The Power of A Seeing Blind Man

"Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, "It is truth.""

God says, "Let's gather together these two groups of people. The seeing blind and hearing deaf over here, and the rest of the world over here."
"Let the world bear witness of what they know...and let the blind testify of what they can now see and the deaf as to what they can hear."
"Let the world hear and agree with the tesimony of the seeing blind and the hearing deaf"..."I was blind, but now I see. I was deaf, but now I can hear."

"...And let them hear, and say, "It is truth."

Were you blind, and yet now you see? Were you deaf, but now you can hear? Think of the overwhelming and unstoppable power of a radical change taking place in your life such as this. You and I must stand up and declare, open up our mouths and bear witness to the truth that has changed us. And may the Spirit of God open their ears to hear what He would say to them...through you.

Won't you stand and declare what you can see? Will you tell them what you can now hear? The nations sit gathered together by the God they do not know in darkness, while we bask in the light where God has gathered us...What will you do? What will you say? May God help us.

"Do You Believe This?"

I just preached on John 11:1-44 last Saturday in the Park.
And then I heard someone mention it Sunday, then a couple times on Monday, and it was the scripture and topic shared by Pastor Mark Foreman yesterday at the memorial service for Corey and Vorie's son Georgie...And then there was this morning at breakfast...

And the Lord's word continues to echoe in me..."Do you believe this?"
"Yes, Lord. I know you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into this world blah blah blah..."
"No. You aren't hearing Me. Do you believe this? That I am the resurrection and the life? Because if you do, you will keep My commandments."
"Oh, but Lord, if you had only been here earlier..."
"Show Me where you have given up..." And He begins to sob, to weep, to groan. "Where have you written someone/something off...Take Me there...Lead Me to the impossible and unthinkable situation in your life."
"Come and see, Lord."
"Now...take your hands, the ones you used to roll that stone in place, where you gave up on that person, that place, that plan, that impossible situation, and roll the stone away."
"Yes, but Lord..."
"You said you believed...I desire to glorify My Father in and through your life by you allowing Me to use you in simple obedience to do what I have asked you to do...Don't be afraid. I always do those things that please the Father. Just simply obey...roll the stone away."
Then we hear His command. He speaks the word of Life into a dead, rotten, stench-filled situation. The result? Life. He told us that "I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly."
Why do we hesitate to get our "hands" dirty by obeying and rolling the stone away?
Our obedience is proof, fruit if you will, that we really do believe He is the Christ, the Son of God come into the world.
Then comes then next command. "Loose him and let him go."

But that's not going to come until we have done the first thing He has asked us to do.

The Blind, The Deaf, The Lame, The Dumb...

"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing..."
"...for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."

How can the blind be made to see? The deaf made to hear again? The lame man jump up and run and bound like the deer? The tongue of the mute...to sing? This is impossible! These things cannot happen...and yet they will. They do.

How? Because in and through the lives of those that were barren, wild, ravaged and ravenous, dead...water, that life giving, life-sustaining liquid will come bursting forth. Streams in the midst of this desert scene will be flowing through the once lifeless landscape.

In short, the impossible, the unthinkable will take place. God, by His own decree and for His own glory among the nations, will do the impossible in people's lives.