32:58.320 --> 0:33:02.200 he worshiped him. The first time this man is asked 0:33:02.200 --> 0:33:06.520 about Jesus, he calls them a man named Jesus. The 0:33:06.600 --> 0:33:10.120 second time he's asked about Jesus, he calls them a prophet. 0:33:11.240 --> 0:33:14.280 Now he meets Jesus, and Jesus says, you have now seen. 0:33:14.720 --> 0:33:17.120 And something shifted because he doesn't call him a man, 0:33:18.080 --> 0:33:21.520 he doesn't call him a prophet. He calls him lord, 0:33:22.480 --> 0:33:26.280 and he worshiped. The second seeing led him to a 0:33:26.320 --> 0:33:30.760 revelation of who Jesus is. There are people who know 0:33:30.840 --> 0:33:33.520 more about the Bible, know more about theology than I 0:33:33.560 --> 0:33:36.240 could ever dream. And yet if you ask them about Jesus, 0:33:36.280 --> 0:33:38.720 they would say he was just a man. He was 0:33:38.760 --> 0:33:41.800 a man. He lived, but he's just a man. There 0:33:41.800 --> 0:33:44.040 are people who come to church, there are people who say, man, 0:33:44.080 --> 0:33:46.240 I love what Jesus says. It gives me inspiration, it 0:33:46.280 --> 0:33:47.840 gives me hope. He was a great teacher. If you 0:33:47.840 --> 0:33:50.440 ask them about Jesus, they would say, he's a prophet. 0:33:51.000 --> 0:33:54.840 He's a prophet. What he says is true. But what 0:33:54.880 --> 0:33:56.880 we read in this scripture and what the scriptures tell 0:33:56.960 --> 0:33:59.160 us about him is he's not just a man, and 0:33:59.200 --> 0:34:02.600 he's not just a He's Lord. He's the Son of God. 0:34:02.720 --> 0:34:06.160 He's the Christ, he's the Messiah. And when this man, 0:34:10.680 --> 0:34:14.080 when this man meets Jesus, Jesus says, do you believe 0:34:14.080 --> 0:34:15.520 in the son of man? Tell me who he is? 0:34:15.680 --> 0:34:18.480 Jesus says, you have now seen, and the eyes of 0:34:18.560 --> 0:34:22.960 his heart are opened, his spiritual eyes are open, and 0:34:23.040 --> 0:34:27.200 in a moment he recognizes, Oh, oh, what I didn't 0:34:27.239 --> 0:34:29.839 know when they were asking me qu what I didn't know? 0:34:29.880 --> 0:34:34.319 Then I know now he's Lord, and he worshiped him, 0:34:34.719 --> 0:34:37.880 and he worshiped him. When I read that phrase, or 0:34:37.880 --> 0:34:40.200 when I read that verse, it reminded me of a 0:34:40.239 --> 0:34:42.880 phrase that comes from what the apostle Paul says in 0:34:42.920 --> 0:34:46.840 Ephesians Paul he prayed one time in Ephesians one eighteen. 0:34:46.920 --> 0:34:49.080 He said, I prayed that the eyes of your heart 0:34:49.600 --> 0:34:52.080 may be enlightened. This phrase, the eyes of your heart, 0:34:52.120 --> 0:34:56.640 it's an internal knowing. And I thought about that phrase, 0:34:56.640 --> 0:34:58.400 and I went to that verse, and what really struck 0:34:58.440 --> 0:35:01.560 me was actually the verse before it, verse seventeen. Look 0:35:01.560 --> 0:35:05.360 at this. Paul prayed for us as believers, and he said, 0:35:05.560 --> 0:35:08.480 I keep asking that the God of our Lord, Jesus Christ, 0:35:08.560 --> 0:35:12.719 the Glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom 0:35:13.239 --> 0:35:21.759 and revelation so that you may know him better. I 0:35:21.840 --> 0:35:24.640 pray that God would give you a spirit of wisdom 0:35:24.760 --> 0:35:29.759 and revelation so that you may know him better. I'm 0:35:29.800 --> 0:35:32.400 so grateful that for the moments in my life where 0:35:32.880 --> 0:35:35.480 I'm not sure which way is up and which ways down, 0:35:36.080 --> 0:35:38.239 that God has given me a spirit of wisdom. The 0:35:38.280 --> 0:35:40.400 Word of God says that if anybody lacks wisdom, we 0:35:40.440 --> 0:35:43.160 should ask. God gives faithfully without finding fault. The spirit 0:35:43.200 --> 0:35:46.040 of God, as believers, is our guide. It'll give us 0:35:46.080 --> 0:35:48.960 insight into things that we couldn't know otherwise. I'm so 0:35:49.080 --> 0:35:51.960 grateful for the spirit of God that helps me make 0:35:52.040 --> 0:35:54.280 decisions in my life that even when I'm not sure 0:35:54.360 --> 0:35:56.640 what His will is, that I can be guided by 0:35:56.719 --> 0:35:59.600 His Holy Spirit. But the primary purpose of the Spirit 0:35:59.600 --> 0:36:02.560 of God, the spirit of wisdom and revelation, is this 0:36:02.640 --> 0:36:06.879 so that you would know Him better. When I saw 0:36:06.920 --> 0:36:09.319 that word know, I thought, well, which no, is it? 0:36:09.360 --> 0:36:12.080 Is it the type of knowing that comes from learning, 0:36:13.160 --> 0:36:15.160 or is it the type of knowing that comes through 0:36:15.440 --> 0:36:18.520 experience and relationship? And I look it up and it 0:36:18.560 --> 0:36:22.680 blew me away. There's a third type of knowing. This 0:36:22.760 --> 0:36:28.799 word means spirit revealed in sight. There's what I learn, 0:36:29.400 --> 0:36:32.520 there's what I experience. But there is a knowing that 0:36:32.560 --> 0:36:35.759 comes through the Spirit of God that illuminates things to 0:36:35.840 --> 0:36:39.560 me that no one else could show me. It's a 0:36:39.600 --> 0:36:42.480 different type of knowing. It's a deeper knowing. It's a 0:36:42.560 --> 0:36:45.040 knowing that I can build my life on. It's a 0:36:45.120 --> 0:36:47.560 confidence in knowing who He is. This is like when 0:36:47.680 --> 0:36:50.160 Jesus asked Peter the question who do people say that 0:36:50.239 --> 0:36:52.680 I am? Well, some people say that you're a prophet, 0:36:52.719 --> 0:36:55.200 some say you're Elijah. Some people say just like the 0:36:55.239 --> 0:36:57.480 fair some people say you're just a man. Some people 0:36:57.520 --> 0:36:59.960 say you're a prophet. But Jesus says, who do you say? 0:37:00.080 --> 0:37:04.240 Say that I am? Peter makes this confession. He said, 0:37:04.280 --> 0:37:08.279 you are the Christ, the Messiah, the son of the 0:37:08.320 --> 0:37:12.080 Living God. And look what Jesus says to him. He says, Simon, Peter, 0:37:12.760 --> 0:37:15.520 blessed are you for this was not revealed to you 0:37:15.600 --> 0:37:18.200 by flesh and blood. Why because when it comes to 0:37:18.239 --> 0:37:21.279 the knowledge of Christ's, flesh and blood can't reveal it 0:37:21.320 --> 0:37:24.320 to you. That's why before I get up here to preach, 0:37:24.440 --> 0:37:25.960 or even when I come sit in church on a 0:37:26.000 --> 0:37:28.080 Sunday morning, I pray that God would give me a 0:37:28.120 --> 0:37:31.360 spirit of wisdom and revelation. Show that. As my pastor 0:37:31.400 --> 0:37:34.280 is preaching the Word of God and I'm learning about 0:37:34.320 --> 0:37:36.799 the scriptures, I need the Spirit of God to show 0:37:36.840 --> 0:37:39.239 me things that only He can reveal to me. He said, 0:37:39.320 --> 0:37:41.600 flesh and blood did not reveal these things to you, 0:37:41.680 --> 0:37:44.520 But my Father in Heaven. There's a type of knowing 0:37:44.600 --> 0:37:48.760 that comes from the spirit of God, and you, my son, 0:37:49.200 --> 0:37:52.839 you daughter of God, have access to that spirit as 0:37:52.880 --> 0:37:55.839 a follower of Jesus. That for the moments in your 0:37:55.880 --> 0:37:59.160 life where you're like, I don't know what to do next, 0:38:00.080 --> 0:38:02.719 you can stand confident saying, even if I don't know 0:38:02.800 --> 0:38:05.279 what to do, and even if I don't always know 0:38:05.760 --> 0:38:08.840 what I believe, I'm so grateful that the Spirit of 0:38:08.840 --> 0:38:12.280 God has revealed to me who he is. That's enough 0:38:12.760 --> 0:38:17.799 to build my life on. I was so encouraged by 0:38:17.840 --> 0:38:21.239 this man's this blind man's story, because I resonated with 0:38:21.280 --> 0:38:22.920 it of just saying I don't know, I don't know, 0:38:23.000 --> 0:38:26.520 I don't know, and learning once again to find my 0:38:26.640 --> 0:38:31.440 faith and confidence and security not in what I know, 0:38:32.080 --> 0:38:34.839 but to build my life on who he is. And 0:38:34.880 --> 0:38:37.400 so as I was reading his story, I felt like 0:38:37.440 --> 0:38:40.560 I could relate to him, and I was frustrated because 0:38:40.560 --> 0:38:42.080 I was like, God, there's just so many things I 0:38:42.120 --> 0:38:43.880 don't know about right now. And it was like the 0:38:43.920 --> 0:38:46.080 Spirit of God reminded me, he goes, you think you're 0:38:46.080 --> 0:38:50.000 that blind man, and he goes, and he reminded me 0:38:50.000 --> 0:38:53.359 of a time where I was less like the blind man, 0:38:53.680 --> 0:38:55.560 I don't know, I don't know, and I was more 0:38:55.600 --> 0:39:00.239 like the Pharisees. I know this, I know that into 0:39:00.320 --> 0:39:03.040 my life where I felt like I had all the answers. 0:39:03.080 --> 0:39:04.840 So I felt like I was good in my faith, 0:39:04.880 --> 0:39:07.040 but I wasn't dependent on God. I was dependent on 0:39:07.080 --> 0:39:09.960 what I knew. And it took me back to a 0:39:10.000 --> 0:39:13.120 season of my life where I grew up in church 0:39:13.160 --> 0:39:15.120 all my life in a really great church with really 0:39:15.120 --> 0:39:16.879 great parents who taught me the word of God. I'm 0:39:16.920 --> 0:39:21.200 so grateful for that. And as a result of that, though, 0:39:21.320 --> 0:39:22.960 as I was getting ready to go to college, I 0:39:23.000 --> 0:39:24.520 was going to Bible School. I knew I wanted to 0:39:24.520 --> 0:39:27.120 be a pastor. I went into Bible school eighteen years 0:39:27.160 --> 0:39:32.240 old thinking I had all the answers debate me, thinking 0:39:32.280 --> 0:39:35.239 I was so I know, it sounds cringey just even 0:39:35.280 --> 0:39:38.440 hearing me say it right now. And I'm going to 0:39:38.480 --> 0:39:40.319 Bible school to, you know, to learn more, just to 0:39:40.320 --> 0:39:42.160 top off I already knew so much, just to learn 0:39:42.200 --> 0:39:47.560 a little, just a little bit more. And I'm in 0:39:47.640 --> 0:39:50.360 the dorm room at Liberty University a couple weeks in. 0:39:50.440 --> 0:39:54.000 I'm going to all these classes New Testament, all that 0:39:54.400 --> 0:39:57.120 New Testament Survey, Old Testament, all that stuff, learning about 0:39:57.160 --> 0:40:00.160 the Bible. And I remember this moment with God where 0:40:00.400 --> 0:40:02.560 he spoke to me and he said, do you want 0:40:02.600 --> 0:40:05.279 to know more about me? Or do you really want 0:40:05.320 --> 0:40:10.320 to know me? And it convicted me because I realized 0:40:10.360 --> 0:40:13.000 that I had more knowledge about God than I had 0:40:13.080 --> 0:40:17.960 knowledge of God. And it began this process early on 0:40:18.040 --> 0:40:20.640 in my freshman year of just beginning to pray to 0:40:20.680 --> 0:40:23.319 God sincerely. I had this prayer. I said, Lord, help 0:40:23.360 --> 0:40:27.719 me unlearn everything I think I know and help me 0:40:27.800 --> 0:40:33.440 truly experience who you are. An honest prayer, a dangerous prayer, 0:40:34.200 --> 0:40:37.520 a simple prayer. Lord, help me unlearn everything I think 0:40:37.560 --> 0:40:41.600 I know and help me truly experience You for who 0:40:41.640 --> 0:40:44.920 you are. And from that point forward, every night when 0:40:44.920 --> 0:40:47.239 I would open up the scriptures, it wasn't to learn 0:40:47.239 --> 0:40:50.400 more information. It was because I wanted to see the 0:40:50.440 --> 0:40:54.480 scriptures as an invitation into knowing Him. That was my 0:40:54.560 --> 0:40:58.440 prayer every night. And God answered that prayer in a 0:40:58.480 --> 0:41:00.520 season where I was like a pharisee, going, ah, I 0:41:00.560 --> 0:41:04.000 have all the answers. So blinded by my arrogance, God 0:41:04.040 --> 0:41:06.440 began to humble me. And one of the gifts he 0:41:06.480 --> 0:41:10.520 brought me is the worship team here. I asked, Amari, 0:41:10.600 --> 0:41:13.040 he's one of our worship leaders over at our Blakeney campus. 0:41:13.080 --> 0:41:15.719 I asked if I could borrow him over here at 0:41:15.760 --> 0:41:20.080 Valentine today because me and Mari have been friends almost 0:41:20.120 --> 0:41:25.160 twenty years. You're getting old. You're getting old, and Amari. 0:41:25.239 --> 0:41:28.880 Right around that time, I just remember this guy wandering 0:41:28.960 --> 0:41:31.560 up from the dorm floor below me and coming to 0:41:31.560 --> 0:41:33.799 sit in the dorm. And every time this guy would 0:41:33.840 --> 0:41:36.200 talk about the things of God, I realized, Oh, my goodness, 0:41:36.280 --> 0:41:39.640 he sees something I don't see. He knows something I 0:41:39.680 --> 0:41:42.040 don't know what. You might not be able to tell. 0:41:42.160 --> 0:41:44.600 Watching Amar lead worship, I know you can tell he's 0:41:44.640 --> 0:41:48.960 anointed and gifted, but Amari is legally blind. And I 0:41:49.040 --> 0:41:51.439 meet this guy at this pivotal moment in my life 0:41:51.440 --> 0:41:53.920 where I'm praying God, I just want to know you 0:41:54.000 --> 0:41:56.120 for who you are. Take the blinders off. I want 0:41:56.160 --> 0:41:58.799 to see you. God sends this man into my life 0:41:58.800 --> 0:42:01.680 who starts inviting me just to pray on Tuesday nights 0:42:01.680 --> 0:42:03.720 with some other people who are hungry for the face 0:42:03.760 --> 0:42:06.080 of God. And as I was just reading about the 0:42:06.120 --> 0:42:07.759 story of Mark, why I wanted you hear even it 0:42:07.800 --> 0:42:10.600 was just cool for me and nobody else was because 0:42:12.000 --> 0:42:14.280 you were such an answer to prayer in my life 0:42:14.400 --> 0:42:17.040 at that season. And I'm reading this story about the 0:42:17.040 --> 0:42:20.040 Pharisees and a man born blind and It just stuck 0:42:20.080 --> 0:42:23.359 out to me that God used a blind guy to 0:42:23.400 --> 0:42:35.239 open up my eyes. And the way Jesus ends us 0:42:35.440 --> 0:42:38.360 encounter with this man is he says, this weird mission statement, 0:42:38.440 --> 0:42:40.680 this weird thing. He said. I came so that the 0:42:40.760 --> 0:42:45.000 blind would see, and that those who see would become blind. 0:42:45.920 --> 0:42:49.239 So many moments in my life where I feel like God, 0:42:49.280 --> 0:42:51.600 I just don't know. It makes me feel insecure. I 0:42:51.640 --> 0:42:54.040 feel like I should, But I'm reminded that maybe not 0:42:54.239 --> 0:42:57.120 knowing is a good thing. Maybe in the moments where 0:42:57.320 --> 0:43:01.040 I'm able to admit God, I'm blind right now, God, 0:43:01.080 --> 0:43:03.960 I can't see, Maybe those are the moments where the 0:43:04.000 --> 0:43:07.240 Spirit of God comes in like a light to illuminate 0:43:07.680 --> 0:43:10.680 my heart and to show me not answers, not what 0:43:10.840 --> 0:43:13.880 to do next, not just direction, but to reveal to 0:43:13.960 --> 0:43:17.120 me who he is. You are the Christ, You are 0:43:17.160 --> 0:43:20.480 the Lord, son of God, Son of Man. I can't 0:43:20.520 --> 0:43:23.120 build my confidence in what I know. I want to 0:43:23.120 --> 0:43:27.440 build my life on who I know. Thank you for 0:43:27.520 --> 0:43:28.120 joining us. 0:43:28.400 --> 0:43:30.880 Special thanks to those of you who give generously to 0:43:30.960 --> 0:43:34.440 this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible. 0:43:34.880 --> 0:43:37.080 You can click the link in the description to give 0:43:37.160 --> 0:43:41.319 now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more 0:43:41.320 --> 0:43:45.160 information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. 0:43:45.400 --> 0:43:47.479 You can share it with your friends. You can click 0:43:47.520 --> 0:43:49.759 the share button, take a screenshot and share it on 0:43:49.760 --> 0:43:52.640 your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks 0:43:52.680 --> 0:43:59.040 again for listening. God bless you.