Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

This Lord’s Day we are making our way forward in the account of the healing of the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda here in John chapter 5.

As we talked about the last time we were here, Jesus displays His compassion and mercy in this story even on one who doesn’t believe in Him, have faith in Him, let alone know who He even is.

And as we will see today with this man who was healed, when confronted by the Jews, by Judaism, by legalistic religion, this man who was healed by the grace of God, denies God’s grace and even turns on Jesus and tells the Jews who healed them in an act of shielding himself against shame and ridicule at the hands of the Jews.

This is the power of religion.

What is legalism?

The word “legalism” does not occur in the Bible.

It is a term Christians use to describe a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth.

Legalists believe in and demand a strict literal adherence to rules and regulations.

Doctrinally, it is a position essentially opposed to grace.

Those who hold a legalistic position often fail to see the real purpose for law, especially the purpose of the Old Testament law of Moses, which is to be our “schoolmaster” or “tutor” to bring us to Christ ().

© Copyright 2002-2017 Got Questions Ministries

We know that this man doesn’t believe

If you have eyes to see, have you seen what Jesus was doing up to this point?

If you have ears to hear, have you heard what He has been saying in all these accounts here in John’s gospel?

He has done miracles, signs that were meant to point to His Messianic identity.

This is the Son of God, the Word become flesh, God dwelling amongst men, God amongst the creation of His own hand.

Jesus does that which is contrary to human abilities, He heals the sick and creates wine from water.

Signs, to to show His true identity.

Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel, came to Jesus by night in awe of His miraculous ability and is told the truth how a man must be saved, and in who he must believe in to have eternal life, not the signs but Jesus.

The woman at the well, the Samaritan woman when told about the living water that only Christ could give, that gift of God, and she looks to water from Jacob’s well, and she is told what water to receive, to drink, not the water of Jacob’s well but of Him, the source of living water.

The nobleman asks Jesus to come to his home to heal his son, Jesus tells Him, “unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

Jesus doesn’t go but says “go your way, your son lives.”

Not the sign, but faith.

And even here with this paralyzed man looking to make it into the stirred waters, Jesus says in this miracle, not the water but Me! Solus Christus!

In Christ alone!

The nobleman asks Jesus to come to his home to heal his son, Jesus tells Him, “unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

Jesus doesn’t go but says “go your way, your son lives.”

Not the sign, but faith.

And even here

What does all this tell us?

The natural tendency in man is to look to things and place our trust in things, created things as if they can do what Jesus can do, rosaries, scapulars, crucifixes, self-help books, drugs and alcohol, vain repetitive prayers, prayer with some kind of technique to get God to move at your command, anointed oils and anointed handkerchiefs blessed by men and not of God, philosophies.

We can be so idolatrous, looking to created things and and not the Creator.

We even look to religion as if it in and of itself saves.

Religion does not save!

Jesus does!

Coming to church does not save, Jesus does!

The Reaction of False Religion

The Reaction Of Religion

The Reaction Of False Religion

The Reaction Of False Religion

The Reaction Of False Religio

And that day was the Sabbath.

Why is this important?

What is the Sabbath?

2 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.

2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

After creating the heavens and the earth Genesis says:

2 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.

2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

We see God’s commandment of it in better known to us as the 4th Commandment.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.

In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.

11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.

Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

But it’s in where we see the meaning of it’s use for Israel.

15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

If we really sit and meditate on what this is actually means, the Israelites were released from their bondage of slavery and forced labor by God’s mighty hand and given rest and a land of rest, a land of milk and honey, a land prepared for them where all they had to do was occupy and live, but God told them rest from their daily labors and observe the Sabbath in remembrance of what God did for them.

This was a day set aside for the worship of the One True God who gave His people rest.

But again I ask, why is this important?

It’s important because the Jews perverted what God intended to be used for good.

Jesus, the Word become flesh opposes that perversion by healing a man from sin who was going to run to the religious establishment which kick starts the hostility of a legalistic and and perverted religion.

How was it perverted?

Let me give you an example:

7:2 A The generative categories of acts of labor [prohibited on the Sabbath] are forty less one:

B (1) he who sews, (2) ploughs, (3) reaps, (4) binds sheaves, (5) threshes, (6) winnows, (7) selects [fit from unfit produce or crops], (8) grinds, (9) sifts, (10) kneads, (11) bakes;

C (12) he who shears wool, (13) washes it, (14) beats it, (15) dyes it;

D (16) spins, (17) weaves,

E (18) makes two loops, (19) weaves two threads, (20) separates two threads;

F (21) ties, (22) unties,

G (23) sews two stitches, (24) tears in order to sew two stitches;

H (25) he who traps a deer, (26) slaughters it, (27) flays it, (28) salts it, (29) cures its hide, (30) scrapes it, and (31) cuts it up;

I (32) he who writes two letters, (33) erases two letters in order to write two letters;

J (34) he who builds, (35) tears down;

K (36) he who puts out a fire, (37) kindles a fire;

L (38) he who hits with a hammer; (39) he who transports an object from one domain to another—

M lo, these are the forty generative acts of labor less one.

7:2 A The generative categories of acts of labor [prohibited on the Sabbath] are forty less one:

B (1) he who sews, (2) ploughs, (3) reaps, (4) binds sheaves, (5) threshes, (6) winnows, (7) selects [fit from unfit produce or crops], (8) grinds, (9) sifts, (10) kneads, (11) bakes;

C (12) he who shears wool, (13) washes it, (14) beats it, (15) dyes it;

D (16) spins, (17) weaves,

E (18) makes two loops, (19) weaves two threads, (20) separates two threads;

F (21) ties, (22) unties,

G (23) sews two stitches, (24) tears in order to sew two stitches;

H (25) he who traps a deer, (26) slaughters it, (27) flays it, (28) salts it, (29) cures its hide, (30) scrapes it, and (31) cuts it up;

I (32) he who writes two letters, (33) erases two letters in order to write two letters;

J (34) he who builds, (35) tears down;

K (36) he who puts out a fire, (37) kindles a fire;

L (38) he who hits with a hammer; (39) he who transports an object from one domain to another—

M lo, these are the forty generative acts of labor less one.

This is the type of legalism Jesus opposed.

God only meant for them to cease from their daily work throughout their week and rest in observance of God’s Commandment so that remember and worship but this is what they turned it into.

Let’s see it in action:

Matt.

15:1–20

7 Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. 2 Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.

3 For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.

4 When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.