What a great Savior we have! He is worthy of our praise and worship! He loves you very much, dear friend.
Now, let us return to our passage and consider how Jesus heals the man.
“Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.” John 5:8-9
Jesus said: “Get up, take your bed and walk.” and the man got up, took his bed and walked. It is almost shockingly immediate, isn’t it? No discussion; no arguments, no excuses. Jesus said, “Get up and go” and the man got up and went. The man was completely healed!
Many spouses have come to Setting Captives Free and said that they wanted healing from Jesus; however, when the gospel counsel given to them was something that they did not want to do, they halted. This is akin to the sick man saying to Jesus, “Oh, sorry, I can’t pick up my mat and walk; that’s the one thing I can’t do.”
Here are a few examples of gospel counsel that are sometimes refused:
Involve someone local to you (pastor, teacher, elder, gospel counselor, etc.)
Attend a gospel-centered church
Spend more time with your spouse
Forgive your spouse
Bless your spouse
Counsel such as the above has been rejected, for one reason or another, by people who were unwilling to obey Jesus and His gospel. Some were afraid of the unknown. Some were worried about being embarrassed. Some were worried their spouse would lose their job or go to jail. Some had just grown accustomed or numb to their situation. Regardless of the faulty reasoning, none of these individuals found healing for their hearts because they refused to do what needed doing.
Friend, you cannot experience the healing that Jesus has for you if you are unwilling to step out in faith and do what He tells you to do.
“So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:17
Question 6. Based on James 2:17, would you say that your faith is living or dead? Please share.
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I hope that you are one who wants to be healed and that your faith in Jesus and His gospel is living and vibrant, which will motivate you to do what you need to do to experience your healing. But if you are struggling, then I urge you to come back for the next lesson and more gospel encouragement. As you continue to hear the gospel and believe it, your faith will grow stronger. I’m praying for you.