WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.240 your righteousness. Now, we're going to continue together in John chapter 5, 00:00:14.280 --> 00:00:18.719 this time from verse 16 to verse number 30. 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:30.839 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute 00:00:30.839 --> 00:00:37.780 him. In his defense, Jesus said to them, My father is always at work to this very day, 00:00:38.379 --> 00:00:43.640 and I too am working. For this reason, they tried all the more to kill him. 00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:49.899 Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own father, 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:57.840 making himself equal with God. Jesus gave them this answer, Very truly I tell you, 00:00:58.380 --> 00:01:04.480 the Son can do nothing by himself. He can do only what he sees his Father doing, 00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:11.920 because whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:19.079 all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:25.579 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he 00:01:25.579 --> 00:01:33.680 is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 00:01:34.299 --> 00:01:40.780 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son, 00:01:40.780 --> 00:01:48.820 does not honor the Father who sent him. Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him 00:01:48.820 --> 00:01:55.439 who sent me has eternal life. I will not be judged, but has crossed over from death to life. 00:01:56.379 --> 00:02:03.859 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of 00:02:03.859 --> 00:02:12.000 God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:19.080 also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge, because he is the Son of Man. 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:26.479 Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and 00:02:26.479 --> 00:02:33.179 come out. Those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil 00:02:33.179 --> 00:02:42.759 will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing. I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just. 00:02:43.399 --> 00:02:54.719 For I seek not to please myself, but him who sent me. Amen. So, here we are with Jesus healing this 00:02:54.719 --> 00:03:03.000 invalid. And I think what we can discover from this sign is it's really important that we learn to judge 00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:13.800 the significance of signs. We are constantly seeing signs and adverts. Many we walk past without 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:19.219 giving them a glance. That's probably true of the signs in this building. We probably think, well, 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:24.159 they've been there for ages. We've probably read the information. It doesn't apply to us. 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:31.860 But we also know, don't we, there are times when signs are vitally important, when failing to read 00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:42.639 and heed can be a disaster. Last Thursday would be one such example, Cameron Toll Roundabout at the end 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:48.620 of the day. Despite the fact that on the far end of the Cameron Toll Roundabout there is the low bridge 00:03:48.620 --> 00:03:57.120 warning sign and the flashing lights. There was yet another lorry driver who managed to get stuck. 00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:02.080 His load was too high. He didn't read the signs. Maybe he didn't think they applied to him. 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:09.439 And if you were on the road that Thursday, you will know just how painful that afternoon and evening was. 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:16.860 But I guess we're also very much aware too of physical warning signs. We've been told over and 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:21.699 again, haven't we, about COVID. If we have any symptoms, we need to take the test. We need to 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:29.439 self-isolate so that we might avoid the spread of the virus, creating a more serious health situation. 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:38.120 Early warning signs are important. Well, today's sign finds Jesus, in a sense, giving to us, 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:46.060 as he gave to the invalid, an early warning sign. In that failing to see who Jesus is, 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:55.259 and failing to look to him for spiritual healing, brings eternal disaster. 00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:01.819 So, let's get to the sign. And let's think about the setting for the sign. So, if you've got your 00:05:01.819 --> 00:05:09.079 Bibles, John chapter 5, the first three verses, two aspects in terms of setting to consider. First of 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:15.540 all, where it's happening. And we're told it's at this pool called Bethesda near the Sheep Gate. So, 00:05:15.579 --> 00:05:21.360 this is in Jerusalem. It was a pool fed by a couple of reservoirs known as Solomon's Pools. 00:05:21.959 --> 00:05:27.740 But then, as well as that regular supply, there was evidently a more intermittent supply that would 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:32.199 come from underground that would cause the bubbling, which the folks kind of superstitiously thought, 00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:37.120 this must be an angel moving the water. This is the time to get in and be healed. Probably quite 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:43.900 similar to our hot springs. So, that's where it's happening. But we also discover that this pool 00:05:43.900 --> 00:05:51.340 is a place of desperate need, don't we? It sounds to us in many ways like an outdoor hospital ward, 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:58.419 except there's no medicine, and there's no staff, and there's no immediate sense of where help is 00:05:58.419 --> 00:06:07.479 going to come from. The last time Jesus was at a Jewish festival that we have in John chapter 2, 00:06:08.099 --> 00:06:15.399 the focus is on his words and his actions at the temple. But here, it's not the temple. Jesus 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:22.699 deliberately places himself among these sufferers, and in particular, comes to this one man. 00:06:23.899 --> 00:06:29.459 Because it becomes clear, as we see in the conversation, that his physical need, his physical 00:06:29.459 --> 00:06:37.199 suffering, reflects a greater and a deeper spiritual need. And Jesus wants to meet with them and talk with 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:42.019 them. So, that's where it happens. But it's also important in terms of the setting to notice 00:06:42.019 --> 00:06:50.299 when this takes place. Because chapter 5 is the beginning of what's recognized as growing hostility, 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:58.799 conflict, and opposition towards Jesus, in particular from the religious leaders, but also for many 00:06:58.799 --> 00:07:06.319 who enjoyed coming to watch his signs as he begins to teach, and they recognize his claims, people 00:07:06.319 --> 00:07:15.860 turn away or turn against him. We read that in verse 18 as an example. For this reason, they tried all the 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:23.339 more to kill him, because he was calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. This sign is 00:07:23.339 --> 00:07:29.420 going to give us the beginnings of that insight into why there is so much hatred towards Jesus. Why does 00:07:29.420 --> 00:07:35.319 rejection towards Jesus grow? Because you think, so on one level, he is the most loving and compassionate 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:40.399 and merciful man. He's doing these wonderful miracles, but people are hating him. So, why is that? 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:47.600 And the point that John is bringing out, and Jesus brings out in his words, is that Jesus signs, 00:07:48.159 --> 00:07:55.579 both his words and his actions are too bold, too radical, too massive, for them to be ignored. 00:07:56.439 --> 00:08:02.060 These are the equivalent of a huge roadside billboard and a great big neon sign, 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:10.079 so that to take Jesus on his own terms is really challenging for the people. 00:08:11.540 --> 00:08:15.959 Jesus doesn't leave us with the option of saying, well, Jesus is a nice man. He was a good man. He was 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:22.100 a good moral teacher, even a powerful man. If we take that impression of Jesus, we're simply not 00:08:22.100 --> 00:08:31.340 hearing him correctly. I think C.S. Lewis summed it up brilliantly in a quote you'll see up on the screen. 00:08:31.900 --> 00:08:36.940 A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. 00:08:37.800 --> 00:08:41.840 He would either be a lunatic on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg, 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:49.220 or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the son 00:08:49.220 --> 00:08:55.879 of God or else a madman or something worse. For Lewis, Jesus is either liar, lunatic, or Lord. 00:08:56.800 --> 00:09:02.519 We can helpfully add another L as well, because sometimes you'll hear people say, yeah, but Jesus 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:10.720 is just a legend, just a myth created by his first followers. But again, we can reject that, because 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:19.480 no Jewish person who has any reverence for God is ever going to make up the idea that there is a man 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:25.759 walking around claiming himself to be God. The religious Jews wanted Jesus killed for that very 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:33.879 reason. And no Jewish person would ever have the expectation that a Savior would come and die and 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:41.659 then rise again in the middle of history. There is nothing that had them ready for that. And so again, 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:52.500 Jesus needs to be heard clearly in his own words as the Son of God. And that's why there's such a radical 00:09:52.500 --> 00:10:01.179 reaction against Jesus, but also why he is worshipped by others. Now, before we move on, 00:10:01.179 --> 00:10:08.039 it's worth us just stopping and thinking about this beautiful portrait of our Savior Jesus. 00:10:08.979 --> 00:10:15.239 He doesn't stay on the sidelines. He doesn't stay at a distance, but rather he moves towards needy and 00:10:15.239 --> 00:10:22.620 helpless and suffering. We all need to remember that. As the people of God, we need to remember this is 00:10:22.620 --> 00:10:31.860 our God. This is the compassion and the mercy that he would have for us. But we also need to remember 00:10:31.860 --> 00:10:39.259 he is our prime example. Perhaps one of the ways that this passage might challenge us, it might 00:10:39.259 --> 00:10:47.379 challenge us to say, where is the equivalent of Bethesda in my community? Where are the needy and the 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:52.759 hurting and the lonely and the isolated and the suffering? And how can I, how can we bring the 00:10:52.759 --> 00:11:04.139 love of God in Christ to them? But we also see in the fact that Jesus homes in, in particular, on this 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:09.139 invalid, is that Jesus' main focus, while he does deal with the physical, his main focus 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:18.779 is on his spiritual need, his eternal need, how he is with his God. And it's really important for us to 00:11:18.779 --> 00:11:27.159 understand that it is good for us to, to care and to show mercy and to do justice. That's what God wants 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:33.279 from us. But ultimately, the best way for us to care for needy and suffering people in our families, 00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:39.860 friends, friends, community, is to share with them the good news of Jesus, is to say, come see a man, 00:11:40.199 --> 00:11:47.259 come see Jesus. That's what ultimately is going to make the difference. So that's the setting for the 00:11:47.259 --> 00:11:56.379 sign. Let's now move on to the sign itself in verses 4 to 9. Again, we see in the signs that John 00:11:56.379 --> 00:12:01.519 chooses to record, remember he says there's many, but he chose seven in particular, there's a focus on 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:08.539 Jesus meeting with another individual here, and we're given insight into his life. Verse 5, 00:12:09.100 --> 00:12:18.159 one who was there had been an invalid for 38 years. Now, historians tell us the average life expectancy 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:24.740 of a first century Jew is around about 40. So we can assume that he has spent, at very least, most of 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:33.320 his adult life in this situation of suffering. And here he finds himself in the company of fellow 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:40.879 sufferers. If you were here last week, you'll perhaps recognize how this is a totally different 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:46.980 kind of a person from last week. Last week, we were thinking about a royal official. Really stark contrast, 00:12:47.060 --> 00:12:53.120 as John likes to draw. The official was rich, but this man's going to be poor. The official was powerful, 00:12:53.120 --> 00:13:01.840 but this invalid is powerless. The official would be respected, but most likely this invalid is going 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:13.279 to be ignored, passed by, perhaps even despised. Two things to focus on. Let's notice Jesus' question, 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:20.279 and let's notice Jesus' command. Let's put them in the foreground, but recognizing in the background 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:29.019 evidence of this man's spiritual blindness. So Jesus' question, which I guess when we read it, 00:13:29.059 --> 00:13:34.339 perhaps sounds like the classic no-brainer, doesn't it? When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that 00:13:34.339 --> 00:13:42.339 he'd been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, do you want to get well? So taking it as 00:13:42.339 --> 00:13:47.959 read that Jesus isn't just trying to frustrate someone, we need to ask, why is he asking that question? 00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:58.419 And I think what we can assume is that Jesus is wanting to push and to probe and to get to the 00:13:58.419 --> 00:14:06.100 spiritual beyond just the physical. Perhaps probing him to make him ask a question, well, who is this 00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:11.879 man who's talking to me, and what kind of wellness might he be able to provide? What kind of help might 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:19.000 this man be able to provide? It's an intriguing question. It's like when Jesus in chapter 4 was 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:25.820 with the Samaritan woman, and he talked about living water. And she's wondering how that's possible, 00:14:25.820 --> 00:14:33.200 and she ends with, well, give me that water. I think there is an invitation from Jesus to this man to probe 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:37.000 and to consider, who is Jesus? Let's ask some more questions. 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:48.540 There's also, I think, a pointer. He is taking attention from the waiting for the bubbles in a 00:14:48.540 --> 00:14:57.700 pool to encourage the man to look to Jesus. Look to Jesus, recognizing he is the Savior of the world. 00:14:57.700 --> 00:15:07.000 There is in this question an invitation. But we see the man's blindness, spiritually speaking. Verse 7, 00:15:07.160 --> 00:15:13.720 Sir, the invalid replied. Perhaps we could say the invalid grumbled. I have no one to help me into the 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:19.360 pool when the water is stirred. While I'm trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me. He 00:15:19.360 --> 00:15:24.120 complains. He doesn't ask further questions. He says, I got no help. But remember, who's standing in 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:30.539 front of him? It's Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world. But he's spiritually blind to that reality. 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:39.080 The one person in the world who could help him in every way possible. And it's like he doesn't give him 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:47.139 a second thought. Wait, wait, that seems crazy. It's Jesus. Come on. But then we think about our own 00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:55.019 blindness, spiritually speaking. Till we think of the times in our own lives where, yeah, we know Jesus 00:15:55.019 --> 00:16:00.679 says, I've come to give life and life to the full and promises, not just joy for now, but eternally. 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:05.399 And we're busy trying to find joy and pleasure and happiness in things that Jesus has created, 00:16:06.139 --> 00:16:08.759 and we're ignoring the one who created them all. 00:16:08.759 --> 00:16:17.939 Perhaps we find ourselves longing to be free of guilt and shame, and Jesus says, I've come to take 00:16:17.939 --> 00:16:24.220 your guilt and shame. But we pass him by, and we live in the mire and in the darkness, and we don't 00:16:24.220 --> 00:16:33.179 see that in Jesus there is hope. When we think about worship, as we're made to be worshipers, we're 00:16:33.179 --> 00:16:39.479 looking for something or someone to build our life on. How often do we choose small things, 00:16:40.719 --> 00:16:46.599 temporary, physical things, rather than looking to Jesus, our Creator and Savior? He's right there. 00:16:48.139 --> 00:16:54.599 But so many times we find ourselves, even as Christians, looking right past him, looking right past him. 00:16:56.139 --> 00:17:01.899 We're not so different from this guy. That's Jesus' question, but there's also a command, 00:17:01.899 --> 00:17:10.420 a command in verse 8, then Jesus said to him, get up, pick up your mats and walk. 00:17:11.559 --> 00:17:16.960 And at once the man was cured. He picked up his mat and walked. It's a voice of authority, isn't it? 00:17:18.059 --> 00:17:25.980 He says to him, get up. One of the things that becomes clear in the conversation as it comes between 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:29.220 Jesus and the religious leaders, and as John records it, is this happening on the Sabbath, 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:35.160 Sabbath. And so there is going to be a controversy about how to understand the Sabbath, what does it 00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:40.839 mean to work and to rest. And Jesus, with his voice of authority, is saying, never mind the religious 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:49.039 leader's rules. You listen to me. You get up. And he responds to that voice of authority. It's also a 00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:53.880 voice of power, isn't it? Anybody else on that day said to the invalid, do you know what you need to do? 00:17:53.880 --> 00:18:00.960 You need to get up. He would still have been lying there. But when Jesus, the Son of God, says, get up, 00:18:01.280 --> 00:18:09.840 take up your mat, there is instant healing. What should we learn from that? What should we learn as we 00:18:09.840 --> 00:18:16.600 think about the voice of Jesus in this story? Shouldn't we learn that above all, his is the voice 00:18:16.599 --> 00:18:27.500 to listen to? Not the voice of culture that would say, the answers lie within you, you be you. 00:18:29.019 --> 00:18:38.059 That's not the answer. We don't listen to the voice of empty religion. Here are the practices you need 00:18:38.059 --> 00:18:44.859 to perform. Here are the seven steps. And if you can achieve a certain measure, then God may be happy 00:18:44.859 --> 00:18:51.899 with you. That's not the voice that we listen to. We listen to Jesus. Listen to Jesus in verse 24. 00:18:52.419 --> 00:19:02.319 Very truly, I tell you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:11.279 and will not be judged, but is crossed over from death to life. How much hope and power and grace 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:18.480 and salvation is in each of those statements? To believe that God the Father sent Jesus the Son 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:26.940 to die on the cross for our sins is to pass from death to life. It's to know that God will not judge 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:37.879 us because he judged his own Son. Before we move from the same, isn't it also a helpful picture of the 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:48.580 gospel for us? What have we got here? We have a man in misery and in need, but he is completely unable 00:19:48.580 --> 00:20:00.240 to help himself. And that speaks to our condition spiritually. Without Christ, we are dead. We are by nature 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:08.960 God's enemies and we are unable of ourselves to do anything about that. And that's bad news and that's 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:13.839 somber news, but that's not the end of the story because there is good news in the coming of Jesus. 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:25.400 Our spiritual inability is met by his supernatural ability. It's met by his saving grace and love, 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:36.620 his death and resurrection, bringing healing and new life. Verse 21, Jesus says, 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:45.220 for just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is 00:20:45.220 --> 00:20:54.740 pleased to give it. Here is an invitation for those who aren't Christians to come to Jesus, to cry out to 00:20:54.740 --> 00:21:03.259 him for this mercy in your need, knowing that he is pleased to save, he is pleased to give new life. 00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:14.480 We also learn from this man how not to respond to God's mercy in Jesus. 00:21:17.539 --> 00:21:22.740 So he picks up his mats and he's walking down the road, but it's a Sabbath and the religious leaders 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:30.200 jump on him and say, how come you're doing this? It's forbidden by our law. Verse 11, the man replied, 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:36.440 the man who made me well said to me, pick up your mat and walk. Now we need to recognize this is not 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:45.339 worship. This is him just trying to avoid blame. I'm not the problem, go find the guy that did this to me. 00:21:46.019 --> 00:21:52.200 He doesn't even try and find out Jesus' name. Verse 15, having met with Jesus again at the temple, 00:21:52.200 --> 00:21:58.940 and Jesus issuing him a solemn warning, what we'll think about momentarily, the man went away and told 00:21:58.940 --> 00:22:02.759 the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who'd made him well. Again, he's not saying to the leaders, 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:07.319 look, you need to worship him the same way I am. No, he's reporting on Jesus. 00:22:09.700 --> 00:22:13.640 This is a man who seems content with the physical healing that he's received without ever dealing 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:21.380 with his sin without coming to Jesus to find forgiveness. He's so different to the Samaritan 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:28.100 woman we read about last week, who told everybody about who Jesus was. Could this be the Messiah? 00:22:28.220 --> 00:22:36.860 Could this be the Savior? This guy might have a clue who Jesus is. And he's profoundly disinterested, 00:22:36.859 --> 00:22:43.159 so it seems. In this sign, we can say Jesus is holding out a welcome to the man, 00:22:44.299 --> 00:22:51.799 an invitation to see the greatness of Jesus, the power of Jesus, the love and the mercy of Jesus. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:23:00.000 But he also holds out a warning sign of the urgent need to deal with sin, 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:09.460 of the urgent need to worship Jesus as Lord and King. The man just misses it. 00:23:12.099 --> 00:23:19.380 That takes us to the significance of this sign. Why does John choose this sign? 00:23:20.660 --> 00:23:25.539 What's he drawing our attention to? Well, it's the beginning of really driving home 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:33.359 in a powerful way. First of all, the identity of Jesus, but also beginning to reveal the rejection 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:43.339 of Jesus and the consequences of that rejection too. So, we go to verses 9 and 10. We can think 00:23:43.339 --> 00:23:48.519 about Jesus' identity through the controversy over the Sabbath. So, once the man was cured, 00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:53.759 he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath. So, the Jewish leaders 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:58.559 said to the man who'd been healed, it is the Sabbath. The law forbids you to carry your mat. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:06.200 The Sabbath was instituted, given by God from the beginning at creation. And throughout the Old 00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:14.799 Testament, the understanding that Sabbath rest was a rest from one's normal work, an invitation from God 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:23.160 to enter into His rest, to trust Him as Lord, to worship Him as King. But the rabbis, by Jesus' day, 00:24:23.160 --> 00:24:31.620 those religious teachers, they had added 39 extra regulations about what constituted work. 00:24:32.800 --> 00:24:39.060 And you see in the Gospels, Jesus coming up against that time and time and time again, man-made 00:24:39.060 --> 00:24:46.240 religion. So, the question then becomes in this side, who is right in understanding the Sabbath? 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:54.220 And even more profoundly, who has authority to say what can and can't be done on this Sabbath? 00:24:55.740 --> 00:25:02.220 Well, here it is Jesus. When Jesus comes, He says in Mark chapter 2, as Lord of the Sabbath, 00:25:03.640 --> 00:25:08.519 and what's happening here is this, there's this storm of opposition beginning to build up against 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:17.339 Jesus, but He will continue to affirm that He is the Son of God. And the way He does it is here in 00:25:17.339 --> 00:25:23.920 relation to the Sabbath. So, verse 17, in His defense, Jesus said to them. So, it's as if Jesus 00:25:23.920 --> 00:25:31.359 has now been put on trial by the religious leaders, and He says to them, My Father is always at work to 00:25:31.359 --> 00:25:39.039 this very day. So, let's stop there. Jesus is talking about God the Father. So, God the Father 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:47.019 rested from creation, we're told, beginning of Genesis 2. But God doesn't stop sustaining the 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:53.399 world. God doesn't stop ruling the world by His providence. If He did, the whole universe would 00:25:53.399 --> 00:26:01.079 collapse and cease to exist. Is God breaking the Sabbath? Is the question Jesus is bringing to them 00:26:01.079 --> 00:26:08.460 And then He says, My Father is always at work to this very day, and I too am working. 00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:19.159 Jesus is, and they get this, He's saying, I am equal with God the Father, and I must continue 00:26:19.159 --> 00:26:28.139 doing the work of God, showing mercy, bringing salvation. That's why Jesus refuses to stop doing 00:26:28.140 --> 00:26:35.180 miracles on the Sabbath. He's not going to stop building His kingdom and saving lives. 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:43.860 So, the Sabbath discussion is not some sort of abstract, kind of pointless sort of conversation 00:26:43.860 --> 00:26:52.520 just for religious folks. It gives Jesus a chance to say, I am God. And the response, 00:26:52.519 --> 00:26:59.639 they tried all the more to kill Him. They don't want to worship Him. They understand what He's claiming, 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:05.900 but they reject and resist it, so they want to kill Him. Again, it becomes really clear that His claims 00:27:05.900 --> 00:27:15.379 are too big to ignore or pass by. Earlier, we have seen His disciples, and then others, see His glory and 00:27:15.380 --> 00:27:24.680 believe. But sadly, John is reminding us, many people don't believe. In fact, many people choose to hate 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:31.360 Jesus. He came as the light of the world, but people love darkness more than they love the light, 00:27:31.500 --> 00:27:41.200 want to get rid of the light. It's becoming really clear as Jesus is sharing His identity 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:49.039 that we can't just have the signs of Jesus. We can't just have a small view of Jesus where He can help 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:57.259 us in our trouble, perhaps. He can show up when we need Him. No, He must be Lord and God. 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:06.059 So, that's the first significance about His identity from the Sabbath controversy. But then, 00:28:06.059 --> 00:28:16.339 let's also think about the rejection of Jesus, and let's think about the warning about sin that He brings. 00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:25.679 Again, the second meeting is like an early warning sign. Listen to what He says to the man in verse 14. 00:28:25.680 --> 00:28:36.420 Later, Jesus found Him at the temple and said to him, See, you are well again. Stop sinning, 00:28:36.940 --> 00:28:45.240 or something worse may happen to you. To the man, He says, You are physically healthy. 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:53.420 I have done a miracle, a miracle of mercy. But Jesus in love says to Him, You need to 00:28:53.420 --> 00:29:00.860 heed this sign and understand that for you all is not well spiritually. Just think about what Jesus 00:29:00.860 --> 00:29:08.220 is saying for a moment. Jesus is saying to the man, Your 38 years of disability 00:29:08.220 --> 00:29:19.200 are a warning sign that something far, far worse would come to Him if He didn't deal with His sin 00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:29.039 by trusting in Jesus. Jesus' voice of power and authority He's just seen can bring life and 00:29:29.039 --> 00:29:37.000 transformation. 38 years of suffering ended in a moment. So, again, if we'd stopped here, what a 00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:42.600 lovely, happily ever after moment. We could perhaps imagine the man going back to his family, 00:29:42.599 --> 00:29:49.319 finding a job, finding a job. All is well, but all is not well, because all is not well spiritually. 00:29:50.519 --> 00:29:57.279 So, Jesus sounds that loving warning, Stop sinning, or else something worse may happen. 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:04.000 And Jesus in His conversation with the religious leaders who oppose Him begin to reveal what that 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:12.039 something worse would be, verse 28 and 29. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:17.420 when all who are in their graves. When all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out. 00:30:18.579 --> 00:30:24.119 The power and the authority of Jesus' voice when He comes as the judge at the end of time. 00:30:24.779 --> 00:30:31.740 Those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise 00:30:31.740 --> 00:30:42.019 to be condemned. Jesus brings teaching about eternal condemnation. Jesus, the most loving 00:30:42.039 --> 00:30:48.399 man who ever lived, spoke more about hell and judgment than any other person in the Bible. 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:59.740 And in this story and in this sign, there is a glimmer of what eternal judgment will be like. We can say 00:30:59.740 --> 00:31:08.019 that at least it is far, far worse than a lifetime of physical suffering and disability and desperate need. 00:31:08.019 --> 00:31:14.559 We know that eternal judgment is about the loss of any goodness from God. 00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:22.220 The loss of the love of God. Every good gift we have right now comes from God, but when that is 00:31:22.220 --> 00:31:31.099 removed and all we have is the just judgment of God for all eternity, that's a solemn thing. 00:31:31.099 --> 00:31:41.139 That's a desperately serious thing. And so Jesus sounds this loving warning. And as we think about 00:31:41.139 --> 00:31:46.679 that, in the invalid's life, we turn it to our own life. Do we see, do we see why He chooses to focus 00:31:46.679 --> 00:31:56.659 not on the physical need, but on eternal and spiritual need? Something we all need to reflect on, 00:31:56.660 --> 00:32:02.240 as challenging as it can be, to reflect on eternal realities. 00:32:04.500 --> 00:32:09.960 So as we come to a close, we understand from this man that signs can save lives, 00:32:10.519 --> 00:32:19.480 but only if we pay attention to them. One of the, I guess, the tragic byproducts of our summer heat 00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:27.140 wave. We read in the news, didn't we, record numbers of deaths in Scottish waters. And the same 00:32:27.140 --> 00:32:33.759 was true in Australia. And they have a lot more people in the water, a lot more coastline, and so 00:32:33.759 --> 00:32:40.660 they tried to figure it out. And so they did studies. They surveyed people who went to beaches, and they 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:48.079 discovered only 45% of people attending Australian beaches were reading the signs. 00:32:48.079 --> 00:32:53.799 And we know that Australia is a more dangerous place to be in the water than Scotland. There are 00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:59.139 riptides, and there are submerged rocks, and there's sharks. But people would ignore, people would be 00:32:59.139 --> 00:33:08.899 overconfident. A sign can save a life, but only if we pay attention. Jesus gives to the man and gives to 00:33:08.899 --> 00:33:16.339 us a powerful sign, a sign that in hearing the voice of Jesus, in knowing His identity, in trusting His 00:33:16.339 --> 00:33:22.599 saving work. There is forgiveness. There is eternal life to be found in Him. But the opposite is also true. 00:33:24.599 --> 00:33:33.139 To reject Him, or to ignore the significance of His claims, to refuse to trust Him, 00:33:33.140 --> 00:33:50.700 ultimately brings judgment. And so let's heed the sign. Let's respond faith that we would all find life in Him. 00:33:50.700 --> 00:34:02.140 Let's have a moment of silence where we can reflect and where we can pray. I'll close in prayer, and then we 00:34:02.140 --> 00:34:03.519 will sing our last hymn. 00:34:03.519 --> 00:34:33.500 Lord, will you remind us, 00:34:33.500 --> 00:34:41.619 will you impress upon us, will you impress upon us the eternal significance of being right with you 00:34:41.619 --> 00:34:44.820 through trusting in Jesus and His work on the cross. 00:34:47.320 --> 00:34:54.679 May you impress upon our hearts the needs of our family and our friends, our colleagues, 00:34:54.679 --> 00:35:00.579 our communities, our city, our communities, our city, as we think about those who are near and dear to us. 00:35:01.719 --> 00:35:08.079 Lord, may you compel us to pray and to love, to speak and to act, 00:35:11.579 --> 00:35:21.019 longing that many would hear the sign and respond in faith to receive Jesus as Lord. Amen. 00:35:21.019 --> 00:35:34.960 Now, our closing hymn, which again helps us to reflect on the great mercy of Jesus that we see so clearly at the cross, 00:35:35.639 --> 00:35:40.219 is His mercy is more. And again, we'll stand together to sing. 00:35:40.219 --> 00:35:42.099 Amen. 00:35:43.299 --> 00:35:43.959 Amen. 00:35:43.959 --> 00:35:44.039 Amen. 00:35:44.039 --> 00:35:44.799 Thank you, Jesus. 00:35:44.799 --> 00:35:49.879 If we learn more than enough or if we learn more than any other questions, 00:35:50.339 --> 00:35:52.480 our minds help are. 00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:56.299 Of the might be the same may be the same, 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:05.399 sin of being we learn more than maybe the other now 00:36:05.419 --> 00:36:10.119 And be an away I'm yelling more than ever. 00:36:10.119 --> 00:36:16.659 Thrown into a sea where the bottom are sharp. 00:36:17.659 --> 00:36:23.139 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. 00:36:26.139 --> 00:36:36.380 Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. 00:36:36.380 --> 00:36:43.380 Stronger than darkness, new every morn. 00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:50.240 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. 00:36:54.140 --> 00:36:59.840 What patience would wait as we constantly roam? 00:36:59.840 --> 00:37:05.780 A father so tender is calling us home. 00:37:05.780 --> 00:37:12.620 He welcomes the weakest, the filest, the born. 00:37:13.580 --> 00:37:19.780 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. 00:37:19.780 --> 00:37:29.740 Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. 00:37:29.739 --> 00:37:37.579 Stronger than darkness, new every morn. 00:37:37.579 --> 00:37:43.420 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. 00:37:47.420 --> 00:37:53.539 What riches of kindness He lavished on us. 00:37:54.019 --> 00:37:59.460 His blood was the payment, His life was the cost. 00:37:59.460 --> 00:38:06.300 We stood near the debt we could never afford. 00:38:06.300 --> 00:38:13.140 What sins, they are many, His mercy is more. 00:38:13.139 --> 00:38:22.980 Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. 00:38:22.980 --> 00:38:24.980 Stronger than darkness, new every morn. 00:38:24.980 --> 00:38:30.820 Stronger than darkness, new every morn. 00:38:30.820 --> 00:38:32.820 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. 00:38:32.820 --> 00:38:36.820 What sins, they are many, His mercy is more. 00:38:36.820 --> 00:38:37.820 Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. 00:38:37.820 --> 00:38:39.820 Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. 00:38:39.820 --> 00:38:46.820 Lord, His mercy is more. 00:38:46.820 --> 00:38:48.820 Lord, His mercy is more. 00:38:48.820 --> 00:38:53.820 Stronger than darkness, new every morn. 00:38:53.820 --> 00:39:00.820 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. 00:39:00.820 --> 00:39:01.820 Amen. 00:39:01.820 --> 00:39:08.820 And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:39:08.820 --> 00:39:10.820 and the love of God, 00:39:10.820 --> 00:39:13.820 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, 00:39:13.820 --> 00:39:15.320 be with you all. 00:39:15.320 --> 00:39:15.820 Amen. 00:39:15.820 --> 00:39:17.820 . 00:39:17.820 --> 00:39:18.820 . 00:39:18.820 --> 00:39:19.820 . 00:39:19.820 --> 00:39:24.820 . 00:39:24.820 --> 00:39:28.820 . 00:39:28.820 --> 00:39:29.820 . 00:39:29.820 --> 00:39:59.800 Thank you.