In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the story in John chapter 5 where Jesus encounters a multitude of sick and disabled people at the pool of Bethesda. The pool was believed to have healing powers when an angel troubled the water. The preacher emphasizes that even in times of despair and when it seems like no one cares, Jesus is always there to help. He challenges the listeners to have faith and believe that God can meet their needs. The preacher also highlights the importance of having friends with faith who can support and help us in our journey.

Just briefly a word. I want you to turn with me to John chapter 5. I want to continue from where our brother has left off and I promise you that I shall not be very long. Here is an occasion where Jesus came, not this time to a house. Chapter 5 of John's Gospel. After this there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, the blind, haught, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water. Whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there which had an infirmity thirty and eight 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? Our brother has emphasized faith. The man didn't believe he was going to be healed you know. It's amazing what people can do by force of habit and think they're being very spiritual and have great faith. You might think that if he'd been there for 38 years, I don't know how long he'd lain year after year at the same mysterious event. He'd laid there, never been healed. It seems to me that he'd gotten into his heart that he never would be healed. He never would be made whole. So Jesus asked him, Wilt thou be made whole? He might have said today. No, that's what the man said. Virtually he said, Sir I have no man when the waters troubled to put me into the water. Someone always gets healed but it's never me. Someone gets made whole but it's never me. I believe in miracles, I see them, I come here every year. I believe in miracles, they take place. Bethesda, the house of loving kindness. What a lovely name. You know of course that it was named not after the New Testament thought but after the Old Testament thought. And the Old Testament thought is loving kindness. It's the New Testament equivalent of grace. So the next time you sing that chorus, thy loving kindness is better than life, you'll know what it's all about. And it's a marvellous thing. And he came there and he saw it happen year after year. But he never was made whole. Never. There'll come a time when Jesus will come and clinch methods where you're concerned. He'll face you up to complete reality. He won't let you lie around saying, yes I believe in this loving kindness and grace. I believe that God's a good shepherd so I lay in the sheep market. I believe that he's bought the sheep with his precious blood. That's what happened to you. You were sold in the market and bought up out of the market. That's the great truth in the idea of the New Testament word redemption. Bought up out of the market. Never to be returned for sale again. Isn't that lovely. Glory be to God. God won't sell you and nobody can take you from him. And he's not going to give you up so you're all right. Keep lying there. Nobody can pluck you out of his hand. Keep lying there. But for what? Let me ask you beloved. Do you believe God's going to meet your need this week? And these days? Do you really believe this? Will thou be made whole? Will thou? Think of it. Perhaps you came and you didn't need God to do anything much for you. Except be more of what he always has been. Maybe you came and you need God to do tremendous things for you. Think of it. Walking out of here the next Saturday by his grace and he's met you. Made you whole. You think of that. You see the Lord as Norman pointed out. He saw their faith That's what he looked for. Well he looked at this man and he saw he hadn't got any faith. He saw faith in the other four. Oh no but I'll have a little word with Norman. We're not sleeping together. Not this time. He usually sleeps up in the flat with me. When I mean together you know. We're generally sort of in opposite rooms. So we won't have a lot of time to talk. But I'll have a little chat with him. Because I rather think that when he said he saw their faith. He saw the faith in the other man's heart too. That's what I think. But of course you know you can think what you like. But it says he saw their faith and he was there wasn't he? He was one of them. And I reckon I like to think that he got over those four men said come on let's go down. And I can't go myself. Please will you take me. And I reckon that was one of these sort of gifts of helps. You know so he got four people with faith to help him. That's rather good isn't it? And if they're ready to tear the roof off for you. Well that's fine. You can't have many better friends than that. Well he saw faith. But when he looked at this man. There wasn't any there. When he sees faith he commends it. When he doesn't see faith he'll challenge you. That's what he'll do. He'll challenge you as sure as your name is what it is. Do you think that God's going to meet your need this week? Do you or don't you? Glory. Amen. If there's genuine despair in your heart. It's real. That man found four worthy other men. This man said I have no man. Nobody. Rather like the psalmist who said no man cared for my soul. Listen. If you're in the place where you think no one cares about you. And you've got nobody to help you. There's Jesus. And he always comes. And he speaks directly to you. Wilt thou be made whole? Or will you not? Oh glory be to God. We're wise after the event. The scripture has been written. It's been in our hands for years. The centuries. You know that there's someone to help you. You know that he's here. There's no excuse. In those days they were in process of great discovery. Perhaps it may be that we're in the age of rediscovery. When we're discovering anew. The greatness. The presence. The imminence. The eagerness. In the heart of God. To meet us all. To meet us just there. He comes there where we are. Glory be to the name of the Lord. Isn't it wonderful. I think it's wonderful that God should do this. So then. As these days progress. We're going to be together. Let God work. Open yourself right up to him. Yes you can be made whole. Whole. What a marvelous thing. Wholeness. Not just healing. You understand that don't you. You know what this wholeness means. You remember the story of the ten lepers for instance. That stood afar off and called upon Jesus. And Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the high priest. And as they went they were all healed. And one of them turned back. And he came and gave glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. And because he came back and gave the glory. He was made whole. He wasn't just healed. The others were healed. And that's that. But but they were. He was made whole. And all the parts that were missing were replaced. All that the wretched disease had eaten away of his physical frame. Was all put back there. By the Lord. Call it a second blessing if you like. Call it what you want. He was made whole. That's the thing. God's not concerned about our terminology. Though at times we do need terrifying for things clarifying to our minds. What that man never did know. He didn't come back for a second blessing. He hadn't got a clue that it was one in existence. He was made whole and he'd been healed. And he went running back in gratitude to the Lord for what he'd done. And the Lord met him in a greater way. Praise the name of the Lord. Say this to him tonight. Lord I'm going to be made whole. I want you to make me whole. I want to be a whole individual. I want to be a whole person. I want to be complete. That's the foundation of the great word perfection in the scriptures. It means completion. God makes you basically complete. That you're all there. Now all you've got to do is to go on into perfection upon that perfection. That's the glory of it all. That he's made us whole. Are you whole? Or are you still saying Lord there's something lacking somewhere. I haven't got. Oh praise the name of the Lord. He found when Jesus was there. He got everything. Jesus was there. And Jesus worked. And Jesus did it. And he's going to make whole I believe. In these great days. Let them be great. Let's go on from glory to glory. I promised you I wouldn't be long. I can keep such promises. But let's be together in his presence. You know what your need is. Lord make me whole. I want to be a complete woman. I want to be a complete man. I want to be a complete human being. As you want me to be. I don't want to be forever crying out Lord give me this. Lord do that for me. I want to be able to say Lord thank you. Without a scrap of boastfulness in you at all. But to know that the Lord has done it. Hallelujah. I believe God's here with us. Don't you? Bless the Lord. Now you move right in. Lord make me whole. Praise him. Do you really believe? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So many of you heard me say this before. I love the precision of the Greek. That we're losing in these modern translations. Jesus did not say to him will you be made whole. You is plural. Thou is singular. That's the beauty of the old rendering. It's precise. The modern versions aren't. Will thou be made whole. He see if he said you it could have been the whole multitude that was there. He singled him out from the multitude. Will thou be made whole. Wholeness by God's standards. Glory. Whole. Bless him. Hallelujah. When God made a man out of dust in the beginning he made him whole. Whole. He never even had to wait nine months to mold him. He made him whole in a moment of time. A whole man. That's the revelation of Scripture straight out of the miraculous hand of God. Bless him. Glory. Believe beloved. Hallelujah. We glory in thee. We thank thee the God doing wonderful things in our hearts. Right now Lord and in our midst and we praise thee for it. We thank thee Lord that thou has brought us together to speak right into our hearts. And work in each one of us thine own glorious works. Jesus we're wide open to thee. Come and move in every individual. Working out thy purposes right to the end. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Receive he says. Everyone that asketh receiveth. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus heals. He takes away. That's the negative side. He heals the sickness. He takes away the germ. The virus. You see. He takes away the fever. He takes away. I know there is a building upside of it too. But when he makes whole it's all positive. It's all positive. Making complete. Absolutely. There's no killing anything. There's no destroying anything. It's creating something. Glory be to the name of the Lord. It's that which lies on beyond Calvary. Calvary is the destruction. And what lies on beyond it is that blessed one came back from the dead. Oh hallelujah. See what wholeness is. Jesus. It lies on beyond the destruction. Amen. Bless the name of the Lord. Hallelujah.