God At Work

God At Work
John 5:1-17 NLT

John 5:17

• Jesus explains that the work of creation ended on the seventh day, but not the work of compassion.
  
• “My Father is always working, and so am I.”

Initial thoughts:

• Nagging realities:
  
  • Because we have a sense of justice
    
  • Because we know that there are consequences to our choices
    
  • Because we know that God is all-powerful
    
  • Because we know that God is no respecter of persons
    
  • Because there is clear precedent in the Old Testament for blessings and curses
• We struggle with this story of healing:
  
  • Why didn’t Jesus heal all the people that were there?
    
  • Why didn’t Jesus require any faith of the man?
    
  • Why would Jesus intentionally go to the gathering of the sick and only give attention to one man?
    
• Jesus’ Answer: John 9:1-7

As he was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that caused him to be born blind?”
Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. This happened so that the works of God might be revealed in him. I must work the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. John 9:1-7

The Works of God!

• John 5:17 – The Trinity at work
  
• John 5:5-9 – 38 years of suffering
  
• A comparison is sometimes made between Deuteronomy 2:14 and John 5:5
• Jesus saw him
  
• Jesus knew about him
  
• Jesus spoke to him.
  
  • It would appear as though the Lord came to the pool specially to meet this man.
    
• Here we see the predestinating foreknowledge of God.
  
• His ways are above our ways!

John 5:10

• So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” NRSV
  
• Poor human reason when it trusts in itself substitutes the strangest absurdities for the highest divine concepts. - John Chrysostom
  
• We will pursue this weakness next week.

Weary In Weakness

• We are helpless and hopeless!
  
• The fact that the man had no friends shows he was helpless
  
• The fact that he had been there for thirty-eight years suggests he was also hopeless.
  
• There was nothing he could do toward his salvation except believe!

Asclepius

• This man and the dozens of others at the pool of Bethesda could no longer distinguish their weakness and their real need!
  
• When we have lost hope and do not walk in faith, then our only hope is in the conventional wisdom of the day.

Weary In Weakness

• We must be careful not to strengthen the layers surrounding our weakness!
  
  • Weary in Shame
    
  • Wicked in Sin
    
  • Wounded in Situations
    
  • Weakness in Self
    
• Our weakness, then, can be distinguished from our shame, our sin, and our wounds.