THURSDAY, June 26th, 2008

Good Day To You All!
I enjoyed last nights service with you guys very much! It is amazing how much attention I have when I talk about a subject like that... I think that I am going to look for some creative way to fit that subject into every message. Thanks for coming, and thanks for listening so well!

A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Brooke: You Got It! If the man did not believe in Christ then he would not have obeyed Christ! But he did obey which proved his belief. The same goes for us: Our actions prove whether or not we truely believe in Christ! Great Job!
Lucy: You are hilarious as you *shake brookes hand*! You goof ball!
Josh L: I was not scared of the Summit Plummit at all until I realized that it is more than 25% higher than the giant swing at the wilds! That is pretty scary! But I think I will try it! Dont let me forget to bring sunglasses!
Gaby: Thanks for holding Will for me! It was funny that he wouldnt take his eyes off you, sorry that He threw up on you! :)
DAVID: Great to see you on here man! Good Job winning the tournament last night! Hey, we werent telling you not to bend you wrist, we were telling the other guy: His write was bending backwards!
Phil: I will miss you as you go sit... bored... at the "shell" factory. Personally, I would rather go to the "real" shell factory: (the ocean/ the beach). But you do whatever floats your little air mattress!

As I was reading this great passage I could find a better place to stop: sorry it is so long, but I think it will keep you attention.

John 9:13-34

To help you understand what is going on: I colored the Pharisees in brown, the healed man green and the healed mans parents purple!

13 They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.
14 Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.
15 Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
16 Therefore some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
17 They said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.
19 And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21 but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.”
22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
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.”
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.”
26 Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
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?”
28 Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples.
29 We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from.”
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!
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.
32 Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.
33 If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
34 They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And they cast him out.

This is a big passage but I really needed to put the whole passage up today to help you understand the application! Let me give you a quick summary of the passage: Remember the blind man from yesterday? Well, he is walking around and the pharisees see him and want to know How he can see??? (remember they have it out to get Jesus)
So the man tells them exactly what happens and then they sit there and ask him 20 more questions about what happened. THEN when the healed man did not tell them what they wanted to hear, they said we dont believe you, go and get your "mommy and daddy" and they will tell us if what you are saying is true. I love whata his parents say when they get there...
They tell the pharisees: He is old enough to speak for himself! So this has nothing to do with us!
Then guess what the pharisees do? They start asking the same questions all over again!

This reminds me of when we want to do something that is wrong, we try to ask many different ways, or we try to justify it, and remind ourselves that "we are doing the right thing"

What a joke! These guys were hypocrites and it is obvious!! Especially when you read the last verse! These guys told the healed man WITH ARROGANCE " you are a sinner, you cannot teach us!!!" Then they literally kicked him out of the church!! Which was a huge deal!

May I remind you, this guy did not come to teach them, He was simply answering all of their questions! I mean what were these people thinking!

I will tell you what they were thinking: They wanted their way, not Jesus Christs and they were willing to do whatever they had to, to get their way: And if anyone stood in their way, they would kick them out of the church (the blind man) or they would crucify Him (Jesus Christ).

Wow! I am just glad that Christ did not give up on man, based on the hypocrisy of these guys! (for that matter, I am glad that He doesnt give up on man, because of our hypocrisy) BE REAL!

STAY FAITHFUL!!! (if you have read to this point you are really faithful!! I know this was long today, but it was some GOOD STUFF)