We overcomplicate so many things in our world today. From relationships to finances to decisions that we have to make, we can spend hours and hours overthinking and overcomplicating many areas of our lives. If we are not careful, we may find that we overcomplicate faith, adding on rules and expectations that Jesus never intended for His followers or refusing to allow space for questions about fears or doubts. If you have felt burned out or exhausted by an overcomplicated faith, I have good news for you. An overcomplicated faith is not the way of Jesus. Christ offers a simple faith that is built on trust in Him and His power, even when we do not have all of the answers or fully understand.
What common things do people today overthink about?
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1. In what ways do some people today overcomplicate faith? Why?
2. Read John 9:1-16. How did this man demonstrate a simple, uncomplicated faith in Jesus?
John 9:1-16
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes. 7 He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing! 8 His neighbors and others who knew him as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!” But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!” 10 They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” 11 He told them, “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” 12 “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied. 13 Then they took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees, 14 because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. 15 The Pharisees asked the man all about it. So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!”
3. Read John 9:24-34. What did this man know about Jesus that the religious leaders did not? What kept the religious leaders from having faith in Him?
John 9:24-34
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” 25 “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26 “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” 27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” 28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where he comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but he is ready to hear those who worship him and do his will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” 34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
4. Read John 9:35-41. Compare the formerly blind man's response to Jesus versus the response of the religious leaders.
John 9:35-41
35 When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” 37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” 38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. 39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?” 41 “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied. “But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.
1. Who do you relate to in this story more, the religious leaders or the formerly blind man? Why?
2. The formerly blind man in this story experienced remarkable healing power from Jesus that greatly impacted his faith. How have you experienced the power of Jesus in your own life, and how has His power in your life impacted your faith?
3. What is an area of your life where you need to trust God in faith right now?
The formerly blind man’s story in John 9 was simple, yet powerful: “The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” (verse 11). He told his story, including what his life was like before Christ, how he came to know Christ, and his life after He came to know Christ. His simple and powerful story serves as an example for us to follow. We, too, get to share our stories of how Christ has changed our lives so that we can tell others about the difference Christ makes in each one of our lives. Break into groups of two or three and practice sharing your 2-minute stories, the story of how Christ transformed your life. These stories consist of what your life was like before Christ, how you came to know Christ, and the difference Christ has made in your life. As you go throughout your week, look for opportunities to share your story with someone who needs to know the hope of Christ.
Like the Pharisees, we all have areas where we have been blind and need to turn to Christ in faith. The first step in finding help and healing is to acknowledge the areas where we have been blind. For the next few moments, we are going to take a look at common areas where we can be blind and what Scripture has to say about those areas where we are often blind. As we acknowledge our blindness and exchange it for faith, we will find hope in Christ.
In an age of self-reliance, one area that many are blind to is their need for Christ. They think that they are good enough or can do enough good things to earn their salvation. The reality is that we all need the hope of Christ and the salvation offered through Him and Him alone.
1. Read John 15:1-5.
John 15:1-5
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
2. According to this passage of Scripture, why do we need Christ?
3. What can we do apart from Christ, according to this passage of Scripture, and how does this knowledge impact how you will live your life?
4. What have you been trying to do on your own, apart from Christ? What would it look like to turn to Him in that area?
While it is easy for us to recognize and judge the sins of the people around us, many of us are blind to our sins. Often, we do not recognize when we give in to sin, and if we do recognize our sin, we minimize it, acting as if our sin is insignificant. The truth is, we all sin, and every sin we commit is weighty and must be taken seriously. When we take off our blinders to our sins and acknowledge our sins, we can find freedom in Christ.
1. Read Romans 3:23-28.
Romans 3:23-28
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. 27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.
2. What does this passage of Scripture teach about our sin?
3. Why cannot we be made right with God in our own power?
4. Is there a sin you have been blind to or minimized in your own life? What would it look like to turn away from that sin starting today?
We can often easily see how God has been working and moving in the lives of others and can be quick to point out to them how we see God working and taking care of them. In our own lives, however, we are often blind to how He has been working and taking care of us. Even when we cannot see how He is working, He is, indeed, working. When we recognize how He is working and taking care of us, our faith in Him is strengthened as we trust Him to continue to take care of us.
1. Read Isaiah 41:10-13.
Isaiah 41:10-13
10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 11 “See, all your angry enemies lie there, confused and humiliated. Anyone who opposes you will die and come to nothing. 12 You will look in vain for those who tried to conquer you. Those who attack you will come to nothing. 13 For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
2. What does this passage of Scripture reveal about God’s care and provision for us?
3. What is the impact of remembering God’s care and provision for us?
4. What is one way this week that God has worked in your life and taken care of you?
In which of the areas that many of us can be blind to do you most often find yourself: your need for Christ, your own sin, or how God is working in your life? Share this with your group along with one way you can begin paying attention and opening your eyes to your blindness in that area. After everyone has shared, pray. Ask Him to help each one of you open your eyes to any areas of blindness and thank Him for the hope found in the light of Christ.
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