True Revival never takes place by accident nor is it stumbled upon by sheer coincidence. Certain elements have always accompanied the visitation of revival in the past and are essential to its return.
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, of blind, halt, 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?”
The impotent man answered him, “Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.”
Jesus saith 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….
Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more.”
John 5:2-9, 14
The words of John 5 are recorded in three sections—
- Wilt thou be made whole?
- Rise, take up thy bed and walk.
- Sin no more.
Confrontation of the will
Wilt thou be made whole?
Verse 6
You may be laying on a bed of affliction today. A bed that is disguised as a low time in life. Some ignore the bed. Some don’t care. But many are afflicted, and there are many different forms of affliction. Some are simply indifferent to Bible truth.
Throughout the Bible, we see the value and power of questions. There are so many instances where a question is the best approach to use, because questions cause us to answer. Jesus did not confront the man’s intellect, nor did he confront his education. Jesus confronted this man’s will. He said, “Wilt thou?” He did not merely say, “Do you wish,” but “Are you in earnest?” Jesus questioned to reveal this man’s defeat.
Jesus is not asking if you can be made whole, He is asking if you want to be made whole. So many individuals are afraid of confrontational preaching. It’s not because they don’t agree, it’s because they are afraid. If real deliverance is to take place within any church, individual, or group of believers, it will not take place without confrontation with truth.
Jesus’ question revealed the lame man’s desire. He wanted to be delivered. Just as no one gets saved until there is a desire to get saved, no one gets delivered until there is a desire to get delivered. If you are willing to be made whole, you can. Don’t stay lying on the cot of defeat!
Responsibility of Dependence
Rise, take up thy bed and walk.
Verse 8
The crisis comes at invitation time, the time when we decide whether I will trust God? We often think that the great crisis is our bed—what we keep blaming the problem on—when it’s really a crisis of what we decide to do about it. The crisis is the actual dependence upon God to do the work.
God never gives us commands that cannot be fulfilled. When He tells us to do something, He expects us to do it. Sometimes we think that it is the hard things that we need to trust God in and not the small things. Jesus left the man with no choice but to totally depend on and trust Him. Faith is an exercise of the will. We must place our faith in Jesus Christ and nothing else for our deliverance.
We can do anything that God wants us to do. The question is, will you trust God? We never really truly believe until we get off of our bed. What enabled the man to get off of his bed? The answer is Jesus. When God convicts you about something, you must depend on Him, and get the victory.
Continuation of Practice
Sin no more.
Verse 14
When you get right with God, you are made whole. What gets you right with God today can keep you right with God in the future. You don’t have to understand how all of revival works, but if you will just continue to trust and depend upon God, He will lead you and help you. Once you get right with God, you do not have to go back to that sin.
How about it? Is the Victorious Life possible? A life of victory over all known sin? Can we obtain victory over known voluntary sin? Is this life really taught in the Bible and is it ever experienced by men today? Can any Christian really have victory over all known sin for one whole day? Is it possible for any and every Christian? Can we see victory over the besetting and habitual sins, such as bad temper, irritability, pride, jealousy, backbiting, lack of love, and anxiety? Can I have this victory for a day? For several days? Habitually? God’s answer to these questions is simple and clear,
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
1 Corinthians 15:57
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith
1 John 5:4
God never gives commands that cannot be fulfilled! God fully expects Christians to love all of their enemies (Matt. 5:44), forgive as Jesus forgave (Col. 3:13), give thanks for all things (Eph. 5:20), worry about nothing (Phil. 4:6-7), rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4), be blameless without rebuke (Phil. 2:15), be as holy as Christ is holy (1 Pt. 1:15-16), and be as pure even as God is pure (1 Jn. 3:3).
Will you right your relationship with God today?
Billy Ingram (@evangelistbilly) serves as the Pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Covington, GA, a board member of Minutemen Ministries, and a former team leader of The War. He and his wife, Christy, have three children, two pit bulls, and a Harley.
