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In a world that is easily fragmented & distracted, it is hard for us to be really focused & centred. Yet passion, by its very nature, is totally focused & single-minded. It is not easily distracted.The challenge for us as disciples is to become passionate about our King and His Kingdom.
In these four studies I want to explore with you 4 key truths concerning this passion
a. Passion for God begins with knowing one thing
b.Passion for God develops with needing one thing
c.Passion for God matures with desiring one thing
d.Passion for God continues with pursuing one thing
[1] THE PURPOSE OF GOD - Read John 9/1-7
a. The story begins with a blind man and ends with that same man, now seeing, worshipping Jesus.
b. Questions: According to v.3, Jesus corrected the wrong thinking of the disciples (v.2) What do the disciples believe about the reasons for this man's blindness? What does Jesus believe so far as the purpose of this divine intervention?
c. Read 1 Tim.1/16 for a similar explanation as to why God intervened in Paul's life?
d. God intervenes in our lives so that we might be saved & become a "display case" of the grace of God.
e. Read Eph. 3/10 which conveys the same idea but this time the Church is the display case.
[2] THE CONFUSION OF THE NEIGHBOURS.
Read John 9/8-12
a. The man's neighbours & acquaintances struggled to find an explanation for what they saw.
b. Question: What do the questions found in vs. 8,10,12 tell you about the neighbours as they attempted to explain what had happened (9)
c. Question:"When the work of God is displayed in a human life, confusion & rationalization can rapidly follow"! Agree or disagree? Why?
d. The world will always look for any & every natural and secular explanation of what happened rather than an explanation that gives any credit or glory to God. That's not to suggest that we naively claim every unexplained happening as necessarily a 'miracle'. But it does leave open the possibility that a miracle may have just occurred.
[3] THE PREJUDICE OF THE PHARISEES
Read John 9/13-17.
a. Jesus' actions did not fit into the pre-determined theological framework of these religious types so they rejected Him outright. All people of faith are prone to this kind of pre-judgment. We formulate what become closed systems of belief rather than having an openness that, while not gullible, recognizes that we are still learning.
b. Having embraced a particular school of thought or religious conviction, we then dictate that God must work within those static parameters or we will reject any such work as being the work of God.
c. The Pharisees allowed no room for their theology to develop & mature; their life's motto was something like, "As it was in the beginning, 'tis now and ever shall be!!
d. God is greater than our knowledge of Him and we must allow room within our theology for growth in our understanding. God's truth never changes but our understanding of that truth is supposed to mature and develop as we continue to grow in our faith.
[4] THE FEAR OF THE PARENTS
Read John 9/18-23
a. Fear of excommunication from their 'church' is the major issue for the parents. They were afraid of rejection, alienation, isolation. (v.22)
c. Question: "That same fear of rejection impacts us when we are confronted about our faith - there is a price to be paid". Do you agree or disagree with the statement?
[5] THE CERTAINTY OF THE MAN
Read John9/24,25
a. There were many things this man did not know - where Jesus was (v.12), who Jesus was (v.25) etc.
b. But he knew one thing with absolute certainty - and that certainty was the beginning of his passion for Jesus. " Once I was blind but now I see".
c. By way of comparison, consider the imagery used by the father of the prodigal son "He was lost but now he is found"; "He was dead but now he is alive" (Luke 15/24). There can be no greater contrast than between sight and blindness, life and death, lost and found.
d. The certainty of his excommunication (v.34) could not stop his testimony & challenge of the Pharisees. The passion is being birthed in his inner being. The difference between the man & his parents and the man and the Pharisees was that he experienced Christ's power & they didn't.
e.The "Church" of his day could not accommodate him because it could not accommodate Jesus. Rather than change, the easiest solution to their problem was to eject this man.
APPLICATION:
1. Passion for the King is birthed when we realize with certainty what God has done in history and what He wants to do in our lives.
2. Do you grasp the reality? Do you realize the hell from which you have been saved?…the life change?
3. Love & passion flow from the heart that has been forgiven and KNOWS it - "One thing I do know"!
4. Passion for God begins with knowing one thing - without that experiential knowledge, it's all academic
