In Jason Dohm’s sermon 'The Most Real Sight for the Blind,' based on John 9:35-41, he explores the dual theme of physical and spiritual sight. Jesus’ healing of a man born blind serves as a metaphor for the greater spiritual reality of receiving spiritual sight through faith. The sermon underscores that faith comes by hearing the Word of God, not merely through witnessing miracles. Dohm emphasizes that true saving faith must be directed towards Jesus Christ, the object of faith, and that faith is demonstrated through a public confession of belief. He further notes that Jesus’ response to those who pay a price for their faith is one of comfort and recompense. The narrative in John reveals the blindness of the Pharisees, who claim to see yet reject Jesus, contrasting with the humble acceptance and worship by the healed man. The sermon concludes with a call to worship as a natural response to recognizing the mercy and salvation offered by Christ.

The sermon text for today is John chapter 9 verses 35 through 41. Please follow along as we read. Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him, he said to him, Do you believe in the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?' And Jesus said to him, "'You have both seen him, and it is he who is talking with you.' Then he said, "'Lord, I believe.' And he worshiped him. And Jesus said, "'For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.

Then some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said to him, Are we blind also? Jesus said to them, if you were blind you would have no sin, but now you say we see Therefore your sin remains spray Well, we thank you for this text that you've given us to be in this week We pray that you will pour yourself out on Mr. Doe, Lord. Give him your words to speak. Let our hearts be open to receive this message.

We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. The title of the sermon this morning is the most real sight for the blind. We're here in John chapter 9. We've split this chapter into three different parts.

The first part was verses 1-12 where Jesus encounters this man who was born blind. And the disciples want to know whose sin was to blame for his blindness. But Jesus explains to him that it wasn't anyone's sin, it wasn't this man's sin, it wasn't his parents' sin, but it was that the works of God could be put on display in his life and then he heals this man miraculously. Then last week we looked at verses 13-34 where we saw that instead of leading the celebration for the restoration of sight in this blind man, the Pharisees actually cross-examine the man and then his parents and then the man a second time because the healing of this blind man represents not a source of joy for them but a threat to their position that Jesus is not who he claims he is. Finally we come to our text, the end of this chapter, where the man has been cast out from the synagogue.

All his religious privileges would have been revoked. Most good Jews would be having nothing to do with this man now. Jesus seeks him out and speaks to him again. So that's our text for this week. I said that The title was the most real sight for the blind.

The reason I say that, the reason that I titled the sermon that, was that in the chapter we have sight and blindness on two different levels. In other words, this man has been given his physical sight. That was real. If you asked him how real that was, he would be happy to tell you. His physical blindness was real.

He really never saw a sight from his birth until adulthood and that once Jesus gave him his sight, opened his eyes, that he really could see. But there's a greater reality. The physical healing of this man points to something that's even greater than physical blindness being restored. It points to a spiritual reality and eternal reality, which believe it or not is greater than physical blindness being overthrown and this man being given his sight. So really, the end of the chapter is about the greater reality.

It is about spiritual blindness being removed and spiritual sight being given as a gift. So as we come to our text, let's ask the Lord to help us. God, we have such reason for thanksgiving. So many here have been taken out of darkness into your marvelous light, have had the scales fall from our eyes, spiritually speaking, and have been given eyes to see things that we could never see before, things that we were blind to before, things that make for our peace. And you in your kindness came to us and you overthrew our blindness.

Gave us eyes to see the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His beauty and all of His goodness and all of His saving ability. So we thank you for a clear revelation of your Son Jesus Christ through your Word and by your Spirit. We pray that We would continue to see that over and over again in our midst. We would continue to see spiritually blind people being given eyes to see these spiritual realities because you are a God of mercy. Thank you for this text.

We pray that you would help us to understand in Jesus' name. Amen. I'd like to begin by looking at the first verses of our text, verses 35-38. So hopefully your finger is in John chapter 9. Now follow along as I read, 35-38.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out. And when he had found him, he said to him, Do you believe in the Son of God?" He answered and said, "'Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?' And Jesus said to him, "'You have both seen him, and it is he who is talking with you." Then he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him. In these verses we have revelation, saving faith, and worship. So if you happen to be taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks, the blank is worship.

Revelation, saving faith, and worship are in these verses. Probably some measure of time has elapsed. We don't know how much. All we know is that this man has been cast out of the synagogue and that Jesus has had time to get the news and Jesus has had time to seek out this man. So Jesus hears The news that the man who he had healed had been cast out of the synagogue and he finds this man.

When he finds him, he asks him a pointed question. Do you believe in the Son of God? I should mention that there is a textual variant here. Some Greek manuscripts instead of Do you believe in the Son of God? Say, Do you believe in the Son of Man?

Ultimately, it makes no difference. The Son of God is the Son of Man. They can be used interchangeably. I like the underlying Greek text for the New King James, So I have every confidence that preaching out of the New King James on this is the most helpful thing to do. Do you believe in the Son of God?

His answer is what I would expect under the circumstances and probably what you would expect too. This is a man who owes Jesus an incalculable debt. If this man could have paid to have his eyes opened after being born blind, is there any amount of money that he wouldn't have paid for it? If he had $10, only $10, would he have given the $10? If he had a million dollars, would he have given the million dollars?

If he had a hundred million dollars, Would he have given the hundred million dollars? I think we would all answer the question the same way. Yes ten dollars, yes a million dollars, yes a hundred million dollars. He owes Jesus an incalculable amount for the mercy that has been showed to Him. And so if Jesus wants Him to believe in the Son of God, whoever it might be, He will believe in the Son of God.

So He answers in the way that we would expect. Who is He Lord that I may believe in Him? Because of the mercies received, this man trusts Jesus. So he knows a lot of people, but no one was ever able to open his eyes. Jesus opened his eyes and Jesus has earned his trust.

Whoever Jesus says is the Son of God, this man is ready to believe in Him. That's what's implied here. Whoever Jesus says is the Son of God, this man is ready to believe in him. That's what's implied here. Whoever Jesus says is the Son of God, the man will believe in him.

Jesus reveals Himself to be the Son of God. You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you. I am the Son of God is what Jesus is saying here. Now if Jesus said this to us it would make sense. If he had said to me, Jason, do you believe in the Son of God?

And I said, who is the Son of God that I might believe in Him? If he had said, you have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you, then that would make perfect sense what that means. Jesus is identifying himself as being the son of God. But that's not what's happening. Jesus is saying this to a man who's been blind all of his life up until maybe yesterday.

We don't know how much time it lacked. Let's say it was yesterday or a couple of days ago. His whole life he had never seen any sight. Now he can see. And Jesus says, you have both seen him and it is he who is talking to you.

Jesus is pointing to what he has done for him and giving him his sight. He has seen Jesus and he hasn't seen very much. Only for a day or two has he been seeing anything at all. Think of how extraordinary it is what Jesus says to him. You have seen him.

The man immediately says, Lord, I believe in this man proceeds to worship Jesus. The Greek word which is rendered worship, means literally to prostrate yourself before, to kneel or to bow down before one. And in the Gospel of John, it is only used for the worship of God. This instance is no different. So worship is actually an excellent translation.

It literally means to prostrate yourself before, to fall in your face before. But it is used for the worship of God in the Gospel of John. So that's a perfect rendering. Jesus does not rebuff the worship. That's significant, you know.

When people are trying to worship Paul and Barnabas because of a healing that they perform, they rebuff the worship. When John, our Gospel writer, in the book of Revelation, is approached by an angel and he prostrates himself before that angel, John is rebuffed by the angel for doing that. He says, don't do that. Only worship God. Jesus doesn't rebuff this man who prostrates himself and worships him.

He receives the worship. He accepts the worship. Why is that? Because He is God. Because He is worthy to receive that worship.

This is so much like Matthew 14. In Matthew 14, Jesus walks on water out to the boat. When they receive him into the boat, this is what we read in Matthew 14, 33. This is the disciples. And those who were in the boat, the disciples, came and worshiped him saying, truly you are the son of God.

It is exactly the same Greek word. Jesus walks to them on the water and they know what that means. They know that Jesus is not just the Son of Man, he is also the Son of God. The Son of Man is the Son of God and he has proven himself worthy to be worshiped as God and then they confess him, truly you are the Son of God. The same thing is happening here.

Jesus identifies himself as the Son of God and this man falls on his face and worships Jesus as God." I'd like to make five observations out of this portion of the text. Are you ready? Number one, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. To be saved you must believe and to believe you have to hear. You have to Understand who Jesus is so that you can believe on him.

This is exactly what Paul says in Romans 10. So turn there. Turn in your Bibles to Romans 10. Paul argues this a little higher in the chapter than I'm going to spend my time. There are verses that you're very familiar with, Romans 10, 9, and 10, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart One believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." That's exactly what is happening in our text. But, that's not the point I'm making. The point I'm making is in a few verses further down. Romans 10 verses 14 through 17. Listen to how the Apostle Paul builds a logical argument that for people to have saving faith, someone has to declare the truth of the gospel to them.

Romans 10 verses 14 through 17. Paul writes, How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things. They have not all believed the gospel, for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report? So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. This man was not just saved simply because God was merciful to him and restored his sight physically. When he was cross-examined by the Pharisees he started by saying that the man Jesus had anointed his eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam and he did and he received his sight.

Then they asked him point blank, who do you say that he is? He said that he was a prophet. He's made some level of confession. This man was not born again then. He was made ready to receive Christ, to believe on Christ by the providential works of God in his life.

But it wasn't the providential works of God in his life that saved him. It was Hearing the preaching of the identity of Jesus Christ and embracing that and believing that saved him. Faith comes by hearing. Faith did not come to this man by the healing that was done. It came by hearing from Jesus' own mouth who His identity was and then embracing that identity.

It was the Word. It wasn't even the providential works of God as magnificent as they are, as encouraging as they are to us to read and think about. That was not what saved this man. It was embracing the revealed identity of the Lord Jesus Christ that caused him to believe in Jesus in a saving way. That's number one.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It wasn't the miracle that saved this man. It was him embracing The revealed identity of the Son of God. Number two. This is going to seem like it's contradictory.

It's not. Number two. Faith does not save. The object of faith saves. The modern notion is that sincerely held beliefs are what counts.

Hogwash. Many people are sincere about their very wrong beliefs about all manner of things in the world. They are not saved by those sincerely held beliefs. There are damning sincerely held beliefs. Did you know that?

So when the world comes to you with this proposition that all it takes is sincerity in your belief, you have to reject that. The Bible will have nothing to do with that as a doctrine. That is not a Bible doctrine. That is a doctrine of the world that is not true. Faith does not save.

The object of faith saves. This is belief in Jesus that saves the blind man in our text. Do you believe, not do you believe, do you believe in the Son of God? Not do you believe. Not are you a believer, are you a believer in Jesus?

This is what saves men and women, boys and girls, believing in Jesus. Of course this is the phrase that we encounter over and over and over again in the book of John. It's not unique to the Gospel of John, but it's overwhelmingly emphasized in the Gospel of John. Believing in Jesus and having two elements to that. One is believing what is taught about who Jesus is and what he did.

That is an essential element, but there is another essential element to trust in Jesus. To hope only on Jesus. To throw yourself upon Jesus. Not just believing facts about Jesus, but entrusting yourself to Jesus. Both of those are essential elements to this Greek word, which is rendered believing in Jesus.

We believe in salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. I'll say that again. This is what the Reformation was all about. If you're a child of the Reformation, and I hope you are, this is what you believe. We believe in salvation by grace alone.

It's only a gift. You didn't earn it. You didn't deserve it. In fact, if you got what you deserved, God would send you to hell immediately. It is a gift.

It is a gift that comes through faith. And it is in Christ alone. Salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. The value of faith is that it is the mechanism by which you lay hold of Jesus. If faith has you laying hold of something else, you will be lost.

You might really trust in it. You might really believe in it. It will fail you if it's not Jesus. We believe in salvation by grace alone, through faith alone. Faith is the channel by which you lay hold of Jesus and his atoning work on the cross, meaning he shed his blood for you, and the way you lay hold of that sacrifice, that blood sacrifice, is by throwing yourself upon him By faith.

That was number two. Faith does not save. The object of faith saves. The object of saving faith is Jesus Christ. And He is the only object of saving faith.

Number three, Christ's people confess Christ. That's how you get to be among Christ's people, confessing Christ. Saving faith is not secret faith. This is really important. People who are ashamed of Jesus Christ don't belong to Jesus Christ.

Christ's people confess Christ. Saving faith is not secret faith. Turn to Matthew chapter 10. Jesus could not have said this more plainly than he has said it. Matthew chapter 10 verses 32 through 34.

Matthew chapter 10, 32 through 34. Jesus says, Therefore, Matthew chapter 10 verses 32-34. Jesus says, Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. If you are ashamed of Jesus Christ before men, He will be ashamed of you before His Father in heaven. He will not own you for His own before His Father in heaven.

Verse 34, Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. This is the sword that cleaves apart human relationships. The confession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will part you from people. You can count on that. It will cost you human relationships.

It's such a small price to pay to be the Lord's. It really is. That does not diminish the pain of losing human relationships. But it's just to say, if you were to put them in the scales, having Christ will always tip the scales in your favor. That's number three.

Christ's people confess Christ's. Saving faith is not secret faith. Number four. I believe we should take this as representative of the heart of Jesus towards those who pay a price for their association with Him. Sorry, I know if you're taking notes it's a really long sentence.

Think of what we have in our text as representative, meaning it plays itself out in history over and over and over again. I think you can actually take it as a sort of promise that Jesus' dealings with the blind men will be Jesus' dealings towards all of His people, so if you're among His people, you can count on it, on being treated the same. What do I mean by that? The man is cast out from the synagogue. It cost him much.

His association with Jesus and his boldness in identifying with Jesus when he is cross examined by these Pharisees, costs him much. Jesus sees what it costs him and he seeks him out. The text says that Jesus heard and he hears that he was cast out and he finds him. Jesus seeks him out to reveal himself to him, to call him to faith, he comes to comfort and replace any loss times a thousand. Your Association with Jesus Christ might cost you dearly.

Take our text as a promise that Jesus will seek you out. He'll know all that it costs you, your association with Him, and knowing that, He will seek you out and compensate you times a thousand for your losses. Never be afraid to lose because you are of your association with Jesus Christ. It only means that the return on your investment will be that much more spectacular. Isn't that what you're looking for?

That's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a return on my investment. And with Jesus, there's no better return on your investment. It's a hundred fold, a thousand fold. Listen to what Paul says in Philippians 3.

Turn there if you like or you can just listen. Paul speaks exactly to this. Paul, who used to be one of these Pharisees that are persecuting this man, he was just like them. Paul says this in Philippians 3 verses 7 through 9, but what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ." Paul knew experientially all about what we are encountering in our chapter.

This man was cast out of the synagogue. They tried to kill Paul over and over again. He enjoyed privileges among this same religious set that this blind man never enjoyed. So Paul started out at a higher high, and he ended up at a lower low, and yet he speaks of what he lost by associating with Jesus Christ, And he says, I count it as rubbish. That loss is like losing trash to me.

King James actually renders that dung. That loss is like losing a pile of dung to me. It is nothing to me compared to the excellence of knowing Jesus. An abundant reward for associating all the losses recovered and then gain for knowing Christ. That's number four.

I believe we should take this as representative of the heart of Jesus towards those who pay a price for their association with Him. I know there are people in the room who have paid a steep price to be a Christian. Take this text as an encouragement that Jesus saw it, is very aware of it, and he will seek you out and give you a hundredfold for all that you have lost. Number five. Worship is the natural result of true belief.

Jesus asks this pointed question of the man, Do you believe in the Son of God? He reveals himself to the man, The man says, I believe, and then immediately prostrates himself in worship of God, knowing that Jesus is God. Worship is the natural result of true belief. Knowing that he stood before God, nothing was more natural for him than to fall down and worship Jesus Christ. I want to plead with you, I want to plead with you, I want to plead with you, I want to beg you, that you not think that you have received less from Jesus than this man.

We think, well yeah, he received a sight. He was born blind, he lived into adulthood blind and Jesus healed him, so naturally he wants to prostrate. The greater reality is the spiritual sight that he receives here, not the physical sight that he received the day before or a couple of days before. The greater reality is his eternity with God being reconciled to this God who is holy and could never have the wicked in his presence. That's the greater reality.

If you are in Christ, you have received as much or more as this man born blind who was healed by Jesus has received and nothing should be more natural day after day after day than to bow down in your heart before this God in gratitude knowing that the Son of God has set you free. You are free indeed. You are free forever from your sins. Please don't think you've received less than this man if you were in Christ. You have not.

You have received what this man received if you were in Christ. That's number five. Worship is the natural result of true belief. I think When we see this man immediately fall down, prostrate himself before Jesus, I think it should prick our consciences. I think it should make us feel very cold often with knowing what we have received from Jesus Christ and his work on the cross.

Back to John chapter 9 if you're not there already. The remaining verses, verses 39 through 41, follow along as I read. And Jesus said, For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind. Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard these words and said to him, Are we blind also? Jesus said to them, If you were blind you would have no sin.

But now you say, We see, therefore your sin remains. In these verses we have the blind seeing and the seeing made blind. So if you are taking notes on the handout and filling in the blanks, it is blind. The blind seeing and the seeing made blind. In John 3 verse 17, Jesus said, For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

In John 12, 47, Jesus will say, and if anyone hears my words and does not believe, I do not judge him, for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. These two verses seem to stand in contradiction to what Jesus says in our text when he says, for judgment I have come into the world. In John 3.17 he says, I didn't come to condemn the world. In John 12 he says, I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. They seem to be in contradiction to one another, but they aren't.

The meaning of those two verses is this, the purpose of the incarnation was a saving purpose. That's what Jesus is communicating in John 3.17 and John 12.47. The purpose of the Incarnation, the purpose of Jesus Christ leaving heaven to take on the form of a bondservant and to die was not a condemning purpose, it was a saving purpose. Jesus isn't saying anything contradictory to that in our text. The meaning of what he is saying here is that as the way, the way, the truth, and the life, as the way, God's only pathway to salvation, Jesus is the great dividing line.

That's the judgment that's being spoken of here. Jesus is the great dividing line. To believe in Him is to go to heaven. To reject Him is to go to Hells. In a sense, the judgment that happens before Jesus returns a second time to be the judge of the living and the dead, the judgment that happens now is a self-judgment.

You, by believing or rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ place yourself on one side of the line. Jesus stands making a full and free offer of pardon to all who throw themselves upon Him. Believing who he says he is, who the Bible says he is, believing in his work on the cross, he makes that offer. If you believe, you will be saved. Those who believe, step on the other side of the great dividing line.

This is the judgment being spoken of in this text. If we just use the man who was born blind and the Pharisees and match them up with what Jesus is saying in verse 39. It's so clear what is meant. The man was born physically blind and spiritually blind and he made no claim to anything else. You never see an element of pride or exalting himself as a judge over Jesus.

The Pharisees do nothing but that throughout all of John, but especially in the interchanges that we've been studying. This man, there's not even a hint of that. He feels his need. In his blindness, he knew that he was a needy man. He lived the life of a needy man.

It made him hungry to be helped. It made him hungry to be helped. It made him hungry to be healed. He had something in his heart that the Pharisees didn't have in theirs. He was a blind man.

He knew he was a blind man. Yes, physically, but in our text today, spiritually, he embraces Jesus as the Son of God. He believes Jesus. And he worships Him. The Pharisees, by the way, there was never any mention of this earlier, the Pharisees have been standing there, hearing Jesus say, do you believe in the Son of God, revealing himself to be the Son of God, hearing this man confess Jesus as the Son of God, and then to worship Him as God, the Pharisees were there and they're offended.

They claimed to know better. They claimed to know better. They thought they knew better than Jesus. And rather than being made better by encountering Jesus, they are made worse. Encountering Jesus does not guarantee that you will be made better.

Many encounter Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is set before them as the only remedy for sin, as the only way to salvation, and he's rejected. And when people do that, they are not better off, they are worse off, they are hardened in their sin. Every time you reject the claims of the gospel on you, you're hardened in your heart, and you're worse off than had you not encountered Jesus. You are a little harder every time you reject the Gospel.

Does that mean that God and His mercy can't break through that? No, that's not what that means. But that is a reality that you observe in people's lives. As they come into contact with the Gospel, and come into contact with the Gospel, and come into contact with the Gospel, and over and over again say, No thanks, no thanks, no thanks, they become hardened. They become hardened.

It's just hard to stay on the fence. You're driven one way or the other. There are several verses that I think just throw light on what Jesus is actually teaching in verse 39. The first is Matthew 9 verses 12 and 13. I think Matthew 9 verses 12 and 13 are very similar.

The things being taught there are very similar. In Matthew chapter 9, Matthew the tax collector is born again. He is happy and he throws a party for all his friends who happen to be tax collectors and sinners. Jesus comes and he is there. The Pharisees aren't happy about it and they ask why Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners.

That brings us to Matthew 9 verses 12 and 13. When Jesus heard that, He said to them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means. I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." Now the first time you read that, if you've not read anything else in the New Testament, You would think that that meant that there are two classes of people.

Those who are well and those who are sick. Those who are well don't need Jesus because they already have their act together so there's no need for Jesus. So Jesus came for the other class of people who actually do need Him and who are sick. There are those who are righteous and then there are those who are sinners. As you consider those verses in context, and those verses in the light of other teaching in the New Testament, you find out that that's not what Jesus is saying at all.

Not that there are righteous people who don't need Jesus and Jesus came for the other people, but that all have a need for Jesus, but only some ever feel their need for Jesus. Those who are well, quote unquote well, in Matthew chapter 9, aren't well, they just don't have the sense to feel their infirmities and to go to the physician. It's not that there are people who are actually self-righteous, righteous in and of themselves who don't need Jesus, but there are those who don't feel the weight of their sins and so they never apply to Jesus for mercy. That's exactly what's being taught in this text. Those who see in verse 39 are those who quote unquote see like those who are quote unquote well in Matthew chapter 9.

It's exactly the same type of communication. The second verse that I think throws light onto our text is Luke 8 verse 18. Luke 8, 18. Therefore, this is Jesus. Jesus says, Therefore take heed how you hear.

Pay attention to how you hear. For whoever has to him more will be given. And whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him. So Jesus tells you to take heed how you hear truth. Because whoever has truth is going to be receiving more truth, but those who seem to have truth but don't really have truth, even what they seem to have will be taken from them.

That's exactly the words of the text. Even what he seems to have, he thinks he has. He appears to have, but doesn't have, even that will be taken from them. This is the nature of those who see being made blind. They seem to have revelation.

They have all sorts of Bible knowledge, but it's not saving. They've forgotten more of the Bible than you'll ever know. They've memorized more than you'll ever memorize, and yet, they only seem to have true faith. It's not real. The last is Proverbs 26 verse 12.

Back to Luke 8, 18 for just one second. That's exactly our text. Therefore take heed how you hear, for whoever has to Him more will be given. This man had already said, yes he's a prophet, he doesn't know everything about Jesus, but he knows enough to know that a man who does the things that he's doing is from God. That's when he says he's a prophet.

That's what he's saying. God sent him. God is working in and through him. So he has light And more light is given to him and he confesses Jesus is the Son of God. As soon as he hears Jesus say that he is the Son of God.

But the Pharisees seem to have truth, but they don't really have truth and even that is taken from them. They are hardened in their unbelief. Proverbs 26 verse 12. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? Have you ever known people wise in their own eyes? You couldn't tell them a thing. You try to tell them something that you knew, that you know they don't know. You can see they don't know it, and you try to tell them.

They will not be told. Someone who is wise in their own eyes, you can't teach them anything. Because they already know everything. Just ask them. They'll tell you.

There's more hope for a fool than for a man wise in his own eyes. This is the Pharisees exactly. They are wise in their own eyes. They say, are we blind also? They're not looking to be instructed by Jesus.

They're daring Him to say, you don't know truth. And Jesus responds. In verse 39, are the Pharisees the blind? This is where we start to get confused. We say, yes, they really are blind.

And in other places in the New Testament, Jesus says you're the blind leading the blind. So we know they're spiritually blind. But again, Jesus is used talking about it in a different way in verse 39. So let's go back to verse 39 and say who is who. Verse 39, for judgment I have come into this world that those who do not see may see.

Who is that in the context? That's the man who was born blind. He did not see, he did not know that Jesus was the Son of God, He did not believe, but now he has been brought to belief. Now he sees. And that those who see may be made blind.

So what Jesus is talking about is This man, he was spiritually blind, he's been given spiritual sight. And the Pharisees claim spiritual sight and they're being hardened in their unbelief. They're being made blind. So according to what Jesus has just said, they're not blind. They're the ones laying claim to sight.

They are full of pride and they actually have all that they need for saving faith right before them. They have God's Messiah doing the signs of the Messiah right in front of them. But they are hardened in unbelief. They claim to see. Jesus says, you say, we see.

While at the same time rejecting the Messiah of Scripture. That is their condemnation. They are hardening themselves in unbelief. Listen again to verse 41. Jesus said to them, if you were blind you would have no sin.

But now you say, we see, therefore your sin remains. In other words, he says, if you were blind, you would have no sin. In other words, it's not sinful to be ignorant. It's sinful to be willfully ignorant. You can draw wrong conclusions from this.

I'm not going to spend hardly any time on this. You can draw the conclusion that people who have never heard of Christ therefore really don't have sin and are not guilty before God. Paul dismantles that conclusion in the early chapters of Romans when he proves that we all have enough knowledge about God even if we only have what you have when you just walk outside and see the stars on a starry night, you have enough knowledge to condemn you. So don't draw that conclusion from what Jesus is saying here. He is not teaching that.

But he is speaking to their willful unbelief in the face of their privileges. That's what Jesus is talking about. Their willful unbelief. It's not bare ignorance. It's willful unbelief in the face of their privileges.

What do I mean by that? They're part of the people of God who have been given the Word of God, which points to Jesus. Moses speaks of Jesus. The prophets speak of Jesus. God has given them a life where they have the privilege of studying the Word of God, all of which speaks to Jesus.

And they are willfully unbelieving in the face of the privileges they've been given. Applications, I have three. Number one, beware, knowledge puffs up. Beware, This is in every human heart, the more we know, the more susceptible to the kind of pride that we see right here in John chapter 9, We are. The more you know, the more vulnerable you are to the pride that we see on display in the Pharisees.

You can wag your finger at the Pharisees if you want, but You're made of the same stuff. I'm made of the same stuff. This is exactly what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8.1. Knowledge puffs up. Then he goes on to say, but love edifies.

Knowledge puffs up. Our privileges increase our accountability. Jesus just said that in verse 41, if you were blind you would have no sin, but you are not blind. You have all these privileges. You have the Word of God that points to me as Savior on every page.

You're not less accountable, you're more accountable. A study of these Pharisees should make us tremble about how far a person can go in religion and never trust Jesus Christ savingly. How far can you go? You can be a pastor. You can be a preacher.

I'm reading a wonderful book about some leaders from the 18th century. And many of them were saved after being a pastor for a decade. Just think about that. How far can you get? You can get to the top rung on the ladder of the religious structure.

Knowing and knowing and knowing and even preaching and preaching and preaching but never really throw yourself upon Christ feeling the weight of your sins. Beware, knowledge puffs up. What's the remedy for that? Repent and believe? Am I talking to Christians or non-Christians?

Yes. I'm talking to Christians and non-Christians. What's the counsel of Scripture for unbelievers? Repent and believe. What's the counsel of scripture for unbelievers?

Repent and believe. What's the counsel of scripture for believers? Keep repenting, keep believing. Repent and believe. You don't need to twist yourself and not say, have I repented enough?

Have I believed enough? The counsel of scripture for you is to repent and believe, and repent and believe, and repent and believe. You're not done repenting if you've repented. We keep repenting. We learn more to repent of.

We have to keep repenting and keep believing. Jesus offers himself so fully and freely. Friends, repent and believe. Don't be waylaid by knowledge that puffs you up and hardens you in unbelief. Repent and believe.

Repentance is so good for us. Repentance is the act of being laid low before God, agreeing with Him that you are nothing and you deserve condemnation. Repentance puts you in that place. We need it. We need to be in that place every day before God.

It's a pride killer. Number two, listen to J.C. Ryle. He says, like him, like Jesus, we should be ready to say to sufferers, Do you believe in the Son of God? The world fails you.

Turn to Christ and seek rest. J.C. Ryle says, what Jesus does with this man here should be a model for us in evangelism. Find people who are being crushed by the world and ask them to trust in Jesus. The world, the flesh, and the devil are chewing people up and spitting them out.

Are leaving them discouraged and in despair and with all manner of self-inflicted wounds. What should we do? We should seek them out and say, Do you believe in the Son of God? The world is failing you. Come!

I found rest! Come have rest! Like Jesus, we should be ready to say to sufferers. This man has just been cast out of the synagogue. He is a sufferer.

Do you believe in the Son of God? The world fails you. Turn to Christ and seek rest. Amen to that. Number three, worship the Savior.

Worship should be such a natural impulse for us. When we find ourselves cold, it means that we've not had top of mind what Jesus has done for us. When you have in your thoughts the bleeding and dying of Jesus Christ in your place, you ought to be there bleeding and dying, but instead He is bleeding and dying. When our hearts are cold, we have not thought on Jesus taking our place, on Jesus dying our death. Worship Him.

Worship Him. Think upon all that He has done for a poor wretched blind man and worship Him. God, thank You for not leaving us in our spiritual blindness. We never would have seen There was something in our nature that only wanted to love ourselves. We wanted to shut our eyes against any revelation that would cause us to not be God.

But You have broken through all that for so many of us. Thank you for your mercy, O God. Thank you for your tender mercy towards sinners. God, I pray that it would be so top of mind for us that you have bled and died in our place, the treatment that we deserve you have taken upon yourself and that our impulse would be to prostrate ourselves before you and worship you for your goodness to us. We pray this In Jesus' name, Amen.