The following is an outline from Tim's message to us on Sunday.

1. Introduction

2. A carefully written gospel

3. Presents Jesus as the Messiah and worthy of trust

4. Jesus the only way to have eternal life

5. Fascinating accounts of real, everyday people. Andrew, Bartholomew, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the centurion, the crippled man, the woman caught in adultery, and today a man blind from birth

6. Themes: Light vs Dark, Evidence for belief, Common sense

1. Blind from birth

2. Symbol of our own blindness and helplessness before God

3. Totally without hope, incurable

4. The Works of God

5. This blindness was not due to some specific sin

6. What might that say about how we see our own circumstances or ill health

7. Works=plural, not just his physical blindness, but his spiritual blindness, and the instruction to a blind world

8. Light of the World

9. What does light do? It reveals, illumines, make plain, speaks truth (pos and neg)

10. Jesus is particularly the light of the world whilst he lives out his earthly life.

11. Jesus is the light that is the only cure for spiritual blindness

12. Jesus is also the only true light to help us navigate the travails of this world

13. Our lives are designed to bring glory to his name

14. The evidence of healing

15. The neighbours initially puzzled

16. The blind man’s own explanation

17. The healed man’s own initial puzzle – I don’t know where he is

18. The emphasis is not the mud, nor the pool Siloam, not the man’s obedience, not the washing, but the “Sent one” himself who provides healing – the Messiah, Jesus

19. Implications

20. John is introducing us to Jesus who is passing by

21. We are all in need of having our eyes opened

22. The evidence has been presented that Jesus is the Messiah

23. John’s hope is that we will trust him for eternal life and move from the darkness and into the light. He is the light of the world.

So what is the rest of the chapter about?

What is all the fuss about.

Read John 9:13-41

1. Common Sense and Stupidity

2. The evidence is the same for everyone, whether disciples, the man, the neighbours or the Pharisees

3. Common knowledge recognises that blindness is incurable, but common sense regarding the evidence realises that a miracle has truly been done in this instance.

4. The Pharisees rejected the evidence out of hand, and only showed up their stupidity

5. The blind man of course had no problem believing: Once I was blind but now I see

6. The disciples, John - and hopefully us as well - realise that the evidence of the man’s sight is evidence not only of the miracle that occurred but of the saving power of Christ to deal with our sin.

7. John shows how belief rightly leads to worship

8. Jesus explains how unbelief ends in judgement

9. Closing

10. What a delightful account. A wonderfully witty man healed not just of physical blindness, but brought in the kingdom of light

11. I am struck again by the fact that evidence for the miracle was so rejected by the very people who should have known better.

12. Verses to consider

13. 1 John 1:1-4

14. 2 Peter 1:16-21

15. 1 Cor 15:1-8

16. 1 Cor 15:14-21

17. Heb 12:1-2

18. Concluding Statement

19. This morning’s message provides you with an account of the healing of a man who was blind from birth

20. John asks us to use our common sense to assess the evidence that he has provided on the truth of this amazing miracle.

21. His account of Jesus interpretation of his role in this world as the Light of the world is a direct invitation to you to recognise that he is the saviour of this world and the only means of being able to enter into any kind of relationship with God our creator

22. Jesus is passing by – again – today. What is your response to his invitation to life and light?