Now, what a miracle that took
place. A man who had been paralyzed
for 38 years, rose up, picked up his bed and walked. Now, can you even imagine that? There was no gradually getting
better. This was a miracle in the true sense of the word. He
was made whole. What took place, humanly speaking,
was impossible. Now, this man had been laying
for 38 years. And he got up. There was no gradual
process of getting better. He got up and walked. And you
know, that's important, even if the paralysis was healed.
It would still take months for the muscles to recover to be
able to support the body and walk. This was a miracle in the
true sense of the word. And what took place? Gives us
a beautiful picture of what happens when God saves a sinner. He's
made whole. We just heard about that in that
psalm we just heard. He was made whole, made complete,
made to where he's not lacking anything. I can't ever get enough
of this verse of Scripture. In him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead in a body, and you are, what's the next word? Do you believe that? You are
complete. You don't lack a thing. You are completely whole. All
that God requires, you possess. Because Christ was made what
I am as my substitute. He was made sin on the cross.
I'm made what He is. The very righteousness of God. Now, you want to talk about something
that's hard to get hold of. Child of God. You are the righteousness of
God in him. Now, that would seem almost wicked
and presumptuous to say something like that if the Bible didn't
teach it. Second Corinthians 521 says, For he hath made him
to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. Now, that's how whole a believer
is. Now, I think it's interesting
that the Lord chose to perform this miracle on the Sabbath day. And actually, many of his miracles
were performed on the Sabbath day, no doubt intentionally.
Now, before we go on, what is the Sabbath day? Fourth of the
Ten Commandments. Turn over to Exodus, Chapter
20, for a moment, please. Exodus, Chapter 20. Verse 7. Or verse 8, excuse me. Remember the Sabbath day to keep
it holy. Now, Sabbath day is Saturday.
It's not Sunday. It never was changed. It's Saturday.
I've heard people talk about the Christian Sabbath. Where
in the world are you going to get that in the Bible? Is there an example
where they change it from Saturday to Sunday? No. It's always been
Saturday. Six days, he says in verse 9,
shalt thou labour and do all thy work, but the seventh day
is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do
any work. Thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter,
nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger
that is within thy gates, For in six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the
seventh day. Wherefore, the Lord blessed the
Sabbath, and hallowed it." You know, it's almost humorous to
me how people are always wanting to post the Ten Commandments,
and nobody ever says anything about this commandment. We had
the Ten Commandments posted. Well, what about the Sabbath
day? That's never an issue with anybody.
They don't even think about it. But let me show you what happened
to somebody that ignored the Sabbath. Turn to Numbers, Chapter
15. Numbers, Chapter 15. Verse 32. And while the children of Israel
were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks
upon the Sabbath day. And they that found him gathering
sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. And they put him in ward, in
jail, because he was not declared what should be done to him. And
the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death. All the congregation shall stone
him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought
him without the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died
as the Lord commanded Moses." Now, we see here that breaking
the Sabbath was a crime punishable by death. That's how great this
sin was. That's serious. They stoned this
man. Now, did you notice when we read
Exodus, Chapter 20, how the Lord referred to the first Sabbath
day when he's giving this commandment concerning the Sabbath? Turn
with me to Genesis, Chapter 1. Verse 31. Last verse of Genesis,
Chapter 1. And God saw everything that he
had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and
the morning were the sixth day, thus the heavens and the earth
were finished, completed. All creation was done, and all
the host of them, and on the seventh day God ended his work
which he had made, And he rested on the seventh day from all his
work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day
and sanctified it because that in it he had rested from all
his work which God created and made. Now, you know as well as
I do that the Lord wasn't tired. That's not why he rested. This
rest was his response to a finished work. When he was finished with
creation, he rested. There was nothing left for him
to do. Now what the Sabbath day does
is teach us that we are not saved by working. We rest in His work. That's why this commandment of
not working on the Sabbath day is given to us. It's not to put
a burden on us. Boy, Sunday's a rotten day. Saturday's
a rotten day. We can't do anything. We can't
carry any burdens. That's not what the Sabbath day
is all about. The purpose of the Sabbath is to teach us that
there are no works. In being saved, we rest in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Now let me make that good for
the scripture. Turn to Hebrews chapter 4. Look in verse 9, Hebrews chapter 4. There remaineth, therefore, a
rest. And if you have a margin, it'll
say a Sabbath of rest. There remaineth, therefore, a
rest to the people of God, for he that's entered into his rest,
he also hath ceased from his own works as God did from his. Now, let us labor, therefore,
to enter into that rest. I love the way it says that.
I mean, it's hard to rest, isn't it? It's hard to just do nothing. As a matter of fact, that's the
hardest thing there is in the world to do, to do absolutely nothing
and to rest in what the Lord did. That's why I said, let's
labor to enter into that rest. Now, that's the purpose of the
Sabbath is to teach us that salvation is not by working. And the Jews
had no understanding of this. They've made a work of not working. And they made the Sabbath just
a terrible, burdensome time. They were so worried about working,
and they didn't understand the meaning behind it. They had a
completely wrong view. I was reading different things
about the Jews' view of the Sabbath day, and I read where there was
a rule, for instance, that if you had a handkerchief in your
pocket, you needed to pin it to your clothes. So it would
become part of your clothes and you wouldn't be carrying it that
way. You wouldn't be carrying a burden on the Sabbath thing.
Now, can you imagine what a burden it would be to be trying to figure
out whether or not you're carrying a burden all the time? That'd
be so burdensome. Oh, what what bondage there would
be in that kind of thinking. Now, back to our text in John,
Chapter five. Now, the Lord healed this man on the Sabbath day. Verse 10. The Jews therefore said unto
him that was cured. Now you think of what a miracle
that took place. And what did they have to say?
The Jews said unto him that was cured. It's the Sabbath day.
It's not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. Now that's utterly amazing. I mean, what a mean spirit. What a totally warped view of
what the Sabbath means in the first place. Here the Lord had
miraculously healed this man. What a time of joy. This man
was walking for the first time. He had been paralyzed for 38
years. What a wonderful, beautiful miracle. And all they had to say is, He's
breaking the Sabbath. It's the Sabbath day. It's not lawful for you to pick
up your mat. These people were mean and hard-hearted,
and quite often religious people are. Verse 11, He answered them,
this fellow that was carrying his bed. And here's our rule
of action. He answered them, He that made
me whole, the same said unto me, take up thy bed and walk.
I love that answer, don't you? It's so simple. What are you
doing carrying your bed on the Sabbath? He that made me whole,
he told me to do it. You reckon if the Lord tells
you to do something, you're safe in obedience? You don't need
to worry about breaking the law, do you? I mean, if He tells you
to do it, that's your justification for doing it. Now, He made him
whole, told him, rise, take up your bed and walk. And that's
actually a great principle taught to us. Here's why we preach what
we preach. Here's why we do what we do.
Here's why we believe what we believe He said to in His Word. And that's the only ground or
justification we need. Now, verse 12, Then ask they
him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed? Now we'll give another look at
the mean-spirited nature of these religious people and their counterparts
today. Now, when they ask him this question,
what man is it that said to you, take up your bed and walk? Do
you notice anything they don't mention? Now think about that. What did they not talk about? Now, I see a glaring oversight
in this passage of Scripture. They didn't say, what man is
he that made you whole? and then told you to take up
your bed and walk, they only had one thing on their mind.
What man is it that said to you to take up your bed and walk? A glaring oversight is made. They tried to sidestep the real
issue. Who made him whole? Who made
him complete? Turn with me for a moment to
Acts chapter 4. Something very similar happens here in Acts
chapter 4, when Peter and John healed the crippled man before
the beautiful gate. We read beginning in verse 7,
they've arrested Peter and John for doing this, verse 7, and
when they had set them in the midst, Acts chapter 4, verse
7, and when they had set them, Peter and John in the midst,
they asked him, By what power or by what name have you done
this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Ghost, said unto them, You rulers of Israel, you rulers of the
people and the elders of Israel, if we this day be examined of
the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he's made
whole? Now there's the issue, be it
known unto you all. And to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand
here before you, whole, complete. Look back at Acts chapter 3 verse
16. This is right after he healed
the man and they were so upset about it. And look what Peter
says here in verse 16 of Acts chapter 3, and his name through
faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom you see and
know. Yea, the faith which is by him
hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."
Now, here's the point. The name of Christ gives every
believer perfect soundness. Now, you've got it right now.
Oh, that God will give us grace to rejoice in this and revel
in this and believe this and rest in this. Right now, in Christ
Jesus, you already have perfect soundness. There's nothing to
reach for. There's nothing to grasp for. You're perfect in
Christ Jesus. And you know, this kind of preaching
always angers religious people. Look over in John chapter 7.
Look what they had to say about this very same event, John chapter
7. Verse 23. Now the Lord is talking about
this event, and remember, much of the conflict that goes on
in the book of John is centered around what took place right
here. The people got so upset that he'd done this on the Sabbath
day. Look in verse 23. If a man on the Sabbath day received
circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken. And
they were circumcised on the Sabbath day, and there was no
breaking of the Sabbath day. He says, are you angry at me
because I have made a man every whit hole on the Sabbath day? And judge not according to appearance,
but judge righteous judgment. Now, beloved, if you are a believer,
when he died, you were made every whit hole. And these people were
not interested in how this man was made whole. They were interested
in finding fault and being critics. They said, you've broken the
Sabbath day. Okay, let's go back to John chapter five. Verse 13. They'd asked him, who made you
whole? Or they didn't ask him that. They said, who told you
to take up your bed and walk? That's all they were interested in.
Verse 13. And he that was healed wished
not who it was. For Jesus had conveyed himself
away, a multitude being in that place. The Lord had left this
man immediately after healing him without even telling him
who he was. Afterward, Jesus findeth him. Well, that's a sweet thing to
think about. You know, the Lord found you. You didn't find him. He found you. Jesus findeth him
in the temple and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole. Sin no more, lest a worse thing
come unto thee. Now, evidently some sin had brought
this awful condition of paralysis on this man. And I have no doubt
that the worst thing he's speaking of is hell. At any rate, he says,
you're made whole. Go and sin no more. Verse 15. The man departed and
told the Jews that it was Jesus which had made him whole. Now, I think this is interesting.
Remember, they asked Tell me or tell us who it was that told
you to get up and pick up your mat and walk. And when he finds
out who it was, how does he answer him? He doesn't say it was Jesus
who told me to rise up, take my bed and walk. He tells them
it was Jesus who made me whole. Now there's the confession. of
every true believer. If you're a believer, this is
your story. This is your testimony. This
is your history. You really believe this. This
is what you've got to say. It was Jesus who made me whole. It was Jesus who made me whole. He made I didn't make myself
whole. I didn't give him the okay to
do it. It wasn't like he offered it to me. It was up to me to
accept it or reject it. Nothing like that. He made me whole. This is the same way when He
made the world. He created something from nothing.
He made me whole. He gives all the glory because
He did it all. So all the glory goes to Him. It was Jesus who made me whole.
This is a creative act of the Lord. He made me to be what I
was not. I'm made to be whole and complete. And that's why I rest. Right
now. Beloved, I am resting in Jesus Christ
the Lord. And there's not a thing for me
to do. I am whole. I am complete. I don't need anything
else. And I am resting in Him. There's not one thing for me
to do. I love that. I love to rest. Just simply resting in Him. Nothing to worry about. Nothing
to get stressed about. I am whole. I am complete in
the Lord Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who made me whole.
It was not a cooperative effort between the two of us. He did
it. And this is how whole, this is
how complete I am in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I've already
alluded to this. How whole? He's made him whole. How whole? Think about what I'm
asking you right now. How whole? How complete is the
righteousness of God? Are there any holes in his righteousness?
Is there anything that you lack if you have? You see, a believer
is made. This is what I just read that
scripture. Let me let me quote another few scriptures to you.
Philippians chapter three, verse nine, says, Oh, that I may win
Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faithfulness
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Romans 3, 19, 20, 21, Now we
know that what thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who
are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for
by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now, the righteousness
of God without the law, without my personal obedience, to the
law in my flesh. Now the righteousness of God
without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and
the prophets. This is what the Old Testament scriptures have
always taught. Isaiah 54, 17 says their righteousness is of
me. That's the way it's always been.
Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. Now how whole
How complete is the righteousness of God? And I was just sitting
here before this message trying to get a hold of this, trying
to... I can't comprehend it all, but I really believe this. My righteousness is not based
upon the righteousness of God. My righteousness is the righteousness
of God. And I have such peace. You're not going to find any
holes there. You're not going to find any lack there. You're
not going to find anything you can find fault with there. I
am. Every believer is. This is how
whole, this is how complete every believer is. Every believer is
the very righteousness of God in him. Now, any other righteousness,
there's plenty of holes in it. You reckon your personal righteousness,
you can find some holes in it? Oh, there's only one hole in
righteousness. It's the only righteousness there
is. You're the only righteousness there is, is God's righteousness.
When we talk about human righteousness, it's actually an oxymoron, isn't
it? Because our righteousness, the Scripture says, is a filthy
rag. Human righteousness, really,
there ain't no such thing, is there? Not really. There's only
one righteousness, and that's the very righteousness of God
that every believer is justified by. And this is why I can have
such confidence. Bold shall I stand in that great
day. For who ought to, my charge shall
lay. Fully absolved from these I am from sins, tremendous curse
and shame. Jesus, thy blood and righteousness,
my beauties are, my glorious grace. midst flaming worlds in
these arrayed, with joy shall I lift up my head." Now, that's
our confidence, right? The very righteousness of God. Now, here's our confession. Here's our personal testimony.
It was Jesus who made me whole. Is that your testimony? I tell
you what, it's mine. I believe this. Boy, I just rejoice
in believing this. Jesus made me whole. I don't
need anything else. I'm perfectly complete in the
Lord Jesus Christ. May the very righteousness of
God. This is our confidence. And we are revolted by and offended
by anything other than this. It was Jesus who made us whole.
Him alone. Now, verse 16, And therefore did the Jews persecute
Jesus, and they sought to slay him. I mean, they wanted to put
him to death because he had done these things on the Sabbath day. Why were they so upset by this
that they actually wanted to kill the Lord? I mean, what was
their motive for being so angry? I mean, this is some kind of
miracle that took place. And this is remarkable wickedness
that they would be so upset that they want to put Him to death
over this issue. Why were they so upset? It's because they didn't have
any understanding of somebody being made whole. They didn't
rejoice in it. They thought it was up to them
to keep this Sabbath to be saved. And if this fellow in their idea
breaks the Sabbath, that's taking away their hope because that's
what they're hoping in something they did. They just despised
what they considered Sabbath breaking. Now, remember what
the Lord said about this. Was this Sabbath-breaking when this
fellow rose up, took his bed and walked? No, it wasn't Sabbath-breaking. The Lord said, judge not according
to the appearance. Well, he's carrying his mat.
It must be Sabbath-breaking. The Lord said, judge not according
to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. Now, I love
what the Lord says. They're so upset about this fellow.
He picked up his bed. You know what that means? He
was working on the Sabbath day. He was working on the Sabbath
day. Something's wrong with this. This man couldn't be of God,
or he wouldn't be telling him to work on the Sabbath day. And
look what the Lord says to him. Verse 17. But Jesus answered
them, My father, what? Worketh. Hitherto. My father's doing this work here
on the Sabbath day. I know he's saying this just
to irritate him, but to teach us something, too. My Father
worketh hitherto, and I work." The Father was doing this. This
is a Sabbath work, isn't it? A Sabbath work. I am saved by works. The works of the Father, the
works of the Son, and the works of the Holy Spirit. I'm saved
by their work, and I'm not going to do anything to put my filthy
hand upon what they did. This is the work of God, that
you believe on Him whom He has sent. You want something to do? I've just given you something.
This is the work of God. that you believe on Him whom
He has sent. Rest in His work. May God give us grace to do that.
Let's pray together.