# 96 It's Not Some New Thing

Joh 5:28 "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 "and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Marvel not! Don’t wonder if there is such a thing as the resurrection of the dead. It will occur! It will happen whether you believe it or not. Though physically dead for  just minutes, days, years, centuries, or eons, should the Lord tarry, you and I will one day hear the voice of Jesus say, “Come forth!”

“All who are in the graves will hear”

The resurrection of the dead is not some new teaching that Jesus came up with. Isa 26:19 says, “Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.”

And Job tells us in  Job 19:25, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,”

Oh yes, there is a resurrection for all men, but once we come forth from the grave, then what? “those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Do not marvel at this either. There is a heaven and there is a hell! Both are eternal dwelling places. Those who have done good go to heaven, and those who have done evil will go to hell. Uh oh! Now we have a problem because the Bible tells us that no one has done good!

Ro 3:12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."

Ps 14:3 They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

But wait, there is One who has done good! There is One who has not sinned, and His name is Jesus. Our only hope for heaven then is to be found in Him. His righteousness must be imputed to you and I. Ro 3:22 says this about how righteousness is imputed to you and I. “even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;”

It’s by faith! “To all and on all who believe!”

We don the robe of Christ’s righteousness at our baptism and we keep it on through enduring faith!

Marvel not at this gospel truth! Believe it! Be found in Christ  and be saved!

# 95 The Dead Will Hear?

Joh 5:25 "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. 26 "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself,

 27 "and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.

The dead will hear the voice of God and those who hear will live!” What an incredible statement! How can the dead hear anything? They are dead! Yet in three instances of Jesus raising people from the dead, He spoke directly to the dead person!

To the dead son of the widow of Nain He said, Young man, I say to you arise.” To the daughter of Jairus He said, “Little girl, arise,” and to Lazarus He said, “Lazarus come forth.” In each case, the person who was dead responded and was brought back to life. How is this so? How does Jesus have this power to speak into the void of death and bring forth life?

It’s the same power that the Father has, and the Father has granted this power to the Son! In Col 1:16 we read, “For by Him (Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Jesus spoke the very world and all that is in it into life! Read Genesis 1 and notice all that Jesus spoke into existence with the simple phrase, “Let there be” …..and there was! Out of nothing…..everything! So it is no mean feat for Him to call forth life to a dead little girl, a dead little boy, or a grown man.

In a sense we were all like those three, dead in our trespasses and sins. But in Jesus, there is life! “In Him was life, and the life was the light of the world. “(Jn 1:4)

If we have any spiritual life at all it is Jesus who grants it to us! Eph 2:1 says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,”

And it is solely by His grace! Eph 2:5 “even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

Let that truth sink in! We are all spiritually dead as door nails, unless Jesus speaks life to us! A dead man doesn’t just decide to wake up on his own! The Lord of Life (Jesus) calls and somehow, we hear, and by His grace and power we hear and life comes to us.

Let’s not try to figure it all out. The widow of Nain, Jairus, Mary, and Martha didn’t sit down and have a theological discussion about it all. They simply rejoiced and worshiped the Lord of Life!

Let us do the same! And let us speak the life-giving words of the gospel to those who remain dead in their trespasses, that they too may hear the voice of the Lord of Life and live.

# 94 Are You A Sheep Or A Goat

# 94 Are You A Sheep Or A Goat

Joh 5:22 "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 "that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

The Jews are plotting to kill Jesus because of what they deem His blatant disregard for the Sabbath and His claim to be equal with God. He responds by making more claims!  He says here that He and the Father (God) are so tight that the Father has committed all judgement to Him!

Jesus, who was crucified, dead, and buried, has ascended into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, from whence He will one day return to earth and judge the living and the dead!

Mt 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

 32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

How will He do this? How does He separate the goats from the sheep? The beauty of the Gospel is that He won’t be running an instant replay of your life, weighing the good that you have done against the bad.  

No, when the time comes for you and I to be judged, the Father will look at the Son and ask, “Well, how about it Jesus? Is this one in or out? A sheep or a goat? The Father has a reason for doing it this way, “"that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.”

The degree to which you revere the Son is the same degree to which you honor the Father! They are One!

So what is the criteria for our judgement? How do we pass from death to life? "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

Heed the words of Jesus and believe in God! Don’t let the words of Jesus go in one ear and out the other! Take them as the very words of the Father. They are! If you heed the words of Jesus, you will act on them, and when the Father asks, “ What about it Son? Jesus will reply, “He is with Me!” He believed that I came from You Father and He has heeded my Words as if they were Yours!”

Mr 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

# 93 Their Minds Were Made Up

Joh 5:21 "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

The resurrection of the dead was a firm belief among the Pharisees. The Sadducees, on the other hand did not believe in a resurrection from death. (That’s why they were sad you see? Sorry, couldn’t resist)

But that’s why their rejection of Jesus as the Son of God is even more puzzling to me! The Pharisees believed that only God had the power to raise from the dead. Jesus here, claimed to have that power, and He backed it up with irrefutable evidence when He walked this earth.

He touched the open coffin of the dead son of the widow of Nain and said, “Young man, I say to you arise,” and he who was dead sat up and began to speak.” (Luke 7:14,15)

He also brought the daughter of Jairus back to life! “Little girl, arise!” Then her spirit returned and she arose immediately.” (Luke 8:54,55)

And of course, there was His beloved friend Lazarus. Dead for four days, but when Jesus said, “Lazarus come forth! He who died came out.” (John 11:43,44)

Here’s Jesus, doing what the Pharisees believed only God  could do, and yet they refused to acknowledge Him as God.

In like manner, the Sadducees, seeing people brought back to life from the dead, refused to believe. Why?

Simply because this man Jesus did not fit into their preconceived mold. Their minds were made up. Their hearts were hardened. Their Messiah would do things their way, within their rules. This problem is still with us today. We still have the tendency to make Christ into our own image.

The minute His indisputable truth comes up against our preconceived erroneous notions, we reject it, and in rejecting His truth, we are rejecting Him for He is truth! He said in Joh 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”

The Pharisees and the Sadducees decided to hang onto their ideas of truth and paid for it. How about you? Think differently about Jesus (repent) Hold onto Him as the source of all truth. When Jesus stood before Pilate and the subject of truth came up, listen to His response. He said “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." (John 18:37)

Hear His voice. It is truth and it is His truth that will set you free. (Jn 8:32)

# 92 I and the Father Are One

Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

The Jews are looking for excuses to have Jesus put to death because they think He has broken the Law of the Sabbath and on top of that has committed blasphemy with His claim to be One with the Father. The rest of this chapter is dedicated to Jesus’ response to their concerns.

Here, He points out the inseparability of He and the Father, making a strong case for His position in the Trinity. He is so much a part of the Father that He can do nothing of Himself. He can only do what He sees the Father do. Not only does He do what the Father does, but He does it in like manner.

Jesus is the mirror image of the Father without the mirror! I have seen slapstick comedy routines where actors try to duplicate each other as if they were facing a mirror. They are very skillful at it but eventually one or the other will zig instead of zag and they mess it up. Not so with Jesus. Col 1:15 tells us: “He is the image of the invisible God,”

Jesus did everything the way He saw the Father do it. An impossible task unless the two are really One.

Then Jesus goes on to describe the depth of His Oneness with the Father. “The Father loves the Son,”  The word “loves” here is “phileo” and it means having common interests with one another. The Father and Son hold all things in common!

I wonder if many realize that this demonstration of Oneness is to be reflected by the Church in our care for one another. Remember the beginnings of the church in  Ac 4:32 we read, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”

How are we doing in that these days? How are we reflecting the Oneness of the Father and the Son?

God hid nothing from the Son. He never pulled an Ananias and Sapphira trick on Him! Remember that dynamic duo? Ac 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.  2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Their hypocritical act cost them their lives. This demonstration of unity in the church is important stuff because it reflects on the character of God and His relationship with His Son!

Even the miracles of Jesus were only done as God directed the Son and Jesus knew that God would direct Him to do more and even greater miracles! The Jews will marvel at Jesus raising the dead. Just wait until Lazarus comes forth! Only God could do such a thing!

Therefore Jesus is God! He and the Father are One! Jesus not only restores life, but He gives life. He is God! He is over all creation! (Col 1:15) Believe the testimony of His works and bow your knee to Jesus as Lord!

# 91 Get Serious About the Sabbath

Joh 5:16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

The death penalty for working on the Sabbath? That puts it on par with murder, adultery, and blasphemy! But we can’t dodge what the Scripture says. “Whoever does any work on the Sabbath Day, He shall surely be put to death.” (Ex 31:15)

Wow that seems strong to you and I, but one man that we read of in Scripture paid the price for doing work on the Sabbath. We read of it in  Nu 15:32-35, “Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. 34 They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him. 35 Then the LORD said to Moses, "The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp."

Sounds extreme doesn’t it? But listen, it’s not like this was some kind of a secret commandment. The people knew it. The man gathering sticks knew it. He just didn’t believe it and he paid the price.

Now before you start picking up rocks to throw at grocery store workers or fast food employees or anyone else who punches a clock on Sundays, hear this: When Jesus arrived on the scene, everything changed! We no longer stone people to death for breaking the commandments! Excommunication through the proper channels of church discipline is how these offenses are handled today.

Further, Jesus became our Sabbath, (our rest) He is our “no work!” He did all the work for us on the cross! The reverence of the Sabbath Day found in the Old Testament was a foreshadowing of this spiritual truth.

The truth it was meant to portray is this: Those who put their trust in good works for salvation will be cut off because they profane the Sabbath, that is, they make common the finished work of Jesus on the cross. They add to it, and though it seems a little thing like “gathering sticks,” to reject God’s grace for the sake of our works, is a damnable offense.

The “stick gatherer” of the Old Testament, was in effect saying, “I don’t need Your rest (Jesus) God, and I really don’t believe You are serious about my rejection of Your rest.”  (Son)  

That is the spiritual equivalent of you and I saying. “I don’t believe You are serious about Jesus alone for my salvation.” But Jesus tells us differently in   Joh 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

# 90 Remember the Sabbath Day

Joh 5:16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

The word “persecuted” here means “to pursue.” The Jews “pursued” Jesus, harassing Him, constantly trying to trip Him up. If they could just catch Him saying something, or doing something that would warrant the death penalty in the Law, they could rid themselves of this thorn in their side!

They evidently zeroed in on the things Jesus did on the Sabbath. Perhaps they based their pursuit of the death penalty on   Ex 31:14 'You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.”

This was an area in which they thought they had Jesus on multiple infractions. (Note the phrase “done these THINGS”)  And now, Jesus makes this claim  of being equal with God! Blasphemy! Now they really have Him!

Why did Jesus have to give them more ammunition? Why did He have to say such a thing? “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” He had to say it because it’s true. I

God does not take Sabbaths off, and since Jesus is God in the flesh, He doesn’t take them off either! Think about it. Where would we be if the Father would take a break on the Sabbath? “I’ll get to those prayer requests tomorrow.” I’ll just let the devil run roughshod today and take care of him tomorrow.” Where would we be in God withheld grace and mercy one day every week?

Taking a break is not an option for God or Jesus. Jesus must be about His Father’s business of delivering people from the effects of their sins. It’s true, God DID take a break on the seventh day of Creation, but that was before sin entered the world. At that point there was no need for healing or deliverance!

God saw His Creation and it was all good and He sanctified this day for man and animal that we might remember and commemorate all that He had done and enter into His rest.

But Adam and Eve sinned. Sin entered the world and so did the 24/7 need for grace and mercy! So, you and I should indeed commemorate the Sabbath, (the Lord’s Day) Resting, as it were, in our deliverance from sin, but then always be ready to roll up our shirtsleeves and extend grace and mercy where needed to others in our surroundings.

Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy! (Ex 20:8)

# 89 Got To Tell Somebody

Joh 5:15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.

Now what did you go and do that for? Jesus has made you well and the first thing you do is rat Him out to the Jews who want this information in order to persecute and kill Him! Don’t you know that Jesus is now in deep trouble because you couldn’t keep His name to yourself?

Well, let’s not be too hard on this guy. He has been set free from 38 years of physical pain and torment. He must tell others about His deliverer, wouldn’t you?

If there’s one thing that has stood out thus far in the Gospel of John, it is the penchant of those who have met Jesus to tell others about Him. Andrew went home and told Peter. Phillip told Nathaniel. The Samaritan woman told the whole village!

One of the earmarks of a Christian, (one who has by faith received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord) is this desire to tell others about Him! Do you remember? Do you remember when you got saved, how you couldn’t wait to tell others? What happened? Why have you stopped? Were you afraid that you might bring persecution upon Him? Were you afraid of bringing persecution upon yourself? After all, He now lives inside of you and if He is persecuted, you are persecuted!

Well, allow me to let you in on a little secret…….Jesus can handle it! AND He has promised to help you handle it too! He said, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So go! Tell! Jesus has delivered you from death, hell, and the devil. That news is just too good to keep to yourself! Check out the link below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yBzIt_z8oY

# 88 Invite Him In To Stay

Joh 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."

Last time we talked about the impossibility of living sin-free without Jesus. To “sin no more,” is to live your new life with Jesus as the Lord of your house.  Of course, we will continue to miss the mark, but having put on Christ through faith we have the promise, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn 1:9) God will look at us and see the righteousness of Christ as opposed to our own filthy rags!

So Jesus tells this healed man to keep his house in order “lest a worse thing comes upon him.” We keep our houses in order through regular godly sorrow over our sins, repentance, confession, and absolution.

And what is this “worse thing that can come upon us? What is worse than 38 years of bodily paralysis? What kind of torment could possibly top that?

In   Mt 12:43-45, Jesus tells us: "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 "Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 "Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

That’s what He was warning the healed paralytic about. That’s what He was warning the forgiven adulterous woman about. You can’t just experience healing or forgiveness from Jesus, (your house being put in order) and then try to live without Jesus. If you give Jesus the boot, the unclean spirit who was ruling your heart will return and bring seven more of his friends with him, and it will be worse for you than before!

Heb 10:29 reminds us: “Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

The Apostle Paul chimes in here with this warning from  1Co 11:29,30, “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”

My friend, rejoice that you have experienced forgiveness and healing through Jesus. Rejoice that He has swept your house clean, but don’t throw out the Broom! You need Him on a daily basis to keep you clean! And if you kicked Him out,  remember this promise from  Re 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”

He won’t barge in. You must open the door!  He needs your invitation! Invite Him in, and this time invite Him in to stay!

# 87 Missing the Mark

Joh 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."

“Sin no more.” Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, the woman caught in the act of adultery! Remember after Jesus said, “He who is without sin cast the first stone,” and the stones were dropped, Jesus told the woman that He didn’t condemn her and she should “go and sin no more.”

How is that possible Jesus? Cuz like the Charlie Daniels song goes, “when I have a choice between good and bad, I pick bad two out of three!” How is it possible for me to “go and sin no more?”

What does Jesus mean by this seemingly impossible command?

The word “sin” here means “miss.” It speaks of someone who keeps missing the mark. Think of the mark in terms of a bullseye. Bullseye is perfection. Mt 5:48 reminds us: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Somehow, we have gotten the idea that the Law is the target, but that’s not true. Perfection is the target. The Law or Torah was given by God to be an aid, a guide. The word “Torah,” comes from the root Hebrew word, “Yaw raw, and it means to shoot an arrow. What do we shoot arrows at? A target! So the idea of Torah is it is an aimer. The Law then helps us to aim at the target of perfection! Use it by all means! It will make a positive difference in your life. But know this: none of us have the strength to reach the target of perfection, “all our arrows fall short of the glory of God.” Only Jesus is able to hit the mark every single time.

And every single time is what is required. Jas 2:10 says, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”

The Apostle Paul looked at his life on the target range, even after his conversion   and lamented in Romans 7:15-25, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

Arrows everywhere but not a bullseye in sight! Thank God for Jesus!

So how do we go and sin no more? We go in Jesus! Jesus is our target! Receive Him and let Him hit the target for you. Forgiving your missteps along the way!

# 86 Who Was That Masked Man?

Joh 5:8 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." 11 He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'" 12 Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."

Some of you folks from my generation will remember the TV show “The Lone Ranger.” He was a masked man who had an Indian sidekick named Tonto. They  always showed up at the right time and place to save people from the bad guys. At the end of the show they would ride off and the people who were helped would say, “Who was that masked man?” And someone would reply, “That was the Lone Ranger!”

I feel like that’s a lot like what took place here. Jesus, is God, donning the mask of human flesh, showing up at just the right time and place with His sidekick the Holy Spirit. (Not exactly a perfect illustration, but I think you get my point.)   He saves this man who had been held prisoner by the bad guys (the devil and his demons) for 38 years, by doing two things only God can do! Heal and forgive.

He healed the man and immediately the man did what Jesus told him to do. He picked up his bed and walked out of there! And now the plot thickens! The self-proclaimed Sabbath police (the Pharisees) pull him over and said, “we’re going to have to give you a ticket for carrying a bed on the Sabbath.”

“But officer, I’m just doing what the guy who healed me told me what to do.”

Pharisees: “What was this man’s name?

Healed man: “I don’t know, He didn’t stick around long enough for me to get it.”

In hindsight, we see that Jesus left the scene because of the size of the crowd at the pool. Imagine the bedlam that would’ve taken place had He stayed!

But, He doesn’t heal that man and leave him be. There was important follow up to be done. He finds the man in the temple, (A good place to go in thankfulness to God for blessing received!)  and makes His identity known to the man. He is Jesus. He is the one who heals and forgives. “and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." (Mt 1:21)

You and I haven’t been healed, forgiven, and forgotten either. Jesus has more business with all of His children. And we will discover that business as we “work out our salvation.”

Jesus’ final admonition to this man can be summed up in Paul’s admonition to the church at Philippi?  Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Let us, in thankfulness and reverence to God, do likewise!

# 85 Keep Me In the Moment

# 85 Keep Me In the Moment

Joh 5:8 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." 11 He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'" 12 Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" 13 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." 15 The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." 18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. 19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

There’s a lot going on here over the healing of a “certain man” (verse 5) Jesus had been sent to the pool of Bethesda on a mission. (verse 19)

He was not to heal anyone else that day, just this “certain man” who had been lame for a long time. Someone who would have to pick up his bed and walk, thereby deliberately breaking a man-made law concerning the Sabbath.

This act would expose the true condition of the hearts of the Pharisees, and at the same time give Jesus the opportunity to state His claim of equality with the Father. (verse 17)

This was a key event in the ministry of Jesus on earth, because it gave the Pharisees the ammo they thought they needed to put Him to death. In the eyes of the Pharisees, He was committing sacrilege with this “healing work” and actually commanding someone to do the work of carrying their bed! Further he was committing blasphemy by claiming to be equal with God!

All these things came from this divine appointment at the pool of Bethesda! But before it unfolds, He asks the lame man for permission. “Do you want to be healed?”  Jesus takes the man’s response as a yes and heals him! Mission accomplished! Jesus then melts into the crowd and simple lets the events unfold. He knew where the hearts of the Pharisees would take this incident!

What a day! You better believe Jesus  was prayed up before this day began! God the Father had given Him very specific instructions, and He obeyed them to a tee, and God’s will began to play out.

How about you? Have you prayed up for your day today? Have you spent time conversing with God in His Word? Are you prepared to respond to whatever He may be calling you to do today? You may not heal a lame man, but in your obedience and trust in God, He will use you for His eternal purposes! Check out this Jeremy Camp song and let it be your prayer every day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb1bx3hYfzg

# 84 Lots of Questions

Joh 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.

 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"

 7 The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

This is one of those occurrences in Scripture that leaves us asking a lot of questions! This man has been lame for 38 years. We don’t know how long he has been coming to this pool in hopes of being healed, but being lame, how did he get there in the first place? Who was bringing him to the pool? Why didn’t they wait with him so he had a shot at being the first one in? But, we read, he “had no man.”

Where’s the man? Where’s his father? Was this still another reason Jesus singled him out for healing at the pool? God’s concern for the fatherless is one of His “can’t miss” character traits found in Scripture!

Still another question is, “Why did Jesus heal just one?” There were multitudes of people there in need of healing. In other places in Scripture we read of Him going to great lengths to heal all who came to Him, but here, He heals only one? What gives?

I think this is one of those times in Scripture where the Sovereignty of God comes into play. Jesus and the Father are One. Jesus did only what the Father told Him to do, and here is what the Father says about His sovereignty in the matter of healing: “'Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. (De 32:39)

Some will be healed, some will not. Not all will live, some will die. We just need to know that He is in charge and we need to trust in His perfect will. All in all, we can be assured that in the end, His way is best. He is God, let Him decide. It was good enough for Job, let it be good enough for us. “And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."  (Job 1:21)

# 83 Hot Tubs and Healing

Joh 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.

 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"

 7 The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

The story now picks up in Jerusalem where Jesus is attending an unspecified feast of the Jews. While in Jerusalem, He has a divine appointment with a “certain man” in need of healing. The appointment takes place by the pool called “Bethesda” which was located just outside the city wall to the northeast, near the Sheep Gate.

This pool was probably much like natural warm springs that people flock to for healing even to this day. Some of these pools or springs bubble continually others sporadically, (think in terms of Old Faithful in Yellowstone national Park in Wyoming.) At any rate, many people associate healing qualities to these natural wonders. Now, we make our own hot springs and we call them “hot tubs” and we certainly cannot deny their power to soothe aching bones!

Just so you know, verse 4 is left out in the more reliable manuscripts, the feeling by the experts in this field of biblical translation is that the verse was added as an attempt to explain the phenomena of the bubbling water.

That the water stirred at different times is not in question and the belief that it had healing powers for the first one in after the bubbling is also not in question.

So Jesus shows up and zeroes in on this man whom He knew had been infirmed for 38 years, and He asks him a simple question, “Do you want to be made well?”

He doesn’t get a yes or no answer! But He does get an answer that sums up the man’s belief system. This man  believed his only hope for a cure would be to be the first one in the pool and that hasn’t worked for him all these years.

This man had never considered the possibility of God healing him, but that is about to change, and the major reason why this miracle is one of seven included in the Gospel of John!  

This man is about to be touched by the Son of God and be healed! Proving to all who this Jesus really is! As John wrote in  Joh 20:30,31, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;  31 but these (including the healing of this man) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.