DOING GOOD FOR OTHERS

The call to follow Jesus is a call to action.

• When you look at Jesus’ ministry, you’ll notice that He was very hands-on.
• Let’s focus on a moment when Jesus stopped what He was doing to help a man who was in pain.
• This event takes place late in Jesus’ ministry, roughly six months before his crucifixion.
• It was clear there was a lot of tension and hostility toward Jesus at that time.
• John 9:1-9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”

1. SEE THE PERSON (John 9:1-2)

• There was a belief that any suffering a person experienced was directly linked to a sin in their life (Job 4:8).
• Jesus said that his blindness wasn’t caused by his sin or his parents’ sin, but so that God’s power could be displayed.
• But notice this: the disciples saw this man and saw a problem worth debating, but Jesus saw a person worth helping.
• When you look at someone in need, do you know the problem or the person behind it?

2. SEE THE URGENCY (John 9:4-5)

• Jesus knew he had only six months to live. He was eager to do what he could while he still could. Do you feel that same sense of urgency to serve others and focus on God’s work?
• The opposite of urgency is complacency.
• Complacency also prevents us from serving others.

3. SEE THE MESS (John 9:6-7)

• Jesus healed the man in an unusual way (Mark 7:33, Mark 8:23).
• Jesus was showing his willingness to get his hands dirty in helping this man.
• Most of Jesus’ healings were physical, hands-on experiences.
• When you get involved in people’s lives—by giving, serving, and caring—you let them experience God’s love through a compassionate follower of Jesus.
• Ministry is messy: Proverbs 14:4 Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

4. SEE WHO CAN BE DIFFERENT
 (John 9:8-9)

• John shows us the neighbors’ confusion.
• They didn’t recognize him. Why? They always knew him as “the blind guy.”

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. I understand that the penalty for my sin is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. I acknowledge that I cannot fix my situation on my own. I believe You are calling me to have faith. I am being drawn to the truth of the gospel. But I know that You came to pay the penalty for my sin. I trust in You alone as the One who died in my place. I repent of my sins and believe in You as the only One who can establish an eternal relationship with the living God. I want to be Your child and to live as Your child. In Your name, Amen.

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