John 5 | Surrender
December 5th, John 5
Today I leave you with a lengthy quote from a sermon Charles Spurgeon preached on John 5.
Jesus, having looked upon this man with a special eye of regard, said to him, “Wilt thou be made whole?” I have already hinted that this was not said because Christ wanted information, but because he wished to arouse the man’s attention. On account of its being the Sabbath, the man was not thinking of being cured, for to the Jew it seemed a most unlikely thing that cures should be wrought on a Sabbath day. Jesus, therefore, brought his thoughts back to the matter in hand; for, mark you, the work of grace is a work upon a conscious mind, not upon senseless matter. Though Puseyites pretend to regenerate unconscious children, by sprinkling their faces with water, Jesus never attempted such his salvation a thing —Jesus saves men who have the use their senses — and his salvation is a work upon a quickened intellect and awakened affections.
Jesus brought back the wandering mind with the question, “Wilt thou be made whole?” “Indeed,” the man might have said, “indeed, I desire it above all things —I long for it — I pant for it.” Now, my dear hearer, I will ask the same question of you. “Wilt thou be made whole? Do you desire to be saved ? Do you know what being saved is?” “Oh,” say you, “it is escaping from hell.” No, no, no; that is the result of being saved, but being saved is a different thing. Do you want to be saved from the power of sin? Do you desire to be saved from being covetous, worldly-minded, bad-tempered, unjust, ungodly, domineering, drunken, or profane?
Are you willing to give up the sin that is dearest to you? “No,” says one, “I cannot honestly say I desire all that.” Then, you are not the man I am seeking this morning: but is there one here who says, “Yes, I long to be rid of sin, root and branch; I desire, by God’s grace, this very day to become a Christian, and to be saved from sin.” Well, then, as you are already in a state of thoughtfulness, let us go a step further, and observe what the Saviour did. He gave the word of command, saying, “Rise! Take up thy bed and walk.”
The power by which the man arose was not in himself, but in Jesus; it was not the mere sound of the word which made him rise, but it was the divine power which went with it. I do believe that Jesus still speaks through his ministers; I trust that he speaks through me at this moment, when in his name I say to you who have been waiting at the pool, wait no longer, but this moment believe in Jesus Christ! Trust him now. I know that my word will not make you do it; but if the Holy Ghost works through the word, you will believe.
Trust Christ now, poor sinner. Believe that he is able to save you; believe it now! Rely upon him to save you this moment; repose upon him now! If you are enabled to believe, the power will come from him, not from you; and your salvation will be effected, not by the sound of the word, but by the secret power of the Holy Ghost which goes with that word.
Reflection Question:
What in your life do you view as more precious than Jesus Christ? Work to open your hands and give it to Him.
Opening my hands in submission to Him,
Josh.