Amanda preached on John 9. So here we have a man born for his time.
Despite the views of the religious leaders at the time Jesus said that his parents had not sinned. The man was born for Jesus to heal. Born so God’s power could be glorified through Jesus. We don’t know their names but that they were a family of faith, attending synagogue and following God.
The blind man could see the Messiah when the religious leaders could not. He wasn’t afraid like his parents were. He wasn’t afraid because he was gaining more than he lost. He was healed.
Yet again the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus. He made clay and then he healed. Two things they saw as work.
But Jesus was doing what God called him to do. Both physical and spiritual sight were restored.
Amanda used the analogy of an artist looking through a frame or lens to see the picture in front of them. She asked what do we see in front of us. She remined us that what we see depends on the lens or filter we look through. Our own beleifs and values colour the picture in front of us.
She reminded us in Ephesians 5 8-14 that light makes everything is visible. Nothing can be hidden from God. There’s no time to be idle. The only time we are guaranteed is the here and now. Spend your time wisely. Live wisely. Your words have to be correct. You need to be ready to give an answer regarding the hope that you have in Jesus.
Amanda shared that she had a challenge to answer 3 questions in 140 words…. Don’t people realise how much she has to say. But the point of the exercise is that you may only have a minute to share something so have you got the words already prepared?
Do you know what your answer will be?
Night is coming when no one can work. He is coming and that is time we will all have to stand before Almighty God.
We will be filled with reverent fear but we know that God loves us.
Amanda shared the story of the writer of Blessed Assurance, Fanny Crosby, who was blind from birth yet thanks to support from her mother and grandmother was able to write over 8,000 hymns under a variety of names.