Holding forth the Word of Life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ
Philippians 2:16
Trinity Reformed Baptist Church
Topeka Kansas -
We are blind, we're absolutely blind.
We have no capacity to see God.
One of the greatest miracles in all of the Scriptures happens. Jesus passed by, and He sees this particular blind man. He heals him. And that's only the beginning. Because after healing his eyesight, He heals his soul. But I want you to see something beautiful here. You know that blind man couldn't have seen Jesus. No way, couldn't see Him. He wouldn't have known if Jesus had walked right by him. He wouldn't have had any idea about it. But sovereign grace isn't like that. Sovereign grace dominates this whole miracle. It isn't this man running to Jesus saying, "Oh! Oh! Oh! Heal me, heal me!" No, Jesus saw him, and see that is the way sovereign grace is, isn't it? It's Christ seeking us. We could not see Him except He saw us. We are blind, we're absolutely blind. We have no capacity to see God. We have no capacity to see Jesus Christ. We are totally incapacitated, we are stone blind, spiritually speaking. We can't see anything.
Second Corinthians, chapter 4, Paul says the God of this age has blinded the minds of them that believe not, less the glorious light of the gospel should shine unto them. And then Paul says, "But we preach Jesus, who comes and opens blind eyes." You see the blind man can't find anything. He couldn't recognize Jesus if Jesus was standing right in front of him...he has no capacity. So it is with all sinners. So it is with the man apart from God. He has no capacity to see God. He has no capacity to see Jesus Christ. He has no ability to recognize Him if He's right in front of him. And you know, I think this story is as good an illustration of sin as there is anywhere in the New Testament. Because it's that character of blindness that makes total incapacity to see that so aptly describes spiritual blindness. We cannot recognize God; we cannot recognize truth; we cannot recognize Christ. We are totally blind to all spiritual reality.
The Bible makes an issue out of blindness, both physical and spiritual. In fact, of all the kinds of miracles that Jesus did in the Bible, He healed a deaf and dumb, a person with a fever, the palsy, groups of lepers, raised the dead, but five times Jesus, by His power, healed blind people. And blindness has always been a picture of spiritual darkness. And just like this blind man who was at the mercy of Christ, so the sinner is at the mercy of Jesus Christ who comes over and lovingly and graciously says, "I'll touch your eyes and make you see."
We did not seek Christ. He sought us. We had no capacity to even behold His glory. He had to reveal it to us by His own touch. That's how grace works. Lost man, blind, sees no God, sees no Christ, sees no truth, sees no love, sees nothing, and Jesus comes along and looks at that blind man with compassion and love in His heart. Christ comes over, offers grace and spiritual life and light to that man and that's sovereign grace. He must give sight for we could not see Him in our sinfulness. Sin is both blinding and binding to our souls. So we see the problem, a blind man. You know, it's kind of beautiful thought, too, that Jesus had time for this blind man, isn't it? Do you get the circumstance? Jesus is running for His life. Running to get away from being stoned. But He's never too busy to stop, to gather up a blind sinner, and bring him along.
You know, I often thought about my own life. If it was myself, and I was running away from being stoned, I don't really think I'd stop to share the truth with anybody. I think I'd be hightailing it so fast there'd be a cloud of smoke. Not Jesus. He was threatened with His life but He had time to stop and give sight to a blind man.
You know, it reminds me of Jesus on the cross. Jesus was dying on the cross, bearing the sins of the world, the sins of the whole world, was on the sinless Son of God. Talk about problems. Talk about the guilt, the shame. And so unoccupied with His own problems, that He was hanging there on a cross, gathering into His arms a dying thief to carry along to paradise with Him that same day. That's always the way Jesus is, isn't it? Always concerned about the persons whom have spiritual needs that only Christ can forgive.
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/1525_Jesus-