This morning we want to read Beginning with verse 5 down through verse 9 And a man was there that is at the pool called Bethesda Here to the shape And a certain man was there which had an infirmity 30 and a 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, and another steppeth down before me. And 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. We have here in this section, our attention is drawn to Jesus and the Infinite Man. This is the second view that we're given. Remember the first view, the first picture that we had was of Jesus coming into Jerusalem and near to the Sheep Gate. And there was a pool of Bethesda and a great multitude. And there was five porches. There was a great multitude. of impotent folk. We would say people today. That is our picture. That was the scene that we looked at last week. The pool called Bethesda, and near to the Sheep's Gate, and a great multitude of people. Tell us how many hundreds of people was there, just says a great multitude. I mean, it would be enough if it was said a multitude was there. But scripture says a great multitude. In other words, there was much people in that multitude were impotent, sick, and diseased. And now we come to the second picture, the second view. If you can visualize it in your mind's eye, there's the pool, the body of water, a retention pond, whatever you want to call it, the sheeps gate, where they brought the sacrifices in through. And a large number of people, hundreds, of impotent folk, blind, lame, withered, are there. In this picture that we have now before our eyes, Jesus chooses one man. Jesus chooses one. Not the multitude. But he chooses one. What was so special about this one man? Well, there's nothing special. He wasn't any different than the rest. He was poor. And withered. He was impotent. So we have a picture now of Jesus choosing this one man, Jesus. Jesus, the one who has the power to meet the need. He had the power to meet the need of this great multitude of impotent folks. But he chooses one. And such is the world. There's a great multitude of people in the world. They're impotent. They're helpless to do anything for themselves. has the power. We notice here the man's distressed condition. He was paralyzed, and he had been in this condition for 38 years. It don't tell us this man's age, and it doesn't say that he was that way from birth. It just tells us that he'd been in this condition a long time. 38 years. That's the age of my daughter, my baby. She's my baby. In 17 days, she'll be 38. 38 years! This man was in this condition, helpless. Couldn't do anything for himself. Couldn't even couldn't even get himself To the body of water and be the first one there Where he knew it when the waters were agitated when the waters were troubled That the first one in that water Would be healed Do nothing To get himself to the pool of mercy to the house of mercy If you're without Christ, you're like man. You're in a desperate condition. We said the great multitude is a picture of the world. The great multitude in the world that are without Christ, they're impotent, they're helpless to do anything for themselves. They're dead in their sins and in their trespasses. They're dead in iniquity. Can a dead man do anything? He can't do anything. He can't do anything to help his condition. Turn with me to the book of Ephesians. The book of Ephesians in chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, and we're going to read verses 1 through 3, and I want you to pay attention. to what these verses are telling us. In verse 1 we read, and you hath a quicken. That is, these were made alive. How were they made alive? They were made alive going back to the first chapter. Remember, the chapter divisions weren't there in the original manuscript. It read like a letter with paragraph divisions. These folks were, some of these folks were made alive and they were made alive by the same power of God that raised Christ from the dead and set him at the right hand of God and made him Lord over all things. But notice what it said concerning those who were made alive. At one time, they were dead in trespasses and sins. And so is everyone that has not been made alive by the power of God. They are dead in their trespasses and sins. And they manifest that they are dead in trespasses and sins. Wherein in times past you walked according to the course of this world Notice the path that there notice the way that they walk in They walk according to the course of this world which is common and normal and natural to the way of the world According to the prince power of the air Satan according as he walks. That's the way they walk. If you're here and without Christ this morning, you're walking according to the course of this world. You're walking in the same way, in the same path as Satan walks. The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. You're a child of disobedience. It doesn't matter what you do. It doesn't matter the good that men may think that you do. You're a child of disobedience. Disobedient to God. Verse 3, among whom also we all had our conversation, our behavior, our manner of life in times past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. You see, that's the way they walk. They walk according to the flesh. They fulfill the desires and passions of the mind. Whatever they desire, they do. They do as they please. And we're by nature the children of wrath. That is that you're a child of wrath. The wrath of God abides upon you. All these that walk in that way and walk in that path. They are said to be dead in trespasses and in sins It's not the way Of the Lord Jesus Christ Turn with me to the book of Psalms the book of Psalms chapter 9 And look with me here at verse 17 Actually, I want to go up to verse 16 and begin our reading Verse 16 of chapter 9 of the Psalms I The Lord is known by the judgment which he executes. The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Here you go on, Sheila. Think about that. The wicked is caught up in the works of his own hands. His works. Isaiah chapter 64 verse 6 says there's filthy rags In the side we're going Verse 17 the wicked shall be turned into hell And all the nations that forgive God, all those who forgive, the wicked and the wicked nations, they're going to be cast into hell. They're going to be cast into eternal fire, eternal damnation. Why? Because they're caught up in the works, in their own works. And they do not, the will, Desire of God second Thessalonians Second Thessalonians in chapter 1 Verse 7 Speaking to saved members of the church at Thessalonica, we read, and to you who are troubled, rest with us. You'll be refreshed. You'll be relieved. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter whether you say, I believe in God, I believe in Jesus. Well, guess what? The devils believe also. It's not enough to believe in God You must obey You must obey if you truly believe in God if you truly believe in Jesus Then your life. Oh it You'll be different We shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, from the glory of his power. You see, eternal separation from God. Any eternal fire. What's eternal mean? Never ending. And yes, you're going to have a new body that is fitted for that. These bodies would be consumed, but the unsaved are going to receive a new body that's fitted for eternal destruction, eternal suffering in the lake of fire. Oh, but Jesus is to this one, to this one soul that was in great need. He was in a desperate condition. He could do nothing to help himself. He was impotent. That's what the word impotent means. It could do nothing for himself. Jesus had compassion. It was heartwarming It was touching And it was revealing He he saw the man the one man I mean he could see the hundreds of people around but his eyes focused upon this one man Whom he knew He knew all about him. He knew all about his precondition. He knew how long he'd been there. There was nothing that he did not know. In fact, turn with me to the book of Hebrews in chapter 4. The book of Hebrews in chapter 4. Verse 13, we read this. Neither is there any creature, any of his creation, that is not manifested in his sight. He sees it all. He sees all of his creation. He created it all. Everything that is in the heavens and everything that is in the earth, He created. John chapter 1 verse 3. That is not manifest in His sight. That is, He sees it. He sees it all. There's nothing that is hidden from Him. But all things are naked and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." He sees it all. Nothing is hidden from Him. So He knew everything about this woman. He knew all the rest of them were in the same condition. A helpless, hopeless condition. But he had compassion. He had mercy on this one. He chose this one. Did he have the right? Yes, he had the right. He's the creator. He's the potter. They're the clay. He has a right to do it as he pleases. They chose to be merciful. It was Jesus that initiated it, not this man, this impotent man. This man didn't get in his face and initiate it. Jesus initiated it. And so it is today. Any man that's going to be saved, it's got to be God that initiates it. It's got to be Jesus that initiates it. So Jesus initiated this relationship. And He approached the man. And He reached out to the man. and help. He has compassion. He's a merciful God. He has compassion on those that are His. Matthew chapter 1 and verse 21, the angel revealed to Joseph, That that which Mary has conceived is of the Holy Ghost. And she, Mary, shall call his name Jesus. Why are you going to call him Jesus? That's not a family name. She shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people, his people, from their sins. See, not all people or his people. Not all that great multitude that was there at the Pool of Bethesda was his people. But this one man, this one infinite man, was his. Turn with me to the Book of Psalms. The Book of Psalms in Chapter 86. Psalms chapter 86 and verse 15. Verse 15 of Psalm 86. But thou, O Lord, are a God full of compassion and gracious, long-suffering, and plenty of mercy and truth. And you have to say that He is so with even the wicked. If He were not long-suffering with even the wicked, what would happen? They can cast into eternal destruction right now! But no, He's longsuffering. He's waiting for the time, appointed. And they shall be cast into everlasting destruction. He's full of compassion, and gracious, and longsuffering, and He's plenteous in mercy. You can't exhaust his mercy can't exhaust his grace Praise God Turn with me to the hundred and eleventh psalm Psalm 111 And look with me at verse 4 in this psalm psalm 111 verse 4 I He hath made his wonderful work to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. I thank God that he's full of compassion. I thank God that he's gracious. You see, I've experienced the graciousness and the compassion of the Lord. Have you? Turn with me to chapter 103. Chapter 103. And looking with me at verse 13. Chapter 103 and verse 13. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. So the Lord pitieth them that are his. For they are the ones that fear him. They are the ones that revere him. They are the ones who stand in awe of his mighty power. Look with me at verse 17. But the mercy of the Lord is everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him and His righteousness unto children's children. You see, His mercy, His mercy was on me in eternity. Before ever I was born. before ever the heavens and earth were created by Him. He loved me. And because He loved me, He predestinated me to be called and conformed to the image of His Son. He purposed to be merciful unto me because He loved me. But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us with Christ Jesus. By grace, we are saved. And if you want to look that up, it's Ephesians 2, 4, and 5. God who is rich in mercy Yes, his mercy Was there in eternity and he purposed to be mercy to me a sinner The book of Hebrews Chapter 4 The book of Hebrews chapter 4 Verse 15. Well, we have not an high priest. We have not an intercessor. We have not a mediator. That's what a high priest was, a mediator between man and God. Christ is our great high priest. He's our mediator. between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, with the feeling of our afflictions, with the feeling of our weakness and our sickness. Why? Because he was a man. But was in all points tempted like as we are yeah without sin You see he faced that temptation. He faced it without sin Because He faced it It was victorious over sin And he's our mediator We can face the same trials, the same temptations, the things that are common to man. We can face them. We too can be victorious. Not in our own power, not in our own strength, but in the power and might of Almighty God. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will give us the victory too. Oh, that's compassion. That's mercy From our The book of Colossians The book of Colossians in chapter 3 Verse 12 Colossians 3 12 Put on therefore as the elect of God, as those whom God loved before the foundations of the earth and chose them to be predestinated, to be conformed to the image of his Son. You're the elect of God. You're the chosen of God. Now, behave like God. His way, walking His path. How's that? Holy and beloved. That word beloved goes to loving much people. You have to be holy to be loving to people. You've got to be holy and you've got to be loving to people to have vows of mercies and kindness. These are all characteristics and traits of God. And as the elect of God, as the chosen of God, as the children of God, those are characteristics and traits that we ought to have, too. Just like the natural sun has characteristics and traits that are common to his father or to his mother. For we, as the children of God, ought to have characteristics and traits in us that identify us with God. That we are the chosen of God. Oh, have you been able to see God's choosing in this impotent man? There was a great multitude, don't hold sight of that. Did he heal them all? No, he chose one. Out of that great multitude, out of the hundreds of people that lay there in the orchards and around that pool, suffering, waiting for the troubling of the water, waiting for the agitation of the water, and Jesus comes along and he chooses one. to be merciful to Him, to be compassionate to Him. Jesus told His apostles, told His church, His first church, in John 15, verse 6, Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that ye should go and bring forth food. We didn't choose Him. We couldn't choose him. No man will choose him. No man will decide to be a follower of Christ. God must work. And once God works, then they'll come. And Jesus said, all that the Father hath given me in John chapter 6, all that the Father hath given me Shall come to me And I'll catch none You receive everyone Everyone that comes to him and all that the father has given shall come to him They shall be made willing in the day of his power turn with me the book of Romans the book of Romans in chapter 9 So Jesus told his apostles there that they didn't choose him He chose them John Romans chapter 9 and verse 15 For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom mercy a couple verses before that says Jacob have I loved Esau have I hated I chose Jacob. I didn't choose Esau. I chose Jacob to be my seed bearer. Not Esau. So in verse 15, he says, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. And I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. It's his right. He's the potter. Where the clay tells us down a few verses later uses Example he makes one under honor and he makes one under dishonor as it pleases him His choosing Turn with me the book of lamentations the book of lamentations In chapter 3 Verse These are verses that you hear referred to and quoted all the time. But I want you to turn to them. I want you to see it for yourself. It is in the Word of God. I want you to see it when your eyes see it, then you have more of a tendency to remember it. Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 22, it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. It's of the Lord's mercies. It's of His compassion and His mercies that we are not destroyed. Because His compassions fail not. In fact, it tells us they are new every morning. Praise God, I'm glad. I'm glad that His compassions of mercy are new every morning. Why? Because every day I'm in need of a fresh supply of His mercies. Just gonna might sin that day. I'm good, probably sin that day. And I'll need him to be merciful to me. I'm a vile and wicked sinner. Praise God, I'm saved by his grace. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his shed blood. But I still sin. And I'm waiting the day when I'll not sin anymore. And that'll be when I'm in His presence. That's a glorious feeling. Completion of our salvation. How does he do this? How does he choose? How does he save? How does he show compassion and mercy? Well, he does this through the message of the Word, the message of the Gospel, the witness of family and friends, the witness of the Word. Turn with me to the book of Romans. Romans chapter 10. And look with me at verse 14. Everybody wants to quote Romans 10, 13. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But you better go beforehand and read the verses beforehand. And you better read verse 14. We're going to read verse 14 to you now. Verse 14 is a summation of what he said before that. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? You see, belief is necessary. You've got to believe first. You've got to be persuaded. You've got to have full confidence that salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood. And then it's going to change you. How are you going to believe in Him of whom they have not heard? How are you going to believe if you've not heard? that you must believe, that you must repent of your sins and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood. You must hear it. And how shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they hear without one that proclaims that good news to them? The news of Jesus Christ. Salvation is in Jesus Christ. And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things, whether it be family or friends or just a individual, a Christian out there in the community witnessing of the gospel of Jesus Christ, God Has sent them he has sent his church He sent this church to be that witness out into the communing out into Jerusalem out to Mary out into the other parts of the earth He sent them To be the gospel bearer verse 17 says so then faith Faith that that full confidence fully persuaded that Christ is it, that He is to the saving of your soul, cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. You see, the Word of God is proclaimed. And the Holy Spirit of God causes you to hear that Word. And then He gives you repentance and faith. Turn with me to the book. Well, no, you don't have to turn there. Mark chapter 16 and verse 15. He told his church, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel unto whom Undid you do like Jesus did choose this one to tell it to and choose this one No to every creature because we don't know who has chosen. We don't know who it is that he's given Lord Jesus Christ the word bear the good news To every creature First Corinthians First Corinthians. Chapter one. Verse 18 so. He's chosen. He's chosen. Foolishness. Of the preaching of the cross. To be. The instrument. Of salvation. For the preaching of the cross, verse 18 of 1 Corinthians chapter 1, for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But unto us which are saved, it is the power of God. It was that power that God used by the Holy Spirit of God to bring conviction to my soul and give me repentance. in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, verse 21. For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. And Acts chapter 13 verse 44 tells us that all those that believe were ordained of God, predetermined by God unto eternal life. Turn with me to the book of John, in chapter 17, in verse 2. I'll show you this about Jesus Christ. Verse 1 says, In John chapter 17 verse 1 these words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven And said father the hour has come glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee As thou has given him the son the Lord Jesus Christ power over all flesh He has all power over everything that he's created that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him, as many as the Father hath given him. And I remind you again, John 6, verse 37, All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me, shall come to me, and I will not cast them out. He will receive them. Oh, the man was in a helpless condition. Desperate condition. He had no family. He had no friend. He had no other man to help him but the power of God. The power of God. came to him. Oh, and don't miss this. It's been the basis of the whole message. It's the power of God that brings men out of their helpless and hopeless condition. We that were in sin, we that were without Christ, Romans chapter 5 tells us we were without strength. Verse 6. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 12 tells us that, well, verse 1 told us we were dead in sins and trespasses. Told us the way of our life. Verse 12 said, and being in that condition, without strength, we were without God. And being without God, we had no hope. No hope. of ever being with God. No hope of ever any help for our dead condition. God, we see the power of God. Jesus did not say, I will be thou healed, rise up and walk. There's no word of healing to this man. He only commanded him to act. He expected obedience. He said, Raj, take up thy bed and walk. He demanded obedience. He demanded, you obey my command. Jesus told his church, if you love me, John chapter 14 and verse 50, if you love me, keep my commandments, obey my commandments. Pretty simple, isn't it? If this impotent man believed, he would obey. He would rise, he would take up his bed, and he would walk. But what if he didn't believe? I mean, here you are, and you can't, you're impotent, you can't walk, you can't even get down into that pool to do anything for yourself, and this man comes along, and he tells you, get up. Pick up your bed and walk. What would make you believe that you can? For 38 years you haven't been able to. What makes you think now some man comes along and tells you to do it, that you'll be able to do it? Well, if you didn't believe, what's he gonna do? He's going to continue to lie there in his helpless condition, is he not? Oh, it's a clear fact. If we believe him, we obey him. If we do not believe, we do not obey. We're in disobedience. Last week we used the illustration of Luke chapter 17 verse 14 of the of the 10 lepers who came to Jesus begging for help, begging to be healed of their left. And pretty much an incurable disease. Just ate away until you passed away. And they come to Jesus begging for help. And Jesus said, go show thyself to the priest. Well, why should I go show myself to the priest? I know I'm a leper. The priest is just going to say, yeah, you're a leper. And he's going to quarantine me from the rest of the nation. Did these men say that? No. And as they were going, as they were obeying Jesus' command to go show themselves to the priest, they were all healed. Why? They were all healed because they believed and obeyed. We read James chapter 2 verse 17 last week said, even so faith if it hath not works is dead. If you say you have faith but there's no obedience to the commands of God, to the word of God, then you have a dead faith. This is not faith at all. Do you know that God charged Moses and Aaron with unbelief? Sure did. In the book of Numbers in chapter 20, again they've come to a rock a second time. After the first time when you told to strike the rock and rivers of water came on and people all drank and their thirst was quenched. But now they've gotten in themselves in a condition that there's no water and they're thirsty and we're going to die here in this wilderness. And they come to the rock and the Lord says to Moses and to Aaron, you go and speak to the rock. What did Moses and Aaron do? They disobeyed God. They went and struck the rock. Moses was angry, struck the rock. The water came out. God took care of his people. We should go down a few verses from that verse. You see, God said to Moses and Aaron, You did not believe me to sanctify me wholly unto the people. You shall not enter into the promised land. And it's called the waters of Meribah. Because they obeyed not God. They did not believe God. He charges our disobedience with unbelief as well. It was, verse 9 of our text says, it was the Sabbath. Huh, what a sweet thing to put in there. Why did he put that in there? It was the Sabbath. The very day that Jesus healed this impotent man was the Sabbath day. Not only did he heal this man on the Sabbath day, but he told this man to take his bed, carry his bed. That was work on the Sabbath day. Well, this was a violation of The Jewish law was a valet of the commandments given at Mount Sinai in Exodus chapter 20. But why is that put there? Well, it sets us up for the next picture, the next scene that we're going to see next week in those verses.