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Encounters with Jesus The man born blind – John 9 The disciples’ encounter... Who sinned?

Encounters with Jesus The man born blind – John 9 The disciples’ encounter... Who sinned? What is sin? Lack of a relationship with God All who don’t know God through Jesus live in sin Doesn’t make them bad people! Results in lack of awareness of wrong Infected by values around us

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Encounters with Jesus The man born blind – John 9 The disciples’ encounter... Who sinned?

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  1. Encounters with Jesus The man born blind – John 9 The disciples’ encounter... Who sinned? • What is sin? • Lack of a relationship with God • All who don’t know God through Jesus live in sin • Doesn’t make them bad people! • Results in lack of awareness of wrong • Infected by values around us • Infection not recognised nor able to be cured • Results in specific wrongs and wrong lifestyles

  2. So why do bad things happen to Christians who DO have a relationship with God? • Or, in Jesus’ day, law-abiding Jews? • Someone must have sinned? The man or his parents? • Sin is not JUST personal • Unconfessed sin / unrealised sin affects the whole of creation • Continuing in sin when we know it’s not God’s will • Plus, those who cheerfully go about their lives ignoring God • These result in apparently random harm to others • Unwittingly allowing the powers of evil to flourish • Understanding of sin is not obvious to unbelievers – spiritual blindness

  3. The complex link between sin and disability / illness / disaster • Who sinned? • Not this man personally, nor his parents • People’s blindness to God’s truth in Christ is the fundamental sin • Results in apparently random disabilities / illnesses / disasters • So all have sinned! • Only God in Christ can break these powers • Jesus uses this incident to demonstrate that • Those who remain ‘blind’ remain in sin

  4. Praying for world situations • Eg the floods... • BCP (1662) prayer for fair weather • Begins with repentance – we thoroughly deserve all the bad things that happen! • But as we repent in Christ, so we are in receipt of God’s grace (see last week’s sermon) • In 1662, assumption was that all basically knew God but many were ignoring him • In 2014, many openly ignore him • The consequences are the same • So appeal to God’s grace • But any answer to the prayer is to be seen as a sign not as a ‘magic wand’

  5. Encounters with Jesus! • Disciples taught and challenged • ‘The crowds’ receive a sign as the blind man is given his sight • Look for signs; use events as reminders of what happens when the world does not know God • Not simplistic links with some moral issues • Blind man became a witness (‘I once was blind, but now I see’) • Before he knew Jesus personally! • But he did want to find out who healed him and to worship and follow

  6. Pharisees warned • Those who think they have the answers but don’t acknowledge God in Christ • Believers who try to enmesh people in moral codes without a relationship with God and a reliance on being in a state of grace • No understanding of repentance as being a ‘state’ either – of being turned round, and needing continually to be turned back People (not usually ‘bad’ people!) whose blindness continues to affect and infect the world need to encounter Jesus!

  7. Prime importance of mission and conversion - To save the world!

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