bridgewater community church

The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” ⁸ Jesus *said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk” (John 5:7-8).

The invalid at the Pool of Bethesda does what almost all of us are wont to do: for he limits the assistance of God according to his own thought…In this we have a mirror of that forbearance of which every one of us has daily experience, when, on the one hand, we keep our attention fixed on the means which are within our reach, and when, on the other hand, contrary to expectation, he displays his hand from hidden places and thus shows how far his goodness goes beyond the narrow limits of our faith.  Besides, this example ought to teach us patience.  Thirty-eight years was a long period, during which God had delayed to render to this poor man that favor which, from the beginning, he had determined to confer upon him.  However long, therefore, we may be held in suspense, though we groan under our distresses, let us never be discouraged by the tediousness of the lengthened period; for, when our afflictions are long continued, though we discover no termination of them, still we ought always to believe that God is a wonderful deliverer who, by his power, easily removes every obstacle out of the way.

–John Calvin

I came across this quote from John Calvin that is so true: “There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence.”   He got that from Scripture.   

• Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling (Prov 16:18).
• There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death (Prov 16:25).
• The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel (Prov 12:15).

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of your time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph 5:15-17).

When I was growing up, I had difficulty listening well. (My wife might say that I still have the same problem today.)  I believe most of us could be much better listeners. 

Good listeners make good company.  Good listeners make good friends.  Good listeners make good learners.  Good listeners make good teachers.  And good listeners make good counselors.  On the other hand, poor listeners who only want to hear themselves talk and, when forced to listen, are only planning what they are going to say as soon as you take a breath.  Learning how to listen well is important–it determines a lot about our relationships to others.

More important, however, than how we listen to others is how we listen to the Lord.  How good are we at listening to God?  One of the repeated themes of the Bible is a command to listen.  “Hear the Word of the Lord,” is said some thirty-five times in the Old Testament.  Commandments like “Hear, O Israel,” “Listen to me” or “Today, hear His voice” are repeated throughout the Psalms and by the Old Testament prophets.  Jesus Himself says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).

Deuteronomy 4:36 says: “God let you hear His voice that He might instruct you.”  What a privilege we have to receive instruction from God out of heaven provided to us through His Word.  We are told frequently in Scripture to listen when God speaks.  In fact, at the transfiguration of Jesus, the voice of the Father came out of heaven and God said to Peter, James and John who were on the mountain, “This is my Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him” (Luke 9:35).

Earlier in Luke, Jesus gives a parable about various types of soil and relates it to the way we are to listen.  Some hear superficially, like seeds falling on hard ground.  Some hear very emotionally, like rocky soil. Some hear temporarily, like the weedy soil, then become distracted by other interests.  Some hear with a good and honest heart, in a way that transforms and saves. The Word takes root and produces a hundred fold.  The parable ends with “Be careful how you hear” (Luke 8:18 ESV).

This is significant. The kind of listener you are will reveal your spiritual condition.  There are many people who make a superficial or temporary response to Jesus and the gospel.  “Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt 7:22-23).  There are superficial disciples. Many may profess to believe in Jesus Christ, but their profession of faith is proven when they genuinely listen to His voice.  Listen well in order to hear His voice and respond to it.

Are you a good listener? 

Paul says in Colossians 2:10, “and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.” If you are a Christian, you are complete in Him. You are complete in Christ because He is sufficient in every way. The surpassing theme of the New Testament boils down to that simple statement. Everything from Matthew to Revelation speaks to the sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul also says in I Corinthians 1:30 that Christ “became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.” In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus told Paul that “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Paul continues to then say, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” Ephesians 1:3 says that in Christ, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. And Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

Having the Lord Jesus Christ is to have everything needed in spiritual life for all time and eternity. To have Him is to have everything. Not to have Him is to have nothing at all. All joy, peace, meaning, value, purpose, hope, fulfillment in life now and forever is found in Christ. And when a person receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they enter in to an all-sufficient relationship with an all-sufficient Savior.

We live in a time when there is a fair amount of confusion on this point. Jesus Christ is simply something that you can add to what you already have. You cannot simply “add Jesus” to what you already have. And you cannot add anything to Him.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matt. 13:44-46). Jesus’ point is that we give up all because of the significance and sufficiency of the One whom we find—Christ Himself.

That is an exchange of all that I am and have for all that He is.  There are many who want to use the name of Christ and might even say they believe in Jesus Christ, but at the core, it is Christ plus something: human intellect, philosophy, mystical experience, ritual or ceremony, or even self-denial–Christ plus a lot of things. If He is sufficient, you need Christ alone. You add nothing to Christ.  His directive is to abandon anything we can bring to the table and take up our cross and follow Him. And that’s an exchange worth making.