Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/stornowayfc/sermons/62327/jesus-healing-at-the-pool/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] I want to extend a very good morning to everybody and a warm welcome to our service here at Stornway Free Church. And I pray that everybody who's listening in, watching today, will know God's blessing.

[0:15] And as we come under his word, that his word will indeed be a source of light and life into our own lives. We're going to begin by reading from Psalm 34 in Sing Psalms.

[0:29] Page 40 in the Psalm book, Psalm 34. The suffering man cried to the Lord.

[1:01] From him deliverance came. The angel of the Lord surrounds and guards continually all those who fear and honour him. He sets his people free.

[1:15] Let us now bow in prayer. O Lord, O God, as we come to you this day, we give thanks for another day, another opportunity of worship, another time where we can experience your blessing.

[1:32] We give thanks, Lord, for all the blessings that we receive from you every single day of our lives. And our lives are full of blessings. And so often we don't stop to reflect upon what you are doing for us and what you are giving to us.

[1:48] As the old chorus says, count your blessings and name them one by one. And it will surprise you or amaze you what the Lord has done. And that is true when we really stop and reflect and think of all the blessings, both spiritual and temporal, that you bring into our lives.

[2:06] It truly is amazing. We pray, O Lord, that we may seek you with all our heart. That our seeking of you will not be in fits and starts.

[2:16] But that there will be a constant setting the Lord before us every day of our lives. We realize that that is the way the psalmist went, that the Lord was continually before him.

[2:30] And in that way, he experienced God's light opening up the way for him. And God's hand directing him in the right path. And that's what we want ourselves to, because we do not know the way to go.

[2:44] There is a word in the Bible which says that there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. And help us, Lord, to realize that sometimes the paths that we take, while appearing to us, they might be the right path.

[3:02] It is still the wrong path. And so we pray that we might have your light and your direction upon us. And we pray that the truth of your word, which says, I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you shall go.

[3:17] I will guide you with mine eye. And it might be the rule for our lives. And that we might experience your hand upon us, guiding us through life. As we face all its opportunities and challenges.

[3:31] And as day by day we engage in life. And all that it throws up to us and for us. We pray that you will help us in our relationships, one with another.

[3:42] And although at this time it is becoming ever more restrictive. And we miss the ordinary company that we enjoy in life. And so often now we're finding that through the, although not a full lockdown, yet life is so restrictive in so many ways.

[4:03] And we ask, oh Lord, that in all the situations we're in, that we might know your grace. We so often have taken things for granted. We've taken family and friends for granted, maybe.

[4:15] We've taken your house for granted. There's so much, Lord, that we just accepted as our right. That we see how quickly things can change.

[4:27] And so we pray that we will be given the grace throughout this period to accept what is happening. And to know that your providence often is mysterious.

[4:38] But you are working out a purpose in everything. We pray that we might be all taken through it. And when we come out on the other side, we pray that we might have a new appreciation of your goodness and mercy towards us.

[4:51] We pray not just for ourselves here, but we pray that that might be true nationally. That there will be a new appreciation of the hand of God at work amongst us. We pray for our leaders and all in authority over us.

[5:04] And pray that you will help them to make the right decisions. That they won't just trust in themselves. Lord, we do acknowledge and realize a great place that science has.

[5:15] And we pray that you will grant wisdom to our scientists and doctors and all the areas that are seeking to advise at this particular time.

[5:26] But, Lord, we pray that they may look beyond and to see that you are the great physician. You are the one who is full of wisdom.

[5:36] And we pray that that is the wisdom that will guide us. We pray, Lord, that you will protect us as numbers continue to soar. And we ask, Lord, that it might please you to bring a halt to the spread of this virus.

[5:54] And that a vaccine will soon be found. And that a greater degree of normality will once again be the norm within our lives. We pray to bless the gospel today as it is preached throughout not only our own land, but throughout the nations of this world.

[6:12] We give thanks, Lord, for the technology which is able to, where we're able to communicate the gospel in this way. And we pray that we might, although it's not the way we want to do it, that we might embrace these things just now.

[6:26] And realize that your hand is in this and that you have made preparation for the spread of the gospel at this time. For the world is in a difficult and different stage in its history.

[6:39] We pray that you will be with us and be with all who are facing troubles and trials in life. With those who mourn, whose hearts are heavy and sore. We pray for recovery for those who are ill and have undergone surgery.

[6:53] We pray that your healing hand will be upon them, restoring them again to health and to strength. We pray that you will be with those whose hearts are broken because of death, because of the loss of loved ones.

[7:08] Those, Lord, who have gone through and are going through harrowing experiences. Grant them your peace. Draw close to them, O Lord, we pray. And lead us in the paths of righteousness.

[7:20] Lead us, Lord, so that we might be able to lie down in the green pasture. And that we might walk in the paths of righteousness. Forgive us, Lord, for how often we slip off that path.

[7:33] How often we go our own way. How often we refuse to lay hold upon what your word is saying. Give us a sensitivity, Lord, to your word. And that we might indeed seek to walk in your way.

[7:46] To walk in your commands. Knowing that this is a way of blessing. Lord, do us good then, we pray. Watch over us, protect us. And may the light of the Lord illuminate our path and our life.

[8:01] Forgive us our every sin, we pray. In Jesus' name we ask all. Amen. Excuse me. Just a wee word to the young people.

[8:14] I always like to go for a walk at some point in the day. But the other day I didn't have a chance. It was a very full day. There was just so much happening. It was about nine o'clock at night.

[8:25] I went off for a walk. And I love the castle grounds. It's one of my favourite places. And I went for a walk over there. And it's lovely in an evening or in a night.

[8:38] When the castle was fairly lit up. And the harbour lights. And just all the buildings round about lit up. And it was all so nice. I walked over towards Caddy Point.

[8:51] But before I reached Caddy Point. I turned up. There's a lot of paths there. And I decided I would go right up the back. And then round and down by the back of the castle.

[9:03] And it was. Everything was fine to begin with. You could see quite clearly. As you make your way to Caddy Point. And as I was out going up.

[9:13] The little light of course was getting less and less. It was a very dark night. It was a night because there were no stars. It was a very cloudy night. Maybe a little, little bit of rain.

[9:25] But not much. And quite a windy night. And as I went up further and further. And then round the back. I came to a point.

[9:37] Where I no longer could see where I was going. It was so dark. Because the branches of the trees were. It was like an umbrella over. And it was really.

[9:50] I was walking quite quickly. But I started having to walk slower. slower and slower and slower. Because I actually no longer knew. Whether I was on the path.

[10:00] Or off the path. And I was wishing I'd had my phone with me. Because then I could have put on a light. But I didn't. So I was having to walk very, very carefully. And there was no sound.

[10:13] Or the only sound I could hear. Was the creaking of the branches. With the wind. And of course. Way in the distance. I could see a wee light from where the castle was.

[10:26] But right where I was round there. I was in total darkness. And I began to think. Way back. When I was a wee boy. And I was saying. Well.

[10:37] How different. Here I am now. I'm getting pretty old. And how different things are. Because when I was a wee boy. Supposing I'd given me a million pound. I would not have walked.

[10:49] Up there. On my own. In the dark. Because I used to be very afraid of the dark. And if I was out in the dark. Because when I grew up. When I was a wee boy.

[10:59] That part. When I grew up. There was no street lights. And it was very, very dark. Where we were. And if I heard a sound at night. I would run to the house. Because I didn't know.

[11:10] Whether that was a lion. Or a tiger. Or a monster. Could have been you know. When you're that age. These sounds. You didn't know exactly what it was. But.

[11:21] I was always afraid of these noises. And afraid of the dark. And. I remember. Of course. The dark is quite a. It's a funny thing.

[11:32] Because. You just can't see. I remember years ago. Coming across. A wee book. I can't remember what it was called. I think it was.

[11:43] Silly Verse for Kids. By Spike Milligan. I remember looking through it. And there was one wee poem. That really. It stayed with me. And it was. It's called. Things that go bump in the night.

[11:54] You probably know it. Things that go bump in the night. Really give one a fright. It's the hole. In each ear. That lets in the fear.

[12:05] That. And the absence of light. And while it's part of the. All these silly little verses. It's actually really true. Because. When we hear these bumps.

[12:16] In the dark. We just don't know. What was that? And it's funny how at night. We worry more. We worry about things more.

[12:28] A storm. Is always worse at night. Than during the day. And night. Night's a funny time. And. Sometimes. You know.

[12:39] In the dark. You see. You see. What? What's that? Excuse me.

[12:50] You see. But you know. When I was thinking about all this. I was saying. In a sense. Our lives sometimes. Are like.

[13:02] Storms. At night. And. As we said. In the dark. You don't know. What's in front of you. And maybe you're a wee bit worried.

[13:12] And say. I might be off that. Like I was walking in the ground. I didn't know. Whether I was in the path or not. I didn't know. I might be going to walk into a ditch. I couldn't see. So I was a wee bit worried. About what was behind me.

[13:23] What was in front of me. And then there was all that. Creaking behind. But sometimes. We're like that. And we're. You might be. Like that just now. And you're worried.

[13:35] About things that. Are in front of you. You're worried about the future. There's things you have to do. And you're really. Really worried about it. And you're worried about.

[13:45] What's behind you. Your past. Because you've said things. And you've done things. And you wish you hadn't. And you're saying. Oh I wish I hadn't done that. What's going to happen.

[13:55] Because of what I did. What's going to happen. Because of what I said. We have all these kind of worries. And sometimes. We worry more about them at night. But you know.

[14:06] That's why it's so important. To have Jesus. Because we want Jesus. To come in. Because Jesus. Is light. Do you remember. When the disciples.

[14:17] Were crossing. The sea. It was a really wild night. And all of a sudden. They saw. They were struggling. In the boat. And they looked. And here was. Jesus.

[14:27] They didn't know it was Jesus. At first. They saw. Someone. Walking. On the water. To them. And they cried out. In fear. And what did Jesus say. Oh he said. If you could cheer.

[14:39] It is I. Be not afraid. And that's what Jesus. Is saying to us. As well. In the dark. He said. It's me. Don't be afraid.

[14:50] Because if I'm with you. You don't need to be afraid. There was another time. The disciples were crossing. There was another storm. And Jesus was asleep.

[15:01] In the boat. But it was so bad. That night. The disciples. The water was. Piling into the boat. They were afraid. It was going to sink. And they woke Jesus up. And they said. Master.

[15:12] Do you not realize. We're all likely to. To die. In this. We're going to drown. What did Jesus do. He just got up. And he calmed. The water. He said.

[15:24] Peace. Be still. Isn't that wonderful. And it tells us. There was a great calm. This storm. And the sea surging. All of a sudden. Everything came like glass.

[15:37] Jesus is able to do that. For you. And for me. And he's able to do that. About what we're scared of. And what's ahead of us. And what's ahead of us. And what's ahead of us. And what's ahead of us. And what's ahead of us.

[15:48] You ask Jesus to come into your life. And to bring that peace. And to bring that calm. Because he's with you.

[15:59] And he'll do that for you. And in the dark things that are in your life. Ask him to come in with his light. Remember what it says in the Bible. God is light.

[16:11] And in him there is no darkness at all. So you ask the Lord to light up your life. To light up the path. So that you can see where you're going.

[16:22] And that every day. You will know his peace. In your heart. Let's say the Lord's Prayer. Our Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.

[16:33] Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation.

[16:43] But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. Forever. Amen. We're going to read God's word now from John's Gospel.

[16:55] Gospel of John. And chapter 5. John chapter 5. We read from the beginning. After this there was a feast to the Jews.

[17:07] And Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool in Aramaic called Bethesda. Which has five roofed colonnades.

[17:20] In these lay a multitude of invalids. Blind, lame and paralyzed. One man was there who had been invalided for 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time.

[17:35] He said to him, Do you want to be healed? The sick man answered himself. I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up.

[17:46] And while I am going another steps down before me. Jesus said to him, Get up. Take up your bed and walk. And at once the man was healed.

[17:58] And he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed. It is the Sabbath. It is not lawful for you to take up your bed.

[18:10] But he answered them. The man who healed me. That man said to me. Take up your bed and walk. They asked him. Who is the man who said to you?

[18:20] Take up your bed and walk. Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was. For Jesus had withdrawn. As there was a crowd in the place.

[18:31] Afterwards Jesus found him in the temple and said to him. See you are well. Sin no more. That nothing worse may happen to you.

[18:44] The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus. Because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.

[18:54] But Jesus answered them. My father is working until now. And I am working. This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him.

[19:05] Because not only was he breaking the Sabbath. But he was even calling God his own father. Making himself equal with God. Amen.

[19:16] And may God bless to us this reading of his own holy word. And I want us to look this morning at the healing of this man. At the pool. So from the beginning of the chapter.

[19:29] It tells us there. Now there is. In Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate. A pool called Bethesda. And east lay a multitude of invalids.

[19:40] Blind, lame and paralyzed. One man was there. And he had been an invalid for 38 years. And so we find Jesus coming to the man and saying.

[19:52] Do you want to be healed? And then Jesus said to him. Get up. Take up your bed. And walk. And so on. In this chapter we read of this pool.

[20:08] In Jerusalem called Bethesda. It was a place of hope. Bethesda. Of course we ourselves know. The Bethesda here.

[20:19] Which of course is such a. A great blessing to us as a community. In fact Bethesda means House of Mercy. And that certainly is true of our own Bethesda here.

[20:31] In this island. And it has been a blessing to so many people. In the islands here. And we give thanks to the Lord. For our own Bethesda. But in this chapter we find that there was a lot of people.

[20:46] Invalidated people. Who were around this pool. It seemed like there would be five patios there. And a kind of veranda around them. Veranda above them.

[20:58] And people with varying disabilities. Were lying around this pool. And it would appear that. There must have been something about the water.

[21:09] Now. In the very earliest manuscripts. It's exactly as we have here. But some of the later manuscripts. Have it that. An explanation.

[21:20] Well they've added it in. That an angel came and stirred the water. But there's actually no mention of that. In the earliest manuscript. But when the water was stirred.

[21:31] The first person who went down into it. Whoever went into the water first. There was healing. In that water. So that's why there were all these people around this pool.

[21:46] Hoping and waiting. There was this array of hope. That when the water was stirred. And if they got into the water. That there could be healing for them. And of course it focuses upon this man.

[21:58] Who had been an invalid for 38 years. And. The thing is that when we're. Well. And healthy. We. One of the sad things is.

[22:10] We so often take our health for granted. I think all. All of us who have at any point. Ended up in hospital with whatever. We've always said the same thing.

[22:20] You know. I took my health for granted. And we do. But. All we have to do is to. Take a walk into a hospital. Or into. Our care homes. And it's a sharp reminder to us.

[22:33] Of. All the illness. And all the weakness. And all the frailty. And all the disability. That there is in this world. And again a reminder to us.

[22:45] Of the. The ravages of sin. Because it is sin that has brought all that. Into our world. When God created Adam and Eve. At the beginning. He created them perfectly.

[22:57] There was no weakness. There was no illness. There were. There were none of these things. None of the diseases that. Are so prevalent today. They were healthy. They were fit.

[23:08] They were well. But sin of course. Has brought all the devastation. Into this world. All the sicknesses. All the.

[23:18] All that happens. This virus that's here today. It's all because. As a result. Of sin. And sin has affected everything. And we just look at.

[23:30] Every broken dream. Is as a result of sin. Every broken relationship. Is as a result of sin. Every broken life. Is as a result of sin.

[23:41] Sin affects everything. Every cry that we hear. From heart and mouth. Of those who have. Been bruised. And battered. And abused. And every pain.

[23:52] In this world. Every broken heart. In this world. Every loss. In this world. Comes because of sin. Sin. And the sad thing is.

[24:04] When we see sin. Like that. And we see. The ugliness of sin. And we see. The devastation of sin. We. We abhor sin. But a lot of the time.

[24:14] We don't. Because we don't. See sin. In that way. And often. We side with sin. Because of our. Sin for nature. We are often.

[24:25] Attracted to sin. And we sympathize. With sin. And sin so often. Comes to us. In the form of temptation. As it were. With sweet packaging. But we don't see.

[24:38] If we were to strip. That sweet packaging off. That underneath. There is always sorrow. And pain. And eventually. Death. The wages. Of sin. Is death.

[24:49] That's what the Bible. Tells us. And that's why we find. Jesus at the grave. Of Lazarus. We find him. Inwardly groaning. There's an anger. In Jesus. Towards.

[24:59] The effect. Of sin. He is. He is seeing. Sin. For what it is. And it's. Ugliness. And it's viciousness. And it's. Anger. And all that it is.

[25:12] And how thankful we are. That Jesus met sin. And defeated sin. And that he broke its power. And he broke the consequences of sin.

[25:23] And the devastation of sin. And the punishment of sin. He took all that upon himself. In order. That we. May know the.

[25:33] The liberty and freedom. That has. That comes from. Being delivered. From our sin. Although we. As long as we live in this world. We will remain sinners. But the.

[25:43] The. The punishment. And the consequences. Of sin. And all these things. Have been taken from us. If we. If we trust. In the Lord Jesus Christ.

[25:54] As Savior. It. And. That's why. Of course. Jesus's name. Was called Jesus. Because. He shall save his people. From their sins. So. Along the poolside.

[26:05] At Bethesda. Were all these people. With varying disabilities. And they mention. That there were those who were blind. And lame. And paralyzed. And while these are.

[26:17] Very difficult things. To deal with. At a physical level. They're also pictures. Of how. People are. And how we are by nature. Spiritually as well. Blind.

[26:29] Now. Blindness. Must be an awful thing. To bear with. I often. Think to myself. And I say. Well. It would be. It would be. It would be. It would be an awful thing. To her.

[26:40] I remember my granny. She lived with us. In the last few years. Of her life. She went blind. It was a gradually. Slowly. Slowly. Until she couldn't. Could he see at all. I used to say.

[26:50] Oh man. That must be. It must be an awful thing. To. To lose your sight. But. Spiritually. That's who we are. By nature. We're.

[27:01] We're. We're blind. By nature. And. We don't see our situation. We don't. We don't actually. We're not aware. Of how we actually. Are before God. That we are.

[27:12] Sinners. And that God's. Wrath. And God's judgment. Is hanging over us. We haven't seen. We don't see. That we have all sinned. And come short.

[27:22] Of the glory of God. We don't see. That we are in desperate. Need of a saviour. We're blind. To the fact. Of our need. Of a saviour. And we're blind.

[27:32] To the way of salvation. Even although. Often we know it. And we. Maybe could tell others. About it. But we're actually. Blind itself. Personally.

[27:43] To. How it is. That we. That we are to be saved. And what we've got to remember. Is the. The enemy of our souls. Is. Adding to the natural.

[27:55] Blindness. That is already. Within our heart. Because. It tells us. That the God of this world. Has blinded the minds. Of those who don't believe. I remember.

[28:06] When. Our children. Were. Were small. And. Sometimes. If you were away at night. And you're coming back. And maybe. Maybe one of them. Had fallen asleep.

[28:17] In the car. And it's late at night. You say. Oh. Time. Time. Get him or her. Up into bed. Without wakening. You would open the car door. You'd open the house door.

[28:28] You'd open every door. And you'd carry up. And. Lay down on the bed. Time. Not to awaken. Because you're afraid. If they wake. And then they might not. Get back to sleep.

[28:39] And you know. In a sense. Satan is like that. He's lulling us. To sleep. He doesn't want. Our eyes to open. And he'll do anything. And everything. That will keep us in this.

[28:51] In this way. Journeying along. Not. Where we don't realize. That we're actually. Journeying along. To lostness. To lost eternity. That's what Satan is doing. He's blinding your eyes.

[29:03] And keeping us in this. Dull frame of mind. Spiritually. So that we don't see your need. So it's a. It's a very very difficult situation. And so.

[29:15] We have to ask the Lord. To open our eyes. And you know this. We never stop asking the Lord. To open our eyes. And if today. You have never seen. Your need of a savior. And you've never seen.

[29:25] The power of Jesus. To save. Ask the Lord today. Lord. Open my eyes. That I might see you. That I might see clearly. That I might see. That I need a savior.

[29:36] And that I might see you there. As a savior. Who can save me. Because he can. He can save you right now. And you know. Once we see Jesus. As our savior.

[29:46] And once we've been saved. We never stop asking. For our eyes to be opened. We ask. Lord. Open thou mine eyes. That I might see wonderful things. Out of your love.

[29:57] Every day. As we come to God's word. We want that our eyes. Will be open. To see more and more of Jesus. And then we find the lame. These are those who have difficulty.

[30:08] Difficulty walking. Walking is painful. And walking is slow. And that is also true spiritually. Because the command in scripture is. Walk humbly with your God.

[30:22] But you know. Before we come to the Lord Jesus Christ. The one thing we do not want to do. Is to walk humbly with our God. We don't do it. We want to walk our own way.

[30:34] We want to. In fact. We're walking away from God. Whenever Adam sinned. That's what he did. He tried to. Not only walk away from God. But run away from God.

[30:45] Beforehand. It was his delight. To walk with the Lord. In fellowship with the Lord. When he had sinned. It was to run away from God. And the Lord wants to walk with us.

[30:58] That's what he wants to do. And you know. That's one of the wonderful things. You know. The moment that we come to faith. In the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to walk with him. It's our desire.

[31:08] To be in the company. And the fellowship of the Lord. And to walk humbly. With our God. And then we see those that are paralyzed.

[31:19] And of course. Paralysis is an awful thing. An awful thing. To lose the ability. And strengthen any limb. Or in your body. But in a sense.

[31:31] Spiritually. We're paralyzed. Because. If you're paralyzed. You can't do for yourself. You're dependent upon somebody else. And that is true spiritually. Because we're paralyzed.

[31:42] By sin. And we cannot save ourselves. It is only the Lord. Who is able to save. And so we find. Here we are. Around this pool.

[31:53] And there's all these. All these people. And there's this man. Who's been there. For 38 years. This man has been abandoned. And there's nobody. There to help him.

[32:05] And we find that. All of a sudden. That Jesus. Comes. Into his life. And. You know. One of the things.

[32:17] That really. Would be so sad. About that. That particular time. Is. The religious leaders. Of the day. Would have had nothing to do.

[32:28] With that man. In fact. They probably. Would never have gone. They would never be seen. At Bethesda. Because. In. At Bethesda. Around that pool.

[32:39] There were the blind. The lame. And the paralyzed. And in those days. The religious leaders. Very mistakenly. Thought. That any sin.

[32:50] Or deformity. Or disability. Or anything like that. Was. As a direct result. Of some sin. Within that person's life. And so. In their own. Sort of.

[33:00] Moral judgment. And their own. Moral. Elevation. Of themselves. They put themselves. Up there. And they would look down. On these people. As if they were. Leppish. To be avoided.

[33:12] Remember. The blind man. That Jesus. Had healed. And. Before he was healed. They asked him. The question. Who sinned. This man. Or his parents.

[33:24] Jesus said. No. That's not the way it is. Jesus of course. Had to teach them. So that. There was this. Terrible thinking. That. Any person.

[33:35] Who had anything wrong with them. It was a result. Of their sin. Or their parents sin. Or whatever. Now of course. Everything. At one level. Is the result. Of sin. But Jesus.

[33:46] Comes up to this man. And for the first time. In 38 years. There's a ray of hope. Coming. Into his life. And Jesus. Takes the initiative. And Jesus.

[33:57] Said to him. Very simply. Do you want. To be healed? Do you want. To be healed? I'm going to stop there. For a second. I'm going to ask you. That question. And if you're here today.

[34:08] Listening. In. To the service. And you're still. Outside. The kingdom. And you're still. Without the healing.

[34:19] Of Jesus. In your soul. The question. That. Is being asked. Of you today. Is. Do you. Want to be healed? Maybe you're saying. No.

[34:30] Or maybe you're saying. Yes. But not yet. I hope you're saying. Yes. I do. Want to be healed. Because Jesus. Alone. Is able to heal you. And he can do so today.

[34:42] And so. This man. This man. With the. The disability. He explained. The scene to Jesus. And he said. I have nobody to help me.

[34:53] So that when the water. Is stirred. And I try to get down. To the water. Somebody else. Always gets there. Before me. And I don't make it. In time. Imagine. Imagine.

[35:04] Imagine. If that's how it was. Today. With the way of salvation. Imagine. If. There you are. And here. Here am I. And the Lord is saying.

[35:15] I'm here for you. I am here to save you. And you say. Lord. Here I come. Save me. But then somebody else. Goes first. And that's it. For who knows how long.

[35:27] If ever. And that's it. The door is closed. And there's no more opportunity. Or there might be. But it might be. Another couple of years. Imagine. Imagine if. If it was like that.

[35:39] You know. We take the door. Of salvation. For granted. That it's always open. And it is open. It's open today. But we somehow. We just say. Ah. That's the way it is.

[35:50] Without realising. That this is a wonderful opportunity. The Bible says. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time.

[36:00] That's an acceptable time. It's an acceptable time now. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. So the opportunity. Is here. Jesus is saying.

[36:12] Today. Behold. I stand at the door. And knock. That's what he says. If anyone hears my voice. And opens the door. I will come in to him. And eat with him.

[36:24] And he with me. So Jesus asks the man. This obvious question. Do you want to be healed? And Jesus asks us.

[36:34] That question as well. You know. It's a funny thing. Because. There are some people. And they'll say. Yes. I do want to be healed. But. But not yet.

[36:45] Because. I don't know how. It's going to impact. On my life. If I become a Christian. I don't know how. It's going to work for me. In the circle of friends.

[36:56] I have. In the work. With my work colleagues. I don't know how. It's going to impact. At home. It's going to. Is it not going to change. My life. Big style.

[37:07] I don't know. If I'm ready for that. Well you know. We can. To a certain extent. You can understand that. Because. We're familiar. With what we're used to.

[37:18] And we're saying. I don't know what. Well. Let me tell you this. It won't do you. Anything but good. Jesus. Will bring. Into your life. That which is missing.

[37:29] He will bring. This salvation. Which all of a sudden. Will change. Your whole relationship. To God. And the fear. And anxiety. That you have.

[37:40] In your heart. That because. You are running away. From God. That fear. And anxiety. Will go. Because you are now. At one. With him. And you can't put a price.

[37:51] On that. And that's why. It is so important. That we deal with this. And. Yes. Your circle. Of friends. May. They may react. They might not. I remember.

[38:03] When I was. Converted. I was. Wondering. How. How would people react. How would people. Deal with this. It's amazing. The number of people. There were some. There were some.

[38:13] Who. They kind of. Turned their back. There were some. Who. Didn't quite know. How to deal with it. But I couldn't get over. How many people. Not only were accepting.

[38:24] Of it. But how many said. Oh well. I'm pleased for you. Some people. That I just. Never expected. For that moment. So. I'm really pleased for you. I didn't think.

[38:35] I was saying. Oh. So. You don't know. How people. Are going to react. But the important thing. Is that you come. To faith. In the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we find.

[38:46] That Jesus. Very simply. Said to the man. Right. Get up. Take up your bed. And walk. And what I love here. Is that the man. Responded to Jesus.

[38:57] He responded. To the words of Jesus. He didn't sit there. And say. You're asking me. To do something. I can't do. I've been trying. For 38 years. To get up. What's the point. In me trying to get up. But he very simply.

[39:10] At the word of Jesus. Which was an exercise. Of faith. He. Stood up. He got up. And he walked. And that's. That's a wonderful thing. And that's how we must react.

[39:21] To the gospel. And when you have this invitation. Today. To come to Jesus. You. Come as you are. And say. Lord. Here I am. Save me.

[39:33] And you will receive. The gift of salvation. Remember. God. Gives. We. Receive. Salvation. Is a gift. Lord.

[39:44] Come into my heart. But I want to. Say two things. In conclusion. The first is this. The man who was healed. Didn't know. That it was Jesus.

[39:55] Who had healed him. We read about that. In verses 12 and 13. Isn't that extraordinary? Here's this man. And he's. Richly. Blessed. By Jesus. His life.

[40:05] His life. Is transformed. By Jesus. But he didn't know. That it was Jesus. Who had done it. And you know. Our lives. Are packed. So often.

[40:16] With blessings. Packed. With so many. Good things. And so often. We don't thank Jesus. Or even. Realize.

[40:27] That it is the Lord. Who has done that. For us. You remember. It's a very solemn. Part of scripture. But when. Israel. Are going into Egypt. Into. Canaan. Into the promised land.

[40:38] God said to them. I want to bless you. I want to bless you. In yourselves. I'm going to bless you. In your homes. I'm going to bless you. On the land. I'm going to prosper things.

[40:49] It's going to go well for you. But. He said. Be careful. Do not forget. To honor me. And to obey me.

[41:00] And to recognize. That it's me. Who's giving you these things. And to thank me for them. Because if not. He said. I'll take these things away from you. All these things.

[41:11] That you've enjoyed. Because you failed. To acknowledge me. As a giver. God. I will take them away. And I can't help but think. Just now. As our nation.

[41:24] Is beginning to. Almost. More and more. We're looking into. A possible. Real economic crisis. And.

[41:34] Just. We're seeing. Our whole nation. Everything that we know. The brakes put on. And. Life becoming so uncertain. And. Future. Is coming so uncertain.

[41:46] Is God doing. What he said. If you don't acknowledge me. And give me thanks. For all the good. And blessings. And great things. I've given to you.

[41:56] I'm going to come one day. And I'm going to begin. To take these things away. We need to humble ourselves. Before the Lord. And ask the Lord. To forgive us. And make sure that.

[42:08] You thank the Lord. And I must thank the Lord. For all the blessings. That he has brought into our life. And that he will have mercy upon us. As a nation. And heal our land. But the other thing.

[42:20] And with this. We conclude. Is that the miracle. Nearly caused a riot. You know. This poor man. The first day.

[42:31] In 38 years. He's walking. Jesus said. Take up your bed. And walk. And he meets the Pharisees. He meets the religious leaders. And they're saying. Hey. What are you doing. Carrying your bed.

[42:41] You know that that's forbidden. On the Sabbath. There's nothing in the Bible. To say you can't carry your bed. On the Sabbath day. They had made loads. And loads. And loads. Of other rules. By the way.

[42:53] The works of necessity. And mercy. Didn't come into their thinking. And so. Here is this man. And you would think. On the first day. For 38 years.

[43:05] That he's walking. If ever there was a cause. For celebration. Oh. Isn't that wonderful to see. No. Straight away there. What are you doing. And you see.

[43:16] That's what legalism is like. That's what our legal spirit does. Without God's grace. Without the love of God. Within the heart. And if we're trying to be.

[43:27] If a person is purely religious. They become really legalistic. And the legalism. Takes away. It's spontaneous joy. In the Lord.

[43:38] And so. These religious leaders. If they had been able. To see who Jesus was. And what Jesus had done. They should have been rejoicing. With that man. Rather than. Hey. You shouldn't be doing that.

[43:50] We need to ask the Lord. To deliver us. From the legalistic spirit. And that to give us. The compassion. And the love. And the grace of God. That that is what will. Fill our heart.

[44:01] And motivate our lives. So that we will know. The joy of the Lord. Which is our strength. And that we will find that. There is an amazing freedom. In the grace of God.

[44:14] May we all know. This healing. That Jesus alone can bring. And the liberty. And the freedom. That his grace. Brings. Into our lives. Let us pray.

[44:25] Lord our God. Again we give thanks. For your goodness. And mercy towards us. We pray that you will bless. Our short time together. And that the word of God. Will go deep into our heart.

[44:37] Cleanse us from our every sin. We pray. In Jesus name we ask it. Amen. We are going to conclude singing. From Psalm 103. In the Scottish Psalter.

[44:47] Psalm 103. Page 369. And we are going to sing. Verses 1 to 4. Verse 4. Verse 4. Verse 4. O thou my soul. Bless God the Lord. And all that in me is. Be stirred up his holy name.

[44:59] To magnify and bless. Bless O my soul. The Lord thy God. And not forgetful be. Of all his gracious benefits. He hath bestowed on them. See how we are not to forget.

[45:11] We are to bless the Lord. And not to be forgetful. Of all the gracious benefits. He has bestowed on us. That's what the Psalm is telling us. That's what God told the people.

[45:22] And that's how we must live. That we must bless and praise the Lord. For all these things. Verses 1 to 4. Of Psalm 103. O thou my soul.

[45:32] Bless God the Lord. O thou my soul. Bless God the Lord. And all that in me is.

[45:46] Be stirred up his holy name. To magnify and bless.

[45:58] Bless O my soul. The Lord thy God. And not forgetful be.

[46:11] Bless new to me. As he routes that night.

[46:21] God blesses you. And for all his gracious benefits. For all his wickedness. He hath bestowed on me.

[46:32] He hath bestowed on me. Who thy deceases, all unfaithed, doth heal and be revealed me?

[46:49] Who doth redeem thy life that thou, to death is not fordone?

[47:00] Who he would love in thy best God, and tender mercies come.

[47:14] Now may the grace, mercy and peace of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest and abide upon each one of you now and forevermore. Amen.

[47:24] Please join again with us this evening if you're able to, as we meet at half past six and the service then will be taken by the Reverend James McKeever.

[47:37]  Amen.