January 22, 2023
Loved | John 5:1-15
EVEN WHEN YOU’RE A WHINER
Some people seem to have a hard go while others seem to make their own life hard. It’s not always easy to know how to respond, especially when you’re close to the person and want their life to improve.
Jesus, as always, handles that situation brilliantly: affirming but not enabling; healing but not over-involved; calling forth new life and calling out sin. What a privilege it is to be the community known by his Name and empowered by his Spirit.
Listen to an audio version of the message
Songs for this week: Spotify
John 5:1-15
- How comfortable are you visiting people in hospitals or funeral homes? What makes you so good (or bad) with being around people’s suffering?
- Why would Jesus ask: “Do you want to get well?” Wasn’t that self-evident?
- Some folks imagine that Jesus ‘appeared out of the blue’ but the truth is, his arrival was long-awaited. Read Isaiah 35:3-6. How, if at all, is your faith strengthened by Jesus being the fulfillment of many promises God made?
- What might Jesus be referring to when he says: “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you”?
- Have you ever had to walk with someone going through a really tough patch in their life? What worked? What definitely doesn’t work when you’re in that role?
Share with a friend
Recent Sermons
James 4:6-10 -James knows that the heart of the Christian message is grace. God gives us good that we couldn’t ever deserve. The truth is that we earn and deserve justice and punishment. Thankfully, Jesus took both of those for us and gave us the good he deserved. As powerful as grace is, there is one thing that can re
James 3:1-18 -James is at it again! He has a real concern for the words that Christians use on themselves, with each other and with the world. Our tongues (James' favourite image for our words) can cause such destruction, and they are nearly impossible to control.
James 2:14-26 -James continues to press deep into the muscles and tissues of our faith. Is your faith doing what it was designed to do? Just like you might go to the doctor for a physical check-up, James offers a self-administered faith check-up in this passage. Where do you see signs of life in your faith?
James 1:19-27 - James is direct: angry words, thoughtless words, and religious words don’t have a place in a life of faith. Our words don’t work … but God’s word does! Our job is simply to cooperate with his word.
James 1:1-8 - James gets right down to business! For everyone not currently soaking in a hot tub, suffering is a first order of business. In just a few verses, James explains how trials can grow maturity, how wisdom helps the journey, and how to avoid wasting a suffering experience.
Empowered Baptism is recognized throughout the Church as the beginning of a ‘God thing.’ John’s baptism was a visible demonstration of the start of a new life — clearing out the junk to prepare for what God was about to do. Jesus’ baptism reveals the true heart of baptism: God’s desire to bless and express His delight. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the start of the Kingdom. Ordinary women and men were now filled with the Spirit of Jesus to continue on the ministry Jesus started.
