Sunday Sermon
John 5:1-15
In this passage we have the third miraculous sign from Jesus.
The sign testifies to who Jesus is and why he came.
For our purpose today we can look at the sign as a description of how salvation can work.
How does salvation work?
There are three stages to salvation that are brought before us in this passage today.
Three words from Jesus - 3 stages of salvation
1) A Question
1) V6 do you want to get well - a question
The first stage is that we must see our need and then want to change!
The question addressed to the man was a challenging one. Why did Jesus ask it?
Had the man gotten lazy? Was he now used to the way life was for him.
At one level his life must have been very simple.
He had been unwell for 38 years - all his needs must have been met for him by others. Life was straight forward!
Yet it must have been lonely to, v7 “"I have no-one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred.”
So Jesus questions his existence. Is the man happy with the way things are.
Jesus needs to know that the man wants to be made better before he heals him!
Why? Because Jesus never forces his will on others if they are unwilling.
He is gentle and meek when it comes to dealing with the individual will.
Could he force compliance? No, there has to be a willingness on the part of the individual.
Even in disciplining us as his children the responsibility is still with us to change and grow and learn.
What about you? The process of salvation start with this recognition of Jesus!
Do you want Jesus?
If you do not want Him then salvation will not work for you!
2) A Command
:V8 Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
The second stage of salvation is the command of God in giving us salvation.
Having discovered the mans willingness to be made well Jesus commands a healing.
Salvation works in this way.
Once we are willing to be saved God commands our salvation.
Grants us New Birth. It is a miracle - all of grace.
All the individual does is recognise that want for Jesus and desire Him.
It is not earned or deserved. The man could not heal himself!
He had been unwell for 38 years. No amount of trying could help him!
Salvation comes simply by putting yourself in the place of salvation.
Jesus comes to you and say - Do you want to change? Do you want to be made well?
What about you today?
You may not be disabled and lonely like the man was.
But you are as unable to save yourself as he was to heal himself!
So, do you want what Jesus has to offer - life and life eternal?
If you recognise your need of Jesus and want to be saved then rejoice for salvation is yours!
3) A Warning
:V14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."
Third stage of salvation is about what we do once we are saved.
The man had been made well. He really had no idea who had healed him.
It is all a bit of a shock! What is he to do with his new life?
A) take stock of what has happened “see, you are well again”
This is real. This is what life is all about now. I’m a believer - born again - in the Kingdom - sharing in eternal life. Dwell upon your salvation.
If you are unsure you’re saved, accept it by faith. Trust that Jesus is there for YOU.
If you are sure of your salvation, great. But take care! Backsliding begins when we forget what has happened to us. When we start to take our salvation for granted!
B) change in light of your salvation: “stop sinning”
Having taken stock, make appropriate changes. Life is never going to be the same again. Old ways need to be checked and changed or modified where necessary.
Salvation is a very practical matter. Its about how we live, what we do with our time and money. We need to take stock from time to time to make sure that our practice lives up to our profession.
C) take care “something worse may happen”
The worse that will happen is that our lives will be miserable if we don’t work out our salvation. We will have no place where we feel at home - wont fit into the old ways without a terrible conscience and will be deeply unhappy with the Christian way because it only works where there is wholehearted commitment!
These hard words of Jesus have to be listened to in the context of who he is.
He is the one who came to bring life and salvation and peace with God.
He came to save and not destroy.
Thus, we need to take his warning understanding this: he does not want the “worse” to happen to us! Far from it, he wants the best!
So we take his warning and we change where we need to change so that we enter more fully into the life he has given us.
sunday evening 11th May 2008
John 5:24
24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.Context:
Jesus is speaking to the Jews who are accusing him of breaking the Sabbath.
Jesus simply says he is doing what God is doing therefore he cannot be breaking the Sabbath v17-18, thus the Jews try “all the harder to kill him” !
In response Jesus offers up further words of divine revelation v19-23
V19 the Son works in dependence upon the Father
V20 the Father and Son have perfect relationship - with nothing hidden
V21 the Son has the same power of God to bestow life
V22 -23 the Son has been made Judge.
With this background we come to our text: v24.
1: Jesus is about to make a statement of some special significance “I tell you the truth”
He wants the Jews to listen up. This is important for them!
It is important because his subject matter is eternal life, and how to get it.
He is not arguing with the Jews about some silly Sabbath regulation!
They are trying to kill him because of his work on the Sabbath and because he claims to be equal with God. But all he wants to do it tell them a / Thee message.
2) The Message :
A: the first part of the message is about the need to hear his words.
the words of Jesus - “whoever hears my words”
Jesus called the Jews to listen to his message.
To open themselves up to the possibility that He might know what he is talking about!
“hear” - the word needs to be paused over.
What is it to really hear?
Well when we want someone to “hear” us, what do we want?
We want them to pay attention, to understand, to apply and believe!
We want a response! A participation in what we are saying.
That is what Jesus was wanting. He wanted a believing response to his message.
The worst thing we can do with any message is dismiss it out of hand without taking time to listen and understand! Yet that is how the Jews responded to Jesus.
What about you?
Do you know the message Jesus brought?
B: The second part of the message is the about the need to believe: what?
- “believes him who sent me”
The Jews claimed to believe in God, but here Jesus calls them to a true belief in God.
Isn’t it astonishing that the chosen people never really believed, not only in Jesus, but also in Yahweh.
What happened to them? They had moved away from scripture to human tradition.
Their religion was all about man made rules and regulations!
As Jesus constantly condemned them - their religion was all about the outward appearance rather than a heart relationship with God.
App:
Isn’t there a warning for us who say we believe to constantly watch and pray that we keep close to God.
It is a constant temptation to let our religion just wash over us, without much thought. Soon our activities become just a matter of habit.
Soon the outward appearance is more important than the inner substance!
3: hearing the message and believing it leads to two great consequences.
A : a transition from Death to Life - “has eternal life…. he has crossed over from death to life”
This is the overall effect. A transition. A resurrection.
This is an instantaneous transition. It happens in a moment.
Note Jesus’ words, if you hear and believe you “have” eternal life! “has everlasting life”. Not will have, but now has, instantly.
Note also the assurance of his words. There is no doubt. You have eternal life, not will have, or might have, or could have. Simply “have”!
Eternal life is yours. You have it, you hold it. No doubt or worry.
Note: the ease of this great change!
Most people find change tremendously difficult! Especially in church situations!
Even children find change hard! (new car story!)
But in this most important of changes there is not problem.
All it take is hearing and believing!
We can make the gospel message too complicated. We want there to be more to it!
But Jesus says no: “I tell you the truth….” it is a simple as hearing and believing!
B : forgiveness of sin - “will not be condemned”
The Jews were very happy to condemn - their religion was defined by who was in and who was out!
Yet Jesus comes with this great message of forgiveness, he wants to include not exclude.
He came to give life, and in order for that to be given, our sins had to be dealt with.
He deals with them by being condemned in our place!
When the Son of Man comes in his Glory to judge the world: what will happen to believers on that day?
We will “not come into judgement”.
You will have nothing to fear on that day.
You will not need to hid on that day.
Jesus has said it: “I tell you the truth …. (You) will not be condemned.”
