Christian sermons | Christian messages
Biblical text: John 5
As long as we are on this earth there is only one reality and that is that man will always have needs, in one way or another.
There are people who have a lot of money but are sick, there are others who are healthy but have no money, and what is worse, others are sick and have no money.
The only way to be able to live well is with Jesus, but living well is not necessarily not having problems, living well with Jesus is having the ability to cope with problems.
The bible tells us about a character in particular who had a serious problem, he was paralyzed, and for many years he had dealt with that impediment. V 5 “And there was a man there who had been sick for thirty-eight years.”
Bethesda means house of mercy. The sick people had the hope that they would receive healing in that place, only that they had to wait, what is more, this situation caused them tension, anguish, anxiety, they had to be aware that the water moved, and at the moment in which this happened they had to fight to beat the others, push, pull. Etc. imagine it was total chaos. And if the water moved for another reason, a stone that fell, an animal that passed by, many would jump and leave disappointed. Or even angry.
But something special happened that day a paralytic had an encounter with Jesus. Someone who couldn’t move on their own. V 7 “Sir,” replied the sick man, “I have no one to put me in the pond when the water is stirred up; and while I am going, another descends before me.”
What made Jesus notice him and not any of the other sick people? The paralytic could not move from the place where he was to enter the water, so how did he get to that place called the house of grace?
He had so much desire to get to that place that I imagine he begged a lot, or tried too hard to get there, this effort possibly moved Jesus to mercy. V 6 “When Jesus saw him lying down, and knew that he had been like this for a long time, he said to him: Do you want to be healed?” that you have so much desire to reach the house of grace that is the temple, making the effort to congregate shows how much we really want to be healthy. But there are many who have many excuses for not doing it: God listens to me anywhere, it’s very cold, I don’t have transportation anyway.
Jesus asks him, do you want to be healed? Many would say that he asks so illogically, if he was in that place and he was sick. Of course he wanted to be healthy. But Jesus what he wanted to know is how willing he is to do and obey to be healed. There are people who want to be a millionaire but are not willing to work. There are many who want to gain weight but do not want to eat.
The paralyzed man did not let himself be overcome by his limitations, despite the fact that there was a crowd with him, and that humanly he had no chance to get ahead of the others, he always waited for the moment, and never got discouraged, the proof is who was always in that place.
The miracle that the paralytic received was the product of obedience. v 8 “Jesus said to him: Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”
When Jesus told him to get up, he was not yet healthy, he could have objected, but he obeyed and was able to receive the miracle. v9 “And immediately that man was healed, and took up his bed, and walked. And it was a Sabbath day that day.”
The paralytic did not know Jesus but he obeyed him. V 13 “And the one who had been healed did not know who it was, because Jesus had separated himself from the people who were in that place.”
Don’t look at how big your problem is, look at how big your faith is and your willingness to obey.
Isaiah 3:24
“…And instead of aromatic perfumes will come stench; and rope instead of a belt, and a shaved head instead of the composure of the hair; sackcloth girdle instead of gala clothes, and burn instead of beauty….”
Isaiah 66:24
“…And they will come out, and they will see the corpses of the men who rebelled against me; because their worm will never die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be abominable to all men…”
Galatians 6:7
“…Do not deceive yourselves; God cannot be mocked: for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap…”
Matthew 10:28
“…And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell…”
Matthew 5:29
“…Therefore, if your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you that one of your members be lost, than that your whole body be thrown into hell…”
Matthew 5:30
“…And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; for it is better for you that one of your members be lost, than that your whole body be thrown into hell…”
2 Peter 2:4 onwards…
It suits the devil that nothing is spoken or known about hell. But personally, I don’t need to see to believe. Just as I believe there is a heaven, a glory; So I think there is a hell.
A few years ago I had my own experience, and it was not pleasant at all; and even though I didn’t see anything, hearing is enough to believe, and I don’t know what is more frightening to hear and not see, or to see and not hear.
One morning a few months before the Lord called us to pastor, I got up and went to the kitchen and when I returned from the kitchen to my bedroom, the light went out. I was left in total darkness, I don’t remember going to bed, I just remember seeing myself standing up, and seeing that the light went out, I heard a woman scream, and then a few chains later I heard the growl of something.
Immediately I realized that something was happening, the scream returned, then the chains immediately the growl of that being, at that moment I felt behind me thousands and thousands of voices of people, crying, screaming, crying was something indescribable. At that moment I put my hands on my face, because the darkness was great and I said Lord, don’t tell me what I think, please tell me you didn’t bring me to listen to hell, please no!
I felt my heart beating a thousand times, I felt that I couldn’t pass out or something, when suddenly the light came back, and I saw myself standing there; I looked at the clock again because when the light goes out the clock stays at 12:00. But it wasn’t like that, the clock showed the normal time, I think it was 3:20 or something like that, I don’t remember very well, I was in shock.
I threw myself on my knees confused, I told the Lord; Lord where did you take me? I didn’t want to mention the word hell, because I thought he would take me again and I didn’t want to go back. I cried; I told him don’t tell me it was there Lord, no, no. But the Lord with his sweet voice spoke to my heart and told me, if my daughter was hell, cry, and cry, the voices did not go away, they were sharp in my mind.
The Lord told me, tell people that hell is real but that I am more real, I told him but I know, or we say and people don’t want to know, I don’t know how to preach about you anymore people are harder and harder. The Lord told me, you just tell them that I love them, the rest I will do.
For two or three weeks I slept with the light on, I was afraid it would happen again, I didn’t want to, I even told the Lord don’t take me there, I believe that it exists, take those who don’t believe so that they believe.
I hope this teaching helps you.
God bless you.
Source: www.centraldesermones.com