Gospel—Al Coleman
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Let's ask the Lord's blessing on His word. Our loving Father, we thank Thee for this weekend. We thank Thee for the precious time we've had over Thy precious word this weekend. And now we just look to Thee for the few moments ahead and this precious gospel message that can still go forth to whosoever will we thank Thee, and we praise Thee and Thy long-suffering heart of mercy, that Thou art still lingering over this world, not willing to initiate, perish. So we pray that if there's one here, that is still.
Lost and in their sins, that tonight they might hear words whereby they might be saved. We just ask you for help as we open thy precious word, and we give you thanks for the privilege of being able to do so. In thy precious and worthy name, Lord Jesus, Amen. I'd like to open first of all, an opening verse, Exodus chapter 15.
Exodus chapter 15, one verse.
And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and we'll do that which is right in his sight, and we'll give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee which I have brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Then go to Second Chronicles, chapter 36.
Second Chronicles, chapter 36.
Verse 15.
And the Lord God of their Father sent to them by his messengers, rising up at times, and sending, because he had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they marked the messengers of God, and despised his word, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy or no healing.
Now go with me to the fifth chapter of John's Gospel.
John's Gospel, chapter 5.
After this 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 Gray, uh, great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, of hull, of withered, waiting for the moving of the waters. 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 30 and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time. In that case he said unto him.
Wilt thou be made whole? The evident man answered him. Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to get put me into the pool, but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Jesus says unto him, rise, take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed and walked, and on the same day was the Sabbath. Well, I've just read dear ones here this afternoon thought verse in Exodus 15 and how the Lord told the children of Israel just as about their time when they were going about to.
I go, uh, into the desert and into the promised land. And he and he told them, he said, if you owe a dir diligently hearken to me and be obedient to thee. I will put any of those diseases on you that I put on the on the, on those in Egypt. And but did they hearken and did were they obedient to the Lord knows we can see the history of Israel and the history of mankind down through the ages.
Of how much man has failed. And we went to those verses in on Second Chronicles chapter 36 and we find that they mocked the messengers of God and they misused the prophet until there was no healing. And so we see, and here if we could apply it this way this afternoon, that the gospel has been going forward for 2000 years and since the cross of Christ.
00:05:18
Uh, man has gone downhill, downhill, downhill until today. What have we got today? This world is right for the judgment of God. Man has got so far away from God. And uh, he says, umm, I won't put any of those diseases that I put that that Egypt had. Well, what about today?
Those diseases have happened in this world, haven't they? All I have to mention is just one word, age.
And what a sad scene we have in this world today. And so we come to this chapter here in John chapter 5. And there is this sad scene here. And I think of it, the Lord comes to this to to this pool of Bethesda and.
Bethesda means mercy, mercy, and so I say this that a God who is rich in mercy. I love that those verses in the Hebrews in that Ephesians chapter 2, it says a new happy quick endo are once dead and trespasses in sin. We're in the time past. He worked the current.
According to the course of this world, the Prince and the power of gaire and we, we had our conversation in times past and uh, I'm, I'm not quite right. I'm sorry. But then it says, but God, but God, not wonderful, that wonderful word, but but God who is rich in mercy. And so this wonderful God who is rich in mercy and still lingering over this world today.
And just seeking sinners to come to him today.
The wages of sin is death, but.
The gift of God is eternal life. Think about it, A wonderful God that gave his beloved Son.
The darling of his bosom, God, so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. And so we come to this pool of Bethesda. And if you could just picture, OK, there's a circle right in the middle of our room here, and there are five porches around this pool of Bethesda.
And.
And it says in these lay a great multitude of impotent folk of blind, of pulp waiting for the moving of the waters. And uh, let's think of that. What a sad scene it was. And you look at this world today. Isn't it a sad scene in this? What a terrible world we're passing through.
Blind Halt withered, waiting for the moving of the waters.
And the only blessing was there was that an Angel came down at a certain time and troubled the waters. I don't know what happened. Maybe the the waters got got got rippled and the first person that got down there, the only blessing that was there.
If you got down there first, you were healed whatsoever disease you had. And there they are all around this Pooler blind, Halt withered. And you know, I believe that that is the three.
Shall we say stages of a life without Christ? A life without Christ yet first of all.
Satan blinds you, doesn't he? It says in as a second Corinthians 4/4. It says in whom the God of this world that blinded the minds of them that believe not let the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine into him. And so the God of this world blinds you. I know that when I was a young, young man.
And the I just wanted a lot of this great big world and Satan blinded me and those were wasted years in my life. But thank God that the Lord turned me around to find beauty in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blind and then it says how and it cripples a person.
He cripples a person.
00:10:01
And then withered. You know, I see these people all the time where I go.
They're blind. Satan has blinded them and then he cripples them. You can see them. They're on the.
They're sleeping on the side, or you're walking down and there's a big blanket and there they are. They're underneath. And there's another person down the street farther on. He's got a cigarette lighter and a little glass tube and you know what I mean talking about. And there are many of them.
And yeah, and it's so sad to see them all.
What does he need? What do they need? They need Christ. They need the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal savior. Well, you know, umm, I'm not gonna go on too much with the, with the, with what I'm doing, but.
The the, their soup kitchens all over the place, places where you can go to get a meal and things like that. And is that what they need? They need?
They need the gospel, blind halt with it. They're waiting for the moving of the waters. And so we come to hear one special individual and this man is impotent. He can't do anything, not a thing, not a thing. And he's lying there and think that he had been lying there for 38 years.
38 years, That's a long time.
And you know, the Lord Jesus looked at that person, and he knew how long he had been there.
I'm gonna ask you a question.
Is there a person here this afternoon you've been around through the precious word of God? This weekend has been our lovely weekend. Is there a person here in this room to this afternoon that has been under the word of God this weekend? Enjoyed the fellowship, the meals, everything, and yet you're still lost.
How long are you going to keep the Lord Jesus waiting?
38 years? Oh, I hope not. You know, we haven't got 38 years.
The Lord is coming.
Yeah, the Lord's coming. We haven't got 38 years. I'm waiting for the Lord to come and Take Me Home, put him home with us, just before us.
And he saw the awful condition of that infinite man.
And you know he sees your condition too.
And you saw mine, and thank God that he saved my precious soul.
That's wonder, that's wonderful. He left the heights of glory and came down here into this world 2000 years ago.
To redeem poor lost, fallen man.
And there he suffered on that cross, to think on that cross, that he could cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Why was he there? He was there on account of my sins.
And thank God that he shed his precious blood for me.
And thank God that I can say that even though I have sinned against God, and the wages of sin is death, and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, yet I can say that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. Not beautiful. My sins are all gone. I'm fit for heaven. The Lord Jesus were to come. What is IT4430 now 25 I'll be there, I'll be there. How about you?
And so here's this infinite man.
And the Lord comes to him, and he says, Wilt thou be made whole?
And he's asking you the same question this afternoon.
By the Spirit of God wisping in your ear, would you like to be saved?
Wilt thou be made whole of all your sins? You want to be saved.
That's the question.
You can be saved.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That's as simple as that.
It only says a simple thing. Believe and live. Oh yes, you have to come as a guilty Sinner. You have to realize that you've sinned against him like the prodigal when he came to his father, he said, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and I'm no more worthy to be called thy son.
00:15:01
He's the Savior of sinners. This man receiveth sinners and needeth with them. Wonderful, wonderful. And so he comes to this man, and he says.
Will thou be made whole?
And the man says to him, Sir, I've got no man. I've got no man to help me down to that pool. When I while I'm trying to get there, another person comes down before me. And it's a hopeless situation. Yeah, it is. It's a hopeless situation. And you know what this tells me? I cannot save myself. I cannot sell, no, no matter how I try. And I remember trying real hard.
To change my ways. Those people that I meet on the street, they're trying, a lot of them are trying to change their ways, but they can't. They need Christ. They need Christ and I need Christ. I cannot save myself. It's only the finished work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary's cross. Think about how wonderful it was when the Lord Jesus was up in there on that cross and he and he.
Quarter those per those 3 words. It is finished. Nothing left free for for you and I to do, but just to come to him and be saved.
I know, I know. Wonderful, wonderful, uh, message from, from the heart of God didn't ask you to do something. He just says, I want you to come.
Beautiful, beautiful.
He says, Sir, I have no man when the what? And another gets down before me. It's just it's just been an impossible situation. What does he say? He says.
Rise, take up thy bed and watch. Not nice. What a lovely savior. What a lovely savior. I want to tell you, I don't want to ask you this this afternoon.
You know this lovely person, this man who is the fairest among 10,000? This is the person that you and I that belong to the Lord Jesus are gonna see maybe this very afternoon.
Demand, who came to the pool of Bethesda and saw that awful scene there? Who came to heal? Who came to bless? And it's the same one that 2000 years later.
His arms are outstretched. Oh, I say to you this afternoon, if you don't know him, he's saying to you, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. This is the Savior I like to proclaim to you this afternoon. Receive this wonderful person, the Lord Jesus Christ, that he may be Lord of your life. Let's pray.
Loving Father, we're so thankful for thy beloved Son and for what he has done on Calvary's cross.
We thank thee, we praise thee for that Blessed One, that one who is the delight of thy heart, that one whom knock has opened up the heavens and look down upon and say, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And we just exalt that Blessed One this afternoon. We praise and thank thee for what, our God, for what? For sending thy beloved Son, and we thank thee for the precious gift of salvation.
Lord Jesus, we thank Thee and Thy precious and worthy name. Amen.