Bulletins - St. Luke's Church Faribault

- - Psalm 146ESV
Open The Eyes Of My Heart
Be Thou My Vision
Knowing You
The Steadfast Love
Doxology
- - Genesis 4:1–16NLT
I went to Catholic School for 8 years. I heard about Jesus I knew about Jesus, but yet I didn’t know Jesus. I had read the Bible but it wasn’t alive. It did not convict me of sin, it did awaken my heart to the glory of God. I would it an nothing would change. When my eyes were opened to the Lord Jesus, and I saw him for who he was, I hurled my sins upon and Him, and my life changed. I was no longer a child of the world, i was a child of God, and I wondered How could I miss that? The scriptures came alive and I saw the Glory of a Good God, a forgiving God I saw the Lord Jesus Christ revealed in the scripture from beginning to end.
I was talking to a woman this week who told me that for years she went to church, went to Sunday School and even taught Sunday, until an unthinkable tragedy struck her life. In the tragedy the Lord Jesus showed himself to her and her life changed. She now sees the glory of God everywhere.
pray
pray
There are young children here in this church who have seen the Lord Jesus, and now their heart seeks to do what he wants, and they seek to follow Him. There are adults who have seen Jesus at that very young age and now as adults they worship the Lord Jesus and see His glory.
If you already have met the lLord Jesus and your heart seeks to worship Him in all you do. Meditate on his glory, his goodness, his power and might. See how glorious he his displayed in John chapter 9, and approach this text with a thankfulness of how and why He opened your eyes.
It is also possible that there are people here today who have not been awakened to the Lord Jesus. There may be people here today that do not know what I talking about, and can honestly say that they do not love the Lord Jesus, because how can you love someone that you don’t know?
If that is you, and that is just between you and God, Look with me at today, and pray, If the Lord stirs your heart to seeing who Jesus is, pray, and ask Him to show you.
Let us

Today my text will be from John chapter 9. John chapter 9 is found on page 1061 of the Bible found in the pews. The first section I will read will be from verses 1-12.
Scripture Reading
page 1061
But before I read God’s word, let us pray.
pray
John 9:
John 9:1–12 NIV
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.

After I read scripture Put the slide up-I won’t read the text-I will just have it on the screen.
John 9:2 NIV
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

As Jesus went along travelling, preaching and healing he met a man who was blind from birth. The followers of Jesus, use this opportunity to ask their rabbi a very important question. A question that we all ask. It is a question that even keeps people from God. The question is why does God allow suffering?
The man born blind is puzzling. If someone went blind later in life the explanation is simple-God caused it because they sinned, but this man had tragedy from the moment he was born. So they ask Jesus why this disability? Did his parents cause it or did he?

In the ancient world people believed that suffering, hardship, disaster, or misfortune was caused by sin. The Old Testament Book of Job, is about a man, whose life falls apart. He loses everything. He is miserable, there is no greater tragic figure in the whole Bible. When he is at his lowest, his friends come to see him. Instead of bringing a hotdish, and some clothes, instead of helping him get his life together, they say you know Job, maybe if you weren’t sinning, things would go better for you.
Before we laugh, too long and hard, let’s be real, people do this all the time. People see someone in a bad situation in life, and they assume they caused it. For instance, Homeless people are equated with addiction. People look at children with learning disabilities and say poor parenting. The poor are said to be lazy, and stupid.
But that is not what Jesus says.
So the disciples have this very important and difficult question. Who sinned? This man was born blind-what did he deserve to be born that way? Wy is he suffering for his whole life? Is it because of his parents? Maybe that is it. Maybe we should go around and teach the parents not to sin because their sin will have consequences for their children.
Slide-Not reading the text
John 9:3 NIV
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
John 9:3

Now, we know that SOMETIMES- key word there-SOMETIMES sins are the cause of misfortune. Sin has very real consequences. The sin of the parent does have an effect on the children. We know that children of alcoholic parents have a far greater chance of developing alcoholism. The same is true of abuse as well. However not ALL. Sometimes people are in a difficult and tragic situation for no sin of their own. Sometimes people are in and tragic situation for no fault of their own. People who are dedicated followers of Jesus and are trying to live their lives as God intended may still have difficulties. Their children can still have problems. It happens.
For THIS man Jesus said.... neither sinned. Not him and not his parents. This tragedy in life is not due to sin. BUT Jesus says this happened so that the works of God or the glory of God might be displayed in him. What Jesus is saying is in the middle of this tragedy ....you will still see how great God is. Even though it seems unfair, even though you don’t know why, and desperately want to why, you don’t get to. The reasons for these things belongs to God alone, but in it....In this tragedy you will see God.
People who are dedicated followers of Jesus trying to live their lives as God intended may still have children with difficulties. I t happens. There is not always a one to one relationship between sin and challenges, and that is what Jesus is saying here.
Slide-I am not reading the text just put in up for backgroundFor THIS man Jesus said.... neither sinned. Not him and not his parents. This tragedy in life is not due to sin. BUT Jesus says this happened so that the works of God or the glory of God might be displayed in him. That is in the middle of this tragedy you will still see how great God is. Even though it seems unfair, even though you don’t know why, and desperately want to why, you don’t get to. The reasons for these things belongs to God alone, but in it....In this tragedy you will see God.
John 9:3 NIV
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
John 9:

For THIS man Jesus said.... neither sinned. Not him and not his parents. This tragedy in life is not due to sin. BUT Jesus says this happened so that the works of God or the glory of God might be displayed in him. That is in the middle of this tragedy you will still see how great God is. Even though it seems unfair, even though you don’t know why, and desperately want to why, you don’t get to. The reasons for these things belongs to God alone, but in it....In this tragedy you will see God.
Now, I want to issue a great caution for the use of this passage. Sometimes, well-meaning people hold up this passage to try and understand what God’s purposes are in suffering. We so want an answer that we say their is suffering in ord It makes us feel better and we think it makes the suffering person feel better, but the truth is, that we do not always know God’s purposes.
We are not to think that God somehow made this man suffer His whole life for the sole purpose of God revealing His Glory. Yes, God’s glory, the works of God is displayed in his blindness, but remember the Glory of God, the works of God is displayed in all creation.
Rather what we are to see here, is that God overcomes the insurmountable tragedies of life. God overcomes the sufferings, God overcomes the challenges and God overcomes the obstacles of life, by showing who He is to those in the middle of it.
Then John 9:4
John 9:4 NIV
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
To paraphrase FF Bruce God

Then Jesus says something else. It is a tiny word, so small that we almost miss it. As long it is day, WE.
We must do the works of him who sent me. We he says to the disciples. We he says to us. WE are called to be a part of Jesus revealing who He is, We are to be a part of showing those who do not see, who God is. We are to help people in the middle of tragedy and disaster and injustice see the glory of God.
The disciples were concerned with who sinned-What sin- Why did God do this. Where is God in the suffering. They aren’t called to that. We aren’t called to that. We aren;t called to know the reasons we are called to figure out the causes, We are called to help the blind see Jesus.
Slide no reading
John 9:11 NIV
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
and when we do that, that becomes our sin, and we miss being part of doing the works of God. It is not up to us to decide how the tragedy got there, but ours to be part of God work to overcome that tragedy.
Then, in order to make it really clear who He is... Jesus heals him. He puts mud on his eyes, he sends him away, and he tells him to go and wash. The man did what Jesus said and came home seeing. A man born blind-This doesn't happen. When people are given a bad roll of the dice, a bad hand, born into a bad way, things don;t just change. But this man was healed.
John 9:11 NIV
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
John 9:

What is odd isJohn does not talk about the man’s faith. We do not see any evidence yet that the man is even converted to a Jesus follower. The man it appears barely knows Jesus and when asked where Jesus is he says in verse 12, the man says, I don’t know.
Well, the Jews, the church at that time, gets a hold of this news. This is big, the man born blind has been healed so they do some investigating, in the next long section.
I will read the next section .

Scripture reading
John 9:13–34 NIV
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

John 9:13
The man appears before the religious authorities, and they have a fairly heated discussion. They question him fiercely. The jewish council is thinking this can’t be true. A man born blind doesn’t get healed. That is impossible. Maybe we are being tricked.
On Screen
After reading this slide On Screen only
John 9:21 NIV
But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.”
John 9:21 NIV
But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.”
John 9:18 NIV
They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents.

The man appears before the religious authorities, and they have a fairly heated discussion. They question him fiercely. The jewish council is thinking this can’t be true. A man born blind doesn’t get healed. That is impossible. Maybe we are being tricked, so they bring the parents in before the ruling council, and put the pressure on them.
He must be lying they think . Maybe he wasn’t born blind, so they bring the parents in before the ruling council.
The Council of the Pharisees, or the Church government at that time questions the parents, and the surprising thing is the parents don’t stand up and say hey this is really something, “Our kid can see! His whole life he couldn’t see, and now Jesus healed Him! Jesus is the real deal.”

On Screen only

John 9:22 NIV
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.
Instead they are so afraid of the Council, they deflect and are like-Hey go ahead and ask Him, it is not our business.
How blind do you have to be? Think about it for second. Imagine having a baby, and finding out from the first minute you hold him that he can’t see. You bathe him feed him, dress him, and not just as an infant. You spend your whole life caring for him. Meanwhile people are pointing fingers accusing you of some sin. People thinking that this was punishment for some sin, and then in a moment. In one encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ the man can see.
He is plunged out of darkness and into light by the Light of the world, and the parents choose not to see the Glory of God? The parents do not seek after Jesus. They don’t track him down, instead they are afraid of the religious authorities?
The power of darkness is strong my friends. The power of darkness blinds people to the power of God. The power of darkness even blinds the religious from seeing the glory of God. Because this mold does not fit what they are used to, they miss the miracle that has occured. The evidence is right there, but they don’t see it.
Pride and anger rule in darkness, so they end up throwing out the blind man. In a fit of pride and rage.
John 9:34 NIV
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

Jesus is stepping out of the world order. He is flipping things on its head. The poor the blind the weak, they are supposed to stay that way. The powerful are supposed to toss them shekels, and Jesus is liable to flip that around, and it makes them angry. It makes them angry because if Jesus was right, then we are wrong. If Jesus is right everything they know about church may be wrong. So they are angry.

You must be a sinner, we know better get out! Cast out of the church, and this isn’t just for now either. This is permanent.
Ugh imagine, the hurt. There is no hurt like church hurt. Did he think it was the place he could go for answers? The safe place? The place God was? And they threw him out. What now? It is not like he can go down the street to a different church, the jews were the only game in town.
Compassionate people want to jump up and break in the story right there. We want to step in and put our arm around his shoulder and say hey buddy, it’s ok, really, they are not mad at you, they are really mad at Jesus.
Jesus is stepping out of the world order. He is flipping things on its head. The poor the blind the weak, they are supposed to stay that way. The powerful are supposed to toss them shekels, and Jesus is liable to flip that around, and it makes them angry. It makes them angry because if Jesus was right, then we are wrong. If Jesus is right everything they know about church may be wrong.
But someone does put his arm around him.
John 9:35 NIV
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
John 9
Jesus comes to Him. Jesus tracks him down, Jesus found him and said, now it is time. Now it is time for your conversion. You first stepped out of the darkness of the world and into the light with your eyes, Now it is time for your heart to see. Now it is time for you step out of the darkness of sin and into the kingdom of light. It is time for you to meet the light of the world. It is time to forfeit your life, lay down your sin and become a child of God. and step into the kingdom of God.
So Jesus asks him...do you believe in the Son of Man? This term son of man is equated with a very special figure in ancient Jewish literature it means the God-Man. Only God Almighty can heal a man born blind, do you believe.... Jesus asks him, That I am God.
I am also asking you today, I am asking every one of you here today, Do you believe in the Son of Man? Do you believe that Jesus is God? Do you believe that he can overcome what you have been through do you believe that he can forgive you? Do you believe that he can heal you from your spiritual blindness?
And the man asks
John 9:36 NIV
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Tell me who he is the man asks. I was blind and now I see, that is all I know.... Now Show me! Show me God Almighty so I may believe in him. God had already come to him in power. God reversed the oppression, the tragedy and the pain of his life, he had to meet this God.
John 9:37 NIV
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
You have know SEEN him Jesus says. It is me who healed you The one who opened your eyes, the one who is speaking to you I am Him, Believe and be saved.
- He is Jesus- He is Jesus Christ- He is God and Man He is the sinless one He is the one born of a virgin He is the one nailed to a cross for your sins, He is the one risen from the dead three days later. He is Jesus! Believe on Him and be saved.
John 9:37 NIV
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

You have know SEEN him Jesus says. It is me who healed you The one who opened your eyes, the one who is speaking to you I am Him, Believe and be saved.
Then
John 9:38 NIV
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart you will be saved, The man confessed with his mouth by saying-I believe and then the man demonstrated his belief in his heart by worshipping Jesus. Worship that is an expression of love from the heart. It is an expression of Love toward the Lord Jesus Christ for freeing him from this world and bringing him into the kingdom of God.
It does not mean that the man started singing, he may have and you can certainly sing in worship, but worship is an expression of love from the leart We sing becasue we are expressing our heart dedication to the
worshipped that is an expression of the heart. It is an expression of Love toward the Lord Jesus Christ for freeing him from this world and bringing him into the kingdom of God.
It is only the Lord Jesus Christ that can undo the difficulties and challenges of the world. The Lord Jesus alone who opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord Jesus alone who opens the word of God to us through the Holy Spirit.
Confess with your mouth but don’t stop there believe in your heart.
Then the warning. The warning for those that do not see who Jesus is.
John 9:39 NIV
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
John 9:40 NIV
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
John 9:
Jesus starts to uses language that he has used many times before. He jumps back and forth between the spiritual and the natural. He is talking about physical blindness and equating it with spiritual blindness. He is talking about spiritual darkness, and equating it with natural darkness.
John Jesus starts to use this language that he has used many times before. He jumps back and forth between the spiritual and the natural. He is talking about physical blindness yet he is talking about spiritual blindness. This sonfuses people. People get frustrated and say why doesn;t Jesus say what he means, ANd the scriptures tell us that He does this to show that God alone opens the eyes.
This confuses people. People get frustrated and say why doesn’t Jesus say what he means, The Bible tell us that He does this to show that God alone opens the eyes. The action of the Holy Spirit changes the heart and reveals to us the Glory of God.
Mark 4:10–12 NIV
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

John 9:40 NIV
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

So the Pharisees are both confused and frustrated.
John 9:41 NIV
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
This is a harsh warning. There is evidence-the man born blind now can see. He is here standing before you, you cannot explain that. The Pharisees have been told who Jesus is and he has unquestionably demonstrated his power. They have had the opportunity to believe, they have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ, now only judgement for their sin remains.

To those here today, You have heard the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, You do not have to believe me, but as Jesus said in at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. You know people who Jesus has changed their life they are walking around right here, Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, Open your eyes, step out of the spiritual darkness, see the light of the world has come his name is Jesus!
In Jesus name.
- - John 9:2NLT
- - John 9:3NLT
- - John 9:4NLT
- - John 9:11NLT
- - John 9:18NLT
- - John 9:22NLT
- - John 9:34NLT
- - John 9:35NLT
- - John 9:36NLT
- - John 9:37NLT
- - John 9:38NLT
- - John 9:39NLT
- - John 9:40NLT
- - Mark 4:10–12NLT
- - John 9:41NLT
They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

Psalm 146ESV

Genesis 4:1–16NLT

John 9:2NLT

John 9:3NLT

John 9:4NLT

John 9:11NLT

John 9:18NLT

John 9:22NLT

John 9:34NLT

John 9:35NLT

John 9:36NLT

John 9:37NLT

John 9:38NLT

John 9:39NLT

John 9:40NLT

Mark 4:10–12NLT

John 9:41NLT