I'd like us to turn back together to John chapter 5.
And we're going to look at the passage that we read.
! We can read again at verse 18.
The start of chapter 5 is an interesting mini turning point in the Gospel of John.
Because in many ways, the opening four chapters of John are just stunning.
Maybe you could say that it's a bit like walking in the Hebrides on a beautiful summer's day.
You go into chapter 1 and you have this stunning introduction as to who Jesus is.
John takes us, he echoes the language of Genesis chapter 1, takes us right back into eternity
and shows us that our view of Jesus has to be at the highest level.
You've got this incredible opening section in the Gospel.
You then have the interaction with John the Baptist where Jesus is identified as the Lamb of God
who takes away the sins of the world.
We then see the recognition that Jesus is the one who the Jews have been waiting for and longing for for so long.
And the joy of the messianic age has finally arrived.
And that's seen so clearly in chapter 2 in the wedding in Cana where in that moment, that day of great joy,
Jesus begins to reveal who he is.
And he does it through turning water into wine, the finest of wine, the drink of joy and celebration.
At this beautiful wedding, of course, pointing to the fact that he, Jesus, is the true bridegroom.
He has come for his bride.
And John starts to reveal to us that all the old requirements of the old covenant era are slipping away.
Those restrictions are being lifted.
And the Messiah has come with a beautifully simple message of salvation.
And that's what Nicodemus discovers in chapter 3.
That God has so loved the world that whosoever, that he gave his son,
that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.
And then you go into chapter 4.
You have this amazing interaction with the woman at the well.
And it's teaching us that Jesus is the one who has come to quench our thirst,
to meet our deepest needs, to give us satisfaction that nothing else can compare with.
And so John 1 to 4 is like walking on Luskintyre Beach on a stunning day.
It's beautiful.
And everything you see is breathtaking.
But as you come into chapter 5, there's just maybe a slight change in the tone of the narrative.
Not because it's less stunning.
And in fact, the teaching in these chapters is some of the most,
some of the richest and most theologically profound that we have in the whole Bible.
But what we see coming into chapter 5 and what builds going through the rest of the gospel
is that the clouds of opposition are gathering against Jesus.
And he's being noticed.
He is being questioned.
He's being judged.
And the criticism, the opposition, and the tension is all starting to increase.
And in many ways, those two things that we've just described there,
the kind of beautiful summer's day, stunning walk through John chapter 4,
that's part of what a communion weekend is like.
There's something beautiful and refreshing and enriching.
But at the same time, a communion weekend,
a time like this in the life of a congregation and the life of an individual believer,
it's also the time where we are just conscious of our struggles,
of the opposition that we face, of our battle with sin.
And often that for us feels like a battle that we're losing.
So our communion weekend is like it's summer and it's winter,
all rolled into one.
And so I think that, I hope, makes this a helpful chapter for us to turn to this evening.
And one of the things that John is doing in his gospel,
like all the other gospel writers,
is he's trying to get us to understand more about who Jesus is.
And in particular, he's trying to help us understand why Jesus has come.
And I want us to think about that in a bit more detail tonight.
And the title that we're going to use is Fixing and Breaking.
Because that's what one of the things that this passage helps us to see,
that Jesus has come to fix, but Jesus has also come to break.
And these are two things that we need to recognize and understand,
and we need to apply them to our own lives.
And so what's he fixing?
What's he breaking?
Well, we're going to have two headings.
The first heading is that Jesus has come to fix brokenness.
And we see that so powerfully in this chapter.
But the second heading, which I'm a bit hesitant to give you,
but I'm going to give it to you anyway,
is that he's come to break bonkers, ridiculous, stupid nonsense.
Jesus has come to fix, and he's come to break.
And we'll look at these two together.
So first of all, fixing brokenness.
I don't need to persuade any of you or anybody out in the world around us
that there is a lot of brokenness in the world.
We see that across the globe.
We see that in our nation.
We see that in our communities.
We see it in our own lives as well.
And maybe right now you are very much feeling the pain and the struggle of that.
It happens in a thousand ways.
Illness, addiction, loneliness, poverty, chronic pain, exhaustion, anxiety, stress.
All of us experience these things to a greater or lesser degree at various points in our lives.
And sometimes that brokenness is very, very obvious.
It can be seen in people's lives.
Other times it's very, very hidden.
And we try to put on a good front,
even though beneath it there is so much that feels broken and fragile.
Whether it's visible, whether it's hidden.
Either way, it's awful.
And of course, the same was true in the days of the New Testament.
And one place where you absolutely could see the brokenness of life with crystal clarity
was at this pool of Bethesda that John takes us to in chapter 5.
And I want you just to imagine walking around that pool.
Verse 3 says,
At that pool where there was five roofed colonies,
in these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed.
And, you know, imagine just walking around that pool.
You see people who have been there for years.
They're filthy.
And they're skin and bone.
Some of them can't see anything, so they're crying out in distress.
Many of them can hardly move.
Some of them are completely paralyzed.
And you're walking around that pool and it's awful what you see.
So much brokenness before your eyes.
And among them, among all those people,
is a man who has been ill for 38 years.
And he and all the other people there are waiting for the waters to be stirred.
And they believe that if those waters got stirred,
whoever got into the pool first was going to be healed.
Now, some of you may have the King James Version in front of you
or some of you may remember the King James Version from when you used it in years gone by.
You may remember that it has a verse here that is not included in the ESV.
So the King James Version, at the end of verse 3,
says that there's blind, lame, paralyzed.
And then it says,
Waiting for the moving of the water.
For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water.
Whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in,
was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
Now, this is an example of what we call a textual variant.
And so I'll just explain what that means.
We have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of manuscripts of the New Testament.
And these have been found across various locations in the Mediterranean from the classical period.
And they've been gathered, examined, and studied by scholars for centuries.
And one of the remarkable things for attesting the truth of the New Testament
is the fact that we have so many of these documents.
And the numbers of manuscripts for the Greek New Testament
far outweigh the numbers that have been found for other ancient pieces of literature.
But because there's so many,
occasionally there are small variations between the texts.
So what one manuscript says is not always identical to what another manuscript says.
And that's what you call a textual variant.
And this is an example of that.
That some texts include the verse that was included in the King James Version,
which describes an angel coming down, stirring the waters,
and whoever got in there first was made whole of the disease that they had.
The ESV that most of us use in our congregations now
is based on manuscripts that have been found,
many of which have been found since the King James Translation was made,
many of which are earlier, from an earlier period than when the King James manuscripts were compiled.
And this verse is missing.
And scholars debate this, and you may have some different opinions on it yourself,
but those who translated the ESV would argue that because the earlier manuscripts do not have this verse,
it's likely that it was added at a later date and was not originally part of John's Gospel.
And I am persuaded by that argument myself,
but if anybody is not sure about that or would like to ask more about it,
I'd be more than happy to speak to you after the service.
What I want to highlight, though, is that there was clearly this idea
that if you got into the pool first, you would be healed.
We know that from the verse a little bit further down, where it says in verse 7,
the sick man says to Jesus, you know, if the pool in the water,
when the water's stirred up, someone else gets in there before me.
And the big question is this, did the pool really work?
Or was it just a superstition?
Was it really the case that, you know, if someone got in there first, they would be healed?
Or was it just a superstition?
That's something that we need to kind of make a judgment call on.
And again, you can discuss that together over the weekend.
Did it really work?
Was it a superstition?
I think it was probably a superstition.
And I may be wrong in that,
but it certainly looks as though it was.
And it looks as though it wasn't as effective as they thought it would be.
And it definitely wasn't working for this man.
He'd been an invalid for 38 years.
And whatever healing this pool was supposed to give him,
it was not working.
And so he's caught in this negative spiral,
where he's convinced that if the waters are stirred,
and he gets in there first, he's going to be healed.
But he can't get into the water quickly enough,
because no one's there to help him.
And as a result, he's stuck, paralyzed,
a chronic invalid beside this pool.
But then Jesus comes to him.
And I love how Jesus speaks to this man.
He asks him a very simple question.
Do you want to be healed?
In verse 6.
And the man gives this really elaborate answer.
And he's kind of basically saying how everything's against him.
And you know, with the waters are stirred,
I can't get down there, and no one can help me.
And I'm stuck.
And there's sort of this complicated story of how everything is going against him.
And, you know, whether he wants to be healed or not is kind of irrelevant,
because circumstances are just making it impossible for him.
He gives Jesus an elaborate answer.
Jesus responds with quite a blunt reply.
He says,
Get up.
Take up your bed.
And walk.
And I love how Jesus just cuts right through all the complexity and difficulty of the man's circumstances.
He dismantles the spiral of negativity that the man's got himself into,
tells the man to get up, take his bed, and walk.
And that is exactly what happens.
And it's remarkable.
And there's two or three things I want us just to notice from this.
First is that all of this is pointing us to the fact that Jesus has come to fix brokenness.
Like every other healing miracle that Jesus performed in his ministry,
this is pointing us to the great work of restoration that Jesus has come to do.
That's one of the things that the miracles is pointing us to,
the fact that Jesus has come to put right the things that are broken.
And it's massively important for that to shape how we view the world around us,
because we live in a time, and our own experience can be one,
where we see so much brokenness in the world around us,
and sometimes we experience so much brokenness ourselves,
that we can easily conclude that it's just part of life that we've got to accept.
But the Bible never makes brokenness and suffering acceptable or welcome in our experience in that kind of way.
Instead, the Bible teaches us that the brokenness that we see in the world around us
is an unwanted intrusion into the world.
So every illness, every injustice, every bruise,
all suffering, all pain, all anguish,
Jesus never looks at that and thinks,
oh, well, it's the way it is.
Jesus looks at that and says,
that's wrong.
That is not the way things are meant to be.
And all the suffering that we experience,
and that the people around us experience,
and that we see in the world,
it can all be traced back to the fact that sin
has broken God's creation.
Things are not the way God made them to be.
Things are not the way God wants them to be.
Sin has caused so much brokenness.
Jesus has come to put things right.
He's come to fix it.
Now, the crucial thing we have to recognize
is that work of restoration is not instantaneous,
and it's not going to be completed
until he returns.
But it has begun.
And these miracles are a glimpse
of that great work of restoration
that Jesus has come to do.
Jesus' great goal is a world
where he will wipe away every tear from our eyes,
and death shall be no more.
Neither shall there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain anymore,
for the former things have passed away.
Now, this is one of the reasons
why Christianity is so intellectually satisfying.
And this is incredibly important to remember
because often people think that to be a Christian,
you kind of have to leave your brain behind
and just ignore all the facts around you
that are arguing against Christianity,
and you just have to embrace this kind of blind faith
that's hoping for the best.
That is absolutely not true at all.
This is where you see
how intellectually satisfying the gospel is.
Because if you abandon the Bible,
if you reject the idea of God,
and if you say that Jesus has got nothing to offer us,
then ultimately, when you look at suffering,
all you can say is,
that is just part of life.
But with the Bible,
and with the gospel,
you can look at all the pain
and sorrow and hurt in the world,
and you can say,
I know that that is wrong.
Jesus has come to heal and restore
and fix a broken world.
The second thing I want you to see
is that this work of fixing
is done in a very particular way by Jesus.
It's done through his words.
What does Jesus do in John 5?
He just speaks.
He tells the man to get up,
and he's renewed.
And this is another example
of the many, many times
that you will see Jesus
making something happen by speaking.
That's what you see throughout the gospels.
Jesus speaks,
and people are healed.
Jesus speaks,
and the waves are calmed.
Jesus speaks,
and his work is accomplished.
Jesus does it again,
and again,
and again.
Another question I want you to think about.
Jesus speaks,
and his purposes are accomplished.
When was the first time
he did that?
When was the first time
you see
the voice
of God the Son
speaking,
and something happens?
Well, I think the first time
that you see that
is on the very first page
of the Bible
when he says,
let there be light.
Remember,
John already told us
in chapter 1
that it is through the Son
that all things
were created.
it's through God the Son
that the work of creation
was accomplished,
and he did it
by speaking.
That's why it's no surprise
that John calls Jesus
the Word,
and that's why
what we see in Jesus' ministry
is just a continuation
from what he did
at the very beginning
of the universe.
He speaks,
and it brings life
and order
and healing
and restoration.
And all of this
makes perfect sense
because everything
fits together
because this is why
the whole of Christianity
is grounded
on a message.
It's grounded
on words.
And that's why
we don't come to church
and bow down
before a statue.
That's why
we come to church
and we open a book
because it's his words
that bring life.
And this is where
you see
the contrast
with the kind of superstition
that maybe
this paralyzed man,
this invalid,
had fallen into the trap of.
Certainly you see
that suspicion
all over the world,
kind of weird rituals
and ideas.
All of this
is reminding us
that the key thing
that we need
in order to be saved,
in order to be healed
and to be restored
is to listen
and to trust
what Jesus
is seeing.
So this
fixing of brokenness
is pointing us
to the work
of restoration
that Jesus
has come to do.
It's being achieved
through his words.
But the third thing
I want you to notice
is that this incident
is an example
of what we could call
blunt grace.
I don't think
it's a very
technical theological term,
but I think
it's a helpful term.
It's definitely
what we see here.
Now when I say blunt,
I don't mean blunt
in like a rude
or offensive way,
but blunt in a way
that it just
cuts right across
all the complexity
and confusion
that this sick man
has got in his head.
And that blunt,
clear message
that Jesus gives him
is a message
of grace.
The man's
completely helpless.
He cannot do anything.
Jesus
does it all.
And you see
the same message
of blunt grace
not just
for the man's
salvation,
you also see it
for his sanctification
later in the chapter
because in verse 14
Jesus meets him
in the temple
and says to him,
see you are well,
sin no more,
that nothing worse
may happen to you.
Now that's the kind
of verse that can
maybe leave ourselves,
that can leave us
a wee bit tied up
in knots or uncertain
because we think,
well, is Jesus saying,
well, you know,
your sickness was
because you sinned?
And are we saying
that, well,
everybody by that pool,
they were sick
because they sinned?
And is it always
a consequence
that anybody who's sick
or anyone for whom
something bad happens
to them is because
of something wrong
that they have done?
It's easy to jump
to that conclusion
and many people have,
but that's not the case.
And we know
it's not the case
because other parts
of scripture teach us
that it's not the case.
Often our suffering
is not because of
anything specific
that we have done.
In fact,
John's gospel,
John chapter 9
is a very,
very clear
and important
example of that.
So why does Jesus
say this to him?
Sin no more
that nothing worse
may happen to you.
Well, it could just
be a general warning
to the man
to say that
as he follows him,
he needs to make sure
that he doesn't
turn away.
But at the same time,
we do need to recognize
that there are ways
in which some suffering
can be the result
of a specific
sinful behavior.
So I don't know
if this is the case,
but I just want you
to imagine.
Imagine that this man
was a gambling addict
and 38 years earlier
he'd lost everything.
He'd lost his home,
he'd lost his family,
he'd lost his income,
he'd become destitute,
malnourished,
and eventually crippled.
And every time
he got any money,
he just immediately
lost it
by gambling again.
If that was the case,
you could very much
understand it
if Jesus said,
look,
don't sin anymore,
don't gamble again.
And maybe
that's the kind of situation
that Jesus was dealing with.
As I say,
we don't know for sure.
Either way,
whatever Jesus is saying,
he is saying it bluntly,
but that bluntness
is conveying grace.
It's a message
to help the man.
It's the message
that gives the man
everything that he needs.
And in order to benefit
from it,
all the man has to do
is trust
what's been said to him
and listen.
Jesus gave a message
of blunt grace
and sometimes
that's what we need.
And so,
there are many times
in life
when we need
encouragement,
many times
when we need
gentle persuasion,
many times
when we need
to just be,
you know,
patiently helped
along a particular path.
And in many ways,
that's the way
I would always
like to be spoken to
and that's the way
I would always like
to speak to others.
But alongside that,
when it comes
to listening to Jesus,
when it comes to
responding to the gospel,
when it comes to
reaching out
to a community,
when it comes
to inviting
a friend
to church,
when it comes
to putting
your faith
in Jesus,
when it comes
to professing
your faith
in Jesus,
sometimes
we need
a blunt,
gracious
kick.
And that's
exactly
what this man
got.
Jesus said,
get up.
And he did.
And that
blunt grace
is sometimes
where the gospel
is at its
most powerful.
And so Jesus
came to fix
brokenness.
That's our first
heading.
But our second
heading is
that he has
come also
to break
bonkers,
ridiculous,
stupid nonsense.
There's a lot
of brokenness
in the world,
as we said,
but there's also
a lot of
bonkers,
ridiculous,
stupid nonsense
in the world,
especially
when it comes
to religion.
And that's
exactly what
you see
in this passage
before us.
Verse 9
tells us
that the healing
took place
on the Sabbath
and the controversy
immediately arises
among the Jews
because the man
is carrying his mat,
which in their eyes
is a breach
of God's law.
But this is one
of many examples
that we see in the gospel
where the Jews
had added a whole
extra layer
of requirements
on top of what
God's law required.
So God's command
rightly and graciously
instructs us
to keep the Sabbath
as a day
that is to be holy
and a day where
we can rest
from our work.
And the Jews
added all sorts
of additional details
to that
to say
that you can't
carry a bed,
you can't walk
a certain distance,
you can't do this,
you can't do that.
And so this man
by obeying Jesus
is breaking
their commandment.
And of course
we can relate to this
in our context,
we can relate to it
with Sabbath keeping
with lots of things
that have been added
over the years
to add extra pressure
in regard to how
the Sabbath
is to be observed.
We've seen it
in other parts
of life as well.
The result of all
of that is that
instead of rejoicing
that this man
is healed,
the Jews are
criticizing him.
In their eyes,
the fact that
this 38-year invalid
can walk again
is a bad thing.
And it's crazy.
It's utterly bewildering.
And you can see
it seems to have
a very damaging effect
on the man himself.
When he's confronted
by the Jews,
he immediately wants
to put the blame
on Jesus
and to deflect attention
away from himself.
And it does seem
that the man
becomes very quickly
more concerned
about what the Jews
around him think
rather than
he is concerned
with actually following
Jesus
and listening to the man
who's healed him.
In fact,
when you get to
verses 14-18
when Jesus speaks
to him in the temple,
the man goes
and reports Jesus
to the Jews.
This prompts
a confrontation.
And they attack Jesus
because he healed
the man on the Sabbath.
And then Jesus responds
in verse 17
by saying,
my father is working
until now
and I am working.
And that just makes
everything worse.
The tension escalates
and it takes us
to verse 18
where it says
that the Jews
were seeking
all the more
to kill him
because not only
was he breaking
the Sabbath
but he was even
calling God
his own father
making himself
equal with God.
Jesus goes on
later in the chapter
to say more
about his equality
with the father.
This is part of
the incredibly rich
teaching that's
going to emerge
in John 5, 6, 7
and beyond.
I want us
just to notice
a crucial lesson
that arises
from the ridiculous
nonsense
of the people
who are criticizing
Jesus.
Their argument
is like this.
Jesus is making
himself equal
with God
and that's
a reason
for us
to kill him.
That was their
great criticism.
Jesus is making
himself equal
with God.
He needs to die
we need to
find a way
in order
to put him
to death.
But there's
a huge irony
in what's
happening here
because these
Jews
when they
took
the fourth
commandment
and added
all their
additional
requirements
to it
and when
they
judged
what
Sabbath
keeping
does
and does
not
look like
and when
they decided
that healing
this man
who's been
sick for
38 years
was a
bad thing
rather than
a good
thing
and when
they reached
the verdict
that Jesus
deserves to
die
what are
they doing?
They
are making
themselves
equal
with God.
They were
saying to
God
your rules
aren't enough
so we're
going to
add some
more.
Your
terms
aren't
adequate
so we're
going to
set them
and your
ways
aren't
really
suitable
so we're
going to
do things
our way
instead.
And by
adding their
own rules
this is the
thing that's
so important
to see
that by
adding their
own rules
by doing
things their
way they
were not
honouring
God.
They were
actually saying
that God's
commands were
not good
enough and
the minute
they did
that they
made
themselves
equal
with God.
But the
really scary
thing
is that we
do exactly
the same
thing.
In fact
that's what
lies at the
heart of
the human
condition.
That's what
sin has
done to
us.
When the
devil tempted
Eve to
sin against
God in
Genesis 3
what did
he say?
He said
you'll not
surely die
God knows
that when
you eat
of the
fruit
your eyes
will be
open and
you will
be like
God
knowing
good and
evil.
In other
words the
devil tempted
Eve with
the promise
with the
lie that
she could
make herself
equal with
God.
And that's
been the
constant
trait of
human behaviour
ever since.
We want to
do things on
our own
terms.
We want to
make our
own rules.
We want
God to
listen to
us instead
of us
listening to
him.
But when
we do
that we
are making
ourselves
equal with
God because
we're putting
ourselves
alongside
God.
Maybe we're
even putting
ourselves above
God and
saying to
God this
is how
things should
work.
This is the
way it's
meant to
be.
And
really
that's the
two choices
that we
have in
response to
the gospel.
We either
listen to
God and
respond the
way he
commands to
us or
we do our
own thing
and we
make ourselves
equal with
God.
There is no
third option.
And it's
really important
that this
one thing
can happen
in two
very opposite
ways.
I want you
to imagine
two people.
One of
them hears
the gospel
and says
Christianity
is not for
me, not
interested, I
don't need
God, I'm
fine as I
am, I'm
going to
live my
own life and
do things
my own
way.
And off
they go.
And
obviously
they're not
interested in
what God
thinks, they're
making themselves
their God,
they're making
themselves equal
with God.
But the
other person
says this,
I'm
not good
enough for
God.
So I
need to
make sure
that I
get myself
into a
better
condition.
So I'm
going to
start praying
five times
a day and
I'm going
to make
sure I
give more
money to
the poor.
I'm going
to cut
myself off
from TV
and from
music.
I'm only
going to
eat plain
food.
I'm going
to fast
twice a
week.
I'm never
going to
go on
social
media or
YouTube or
anything like
that.
In fact, I'm
going to
avoid all
relationships,
I'm going
to have a
life of
celibacy and
every time I
do something
wrong I
am going to
whip myself
to make
atonement for
my sin.
So the
one guy
wanders off,
no interest
in God and
does his
own thing.
And the
other person
makes all
of these
rules in
order to
get up to
the standard
that he
thinks is
required.
They look
completely
different.
They're both
doing exactly
the same
thing.
They're both
making
themselves
equal with
God.
Because the
guy who's
doing his
own thing
is saying,
well, I
can do
what I
like.
My opinion
is just as
important as
God's opinion.
That's the
antinomian,
doing what
they want.
the person
on this
side is
the
legalist.
But the
legalist is
making himself
equal to
God just
as much as
the other
guy.
Because he
is setting
his own
rules rather
than listening
to what
God is
saying.
And what
I hope you
can see is
that all of
it is
absolutely
bonkers.
others.
But it
happens in
so many
ways.
And
it's a
good question
to ask
ourselves.
Am I
allowing
something
that is
not right
and something
that's actually
ridiculous?
Am I
allowing that
to
imprison
me
and to
control
me
in my
life?
And so
here's some
of the
things that
we can
think in
our lives.
We can
think
I
have
absolutely
no
gifts
and I'm
of no
use to
anybody.
We can
think to
ourselves
my prayers
are
just
pathetic.
They're a
waste of
words and
God's not
listening.
We can
think to
ourselves
that
I can't
go forward
to the
Lord's
table
because I'm
not worthy.
I'm
not good
enough
and I
shouldn't
do it.
We can
think to
ourselves
there's no
point
in
time to
evangelize
because
we can't
do it
anyway.
It's only
the Holy
Spirit that
can convert
people.
There's no
point in
us
making any
attempt
to witness.
mistakes and
we can
think to
ourselves
I've
made too
many
mistakes.
I've
messed up
too badly
and God
will never
forgive me.
If you
believe
any of
those things
then you
are believing
bonkers
ridiculous
stupid
nonsense
because
none of
that's
true.
None of
that is
ever
true.
And
Jesus has
come to
break
every
crazy
idea
that we
have
that makes
the gospel
more difficult
than it needs
to be.
And you
know we do
that all the
time.
We make
the gospel
more difficult
than it needs
to be.
And that's
exactly what
these Jews
were doing.
They were
making it
so much
harder,
so much
more
complicated,
so much
more of
a burden.
And Jesus
has come
to break
all of
that.
But do
you know
he breaks
it in
the most
magnificent
and beautiful
way.
Because the
incredible thing
about Jesus
is that he
actually is
equal with
God.
That's the
big point
that John
wants us
to recognise.
Yet he
was willing
to lay
aside all
the glory
and status
that he
deserves.
He came
down to
be alongside
us.
He came
to die
in place
of us.
And this
is where
we see
an astonishing
contrast
between the
mindset of
the Jews
and the
mindset
of Jesus.
Because the
Jews in
this passage
made
themselves
equal with
God by
making up
their own
commands.
But in
their opposition
to what
they saw
in Jesus
and the
idea that
he was
making
himself
equal
with
God,
they said
he deserves
to die,
we want
to kill
him.
Jesus
actually is
equal with
God,
but he
comes to
these people,
these people
who are
making up
their own
rules and
who are
making things
far more
complicated than
they need
to,
who think
that they
know better
and who
actually want
to put
him to
death and
Jesus
comes
to die
for them.
Jesus
comes
to save
them.
And
that is
the amazing
thing about
the gospel
is that
in order
to fix
us,
Jesus
gave
himself
to be
broken.
And in
doing so,
in giving
himself,
he does
absolutely
everything,
everything
that is
needed
for our
salvation.
And here
is where
there is
such a
crucial point
that we
always need
to remember,
that in
our
Christian
lives,
nonsense
is far
more
dangerous
than
brokenness.
So you
might feel
like you
are so
broken,
brokenness,
either as
somebody who
is not
yet a
Christian
or even
as a
Christian.
You might
think,
I have
messed up
so much
and I
have
failed
Jesus
and I
am not
where I
want to
be.
And you
might feel
that you
are so
broken.
And we
think that
that
brokenness
is a
massive,
massive
problem.
We
must
recognize
that the
problem
is not
brokenness.
And the
danger
is not
brokenness.
the danger
is
nonsense.
Jesus
can fix
all the
brokenness.
And if
you're a
Christian,
he already
has.
But the
nonsense
will tell
you that
he can't
or that
he won't
or that
it's
different
for you.
that is
forever
and always
and eternally
nonsense.
And
instead
we have
the
beautiful
simplicity
of the
gospel
where
Jesus
comes to
us
with
majestic
blunt
grace
and he
says
get up.
And so
for all
of us
may
those
words
be our
guide
that
we
get up
from
here
we
go on
in our
lives
serving
him
and if
you're
thinking
about
professing
faith
then
please
get up
and come
and tell
the elders
in this
church
who love
you
that
you
love
Jesus.
and as
as we
look ahead
to the
Lord's
table
despite
our
feelings
of shame
and
frustration
and
disappointment
in
ourselves
we are
going to
lift our
eyes off
ourselves
we're
going to
get up
we're
going to
look to
Jesus
and we're
going to
rejoice
because he's
done everything
we need
Amen
let's pray
Lord Jesus
thank you
so so
much
for all
that you've
done
for us
all that
you've
come to
do
thank you
that you
come
to heal
our
brokenness
and you
cut through
all of
our
nonsense
and we
confess
that we
do
we tie
ourselves
in knots
we add
all sorts
of
complexities
we make
the gospel
far
harder
than you
have
ever
intended
it to
be
and we
pray
instead
that
every
one
of
us
would
just
hear
your
loving
commanding
voice
calling
us
to
come
to
you
to
be
refreshed
and
strengthened
by
you
and
to
live
for
you
every
day
of
our
lives
guide
us
and
direct
us
all
we
pray
in
Jesus
name
Amen
Our
concluding
psalm is
psalm 138
and we're
going to
sing
from the
sing
psalms
version
that's on
page 179
singing from
verse 4
to the
end of
the
psalm
O
Lord
let all
earth's
kings
give
praise
when
from
your
mouth
they
hear
your
word
let
them
extol
the
ways
of
God
for
great
the
glory
of
the
Lord
we'll
sing
4
to
8
we can
lift up
our
voices
in
thanksgiving
to Jesus
as we
sing
these
words
together
O
Lord
let
all
our
kings
give
praise
O
Lord
let
all
our
kings
give
praise
when
from
your
life
they
hear
your
word
and
let
!
go
the
ways
of
God
for
praise
the
glory
of
the
Lord
although
the
Lord
God
dwells
on
high
the
lowly
person
he
protects
he
whereas
the
blood
and
haughty
one
he
knows
the
blood
of
and
rejects
although
I
walk
a troubled
path
your
tender
care
preserves
my
life
you
raise
your
hand
against
my
foes
your
right
that
saves
me
from
their
strife
the
Lord
the
certainly
fulfill
for
me
the
purpose
he
commands
your
love
endures
forever
Lord
the
words
of
your
own
hands
may
the
grace
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ
the
of
the
Holy
be with
Amen
may
Thank you.