Introduction

Good morning, beloved family in Christ. It is yet another blessed day that the Lord has made, and as we gather in this sacred sanctuary, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Today, we find ourselves standing on the precipice of a profound revelation, a revelation that has the power to transform us, to heal us, and to renew our faith in the miraculous powers of our Almighty God.

In the words of the esteemed Christian preacher Charles Spurgeon, "It is not our littleness that hinders Christ; but our bigness. It is not our weakness that hinders Christ; it is our strength. It is not our darkness that hinders Christ; it is our false light. It is not our infirmity that hinders Christ; it is our self-sufficiency." Such profound words remind us that our strength, our healing, our light, and our sufficiency are found not in ourselves, but in Christ alone.

Today, we turn our hearts and minds to the Gospel of John, specifically John 5:1-15, where we read: "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 But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.' The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.'"

As we meditate on this passage, let us open our hearts and minds to the healing powers of God, the hope in divine healing, and harnessing faith for healing.

Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for gathering us together in Your name. We ask that You open our hearts and minds to Your word today. May we be receptive to the lessons You have for us and may we find comfort, healing, and hope in Your divine presence. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Healing Powers of God

In the passage we just read, we see a man who had been ill for thirty-eight years. He had been waiting for his healing, waiting for the stirring of the water. But every time the water stirred, someone else got there before him. He was stuck in his condition, with no hope of ever getting better. But then Jesus came along. Jesus, who didn't need to wait for the stirring of the water. Jesus, who had the power to heal with just a word.

This is a clear demonstration of the healing power of God. It's not dependent on the right conditions or the right timing. It's not limited to certain people or certain illnesses. God's healing power is limitless, boundless, and available to all who believe.

But what does it mean to believe? In this context, belief is not just a mental assent to a set of doctrines. It's not just agreeing with what the Bible says about God. Belief is trust. It's reliance. It's putting your whole self - your body, your mind, your heart - into God's hands, confident that He will do what He has promised.

This kind of belief requires surrender and letting go of our own ideas and expectations about how things should be. It requires opening ourselves up to the possibility of disappointment and pain. But it also opens us up to the possibility of healing, of transformation, of new life.

The man at the pool of Bethesda had been let down so many times before. He had been disappointed, overlooked, forgotten. But when Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed, he didn't let his past experiences hold him back. He didn't let his fear of disappointment keep him from saying yes. He trusted Jesus, and he was healed.

But this story is not just about physical healing. It's also about spiritual healing. The man at the pool was physically ill, but he was also spiritually ill. He was stuck in his sin, just as he was stuck in his physical condition. But when Jesus healed him, He didn't just heal his body. He also healed his spirit. He told him to sin no more, to leave his old life behind and start a new life in Him.

This is the ultimate healing that God offers us. Not just healing of our bodies, but healing of our spirits. Not just relief from physical pain, but freedom from sin and guilt.

But how do we receive this healing? How do we access this incredible power of God? Well, we receive it through faith. Not just belief in the sense of agreeing with certain doctrines, but belief in the sense of trusting God with our whole selves. Belief in the sense of surrendering our lives to Him, letting go of our own ideas and expectations, and opening ourselves up to His transforming power. This is what the man at the pool did. He trusted Jesus.

Application questions. So, what about us? Are we willing to trust God in this way? Are we willing to surrender our lives to Him, to let go of our own ideas and expectations, and to open ourselves up to His healing power? If we are, then we too can experience the healing power of God. We too can be transformed, not just physically, but spiritually. We too can experience new life in Christ.

Hope in Divine Healing

As we continue to immerse ourselves in the depth of this Scripture, we find ourselves drawn to the theme of hope in divine healing ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO