Part 2: Believe It Or Not 
Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 
Synopsis 5.11.25

John 9: 17-25 NKJV 
17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.” 18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” 24 So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” 25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

I.         INTRODUCTION 

1. Ever had something that was impossible to believe? This is where we are in this scripture. This blind man had spent his whole life in darkness, but one encounter with Jesus, everything changed
2. You would think everyone would rejoice over the healing this man received, but he was instead interrogated.
3. Earlier in John 9, when the disciples first encountered the blind man who was blind at birth, they asked Jesus who sinned him or his parents? Jesus response was, “neither”. He told them that it was so God could get the glory Back then, when you were born with some kind of handicap, they believe it was a result of sin from one of the parents.
   1. Afterwards, Jesus spit on the ground and made a mud pie and put it on his eyes. Then he instructed the man to go to the pool of Siloam which means sent. When the man washed in the pool as instructed, he came back seeing.
   1. The Pharisees were upset, because Jesus did this on the Sabbath. They wanted to use this to discredit Jesus by making him out to be a sinner.   
4. Some people will celebrate your transformation, and others will struggle with it.
   1. There will always be those that question whether it is real or not. When God changes your life, no one can undo what God has done. You are setting next to a miracle.
   1. Sometimes, your transformation will make believers out of others.
   1. If you ever experience a breakthrough where others don’t believe, don’t worry about it. Go on the newness God has given you.
5. In the text it happened around Jerusalem. The Jews were divided by who Jesus, was. The Pharisees were always worried controlling the crowd. Healing the blind man on the Sabbath added fuel to the fire.
6. Even in the outrage of the Pharisees, we see conflict, religion and relationships.
   1. The miracle wasn’t just physical; it was also to open spiritual eyes. God would use the blind man’s miracle to show us that no matter your situation, God can turn it around.
   1. In this miracle you see:               
      1. The Pharisees – They represent the system. The religious people that don’t understand what God is doing in our lives.
      1. The Sabbath – The Jews believed that you couldn’t work on the Sabbath.
      1. The crowd of Jews. – Onlookers, waiting to see what was going to happen.
7. We see a miracle playing out right before our eyes.
8. We want to examine how the miracle occurs. There is a miracle about to hit your house!
9. The blind man wasn’t just blind; he was also an outcast socially.

II.         ENDURING A CRIPPLING CONDITION 

• Jesus sees you even when other people don’t see you.
• His condition wasn’t the inclusion of his story. Just because it is a tough place it doesn’t mean that you have to stay there.

A.  Acknowledge Your Limitations 

1. You can’t fix yourself. The blind man couldn’t heal himself. He had to depend on Jesus.
2. The first step of your miracle is reaching out your hand and saying, “Lord, I need you every hour”

B.  Avoid Letting Your Condition Define You 

1. The blind man is labeled based on his condition. What would be your name if you were defined by your condition?
2. God labels us by our potential.
3. We know that who we are is what we answer to, and not what people call us.
4. We need people with raw and rugged testimonies to testify. Time out for cookie color testimonies. If you only knew how far God has brought me.

III.         EXPERIENCE CHRIST’S COMPASSION 

• Jesus constantly demonstrates compassion. Compassion is a deep awareness of another suffering combined with the strength to want to alienate it.
• Jesus responds with mercy and action.
• Jesus did not ignore his cry. He healed his situation. He restored the brokenness.

A.  He Sees You in Your Situation 

1. God sees you. He knows what’s going on. Late at night, when you are struggling, He still sees you.
2. When your spirit is sorrowful, God sees you.
3. The blind man knew that God saw him.

B.   Trust God’s Process Even When It’s Unconventional 

1. Jesus healed the blind man in an unconventional way. He used spit and mud on the blind man’s eyes.
2. Jesus moves in ways we don’t expect. You don’t have to understand His process to experience his power.
3. We are waiting on a miracle, and God is waiting on our obedience.
4. People are not about the moment, but instead the method. A show draws attention to eyes, but miracles transform lives.
5. Creation language:
   1. Echoes of Genesis – Remember the law of primary reference. Go back to where God used it first.
      1. Genesis 2:7 (NKJV) says 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.– By using dirt to give sight, was a symbol that He was not just healing the man, he recreating him, because we came from dirt.
      1. When you’ve been wounded by culture, you need to be made whole.
   1. Cultural disruption:
      1. What was considered unclean – Spit and dirt was unclean. Jesus takes what was unwanted and used it for something great! You don’t know how your miracle is going to come to you.
   1. Personal involvement:
      1. A hands-on miracle – The blind man doesn’t just receive a miracle. He feels it. Jesus gets in the dirt with us to bring about a breakthrough.
   1. Obedience and trust:
      1. Jesus tells the blind man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam – sometimes the miracle is on the other side of obedience.
   1. Because of his obedience, his eyes were opened.

IV.         EXPECT YOUR CRITICS’ CONFRONTATION 

• The blind man receives his sight and receives opposition.
• Some people are more disturbed by your breakthrough, than they are your situation.
• They didn’t offer help when you were down, but as soon as you walk into your purpose, they have something to say.
• Instead of celebrating the healing, they started an investigation.
• Some people can’t handle your blessing if it doesn’t have anything to do with them. They will try to bring you back to your former ways.

A.  Don’t Let Doubters Distract You 

1. Your testimony is undeniable.

B.   Stand Firm in Your Faith 

1. They asked the parents. The Pharisees asked was the blind man their son, and has he been blind since birth. They also asked how he was able to see now. The parents told them to ask him, since he was of the age to answer.
   1. Mothers gave us the power to speak for ourselves.
2. This the expression of maturity. You can speak for yourself. Let your testimony do the talking.
   1. Fruit don’t lie. You shall know a tree by the fruit they bear.

V.         EXPRESS YOUR CONFESSION OF CHANGE 

• The blind man didn’t just see, he spoke. God doesn’t save us to be silent. When he changes your life, you can’t keep it to yourself.

A.  Boldly Declare What God Has Done 

1. Your testimony has power. The blind man gave God all the credit.
2. You have to be boisterous in your testimony. You once was this, but now you’re that.

B.   Live Like You’ve Been Changed 

1. Your transformation needs to be visible. It’s not about what you say, but how you live.
2. Walking in confidence of your healing. You are undeniable proof about the power of God.
3. He opened our eyes, so we will open up our mouth.
4. Somebody needs to know what God did in your life. God’s been good to you.
5. Story_ A man survived a roll over crash. When people saw the wreckage, they said, no way anyone could live through that. The guy told them, “All I know, I shouldn’t be here, but I am!