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John 5:1-18 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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It has been previously stated in our study of John's gospel, the purpose for his writing.
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We need not dig deep or postulate long on the matter because he tells us in John chapter 20, verse 30 and 31.
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Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book.
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But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
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And that by believing you may have life in his name.
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John wants his readers to behold the miracle-working Jesus in order to understand him to be God's anointed one.
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The Savior of the world as we saw him called by the believers at Sychar a number of weeks ago.
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That's the point of all these miracles. We're going to look at one together this morning.
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As John labors to do this, to help us believe, he juxtaposes belief in Jesus with rejection of Jesus.
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We see the very first clear instance of strong oppositional resistance to Jesus in today's text.
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In broad terms, the Jews of Jesus' day did not want him on his terms, but on their own.
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They understood the Messiah to be a military slash political figure.
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One who was going to come and deliver them from the rule of Rome.
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They did not anticipate Jesus' objection to their hypocritical religious systems and traditions.
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And they would eventually kill him for it.
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If we are to have Jesus, and there is no greater reality than this, to know God and to be known by him,
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then we must have him on his terms.
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On the back of your bulletin, the historic quotation this morning is from a man named William Bates,
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who once said,
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Many would depend on Christ's sacrifice, yet will not submit to his scepter.
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They would have Christ to pacify their consciences and the world to please their affections.
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They would have Christ to die for them, but not to live in them.
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May it not be so of us this morning.
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Let's pray before I read the text.
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Father, help us this day as we take up your word together,
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this blessed and precious thing, this authoritative, inerrant, sufficient word for us.
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As we do this this morning, we want to do so carefully.
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We want to rightly understand it this day, and we humbly recognize that we need your help to do so.
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We know that it's written for your glory and for our good,
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and so help us to believe its promises and obey its commands and have affection for you, its author.
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We pray, Father, that we would see Christ as he is and accept him on his terms this morning.
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And we pray this in his name.
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Amen.
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John chapter 5, beginning in verse 1, and I'll read through verse 18.
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After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
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Now, there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, an Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades or porches.
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In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed.
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One man was there who had been an invalid for 38 years.
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When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him,
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Do you want to be healed?
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The sick man answered him,
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Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up,
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and while I am going, another steps down before me.
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Jesus said to him,
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Get up, take up your bed, and walk.
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And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
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Now that day was the Sabbath.
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So the Jews said to the man who had been healed,
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It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.
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But he answered them,
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The man who healed me, the man that said to me,
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Take up your bed and walk.
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They asked him,
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Who is the man who said to you,
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Take up your bed and walk?
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Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was,
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For Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.
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Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him,
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See, you are well.
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Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.
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The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.
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And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus,
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because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.
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But Jesus answered them,
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My father is working until now, and I am working.
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This is why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him,
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because not only was he breaking the Sabbath,
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but he was even calling God his own father,
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making himself equal with God.
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Now before I share with you the outline for our study,
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let's take a brief look at the setting for this text in verses 1-5.
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Three things I want to note about it, these five verses.
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First, just note the location, verses 1 and 2.
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It's at the time of a feast, and it's not a designated feast.
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We're not sure which feast this is exactly.
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And John's not telling us a tight chronological story here,
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so we're just not sure which it is.
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But because it's a feast,
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there would have been a lot of people gathered in Jerusalem.
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He's gone up to Jerusalem.
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It's up on a hill,
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and he's at a place called Bethesda,
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a pool near the Sheep Gate.
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It's got these five roofs around it.
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And in those places, these colonnades,
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there are multitudes,
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and we don't know exactly what that number means,
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but we have to imagine a lot of invalids.
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Blind, lame, paralyzed.
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People who are there taking shelter under these porches,
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around this pool,
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looking for relief to be healed.
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And we find amongst this multitude of invalids,
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one man who had been an invalid for 38 years.
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So this is the location of where this is happening.
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Secondly, notice that there is a multitude.
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I mentioned this already,
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and we're going to see down in verse 13,
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there's a man healed,
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and he doesn't know who it is that healed him
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because Jesus had withdrawn.
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And John tells us the reason for that,
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because there was a crowd in the place.
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Jesus is often not a fan of the crowd.
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He's awaiting his time
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when crowds are going to cry for his crucifixion.
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And so he escapes the mob.
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He goes into places,
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and he ministers to the individual,
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and then he escapes out of it.
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And the significance of this
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will come up a bit later.
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Third thing I want to note about the setting,
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really just as we're looking at these first verses,
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you may have noticed,
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if you're being astute at all this morning,
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that there is no verse 4 in the text that I read.
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Some of your translations may have a verse 4,
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a little bit at the end of verse 3,
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and a verse 4.
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But the ESV, which I read from this morning,
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does not have a verse 4.
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I kind of wish I'd show of hands.
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How many of you noticed that?
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The King James Version has a phrase
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at the end of verse 3,
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and then a verse 4.
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I'm going to read it to you,
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and we're going to talk a little bit,
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it's a little bit of an aside,
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why?
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Why the exclusion of verse 4 in my reading?
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So this is from the King James Version 1900,
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the year 1900.
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Verse 3,
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And these lay a great multitude of impotent folk,
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of blind halt withered,
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and here's the addition,
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waiting for the moving of the water.
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And then verse 4,
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For an angel went down at a certain season
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into the pool,
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and troubled the water,
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whosoever then first,
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after the troubling of the water,
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stepped in,
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was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
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Now, I think it's probable,
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upon your first reading of this,
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that you even filled those details in.
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I did,
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when I read John chapter 5,
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sat down this week to do it.
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In my mind,
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I knew the explanation for why
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this healing was able to happen.
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An angel stirred up the water.
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That's where this comes from.
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So we have a little bit of an issue
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I think we should address.
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It's important that we recognize
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that there's some translations that include it,
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there's some translations that don't.
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And I hope,
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in my briefest of explanations,
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to give you greater confidence
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in the word that we have before us.
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So first,
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the labor of looking at old manuscripts
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and deciding what belongs in the scripture
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is toiled over.
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Very intelligent people across the ages,
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still going on today,
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do this very careful work.
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We have an abundance,
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an embarrassing amount,
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of ancient manuscripts,
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over 5,000 of them,
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whole documents and fragments of documents,
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more wealth of ancient manuscripts
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than any other ancient writing at all.
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If you have any confidence in any old writing,
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you should have even more confidence
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in this text.
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The very words we have,
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now you can decide whether or not
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there's God's words to us,
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but we have the words.
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This is a reliable ancient document.
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But,
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sometimes,
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there's some small discrepancies.
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The earlier and most reliable
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of these ancient manuscripts
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do not include
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the last little bit of verse 3
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and verse 4.
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Now you may have it as a footnote,
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I do,
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and my friends,
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I look down,
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I go,
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hey, what happened to verse 4?
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And you can look down at the bottom
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and it tells you
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what that
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would have said.
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And so the decision
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for the ESV
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was to exclude it altogether.
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Sometimes you find it in brackets
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with some footnoting
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about how it may not have been
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in earlier manuscripts.
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But they're doing this
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really careful work,
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right,
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of trying to sort out
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what does
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and what doesn't belong.
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The very best guess
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of how the end of verse 3
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and verse 4
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arrived
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is that it was likely
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a marginal note.
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Somebody wrote off to the side
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some explanation
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like a study note
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off to the side
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and it's made its way
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into subsequent copies.
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We don't know for sure.
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But
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the thing that we should
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gain our confidence
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in these texts
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is that they're doing
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this very careful work,
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right?
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They're not renumbering it.
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They're including the footnotes
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down at the bottom.
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And
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no place,
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no place,
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of the few discrepancies
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that there are,
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no place that there is
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a discrepancy
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is any
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doctrine
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in conflict.
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It doesn't change
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all the things
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that we need to believe
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for life
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and godliness.
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We find
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these things,
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right,
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these
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explanations.
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So,
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if you
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prefer to include
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the end of verse 3
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in chapter 4,
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it opens up some
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possibility here
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that God has
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provided
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for the relief
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of sufferers.
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There's a,
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this miraculous pool,
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right,
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that an angel comes down to
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and stirs the water
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and the first one in
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is healed.
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And perhaps
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that's what's going
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on here,
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right?
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If you take the end
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of verse 3
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and verse 4
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as God's word,
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then we must
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come to that
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conclusion.
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If you don't,
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which I wouldn't,
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then we're just
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really not sure.
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Maybe that's what's
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going on here.
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Or,
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perhaps,
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some have said
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that this pool
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was fed
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intermittently,
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right,
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by an intermittent
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spring,
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so some water
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would have come
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and rushed
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into it.
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There's some
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old documents
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that talk about
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iron stains
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within the pool,
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so maybe it was
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a mineral-rich pool,
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and perhaps
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some superstition
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had surrounded
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it.
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But regardless,
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John doesn't
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work out the details
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because they are
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not the point
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of what he's
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saying.
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There are
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sufferers there,
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clearly,
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sufferers there,
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and they're
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looking for
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relief
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from their
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suffering.
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So,
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now that we
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have that
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settling into
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our minds,
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I kind of
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wonder how many
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of you wouldn't
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have even
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noticed that
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there wasn't
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a verse
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before.
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An outline
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for the rest
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of our time
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together.
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We get to
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gaze at
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Jesus
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in these
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coming moments.
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We get to
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look at
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the risen
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Christ
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before his
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death
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and following
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resurrection.
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resurrection.
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In these
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17 verses,
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it's 1-18,
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but there's
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17 verses,
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remember,
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John is
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trying to
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help us
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behold
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Jesus
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as the
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Christ,
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that we
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would
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believe in
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him.
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So,
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first,
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point number
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one,
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we're going
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to see
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Jesus as
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the
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sympathetic
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healer,
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and secondly
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as the
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rejected
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Messiah.
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So,
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first,
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the
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sympathetic
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healer.
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A few
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things I
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think that
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are important
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for us to
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notice,
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verses 6
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down and
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through
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verse 9.
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Jesus is
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omniscient,
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which means
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he knows
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everything.
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Jesus is
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compassionate
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and Jesus
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is
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omnipotent.
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his
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sovereign
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power.
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So,
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one at a
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time.
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First,
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Jesus is
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omniscient.
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Notice in
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verse 6,
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Jesus
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sees this
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man,
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Jesus saw
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him
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lying there
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and knew
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that he
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had already
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been there
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a long
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time.
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Jesus
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already knew
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all the
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details of
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this man's
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life.
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I don't
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think we
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should assume
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that Jesus
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knew this
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by
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the
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appearance
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of the
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man.
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There was
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some way
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that he
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gathered
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some
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context
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clues
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and knew
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that he
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had been
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there
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a long
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time.
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But
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John
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has a
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fully
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formed
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understanding
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of exactly
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who
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Jesus
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is.
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Embodied
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deity.
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He knows
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who he
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is and
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therefore
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exactly
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what he's
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capable
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of.
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He
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means
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for us
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to see
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a word
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like
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new
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and all
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of that
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comes
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to life
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in our
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minds.
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It would
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be easy
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at this
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point
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to rush
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on,
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to give
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brief
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acknowledgement
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to the
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fact that
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Jesus
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is
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God
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and just
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move on
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past it.
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Of course
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he knew
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because he's
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God.
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But we
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will do
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well to
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slow down
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for a
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moment and
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consider
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the fact
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that Jesus
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knew.
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Just to
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let it
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settle
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into our
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hearts.
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Jesus
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knows
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you.
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Singular
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man amongst
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a multitude
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of people.
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Jesus
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knows that
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this man
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has suffered
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long.
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He's been
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there looking
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for relief,
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the text tells
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it, for
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38 years.
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In the
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same way,
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Jesus
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knows
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you.
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He
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understands
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you far
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better than
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you understand
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yourself.
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I think I
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understand myself
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better than
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anybody.
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Jesus
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knows me
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way better
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than I
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know myself.
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All of
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the complications
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and all of
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the intricacies
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of my
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heart.
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There is
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no sin
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committed
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that he is
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not aware
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of.
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There is
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no mingling
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of intention
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that he is
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not able
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to sort
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out.
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There is
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no complexity
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of emotion
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that he
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can't
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unravel.
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Jesus
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knows you.
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He knows
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you and
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it is the
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unsurpassed
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privilege of
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the Christian
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to know
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him.
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Incredible
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thing.
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An
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omniscient
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Jesus.
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Knows
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everything
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at all
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times.
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He knew
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this man
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compassion.
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And he
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knows you.
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And because
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of his
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knowledge of
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this man,
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he is
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moved to
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compassion
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for him.
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He asks
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him a
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question.
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A question
18:29
he already
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knows the
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answer to.
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Do you
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want to
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be healed?
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He sets
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the stage
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for a
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response.
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A response
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here in
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just a
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moment.
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He sets
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the stage
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up for
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him.
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A
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compassionate
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offer of
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healing to
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the man.
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The author
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of Hebrews
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says in
18:51
Hebrews
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chapter 4
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verse 15,
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we do
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not have
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a high
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priest who
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is unable
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to sympathize
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with our
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weaknesses.
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The difference
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between sympathy
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and empathy.
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I hear this
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taught wrong
19:04
all the time.
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So here I
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am.
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I'm going to
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set the
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record straight.
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If somebody
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sympathizes
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with you,
19:08
it's because
19:09
they have
19:09
experienced
19:10
the thing
19:11
that you've
19:11
experienced.
19:12
If they
19:13
empathize
19:14
with you,
19:14
you're
19:15
imagining,
19:16
you're trying
19:16
to put
19:17
yourself in
19:17
that person's
19:18
shoes.
19:20
Often as a
19:21
pastor, I
19:21
have to
19:22
empathize
19:22
with people.
19:23
I haven't
19:24
experienced
19:24
everything that
19:25
you guys have
19:25
experienced.
19:26
When you go
19:26
through particular
19:27
trials or
19:28
hurts, I
19:29
empathize.
19:30
I think, oh,
19:31
that must be
19:32
hard.
19:33
I have to
19:33
imagine what
19:33
it would be
19:34
like to
19:35
live in that
19:35
circumstance
19:36
and take you
19:37
to the text
19:37
with me to
19:38
show you what
19:39
it might say.
19:40
That's different
19:41
than sympathy.
19:43
It's different.
19:44
Me too.
19:45
I've also
19:45
experienced the
19:46
very same
19:47
thing.
19:50
Jesus is
19:50
able to
19:51
sympathize
19:52
with our
19:53
weaknesses.
19:55
He is one
19:55
who is in
19:56
every respect
19:57
tempted as
19:59
we are
20:00
trialed.
20:02
That word
20:02
can also
20:03
mean difficult
20:04
circumstance
20:05
laid upon us.
20:07
And then the
20:08
author of
20:08
Hebrews says,
20:09
yet without
20:10
sin.
20:12
Jesus
20:12
understands
20:14
this man's
20:15
suffering and
20:16
he understands
20:17
ours.
20:19
He's omniscient
20:20
and he is
20:22
compassionate.
20:25
So,
20:26
the man responds
20:28
to him and
20:29
we've seen this
20:29
pattern of
20:30
misunderstanding.
20:31
Jesus says
20:32
things to
20:32
people.
20:33
The response
20:34
you would hope
20:34
of the man
20:35
would be,
20:35
yes, I do
20:36
want to be
20:37
healed.
20:37
That's why
20:38
I'm here.
20:39
But he
20:39
addresses him,
20:40
sir, not
20:41
rabbi.
20:41
He doesn't
20:41
know who
20:42
Jesus is.
20:43
It's a simple
20:44
question.
20:44
Do you want
20:45
to be healed?
20:46
And his
20:47
response is,
20:48
I have no
20:49
one to put
20:49
me into the
20:49
pool when
20:50
the water
20:50
is stirred
20:51
up.
20:52
No one to
20:52
help me.
20:53
No one to
20:53
scoop me up
20:54
and put me
20:54
in there.
20:55
And so while
20:55
he's making
20:56
the effort
20:56
on his
20:57
own,
20:58
he says,
20:58
while I am
20:59
going,
20:59
another steps
21:01
down before
21:02
me.
21:03
That's where
21:04
we get this,
21:04
I think,
21:05
marginal explanation.
21:06
What's going
21:06
on there
21:07
in that
21:08
case?
21:09
Right?
21:10
I want to be
21:11
healed.
21:11
I'm looking
21:12
to the pool
21:12
in order to
21:13
be healed,
21:14
but I don't
21:15
move quick
21:15
enough,
21:16
and so I
21:16
cannot be
21:18
healed.
21:20
And Jesus
21:21
simply responds
21:22
to him.
21:23
There's no
21:23
expression of
21:24
faith on this
21:25
man's part
21:26
at all.
21:27
In other
21:28
places,
21:28
you see
21:29
expressed
21:30
faith.
21:31
Right?
21:32
Prior,
21:32
we saw
21:33
an official
21:34
pleading
21:35
for his
21:36
son.
21:37
He knows
21:37
who Jesus
21:38
is.
21:38
He knows
21:38
Jesus is
21:39
performing
21:39
miracles,
21:40
and he
21:40
goes to
21:40
him,
21:41
and he
21:41
pleads,
21:41
and Jesus
21:42
heals
21:42
his son
21:43
of his
21:44
illness.
21:45
Here we
21:45
see none
21:46
of that.
21:47
A man
21:48
in a
21:48
crowd,
21:49
a man
21:49
amongst
21:50
many
21:50
who were
21:51
there for
21:52
relief.
21:55
The man
21:56
says,
21:56
I want to
21:56
be healed,
21:56
but I
21:57
can't be
21:57
healed,
21:57
I can't
21:57
move quick
21:58
enough,
21:58
and Jesus
21:59
simply says
21:59
to him,
22:00
get up,
22:01
take up
22:02
your bed,
22:03
and walk.
22:06
And John
22:06
is careful
22:07
here.
22:08
It's not
22:08
because the
22:09
man makes
22:09
some effort
22:10
to get up
22:10
and walk
22:11
that he's
22:11
healed.
22:12
Verse 9
22:13
says,
22:14
and at
22:14
once the
22:16
man was
22:17
healed.
22:19
This
22:19
compassionate
22:20
Christ,
22:21
this
22:21
omnipotent
22:23
Christ,
22:23
that was
22:23
that last
22:24
observation.
22:25
Right?
22:26
Jesus is
22:27
omnipotent.
22:29
Right?
22:30
He can
22:30
do whatever
22:32
he desires
22:32
to do
22:33
by the
22:33
word of
22:34
his
22:34
power.
22:36
At
22:37
once,
22:38
the man
22:39
was
22:40
healed.
22:42
In other
22:43
accounts,
22:43
people marvel
22:44
at the
22:45
healing of
22:46
lame people,
22:46
and he
22:47
does one
22:48
even
22:48
better.
22:50
He forgives
22:51
their sin.
22:52
He just
22:52
declares
22:53
it so.
22:54
He commands
22:55
the waves
22:56
and the
22:56
wind.
22:57
Jesus is
22:58
omnipotent,
22:59
and he
23:00
expresses that
23:01
here.
23:01
And we're
23:01
meant to
23:02
look at
23:02
this.
23:03
This man
23:04
is healed.
23:05
We're
23:05
meant to
23:05
see it
23:06
and go,
23:06
this is
23:07
the Christ.
23:10
And the
23:10
point is
23:11
not our
23:11
physical
23:11
healing.
23:12
That is
23:12
not the
23:13
thing that
23:14
Jesus came
23:15
to do.
23:15
He came
23:16
to preach
23:16
the gospel,
23:17
to live
23:18
the life
23:19
that we're
23:20
required to,
23:20
to die
23:21
the death
23:21
that we
23:22
deserve
23:23
because of
23:23
our failure
23:24
to do so,
23:25
to be
23:25
raised on
23:26
the third
23:26
day,
23:27
to be
23:27
seated at
23:28
the right
23:28
hand of
23:28
the Father,
23:29
to call
23:30
together the
23:30
church for
23:31
the glory
23:32
of God.
23:34
Luke 19,
23:35
10,
23:36
Jesus says
23:37
of himself,
23:38
the Son
23:38
of Man
23:38
came to
23:39
seek and
23:41
to save
23:41
the lost.
23:44
Observing
23:44
this miracle,
23:46
this sympathetic
23:47
healer,
23:48
is meant to
23:48
drive us to
23:49
think about
23:50
him as
23:51
the great
23:52
healer of
23:52
the greatest
23:53
ailment that
23:54
any of us
23:55
could ever
23:56
have.
23:56
the sickness,
23:58
the death
23:58
that our
23:59
sin brings.
24:02
Now,
24:03
if Jesus
24:03
is omniscient
24:04
and compassionate
24:05
and omnipotent,
24:06
if he is
24:06
the sympathetic
24:07
healer,
24:10
then why
24:11
not heal
24:11
everyone at
24:12
the pool?
24:14
Why not
24:15
just take care
24:16
of everybody
24:16
there?
24:17
Gather around
24:17
everybody?
24:19
He could
24:19
have just
24:20
said it.
24:21
They could
24:21
have all
24:21
gotten up
24:22
and moved.
24:25
But here
24:25
again,
24:27
our study
24:28
can be
24:28
helped
24:29
by the
24:30
literary
24:30
structure
24:31
of John's
24:32
gospel.
24:33
I hope
24:34
you don't
24:34
get tired
24:35
of hearing
24:35
about this.
24:35
We're going
24:36
to do it
24:36
the entire
24:36
time we're
24:37
in this
24:37
book.
24:39
The 17
24:40
verses
24:40
before us
24:41
are,
24:42
you guessed
24:43
it if you've
24:43
been around,
24:45
a chiasm.
24:47
They're all
24:47
over.
24:49
I will be
24:50
structuring our
24:50
study of this
24:51
following this
24:52
structure all
24:53
throughout it.
24:54
Not because I
24:55
think it's just
24:56
fun to do,
24:57
but it's
24:57
because of what
24:57
John intended
24:58
for us to
25:00
see.
25:00
We don't
25:01
think in
25:01
these terms.
25:03
If you're
25:04
unfamiliar with
25:04
what I'm
25:04
talking about,
25:06
chiasm comes
25:07
from the
25:07
Greek letter
25:08
X.
25:09
So the
25:09
idea here is
25:10
that ideas,
25:12
words,
25:12
phrases at
25:13
the beginning
25:14
of the text
25:14
correspond with
25:16
words,
25:17
phrases,
25:17
ideas at
25:18
the end of
25:19
the text,
25:19
and the
25:19
second one
25:20
to the
25:21
second to
25:21
last,
25:21
and so
25:22
on,
25:23
you can
25:23
imagine half
25:24
of an
25:24
X until
25:24
it arrives
25:25
at a
25:26
central point
25:27
of the
25:29
text.
25:30
The entire
25:30
book of
25:31
John is
25:32
structured this
25:32
way,
25:33
and it has
25:33
chiasms
25:34
within it.
25:36
And the
25:37
point,
25:38
as you bring
25:38
things to
25:39
the central
25:40
portion of
25:41
the passage,
25:42
it's not that
25:43
the central
25:43
thing is
25:44
always the
25:45
most important
25:45
thing,
25:46
but it's
25:46
meant to
25:46
help us,
25:47
it gives
25:47
us an
25:48
interpretive
25:49
lens to
25:49
use as
25:50
we look
25:51
at the
25:51
entirety
25:52
of the
25:53
chiasm.
25:55
So,
25:56
the central
25:57
portion of
25:58
this passage
25:58
is the
26:00
very end
26:00
of verse
26:01
9 and
26:03
verse 10,
26:04
which just
26:05
says,
26:06
now that
26:07
day was
26:09
the
26:10
Sabbath.
26:11
Now that
26:12
day was
26:12
the Sabbath,
26:13
and then
26:14
verse 10
26:14
says,
26:14
so,
26:15
the Jew
26:15
said to
26:16
the man
26:16
who had
26:16
been
26:16
healed,
26:17
it is
26:17
the
26:17
Sabbath,
26:18
and it
26:18
is not
26:19
lawful for
26:19
you to
26:20
take up
26:20
your bed.
26:23
So,
26:23
we take
26:24
that,
26:24
we take
26:24
that bit
26:25
of it,
26:25
that's the
26:25
way the
26:26
structure,
26:27
why did
26:27
John write
26:27
it this
26:28
way?
26:28
It begins
26:29
to answer
26:30
some
26:30
questions
26:31
for us.
26:32
It helps
26:32
us to
26:32
look at
26:33
what is
26:33
trying to
26:34
be
26:34
communicated
26:34
to us
26:35
in this
26:36
text.
26:38
Now I
26:38
do not
26:38
want to
26:39
make too
26:39
little of
26:40
the fact
26:40
that Jesus
26:41
is the
26:42
sympathetic
26:42
healer.
26:43
We should
26:43
note that,
26:44
we should
26:44
pause on
26:45
that,
26:45
right?
26:46
So it's a
26:46
significant
26:47
thing that
26:47
happens here
26:48
in the life
26:49
of this
26:49
man,
26:49
and we're
26:50
meant to
26:50
see Jesus
26:51
in this
26:51
way,
26:52
but that's
26:53
not the
26:53
driving point
26:54
of this
26:55
passage.
26:56
It's not
26:56
the one
26:57
thing that
26:58
we should
26:58
take away
26:58
from it.
27:00
John develops
27:01
the setting
27:01
of this
27:02
story in
27:02
the first
27:03
four verses,
27:04
but omits
27:05
this important
27:06
detail.
27:07
Now that
27:08
day was
27:09
the
27:10
Sabbath,
27:11
right?
27:11
He could
27:11
have said
27:12
that at the
27:12
very beginning,
27:13
but he
27:13
holds it
27:14
back.
27:15
He holds
27:16
it back
27:16
until we're
27:17
amazed at
27:18
the healing.
27:18
We're reading
27:19
and we're
27:19
going,
27:20
look at
27:20
the mercy
27:21
of this
27:21
God
27:22
to this
27:23
man,
27:24
and then
27:25
he drops
27:26
a bomb
27:26
at the
27:27
very center
27:27
of the
27:28
text.
27:29
Now that
27:29
day was
27:31
the
27:32
Sabbath.
27:33
Not
27:34
incredibly
27:34
significant to
27:35
us,
27:35
more than
27:35
likely,
27:36
but if you
27:36
understand in
27:37
any measure
27:38
the culture
27:40
of his
27:41
day,
27:41
you would
27:42
see the
27:43
significance,
27:43
and I'm
27:43
going to
27:44
try to
27:44
help you
27:44
do that
27:44
here in
27:46
just a
27:46
moment for
27:47
our second
27:48
point.
27:49
We need to
27:50
take up
27:50
this
27:51
interpretive
27:52
lens,
27:53
the
27:53
rejected
27:54
Messiah.
27:55
So we have
27:56
the sympathetic
27:56
healer and we
27:57
also have the
27:57
rejected
27:58
Messiah.
28:00
Sabbath
28:02
keeping
28:02
was a
28:03
major
28:04
deal
28:05
for the
28:06
Jewish
28:06
people.
28:07
Still is
28:07
among some
28:08
Jewish
28:09
communities
28:09
today.
28:11
Now they
28:11
were right
28:12
to have
28:12
some concern
28:13
for keeping
28:14
the fourth
28:15
of the
28:15
Ten
28:16
Commandments.
28:17
This one
28:18
especially
28:18
was an
28:19
outward
28:19
invisible
28:20
thing.
28:21
You could
28:21
tell whether
28:22
or not
28:23
somebody was
28:23
keeping the
28:24
Sabbath
28:25
or not,
28:26
but they
28:27
had just
28:27
entirely
28:29
misunderstood
28:30
its purpose.
28:33
You know,
28:34
back in my
28:35
days when I
28:35
wrote papers,
28:36
a long time
28:36
ago when I
28:37
wrote papers,
28:37
sometimes I
28:38
would read
28:38
something that
28:38
was just so
28:39
perfectly
28:39
worded that
28:41
I just
28:41
wanted to
28:41
copy and
28:43
paste it,
28:44
but I'm
28:44
not a
28:45
plagiarist,
28:45
so I
28:45
wouldn't.
28:47
I learned
28:47
about block
28:48
quoting,
28:49
which changed
28:50
my life in
28:51
writing papers.
28:53
That's
28:53
essentially what
28:54
I get to do
28:54
in sermons
28:55
for you.
28:55
So this
28:56
is so
28:56
succinct and
28:57
so well
28:58
said,
28:58
by John
28:59
MacArthur
28:59
in his
29:00
commentary
29:00
on this.
29:00
I'm just
29:01
going to
29:01
read you
29:01
two short
29:02
paragraphs
29:02
that helps
29:03
make this
29:03
point so
29:04
very,
29:04
very clearly.
29:05
So I'm
29:05
block
29:05
quoting
29:06
John
29:06
MacArthur,
29:08
a dear
29:09
saint that
29:09
we lost
29:10
not long
29:10
ago.
29:12
He's
29:12
talking about
29:13
the
29:13
Sabbath
29:13
here.
29:13
The
29:13
Old
29:13
Testament
29:14
prohibited
29:15
working
29:16
on the
29:17
Sabbath.
29:18
Exodus
29:19
chapter 31
29:20
and chapter
29:20
35,
29:22
but did
29:22
not specify
29:24
exactly what
29:25
kind of
29:26
work was
29:26
forbidden.
29:27
It seems,
29:29
however,
29:29
that one's
29:30
customary
29:31
employment
29:31
was in
29:32
view.
29:33
So the
29:33
thing you
29:33
did for
29:34
a living
29:35
was what
29:35
was in
29:35
view.
29:36
You worked
29:36
six days
29:37
and then
29:37
you rested
29:38
on a
29:38
seventh.
29:40
The
29:41
Israelites
29:41
were not
29:42
to participate
29:42
in their
29:43
normal week-long
29:44
occupations
29:45
on the
29:45
Sabbath day.
29:47
But
29:47
rabbinic
29:48
tradition
29:49
went far
29:50
beyond that,
29:52
listing
29:52
39 forbidden
29:54
categories
29:54
of work,
29:56
including
29:57
carrying
29:58
goods.
29:59
So what
29:59
they were
29:59
doing in
30:00
an effort,
30:01
I think a
30:02
well-intentioned
30:03
effort,
30:03
to keep
30:04
the fourth
30:05
commandment,
30:06
the Sabbath
30:06
keeping
30:07
commandment,
30:08
they added
30:08
on commandments
30:10
beyond it.
30:11
Right?
30:11
They were
30:12
often called
30:12
hedge laws.
30:13
Right?
30:13
They put
30:14
extra stuff
30:15
around it.
30:15
Let's just
30:15
be really
30:16
sure we
30:16
don't break
30:17
it by
30:17
piling up
30:18
extra
30:19
laws.
30:21
Go back
30:21
to the
30:22
quote.
30:25
The
30:25
rabbinic
30:25
prohibitions
30:26
against
30:26
carrying
30:27
loads
30:27
on the
30:27
Sabbath
30:28
was
30:28
ostensibly
30:29
based on
30:29
such passages
30:30
as
30:31
Nehemiah
30:31
chapter 13
30:32
verse 15
30:33
through 18
30:33
and Jeremiah
30:34
17
30:35
verse 21
30:36
through 22.
30:37
Those passages,
30:38
however,
30:39
were aimed
30:39
at individuals
30:40
who conducted
30:41
their ordinary
30:42
business,
30:43
their livelihood
30:44
or occupation
30:44
on the
30:45
Sabbath.
30:47
Thus,
30:47
they did
30:47
not apply
30:48
to the
30:49
healed man
30:49
since he
30:50
did not
30:50
make his
30:51
living
30:51
by carrying
30:53
his mat.
30:55
End quote.
30:56
The point
30:57
being,
30:57
they had
30:57
added up
30:59
a bunch
30:59
of extra
31:00
stuff
31:01
in order
31:02
to be
31:02
so careful.
31:04
And they
31:04
were just
31:04
missing
31:05
the point
31:06
altogether
31:07
of what
31:08
the
31:08
Sabbath
31:09
was
31:10
for.
31:13
So,
31:14
recall,
31:14
the center
31:14
of the
31:14
chiasm,
31:15
the interpretive
31:16
lens that
31:16
we need
31:16
to employ
31:17
for these
31:17
verses,
31:18
centers on
31:19
this issue
31:20
of Sabbath
31:21
keeping.
31:23
The Sabbath
31:23
is understood
31:24
to be
31:25
instituted
31:25
by God
31:26
in the
31:26
creation
31:27
of the
31:27
world,
31:28
and this
31:28
is recorded
31:29
for us
31:29
in Genesis
31:30
chapter 2,
31:31
verses 1
31:32
through 3.
31:33
He creates,
31:34
he speaks
31:35
into existence
31:36
in six
31:37
days,
31:37
and then he
31:38
rests
31:39
on the
31:40
seventh.
31:42
He did
31:42
not do
31:43
so because
31:43
he had
31:44
exhausted
31:45
his creative
31:45
energy,
31:46
and he
31:47
needed a
31:47
breather.
31:47
So,
31:49
it would
31:49
be a
31:49
gross
31:49
misunderstanding
31:50
of God's
31:51
nature,
31:52
omnipotent.
31:53
He does
31:54
not run
31:54
out of
31:55
steam and
31:56
have to
31:57
build it
31:57
back up
31:58
again.
31:59
So,
32:00
why?
32:00
What's it
32:01
communicating
32:02
to us?
32:03
What it's
32:03
communicating
32:04
is that he
32:05
had completed
32:06
the place
32:07
where he
32:07
was to
32:08
dwell
32:09
with his
32:09
image
32:10
bearers.
32:12
I heard it
32:12
called his
32:13
cosmic
32:13
temple,
32:15
that he
32:15
was going
32:15
to fill
32:16
with his
32:16
presence
32:18
and be
32:18
with his
32:19
people.
32:22
His
32:22
work
32:23
was to
32:24
lead to
32:24
eternal
32:25
enjoyment,
32:27
life with
32:28
him.
32:30
But Adam
32:31
and Eve
32:31
introduced
32:33
death
32:34
onto the
32:35
stage.
32:35
The very
32:36
good thing
32:37
that God
32:37
had created
32:38
became
32:39
marred
32:40
by their
32:42
sin.
32:43
And a
32:43
curse,
32:43
a curse
32:43
of death
32:45
began to
32:45
reign in
32:46
his
32:46
created
32:47
world.
32:49
The
32:49
command
32:49
to keep
32:50
the
32:50
Sabbath
32:50
was
32:51
meant
32:51
to
32:51
leave
32:52
its
32:52
observers
32:52
looking
32:53
backward
32:54
to
32:55
man's
32:56
banishment
32:56
from
32:57
God's
32:57
presence
32:57
and
32:59
forward
32:59
to
33:00
an
33:00
anticipated
33:01
restoration
33:02
of
33:03
God's
33:03
presence.
33:05
Looking
33:05
towards
33:06
that
33:06
great
33:06
day
33:07
when
33:07
there
33:07
will
33:07
be
33:07
a
33:07
new
33:07
heaven
33:08
and
33:08
a
33:08
new
33:08
earth,
33:09
a
33:10
garden
33:10
remade
33:11
where
33:12
God's
33:12
people
33:12
will
33:13
dwell
33:13
with
33:14
him.
33:15
The
33:15
Sabbath
33:16
then
33:16
properly
33:17
understood
33:17
and
33:19
emptied
33:19
all of
33:21
the
33:22
challenges
33:22
that
33:22
they
33:23
found
33:23
used
33:24
as
33:24
an
33:24
interpretive
33:25
lens
33:25
employed
33:26
in
33:26
this
33:26
way
33:27
should
33:27
lead
33:27
us
33:27
to
33:28
see
33:28
that
33:29
this
33:29
man's
33:29
ailment
33:30
is
33:31
the
33:31
result
33:32
of
33:32
the
33:32
curse
33:33
of
33:33
the
33:33
garden.
33:34
You
33:35
see how
33:35
the
33:35
central
33:35
point
33:36
helps
33:36
you
33:36
to
33:36
go
33:36
oh
33:37
how
33:38
is
33:38
John
33:38
recording
33:39
this
33:39
for
33:40
us
33:40
to
33:41
see
33:41
this
33:42
man
33:42
who
33:42
is
33:42
not
33:43
whole
33:44
right?
33:44
He's
33:45
not
33:45
whole
33:45
because
33:46
of
33:46
the
33:47
curse.
33:47
We'll
33:48
talk a
33:48
bit
33:48
whether
33:48
it's
33:49
his
33:49
sin
33:49
or
33:50
sin
33:50
in
33:50
general
33:51
in
33:51
just
33:52
a
33:52
little
33:52
while.
33:53
Why?
33:53
Why is
33:54
this
33:54
man
33:54
ill?
33:55
Why is
33:56
he not
33:56
doing
33:57
well?
33:58
It's
33:58
because
33:58
sin
33:59
is
33:59
in
33:59
the
34:00
world.
34:02
If you
34:02
understand
34:03
the
34:03
Sabbath
34:03
rightly
34:04
and
34:04
then
34:04
you
34:04
use
34:04
it
34:05
as
34:05
that
34:05
lens
34:06
you'll
34:06
see
34:06
what
34:06
John
34:07
is
34:07
doing
34:07
for
34:08
us
34:08
here.
34:09
Jesus'
34:10
healing
34:11
of
34:12
this
34:12
man
34:13
is
34:13
meant
34:13
to
34:13
picture
34:14
for
34:14
us
34:15
the
34:15
great
34:15
healing
34:16
he
34:16
does
34:16
in
34:16
the
34:16
hearts
34:16
of
34:17
men
34:17
as
34:17
he
34:18
brings
34:18
them
34:18
from
34:19
death
34:19
to
34:19
life
34:20
to
34:20
place
34:20
their
34:21
faith
34:21
in
34:21
him.
34:22
To
34:22
have
34:23
God's
34:23
presence
34:24
to know
34:24
him
34:24
and to
34:25
be
34:25
known
34:26
by
34:27
him.
34:27
If
34:28
we
34:28
understand
34:29
it
34:29
this
34:29
way
34:29
we'll
34:31
see
34:31
that
34:32
this
34:32
is
34:32
what
34:32
Jesus'
34:33
healing
34:33
is
34:33
driving
34:34
us
34:34
to
34:35
it's
34:35
so
34:35
much
34:35
more
34:36
than
34:36
just
34:36
talking
34:37
about
34:37
temporal
34:37
relief
34:39
and
34:40
praise
34:40
God
34:40
he
34:40
does
34:40
bring
34:41
us
34:41
temporal
34:41
relief
34:42
but
34:42
that's
34:42
not
34:42
the
34:43
point
34:43
it's
34:43
not
34:43
our
34:44
greatest
34:45
need
34:46
what
34:47
he
34:48
does
34:48
is
34:48
directing
34:49
us
34:49
it's
34:50
directing
34:50
us
34:51
toward
34:52
him
34:53
as
34:53
the
34:53
fulfillment
34:54
of
34:55
that
34:55
rest
34:56
restoration
34:58
and
34:59
it's
34:59
also
35:00
directing
35:00
us
35:00
to
35:00
the
35:01
confrontation
35:02
to
35:02
the
35:03
Jewish
35:03
hypocritical
35:04
religious
35:05
systems
35:05
and
35:06
traditions
35:07
so
35:09
we
35:09
see
35:10
them
35:10
the
35:10
central
35:11
part
35:11
of
35:11
this
35:12
saying
35:12
to
35:12
the
35:13
man
35:13
it's
35:14
the
35:14
Sabbath
35:14
they're
35:15
not
35:15
rejoicing
35:16
in the
35:16
fact
35:16
that
35:17
he's
35:17
been
35:17
restored
35:17
at
35:18
all
35:18
how
35:19
dare
35:19
you
35:19
get
35:20
up
35:20
take
35:20
your
35:21
mat
35:21
and
35:21
walk
35:22
around
35:22
with
35:22
it
35:23
missing
35:24
the
35:25
point
35:25
missing
35:26
it
35:26
all
35:27
together
35:28
and he
35:29
simply
35:30
responds
35:30
to them
35:30
well
35:31
the
35:31
man
35:31
who
35:31
healed
35:31
me
35:32
that
35:32
man
35:33
said
35:33
to
35:33
me
35:33
take
35:34
your
35:34
bed
35:34
up
35:34
and
35:35
walk
35:35
and
35:35
so
35:35
I
35:36
did
35:36
it
35:36
is
35:36
what
35:37
he's
35:37
saying
35:38
there
35:38
and
35:38
then
35:39
they
35:39
go
35:39
on
35:40
the
35:40
hunt
35:40
for
35:41
Jesus
35:41
verse
35:41
12
35:42
who
35:42
is
35:42
the
35:43
man
35:43
who
35:43
said
35:43
to
35:43
you
35:43
take
35:44
up
35:44
your
35:44
bed
35:44
and
35:45
walk
35:46
the
35:47
healed
35:47
man
35:48
doesn't
35:48
know
35:48
right
35:49
again
35:49
withdrawn
35:50
there's
35:50
a
35:50
crowd
35:51
in
35:51
that
35:51
place
35:52
Jesus
35:54
finds
35:54
him
35:54
in
35:55
verse
35:55
14
35:56
and
35:56
says
35:56
to
35:56
him
35:56
in
35:57
the
35:57
temple
35:57
see
35:57
you
35:58
are
35:58
well
35:58
sin
35:59
no
35:59
more
36:00
that
36:00
nothing
36:01
worse
36:01
may
36:01
happen
36:02
to
36:03
you
36:03
now
36:05
we
36:05
are
36:05
told
36:06
in
36:06
John's
36:06
gospel
36:06
that
36:07
temporal
36:07
sickness
36:08
and
36:08
death
36:09
are
36:09
not
36:10
the
36:10
immediate
36:10
result
36:11
of
36:12
personal
36:12
sin
36:13
in
36:13
one
36:14
place
36:14
John
36:15
chapter
36:15
9
36:15
verse
36:16
1
36:17
through
36:17
3
36:17
as
36:18
Jesus
36:18
passed
36:19
by
36:19
he
36:19
saw
36:19
a
36:19
man
36:20
blind
36:20
from
36:20
birth
36:20
and
36:21
his
36:21
!
36:21
disciples
36:21
asked
36:22
him
36:22
rabbi
36:22
who
36:23
sinned
36:23
this
36:23
man
36:24
or
36:24
his
36:24
parents
36:25
that
36:25
he
36:25
was
36:25
born
36:26
blind
36:27
whose fault
36:28
is it
36:28
that the man
36:29
is blind
36:30
and Jesus
36:31
says
36:32
it was not
36:33
that this
36:33
man sinned
36:34
or his
36:35
parents
36:35
but
36:36
that the
36:37
works of
36:37
God
36:38
might be
36:38
displayed
36:39
in him
36:40
a man
36:42
who's
36:42
healed
36:42
from his
36:43
blindness
36:44
why was this
36:45
man blind
36:46
it wasn't
36:47
it wasn't a
36:47
result of a
36:48
sin
36:48
but
36:49
sin in
36:50
general
36:50
right
36:50
the world
36:51
made
36:52
a
36:52
mess
36:53
because
36:54
of its
36:54
brokenness
36:55
and the
36:55
curse
36:55
that
36:56
followed
36:57
we're
36:58
also
36:58
told
36:59
in the
36:59
bible
36:59
that
37:01
temporal
37:02
sickness
37:02
and death
37:03
can be
37:04
the result
37:05
of personal
37:06
sin
37:07
1st
37:09
Corinthians
37:09
chapter 11
37:10
Paul's
37:10
talking about
37:11
misuse
37:12
and abuse
37:13
of taking
37:14
the Lord's
37:14
supper
37:14
!
37:14
together
37:15
way
37:15
that
37:15
the
37:15
church
37:16
was
37:16
not
37:16
loving
37:17
one
37:18
another
37:18
and he
37:19
says
37:19
in
37:20
verse
37:20
30
37:20
that
37:20
is
37:21
why
37:21
many
37:21
of you
37:22
are
37:22
weak
37:22
and ill
37:23
and some
37:24
have died
37:25
because of
37:26
this particular
37:27
sinfulness
37:29
so
37:30
both
37:31
sin or
37:32
because of
37:32
the curse
37:33
that began
37:34
by Adam's
37:35
sin
37:35
it's
37:36
not clear
37:37
but Jesus
37:38
warning
37:39
should be
37:41
sobering
37:42
he's been
37:43
made
37:43
whole
37:44
temporally
37:45
healed
37:46
unrepentant
37:49
sin
37:49
unrepentant
37:50
sin
37:51
will lead
37:52
to a fate
37:52
much worse
37:53
than being
37:54
an invalid
37:54
for 38
37:55
years
37:56
unrepentant
37:58
sin
37:58
leads to
37:59
eternal
38:00
death
38:01
a much
38:03
much
38:03
greater
38:04
consequence
38:05
death
38:06
suffering
38:06
separation
38:07
from
38:08
God
38:08
forever
38:10
unfortunately
38:12
it would
38:12
seem
38:13
the man
38:14
just
38:15
doesn't
38:15
quite
38:16
get it
38:16
why
38:18
would I
38:18
think
38:18
this
38:19
because
38:19
the man
38:19
goes
38:20
away
38:21
and he
38:22
tells the
38:22
Jews
38:23
that it
38:23
was
38:23
Jesus
38:23
who
38:24
had
38:24
healed
38:25
him
38:25
I'm
38:26
speculating
38:26
a bit
38:27
at that
38:27
point
38:27
but
38:28
it
38:28
would
38:28
seem
38:28
that
38:29
he
38:29
would
38:29
want
38:29
to
38:29
protect
38:30
the
38:30
Christ
38:31
from
38:31
these
38:32
people
38:32
looking
38:32
to
38:33
persecute
38:34
him
38:34
I
38:35
think
38:35
this
38:35
because
38:36
right after
38:36
that
38:37
John
38:37
says
38:37
in
38:37
verse
38:37
16
38:38
and
38:38
this
38:39
was
38:39
why
38:39
the
38:40
Jews
38:40
were
38:40
persecuting
38:41
Jesus
38:42
because
38:43
he was
38:43
doing
38:43
these
38:44
things
38:44
these
38:45
miraculous
38:45
things
38:46
these
38:46
wonderful
38:46
restorative
38:47
things
38:47
he was
38:47
doing
38:48
these
38:49
things
38:49
on
38:50
the
38:51
Sabbath
38:52
they
38:52
elevated
38:53
their
38:55
tradition
38:55
above
38:57
Jesus
38:58
himself
38:59
they didn't
39:01
seek to
39:01
understand
39:02
him
39:02
they didn't
39:02
seek to
39:03
know
39:03
what it
39:03
was
39:03
he
39:04
was
39:04
teaching
39:05
he
39:06
was
39:06
infringing
39:07
upon
39:07
their
39:08
system
39:09
and
39:09
they
39:09
had
39:10
to
39:11
stop
39:11
him
39:12
we
39:12
see
39:12
this
39:13
first
39:13
opportunity
39:14
of that
39:15
right
39:15
here
39:15
in
39:16
John
39:16
chapter
39:17
5
39:18
and
39:19
so
39:19
we
39:20
don't
39:20
see
39:20
the
39:20
confrontation
39:21
we
39:21
can
39:22
see
39:22
it
39:22
in
39:22
some
39:22
of
39:22
the
39:22
other
39:23
synoptic
39:23
gospels
39:23
but
39:24
here
39:24
verse
39:24
17
39:25
we
39:25
just
39:25
see
39:25
a
39:25
response
39:26
to
39:26
them
39:27
Jesus
39:27
says
39:27
my
39:28
father
39:28
is
39:29
working
39:29
until
39:30
now
39:30
and
39:31
I
39:31
am
39:32
working
39:33
God
39:35
has not
39:36
ceased
39:36
working
39:37
he's
39:37
continuing
39:38
to be
39:38
merciful
39:39
in this
39:40
world
39:40
and
39:40
Jesus
39:41
says
39:41
and
39:42
me
39:42
too
39:43
I
39:43
am
39:43
the
39:44
son
39:44
I
39:44
am
39:44
the
39:45
Christ
39:45
I
39:45
am
39:46
the
39:46
anointed
39:47
one
39:47
and
39:48
both
39:48
of
39:48
us
39:48
are
39:49
at
39:49
work
39:50
he's
39:51
the
39:52
lord
39:52
of
39:52
the
39:52
sabbath
39:52
he's
39:53
not
39:53
breaking
39:53
the
39:54
sabbath
39:55
in
39:56
their
39:56
terms
39:57
doing
39:58
it
39:58
on
39:58
his
39:58
own
39:58
and
40:00
this
40:00
is
40:00
why
40:00
the
40:01
Jews
40:01
were
40:01
seeking
40:01
all
40:02
the
40:02
more
40:03
to
40:04
kill
40:04
him
40:04
Jesus
40:07
makes
40:07
astounding
40:08
claims
40:08
about
40:09
himself
40:09
he's
40:09
going
40:09
to
40:09
continue
40:10
to
40:10
do
40:10
that
40:10
as
40:10
we
40:10
press
40:11
on
40:11
in
40:11
our
40:11
study
40:12
of
40:13
John's
40:13
gospel
40:13
we
40:15
have
40:15
to
40:16
consider
40:17
this
40:18
Jesus
40:18
on
40:19
his
40:20
terms
40:22
the
40:24
Scottish
40:24
pastor
40:26
John
40:27
Duncan
40:27
early
40:29
19th
40:29
century
40:30
pastor
40:31
once
40:32
said
40:32
Christ
40:33
either
40:34
deceived
40:35
mankind
40:35
by
40:36
conscious
40:36
fraud
40:37
or
40:39
he
40:39
was
40:39
himself
40:40
deluded
40:40
and
40:41
self
40:41
deceived
40:41
or
40:43
he
40:44
was
40:44
divine
40:46
there
40:47
is
40:47
no
40:47
getting
40:48
out
40:48
of
40:48
this
40:48
trilemma
40:50
that's
40:50
why
40:50
I
40:50
pulled
40:51
this
40:51
particular
40:51
quote
40:51
I
40:52
like
40:52
that
40:52
word
40:53
there's
40:54
no
40:54
getting
40:54
out
40:55
of
40:55
this
40:55
trilemma
40:57
it
40:57
is
40:58
inexorable
40:59
unescapable
41:00
some
41:02
of you
41:02
may have
41:02
heard
41:02
this
41:02
framed
41:03
probably
41:03
in
41:04
C.S.
41:05
Lewis's
41:06
book
41:06
mere
41:06
Christianity
41:07
as the
41:08
liar
41:08
lunatic
41:09
or
41:10
lord
41:11
question
41:12
who
41:13
is
41:13
this
41:14
Jesus
41:15
he's
41:17
either
41:17
just
41:17
deceiving
41:18
mankind
41:18
the
41:19
purpose
41:20
it's
41:20
what
41:20
he's
41:20
up
41:20
to
41:21
declaring
41:21
himself
41:22
to be
41:23
God
41:23
or
41:23
he
41:23
was
41:24
actually
41:24
crazy
41:25
or
41:26
he
41:28
was
41:28
true
41:28
and
41:30
what
41:30
he
41:30
said
41:30
should
41:30
be
41:31
understood
41:31
as
41:32
such
41:32
brief
41:35
application
41:35
and then
41:36
we'll
41:36
close
41:36
number
41:37
one
41:38
understand
41:39
your
41:40
helplessness
41:41
whether
41:42
you are
41:43
in
41:43
Christ
41:43
or
41:43
not
41:43
this
41:44
morning
41:44
like
41:44
all
41:45
of
41:45
us
41:45
need
41:46
his
41:47
mercy
41:47
and
41:48
grace
41:48
like
41:49
the
41:49
man
41:49
at
41:50
Bethesda
41:51
we
41:52
are
41:52
powerless
41:53
to
41:54
fix
41:54
our
41:54
sin
41:55
38
41:56
years
41:56
of
41:56
trying
41:57
won't
41:58
make
41:58
us
41:58
whole
41:58
our
41:59
only
42:00
hope
42:00
is
42:00
to
42:00
repent
42:01
of
42:01
our
42:01
sin
42:01
turn
42:02
from
42:02
it
42:02
and
42:03
place
42:04
our
42:04
trust
42:04
in
42:04
the
42:04
completed
42:05
work
42:05
of
42:05
Christ
42:05
secondly
42:08
be
42:10
aware
42:11
of
42:11
our
42:11
tendency
42:12
toward
42:13
empty
42:14
religion
42:16
be
42:17
aware
42:17
of
42:17
our
42:17
tendency
42:18
toward
42:18
it
42:19
with
42:19
good
42:21
intention
42:21
to
42:22
obey
42:23
the
42:23
Bible
42:24
we
42:24
are
42:25
so
42:25
apt
42:25
to
42:25
pile
42:26
on
42:26
extras
42:27
to
42:28
say
42:28
my
42:29
obedience
42:29
to
42:29
scripture
42:30
should
42:30
look
42:30
exactly
42:31
like
42:31
your
42:32
obedience
42:32
to
42:32
scripture
42:33
and
42:33
then
42:33
the
42:34
call
42:34
down
42:35
and
42:35
be
42:36
judgmental
42:36
of
42:36
others
42:37
the
42:38
Bible
42:38
clearly
42:38
says
42:39
some
42:39
things
42:39
and
42:40
I'm
42:40
not
42:40
talking
42:40
about
42:40
those
42:41
things
42:41
I'm
42:41
talking
42:41
about
42:41
the
42:42
things
42:42
we
42:42
add
42:43
on
42:43
around
42:44
it
42:44
it
42:45
is
42:46
possible
42:46
to
42:47
know
42:48
scripture
42:48
keep
42:50
traditions
42:50
and to
42:52
miss
42:52
Jesus
42:53
entirely
42:54
seek
42:56
the
42:57
Lord
42:57
of the
42:57
Sabbath
42:57
who
42:58
gives
42:59
to
42:59
us
42:59
true
43:00
rest
43:01
and
43:03
lastly
43:03
and I've
43:04
said this
43:04
recently
43:05
but I'll
43:06
just say
43:06
it again
43:07
bow
43:08
before
43:09
the
43:09
Son
43:09
of
43:09
God
43:10
Jesus
43:11
is not
43:11
just a
43:12
healer
43:12
of
43:12
bodies
43:13
he is
43:13
the
43:13
eternal
43:14
Son
43:15
equal
43:16
with the
43:16
Father
43:17
who
43:17
gives
43:17
life
43:18
to
43:19
the
43:19
dead
43:20
neutrality
43:21
is
43:22
impossible
43:23
you
43:24
must
43:25
answer
43:25
the
43:25
question
43:26
who
43:26
is
43:27
Jesus
43:28
I hope
43:29
you have
43:29
already
43:30
or will
43:31
for the
43:31
first
43:32
time
43:32
call
43:33
him
43:33
Lord
43:34
let's
43:35
pray
43:35
together