What Saving Faith Looks Like (Luke 18:35-43) By Pastor Brett Riceley Emphasis Notes added by Edwin Baza (bold and italicized) Testimony of the Blind's Man Faith on the road to Jericho. Saving Faith goes beyond signs and miracles!

1. What Saving Faith Looks Like (Luke 18:35-43)?
by Brett Riceley
*Some Emphasis added by Edwin Baza*
The Roadmap of the Text: The Two Responses
1) Blindman's Faith="Son of David, Have Mercy on Me!"
2) Jesus' Response to His Faith= "Receive Your Sight! Your Faith Has Saved You!"
Background: Jesus and His disciples were making their way to Jericho and there was a
blind man by the way side who was there begging for food or money hoping those who
were passing by will give him that. However, when the multitude were passing, he heard
that Jesus of Nazareth was passing through there. His mindset changed from begging
for food and money to begging for God's mercy.
We can relate to this Blind Man: We must admit our spiritual need
 We are all spiritually blind because of spiritual darkness! We need spiritual sight
from above!
 We are all desperate in need of a Savior! We need someone to save us and not
ourselves!
 We all are poor spiritually (without Christ). Sin is a debt to God that we cannot
pay.
 We all must come in humility before God (pleading for His mercy)
 Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)!
*Timeless Truth #1: "The Greatest need of Mankind is to receive, by faith alone, the
unmerited mercy of God through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the
cross".
We need to remind ourselves of four things (1 Corinthians 15:1-8):
1) Remind yourself of the Gospel daily! We are so quick to forget it!

2.  *We need to remind ourselves that it is God alone who sought us out
(before we were saved) and called us to be saved.
 *We need to remind ourselves that it cost God something so precious
to Him to purchase our salvation (that is His Only Begotten Son
Jesus).
 *We need to remind ourselves how much Christ was willing to endure
and suffer for our sins upon that cross to redeem us.
 *We need to remind ourselves that God rescued us from eternal
destruction (Hell).
 *We need to remind ourselves that God wants to restore us back to
what we were originally intended to be.
 Therefore, The Gospel should never be “old news” to us! However, the problem
with some Christians today is that they get saved and they just get over it!
 The Gospel is good enough in that you are never too bad nor are you too good to
be saved!
 How much do we reflect on the Gospel daily? Do we preach the Gospel every day
to ourselves? How well do we know the Gospel?
2) Remember that the Gospel is of first importance!
I. Christ physically died on the cross! (Christ dying on the cross was the payment)
II. Christ was physically buried after His death on the cross! (Christ buried in a tomb
was the receipt)
III. Christ physically rose from the dead on the Third Day! (Christ’s resurrection was
the promise fulfilled)
IV. Christ was physically seen by many eyewitnesses! (Christ appearing to many
confirms the Gospel)
3) Three things the apostle Paul pointed out about true believers:
I. By faith, they received the Gospel!
II. In faith, they stand by the Gospel!
III. Through faith, they are saved by the Gospel!

3. 4) The letters that Apostle Paul wrote had two components:
I. He always reminded Christians in the beginning of each of his letters to remember the
Gospel (First half of the letter)! What Christ did for us=pointing back to the cross
The Gospel points us back to three things:
*1) Who was on the cross: Jesus the Son of God (The Lord and Savior of all)
*2) Why He was on that cross: He loved us so much that He did not want us to die in
our sins! Therefore, He was willing to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin!
*3) What He did for us when He was on that cross: He died for our sins and took the
wrath of God (against sin) upon Himself (for our behalf)!
II. Then the remainder of each of his letters would remind Christians how to imply or act
upon obedience towards the Gospel (Majority of the Letter). What Christ expects of us=
how to live out our faith.
 *The cross is not just the symbol of our faith but it is the standard of living*.
 *The Christian life is not marked by trying to better yourself but rather it is all
about dying daily to yourself*
*The cross of Christ does two things at the same time! It both kills and gives life!
*IT KILLS* *IT GIVES LIFE*
It kills the power and bondage of sin. It gives us the power to resist and
overcome sin.
It kills the pleasure of reverting back to
sinful habits and living like the world.
It gives us the desire to be holy, to be
godly, and to be righteous.
It disarmed and defeated the devil (our
adversary) so that we are no captives
and slaves to His power and authority.
Although the cross was the Roman
Empire’s instrument of death and
execution, God used it as the instrument of
power and victory over the devil and his
demons.
It gives us victory over the devil and we
overcome Him by our faith in Christ.
We are no longer slaves to the Devil but
are free to serve God alone!

4. The dilemma with outreach: Sharing provisions over Sharing the Gospel
 If the Gospel is not shared or presented, then the Gospel becomes out of reach to
people! We need to keep the Gospel centered in both our lives (by word, thought,
and deed) and when we do outreach (through sacrifice, love, generosity, and
service)! We are truly the hands and feet of Jesus if are hands and feet are ready
and prepared to share the Gospel!
 There is nothing wrong to perform acts of kindness and good endeavors in our
community but if it does not transform lives, then it is futile!
 *Christians use the word "Outreach" more than “Mission”*. It is a mission to
save and rescue lost people! Their very souls are on the line!
 *Outreach should never surmount to just handouts! Peoples' physical needs
met should never take precedence over spiritual needs*
 *Bridging the gap: Engaging the community and establishing long-term
relationships with people*
 *We should invest more of our outreach efforts in discipleship rather than
distribution. We should focus on disciple making through our endeavors and
not simply meeting the need!*
 We are no different than humanitarian and philanthropy work if we do not share
the Gospel! People will only see us as "good people" and not people of God who
seek and care for the lost (by sharing the Gospel)!
 People benefiting or receiving provisions through outreach become more
dependent upon the ministry/church that is serving them rather than on God. The
ministry/church becomes the savior to those beneficiaries.
 *Consider this Unknown Proverb: "If you feed a stray cat, they will return
and never leave"*.
 *Most humanitarian and philanthropic entities or organizations are
atheistic (anti-God) and are man-centered! Some even goes as far as hating
to partner or associate themselves with local church and ministries. Some
Christian humanitarian organizations prefer to be called "Faith-Based" as to
not offend donors and beneficiaries because of their Christan beliefs*.

5. The Urgency of why we should share the Gospel to everyone:
 If they do not believe and receive the Gospel,
 If they refuse to have a relationship with Jesus,
 They will spend an eternity in Hell regardless if their needs are met here in
this life.
 *We cannot assume that everyone is a Christian. Furthermore, the word
"Christian" is used rather loosely and does not refer to being a follower of
Christ*.
 *There is no distinction when it comes to the Gospel call whether poor or
rich, man or woman, religious or non-religious, Jew or Gentile, free or slave,
etc*. Everyone who shall call upon the name of the Lord Jesus shall be saved!*
 Every person’s greatest need is not religion, morality, or giving into charity!
We all need a saving and life-transforming relationship with the Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ!
The Glory of the Gospel: It gives Glory to God Alone
 We all do not deserve or earn God's grace through our good works-if we did, we
have something to boast about!
 Yet God gives His grace freely by us receiving His Son Christ's atoning sacrifice. He
alone is our boast!
 *Jesus’ story (the Gospel) leads to God’s glory!*
 *We obey and live out the Gospel simply to give God glory!*
 *God gets the glory every time a person gets saved (by the preaching of the
Gospel)!*
 *We are not saved by our good works but we are saved to do good works for
the sake of glorifying God*!
Saving Faith: Repentance and Faith
1) Repent (to turn) from your sins (Humble Awareness of our Spiritual Need)

6. *The act of turning from something (sin) to turning toward someone (God)*
*True repentance leads to restoration and relationship with God!*
2) Believe in Christ Alone (Need of the Savior-Heart believes unto righteousness)
3) Confess Jesus is Lord and Savior (Lips confessing unto salvation)
4) Surrender and Follow Jesus (Cost of being His disciple)-Once you are His
disciple, it is all or nothing! There is no turning back!
*Christ is not interested in fans or crowds! He is interested in followers!*
*Christ desires His followers to make followers for His sake!*
*Following Christ will cost you everything! The Christ worth following is the Christ
who tells you to give up everything in this life (including your own life as well)!*
*Following Christ means ALL of JESUS and NONE of YOU!*
*Beware of These Counterfeit Faiths: Impostors to True Saving Faith*
1) Dead Faith- This person who exhibits this faith professes to believe in Jesus but
there is no evidence of fruit bearing (transformed life). However, what is truly
evident is that they live, talk, and think like the world.
2) Demonic Faith- This person who exhibits this faith believes in Jesus
intellectually (head knowledge) but does not submit to His authority.
3) Religious Faith- This person who exhibits this faith believes in Jesus but solely
relies on religious rule-keeping and rituals to stay saved.
4) Irreligious/Secular Faith- This person who exhibits this faith does not believe in
Jesus at all. They believe that being a good person or advocating social justice is
good enough (you do not need God to know what is good)!
5) Temporary Faith- This person who exhibits this faith believes in Jesus
temporarily but ends up departing (falling away) from the faith due to trials and
suffering in this lifetime.
6) Timid Faith -This person who exhibits this faith believes in Jesus but is quick to
deny Him when persecution arises. Such person with this faith is too afraid to
share their faith to friends and family in fear of losing their relationships.
7) Signs and Wonders Faith -This person who exhibits this faith believes in Jesus

7. only to emulate His power to do healings, miracles, signs, and wonders.
8) Name It! Claim It! Faith – The person who exhibits this faith only believes in
Jesus for the sole purpose of getting the things the world has to offer (i.e., money,
success, and possessions). This person is focused primarily on both the cares and
the deceitful riches of this world.
The Spiritual Significances displayed in the Blind Man:
 The Blind Man saw spiritually what the crowds could not see: Their need for a
Savior! The crowd were only fans to Jesus because of His growing popularity in
Israel. However, they did not follow Jesus simply because they wanted to be His
disciples.
 The Blind Man only knew begging throughout most of his life in hopes that his
needs were met by those who passed by. However, when He encountered Jesus, He
begged for mercy and he received his sight! His life was truly transformed by
Christ and was never the same afterwards.
 The Blind Man thought his savior(s) would be those who showed kindness and
generosity towards Him when he was begging on the road to Jericho. However,
Jesus would be the true Savior to Him!
 The Blind Man was rebuked by the crowd to remain quiet. Yet, it was his
persistence in crying for Jesus to be shown mercy that caught the Lord’s attention.
The Lord makes Himself known to those who diligently and humbly seek Him!
Out of all those in the crowd, it was only the Blind Man in the crowd that got
healed by the Lord! Although the Blind Man was neglected earlier in the story (as
he was a beggar), he became widely known for his great faith among the crowd!
*What are some things that can silence us from the Gospel?
I. The anxiety of suffering and trials
II. The trust in idols (either a person, object, or belief)
III. The bondage of sin (habitual sinning)
IV. The spirit of Pride, Indifference, and Self-sufficiency
V. The pressure of opposition and persecution for being a follower of Christ
 The Blind Man addressed Jesus as Son of David while the crowds addressed Him as

8. Jesus of Nazareth! This was a messianic title of royal lineage! Jesus came through
David's lineage through Mary. Addressing Jesus this title meant He acknowledged
Jesus as the Messiah!
 *The starking contrast between the titles of Jesus*:
I. The crowds addressed Jesus as "Jesus of Nazareth"- They did not acknowledge
Him as the Messiah but considered Him nothing more than a mere man (He is
not God) who was both a miracle worker and a prophet.
II. The Blind Man addressed Jesus as "Jesus Son of David"- He acknowledged
Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah of Israel (He is the God who saves)!
 His faith saved him! He had Saving Faith!
 Not the Blind Man's faith alone-it is not that he had faith in himself or in the
miracle but that he had faith in another (JESUS)!
 His faith saved him because he believed in the one who can heal him (Jesus the
Son of David).
 *Just as the crowd tried to silence the Blind Man, Saving Faith can never be
silenced by the World. It declares and believes that Jesus is the only Lord and
Savior for all mankind. There is no other!
 Saving Faith breaks down our pride and produces genuine humility within
us.
 Saving Faith frees us from spiritual blindness and gives us spiritual sight to
see what God sees!
 Saving Faith means giving up everything we hold dear for the sake of
following Christ!
 Saving Faith produces inexpressible joy and peace that surpasses all
understanding amid fiery trials and suffering!
 Saving Faith helps us remember how much mercy the Lord has shown
towards us!
 Saving Faith helps us remember all the things the Lord has done for us upon
that cross!

9.  Saving Faith helps us remember we have inherited all the spiritual blessings
in Christ! We have all we need in Christ!
 *Saving Faith goes beyond just believing (not just intellectual means)! It
never gives up on hope and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ!
 *Saving Faith makes the impossible possible!
What seemed impossible for the Blind Man:
1. He lived most of his life as a beggar in
Jericho (just trying to get by every day).
2. He was blind and could not find His way.
3. Those in the crowd rebuked Him to
remain quiet.
The Lord Jesus made it possible:
1. Jesus knew He would encounter this Blind
Man and wanted to give Him a new life.
2. Jesus gave Him sight to see His way clearly.
3. Jesus ordered the crowd to bring the Blind
Man to Him.
 Two Miracles happened to the Blind Man:
1. He was able to see Physically: He was cured instantly of his blindness (Physical
Healing=His Eyesight)
2. He was able to see Spiritually: He was made well spiritually as he was
transformed by Christ Himself (Spiritual Healing=His Heart)
*The greatest miracle of all miracles is the miracle of transformation within a
person’s heart (Saving Faith)!*
 *Miracles served a divine purpose:
1) It proved Jesus is God! He is worthy to be worshipped and praised!
2) It confirmed that Jesus was sent by the Father(God’s messenger)!
3) It proved Jesus was the Messiah of Israel predicted by the prophets of
old
4) It proved God’s kingdom has come to earth!
5) It glorifies God!
6) It confirms the Gospel message!
7) It demonstrates that God is sovereign over all things!

10. 8) It illustrates spiritual truths (i.e., receiving physical sight means
receiving spiritual sight)
Timeless Truth #2: "Jesus always responds when those who call upon Him by Faith
Alone!
Why Faith Alone? Because you cannot add or take away from it!
 Religion believes = Jesus (+) fills in the blank (Adding to Christ)
 Cults believe = Jesus (-) (Subtracting from Christ)
 Christianity believes in Jesus Alone and Nothing Else = Saving Faith (Jesus
Alone)!
The Birth of the Reformation: In Christ Alone!
Date: October 31, 1517
Man: Martin Luther (Former Catholic Monk)
Location: Castle church (Whittenburg, Germany)
Reason: He challenged the Catholic Church at that time with his 95 theses.
Saving Faith rests on the 5 Solas: The Statements of the Reformation
1) Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)-
The belief that only the Bible is the highest authority and nothing else.
2) Sola Fide (Faith Alone)-
The belief that only through faith in Christ we are saved.
3) Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)-
The belief that only by the grace of God we are saved.
4) Sola Christus (Christ Alone)-
The belief that Christ is the only way to God and He alone can save us and no one else.
There are many Jesuses in the world but there is only one that is true!
5) Sola Gloria (Glory Alone)-
The belief that we live for the glory of God alone!

11. The Order of Transformation:
1) He received His Sight instantly (seeing the Light)
2) He followed Jesus (following the Light)
3) He glorified God (praising the Light)
4) Others praised God when they saw Him healed (causing others to see and
praise the Light)
The Fruit of Transformation:
1) From darkness to light (from being blind to receiving sight)
2) Desperately and hopelessly begging to desperately following Jesus
3) Crying out for mercy to joyfully glorifying God
*Timeless Truth #3- A genuine spiritual transformation manifests itself in genuine
action and praise!
1) Genuine Action-You are not only saved from something but you are saved for
something!
*Saving Faith requires action!*
Not only are you saved from Hell but you are saved for a purpose! You are to be sent
into the world to proclaim the Gospel to others.
2) Genuine Praise- The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!
The faith and obedience of one man caused others to give glory and praise to God! The
crowd who was only fans of Christ praised God for what He did to the Blind Man! We are
not told if they ended up believing or not! One thing is certain: They were eyewitnesses of
this remarkable miracle that Jesus performed on the Blind Man!
*Everyone who gets saved has a testimony to share with the world!
*Never underestimate a testimony! Every testimony matters to God regardless of
how you came to Christ! There is no such thing as a boring, lame, useless, or
uneventful testimony in the eyes of God!

12. *The Gospel is the cause of the testimony! The testimony is the effect of the Gospel!
*It is not the testimony that saves! It is the Gospel!
Life Application:
1) Are we living our lives in such a way that prompts or stirs up others to give glory
and praise to God?
2)Are we living our lives in such a way that it stirs up obedience in others to follow
Jesus?
3) We must humble ourselves and remind ourselves the greatest need for all
mankind= The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ!
4)We must hold fast to Jesus being our Lord and Savior and our hope for all of
life's problems!
5) Therefore, we should renounce everything for the sake of following Christ! For
Christ is our greatest reward!
 *Is there anything or anyone that you would do without Christ before you do
without that or do without them?
 *Is there anything or anyone that you would rather give Christ up for than to
give that or them up for?