THE
WORK OF MINISTRY BEGINS WITH PRAYER
JOHN 5:1-10
Jesus spent much of His
ministry around the sea of Galilee which is 700 feet below sea level. The trip
to Jerusalem
The elevation of Jerusalem Jerusalem Galilee is an up hill walk.
The Sheep Gate is the
gate where the lambs and sheep were brought
Into the temple to be
offered for sacrifice. The Spiritual meaning of the Sheep Gate is death and
offering of the Lamb (Jesus Christ)
John 5:1-10
THE MINISTRY MUST NOT BECOME STAGNENT
John 5:1-3
After these things there was aa feast of the
Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem
2 Now there is in
Jerusalem
A.
The sheep pool is on the north end of
the city out side the
temple wall.
1.
Jesus planned a trip to Jerusalem Bethesda
2.
The Bethesda
Patios for the sick to sit or lie out
of the sun.
3.
The word Bethesda
A swimming bath.
B. Jesus is our house of mercy.
1. His mercy endures for ever.
2. For believers, the mercy of Jesus is unlimited.
3. Jesus is the pool of living water.
MINISTRY
MUST BE TAKEN TO PLACE WHERE PEOPLE NEED MINISTRY
John 5:3-13
3
In
these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [1waiting for the
moving of the waters; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at
certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first,
after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever
disease with which he was afflicted.]
A. Here we have a mixture
of the Word and tradition.
1. It
was the Word that stirred up the water in the pool and
made it a holy place of healing.
2. It was tradition that the one who stepped
in the water first
was the only one that would be healed.
3.
They had their experience
that the first in the water would be healed.
4.
No one tested the water
to see if more would be healed who
entered the water.
B.
We hear of no cooperate
prayer to God even though there was
A large crowd there to be
healed.
1. We do not hear that any teachers of the
Words or priest are
there at the time God visit the waters to
witness His
miracles or assist people to get in the
water.
2. Every year a miracle took place at the pool,
but the House of
prayer did
not claim God as the source of the miracle.
C. When the angel of the
Lord enters the pool, it became
Living water.
1. There was healing in the water
2. There was hope in the water
3. There was joy in the water
4. There was love in the water.
D. The thought of God
ought to stir up our soul.
1. The thought of God ought to draw us to
the living
water.
2. People in need came to the water, but
only one stepped in.
3. It was tradition that limited the people’s
faith in God.
4. If God did it for one, He could do it for
all.
4. You shouldn’t let your traditions limit
the power of God.
6. You shouldn’t let your traditions limit
the love of God.
GOD WILL PREPARE PEOPLE TO RECEIVE YOUR
MINISTRY
5 A man was there
who had been 1ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw
him lying there, and knew that
he had already been a long time in that
condition, He *said to him, "Do you
wish to get well?"
A. Jesus knows all about us.
1. He
knows what our needs are.
2. He
knows how long we have been in our present situation.
3. He
knows where we are and how we got to where we are.
4. He
knows what our desires are.
B. Jesus changes the focus from the place to
Himself.
1. Jesus
makes our situation His priority.
2. When
we don’t know what to pray for, He comes to us.
3. We are
going to find out that this man did not know
Jesus, yet Jesus showed up in his life.
4. Jesus
uses our ignorance to glorify Himself.
B. Jesus is not focused on your tradition. He is
the living water
1. No need to wait by the pool for a
healing, just go to Jesus
in prayer.
2. The man was in the right place at
the right time.
3. Sometime Jesus draws us into a
relationship with Himself
through our misery.
3. He had missed the troubling of the
waters, but he didn’t
miss the one who troubled the water.
4. He didn’t get a chance to get in the
pool, but He
met the one that filled the pool.
MINISTRY REQUIRES YOU TO SPEND TIME WITH THOSE IN
NEED
7.
The
sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when athe water is
stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me." 8 Jesus *said to him, "aGet up, pick up your pallet and walk."
A. Sometimes people need to know that
we are concerned about
them before we can direct them to Jesus.
1. Notice, Jesus does not identify Himself, He focuses on the
man’s problem.
2. The man does not ask Jesus what His name is, but he is
glad to have someone talk about his problem.
3. People who have no voice need an audience.
4. They need to know someone cares.
5. People what know you care unless you show you care.
B. If you can’t help the person, they
will listen to your testimony
About the one who can help them.
1.
When Jesus gets into your life, He will
deliver you out of
Your situation.
2.
In verse 5, Jesus asked the man if he
wanted to get well
3.
Jesus listen to man’s explanation of
why he couldn’t get
Into the water. (verse 6,7)
DON’T LET YOUR EXCUSES BE THE REASON
FOR YOUR FAILURE
C.
What is holding you back?
1.
What is keeping you from realizing your
dream?
2.
The man does answer the question Jesus
asked.
“Do you wish to get well”
3.
Instead he gives Jesus all his excuses
for why he
couldn’t get to the water first.
4.
What excuses are you using for your
failure?
5.
The man had been coming to the well
many years.
a. He had being doing the same thing,
but expecting
different results.
b. Maybe he should have got to the pool
earlier to get
a front row seat.
c. Maybe he should have requested who ever
brought
him to the well to stay with him.
6.
Jesus does not deal with your excuses.
a. Your excuses is what enable you to
stop trying.
b. Your excuses puts a wall
between you and your
dreams.
SUCCESS FOLLOWS OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S
COMMANDS
C. In verse 8 Jesus commands the man to
do something he had
not done in 38 years.
1. Jesus expressed confidence that the man will walk.
2. In Jesus command is His healing power.
3. In Jesus command is His restoration power.
4. In Jesus command is His love and compassion.
FAITH IS STRENGTHEN BY YOUR OBEDIENCE
9 Immediately the
man became well, and picked up his pallet and began
to
walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.
A. In Jesus command was the faith the
man need to act on
the command to walk.
1. To each is given a measure of faith.
2. The man didn’t know Jesus, so had no faith to call on,
until Jesus gave it to him.
3. “Get up pick up your pallet and walk”.
4. In the man’s obedience to Jesus command was the
healing, the restoration and strengthen of his body.
5. In the obedience to Jesus command was all the training
he need to walk.
TRADITION IS A HINDERANCE TO GOD’S WORK
B. Jesus ignores the Jewish tradition
of not working on the
Sabbath day.
1, The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
2. His command put man in jeopardy of breaking the Jewish
law.
3. The man starts walking with his pallet.
4. The man leaves Jesus without a word of thanksgiving.
5. The man leaves Jesus without knowing His name.
6. The man was so accustom to have folk do for him.
a. Maybe he had not been taught to say think you.
b. Maybe others had not required a thank you.
THE LAW DRAINS COMPASSION FROM THE
HEART
10 So athe Jews were
saying to the man who was cured, "It is the Sabbath, and bit is not
permissible for you to carry your pallet." 11 But he answered
them, "He who made me well was the one who said to me, 'Pick up your
pallet and walk.'" 12 They asked him, "Who is the man
who said to you, 'Pick up your pallet and walk'?"
A. Instead of being excited about the good
work of Jesus,
The
Jewish leaders was concerned about their control.
1.
Instead of showing love for their brethren,
the Jewish
leaders showed hatred for his recovery.
2.
There are people who would rather see
you drown in your
sorrows than see you joyful in the
Lord.
3.
There are people who are experts in
spreading misery.
B. We serve a God who is the expert in
joy, peace and well being.
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst pastor of
Greater Macedonia
Baptist
Church
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