Do You Want To Be Healed?
John 5:1-9
Introduction:
Hope. It is one of the most integral aspects of humanity. It is what drives us. It gives life purpose and pizaz.
Political emphasis on social security, education, medicare, environment
These are important because in them we hope for a better future for ourselves, for our children, and perhaps for our grandchildren.
we hope to achieve greater so we take risks.
Without hope life would be empty-we would never have had the technological innovations of today.
The absence of hope is dispair.
Text. Setting: The first thing which confronts Christ as He enters Jerusalem are the crowds in need of the ’good news’.
It is said that the church is not so much a house for saints as it is a hospital for sinners.
The people were there for hope; hope for a healing.
(vs 4)-missing verse, troubled waters
-much like Lourdes, France; has a spa many believe can heal,
or -the shrine fo Guadalupe, in Mexico City; has thousands of crutches stacked along its walls where people have been healed.
People hope for healing, health in many ways: medicine, diets, herbs, creams
The man wants hope!
All of these people living in hope "just maybe"
1. Enter Jesus
Christ -vs- Pool
Christ:
Constant healer
gathers crowds
ministry is from God
Pool:
occasional, selective healing
gathers crowd
ministry from angel (at best)
2. Lost Hope
"No one to put me in"
The man did not answer "yes", or even "no". He merely made an excuse for himself. An excuse for accepting his situation. An excuse for losing hope.
Hope Killers
1. Losing perspective- the negative comes under so much focuse that it seems to outweigh the positive.
2. Over Exageration- our problems are so much greater than everybody elses.
reality: "the grass is always greener on the other side" is a lie. Get on the other side of the fence. It’s still greener on the opposite side.
3. Stop Trusting God- Jesus said, "I am the way, truth, and life." -If you can’t trust the truth, what can you trust?
3. Rise
Christ looked around and noticed this one man among many.
Of all those needing healing Christ chose this one man.
Why?
Maybe because the others hadn’t given up hope. They still believed.
Christ went to this one man, because this was the one man who needed Christ the most. This was the man who had given up hope.
Christ goes where he is needed. He leaves the 99 for the one.
This man was that "one" who needed hope as only Christ could give it.
