Jesus Unfiltered - Believe - Jesus - Offers Hope to the Hopeless, Part 1

At some point in your life, you will face a time when something seems hopeless. A relationship goes south, a devastating financial setback, a loss of your health, something that just emotionally stops you in your tracks.

And when that happens, what do you do? Today we'll see how Jesus offers hope when it seems all hope is gone. Stay with me. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.

The mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians through the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. We'll stop for a minute and picture a gauge, like one you'd use to check the air in your tires. But instead, it measures anxiety. As you look around your life and community, I imagine that gauge is running pretty high. So where can we turn when our circumstances are utterly overwhelming? For that answer, stick around for these last two programs in our series, Jesus Unfiltered. Chip will show us the ways Jesus provided unexplainable hope for people in his day and how he's still doing that today.

So get at your Bibles and go to John chapter five. As we join Chip with his talk, Jesus offers hope to the hopeless. I'd like to have you think just for a minute of maybe the last time in your life you felt literally hopeless. Maybe it was a devastation of a relationship. Maybe it was a biopsy report. Maybe it was you walked into a room and walked out without a job or lost your home. Or maybe someone walked out on you or you got that phone call 1.30 in the morning and someone was in a car wreck. I mean, when was the last time you were just absolutely sensed that there is no way out of this?

I began to think of the sort of pictures in my mind and I thought of just almost like going through a Facebook in your mind of pictures from the past. Linden, tumor. Shannon, three-year-old baby with cancer. Jim, wife died in a car wreck. Young couple, this one-month-old baby died.

Sids. Think of just different people over time that I've been in a room and prayed and cried and life was just beyond their control. And I don't care who you are or where you've been, it doesn't matter how smart you are, doesn't matter how wealthy, doesn't matter how strong, how famous.

At some point in your life and in mine and in people that we love, you find yourself in a situation where it's beyond what you got and you can't fix it and you can't change it and you just are absolutely helpless and hopeless. We spent some time learning, so what is God really like in John? It's his authorized biography. And in chapter one, we learned that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And everything that has come into being came into being through him. And that Jesus is the Word, it became flesh and dwelt among us.

And that the God of the universe came fully man, fully God to explain the Father full of truth and grace. In chapter two, we learned that he wanted to launch a movement, a movement of love and so he started at a wedding and where there's joy and laughter and dancing and did sort of the unthinkable, you know, 180 gallons really in these big six jars of wine and declared that God is about life and love. And then in the same chapter he decided that he would clear the temple because cold religion with rules that were binding people and blinding them, he just, he addressed it that it was, there's no way that his Father's house could become a place just for marketeering and profiteering. Chapter three, he introduced this concept that it's not about anything external but you need to be spiritually born. And so the most religious man that we can find who is squeaky clean in his morals came to Jesus by night named Nicodemus. And Jesus, Nicodemus, unless you're born again, you can't enter the kingdom of God. And then in chapter four, if we really want to know what God is like, he just always has a heart for the marginalized.

People that no one cares about and so there's a woman with five husbands, she's living with a guy, she comes out in the middle of the day and she comes out then because she's socially ostracized. And Jesus breaks every barrier of culture and gender of racial prejudice and he invites her to receive eternal life and this person who knows very little and with absolute no background is the key to an entire city coming to know him personally as the disciples are scratching their heads and overcoming their prejudice. By the time we get to chapter five, Jesus is now revealing this is what God is like. He's a life giver. He's a lover. He's someone who cares.

He's someone that doesn't tolerate hypocrisy and using religion to make money. And then chapter five opens up and you'll notice on the front of your notes, it's strange. There's a story but it's one of the most unusual miracle stories in all the New Testament. We'll look at it in the middle. I mean it is just strange.

It's unusual and I'll tell you why. And then after this miracle story there's a conflict and the conflict is actually intentional and strategic. Jesus actually picks a fight. He does some things habitually to get head to head with the religious leaders. After that he does some teaching and it's been veiled and don't tell anyone there's a secret messiahship and he reveals it to this person, that person, but there's no more of that. He literally takes the gloves off and goes head to head with the religious leaders and speaks as directly and as clearly about who he is, his relationship with the Father, why he came, and what we all need to know.

And then after that there's a validation. He talks about witnesses that validate these outrageous claims that shocked those people. And then finally the question that he keeps asking them and asking us is will you, and you can write this down, will you believe? Will you believe? Will you trust me? Will you believe who I say I am? Will you believe when I tell you who I am? Will you believe I'm coming back? Will you believe to the point of putting your faith in me and actually following me?

And so that's where we're headed. What would Jesus say? Because you learn a lot about God and you learn a lot about people and how they respond to people whose lives don't work that are helpless and absolutely hopeless. Jesus purposely challenges the cultural status quo to reveal his person and his purpose in the world. So with that if you would open your notes as we read this unusual, unusual story about a miraculous healing. As I read it and you follow along I want you to think about what's different about this. The man shows no faith. What's different? Where does Jesus go?

What does he say or not say about himself? Sometime later chapter 5 Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the feast of the Jews. We don't know which feast but it's probably not the Passover.

Now there is in Jerusalem near the sheep gate pool which is in Aramaic called Bethesda which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to be, the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there, he'd been an invalid for 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he'd been in this condition for a long time he asked him, now think of this, this is an unusual question, do you want to get well?

Duh. Do you want to get well? And just before we go on I want you to visualize what it would be like to be an invalid for 38 years. Shriveled limbs, complete atrophy, spindly little legs, absolutely no thighs, he can't move, he can't even get himself into this pool of water, an emaciated person completely dependent on other people, absolutely hopeless. And Jesus asked what seems to be sort of a silly question, do you want to get well? Sir, the invalid replied, I have no one to help me get in the pool when the water is stirred.

While I'm trying to get in, someone else goes ahead of me. There was a tradition and a legend that this pool, an angel would visit this pool and when the waters would begin to bubble people would go there and be healed. Then Jesus said to him, get up, pick up your mat and walk.

At once the man was cured. He picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was the Sabbath. And so the Jews said to the man who'd been healed, it's the Sabbath, the law forbids you to carry your mat. But he replied, the man who made me well said, pick up your mat and walk. So they ask him, who is the fellow who told you pick up your mat and walk?

Now talk about strange. The man who was healed had no idea who it was for Jesus had slipped away in the crowd that was there. So he exercises no faith. Jesus doesn't even say who he is. He does one of these heals and runs.

I mean, you don't see that a lot. And the guy can't figure out what's going on. Later, Jesus found him at the temple and said, see, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who'd made him well.

Now that is another strange thing. Usually after Jesus heals people, the rare response is stop sinning or something worse is going to happen. Here's what I want you to understand. The Holy Spirit has placed this live historical event in this chapter, in this place, and it will set up teaching and you will not understand completely what's going on here until we get to the very end. So we have this strange, very strange actually, miracle. On the inside of your notes, I made a few observations because as you all know, we're learning how to study the Bible as well as going through the book of John. And so here's a couple observations I made. It's a strange question.

I mean, it is strange to ask, do you want to get well? There's no mention of his motive. He's not filled with compassion. We don't hear anything about Jesus like other miracles. He doesn't reveal his identity.

There's no instrumental means. I mean, often he touches someone or he takes dirt and makes mud and puts it on their eyes. All he does is just speak. He leaves immediately.

That's odd. I don't know of any other miracle where he does a miracle and then just slips into the crowd. He purposely creates controversy. He does it on the Sabbath so that as soon as this happens, they're uptight about this guy walking around and carrying this mat. He does that, you'll find in a minute, absolutely on purpose. The man expresses no gratitude.

It's not like, thank you, appreciate it. You know, it's been 38 years. I really didn't want to get well.

I was going for a 40-year record. I mean, think how strange this is. Can you imagine, I mean, your limbs would be shriveled. Immediately you're healed. You would have flesh.

You would have strength. You would think it like, thanks? Or who are you? Or what's going on? Nothing.

Very, very odd. Jesus affirms the relationship between sin and negative consequences. The Bible's really clear that all sickness is not because of sin. In fact, in chapter nine, the disciples say of this young person who grew up and then is he blind because of his parents' sin or his sin? And Jesus said, no, there's not always a one-to-one correlation.

It was neither of them. But it is true that some sickness, some illness, there is a relationship between sin and consequences. In fact, death ultimately is a result of sin. And apparently in this particular case, we don't know how long or how many years he lived before the 38 years, but apparently there was some sin going on that Jesus healed him. We also know in the Jewish mindset, this is all set up because Jesus wants to make a point. In the Jewish mindset, there was a concept that if a person, if there was any deformity or any sickness, they believed it was all a result of sin. In fact, that's why the disciples asked the question in John chapter nine. And then if someone was healed, they correlated that with their sins being forgiven. And so Jesus is literally doing a miracle in a strange, unique way because he wants to set the stage for a controversy so that he can reveal himself to the religious leaders as clearly and as powerfully and in a way that connects with their background and their belief system.

You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We'll get back to our series Jesus Unfiltered Volume One Believe in just a minute. But quickly, I want to remind you that we are in the middle of our year and match. Thanks to a few close ministry friends, every gift we receive until December 31st will be matched dollar for dollar.

For more information about how to partner with us, go to livingontheedge.org or call us at 888-333-6003. And thanks for doing whatever God leads you to do. Well, let's rejoin Chip now for the remainder of his message. And so with that, we move on to this idea at the end where he actually identifies himself as the one who healed. But then he also says, don't do this anymore. And he begins to intimate that he's going to judge.

Something worse may happen to you. He says, I know the future. With that, pick it up in verse 16.

The conflict then is intentional and strategic. Notice, so because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. And if you want to put a little line under doing those things, that's in a tense of the verb means he was habitually. So he was like healing on the Sabbath and then the next Sabbath, healing on the Sabbath and then healing on the Sabbath. In other words, he's the signet ring, the mark of being a Jew in this day was circumcision of your children. You're a part of the covenant and the Sabbath. It's absolutely holy. That's what makes us Jewish.

And they had an external belief system that, I mean, think about this. Instead of asking, aren't you the guy that's been laying here for 38 years? Wow, this is amazing. You can walk. Who did it?

How did it happen? I mean, doesn't it seem odd to you that they're more uptight about him walking on a holy day than they are about the miracle that happened? And see what Jesus is pointing out to them is that they made the means the end, that they have such a rigid religious system.

They've forgotten about mercy and grace and kindness and love and all they can think of and all they can see is the rules. And so he's habitually doing this because he's trying, he's poking at them. He's picking a fight. Jesus said to them, my father is always at his work this very day and I too am working. For this reason, the Jews tried all the harder to kill him. Not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he's even calling God his own father, making himself equal with God. Notice he says, my father is working. The Jews believe that when it says in Genesis God rested, that somehow God wasn't doing anything anymore. In fact, he only intervened maybe to punish wicked people or to empower righteous people. And he doesn't say the father or our father.

He says, my father. And they get the correlation and they realize this is outrageous. You're making yourself out to be God. And then notice their response.

Their response is for this reason, they're trying all the harder to kill him. So now the stage is set. Jesus has pushed very, very hard. And now the issue is who are you really? What's going on here?

Who do you think you are? You're claiming equality with God. And now what you're going to see is the most direct teaching, shocking. If you could be in the room and watch Jesus teach and then watch these Pharisees, the hair would first go up on the back of their neck and then it would go straight up and then their red face and the veins would be bulging. This is blasphemous.

This is the most ridiculous stuff. Who do you think you are? And what he's going to do is he's going to bring them to a crossroads like never before. Literally the gloves come off. No innuendo, no inferences, no. He's going to say, this is who I am.

And the direct teaching happens in two specific areas. Area number one, he's going to explain his relationship to the father. I mean, you and the father, you don't get it.

You've hinted at these things. You've made yourself to be equal with God. The second thing he's going to do, he's going to explain his relationship to the world, the entire world. We pick it up in verse 19. Jesus gave them this answer.

I tell you the truth. The son can do nothing by himself. He can only do what he sees his father doing because whatever the father does, the son does also. Notice he makes the point, the son is dependent, but he also makes this outrageous claim that he can see what the father is doing and then he's making an outrageous claim that the same things the father is doing, he is doing. I mean, literally these guys, the veins are starting to bulge. Verse 20, for the father loves the son and shows him all he does.

Now can you imagine that? This person standing in the flesh, the father, God, the maker of the universe, Yahweh, he shows me all that he does. I mean, their mouths are kind of open. They're looking at one another.

Who does this guy think he is? Yes, to your amazement, he will show him even greater things than these. So he says that the father and the son have mutual love for one another. They share knowledge. The father's all knowing. I'm all knowing. Verse 21, for just as the father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the son gives life to whom he pleases to give it. I mean, now this is outrageous. I mean, that little phrase, you might circle it just as.

They would have no problem. The father raises the dead. Only God can raise the dead, right?

Well, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And he says, yeah, the son, I have that same power. Verse 22, moreover, the father judges no one but is entrusted all judgment to the son. I mean, a Jew would go to 1 Samuel 2, 6 or Deuteronomy 32, 39. It would be only God can judge.

Only God could judge. I mean, he's saying, I mean, get this. The father and I are one. We have the same power. He's all knowing. I'm all knowing.

I see everything he does. In fact, the father doesn't judge. He's given me to judge.

And then the last one is sort of over the top. Why does he judge that all may honor the son just as they honor the father? He who does not honor the son does not honor the father who sent him. So he says he's dependent. He has mutual love. They're both all knowing.

They have equal power. He's the judge. And he should receive the same honor as God. You need to understand Jesus is bringing people to a crossroads.

There's only two options. You either believe and bow before him based on these miracles that he's doing, or you realize that we got to get rid of him and kill him and reject him. And it's interesting.

I would just pause today. I've been in a number of meetings lately with leaders of all kind of backgrounds of Christianity. And it's really interesting that people are fine with Jesus being a teacher. People are fine with Jesus having good moral influence. People are fine with Jesus can, you know, help shape the culture to make it better for everyone. But what I want you to know is that's not the Jesus in the New Testament.

The Jesus in the New Testament says, I'm the judge. I'm God. I'm unique. I verify it by miracles. I'm the only way to the father. I've come from heaven. I see what the father does. We have the same power.

We should receive the same honor. I am the second person of the Trinity and I am worthy to be worshiped and I'm going to demonstrate to you why. And I will tell you, you can say God in public, but it's really interesting when you begin to talk about Jesus and the uniqueness of Jesus and the level of animosity that that produces then and now. I mean, I've always wondered how can people, I mean, think of different religions. I've never heard people cuss with other religions. I mean, have you ever thought about that?

You know, blankety blank Buddha or son of a Mohammed. I mean, it's really interesting that there's something about the name of Jesus that, I mean, it divides. It's powerful.

It's clear. And he's bringing it to a head with the people that have been trusted with the truth that should be the people leading others to the father. And instead they become blind guides. This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and you've been listening to part one of Chip's message, Jesus Offers Hope to the Hopeless, which is from the first volume of our Jesus Unfiltered series titled Believe. Chip will be back shortly to share some helpful application for us to think about. A. W. Tozer once said, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. In this series, Chip's going to help us get a clear, accurate picture of Jesus by studying John chapters one through five.

Discover what this passage reveals about Christ as our Savior, Messiah, and the truth. If you've missed any part of this series or want to learn more about our resources, visit Living on the Edge dot org. Well, before we go any further, Chip's joined me in studio to talk about a really timely subject. Chip?

Thanks Dave. You know, I was watching television recently and watching this horrendous situation with the war in Israel. And the truth is, is that yes, there's external wars, but we as followers of Jesus, we're in a battle each and every day. We're in a spiritual war against the powers of darkness. We are commanded as followers of Jesus to stand and to fight against darkness, equipping ourselves for the battle by putting on the full armor of God. And that greatest weapon is what?

It's the sword of the Spirit, which is the truth of God's word. This battle is not against flesh and blood. It's against the rulers, the principalities, the powers, the forces of darkness. And God calls us to engage in spiritual battle.

It's happening in families. It's happening in churches. Division, discouragement, the enemy wants to take believers down. And we at Living on the Edge are committed to taking people deeper in their walk.

We don't want them just to have a little devotional or have a cultural understanding of Christianity. We need to be warriors for Jesus Christ who know the word, who can use the word, that know how to fast and pray and make a difference. And we at Living on the Edge are committing to train leaders and pastors and everyday Christians to do spiritual warfare in a way that makes a big difference. There's an invisible war and we're in it. Here's my question. Would you help us fight this battle? Would you be willing to say, I'm going to invest in Living on the Edge? God has always done the impossible in the midst of the most challenging times when things were darkest in the world.

And we're in one of those windows right now. Stand with us. Would you give today and make a difference in a battle that we will win by the power of Jesus Christ? Well, if you're passionate, like Chip is, about standing on the truth of God's Word amid the spiritual opposition we're facing, we'd love for you to partner with us. Your financial gifts will help us develop resources and cultivate meaningful partnerships to encourage Christians everywhere to live like Christians. And right now, every dollar you give is being matched dollar for dollar all the way up till midnight on December 31st. To join the team, go to livingontheedge.org or call us at 888-333-6003.

That's 888-333-6003 or visit livingontheedge.org. Life listeners tap donate. Well, here again is Chip to wrap up with a few final thoughts.

As we close today's program, if you or someone you know feels like they're in a really hopeless situation, I want to remind you of about two or three things and give you one very specific action item. Number one, you are valuable to God. He made you. He loves you. He created you. He designed you.

You may not like you, but He more than likes you. He really loves you. Number two, you are loved by God. I didn't say you felt it right now, but regardless of what you've done, where you've been, He loves you. He historically has sent His Son into the world to die, not just for the sins of the world, but to pay for your sins to open the door so that He could have a relationship with you. And third, you're not alone.

He is available 24-7. If you'll reach out, if you're willing to be healed, you know I talked in the message, there's a lot of people that what we want is we want the results, but we're not really willing to be healed. God, fix this as long as you don't get to say that to God. You come broken, hands up, and you say, Lord, if you'll just show me what to do, I'll do whatever you ask of me. I want to be made whole.

And I will tell you this, people do that. And so here's what I want you to do. Your action step is I want you to talk to someone today about your sense of hopelessness, someone that you know that is a Christian, someone that you respect, someone that walks with God. I want you to tell them, this is how I feel, because this is the first step to getting honest with God and honest with your need.

As you cry out to God, He will show you what to do. Thanks for that word, Chip. As we close, if you're looking for a way to get more out of our teaching, let me encourage you to download the Message Notes.

Now, this helpful tool is available for every program. They include a clear outline, all the scripture references, and lots of fill-ins to help you remember what you're learning. You can get them at LivingOnTheEdge.org, under the Broadcasts tab, App Listeners, tap Fill-in Notes. We'll listen in next time as Chip wraps up his series, Jesus Unfiltered, Volume 1, Believe. Until then, this is Dave Druey saying thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge.