GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Gospel of Mark #27

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Wednesday, May 31, 2023

(Mark 8:18, NLT) “‘You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?’ Don’t you remember anything at all?”

(Mark 8:22–31, NLT) “When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him totouch the man and heal him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?” The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walkingaround.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.” Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.” But Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. Then Jesus began to tell them that the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.”

1. I have two sets of eyes; one is physical and one is spiritual.

2. Jesus knows what He is doing.

(Mark 8:23–25, NLT) “Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?” The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly.”

3. Jesus in Servanthood is building steps of grace for me.

4. Biblically sight is seeing and perceiving.

5. Read the Bible Prayerfully and Contextually.

6. Biblically Trees Represent People.

(Psalm 1:3, NLT) “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”

(Psalm 52:8, NLT) “But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God. I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.”

(Isaiah 1:30, NLT) “You will be like a great tree with withered leaves, like a garden without water.”

(Isaiah 61:3, NLT) “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”

(Matthew 12:33, NLT) “A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.”

7. Spiritual Blindness Afflicts all of Humanity.

(2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT) “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

8. Only God can Heal My Spiritual Blindness.

(Matthew 16:17, NLT) “Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.”

9. Jesus Heals Our Spiritual Blindness by Faith in Stages through Community and Builds our Confidence.

(1 Corinthians 13:12, Message) “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!”

GROWTHWORK

1. Ask God to open your eyes to His Word daily.

2. Two Tests when you believe God has spoken to you.

a. Does it agree with the rest of the Bible?

b. Does it agree with the context?

3. Be a bold expresser of God’s love to everyone.