If you would please turn back
in your Bibles to the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Saint John. I read to you this morning in
your hearing the first 18 verses of this chapter. I wish to visit
with you a little bit about this story, at least the first part
of it. And I trust that the Lord has
prepared us for what is to follow. We read that there was a feast
that the Jews had, and the Lord Jesus knew about it, Him being
a Jew, and so He went up to Jerusalem. The scripture says in verse 2
that there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool of water,
which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda. having five
porches. There were five covered areas
around this pool. And in these five porches lay
a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt-withered,
waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel, they said,
went down at a certain season into the pool. In some of the
ancient manuscripts, I understand that verse 4 is not even included. This was a superstitious tradition
that these people held to relentlessly. That there was an angel at a
certain season that would come down from God out of heaven into
the pool and would trouble or disturb the water. And whosoever
then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in was
made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And there was a certain
man who was there which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. He'd been afflicted thirty-eight
years. And 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? And the impotent man answered
him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put
me in the pool. But while I am coming, another
steppeth down before me. And Jesus saith unto him, Rise,
take up thy bed, and walk And immediately, in verse 9, the
man was made whole, took up his bed, and walked. And on the same
day was the Sabbath. Now I've refreshed your mind
again by quickly going through these verses. I have a question
for you. And that question, number one,
is do you believe the saying that God helps those who help
themselves. Now you think about it. Do you
believe the saying that God helps those who helps themselves? Now these laying around this
pool believed it. They believed the old saying
that God helps those who helps themselves. They believed that
God sent an angel down to trouble the water and you had to get
into the water before someone else did or there'd be no healing.
You see what they believed was God does his part He troubles
the water, and then they must do their part. They must get
themselves down into the pool while the water is being disturbed
by the angel. God helps those who help themselves. Now, beloved, there is no quote
in the Bible like that. That's not what the Word of God
teaches at all. The Word of God does not teach
that God helps those who helps themselves. The result of what
these people believed was that no one ever was healed or cured
of their problem or their affliction. They had this tradition, you
see, and it was a superstitious one. They believed it emphatically
that it would sooner or later happen, the angel would disturb
the water and they themselves personally would get into it,
although there is no record anywhere in tradition or in scripture
that anybody was ever made whole by getting into this pool of
water when it was being disturbed by the angel. No record of it
anyplace. We do not have any testimony
of Holy Spirit scripture that would testify to the fact that
there was definite cures that took place in this water. They all waited, but in vain. Now, my friend, you may help
yourself in some ways. And I know there are many ways
in which we can help ourselves. But be certain of this. that
you can never help yourself to God. You can never, never help
yourself to God, and you can never help God help you. Now that may shock you, but that
is a true statement. You can never help God help you. If your God, and my friend, I
know that everyone here has a God. I have a God, you have a God. And you have a God which you
have formed in your mind. You have a God that you supposedly
worship or bow before. If your God needs your help,
he can never help you. Never. You remember that. If your God needs your help,
He can never help you. Now, if your God needs your help
to help you, why don't you just help yourself without His help? Think about it. Why don't you
help yourself? God is not the God we imagine
Him to be in our minds. God is not the God we have whittled
out of a piece of wood, and we worship this God. He is not the
God that we imagine Him to be. He is who He is. That's who God is. God is who
He has revealed Himself to be. Now we need to be mindful of
that, because as we said, everybody has a God. Some people have a
little God. Some people have a little bigger
God. Some people have a great big God. Thank God the God of
the Bible is a great God. He is a big God. But I want you
to understand me this morning that God is not as you picture
Him to be in your mind, but God is as He has revealed Himself
to be. And that's the God you better
worship. You better find out who the God of the Bible is and
worship this God who has revealed himself. I say again, you cannot
help God and you cannot help God help you. And if you can
help your God help you, he can never help you. And why don't
you help yourself and forget about getting him to help you. Just forget all about God ever
helping you, because, my friend, this God will not be approached
by those who believe that he will help them if they will help
him. I heard about a young man who
attended a seminar on how to untie the hands of God. A seminar, if you please, on
how to untie the hands of God. He was sincere, very sincere. And he went home and he prayed,
Oh God, help me to untie your hands that you might be able
to help me. Well, his father, being an old
saint, an old believer, he heard him pray his son, this prayer. And he said to him, if God's
hands are tied and he needs me or you to untie them, he's no
God. The person who unties his hands
is God. You think about it. You think
about it. God's hands are not tied. God's hand is not short that
he cannot say. God can do as he will. God can perform his own will. This is revealed here in our
text this morning. These people believe that God
helps those who help themselves, so none were ever helped. None
of them ever experienced any healing. Now the second question
I have for you is this. What will you do seeing that
it is impossible for you to help yourself, and God is not going
to help you. Your God is not going to help
you until you help Him. What are you going to do, my
friend? Well, this man could not help
himself. He laid there for 38 years. That's over a half of what is
called an average lifetime. He was there lying, afflicted
with an affliction, and never could he get himself down, as
he said, to the pool. He could not help God help him. He was unable to do so. Your God only helps those who
help themselves. Well, what about those who cannot
help themselves like this man? What about them? You say, That's
tough cookie. People like that are in bad shape.
If God only helps those who help themselves, then if you can't
help yourself, you're in bad shape. There ain't nothing anybody
can do for you. You can't be helped. There's
nothing for you. Well, preacher, you have to look
to another man to help you, like this man did. Well, this man,
he looked to another man, and He said, Sir, he says, really,
I have no man. I don't really have one. He says that, where is it there
in verse 5 or 6, no, in verse 7, the impotent man answered
him, Sir, I have no man when the water is troubled to put
me into the pool. But while I'm coming, another
he steps down before me. So I have nobody to help me.
No man can help me." Well, I want you to understand what a predicament
you're in if your God can't help you until you're able to help
Him, and you can't find anybody else to help you, what a predicament
you're in. Are you looking for human help
to get you out of the mess you're in? Out of your sin, out of your
bondage, out of your waywardness and your rebellion, out of your
pride and failures, are you looking for human help to get you out? Well, the Bible teaches vain
is the help of man. David said in Psalm 22 and verse
11, he said, Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for
there is none to help. There is none to help. He pleads
with God. Be not far from me. Trouble is
near. There is none to help. None to
help. There isn't anybody, my friend,
going to help you. None of them can by any means,
David said in Psalm 49 and 7, none of them can by any means
redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom for him. None can do that. So who is going
to redeem you? Who is going to give God a ransom
in order that he turn away his wrath from your soul? Who's going
to do it? David said none can do it. There's
not a man alive who can render unto God that which he demands
you pay in order that your sin debt be cancelled, that your
sin be put away, and that God be reconciled unto your soul. No one can. Okay, now here's
the next question. Can a cripple help another cripple? Now you see, there are plenty
of crippled people laying around here, impotent folk. The Bible
describes them. This man had an infirmity, and
there were those there that were blind, withered, those that could
not walk. Well, can a cripple help another
cripple? You see, that's the fix you're
in if you're looking to man. The subject this morning of my
message is looking away unto Jesus. That's the subject that
I'm talking about this morning. A little late in announcing that,
but nevertheless, I got around to it. Can a cripple help another
cripple? Shall a blind man lead a blind
man? Shall he? Will he be able to
successfully lead a blind man? Can an impotent person lift another
impotent person? My friend, I'm showing you the
fallacy of this idea that a man can help God help him or that
another man can help you help God so that God will be favorable
to you. It's a fallacy. The grand truth,
hear me, of this passage of scripture and of the entire Bible is that
the God of the Bible helps those who cannot help themselves. That is the grand truth of the
Bible. This is the good news, beloved. that God helps those who cannot
help themselves. He helps those who not only cannot
help themselves, but get this, He helps those who by nature
will not help themselves. Is that a true statement? I want
to ask you, my friend, today, if you've read the account of
Saul of Tarsus and being stricken down on the road to Damascus,
I want to ask you, was he helping himself? No, he was not. Let me give you that again. The
grand news is that he helps those who cannot help themselves. He
helps those who by nature will not help themselves. They will
not have mercy on themselves. They will show their own souls
no pity. No pity. This is the kind of
people that the God of the Bible helps. We need to understand
the doctrine of depravity so that we'll be able to exalt the
help of our God. Now, this is the good news, I
say, of Scripture, is that the God of the Bible is in the business
of helping those who cannot help themselves and those who will
not by nature help themselves. Who cured this man? Who cured
this man? I asked you. Well, it's a very
simple answer, and that is Christ only. In verse 8, Jesus said,
Rise up, take your bed and walk. What did he do? The Lord Jesus
Christ healed this man. He healed him when he was unable
to do anything to get God to heal him, when he could not participate,
other than just simply saying, even when the Lord said, Wilt
thou be made whole? He brought up the fact that he
didn't have anybody to help him. Well, the Master, He is the great
physician. And He healed this man. I say
to you at this juncture, look away to Jesus. Look away to the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's the emphasis here. Look
to Christ. This man, surely, this man, surely
he got up. He got up. And you will too when
you look away to Jesus. You'll get up when the Lord says,
arise, you'll arise. There's power in the command
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Power in the word. A sinner repents,
but he repents when God gives him the disposition to repent. Then he repents. Then he's sorry
over his sin. Then he turns from his sin. Then there's a development of
hatred in his heart towards sin and rebellion and all uncleanness
and lust. Then, after there's been a disposition
created, now there's a sinner that's told over and over in
the Bible to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And a sinner will
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ when he hears the command of
the word and God puts faith in his heart, he'll believe. He
will come believing. Just like this man got up, rose
up, took up his bed, and walked with it after it had been lying
for 38 years. And you will too. When the power
of God comes on your soul, when the Lord helps you, you will. When he helps you, when he comes
to you and there's some help given by God himself, then my
friend, you will repent and believe the gospel and you will be saved. Now there are several scriptures
that I want to share with you at this time I want you to see
that in the purpose of God, it is this way that God helps those
who cannot help themselves and will not help themselves. In
the purpose of God, it's that way, and I want to show you how
God has fixed it to be so, and the scriptures, I believe, are
playing on it. First of all, for whom, I ask,
Did the Lord Jesus Christ die? For whom did he die? Well, the
Bible says in Romans chapter 5, and these verses are precious,
and the verses may be that you have at different times looked
at, but you need to think about them again and you need to look
at them again. In verse 6 of Romans 5, it says,
For when we were yet without strength, when we were without
strength. An individual that is without
strength is not in any position to help God nor man. Is that right? He's without strength. Certainly he is in no position
to come to God. Does not the scripture over and
over again teach that without the Father's drawing that no
man can come to Jesus Christ? apart from the Father's drawing,
so yet without strength. When they were yet without strength
in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. So when a man is
unable to help himself, he can look at this verse of Scripture
and see that the Lord Jesus Christ has made provision in his death
to save those that are in the very condition that you're in,
and also for the ungodly. Now, we know those that are without
strength are certainly those who have not the ability to live
a righteous life. Oh, we give praise and glory
unto the God of our salvation, unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Mitch
mentioned this morning the righteousness of God, how grateful we are for
the Lord Jesus Christ who lived, who lived the life that we didn't
in order that we would be blessed as he wasn't. We were blessed
in the Lord Jesus Christ just like that we had lived the life
we did not live but had lived the life he lived. That's the
righteousness of God, beloved. And you have not the strength
to live. God demands perfection and you
have not the strength. to live a perfect life before
God. But the Lord Jesus Christ had
the strength and He lived a perfect life before the Father. And that
perfect life was imputed, accredited to the account of all believers,
all those who come to faith in the Lord Jesus. Christ died for
the ungodly. He died for those that were without
strength. And in verse 8 of the same chapter,
Paul said, but God commendeth his love toward us. And that simply means that if
you want to know the direction that the love of God is flowing,
it is flowing toward us. In that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Now that's who he died for. He
died for those who without strength, ungodly, sinners is who he died
for. Now this he did for them because
they were unable to do anything for themselves. Now in Psalm
89 and verse 19, I want you to see how that God has helped our
Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, in order that he might be able
to say that he had died for those without strength for the ungodly. I want you to see the provision
and how God enabled him to be in the position that he's in
where we could get up and preach of him and say he helps those
who cannot help themselves. Now the reason why he could was
because he was helped of God, our Savior, the Redeemer. Listen
to this, Psalm 89 and verse 19, I have laid help on one that
is mighty. I have exalted one chosen out
of the people. Now while this is the Psalm of
David, this is a messianic word, this is A word that shows us
that God the Father laid help, not only on David, but on David's
Lord. Help was laid on Christ, the
one that is mighty. that he might be able to deliver
his people, that he could save his people from their sins. God
says, I have exalted one chosen out of the people. And Christ
is as one of us. He took upon himself bone of
our bone, flesh of our flesh. He was identified with us. He
was numbered with the transgressors. The Lord Jesus Christ, help was
laid on him. Let me show you a couple of instances. Look in the book of Luke, chapter
22. If you have your Bible there
before you and can turn there. If not, just listen. In verse
43, and this is when our Lord was suffering. And there appeared an angel,
in verse 43, unto him from heaven, strengthening him. Did you get
that? There appeared an angel when
he was being made sin for you. The Lord Jesus Christ was made
to be sin for you. Sin for us. When the Lord Jesus
Christ died, he did not die as a singing, rejoicing martyr. Some of the old martyrs died
at the stake. They died praising God, singing,
declaring their faith, hallelujahs unto God, as they were melting
away, their flesh was burning in the fire. But our Lord Jesus
Christ, when he died on the cross, The Lord Jesus Christ, he had
been made sin for us. He was suffering the wrath of
God. He wasn't suffering like one
of the martyrs being burned at the stake. He was suffering having
been, having been forsaken by God. He was forsaken by God in
order that we never be forsaken by God. But he died a man of
sorrows, acquainted with grief. And while there was a joy that
was set before him, in that that in heaven he would see of the
travail of his soul and be satisfied, yet in the agonies of the cross,
There was only pain, misery, and suffering. He was dying the
second death, that death due you and I on the cross. And there was no joy on that
cross. No joy. He was dying that awful
death that was due sin. That death that you most surely
will die if God allows you. to go on in the way that you
are going without crossing your path and turning you and causing
you to look away from yourself unto the Lord Jesus Christ. And
there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening
him. God laid help upon him that is
mighty. I invite you to turn with me
to another scripture, Isaiah chapter 63, and two verses, verse
4 and verse 5. Listen to the reading here of
these verses. For the day of vengeance is in
my heart, is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. The year has come in the prophecy
of the word of God, my redeemed. The year has come for my redeemed. In other words, the day of salvation,
the day of grace is coming. And I looked and there was none
to help. This is a prophecy of the heart
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I looked and there was none
to help. My people must be redeemed. They must be saved from the penalty
and power and presence of sin. They must be saved. God has put the sheep into my
hands and I'm responsible for the sheep. And he said, the day
or the year of their redemption is come. And I looked, and there
was none to help. Nobody to help with this tremendous
task of saving my sheep. And I wondered that there was
none to uphold. Therefore, mine own arm brought
salvation unto me, and my fury it upheld me. We see here then
that His own arm, when there was none to help, and there was
none to uphold Him, He just by His own arm brought salvation. Now beloved, you can go on with
your talk about helping God to help you all you want to, but
I gave it up a long time ago. No more talk like that around
here. Because the Lord Jesus Christ,
His own arm, brought salvation. And that's why he could speak
to this man and say, rise, take up your bed and walk. That's
why I can speak to you, sinner, and say, repent and believe the
gospel. It's because his own arm brought
salvation. Now there's another scripture
that I want to visit with you a little bit about. It's in 2
Corinthians chapter 6. And in verse 2, 2 Corinthians
chapter 6 and verse 2. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time excepted,
and in the day of salvation have I succored thee. The word is
helped. I've heard you in a time wherein
prayer is accepted. God has a day of salvation. We can talk about it as being
the day of grace. We can talk about it being the
dispensation of grace, if you want to call it that. It is a
day in which God is visiting the souls of men to save them
and to bring them out from under the awful wrath which is due
them. It is a day of salvation. This
is the time of God's visitation to the Gentiles. God is calling
out a people for His name. The day of salvation is still
at hand. It's a time accepted when the
redeemed can call on the Lord, when they can call on the Lord.
And whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
And the reason is because this is the accepted time. This is the day of redemption
and salvation. The day. Like all other days,
the day will end. The day will come when there
will be no more petitions that will be accepted in glory from
sinners. But the day is at hand and the
time, he says, this is the time accepted in the day of salvation. He said, I've suckered thee,
I've helped thee. There is help for his elect. There is help for his people.
Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. Now is the time. You see, help
has been given. Help will be given. I know I'd
have never got out of my sins if it hadn't been for the help
of God. I know that you would have never. You never would have
turned your back on your sinful ways and on your wickedness. You never would have come and
drew near the Lord unless help was given. You know, I used the
illustration one time about that if you saw a turtle on a fence
post, You know that he had help getting there. You know he did. And if you see a sinner repenting,
you see a sinner believing on Christ, you see a sinner singing
a hymn and getting up and shouting, Hallelujah, bless God, praise
his name for what he's done for me. Ah, my friend, God gave him
help. The Lord helped him. That's what
happened. That's exactly what happened.
That's the only way that I've got where I'm at is by God's
help, by the help of God day by day. And certainly we're blessed
to live in this day of salvation when the Lord is circling His
elect, His people, He's helping them. That's what the word means.
And so we're living in that day. Let us give glory to our God. Now, as Brother Randy has been
reading through the book of Revelation, he has mentioned that there is
coming a time when the day is going to end and there won't
be any more salvation. The day is going to be over.
But right now, God is helping those who call on him. God is
saving his people. Ah, look away, my friend, look
away from yourself and all human hell, and look to the Lord Jesus
Christ. Look unto me, and be ye saved,
saith the Lord. Look unto Him. All right? Now then, in Psalm 37 and verse
39 and 40, it says, But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord.
The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength
in time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them
and deliver them because they trust in him. In
Psalm 46 verse 1, it says, God is our refuge and strength. a
very present help in time of trouble. I'm talking about God
helping those who cannot help themselves. Psalm 46 and 5, God
is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall
help her and that right early. His church God is in the business
of helping those who cannot help themselves. Now, I invite you
for our last scripture to turn back to the book of Isaiah, chapter
41. The book of Isaiah, chapter 41,
and let me read to you three verses, verse 10, 13, and 14. Fear thou not. God is here speaking
to Jacob. Fear thou not, for I am with
thee. Be not dismayed. Jacob is a type
of Jacob have I loved. All of those whom God commended
his love toward died for when they were sinners. Reconcile
them to himself like Jacob of old, not of works, but according
to election he was chosen. And so he's speaking here to
all of his Jacobs. Fear thou not, for I am with
thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy
God. I will strengthen thee. Yea,
I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of my righteousness. What a blessed promise. I will
strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee. and will uphold you with the
right hand of my righteousness. That's encouragement to a poor,
afflicted, storm-tossed child of God, that God is upholding
him, God is helping him. Verse 13, For I, the Lord thy
God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I
will help thee. will help thee. Fear not, verse
14, thou worm, Jacob. Sounding like somebody here is
in a position to help God? No, no, no, no, no. Fear not,
thou worm, Jacob. Loved of God, yes. But God says,
Jacob, you're a worm. And in reality, that's what he
was. After God saved him, he was what
he appeared to be before God. But God said, you're a worm,
Jacob. Thou warm Jacob, and ye men of Israel, which are not
any better, I will help you, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel, I will help you, I will help you. Ah, it is wonderful in the night
hours to hear a word from God saying, I will still give thee
aid, I will still give thee aid. In spite of all of the failures,
in spite of all, God still speaking to his people, I'll still help
you. I'll still help you. I will help thee. I will help
thee. Now, beloved, you say what you
will about a child of God, but God said, I'm going to help him.
That's what I'm going to do. My Jacobs, worms though they
be, I'm going to help them. I'll help them. Now, you see,
we are in no inferior position. Let people say what they will.
Let them talk all they want. Let them mumble behind our backs
all they want. But God will help his people. That reminds me of another verse
I just have to give you. Verse 13 and verse 5 and 6, it
said, Let your conversation or your behavior be without covetousness,
and be content with such things as you have. For He has said,
I will never, never, never leave thee, so that ye may boldly say,
The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear. what man shall do. That's exactly what it says. God said, I'll help you. God
said, I'm going to help you. Because I'm the God that helps
those who cannot help themselves. And I'm the God who helps those
who no man can help. I'm sorry I love you all, but
you just simply, I need more than what you can help me with.
I need more. All of you are in the same position. I can't do enough for you. But
I still can't do enough for you. You've got to have more. And
God only can do that. I want to read something that
I found and then I'm done. It is but a small thing for me. This is God speaking to His children.
Written from that standpoint. It is but a small thing for me,
your God, to help you. Consider what I've done already.
What? Not help you? Why, I bought you
with my blood. I have died for you, and if I
have done the greater, will I not do the less? It is the least
thing I will ever do for you. I have done more and will do
more. Before the world began, I chose
you, I made the covenant for you, I laid aside my glory and
became a man for you, I gave my life for you. If I did all
this, I will surely help you now. In helping you, I'm giving
you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a
thousand times as much help, I would give it to you. You require
little compared with what I am ready to give. It is much for
you to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. Help you? Fear not. If there were an ant
at the door of your granary asking for help, it would not ruin you
to give him a handful of your wheat. You are nothing but a
tiny insect at the door of my all-sufficiency. I will help
you. Oh my soul, this is not enough.
Do you need more strength? Is this not enough? Do you need
more strength than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Do you
want more wisdom than exists in the Father? More love than
displays itself in the Son? Or more power than is manifest
in the influences of the Spirit? Behold this river of God. is full for your supply. What can you desire besides me,
saith the Lord. And I hope this morning that
we've heard the voice of the Lord in the scriptures and that
our hearts have been done good by thinking about the help that
God has already given, the help that he's pledged, and the help
that he is sure, that we're sure to experience as our time goes
on in this world. May the Lord give us a heart
of praise, a tongue that's loose to express that praise and glory
unto him. May God bless you. Appreciate
your attentiveness this morning. You listened very, very well. I trust that that message will
bear fruit.