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Showing posts with label Spiritual Blindness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual Blindness. Show all posts

Monday, August 18, 2025

Laodicea - Be Hot or Cold | A Sermon on Revelation 3:14-22

Introduction
Whenever I’m traveling around, people will often ask me, “Where did you come from?” or “Where are you traveling from?” I find myself all over Georgia—sometimes for conferences, meetings, or simply visiting family. Just yesterday, for example, we went down to visit my mother-in-law.

When people ask, “How long did it take you to get here?” or “Where are you from?” I usually say, “Dalton.” Sometimes people know where that is, and sometimes they don’t. So I’ll add, “It’s just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee.” That usually helps them get their bearings.

Every now and then, they’ll respond, “Oh! Dalton—the carpet capital of the world.” I remember back in college, before I became a pastor, I was studying textile engineering. Professors would mention Dalton, saying, “Seventy-five to eighty percent of the world’s carpet comes from there.”

I used to raise my hand and ask, “Don’t you mean Georgia?” No. “Don’t you mean the United States?” No. They meant the world—literally the world. Dalton earned its reputation as the carpet capital of the world because so much of the world’s carpet is made here. And now, not just carpet, but all kinds of flooring materials as well.

Cities often become known for something—Chicago, for instance, is called the Windy City. Hopefully, what we’re known for is good and not something bad.

Laodicea was a wealthy city in ancient Turkey where a group of Christians comprised a church.  They were known around the region for banking, eye ointment, and fine textiles.  Unfortunately, they were also known for their lukewarm water supply that was neither cold and good for drinking (like nearby Colossae’s cold drinking water) nor hot and good for healing (like Hierapolis’ hot springs). Laodicea’s water supply was lukewarm and Jesus said so was their faith.

Revelation 3:14-22
14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning[e] of God’s new creation:

15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.

22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

Neither Hot nor Cold
Jesus said in verse 15 – “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!”

Those words: “I wish that you were either hot or that you were cold.” Of course, what is He talking about? He’s not talking about water. He’s talking about their spiritual life—their faith.

To be hot is a good thing, to have a hot faith. That means you are on fire for Jesus, excited to be serving Him. You don’t mind coming to church, you don’t mind volunteering, and you don’t mind giving, because you’re excited and on fire for what Jesus is doing in your own life and in your community. You want to share that with others. It’s easy for us to understand that having a hot faith is a good thing. Jesus is the most important thing to such a person.

But Jesus says, “If you’re not hot, I wish you were cold.” And we might think, Well, how can being cold be a good thing? Why would Jesus want someone to be either hot or cold? Because if you’re cold, it means you don’t care about Jesus at all. You might not even be thinking about Him. You’re just living your life however you want, without faith. All you’re doing is living for yourself, often doing the wrong things—even bad things.

So why is that good? Because if you’re living like that, at least there’s a chance something will shake you and snap you out of it. If you’re sinning all the time, doing terrible things, and then something happens—maybe you get into a car wreck that rocks your world, or you’re diagnosed with a disease—it might shake you awake. You realize, Oh my gosh, I need to start getting my life right with God. I’ve been living a coldhearted life, but now I know it. Then, the next step is repentance and turning to God.

So, living a cold, dark life can at least give you the chance to change. But Jesus says the Laodiceans were not hot and not cold. They were lukewarm. And that is very, very dangerous.

If you are lukewarm in your faith, you claim to follow Jesus. You look like you’re following Jesus. You may act like you’re following Jesus. But you lack true passion and commitment. You’re not fully obedient to Him. Maybe you’re doing it for show, but not for real.

It’s dangerous because it blinds you to your need for repentance. It blinds you to the fact that you need renewal. And it risks giving you an excuse to keep going in the wrong direction—walking away from Christ when you should be turning back to Him.

See, if you were cold, you would know it. You don’t have to tell a drunk that he’s not doing the right thing. He’s ashamed of it. He knows it. He knows he needs to change. The struggle is being able to change, but at least he knows.

But there are many people in the world—and maybe even some of you reading this—who fall into this category. You’re not hot. You’re not cold. You’re lukewarm. From the outside, people might look at your life and say, “Well, they go to church, they give money, they do good things, they dress nice, they act like a good person, they say they follow Jesus. Looks like they’re a Christian.”

You may even look at your own life and say, “Well, I’m not a saint, but I’m not a sinner either. I’m somewhere in the middle. I go to church. I do the right things. I’m pretty good.”

But you don’t realize Jesus is not number one in you life. You have other things ahead of Him. That’s idolatry—putting something before God.

So if you are lukewarm, it’s dangerous because it gives you an excuse to keep coasting, to avoid change. Everyone else thinks you’re a good Christian. You even say that about yourself. But you don’t realize there are serious problems you need to address.

The lukewarm faith of the Laodicean Christians blinded them to their true spiritual condition. Jesus spoke the hard truth they needed to hear. And maybe it’s a hard truth some of us here today also need to hear.

Rich, but Actually Poor
Jesus said in verse 17, “You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

You know, sometimes there can be in us a false sense of self-sufficiency.

Now, I’m the kind of person who believes in self-sufficiency. I like the idea of being able to do for myself. I like being independent, and that can be a good thing. But there are times when that sense of self-sufficiency crosses a line—when you feel like you can do it all yourself. And that’s not a good thing.

I think for many people, this is a natural progression in life. When you start out young, you struggle. You don’t have much income. You don’t have much knowledge. It’s hard to get a good job because you don’t yet have the training or experience you need. So, in those early years, you often realize just how vulnerable you are. You rely on others, and life feels difficult.

Maybe you’re going into debt because you don’t make enough money. You’re borrowing, struggling because you can’t do things on your own. You don’t know how. And so, many people at the beginning of life find themselves praying: “Lord, please help me. Please help me. I don’t know how I’m going to pay the bills at the end of the month. I don’t know what I’ll do if my car breaks down. It’s old, it’s secondhand, it’s got lots of problems—it’s constantly giving me trouble. Lord, please don’t let my car break down. I can’t afford to fix it.”

Have any of you ever been through that kind of life? Maybe you’re in it right now. You pray: “Lord, please help me. Don’t let my tire go flat. I can’t afford to buy another one.”

But then what happens? God answers prayers. Over time, you may get to a point in life where you’ve saved up a little money. Now, you still don’t want that tire to go flat, but not because you couldn’t survive it—rather, because you’d rather spend that money on something fun, like going to see the Braves. If you get a flat now, you can handle it. You don’t like it, but you’ll be okay.

And that’s when the shift begins. You start to think: “Well, it’s okay. I can handle it myself. I don’t need anyone to step in and save me.” Of course, you’d never say that out loud—especially in church. Church people don’t talk like that. But somewhere, way in the back of your mind, a thought creeps in: “It’s okay. I don’t need God to bail me out of this one. I can handle it myself.”

And that is where the danger comes. You start to develop this false feeling of self-sufficiency: “I’ve got insurance. I’ve got money in savings. I can do it myself.” And when that happens, you start to think you don’t need anyone else—and you don’t need Jesus.

That is a very dangerous place to be. Because our hope is not in our talents, not in our insurance, not in our savings, and not in our money. Our hope is in God. We don’t need to walk around constantly feeling fearful and vulnerable—but neither do we need to walk around with the false pride that says, “I can handle this life all by myself.”

Because the truth is: we can’t.

And that’s exactly where the Laodiceans found themselves. They were known for their wealth, and they believed they could handle life on their own.

Our hope is not in our money.

Well Clothed, but Actually Naked
The Laodicean's were known for their textile industry, making fine clothing that everyone around admired. People wanted clothing as good as the Laodiceans’. But Jesus said they were naked. Isn’t that interesting? He says, “You’re naked. You need to buy some white robes from me.”

In Scripture, nakedness symbolizes shame, exposure, and vulnerability.

Now, the Laodiceans thought they were finely clothed. They believed they were people to be admired. Their fashion was on point. But Jesus saw through their outer appearance. He said, “You might wear nice clothing. People may admire you for your fashion. But to me, you’re naked and vulnerable. And you ought to be ashamed of your spiritual condition, not proud of the clothing you’re wearing.”

Spiritual Blindness
The Laodiceans were known not only for their textiles but also for their eye ointment. They had a famous medical school that trained healers, who went out and treated people across the region. From that school, they developed a special ointment—a salve called the Phrygian powder. It was applied to the eyes and was believed to heal diseases, correct dysfunctions, or soothe pain.

People from all around craved this ointment and were willing to pay good money for it. Of course, that only made the Laodiceans even more wealthy, since they were selling medicine that others desperately wanted.

And yet, ironically, Jesus said they were “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.” Blind! They had this famous eye ointment, but they couldn’t even see their own spiritual condition. They were blind to how wretched they truly were.

Their wealth, their self-sufficient attitude, and their lukewarm faith had blinded them. They needed more than ointment for their eyes. They needed Jesus to cure their spiritual blindness.

Revelation 3:18–19 says, “So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich.” He’s not talking about physical gold. He’s talking about something spiritual, something that’s been refined. He is saying, Let your character be refined. Let the fire of tribulation and trial refine who you are on the inside.

Build up treasures in heaven—not by hoarding wealth on earth, but by doing good deeds, serving the Lord faithfully, and sacrificing for His kingdom. Then Jesus says, “Buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness.” They needed the Lord to give them spiritual clothing—to cover up their sin and their shame. He also says, “Buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.”

And then Jesus says, “I correct and I discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.” It’s a hard word, but not an unkind word. It’s not unloving. He speaks it for their sake. He says, “I love you, and I correct those I love.”

Is Jesus Knocking on Your Door?
So if you are here today and feel the Lord convicting you—if you sense He has placed a hard word upon your heart—don’t puff up with pride or get defensive. The Lord is not speaking to you from a judgmental spirit. He speaks as a loving parent to a child, saying: “I see this in you. You don’t see it. You’ve been distracted, and you’ve missed it. But I’m showing you for your own good—to help you be better, to heal you, to cover your shame, and to give you true riches in heaven.”

Perhaps there are some listening who feel Christ convicting them today. Has your faith grown lukewarm? Is Jesus truly the most important thing in your life—or has something else taken His place?

Don’t you long to go back to the time when you were on fire for Jesus? When you were excited just to worship Him? When serving wasn’t an obligation but an opportunity you craved? Maybe on the outside you still look like a Christian, but on the inside the passion has faded. The wholehearted commitment and obedience have diminished. That’s dangerous. It blinds you. It leaves you naked and ashamed.

So you try to cover it up—with the outward appearance of godliness—but you lack the inward spiritual power of true godliness. And no matter how hard you try, you cannot hide from Jesus. Remember, He is the one with eyes like burning fire. He sees into the very center of your soul. He knows what’s really in your heart when no one else can see.

And yet—I love what Revelation 3:20 says. Even though He sees the good, the bad, and the ugly in every one of us, He does not run away. Instead, it says He stands at the door and knocks. He knocks. He waits. He longs for us to open the door.

If we will welcome Him in, He will come and sit with us like a friend. He will share a meal with us—a meal of reconciliation, a meal of healing, a meal that nourishes us so we can grow into all He wants us to be.

As we close this message today, I want to give you an invitation. Whatever the Lord has spoken to your heart, listen. How will you respond?

Maybe He is calling you to turn around because you’ve been going in the wrong direction. Maybe you’ve been cold, and He wants to set you on fire. Or perhaps, more dangerously, you’ve been living a lukewarm faith. But Jesus does not want you blind. He does not want you deceived.

He wants you to see your true need. He wants you to turn to Him. He wants you to come home.

Monday, January 1, 2024

Money and Possessions

Introduction
2,000 years ago in a small village called Bethlehem, a baby was born to two poor parents, Mary and Joseph.  Jesus was born right as Joseph arrived in Bethlehem to pay taxes to the Roman Empire who was occupying Israel, forcing them to pay tribute.  The Jesus we celebrate at Christmas, who was born King of the Jews and later revealed to be Lord of all, was born into poverty.  He lived among oppressed people who got by on very little.

Jesus understood the value of money.  He also knew firsthand the struggle of going without. Jesus’ father was a carpenter—a blue collar worker who probably lived paycheck to paycheck.  We also know, According to Mark 6:3, that Jesus had four younger brothers and two younger sisters.  That’s a lot of mouths to feed for a man who makes his living by manual labor.  At some point after Jesus turned 12, Joseph died—leaving Mary and Jesus (who was now the “man” of the house) responsible for taking care of everyone.  You can imagine that money was always tight.  Jesus understood the real value of money and how it could affect people.


Perhaps that is why when Jesus started His public ministry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23), money and possessions were one of His most frequent sermon topics.  We see one of His lessons in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:19-24.

Matthew 6:19-24
19 
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

An Outline for Matthew 16:19-24
We can break Jesus’ teaching into 3 main precepts.  Verses 19-21 are pretty straight forward.  Jesus says to concentrate on heavenly treasure instead of earthly treasures.  Now, remember this was coming from a man who grew up in poverty.  Poverty can have a very real effect on people.  

Jesus reminds us:  you can’t take anything with you.  You were born into this world naked and you aren’t gonna have anything with you when you leave it.  However, you can send some things ahead of you so they’ll be waiting in heaven when you arrive.  You can’t use UPS to send money and possessions to heaven.  But you can invest in the Kingdom of Heaven.  How?  By investing in people here on earth.  How many people are going to be in heaven because of the way you lived on earth?  And how is this world right here and now better because of the way you serve Jesus?  You see the things you do and the difference you make in this life are investments in the eternal Kingdom of God.  They are the treasure you store up in Heaven—where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Well, that’s not too hard to understand, is it?

Good and Bad Eyes
But what about this weird part where Jesus starts talking about eyes?  What’s that all about?  He says in verse 22-23, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light.  But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness.”

People back then believed eyes were windows that let goodness and light into the body.  Not actually pretty true if you think about it (but maybe not in the same way the ancients thought about it).  We now know that the eyes do indeed let light into the body so we can see.  And seeing is a good thing—usually.  And this is really what Jesus is saying.  Be careful how you look at the world and see things.

Have You Got Double Vision?
Jesus is talking about keeping your eyes focused on the right things (or the right One), rather than letting them wander all over the place coveting material possessions.  The Greek word English Bible’s translate as “healthy” or “good” eye actually means “single”.  You know when you have bad eyesight, things get fuzzy and unfocused.  You may even have double vision—where you see 2 images.  Jesus is using a play on words.  He’s saying if you’re trying to focus on God and on material possessions, you’ve got double vision.  You’re not going to be able to see either one clearly.

A healthy view of material things will result in a healthy spiritual life; but an unhealthy view—where you’re coveting money and possession--means your eyes are letting darkness and not light into your soul.  If this is something you struggle with, you better pray to God for help and you better listen Him when He tells you how to treat the sickness.

The fact is, we all struggle with it.  Materialism isn’t something most people are immune from.  It’s something most people struggle with.  And it seems like the more affluent we are, the more we struggle with it.  Why do you think Jesus said in Matthew 19:24, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

Two Masters
And then we come to the final precept in Jesus teaching about money and possessions—verse 24.  “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

What more do I need to say?  Jesus is pretty clear. 
You cannot serve two masters.  You cannot serve both God and money.

I like the way the NLT puts Jesus’ words.  You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.  Most of us don’t think about being enslaved to money. 
Probably most of us think it would be great to have a little more money.  It would solve a lot of our problems.  Right? Well… Not according to Jesus.  You need to be careful.  Money will make you it’s slave—especially if you’re thinking money is what is going to fix things in your life, make you happier, fill some void in your life, etc.  Money can’t do that. Jesus is the Savior.  He’s the one who does the saving.  Jesus is Lord.  He’s the one we absolutely must put first.  Because you can’t serve 2 masters.

Conclusion
This Christmas Eve, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ—the Lord and Savior of the world—spend some time praying and meditating on your attitudes about money and possessions.  Are you storing up treasures on earth or in Heaven?  Do you good eyes that focus on Christ or double vision because you covet?  Have you been trying to serve two master?

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

I AM the Light of the World


Introduction
Today is March 8, 2020 Anno Domini (or the Year of Our Lord), the second Sunday in Lent.  We celebrate today because Jesus, the Christ, whom the religious leaders and Roman authorities crucified nearly 2,000 years ago, rose from the grave on the Third Day.  We mark the passing of time through history by his life, death, and resurrection.

Through the centuries, people have debated the identity of this man.  Some have claimed he was only a fictional character; yet the evidence is clear, Jesus was a real man who lived in real time and space.  Some say he was a revolutionary who was killed for stirring up revolt in a volatile region of the Roman Empire.  Some say Jesus as a religious leader fighting for social justice among the poor and oppressed. Others say he was a prophet or a rabbi.  But if we really want to know who Jesus is, perhaps we should look to his own testimony.  Jesus told us who he is, in his own words, through seven famous statements we call the “I AM” statements.
1. I AM the bread of life 
2. I AM the light of the world
3. I AM the door
4. I AM the true vine
5. I AM the good shepherd
6. I AM the resurrection and the life
7. I AM the way, the truth, and the life

Last week we learned that I AM is the proper name of God.  When God revealed Himself to Moses through the burning bush in Exodus chapter 3, He told Moses His name.  He said, “Tell them ‘I AM’ has sent you.”  And He said, “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.”

So the very first thing we see about Jesus is he claimed to be God.  Every time Jesus said, “I AM”, the people around him gasped.  “Did he just say that?”  Saying God’s name out loud (or even writing it) was a social taboo.  Claiming to be God could get you stoned.  And just in case you thing I’m making more of this phrase I AM, all you have to do is look at John 8:58-59, which says:

John 8:58-59
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

Jesus claimed he was God.  He says it plainly John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.”  But today, we consider the second I AM statement of Jesus from John 8:12. 

John 8:12
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”


Being Judged
This simple two sentence statement is nestled between two incredible stories that show Jesus’ character.  And it reveals how Jesus identity and very existence infuriate his enemies.  The first story is a very famous one—John 8:1-11. 

In summary, the Pharisees and religious leaders catch a women red handed in adultery.  The drag her, still naked, into the town square where Jesus is teaching the people.  They throw her before him and ask, "What should we do?  The law of Moses says to stone her.  What do you say?"  This is such an act of evil.  These men don't care one thing about right or wrong, or about God's Law.  Where is the man who was also committing adultery?  (You do realize it takes two people to commit adultery, right?) Only the woman is indited.  All these "religious leaders" care about is discrediting Jesus and they are even willing to sacrifice a woman's life to do it!  And they think this will do it.  They've got him.  If he says, "Stone her," then the crowds will be appalled.  If he sets her free, it will be a direct violation of the the Bible's clear teaching.  There seems to be no way out for Jesus.

Jesus' response embodies perfectly both Truth & Love.  The first thing he does is stoop down and start writing in the dirt.  The Bible doesn't say what he was writing.  Some have speculated that, maybe, he was writing out all the sins of the various people in the crowd.  I kind of like that idea.  Then Jesus stands back up and says, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."  And one by one every begins to drop their stones and walk away.  At last, in John 8:10-11, Jesus says, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

And the next time Jesus spoke to the people is in John 8:12 where he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

I’ll get to the second story in a minute, but first I must say how much this statement Jesus said irked the Pharisees. They were like, “You can’t say that!  You can't claim to be God.  You can't say all these things about yourself without any proof or someone else to backup your testimony.” They were already frustrated that Jesus so perfectly thwarted their attempt to trap him with the woman caught in adultery.  

And so the religious leaders argue with Jesus and he plainly tells them they are enslaved by sin.  The reason they won't accept him is that sin rules their hearts.  John 8:34-38 - 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.”

Jesus knew that Abraham would have accepted Jesus because Abraham's greatest desire was to trust and follow God.  And now God was standing before the religious leaders and the religious leaders hated Jesus.  They rejected him and would not accept him no matter what he did.  They would not be convinced no matter what anyone said or did.  Even if Abraham were there to testify on behalf of Jesus.  The religious leaders were stuck stumbling in darkness.  They were slaves to sin.  And they refused to be rescued.  They said, “You have no proof!  Your testimony isn’t valid!”

And that brings me to the second story.  It’s from the very next chapter in the Gospel of John.  In John 9, Jesus and the disciples are walking along and come across a man who was born blind.  The disciples ask, "Was this man born blind because of his parent's sin or his own sin."  And Jesus say, "Neither; it was so God could be glorified."  And then Jesus heals the man and he can see and he goes off to glorify God.  And the Blind man (now the seeing man) runs into the religious leaders and they ask him how is it that he can see.  They have a dilemma. If Jesus healed the man, then it is proof Jesus is who he says he is.  So they're thinking, "It looks like the man we know of that was born blind, but he must be someone else."  So they ask him and he confirms, "Yes, I was born blind, but then Jesus healed me."  But the religious leaders don't want to believe him, so they ask his parents.  And the blind man's parents are afraid what will happen to them so they just say, "Yes, this is our son and he was born blind, but we don't know how he came to be able to see again."  So the religious leaders ask the blind man again, "Come on man, give glory to God.  Tell the truth.  How did you really get your sight back."  And the blind man confirms again, "I was blind and Jesus healed me.  Do you want to follow him too?"

Now, here is clear, incontrovertible evidence.  This miracle is impossible to fake and it has been verified by two independent sources, but the Pharisees and religious leaders still reject it.  They berate the man and tell him he is a sinner and Jesus is a sinner and they have no idea where Jesus came from.  And I love the blind man's answer in John 9:30 – "The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.""  Clearly, if Jesus can do such a miracle, everyone ought to see that Jesus is very special.  But the religious leaders can't or won't see it.  The blind man sees, but the religious leaders are blind.

True Light in a Dark World
Jesus, the Light of the World, not only helps us see, but also reveals the real motives of people. The Pharisees didn't want to accept Jesus no matter what. The miracle was obvious, impossible to fake.  But the Pharisees would not accept it because it didn’t fit their selfish agenda. Sinful people are always like the Pharisees who try to manipulate the truth and make it say what they want based on their own twisted agendas. But Jesus is who he is. He is the great I AM.

And those who follow Jesus, never have to walk in darkness.  He shows the way.  It takes some time to tune your heart to see His light, but with practice and the help of His Holy Spirit, we can see and follow the light of His love.

Let me share three ways to help you walk in the light.  First, you must pray.  Talk to God and also listen through prayer.  Learn to tune your heart to feel the way you tune your ears to hear and eyes to see.  Have you ever thought you heard a faint sound and you had to strain your ears to hear?  Have you ever tried to read something that was obscured or very small and you had to strain your eyes to see it?  How many of us practice straining our heart to feel God's guidance?  We can practice that through prayer and God will lead us.

Second, read Scripture.  The Bible is God's Word.  Treasure God’s Word in your heart.  Read it.  Study it.  Meditate on it and soak it in.  Absorb the Bible into your heart so that it guides everything you do.  That way when you pray, it will bubble up to the surface as God speaks to you.

One more thing--serve.  It's not enough to pray and read the Bible; you must also put your faith into action.  The religious leaders prayed and knew the Bible, but they weren't willing to serve the way God wanted them to.  They were more concerned about their own position and power and agendas.  We must have faith in God and willingly set aside our own agendas and obey what God wants.  We must act on what we've learned through prayer and Scripture.  We musty serve.

In John 8:12, Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world."  Jesus also talked about light in the Gospel of Matthew.  It's very interesting that in Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”  He was saying that we should let our good deeds shine before people so that God receives the glory.  We're not bragging or trying to make ourselves look good.  We're glorifying God because the light inside us is not ours.  It's Christ's light.  Jesus is the Light of the world, but when we trust him and follow him, his light lives inside us.  And then we obey and serve and his light shines forth from us for all to see and they are amazed.

Is Jesus in you?
In order for the Light to shine, Jesus has to your Lord.  Is Jesus your Lord?  Are you like the Pharisees and religious leaders who walked in darkness because they had to protect their turf adn their way of life?  Are you like the like the woman caught in adultery, whom Jesus refused to condemn?  Instead, he told her to leave her life of sin.  Or are you like the blind man, whom Jesus healed so he could see clearly and he decided to follow Jesus?  I pray you will decide to follow Jesus today.