Do You Love One Another?
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Introduction
Unwritten Rules
We are going to look at an unwritten rule that was broken on a Sabbath day.
Let’s take a look at some unwritten rules in the church: Gregoryville Christian Church
Youtube Video
Youtube Video
John 5:1-17
After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes.
In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters;
for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.
A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?”
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.”
Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.”
Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.
Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”
But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’ ”
They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?”
But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place.
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.
But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
Let’s Pray
John gives us three different pieces in this story - he gives us background information on the Pool in verses 1-4, then a dialogue between Jesus and the lame man, and then the confrontation with religious leaders.
John 5:1-4
After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes.
In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, waiting for the moving of the waters;
for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.
John 5:5-9
A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?”
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.”
Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.”
Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.
Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
38 years this man suffered from being lame.
Jesus asks him, “Do you wish to get well?”
For 38 years being brought to the pool to be healed, only to have someone else go into the pool before him and be healed.
Jesus told him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.”
What Jesus told him to do was to brake an unwritten law of the Jews - working on a Sabbath.
Jeremiah 17:19-27
Jeremiah 17:19-27
Thus the Lord said to me, “Go and stand in the public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem;
and say to them, ‘Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and all Judah and all inhabitants of Jerusalem who come in through these gates:
‘Thus says the Lord, “Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem.
“You shall not bring a load out of your houses on the sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers.
“Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.
“But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me,” declares the Lord, “to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it,
then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this city will be inhabited forever.
“They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord.
“But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched.” ’ ”
So here we go - according to the religious leaders - picking up your sleeping mat and walking was putting a load on your shoulders and working.
John 5:9-13
John 5:9-17
Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.
Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”
But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’ ”
They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?”
But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place.
Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk.
Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.”
But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’ ”
They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?”
But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place.
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.
But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
Quick to pass blame.
I didn’t pick up my pallet and walk - that guy told me to do it.
The penalty for working on the sabbath was being cut off from their people.
Exodus 31:14
Exodus 34:14
‘Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, 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.
It’s not a surprise that he said, “it was another man that told me to do it.”
John 5:14-17
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.”
The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.
But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
The Bible doesn’t tell us that the man was thankful - but he was a tattle tale
He went to the Jews - and told the Jews it was Jesus who had made him well, and on a Sabbath!
My Father is working, and I Myself am working
Jesus claims to be on the same level of God - doing the work on the Sabbath
The Jews came up with a lot of rules
When I was in Israel we saw these rules
You can’t use a toilet that self flushes on a Sabbath because that is work.
I got yelled at by an Orthodox Jew for taking a picture on Sabbath and making my camera do work
We have rules to:
Wear your Sunday best to church
Don’t cuss or chew, or go with girls that do
Don’t run in church
Don’t play tag in church
Be quiet during the Sunday School hour
Here are three rules I found on Pleasant Grove Baptist Church’s website
https://www.pgbcyadkinville.org/f/docs/ChurchEtiquette.html
Honoring Each Other:
• Rule 1: Treat One Another With Kindness: God wants us to be good to one another so, whatever bad mood you had in the car on your way to church, you should greet each other kindly, in God’s name, when you meet in church.
• Rule 2: Row Two Is Not Your Pew: If you like a particular seat in the sanctuary, then be sure to get there early enough to claim it. It is unreasonable to ask someone to give up a seat that they are in because you normally sit there. (If the seat is very important to you, then you might consider attending often enough that others know that it is your typical seat!)
• Rule 3: Don’t Say Bad Things About God’s People: God warns against gossip and backbiting. Our grandmothers recalled this lesson and tried to teach it to us by saying, “If you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say anything at all.” We should try to remember this in all aspects of our lives, but especially in God’s house.
Sometimes they are not even unwritten laws - this church actually put them on their website!
Unwritten rules are dangerous.
Because not everyone is playing by the same rules - because you don’t know what you don’t know
The Jews fought about this for years.
The question comes down to work - if you are not supposed to work on Sabbath - what about things that you don’t have control of?
Having a baby on Sunday - isn’t that work? Mother’s isn’t that work to have a baby?
The Jews argued - well, God rested from creating creation on the Sabbath - but He continued to work - so that allowed for some work to be done - like circumcising babies.
The issue is we can become very legalistic when it comes to church rules and church etiquette
Jesus was more concerned about loving people -
Are you known for your love?
If I asked someone to describe you - how long would it take them to say, they are loving?
God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins.
If I asked you to describe God - how long would it take you to say that, God is loving?
Do you love one another?
Do you love these kids?
Do you love these adults?
Do you love one another?
John 13:35
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Let’s Pray