Miracles of Jesus, August 30th, 2026

Well good morning church. This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. It is a good thing to be together in the Lord's house both in the room and watching online. Would you do me a favor here in the room would you turn to someone next to you or someone around you and just tell them I'm glad you're here today tell them that for me tell them I'm glad you're here today. Man I always believe that's important because you never know who needs to hear those words. I'm glad you're here today. If I haven't met you yet my name is Justin Bilson I'm one of the four teaching pastors here at Fellowship. We are one church in seven locations and God is moving throughout Central Arkansas. Our mission is making disciples live by God's grace and for his glory at home and across the world. And I'm excited as we are last Sunday as you heard was our vision Sunday where we cast vision for where we believe to see God move in and through our church over the coming ministry year when we talked about this theme of God is able. We wanted to kick off the sermon series by talking about the miracles of Jesus and so we've got six sermons that we're going to walk through various passages in the Word of God primarily of course in the Gospels where we see miracles signs and wonders and the heart of this series is to draw our attention upward to see the fact to remind us that our God is able and he does work miracles. And so I want to invite you to join me as we look at this first installment in the series today in John chapter 5. The gospel of John chapter 5 is where we're going to be today. John chapter 5 and I want to read verses 1 through 17. Primarily I'm going to look at verses 1 through 9 but just want to look give us the context of this passage. This is a beautiful story if you're not familiar with it. John chapter 5 verse 1 through 17 is where we're going to be today. It'll be on the screen if you don't have it in front of you. The writer says after this there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate pool in Aramaic called Bethesda which has five roofed colonnades and in it lay a multitude of invalids blind lame and paralyzed. One man was there who had been

an invalid for 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time he said do you want to be healed? The sick man answered him sir I have no one to put me in the pool with water when the water is stirred up and while I'm going another steps down before me. Jesus said to him get up take up your bed and walk and at once the man was healed and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath so the Jews said to the man who had been healed it is the Sabbath and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed but he answered them the man who healed me that man said to me take up your bed and walk. They asked him well who is this man who said to you take up your bed and walk. Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was for Jesus had withdrawn as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him see you are well sin no more that nothing may work nothing worse may happen to you. The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him and this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus because he was doing these things on Sabbath. Verse 17 but Jesus answered them my father is working until now and I am working. This is the word of the Lord to us today as we talk about again this title or this theme as we begin this series I want to talk about God is able today that's we're gonna talk about God is able let's let's pray together. Father thank you the joy that is ours today to be in this sacred space. We feel your presence here. We know that your presence is not confined rather to the four walls of this building but thank you Lord that we're in your presence that we get to gather to fellowship with one another to be encouraged by one another to encourage one another to lift our our voices to sing of your praises and your goodness, spirits up to the heavens. to be reminded that you are in fact a way maker. We've seen evidence of it every day of our lives. And Lord, now as we approach your word, your word is life and light. Lord, we need your word.

We need your word. We would be so lost without it and we thank you that your word guides us. It is what we need in times like these. So Father, would your word challenge us today? Would it sharpen us? Would it convict us in the areas that we need to grow? Would it lift us? Would it encourage us? Would it give answers to the questions we have? Thank you for your word. Lord, don't leave us the same way we came, but thank you that we will be transformed and bettered by spending time together in worship and fellowship and in your word. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Church, it was in his classic work entitled Miracles, a preliminary study, that famed author and theologian C.S. Lewis gives his defense for not only the possibility, but more importantly, the significance of miracles. Lewis argues that miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story, which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see. His argument is powerful and it intersects with our text today, because one could easily argue that the healing of this man at the pool of Bethesda is a small letter retelling

of the vast divine story of the God who creates and sustains and restores and judges evil and raises the dead and makes all things new, because that is the case. I believe we can look at this text and conclude that the healing at the pool of Bethesda is not an isolated miracle, but it actually points ahead to the resurrection. So with that in mind, we come to our text today, where John chapter five tells us that Jesus has traveled from Galilee to Jerusalem during one of the Jewish feasts. Now stop just for a moment. Let's not rush in our reading of the text because that detail is very important. It helps to set the stage for what we're about to see, because before we get to the healing at the pool, we need to first consider the fact that it is around one of the time of the feasts, so Jerusalem is abuzz. As a matter of fact, it's one Jewish born Christian scholar who would say that Jerusalem at the time of the feasts lay in festive attire. He says that all around pilgrims were hastening toward it from the gorgeous temple buildings, dazzling in snow white marble and gold on which the slanting rays of the sun were reflected, rose the smoke of the altar of burnt offering. These courts were now crowded with eager worshipers,

streets filled with strangers and flat roofs covered with eager gazers. Love how he poetically captures the essence of what it must have felt like in Jerusalem at the time of John chapter five. He not only describes the scene, but he also helps us to understand that there's a tension in this text. There's a tension in this text because in the same story, you have two types of people. You have the pilgrims who have come from far and near to present themselves before God. We also find those who are, the text calls them invalids. Invalids are those who are disabled, sick and ill, and they are unable to present themselves before the presence of God in the temple, but instead they are waiting here by this pool in hopes to receive their healing. John tells us that these sick and disabled people were gathered by this pool because at the time, the common belief or dare I say superstition was that this water would bring healing to the first person who entered it after an angel came from heaven and troubled or the text says stirred the waters. This was the common belief and that is why this man who is unnamed to us, but the text tells us that he's been sick for 38 years. He's traveling here, coming here. We don't know if he lived here or if he visited,

we don't know, but what we do know is that he was hoping desperately to be the first one to step into the water when the pool was troubled, but every year he failed to be first. So here he is after almost four decades still waiting for a miracle amongst countless other sick and disabled people who are laying strewn across all this large area, laying on mats there. Scattered around asking for alms from those who would come by and they're seeking for healing at this pool Which in case you didn't know and I thought this was interesting This pool was not a small pool by any regard as a matter of fact historians would suggest it It was not just one pool But it was it was one large pool divided into two pools a north side and a south side two Large pools that were equivalent to the size of a football field As a matter of fact We've got a picture a rendering of the possibility of what it might have looked like a section of what it might have looked like This helps us to see the sheer size of this place And while we cannot account for how many hundreds if not thousands of people were there at one time We do know about one man who's there Bible says this man this man who has been sick for 38 years was approached by Jesus of Nazareth Who asks him a question? He says do you want to be healed? now in full transparency Every time I read this this question always in some sense seems odd To me because verse 6 tells us that Jesus saw the man lying there He discerned that he had been sick for a long time So clearly Jesus knows what's going on with the man before he says anything So if Jesus if you know the man's issue, why would you ask this question in first place? It's obvious. He wants to be healed

His answer to Jesus question lets him know that he wants to be healed He says sir, every time I'm trying to get to the pool someone steps in front of me. I have no one to help me So the question is is the issue If it's not a lack of effort, what's the issue here? It's not that he didn't try. It's not that he didn't want to It's not a lack of effort. Is it then a lack of faith? Or is it something deeper? That's attention. I want us to sit in as we process through this text But before we get there as one question, I want us to consider two questions today But the first one is this what is this narrative revealed to the reader? What is this narrative there's so much to see in this text So so many sights and sounds and elements and and points in this text, but what is this revealed to the reader? There's two things that I want to show you That I saw in the text that blessed me this week The first thing is this we'll leave it up on the screen so you can write it down If you're taking notes that this text displays the divine initiative of the Savior this text displays the divine Initiative of the Savior, what does it mean Justin that simply means that Jesus in the text makes the first move How do you know that you know that we know that because in verse 6 the Bible says that Jesus saw the man He knew his condition. He approached him and asked him the question. Do you want to be healed? What I love about this story is if you study the gospel of John if you study John's gospel You'll see that this is not the only miracle in John's gospel But it is one of the few if not The only one where we see the roles reversed in that majority of the miracles in the gospel of John Those who are in need came to Jesus but in this miracle Jesus goes up to the person in need he initiates When I think about Jesus initiating in the text with this man Cannot help but think about how he is in many ways Foreshadowing what he's going to do because not only did he come into the world at the divine initiative of father but he also would one day go to the cross to initiate and Complete the transfer of our sin unto him and his righteousness unto us

He initiated and completed this work The cross is a finished work and it is not because we asked him to do it not because we deserved it No, it is because he Initiated father sent his son. He initiated John chapter 6 verse 38 Jesus says I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me Jesus initiates he initiates with humanity and in the text he initiates with this man and not only does he initiate But he also extends an invitation He extends an invitation through the form of a question. He asks this man. Do you want to be healed? No words. He's inviting him. Come come find healing in me Don't spend the rest of your life waiting by this pool trying to get in come find healing in me Church, Jesus saw this man He spoke to him. He healed him. It's a beautiful story But can I? I tell you, in the midst of all that we see, I cannot help but wonder why this man and no one else? I don't know if you've ever thought about that as you read this text, or maybe as you're listening to me preach, maybe that thought crossed your mind. Why this man and no one else? The text says that this man was healed, but please know he was not the only sick person there. The Bible says there were multitudes, the blind and lame and paralyzed. So many people, so did Jesus ignore everyone else? As a matter of fact, I told the first services and I wanted to share this with you. I just thought about this this week as I was reading the text.

Can you imagine being the person next to him in this moment? Like, hey, excuse me, Jesus, where are you going? Like, I know you healed him, what about me? Can you stop and help me before you leave? I know we don't see anyone asking that question in the text, but let's be honest, maybe you're listening to me now and the reality of your story is you've asked that question once before. Jesus, what about me? What about the needs that I have? What about my marriage that is struggling? What about my family? What about my children? What about my life? I have put these prayers before you and I'm wrestling with this tension. What about me? Jesus heals one and not another in this text. And instead of me trying to explain to you why I think or believe Jesus healed one and not another, here's what I would rather do instead. I wanna remind us that as followers of Christ, we rest in the truth that we have a savior who is able to heal us from physical suffering. You may not even realize you're sitting next to possibly someone who has a testimony that they've been healed from physical suffering, that we serve a God who is able to heal on this side of heaven, not just in eternity, but on this side of heaven

to heal from physical sickness and disease. He is able, but not only that, scripture also tells us that he is able because he rescued us, not only from physical suffering, but he rescued us from eternal suffering through his finished work on the cross. Not only that, not only do we have a savior who can save us and heal us and bring healing to our bodies from physical suffering and rescued us from eternal suffering, but we also have a savior who joins us in our suffering to remind us that we're not alone. He heals from physical suffering. He rescued us from eternal suffering and he joins us in our suffering and walks with us to let us know we are not alone. And that is why if you are here today or watching me online and you are in need of a miracle, desperately praying either for yourself or someone you love, I need you to know that God is able. He's able. Whether that healing materializes on this side of heaven or in eternity, I need you to remember that you have hope that is anchored in a savior who has not only suffered for you, but will suffer with you. He initiated. Not only does the text tell us he initiated, but the text also shows us, it highlights, I love this, the obedience of the man in response to the authority of Jesus.

The text highlights the obedience of the man in response to the authority of Jesus. Jesus initiates, comes up to the man, he extends an invitation to receive healing. He does so through the form of a question. And again, this is not a trick question. He's not trying to make him slip up or see what he wants to say. No, I believe he's challenging him not only to consider, do you wanna be healed? I wanna take it a step further. I believe Jesus is challenging him to ask himself, am I ready to be healed? Because here's the thing, if I'm ready to be healed, Jesus says, if you're ready to be healed, here's what you've got to do. You've got to turn away from decades of dependence on self, on other people, on other things for healing, because here's what I need you to know. This water is not going to heal you. This water is not going to heal you. But the good news of the story is that the living water is standing before you. And instead of you looking to this water, you need to look to the living water. Because the healing that you need can only come from Jesus. He has the power to heal not only the disease of the body, but the disease of the heart, which is sin. And the good news of the gospel is that Jesus can heal all of me.

Say that again, Justin. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus can heal all of me. Gospel is that Jesus can heal all of me, but in order for that to happen I must look to him trust in him and obey his command What is this command is command in verse 8 Jesus says to the man get up take up your bed and walk. I Love this command, right? Because not only does it create an opportunity for this man to exercise Obedience but it also displays the Savior's authority Because he told him to do the very thing he could not do Jesus Jesus the man cannot walk and yet you tell him to get up and walk Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Remember, this is not the first time Jesus asked someone to do something that seemed impossible John chapter 9 There is a man who is born blind and Jesus comes to him and and and he spits in The dirt and makes mud and puts mud on this blind man's eyes and says go and wash in the pool He's blind. He's got mud on his eyes and you tell him to go wash in the pool You can't see how's he going? How's it gonna get it? It doesn't make sense to the natural mind, but isn't that the point? Because If I really believe God is able that I'm going to have to be willing to walk in obedience Even when it doesn't make sense. I Have to trust God with the outcome Which is what this man did And the Bible says he was healed and we praise God for that, but make no mistake Church He was not healed because of the result of his effort This is not a miracle that says well, he worked hard. He did everything he was supposed to do He made a good effort. And so Jesus healed him. No, because if this was simply a matter of willpower Or good planning. He probably would have already made it to the pool by now. I Don't know if you thought about this I did if it was me I wouldn't wait at 38 years after about year three after I figured it out

I'm scooting my mat as close as I can get to the edge of this water And if I just got a roll over, I don't know. I'm gonna figure it out, right? But at the end of the day, it's not a matter of good effort or good planning or better willpower No, this miracle is a work of God's grace That's why the story reminds us that anytime we experience a miraculous in our lives we should be humbled Because it's a work of God's grace It's not a result of our efforts It's a work of God's grace and I would also say not only is it not a work of a result of our efforts I would also say it is not a result of our lack of effort Why do you say that Justin because some? May have had Moments in your journey where the enemy has tried to convince you that God has not answered your prayer because you haven't done enough But at the end of the day It's not about your effort or lack thereof or what you think you need to do more of The miracle is a work of God's grace through Christ It's a reminder to everyone who is under the sound of my voice in the room and watching online that if you are waiting for a miracle if you are trusting and believing God to do something know that he is able Justin I'm not if I'm honest, I'm not waiting for a miracle things in my life are going well right now praise God for that But can I challenge you that you may not be waiting for a miracle? But what you do need to do what we all need to do is to celebrate the miracles We see in our lives as a matter of fact There's one miracle that we need to celebrate every day We wake up because when we look in the mirror, we are looking at a miracle We're looking at a miracle someone who has been saved from eternal Punishment set free from the penalty of sin and raised to new life in Christ. We are a walking miracle Because what Jesus has done in us is amazing As beautiful as that is to hear I

Believe that there's still someone Listening to me today That in your heart if you're honest you feel this tension Because again, you you do not discount the fact that God is able you believe God is able You know that God has worked in your life and all of that is great And yet even as you've been listening to the Spirit speak through this word, there is still a quiet question in your heart And the question is this how do I believe? That God is still able How do I believe that God is still? able Justin I've been I've been waiting I've been praying praying, doing all that I was taught to do, all the things that I know that I needed to do, and the reality of my story is, not only have things not gotten better, as a matter of fact, they've gotten worse. And I love this man's story, yes, and I celebrate his story, but Justin, I don't feel like the man in this story. I feel like the person next to him. I'm celebrating somebody else's miracle, but I'm asking, Lord, what about me? I'm still waiting on mine. I'm still praying and hoping and struggling to believe. So what do I do? What do I do? How do I still believe when what I prayed for is not matching what I see in front of me? That's a question I had to wrestle with, even in my own life.

Some of you know my journey a few years ago. It was on a Tuesday. I was talking to my mother, and she was not talking right, in my opinion, and her husband called me at the time and said, hey, your mom's not doing well, so we think she had a mini stroke, so we're gonna take her to the hospital in Orlando. It's okay? Called me that night, said, well, she's doing good. They did a little procedure, and she's under anesthesia. She had anesthesia, and she'll wake up when she's ready, but she's doing good. She's stable. Great. Next day, I get a call. How's she doing? She hadn't woken up yet, but we think the medicine's wearing off. Okay, great. Next day, hadn't woken up yet. Now, she's in Florida, and it's during COVID, so I can't go be in the hospital, and I remember it like it was yesterday. My wife and I and my son, we were walking around the parking lot here at the West Campus, and one of my uncles said, hey, I know you've been getting information from husband and getting information,

but I think you need to call and just confirm yourself, because this doesn't sound right. Person under anesthesia that long doesn't wake up. What's the issue? So I called, and I was on the phone with the nurse, waiting for the nurse, rather, and I'm home for about 30 minutes, and I'll never forget it. Church, I got on the phone with her, and I said, hey, my name is Justin. My mother's name is Terea, and she had a procedure, and her husband told me she still hadn't woken up yet, and I was just trying to get clarity, and she said, oh, you're the son. I said, yes, and she said, well, what I've been trying to tell her husband is that she's not under anesthesia. She's in a coma. Church, I stood in the parking lot of this campus for what felt like eternity, because that was not what I expected. So I immediately went in to do what I know to do, and so I prayed, and my wife and I, we fasted. I called friends and loved ones. We were praying. We were believing, trusting God. I had him, I said, hey, go up to the hospital. Put the phone near her ear. It was Mother's Day. Put the phone near her ear, and let's pray,

and let's sing songs, and oh, her foot moved. Oh, her hand moved. Praise God. There's progress, but what I was seeing and what I was believing for weren't matching up. I kept believing. I kept praying. I kept doing what I knew to do, what I was taught to do, what I believed to do, and then Friday morning, May 15th, I called 3.30 in the morning from the doctor in Florida and said, hey, we had an issue. Your mother's blood pressure dropped, and we're a little nervous. We gotta do emergency surgery. I said, okay, all right. I made up in my mind. My wife was there, and I said, hey, maybe I need to drive to Orlando. It was during the beginning of COVID. I didn't wanna get on a plane. I said, maybe I need to drive to Orlando, and before I could get in the car, 12 o'clock, doctor calls back and says, hey, just wanted to give you an update. We're not seeing signs of brain activity. What do you mean no signs of brain activity? What does that mean? I said, well, in the state of Florida, if there's no brain activity,

it means that she's deceased. That's not what I expected. I just talked to her last Tuesday. We just celebrated Mother's Day. I called her on the phone. What, what, hold, wait a minute. I sat there on the couch. After having to call my grandmother and tell my grandmother that her oldest child died, I sat there, and I said, God, I did everything that I was supposed to do. This is not what I expected. This is not what I expected. Six years ago, and even to this day, I still wrestle in my heart. But what I continue to learn and what I have grown and am growing every day to acknowledge is that in these hard moments, I have a choice. Here's the first choice that I can make. I must choose to trust in the sovereignty of God. I must choose. It is a choice. My flesh wants to do its own thing. My flesh wants to do what it wants. My flesh wants to believe what it wants. And yet I must choose in my heart and in my spirit to trust the sovereignty of God, to believe that he sees what I do not, that he knows what I do not. And I wrote this down in my notes.

that a change, and somebody needs to hear this, I believe today, that a change in my plan is not a change in his. Justin, what I'm seeing right now is not what I planned for. This is not how I wanted my life to go. I've got my list of goals. I've got my chart planned out. This is not what I thought. But a change in my plan is not a change in his. He's not surprised. He's not a caught off guard. He is sovereign. And maybe you're here and you're dealing with an unexpected change in life, but I need you to know and I need you to believe and choose to believe that God is still able. He's sovereign. That's the first choice. And even in the midst of the hard thing, the second choice I have to make is that I have to choose to trust that he sees, he knows, and he is with me. I have to choose to trust that he sees, that he knows, and he is with me. Justin, all that sounds good and that sounds great, but does this take away the pain? I gotta be honest, it may not. For the rest of my days, I will always wrestle with this void of the absence of my mother.

But here's what I am learning. It may not take away the pain, but it will change your perspective. It will change your perspective. That your resolve will be that even in the midst of this, I still believe God is able. I still believe he's able. And even when our expectations, because you do know that a lot of times, yes, Scripture says that we pray, we pray God's word, but let's be honest. There are times when we pray, we're praying God's word, but we also layer underneath that our expectation. We all do it. But what happens when our expectations go unanswered? We can be disappointed. We'd be disappointed. And some of you, maybe that's where you are right now. You're not mad at God, but you're disappointed because you've been praying and it doesn't seem like it's happening. And instead of giving up, the writer wants us to know that we need to choose to remember God's heart. And that gives us strength to trust. I don't know what you need. I don't know what you're going through, but I pray that your resolve today is that God is still able. Yes, I pray and believe that God will do in your life what you are praying for.

And even when you leave today, you still may be waiting, but know that God is working. Know that God is working. He is working and He is able. So here's how I wanna end today. I was praying about how to close this message. And I believe you never know the needs of those who are sitting next to you. Maybe you do, maybe you don't. But I wanna challenge us to practice the one another's. I wanna give us opportunity to ask the person next to us or someone around us, how can I pray for you today? Maybe you're sitting next to your spouse and this is a great opportunity for you to love them like Jesus loves them and ask them, how can I pray for you today? Maybe you're sitting next to your children or your grandchildren or a D group member or a neighbor or a friend, and maybe you don't know them at all. Or maybe you're sitting next to someone who doesn't know Jesus. It's still a great opportunity to say, hey, how can I pray for you today? Justin, that's a really good question. I'm an introvert, here's the thing, I really don't like talking to people I don't know. Guess what, I'm an introvert too. Or how are you getting up on stage talking to people? That's the Holy Spirit, that's not me.

But here's the thing, I believe that if we say we are a church family, if we say we are brothers and sisters in Christ, which we are, then we should be willing to stretch ourselves and ask those around us, how can I pray for you? And so that's how I want us to end today, before we sing, before we respond in worship. Let's go ahead, let's do this now. Either the person next to you or someone around you, ask them, how can I pray for you today? And then after you take time to pray, allow them to do the same for you. And if you're watching online and you need prayer, email us, care at fellowshipar.com. We would love to pray with you. So let's go ahead, let's everyone, let's do that now. Let's ask each other, how can I pray for you today? Let's respond, let's pray for one another, and then we'll worship in just a moment. Thanks again for listening to the Word of God. We are blessed to reach you throughout the week through whatever platform you're listening on. If you're needing prayer or you want to talk to someone about your walk with Jesus, reach out to us at fellowshipar.com slash contact. Have a great week.