HEALED AND BACK IN THE HOLY PLACE TO STAY

FEBRUARY 15, 2004 AM

Joh 5:1-16
(1)  After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
(2)  Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
(3)  In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
(4)  For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
(5)  And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
(6)  When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
(7)  The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
(8)  Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
(9)  And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
(10)  The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
(11)  He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
(12)  Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
(13)  And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
(14)  Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
(15)  The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
(16)  And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

Bethesda means HOUSE OF MERCY.

An angel would come to this pool and trouble the water, for the healing of the lame,  at a certain season.
  • Not all the time.
  • And only one person would be able to receive healing by stepping into the pool of Bethesda when the angel's presence was indicated as being there by the visible troubling of the waters there.
We read of a man who was afflicted and impotent for 38 years.

Jesus approached him as he laid on a bed by the pool, gazing at the waters in case he should be the first to notice them being troubled, that he might be the first into the pool to be healed.
  • Jesus asked him if he desired to be healed.
God is trying to show us that all we need is a desire.
  • We do not need a certain day of the year, or a certain event to occur.
  • We need a desire coupled with something very important....  FAITH.
The man replied and explained that he had no man.
  • He was helpless.
  • It was as though he felt rebuked by Jesus for not stepping into the water.
  • He thought Jesus implied, "What's wrong with you?  How come you are impotent?  Do you not wish to be healed?  Why have you not stepped into the pool?"
  • He exclaimed that he could not help himself.
  • He looked to another for help.
  • But Jesus was not rebuking him.
After Jesus speaks the word to Him, saying, "Rise, take up thy bed and walk," the man is instantly healed.
  • And where do we find the man?
  • In the temple!
  • This is very significant!
Being in the temple was significant, because the Bible mentions something special about entering the temple.

Sickness and crippling was associated with refusal to be allowed into the temple.

Lev 21:21
(21)  No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.

Lev 21:17
(17)  Speak unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.


Sin cripples.
  • Sickness would not be in this world if sin were not here.
  • Sickness is simply a mild form of death.
  • And death came by sin.
  • And so the healing of a crippled man, allowing him to enter the temple of God shows us a picture of salvation.
Hezekiah asked what would be the sign that he could go up to the house of God.
  • This is because Hezekiah was sick unto death, and would not be able to go to the temple.
  • But being healed, he could go to the temple.
2Ki 20:5
(5)  Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD.

On the third day!
  • The truth of the cross is what saves us from sin and allows us to go into the temple!
  • The temple represented the GARDEN OF EDEN, from which man fell due to sin.
  • So it's Back to the Garden, for the temple had palm trees, pomegranates, lions, cherubims, gold and lavers and 3000 baths of water in a molten sea, like a lake (!), reminding us of the garden of Eden!
Luk 24:46
(46)  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:


The third day is significant of salvation by His resurrection.

John 5:(6)  When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
(7)  The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

Let us recapitulate a point again.
  • It seems as though the man thought Jesus was rebuking him for not being healed, according to the answer he gave Jesus, when the Lord asked Him if he wished to be healed..
  • "Sir, I certainly do wish to be healed, but I have done everything I can do.  I need a man to help me.  I try to get into the pool first, but because I am crippled, I cannot make it before someone else steps in before me."
Is not this a good picture of mankind's helpless state, lost in sin?
  • Man has done what he could, and still cannot get back to where He should be!
And Jesus then spoke to him to rise, take up his bed and walk!

Jesus' words of command imply that to act before one sees healing will actually cause the healing!
  • It's like praying for someone who is hurt, and then demanding that they move the very part that was hurting, before they are sure it is healed, only to find it then healed AFTER IT IS MOVED!
  • This demands faith in Christ's words.  
  • If you are not healed until you attempt to rise from your crippled legs, then seeking to rise indicates you truly believe!
  • Christ does not work with the philosophy that says "seeing is believing"!
And this is especially so with salvation.
  • Jesus said that if you want to know if He is right, then TRY IT!
  • How much more fair can He be?
  • Forget conjecture!
  • Don't take a rumour.
  • DO IT, AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT!
Rom 12:2
(2)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Joh 7:17
(17)  If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.


Man was cast out of the Garden of Eden because of sin.
  • This man was crippled because of sin, and therefore barred from the temple/Garden.
Joh 5:14
(14)  Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

Jesus told him to sin no more, now that he was healed.
  • This implies that his crippled condition was caused by a sin he committed.
  • And it also implies that once God sets us free from sin, we need to deny sin and not think it will no longer tempt us.
  • God takes us back into the Garden again, but he still insists we do not lose our places there again by sinning.
Before Jesus came to this world, the temple in which the healed cripple was found contained a most holy place.  
  • This most holy place was where God's presence abode as in the Garden of Eden in Adam's day, and could only be entered by one man once a year.
  • The High Priest.
  • Similarly, only one person each season of the troubling of the waters could enter the pool and be healed.
  • But Christ came to open the way for everyone!
  • He removes the very thing that crippled us and threw us out of the garden of Eden... which was sin.
  • He could not enter the Garden beforehand.
  • Sin had crippled mankind.
  • But Jesus came and spoke the WORD and thereby healed the man!
  • Notice that Jesus simply SPOKE!
He did not say, "Rise and walk into the pool," as though the pool was still necessary.
  • He said Rise and walk!
Jesus then spoke about these words:

Joh 5:21-25
(21)  For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
(22)  For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
(23)  That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
(24)  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
(25)  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

There is a word of faith that we must HEAR and believe, in order to come into eternal life.
  • This also points us back to the garden!
  • We pass from death to life!
  • God said Adam would die if he sinned in disobeying God.
  • And being cast from the Garden caused him to be removed from life into death.
  • We're crippled by sin and dead in sins when we are not saved by God's word!
So Jesus turns this whole scene of the healing around, and speaks of general salvation!
  • This shows us that the man's healing represents the salvation of a soul.
  • Hearing the words of Jesus Christ is being quickened and saved, and passing from death to life.
  • People are dead in sins and need to hear the WORD of Jesus, as the crippled man did, and be healed of their SINS, so they can enter the relationship with God that Adam had in the Garden again.
Rom 8:1-2
(1)  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
(2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

Condemnation, life and death, are mentioned in Romans 8, just as in Jesus' words after the crippled man was healed.
  • When we are truly saved by Jesus, we are "in Christ Jesus".
  • And once "in Him", we have an obligation to walk after the Spirit.
  • Notice that we do not read that those simply in Christ have no condemnation, but rather those in Christ who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, have none.
  • You can be in Christ and yet walk after the flesh!
  • That is why the true story of the crippled man's healing, that parallels salvation, involves Christ telling the man to sin no more lest a worse thing come upon him.
Rom 8:5-6
(5)  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
(6)  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Rom 8:13
(13)  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

To be in Christ is to be privy to LIFE.
  • "Law of the Spirit of LIFE in Christ" is mentioned after we are told to be in Christ and not walk after the flesh.
  • But we must not walk after the flesh.
  • That is the point.
Gal 5:16
(16)  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Gal 5:25
(25)  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

The narrative goes on to speak about fruit of the Spirit.
  • A life will result when you walk after the Spirit.
  • It will produce fruit.
  • It's called FRUIT because these things will GROW from our lives.
Mat 25:23-30
(23)  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
(24)  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
(25)  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
(26)  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
(27)  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
(28)  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
(29)  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
(30)  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Notice that saints who DO NOTHING for the Kingdom of God are saints who are in deep peril!

Its not that WORKS save our souls.
  • The fact of the matter is that one who is really living for Jesus and walking after the Spirit WILL WORK.
  • If the talents are not multiplying, then there is no walking after the Spirit.
  • FAITH THAT SAVES WILL WORK.
I want to ask you: What you are doing, more than attending a church service each week, for the kingdom of God?

And how much are you involved in this church that you have chosen to call the congregation of which you are a part?

 It's not their lack of works that damn them, but rather their lack of relationship with the Lord, which gives cause for their lack of works.
  • The point is that if one IS SAVED, one WILL WORK for Him.
  • The lack of works do not damn the soul.
  • The lack of salvation, that causes lack of works, will damn the soul.
In other words, if one DOES NOTHING for the Lord, then one does not have a living relationship with God that saves us, and one is thereby lost.

It's like James' words about works.
  • If we SAY we have Faith, then works should accompany it.
  • Or, the faith that saves WILL WORK.
  • If we have no works, we are lost.
  • Not because of the lack of works, but because of the lack of the faith THAT WILL MOVE US TO WORK.
Realize that your faith is DEAD, and therefore useless, if you are doing nothing constructive for God in association with the church body you attend.
  • For saving faith WILL WORK.
Get back in the Garden!
  • Get saved!
  • And if you are saved, and once you are there, STAY THERE by producing FRUIT.
  • And do not commit sins that will cause you to once again be removed.
  • How do you produce fruit?
  • Continue top reach out to the Lord for strength and direction!
  • This is what it means to WALK AFTER THE SPIRIT.
  • Do not just attend a church and watch a "show."
  • Reach out and learn to depend upon God's strength in faith for EVERYTHING IN LIFE!
  • This will grow and grow until you ultimately walk after the Spirit all the time... which means that you wholly have faith in God for your strength, and you are ever aware of the need to LIVE BY HIS POWER and NOT YOUR OWN!


SERMONS