7 signs of John

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Text: John 5:1-13

John 5:1–13 NKJV

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, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made 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, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.” He answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.

We are continuing our series on the 7 signs of the book of John.

We know now that John is different from the synoptic gospels because John does not start with prophecy but he starts with Jesus’s deity.

That before Mary existed, he was. We know that John got a front row seat to see the BEST OF JESUS AND THE WORST OF JESUS.

HE IS ONE WHO IS DIFFERENT, BECAUSE HE SAW JESUS DYING ON THE CROSS FOR THE SINS OF MAN.

John point out some 7 signs of what Jesus did, and his purpose behind his writing is so that people will believe.

John calls these miracles Jesus did, signs because there is a message that Goes with the miracle.

The basis of everything John speaks of is so that people would be saved.

The first message (The turning of water into wine) is the message of Salvation through the WORD OF GOD.

The second message (healing the royal official’s son) is the message of Salvation by FAITH

and we land in chapter 5 today, where the message is SALVATION BY GRACE.

IN this text, Jesus has now gone back to Jerusalem where there was a feast of the Jews.

and in Jerusalem by sheep gate, there was a pool called Bethesda, and here we find a man who had been sick for 38 years, waiting to get in the pool. Jesus somehow spots this man, and already saw that he had been in that spot a long time.

Jesus asks the man (Do you want to be made well?) The man responds (Sir I have no one to put me in the pool.

Jesus says Rise take up your bed and walk and the man rose took up his bed and walked.

Now the first thing that stood out tot me was the

SETTING

This is a place called in the Bethesda translated “The House of Mercy” its a place where people who were sick would lay and wait for the “stiring of the water” it was said to believe that an angel would come down and stir the water up and people would be healed if they went down.

So these people are ones of the same stature, they are sick, they are hopeless and they are waiting on the stiring.

These people are at the “House of Mercy” waiting on something big to happen.

Now this place used to be a place where the rich and prestige would come and party, have a good time and enjoy life, and its now a place where the sick lay amongst each other waiting to be healed.

This almost paints a picture of the church. A place that should be a “HOUSE OF MERCY” the place where the sick should come and wait on a stiring of the HOLY SPIRIT so they can get what they need, YET WE HAVE some people like this man who’s been in the same place for a long time and do not change.

LET ME inform you on who we are.

We are this place of Grace. We are this place of MERCY. We are a place of HOPE, HEALING, AND HAPPINESS.

WE ARE A PLACE WHERE THE SINNER COMES TO GET SAVED. BUT IF WE DO NOT DO OUR JOB, WE WILL HAVE A ROOM FULL OF SICK PEOPLE WAITING ON A STIRING OF THE WATER.

We’ve dealt with the setting, but I now want to deal with the

PSYCHE of this man.

This man, has done something, that has puts him in a place of sickness for 38 years. Jesus asks this man a question “Do you want to be made well” and the man’s response is I have no one to PUT ME IN THE POOL. Then he says “while I am coming, another steps down before me”

I. This man is in a bad spot because he’s waiting on someone to get him out of something he got himself in.

(when you want something bad enough you’re going to go get it.)

Ask the woman with an issue, she went and got it

The royal official went and got it.

I know you are sick, I know you feel bound, and I don’t know how long he’s been there, but I do know that you’ve been there for a while, and you’ve made no progress.

This man is us, we get so comfortable around people who have an infirmity, and we have no desire to get better.

Also, if you had an able bodied man, who could place you in, the pool, instead of saying you have no one, ask for help in the place that you believe can heal you.

The next point is the

SIGNS OF THE SAVIOR.

HE SAID RISE TAKE UP YOUR BED AND WALK.

SO THIS MAN WHO HAS BEEN.

and the bible says it happend IMMEDIATELY.

What was bound 38 years, was healed immediately.

Watch this though,

Jesus heals this man and said TAKE UP YOUR BED.

“do the illustration with chair.”

What he was once laying on and in he’s carrying.

and it may seem ugly, it may be heavy and it may feel like a burden, but it’s really a testimony of where you came from.

close: the bible says they said it is not lawful to carry your bed, and he said the man who made me well, said to me take up your bed and walk.

THE MAN WHO MADE ME WELL TOLD ME TO DO THIS.