Do You Want To Get Well?

Pastor Allan Kircher

Shell Point Baptist Church

July 13th 2014

John 5:1-17

Do you want to get well?

The fifth chapter marks a major division in the Gospel of John.

• Prologue John introduces the life of Jesus

• 1st-4chap.Jesus presents himself/Jews/promised Messiah

• Chap 5, John begins to trace a growing rejection/Lord

• Rejection/gather/three remarkable acts of healing by Jesus:

• Chap 5/Chapt 9/opening/eyes/man born blind/Chapt 11

• greatest of our Lord's miracles

• All/increases/hostility against Jesus/culminates/last/death.

Today we will look at the first of these miracles, the healing of the impotent man, John 5:1-5

Three observations

1. Feast/Passover/April/Pentacost/Tabernacle/October…..

• Probably interrupted/Galilee ministry…back to chap 6

2. V. 4 Missing.

• Most versions footnotes/explain/presence.

• Explain pool……

Established a reputation as a place where people could be healed.

3. Multitude of People……..blind/lame/sick/paralyzed……

• 38 years he waited.

• Jesus picks him out of the crowd of hundreds……

• He did not empty the five porches, healing everybody

• He did not lay hands on them; nothing of that sort.

• He went to only one man.

• The value of a story like this……

• reason it is in the gospels/truth about Lord

• Show us how God proposes to deal with human helplessness and weakness.

Undoubtedly it/helplessness of this man drew Jesus to him.

We all can see ourselves, in a sense, helpless, weak, crippled and lame, lying at the pool of Bethesda this morning.

• We all need help.

• We all find ourselves paralyzed at times

• Unable to do the thing we want or ought to do….

• We find we are lame

• we do not walk very well

The Focus turns to Jesus.

1. Knowledge of Jesus

“When Jesus saw him and knew he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" (John 5:6)

• Strange question ask man sick for 38 years!

• "Do you want to be healed?

• Jesus never asked a foolish question in his life.

• it was important for this man to answer the question

• "Do I want to be healed?"

• immediately he knew the man’s story

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God knows our story

• how long you have been struggling/problem

• All there is to know about you and I.

• Your pain/sorrow/worries/reservations

• discouragement you may be feeling.

• help that you may need.

• what may be facing you tomorrow.

I cannot think a thought/my mind God does not know what I’m thinking.

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Many people today who do not want to be healed

• Do not want to receive divine help in their problems

• Do not want to be helped out of their weakness.

• They love their weakness, their helplessness.

• They are always craving the attention of others through their helplessness.

• You cannot help somebody who does not want to be helped.

One of the things that is true this morning, as our Lord moves among us, is that he will only ask this question of those who want to be healed.

• He will say nothing to those who do not.

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Some may not have yet reached the place this man had reached.

• They are not helpless enough yet

• Not ready to give up on human efforts to solve their problems

• not ready to admit they cannot make it on their own

• Still determined to get into the water when it is troubled

• Jesus can do nothing for them

2. Compassion of Jesus

• Jesus chose to go to the pool.

• Samaria/royal official dying son

• Jesus moves toward need, not comfort.

• Toward brokenhearted sinners, not the self-righteous

• easily moved by the misery you feel

• compassionate to us in our misery

• Sympathetic High Priest for those who will trust him.

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The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me." (John 5:7)

In other words I've tried, I've done everything I know how.

• I want to get into that water, I want to be healed

• I lack the ability/no one to help me/given up/no hope.

Many people here this morning are like that.

• They have given up on their situation

• Refusing to believe there is any hope it can change.

They have resigned themselves to being weak, failing and faltering Christians for the rest of their lives.

• I know there are some like that among us; there always are. I do not know what your problem is.

• Maybe/tried to stop drinking

You know alcohol is ruining your life, your family, your home.

• You thought you had it under control.