John 5:1-9
Sunday Morning – 10 Feb 2019 10:54:30 am – Pastor James Yang
Whoever listens to the Word of God will change.
A long time ago in Muchangpo church, a sister received salvation through me and decided that she would go to church. However, since she lived far away from our church, she decided to go to a church nearby her house. As she went there, she learnt that the church there did not preach the forgiveness of sins once and for all. So eventually, she decided to come to our church for her spiritual growth. She saw in the other church how people were still praying and asking for the forgiveness of sins. She figured that something was not right and so decided to come to our church. In the weeks following, her husband, daughter, son and her daughter’s friends received salvation. I was so thankful about this.
Many people go to church thoughtlessly. They just feel that they have to go to church. Or because they are told it is the right thing to do.
In fact, many people do not even understand why we call God “Father”. Think about the relationship between the father and the son. If the son asks for something, the father usually hears as the father cares and loves the son. This is also the case with God who is our true father.
When you enter the Good News missionary school, you need to empty everything including your money, so that you can only rely on God. We were taught how to ask of God only and never to ask from people for the things we need. Because of this we obtained some very precious testimonies.
When I was in the missionary school, I could experience God tremendously. Now, my family went to the missionary school together with me. My son who was very young then always had this problem where his skin would swell tremendously when an insect bit him. I had to take him to the emergency many times (before my life as a missionary school student). As I entered missionary school, I gave all my money to the missionary school.
On the following day, a brother came and knocked on the door – “Brother James, before you came here, did you bring any kind of ointment or medicine besides money?” And I had to even give up the mosquito medicine for my son. Their reasoning was that for the missionary school training, if one has medicine then one would not rely on the Lord.
So one night, a mosquito bit my son’s ears and it swelled up like crazy. He complained, “Dad it hurts so much.” So I prayed. “Lord please heal my son’s ear” but he did not get healed. At 2am he woke me up and said, “Dad it hurts so much”. However, it was 2am and I could not wake up anyone. “Edward, come here, I will pray for you”…and he said, “Dad, you already prayed for me after dinner and I am no better”. So I said, “If I pray for you now then God would hear my prayer” and he did not even kneel down but just thruster his head forward. So I prayed, “Dear Lord”…and these two words were so sincere and so sweet. As I prayed, I gained this heart that “my son is not mine and even my life is not mine because I have no control over them whatsoever….” and I prayed like this and passed it all over to God.
On the following morning, my son went to school and I did the things I had to do in the missionary school such as witnessing and so on. In the evening, I was waiting in the queue to get food and someone tapped me, “Dad….look at this…” and I saw his ears, as if it was punctured and it was very flabby. When I saw and heard these words, I gained the heart that I prayed and God heard my prayer and I felt so thankful in my heart. From then on, I could feel that if I prayed then God hears my prayer.
When you rely upon the Lord and when you experience how God works for you, you will have new strength in your life, as I did with mine.
Consider the man with infirmity 38 years (M38). Now he was someone who was disowned by his own family. The disease itself was not the most painful. But to have his relationship and family severed from him, this was most hurtful. He had no other way as he was all paralysed because of his infirmity.
Now consider some of the sick people there. The blind although blind, can still “see” by touch, hearing and smell. The lame although not mobile with the feet, can still use their hands and body to crawl. But for M38, he was completely helpless. To such a man, Jesus said, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately he took up his bed and walked.
“Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.”
John 5:8-9 NKJV
Folks, it is not easy to take up your bed and walk.
“Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.”
Ezekiel 37:4-8 NKJV
Through the Word of God, even the dry bones can live. It’s as if the dry bones have ears that could listen to the Word of God.
It does not matter who you are – as long as you can receive the Word of God, all things are possible.
Folks, who can hear the Word of God? The one who is dead in the heart can. The lame, blind, sick and paralysed could not listen to Jesus.
As Jesus spoke to M38, the Word could work in him as he did not even trust himself anymore. However, for those who still trust themselves, they cannot listen to the Word. Even if one is born-again but if they still believe that they can do something, then they cannot listen to the Word of God. Such people have nothing to do with Jesus.
“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Genesis 6:5 NKJV
As God sees us, we are only evil continually. Thus, as per this Word, even if we are helping the homeless, or being kind to the old, or doing charity Word, we are still considered evil.
If you can understand that you are only evil continually, then you will have no more hope towards yourself. This was the state of M38. When he was hopeless, then he could hear the Word.
God really wants us to understand who we are. This is why He gave us the laws. If you do, then you will know that you are never good, that you are completely hopeless. Through the law, you should be able to see these things thoroughly.
When you can see yourself, then you will know that you have no other way. With respect to sin, there is nothing you can do to wash them away yourself. For this reason, Jesus came to this world to wash away our sins for us once and for all. So when Jesus has completed all this and now say that we are righteous, then we are righteous.
Consider the time during the wedding in Cana of Galilee. They ran out of wine in the wedding feast. Having wine back then was very important. So Mary told the servants “Whatever He tells you, do it” —-> this is a fundamental thing.
So Jesus asked the servants to fill up the six water pots and then asked them to draw out the water. The servants could take this out by faith and serve it to the master of the feast. They did so by faith, which is why they could serve it to the master of the feast.
Likewise, in the church, you can do things by faith as well. These include reading the bible, tithing, giving offering, etc.
“Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”
Isaiah 38:17 NKJV
The bible records the sentence in present perfect tense: “You have cast all my sins behind Your back”. Since Isaiah was a man about 750 years before Christ, he should have written: “You will cast all my sins behind Your back”. Isn’t this amazing. By faith, Isaiah wrote about our sins and being taken by Jesus and that this action is completed although he was born 750 years (approx.) before Christ. This means that we have no more sins.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
As per this Word, we are already healed. This is what the bible says. The bible is not written within the realms of time. It transcends the notion of time as it is concerned with the realms of eternity.
If you just receive the Word of God, you may be physically living in this world, yet you will overcome all problems you have, including sin.
No matter who you are, if you receive the Words of God, then all your problems can be finished.
We have this amazing Words of God with us. But if you are still dragged by your own evil thoughts, that is quite a terrible thing. All you need to do is to just receive the Words into your heart.
If God says you are sanctified then you are. How you think of yourself does not really matter or affect the will of God.