You
Good evening and welcome to Verity Baptist Church
Let's go ahead and find our seats this evening
Find the seats and find a hymnal close to you and turn to page number three hundred and twenty-eight
Again that's all number three hundred and
Twenty-eight, it's all number three to eight. We will open the service with I want that mountain song number
320 and let's go ahead and sing it out on the first
Oh
Number three to eight, let's see it out on the second
Oh
One
Oh
Get out on the last
Oh
That mountain
Amen great singing welcome to Verity Baptist Church here on our Sunday evening service
We're glad to everyone here this evening. Let's bow our hands for a word of prayer dear heavenly father lord
We thank you for the opportunity to come to church this evening lord
Thank you for the dear people lord that would come to on a Sunday evening lord to sing praises to you and
Hear your words preach pray that you bless us lord this evening pray that you bless the service
Bless the the singing and the preaching will come in. We love you and Jesus. I pray
Amen
All right. It's now time for favorites where if you're selected we will sing a stanza from the song
That you pick go ahead brother. Moses
Song number one hundred and forty-five
We will start with
Is well
with my soul
Song number one four five, let's sing it out on the first
Like a river
Attended my way
When
Now
Ladies
I can't remember brother andrew's sister
Abigail there you go. Song number two glory to his name song number two
Song number two on the first
Oh
Three nine six song number three hundred and ninety six
Six
So little time song number 396 let's sing it out on the first
And then
Me
Let's give you guys four fifteen four hundred and fifteen
Me
Song number four one five victory through grace
Song number four one five on the first
See
Yes
I'm
Sing one more song brother luke go ahead 216 straight from the foyer
Song number two one six as the last song this evening
Sing it out on the first
Me
Sing it out
Oh
Amen all right. Well, let's take our bulletins
We'll look at some announcements real quickly
If you did not receive a bulletin on your way in just raise your hand
And one of our ushers can get one for you
If you need a bullet and just put your hand up and we'll get one for you the verse this week first
peter 3 18 for christ also hath
One suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to god being put to death in the flesh
But quickened by the spirit and that's a good verse there. We like that
If you open up your bulletin, you'll see our service times sunday morning service 10 30 a.m
We had a wonderful service this morning
We're glad we're glad you're back out for the evening service and we do invite you to be back with us on wednesday night
For the midweek service. We call it the most encouraging service of the week
And it's nice once you've been back into
Your work schedule or school schedule. You've been kind of been going through
Uh life a little bit to take a break right in the middle of the week and get back together with god's people for prayer
And singing and of course, uh preaching of the word
So we encourage you to join us on wednesday night
If you look at our so many times our main sewing times on saturday mornings at 10 a.m
Then we have additional sewing times on thursdays fridays and sundays at 2 p.m
And if you are a soul winner, please don't forget
Uh to add your salvations on the communication card so that we can update the bulletin if you have a map
That you did not finish
Please clearly mark what was done and what was not done or if there's something wrong with the map
Please let us know and you can turn it in into the bin in the foyer
And if you're running late, don't forget to call us or text us at the number there. 916-868-9080
Let us know your plan on being there, but you're running late so we can make sure we have
Um
Our team captains can make sure they have a partner for you and everything that you need if you're a first-time guest
Uh, thank you for being with us tonight. We have a gift for you
Please make sure you don't leave here tonight without grabbing one of our little gift bags on your way out
And uh also if you would just take a moment
To fill out the communication card, which is inserted in your bulletin
And you can uh fill that out and drop it in the offering plate as it goes by
If you need a pen, you can just raise your hand and one of our ushers can bring you by
A pen we of course are a family integrated church children and infants are always welcomed in the service
We don't separate children from their parents for any reason
We do have mother baby rooms and we ask that you'd use those if you have a child that's been distracting during the service
Or if you need some privacy if you need to be baptized
Let us know you can do that on your communication card on the back
You can check off that you'd like information about baptism and we'll follow up with you in regards to that
If you look at the announcements journey with jesus, we're going to continue that tonight
As we travel through the gospel of luke we had our new members striving together new members class
This afternoon praise the lord for that and then we've got a few things coming up worker appreciation sunday is november 20th
That's not this sunday, but next sunday. This is when we
Take a sunday to appreciate all the volunteers and workers
Of our church. So make sure you
Have plans to be here for that and then don't forget about the annual pie social. That's wednesday, november 23rd
At 7 p.m. It's after the wednesday evening service in the fellowship hall
It's the wednesday right before thanksgiving
And we'll have to be having a pie social and we are asking if you can that you bring a pie to share
You can bake it. You can buy it whatever you'd like
Steal it and whatever you need to do, but bring bring a pie and that would be good
And then we have the turkey bowl, uh coming up on thursday, november 24th. That's of course thanksgiving morning at 7 a.m
There is a sign-up sheet in the foyer
You need to sign up if you want to go guys so that they can put you on the different teams
Or uh, you know, whatever however that works. So just make sure that you are signed up for that
And somebody asked me if i'm going to be going and I will be there my sons
I'm sure my sons are going to play so i'll be there i'm not going to play
It's a little too much whining for me, but I will be watching and uh, you know
Maybe if there's if it's a no whining game, maybe i'll buy everyone coffee or something. I don't know that would be good
Vbc choir and children's choir. I like it when the ladies play sports, you know, no whining
They just they don't they don't milk it either. They just
Take it
uh, like uh, like uh warriors so
Vbc choir, uh, they started today that went well children's choir started today as uh as well
Don't forget that they'll be practicing every week from now till christmas time. We'll give you more information about the christmas schedule
Uh for this year
Um as we get a little closer to that homeschool group pe classes thursday, november 10th, uh cleaning crew
You can check for your name there. We appreciate your faithfulness other things there for you to look at
Please don't forget to turn your cell phones off or place them on silent during the service
If you look at the back of the bulletin
This week, we have two birthdays
Jocelyn zuniga november 8th and suzette zuniga november 12 praise report money matters
All those things are there for you to look at and I think that's it for all the announcements
So we're going to go ahead and sing the chorus of the week as we prepare to receive the offering this morning
And uh, we'll sing this in the spirit of this morning sermon think about the rich young ruler as we sing this out
I'd rather have jesus go ahead and sing it out on the first
Is
Hey
Let's go ahead and sing it out on the second class you to just slow it down
Just a tad on the second and then bring it back to normal at the chorus
Now
Good sing it out
Above
I'd rather
Amen good singing. We'll have the guys come up and help us with the offering at this time
You're singing like you got an extra hour of sleep. Praise the lord for that
Let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer
Heavenly father lord, we do. Thank you for allowing us to gather together tonight lord
We thank you for the sunday evening service where we can come together as a church family and sing together
And uh, and of course open up your words sit in the bible together in jesus name we pray. Amen
So
Please open up to luke 18
luke chapter 18
If you need about put your hand up and let's go by bring your bible
luke chapter 18
If you need about keep your hand up and i'll come by
luke chapter 18 where we'll read verses 31 through 43
luke 18 verses 31 through 43
Luke 18 being number verse verse number 31
Then he took unto him to 12 and said unto them
Behold, we go up to jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the son of man shall be accomplished
For he shall be delivered unto the gentiles and shall be mocked and spitefully entreated and spit it on him
And they shall scourge him and put him to death and the third day he shall rise again
And they understood none of these things and this saying was hid from them neither knew they the things which were spoken
And they came to pass as he was come nine to jericho a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging
And hearing the multitude pass by he asked what it meant and they told him that jesus of nazareth passeth by
And he cried saying jesus thou son of david have mercy on me
And they which went before rebuked him that he should hold his peace
But he cried so much the more thou son of david have mercy on me
And jesus stood and commanded him to be brought unto him when he was come near he asked him saying
Well, what wilt thou that I shall do unto thee and he said lord that I may receive my sight
And jesus said unto him receive thy sight thy faith had saved thee
And immediately he received this sight and followed him glorifying god and all the people when they saw it gave praise unto god
Let's pray heavenly father. Thank you for this evening. I thank you for your word and for our church heaven
That's here. Please give us all tender hearts to the message tonight and please be the pastor to strengthen him for spirit
We love you. Just think pray. Amen
All right, we're there in luke chapter number 18 and of course we are continuing to make our way through the gospel of luke
And tonight we'll pick up right where we left off this morning there in verse number 31
And tonight we're going to see the story of a blind man
Before we can get into the story of the blind man. There's just a few verses and some doctrinal stuff that we'll deal with tonight
So we'll start with some just doctrinal teaching and then we'll we'll get into the story
of
The blind man if you notice there in verse number 31 luke chapter 18 and verse 31
Bible says then he and of course that's referring to jesus took unto him the 12 and said unto them behold
We go up to jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the son of man shall be accomplished
For he and this is jesus speaking about himself for he shall be delivered
unto the gentiles
And shall be mocked and spitefully entreated and spit it on and they shall scourge him and put him to death
And the third day he shall rise again. It's interesting that jesus is
As you've been with us through the gospel of luke we've we've mentioned this and we've made note of it
We are with jesus right now on his way to jerusalem. He's on his way to
Die in jerusalem and as he's making his way to jerusalem
He's been preparing the disciples along the way and here we see yet another example where he takes the disciples aside
And he tries to explain to them. He tries to give him a heads up really
He's trying to prepare them for what's going to happen
And he tells them that all things that are written by the prophets concerning the son of man
Shall be accomplished and he's explained to them that when he goes there
He's going to be notice verse 32 for he shall be delivered unto the gentiles and the term there delivered
Has the idea that he's going to be betrayed or given up unto the gentiles
and of course
It's a reference to the romans and shall be mocked and spitefully entreated and spit it on and they shall scourge him
Jesus explains this to the disciples. I want you to notice it's interesting what the bible tells us in verse 34
About the response from the disciples the bible says and they understood none of these things
He's telling them. Hey guys, we're gonna go to
Jerusalem
And the disciples i'm assuming like many people were probably excited
about the fact that jesus was coming to jerusalem because we're gonna see
Here in a few weeks as we continue in the gospel of luke that when jesus gets to jerusalem
There's a big celebration where they're saying hosanna unto
He that cometh in the name of the lord and they think that jesus is coming to establish his kingdom upon this earth to
Fight the roman empire and to bring the nation of israel back to prominence and what jesus is explaining to them
Is that no when he gets there he's actually going to be delivered unto the gentile
He's going to be mocked spitefully entreated spit it on
They're going to scourge him and he tells them they're in verse 33 and they will put him to death
And on the third day he shall rise again
And and then luke under the inspiration of the holy ghost tells us that they did not understand
They they did uh, they understood none of these things and the saying was notice the words hid from them
Neither knew they the things which were spoken of now
Let me just take a few moments to kind of draw out some things regarding
Uh this text you're there in luke 18 flip over to luke chapter 24, if you would we'll just go fast forward a little bit
Into luke 24, let me say, uh, make just a couple of introductory statements
First of all, we see uh, the old testament scriptures is what's being referenced here
The fact that jesus says all things that are written by the prophets concerning the son of man
And jesus is explaining the fact that the old testament scriptures are about the lord
Jesus christ the lord jesus christ is the scarlet thread that runs through the entire bible
The old testament is simply looking forward to the coming of christ the gospels matthew mark luke and john
Explain to us or give us the account of the life death burial and resurrection of christ
And then everything after that is just looking back to christ the entire bible is about the lord jesus christ in luke 24
We have a story here and we're fast forwarding a little bit in our in in the gospel
But this is after the resurrection of christ. This is after he's already died and been buried
He resurrects from the dead and the disciples are in this transitional mode where they some they know that his body is missing
They've been told that he resurrected but they're not sure what's going on and jesus here catches up to two disciples on the road to emmaus
And he's talking to them and and they're explaining everything that happened and and there's a big story here
And I won't take the time to go through all those details. I'll deal with it another time
But I just want you to notice in luke 24 verse 25 the bible says then he this is jesus the resurrected christ
Said unto them the two disciples on the road to emmaus notice what he says. He says oh my god
The two disciples on the road to emmaus notice what he says he says oh fools and slow of heart to believe all the
To believe all the prophets have spoken. Jesus says you are slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken
Verse 26 he says ought not christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory because these two disciples they're all sad
About the fact that jesus has died and that he was betrayed and that he was tortured and he's telling them isn't this what the prophet said?
Isn't this what the old testament's about I want you to notice verse 27
This is the bible tells us this is what jesus did with these disciples luke 24 27 and beginning at moses and at all
And all the prophets he expounded unto them notice the words in all the scriptures the things concerning himself
So I want you to notice that the bible tells us that the bible is about the lord jesus christ and specifically the old testament
You know sometimes people don't they don't want to read the old testament or study the old testament they don't like the old testament
But here's something you need to understand the entire old testament is a foreshadow of the lord jesus christ
The prophets are speaking about christ and here jesus himself begins I love that verse luke 24 27
And beginning at moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself
Jesus went through and said let me tell you about all the writings of moses let me tell you how he was talking about me
Let me tell you how he was foreshadowing me let me show you all the prophecies of what happened to me
You're there in luke go to acts real quickly acts chapter 10 luke john acts acts chapter 10 and verse number 43
Luke 10 43 you'll notice if you've been with us as we've traveled through the bible and over the last 12 years of ministry
I've preached verse by verse chapter by chapter I don't know I need to go back and look at the numbers
But I definitely more than 30 percent we're probably close to around 40 percent of the entire bible
That we've gone through verse by verse chapter by chapter but you'll notice that as we've gone through books like
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, even first second Samuel and Esther books from the old testament
We are always looking for the lord jesus christ in those passages in those stories why because the entire bible is the story of jesus
Acts 10 43 notice what the bible says in acts 10 43 to him referring to jesus to him gave all the prophets witness
That through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins
So here the bible again tells us to him give all the prophets witness so we see this is highlighted that the old testament
The old testament scriptures are about the lord jesus christ I want you to know that and understand that
So you understand the context in which what I'm about to explain to you or teach you go back to luke chapter 18
We see a couple of things here regarding the old testament scriptures and what is it?
What we see about the old testament is that it's about jesus
He says jesus said behold we go up to jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the son of man shall be accomplished
In luke we're told that beginning at moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them in all the scriptures concerning himself
We saw in acts 10 43 to him give all the prophets witness the entire old testament is about the lord jesus christ
With that said let me say this when we talk about old testament salvation we've been talking about old testament scriptures for a little bit
Let's talk about old testament salvation when we talk about old testament salvation in the old testament they did not necessarily
Know or understand the things about the lord jesus christ
So even though the entire old testament is about the lord jesus christ we also need to understand that the old testament is very cryptic
Some of the things are foreshadows or types or just prophecies of the lord jesus christ that at the time people did not necessarily understand
In fact jesus himself when he's talking to the disciples and he's telling them these things are going to happen
I'm going to be delivered unto the gentiles I'm going to be mocked and spitefully entreated spit it upon scourge put to death and on the third day I'm going to rise again
Now you and I as new testament believers with the light of the new testament shining upon the old testament
We can clearly see the types the foreshadows the pictures the allegories of the lord jesus christ in the old testament
But until the new testament has started in this day people did not really understand how it was all going to play out
And for that reason luke 1834 the bible tells us that the disciples and they understood none of these things
And this saying was hid from them neither knew they the things which were spoken of
And I just want to take a moment and again we're going to get into the story of the blind man
And I'll give you some practical things but I want to take a moment to explain some of these things doctrinally
Sometimes when we go verse by verse it's good to stop and look at some of these issues regarding doctrinal issues
Because here we have the disciples who the bible tells us did not understand these things
And sometimes people get confused and they'll say well were the disciples not even saved
And look the bible is very clear about the fact that the disciples were saved
The disciples believed there was one only one were told the bible tells us that jesus chose the 12
And he chose one who he knew was a devil who did not believe from the very beginning
Of course that was judas iscariot and he was specifically chosen to play the role of the betrayer
Now when the bible tells us that jesus specifically chose judas who did not believe from the beginning
What that means is that all the rest believed the other disciples were saved there's no doubt about it
Yet they did not understand all of these details that jesus is telling them about the death burial and resurrection of jesus christ
And the reason for that is because of the fact that old testament salvation
And what you need to understand is when we talk about the old testament and the new testament
Often times people think that when we refer to the old testament and the new testament
That we're referring to the first part of your bible the book you hold in your hand the first part and the second part
Now I understand that we call the old testament and the new testament they go by those names
But you need to understand when we're talking about the testament we're talking about the covenant
The old covenant the new covenant god made a covenant with the nation of israel which is called or referred to as the old testament
And when jesus came he established a new covenant or a new testament which is why we call that section of the scriptures the new testament
Here's what you need to understand the new testament did not begin until after the death burial and resurrection of jesus christ
So when we're in the gospels matthew mark luke and john and when we're in the chapters that are before the death burial and resurrection of jesus christ
Even though you're in the new testament in the portion of your bible we're actually technically still under the old covenant
We're under the old testament which is why we see jesus fulfilling all of the laws of the levitical priesthood
We see him fulfilling all the laws of moses because we're still under that old testament or old covenant system
Until the death burial and resurrection of jesus christ which hebrews refers to as a reformation
And a new testament a better testament is given in the blood of jesus christ
With that said and i'm saying all that for this reason salvation has always been the same
But there were some differences between old testament salvation and new testament salvation
Let me just be clear about a couple of things we are not dispensationalists
So we do not believe that there are different gospels and different salvations
Dispensationalists will teach that in the old testament people were saved by works in the new testament people were saved by grace
In the end times they'll go back to being saved by words or whatever the bible does not teach that and we do not believe that
Salvation has always been by grace through faith the bible is very clear about that
They'll say oh no we're in the age of grace but back then you know that was the age of the law or the time of the law
Well here's the problem with that the bible says that noah found grace in the eyes of the lord
That's in the book of genesis the bible tells us that Abraham believed god and it was counted unto him for righteousness
That's the exact same way you say how did Abraham get saved the same way you and I got saved by believing
You say then what is the difference between old testament salvation and new testament salvation
Now please understand this today in the new testament or under the new covenant
You and I get saved by believing on the lord jesus christ and calling upon him for salvation
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord jesus and shall believe in thine heart that god hath raised him from the dead
Thou shalt be saved we call upon the lord jesus christ by faith and we are saved not of works
In the old testament they also called upon the name of the lord there's lots of examples of that
I'm not going to give you a whole list of that but let me just give you one go to genesis real quickly genesis chapter 4
In the old testament you say how did people get saved in the old testament
They got saved the same way that you and I get saved in the new testament by calling upon the name of the lord
Genesis 4 26
The bible says and to Seth to him also there was born a son and he called his name Enos
Notice what the bible says then began men to call upon the name of the lord
That's the exact same wording we find in roman said when it says whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved
In the new testament we call upon the name of the lord now what's the name of the lord jesus christ
In the old testament they called upon the name of the lord and in that sense old testament salvation is new testament salvation is the same thing
It's both by faith and by calling upon the name of the lord here's the difference here's the major difference
The major difference is this that in the old testament go to acts real quickly if you would
Acts I think you already went to acts I meant to ask you to keep your place there but go back there acts chapter 4
In the old testament they did not know the name of jesus
And in the old testament they did not necessarily know all the details about how it is that jesus was going to pay for their sins
So there is a difference between old testament salvation and new testament salvation
And let me just kind of explain those because I want to make sure you understand this
It's the same salvation and the two major characteristics of salvation are the same in the old testament and in the new testament
It's by faith Abraham believed god and it was counted unto him for righteousness
And it's by calling upon the name of the lord all throughout the old testament all throughout the new testament
We're told to have faith in your heart and call upon the name of the lord
You say then what are the differences between the salvation of the old testament and the new testament
Here are the differences in the new testament you and I by faith look back at the cross of the lord jesus christ
The death burial and resurrection here's the thing you weren't there I wasn't there
We're not eyewitnesses of the death burial and resurrection of christ
Faith is a substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen
By faith you and I look back on the death burial and resurrection of christ
And put our faith or trust in that call upon jesus for salvation
In the old testament what they did was they looked forward in faith
Not understanding all the details not knowing all the details not knowing that the name of the savior was jesus christ
Not knowing all the details of the death burial and resurrection which is why the apostles here the bible says
They understood none of these things and the saying was hid from them neither knew they the things which were spoken
They didn't know all the details but let me tell you something the apostles were saved because of the fact that they were looking forward
Realizing that a messiah was coming and that messiah was going to redeem them from their sins
Did they know who that messiah was no did they know his name no did they know all the details no
But they were still by faith looking forward and calling upon the lord
Now you and I call upon the name of the lord and his name is jesus christ
Today in order for people to be saved they must call upon jesus for salvation
Acts 4 12 are you there look at it
Acts 4 12 neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved
Look salvation is through jesus christ alone jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me
Today people cannot be saved without acknowledging and knowing who jesus is
You say what about these people that are out in some country somewhere and they don't know who jesus is you know is that fair
No it's not fair that's why jesus has given us the ministry of reconciliation that we might bring the gospel to them
I remember years ago most of you know my story but for those of you that don't know I was born in Venezuela
My family moved here when I was four years old been here pretty much my whole life
And years ago my cousins my aunt my cousin had came from Venezuela to stay with us for a little while
And I was a teenager I don't know maybe 14 or 15 years old
I remember I was out soul winning with my cousin who was I don't know he was maybe 17 years old
We were out soul winning together and he'd literally just gotten here from Venezuela like he'd only been here for like a week
And I remember we were out soul winning we were knocking on doors and some older person they answered the door and I asked them
You know I said hey we're coming from so-and-so baptist church wanted to give you your family invitation to church
Do you know for sure if you died today are you on your way to heaven? They said no
I said well you know the Bible says you can know for sure can I show you they said sure
I began to go through the gospel I was explaining the gospel to them and this person began to get really agitated
And they got really they just they didn't really believe the gospel and what they said to me they were like I can't believe that
I can't believe if I believe that then I would have to believe that people everyone has to believe on Jesus to go to heaven
I'm like yeah that's that's what I'm telling you you got to believe on Jesus
And this is what this person said to me he said what about those people in Venezuela who've never heard about Jesus
And I remember just thinking to myself and I was just like a 14 15 year old kid and I remember thinking to myself
And I said to this person well you know what's funny about that is that I was actually born in Venezuela
And this guy just got here from Venezuela and we're knocking your door and preaching the gospel to you
So don't tell me about some kid in the Amazon look God has given us the ministry of reconciliation
You say it's not fair then go preach the gospel to somebody
The point is this today under the New Testament salvation is by the name of Jesus
There's none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved
Here's the difference between New Testament salvation Old Testament salvation
In the Old Testament they did not know the name of Jesus
So when they called upon the name of the Lord what name were they calling upon Jehovah
They were calling the name that was revealed to them
In fact for Abraham Isaac and Jacob God had not even revealed himself under the name Jehovah
The name Jehovah was not given until the time of Moses when when God said I am that I am
You see this well who did Abraham because the Bible says that Abraham called upon the name of the Lord
Well all throughout the book of Genesis that they just referred to God as God Almighty
And what I'm saying is this that in the Old Testament they still called upon the name of the Lord
But they did not have all the details
It's the same salvation by faith by calling upon the name of the Lord
But in the Old Testament they called upon the name that was revealed to them
God Almighty I am that I am Jehovah
In the New Testament we call upon the name of the Lord by the name which is above every name
That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father
We call upon the name that's been revealed to us now in the New Testament because we've been given more details
I just want to explain that because I think sometimes people get really confused about salvation
What about salvation in the Old Testament and the New Testament
Let me just give you a couple more thoughts and then we'll get into the story about the blind man
When Jesus came to this earth there were different types of people regarding salvation
There were some people when Jesus came when he was born
There are some people that were already saved under the Old Testament covenant
How did they get saved? They got saved by calling upon the name of the Lord
Not Jesus necessarily because they're still under the Old Covenant
They got saved by calling upon the name Jehovah
They were already saved when Jesus showed up
But they did not know about Jesus or understood all the details about Jesus
You say what kind of people are you talking about?
I'm talking about people like the people we studied about when we started the Gospel of Luke
Remember Zacharias? Remember Elizabeth?
They were already saved
The parents of John the Baptist
The Bible makes it clear that they were already saved but they never asked Jesus to save them
Jesus hadn't even been born yet when they got saved
What about Simeon? What about Anna?
Remember when Joseph and Mary brought the Lord Jesus Christ as a baby to the temple
And Simeon grabbed Jesus and said, mine eyes have seen the salvation of the Lord
And Anna, she went about telling people about the Messiah
They were already saved. They didn't get saved when they saw Jesus, the baby Jesus
They were already saved under the Old Testament Covenant
And here's what you need to understand
There was a transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament
You say, well what happened? Did Zacharias and Elizabeth and Simeon and Anna
Did they have to get resaved?
No, once you're saved you're always saved
Say, well what happened? Here's what happened
Everyone that was saved under the Old Testament Covenant by calling upon the name of the Lord
When they died they went to heaven
Those who were still alive when Jesus showed up
Simply as truth was revealed to them about Jesus
They just simply accepted it and kept moving forward
They were already saved
Anyone that was already saved accepted Jesus as their Messiah
You say, how can that be? Here's why
The Bible says, Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me
The Bible says, wherefore I give you to understand
That no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed
And that no man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Ghost
So anyone that was already saved under the Old Testament Covenant
When Jesus showed up and began his New Testament ministry
They heard the voice of the shepherd and they said, yeah that's right
They transitioned from the Old Testament into the New Testament
Then there were other people who weren't saved when Jesus showed up
But when he got there they believed on him
You say people like who? Like the woman at the well
She wasn't saved when she met Jesus
But she got saved after hearing Jesus
And then there were other people which were people in the future or you and I
Who lived after the ascension of Christ
And we also get saved not by seeing Jesus
But by faith calling upon him looking back on that which was done on the cross for our sins
So I want to just take some time and explain the differences between Old Testament salvation and New Testament salvation
They're the same salvation but there were some things that were a little different
And there was this transitional period
And here's all I'm saying is anyone who was already saved when Jesus showed up
They just believed what Jesus said
They just continued on
They didn't have to get re-saved
They just heard the voice of the shepherd and they said yes
Did they necessarily understand it?
No, the disciples didn't understand it but they believed Jesus
After the death, burial, and resurrection then they got it
Then they understood it
But they did not understand it necessarily at that moment
Go back to Luke chapter 18
So there's just some verses here regarding Old Testament scriptures, Old Testament salvation
I just wanted to take a little bit of time and kind of explain those things
And believe it or not that's going to give you a little bit of context into what we're going to get into right now
Which is the story of the blind man
In Luke 18 35 the Bible says this
And it came to pass as he, this is Jesus, was come nigh or come near unto Jericho
By the way, here in Jericho Jesus is going to meet two individuals
We're going to look at one tonight, the blind man
And we'll look at another one on Sunday morning, Zacchaeus
Who's near and dear to my heart because he was short
And he was come nigh unto Jericho
A certain blind man sat by the wayside begging
And hearing the multitude pass by
For those of you taking notes tonight, and I always encourage you to take notes
Let me just quickly give you some thoughts regarding this blind man
Number one, I want you to notice that the blind man by others was not seen
I want you to notice that this blind man, the blind man could not see
But the blind man was also not seen by others
Meaning that he was a blind man
He was a crippled man, he was a beggar, he was someone that had been there for a long time
Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem
Crowds are thronging him, crowds are following him
He's healing them, he's teaching them, he's performing miracles and parables
We're going to get to Jerusalem and there's going to be a big celebration
He's going to come into Jerusalem on a colt of an ass
And they're going to celebrate him and acknowledge him as the Messiah
The crowds are just getting bigger and bigger as Jesus is going
And as Jesus is going, the Bible says that there was a certain blind man that sat by the wayside begging
He was there on the road as Jesus and his entourage was coming by
He was there on the road begging and hearing because he was blind, he could not see
And hearing the multitude, he heard the crowd, he heard the commotion, he heard the singing
He heard the talking, he heard the partying and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant
I want you to understand something that nobody stopped to tell the blind man, hey Jesus is coming
No one saw him, no one acknowledged him
And if you think about it, it's no different than how most of us treat beggars today
We just kind of walk by
This blind man by others was not seen
I understand that most beggars today and most homeless people today are there because of drugs and all of that
And I get that and we shouldn't try to, the Bible says if you will not work you should not eat
But this man in the first century was not necessarily there because he was lazy, he was there because he was blind
And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant and they told him
He said what's going on and they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by
If I could have noticed first of all that the blind man could not see
But that's not the point that I'm making
I'm not making the point that the blind man could not see, I'm making the point that the blind man was not seen
He was left behind
He was ignored
He was not someone that people thought, hey you got to know what's going on
It's interesting to me as you study the life of the Lord Jesus Christ
That Jesus makes an effort to come to the least and the last and the left out
He comes to those that are objectified
He comes to those that are not important in the eyes of others
See the point that I'm making about the blind man is not that the blind man could not see
We know the blind man could not see, that's why he's a blind man
The point that I'm making is this, that the blind man though he could not see by others he was also not seen
Now this blind man got excited when he heard that Jesus was there
And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by
Notice verse 38
He cried saying, Jesus the son of David have mercy on me
Not only did he cry but he made a show of it
And they which went before rebuked him that he should hold his peace
But he cried, notice the words, so much the more, thou son of David have mercy on me
When this guy heard that Jesus was coming he got excited
Now why he got excited we don't know
But we could probably take a guess, an educated guess
You're there in Luke 18, go to Luke chapter 4
Luke chapter 4
We're told that when people lose a sense other senses are heightened as a result
So when someone is blind we're told that their hearing becomes better
When someone can't hear their eyesight becomes better
When you lose a sense other senses are heightened
That's a true statement regarding your physical body
I think that this blind man because he was blind probably got really good at hearing
And maybe overhearing and maybe listening
This was a man that sat by the wayside on a road that people often travel to
The reason that Jesus is on this road to Jericho is because he's on his way to Jerusalem
This was a road when we filmed the documentary Beyond Jordan
Pastor Anderson and I literally walked down this road between Jericho and Jerusalem
It was a road that was often used by many people to travel
Which is why Jesus if you remember the story of the good Samaritan
He said in that story though it's a fictional story
He used a real road and talked about a man going down a road from Jericho to Jerusalem
Remember the story?
And he fell among thieves
It was a parable not a real story but that road is a real road
Jesus is literally on that road right now on his way to Jerusalem
This is a road that was often used by people
They're making their way to Jerusalem for a great feast called the Passover
So lots of people are going down this road
This blind man is sitting there
He's begging as people walk by and he's listening
And what do you think people were talking about?
They're talking about Jesus of Nazareth
I mean when we get to Jerusalem the Bible says that everybody was talking about Jesus
They wanted to know if he was going to make an appearance
They were talking about his miracles
They were talking about his parables
They were talking about his teachings
What is it that this blind man heard about Jesus?
We don't know for sure but we can take a guess
He said what do you think the blind man heard?
He might have heard what Jesus said
When Jesus launched his ministry in the synagogue in Galilee
Remember what Jesus said when he launched his ministry?
Are you there in Luke 4?
Remember right after his baptism and his temptation?
He goes to the synagogue in Galilee
This is his official launch of his ministry, Luke 4.17
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah
And when he had opened the book he found the place where it was written
Jesus opens the book of Isaiah and he begins to read from the book of Isaiah
Here's what he read, Luke 4.18
This is a quote from the book of Isaiah
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me
Notice what he's anointed, this is a prophecy about the Messiah by the way
Jesus opens the book of Isaiah
Getting ready to begin his earthly ministry
Finds a passage in Isaiah about the Messiah, the coming Messiah
Which he is
And he reads these words
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor
He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives
And, don't miss it, and recovering of sight to the blind
To set at liberty then that are bruised
And then Jesus closes the book and he says
Today this is fulfilled in your hearing
People would have talked about that
What do you think about that Jesus? Remember he opened up in Isaiah
And he said that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him to preach the gospel to the poor
To heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives
And to recover the sight to the blind
And the blind man overhearing that would have said what?
Recover the sight to the blind?
And then, and then he has the goal to say
This is fulfilled today in your hearing
I don't know, I don't know what he heard about Jesus
But I think he might have heard something like that
Maybe he heard this, go to Luke chapter 7
Maybe he heard the response that Jesus gave to John the Baptist
Remember when John the Baptist was in prison
And he began to doubt the doubting Baptist there in prison
And he sends his disciples to Jesus
And he asks the question
Art thou he? Are you the person we're looking for?
Or do we look for another, John, at a low point in his ministry?
Remember when Jesus responds, Luke 7 22
Then Jesus answering said unto them
Go your way and tell John what things ye have seen and heard
Maybe this blind man on the road of Jericho
Had heard people talk about this story
When Jesus tells the disciples of John
To go tell John the things that they have seen and heard
What have they seen and heard?
Look at it, Luke 7 22
How that the blind see
The lame walk
The lepers are cleansed
The deaf hear, the dead are raised
The poor, to the poor the gospel is preached
I don't know what the blind man heard
But I do know this
Whatever he heard
He knew that Jesus could help a blind man
He knew that Jesus could help him
So though no one had noticed him
Though no one had cared about him
Though no one had taken the time to say
Hey blind man, there's Jesus
He healed blind men
Nobody took the time
But as he heard people passing by
As he heard the multitude pass by
He asked what it meant
And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passes by
And he responded, Luke 18 38
And he cried saying
Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me
And they which went before rebuked him
That he should hold his peace
He cried so much tomorrow
Thou son of David, have mercy on me
Why don't you notice the response of our Savior, verse 40
And Jesus stood
And commanded him to be brought unto him
And when he was come near, he asked him
I just want to stop right there and just say this
Aren't you thankful that Jesus always takes time
For the least
And the last
And the left out
No one took time for this blind man
But Jesus did
Let me say this and I won't take the time to
To go run all the verses
All throughout the Bible we're told that God is no respecter of persons
It's interesting to me and as we study these stories
In their context as we're moving our way through the gospel of Luke
I think one of the beautiful things about studying these stories
Is not just that we study these stories
But we study them in their context
And the context of this story
Is that we just saw Jesus
We just saw Jesus this morning
In the Sunday morning service
We spent the time to study the fact
That Jesus took his time
And spent his time with someone
That we would all think Jesus would spend time with
A rich young ruler
But tonight we see
That Jesus did not only take time
To talk with a rich young ruler
He also took time
To talk with this old poor beggar
Because he is no respecter of persons
He came for the least
And he came for the last
And he came for the left out
Which is why Jesus said
The last shall be first
And the first shall be last
Which is why Jesus said
That the least will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven
Jesus said those that are forgotten
Those that are objectified
Those that people leave out
Those that people tell them to be quiet
Those that people rebuke him
And tell them to hold his peace
Jesus said
Command him to be brought unto me
So though the blind man
By others was not seen
I want you to notice
The Jesus Psalm
And I don't know about you
But I'm thankful that Jesus is no respecter of persons
And I'm thankful that he saw him
And I'm thankful that he saw a little four year old kid in Venezuela
And got him saved too
I want you to notice secondly tonight
Not only do we see that the blind man
Who could not seen, was not seen
I want you to notice secondly
That the blind man saw something that the others did not see
The blind man who could not see
Was not seen by others
But what's interesting about this story
Is that this blind man
Who physically could not see
Saw something that the others did not see
Notice Luke 18 38
And he cried
Saying
Jesus
Notice this phrase
Sow thou son of David
Have mercy on me
You say pastor why would you
You don't know that he heard about Jesus
Preaching in the synagogue of Galilee
Reading out of the book of Isaiah
And you're right
That is my opinion
I don't know
That he heard that story
But here's what I do know
He had heard enough to know
That Jesus was the Messiah
Because that term that he used
Jesus thou son of David
Is a messianic term
It is a title used only for the Christ, the Messiah
Let's run a few verses
Let me show that to you
Go to Matthew 21
Matthew 21
Look at verse 9
You go backwards
You have Luke, Mark, Matthew
I don't know how he knew that
I don't know where he got that from
But I know this
When they said Jesus passed by
He said that's the Messiah
That's the Christ
Jesus thou son of David
Have mercy on me
That phrase son of David
Is a messianic term
Matthew 21
Look at verse 9
Notice what the Bible says
And the multitudes that went before
And that followed cried saying
This is Jesus in Jerusalem
On what is referred to as
Palm Sunday
Notice what they said
Hosanna to the son of David
Blessed is he that cometh
In the name of the Lord
Hosanna in the highest
Why did they say hosanna to the son of David
Here's why
Because the son of David is a messianic term
It's a term used for the Messiah
The coming Christ
Go to Matthew 22
Look at verse 42
Matthew 22 verse 42
Here Jesus is asking a question
Notice what he says
Matthew 22 42 saying
This is Jesus asking
He says
What think ye of Christ?
The word Christ is a title
Which means Messiah
I won't take the time to run the verses
But it's all throughout the New Testament
It's very clear
The New Testament itself tells us Christ
Which being interpreted is Messiah
That's what it means
People think that was Jesus' last name or something
You know, Jesus Christ
No, it's a title
It means Messiah
Jesus asked the question
What think ye of Christ?
He said
What do you think about the Messiah?
Notice the question
Whose son is he?
They say unto him
The son of David
See the son of David is a messianic term
Why?
Because David was the king of Israel
That was promised
And through his lineage would come the Christ
The coming Messiah
And Jesus was the descendant of David
He was the son of David
And I want you to understand something
That this blind man
For some reason
Though he could not physically see
He saw something
He saw
That Jesus was the son of David
That Jesus was the Christ
That Jesus was the Messiah
Now compare that to what the others saw
The blind man who could not see
Saw that Jesus was the son of David
You know what the other people saw?
Well look at it
Luke 18 36
And hearing the multitude pass by
He, the blind man, asked what it meant
Remember he asked
What's going on?
Notice what they said
Verse 37
And they told him
That Jesus the son of David
Is that what it says?
Jesus of Nazareth passes by
It's interesting to me
Jesus passed by
The blind man says
Who passed by?
They didn't say Jesus the Christ
They didn't say Jesus the son of David
They said Jesus of Nazareth
That's a plain term
That's a normal term
It's just telling us where he's from
You want to know who passed by?
Jesus of Nazareth
The blind man said
That's not just Jesus of Nazareth
That's Jesus the son of David
That's Jesus the son of God
That's Jesus the Christ
The Messiah
We talked about it
For a little bit before the service
Before we got into the story
Luke 18 31
Then he took unto him the twelve
And said unto them
Behold we go up to Jerusalem
And all things that are written by the prophets
Concerning
Here's another term used for the Messiah
The son of man
Shall be accomplished
For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles
And shall be mocked and spitefully entreated
And spitted upon
And they shall scourge him
And put him to death
And the third day
He shall rise again
And they understood none of these things
It's interesting that the apostles
Were not able to identify
The Old Testament passages
About the Messiah
Referring to the task of Jesus Christ
The crowd did not give Jesus
The messianic title of Christ
Or of the son of David
They did not see it
But this blind man saw it
So we saw number one
Go back to Luke 18
Or if you're there in Luke 18
Look at verse 41
We saw number one
The blind man who could not see
Was not seen
And we saw number two
The blind man saw something
That others did not see
He saw that Jesus was the son of David
While the others just referred to him
As Jesus of Nazareth
I'd like you to notice early tonight
We'll finish up
That the blind man
Caused others to see
What they could not see
Look at verse 41
Jesus calls the blind man
And he asks him
Verse 41 saying
What wilt thou
That I shall do unto thee
And he said
What any blind man
Who's standing before the son of David
Would say
Lord
That I may receive my sight
And Jesus said unto him
Receive thy sight
Notice this little phrase
Thy faith hath saved thee
This blind man
Nobody did
He exercised faith
You know what's interesting about faith
The interesting thing about faith
Is that faith cannot be seen
The Bible says
I already quoted this to you
But I'll read it again
Hebrews 11 one
Now faith is a substance
Of things hoped for
The evidence
Of things not seen
I just think it's funny
That the blind man
Who could not see
Exercises faith
That is not seen
And when this blind man
Exercises
This blind man
Who could not see
Exercises faith
That could not be seen
Then his faith
That could not be seen
Was seen
When he could see
I know I'm using too much of that
But
Look Luke 18 43
And immediately
He received the sight
The blind man that could not see
Exercises faith
That could not be seen
As a result
He received the sight
And followed him
Glorifying God
And now the people
Who had not seen him
Who had not seen
And identified Jesus
The Bible says
And all the people
When they saw it
Gave praise unto God
It's interesting to me
That the blind man
That could not see
Made the people that could see
But had not seen
See
Say how can that be
Here's why
Because when you and I
Exercises faith
That cannot be seen
Then people
Who cannot see faith
See us
This is what the Bible
Is talking about in James
When it says
Show me thy faith
By thy works
Show me thy faith
By thy works
And I will show thee
My faith
By my works
This is why
First Peter 2 12 says
Having your conversation
Honest among the Gentiles
That whereas they speak
Against you as evildoers
They may by your good works
Which they shall behold
Glorify God
This is why the Bible says
In Matthew 5 16
Let your light so shine
Before men
That they may see
Your good works
And glorify your Father
Which is in heaven
Go back to Luke 18
We'll finish up
I just think it's funny
That the blind man
Who could not see
Was not seen
But the blind man
Who could not see
Saw something that the others
Did not see
And when the blind man
Who could not see
Was made to see
Everyone else
Saw
What he had seen
It's a beautiful story
About salvation
Luke 18 41
Look at it again
Saying
What wilt thou
That I shall do unto thee
And he said Lord
That I may receive my sight
And Jesus said unto him
Receive thy sight
Thy faith
Hath saved thee
Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost
But now am found
Was blind
But now I see
And immediately
He received the sight
And followed him
Glorifying God
And all the people
When they saw it
Saw what?
Saw
The blind man's
Faith
Gave praise unto God
Let's bow our heads
And now board of prayer
Heavenly Father
Lord, thank you for this
Simple story
This blind man
Could not see
Was not seen
But saw something
The others did not see
Lord, we thank you for it
We thank you that we were
Those blind men
Those beggars
The least
The last
The left out
And when you passed by
You heard our cry
I once was lost
But now am found
Was blind
But now I see
We thank you, Lord, for salvation
We thank you for this
Simple story
That encourages us
Lord, help us to be
Like this blind man
That our faith
May be seen
Through our lives
That our good works
Would be something
That others will see
And glorify our Father
Which is in heaven
In the match
The name of Christ
We pray
Amen
We're now Brother RJ
Come up and lead us
In a final song
I just want to remind you
That if you'd like to sign up
For the Turkey Bowl
There is a clipboard
In the foyer
For you to be able to do that
And if there's anything
That we can do for you
Please let us know
And I just want to remind you
Don't forget
If you could just take a moment
To look at your area
Where you're sitting there
If you could just kind of
Pick up your mess
Whatever mess you made
And put the hymn books back
And help us
It would help the cleaning crew
In the morning
To be able to take care of that
And clean all that up
And situate things
And put them back in order
We would appreciate that
If there's anything
We can do for you
Please let us know
We'll have Brother RJ
Come up and lead us
In a final song
Let's grab our songbooks
And turn to page number 247
Song number 247
I found a friend
Who is all to me
Let's sing it out on the first
I found a friend
Who is all up to me
His love is ever true
I love to tell
How He lives in me
And what His grace can do for you
Saved by His butterfly
Saved to do life so right
Life now is sweet
And my joy is coming
For I'm saved, saved, saved
He saves me
From every sin and harm
And signals my soul
Please stay
I'm leaning strong
On His mighty arm
I know He'll guide me
All the way
Saved by His butterfly
Saved to do life so right
Life now is sweet
And my joy is coming
For I'm saved, saved, saved
God will see you well
When you're with me
And all alone
In love He said to me
Come unto me
And I'll lead you home
To live with me
Eternally
Saved by His butterfly
Saved to do life so right
Life now is sweet
And my joy is coming
For I'm saved, saved, saved
Amen. Brother Aiden, would you dismiss us with a word of prayer?
Take it forward to the sermon and help us to put the cancer in the life of God and take it forward to the moment when people got sick.
Take it to the night of rest and bring it back to your room and enjoy it.
Have a good night and be well tonight.
Amen.