Helping The Helpless

HELPING THE HELPLESS

John 5:1-9

I heard a story about a man who came home drunk with his drinking buddies late one night. He got his wife out of bed and told her to give them some supper. She went into the kitchen and put some covered dishes on the table. When he lifted the covers, the dishes were empty. She then replied, I hope you enjoy your supper, this is what we had tonight.

Someone has said, the devil’s dishes are always empty, but Jesus fills the Christian dish with many blessings. Here in this story, we have a crippled man who has been cripple for 38 years, but we see Jesus blessing him.

Some say that God help those who help them-selves, and even say it is in the Bible. But that is not true, for God helps the helpless.

I-WE SEE THE DESPEARATE PROBLEM IN THIS STORY: 1-3

A-Notice The Place Of The Problem: 2

Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

This pool of Bethesda meant house of mercy. It was located next to the temple and the sheep gate. This is where the sacrificial sheep were led to for the purpose of sacrifice.

The place of the problem was not in some pagan country but next door to the temple or the Church house of Jerusalem.

Sometimes we forget about those around us who are sick and hurting, and those who are lost.

ILLUSTRATION: I heard a preacher relate a story about a lady in his Church who was in charge of the missions program. He said, though this lady was interested in supporting mission, she didn’t even know who lived across the street from her.

ILLUSTRATION: When I think of that story, I think of WA Criswell and his experience at FBC Dallas, Texas. Someone visited him while he was in the hospital and caught him making many telephone calls. When asked who he was calling, he said, prospects who had just arrived in Dallas. Then he told the person why he was urgent in calling then,. He said one morning during the worship service, a man stood to his feet and said, he had lived several years next to the Church and none had ever visited him from the Church. Bro Criswell said, it cut his to his heart, and he was determined that would never be said again about FBC.

B-Notice The People Of The Problem: 3

In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.

These people were sick, some had lost their sight, some were cripple, and some were weak. It was a place of pain and suffering.

This is a description of the spiritual sick. Such as the weak(Romans5:6) For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Some are more spiritually sick than others, but all are sick spiritually, and need Jesus.

ILLUSTRATION: At an evangelistic service conducted in London by Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, a hardened criminal came forward to the altar seeking salvation. Dr. Morgan knelt beside him and pointed him to Jesus the Lamb of God who could cleanse him from all his sins, and he who had been a great sinner believed and was converted.

Then Dr. Morgan saw the Mayor of the city, a man of high morals and greatly respected, kneeling at the same altar, and to him, as to the criminal, he pointed out the Lamb of God who alone could take away sins. In humble self-surrender, the Mayor, too, accepted Jesus as his Savior. A short time before this, the Mayor had sentenced the criminal to imprisonment; and there at the altar the two shook hands while tears of joy ran down their cheeks. For the worst of sinners and the best of moralists there is the same Savior. In none other is there salvation, for “there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

II-NOTICE THE DEJECTED PARALYTIC IN THIS STORY: 5

A-We See The Paralytic’s Condition: 5

And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

According to the Scriptures, this man had lived with this infirmity for 38 years. He had been sick longer than Jesus had been on the earth! The Bible says that this man had an "infirmity." This word means that he had some weakness or frailness that prevented him from walking about as other men.

What a picture of the sinner who is lost and separated from God by his sins Regardless of what he tries, the sinner is still lost and unable to walk in the ways of the Lord.