Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe, turn from that darkness to Jesus Christ. You say, John, I've tried to get delivered from it, but it is so powerful. I understand that, but Jesus Christ is more powerful. The same Christ. Who gave physical sight to that blind man can deliver you from the darkness?
Allow his light to shine into every area of your life. Welcome to the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, as we continue our study on encountering Jesus, we're learning that even when we realize that we're living in the dark and making destructive choices, it can still be incredibly hard to choose to live in the light. Why is that and what can we do? Let's join Pastor John Monroe for part two of his lesson.
seeing the light. Thanks for joining me today. It's essential that not only do we hear the word of God, but obey it. That takes humility. and the power of God in our lives.
Last time we began to look at John 9, where Jesus encounters a blind man. Our enemy Satan likes to keep us in the dark. He loves people to operate in the shadows. interceptions. and lies.
Sound familiar? In our dark world Jesus comes. He dispels the darkness of our hearts of sin itself. And so we have a choice to either live in the dark or live in the light. As we think further of this blind man, Who had an encounter with Jesus?
I have to ask you. Are there dark areas of your life? Have you had a personal encounter with Jesus? Listen in. John 9 then verse 1 and as he that is the Lord passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sent? This man or his parents that he should be born blind. Here is a man born blind. This man had lived in total darkness all of his life. The point of the passage is, of course.
that like this blind man, all of us Apart from the grace of God, we live in the darkness. That is, we are blind to spiritual realities, we're blind to the truth, blind. To the true Light. You tired of living in the dark? Remember this.
Just as this blind man couldn't cure himself, Or be cured by anyone. Your only hope of coming out of your darkness is to encounter Jesus, who is the light of the world. In Jesus, Heaven's glorious lights. has come to earth.
Now read with me in John nine verse five. You say, well, how did this come about? Verse five. While I'm in the world, I am the light of the world, says Jesus. When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, Go wash.
In the pool of Siloam, which is translated scent. And so he went away and washed, and came back seeing. The neighbours therefore and those who previously saw him as a beggar were saying Is not this the one who used to sit and beg? Others were saying, This is he. Still others were saying, No, but he's like him.
He kept saying, I'm the one. Therefore they were saying to him, How then were your eyes opened? He answered. The man who is called Jesus made clay. and anointed my eyes.
and said to me, Go to Siloam. and wash.
So I went away and washed. and I received sight. And they said to him, Where is he? He said, I do not. No.
What did Jesus use to cure this man of his blindness? Clay? And spit. Doesn't sound very exciting, does it? Ordinary things In the Master's hand, used to accomplish extraordinary things.
Isn't that exciting to know? What am I saying today? A very simple message. But a very personal message for each one of us. Follow Jesus with all of your heart.
and live an extraordinary life, yes, a supernatural life. in the light of God.
Now let's think of three personal responses to the light. as we think of this. First, you must experience Yeah. How does the Bible begin? Genesis 1, verse 1.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Verse 3: God said, It's the first thing God said. Let there be Lights John says in his first epistle that God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. The Sim is um In Psalm 27, David, who knew about battle, who knew about fear, who knew about people trying to kill him, says, The Lord is my light. And my salvation.
Whom shall I fear? When I've got this one on my side, the God who is my light, the God who is my salvation, I don't fear anyone. Oh, of course, God is light. The Bible says He dwells in unapproachable light. But now in Jesus, this light of heaven.
This heavenly light comes to our world and shines in the darkness. And as it comes, it reveals how we really are: rebellious, selfish, self-centered, proud people. And as we're exposed to the light, It makes us feel uncomfortable, doesn't it? See, this light has no shifting shadows. This light never compromises.
This light never flatters. This light always tells you exactly how you are. It is a true brilliant light. Last November, Goody and I flew to The United Kingdom, where we're going to attend my nephew's wedding. And as we were getting ready to fly into Edinburgh, Scotland.
I thought I would go to the restroom. Go into that little toilet in the plane. And as you close the door, the light goes on. and I took a look in the mirror. Hadn't slept all that much, been up for quite a number of hours, hadn't shaved, filled in the mirror instead.
Don't look too bad, Monroe. You know? Who's that handsome dude looking at me? But then we arrived in Edinburgh. Short time we were in my mother's home.
Go up to the restroom. Look in the mirror. What a shock. Who is this old guy? I mean, he looks as if he hadn't slept for a month.
God all that's stubble. He looks absolutely terrible.
Well, it happened. Had I aged? And these Short distance from Edinburgh airport to where my mother lives, no. I was exposed to different lights. I like these lights in the aeroplanes, don't you?
These soft lights. You really can't see how you really are. But in the bright light, in a true light. You then say, oh no. That is exactly how you are, Monroe.
That's God's light, isn't it? God's light is always truthful and never flatters. There is no shadow with it, the Bible says, from the Father of lights. You say, How can I personally experience The slight You say, is it possible for me to have a miracle in my life like this blind man? Yes, it is possible.
I'll tell you how it works. There is no question. Whether Jesus could give sight to that blind man, of course he could, Jesus was the Messiah. He was God Almighty. Of course, he could cure the man, no problem.
The question was whether the man would obey Jesus. Verse 7, go wash in the pool of Siloam. Jesus could have gathered a crowd and with one word A lightning could have struck that man and he had received his side in a moment very spectacularly. Jesus didn't do that. No, he used clay and spit.
Rather humbling, isn't it? The man, interestingly, didn't ask Jesus why he was using clay and spit. The man didn't ask Jesus why he had to go to the Pool of Silom. There must have been something about Jesus when he realized I need to do exactly what this person is telling me. If you'd argued with Jesus about the healing properties of clay and spit, If he'd argued with Jesus about going to the Pool of Salom, there would have been no miracle in his life.
As one of the old Puritans said, he obeyed Christ blindly. I like that. He obeyed Christ blindly. In his darkness, No doubt with some unanswered questions, but he obeyed Jesus and he experienced the light. Will you do the same?
It's time for some of you to stop arguing about the Christian faith. It's time for some of you to stop debating it and to simply believe what Jesus says. Jesus took the initiative in this man's healing. And the man obeyed the Savior, even although he didn't understand it all. When the Holy Spirit works in your soul, When God in His grace penetrates your darkness and the hardness of your heart and says to you, go wash.
The question is not whether Jesus can work a miracle in your life. Of course, he can. The question is: are you going to obey? Are you going to come to the light? Are you going to experience this light which dispels the darkness?
You say, How can Jesus get rid of all of the darkness and all of the evil of my life? Through a miracle. That's why he came.
so that you would not remain in darkness. How does he do it? He comes as a Saviour. He comes and He takes our darkness. Think of these hours of darkness on the cross when all of our sin.
All of our evil, all of our rebellion, all of our pride is heaped on our Saviour as he pays the price for all of the darkness of our life, as he rises from the dead, as he rises from the darkness of death and hell and conquers it. and arises in his unending light. And now he says to you, If you come to me, you will experience the light, and the darkness of your light of your life will be dispelled. He offers you forgiveness. and an extraordinary life in the light.
And this man had, as you will have, The growing experience of who Jesus was. In verse 11, he refers to him as the man who's called Jesus. Verse seventeen, he refers to him as a prophet. Verse thirty three, he believes that Jesus is from God. But look at verse 2.
Thirty-eight. John 9, 38. And he said, Lord. Aye. Belief.
And he worshipped him. Not just Jesus, not just a prophet, not just a miracle worker, ah, but this is Lord. This is God. And he worshipped him. him a growing Understanding of who Jesus is to those who receive the light, to those who come to the light, more and more light is given.
The path of the righteous, says Proverbs. is like the light of dawn that shines brighter and brighter until that perfect day. First, experience the light, receive Christ. into your heart and life. Secondly, follow the light.
You remember in the Old Testament the children of Israel were guided through the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire By nights. At night, they followed the light. The light was the supernatural guidance by God. to his people. He was leading His people.
In the Old Testament, the Lord provided a light.
Now Jesus is saying, I am. The light of the world. In the darkness of our lives, we have secrets, don't we? We have lifestyles and we have habits that we don't want exposed. In the darkness, The smallest obstacle can trip us up.
But Jesus is saying to us, If you follow me, You will not walk In the darkness. Just as the pillar of Fire by night guided the children of Israel.
So Jesus, the light of the world, will guide you through all of life. And just as a lighthouse gives a warning of danger, so as we follow Jesus, He will warn us of the dangers of life. And he will never ever lead us into the darkness. He will never lead us into evil. But he will deliver us from evil and will deliver us into God's eternal light.
Follow Jesus and live an extraordinary life in the light. You say, John, I'd love to do that. I'm making a mess of my life. Perhaps it's because you're not walking in the light. Thy word is a Lamb to my feet.
And uh what to my path? A light to bypass. I understand the darkness beckons you. I understand the darkness sometimes seems very enjoyable, very alluring. In fact, sometimes we even hate the light.
Jesus said that in John chapter 3. Verse 19, this is the judgment that the light is come into the world. And men love the darkness rather than the light for their deeds. were evil. For everyone, who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed.
And perhaps You have resisted the light of God. and you've resisted a godly friend. A husband, a wife, a parent. A child who has confronted you with the truth of God and you've resisted it. Why?
Because you are Preferring the dark. When Goody and I first came to the US, we lived in Dallas and we enjoyed life enormously in Big D. But there was one aspect of life in Dallas that we didn't enjoy, that we were totally unprepared for, that we'd never come across before. Cockroaches. And they say in Texas, everything is big, and these cockroaches were big.
I quickly discovered, however, that cockroaches do not like the light. When we came home and we turned on the light, That was not an occasion of joy for the cockroaches. When we put on the light, they scattered and went into their dirty little black holes, right? They hated the light I would say because their deeds were evil. Do you scatter when the light comes?
Is there some area of your life, brother, sister, you are following Jesus Christ, you're a believer in Jesus Christ, but there is darkness? Perhaps someone has confronted you and you've resisted it, you've got angry with them. Perhaps you're hiding some secret, some dark secret that no one knows about. Today I'm saying to you. Follow Jesus.
Turn from that darkness to Jesus Christ. You say, John, I've tried to get delivered from it, but it is so powerful. I understand that, but Jesus Christ is more powerful. The same Christ Who gave physical sight to that blind man can deliver you from the darkness. Jesus always leads us to the light.
Allow his light to shine into every area of your life. Dispelling the darkness. Follow Jesus. and live an extraordinary life. In the light.
There's our last one. Not only experience the light, follow the light. But be a witness. to the light. The disciples in verses one and two wonder why this man was born blind.
Was it because of the man's sin or the sin of his parents? An interesting discussion, we would say. The disciples saw a direct correlation between physical sickness and sin. But if he was born blind, how could his blindness Being caused by his own sin.
Well, the rabbi says sometimes an unborn child can commit sin. Never quite understood that, but that's what they argued. There are people today who believe in reincarnation, present suffering. is caused by an evil previous life. We don't agree with that.
But the point is this. The disciples look on a blind man. and it prompts from them a theological debate. When Jesus sees a blind man, it's an opportunity to demonstrate the glory of God. What the disciples saw as evidence of God's displeasure.
Jesus saw as an opportunity to display God's grace and glory. What do you see when you look on lost people? Those of us who are following Christ. People who are involved, you would say, in sinful lives, what do you see? Does it prompt a theological debate?
Does it prompt judgmentalism by you, or do you see an opportunity to present? The grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is your response? people who are still in the dark. Christian friend.
Are you witness to the light? Are you indifferent? Are you judgmental? Are you embarrassed as apparently this man's parents were? Quite happy to discuss these things theologically with all of the ramifications of divine sovereignty and.
man's responsibility, or will you shine? For Jesus Christ, will you be a witness to the light? This man who was healed was subject to intense scrutiny and debate, and eventual excommunication by the religious authorities. They specialized in religious ritualism, but in so doing they stayed in the dark. There is none so blind as those who will not see.
Light obeyed results in increased light. Light refused results in increased darkness. And this man Don't you just love 'em? And he's questioned. He freely admits that there are many questions that he can't answer.
Verse twenty five. Whether he, Jesus, is a sinner, I don't know. One thing I do know. That whereas I was blind.
Now I see. You can argue all you like, he's saying, about whether this man was sinful or who he is. But you cannot dispute this one fact. Once I was blind. But now I see.
He didn't have all of the answers, but he was a personal witness to the light. Are you like that? An old man was sitting at a crossroads in South Carolina. The young man in a new Camaro drove up and said to the old man, Do you know the way to Fort Mill? No, I can't say I do.
Do you know the way to Pineville? No, I can't say I do. Do you know the way to Matthew's? No, I can't say I do. the young man said rather sarcastically, You don't seem to know very much.
The old man said, Well, that may be. But I do know this. I'm not lost. And as people speak to you about Jesus Christ. They may say to you, You don't seem to know very much theology.
And I'm a little surprised you can't answer this particular question. That may be, and this is not a plea for ignorance, obviously, but you can say, yes, I cannot answer that particular question, but I can say this. Once I was lost. But now I am found. Once I was blind, but now I I see.
Have you said that recently to someone? Have you personally witnessed to someone? Last week Last month? You say, Well, I'll be asked questions I can't answer you. I understand that.
But you can say That I've seen the light shining in the darkness, and this light. The light of Jesus Christ has totally transformed my life. That's the compelling argument of a life transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.
So Jesus says, Let your light shine among men so that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Will you do that this week? Have you seen the light? Shining In the darkness. That light?
Dispelling the darkness. For God who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the one who has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. How wonderful. Today Turn from your spiritual darkness. Today come to Jesus Christ.
Have Christ at the center of your life, guiding you through life, living an extraordinary life in the light. Ignore the light and you will continue in darkness, in confusion, and ultimate meaninglessness and ultimate death. To those of us who have come to light, Jesus commands us. To shine for him. You say, I'm a new Christian.
I'm just a little boy. I don't know very much. Are you following him? Shine for him. I'm in an aeroplane thirty three thousand feet up, and I look down and it's total darkness.
We're not over any city, we're not over any towns, we're over the countryside, and there is not a light to be seen. Total darkness as I look down and as we keep flying. Thirty three thousand feet down, I see a little light. A little out of a farmhouse. Just one little light in the darkness.
But because the darkness is so thick, that little light Shines so powerfully. Will you do that? Will you be that little light? Say this little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine in your own home. in your office In this dark, dark society, one light, one little boy, one little girl, one young man, one young woman shining for Jesus Christ, you can do it.
In the middle Over the darkness, Jesus still says. I am the light. Of the world, he who follows me Shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light. of life. This is the verdict.
Today, Pastor John Monroe brings you the powerful conclusion of his two-part message on choice and salvation. called Seeing the Light. Don't go anywhere because John will be back after this message with some final thoughts to send you on your way. In today's teaching, John unpacked what it means to step out of the darkness and into the light of Christ. But maybe you're wrestling with doubts.
Perhaps you're thinking, how will trust in God actually help me navigate the real struggles I'm facing? Grief, financial pressure? family turmoil. John wrote his booklet titled Trusting God in Tough Times for moments exactly like this. It's a straightforward resource that shows you why God's character makes him worthy of your confidence, even in life's hardest chapters.
And no matter where you are, we'd love to send you a free copy of this helpful booklet today. just go to our website at theverdict.org. And while you're on our website, you'll have the opportunity to play a part in what God is doing through the verdict with a simple one-time donation of any amount. You can easily give whatever amount you feel led to by visiting theverdict.org. And don't forget to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast.
In addition to these programs, John has a weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam. Where he shares his personal thoughts on relevant topics like church and politics, the uniqueness of Israel, and how to engage the culture for Christ. You can hear it all by subscribing to the Verdict Podcast.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe with his closing remarks for today's lesson.
Well, what's your verdict? What are you going to do about the darkness of your life? Do you want to live in the light? I encourage you to look to the cross of Calvary. Where Jesus dies for your darkness, your sin, your deceit, your transgressions.
Jesus comes so that you may live the life in the light. His truth? Set us free. Can you imagine what it would be? to be free of dark secrets and deceptions in your life?
Encounter Jesus. See the light.
Next time we will encounter Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
