[The following is a manuscript of my sermon delivered on Sunday morning, the 22nd of January, 2017. Look for the video on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
I talked to the kids a few minutes ago about how Jonah tried to run away from doing what God told him to do. Now I’d like to look at someone who did precisely what God, in the person of Jesus, told him to do. The Apostle John tells of this man and the chore Jesus gave him. And in this little story, Jesus also answers a question I think many of us have, at one time or another.
Listen and follow along as I read from the 9th chapter from John’s Gospel account, verses 1 through 7, reading from the New King James Version of our Bible…
Listen and follow along as I read from the 9th chapter from John’s Gospel account, verses 1 through 7, reading from the New King James Version of our Bible…
1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
--John 9:1-7 (NKJV)
Let us pray… … Father God, speak to us this morning in words we can clearly hear and understand. Tell us what You would have us do, and show us how to carry out Your will. Help us obey Your voice, and Your commands. In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Some poet whose name has long since been lost to time once wrote:
Where our Captain bids us go,
'Tis not ours to murmur no;
He that gives the sword and shield
Chooses, too, the battlefield
Where we are to fight the foe.
When Goliath came up against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, "He's so big we can never kill him." David looked at the same giant and thought, "He's so big I can't miss."
The Israeli soldiers were afraid to face Goliath. But a young shepherd boy had a different take. It’s almost like he’d read the words of our unknown poet. God sent David unto that battlefield to face a mighty and fearsome enemy. And David went where he was sent, completed the task he was given, did just what God asked, and was eventually rewarded, not only with a kingdom on earth but also by heading up the line from which God’s Messiah would come – Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Our little story in the Apostle John’s Gospel account opens with a quick “question and answer” session between Jesus and His disciples, as we so often see. When they came upon a man who was born blind and had always been sightless, they asked why he had been so afflicted at birth.
It was not at all unusual in that culture to think that someone suffering some great disability, like blindness or deafness or paralysis, had sinned and were being punished by God. If the person were too young to have sinned themselves, such as a baby, then the punishment must have been because of the sins of their parents. And truth be told, many people today still believe that some illnesses and infirmities must be punishment for sinful behavior.
But Jesus set His disciples straight, and it’s a message we all need to hear. The man was not sightless because of punishment for sin, neither sin of his own doing nor that of his parents. He was blind so that the works of God could be revealed through him! And Jesus certainly revealed the mighty works of God by giving this man sight.
But God can also be revealed through suffering. We all know people who suffer greatly, but with great grace. I can point to more than a few right here in our own Pilgrim family. Their faith does not waver, no matter their level of pain or discomfort. They thank God for the good days and endure the bad, giving Him all the praise and glory. Even if this kind of suffering were punishment, it is intended to draw us back closer to our Lord, and in that way He is revealed also.
The blind man in our brief story did what God asked, just as did David. He followed Jesus’ command and went where he was sent and did as he was instructed. Jesus made a salve from dirt and His own saliva and placed it on the man’s eyes. Then He told the man to go to the pool of Siloam and wash the salve off.
Did you catch what the name of that pool means? Siloam: Sent. The man was sent to the pool of Sent.
He washed his eyes like Jesus told him to do and he was given sight in return for his faith and obedience. The man could have gotten mad at Jesus for putting mud on his face. He could have shrugged off Jesus’ command. He could have washed off in the nearest water source rather than go to the pool of Siloam. He could have ignored Jesus and gone the other way.
But let’s face it… we really can’t run away from God. Jonah tried, and only later realized what he did wrong. Listen to how he opened his book of prophecy in chapter 1, verses 1 through 3…
Some poet whose name has long since been lost to time once wrote:
Where our Captain bids us go,
'Tis not ours to murmur no;
He that gives the sword and shield
Chooses, too, the battlefield
Where we are to fight the foe.
When Goliath came up against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, "He's so big we can never kill him." David looked at the same giant and thought, "He's so big I can't miss."
The Israeli soldiers were afraid to face Goliath. But a young shepherd boy had a different take. It’s almost like he’d read the words of our unknown poet. God sent David unto that battlefield to face a mighty and fearsome enemy. And David went where he was sent, completed the task he was given, did just what God asked, and was eventually rewarded, not only with a kingdom on earth but also by heading up the line from which God’s Messiah would come – Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Our little story in the Apostle John’s Gospel account opens with a quick “question and answer” session between Jesus and His disciples, as we so often see. When they came upon a man who was born blind and had always been sightless, they asked why he had been so afflicted at birth.
It was not at all unusual in that culture to think that someone suffering some great disability, like blindness or deafness or paralysis, had sinned and were being punished by God. If the person were too young to have sinned themselves, such as a baby, then the punishment must have been because of the sins of their parents. And truth be told, many people today still believe that some illnesses and infirmities must be punishment for sinful behavior.
But Jesus set His disciples straight, and it’s a message we all need to hear. The man was not sightless because of punishment for sin, neither sin of his own doing nor that of his parents. He was blind so that the works of God could be revealed through him! And Jesus certainly revealed the mighty works of God by giving this man sight.
But God can also be revealed through suffering. We all know people who suffer greatly, but with great grace. I can point to more than a few right here in our own Pilgrim family. Their faith does not waver, no matter their level of pain or discomfort. They thank God for the good days and endure the bad, giving Him all the praise and glory. Even if this kind of suffering were punishment, it is intended to draw us back closer to our Lord, and in that way He is revealed also.
The blind man in our brief story did what God asked, just as did David. He followed Jesus’ command and went where he was sent and did as he was instructed. Jesus made a salve from dirt and His own saliva and placed it on the man’s eyes. Then He told the man to go to the pool of Siloam and wash the salve off.
Did you catch what the name of that pool means? Siloam: Sent. The man was sent to the pool of Sent.
He washed his eyes like Jesus told him to do and he was given sight in return for his faith and obedience. The man could have gotten mad at Jesus for putting mud on his face. He could have shrugged off Jesus’ command. He could have washed off in the nearest water source rather than go to the pool of Siloam. He could have ignored Jesus and gone the other way.
But let’s face it… we really can’t run away from God. Jonah tried, and only later realized what he did wrong. Listen to how he opened his book of prophecy in chapter 1, verses 1 through 3…
1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”
3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.
--Jonah 1:1-3 (NLT)
Last week I asked if we remember Jesus’ words, His love, His great sacrifice. I made the claim that if we do remember, we must obey His commands. If we obey, we must go where we're sent.
Later that afternoon we had all our organizational meetings for the various church committees, and they were fairly well represented. We laid out some plans for the year ahead, things we want to do both within the church and outside these walls in the greater community. I prayed, and I hope others did, too, that God would guide us in these activities so that we would do what He wanted us to do. I prayed we would have the courage to go where sent. I prayed we would remember our promise to serve our Lord, to obey His instructions just as the blind man did.
But you see, the thing is, if God sends us, we won’t be going alone. In Joshua chapter 1 verse 9, when God placed the mantle of leadership on Joshua after the death of Moses, God tells him…
9 “This is My command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
--Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
But it’s not a place to stay, or at least not to stay put! This is just the starting point. It’s a place to gather for worship and to regroup before heading back out again.
We’ve chosen some projects and set some goals that will benefit this family itself, and some that will benefit the greater community. Even those that seem to be just for us also have a positive effect on the community because we, this family, have a positive effect on the community. Maintaining and upgrading our facilities allows us to provide certain services to others, not only those who come here to use what we provide but also those who we go out to after walking through these doors. Our giving not only supports the church, it supports those around us who have needs we can help with. Our work and our efforts directly benefit those in the outside world who need our blessings, just as we need the continued blessings of our Father God.
Some of our projects may seem ambitious, some of our labors long and hard, some of our giving may stretch our personal budgets. But if we are going where God sends us and doing what He wants us to do, He will be right there at our side and He will reward our efforts.
So be strong! Be courageous! Go where sent!
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, we know You have a plan for each of us. There is something You want us to do, somewhere You want us to go, some job You want us to complete. Father, please help us discern Your will and then give us the strength and the courage to carry out the task You set before us. Forgive us, Father, when we hesitate, when we think we just aren’t good enough or big enough or strong enough to do what You ask. Help us understand that You will equip us to do whatever job You might assign.
Hear us now, Father, as we quietly raise our personal prayers to You straight from our hearts, asking forgiveness of our sins, seeking Your will over our lives…
Lord Jesus, we want to serve You and our heavenly Father, but we are so often confused and unsure of ourselves. First we’re not certain of what You would have us do. And then we worry that we just don’t have what it takes to get the job done. Or we’re willing to settle for just good enough, when we could excel by simply relying on You. Help us, please Lord, to see how we can best serve You. Help us to look at where You are working and then to join in on that effort. And then, Lord, give us what we need to get the job done. Send us where You want us to go.
This we pray in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the Son of Man, the one true Son of God. Amen.
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