The Seeing Blind Man November 9

The Seeing Blind Man!

📖 Acts 9:1–9
✝️Town East Baptist Church – November 9, 2025

👤 Pastor Bill Allred

When we think about the blessings God has given us, our minds often go to our families, our homes, and our health. But one set of gifts we rarely stop to appreciate are the five senses—smell, hearing, sight, touch, and taste. Most of us never fully grasp how precious they are until one is taken away.

I once knew someone born without a sense of smell. He told me he had never understood the connection between smell and taste because he had never experienced it. Others live their entire lives without hearing a single sound. And most people agree that of all the senses, eyesight is the one we fear losing the most. The thought of entering a world of darkness—whether suddenly or gradually—can be terrifying.

In Acts 9, we meet a man who lost his sight in an instant. Saul of Tarsus—better known to us as the Apostle Paul—was struck blind for three days at the moment of his conversion. We hear many sermons about his salvation, but rarely do we hear messages on the importance of his blindness. Yet those three dark days were some of the most eye-opening moments of his life.

Paul the blind man saw more clearly than he ever had before.
Here’s what he saw:

1. He Saw Jesus in His Rightful Position

“Who art thou, Lord?” — Acts 9:5

Before his encounter on the Damascus Road, Paul saw Jesus as a fraud, an imposter, and a danger to his religion. To him, Jesus was a low-class troublemaker who threatened everything the Jewish leaders valued.

But the moment that bright glory surrounded him and his sight vanished, everything changed.

For the first time, he addressed Jesus as “Lord.”
The Greek word kurios means supreme authority. In one moment, the Jesus Paul despised was revealed to him as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the great I AM who spoke to Moses, who led Israel across the Jordan, who rules as King of Kings.

Until we place Jesus in His rightful position, salvation is impossible. He is not “one of many ways.” He is not someone we add to our efforts or mix with tradition. He alone is the Savior. Mary herself said, “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Even she needed redemption.

Paul’s blindness allowed him to see Jesus as He truly is—Lord of all.

2. He Saw Himself with a Real Perspective

“And he trembling and astonished…” — Acts 9:6

Before meeting Christ, Paul thought highly of himself. In Philippians 3, he listed his pedigree: a Hebrew of the Hebrews, a Pharisee, zealous, educated, blameless by the standards of the law. He walked with confidence—perhaps even arrogance.

But that day on the Damascus Road, his pride collapsed like a sandcastle under a tidal wave.

He had a reality check.
For the first time, he realized he wasn’t godly at all. He didn’t have God—he just had religion. He wasn’t heading toward heaven—he was on the road to hell while thinking he was doing God a favor.

That’s why he trembled.
He could have died moments earlier fully convinced he was saved—and he would have lifted up his eyes in eternal darkness.

We all need reality checks like this.
Am I what I think I am?
Is my faith genuine, or am I leaning on church membership, baptism, or good deeds?

Paul later described his old religious accomplishments as loss… even dung. When God’s glory shines on us, it exposes who we really are—and how desperately we need Christ.

3. He Saw Christianity With a Revised Plan

“Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” — Acts 9:6

Moments earlier, Paul was determined to stamp out Christianity. He was the most feared persecutor of believers, a man who brought terror wherever he went.

But the instant he met Christ, everything changed.
His very first question as a new believer was simple and sincere:

“Lord, what do You want me to do?”

What a contrast to the attitudes we sometimes see today—where people ask whether the church offers enough programs, benefits, or conveniences. Paul’s concern wasn’t comfort; it was obedience.

He lived with less than most Christians today, but accomplished far more. His life’s new plan was clear:

• Plant churches
• Reach the lost
• Follow Christ’s direction
• Live for God’s glory, not his own

The persecutor became a preacher. The destroyer became a disciple-maker. The blind man became the clearest-seeing missionary the world has ever known.

Conclusion: How Is Your Spiritual Eyesight?

Paul’s temporary blindness helped him see eternal truths with crystal clarity.

Ask yourself:

1. Do you see Jesus in His rightful position—as Lord, not just a religious figure?
2. Do you see yourself honestly, the way God sees you?
3. Do you see Christianity with a God-given plan, a life aimed at pleasing Him rather than yourself?

Paul was a blind man who finally saw the truth.
Can you see like Paul did?