Gospel of John (Study 19 of 24, Chap 9 Start) — G.W. North

Good morning everybody Let's pray are we being our father That you wanted us for your children. You made it known to us. You worked within us. It isn't what we believe though We must believe we're believing animals anyway.

We believe in food. We believe in all kinds of things. You wanted us To give us birth from yourself Not as a gift but coming forth from thee thou Blessed wonderful eternal spirit and God we thank thee.

We haven't believed ourselves into anything. It's because you have brought us forth from yourself The gospel by all kinds of things this morning. We humble ourselves Not by our efforts not by anything even the effort of believing.

No, we had to do that. It's oh god. It's beyond us we Were in the light we thank thee that the light is a person. It's Jesus we thank thee. We're caught up in the mystery of eternal God. There's no scientific Explanation.

There's no merely human explanation. There's nothing except thy blessed Gracious Wonderful love you how to learn really Lord. We shall really learn when we are with thee Learn from thee not groping up from humanity into thee but learn from thee Starting where it all started Bless thee father that we were ever born Ever Ever able privileged to hear the gospel.

Thank you. We Gropingly at first like blind men groping for a door or something father. We just thank you Thank you. Thank you Lord. It's about all we can do Live it father for men who gropingly Understand Pass on what they understand and we call them our teachers or Whatever name we'd call.

But it's now who are the teacher Lord now We we understand that Lord and we thank thee for every blessing and every blessedness That we have for mercy for pity for grace. The power to do all that thou to say we wait upon thee Lord and Magnify thy name as people who are nothing came from nothing in eternal things.

They don't count. But thou has brought unto us Something wonderful That even Angels desire to look into Lord. We bless thee bless thee bless thee. And out of the multiplicity of words or God brings something Real by thy spirit Lest we think we're clever.

Make us understand long to be understood Holy Ghost who has come to help us Out of the eternal heart and plan you've come to us Not us exclusively Except that it is to thy church exclusively and bless thee Lord for I greatness.

And I thought in her kindness has performed The function that so many good women perform for me they remember what I forget In that I live with my daughter Here I didn't know where we'd left off last time.

You can't you probably won't understand that but you will when you're 80. So Dot informed me that we finished at the end of chapter 8 is that right? All right. So we're coming into the ninth chapter. Perhaps you think I'm joking and I said in a joking way, but it's true.

Anyway, you know, there are no chapter and verse divisions in the original or you ought to know because I told you Though I'm not the only one Who practices told you I can remember that because I've said it as a matter of wrote through many scores of years.

Jesus' “I Am” and the Believer's New Identity

We'll look into the wonderful ninth chapter and We may even go beyond that in that. These are what we might call straightforward chapters. Do you think so? I hope you do. Connecting With chapter 8 58.

Jesus said unto them verily Verily I say unto you before Abraham was I Know wonderful. I Am as well as this morning. Because he's with you every other morning if you are his own. There has to be an I am In you you understand that unless you got that I am in you.

You're not a child of God. You might be a believer accepting Christian seniors. The thing is Paul's statement is the most wonderful statement about it. Mm-hmm. Where he says him one Corinthians 15, you will know I am What I am.

By the grace of God, so you've got to have some I am in you you understand that. Don't try to work it into yourself. It's got to be there as positive as you might say I am a man or I am a woman and there's only one alteration from the wonderful statement.

Actually, it's in connection with this that he says to them a little higher up than where we started. Your father Abraham Rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him thou art not yet fifty years old.

And hast thou seen Abraham. Verily he said unto them Verily I say unto you before Abraham was I I am. Then they took up stones to stone him. Now you will remember that Moses made the famous statement at the burning bush or at least God did but Moses records it.

Where God spoke to him out of the bush when he asked what shall I say to these people? Who has sent me? I am that I. That's it I am. I wonder if you ever talk like that. Or have you accommodated yourself to modern usages of languages?

Thinking it's a old say I Am that I am. I am that I am. Paul said I am what I am. He changed one letter. He changed the T to W. Now you've got to be able he didn't change it just because he was arrogant but because it was true.

You've got to be able to say that if you can't you aren't a child of God. I don't say you've got a copy a form of speech. But you've got to be able to say it from within you by the grace of God. God didn't say anything like that to Moses.

He said I am that I am. That's not by grace not by anything. I am and you've got to get that into Your the structure of your thinking. If not, it will never come out of your mouth. I speak out of the structure of my thinking.

If not, I'm not worth listening to and neither are you. You can copy phrases you can. You know full of compassion come. I Complained against my child my daughter Hermia and said who doesn't he know Shakespeare?

Perhaps you're glad you don't but that's the thing you see you can copy forms of speech. Don't do it told. Genuinely, this it will never be truth. Though you will give expression to truth as you know it in a form of Scripture.

You understand you've got to speak from yourself as from as well as from God. Oh, you're not qualified to be a preacher or a witness or anything. It's got to be real you see all right, I didn't plan to say that to you.

Let's go on. I'm I'm like the scripture says the wind blows west this is Everyone that's born of the Spirit so the winds blowing a bit this morning. Will go on shall we. That's why I'm a hopeless lecturer, but I hope you'll love me just the same verse 1 of chapter 9.

Jesus Heals the Man Born Blind

He went out of the midst. Passing by verse 59 of 8 and as Jesus passed by He saw a man which was blind from his birth. You must get it into your heart straight away as he was not running away because he was afraid of being killed.

Because they'd taken up stones to stone him. He just passed by. It wasn't the hour that God had planned and he was determined to attain unto. You understand he went Just passed by. Something passing. Fluttering the hen roost kind of thing of course they meant murder they meant all that kind of thing.

But he was the will of God in expression you understand and he went majestically on his way. Get that Into you he wasn't running away. And as he passed by He saw a man which was blind from his birth and His disciples asked him saying master Who did sin? this man or his parents.

That he was born blind now either. That's a ridiculous statement or else. Parentheses should be put in here. Who did sin this man or his parents that he was was born by my man can't sin before he's born.

That he was born blind. That's impossible unless you're in a preposterous state of mind. Might have learned from some exotic Foreign language or form of worship or whatever. Here's the thing That's suggesting Pre-existence.

If you take it that way a man was alive in some other way for what not and through go through all the things of Possibility if you follow that but so you've got to insert a parenthesis. Who did sin this man or his parents.

Referring to his parents the parenthesis that he was born blind that they had done something thereby. All right, Jesus answered. Neither hath this man's sin nor his parents. But that the works of God should be made manifest in him now again.

You're introducing to we've taken a philosophical approach this morning doesn't matter which way we go um. You're saying then the inference issue sink normally you will think oh. So God had him deliberately born blind.

So he could work the works of God in him. Bear that thought in mind bear it somewhere not very far from the forefront of his mind that thing um. Was it so did God have Work in sovereign power. I'm putting out two suggestions.

You will find difficulty in making up your mind about it. I want you to find difficulties in making up your mind about it because I did Sorry see those who preach to you or lecture to you have to confess their own shortcomings.

Here it is. That is if they're genuine people and not knows I Find this difficult approaching the thing. Philosophically, I want you to know that because I find some several things in John that are difficult to Extrapolate upon you can't do it.

Here's the thing. The angel went down into a pool at a certain season. Now I find that difficulty. You may not you might say I might say well. It was only a superstition. They have nothing at us. Well.

I don't know. If ever you find the explanation write me a long letter Explaining all your points with you. I'm prepared to Accept the truth at face value because I know that. Whatever it is. There's something that Exceeds my mind if God had to write Something that I can get in my mind then God has moved under a necessity.

You see. Well, he doesn't the whole thing is this. Now Let me set let me take you on. Yeah, I can do some comparative sinking here. I don't suppose we'll reach it this morning. I think that is a natural process isn't.

Apparently we won't get beyond these verses the way I'm going on. But wouldn't you rather I shared my heart with you than just gave you a banal Lecture about when something was written and who came when I don't know.

It's nice to know other things have their place. But these are the things beloved. Sink into God if you can you can only do it by the Holy Ghost. And you'll come to conclusions. I turn you for this. To the famous chapter 11.

Lazarus, the Glory of God, and Learning to Think Biblically

Perhaps I've won. Oh, yes, I will. All right. I mean, it's a time factor. Look at me a Certain man was sick. Chapter 11. Name Lazarus of Bethlehem. The town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair.

Whose brother Lazarus was sick? When Jesus heard that he said this sickness is not under death. But for the glory of God the Son of God may be glorified thereby. I wonder if a blind person thought it was for the glory of God that he was born blind.

Just think. If you read the Bible without thinking you'll be as big a duffer when you're 90 as when you were 9. You understand that you've got to think. Make you sink. Sometimes the Lord challenges. You know, what do you think he did when he fed the 5 ,000.

So what do you think Philip? What are you gonna go and make these people think? Which shows you basically that the basis of all your thinking has got to be changed. You think and if you still keep thinking as a sinner, it's going to scrape into heaven one day.

You will Not ever know the truth. It's vital that you be a new thought person as well as a new action person a new speaking person. Am I getting it over to you? Unless you've been changing the basis of your thinking you can't be a Christ's one.

Christian can't be no you attend Bible school for the rest of your life. I mean, I mean take it go for me and then we'll have a spell out in America. And then we'll go down to Australia and go to a Bible school there and we'll go there.

Well, if you think you might be after the finest teachers. You it's the basis of your thinking you Understand and you must understand this that if you are born again. You are born again of a thought and a will and a wish in the heart of God.

You understand that do you need me to repeat it? So you basically aren't flesh and blood not you. That's your body. We're moving in the spirit world. I mustn't get too complicated must I but it's it's where You are and where you stare.

In your approach to scripture, let me go on with this when Jesus heard and he loved them. It says that they said in verse 5. I want a small stop upon it longer as we get on when he heard it in verse 6.

Look at you get verse 6 Deep in you. He deliberately stayed where he was for two days and let Lazarus die. And let Martha and Mary break their hearts. He let them do it. Just bear it in mind. That is I want you now to carry that same thought over into the chapter.

We're looking at Into chapter 9. I guess you'll do some thinking about this and I want you to not now. But listen to my thoughts. He Says neither has this man sinned verse 3 of chapter 9 nor his parents but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

I'll give you an Alternative reading of that because this is what you have to do and I'm taught Alternative rendering of the truth here that he said neither that this man's sin nor his parents. All stop or if you like a proper column.

But that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me while while it is day no verse division. Keep that very clear. I hope I'm making it clear to you. I'm spending quite a time on it, but it's vital that you should approach the Bible truly.

You don't need another translation whether I make some more money out of you all you need to do is to think and think and Get back into God. You do know to don't you that David said? By thy spirit. I Know more than my teachers.

Did you ever read it. It's in the Psalms just read them all that's it. You you are to know from God, all right. I must work the work first for of him that sent me While it is day. No, man, as long as I am in the world I Am the life of the world which may make you ask the question.

Isn't he the light of the world? He's not in the world. I'm suggesting to you that you use your your mind and really think about it. But we don't say I've read my portion for today having gabbled through it.

It must take you years and years of reading so that something inside of you Is almost regenerate? Or regenerated you're you're reading passages. And you rise up into beginning to understand and entering into the heart of God the will of God the purposes of God.

What it's all about God so loved the world so we just spread it everywhere to see. God is love. It couldn't help but love the world because he is love. You understand? But then there's a world in a thought in the heart of God.

And they all hang upon his hands. So I understand from scripture. He'll accommodate you if you say I'm one of these working people. I don't like reading or anything like that. Oh Beloved. Realize how great are the possibilities of God in you.

And how nothing and next to nothing you are Without God Had doing something wonderful in you. That's what it's about. And we're all the same if I say you are not in those. I were not including myself in there.

It Well wish out of sheer love sheer God being God who and what he is and why he hears suppose me speaking to you as an invitation to start to sink as I think but The wonder of it Jesus did that he wanted to make people think as he thought.

Never bullied them into it. Never browbeat them into it. Never particularly set up a school of teaching. He just led people all over the land and so on. Accompanying him. Being one with him. Learning him not of him unless you use the word of in the sense of from.

It's also marvelous for us to understand. He was one person of God sent by sent to explain the whole of God sent to this world. It's glorious, I'm not confusing you thinking am I please stop me if I am.

We we we must understand this vastness has room for every hour of thought. Meditation in you. For a short span of life you have on this earth. Marvelous. I oh, I just want to rejoice in the fact that I'm saved.

You know. But the more you think the more rejoicing you have with all and one God wants us to get into it. So I've been nine. I must Work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work.

I Don't know how you would interpret that worry, but I Only want to stop on it. That's far this morning. Yet when he hung on a cross. Where was darkness? Over all the space of three hours. Showing us what real darkness is.

Wasn't any light to Anywhere the Lord visited Egypt without Stygian darkness. When there was light in the camp of Israel, I just bear these things in mind. They're only suggestible to you at the moment.

The Pool of Siloam and Seeing by Faith

We're on this here it is. When he had thus spoken verse 6 he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay and sit unto him go Wash in the pool of Siloam which is by interpretation sent.

He went to his way therefore and washed and came seeing. I like that phrase. It's just so much to me that I can't put into words. He came seeing. And say because they got the sort of in phrases that I'm are Desires he they came out of the city or he did this.

Restored his sight and all those kinds of things, but I like came seeing. He certainly did see as he showed those people that questioned him. He said why here it is a marvelous thing you say he's a sinner and he's doing these wonderful works.

He began to see see. Let one thing happen to you one real thing happened to you and you will begin to see. In that realm That has no dimensions. You you begin to see when God has done something in you.

You see a vast host of things. This man was only a baby only now begun to see for the first time. Perhaps he saw the reason why he'd been born blind as well. I've got a lot of questions. I tell you this quite regularly the time I'm going to ask when I get there.

I've got to have a marvelous time in heaven. Absolutely marvelous. I say go away your nuisance keep asking me questions you see. Keep on keep on ask questions and get answers some of them anyway here's.

There is the whole thing now, you'll know the rest of this chapter, so I'm not going to spend the time as you won't get anywhere through this chapter by the time be time for everybody to prevent themselves dying of thirst.

We'll go on shall we. And it says this. He came seeing oh. You know I suppose you're not like me. I I read that and I I dream then I don't I don't I Just go on off into that world. You've got to be able to go into that world Jamal.

And you might not be able to do it. So Absolutely or easy as you think I do. But you've got to be there's a wall. There brother this world's nothing with all its Yosemite parks from Iceland places and all I don't know.

Nothing, when do we bother with it all it's not this he that sat and baked the same. Some said this is he others said he's like him. He said I am. There's the I am. You've got to get an I am in you. Not so big that you won't be able to get your head in this room.

I don't mean that kind of I am. But you've got to have this positive Position, you know what? I think well, I'm sharing my thoughts with you. So I ought to be careful, but it doesn't matter what you think.

Yet it does matter. Oh Here's there's a gospel. We have I meet people you see. And I say do you know what I think and I think oh, I suppose our very humanity makes us talk like that. I am. The word he is not in the original.

That's what he said. I am and you know the whole story. It all receipt goes on. Let's miss out the ones that you will know very well. I suppose you've heard sermons on this chapter. If not preached on them yourselves.

Sabbath Controversy and the Blindness of Religious Tradition

It was a Sabbath day verse 14 now there is the trouble. But You see they wouldn't have counted it work. You keep this really clear. If they'd have picked up stones and stoned him on the Sabbath because it was the same Sabbath day.

There's no chapter division in this store. They wouldn't have counted that as work. But that what Jesus did all he did was spit on the ground make clay and Anoint a man's eyes and go off never even preached a sermon to him.

Never did anything spoke to anybody apparently the questioning Disciples and the questions they asked were only to show you how blind they were. But I thought it was him. My man was blind. Oh, I'm talking about a different blindness.

He made an Exhibition of what it is to see and have light to his disciples as much as to anybody else. When he healed that man born blind he couldn't hear you Peter James. John look at this. He didn't boast.

One time I'm He said how is it that you do not? Understand was he losing patience with them you might have said there in the way that I said. You see he went on with them they ought to have understood.

They were born again, of course. And that's what he's leading up to was leading up with all his life when he was on a. You must be born Again, and as you won't have a clue. And unless you are born again, you won't have a clue.

As to what I'm talking about. I know you will understand. I'm not insulting your intelligence your mind will take it in. It's something that you this knowing faculty inside and it's John again extrapolates upon this in his first epistle this gray inward knowing faculty inside.

Where you don't go and ask questions of men and women. So if I said black was white you might want want me to give an understand an explanation of it. But here is the thing you go by this the knowing faculty, which I mustn't stray on to this morning, but You've got to understand you're not a child of God if you haven't got this knowing faculty.

You are still going through that which was born in you when you came into this world. You have to have a new knowing faculty Called the unction that's got to be given to you. If you like it's an instinctive knowing all don't lower me to the animals the animals have instinct not intelligence and so on.

Yeah, well, you've got to be reduced To the fact where you're trained mind Goes out of the window and Christ comes in the door. The best thing that universities ever do for anybody in case you've all been to university except me.

Then is that they teach you to think that's the best Contribution they make to you. I'll train your mind to think If it be the best but Here it is. Oh So wonderful. It was a Sabbath day and he was in trouble.

The Pharisees were all working up from that they all worked from this position. That it was wrong to break the tradition and the laws of Moses. You see remember the Sabbath day to keep it. Holy I tell you what.

When that man washed in the pool of Siloam as Jesus told it to and he could see Great understanding dawn. He put he saw into realms into which oh Teaching of the Pharisees and left them blind. You see that's the thing Understand what it's about.

Understand pass out if you like in your heart and your thinking. Pass out of the ways of men pass out of the philosophies pass out of these things into God. I Beg you and as you'll stand poverty stricken in his presence.

Working for God Rather Than Wasting One's Life

The years you have left for you on this earth. It's for you to learn. Of course work for God as Jesus said I must work and if you've learned anything you must work. And your mind will tell you you've got to go along the line of what you've learned or else you've wasted your time in learning.

This is the thing One of the greatest tragedies. I don't ask you Say this to you. With any other reason they're just making plain to you that One of the greatest tragedies you take how many of us in this room this morning?

How many of us harla if I learned in a few years time that all you were doing having been through Birmingham Bible school. It's selling a pair of shoes over a counter. But that's what happens. I Know from experience.

Oh, I'm not my own experience. Thank God, but They say oh You're finally laying bricks or something, of course, don't I mean even Winston Churchill laid bricks. But the whole thing beloved he got bombs as well.

But but here's the thing Beloved you've got to understand. You're not here for any other reason than to learn to work for God. Or look at him by works. I'm not talking about that I mean the Investing of your life for God.

In the work of God, that's what it's about for no other reason. I'm not here for any other reason. That's the thing. And work yourself so in the end you have to be crucified to so you couldn't die. You know what?

I mean? Upset everybody who's going to be upset by the things you do that. I've upset there was so many people. All I thought Christian didn't do that, but they do look at Jesus Christ. Yeah upset everything.

It's for you be careful. You've got to fall into the pattern. You understand? In this world, but you're not gonna fall into any other pattern Of God except that's in the seed of your new birth. Because you come from a pattern in a seed, you know that humanly don't you?

It's because you break the law of your very being or of your birth. That you're in trouble. You know that I tried if I Lots of cheese and onions before to bed up before I go to bed at night I know the law is that I should stay awake all night.

It's all well. I don't know I know but that's me the pattern of my being I say so Indigestional I don't know what. And I'll be excuse me putting that belching up so much. I'd wake everybody else up in the night.

Do you see you've got to conform? You Say oh, I can eat a whacking great love the beef with I don't know what just before I get in the bed. Well, that's you. Yeah, then it's a thing You you must understand.

You are born according to law if you're born again of God and you were first time. There was a law governing your natural birth and the law for your future life. So they say I mean, I am only Repeating what I've read or heard.

Here's the thing for you to understand. It's because God we constantly break the law. That we're in trouble oh I don't mean the mosaic law the law of God His being I mean Graciously he has uttered some of them.

Vital ones, let's go on one or two are writing. I don't know whether you. And the most of my stuff from not writing excuse me. That's right in other words. Get in it all to your spiritual makeup. Of course.

I'm not sitting Jams for you. So you're quite free. I Say now and again, I think you ought to write that one down, but here's the thing Go on with and he died. I So they went through his mother and his father and they had him again.

I don't know what upon the carpet this poor man Greatly enriched and they Excommunicated him well now you will know if they executed him because now we're still together born in sins and teaches you are you teaching us and he really got under their skin and You know the famous word that's being preached on over and over again.

The Confession of the Man Born Blind

Whether it be this or that. I don't know but one thing I know that's right. Whereas I was blind now I can see. That's the basis of many a gospel sermon but beloved. They excommunicated him now that too shall I say the devout Jew was ordinary Jewish.

Was death they were cut off from everything. See you will know that If they got leprosy That was a living death. They were cut off they were chucked outside of the city wherever they lived. No no couldn't go to the synagogue couldn't go anywhere.

And it was death. And that was spiritual death of course mental death as it was unfortunately. That there was no spirit working in The synagogues and in the temple in those days. There was some good man.

There are lots of good men about now. Use the word good in Advise it you and I have to know this. Jesus went and found him let's come there shall we. Jesus heard verse 35 that they'd cast him out. Excommunicated is the word Excommunicated and he said unto when he went and found him there he said unto him Dost thou believe on the Son of God.

He answered and said who is he Lord. And I might believe on him. Jesus said out of him thou hast both seen him and It is he that talketh with thee. He needed didn't need a sermon didn't mean anything else.

He said Lord I Believe and he worshipped him. And he got more than the synagogue and more than the temple and more than all the offerings or activities or religious observations of the Jews. Yeah. Now listen to this Jesus said for judgment.

I am coming to this world that they which see not might see and that They which see Might be made blind to me to tell me you came to make people blind. Lord that's. That's different from the lovey-dovey kind of preachers you preaching you here today.

I mean You know Lord. I I heard the Archbishop of Canterbury Sometime ago, I don't know what it was and he he sounds to me a treacly mealy-mouthed kind of man. No, don't let anybody hear this tape. I might get had up, but I thought oh No in our communion.

And all that I mean can be just as bad here. I'm not just targeting the Church of England like that. But he's the pieces to see. He's supposed to be the supremo and he told The any man with any red blood in his veins would want to spew him out of his mouth.

The man before him. I got nothing against the church. We have got some dear friends in the Church of England. I mean that I'm not against them. I It's the deception that's being practiced. That's so abhorrent.

I Heard the man before him. He was the man that married the present heir to the throne. I did not mention his name and The lady that he married. You might know her by a very famous name not always associated with the best of things.

But but you I heard him say I asked the prince. It was whether he liked his new his robes. Do we say I've got the new for this occasion. I don't. Pretty Polly. Here's the thing for us to understand my beloved brothers and sisters and Students though you say you are always be that all rest of your life.

The thing is are we blind also said the Pharisees. Jesus said unto if ye were blind You would have no self, but now you say we see. Like we know as for much we know Moses. How did they know that they they?

Translated. Believing into knowing. They didn't know. They only believed. I believe it will all the heart please don't think. I guess I believe that Moses was taken up into the glory of God. I Believe everything.

I believe the main structure of his teachings on the earth are for today. Thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not steal and so on and so on. Of course there will ever Be was heaven and earth remains.

You understand? Only because God wrote them he wrote The first of these great things, but here here is the wonder of it all we see. Your sin remains. He said them. Or did he did they say it the way? I've said it or did they say it with an um another emphasis perhaps you'll be fed up with me always looking at different Emphasis, but you've got to Here it is.

Are we Blind also. I read now listen. I said I know are we blind. Also, you said a lot of things that puts me out the fire now. You're telling us. We're blind as well. Are you? Yes, he was you see that is the big thing and Your sin remain is what an end to a chapter, but I must stop because you're ever so thirsty and So am I thank you.