Are we raising a generation of children unwilling to work for and wait for the important things in life?
We live in an “instant” age.
Generally, the best things in life take time.
- Relationships.
- Education.
- Skill in craftsmanship.
- Faith.
Sometimes things come gradually as our faith grows.
In our text, we see how the blind man received his sight through the repeated touch of the Savior’s hand.
God deals differently with different people.
The Expectations Of People
It may benefit us to look at the expectations we have: see whether they are accurate and reasonable.
What are these people’s expectations in reference to God?
- Hardened hearts.
- No repentance.
- Spiritually insensitive.
People have all kinds of expectation about God.
- Divine Santa Claus.
- Anything we want.
- Heavenly vending machine.
God is not
- Some impersonal force in the universe.
- Merely a “supreme being.”
The Bible reveals God is a person.
Key questions we must answer about God:
- Who do I really believe God is and how does He relate to my life?
- Do I know Him personally?
- Do I understand that He is Creator God?
- Have I surrendered my life in humble obedience to Him?
How you view God determines how you view yourself.
People have expectations in reference to God’s work.
God doesn’t always do things the way we think He should.
Jesus is willing to take time with us as individuals.
God’s methods cannot be reduced to a mere formula.
What we expect God to do is not always what He does. But what He does is precisely what we need.
The Symbols Of Grace
The symbols of grace are not the substance of grace.
The touch was not the grace.
Both faith and grace are at work in the touch of Jesus. But the touch is not the grace.
Symbols are not the substance.
Symbols do serve to stimulate faith.
The Process Of Faith
God is interested in our faith.
God is excited about our faith.
God acts on the basis of our faith.
Trusting Jesus means getting to know God better.
In the second touch we see the fulfillment of faith.
What is important is that you know that you have surrendered your life to Jesus.
Jesus is interested in giving you what you need.
