Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church in Bethesda having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk of blind halt withered waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water, whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatever disease he had. And a certain man was there which had an infirmity 30 and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, wilt thou be made whole?

The impotent man answered him, sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put me into the pool. But while I am coming another, step it down before me. Jesus saith unto him, rise, take up thy bed and walk.

And immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked. And on the same day was the Sabbath. I will say this real quickly that sometimes you hear criticism that we do a lot of things and have a lot of ministries. And some people say, you know, you shouldn't be out trying to reach people on Sundays. Last time I checked, Jesus was still saving people on the Sabbath.

Now obviously the Sabbath was Saturday, but after obviously the Lord resurrected from the grave on the third day, that was obviously they said the first day of the week. That's why we have church on Sunday, all right? But even on the Lord's day, God still saves people. And by the way, he can save you today if you're not saved. Let's pray and then we'll get started this morning. Lord, we love you. And Lord, as we preach on this subject of being so close but so far away, Lord, it sometimes discourages me as a preacher to know that there are people sometimes that are so close and yet they're so far away. So Lord, I pray you'd help us today.

Bless us, Lord, in Jesus' name we pray, amen. In our text this morning, we are told of a place that was called Bethesda and they had five pools. I don't know if Ben is able to show that picture if he's able to or not. This is the actual pool of Bethesda. And I know it's kinda hard maybe for you to see real closely, but it's almost like a stairwell staggered and there's five different pools and each of those pools and areas had what we would call porches.

It's like our word for decks. And it would be like all these decks around these pools. This wasn't like recreational type pool. These were considered a holy place and obviously, so there's people scattered around through all these different pools and some believe different things, but we believe as the scripture taught that what happened is people with ailments would hang out at these pools and an angel would come and it says at a particular season. We don't know exactly when that was, how often or anything, but they would wait and when that angel would come and stir the water, the first person into the pool would be healed of that infirmity and that actually happened. Now we believe that, and I believe that they never knew exactly which pool that the angel was going to show up in. They would kinda hang out at a place and you would just kinda hope that at some point that the angel would probably show up at the particular pool that this individuals or the individuals were laying at.

Now we also know that this individual that we're talking about here, this man, had a problem and because of his particular infirmity, he could not get to the pool quick enough. Now this story has two main characters. A host of supporting roles and three main acts. You say well how is all that in just nine verses. Let me kinda lay it out systematically for you today and we wanna see a true picture of the grace of God. Notice number one with me, the multitude. Now that's in verses one through four.

These are all the people literally surrounding. Notice if you would verse one, it says that there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. So here he is in Jerusalem and there was in Jerusalem by the sheep market which was obviously probably the busiest place in town was the sheep market.

That's why so much of the Bible God referred to as the shepherd and his sheep because that was the main business done obviously in Jesus' day. The Bible says that there's this place called Bethesda having five porches and it also had five different pools. Now some believe that there was five different pools but there was probably a main one that people sat around. I don't know exactly, I wasn't there.

It's always up for debate so I'm just honest with you, we don't know those exact things. But in verse three, the Bible says that there was a great multitude. So this isn't four or five or 10 or 15 people laying there that had infirmity. Imagine Jerusalem obviously was much bigger than Kernersville and Kernersville obviously has a lot of people in it and there's a lot of sick people that has different ailments and if it was known that hey, there's a place over here we could go to and when the angel hits the water first one and you're gonna be healed of everything, imagine how many people would just swarm there with literally disease that they knew was gonna take their life and obviously they know they're gonna die.

Imagine all the people that would be there. So there was a multitude there and the Bible gives us a little bit of an example. It says there was impotent folk, there was blind, halt, obviously that would be different limbs that had been broken or limbs that had not been born straight or correct or different things.

There was withered and those are different kind of diseases and different things and it says this that they were waiting on the moving of the water. Let me notice number one this morning when we're looking at the multitude and I gotta give this just to give you a vision of what was going on here. Number one, this multitude, they were wretched.

The Bible says they were impotent, blind, halt and withered. Here is a group of people that you would probably have immediate pity for as you saw them. I mean there wasn't a whole bunch of good news around these people.

It was almost pitiful. I mean all the different cases and the only way I can kinda have a little bit of a grip on this is when my wife and I were at the hospital so long with Kayden and all of our visits still that we go back and forth, we have to go I think next Tuesday I think it is and we've got a big day at Chapel Hill with a lot of things. Whenever we go in we always feel better about our situation because you would not believe some of the cases, some of the children that we see. While we were at that hospital for those months we saw kids coming in and out and you just would not believe how pitiful those situations were.

As we go to the clinic there and as we visit the different doctors and you're in the waiting room and you just see things and your heart just bleeds and goes out to them and as bad as Kayden's situation is in different things we look and we say I don't know how that mother deals with that and I don't know how that father deals with that and I don't know how they go through that and your heart just breaks for them. That's exactly what was going on here and by the way you and I and our sin were wretched and if you've not been saved there's not a lot of good news in your life. If you've not given your heart to Christ dear friend I don't care if you've got an expensive car sitting in the parking lot and a huge house you're going back to and a bank account that is absolutely jam packed.

You've got nothing to look forward to if you don't have Christ. The second thing I want you to notice is not only were they wretched but they were waiting. The Bible says here that in verse three that they were waiting for the moving of the water. Do you know there's a lot of people today that are waiting for something.

They've tried just about everything there is to try and they're literally waiting on something good to happen. What was interesting here and I want you to get this that while they were waiting literally the great physician Jesus himself shows up right there by that pool and they didn't even notice. Here's a whole bunch of people waiting for an angel to trouble the water and the one that controls the angels walked right into their presence and they didn't even realize. In fact the Bible says that this lame man looked at Jesus and said sir he was just another individual to this man. In fact Jesus was probably just another individual to these people. Isn't it a shame for folks to literally go through life waiting for something, searching for something, trying to find something and yet Jesus is this close to you.

I want to let you know today if you're searching I know what you're looking for. You don't, you might not even realize and you might be oblivious but I'm here to tell you Jesus Christ is the answer to everything in your life and it would be horrible for you to be this close to him today and yet be so far away. I just for sake of time this morning there's two things and two instances where you see the heart of God for people in the Bible and that's everywhere but two things that I notice in Matthew chapter 23 you don't need to turn there, specifically verse 37 the Bible says and shows that Jesus was weeping over Jerusalem, what compassion, what a broken heart for people that have literally rejected him and yet he loved them so much. The others in Revelation chapter three when Jesus is knocking on the door and he says that literally Jesus is knocking on your heart's door. Dear friend do you know that Jesus is literally weeping over you and is trying to get you to let him in.

He is the answer. There's the multitude, they were wretched, they were waiting, I want you to notice number two I want you to see the man. Now this begins in verse five. Now we get specifics. It says and a certain man was there. What made this man different from everybody else that was laying at that pool?

Christ. You know why he was so special? Because he found Christ.

That's what made this guy stand out from everybody else and dear friend I'm here to tell you Christ will make the difference in your life. It says a certain man was there which had had an infirmity or had an infirmity 30 and eight years. Number one under this as the man I want you to see this number one he was disabled, he was disabled. Here is a man who was unable to do for himself. Look at verse seven the Bible says the impotent man answered him. This man did not have any strength or ability or power to move himself, to walk, to get up and if you think about it folks imagine this pitiful scene that here's a man that had been 38 years probably laying by this pool or at least a great portion of his life and he literally did not have the strength to try to crawl and pull himself to get to that pool. Every time he thought he had a glitter of hope of getting there the Bible says somebody would step in in front of him. By the way that is a picture of unsaved man. Like all those people at that pool. First come, first serve. That's our society isn't it?

They will step right over you for their needs to be met instead of meeting yours. You know the Bible gives a story about the Good Samaritan as he walked by an individual that he would have had nothing to do with what did he do? He took care of him before himself. Do you know being a Christian it means meeting others needs before your own and a picture of the world here is all these people met their needs and stepped right over this man to do it.

Isn't that something? He was disabled. By the way can I tell you this this morning if you've never asked Christ into your heart to save you you are disabled too.

And every one of us were by the way. You and I do not have the ability to save ourselves. We don't have the strength. We don't have the righteousness. We don't have what is required to appease the judgment of God. We are all disabled. We don't possess what it takes to be healed, to be saved, to be anything. We're disabled.

And dear friend if you're trying to earn salvation by being a good person or by doing good things or by being religious or by going through ritual or by going to confession or anything like that I'm here to tell you you don't have what it takes to be saved. I want you to notice number two not only was he disabled number two he was desperate. Just the fact that this man was at this pool is indication that he was desperate for healing. Here's a man if the angel did come would try to literally drag his own body across that concrete, that rock to try to get to that pool.

Now I don't know I wasn't there. I'm not gonna try to embellish a story and I don't have proof for it but I'm gonna tell you something you don't have proof either that it didn't happen but I could see literally this man and it wasn't obviously they didn't have decks and composite material and all the stuff that we have this is rough stuff he's crawling. He probably could have bloodied himself. He could have scraped his arms.

He could have whatever the case might be doing whatever it took. I didn't know what kind of strength. I don't know if maybe one arm didn't work and we know that obviously this Bible was lame. This man was lame and I don't know if he was trying to pull himself with one arm or two arms or I don't know if he was just trying to roll, if he was trying to drag. I don't know what he was trying to do but whatever he was trying to do everybody else seemed to be able to get there quicker than he could so he was in a bad situation. He was in a desperate situation. He had tried everything there was to try. He was at the only place that would give him any hope.

He was desperate and by the way that's exactly where you and I got to get to to find Christ. When you realize I cannot do it. I do not have the ability and let me tell you this number three I want you to see this.

Not only was he disabled and desperate but number three he was disappointed. Now notice this. This is what this man says and I love this. He said look at verse seven. Sir, I have no man.

He's saying this. I don't have anybody to help me. I have nobody.

Can I tell you this today? You have nobody either besides Jesus Christ. There's no man able to help you to salvation. There's no man that can save you. The Bible says by the way that we have as all men we're most miserable but we have the hope in Christ.

And dear friend I want you to know this man was disabled and he was desperate. You know what I find today is that there are people that are willing to try just about anything but God's plan for salvation. There are people that will try all these different religions and all these different things and I'm gonna be honest with you. As you and I go door to door sometimes and we talk to people and we give them the gospel there's almost part of us that feels like we're trying to explain something that's just not understandable to these people. Have you ever felt like that when you're giving the person the gospel?

You're thinking I know how this probably sounds to them. There's a man Jesus obviously and he came to earth. He's God but he came to earth and he was born of a woman but she was a virgin. She had never known a man but he was born to her.

That sounds a little suspect right there. And he lived 33 and a half years and he was crucified for doing nothing wrong. Really? And then he died and three days he was in the grave and then he rose from the dead and everybody saw it.

Oh really? And then he ascended into heaven and everybody saw it and he said I'm gonna come back and get ya. So what do I gotta do to be saved? You just gotta ask him to come into your heart and save you. What do you mean come into my heart, what does that mean? Well he comes and the Holy Spirit resides in your, oh really? You just think how do I explain this? And you think boy it takes faith to be saved doesn't it?

But I'm gonna tell you something. It takes more faith to believe, have to mess out there today. I mean I'm not criticizing the people but Kabbalah and Herakrishna and all this stuff and all the stuff that they tell you and all the stuff you have to do.

I'm thinking, and these people are growing even the Muslim religion it's growing like cats and dogs and I think that takes more faith to believe that than it does to believe the Bible. People will literally try anything but what God has to say. People will try religion, they'll try works, they'll try support groups, they'll try 12 step plans, they'll try everything there is to try except salvation. This man was disabled, he was desperate and he was disappointed. Time and time again he had watched other people get into the pool in front of him. Time and time again his dream of being healed was shattered.

Time and time again he would drag his broken body trying to get to the pool just to find another disappointment. And that's exactly what our lives were like before Christ. Now, let me say this no matter what a man tries to bring peace to their life, nothing will work but the blood of Christ. And let me just say this, that religion and good works will fail you.

Did you hear me? Religion will fail you. Let me read you a verse, Ephesians 2 eight, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. Do you know religion is of ourself? It is the gift of God, not of works, religion is works, lest any man should boast. So religion and good works are not gonna get you to heaven. Second, being a good person will not get you to heaven.

It will fail you. That's not gonna bring peace into your life. Matthew 19, 17, and he said in him, why callest thou me good? There is none good but one that is God.

So we're not good enough. Third thing is this, trusting in the goodness of God will fail you. You're like, wait a minute preacher, that didn't sound right.

Some people think, no God is a good God so he's not gonna send me to hell. Let me read you this verse. Romans 2 four, or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. That means this, the very inerrant goodness of God shows that you have to repent for salvation. Let me say this, that family associations are not gonna get you to heaven. Let me read you this about Paul.

I thought this was good. In Philippians chapter three, Paul said this, though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath, whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. In other words, Paul says, if there's anything in the flesh that some men think they could trust, Paul says, I've got more of that.

Listen to verse five, I circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, that's his heritage, of the tribe of Benjamin, that's his family, and Hebrew of the Hebrews, that's his religion, as touching the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Paul said, I had the pedigree, I had the family, I was religious, I was blameless, I had done everything that a man could do. I had the family, I had the works, I had everything, and he said this, but what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ.

It did me no good, Paul said, for salvation. We've seen the multitude, we've seen the man, he tried everything, but nothing worked. Number three, I want you to see the Messiah. I want you to notice first, his compassion. And I love this, by the way, I want you to look at verse six, it says, when Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case. Number one, under his compassion, his compassion, I want you to see this. Do you know that first off, Jesus chose him out of all the other people there that day at those pools.

Have you ever thought about this? The Bible says a certain man was there. The Bible says Jesus saw that man lying. Out of all those people, God chose him.

Jesus saw him, Jesus went to him. Why? I don't know. Why out of all the people in the world did God give me to Dan and Pat Haughtry? Why of all the people in the world does God let me pastor this church? Why of all the people in the world did God allow me to hear that clear presentation of the gospel, not once, but almost every night of my life before I finally gave my heart to Christ.

Dear friend, none of us have the answer, but you better thank God that he found you. And if you're here this morning and you've never been saved, you're here because he sees you. Out of all the people in the world, he brought you here.

You say, no, I drove myself here. He brought you here. And if you're here and you're saved, you're saved because the Holy Spirit saw you and drew you and told you about Christ. I don't know why he did it for us. And I don't know why of all the people in the world, he's been so good to us, but he has. That's his compassion.

Out of all those pitiful people laying there, he could have helped every one of them, but he helped him. And dear friend, you and I, I think if we're honest, we've got to feel that we're the most special person in the world to God. Every one of us feel that about us and God. How does everybody feel that? He is such a wonderful, amazing God that I think I'm his favorite and you think you're his favorite. Because I don't think God's been as good to anybody as he's been to me, and you probably think God hasn't been as good to anybody as he's been to you. His compassion. The Bible says there was a great multitude there that day, and you know what? There's a whole bunch of people around Kernersville, Winston-Salem, High Point, Greensboro.

Man, this area's growing and booming and houses are going up and businesses are going up and all those things. And dear friend, out of all the people in this area, why would God have allowed you to be saved, to know the truth? I want you to notice number two, not only obviously out of his compassion did he choose him out of all the others, but number two, he knew this guy's condition and he still cared about him. As bad as this guy was, physically, that made Christ love him even more. Can I tell you something? All of us were in really bad shape before we got saved.

Let me tell you something else. There's a lot of us that are still in really bad shape after we've gotten saved. But let me tell you why we're saved and forgiven. Because he loved us even in the condition that we were in. I want you to notice number three, under his compassion, that Jesus offered him a chance to start over. Here is a man who for 38 years had lived in a broken body.

Here is a man that had known the exact same routine and the exact same disappointment for 38 years. And yet the moment he met Christ, he was given a brand new start. That morning started with him laying on that deck or that pool or whatever you wanna call it. And he had started the way he had started every morning for 38 years, but that night he walked away from that place.

He had a brand new start. And dear friend, that's exactly what happens when you get saved by the grace of God. All the things in your past and all the wrong things and the wicked things, it's all forgiven.

God'll never bring it up again. You've been given a new chance, a new start, and a new beginning. Isn't it great being saved?

Man, that's exactly what you and I got, by the way. A brand new start. Let me say this if you notice verse six. When Jesus saw him, knew he had been there for a long time. Notice what he says at the end. Wilt thou be made whole?

Duh. Well if he knew he'd been laying there 38 years and he knew he'd been that way for all those years, don't you think the guy's gonna wanna be healed? He wouldn't have been at the pool if he didn't wanna be healed. So why would God ask? Mr. All-Knowing, don't you know?

Why would you ask? I've often thought about this, I've read and studied and you know, you got all kinds of different things and I don't think I really would probably know exactly why. But one possible explanation why Jesus asked him is this. He did this to basically get a confession of helplessness and dependence from this man. In other words, Christ wasn't gonna help this guy unless this guy realized that he could get no help except for Christ. Do you know that's exactly what Christ needs from you for salvation? That's what putting our faith and trust in Christ is. It's us saying I know that there's no other way to heaven, Jesus, but through you, that's salvation. It's I believe you lived, I believe you died, I believe what your word says and because I believe this, I know there's no other way, I can't earn it, I can't do anything to get it, I can only receive it through your blood that you shed for me. That's exactly what Jesus gets from us when we get saved and that's exactly what he got from this man before he healed him. Let me say this, as we look at this, we see his compassion. Number two, I want you to see his command.

We're almost done. Look at verse eight if you will, but Jesus saith unto him, rise. Now the only thing he had said to him already is this, wilt thou be made whole?

So obviously the man said, yeah, yes, please. And this is exactly what Jesus says. Rise, take up thy bed and walk. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kirtland Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at kirtlandbaptistchurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you. We'll see you next time.