The Devotional Jhn 16

The Devotional

Comment: Have you ever been involved in a conversation and when it is your turn to talk you know that the people with you are hearing your words, but they are not processing (listening) what you are saying. Many folks are not capable of listening to what is being said. They hear your first sentence and after this they simply hear the distractions in their mind or of others around them. They also watch the body language of the others in the conversation and eye contact to decide whether or not to take on the rest of your comments. This is very much the case in the following portion of scripture we will look at in just a bit. However before we look, I am reminded of, maybe even distracted by the upcoming Day of Thanksgiving. Wednesday and Thursday I will not be sending out a devotional (but I will send one out on Friday) this does not mean for any of us to slack off in our devotion to the LORD. While we may take a holiday or vacation, God never sleeps or slumbers and is a very present help in times of need. Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (time of need). We need the LORD twenty four hours a day and seven days a week, there is no wiggle room for you or me to avoid His ever present help.

Challenge: John 5:1-15 – There is a lot of confusion in this event in the signs and wonders movements in Christendom today and it is because we see the words of scripture, we hear the words of preachers but we do not listen to urgency of God the Holy Spirit who is the only ONE who can guide us into “all Truth” – John 16:5-15. If you are a ‘Bible Thumper’ a student of the Word of God do not be led astray by false teachers – 2 Peter 2:1-3. Pay attention to the Spirit of God, if you are saved by grace than He will instruct and guide you as Jesus has promised.

Some very good teachers of the Scriptures whittle and mince these 15 verses into food unfit for your dog and I do not know why. What I mean is that there is enough scientific evidence of springs of water that bubble up and cause the water in a pool to be ‘troubled’ so to speak. And yes these springs contain minerals that can do make the bones feel better if one sets in the pool while it is bubbling. But believing that this event is nothing more than that is a devilish way of crippling the faith of someone in all scripture.

Also some believe that the apostle John did not write this section but was added sometime later by a scribe. The intention of why is not clear, so what’s the point of adding something to scripture if it is not simply to deceive the reader, this too devilish. People read, people hear, but people as a whole do not pay attention to what is true. The subject of this passage I believe is not the pool, the troubled water, the feast day or the angel of the LORD who troubled the water.

The subject at hand is the offering of The Christ (Messiah) to a sinful man to be made whole (well physically and spiritually) by faith. Hebrews 11:1 says this about ‘faith’ – Faith is the substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (confidence) of things not seen. Thus it is obvious that the description of the scenes surrounding this miracle are not the issue, but what is, is the unseen faith that the LORD offers to all who will call upon His Name by faith.

The man hoped to be made well and the evidence that he was well is in the truth that he was now able to carry his bed back home. This would be all that most of us might need to continue in faith with Christ as our LORD, yet we do not see this in this man’s life. What we see in his final meeting with Jesus is this, Jesus says to him, “See you have been made well. Sin no more, less a worse thing come upon you.” When Jesus departed the temple, the man went purposely to tell the Jews that it was Jesus who healed him. No faith involved here just statement of fact to the Jews.

The telling of this to the Jews is not a sinful act, but there is nothing said about the man’s personal faith in Christ. Still this does not constitute sin, it just reveals to you and me that not all people who hear the message, or read the words pay attention to the Joy and Peace that God offers to those who will by faith come to Christ for salvation. The scripture says that this man never came on his own to Jesus, Jesus came to him twice and in both occasions there is no evidence of faith, which is hearing and believing.