The Fourth Sign (John 5:1-15)

Announcement (JW)

Preparation for Worship

Call to Worship

Hymn 2

Prayer of Invocation

-The only Majestic God

-The train of your robe fills all the earth

-your dominion is unmatched to the rulers of our earth.

-For your armies cannot be thwarted and your will cannot be usurped

-We appeal to your kingly majesty.

-For your eternal rule is unending and your power is omnipotent.

-As your servants we humble seek you presence this Lord’s days

-and As we come to you, we know that Christ has granted us favor in your sight like no other.

-even as he taught us to pray, saying

OT reading in Ezekiel 37

God gives his people a new heart. This is a true miracle. That God replaces our hearts of Stone and gives us hearts of flesh.

English Standard Version Chapter 37

The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones.

2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.”

4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.

5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.

6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.

8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’

12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel.

13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.

14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”

Confession of Sin

-We often believe that we can change the will of man.

-That we can create salvation within ourselves

-This makes us a superstitious people

-We give others false hopes when we peddle false doctrine

-We give ourselves false righteousness

-and lead others to false righteousness.

-In these sins we joined the jews in crucifying Christ.

Confession of Faith

Offering

Pastoral Prayer

Civil Realm

-peace, justice, and order

-that our country might prosper well

-We pray for the governors of our country (Ivey)

-We pray for the health professionals

Salvation of Sinners

-We think of the Lost in our schools. Particularly in our universities.

-you have raised up many men in campus ministry.

-We pray for the fruit of salvation at our various RUF ministries.

-We pray for MS state as they seek a new minister and for Elliot Everett as he transfers to church ministry. Be gracious to him as he learns a new way of ministry.

Mission of the Church

-We pray for the PCA and her mission to proclaim Christ

-WE pray that you leader the churches of our denomination to a greater sense of Holiness

-We pray for Mr. Taylor as he retires and for the incoming clerk.

-May you instill your grace and truth in our next clerk

-May we grow in biblical fidelity

Sanctification

-We pray for our people here.

-We pray for youth Ministry

-Mr. Lanier as he leads them

-as they start back up in some capacity.

-May spiritual gains be made in holiness and understanding.

Sick and needy

-Amos Malone: Comfort and be with him!

-The Jolly: With John and Jeanette

-Bob head as he recovers.

Sermon Text Introduction

Please turn with me in your bibles to John 5. We are continuing in our series on the seven signs in John. We have been discussing the miracles of John and their purpose for the church of Christ. We are often enamored by signs and miracles in the scripture and we often miss the forest for the tree. These signs and miracles are used in the bible to valid the messianic nature of Christ and they are to reveal the kingdom to come. In other words, they show us who the true son of God is and give us a taste of the kingdom that he offers. In John 5 this morning we have a lame man healed from infirmity and granted access to God for the first time in his entire life.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

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, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.

3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

6 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?”

7 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.”

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

9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

Now that day was the Sabbath.

10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”

11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ”

12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”

13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

HERE ENDS THE GOSPEL LESSON AND THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD

Sermon Introduction

Are you a superstitious person? Charles Hodge said, “Superstition is belief without evidence.” humans love superstitions. As a child, I was often warned about going out on a full moon or on a Friday the 13th. My mom made sure my hair was dry before going out to play. In regards to sports, we prepare well organized rituals in order for our favorites teams to win. We have many beer commercials peddle sports suppressions. For the Chicago bears wont win if I fail to crack open a cold one with the guys. That actually may explain their poor performance over the years!

Our story today is full of superstition. As jesus performed his fourth sign in the Gospel of John. Our Messiah enter the city of Jersualem on one of the great feasts to offer the people in the temple true healing and forgiveness of sins. As is customary with Christ, his offer of salvation is open and free to those he comes in contact with in his travels. Whether is be samaritans, tax collectors, prostitutes, or even the marginalized lame man in our passage today. Christ offers a tasted of the life to come in his eternal kingdom. He offers this man and the pharisees of this passage an opportunity to see what the eternal kingdom of God will be like with his own messianic rule. For in the Kingdom of God, the lame will walk, the blind will see, and sinner truly healed and forgiven. There is an opportunity for the lost in this passage to finally step into the presence of God in his holy temple.

Unfortunately, worldly superstition denies true hope to this lame man and true righteousness to the Jewish Leaders. And this deep seeded superstition leads Christ to die a sinners death. It is a sad reality that even those who see and experience the miraculous works of Christ, can be the very people that chant Crucify him as they rejoice in his death. But we know that this death would be be basis for our own spiritual transformation and faith.

Proposition: Superstition fails to transform the Spiritually needy.

Superstitions offer the lame man false Hope (1-9)

English Standard Version Chapter 5

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, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades.

3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

False Hope for a Vulnerable people (1-5)

Jesus has returned to Jerusalem for one of the many feasts there. We do not know the exact festival that he was celebrating, but it has lead him to the northern side of the temple. They are at the Sheep gate. You guessed it, it was named the sheep gate, because sheep were lead through this gate for sacrifice. They were not the most creative people in naming their gates, but near the entrance of this gate, their is a pool. Not just any pool, but a pool that could apparently heal any disease. But like any good superstition, it would only happen at certain times to certain people. For many believed that the angel of the Lord would stir these waters from time to time. And this spiritual stirring would heal them as a messianic fulfillment.

This lead many lame and invalid people to waiting for this miracle. As the text tells us, many blind, lame, and paralyzed people sat around this pool waiting for the right opportunity to get in.

False hope feeds Spiritual death (6-9)

English Standard Version Chapter 5

6 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?”

7 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.”

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

9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.

While the people of the pool looked to the pool for the messianic fulfillment, Christ enters the scene as the true fulfilling messiah. For this pool cannot bring the type of healing that they need as Christ reveals in the healing of this lame. So we look to the Lord Jesus Christ and his question for the lame man here.

He asks, “Do you want to be healed?”

And the lame man responds, “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.” You might read at first glance read this narrative sympathetically. But John is not a charitable as you read him. And the first dour hues is found in his response to show that more is to come. As he avoids the authorities by shifting blame to Christ and then selling Christ out at the end of the passage.

D.A. Carson describes this lame man like this, This response to Jesus in none other than “the crotchety grumblings of an old and not very perceptive man who thinks he is answering a stupid question.” For you see the false hope of this superstition led this man to this pool for 38 years and no sign. This man learned to be a beggar at the gates of the temple and knew no other life than the one sitting by this pool. He has no hope for healing and truly doesn't even want to be healed. Instead, he prefers the life he has over the life he could have in healing.

This is a great analogy for a sinfulness in our own lives. As the years go on and we continue in sin, it is the only life we know. We are like the lame man in this parable. We become so hardened in our sin that we prefer our sin to true spiritual healing.

Though this lame man lacks the sort of Character like the man lowered through the room elsewhere in the gospels. Jesus Choses to heal this man from his paralysis. Christ authoritatively says, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” There is no Question in this healing, full bodily strength is restored! Not one more day would this paralytic be carried on the mat. No, he now can carry his own mat. But is this man truly healed. The apostle will soon tell us.

Proposition: Superstition fails to transform the Spiritually needy.

Superstitions offer the pharisees false righteousness (10-15)

English Standard Version Chapter 5

Now that day was the Sabbath.

10 So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.”

11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ”

12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?”

False righteousness rejoices in man-made superstitions(10-12)

This festival day was the Sabbath Day. In this time period, the Sabbath principle was modified to include a lengthy list of rules that must be obeyed. There were hundreds of rules developed by the Jewish leaders and one of them was “You cannot pick up you mat to transport it to another destination.”

This is a very interesting development indeed. You see the Jewish leaders develop their own superstition in regards to the Sabbath command. Like the Lame man who sought healing in Superstition. The Jewish leaders find righteousness in their Superstition. They take the holy law of God, and begin to add rules and modifiers to it for their own pride and self righteousness.

So the rules that sparks controversy in not the breaking of God’s law, but a perversion of that law in their warped religion. So, the healed lame man is receiving indignation from the Jewish religious leaders.

The Lame man seeks to be vindicated for his wrongs by blame-shifting to Christ. It was the man who healed him. “Its not my fault that I am healed!” The poor lame man didn’t even take the time to learn his benefactors name! This man might be physically healed, but he knows not Christ. He was ducking the authorities to protect himself. For the irony we see in this passage is this, the jewish leaders see a wonderful healing and breach in their own self-righteous moral code. And they only care about the latter.

False righteousness seeks worldly vindication (13-15)

English Standard Version Chapter 5

13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.

14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

In Just a few short verses he will actually identify with them. this Lame man will move from one superstitious belief to another superstitious belief. From false hope in the pool to false righteousness in manmade law. As verse 13 goes on, we see the lame man seek out christ.

He finds and confronts our lord, and our Lord leaves him a sobering reminder and warning. He says, “Stop sinning, that nothing worse may happen to you.” A call for repentance and faith. Guilty of ignorance, the man reports back to the jews.

Proposition: Superstition fails to transform the Spiritually needy.

Superstitions lead Jesus Christ to a messianic death (16-18)

English Standard Version Chapter 5

16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

This man is vindicated before thee jewish leaders as they turn their attention on Christ. The importance of this miracle is not that the lame man was now able to walk. The importance of this miracle is that this miracle signed the death warrant of Jesus Christ. John pinpoints this miracle as the one that pushes the Jewish leaders to Action.For these leaders persecuted Christ for his true understanding of the Sabbath, but they would chose to kill Christ for his claim of being the Son of God.

Superstitions cause the needy to deny the work of Christ (16-17)

We see that the lame man and these Jewish leaders deny the work of christ in verse 16-17. Another great irony for this healed paralytic. He joins these leaders in denying the work of Christ. Another commentator says this lame man was “an unpleasant creature.” The results are inevitable as the Jewish leaders take action against Jesus christ. The persecute Jesus and he responds by invoking his identity to the father that he serves.

We learn something about the Sabbath in this passage. Being for the christians Sabbath does not mean that we are idle. I am not advocating the you work or engage in commerce on the Lord’s day, but we are called to work spiritually for christ. So the idea of working on the sabbath is not defending an anti-Sabbath view, rather it is promoting the freedom to serve Christ on his day of Rest. And and man-made law that gets in the way of this service is not only superstition, but also a work against the Kingdom of God.

I have personally become more convicted by this principle as I have grown in grace. I began to ask myself, does the manner by which I order the Lord’s day matter. Some might argue that any ordering lends itself to being like the jewish leaders of this text, but the truth is an order Lord’s day is found in this very text. Christ chooses to engage in ministry and service on the day of rest. He is not concerned with worldly things, but with ministry and worship.

One of the greatest blessing that I have received on the Lord’s day is both morning and evening worship. We both begin and end our day in worship. For this is the type of labor expected from us as we rest in the Lord.

But as these leaders deny the work of Christ, they also deny the identity of christ.

Superstitions cause the pharisees to deny the divinity of Christ (18)

We have discussed at length that the miracles of christ give us a taste of the life to come, but they also confirm Christ’s messianic office. And so, as the jewish leaders reject the works of christ, they then move on to rejecting the office of christ. They deny that he is the messiah and the divinity therein. As Christ professes his connection to God the father, this leaves the Jewish leaders with the conclusion of verse 18.

This total rejection leads them to one conclusion, He must die. They saw his words as a direct threat against their religion and authority. This was blasphemy and the only result for such a charge was death. It is from this point forward that the plan for Christ death was put in motion. For their superstitious religion knew no other way.

Proposition: Superstition fails to transform the Spiritually needy.

Conclusion

I want to remind you of the words of Charles hodge. “Superstition is belief without evidence.” In the Christian tradition, we are tempted to add things to the law of God like these Jewish leaders and grant believers false hope like the lame man by the pool. We are prone to superstition just like those in this story. You may have thought this sermon was not about you. But we have Christians superstitions too. We force people to say certain prayers that give people false hope. We call people to alters with the belief that God only saves through alter calls. We are tempted to self righteousness like the leaders. We lift ourselves up by comparing ourselves to one another And believing that we are at least better than them. And then judging them with man-made superstition. We are prone to false gospel of Superstition. but this story reveals the solution. And it is the work of Christ in worship. For True spiritual transformation is not limited to physically healing or man-made laws. Spiritual transformation comes through the person and work of jesus christ. That is the LAbor of christ this Lord’s day. To bring a shipwrecked people tainted by sin to true holiness even at the expense of his own life. He died so that you may live.

Hymn

Benediction