Do You Want to Stay Sin-Sick?

Part 4 (Just Jesus

Evangelistic Campaign, Day 49)
TEXT: John 5:8-13
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his
bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the
sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said
unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.
12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto
thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?
13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had
conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.
---------Today, I am continuing the daily Just Jesus Evangelistic
Campaign sermon series, which is aimed at sharing the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with unbelievers and
reminding Christians, in this important election year, to keep
the main thing the main thing -- and that is reaching
unbelievers with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and
praying for their salvation, for the problem in America is not
only disobedient presidents and politicians but disobedient
pastors, preachers, and parishioners who have refused to

obey God's Great Commission and who have refused to obey

God's repeated commands to "pray without ceasing" for
unbelievers, believers, and political leaders. Yes, you should
pray for the right candidate to win; yes, you should vote for
the candidate that the Lord gives you peace about voting for.
But, don't get caught up in it like the world does. Nothing
much is going to change until people get saved and get their
hearts right with the Lord.
This campaign is inspired by the following three verses: 1
Corinthians 2:2 which says, "For I determined not to know
anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
Acts 5:42 which says, "And daily in the temple, and in every
house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."
And 2 Timothy 2:4 which says, "No man that warreth
entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may
please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."
This series is not for Christians necessarily. However, I do
hope you are one of those saints who still loves to hear the
"Old, old story of Jesus and His love" -- As the hymn says,
"For those who know it best Seem hungering and thirsting
to hear it like the rest." This series is primarily for
unbelievers, so they can hear and understand the Gospel
and be saved from sin and the punishment of sin which is
hell. This is message number 49.
Max Lucado said, "Let God have you, and let God love you and dont be surprised if your heart begins to hear music
youve never heard and your feet learn to dance as never
before."

Immediately after the sick man is healed, he gets into trouble

with "the Jews." Generally speaking, in John's Gospel, the
writer uses the term "the Jews" to indicate the religious
leaders, not the entire Jewish population. This man who has
lain sick for 38 years has picked up his bed and is joyfully
walking away from the Pool of Bethesda, leaving all of the
sickness and suffering that he had endured behind.
He hasn't gone too far when he is stopped by some of the
religious leaders who would have been out in full force due
to the religious celebration that is going on in Jerusalem. The
Bible tells us that they "said unto him that was cured, It is the
sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed." In their
minds, the religious leaders had a legitimate concern. The
Law strictly prohibited work on the Sabbath. Rabbis had
carefully detailed 39 ways in which a man could break the
Sabbath day law -- and carrying one's bed (or anything at all)
was one of them.
The healed man responds, "He that made me whole, the
same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk." This man
knew that Jesus had to be a man of God to have worked
such a miracle of healing. So, you can imagine how
perplexed he was. 'One man of God healed me and told me to
pick up my bed. Yet, these men of God are telling me that I
am committing a crime by carrying my bed.'
Notice how the religious leaders respond: "What man is that
which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?" They don't
ask, 'Who is the man that healed you? Who is the man that
worked this miracle?' They totally overlook the miracle that

had taken place right under their noses. While it sounds

ridiculous to our minds, they are perfectly serious. They have
tunnel vision on the fact that one of their miniscule laws is
being broken.
This spirit of legalism exists even today in modern Israel. In
some hotels and apartment buildings, there are Sabbath
elevators for Orthodox Jews. These Jews believe that
pressing a button in an elevator on the Sabbath constitutes
work, so, on every floor, the elevator stops and the door
opens to give people a chance to get on and get off without
doing any work. Not too long ago, three residences in an
Orthodox neighborhood burned to the ground because the
neighbors went to ask a rabbi whether a telephone call to the
fire department on the Sabbath would violate the Law.
This spirit can be found not only in modern Judaism, but in
the Christian church today. Many unbelievers, and perhaps
some of you listening, have been turned off to faith in Christ
because of how some of God's people focus on strict
adherence to laws, some of which are not even in the Bible.
You might have heard that in order to be a Christian you can't
watch TV, or you can't go to the movies, or you can't drink
wine. Please understand that God is first and foremost
concerned about your soul.
When Jesus healed the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda, He
didn't interrogate him about his past life first. He didn't ask
him what he had done to get in the situation he was in. Jesus
was concerned about delivering the man from his
predicament. And that is what He did. If you recall from John

chapter 3, Jesus gave the Samaritan woman living water

even though it was clear she was still living in sin.
If you are drowning in the ocean, and a lifeguard comes to
rescue you, he is not going to ask, 'Why did you ignore the
warnings about the rough seas and high winds today?' No,
he is going to save you first. If you have a heart attack and
go to the emergency room, the doctor is not going to say,
'Why did you eat all that greasy food? Didn't you know it was
going to clog your arteries?' No, he is going to save you life
first, and then help you live better.
That is what Jesus does when He meets a sinner. His main
goal is to save you, to snatch you from the hand of Satan as
you dangle over Hell. I urge you to lay aside your worries and
concerns about the life you are living right now. Your life
might be messed up worse than the Samaritan woman or the
sick man or even Nicodemus who was lost in religion. Jesus
wants to save you no matter what you have done in the past
and no matter how you are living now. No one else will
receive you in your present circumstances like Jesus will. I
urge you to accept His gift of salvation today. Here is how.
First, acknowledge that you are sin-sick and that you need a
Saviour, for the Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The
Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is
death

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus
Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Also, the
Bible states in Revelation 21:8: "But the fearful, and
unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.
Now that is bad news, but heres the good news. Jesus
Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he
gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in
your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried,
and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that
you can live eternally with Him.
The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: "That if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved.... For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved."
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your
sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to
trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this
simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner
and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry
for my sins, and I want to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ
sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of

my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose
again. I trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from
this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and
save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you
prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to
you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved
from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to
the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the
most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you
grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light
Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through
the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by
me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and
out, and find pasture."
If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at dw3@gospellightsociety.com and let us know.
There is some free material that we want to send you. If you
have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and
we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.