1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:03,480 Well, if you don't know me, my name is Gordon Pastor here at 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,680 Vita, and we're going to keep going in our series in the Book 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,240 of John. And so go ahead and grab your 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:10,800 own Bible. If you don't have one. 5 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,640 There's Bibles underneath the seat in front of you. 6 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,400 You can pull that out and the page number and the verses are 7 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:22,000 up on the screen behind me. We're in John chapter 5 and I'm 8 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:28,440 going to start with the story. So a month ago, my family, wife 9 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:32,560 and two little girls, 2 1/2 years old and one year old, we 10 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:35,560 took a family vacation. We drove all the way to 11 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,480 Pennsylvania and we drove all the way back. 12 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,680 And on the way back, we thankfully we planned a pit stop 13 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,720 in North Carolina. And the youngest one year old 14 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:51,280 threw up like 3 or 4 times in the car seat, like all over her. 15 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:54,880 And then we're like 2 minutes away from the Airbnb where we're 16 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:57,520 getting ready to stop. And then our 2 1/2 year old 17 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:00,520 throws up all over herself and all over the car. 18 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:05,200 And so we pull into the Airbnb and that that's just that our 19 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,760 kids have been sick before, but that was kind of the worst. 20 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:13,080 And to see a two 2 1/2 year olds brain trying to process like 21 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,120 confused and scared and what what is that feeling inside? 22 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,720 And then you know what the feeling of throwing UPS like 23 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,040 it's awful. And so anyway, more than like 24 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,280 obviously we're like, oh man, we got to clean the car seats in 25 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,440 the car. But worse than that was just 26 00:01:29,960 --> 00:01:31,960 feeling compassion for our girls. 27 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,040 And so then like four more times that night, our 2 1/2 year old 28 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:39,880 is like we put her on an air mattress in the room and I slept 29 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,080 in that room separately. And it was interesting. 30 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:45,840 I have a hard time waking up when my alarm goes off in the 31 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,160 morning. But when I heard the initial, 32 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,960 like, her about to puke again, I was up pretty quick. 33 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,440 But yeah, I felt a lot of compassion because my daughter 34 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,400 was suffering and confused and couldn't make sense of why it 35 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,800 was happening. And in the story in John today, 36 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:04,720 we're looking at a man who is suffering. 37 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:10,440 He's been lame for 38 years, and then he meets Jesus, and Jesus 38 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,400 heals him. And it's much, much more than 39 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,320 just a story about a lame man who gets to walk again. 40 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,800 The title gives it away. It's about a sufferer who was 41 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,360 made whole again. So there's three things that 42 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,280 jump out in the story as we look at it today that we'll kind of 43 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:33,520 walk through #1 Jesus did heal this man's suffering body, and 44 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:37,840 he will heal all suffering bodies of those who trust in 45 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,840 him. He will #2 that we'll see in the 46 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,960 story. He did restore this man's 47 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:47,240 suffering soul, and he will restore suffering souls. 48 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:51,760 And then the third Jesus began the work of restoring his 49 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:57,040 suffering creation and he will restore fully his suffering 50 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,440 creation. In the end, everything will be 51 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,960 made right, redeemed, made whole, complete. 52 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:09,760 There's a verse in Philippians one verse 6, Paul says to the 53 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:15,240 Philippian Christians, I am sure of this, that he who began a 54 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:20,280 good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of 55 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,640 Jesus Christ, that final day when Jesus comes back to make 56 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:28,280 all things right and that that word complete completion. 57 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:29,800 That's going to be a big word today. 58 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:35,000 So listen out for it, but it's a hopeful message for Christians 59 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,040 today and a hopeful message for everybody who is here looking to 60 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,600 Jesus seeking what he can offer you. 61 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,080 One, one thing to finish that story about our daughter who's 62 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:51,080 sick. After that story, we, after that 63 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:56,040 vacation, we started telling a story to her to help her process 64 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,080 what's happening about the little girl who was sick. 65 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,200 And she gets better each day and the mom and dad take care of her 66 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,280 and she feels safe. And she asked for that story 7 67 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:06,680 days in a row afterwards, she just wanted to hear the story 68 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:08,000 about the little girl who was sick. 69 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,240 And at the end of the story, what we started telling her is, 70 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,160 and then the little girl will be in heaven one day and she'll be 71 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,720 with Jesus where everybody's all better all the time. 72 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,920 And that's been a wonderful thing just for us to remember. 73 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:25,520 And as much as her little brain can grasp, everything's going to 74 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:29,480 be all better all the time. So I'm going to, before reading 75 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,520 the verses today and teaching, we're just going to give a 76 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:36,600 couple seconds to pause and just quiet our minds, our hearts get 77 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,160 our minds off of all the distractions of life, all the 78 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:43,120 busyness we feel. And so during that quiet, I'm 79 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,160 going to pray for me. And I would encourage you, pray 80 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,960 for you and ask Jesus to prepare your heart before we hear from 81 00:04:49,960 --> 00:05:09,290 him. The John chapter 5 verse one. 82 00:05:11,090 --> 00:05:14,770 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to 83 00:05:14,770 --> 00:05:17,840 Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the 84 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:21,680 sheep gate a pool, an Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five 85 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:25,360 roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of 86 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,480 invalids, blind, lame and paralyzed. 87 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:32,880 One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years. 88 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:37,600 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already 89 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:41,080 been there a long time, he said to him, Do you want to be 90 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,680 healed? The sick man answered him, Sir, 91 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,520 I have no one to put me into the into the pool when the water's 92 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:48,480 stirred up. And while I'm going in, another 93 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:52,560 steps down before me. Jesus said to him, get up, take 94 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,320 up your bed and walk. And at once the man was healed, 95 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:57,960 and he took up his bed and walked. 96 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:02,320 Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who 97 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,520 had been healed, it is the Sabbath, and it's not lawful for 98 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,640 you to take up your bed. But he answered them, The man 99 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,480 who healed me, that man said to me, take up your bed and walk. 100 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:16,280 They asked him, Who is the man who said that you take up your 101 00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:18,800 bed and walk? Now the man who had been healed 102 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,640 did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there 103 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:27,320 was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the 104 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:32,400 temple and said to him, See, you are well, sin no more, that 105 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,680 nothing worse may happen to you. The man went away and told the 106 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:38,800 Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 107 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,320 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he 108 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:44,520 was doing these things on the Sabbath. 109 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:49,080 But Jesus answered them, My Father is working until now, and 110 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:51,680 I am working. This is why the Jews were 111 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:54,480 seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he 112 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,280 breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, 113 00:06:58,280 --> 00:07:01,160 making himself equal with God. Let's pray. 114 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:08,480 Yeah, Jesus, we look to you for everything. 115 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,960 We believe You are creator. You were there in the beginning 116 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:18,680 when creation was perfect, and you are actively restoring your 117 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:24,280 creation back to the way it was. So we pray whatever you want to 118 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:28,720 do on us today, we give you all access, our minds, our hearts, 119 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:36,800 our lives, restore us. Pray all these things in your 120 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:41,920 name, Amen. Now I forgot to mention in in 121 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,720 the intro some back stories helpful before we get into the 122 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:46,720 verses. If you don't know the whole 123 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:50,640 story of creation and the history of God's people, God 124 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:52,840 created the heavens and the earth and in the beginning it 125 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:58,320 was good and he made humans and they were very good, then you 126 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:02,080 could say creation was complete. It was whole, It needed no 127 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,640 restoration. And then when man and woman 128 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:08,880 sinned, sin came into the world and it corrupted creation. 129 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:12,280 And that's why we have Jesus working to restore. 130 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,160 It's not complete, it's not whole, but it will be. 131 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:17,960 And so back story to keep in your minds as we work through 132 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,040 the verses. So let's start in verse one. 133 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:23,840 After this there was a feast of the Jews. 134 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:26,000 We don't know which one, but there's a feast. 135 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,080 The Jewish people are coming to Jerusalem. 136 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,320 Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Verse 2. 137 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:35,280 Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool in Aramaic 138 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,120 called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 139 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:42,000 In these lay a multitude of invalids, which the Greek word 140 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,480 would have just been a common word for, like disabled. 141 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,520 And so there's a bunch of disabled, blind, lame, 142 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:50,920 paralyzed. Verse five, one man was there 143 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:53,640 who had been an invalid for 38 years. 144 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:59,000 And so John, who's writing this book, is bringing us to a new 145 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,840 scene. We're in Jerusalem, and he's 146 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:06,000 introducing us to a new crowd. And one man in particular, this 147 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:09,840 one disabled man. In verse 6, it says Jesus saw 148 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:13,840 this man lying there and knew he had already been there a long 149 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,600 time. And so the first thing that we 150 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:22,520 see here is Jesus came into the city and he comes to an area 151 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:24,280 that was full of disabled people. 152 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:28,280 It shows the mercy and kindness of Jesus that he doesn't just 153 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:31,320 book it for the temple with his people, the religious elite. 154 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:33,720 He doesn't book it for the cleaned up people. 155 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,800 He goes and walks through an area that was full of blind, 156 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:43,760 lame and crippled. And while he's there, he it says 157 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:48,440 he saw one man in particular who was lying there and he had 158 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:51,720 something revealed to him. He knew that man had been here 159 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:54,480 for a long time. And I just love that word and 160 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,440 knew because I think it means more than just he knew that the 161 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,200 man had been there for 38 years. I think he knew the man. 162 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:07,040 He knew a lot about him. Psalm 13916, the psalmist writes 163 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:11,480 about God, about the Lord. Your eyes saw my unformed 164 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:16,040 substance like before we were even born in your book were 165 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,080 written every one of them. The days that were formed for me 166 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:20,840 when as yet there was none of them. 167 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:25,880 And Jesus knows us. And regardless of our condition, 168 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:29,400 regardless of whether we're cleaned up or not, Jesus has 169 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:34,600 mercy on us and doesn't prejudge, doesn't ignore, 170 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,000 doesn't write off, doesn't avoid. 171 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,880 He loves his people and he knows his people and he comes for his 172 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:45,120 people. So Jesus saw this one man in 173 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,240 particular. He walks into the pool of 174 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:54,320 disabled, singles out one. And just imagine the man who's 175 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,720 been there for 38 years, Most of you are not even 38 years old. 176 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:02,080 I'm not 38 years old. That's a long time. 177 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,720 I was thinking about it. I'm pretty sure the oldest 178 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:11,200 person in here is not above 80. If you are, I'm close. 179 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:16,120 But all that to say, half your life, half your life crippled, 180 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:20,080 cannot walk. And just imagine what what has 181 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,880 been spoken to this man throughout his life? 182 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:25,400 What has he heard? How has he been treated? 183 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,200 What's his identity? What does he think about 184 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:30,880 himself? Where's his hope? 185 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:35,480 He's just here and I'll tell you a little bit more about the pool 186 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,080 in a second, but he's just here hoping that something about this 187 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:41,160 pool can save him and it's vain hope. 188 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:49,560 He's stuck, he's helpless. There's no way out. 189 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,120 This is just, it's not trending in a good direction for the man 190 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:57,200 until Jesus comes. The verses go on. 191 00:11:57,560 --> 00:12:01,080 Jesus said to him, do you want to be healed Now first, this 192 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:03,680 might seem like a dumb question. You want to be healed? 193 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:08,080 Well, yes, I want to be healed. I wouldn't see it as a dumb or 194 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:10,800 insensitive question. I would see it as a redirecting 195 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:15,240 question where Jesus is trying to redirect his hopes away from 196 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,760 something that cannot promise healing to something more 197 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:22,880 trustworthy or sure to Jesus. So the pool of Bethesda, it was 198 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:27,760 superstition that the waters are stirred up, and when they are 199 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:31,120 stirred up, presumably by an Angel or something with power to 200 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:36,200 heal, and the first person in the pool gets healed, that's the 201 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:39,200 superstition. And we have no record of that 202 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:41,680 being true or valid. John doesn't seem to paint it 203 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:43,680 that way. Seems like vain hope. 204 00:12:44,320 --> 00:12:47,960 And so the man is so helpless. He's like he believe he's 205 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:50,320 putting all his hope in that because that's all he has left 206 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,240 and he's crushed because every time it gets stirred up because 207 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:56,560 of his lameness, he can't even get in the pool. 208 00:12:56,560 --> 00:13:00,040 Someone else gets there first. And so he he really is out of 209 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:08,560 options. Then Jesus comes, asks him if he 210 00:13:08,560 --> 00:13:14,280 wants to be healed and it says verse 7, the sick man, Sir, I 211 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:15,480 have no one to put me into the pool. 212 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:19,000 When the water stirred up while I'm going, another steps down 213 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:23,120 and Jesus says get up, take up your bed and walk. 214 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:27,840 And at once the man was healed at once and he took up his bed 215 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:31,480 and he walked. So 38 years lame, hope was 216 00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:34,960 waning. Jesus comes and just says get 217 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,160 up, take up your bed and walk and the man's healed. 218 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:42,240 The man's not looking for Jesus. It's not a result of the man's 219 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:46,840 faith. It seems like Jesus catches him 220 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,880 in the midst of vain hope and looking to something else. 221 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:55,800 And Jesus just decides this man, I want to heal and he does now. 222 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:59,400 It just got me thinking about things that we put our our hopes 223 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:01,560 in that are not sure trustworthy. 224 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:04,680 And we all do in different ways. I think if we just thought about 225 00:14:04,680 --> 00:14:07,960 healing, we have the wonderful benefit of living in America 226 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,880 where we have modern medicine, great doctors. 227 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,600 I've thought so many times. I am so fortunate to live close 228 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:18,840 to the University of Florida and Shan's Hospital because I meet 229 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:22,360 people that travel hours away to come here and it's 15 minutes 230 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:25,720 down the road for me now. You realize the best of modern 231 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,320 medicine cannot promise full restoration and full healing for 232 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,520 our bodies. There's lots of things that 233 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,360 cannot be cured. The best counselor cannot 234 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,920 promise full restoration and healing for our mind or our 235 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,280 emotions. I'm not saying those things are 236 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:42,560 bad. Don't hear me wrong. 237 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:45,960 I'm just saying the only thing that can actually promise full 238 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,520 restoration and healing is Jesus. 239 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,320 And Jesus redirects this man to put all their hopes in him. 240 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:56,160 And for Christians who know Jesus, who know what he 241 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,640 promises, we put all of our hopes in him. 242 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:04,440 And if you're not, I hope that today you would realize the best 243 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:07,080 world can prom. The best the world can promise 244 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:12,600 us still is vain and hopeless, and only Jesus can give us this 245 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:14,640 hope. That doesn't mean that all your 246 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,160 problems are going to be fixed right away or in the way that 247 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:19,800 you want them to, but it does mean they're going to be fixed 248 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:23,680 the best way in the way Jesus sees best fit. 249 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:31,320 I was really thinking about those of you that there's no way 250 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,920 around it, Those of you who are old trying to think of a more 251 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:38,960 gracious way to say it. Your bodies are breaking down, 252 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:43,920 you have more and more appointments, you're suffering, 253 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:49,000 some of you enduring pain. And a wonderful truth to hold 254 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:53,720 onto is that Jesus Christ will make your bodies completely 255 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,600 healed when He returns and we're in heaven. 256 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:00,320 You get new resurrected bodies. And I don't have to think about 257 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:04,440 it a whole lot, but I know that I will and I do believe it 258 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,840 wholeheartedly. And just want to remind and 259 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:09,680 encourage those of you who have bodily suffering, whatever it 260 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:12,760 is, you get to look forward to one day looking Jesus in the 261 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:16,200 face and him wiping away all your tears and all your pain is 262 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,560 gone. All of your pain is gone. 263 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,400 So that's that's point 1.2. Let's move on. 264 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:28,880 We're actually going to skip ahead to verse 14. 265 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,040 This jumps ahead to the next interaction Jesus has with the 266 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:38,280 man after he's healed .2 Jesus restores the man's suffering 267 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:39,800 soul. Verse 14. 268 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:45,040 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, See you 269 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:49,600 are well, sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you. 270 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:53,600 Jesus says see you are well. He pronounces healing over the 271 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,320 man. Now in a couple verses later 272 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:01,280 when the man talks about his healing, he says to the Jews, 273 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,040 the man who healed me, and it literally reads the man who made 274 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:07,480 me whole. And then what a wonderful way to 275 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:08,640 put it. I think. 276 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,400 I think for this man, it's much, much more than just his broken 277 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,680 legs are working again. I think it's much more than just 278 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,800 bodily suffering restored. I think this man's suffering 279 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:26,240 soul ends up being restored. Jesus connects his suffering to 280 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:29,920 sin when he says, see, you are well, sin no more. 281 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:34,040 I think Jesus is targeting this man of all of them because his 282 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,240 suffering was because of sin. And the Bible actually gives us 283 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:39,320 a category. Did you know that the Bible 284 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:43,240 actually gives us a category for some of our suffering being the 285 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,280 result of sin? First Corinthians 11 talks about 286 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,200 those taking the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner and it 287 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:51,840 says that's why some of you are weak, ill, and even some have 288 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:55,160 died. Now I do not think that all 289 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:57,840 suffering is the result of sin, Don't mishear me. 290 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:02,320 But there is a category for suffering that's the result of 291 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:05,280 someone's personal sin. And I think that's what Jesus is 292 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:09,200 getting at for this man. Now if that's the case and Jesus 293 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:11,960 makes his body well and heals him, what is Jesus saying to 294 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,400 him? Forgiveness. 295 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:17,320 Forgiveness. See, you are well. 296 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:21,280 So I I think Jesus is beginning something much, much more than 297 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:25,680 just bodily restoration. Jesus goes on and he invites the 298 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:29,840 man to turn from his sin, says lest something worse happened to 299 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,640 you. Don't sin anymore. 300 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:38,400 Follow me, turn from your sin, listen to my words lest 301 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:41,000 something worse happens. And here I think he's talking 302 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,960 about hell. If you continue on sinning, you 303 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,800 will be separated from God for eternity and then you will be in 304 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:55,880 permanent physical, mental, emotional, spiritual suffering 305 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,440 for all of eternity. And that is far worse than being 306 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:03,600 lame for 38 years. So turn from your sin and live 307 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,880 the the other thing that helps me kind of see, I think this is 308 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:13,400 a soul restoration is simply the man starts out I outside the 309 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:16,960 city gates. An invalid or disabled man or 310 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:20,160 woman would not be allowed, especially in the temple. 311 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:23,640 But even inside the city outside the gate by this pool and the 312 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,000 man ends up Jesus finds him in the temple. 313 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:30,800 I I think there's some symbolism there from the writer John. 314 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,080 Let me just find myself placing my notes again. 315 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,400 So Jesus is inviting the man to turn from his sin, come to him, 316 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:47,040 and enjoy complete, total restoration forever. 317 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:53,040 If the man listens to Jesus's words and follows him, his soul 318 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:56,600 will be restored and he'll have the hope of being fully restored 319 00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:00,440 forever in eternity. A couple verses later, John 5, 320 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:04,600 same chapter, verse 24, Jesus says truly, truly. 321 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:08,760 I say to you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent 322 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,640 me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, 323 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:14,520 but is passed from death to life. 324 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:19,600 So second, take away. If you trust in Jesus, He will 325 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:24,960 fully restore your soul meaning. Your soul, Think about it. 326 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:26,880 We don't see our soul, but we know it's there. 327 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:31,720 That part that when our body dies, it remains, does a little 328 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:37,480 good if your body gets healed, but your soul remains broken, 329 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,280 unrestored. If you thought about what a 330 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:47,360 rusty frame in a truck would mean, we don't live in the north 331 00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:51,320 where there's snow and salt, but rusty frames in your truck is 332 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:53,200 bad. You can cover it up. 333 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:56,040 You can take your truck to the car wash as many times as you 334 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:57,640 want. You can take it to The Body 335 00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:00,040 Shop. That will not fix the rusty 336 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:03,480 frame. The soul supports your body just 337 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:07,760 like a frame supports the truck. And if your soul is decayed with 338 00:21:07,760 --> 00:21:13,200 sin, unrestored, without Jesus, you can clean yourself up all 339 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,760 you want. You can try this and try that. 340 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,240 You can try to be a good person. You can try religion. 341 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:23,000 You can try to do XYZ. If your soul remains unrestored, 342 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:26,600 you have no hope. You will remain outside the city 343 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:32,000 unless Jesus restores you. And then imagine what happens 344 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:37,160 with a new restored soul. It supports everything. 345 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:41,600 That means everything in your life bubbles out of your soul. 346 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:47,200 And so with a restored soul, your identity restored, how you 347 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,520 think about yourself restored, your thoughts, your thought 348 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:55,160 life, your motives restored. I'm talking about this a little. 349 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:57,760 Ideally, it's a slow, long process, isn't it? 350 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,120 Sometimes it takes a while. When you're saved, sin doesn't 351 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:05,640 just go away right away, but Jesus restores your soul. 352 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:10,520 You get a new frame and now you have power to fight against sin 353 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:14,360 that you did not have before. And you have a sure promise 354 00:22:14,360 --> 00:22:16,880 where Jesus says it's as good as done. 355 00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:20,240 I've restored you and I will be restoring you. 356 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:23,760 And it's on our end where we're walking with Him and learning 357 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,320 what He meant made us to live like. 358 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,760 So in this life, we actually get to enjoy life the way that it 359 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:35,400 was intended to be lived. And in the next life, we have 360 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:38,040 the promise of a fully restored soul. 361 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:40,080 Now Christians, think about what that means. 362 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:46,960 No more struggle with sin. You'll never have to confess 363 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,840 again. You'll not have that wayward 364 00:22:50,840 --> 00:22:53,400 thought about yourself. Come into your mind that you 365 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:55,800 have to wrestle with for truth. All that's gone. 366 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,880 You won't have those temptations anymore to do what you know is 367 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:01,800 wrong, but you so badly want to do them. 368 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:04,200 No more wrestle between flesh and spirit. 369 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:08,200 Your soul will want to do everything that Jesus says is 370 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:12,080 right, and you have perfect harmony and peace between you 371 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,480 and Jesus. No more grieving Him. 372 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:18,760 No more feeling apathetic or far away or like trying to get back 373 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,040 to Him. Your soul will be fully 374 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,200 restored. You'll be back in the garden, 375 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:24,960 walking with him as it was intended. 376 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:27,640 That's what Jesus is saying here through the story. 377 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:30,760 It's much, much more than just the story about a lame man who 378 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:35,120 walks again. Jesus came into his creation, 379 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:39,640 God in flesh. He heals, He gives sight to the 380 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,720 blind, He tells the demons to go. 381 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,640 He sets free the oppressed. All of these things, not just as 382 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:51,440 little, acts in themselves. He's saying to creation, I came 383 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:55,760 to make it right again. I've come to fully restore. 384 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,920 Open your eyes and see. The man hopefully sees if he 385 00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:04,560 puts his trust in Jesus, he will get to enjoy all of this and 386 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:08,480 we'll see a sad reality later. Not everybody sees it, but this 387 00:24:08,480 --> 00:24:13,040 is what Jesus is doing. It's that verse I read in the 388 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:15,520 beginning. Again, Christians, he who began 389 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:19,080 a good work in you will, He will bring it to completion. 390 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:28,200 I had a story shared with me recently about a woman who is 391 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:31,840 saved by Jesus, finds the Bible in her prison cell, saved by 392 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:35,080 Jesus, and here's what was sent to me. 393 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:37,760 The woman had a court appearance. 394 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:41,760 Before court ended, the state attorney's prosecuting attorney 395 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,080 stood up and addressed her saying I just want you to know 396 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,840 how proud I personally am of you. 397 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:51,480 I had to go in to see whose case we were on because I didn't 398 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,640 recognize you at first. Keep doing what you're doing. 399 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,360 You may not see your progress day by day, but your overall 400 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:00,920 progress that we can all see is incredible. 401 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,920 And the person who sent it gave a little bit more background. 402 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,040 When this woman was picked up the last time and taken to jail, 403 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,840 she was barely 100 lbs, had two black eyes from being beaten up 404 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,400 pretty badly. She had hit rock bottom. 405 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:16,880 Hopeless. Today, however, she's living 406 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,880 fully, nearing completion of her GED, holding steady employment, 407 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:23,680 able to be a mother to her children the way she's always 408 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:25,680 longed for. And all of this is thanks to 409 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:27,760 Jesus's restoring work in her life. 410 00:25:29,360 --> 00:25:34,520 And we forget this, but that's happening all over creation, all 411 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:37,160 throughout time, all around the room. 412 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,960 I could count up hundreds, thousands of stories, moments 413 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:44,760 where Jesus has restored what was broken and made it right and 414 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:49,400 new again. Now this is all building to the 415 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:54,600 last point. We're back in verse 9 B the last 416 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:58,720 point Jesus will fully restore his suffering creation. 417 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:02,360 John tells us now that day was the Sabbath. 418 00:26:02,360 --> 00:26:06,880 Now I missed this at first when I was just reading, but the the 419 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:10,800 Sabbath the fact that Jesus did this on a Sabbath day speaks 420 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:13,000 volumes. This is loaded. 421 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,680 It's not John super clever including this detail on the 422 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:21,680 story. It's God speaking something by 423 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,840 having Jesus heal on a Sabbath day. 424 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:29,960 So background on the Sabbath. The Sabbath refers to the 7th 425 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,760 day where God's people remembered that their Creator 426 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,200 God worked for six days, and then on the 7th day he rested. 427 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:40,640 It was good, it was complete, and the Jewish people would have 428 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:42,600 seen the Sabbath as a day of rest. 429 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,360 You can't do all of these things because we're supposed to rest 430 00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:49,240 and remember. They're kind of right, but 431 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,280 really the Sabbath is about completion. 432 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,200 God rested on the 7th day, not because he needed to, not 433 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,080 because he was tired. He got rested on the 7th day 434 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:00,320 because he could. It was all done. 435 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:01,920 It was finished, it was completed. 436 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:04,600 Sit back and enjoy the fruit of your labor. 437 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:08,400 It's done. Now again, I told you sin came 438 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:12,600 into the world and so now there's a need for restoration. 439 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:16,600 And so that's why Jesus says later, kind of at the end, my 440 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:19,560 Father's working until now. And so I am working. 441 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:23,840 OK, this is all like high level view that only that Jesus and 442 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,520 God knows and the Jews are confused about and even we're 443 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:31,680 confused about, but Jesus is saying, look, I'm restoring. 444 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:33,360 We're in the days of working now. 445 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:38,040 Sabbath is all about completion by Jesus healing a man and 446 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,720 making him whole on the Sabbath day. 447 00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:46,200 It's a statement from Jesus saying I am here actively 448 00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,440 restoring the creation and it's going to be complete again. 449 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:53,640 Heaven is going to be the Garden of Eden and everything's going 450 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:58,840 to be finished. So that's what he's saying with 451 00:27:58,840 --> 00:28:01,120 the Sabbath. And this leads us to the third 452 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:04,200 take away. Jesus is actively restoring his 453 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:08,520 creation. Now imagine for a second what a 454 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:12,040 creation without suffering would be like. 455 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:18,240 Hard to imagine, huh? Second Peter 313 it says, But 456 00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:23,200 according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a 457 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:26,640 new earth in which righteousness dwells. 458 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,280 I I was reading that verse a while back and I just thought, 459 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:33,160 what is what in the world? What does that even look like 460 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:36,840 where righteousness dwells? That's so hard to fathom because 461 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,280 I'm only in a world full of unrighteousness. 462 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:42,160 I'm only in a body full of unrighteousness. 463 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,960 What would that be like to be in a world where it's only 464 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,720 righteousness? Like, right Living according to 465 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,400 God's design. If you could imagine, with me, 466 00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:57,400 you and I get to walk with God. We get to walk with him. 467 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:02,200 No shame, no guilt. We see His face and we smile, 468 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:06,880 and He sees us and he smiles. We just get to enjoy living in 469 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:11,120 God's creation with God again. No more spiritual apathy. 470 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,440 No more unfulfilled longings to see Him. 471 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:18,920 No more as the Bible refers to as like groanings waiting for. 472 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:20,840 It's all fulfilled. It's all met. 473 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:26,320 This world will be free of sin. No more people hurting people. 474 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,200 No more hatred, No more division. 475 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,520 No more gossip. No more untrue thoughts. 476 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:38,080 No more wrestlings with sin society and the way that 477 00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,640 society's so messed up. You look around and you see all 478 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:44,440 the decay in marriages or families. 479 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:48,960 You could look at a whole population group and see the way 480 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:53,520 that the enemy has like tricked them or lied them or pulled them 481 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:55,720 all into sin. Not none of it. 482 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,800 We will exist in perfect harmony, only ever building each 483 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:04,160 other up and living together in peace. 484 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:09,840 It'll be wonderful. I want to read the picture in 485 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:15,360 Revelation 21 one through 5 for us where John, same writer, gets 486 00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:18,880 this vision from Jesus about what this will be like. 487 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:22,640 He says. Then I saw a new heaven and a 488 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:26,240 new earth for the 1st heaven and the first earth that passed 489 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:30,640 away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New 490 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,520 Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a 491 00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:38,520 bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from 492 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:43,360 the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with 493 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:45,440 man. He will dwell with them, and 494 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:49,600 they will be his people, and God Himself will be with them as 495 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:54,880 their God. He will wipe away every tear 496 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:58,760 from their eyes. Death will be no more, neither 497 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:03,760 shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore. 498 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,040 For the former things have passed away. 499 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:10,280 And he who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I am making 500 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:13,760 all things new. Jesus is completing it. 501 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,680 Moms, you'll never have to be afraid for your kids anymore. 502 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,400 We'll never have to be anxious for anything. 503 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,680 All your suffering wiped away, all your tears gone. 504 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:34,280 This is why at the end of Revelation, the refrain is Come, 505 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:38,440 Lord Jesus, come, come. We long for this. 506 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:42,360 And the only reason it's not come yet is because Jesus is 507 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:45,080 saying I've still got more restoring to do and I've still 508 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:47,120 got more people I want to invite in. 509 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:52,280 But that day is coming soon and it's as good as done. 510 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:58,960 Now there's a twist in the story. 511 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:04,120 It ends hopeful. This is a story about a man who 512 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:07,120 was lame for 38 years and his body restored. 513 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:10,080 He starts outside the city and he's in the temple. 514 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:13,560 Now Jesus is making a statement. I've come. 515 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,760 This is a huge moment in redemptive history. 516 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:24,160 And then we see the Jews and the Jews find the healed man and 517 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:30,000 they are oblivious. It's the mood. 518 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,520 The mood just changes. And I guess I'm stepping aside 519 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:35,160 just to warn you to put it in perspective. 520 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:38,040 Not everybody's going to be open to Jesus. 521 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,800 Jesus is restoring work. There are some who will receive 522 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:45,120 him and there are some who will ignore it or deny. 523 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:49,560 And so verse 10, the Jews said to the man who had been healed, 524 00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:52,800 it is the Sabbath and it's not lawful for you to take up your 525 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:55,120 bed. And we're like, are you kidding 526 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:57,200 me? The guy is walking. 527 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:00,440 He's been there 38 years. You could probably find a bunch 528 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,240 of people that would substantiate this. 529 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:06,200 We knew him, he couldn't walk, and now he's walking and you're 530 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:10,080 here arguing this little nitpicky tradition that you 531 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:12,000 made-up. God never said you can't take up 532 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,680 your bed and walk if you've just been healed. 533 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:17,600 But that's tradition speaking. The Jewish leaders are saying, 534 00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:22,680 listen, there's this little policy we have where it's the 535 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:24,840 Sabbath, so you're not allowed to take up your bed. 536 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:27,800 And so the man is stuck in between. 537 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:30,960 Well, Jesus told me to do this and you're telling me I can't. 538 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:32,960 And so he's in an awkward position. 539 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:37,440 So verse 11, he answered them, the man who healed me, that man 540 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:39,760 said to me, take up your bed and walk. 541 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,560 And they asked them, well, who is the man who said to you, take 542 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:45,560 up your bed and walk? Now the man who healed them 543 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,000 didn't know that it was Jesus. Jesus withdrew, he went away. 544 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:53,480 We skipped to verse 15. The man went away after he had 545 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,760 that moment with Jesus and he goes and tells the Jews, hey 546 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:59,480 guys, it was Jesus. And I don't think he was ill 547 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:01,840 intention like trying to get Jesus in trouble. 548 00:34:02,080 --> 00:34:04,920 I think he assumed that their motives would be good too and 549 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,960 they would probably benefit from knowing who it was that healed. 550 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,159 Maybe they wouldn't be so uptight anymore if they knew 551 00:34:11,159 --> 00:34:14,679 that this was Jesus. Anyway, verse 16. 552 00:34:15,159 --> 00:34:18,120 This was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He 553 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:20,400 was doing these things on the Sabbath. 554 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:24,600 But Jesus answered them, My Father's working until now, and 555 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,040 I am working. This was why the Jews were 556 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:30,440 seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was he 557 00:34:30,440 --> 00:34:33,800 breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, 558 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:38,159 making himself equal with God. So the Jews are hung up on 559 00:34:38,159 --> 00:34:40,840 tradition. They love tradition more than 560 00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:43,159 they love God. They're blinded to it. 561 00:34:43,159 --> 00:34:46,080 They can't see what's going on in redemptive history. 562 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:49,880 If their eyes were open, they would look at this healing on 563 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:53,560 the Sabbath and say, finally, Messiah's here. 564 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:57,000 God's making all things right, It's happening, we get to 565 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,640 witness, but they're blind to all of that. 566 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,320 I heard a story once of a pastor who was kicked out of his church 567 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:06,880 because they baptized the black man of lower social standing, 568 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:11,240 and you'd have the same thing. You're like, are you kidding me? 569 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:14,800 Really? The Bible talks about Jesus 570 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:19,520 coming and making one new race, taking away the dividing wall of 571 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,720 hostility. We get to live in the day where 572 00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:24,800 we're seeing it and you're seeing it and you're informed by 573 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:26,840 tradition and blinded to what's happening. 574 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:31,560 Jesus is saving every nation. Late language and tongue, it's 575 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:33,800 the same thing. Some people will see these 576 00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:38,680 things and confess God is working, He's finishing his 577 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:42,400 creation, and others will see it and they'll be blinded by 578 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,840 tradition, they'll be blinded by independence, they'll be blinded 579 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:49,120 by what they think is right, how they see the world working, and 580 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:53,120 they will not be able to experience Jesus's restoration. 581 00:35:54,720 --> 00:36:00,000 Basically it's how John starts the book in verse chapter one, 582 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:03,200 verse 11. He introduces Jesus in the 1st 583 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:06,760 chapter of this book and he says he came to his own and his own 584 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:10,360 people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, 585 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:12,800 who believed in his name, he gave the right to become 586 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:17,200 children of God. You can come into the city and 587 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:19,800 this is telling us not everybody will come into the city. 588 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:23,920 It's interesting, the Jews started out in the city and they 589 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:28,040 end up out of the city and the man, the sufferer, the invalid, 590 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:31,360 starts outside the city and he will end inside the city because 591 00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:38,800 he confessed Jesus is God and he is working now again changes the 592 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:40,680 whole mood. It brings us down, but let's not 593 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:43,720 remember this wonderful truth if you'll receive it. 594 00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:48,760 Jesus is still working in creation now to make everything 595 00:36:48,760 --> 00:36:50,040 right. He's going to finish it. 596 00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:53,480 It's going to be completed. He's recreating with his words. 597 00:36:53,480 --> 00:36:58,120 Just like in the the creation story, He spoke and there was 598 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:02,280 light, there was darkness, The expanse above, the waters 599 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:05,920 beneath, animals, birds, humans, all with the word he spoke. 600 00:37:06,240 --> 00:37:10,160 And now he's speaking. Get up, take up your bed, walk, 601 00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:16,280 be free of sin, Repent, believe, don't do this. 602 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:18,840 This is not good for you. Live this way. 603 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:21,760 That is what's good for you. His words restore. 604 00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:24,840 They're still speaking, and one day it's going to be complete, 605 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:30,320 some final application. Next time you recognize the 606 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:35,400 Sabbath, sit back and just remember it's not necessarily 607 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:39,200 about rest, although it is. But just remember, God's working 608 00:37:39,320 --> 00:37:42,200 and He will finish everything. He doesn't need me to keep the 609 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:44,800 world spinning. He's going to finish it, not me. 610 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:49,680 It's restful, relieving those of you who you find yourselves in 611 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,560 moments of being antsy or overwhelmed or life's a bit 612 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:55,560 chaotic. God's working. 613 00:37:56,480 --> 00:37:59,400 He's going to finish everything. It'll all work out according to 614 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:03,640 plan. Parents, It'll all work out 615 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:06,080 according to plan. He's working, He'll finish it. 616 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:12,680 This should cause us to work hard, to not sit back, knowing 617 00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:16,640 that our work, every effort we make for him, is not in vain, 618 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:19,120 it's purposeful. This should cause us to work 619 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:23,920 hard and to be hopeful. Piper famously says you don't 620 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:27,640 know John Piper. He says God is always doing 621 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:30,400 10,000 things in your life and you may be aware of three of 622 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:32,920 them. God's working. 623 00:38:33,240 --> 00:38:37,120 So concluding thoughts. Will you leap for joy with the 624 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:41,080 man and be brought in to God's restored creation? 625 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:44,560 Or will you just stay stuck and where you're at? 626 00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:47,800 Believe tradition, independence, your own way of thinking, and 627 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:52,800 reject that Jesus is God himself, restoring creation, the 628 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:58,080 only way in. And then Christians take heart. 629 00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:03,000 Don't lose hope, don't lose joy. It's all going to be finished. 630 00:39:04,160 --> 00:39:06,280 And also, I've just been praying for us. 631 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:09,240 I think by remembering this, it really does change our 632 00:39:09,240 --> 00:39:12,560 perspective, gives us a kind of hopefulness and joy and 633 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:15,240 stability. Like we're not as tottering when 634 00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:17,840 we remember that God's the one that's going to finish all the 635 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:18,240 work.