Jesus Saves

Jesus Saves is an expository sermon by Jim Fryer.

John 5:5-11,14

John 5:5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.
John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" 
John 5:7 The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." 
John 5:8 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." 
John 5:9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. 
John 5:10 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." 
John 5:11 He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.' " 
John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

Here is a great story that we all can identify with. No we are not lame as this man was but we are in the same boat. Notice:

I. This Man’s Life Was Unfulfilled. (vv.5-6)

Much like us today we live our lives with much anticipation. We have our dreams and our hopes and our future in mind. Everything we do has that goal as the motivation. But sometimes things happen to us that cause us to change the way we view life. In this man’s case he was being unable to walk for over 38 years.

All of his boyhood dreams no doubt took second seat to this disease or infirmity. Now the only thing that mattered was his health. Every time the angel came and stirred the water he was there waiting, hoping to get in so healing would come. The truth is that he would probably spend the rest of his life waiting and die unfulfilled.

II. This Man’s Hope Was Misplaced. (v.7)

We can have pity on the man in this story if it was not so real to us today. We may not be crippled with an incurable disease but we are “crippled” with an incurable situation. This man’s trust in the healing pool was misplaced. You would think after 38 years he would come to understand that he probably wasn’t going to get his wish.

But there is one more part of this story that often gets overlooked. His problem was sin related. In verse 14 we see that Jesus went to the heart of his problem which was his sin. He was trying to get a healing from the wrong source. Jesus saves us from sin.

How like this man we are. We are “sin sick” and cannot find a cure. We dive into our business, we work feverishly at preparing for retirement, and we invest so that we can provide a future for our children and grandchildren. Then something happens. The stock market falls and we lose over half our saving or investments.

We are waiting by the pool for a sure thing, for a healing if you will. Yet we refuse to come to the place where our hope is in something much greater than our accounts and our business savvy. We have wasted years of our lives pursuing happiness and finding it nowhere and all we really need to know is that Jesus saves us from all of that.

III. This Man’s Healing Was Divine. (vv.8-11)

We don’t have it recorded in this passage but there must have been something in this man’s reply to the Savior that gave Christ an understanding of his heart. This man probably was hoping that Jesus would “save” him from his situation and help him in the pool. It was a “can you help me” kind of request. It was a last ditch effort to receive something from life.

His cry was heard by Jesus and He healed him. I know that we have in our minds the idea that salvation comes through a set of words rightly organized and to the point. But it seems to me that the heart is much more accurate in calling out to our Lord than our mouths often are. It is not the organizing of words that bring salvation. It is the cry of our hearts.

It is the desperation of a hopeless situation. It is the cry of despair. It is the calling for help in our helpless situation that Jesus responds to. Such is the case here. His wording was not the way we would like to hear it today but it was exactly the way his heart cried out that caused Jesus to respond with a healing. Jesus saves when He hears a cry from the heart.

Conclusion:

Today, when we tell someone about the saving power of Jesus and that Jesus saves those who trust Him, aim at the heart. Jesus reads the heart. If we aim at intelligent discovery we will miss the mark. We must move beyond the intellect and move to the reasoning power of our decision making heart. Yes, you know that Jesus saves. But will you receive the message of Jesus from your heart?

Romans 10:9-13
Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 
Romans 10:11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME." 
Romans 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 
Romans 10:13 For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."

Leave Jesus Saves sermon and go to "Free Sermons" page.

Leave Jesus Saves sermon and go to "Your Sermons" page.

Leave this page and go to Preachology Home page.