Blindness is a difficult handicap. I remember seeing a movie that dealt with the
difficult life of Helen Keller. She
showed the world how to live above the handicap. She was the first blind deaf person to earn a
Bachelor of Arts degree. A brave woman
with a great deal of determination.
My friend in Long Island a long time ago was
born blind. Adam went through high
school at a Blind school just outside New York City. I met him while at Adelphi Un on Long Island.
It was a good open friendship. I had never spoken with a blind man before and
he was open to be very honest with me.
He invited me over to his apartment one evening, unlocked the door and
walked in. No lights were on. He turned
on the TV for the sound and was surprised I was still standing at the door---in
the dark. Adam taught me a great deal
about blindness. I asked him once to
tell me what goes on in his mind when I say “sun
rise”. Does he ‘see’ anything? Adam said he “felt warmth on my
face and knew the sun was shining on him.” No colors—not knowing what to call color, he
said he ‘saw’ something that ‘might be color’ but he had nothing to
evaluated that with.
The fact of both illustrations is that both Adam
and Helen Keller stayed blind. One was
blind since birth and the other became blind soon after due to an illness.
In our story today, John 9:1-41—this one you may have looked at
before —the man in question was blind.
He was known to be blind. He sat
by the road to receive donations, or alms from passers-by. People knew him and that he was born
blind. There was a false teaching back
then—which still is found today—that he or his parents MUST have sinned to
create such a condition for this man.
The disciples believed that as well and asked the Master, “Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Jesus
responds: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,
but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” “While I am in the world, I am the Light of
the world.”
Then, as the story continues, Jesus spat on the
ground and made some mud and applied that mud to the man’s eyes and was told to
go and wash in the Pool. He went and
washed and came home seeing. People were
amazed while others were discounting the whole thing as someone who ‘looked like’ the blind man. He knew and said he had been blind but now he
could see.
The whole story goes on to another situation
that makes the greatness of the healing almost disappear. Problems came up because Jesus had done this
healing— on the Holy Day! The leaders
were upset with that part of the story and not happy for the man who is now
seeing. As far as we know, many lost the
real joy of the situation. The story
ends with a conversation between the Teachers of the Law and Jesus. Jesus calls them out and says:
John 9:39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind
will see and those who see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him
say this and asked, “What? Are we blind
too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now
that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” ヨハネの福音書 ９: 39 そこで、イエスは言われた。「わたしはさばきのためにこの世に来ました。それは、目の見えない者が見えるようになり、見える者が盲目となるためです。」40 パリサイ人の中でイエスとともにいた人々が、このことを聞いて、イエスに言った。「私たちも盲目なのですか。」41 イエスは彼らに言われた。「もしあなたがたが盲目であったなら、あなたがたに罪はなかったでしょう。しかし、あなたがたは今、『私たちは目が見える』と言っています。あなたがたの罪は残るのです。」
Now the teaching here is more than healing a blind
man. It has to do with what God was
doing. The key part of the passage is: so that the work
of God might be displayed in his life.
So, are you blind? Short sighted? Near sighted?
Do you have a blind spot? So easy
to see that in others and I would suggest that if you are in a relationship
right now, you do not see your blind spots very well indeed! In fact, I guarantee that you think your eyesight—as
far as the relationship between you and your significant other—if there are
faults, the problem lies with the other person and not you. Never you.
You can see all things very well.
You, like the Pharisees of long ago, would say the same thing to me today:
“What? Are we blind too?” “Am I blind, too? No way possible!” I think not.
I think you---and I ---am blind.
Let’s
talk about it.
Social contact: Many
experts in Human behavior believes that the more social ties a person has, the
better the health and the lower the death rate. Conversely, they indicated that
the more isolated the person, the poorer the health and the higher the death
rate. Social ties are good preventative
medicine for physical problems and for mental-emotional-behavior
problems.
Are you blind to the problems facing
relationships today? The kind of a
person you were before you got married will not change so much after
marriage. Friendly before a marriage to
‘get’ a partner is unfortunately true in some cases; it should not be true
within the Body of Christ. We might need
to look at each other in much better light than we are doing right now.
Take a
look at 1 Timothy 5: 1-2 Do not rebuke an
older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men
as brothers,
2 older women as
mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity, テサロニケ人への手紙 第一 ５:1 兄弟たち。それらがいつなのか、またどういう時かについては、あなたがたは私たちに書いてもらう必要がありません。2 主の日が夜中の盗人のように来るということは、あなたがた自身がよく承知しているからです。
8 Anyone who does not provide for their
relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is
worse than an unbeliever, 8 しかし、私たちは昼の者なので、信仰と愛を胸当てとして着け、救いの望みをかぶととしてかぶって、慎み深くしていましょう。
21 I charge you, in the
sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions
without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism,
21 しかし、すべてのことを見分けて、ほんとうに良いものを堅く守りなさい。
22b Keep yourself pure,
22 悪はどんな悪でも避けなさい。
Single men are jailed
more often, earn less, have more illnesses and die at a younger age than
married men. Married men with cancer
live 20% longer than single men with the same cancer. Women, who often have more close friendships
than men, survive longer with the same cancers. Married or not, relationships keep us alive. It might even be better if we work at those
relationships harder!
And that should be true within the Body of
Christ—even more so as we know where we had come from. You remember that the early church came from? 1 Cor 6:8-11 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you
do this to your brothers and sisters. 9 Or do you not know
that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex
with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor
slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were.
But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. コリント人への手紙 第一 ６: 8 ところが、それどころか、あなたがたは、不正を行う、だまし取る、しかもそのようなことを兄弟に対してしているのです。9
あなたがたは、正しくない者は神の国を相続できないことを、知らないのですか。だまされてはいけまんせん。不品行な者、偶像を礼拝する者、姦淫をする者、男娼となる者、男色をする者、10 盗む者、貪欲な者、酒に酔う者、そしる者、略奪する者はみな、神の国を相続することができません。11
あなたがたの中にある人たちは以前はそのような者でした。しかし、主イエス・キリストの御名と私たちの神の御霊によって、あなたがたは洗われ、聖なる者とされ、義と認められたのです。
We know were we had come from; we know where
we are now—bought by the Blood of the Lamb and we know where we are headed—Glory.
Here are some suggestions for your
relationships:
Ten Commandments of Human
Relations 人間関係の十戒
1. Speak to
people/人に話すThere
is nothing as nice as a cheerful word of greeting.
2. Smile at
people. It takes seventy-two muscles to frown, only fourteen to smile. スマイル
3. Call people
by name. Music to anyone's ears is the sound of his/her own name. 相手の名前で呼ぶ
4. Be friendly
and helpful. 親しみやすく
5. Be cordial.
Speak and act as if everything you do is genuinely a pleasure, and if it isn't,
learn to make it so. 誠心誠意に
6. Be genuinely
interested in people. You can like almost everybody if you try. BE
AT PEACE WITH THEM—AS MUCH AS IS POSSIBLE. 関心をもつ
7. Be generous
with praise, cautious with criticism. 惜しみない称賛を送る/批判に注意する
8. Be
considerate with the feelings of others. There are usually three sides to a
controversy: yours, the other fellow's, and
the right one. 相手の感情に注意する
9. Be alert to
serve. What counts most in life is what we do for others. 接するのに注意が必要です
10. Add to this
a good sense of humor, a big dose of patience, and a dash of
humility, and you will be rewarded
manifold through life. ユーモア、忍耐と謙遜を追加 Adapted from the Bible Tract Bulletin. As you are doing already!
The words we say to one another really do make the
difference!
When I was a child, I remember the saying: “Sticks
and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt you.” That is only half true. Sticks and stone WILL break bones and mess up
your face AND words will cut you apart.
Beware of what you say to each other.
On Getting Along With People
The SIX most
important words: "I admit I made a mistake."
The FIVE most
important words: "You did a good job."
The FOUR most
important words: "What do you think?"
The THREE most
important words: "After you please."
The TWO most
important words: "Thank you."
The ONE most
important word: "We"
The LEAST
important word: "I"
The Carnegie
Technological Institute has stated that 90% of all people who fail in their
life's vocation fail because they cannot get along with people. Lloyd Perry, Getting
the Church on Target, Moody, 77. We want people to succeed in life-to move forward!
When we are talking about
married couples and who it is that wins and who it is that looses in a family
fight, the answer is: no one. Both
loose. We need to strengthen our
families more now than ever before. With
marriage breakups almost the same inside the Church as it is outside the
Church, we need some help. We need to
KNOW that we are blind—or at least, shortsighted. Go to the One who heals!
Here
is what we are going to do…just for this Sunday, we will talk about ONE thing,
one aid that we can all benefit from.
Here it is: Let the river flow into
your heart. A personal check-list—without
a list, that can help put our relationships back where God wants them to be AND
where He created them to be.Fellowship with the Spirit. 御霊との交わりAlong with fellowship with each other, each of us needs to sharpen our spiritual flow. We need to be replenished from within so that our outflow will reflect His Heart. We need to replenish our spiritual life.
Without a life giving flowing spiritual
river of God’s Grace flowing in your heart, we will find we cannot give what we
don’t have. We all might feel we are at
peak spiritual condition but if we are honest—and we need to be—we will see
that our walk and our talk don’t agree.
We talk about a close walk with the Lord but you and I both know we are
far from it. We need to sharpen our walk
with the Lord.
When my friend Adam wanted to walk across
the library at the Univ he attended, he depended upon someone to walk along
side him. He would hold onto the helpers
elbow and together, they would make it to the other side.
Do you have someone you can use as a
guide? Are you someone’s guide? It might seem like the blind leading the
blind but if you are connected to the Spiritual Stream of a close walk with the
Spirit of God, then you will make it across life.
How long does it take to get
spiritually dry? Good question. Does it take a year to become dry? A month?
Two weeks? A day? The Scriptures
instruct us to guard our hearts daily! 毎日、私たちの心を守る Daily going to Him in prayer and with an honest heart, asking Him to
grow you. Asking Him to move you. Asking Him to refresh your heart. Do this even while you are walking with your
partner. If God has brought you
together, and I believe He has—He does not make mistakes—then you need to keep
on walking. And guarding your heart—daily.
There is a need to linger
in His Presence. 彼の存在に留まる A five min devotional time while you are running off
to the bus or train just will not cut it in the long run. Even in the short run, you are cutting
yourself off from being in His presence.
This discipline takes time. He has the time, so meet with Him! Get to know Him better than you knew Him
yesterday. Stay in His Word. Listen to His voice as you linger before Him. This is not Bible study time. This is “I’m going to save my marriage—my relationship—sort of
time.” It is relationship time!
Turn with me to Jer 29:11-13. 11 For I know
the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you
will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek
Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. エレミヤ２９: 11 わたしはあなたがたのために立てている計画をよく知っているからだ。―主の御告げ―それはわざわいではなくて、平安を与える計画であり、あなたがたに将来と希望を与えるためのものだ。12 あなたがたがわたしを呼び求めて歩き、わたしに祈るなら、わたしはあなたがたに聞こう。13 もし、あなたがたが心を尽くしてわたしを捜し求めるなら、わたしを見つけるだろう。
1 Cor 9:24-27. 24 Do you not
know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in
such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone
who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown
that will not last, but we do it to get a Crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore
I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer
beating the air.
27 No, I
strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to
others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1コリント９: 24 競技場で走る人たちは、みな走っても、賞を受けるのはただひとりだ、ということを知っているでしょう。ですから、あなたがたも、賞を受けられるように走りなさい。25 また闘技をする者は、あらゆることについて自制します。彼らは朽ちる冠を受けるためにそうするのですが、私たちは朽ちない冠を受けるためにそうするのです。26
ですから、私は決勝点がどこかわからないような走り方をしていません。空を打つような拳闘もしてはいません。27 私は自分のからだを打ちたたいて従わせます。それは、私がほかの人に宣べ伝えておきながら、自分自身が失格者になることのないためです。
Take some time to practice
listening to Him. Practice listening. 彼に聴くことを訓練する Be still WITHOUT your
iPhone, iTouch, your music, emails, Korean Soaps. And listen to Him and you will see how blind
you had been before.
You will need to agree that
those who put their trust in the Lord will be renewed. That is the way it is supposed to be. Reality
is that not all couples and all relationships are healthy. So,
the question is: what do we do with that? だから、私たちは何をすればよいですか？ Easy answer: Give it to Jesus. Harder answer: Give it to Jesus. Your relationships are worth all the effort
you can put into it. Giving it all to Jesus does cost some
personal attention. Some would look at
the Love Chapter in Cor: Love is ___ as
the guide-line for us to follow. I don’t
think it is. Having the mind of Christ
my Savior is.
1 Timothy 6:11, 12 NLT "But
you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue
righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and
gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God
has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses." テモテ第一 ６: 11 しかし、神の人よ。あなたは、これらのことを避け、正しさ、敬虔、信仰、愛、忍耐、柔和を熱心に求めなさい。12 信仰の戦いを勇敢に戦い、永遠のいのちを獲得しなさい。あなたはこのために召され、また、多くの証人たちの前でりっぱな告白をしました。
One of the key elements in strengthening our relationships in
the Chapel is to be engaged in a vibrant community. As we work together,
worship together, pray together, and express our thankfulness together, we live
out our faith in Christ, our love for one another, and the hope that we have
because of the Gospel. So let's enjoy this journey together!
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father, and
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dr. Lloyd Perry’s Benediction:
May a dying
Savior’s love, a risen Savior’s power, an ascended Savior’s prayer, and a soon coming Savior’s glory be the abundant
portion of all those who have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. May
the peace of God be our portion; may the God of peace be our partner both now
and until we meet again. Amen.
