Transcript

American Family Radio takes your Bible questions live on American Family Radio

>> Jeff Chamblee: The Bible. It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions.

What would your response be when God did something that was undeniably real

Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Alex McFarland: I'm sure you've probably heard that old phrase, seeing is believing. What would your response be when God did something that was just undeniably real? If the Lord did a miracle and proved himself faithful and true and real, would you believe him? Turn to John chapter nine in your Bible. And we welcome you to this edition of Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here with Burt Harper and Bert. I've always loved John, chapter nine, about when Jesus healed a blind man. But, I want to look at some of the reaction of the, the leaders of that day that in the face of undeniable proof, they were skeptical and unbelieving. And so I think there's some lessons in this for us today from John 9. But Bert, aren't we blessed to be able to do Exploring the Word, what.

>> Bert Harper: A blessing it is to just share the Word of God? The Word of God is, quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. It is the Word of God. And when you deliver the Word of God by reading it, by sharing it, by writing it, by preaching, will accomplish what God has sent it forth to do. And that's the confidence we have in exploring the Word, that it's the Bible. Alex, when you were talking about seeing is believing, I was thinking about the cross. The two thieves on either side of Jesus, they heard the same thing, they saw the same things. One believed, one did not. I'm just amazed at what people can see and what they can hear, but yet reject Jesus Christ. And, so we're going to study that. As you said In John chapter nine, it is 41 verses. it would be. You say this all the time. If only, stories, literature could have a story like this. This is a story of great contradiction. Here is what they see and this is what they hear. This is what they observe and know, but yet they reject it. They stand on their contradiction. How stupid is that? And I use that word stupid literally. It is, it's not only unfaithful, it's not even thinking things through the way they should.

>> Alex McFarland: exactly.

More than ever, we need every Christian to be a witness for the gospel

And our scripture today, if you're following along, is going to be John 9, 1:41. And what I want to do, Bert, I want to take maybe a Little bit longer than we ordinarily do to explain the text and sort of set this up. And then I want to draw some lessons, some observations out of this. But I will say, in personal evangelism, and I do hope everybody listening, I hope you're a witness for the gospel. And more than ever, Bert, we really do need every Christian to be a witness for the gospel. there's a phrase I've been using in all my meetings around the country, and I've been challenging churches, and here's what it is. Every member a minister. Because, over and over, I read surveys and statistics about how, you know, thank the Lord for, you know, Charles Stanley and David, Jeremiah, and there's TV ministry, and there's. That's good, and we love it. And there's, you know, Gideon Bibles in the hotel rooms. And, all that is very, very necessary, and we praise God for all of that. But the majority of people that are brought to Christ are brought through the influence of a friend or a family member. And so everybody listening, everybody knows people, and you can be a witness to point people to the gospel. And one of the things when people have asked me questions, they're like, well, can you prove the Bible, or do you really believe there's evidence for the gospel? Oftentimes I've asked people this. I'd say if I could give you a good, solid answer, I mean, if I can give you a good factual response to your question, would you open your heart to Jesus? Because sometimes people, and they may not even realize it yet, but they have already decided that no proof is gonna be compelling enough, no answer is gonna be satisfying enough. And there's some people that they've sort of made up their mind they're just not gonna come to the Lord under any circumstances. And very often that question, and here in John 9, these Pharisees and religious leaders, they were standing face to face with, the greatest proof of all. Jesus himself and a man whose sight was restored, but they had already predisposed in their heart. They just weren't going to believe it is.

>> Bert Harper: And once you get to the root, a lot of times, you know, if you're gardening, working in your lawn, whatever you may do, you have reoccurring problems. And you go and you say, man, I've cut this and I've done this. Have you got to the root of the problem? and that's the whole idea here. The root of the problem is pride and selfishness. These people who have observed Jesus they don't really want to know because it would take it away from them. And I know we'll get to that later, because they didn't like that. But that's the whole idea. So what I'm asking the people who are listening today, look at your unbelief. Look at what is causing this. Where is this coming from? What is the root? Is there unforgiveness? Is there an issue of pride? so the whole idea is get to that root, because that's what God does. Our whole problem is the sin of unbelief. And you remember the children of Israel when they were coming out of the wilderness and they were to go into the promised land. And you read it, you find out their problem was unbelief. Because they did not believe God could give them this land when it was filled with giants and powerful cities. Yet God can so believe God. And I think this chapter that you're going to lead us through brings that to the very, height of what we do. We look and see. God is able. We are not. Let's believe him. Don't stay in your unbelief.

>> Alex McFarland: John 9 begins. As Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him and said, master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Now, before we go much farther, let me say this. The man was born blind. And so the disciples asked, was, it his own sin that caused him to be born blind? You know, a baby not yet born doesn't sin. But anyway, they had some misconceptions. We're going to see some worse misconceptions on the part of the religious leaders in a minute. But verse three, Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me. While it is day the night cometh, when no man can work. Verse 5. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world, said Jesus. Bert M. Let me ask you a question. this man had a set of circumstances, and it was all orchestrated for him to know Christ and for the glory of God to be manifested, in all of our lives. Could we resonate with verse three, where that our life is such that the works of God could be manifested through us? is that part of why our life plays out as it does?

>> Bert Harper: I really do. Regardless of your situation, circumstance, birth, or it is that the glory of God could be revealed in you and through you. When you come to the book of Revelation, you find that again and again. How many of those songs is for the honor and glory of the Lord, Alex? from every people, every tribe, every nation, you know, every tongue, no matter what, is for his glory.

Jesus heals a blind man on the Sabbath day, and it's amazing

There's one other thought here, and, I don't want to miss it. Before we keep on reading, notice this man is born blind. And the illustration that Jesus used is light and night, the things that you would see. And so, the light comes into the world. It's so you can observe it. It is light. And Jesus is the light of the world. And he is to bring light into the souls of man. And he's about to not only bring sight to this man, but he's about to bring light, spiritual light to this man. What a miracle.

>> Alex McFarland: Amazing. Amazing. Let me hit some highlights, and I want to, go through this. I know this is a longer passage than oftentimes we go through, but they're going along with Jesus. They see the blind man. And the disciples ask, you know, why is this guy being punished for blindness? Did he commit some sin or were his parents sinners? Jesus says, neither one. The man was born blind so that God's good works would be shown. So Jesus heals the man. He washes the man's eyes, and the sight is restored. But he did this on the Sabbath day.

>> Bert Harper: Oh, how horrible. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Now, there's a great lesson in here, because a couple of things, all right, the Sabbath day people didn't work, and healing was perceived to be a work, so to heal on the Sabbath day. Maybe Jesus didn't know it was the Sabbath day and didn't know the protocols. Or maybe he was breaking the Sabbath. Or maybe if he could heal on the Sabbath, maybe he wasn't subject to the Sabbath, but maybe the Sabbath day was subject to him. Maybe Jesus is over that Sabbath. Maybe even as he would say, lord of the Sabbath. So don't, you know, believe me. Jesus understood what he was setting up here, didn't he?

>> Bert Harper: He did this on purpose. of course. And, again, it is what he does in our lives. These religious leaders eyes. He brings us to the very point of what is really keeping us away from him. You remember the young man who had kept all the commandments from his youth, And Jesus said, well, I tell you what, you go and you sell your money and give it to the poor. Was Jesus telling him, oh, this is the way everyone is saved? No. Jesus was pointing out what was the greatest, God idol in his Life. And here he's doing the same thing with, these Pharisees. He's bringing them to the point where they can really see themselves. Alex, he does that with us today even. He lets us see who we really are. And if we can come to him and confess, which means say the same thing he says about it, that's what we need to do.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, the man tells his neighbors and all around that Jesus has healed him. And the religious leaders, they don't like this competition because they have cornered the market on religious activities and they call the shots on what takes place on the Sabbath. And Jesus says, heal this man. And here's a convicting thing that they feel threatened by the works of the true and living God. Now, I'll tell you, not too far from where I live was a great revival meeting about three or four years ago, and there were a lot of preachers that didn't like it, you know, and people would say, you know, well, I'm not going to go to that revival meeting. And there were several hundred people who got saved, and it was a pretty, pretty big deal. And I went several nights, and it was exciting to see the Lord at work. And Bert, I think we really have to check our heart, that when God does a great work, let's not ask who's going m to get the credit or whose name is on the poster or whatever. Let's just be glad that God is working. And I really think some of these religious leaders and folks, when we get later on in this passage, frankly, as I read the way they just so rudely, brutally talk to Jesus, it's hard to read.

>> Bert Harper: It is.

>> Alex McFarland: But when the true and living God shows up and is changing lives and souls are being saved, you know, like D.L. moody said, if a dog comes through town barking for Jesus, I'm going to support that dog.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. you know, let me share this one thing. And it is this. Jesus put the spittle clay on his eyes, but the man had to go to the pool of, siloam and wash an act of faith. And it was an outward act of faith, and it was one that would be seen by others. That's what I was wanting to share this because you were saying, did Jesus do this knowing how they would respond? He could have just touched him. He could have not put the clay on his eyes. He could have said, wipe it off and him be, seeing. But he said, go to the pool of Siloam. Let others see this. Let others see this. Because Jesus is bringing it to the point where the others are going to have to make a decision about him. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

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This is Exploring the Word with Burt Harper and Alex McFarland. Stay tuned because the American Family Radio Network is back after this.

>> Bert Harper: Will you take a moment and celebrate life with me? Last year preborn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies from abortion. Hi, this is Bert Harper and I want to thank you for your partnership. Think about what you did. 67,000 babies are taking their first breath now because of you. Your $28 sponsored one ultrasound that was given to a woman as she was deciding about the future of her child. Once she saw her precious baby for the first time and heard that sweet heartbeat, her baby's chance at life doubled. But PreBorn's mission is not only to rescue babies lives, but also to lead women to Christ. Last year Preborn network clinics saw 8,900 women receive salvation. Your help is crucial to continue their life saving work.

>> Jeff Chamblee: This is Exploring the Word on American Family Radio.

>> Bert Harper: Everybody here looking for revival in our own hearts and across.

Bert and Alex discuss John chapter 9 about the blind man

Welcome back to Exploring the Word. This is Bert and Alex with you today. And let me just share with you. This is a pre recorded program. Alex and I are probably out and about traveling, usually preaching, sometimes it's family, but either way we're glad that you could listen today. That means there'll be no fault calls in the last segment. So we're going to teach all the way through. And we're in John chapter 9, 41 verses. And it's one story. This is kind of unusual that you will find one story in one chapter. Many times you'll find it, you know, a chapter having two or three stories or teachings in it. But this is the one story of the man born blind. Alex, we've talked about it. You asked the question is seeing believing? And most of the people would say yes, that's true. But we're seeing an example where that is not true, aren't we?

>> Alex McFarland: Well that's the case, yes. Sadly there's unbelief right in the face of very compelling proof. And you know what, in verse 11 of John 9, Jesus, he's taken clay and spittle and washed the man's eyes. He says now go to the pool of siloam. You know Christians are called a lot of things, witnesses, disciples, followers. But you know what? No Christian is called incognito. No Christian is called to be secretive or under the radar. And you know folks, Jesus is not here on earth today calling you to go bathe in the pool of Siloam. But he does call us to do things like come to an altar and pray, and he calls us to talk to our neighbor. And nowadays, in our culture, let me say this. If you think this blind man was courageous to go face down the Pharisees, we've got to be courageous today. And we've got to speak up for things like life and morality and marriage and the word of God, and that Jesus is the exclusive, one and only savior, and the God of the Bible is not the God of the Koran. And I'm not saying things like this to be unnecessarily controversial. But the fact is, Bert, more than ever, we have to quote, publicly go to Siloam, because to stand up for Jesus today, you're basically putting a target on your back, aren't you?

>> Bert Harper: It is. It's quite different than it was for me as a child. And, when I first started pastoring here in Tupelo, Mississippi, we're headquarters for American Family Radio. where we are, people would come and they would make sure on their resumes that they would have. Which church they attended. now, in place of that being something that is approved of and helpful, we're living in a day when many, many times. Oh, you're a member of that church? no way. Because they preach the truth concerning marriage, concerning gender and marriage. and we can't have those kind of people in our. So we're living in a different day, and we need to be ready, but we need to stand. the circumstances may change where we are following Christ, but we're to follow Christ no matter what the circumstances are.

>> Alex McFarland: Sure, we are.

The religious authorities question whether Jesus healed a blind man on the Sabbath

Well, the religious authorities begin to question this man that, has been healed. And again, the man explains, Jesus healed him. So the religious leaders are divided. Some think that a true man of God wouldn't have healed anybody on the Sabbath. And others think that, well, only a man of God could have done this incredible miracle. So people are getting divided, and Jesus divides people to this day. So they ask the man, the healed man, what do you think about Jesus? And, so he, I think he begins to realize that, you know, what he says is really crucial here. And the man replies that Jesus must be a prophet.

>> Bert Harper: Alex, let me make sure they don't like that. Let me make sure we got this. Hate to interrupt, but the lay people saw this, and then they brought him to the Pharisees so that they could get, you know, they said now they I think the lay people were legitimately wondering, how did this happen? Surely the religious leaders will know. But in this case, the religious leaders were blind, you know. So anyway, I hated to interrupt, but I. That was just so important.

>> Alex McFarland: Verse 13. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was. And what irony here. And again, what incredible truth in the word of God. The blind man could now see, but the religious experts were now blind.

>> Bert Harper: That's, I mean, when you get to it, God chooses the weak things, the foolish things, to confound the strong and the wise. And here he does it once again, the truth of God's power.

>> Alex McFarland: You know, nowadays a lot of people, you know, it's kind of, hip and cool to be spiritual. But if you say Jesus is the end of the way to heaven, if you say the Bible alone is the word of God, I mean, that will get you on the naughty list right quick. Yes, it will. And they ask and they say, what do you think of this man? The man says, well, he must be a prophet. Now, the religious authorities call the man's parents and they confirm that, yeah, their son was really born blind. And so the religious leaders, they want to know the truth. And the parents say, well, look, he's a grown man. Talk to him. Bert. I've always thought it was strange whenever I read John, chapter nine, here's a man. And in Jewish culture, when a, boy was confirmed and is recognized as a young man, a man, I mean, they had a clear delineation from childhood to maturity. And didn't you think it was interesting that the religious leaders are so bent on marginalizing and being critical of Jesus that they're even going against their own cultural norms and treating this guy like he's a, little boy when he's not.

>> Bert Harper: Sounds familiar. Even today. and what they will do, it's all here, it's about power. And you were talking about it, the competition that they have, they don't like Jesus being raised up and put equal with them. Not only is he equal, he's far superior, but they're trying to keep him down. They don't want the people following him. They want people to continue to do what they've done here, bring the issues to the Pharisees so they can put, and I'm going to use a, modern day term so the Pharisees can put their spin on it. That's the whole idea. We've got to manipulate all these things in order for us to stay in power. That was their desire. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, Exactly. Exactly. And so, they're convinced Jesus couldn't have healed on the Sabbath. And if he did, he's broken the Sabbath, and he's not a true man of God. So they say, you know, is this man a sinner? The blind man, formerly blind man, says, I don't know if he's a sinner or not. I think, you know, the main thing on his mind was rejoicing that he wasn't blind anymore. And so again, religious leaders asked, how did Jesus heal you?

>> Bert Harper: Well, Alex, I know I'm interrupting, but we're going back and forth. Read verse 25. you referred to it. His response is a classic, powerful, response, isn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: He answered and said, whether Jesus is a sinner or not, I don't know. But one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.

>> Bert Harper: Hallelujah. Amen, brother.

>> Alex McFarland: D.L. moody. I keep referring to D.L. moody, but what a giant. in the 19th century, Moody was an incredible evangelist. He was not an especially educated man, but he was wise in the word of God, and he was at a university, and they were trying to trip him up and make him look foolish and, you know, explain the minutiae of salvation. And Moody said, all I know is this. He, looked at me, and I looked at him, and I accepted him, and he accepted me, and the two of us became one, you know, friend. Let me just say this. Your testimony is proof positive of the power of the gospel to change lives. Johnny Cash had a gospel song. I was there when it happened. So I guess I ought to know. And I've been at a number of universities where people, you know, they want to know the philosophy behind belief in God and the minutiae of soteriology and salvation. And, you know, I'm there. I live in that world. But let me say this. Don't you ever be ashamed to say, all I know is I was lost and now I'm saved. I was lost. I found Jesus. My life has been changed. The man there, in verse 25, he says, look, all I know is I was blind, but now I see.

>> Bert Harper: Sounds like amazing grace, doesn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. They said to him, Hm. Verse 26. What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? He answered them and said, I have told you already. Verse 27 of John, chapter 9. This blind man is getting frustrated with these religious leaders. He said, I have told you already and you would not hear me.

Bertrand Russell: Verse 29 is very sad. I believe so, because it says they reviled him

Wherefore would you hear it again? In other words, you want me to Repeat it. Okay, here we go. And what's interesting, the last phrase. Tell me, was he being sarcastic, or what? He goes, are you also wanting to become one of his disciples? Now, there's a word nowadays people use about folks getting all riled up on social media, triggered. You know, they'll say, oh, so. And so they were triggered. I got to tell you, this is where the conversation gets hot. Because in verse 27, you know, they're interrogating this blind man, and he basically says, oh, so you're asking and asking again. I guess it's because you want to know him. You want to be his disciples, too.

>> Bert Harper: Either way, what a statement. Either if he is being sarcastic or if he was being truthful. This guy brings. He slices the apple.

>> Alex McFarland: right on, brother.

>> Bert Harper: And again, he. Since this has happened, you know, we talked about Jesus doing this on purpose. Healing this man on the Sabbath, sending him to the Pool of Siloam publicly so that people could see. This here, it's the same thing. It's drawing these people out, and that's what God does. God did with the woman in John, chapter, four, with a woman at the well, did it with Nicodemus in John chapter three in the Book of John. What you see is a whole bunch of conversations. In each one of these, Jesus brings it out of the issues of the day in their heart and in their lives. In here, this one that was born blind and now, see, he does it to the Pharisees.

>> Alex McFarland: Alex, I'm telling you, I suspect if we could have been there to watch their expressions, we would have seen rage. I believe so, because it says they reviled him. And what that word is to. Vocally, you, know, I'm just going to say it's a verbal beatdown, that they reviled him and criticized him and said, you're his disciple. But we are Moses disciples. Now, let me kind of explain this, and we've got to go back and we'll, look at some of the fine points. They said, look, you know, we don't know what you are, buddy, but we're disciples of Moses. We know that Moses spoke to God and God spoke to Moses, but we don't know if this Jesus has come from God or even if he is of God. Verse 29. Now, this is so sad. I mean, if verse 25 was victory, hey, I was blind, but now I see verse 29 is very sad. This fellow, we don't know who he is or where he's from. I mean, they were confessing. They don't know Jesus, did they?

>> Bert Harper: They did not. And again, the pride. You've got to remember this when you read this whole chapter. You've got to remember the pride that is welling up in the position of the Pharisees. Their pride selfishly, individually, but also their pride of their position. We are a disciple of Moses. We know the law. And, so that's what's keeping them away from Jesus, Alex. They want their position and they want their honor. They don't want to share it, do they?

>> Alex McFarland: They really don't. They really don't. And so they said, we don't know about Jesus. And, the man answered and says, why, herein is a marvelous thing. And the word marvelous means something to be stared at, something to. This is just unbelievable that you do not know where this guy is from, but yet he has opened my eyes. Verse 30. is. This is a, stop the traffic verse right here.

>> Bert Harper: He is putting it on them, as I would say.

>> Alex McFarland: And it's no doubt they're getting angry. The man says, look, I'm trying to get my mind around this. This guy has exhibited the power of God, the word of God, a miracle that is humanly impossible. My sight was restored. So this guy is of God. And you religious professionals, you don't even know him. That's, amazing. Verse 30.

>> Bert Harper: Yes.

>> Alex McFarland: do you think, Bert, that any shred of conviction begins to fall on any of these people?

>> Bert Harper: Well, I believe with all my heart they. They're fighting for their position. And when you've hardened your heart, I could not help but think of, Pharaoh. You know, each one of those miracles that was done by God through Moses would reveal that his gods, the Egyptian gods, were weak and God was strong, but he hardened his heart. I believe the Pharisees, again, this is what goes through Alex. Whether it's conviction or not, their heart is hardened. And that's what we want our listeners to understand. Don't you harden your heart. This is the day that the Lord has made. He is speaking to you. Saying no hardens your heart, makes it more difficult. So today is the day of salvation. And so whether or not they felt conviction, if they did, they ignored it. Or they were so hardened that they could not feel it. One or the other, Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Isn't that something?

Alex and Burt explore biblical ad hominem arguments in next segment

So let's kind of, keep up with where we're going. And we are in the next segment. We're going to draw a lot of conclusions and applications for this. But what this man is saying is not what the religious leaders Want to hear? He says, you know, nobody in the world has ever done this miracle, been cured of blindness. Blindness yet, this man cured me from birth.

>> Bert Harper: If he had been blind because of an accident, they'd say, oh, it was something happened. But born blind, this has never been.

>> Alex McFarland: Exactly. And if he weren't from God, how could he do this? That's what, the man is asking. And so they don't want to Hear this. Verse 33. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, my goodness, by the way, this is called an ad hominem argument. Verse 34. Ad hominem is Latin. It means to the man. And, you know, there's an old Chinese proverb that says, you know, once you curse and yell, your argument has run out. In other words, if you have no ammo, and if you really can't make a valid point, you result to noise and lightning and thunder. They say, you were born in sin and you're going to teach us. I'm telling you, they're showing how lowly they really are.

>> Bert Harper: And then they respond. They cast him out. That's not talking about just casting him out of his presence. This is what they do. They cast him out of the synagogue. We don't want your kind here. We'll be back with more of Exploring the Word right after this break. PreBorn's whole mission is to rescue babies from abortion and lead their families to Christ. Last year, PreBorn's network of clinics saw 8,900 mothers come to Christ. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com afr exploring.

>> Jeff Chamblee: The word on American Family Radio. Connect with Alex and Burt on the Exploring the word Facebook page. Facebook.com exploring the word.

>> Bert Harper: Your words give us life that's never ending. Your words bring us love that never fails. Everything else will fade away, but what will remain. Oh, yo.

Alex McFarland and Bert Harper discuss stubborn unbelief in John chapter nine

>> Alex McFarland: Welcome back to Exploring the Word. We're in John chapter nine and we're going to talk about stubborn unbelief in the face of undeniable evidence. This is Alex McFarland here with Bert Harper. So glad you're with us. You know, before we get back to John chapter nine, let me just say a couple of things that you can listen to the shows, live, streamed archive shows, all that kind of thing on afr.net as in americanfamilyradio.net and we would just be very pleased if you would listen, to the shows. And if you miss the live edition, you can hear the Archived edition. And tell your friends about it, because we, in, nine years, we're just embarking on our 10th year, we have gone through the entire Bible and we're kind of doing it all over again. And if you're listening to this particular program, it is not live. Bert and I are traveling. And so, you can't call in with questions today, but, you can listen, and we hope you will. The other thing I want to tell you is Bert and I both are traveling all over the country and all over, beyond. In fact, I'm probably in India at the National Day of Prayer in India, as you hear this. But we'd love to hear from you. There's a couple of ways you can contact us. Wordfr.net, w o r d, wordfr.net, whether it's, just communication or a Bible question, whatever. And then my own website with my speaking schedule up there, alexmcfarland.com But, Bert, whether it's behind the mic or behind a pulpit, aren't we blessed, aren't we so blessed to be able to preach, teach the word of God, promote the gospel, and hopefully be a spark of revival everywhere we go?

>> Bert Harper: Privilege and responsibility and, with much privilege brings a lot of responsibility. And Alex and I both take it very seriously as best we can. When we come to the scriptures, as best we can, we want to share you the truth. We know this. One thing we will do, we will make much of Jesus. That is the primary purpose. The Bible is his story. It is his story. History is his story. So when you hear Bert and Alex, whether we are on the radio or whether or not we are behind a pulpit or a podium in a college, like you are sometimes, Alex, or I'm at a retreat, a marriage retreat, what you're going to hear, you're going to hear much about Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father but by Him. It's only through Christ. Anybody that tries to come up any other way, the Bible says they're a thief and a robber, and they'll have no part in heaven. So come to Jesus. Come to Christ alone, faith alone, in Christ alone. He'll save you.

>> Alex McFarland: You know, Winston Churchill famously said, at any given moment, the future of the nation is in the hands of two people, the excited and the committed. And there are people that are excited about the wrong things. There are some people committed to the wrong things. We hope you'll be excited about Jesus and committed to sharing the gospel because Listen, we've got a call to commitment, and we've got a reason to be excited that the gospel really is true. So let's let the destiny of the country and the souls of people, be pointed in the right direction.

Bert Levy: Clearly Jesus is being evidenced as this Messiah

But, in John 9, about 34, 41, let's kind of begin to draw this thing together. The people are enraged, and I think they're conflicted because there's a miracle that's been done. Clearly Jesus is being evidenced as this Messiah, the Son of God. And yet they don't know about it. They don't understand it. It's threatening to them. and so that first they attack the man that's been healed. They said, you know, you were altogether born in sin. And by the way, verse 34, they're cursing him and basically maligning, his, birth here in his parentage. This is about as harsh an insult as they could Levy. And it says they cast him out. I know they put him out of the synagogue. You know, some commentators say they probably shoved him to the ground. I mean, this is physical abuse.

>> Bert Harper: But verse 35, listen to it. This shows you Jesus. When Jesus heard that they had cast him out, he found him. Alex, that's Jesus, man. Jesus came to him at the greatest point. this is Jesus. He came to Peter. And when Peter was sinking, after Peter walking on the water, he reached out his hand and brought him up. He came to them walking, in the storms. This is Jesus. And don't miss, you who are studying the Word with us, don't miss verse 35. He heard they had cast him out and, and he came to him and found him. What a blessing. That's what he's doing in our lives. He's looking for us at the point of need in our lives so we can come unto him. Go ahead, Alec.

>> Alex McFarland: He is a seeking Savior. I know we have some young people that listen to the program. And, you know, maybe at school, you stand for Christ and maybe some of your friends make fun of you. You know, being in church or youth group and. And young people, you don't do the things some of your buddies are doing. You know, experimenting with alcohol and things like that. Listen, don't you worry if people make fun of you because they didn't hang on a cross and die for you. Jesus did. And I love it. I'm glad you pointed it out. When this man is cast out of the synagogue, which means not only spiritual, being cut off spiritually, socially, but Jesus went and found him And I want to tell you, friends, everybody else might kick you to the curb and abandon you. Jesus will never abandon you. Jesus says, and I think very tenderly, do you believe on the Son of God? The man says, who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? Jesus said, you've both seen him, and it is he who is talking with you now. Verse 38, Bert, doesn't it just move your.

>> Bert Harper: I'm having a hard time not just praising the Lord. Listen to verse 38. He said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him. Alex, verse 38 just lets us know, you know. Yes. Salvation is a decision that you make with your mind, your will, but your emotions are involved in it. I know you don't go on feelings. I understand that, and I know you can't completely trust your emotions. But, brother, you know, there is a response to the Lord when he comes into our lives, isn't there?

>> Alex McFarland: Absolutely. Absolutely. And you know what? I remember shortly, after I became a Christian, I had gone to a house where some of my college buddies were. It was on a Sunday afternoon, and, I knew a lot of my friends at school weren't believers yet. And so I've told the story before. I won't tell the whole story, but. But I began to share the gospel with some of the guys that I had played in bands with, you know, run around with. And they looked at me. There was about 10 pair of eyes on me, and they said, you know, where have you been? We haven't seen you. You don't go to the keg parties anymore. You don't, you know. And I said, you all need to be saved. And I've gotten saved. And this guy, I'll never forget, his name was George. One of the guys that was a buddy of mine, he. He looked at me, he said, you've not become one of those Bible bangers, have you? And I said, if by that do you mean have I given my life to Christ? Yes, absolutely. So I suppose, yes, I am a Bible banger. And one of my friends, they laughed. I know it probably sounds pretty mundane, but, Bert, at that moment in my young life, being a believer, just a few days, actually, to have my buddies laugh in my face. It hurt a little bit. But looking back, I praise God that he rescued me. And the man in verse 38 says, Lord, I believe. And he worshiped him. We hope, friend. We hope that you, in your heart and evidenced by your actions, that you will be a walking testimony of belief in Jesus. And Jesus goes on and tells him, you know I've come and Jesus entry into the world, yes, it was for salvation, but it does draw a line down history because some who see really don't see. And some that think they've got all the answers are in blindness. I think about nowadays a lot of people say, you know, surely you're not old fashioned. You're not one of those who believes that homosexuality is wrong, are you? Oh, come on, get with the 21st century. you're not one of those who opposes a woman's right to choose. You think abortion is morally wrong. You know, you're a hater or whatever. Listen to this. There are a lot of people that think they can call the shots and they're blind and they don't know it. Aren't they, Bert?

>> Bert Harper: They are.

Bertrand Russell: The Pharisees were convicted earlier of unbelief

And here he gets to the very point. The Pharisees, you was talking about, were they convicted earlier? I believe now that they really are. Are we also blind? Are we blind also?

>> Alex McFarland: Wow.

>> Bert Harper: I, really do believe that after hearing this, seeing this, in other words, it was compounded. And Alex, that usually that's the way it happens. very few people respond to God now. Some do. I've met some who have. But the biggest majority that I've talked to do not respond to God. For as they know, the first time they felt convicted, they were convicted and they dealt with it. They heard something and it was compounded on them. And I think this is compound. You've heard of compounded interest? This is compounded conviction. Here it is. Yeah, they felt a little bit now, but here. Are we also blind? it is, there is sarcasm with some conviction in it. And I'm talking about not conviction of standing, but conviction of knowing there's something wrong in our lives. I really do believe that at this point in time.

>> Alex McFarland: Wow. Powerful, powerful. So let's talk about this for a minute. Jesus says to them, if you were blind, you would have no sin. But now you say, we see, therefore your sin remains. What Jesus is saying is, look, you're accountable. You're accountable. You know, you've known the truth and you've rejected it. So let's talk about some things here. The sin of unbelief. Even in the face of undeniable validity. In this, Bert, I see Jesus demonstrating his worth and glory, his holiness, his authority, his power, his position and his identity. Now let me unpack a few things and, I want your comments. In verse 24, the religious leaders said to the blind man, don't praise him, give glory to God. We Know this man is a sinner. How they thought they knew Jesus was a sinner, I don't know. But they are unbelieving. Jesus worth of praise. They, are unbelieving about Jesus holiness and sinlessness. They said, he's born a sinner and he wasn't. They wouldn't recognize Jesus authority. Verse 14 said it was the Sabbath day. So if Jesus healed on the Sabbath, clearly he had the authority to do that. They reject Jesus power. Verse 26, they demand to know, how did he do this? Well, Jesus is God incarnate. And they, reject Jesus position. In, verse, 28, they said to the blind man, you know, they thought it was an accusation. It was really a compliment. Hey, you're his disciple. That would be a compliment. They said, we, however, are Moses disciples and Jesus identity. They didn't know about that. They were unbelieving. They said, we don't know who this fellow is. Very condescending. So on a lot of levels, they were really brazen about their unbelief, weren't they?

>> Bert Harper: They were. And I found either you don't stay where you are. Have you heard about that? You know, you're either going upstream or downstream spiritually. You never are, just floating along because you're.

>> Alex McFarland: There is no plateau.

>> Bert Harper: There's no plateau. And here again, it is building. And the list that you just gave, you could see it building in them, the seething that they had toward Jesus Christ. And, it would result in. Now you got to look at the final result. It would result with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Sanhedrin, all them coming against Christ to kill him. That was their purpose. That's what they wanted to do. And after he did even a greater miracle in the Book of John, raising up Lazarus, because we're real close to that, in chapter 11, Alex. They want not only Jesus to die, they want Lazarus to die. Now, here's what they want to do. They want. They're not only wanting to put Jesus away, but they want to put the evidence of who he is away. Is that the world we live in today? They don't even want the evidence.

>> Alex McFarland: It really is. It really is. And so that's why, folks, you need to pray for this country. You need to vote for people that believe in religious freedom. that's why a lot of the leaders today, they want to call a constitutional convention. Because they want religious freedom, freedom of religious expression taken away. people can't deal with Jesus. They don't want to follow Jesus. So they're going to fight Jesus. But listen to this.

How valid is the Gospel? Look in this John, chapter nine, 1:41

Let's talk about how valid is Jesus? And if you've never put your faith in Christ, we would urge you to do that today. How valid is the Gospel? Look in this John, chapter nine, 1:41, in the life of Jesus, you see the power of God, the fulfillment of prophecies of Scripture, the change of lives, people. He changes. And today I would say that includes the testimony of the church and the proofs about Jesus. So the power of God, the prophecies of God, the ability to change lives, and proving, not the least of which is by his own resurrection, that he is the Son of God. And so don't, be like these leaders that they had the message, they saw the proof, and they were unbelieving. Anyway, turn to Jesus. The blind man found Jesus. And we pray that you will, as.

>> Bert Harper: Well as you look unto Jesus. He is the author and finisher of faith. He is the alpha and Omega. The Word of God is just beyond measure in its descriptions of who God is, one of the greatest ones. And I want to remind you of this. Is he is Emmanuel, God with us? And that's what these Pharisees were rejecting? No, God's not with us. yes, he is. It's Jesus Christ, the righteous. He's the one. He's the only. No one has ever come before him like him or had anyone come after him. He is the one. And so trust in Christ, Alex, what you say is he is valid. The validity of Jesus Christ is undeniable. Then it is now. And if you don't believe it, just start reading the Word. The Word of God will do a great work in a person's life. The Word of God is quick and powerful. And read this story again and again and read the whole Book of John. And I want to tell you, if you come out not changed, I'll be shocked. The Book of John changes lives, doesn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, in verse 35, Jesus asked the man, do you believe on the Son of God? That's the question for us. Do you believe on the Son of God?

>> Bert Harper: And we pray that you do. Trust Christ. Trust him today. don't delay. Do it now. Thank you for listening to Exploring the Word. It's been a pleasure for Alex and myself to be with you. We pray that God would bless your life and that you would follow him and trust him. Tell someone about this program exploring the Word. But what's more important, Alex, tell everybody.

>> Alex McFarland: Everybody about the Lord Jesus.

>> Bert Harper: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast do not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.