February 6, 2023
Loved | John 9
WHEN YOU’RE AN OUTCAST
What’s it like to be loved by Jesus and to love him back? Or put another way, what’s it like to believe Jesus? John tells the story of the blind man healed by Jesus to help us imagine this. He wants this story to be our story: one where in love Jesus transforms us, sends us, and includes us.
Listen to an audio version of the message
Songs for this week: Spotify
John 9
- The disciples ask Jesus to explain why bad things, like blindness, happen to people. How would you respond to that question? Is there anything in Jesus’ response that makes you think about this differently?
- The man’s first encounter with Jesus is initiated by Jesus, who in love reaches out to heal the blindness that kept him on the margins. Tell the story of your first encounter with Jesus.
- This healing requires trust and obedience. Where in your life might Jesus be inviting you to greater trust and obedience so that he can heal you of an area of shame or sin or brokenness?
- The man is called to witness when he doesn’t even know who Jesus is! Where are you being called to witness? Have you felt like you knew what you were doing?
- The man’s understanding of who Jesus is grows throughout this story. How has your vision of Jesus changed over time? What have been the points that most changed it?
Bonus: Through this story, the man’s vision of Jesus progressively improves. He “sees” more and more. There’s another progression that’s happening, of the Pharisees’ blindness. How do they refuse the light?
Share with a friend
Recent Sermons
James 5:13-20 - A life of faith is a life of prayer. It’s also a life lived with others. When we follow Jesus, we belong to Him and to one another as brothers and sisters. As a family, we care for one another in weakness, confess our sins to each other, and gently confront one another.
James 4:6-10 -James knows that the heart of the Christian message is grace. God gives us good that we couldn’t ever deserve. The truth is that we earn and deserve justice and punishment. Thankfully, Jesus took both of those for us and gave us the good he deserved. As powerful as grace is, there is one thing that can re
James 3:1-18 -James is at it again! He has a real concern for the words that Christians use on themselves, with each other and with the world. Our tongues (James' favourite image for our words) can cause such destruction, and they are nearly impossible to control.
James 2:14-26 -James continues to press deep into the muscles and tissues of our faith. Is your faith doing what it was designed to do? Just like you might go to the doctor for a physical check-up, James offers a self-administered faith check-up in this passage. Where do you see signs of life in your faith?
James 1:19-27 - James is direct: angry words, thoughtless words, and religious words don’t have a place in a life of faith. Our words don’t work … but God’s word does! Our job is simply to cooperate with his word.
James 1:1-8 - James gets right down to business! For everyone not currently soaking in a hot tub, suffering is a first order of business. In just a few verses, James explains how trials can grow maturity, how wisdom helps the journey, and how to avoid wasting a suffering experience.
