Do you want to be free?

John 5:1–9 ESV

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

I want to pose a question to you today.

and Here it is..

“Do you want to be free?”

Ask your neighbor, do you want to be free…

The door is open

Set up a baby play yard on stage.

Have Kyle stay in the cage and tell him privately, don’t leave the cage for anything..

Open the door to the cage

The Story

In John 5, We find Jesus and the disciples in Jerusalem for a feast..

he is walking through the city on the Sabath..

And They have come to a place called Bathesda..

The place : Bethesda

Bethesda was an area by what the jews knew as the sheeps gate..

It was in the northeast corner of the citys wall

Near the temple mount.

it was called the sheeps gate because it was close to the sheep markets..

Pool

And in this place there was a pool of water.

In it was a spring fed pool

that had five roofed colonades, or cover walkways that surrounded the complex and one of them even split the pool down the middle.

Miracle

Now, The locals believed that every so often, an angel would come and stir the water on this pool..

this was something that many theologians believe to have been birthed from the fact that the spring would inconsistently bubble up and disturb the stillness of the water..

Causing the water to ripple and stir..

And the people believed that when this happened, the first person who entered the water would be healed..

Miraculously

People

Because of this, under these colonnades were found many people who were sick, disabled, and afflicted..

and they sat there day, by day, by day..

waiting for the water to be stirred..

hoping for a miraculous end to their situation..

Name

fittingly the name Bethesda means “house of mercy”

And on this day that Jesus shows us..

thats what it becomes..

The Man: The Invalid

Jesus has come to Bethesda

and the scripture tells us there he finds a man..

and we don’t know his name..

But we know his condition..

he is an invalid..

greek

The greek word thats used here is typically used to describe someone who is disabled..

So this man was most likely paralyzed or lame..

Either way we know Jesus tells him to take up his mat and walk..

so we know his issue is in his legs.

A Long time

and this isn't a new issue for him..

he’s had this condition for a long time..

38 years according to the scripture..

longer than many people lived in antiquity..

Hopeless and defeated..

when Jesus shows up..

This man is pretty much hopeless at this point..

in talking to him, he tells Jesus

he has nobody to help him..

and every time the water is stirred, someone else beats him there..

and so he continues to sit…. to suffer.. and to wait..

Essentially, he says theres no point.. I cant do it for my self..

no one will help me..

so someone else always gets the miracle..

Us

Can you imagine that being your life?

broken…

alone in your struggle..

year after year, decade after decade..

trying to cling to the hope that one day you will be free from what your facing..

but every time you think you’ve found breakthrough.. you come up short..

you just don’t seem strong enough to get yourself out..

or help yourself out..

us

maybe you can relate..

Maybe you’re here today and that is your life..

or at least part of your life..

You have A struggle…a problem

something broken in you..

and maybe its been that way your whole life..

and it just seems like everything you’ve tried hasn’t taken it away…

I want to remind you this morning that there is hope..

And the hope is not in trying something different or finding the right thing to do..

Its not in being stronger or smarter about your situation..

Its not in finding a new doctor or a new method of recovery..

OUR HOPE is IN Jesus.. He is the one who sets us free and he is our freedom!

The solution: Jesus

Jesus shows up and finds this man..

This man doesn't find Jesus..

JESUS FINDS HIM..

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS MESS..

That seems to be when jesus always shows up… Right in the middle..

Knew

and the bible says you already knew the mans condition..

He knew about his paralysis..

He knew he had been like this for 38 years..

he he was alone and had no help..

and he shows up..

and ask what seems like a ridiculous question

He says.. “Do you want to be healed..”

Essentially he’s saying do you want to be free..

Hey, do you wanna get out of here..

Crazy

I dont know about you..

But to me..

thats kind of a crazy isn’t it..

To know what this mans gone through..

and know what hes dealing with..

and know why hes laying in this particular spot.. because of the slight chance of the healing in the water..

Come Jesus..

Does he want to be free?

Jesus, He’s been laying here forever..

maybe most of his life..

trying to get to the water to be free from his life long condition..

pffff.

Do you want to be healed…

OF COURSE HE WANTS TO BE healed..…

If were not careful… can read that as a silly question

and miss something really profound..

yet

Because when Jesus asks the question…

the man does not say yes…..

……

……

He doesn’t say yes I want to be healed..

the whys

Instead he begins to tell Jesus all the things he’s tried..

and all the times he’s failed..

and all the reasons he cannot..

All the reasons he is not enough to save himself..

I can’t get to the water..

I have no one to help..

someone always beats me there…

i’ve done everything I can.. and nothing happened..

us

again.. there are those here today..

who have the same reply. ..

When the question of our freedom from our brokeness comes up..

And were asked.. do we want to be free..

Our answer is not yes..

Its all the reasons why we don’t think we cant..

im too far gone for god..

Even god wouldnt want me..

Ive tried to quit and it didnt work…

Every doctors told me the same thing…

Its not possible.. it doesnt make sense..

Im just gonna be like this the rest of my life..

Ive tried to break free but ive failed over and over again..

Ive gone to recovery..

im tried the patches..

Ive done the rehab..

Ive even had people pray for me..

Ive done this.. and this.. and this.. but im all lone..

and im not strong enough to get out of it..

and so here i am..

in the same broken place I was years ago..

Because nothing has worked..

But look.. Jesus was not asking the man if he would be heal himself..

or even if he will get in the water..

He was offering him freedom..

Brought on by Jesus..

you’re not strong enough..

I want to tell you this morning, as long as your faith is in your own ability to break free..

you will never be free..

jesus didn't ask this man to get out of his situation..

or to get down to the water..

He asked if he wanted to be free..

The breakthrough: Faith

I love how Jesus doesn’t even acknowledge the mans excuses..

instead he invites him to be free..

HE INVITES HIM TO BE FREE

HE INVITES HIM TO BE FREE

You say how so pastor?

by putting his faith in him..

How?

you might say pastor..

how did he invite him to have faith in him?

well look what Jesus said..

John 5:8 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”

Jesus told the man.. who could not walk for 38 years mind you..

to get..

take up your bed..

and walk..

and in that moment..

the man had a choice..

did he believe what Jesus said..

Did he put his faith in the command that Jesus gave..

He he trust that what he said would happen..

or did he continue to sit there..

by the water..

and wait until the miracle happened the way he thought it should..

Decision..

of course we know what the man chose..

He got up..

and left..

Chose faith

You see the moment this man reacted to the command of Jesus

Was the moment he put his faith in his words..

and he was healed from his condition..

set from..

and able to leave the place of his brokenness free..

Do you want to be free?

I want to ask you this morning..

Do you want to be free?

Jesus has already set us free..

I want to tell you this morning that freedom is already yours….

You might be living in the struggle..

or living in your brokenness at the moment..

But Jesus has already won the battle for your freedom..

HE HAS ALREADY OPENED THE DOOR..

YOU JUST NEED TO TAKE A STEP OF FAITH AND GET UP AND WALK..

AND IN HIM YOU ARE FREE..

HEALING BELONGED TO THE LAME MAN BEFORE HE WAS HEALED..

BECAUSE JESUS OFFERED THE LAME MAN HEALING..

ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS BELIEVE IN THE WORD OF JESUS AND OBEY IT BY FAITH..

IF YOU ARE IN BONDAGE..

FREEDOM IS ALREADY YOURS

BECAUSE JESUS ALREADY PAID THE PRICE FOR YOUR FREEDOM..

the cross

when Jesus died on the cross..

his blood was shed and became the payment for our freedom..

not just from sin.. but from all bondage and brokenness..

This is what Jesus said his whole purpose was in coming..

Luke 4:18 ESV

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Jesus literally came to bring freedom..

FROM ALL BONDAGE AND SIN..

AND HE PAID FOR IT ALL ON THE CROSS..

Galatians 3:13–14 ESV

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Colossians 1:13–14 ESV

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Romans 6:6–7 ESV

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Galatians 5:1 ESV

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:13–18 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

IF YOU KNOW THE LORD JESUS AS SAVIOR YOUR FREEDOM HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR ..

THE DOOR IS ALREADY OPEN FOR YOUR FREEDOM!!!

SO WALK IN IT..

STEP OUT IN FAITH..

AND BE FREE..

BE FREE..

BE FREE..

BE FREE..

BECAUSE HE WHO SHED HIS BLOOD FOR YOU HAS SET YOU FREE..

Don’t know the lord

You say pastor..

I don’t know the lord..

Well i’ve come to tell you today that if

Romans 10:9–13 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

and in that confess freedom becomes yours!!

You see kyle has bee sitting in bondage all morning..

but the door has been open…

Because I opened the door when he got up here..

JESUS ALREADY OPENED THE DOOR FOR YOUR FREEDOM..

CHOOSE TO WALK THROUGH IT TODAY IN FAITH..

Like the lame man..

TOday..

I am asking you..

do you want to be free..

Because Jesus has already paid the price for your freedom..

Do you want to be free..