Reasons To Believe! Part 4: Never Say Never!

John 20:30-31 (NIV)

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 9:1-2 (MSG)

Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?”

[1] Jesus challenges our of suffering!

John 9:3 (MSG)
Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here.

• Suffering wasn’t part of God’s original plan! 

Genesis 1:31 (MSG)
God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good!

Romans 5:12 (NLT)

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.

• Satan is a major player and cause of suffering!  

John 10:10 (NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

• People of faith often experience suffering for their faith!

1 Peter 2:20-21 (CEV)
You don’t gain anything by being punished for some wrong you have done. But God will bless you, if you have to suffer for doing something good. ²¹ After all, God chose you to suffer as you follow in the footsteps of Christ, who set an example by suffering for you.

[2] Jesus changes our  about suffering!

John 9:3 (MSG)
Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do.”

The questions we need to ask:

What do you want to do, God?

What do you want me to do, God?

Romans 8:28 (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose

John 9:4-6 (MSG)
We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines … ⁶ He said this and then spit in the dust, made a clay paste with the saliva, rubbed the paste on the blind man’s eyes,

John 9:7 (MSG)

(Jesus said) — “Go, wash at the Pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “Sent”). The man went and washed—and saw (came home seeing).

• The man !

• The man his miracle story!

John 9:8-14 (MSG)

Soon the town was buzzing. His relatives and those who year after year had seen him as a blind man begging were saying, “Why, isn’t this the man we knew, who sat here and begged?“

⁹ Others said, “It’s him all right!”

But others objected, “It’s not the same man at all. It just looks like him.” He said, “It’s me, the very one!”

They said, “How did your eyes get opened?”

“A man named Jesus made a paste and rubbed it on my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ I did what he said. When I washed, I saw.”

¹² “So where is he?” “I don’t know.”

¹³ They marched the man to the Pharisees. ¹⁴ This day when Jesus made the paste and healed his blindness was the Sabbath.

A person with an experience is never at the mercy of a person with an argument!

John 9:35-38 (MSG)

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶ The man said, “Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him.”

³⁷ Jesus said, “You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?”

³⁸ “Master, I believe,” the man said, and worshiped him.

• The healed man was made whole by !