Presenter's Notes

Is God Deaf to You?

Joh 9:1  Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

Joh 9:2  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

Joh 9:4  I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Joh 9:6  When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.

Joh 9:7  And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

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Joh 9:24  So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner."

Joh 9:25  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."

Joh 9:26  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?"

Joh 9:27  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?"

Joh 9:28  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.

Joh 9:29  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."

Joh 9:30  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!

Joh 9:31  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.

Joh 9:32  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.

Joh 9:33  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."

Was this blind man correct when he says in verse 31 that God does not hear sinners? He doesn’t say God hears sinners less, or hears sinners sometimes, or when He feels like it. He declared clearly God-does-not-hear-sinners.

Pro 15:29  The LORD is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

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Isa 59:1  Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.

Isa 59:2  But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you So that He will not hear.

These scriptures and a number of others prove this man’s words to be true. God does not hear the prayers of the unrighteous.

Please raise your hand if you did not sin at least once this past week.

Anybody?

Well, should you and I just throw up our hands concluding God does not hear us?

1Jn 3:7  Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

1Jn 3:8  He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

1Jn 3:9  Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin because he has been born of God.

1Jn 3:10  In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

Here, again, we see another adamant statement that goes so far as to say that a person born of God cannot sin. But, we also see the clarification that this person who cannot sin is “practicing righteousness”.

Practice makes perfect? Well, I don’t know. But I do know that one practices before they are perfect.

1Jn 1:5  This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (BELIEF)

1Jn 1:6  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

1Jn 1:7  But if we walk in the light (SPIRIT) as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (SACRIFICE).

1Jn 1:8  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, (REPENT) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (BAPTISM)

1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Believe the gospel (Mark 16:16)

• Jesus is the Son of God (Romans 10:9-10)
• Savior (Redeemer) (Joh 4:42)
• Kingdom of God (Mat 6:33)

Repent (Acts 2:38)

Baptized to death of sin and renewed in Spirit (Acts 2:38)

Something to think about...

Don’t ever perform acts of righteousness to prove to God you love God. Instead, perform acts of righteousness because you have believed God, repented of your sins, been baptized and received God’s Holy Spirit which works in you to do the righteousness of God, and those same works will prove to others, NOT to God, that you love God.