Trusting a God Who Doesn’t Explain Himself

Scripture Reference(s)

• John 9:1–7

Introduction

• Final Sunday of the year; pastor situates congregation for transition into 2026.
• Welcomes first-time guests, honors December birthdays/anniversaries, and celebrates quarterly service awards (Walter G. Moore Distinguished Service).
• Announces New Year’s Day noon service (“both hands lifted”) with vision, declarations, and a $226 “superseed.”
• Brief relationship and stewardship nuggets: men = assignment, women = connection; tithing reveals lordship.
• Sets the preaching moment: God often works through baffling methods—highlighted by Jesus healing a man born blind (John 9).

Key Points / Exposition

1. Pain Is Not Always Punishment

• Jewish assumption: personal sin causes personal suffering (v. 2).
• Jesus corrects: neither the man nor his parents sinned; the blindness is a stage for God’s glory (v. 3).
• Some trials exist solely so God’s work may be “manifest in us,” not merely “for us.”
• Personal testimony: even diligent believers encounter unexplainable hardship—God chooses situations that showcase His sovereignty.

2. God Often Withholds Explanations

• Divine email metaphor: if we could explain it, we’d try to control it; if we could control it, we’d stop relying on Him.
• Core struggle is usually control, not faith; we love a God we can quote, resist a God we can’t calculate.
• Need for explanation = decision not to move until human understanding is satisfied.
• Discipleship requires moving without clarity.

3. Obedience, Discipline, and the Irritating Miracle

• Method matters: Jesus mixes saliva (DNA-laden) with dirt—an irritant—to heal (vv. 6-7).
  • Symbolism: His DNA on our irritation guarantees transformation.
  • Dirt in the eye forces washing; irritation pushes obedience.
• The blind man must walk, still blind, hearing murmurs, carrying mud—faith precedes evidence.
• Faith without discipline becomes a wish-list.
  • Illustration: trend-driven “scoot challenge” vs. “discipline challenge”—we obey viral prompts quicker than divine ones.
• Control freaks are delivered through uncontrollable circumstances; God’s best work emerges when He offers no explanation.

4. Call Things Forward, Not Backward

• Renaming moment: “Never-on-Time Turner” becomes “On-Time Turner”—speaking to destiny over defects.
• Romans 4 principle cited: call things that are not as though they were; speak to the king/queen within.

Major Lessons & Revelations

• Unexplained adversity is often a canvas for divine revelation and personal transformation.
• God demands faith first; explanations may never come.
• True faith fights feelings; emotions cannot lead while following God.
• Discipline partners with faith, ensuring perseverance until manifestation.
• Words shape reality—speak future identity, not present limitation.

Practical Application

1. Enter 2026 with a written vow, not a vague resolution; commit to see it through.
2. Practice giving (tithe/superseed) with gratitude, not grudgingly—whatever gets the first holds the throne.
3. When conflict arises (marriage, finances, health), pause to ask: “Is this for punishment or manifestation?”
4. Replace the need for control with active obedience—move even when clarity is absent.
5. Speak life: rename situations and people by their potential, not their current flaw.

Conclusion & Call to Response

• God is poised to release “head-swimming” blessings, but they hinge on disciplined obedience.
• Congregation urged to trust God without requiring explanations, to carry out vows, and to watch Him manifest His glory within them.
• Invitation to altar for those relinquishing control and embracing faith-filled discipline.

Prayer

• Thanksgiving for God’s sovereignty amid mystery.
• Petition for peace, comfort, understanding, and fortified faith for every need represented at the altar (bereavements, illness, personal struggles).
• Corporate surrender: “We take it out of our hands and place it in Yours—whether or not outcomes match our desires, we thank You anyway.”