Are You Ready For Deliverance?

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Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copies and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Pastor James May

ARE YOU READY FOR DELIVERANCE?

John 5:2-6, "Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?"

Wherever Jesus went he was performing miracles of healing the sick, raising the dead back to life and cleansing lepers. On this occasion he was entering the city of Jerusalem to celebrate one of the great feasts that had been commanded by God for the Jews to observe. Most students of the Bible concur that this must have been the time for the Feast of Passover although it is never stated plainly. It could have been any of the feasts such as the Feast of Tabernacles, Feast of Pentecost, Feast of Dedication or others.

Which feast was going on is not as important as what Jesus did that day upon entering the city in preparation of that feast. It is interesting to note that Jesus entered the city through the Sheep Gate. This gate was the entrance where all of the sheep were brought in that were to be offered as sacrifices in the temple ceremonies. What a fitting entrance for the Lamb of God to use.

As the Son of God entered through the Sheep Gate, one of the first sights that he would have seen would have been a large pool of water that was fed by underground springs that were located outside of the city walls. This water was always cool.

Some scholars say that the pool was used for swimming and bathing. Others say that it was used to wash the sacrificial sheep before the sacrifice and others say that it was used to wash the entrails of the sheep after the sacrifice. None of those things have ever been proven.

On this day, there were only the sick, lame, and infirmed mass of humanity who were scattered throughout the five porches that surrounded the pool. They were there waiting for the time of miracles to come. They were waiting in the cool shade of the porticos built and positioned for their aid and comfort. They were lying around, some with other people to help them and some were on their own for they had no friends or family around.

I have often compared these 5 porticos around the pool where the miracle takes place to the 5-fold ministry of the church. God has placed the ministries within his church to help the hurting people who come and stay around the church. The Evangelist shouts that its time for the moving of the water. The Teacher shows how to step into the water and how to react to the miracles when they come. The Pastor takes the infirm by the hand and leads them into the water. The Prophet speaks of how great the future will be or how terrible the future will be depending upon whether we allow the miracles to come or not. And he gave the Apostles the job of going around and doing their best to establish new pools of deliverance for hurting man.

It was under one of these five porches that Jesus saw the one man, in all of that hurting crowd, who was ripe for a miracle!

Why didn’t Jesus heal everyone there? What was it about this infirm man that gave him the special honor and privilege of receiving the healing word of Jesus?