 Our sermon title this morning is Give God the Glory. Give God the Glory. We are in John chapter 9 verses 13 through 34, and I have just absolutely been blessed by the Gospel of John. Our study as we've been going through this just verse by verse by verse. There's so much to learn here, so much to unpack. There's so many good examples, frankly so many bad examples too that we're to learn from. It's just been a blessing from John here, from the Holy Spirit to my heart, I hope to your heart as well. So we study this Gospel together. You know as we consider the man born blind, and as we consider his condition, his state, we have to consider our own. We have to consider that sin has robbed us of spiritual vision outside of Christ. When we were outside of Christ we were blind and we were beggarly and we were destitute. Wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked, right? If you're outside of Christ today, you are blind. You are spiritually blind. You are without sight. You are deceived. We are born into this world, born into this world both blind and beggarly. Our condition outside of Christ has to be seen as the most pitiable of all conditions. There simply is nothing worse than to be outside of Christ, to be under the judgment, under the condemnation of God. There's nothing worse than to be facing an eternity in hell. Our heart is corrupt. Our mind is corrupt. Our nature is corrupt. Apart from the gracious and merciful and divine initiative of God, we will die in that condition. Mark my words this morning. If you do not turn from your sin, if you do not put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will die in your sin. You will spend an eternity under the judgment of God. That's not the way it's supposed to be. It's not the way that it's supposed to be. We were created by God to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. But now, as a result of the fall, we must be saved by God to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And praise God that in his grace and his mercy, he has decided to save, to redeem a people to himself. The Lord doesn't have to. That's why it's called grace. Something we don't deserve. That's why it's called mercy. But it must be understood by all of us today, lost or saved. You sit under the accountability of your creator, must be understood that God delights in displaying his glory through the salvation of sinners. When a sinner is saved, it gives glory to God. All of history since the fall. All of history since the fall is the outworking of God's redemptive purposes toward hopelessly blind, hopelessly beggarly in a hopelessly lost and dying world. He makes promises. God makes promises. He brings about his sovereign decrees. He orchestrates all things whatsoever that come to pass, including sending his own son, a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners. All of redemptive history he culminates, he orchestrates and brings about in the death, burial and resurrection of his own son, the Lord Jesus Christ, all for the purpose of glorifying himself in the worship of a redeemed people. So it is biblical then. It is biblical. It is God honoring. It is Christ exalting to say that nothing glorifies God more. Nothing glorifies God more than that work which seeks to fulfill his saving purposes in Christ. Giving glory to God then involves proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel. So I exhort you, the people of God, to give God the glory and proclaim Christ in the gospel. The truths that we believe as Christians, these truths that we believe were to proclaim, there is a truth of a grievous and horrifying punishment for rebellion against God. That's true. It's true that we must be born again, that we have to be brought to life from death, that we have to be brought from blindness to sight. It's true that God who is holy and just is also gracious and merciful and loving and that he sent his only begotten son into the world that whosoever believes upon him should not perish but should have everlasting life. The grace and mercy, the salvation that you've received, the truths of the gospel that we hold together, that we claim to believe that certain and fearful and terrifying expectation of judgment that awaits the adversaries, all of that should promote us, his people, in dwelt and empowered by his spirit, and uncompromising and unwavering, unflinching desire it should give us and commitment to give God the glory in the preaching of his everlasting gospel to a lost and dying world. The call to Christ is a call to discipleship. It's a call to give God the glory. The call to Christ is a call to personal witness. It's a call to personal evangelism. It's a call to testify of Christ and God's saving work in history, in the gospel, in his son. And we have to proclaim that truth. If you're going to give God the glory, then you're going to proclaim that truth. You're going to speak of Christ. You're going to witness. You're going to testify of him. You're going to give him the glory if you're a Christian. You're going to give God the glory that he rightly deserves for the price that he paid to redeem sinners to himself. Give God the glory. If you're going to give God the glory, then one, you're going to be bold in your witness. We're going to see this in verses 13 through 17 in the example of the man who is formerly blind. Be bold in your witness. Two, you have to be courageous in your faith, courageous in your faith. You're in dwelt by God's spirit, empowered by him. God is sovereign over all of your circumstances. We as Christians can be courageous in our faith. Three, you must be resolute in the truth. We must stand fast on the truth of God uncompromisingly, unwaveringly, on God's word. Fourth, we're going to be increasing in knowledge. We'll see this also in the example of the man born blind. The increase in our knowledge. First, let's take a look at being bold in your witness. To give God the glory, we must be bold in our witness. Look at verse 13. They brought him who was formerly blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. And so he said to them, he put clay on my eyes, I watched and I see. Therefore, some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others said, how can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, what do you say about him because he opened your eyes? He said, he is a prophet. Now the first thing we want to do here in our story, this is an account, it's a simple story, a historical account, not a parable, but a historical account of what really happened on this day in Jerusalem to this man who was blind from birth. So the first thing we want to do as we walk through this story together is to set the stage for what's going on here. It's clear, okay, it's clear from the testimony, from the account, from the words that have been spoken, from what's been recorded that an evident miracle has taken place, an astonishing miracle. Now it's so astonishing in fact that the neighbors who saw this miracle or saw the effects, the evidence of this miracle in verse eight had difficulty believing it. The neighbors were astonished. Some asked, is this the same blind man we used to see begging? Is this the same guy that we passed by every day on our way to the temple? Others said, can't be him. It looks like him, but it can't be him. Something different about him. Others said, this is the guy, I'm certain of it. So the man then claims in verse nine, listen, I'm the guy. I'm the guy who was born blind and now sees. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found was blind, but now I see. This is the testimony of the man born blind, the grace and mercy of God. So in verse 13 then, the neighbors did what would seem natural, what would seem right at this point, considering what had just happened, considering just the awesome miracle that's taken place. They brought him who was formerly blind to the Pharisees. Now there was no force here. The word doesn't imply that. There's no arrest. There doesn't appear to be any malice in this. There's no desire on their part to gang up on the man born blind and side with the enemies of Jesus. There's just a desire here to see what their leaders would have to say about it. See what they have to do about it. So either a miraculous work of God has taken place or this guy's trying to pull a fast one. Whatever the case, we're gonna take him to the Pharisees and see what they have to say. So once again, in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, this is where conflict ensues. Now let me ask you up front, do you think that this conflict caught God by surprise? No. No, it didn't catch God by surprise. Was it unexpected? No, it wasn't unexpected. Not only was this conflict not unexpected, this conflict was intended by God. We have to understand that truth in our own lives. This conflict was intended. It was ordained. It was decreed, brought about by God. We know that all of this conflict, all of these conflicts that we've been looking at in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ have come about according to the purposes of God, according to God's plan. But why would God do that? Why would God do that in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ? Why would he do that in the life and ministry of the disciples? Why does he do that in your life? That's right. God purposes to bring Jesus into conflict with these wicked, hypocritical, self-righteous and spiritually blind Pharisees who would eventually cry out for his crucifixion. God purposes to do that to give God the glory. That in it, God would be glorified. Now think about it for a minute. Think about the many ways in which God is glorified through these conflicts that take place. God's truth, God's truth is proclaimed in the face of error, in the face of unbelief. God's righteousness is proclaimed in the face of man's wickedness. God's holiness is upheld in man's accountability to his perfect law. God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. God's judgment is proclaimed against all those in rebellion against him. God's grace is revealed in the person and work of his only begotten son. And God's love, his mercy is revealed. His glorious son is exalted in his sacrificial suffering for sinners. God is glorified in the preaching of his gospel. Now, God gets the glory indeed when his blood-bought saints enter into that suffering themselves and proclaim the glory of God to a lost world in opposition to him. Paul says in Romans chapter eight, verse 17 that we are joint heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him. We enter into that suffering also. God will see to it in your Christian life that you too, just like the Lord Jesus Christ, just like his disciples, God will see to it that you face conflict. Many of you, like the man born blind, face conflict on your first day. Fresh out of the oven, a brand new baby Christian and you're already thrown into the battle. Others conflict comes later. Be sure conflict will come. God will see to it that you too, face conflict in your Christian life. If you're faithful, you're gonna encounter unbelief. If you're faithful with the gospel, you're going to encounter, you're gonna face rejection. So remember that it's for your good. God works all things together for your good. Rejoice that you've been counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. Rejoice in the conflict and be bold in your witness. Face the conflict and give God the glory. So as we come to verse 14 then, John provides for us the context of our ensuing conflict. Verse 14 says now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. That sets the stage for our conflict. It was a Sabbath. Was it that it was the Sabbath and so Jesus just happened to work a miracle then someone came along and said, Jesus, hey, did you know that it was a Sabbath? No, I didn't realize that. No, it's not the way it worked out. It was the Sabbath. And so Jesus said, look what I'm gonna do as a result of it being the Sabbath, okay? All according to God's purpose. So why is that important now? Why does the Holy Spirit make this point in our text? One reason for this is that the Pharisees have already accused Jesus of being a Sabbath breaker. And they're gonna make that accusation again here in our text today. Jesus does three things that draw this accusation from the Pharisees, okay? The first thing that he does is he makes clay with dirt and his saliva. You see that in the text now. The second thing that he does is he anoints the blind man's eyes. The third thing that he does is he heals the blind man. All of these three things draw this accusation from the Pharisees. Now, through these ongoing conflicts, as we study these conflicts, John is exposing to us the nature of their false religion. Their unbelief, their hard-hearted, self-righteous, hypocritical false religion all wrapped up in their corruption of God's law, their corruption of God's truth. So we need to take warning in this. We need to take warning that we don't follow in the same pattern of disobedience. As we consider those three things, he makes clay with dirt and his saliva, he anoints the blind man's eyes, and he heals the blind man. Did Jesus break anything in the law of God? No, nothing. So then why, if you look down at verse 16, why is the Lord Jesus Christ then called a sinner? If you look down in verse 24, he's called a sinner again. Here's the reason for that. The Jews had elevated their own traditions to a position of equal authority with the word of God. Do you get that? They held that their tradition was just as binding, just as authoritative as anything that was given by Moses. They put them as equal. Now in doing that, essentially, they replaced the law of God with their tradition. God's word, not sufficient, and so they added to it these rules and regulations. So they accused Jesus then of failing to give God the glory and his observance of the Sabbath. All along, if you think about the irony in this, all along they themselves fail to give God the glory in their observance of the Sabbath. Here's a brief summary of how that happened, how this false religion develops in the heart of man. The Jews very zealous to uphold the law of God, very zealous wanting to uphold the law. They agreed, as Paul says, that the law is holy and the commandment is holy just and good. However, they thought that the law declared what God decreed, but not always how those laws should be fulfilled in our day-to-day life. So in other words, God's word was insufficient. God's word insufficient to give instruction for how we are to live out God's law. And you see the problem, right? So for that reason, they began an oral tradition, an oral tradition of laws that they defined as a fence around the laws of God to help us obey them. This is how this is developing, how this is evolving. It's to keep us this fence, this oral tradition to keep us from disobedience. That oral tradition was eventually written down and it's called the Mishnah, the Mishnah. They believed that the Mishnah represented an oral tradition, an unbroken succession of truth that extended all the way back to Moses and in God giving Moses the written codified law of God in the Ten Commandments, also at the same time gave Moses an oral tradition that is written down contained in the Mishnah. Now what does that sound like today? That's right, the succession all the way back to Peter the First Pope, right? And all the tradition that is given equal authority to God. You see, this is a product, this is what you get when man comes up with religion. This is a reflection of man-made works or righteousness. That's why it is wrong and it is unbiblical, it's ungodly. In the Mishnah, in the Mishnah, there evolved over time 39 categories of work that were prohibited on the Sabbath. 39 categories of work. Now within those categories, within those categories, one, you were forbidden prohibited from needing dough or clay. And so when the Lord Jesus Christ stooped down, spit in the dirt and produced clay from his saliva in the dirt, they considered that needing and it was a violation of the Sabbath, right? Secondly, many leaders taught that you weren't allowed to anoint the eyes on the Sabbath. That was considered work that shouldn't be done. And so when the Lord placed the clay on the eyes of the blind man, he violated the Sabbath. Thirdly, you couldn't provide medical treatment on the Sabbath unless it was an emergency to save a life. Well, a man wasn't gonna die because of his blindness and so healing, pretty significant medical treatment. And so the Lord violated the Sabbath there too, all right? So, although the Mishnah then was intended to express the intent of God's law, their tradition quickly became a vehicle for their heartless religion. They just missed the point again. They missed the point of God's law. They shifted their focus. If you think about it, they shifted their focus from the glory of God to their own glory. Their pride in keeping these man-made laws. They shifted from the glory of God to their own glory in their own religiosity. They began taking pride in how well they kept all those laws. This is the often repeated story of man's idolatry. If you think about it, from the Old Testament, multiple examples of this, right? God raises up the bronze serpent to heal the people of a venomous snakebite. And so what do the people do? They worship the bronze serpent rather than give God the glory. You see? It's idolatry bound up in the heart of Godless man after the fall. So once again now as we think through this and why this is such a grievous error and we want to remind ourselves to avoid this error as we've done before, I want to refer you to the Lord's explanation of this in Mark chapter seven. Go with me to Mark chapter seven. Worship in spirit and in truth is to be worshiped from the heart, not in mindless or heartless, which is Godless ritual, okay? Now Mark chapter seven, look down beginning at verse six. And here, the Pharisees and the scribes come to Jesus to confront him about why he and his disciples were eating bread before they ceremonially washed and cleansed their hands, okay? So this again is another law that they've added to the process, if you will, of eating bread. That you had to ceremonially wash prior to eating. Now bear in mind, they're not coming here to the Lord Jesus Christ in accord with Exodus or Leviticus or Deuteronomy. They're not coming based on that. They're coming based on their own traditions, what they've added. They're coming based on what they've added to Exodus to Leviticus and Deuteronomy. And so look at verse six. The Lord then answered and said to them, he said, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, you hypocrites? As it is written, this people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me and in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Now there's the charge in verse seven. We need to understand that charge. The Lord here quoting from Isaiah chapter 29 verse 13. The Pharisees are charged here with learning, teaching and obeying their own traditions, their own commandments as if they were biblical truth. Do you see what the Lord is saying? Okay, now this heresy, this heresy is a fruit of their spiritual condition that he explains to them in verse six. They give a lip service to God and that's all it is. They give lip service to God, that's all it is, but their heart is far from him. So now here it is. We're talking here about people who are obsessively religious. So let's do you think all of your church attendance and all of your prayer and all of your Bible reading and all the things that you do are somehow different. We're talking about people here in the first century who were obsessively religious. In their so-called service to God, all of those things that they do become dead works because they're just giving lip service to God, their heart is far from him. Works that are detached from the glory of God. Works that are done not for the glory of God but for their own personal gain. God addresses this same issue further in Ezekiel chapter 33 verse 31. I want you to listen to this. God says this to Ezekiel. He says they come to you Ezekiel because people do. They sit before you as my people. They hear your words, but God says they do not do them. So they're hearers of the word. They're not doers of the word. He goes on to say, for with their mouth they show much love. I'm a Christian. I love the Lord. I love the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray all the time. I know the Lord loves me. With their mouth they show much love but their hearts pursue their own gain. Do you see? There's a connection there. They profess him with their lips. They give God lip service, but their heart is far from him. Why? Because their heart, they're pursuing their own gain. They're pursuing their own pride. They're pursuing their own self-indulgence. They're pursuing their own use of their own time, their own use of their own resources. They're doing what they want to do. They're doing what is right in their own eyes and they're not giving God the glory. They're not living for the Lord. So their heart is far from him. He goes on to say to Ezekiel, indeed you are to them Ezekiel as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument. For they hear your words, but they do not do them. In other words, they come to church, right? And I know you don't come here for the sound of my voice. And I know you don't come here because I play well on an instrument, all right? But that's what they do. People go to church. I like that guy, you know? He says it like it is. I like it because he's got funny jokes, you know? He doesn't preach too long. We're in and out of there. Beat the Lutherans to the buffet. But that's what they think, right? They profess the Lord Jesus Christ with their lips, but all of their religion, all of that preaching of God's word, all that proclamation is just to them as a, that's a nice song, you know, goes in one ear out the other and like playing well on an instrument because, and that's demonstrated in the fact that they hear those words and yet they don't do it. Don't be caught up in this false religion. Don't pursue your own personal gain. Give God the glory. Don't pursue your own interests. Don't indulge yourself. Live for the Lord. Pursue his holiness, his righteousness, his glory, give God the glory in your life. If you're back in Mark chapter seven, look at verse eight. Here's the process. This is what they do now. In verse eight, they lay aside the commandment of God in order to hold the tradition of men, the washing of pitchers and cups and many other such things as you do, all those ritual things, right? All those heartless, godless rituals you perform. And he said to them, verse nine, all too well, you reject the commandment of God. First, they taught as doctrines, the commandments of men. Then they laid aside the commandments of God. Now in verse nine, they reject the commandments of God out of hand in order that they may keep their tradition. For Moses said, here's an example. Moses said, honor your father and mother. He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death. But you say, as part of your heartless, godless, ritualistic religion, you say, if a man says to his father or mother, whatever prophet you might have is receive, receive from me as Corban. That is a gift of God, a gift to God. Then you no longer let him do anything for his father and mother. And because of your tradition, you make the word of God of no effect. You see the process? You see the problem? We do this all the time. People do this all the time, right? I know that this is what the word of God says. But listen, I'm gonna do my own thing. Besides, I'm a Christian. God's gonna forgive me that. That won't come out necessarily in your words. You know, any self-respecting Christian knows he can't say that out loud, but it comes out in your actions, right? It comes out in your actions. I'm going to do what I'm going to do regardless of what the word of God says. You profess him with your lips, but your heart is far from him. Their tradition here, if you understand this, they rabidly obey their tradition, obsessively obey their tradition. And yet their tradition has become to them a cloak for disobedience. Cloak for disobedience. You can use it as a cloak too. I'm a Christian and I'm not gonna submit to my husband. I'm a Christian. I'm not gonna sacrifice for my wife. I'm a Christian. I'm gonna spend my time doing my thing. If you don't like it, tough luck, right? You know, it's like, I'm a Christian, but I don't want to witness. I don't want to give God the glory by proclaiming his excellencies to a lost world. I don't want to do it. I don't want to do it. So I'm not going to, but listen, I'm a Christian. It's all okay with me, right? You use that tradition, so to speak. That is a tradition in our country, is it not? Where do you hear these biblical truths preach? It's just, they're not being preached by most churches today. Listen, Christians are commanded by God to obey the great commission and make disciples to preach the gospel. It's a mark of conversion. It's a fruit of genuine saving faith, and yet it's the great omission in most Christian lives. And yet people claim Christ. Let me give you one more example. Go from Mark chapter seven. Turn back with me to Isaiah 58. Isaiah 58. One more example. It's traditional for many to go to church on Sunday to profess the Lord with their lips, and yet you can see in how they spend their time, you can see in how they spend their money, you can see in how they interact with lost people, how they interact with God's word, you can see that their hearts are far from Him. See another example of this in Isaiah 58. And in their fasting here, this is a religious practice that they're involved in. Lord's gonna make the charge that their hearts are far from Him. And this is a meaningless, heartless, and therefore godless, ritualistic endeavor that they're a part of. Look at verse 58. He says to Isaiah, cry out, spare not. Lift up your voice, Isaiah, like a trumpet and tell my people their transgression in the house of Jacob, their sins. Now listen to verse two, think about it this way. They are sinning, verse two, and yet they seek me daily. Do you see? They are sinning, and they say they delight to know my ways. As a nation that did righteousness, they act like a nation that did righteousness. They act like a nation that did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of me the ordinances of justice. They take delight in approaching God. Do you see all that? Now all those things are professions, so to speak, of their lips. That's what they're professing with their mouths. But listen to what the Lord says. Why have we fasted, they say? And you have not seen God. Why God, have we afflicted our souls? And you take no notice. They're perplexed, they're bewildered over this. Why is it that God is angry with them? Why hasn't God inclined his ear to hear their prayer? In fact, in the day of your fast, you find pleasure and exploit all your laborers. Here's why. Indeed, you fast for strife and debate and to strike with a fist of wickedness. You'll not fast as you do this day to make your voice heard on high. Is it a fast that I've chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bull rush and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this fast an acceptable day to the Lord? Listen, he says. Is this not the fast that I have chosen, God says? To loose the bonds of wickedness. To undo the heavy burdens. To let the oppressed go free. And that you break every yoke. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry? Do you see the heart of God? The heart of God in obedience to him is to do the... This is what religion looks like. This is what the fruit of worship from the heart produces. Is it not to share bread with the hungry? Verse seven. And that you bring your house, the poor who are cast out. You bring to your house, the poor who are cast out. When you see the naked that you cover him and not hide yourself from your own flesh, then your light shall break forth like the morning. Your healing shall spring forth speedily and your righteousness shall go before you. The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call and the Lord will answer. You shall cry and he will say, here I am. Lord hears the prayers of the penitent, of the repentant person. As they say, we know God does not hear the prayers of the sinner. God hears the prayers of the repentant. He says, look at verse 10. If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the noon day. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul and drought and strengthen your bones. And you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations. You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and you call the Sabbath of the Lord a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor him not doing your own ways. You see how many times that's mentioned there? Turn from doing your pleasure, turn from doing your own ways, not finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, verse 14. Then you shall delight yourself and the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the hills of the earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Back in John chapter nine. Now they're involved here in false religion, heartless religion. They profess them with their mouths, their hearts are far from him. So enter into this then, this context, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Lord Jesus Christ here is bold in his witness against these Pharisees. He always is. What a great example, right? The witness of the Lord Jesus Christ in these conflicts. The Pharisees are seething here with hostility. They've denounced Jesus as a demon-possessed, Samaritan madman, and he just keeps faithfully preaching the gospel all the way to the cross. Now we see this same great example. We have the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also see that in his disciples, don't we? His disciples. They're arrested, they're assaulted, they're attacked, they're beaten, they're scorned, they're mercilessly persecuted, executed, all for the cause of Christ. All for the cause of Christ. They're bold witnesses for the Lord. But guess who else now? Guess who else now is going to be called upon to be a bold witness? He's gonna be called upon to give God the glory in his witness. Who's that? The man formerly blind. He's called upon. Now it's his turn. The torch has been passed to him to witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, just like it's been passed to you. Just like it's been passed to me. We have to be bold in our witness. And let's follow the example of this man born blind. This brand new believer faces this hostility on his first day. Welcome to Christianity. Conflict, listen, is gonna come. Second Timothy chapter three verse 12, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Just fasten your seatbelt, pull up your britches, yank on your bootstraps and get ready. Philippians chapter one verse 29, for to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to what? To suffer, to suffer for his sake. It's going to happen. So look at John chapter nine verse 15. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, he put clay on my eyes and I watched and I see. Now, shortly after his healing, you might imagine the blind man telling this story to the neighbors, right? In all kinds of exciting details. This is a big deal. So he comes across a friend of his or comes across a neighbor. Look, you're never gonna believe what happened to me. I see you. A lot clearer than what I remember, but I see your face. I got up today, just like any other day. I got up, I had to make my way down to the temple, to lay outside the gate, because that's where I go, that's where I sit. As you know, for years now, I've been dependent upon the charity of others to live. And so I go down there, I sit by that gate a day just like any other. I turn that corner over there, tripped on those stairs for the 18th time, again, skinned my knee. Now I made my way over, I kneeled down next to the gate, and I start talking to the people that I hear walking by. One of the temple guards comes by as he normally does and practically knocks me over. It's like I'm not even there, just like any other day. But then I hear this ruckus in the temple, and it sounds to me, the Pharisees are yelling and screaming. Sounds like somebody's about to be stoned to death. And then out of nowhere, you're just not gonna believe it. The Lord Jesus, a man named Jesus passed by me, and I hear them talking about me. And then this man called Jesus made clay, and when he spit on the dirt, and mixed that stuff together, put it on my eyes, crazy thing. He tells me to go to the pool at Siloam and watch. That's what I did. And when I wash in the pool, I gained my sight, and I can see. This is like awesome, right? You can imagine that kind of conversation going on. But now listen, then he's taken to the Pharisees, right? And he knows the drill. He knows what's going on. He's heard the reports. He knows this is the guy they've been seeking to kill. He knows they've already made a pact together. They've already decided that whoever confesses that Jesus is the Christ will be put out of the synagogue. All this he's heard. So now the Lord's enemies become his own enemies. And when they come to him, he knows what's going on. And so his account to them is, listen, this man put clay on my eyes, and I see, right? The short words, right, in verse 15. He put clay on my eyes, I washed, and I see. Like his parents, like his parents, he could have feared, but he didn't. He was bold in his witness for Christ. He put clay on my eyes, he told the Pharisees, those enemies of the Lord, those wicked, self-righteous, hypocritical Pharisees. He put clay on my eyes, I washed, and I see. Take that to the bank, right? So incidentally now, the heartless, religious, moralist doesn't know what to do with this. The heartless, religious, moralist doesn't know what to do with the one who has been radically transformed by Christ. If you know a heartless, religious, moralist, a formalist, someone who is heartless in their supposed Christianity, they don't know what to do with your radical transformation. And so they'll excuse it away. They'll try to excuse it away. They'll call it an anomaly. They'll say, listen, most conversion is not that radical. Conversion doesn't have to be that radical. No, why? Why do they do that? Because to admit that radical change, a radical transformation is genuine fruit of a genuine faith would be to admit that their own faith is not genuine. Do you see? You go to a heartless, religious, moralist, and they don't know what to do with the radical transformation. He'll settle down. They'll give him a couple of years to look just like me. No. So what do they do then? What do they do? These religious, moralists hide, they hide behind their religious practice. They can't generate in and of themselves the type of transformation that takes place in the life of someone who's been genuinely born again, genuinely converted, genuinely saved by God. They can't reproduce that. They can't fake it. So what do they do? They hide behind their religiosity, just like the Pharisees, who they profess them with their mouth, their lips, but their hearts are far from them. They hide behind the things that they do. Now, because of this man's clear testimony, his bold witness, a division occurs between two groups of Pharisees in verse 16. Verse 16 says, therefore some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath. Of course, the Lord Jesus Christ keeps the whole law. He's perfectly sinless, right? But he doesn't keep their man-made laws. And so they say that he's a sinner. He's not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath. Others said, verse 16, how can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. In other words, you say he's a sinner. Listen, how is it that a sinner can grant sight to one born blind? They noticed the disconnect, okay? So the first group then, in verse 16, the first group focuses on the fact that Jesus broke their man-made Sabbath rules and they conclude because of that, he cannot be from God, right? That's the first group. They focus on the fact that Jesus broke their man-made Sabbath rules and they conclude he cannot be from God. The second group focuses on the fact that a miracle has taken place and they tentatively determine that he must be from God because of the miracle, okay? Neither group does much investigating. They don't think through the issues involved, but both come to different conclusions and a division is caused. Now Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10, verse 34, do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. A lot of people don't know what to do with that verse, but it means what the Lord says. Here he creates, he causes this division because of the truth. He says, he goes on to say, in Matthew chapter 10, in verse 35, for I have come to set a man against his father. Now listen to this, a daughter against her mother. How many of you has that happened to, right? A daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and a man's enemies will be those of his own household. How many of you have experienced that? Right. 37, he says, he who loves father and mother, now here's the implication of all that. Here's the conflict that arises. The division that is caused. How are we to respond to that? We're to respond with faith and love and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ preeminently above anything else, including those members of our own household, all right? Because, verse 37, he who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, the Lord says. And he who loves son, loves daughter more than me, it's not worthy of me. Luke adds, wife. So even within the marital relationship, nothing, no one is to keep you from Christ. You've gotta be bold in your witness. When you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, you say, okay, I'm gonna turn for my sin. I'm gonna put faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm gonna entrust myself to him to save me and you're counting the cost. You're saying I'm willing to both live and die for the Lord Jesus Christ. And if it means that I lose everything in this life, including my own life also, give God the glory. That's the Christian life. That's the commitment that you're making. One of the ways that you love the Lord and prefer the Lord more than family, more than mother, more than father or brother or sister or wife, more than family is by fearing the Lord and not fearing them. Be a bold witness for Christ and your family. Now, this man who is formerly blind is bold. It's the bold witness. Look at a statement in verse 17. They said to the blind man again, right? What do you say about him because he opened your eyes? He said, he is a prophet. Now, unlike the wavering Pharisees, this blind man, formerly blind man, is unwavering. He believes, hands down, that Jesus is sent from God. He gets it, right? This guy gave me sight, I was blind. So he believes, hands down, that Jesus is sent by God. He says, he is a prophet. Now, unlike, if you remember the paralytic that we studied in John chapter five, unlike that paralytic in John chapter five, the blind man here immediately sides with the Lord Jesus Christ. He immediately sides with him. That's very interesting to note. Think about this for a moment. The further the man boldly testifies to the Lord Jesus Christ, the stronger and clearer and bolder his witness becomes. As the opposition against him becomes sharper, the man's own testimony becomes sharper. You see that as we work through the text. If you wanna give glory to God, be a bold witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Be a bold witness like this man who is formerly blind. And as you witness, as that opposition comes against you, the sharper and the clearer and the more precise and the more effective and the more articulate and the more faithful your witness becomes. We grow in that, don't we? It's a great means of grace on the part of God to bless his people for faithfulness in witnessing. Listen to this from John Calvin. Listen to this. If he, speaking of the man who was formerly blind, if he who did not yet know that Christ was the son of God courageously and freely confessed that he was a prophet, how shameful is the treachery of those who out of fear either deny him or are silent, though they know that he sits at the right hand of the father and from thence will come and be the judge of the whole earth. If this blind man did not quench his tiny spark of knowledge, we should endeavor that a frank and full confession should blaze forth from the full brightness which is shown in our hearts. Amen, right? Just think about the logic of that, the truth of that statement. Be bold in your witness. Point two on your notes. Be courageous in your faith. Look at verse 18. Be courageous in your faith. Verse 18 says this, but the Jews did not believe concerning him that he had been blind and received his sight until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked him saying, is this your son who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? So his parents answered them and said, we know that this is our son and that he was born blind, but by what means he now sees we do not know or who opened his eyes we do not know? He's of age, ask him, he'll speak for himself. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews. So the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, he's of age, ask him. So the man's parents were afraid. They feared the Jews. Jesus says in Matthew chapter 10 verse 28, be courageous in faith. Give glory to God and do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body and hell. That comes couched as a command. Don't fear. Do not fear them. Do not fear their faces. Do not fear their reactions. Don't fear them, fear me, God says. The Jews didn't know what to do with this man who had been radically transformed by Christ, but listen, they had already made up their minds about Christ. No real investigation necessary. And so all of this on their part was simply an effort to find something in his testimony in order to discredit him or to discredit the Lord. Incidentally, this is what the world does today with those who claim to be Christians. If you claim the name of Christ, then you'd better live a holy life. If you claim to be a Christian, don't take that name in your sin. That is blasphemous, that is taking God's name in vain. It is a terrible testimony to this world. If you claim the name of Christ and you had better live a holy life, unbelievers, especially religious, moralists, right? We're gonna seek to discredit your testimony and thereby discredit the claims of Christ in the gospel in order to justify themselves. And they'll do it because they see you in sin. So they basically imply here three questions to the man, to the man's parents, and they get three answers. The questions are basically this. Is this your son? Was he born blind? And how does he now see? Okay, is this your son? Was he born blind? How does he now see? So the parents easily readily answer questions one and two. There's no real threat to them in answering these questions. And so they do so relatively without fear here in verse 20. His parents answered that and said, we know that this is our son and we know that he was born blind. Now, when it comes to the third question, here's where they have to put some skin in the game, so to speak, okay? They certainly would have known as much as the neighbors in verse 11. They certainly would have had this information. And yet they balked here in their testimony. Essentially, they lied, okay? And they did this because of fear. They knew the answer to the question, but they didn't want to know the answer to the question because of what the implications of this were. Now, something astounding, think about it for a moment. Something astounding has been revealed to them, revealed directly to them by the Lord Jesus Christ. This evident miracle has taken place. And yet they're more concerned about their status with the Jews than they are with embracing their son in this and embracing the one who gave their son his sight. It's remarkable, isn't it? It's remarkable. The blindness of man, apart from the grace and mercy of God. An evident miracle. And yet they'll side with the Pharisees. Maybe you've seen yourself, a radical change in someone's life, right? Maybe you've seen this yourself. After they've turned from their sin to believe in the gospel and they entrust themselves to Christ, you see others sit back in their heartless morality and their cold religiosity and they say to themselves, I knew that Mark back then. I knew what he was like. I knew Jim. I knew Sally. They've really changed. You know, Jim's a different guy. He's not the same guy that he was before. But rather than embrace the reality of that power to turn from their own sin and put their true faith in Christ, rather than give up their status with the world, rather than give up your worldly friends. You say, you know what? I know Jim and I know he's a changed man, but listen, I'm fine where I'm at. I'm a Christian. They hide behind their religiosity. They hide behind their works. And you know, if you admit that that kind of change, that kind of transformation was necessary for Jim, you're stuck having to admit that that kind of transformation is necessary for you too. And so you just continue to live the same repetitively sinful pattern of a sinful so-called Christian life and that deception just like the Pharisees will send you to hell. So here, verse 21, they calculate their faithless answer and they give it, verse 21. But by what means he now sees these parents say, we do not know? Or who opened his eyes? We do not know. He's of age, ask him, he'll speak for himself. The explanation of their cowardice is given in verses 22 and 23. His parents said these things because they feared the Jews. For the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that he was the Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore, his parents said, he's of age, ask him, no faith, only fear, no trust in the Lord. They counted the cost of what it might mean to confess what had really happened and they said, you know what? It's not worth it, not worth it. You cannot cower and retreat. Give God the glory, be courageous in your faith. Amen, amen. Be bold in your witness, be courageous in your faith. Third, be resolute in the truth. Look at verse 24. Be resolute in the truth. So they again called the man who was blind and said to him, give God the glory. We know that this guy's a sinner. Verse 25, he answered and said, whether he's a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know, that though I was blind, now I see. And then they said to him again, amen. What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? And he answered them. I told you already, you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? At this point, it sort of devolves into a mocking. He says, do you also want to become his disciples? I like this guy, I like this guy. So far now, the Pharisees have been unable to discredit the testimony of this man. He's clear and he's bold in his initial witness. They get nowhere with the man's parents. In fact, now they have to admit, right, that a notable miracle has taken place. He's our son and he was born blind. They're scratching their heads. How then does he now see? They have to admit a miracle has taken place. The only recourse left to them at this point is to come back to the man who was formerly blind a second time now and to try to find some inconsistency in his testimony. Maybe they're gonna try to intimidate him, get him to change his story. They're gonna try to find some chink in his armor. Now, this is not unusual. Lawyers do this all the time, right? If you've ever been deposed, been a part of a deposition or given witness in a trial, they'll ask you the same question 10 different ways to try to trip you up in your words or to try to expose some inconsistency. This is what they do. So this is what these Pharisees were doing. Now, so far he's been bold. He's been courageous, but the man can't compromise here. This is getting serious. He can't compromise. He must stand firm in the faith to give God the glory. He's gotta be resolute in the truth. So now, once again, verse 24, they call the man who was blind and they said, give God the glory. We know this man is a sinner. Now that phrase, give God the glory was often used for someone that you assumed or presumed was lying, okay? So if you were gonna go to someone who you thought was lying, you might say to him, listen, come clean. You tell me the truth, what did you do? If you remember from Joshua chapter seven, Joshua goes to Achan in the same way. He goes to Achan. Achan had stolen the gold. It's stolen the silver. He stole the Babylonian garment. He hid it under his tent. He didn't come forward at first. Joshua had to search him out. And so he comes to Achan and he says, they can give God the glory, right? And Achan confesses to the sin. We know what happens after that. They're implying here that the man is lying. They're implying that he's lying. And in another example of irony in the gospel of John, the man who was born blind is actually telling the truth and giving God the glory with his testimony. It's the Pharisees who are out of whack here. So as resolute as they appear to be in their unbelief, the man who is blind is as resolute in his belief. He's resolute in his faith. We must be resolute in our faith if we're going to give God the glory. Now you think about it, this statement, give God the glory in the sense in which they intended it also applies to us. Prior to Christ, prior to the divine initiative where God sought you and bought you and the spirit wrought salvation in your heart, prior to that point, you're a liar. You're a blasphemer. You're a thief. You're an adulterer. You're a coward. You're all these things. You're a sinner. By nature, you're a sinner. You are a child of wrath, just like all the others. You're a child of disobedience, worthy only of hell and God's judgment and God's condemnation, that was you. So by the grace and mercy of Almighty God, in one sense, God comes to you and I. In that condition, while we were yet sinners, while we are ungodly and God says, in Christ's Son, you're going to give God the glory. I'm going to save you. I'm going to redeem you to myself. I'm going to forgive you of all your sins. I'm going to indwell you with my spirit and I'm going to cause you to glorify me in keeping my statutes and judgments and you will do them. That's what God says, give God the glory. In Pharisees in verse 24, they said, listen, we know that this man is a sinner. Notice the use of this man. That's contemptuous, right? They don't use his name. They know his name. They don't use his name. This man is a sinner. That word, sinner there, is one who practices sin. He's characterized by his sin. They basically tell the man here, don't give any credit to Jesus. Don't give any glory to Jesus. Give God the glory and come clean. Tell us your lie. So here the man, unmoved, undaunted, unwavering, he sticks to the truth again. He's resolute in the truth. He picks up on their dogmatic use of we know in verse 24 and he responds in verse 25. Whether he's a sinner or not, I do not know. But listen, one thing I know, you Pharisees, is that though I was blind, now I see. He didn't have a lot of theology under his belt at this point and I didn't know a lot. But one thing he knew, one thing he could stand fast in to the Lord Jesus Christ had healed him. One thing that every true Christian, every true Christian can stand fast in, is that once I was blind, but now I see. Amen? Every true Christian must be able to say that. The Lord Jesus Christ has changed my heart. I'm not the same person that I was before. I don't think the same. I don't act the same. I don't conduct myself in the same way. I don't treat others the same. I'm a different human being because the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in my heart. If this isn't here, simply like some would say seeing the light, Frank saw the light. This is not merely seeing the light. This is seeing everything new by the light. Everything that you see changes. The way that you read the Word of God, obviously changes. The way that you treat your wife, treat your husband, changes. The way that you think about your responsibility to your kids changes. The way that you think about how you're gonna spend money changes everything, everything we see in the light now of a new biblical worldview with new eyes, new spiritual eyes, so to speak. We're given sight and it's a biblical understanding that impacts everything about you, everything that you do. We see God's truth that which God has revealed to us but we also see afresh. We see a new everything in relation to that truth. If you think about it, it really is like seeing for the first time. How many of you felt that way when the Lord saved you? It's like, why didn't I not see this before? Especially with the Word of God. You're reading through the Bible and it's just, praise God, right? Praise God. So verse 26 comes along. Then they said to him again. They said to him again, what did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He answered them verse 27. I told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? He's being sarcastic here but this is bold. This is courageous. He's standing fast, resolute in the truth. Point four on your notes. Have to be increasing in knowledge. Increasing in knowledge. This thought is from Colossians chapter one verse 10. Christians are to be increasing in their knowledge of God, in their knowledge of the truth. Increasing in knowledge. Verse 28. Then they reviled him and said, you are his disciple but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses as for this fellow. See the contempt again. We do not know where he's from. Now rather than listening to the man and simply believing his testimony, it's an evident miracles taking place. Believing the truth rather than believing the truth that was clearly and evidently presented and affirmed before their eyes, they lashed out. They lashed out in blind rage against this man. And retreated. They retreated. They retreated to their own lame view of the law and their same lame ignorant defense. You are his disciple but we are Moses' disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses as for this fellow. We do not know where he's from. As the man is increasing in his sight, they are demonstrating a staggering blindness. Do you see? He is increasing in knowledge, increasing in confidence, increasing in faith and they are displaying greater and greater ignorance. And notice the pattern. Notice the pattern. They keep saying we know, we know, we know. The weak compromising parents in verse 20, we know that this is our son. The ignorant Pharisees in verse 24, we know that this man is a sinner. The Pharisees again in verse 29, we know that God spoke to Moses. They conclude that Jesus is not from God because he breaks their man-made rules in verse 16. Look at the decline. They willfully choose to believe in obvious miracle, choose to disbelieve in obvious miracle in verse 18. They further pronounce the Lord Jesus Christ a sinner in verse 24. They actually confess or acknowledge their ignorance about Jesus in verse 29. They get argued into a corner by a formerly blind beggar in verses 30 through 33. And then with their tail tucked between their legs, they kick him out of the synagogue in verse 34. And they were finally pronounced by Jesus to be blind and sinful themselves in verse 41. That's their progression. Boy, it's a downward spiral, isn't it? They began by not even listening to the man and they immediately moved to discredit him. Then they blindly attempt to separate an obvious miracle from the obvious miracle worker. Now in frustration and defeat, they lash out in anger and they retreat back to their defense in the law. They retreat back to their empty tradition. And finally in verse 34, there's simply nothing else left for them to do but to kick this man out of the synagogue. So who's blind here? That's right. And that's the way that we're supposed to see it. We have this man who is formerly blind. Now he sees the Pharisees are the one who are ignorant. They're the ones who are blind. You ever notice, right? You ever notice? It's the fool who is often overly confident about what he knows. They act like a complete fool. I know this and I know that. And they run off and chase their folly. It's ridiculous. We know, we know, we know. Proverbs 4, 19 says this, the way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble. Be careful that you heed, take heed to how you hear also. We need to take warning from this. Luke chapter eight, verse 18, the Lord says, therefore take heed how you hear for whoever has to him more will be given. We see that in the example of the man who is formerly blind and whoever does not have even what he seems to have will be taken from him. We see that in the example of the Pharisees. He will become more and more ignorant. This one who acts according to his folly will become more and more ignorant, more and more foolish. However now, by contrast, look at the increasing knowledge, the increasing understanding of the man who is blind. He even marvels. He's astonished at their unbelief. These teachers of Israel, their unbelief is as amazing to him as his healing, so to speak. Look at verse 30. The man answered and said to them, why this is a marvelous thing that you do not know where he is from. Yet he has opened my eyes. I'm astonished. You teachers of Israel, you don't know this? He opened my eyes. You don't know where he's from? Now we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he hears him. Since the world began, it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. You know that's a true statement. There's a story, the closest thing in the Old Testament is a story in 2 Kings, chapter 6, where the Syrian army comes to Elisha, right? And Elisha courses them with blindness and he leads the Syrian army into Samaria and he heals them of their blindness. He gives them their sight back and they realize they're in Samaria. It's the only example of blindness being healed in the Old Testament and those Syrians weren't born blind. But you think about it now, and this is the testing to who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Miracles here and there in the Old Testament, right? A couple of miracles in the Old Testament. You get to the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament and because of who Christ is and what those miracles are to attest to, miracles in the New Testament abound, right? They explode and there's miracles every day. The Lord Jesus Christ practically wipes out sickness in Judea during that period of time. So many miracles being performed. And it's a testing. The Lord says, if you remember the story, the man who was paralytic dropped through the roof, the Lord says to that man, it says to the Pharisees who were questioning him in their hearts, he said to them, so that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. He says to the paralytic man, rise, take up your mat and walk, right? These are all a testing to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so in verse 33 now, the man, he's increasing in knowledge. He says, if this man were not from God, he could do nothing. So now he begins by acknowledging Jesus as simply a man in verse 11. Look at the progression. His increasing understanding leads to a bold determination that he's a prophet in verse 17. He's someone who would be followed by disciples in verse 27. Did you see that? Jesus is obviously from God in verse 33. And then he is the Lord, the Son of God worthy to be worshiped in verse 38. He's increasing in knowledge, right? Notice he's no longer relying only on his experience. Before the one thing I know, though I was blind now I see, now he's actually producing here in his boldness, in his increasing understanding, a theological argument. At the beginning all he could say was, a man called Jesus healed me. But now he confidently, boldly, resolute the truth with great understanding, increasing knowledge, puts together a theological argument. He says basically, we know God doesn't hear sinners. However, God does hear those who do his will. Obviously, Jesus was heard by God in healing me of my blindness. Therefore, Jesus must be from God. You see? Let's see, he's right, he's smart. See? He's putting together. He's got more understanding here. The guy's growing. He's growing right before our eyes. Isn't he on just on the pages? As the verses go by, he's growing. Do you see what a means of grace evangelism is? Grace, it's a means of grace. Evangelism is a means of grace. It will grow you like rocket fuel. Give God the glory. Proclaim Christ in evangelism. There's a similar account of this. We need to go quick in Acts, Acts chapter four. I want you to see this, it's important. Go to Acts chapter four. Acts chapter four, and look in Acts chapter four, beginning at verse five. Now, as you're turning, Peter and John going into the temple through the gate called beautiful and they see a lame man who had been lame since birth. A lot of similarities here, right? I noticed the connections. In chapter three, Peter heals him. Silver and gold have I not, right? But then the mercy of God is shown, the grace of God is shown. The lame man is healed in chapter three, verses one through 10. Now, it came to pass on the next day that their rulers, their elders, their scribes, look at verse six, chapter four, verse six. As well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John and Alexander, as many as were of the family of the high priest were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name have you done this? By what power, by what name did you heal this lame man? Then Peter, verse eight, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel. He's gonna give God the glory, isn't he? Right, it's consistent, Peter. Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them, rulers of the people and elders of Israel. If we, this day, are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man stands here before you whole. Now this is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Now here it is. When they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. Now just like we tend to marvel here with this man born blind and his increasing bonus, his increasing knowledge in his witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. And verse 13, they realized that Peter and John, these uneducated, untrained men, had been with Jesus, right? Had been with Jesus. Verse 14, seeing the man who had been healed, standing with them, they could say nothing against it. You know, in John chapter nine, they were appreciably more blind than even these because they could say something against it. They tried to discredit the miracle altogether. Look at verse 15, but when they had commanded them to go outside, go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves saying, what shall we do to these men? For indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in his name. Can you even see the blind ignorance in this action? That is a notable, evident miracle that all can plainly see has taken place and yet don't preach in that man's name anymore. So they called them verse 18 and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. However, Peter and John being bold in their witness, being courageous in their faith, being resolute in the truth, answered in verse 19 and said to them, whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge, for we cannot help but to speak the things which we have seen and heard. Glory to God, amen. That's the Christian's testimony. We cannot help but to speak of the things that we have seen and heard. That's the testimony of a genuine faith. Verse 21, so when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them. And because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done, for the man was over 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed. So back in John chapter nine, verse 31, the man says, we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, he hears them. We know that sinner here, verse 31, used in the same way that the Pharisees meant the word in verse 24. Someone who practices an unrepentant pattern of sin. We know that the Lord graciously hears the prayers of a repentant person, okay? Psalm 66, verse 18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. Don't regard iniquity in your heart. What's going on with you this morning? What about during the week, at work, after work? While the kids are at school, when your wife is away, are you regarding iniquity in your heart? Turn from your sin, give God the glory, put your faith in Christ, and the Lord will hear that prayer of repentance. The Lord says he will save that one who turns from his sin and puts his faith in Christ. The Lord will do an astounding miracle in your heart. He performs an astounding miracle in the heart and life of this blind man. Verse 32 in John chapter nine, since the world began, it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. And here the Lord Jesus Christ does it, verse 33. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing, true statement. Very few miracles happened until the Lord Jesus Christ came along and then miracles exploded during the ministry of Christ to attest to who he was. Our story comes to an end for us today in verse 34. Incidentally in verse 34, I want you to see they admit that he was born blind because they make the connection between his blindness and his sin. They admit that he was born blind and therefore in this they're admitting, actually the miracle took place. Verse 34, they answered and said to him, you were completely born in sins. And their minds are thinking that's why you're blind. That's why you were blind. Because you were completely born in sins. They admit the miracle took place. They said, you were completely born in sins and are you teaching us in their blind rage and their blind ignorance, they don't see even the reality of what they just said. And they cast him out. This blind man symbolizes a new break here with Judaism. He's the first in the New Testament to be cast out of the synagogue because of his commitment to Christ. Cast out of the synagogue because of his commitment to Christ. It's an honor here for him to have been cast out. Maybe at this time the man born blind remembered the Psalmist saying to the Lord in Psalm 27 verse 10, when my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. The Psalmist says, many of you, you come into conflict with family or friends or coworkers or whoever. You may lose brothers and sisters and mothers. You may lose a loved one, a spouse, but the Lord will take care of you. You are the Lord's child redeemed by God. Cast out into the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. What better place to be cast out to. In John 8, the Pharisees unable to contend with the Son of God, unable to argue with him. They couldn't refute his powerful arguments. Here, these blind Pharisees confounded by a simple beggar, formerly blind, now seeing the truth of God in Christ. Where are you in your witness for the Lord Jesus Christ today? Where are you? Where's your heart? Where's your mind? Where are your priorities? Sometimes we're not cast out any more than we are because we're more represented by the fear of the parents than we are by the faith of the man who is born blind. Do you see? Are you being persecuted? Do you face conflict? Why not? Do you desire to give God the glory? If you desire to give God the glory, turn from your sin, trust the perfect spotless lamb of God. He came to die a substitute for sinners. He bore the wrath of God against sin on his own body on the tree, suffered in your place, took the penalty that you deserve so that you can be set free, so that you can be forgiven, so that you can give God glory with your life. Be bold in your witness. Look at what the Lord has done. Be bold in your witness. Stand fast in the face of opposition. Be courageous in your faith. Don't fear their faces. Fear God. Be resolute in the truth. Stand on the rock of God's word. Be increasing in knowledge. Grow in your experience of Him and your knowledge of His word. And give God the glory through your personal witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Let's take a few moments and pray to the Lord. Let's go before the Lord and do business with God. Where are you at this morning? Where's your heart? Have you been obedient to Him, faithful to Him in this witness? If not, repent of sin. Give God the glory. Let's pray.