Scripture:

John 5:5-6　And a certain man was there, who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness. When Jesus saw this one lying there and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, Do you want to get well?

I. The Lord went to Jerusalem:

  1. Jerusalem is the foundation of peace, the dwelling place of God—a place full of peace, joy, and honor. The Lord went to Jerusalem in the time of a feast. A feast is for man’s happiness and rejoicing. It was the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is for man to rest.
  2. So this particular day was a time for peace, joy, and rest.

II. Jesus met the weak person:

  1. In Jerusalem on that day, men should have been rejoicing, but everyone whom the Lord Jesus met was suffering.
  2. Pain and weakness are due to sickness. The weakness caused by sickness in this man signifies the weakness of death caused by man’s sin.
  3. The weak man’s suffering is not only because he is sick; it is also because he knows how to do what is needed and what is right but cannot do it because he lacks the strength.
  4. Although there is a way to be good, because of weakness man cannot do it.

III.  The Lord’s salvation:

  1. The salvation of the Lord was completely unexpected by this weak man. All his attention was fixed on the water of the pool.
  2. The Lord in His salvation was seeking out the man rather than the man seeking out the Lord. The Lord asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
  3. The reason the Lord’s word can save people is that there is life in His word. The healing of the death depends on the life. There is life in the Lord’s word. Once man receives His word, the weakness is changed to strength.

IV. The Lord’s saving power:

  1. The Lord’s salvation was not only able to cause him to rise up and walk; it also caused him to take up his mat and walk. Formerly, he depended on his mat, but now he controls the mat. For some people their mat is movies, wine, cigarettes, gambling, etc.
  2. He not only made the weak man become strong, but He made him strong to the point where he could overcome all kinds of habits and obstacles.

V. The result of the Lord’s salvation:

  1. Peace: After he rose and walked, he had peace and rest.
  2. Joy: When you have God’s life, you have a real joy and a real feasting. Once you are saved, you have the feast of salvation. Then you can enjoy your salvation.
  3. You have God’s presence. God becomes your companion, and you are in Jerusalem.