August 19, 2018 NOTES NOT
EDITED
The Counselor, Pt3:
Discouragement
John 5:1-16
SIS: Though we live in a broken, sinful world full of discouragement, the gospel story gives us hope that discouragement does not have
to become a way of life.
SIS: Though we live in a broken, sinful world full of discouragement, the gospel story gives us hope that discouragement does not have
to become a way of life.
One of the most
harshly criticized and yet highly successful leaders in history was Sir Winston
Churchill. Without Churchill England
would have certainly been lost to Hitler, and the entire outcome of WW2 could
have been tragically different for the entire world. Biographers record many times in Churchill’s
life when he faced great discouragement from both the circumstances of war and
the chastisement and criticism of his political opponents. Churchill never surrendered, either in war or
to a personal attack. He never let
discouragement take root and bear its ugly fruit. On one occasion, a very well-to-do and
socially upper crust member of English society was overheard criticizing,
upbraiding, and chastising Churchill at a political rally. Perchance the lady came face to face with
Churchill and continued excoriating him directly. With the precision of a spitting cobra the
lady delivered verbal venom saying, “Sir, if I were your wife, I’d put poison
in your tea!” Churchill, not willing to
shrink away discouraged replied with equal acrimony saying, “Lady, if you were
my wife, I’d drink it!” Churchill could
not prevent the verbal assault, but he could keep it from plunging him into
discouragement.
Circumstances abound to which, if we give in, they overwhelm us to the point of despair and discouragement. Discouragement will paralyze us emotionally and spiritually as surely as polio paralyzes one physically. Our text this morning shows us how we can overcome the paralyzing effects of discouragement by prostrating ourselves before the King of Heaven. The message in every miracle is hope. Let’s Read about that hope. John 5:1-16.
Circumstances abound to which, if we give in, they overwhelm us to the point of despair and discouragement. Discouragement will paralyze us emotionally and spiritually as surely as polio paralyzes one physically. Our text this morning shows us how we can overcome the paralyzing effects of discouragement by prostrating ourselves before the King of Heaven. The message in every miracle is hope. Let’s Read about that hope. John 5:1-16.
As we unwrap this
miracle we see that the message has three distinct parts. First, there are FOUR PICTURES THAT FRAME
THIS GOSPEL STORY; second, there are FOUR ACTIONS THAT ACTIVATE DISCOURAGEMENT;
and finally, there is ONE ACTION THAT DE-ACTIVATES DISCOURAGEMENT.
I. Four
Pictures That Frame the Gospel Story
No miracle in the Bible happened in a vacuum. All miracles are framed by the story of the gospel. Physical comfort is a by-product of God’s mercy, but not the central issue. As I often say, “Jesus did not die so that we could be happy; He died so that we could be holy.”
No miracle in the Bible happened in a vacuum. All miracles are framed by the story of the gospel. Physical comfort is a by-product of God’s mercy, but not the central issue. As I often say, “Jesus did not die so that we could be happy; He died so that we could be holy.”
(1) Notice
first the picture of a DESPERATE
World (1-3)
After this,
a Jewish festival took place, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 By the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called
Bethesda in Hebrew, which has five
colonnades. 3 Within
these lay a large number of the sick—blind, lame, and paralyzed.
It is unlikely as a high school graduate you escaped a
journey to Walden’s Pond and the transcendental thoughts of Henry David
Thoreau. This 19th century
commentator on life once said, The
mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation . . . Despair is concealed even
under what are called the games and amusements of mankind.
Our text paints a terrible picture of man’s plight with a lump of broken bodies strewn about on the covered porches surrounding a mythical healing pool. Men and women desperate for a better life, a clear path, a more significant purpose. The gospel is “good news” precisely because the state of mankind is so bad. The world is a desperate place where hope is pursued but not **appropriated***
Our text paints a terrible picture of man’s plight with a lump of broken bodies strewn about on the covered porches surrounding a mythical healing pool. Men and women desperate for a better life, a clear path, a more significant purpose. The gospel is “good news” precisely because the state of mankind is so bad. The world is a desperate place where hope is pursued but not **appropriated***
(2) Notice also the picture of a DELIVERING Savior (6).
5 One man was there who had
been sick for 38 years. 6 When
Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to get well?”
What does the number five in the Bible mean? Well, first of all it means 1 plus 4 or 2 plus 3. It is a quantity; a standard of measure. Yet, in the context of the gospel story it is something more. Five is considered the “number of grace.” The healing pool is called, “Bethesda,” meaning, “grace.” The “Fifth Commandment” is the only one with a promise (grace) attached to it. It was with five loaves Jesus that Jesus graced the hungry multitude. We have a desperate, drowning throng in need of deliverance. We have the desperate souls of mankind meeting the Delivering Savior on the porch near the pool called, “grace.” The pool is near the Gate of Sheep, pointing to the Delivering Savior as the “sacrificial Lamb Who takes away the sin of the world.” There is no more joyful, hopeful place than at the intersection of human desperation and Divine Deliverance.
(3) We
also have the picture of DEAD Religion
(10-11, 16)
10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is
the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to
pick up your mat.”
The Jews represent religion without a relationship with
God. There are two particular versions of religion that must be avoided as if
they harbored fleas carrying the bubonic plague. Religion will impoverish you,
if not materially, certainly it will impoverish you spiritually. The word translated, “mat,” often refers to
the bedding of the impoverished forced to camp out on the streets. Nothing will kill hope quicker than “dead
religion.” It really doesn’t matter if
that religion is considered, “dead right,” or “dead wrong.”
The world is drowning
in sin and despair, with the flood waters of disaster rising every day. A drowning man cannot save Himself. A drowning world needs a RESCUER. DEAD religion cannot bring life and hope any
more than one drowning man can save another drowning man.
Apart from the gospel story there is NO hope for our despair.
(4) Now, consider the picture of a DEDICATED Disciple (13-15)
Apart from the gospel story there is NO hope for our despair.
(4) Now, consider the picture of a DEDICATED Disciple (13-15)
13 But the man who was cured
did not know who it was, because Jesus
had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14 After this, Jesus found him in the temple
complex and said to him, “See, you are
well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” 15 The
man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
In verse 13, the man didn’t know who healed him. But, another encounter with Jesus in the Temple, and the man knew exactly who healed him (v15). A dedicated disciple is always seeking a deeper understanding of Who Jesus is, and what Jesus requires of us. The call to “sin no more” (v14) is the essence of the disciple’s call to increased holiness. We call it, “sanctification.”
Jesus will meet us
where we are—blind, crippled, desperate—but Jesus never intends for us to stay
there! Dedicated disciples live holy
lives. That’s the sparkling jewel of
salvation.
The framework of
every miracle is to demonstrate that “apart
from the gospel story, there is no hope for our despair.”
II. Four Actions
that AGGRAVATE Discouragement
The worst outcome you
can have when circumstances bring you to a point of discouragement is to let it
become a way of life. Three actions
aggravate feelings of discouragement.
(1) TOLERATION (5)
“sick for 38 years!” Never stop fighting. Never give up.
(1) TOLERATION (5)
“sick for 38 years!” Never stop fighting. Never give up.
(1)
EXAGGERATION (7a)
Lame Man: I have “no one
to help.” Elijah likewise exaggerated his
situation: I am the
“only one left.” When we exaggerate our circumstances
we complicate our recovery. I like to
remind people, “A person can make excuses or make progress, but one cannot do both.” The
man began to make excuses for his condition and it only exaggerated the size of
his problem.Toby came into the office an hour late for the third time in one week and found his boss Mr. Epstein waiting for him. "What's the story this time, Toby?" Mr. Epstein asked sarcastically. "Let's hear a good excuse for a change." Toby sighed, "Everything went wrong this morning. My wife decided to drive me to the harbor. She got ready in ten minutes, but then the ferry didn't turn up." "Rather than let you down, I swam across the river, ran over the mountain, borrowed a bicycle and cycled the 20 miles through the field to this office." "You'll have to do better than that, Toby," said Mr. Epstein, disappointed. "No woman can be ready in ten minutes.”
(2) HESITATION (7b)
“someone
goes down ahead of me.”
It takes little to no
effort to get a place at the “end of a
line.” There are no “participation
trophies” in life. Success is never
found at the end of a line, but is greatly enhanced at the starting line. Very often great finishes are secured by the
way a runner starts.
We have all kinds of clichés and adages in regard to the value of “striking while the iron is hot.” Well, there’s one. We all have been told numerous times, “the early bird gets the worm.”
We have all kinds of clichés and adages in regard to the value of “striking while the iron is hot.” Well, there’s one. We all have been told numerous times, “the early bird gets the worm.”
Doubt and
discouragement are close cousins.
Hesitation fuels doubt and doubt leads to despair. In the book, My Ancestor Was An Ancient
Astronaut, we read, “Doubt is a
creature within the air. It grows when someone hesitates.” I’ve always been
fascinated by the simple Scripture text that records Matthew’s call to ministry
by the Lord. Upon hearing the Lord’s
call, the Bible records, “And immediately ******.” Unless the Lord specifically commands us to
wait, we should be on the move.
Hesitation is the food discouragement feasts upon.
(3) ACCOMMODATION (7)
7 “Sir,” the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”
(3) ACCOMMODATION (7)
7 “Sir,” the sick man answered, “I don’t have a man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I’m coming, someone goes down ahead of me.”
By “Accommodation” I
mean taking a course of action that attempts to shape God’s holiness to
facilitate our sinful condition. We look for fleshly ways to meet our
needs. Accommodation is a form of
compromise. It leads us to straddle the fence between
flesh and spirit. Seeking hope and
holiness through religion is a type of accomodation. Seeking purpose through pleasure or
prosperity is a type of accomodation. A
functional alcoholic trying to manage his or her drinking instead of abstaining
is a form of accomodation. Accomodation is a sort of “halfway house” where our
addiction to worldliness is not quite set aside or overcome, but only managed.
We stop hating our sin and just try to live in harmony with it.
The church is full of people who are “compensating” for their condition instead of conquering it through Christ. The Bible says,
“more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37). No compensation. No accommodation. No Compromise. Only complete and total victory through a “Spirit-led, sold-out, sanctified life of sacrifice.”
The Paralytic Man remained powerless until He came face to face with the Living Lord. He had to stop TOLERATING his condition. He had to stop EXAGGERATING his condition by making excuses. He had to stop HESITATING at the cross-roads of doubt and faith. Finally, to get victory over disease and discouragement, he had to stop COMPENSATING for his sin and confront his need for a Savior.
Yet, confronting the reality of one’s desperate state is only part of the the path to overcoming one’s discouraging circumstances. Ending the Four Actions that Aggravate Discouragement does not, in itself overcome the bondage of sin. Remember the Rich Young Ruler. He had attempted to keep every commandment, but when confronted with His greed by an encounter with Christ, instead of changing his ways, the Bible says, “He went away sad.” (Mat. 19:22).
Jesus was a Master Counselor. He realized that this man had never really “confronted” his condition. This is why Jesus asked (v6),
The church is full of people who are “compensating” for their condition instead of conquering it through Christ. The Bible says,
“more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37). No compensation. No accommodation. No Compromise. Only complete and total victory through a “Spirit-led, sold-out, sanctified life of sacrifice.”
The Paralytic Man remained powerless until He came face to face with the Living Lord. He had to stop TOLERATING his condition. He had to stop EXAGGERATING his condition by making excuses. He had to stop HESITATING at the cross-roads of doubt and faith. Finally, to get victory over disease and discouragement, he had to stop COMPENSATING for his sin and confront his need for a Savior.
Yet, confronting the reality of one’s desperate state is only part of the the path to overcoming one’s discouraging circumstances. Ending the Four Actions that Aggravate Discouragement does not, in itself overcome the bondage of sin. Remember the Rich Young Ruler. He had attempted to keep every commandment, but when confronted with His greed by an encounter with Christ, instead of changing his ways, the Bible says, “He went away sad.” (Mat. 19:22).
Jesus was a Master Counselor. He realized that this man had never really “confronted” his condition. This is why Jesus asked (v6),
6
“Do you want to get well?”
The man could not
simply answer, “Yes!” He had been
trapped in a whirlpool of discouragement aggravated by TOLERATION,
EXAGGERATION, HESITATION AND COMPENSATION.
Discouragement is like a 30 year old child living in their parents basement. It won’t leave on its own—you have to kick it out!
Discouragement is like a 30 year old child living in their parents basement. It won’t leave on its own—you have to kick it out!
After examining the
FOUR PICTURES that frame the gospel message in this story, and analyzing the
FOUR ACTIONS that aggravate discouragement, our text shows there is only
III. One Action That DE-ACTIVATES Discouragement (5)
III. One Action That DE-ACTIVATES Discouragement (5)
Discouragement can
only be overcome by: PROSTRATION (5)
The man hung around a
mythical healing pool when what he needed to do was “fall prostrate at the feet of Jesus!”
There is only one source of hope for the paralysis of despair and
that is the Power of the Living Lord. I
love that great hymn that declares,
All hail the power of Jesus Name! Let angels prostrate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all!
I have not counted them, but someone has said that the word, “prostrate” occurs over 256 times in the Bible. The idea of “laying at the feet in worship or prayer” (which is what prostrate means) occurs many times when the actual word, prostrate, is not used. Prostration is mentioned 13 times in Revelation alone. In fact, the last act of a disciple in the Bible is prostration. Rev. 22:8-9 says,
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship (proskuneo) at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God (proskuneo, fall at His feet).”
What was Jesus really asking the man? On the surface, of course the man at least thought he wanted to get well. That is why he kept showing up at the “healing pool” for 30 plus years! But, I don’t think Jesus was merely asking him if he wanted “well body?” Notice the words, “Jesus saw him” (v6). This is a common way in which the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) introduced miracles. It has the obvious meaning of physical sight, but also has the added dimension of “spiritual insight.” Jesus looked into the man’s soul and knew the man was discouraged because he was riddled with doubt and had been clobbered by disappointment day after day for years when trying to get into the “mythical healing pool.”
Let me pose the question of Jesus another way, consistent with the miracle stories in the Bible. Jesus was asking, “What is keeping you from being healed.” The man gave his perspective on the situation by explaining “I have no one.” The man was partly correct. The obstacle to his healing was a “relationship problem.” That’s the whole point of this miracle and every other miracle of Jesus in the Bible. Without a relationship with Him, power of disease, doubt, discouragement, and even death is impossible.
The point of this story is not the healing of the man’s body. It was the healing of the man’s soul. His paralysis was not his primary problem but his ignorance about the Person of Jesus. Notice how this miracle unfolds within the framework of the gospel story. A desperate soul meets a Delivering Lord. Notice how how the story progresses.
Upon being questioned by the religious leaders the Verse 13 says, “But the man who was cured did not know WHO it was [that cured him].” Then, notice Verse 15, The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
The man’s primary obstacle in overcoming his desperate situation was that he had “no relationship with Jesus!”
Until we are willing to “fall on our face in worship to Jesus Christ” we will never overcome the desperation and discouragement that comes by being powerless in our sinful condition.
“Every miracle comes with a message—Jesus is Who we need and has what we need.” Mark this down, “Every miracle is framed by the story of the gospel which simply tells us we are lost and the only hope is The Savior.”
Though we live in a broken, sinful world full of discouragement, the gospel story gives us hope that discouragement does not have
to become a way of life.
If you want to overcome the discouragement that cannot be avoided in this sinful world, you must “recognize Who Jesus is and fall prostrate at His feet in desperate devotion.”
The man in our story had been a hopeless cripple laying on a mat of despair for over 38 years, only feet away from a pool promising healing and hope. His answer to Jesus indicated he had pretty much given up on the idea of ever being made whole. He had suffered disappointment after disappointment for over 38 years, until discouragement had overtaken him like weeds overtake an untended garden. Discouraged. Broken. Lonely. Valueless. This was his life.
Suppose I offered to give you a 1000 dollar bill, would you take it? What if I wadded it up and through it on the ground? Would you still want it? What if I wadded it up, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it? Would you still take it and spend it? What if I wadded up, even spit on it, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it? Would you still take it and spend it? The answer is: yes, we would all take it.
The bill did not lose value because it was abused and neglected. The bill has value not because of how it looks, where it has been, or how it has been abused. An ugly, tattered, abused 1000 bill is as valuable as a crisp new one thousand dollar bill.
You may feel like you have been wadded up, thrown to the ground, stepped on and even spit on. You may feel dirty, unworthy, useless and utterly discouraged. You may even be so discouraged, for so long, that you simply compensate and adapt to you circumstances, instead of seeking to overcome them.
The essence of the gospel story is that you have value to God, regardless if you feel beat up, forgotten and discarded. Don’t let discouragement become a way of life. The porch on which you sit today is by the “Pool of Grace.” Today, you can de-activate your discouragement by letting Jesus deliver you.
All hail the power of Jesus Name! Let angels prostrate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all!
I have not counted them, but someone has said that the word, “prostrate” occurs over 256 times in the Bible. The idea of “laying at the feet in worship or prayer” (which is what prostrate means) occurs many times when the actual word, prostrate, is not used. Prostration is mentioned 13 times in Revelation alone. In fact, the last act of a disciple in the Bible is prostration. Rev. 22:8-9 says,
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship (proskuneo) at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God (proskuneo, fall at His feet).”
What was Jesus really asking the man? On the surface, of course the man at least thought he wanted to get well. That is why he kept showing up at the “healing pool” for 30 plus years! But, I don’t think Jesus was merely asking him if he wanted “well body?” Notice the words, “Jesus saw him” (v6). This is a common way in which the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) introduced miracles. It has the obvious meaning of physical sight, but also has the added dimension of “spiritual insight.” Jesus looked into the man’s soul and knew the man was discouraged because he was riddled with doubt and had been clobbered by disappointment day after day for years when trying to get into the “mythical healing pool.”
Let me pose the question of Jesus another way, consistent with the miracle stories in the Bible. Jesus was asking, “What is keeping you from being healed.” The man gave his perspective on the situation by explaining “I have no one.” The man was partly correct. The obstacle to his healing was a “relationship problem.” That’s the whole point of this miracle and every other miracle of Jesus in the Bible. Without a relationship with Him, power of disease, doubt, discouragement, and even death is impossible.
The point of this story is not the healing of the man’s body. It was the healing of the man’s soul. His paralysis was not his primary problem but his ignorance about the Person of Jesus. Notice how this miracle unfolds within the framework of the gospel story. A desperate soul meets a Delivering Lord. Notice how how the story progresses.
Upon being questioned by the religious leaders the Verse 13 says, “But the man who was cured did not know WHO it was [that cured him].” Then, notice Verse 15, The man went and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
The man’s primary obstacle in overcoming his desperate situation was that he had “no relationship with Jesus!”
Until we are willing to “fall on our face in worship to Jesus Christ” we will never overcome the desperation and discouragement that comes by being powerless in our sinful condition.
“Every miracle comes with a message—Jesus is Who we need and has what we need.” Mark this down, “Every miracle is framed by the story of the gospel which simply tells us we are lost and the only hope is The Savior.”
Though we live in a broken, sinful world full of discouragement, the gospel story gives us hope that discouragement does not have
to become a way of life.
If you want to overcome the discouragement that cannot be avoided in this sinful world, you must “recognize Who Jesus is and fall prostrate at His feet in desperate devotion.”
The man in our story had been a hopeless cripple laying on a mat of despair for over 38 years, only feet away from a pool promising healing and hope. His answer to Jesus indicated he had pretty much given up on the idea of ever being made whole. He had suffered disappointment after disappointment for over 38 years, until discouragement had overtaken him like weeds overtake an untended garden. Discouraged. Broken. Lonely. Valueless. This was his life.
Suppose I offered to give you a 1000 dollar bill, would you take it? What if I wadded it up and through it on the ground? Would you still want it? What if I wadded it up, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it? Would you still take it and spend it? What if I wadded up, even spit on it, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it? Would you still take it and spend it? The answer is: yes, we would all take it.
The bill did not lose value because it was abused and neglected. The bill has value not because of how it looks, where it has been, or how it has been abused. An ugly, tattered, abused 1000 bill is as valuable as a crisp new one thousand dollar bill.
You may feel like you have been wadded up, thrown to the ground, stepped on and even spit on. You may feel dirty, unworthy, useless and utterly discouraged. You may even be so discouraged, for so long, that you simply compensate and adapt to you circumstances, instead of seeking to overcome them.
The essence of the gospel story is that you have value to God, regardless if you feel beat up, forgotten and discarded. Don’t let discouragement become a way of life. The porch on which you sit today is by the “Pool of Grace.” Today, you can de-activate your discouragement by letting Jesus deliver you.
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