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Jan. 18, 2023: The Lord Gives Sight
Read John 9:1-7.
“And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is, by interpretation, Sent.)
He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing” (v. 7).
There is no promise in Scripture that God will remove all our trials. After all, God is the Creator of the Universe – all-wise, all-seeing, all-knowing…but NOT a vending machine. We glean from today’s passage that God does what He does for reasons more important than our comfort. He desires to build character and prepare us for the next life, not to grant us ease in this one. God acts in ways that best bring glory to Himself, not us. Sometimes the “sight” He gives is the ability to see Him above our circumstances.
That said, while on earth, Jesus did choose to provide physical healing for many. In today’s reading, yet another man’s sight was restored. Jesus did not just hand this man his healing, though. The afflicted man was given instructions. He obeyed, and only then did he receive his sight.
I take from this account two thought-provoking insights. One is that when we ask for healing, we should also make sure we are living in line with God’s Word. Obedience is one of God’s “love languages,” so to speak. Is your will aligned with His?
A second point is that Jesus handled each situation differently. He did not use mud on every blind person’s eyes. My story will not look like your story. God is God. His methods are His business; obedience is mine. Of one thing, I am sure – ALL healing comes from Him! (Shawna Wright)
"It is truly wonderful what the Lord has done!
Glory to His name!"
--- Barney E. Warren
Jan. 22, 2023: The Blind See
FOCUS TEXT: John 9:1-17
KEY VERSE: One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see (John 9:25).
CENTRAL TRUTH: Faith in Christ brings understanding to the spiritually blind.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. Preparation for the Miracle (John 9:1-5)
II. Performance of the Miracle (John 9:6, 7)
III. Proclamation of the Miracle (John 9:8-34)
Jan. 15, 2023: The Nets Filled
*THE NEED
Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us that “two are better than one,” that is, teamwork is better than working alone. If this is the case, who better to partner with than God himself? Romans 8:31 says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” But God doesn’t do everything. We rely on His strength and grace, but He places a certain responsibility upon us as well. In this story Jesus gave the instruction; the disciples did the work. Our need for God as our Helper is addressed in this lesson. As finite humans we are limited in our ability and resources. We must have God. But we must also discern what our responsibility is. This is not always easy to discern. God had a solution to the disciples’ problem, and He has one for yours, too. The good news is that success always comes when we partner with God.
Discussion: What responsibility has God given you in your partnership with Him?
Discussion: What attitude should a Christian have when experiencing failure?
Discussion: *Why does God allow us to fail sometimes?
Discussion: When is the best time for God to demonstrate His power in our lives?
Discussion: When is God’s help most apparent?
Discussion: *What is true success? What does Jesus do to help us succeed? What does He leave for us to do toward our own success?
Jan. 11, 2023: Satisfied With God’s Goodness
Read Psalm 65:4-13.
Satisfied With God’s Goodness
“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple” (v. 4).
I have to believe God ordered my life even before I knew Him. Several examples of God’s goodness to me over my lifetime flood my mind. At the age of 3 months, my mother was no longer physically able to care for me, so I was placed not in an orphanage but in another family home. When I left that home, I was far from God. I had had good principles taught to me, for which I am still very grateful. They have helped to make me who I am. I was taught to take care of the things I owned so they would last. I never had an allowance, so had little concern about money. At Bible school, I learned to take spiritual struggles to God, not others, so now, as I draw near to Him, He draws near to me.
Truly, I am satisfied with His goodness. Dissatisfaction seems to be rampant in our world today. Dissatisfaction with home, parents, and siblings. With spouses, children, and income. With teachers, bosses, jobs, our have’s and have not’s, our church or pastor, our talents, or the talents of others, and beneath it all, dissatisfaction with God.
Gratitude is one of the stepping stones to satisfaction with God. The more the Israelites complained, found fault, and blamed Moses, the more God regretted making man. (Margaret Heilman)
An attitude of gratitude goes a long way.
Jan. 15, 2023: The Nets Filled
FOCUS TEXT: John 21:1-14
KEY VERSE: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
CENTRAL TRUTH: True success comes through the abiding presence of Christ.
LESSON OUTLINE:
I. Human Failure (John 21:1-4)
II. Divine Assistance (John 21:5-11)
III. Divine Provision (John 21:12-14)
Jan. 8, 2023: The Paralyzed Restored
*THE NEED
There is something God cannot do — He can do no wrong. But within the scope of what is right and good, there is no limit to God’s power. When Jesus declared a sick man to be forgiven of his sin, some of the scribes wouldn’t believe. Jesus was claiming to do something only God could do. So, in turn, Jesus healed the man from his outward disease. Unbelievers often find it difficult to accept the intangible or spiritual results of prayer. To them, Christians make a lot of claims that don’t really correlate with their experiences. But that is not the way God intends it to be. As in the case of the paralytic, God wants His power to be very visible to unbelievers so they may come to accept the inner, spiritual transformation He provides. There is a need for unbelievers to see God’s power in a tangible, life-changing way.
Many people doubt the existence of miracles today. Yet God is still as active as He has ever been. Perhaps this lamentation is more indicative of our preoccupation with physical health than spiritual health.