Dear friend, welcome back.
In Luke 5:30-32, we read, "And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."
Friend, the Church is a hospital for the sin-sick. We, believers, are the "first responders," and when the sick come to us for help, we must be ready with the message of healing - the gospel.
Today, we're going to look at a passage that shows the hope, forgiveness, and freedom available through Christ for those paralyzed and trapped in sin.
We, in the Church, need to know the power of the cross for ourselves and others. We minister the gospel not only to those lost in sin but also to believers caught in sin traps. By the end of this lesson, I hope you see that it doesn't matter what the sin is or how long someone has been lost or trapped in it; what matters is that we bring the sick to Christ and His cross for healing.
“Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 4 From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replies, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me” John 5: 2-7 NIV
Notice first that for thirty-eight years, this man was waiting for healing at the pool of Bethesda. Thirty-eight years is a long time. But when questioned by Jesus, "Do you want to get well?"; this man with paralysis gives a telling answer.
Jesus didn't ask a difficult question; “Do you want to get well?” The obvious answer would be, "YES! I want to get well! Please heal me!" Instead, the sick man’s answer revealed that he believed it was impossible to be healed from his condition unless he could receive the help of others, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." (Verse 7)
Question 1. Have you ever believed that some sin struggles (in your life or the life of someone else) are too long-standing or too difficult to be helped by the gospel? Please share your thoughts here.
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This man had his eyes set on the healing properties of the pool, knowing he could never get there alone. And after thirty-eight years of waiting for help, it seems he had resigned himself to paralysis because even when Jesus appeared before the man asking if he wanted to experience healing, the man still kept his focus on the waters. How many people through the years have remained lost or locked up in sin because they went to the church for help only to be ignored, or worse, labeled as “addicts” and sent away to “professionals”? How many have been sitting at the pool of the church, but have not heard the message of healing, the death of Jesus for sins, and the resurrection of Jesus for justification? This should not be! As the body of Christ, we have the most powerful message in the world, and we should be proclaiming it so as to minister healing in Jesus’ name (Ephesians 6:10, 2 Timothy 1:7).
Or perhaps you, yourself, are like this paralyzed man, in need of help because habitual sin (bitterness, anger, lust, gluttony, etc.) has you paralyzed. You are sin-sick, and your relationship with God, your spouse, family, and brothers and sisters in Christ are all stalled. In all areas of life, we are paralyzed by sin if we are controlled by it. Are you like the paralyzed man and blaming others? “While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” (John 5:7) If this is you, hear the words of Jesus to you today:
“Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was the Sabbath” John 5:8-9
Friend, look at the love and grace of God on the cross for you. To heal you and release you from the paralysis of sin, Jesus hung on the cross without anyone to help Him, nailed solidly to the tree, paralyzed by the weight of sin, anchored to the cross to pay your penalty of sin, and free you from the power of sin!
Look up today and see Him there on the cross bleeding out a pool of healing blood to wash you in its cleansing power! See it washing over you and healing you from your sin sickness, bringing you eternal forgiveness, freedom, and cleansing. See Jesus hanging as your sin, in broad daylight, publicly displayed in humiliation, bearing your guilt and shame to purchase forgiveness and freedom for you from all your secret sins. Come today and take refuge under the cross, under the blood where we are safe, saved, sanctified, unashamed, and healed by His wounds (1 Peter 2:24).
Question 2. Have you come to Jesus' healing pool of blood poured out for you at the foot of the cross? Have you washed in it and been set free by it? Please share
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