Participants: Michael Kontes
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000416
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00:30 Hello, friends. My name is Michael Kontes
00:33 and I want to welcome you to Faith Chapel. 00:35 Today, we're going to look at an incredible story 00:38 out of the Gospel of John, but first let us pray. 00:42 Father, we come to thee now 00:43 and we thank You for the Gospel of John. 00:45 We thank that You have preserved His writings 00:47 to help us see Jesus in a different mosaic 00:50 than the other writers have put down. 00:53 Be with us now, 00:54 guide us and lead us in Jesus' name, amen. 00:59 Have you ever seen anything that was so 01:03 pitiful and painful that it hurt you to your core being? 01:08 Have you looked upon something at humanity 01:10 that moved you, with compassion? 01:13 Today, we're gonna look at the Gospel of John. 01:17 And we're gonna take a look at how Jesus 01:19 was coming across a situation at the pool of Bethesda 01:24 and He saw something that wrenched His heart. 01:26 And He would not allow the traditions 01:30 of the religious leaders to reach out 01:35 His hand and touch someone in need. 01:39 Let us open up to John Chapter 5, 01:41 the Gospel of John Chapter 5. 01:47 "Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep 01:50 market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew 01:53 tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 01:58 In these lay a great multitude of impotent 02:01 folk, of blind, halt, withered, 02:05 waiting for the moving of the water. 02:09 For an angel sent down at a certain season into the pool, 02:15 and troubled the water, 02:18 whosoever then first after the troubling 02:21 of the water stepped in was made whole 02:25 and whatsoever disease he had. 02:28 And a certain man was there, 02:31 which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 02:36 When Jesus saw him lie, 02:38 and knew that he had been there now 02:41 a long time in that case, 02:43 he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole." 02:52 The text reveals that Jesus was walking 02:54 through Jerusalem as the feast was going on. 02:57 Walking alone apparently 02:59 as His custom was in meditation and prayer 03:03 and He came upon a scene of wretchedness. 03:08 A scene that so moved Him, that He acted upon it. 03:12 Now, one thing I want you say is that here the term, 03:15 the pool of Bethesda literally 03:19 could mean in the Hebrew, 03:20 house of olives or house of mercy, 03:24 which should tell us that Jesus 03:29 came across a situation 03:31 and He was the true merciful life giver, 03:36 healer of all and He wanted to extend 03:38 mercy to a wretched situation. 03:42 I'm sure as Jesus gauged upon this scene, 03:45 seeing so many that were sick 03:47 and especially this individual 03:49 who had been there for thirty and eight years. 03:53 Can you imagine being the creator of the universe, 03:55 never intending for sin to touch and affect this planet, 04:00 this universe the way it has and walking, 04:03 finally walking this earth and seeing what Jesus saw. 04:07 Friends, I think the reason why many of us 04:09 struggle so many times is that, 04:11 we don't see through Jesus' eyes. 04:14 We see through our eyes and we come across situations 04:16 and we're so desensitized. 04:20 Because sin has so corrupted us 04:23 and been a part of our fiber. 04:25 That when we come across the situation 04:27 we just openly embrace it 04:28 and think that's life and go on. 04:31 How many have gone to a foreign land, 04:33 India or some third world country 04:38 and then you really realize how good you have it. 04:43 I bet many have been in that situation. 04:47 Now, notice in this story 04:51 one of the things that it said 04:53 is that there was a custom during this time. 04:56 A custom and a tradition 04:57 that an angel would come down, 04:59 stir up the waters and as the angel stirred up the waters, 05:03 the first one down would be healed, first one down. 05:09 To me, follow me friends, 05:13 this sounds a little satanic and I'll explain. 05:19 The Bible says over and over and over 05:22 the last shall be first 05:26 and the first shall be last. 05:29 This is just like Satan to come up 05:32 with some kind of faulty, 05:37 heretical tradition, so that people are trampling 05:41 over one another like animals to go get healed. 05:47 Completely disregard each other, 05:51 but only look and focus in on themselves. 05:54 How many times I don't know about you, 05:55 but how many times has a store had a great 05:57 after Christmas sale that you watch on the news. 06:00 People are lined up at the store 06:02 5 O'clock in the morning 06:03 Pick your store, Macy's, 06:05 Dick's Sports, Fry's Electronics. 06:08 It doesn't matters, best buy, 06:11 Bass Pro Shops, for those in Missouri. 06:16 The door, everyone is lined up behind the doors 06:20 and as soon as they are getting 06:21 ready to open up the doors, 06:22 it's like a herd of cattle crushing 06:23 everything in front of you 06:25 and then people are fighting with one and other. 06:29 People are saying, hey don't push on me 06:30 and they're getting elbows back and so on. 06:34 That is the mentality that Satan would have us 06:38 to have to disregard others 06:41 and this is the tradition that was there. 06:43 Now notice, it goes on "And the Savior came 06:47 across this scene and He saw something 06:51 that others did not see." 06:53 Let me explain once again, 06:56 as He gauged upon this wretched situation, 06:59 He saw an individual 07:01 who had been there for 38 years 07:03 with a terrible disease and what He saw 07:06 is someone who was hopeless and friendless. 07:13 And as He gauged upon this scene 07:15 I'm sure His heart was broken. 07:22 As His heart was broken, Jesus would do 07:26 what He has always done, extend Himself to fallen 07:31 humanity in their time of need. 07:36 It was Jesus who showed Himself to Moses. 07:43 It was Jesus who revealed Himself to Saul 07:49 saying, "Why do you persecute me." 07:53 It was Jesus coming to Peter saying, 07:56 "Feed my sheep." 08:01 Now its Jesus coming saying, "Wilt thou be made whole." 08:09 There are times in our lives, 08:13 when we have no friends and no hope. 08:17 When we are at rock bottom 08:21 and I know it's crazy as this may sound, 08:24 that is the place where God would have us to be. 08:30 Let me explain, when we have no friends 08:34 and there comes the place 08:35 when we've almost out of hope, 08:38 Jesus reveals Himself 08:41 and we realize that our true friend 08:45 and our true hope comes from God and God alone. 08:51 There are many times where we can get 08:53 our sense of strength and hope from mommy, daddy, 08:59 our wife or spouse or husband, or kids. 09:05 And yes they can be used as instruments, 09:08 but not as crutches. 09:10 So many times if our spouse is doing good, 09:13 we're good, if our spouse have hope, we've hope. 09:18 What if our spouse isn't doing so good, 09:22 do we still have that hope. 09:26 There are times in our lives friends, 09:28 that no one can help us except Jesus. 09:32 Let us turn to the Book of Psalms, 09:34 Psalms Chapter 23 and look at this famous verse, 09:39 "Yea, though I walk through the valley 09:42 of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, 09:47 for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff comfort me." 09:56 No one, no one except merciful, wonderful, 10:02 counselor, mighty God, the Alpha and Omega, 10:06 the Prince of Peace, the Keeper of my faith, 10:10 precious Redeemer, Savior, the Amen and my salvation. 10:17 No one, but Him will be there for me. 10:21 Now when we come to the end of our resources 10:27 and we feel like the whole world is against us, 10:31 the people around us look small 10:36 and God begins to look bigger. 10:39 Many times when I'm in an airplane 10:43 and we're taking off as we're on the ground 10:46 before takeoff you look around 10:48 every thing looks normal, but as you begin the takeoff 10:51 and you begin to reach that cruising altitude 10:54 and you begin to look down the world looks what, 10:57 the world looks really small. 10:59 The world looks really small 11:01 and that's what God would wants us, 11:03 how God would want us to see the world. 11:05 He would want us to view the world small. 11:09 He would want us to look at the people in our life. 11:11 And when I say, small, I mean spiritually small, 11:14 meaning that they're not a crutch for us, 11:17 but that we have a relationship with God 11:19 and that Jesus is our crutch. 11:22 Now notice Jesus says, "Wilt thou be made whole." 11:31 Notice the individual, 11:35 the man with the infirmity didn't even hear Jesus, 11:39 didn't even hear Jesus. 11:42 Notice what the verse says in John 5. 11:47 John 5, verse 7, "And the impotent man 11:54 answered him, saying Sir, I have no man, 11:58 when the water is troubled, 12:00 to put me into the pool, but while I am coming, 12:05 another person steppeth down before me." 12:12 No one has, he didn't even hear what Jesus said, 12:15 Jesus asked him if he wanted to be made 12:17 whole then automatically his eyes went in 12:20 and focused in on his situation 12:23 and what he was a custom to thinking 12:26 how he could get out of his situation. 12:28 Meaning the tradition had 12:30 that he had to go down at the pool, 12:31 someone would have to take him 12:33 in there and no one would, 12:34 no one has been there for him to be able 12:35 to take him down there. 12:36 And even if I've seen some strange 12:39 coincidence, someone thus show up, 12:44 he can't get down there quick enough. 12:46 Yet Jesus said, "Wilt thou be made whole." 12:52 We often follow the pattern of this man. 12:56 Jesus is standing next to us offering us 13:00 wholeness and we're trying to get Jesus to help us. 13:07 Notice Jesus, once again said, 13:09 "Wilt thou be made whole" 13:10 and the man said I have no one, 13:12 kind of dropping a little hint, 13:14 will you take me down there. 13:19 Jesus has great plans for us, 13:20 greater plans than we can ever imagine, 13:24 but we begin to focus entirely in on our plan 13:30 and on the obstacle in front of us. 13:35 Friends, today, what is the pool in your life? 13:41 What is the obstacle in your life 13:44 that is keeping you from coming closer to Jesus? 13:49 What is the obstacle in your life 13:51 that you are so focused in on? 13:56 That is very difficult for you to answer the question, 14:00 "Wilt thou be made whole." 14:03 As I've shared in the past, growing up 14:07 I felt that my father did not love me. 14:11 That was my perception, 14:13 and it was a wrong perception, 14:14 but that's what I felt. 14:16 And sometimes perception can become reality 14:18 if we focus in on the fly on the wall. 14:23 I began to get in to competitive sports, 14:26 football, basketball. 14:28 I was MVP of both sports, through high school. 14:32 Graduated high school, 14:33 said I would never play sports again. 14:37 Went to a football game at the local junior college, 14:39 Sacramento City college and got bite by the bug 14:41 went out for the football team, 14:43 made the local football team, we are fifth in the nation, 14:46 I got hurt and I realized very quickly 14:50 that there weren't too many 14:52 5 foot 7 Greek white receivers in the NFL 14:56 and kind of gave up on football. 14:58 Then I got into competitive bass fishing. 15:01 You notice the pattern here. 15:03 I am going from one competition 15:05 to the next, to the next. 15:07 I found out very early in my age, 15:10 I found out that when you compete it and performed, 15:16 that you had the admiration and the flattery of others. 15:21 And I ate these, sweet little morsels up 15:26 being filled up inside feeling 15:28 that everything was great 15:30 when I would perform on the football field 15:32 or on the basketball field. 15:33 And then even later on 15:34 when I got into competitive bass fishing, you know, 15:37 if you did good and finished high 15:39 which I didn't do too many times, 15:41 but when I did I felt pretty good. 15:45 Until you realize the whole in your heart 15:47 that you are trying to fill for your father's 15:50 unconditional affectionate love 15:52 can only be filled by your heavenly Father. 15:56 At times in high school, I would go home 15:58 after making a game winning free throw, 16:02 or a touch down pass, or a kick off run. 16:06 And I come out of, I should say I came out 16:08 of the stands and the fathers, 16:10 and the parents and the families 16:11 would pat on the back. 16:13 And my father wasn't there, 16:14 he was busy working and it felt good 16:18 when people were patting me on the back 16:19 and telling me how great I was. 16:22 Until I got home and the person 16:24 that mattered to me the most had no idea 16:28 what I had done. 16:31 So many of us are carrying a pool around with us. 16:37 As a pastor I see this many, many times, 16:41 many people in the church 16:42 are looking at the pools in front of them. 16:45 They are looking at the pool, some of us, 16:48 you know, that's the point, 16:49 that just came-- a thought that came to me now 16:52 sometimes it's a pool 16:54 and other times its multiple pools. 16:56 Some of us have more than one pool in front of us. 17:01 We come to this pool or pools 17:04 and we're so focusing on the pool 17:08 that we miss the great physician 17:12 and the healer who wants to touch us. 17:18 What is your pool today? Were are you stuck? 17:24 Is there a past experience in your life 17:27 that has so scared that it has paralyzed you 17:29 and has left you down for 38 years? 17:33 Is there an experience maybe a parental experience, 17:39 mother, father maybe a brother or sister, 17:43 maybe a family friend? 17:45 Maybe there was a situation in high school, 17:48 some experience that has so touch 17:51 the core of your being, 17:55 that the pool has become so great that literally, 18:03 you've made a mountain out of a molehill. 18:07 I have done that in my life many times 18:09 the experience with my father was one. 18:12 The second time I can share with you 18:15 as I grew up not being a trusting person. 18:19 I didn't trust any one, only myself. 18:23 I had an eye problem, I couldn't see past myself. 18:27 I can only trust myself. 18:29 And so when I began to have relationships with people, 18:33 when I had friendships with individuals, 18:35 I was always looking 18:37 how someone was going to hurt me. 18:41 I was always looking around the corner wondering, 18:44 okay, what's going to happen next. 18:47 I know something is going to happen, it has to. 18:51 I was always looking at the glass half empty 18:55 and not looking at it half full. 18:58 And these types of scars can so paralyze us, 19:03 so paralyze us, they can leave us in such a state 19:07 that not only does they paralyze us, 19:10 but it hurts all of those around us. 19:14 When Jesus came on earth, 19:16 He placed trust in His disciples. 19:19 He empowered them and He placed trust. 19:21 He sent them out to go do ministry. 19:25 Some of them weren't even fully converted at the time 19:27 when He sent them out, 19:29 but He trusted them knowing that, 19:30 you know what, they're going to learn. 19:33 Can you imagine walking around 19:35 and not trusting people and having this be your pool. 19:40 Not trusting your children, 19:42 not trusting your wife, not trusting your employer, 19:45 not trusting anyone but yourself. 19:48 You are living in a prison cell. 19:52 You are living in such a prison cell 19:55 that you are strapped and cuffed 19:58 and had and you are up with fetters 20:00 and you've no freedom. 20:02 Many of us, many of us allow these experiences 20:08 to literally push people away from us in relationships, 20:13 because we can't let it go. 20:15 We don't look to Jesus when Jesus says, 20:17 "Wilt thou be made whole." and embrace Him. 20:20 We don't do like the lady who had the issue of blood. 20:23 We don't reach out there 20:24 when He's standing right next us. 20:25 We don't reach out to him 20:26 and grab the bottom of His garment, 20:29 just the bottom of it. 20:31 Because all we can see is the pool in front of us. 20:39 Though the paralytic did not know it, 20:42 he stood in the presence of the Creator; 20:46 he stood in the presence of the one 20:49 who made the mountains he could not walk. 20:53 He stood in the presence of the one, 20:56 who made the ocean, who he could not swim in. 20:59 He stood in the presence of the one, 21:04 who shaped and formed him. 21:08 Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our situations, 21:11 we can't see Jesus. 21:14 Now I don't want to just put it 21:17 to my pre-converted life that I did that, 21:20 and sometimes it just ends there. 21:23 Sometimes even as the pastor friends, 21:25 things happen, they come up 21:28 and if I begin to focus 21:29 on this little situation in my life 21:33 that I think is brought me great physical harm, 21:37 spiritual harm, and do not realize that Jesus 21:40 the one who has given me possession of the holy ghost 21:44 to hold my hand, to walk me through 21:45 and to guide me through every, 21:48 every street and every alley of life. 21:54 If I don't realize that, 21:56 what good am I to my congregation? 21:59 Pastors can fall into this trap as well. 22:02 Pastors can fall into thinking, 22:04 oh, my goodness, this is so big and so huge, 22:08 how can I ever get passes. 22:09 And then a pastor becomes paralyzed to the point 22:13 where he himself cannot even minister to the congregation. 22:19 Let us see in John 5, verse 8 the next text, 22:22 what Jesus said, "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, 22:28 take up thy bed, and walk." 22:33 And notice what takes place in the story. 22:36 The man's faith takes the hold of these seven words, 22:41 that Jesus says, "Take up thy bed and walk." 22:44 And for the first time in 38 years, 22:48 the individual every nerve, 22:50 every muscle thrills with new life. 22:54 A healthful action comes over his crippled limbs. 22:59 Without question he steps out 23:04 to will to do the command of Jesus 23:08 and all of his muscles respond to this will. 23:14 Brothers and sisters, He could have sat there 23:17 and He could have doubted, Jesus could have said him, 23:21 rise take up thy bed and walk in. 23:23 He could have sat there and just doubted 23:25 and never would have been healed. 23:26 But He had to make a choice, 23:29 he had to align his will with 23:32 the will of the great physician 23:34 and step forth in faith and walk up 23:37 and instantly he was healed. 23:42 I would like to read to you a quote 23:43 from the book Desire of Ages. 23:47 The Savior is bending over 23:50 the purchase of his blood saying 23:54 with inexpressible tenderness and pity. 23:57 "Wilt thou be made whole." 24:00 He bids us to arise in health and peace. 24:05 Do not wait to feel that you're made whole, 24:09 do not wait and feel to be made whole. 24:12 Believe His word and it will be fulfilled. 24:19 Put your will on His side, wilt to serve Him 24:24 and in acting upon His word 24:26 you'll receive strength, 24:30 whatever maybe the evil practice, 24:33 the master passion which through 24:37 long indulgence binds both body and soul. 24:42 Christ is able and longs to deliver. 24:49 If He would have left His mat there, 24:52 this individual would have been tempted 24:55 to go back to his mat. 24:57 How many times does that happens friends in our lives? 25:01 God comes into our lives, He delivers us, 25:04 lets say from alcohol and what we do is, 25:08 we go back to the same stuff. 25:10 We have a tendency to gravitate back there. 25:13 Jesus says take away, throw out that stuff away, 25:16 get rid of that stuff, take it with you 25:18 and throw it away and know that, 25:20 you've got a victory over it. 25:22 Yet, what we do is we leave it around, 25:26 so at the proper time 25:28 we gravitate back to it like the dog, 25:30 as the Bible says going back to its own vomit. 25:33 I can share with you today, 25:35 I can share with you today that there are sins 25:40 that I had in my life prior to becoming 25:42 a Christian that once I accepted Jesus words 25:47 Michael "Wilt thou be made whole." 25:49 I embrace that saying of Christ 25:52 and instantaneously bam, 25:55 I was delivered from that sin. 25:57 Now there are others sins and it will take a life time, 26:00 pride that I'm sure that I will fight 26:03 with that one for the rest of my life. 26:05 But there are other sins like for example 26:08 let say some of us may have filthy mouths. 26:11 Jesus comes into your life, 26:12 there is no need to struggle in that area. 26:14 It's a choice for us to say these words. 26:17 If its alcohol, it's a choice for us to pickup the bottle. 26:21 If it's marijuana it's a choice to pickup the joint. 26:24 Jesus says allow me to make that choice for you. 26:27 You exercise your will on the side 26:30 that I want you to do and I will empower you 26:34 and you won't have to be a prisoner 26:37 laying invillite at that pool. 26:40 "Take up thy bed and walk, 26:42 " Jesus is telling us to get rid of the old life. 26:46 Do not allow that molehill to be a mountain. 26:50 Do not allow that pool to become pools. 26:53 Jesus is saying "Wilt thou be made whole, 26:57 take up thy bed and walk." And brothers and sisters, 27:01 when Jesus Christ tells us to do something, 27:05 He will give us the strength 27:07 and He will empower us to walk a victorious life. 27:10 And the reason why, is because Philippians 4:13 27:14 says, "I can do all things through Christ Jesus." 27:17 How many things? 27:18 Some things, a quarter, a half, three quarters? 27:22 "I can do all things through Christ Jesus 27:25 who is strengthens me." 27:27 Does that mean that Jesus can take away 27:30 that pool in your life? 27:33 I believe so, what pool has hampered you. 27:37 Today Jesus Christ is calling out to you 27:41 and He is saying son, daughter, 27:46 "Wilt thou be made whole." 27:48 And if you're lying yourself with Him, 27:50 His will with your will, 27:53 then what will take place is absolute victory. |
Revised 2014-12-17