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Discernment: Spirit vs. Flesh John Chapter 9 Slide 2 The only exercise some people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility, and pushing their luck! "Jumping to conclusions seldom leads to happy landings! "Jumping to conclusions is not half as good an exercise as digging for facts" A conclusion is just simply the place where someone decided to stop thinking Slide 3 Discernment: Spirit vs. Flesh John Chapter 9 Slide 4 Four Groups Of People Seek To Draw A Conclusion: The Disciples: Motivated by misinformation & misconceptions (John 9:1-5) Shortsighted They see a blind man and all they can think of is a theological dilemma. Jesus is with them! Wheres compassion? Wrong assumption Saw his physical condition as a result of sin. Didnt know this was so Gods work could be shown through him. Limited their options Must be his sin or his parents sin. Why were they so sure that there was not a third option? Because they jumped to this conclusion they were missing out on a chance to see Jesus heal this man and see Gods great power! Their jumping to conclusions could have stood in the way of God working His will through this man, the very work Jesus came to accomplish! Slide 5 Four Groups Of People Seek To Draw A Conclusion: The Pharisees: Motivated By Preconceptions & Prejudices (John 9:13-17, 24-29, 34, 39-41) The point of contention Jesus performed a miracle on the Sabbath He forced them to wrestle with their ideas of the Sabbath and their view of Him. Be dishonest with self or face what it all meant. The Pharisees entered this situation with preconceived ideas They were sure Jesus broke the Sabbath and were unwilling to evaluate their understanding of the law. Already decided the reality. Showed dishonesty Werent really searching for truth. Wouldnt evaluate evidence Rejected Jesus since He conflicted their reality Seemed to be searching for answers, but only wanted a certain kind of answer They were the blind ones Not because they couldnt see, but they wouldnt see They say they dont know where Jesus is from Self contradictory (John 7:27-28) Conclusion? None! But to reject Jesus. Had to ignore it all! Slide 6 Four Groups Of People Seek To Draw A Conclusion: The Parents: Motivated By Fear (John 9:18-22) Pharisees were a powerful group Could really make their life hard! Fear clouds their judgment they are willing to sacrifice their sons welfare to protect themselves. Just dont want the trouble of it all. Dont want to own up to the responsibility and consequences that would follow. They are blowing an incredible opportunity. Blind man: Honesty & Openness (9:11, 12, 17, 24-33, 35-38) Consistently shown an open, honest, and simplistic heart He wont try to own up to what he can be sure and certain about. He freely confesses what he doesnt know. Humble. Was blind, now see! He courageously faces off with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees Puts together pieces and accepts evidence Jesus must be from God! When Jesus reveals Himself, he not only accepts but also worships Slide 7 Lessons About Drawing Conclusions. Are our conclusions about others fleshly or spiritual? Make sure we use heavenly wisdom, not demonic (James 2:1-4; Jn 7:24) It is a foolish thing to answer a matter before you hear it Do we have all the evidence? Are we quick to get upset before we are sure what happened? Hear one side of story? (Prov. 18:13) Strive to be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath Listen and keep emotions in check (James 1:19-20) Be intellectually honest with ourselves. Be willing to pay the cost and face the consequences. Value truth above other things. Saddest blindness isnt inability to see, but unwillingness to see (Acts 2826-27) Develop faith without prejudices & preconceptions (Prv. 23:23) Slide 8 Its Decision Time! Will you decide to follow Jesus?