Open your Bibles, if you would,
to the book of John. We'll read two portions from
the book of John. Now, Jesus had healed a blind
man, and the Pharisees are trying to entrap Jesus for the fact
that he had healed this blind man, the man who was born blind
from birth. He was born blind, and he's blind
from birth. And the title of the message
is, Now I See. Now I See. And little did they
know, these proud, self-righteous Pharisees, that the Lord Jesus
Christ is Lord of the Sabbath. He's God in the flesh, and the
born-again, blood-washed people of God, who've been saved through
his blood and his righteousness, he is our Sabbath. He is our
rest, which Sabbath means, he's our rest. We cease from our labors
of trying to gain salvation by our own doings, and we've been
showing the fruitlessness of that, and that it leads to the
damnation of one's soul. And by God's grace and mercy,
and by him giving us faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
we've cast ourselves upon Christ as the only Savior of our soul. Let's read verses 21 and 25 of
John chapter nine. The scripture declares, by what
means, in verse 20, 21, by what means he now seeth, we know not,
or who hath opened his eyes, we know not. He is of age, ask
him, he shall speak for himself. Now this is the blind man's parents
speaking. The Pharisees are questioning
them now, before they're questioning him, who did this to him? Who did this? It's a Sabbath
day. Who did this? Never mind, they're not even
rejoicing the guy can see now. They're just after whoever they
think broke the Sabbath, which the Lord didn't do. No, he healed
one of his sheep. He's the Lord of the Sabbath.
And so the parents, they're like, go talk to him. They don't want
to be excluded from the Jewish religion. They go talk to him.
He'll speak for himself. And then verse 22, these words
speak as parents because they feared the Jews for the Jews
had agreed, already agreed that if any man did confess that he
was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. So they're
already saying, if anyone confesses that Jesus is the Christ, they're
gone. They're out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, he
is of age, ask him. Go and ask him, he's a man, go
ask him. See, they're fearing man rather
than God. Then again called they the man
that was blind, and they said unto him, give God the praise. We know that this man is a sinner.
Look at the depravity of man. They're calling the Lord Jesus
Christ the only one who's never sinned, the only perfect man,
the lawgiver who's now fulfilling
the law as he lives in the room and place of sinners, his chosen
people. And they say, well, he is a sinner.
Shows us that they knew absolutely nothing of who Christ was. And
this is how natural man is. Say, I don't want nothing to
do with him. Oh, my. And look what this man answers.
I love this. I love this. And he said, whether he be a
sinner or not, or no, I know not. One thing I know, that whereas
I was blind, And now I see. What a proclamation of how we
believers feel. I was blind. I was born blind
spiritually. I was born dead spiritually.
Now, now I see. Now I see the Savior by the grace
and mercy of God, by true God-given faith. I see the Savior, Jesus
Christ, my Lord, my King, my Redeemer, my God. Oh, praise
God. And verse 25 is our study for
today. Here's five truths, we're gonna
pull five truths from this. this portion, showing to believers
five truths as God is drawing a lost sinner to Christ. And
look at our own lives. Did this not happen to us? We
who are the redeemed of the Lord. And if this is occurring to you,
and you do not know Christ, it may be a good indication that
he's drawn you to him. Because people don't normally
say these things. Number one, five things, five
truths have been shown to believers as God draws us to Christ, and
then we learn about more and more as we grow and mature in
the faith. Number one, we saw our sin. We saw our sin. For the first
time, we really saw our sin when God was drawing us to Christ,
and now we see our sin. It's always before us now, isn't
it? We didn't even, we didn't acknowledge we were sinners before
the Lord saved us. No, that's for the bad people
in prison. Or those evil folks that do all kinds of evil acts.
No, we saw our sin. And marvel at how God, the Holy
Spirit, convinced us of our sin. and convince us of our sinful
deeds, that we're sinners from the top of our head to the bottom
of our feet, that even so, even now after we're saved, that there's
nothing we do that's not tainted with sin. And how did we learn this? Well,
God, the Holy Spirit, taught us, didn't he? Listen to these
words from John 16, verses seven to nine. Nevertheless, I tell
you the truth. This is the words of our King.
It is expedient for you that I go, go up to glory. For if
I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. That's
the Holy Spirit of God. But if I depart, I will send
him unto you. See, Christ himself sends the
Holy Spirit to his people. Isn't that wonderful? To his
bride, to those he's redeemed. It's wonderful. And when he has
come, he will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and
of judgment, of sin because they believe not on me. See, we've been shown our sins. We who believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, by God-given grace, through the blood and righteousness of
Christ, we believe that that's the only way we can be saved,
we now acknowledge our sin. And God the Holy Spirit convicted
us of our sinfulness. The sinfulness of our hearts,
the sinfulness of our minds, the sinfulness of our nature.
And also, think of this, God, the Holy Spirit, convicted us
of the sinfulness of our supposed righteousness, the fact that
we thought we were good and we'd go to heaven because we thought
we were good. And all the time we're sinners. And we didn't
even acknowledge it, didn't even think of it. We thought sinners
were those folks in prison. We thought sinners were those
people who commit the most heinous acts. Little did we know that
natural man, the sinners, alive and well in us, because we are
the sinner. That's why that publican said,
God be merciful to me, a sinner. My. And we were showing that
even our best deeds are filthy rags in God's sight. The second
thing we're showing as we're being drawn to Christ and as
we grow in grace, We, by the grace of God, see the infinite
holiness of God's law. God's law is holy because it
comes from a holy God. The law of God, what does it
require? It requires perfection. Well, I challenge anyone who
says they're gonna live by the law to to just give up. Give up what
you believe. It leads to the damnation of
your soul if you think you can be saved by anything you do.
Because none of us are perfect. None of us. James says if you
offend in one point of the law, you offend in it all. Well, I'll
tell you what, we've all broken God's law and we've broken it
multiple times. Millions of times. And if it wasn't a fact that
we now believe, the Lord spiritualized the law and said if you look
on a woman with adultery, you've committed, or look at a woman
with lust, or if a woman looks on a man with lust, they committed
adultery in their heart. If a man looks at a woman with
with lust and a woman looks at a man with lust that's not their
husband and not their wife they've committed adultery and then it
even says if you're angry with your brother well you you killed
him you committed murder how many times have we been angry
with people see when the lord spiritualized the law and what
the law does the law brings forth that we are all guilty before
god the whole world it brings the whole world to a guilty state
before God. Listen to what Leviticus says.
Anything less than absolute perfection is a breaking of the law. Leviticus
22, 21. And whosoever offers a sacrifice
of peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow or a freewill
offering in the bees or the sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted.
there shall be no blemish therein. See, anything we offer to the
Lord by our deeds or by our supposed, right, supposed keeping the law,
we offer it with sinfulness. And the only one who thinks they're
not a sinner is a self-righteous person. A person who thinks they can
fulfill the law. I know many friends that I knew
thought that way. And I care deeply for them. But they're sincerely wrong. If you're not perfect, you cannot
fulfill the law. And none of us who are sons and
daughters of Adam are perfect. There's only one, the perfect
one. sent by God, God incarnate in
the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who is the perfect
one, perfect in thought, perfect in word, perfect in deed, perfect
in all things. And he perfectly fulfilled the
law of God as our substitute, and then he perfectly died the
sin of atoning death that God demanded for the salvation of
our sins. When our sins were imputed to
him, and he bore them, He paid the price that God demanded.
He cried, it is finished. And then we're clothed in his
righteousness, perfect righteousness, a totally God-honoring righteousness.
That's the white robe that the saints in heaven are clothed
in. It's the righteousness of Christ.
So whatever we bring to God, if he accepts it, it must be
perfect, right? The perfect one brings us to
God. Says, they're mine. They're covered in my blood.
They're perfect. Oh, my. Oh, we are imperfect
sinners full of sin. And in no way can we make ourselves
acceptable to God. The only way that a sinner is
accepted by God is in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, through
his blood and through his righteousness. Number three, a third point,
when God has drawn us to Christ, or even today as we grow in the
grace and mercy of Christ, the only hope we have, and the only
hope we shall tell sinners, our sinner friends, because I'm just
a sinner saint, that's all I am. And if you're born again, you're
just a sinner saint. And the only one who we point
other sinners to, And even our sinner saint brothers and sisters
too, the only hope we have is the Lord Jesus Christ. You know
what? He's the perfect substitute. You know, because we're imperfect,
we must have someone obey the law, and accomplish righteousness
for us. And that's what the Lord Jesus
Christ did for his people. Praise his mighty name. Listen
to this. Titus 2, 13 and 14. Brother Zane
is studying Titus 2, 13. And I looked at this, and I thought,
I'll have to put this in this message. Look at this. Titus
2, 13 and 14. Looking for that blessed hope.
Oh, what a hope we have in Christ. And the glorious appearing of
the great God. Singular. And our Savior, Jesus
Christ, one God, one Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who gave
himself for us. And remember, he's writing to
Titus. He's writing to one of God's
born-again, blood-washed people. who gave himself for us that
he might redeem us from all our iniquity, or from all iniquity.
Beloved, he redeemed us from all our iniquity when he shed
his blood for us. And purifying to himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works. That's what the Lord's done.
Look what the Lord's done. He saved sinners. So I must,
as someone, make an infinite, justice-satisfying atonement
for my sins. And that substitute I found out
is the Lord Jesus Christ when He revealed Himself to me. Oh
my, the Son of God. And what did He come for? To
save His people from their sins. Praise His mighty name. Through
His blood and His righteousness, He shed His blood. Oh, He lived
the perfect life in the room and place of sinners. The fourth thing that we who
are the redeemed of the Lord learn and are still learning
as God's people when God was drawing us to Christ, we see
that faith in Christ is the only way a sinner can ever find acceptance
with God. And marvel at this, that that
faith is given to us. It's not something we can muster
up. It's given by God. It's given to us. It's a free
gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should
boast. And I'll read Ephesians 2, 8, and 9. For by grace are
ye saved. Only through grace. God's grace. And through faith. Faith that's
given to us. Oh yeah. And that not of yourselves. Look at that. Not of the deeds
of the law. Not by any deeds you deemed to
bring you closer to God. not of works, and that not of
yourselves. It is a gift of God. See, salvation's
a gift given to chosen sinners by the almighty sovereign God,
given to undeserving, given to ones who in no way merit it,
and even given to ones who don't seek it. My, oh, my. It is the gift of
God. Not of works. Again, he emphasizes
again. He says first, that not of yourselves,
and now God the Holy Spirit emphasizes it again, not of works. Why? Lest any man should boast. Because
we like to boast. We can't boast in anything but
Christ as believers, can we? Praise God, he saved my soul.
And all who believe on the Son of God have everlasting life. But marvel at this. Marvel at
this, beloved. I could not believe as I could
not muster faith within myself. God had to give it to me as a
gift. And I say, hallelujah. What a Savior is Jesus Christ
our Lord. And then, the last point, when
God's drawn the lost sinner to Christ, and that we still learn
as believers, We saw that faith in Christ is a gift of God, just
like what we read there. Faith is not within the realm
of human ability, beloved. Truth-saving faith is not something
we can muster up or work up. This is why the fallacy of just
pray this prayer and make a decision for Christ is so much a fallacy
because none of us will seek God. If someone is coming to
Christ, it's because God the Holy Spirit is drawing them to
Christ, making them willing to come to Christ. Because the scripture
says there's none that seek after God. There's none good, no not
one. But he makes the unwilling willing.
It's beautiful. It's a wonder of salvation. So faith is not within the realm
of human ability, it's a gift of God. Listen to what John,
in John chapter one, this is a good thing to look at too,
along with Ephesians 2, 8, and 9. John 1, verses 12 and 13. But as many as received him,
so we run to him. We're made willing in the day
of God's power. God gives us faith and we run to him. But
as many as received him, to them gave he power. Who gave the power? God gave the power. To them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe
on his name, which were born not of blood, nor the will of
the flesh. That destroys free willism, doesn't
it? Nor the will of man, there it is again, there's a double
ax, but of God. See, we're born again by God's
almighty power, beloved. We're saved by God's almighty
power. So marvel, sinner friend and
beloved of God, is faith is the operation of God. The works of
grace in a man's soul is not a result of man's supposed free
will. Faith is given to sinners according
to God's sovereign will. Listen to this in Romans 9, 15,
and 16. For he saith to Moses, I will
have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. That's still true today,
isn't it? God is in no way obligated to
have mercy on anyone, but he will have mercy on those whom
he chooses to have mercy on. I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy. And I'll have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth. There's that word again. Oh.
Nor of him that runneth. That's works. But of God that
showed mercy. My. So these five truths make
the sinner and the sinner saint lose all hope in ourselves. The
sinner that's been drawn to Christ loses all hope in themselves. The sinner saint who's been saved
by God has lost all hope in themselves. And we're compelled to fall down
before Christ, suing for mercy. Say, God, be merciful to me,
the sinner. Lord, if you will, you can make
me whole. My. And now I, through the law,
am dead to the law. because I'm crucified with Christ.
So we're dead to the law, absolutely, beloved. And there's no hope
held out to man in the law, none at all. The sinner's only hope
of salvation is found in Christ and Christ alone. You must trust
the Son of God. There's salvation in no other.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior of sinners. We who
are saved by God given faith believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
now turn back to John chapter 9 Well, we had this very first
portion of our text John chapter 9 Now we see again that those
Pharisees They they had they had told this man get out get
out And look at what we see here
in John 9, 35 and 38. We see the shepherd seeking the
sheep. This is so comforting. Oh, this
is so comforting. Oh, this is so comforting. His lamb who was questioned,
and the shepherd's gonna seek him out. John 9, 35 to 38, look
at this. Jesus heard that they had cast
him out. They cast him out of the synagogue, beloved. And when he had found him, Christ
will always find His lamb. Always. He knows all where His
lambs are. He said unto him, Doest thou
believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is
he, Lord, that I might believe on him? Look at that. What a
tender heart. What a tender heart. The ground
and the soil has been prepared, hasn't it, by God the Holy Spirit. And Jesus said unto him, Thou
hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And
he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. Praise
the name of Jesus, beloved. Amen and amen.