Covenent Christian Reformed Church

Winnipeg, Canada

 

OUTLINE FOR THE SERMON, JULY 26, 2009

Pastor Peter Hogeterp

 

Scripture Reading: John 9:1-41

Sermon title: HEART OR MIND? (2nd in a Series on Paradoxes)

 

Introduction:

By God’s design for the human race, 50% of us are thinkers, 50% are feelers. Many of us believe that people in the opposite camp are wrong, and would be so much better off if they were like us.

 

  1. Can we become someone different than we are?

a)     Which would you rather do without—your brain or your heart?

b)     How does our primary method effect how we relate to God?

c)     Should everyone relate to God in the same way?

 

  1. Meet the blind beggar. This is how the story unfolds:

a)     The man was blind from birth, and is now nearly 50 yrs. old.

b)     The disciples see him as an occasion for a “theological discussion”:

c)     “Is his blindness caused by his own sin or that of his parents?”

d)     Jesus sees him as a man with a special need.

e)     Jesus performs one of the messiest miracles he ever performed.

f)      Jesus tells the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam.

g)     The man is suddenly able to see.

h)     The neighbours can’t believe their eyes.

i)       They take him to the Pharisees, to ask if such things can happen.

j)       The Pharisees see a new “ethical problem”.

k)     The healed man wonders if the Pharisees too want to be saved.

 

  1. The healed man meets Jesus. This is how the story unfolds:

a)     Jesus asks, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

b)     The man answers, “I don’t even know who he is.”

c)     The man had been healed before he believed.

d)     Jesus explains true “light” and “darkness.”

 

  1. What conclusions can we draw in terms of heart and mind?

a)     Was the blind man a “thinker” or a “feeler”?

b)     Were the disciples and Pharisees “thinkers” or “feelers”?

c)     What did the disciples and the Pharisees see when they saw him?

d)     What did Jesus see? What did Jesus do?

 

Conclusion:

Emphasizing the one over the other, either intellect or emotion makes us one-sided. We need both head and heart to be whole as humans. So we need both the “thinkers” and the “feelers” to have a healthy and wholesome church.