Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.07UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.05UNLIKELY
Fear
0.11UNLIKELY
Joy
0.63LIKELY
Sadness
0.56LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.72LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.59LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.67LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.7LIKELY
Extraversion
0.18UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.93LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.66LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Life Changing Questions from the Lord
The Gospel of John
John 5:1-15
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - April 29, 2018
(Revised July 26, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*Tonight in John 5, we will take a good look at the Lord's third miracle recorded in the Gospel of John.
While He was here on earth, Jesus worked countless miracles.
In John 20:30-31, the Apostle John tells us that:
30. . .
truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;
31.
but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
*Then, in John 21:25, the Apostle said, "There are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."
*Jesus worked an astounding number of miracles here on earth.
But counting the Lord's resurrection, there are only 39 specific miracles of Christ mentioned in the four Gospels.
John's Gospel includes only 11 of these miracles, and 8 of those are found only here in John.
(1)
*Last time in John 4, we looked at the Lord's second miracle in this Gospel.
It was the story of a nobleman from Capernaum.
That man's son was so sick, he was just about to die.
And when that loving father heard that Jesus was in Cana, the ruler rushed twenty miles to ask Jesus for help.
*John 4:50 tells us that "Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; your son lives.'
So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way."
Before that dad got home the next day, his servants ran to meet him on the road and tell him that his son was healed in the same hour when Jesus told the man to go home!
*We've also studied the Lord’s first miracle in John 2. It happened at a wedding in Cana.
There Jesus instantly changed 120 to 180 gallons of ordinary water into wine.
Now, that might seem like a frivolous miracle to us.
But the Lord has promised to meet all our needs, both the big and the small!
*Plus, Jesus always does all things well, and the Lord had some great lessons for us in that miracle.
There at the wedding, Jesus changed ordinary water into the best tasting wine.
Most likely, it was the best tasting wine the world has ever seen.
*Now Jesus is trying to change us into the best people the world has ever seen.
Miraculously changing water into the best wine was easy for the Lord.
Changing us is the hardest thing Jesus ever had to do, because it took Him dying on the cross for our sins.
*Changing us also takes more time, and it involves much bigger miracles.
But our risen Savior will make the transformation complete for everyone who trusts in Him.
And tonight's miracle can help us get there, because God has great lessons for us here.
Please think about that, as we read John 5:1-15.
MESSAGE:
*One of the things that stands out about our Lord is how He loves to ask questions.
In Matthew 6:25, Jesus said, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"
*In Matthew 7:3 He asked, "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"
*In Matthew 7:11, Jesus said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
*In Matthew 8:26, Christ’s question for His disciples was, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"
Then in Matthew 9:4, Jesus met some of His enemies, and "knowing their thoughts, asked, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts?'"
*Tom Gilson explained that "Jesus was not asking out of confusion or even curiosity.
He knew their thoughts.
He knew what was going on under the surface.
Jesus wasn't asking because He needed to know.
He asks questions to help US.
*Jesus asks questions to help us think about who we are, what we believe, and what we should be doing with our lives."
(2)
*Well, the Lord also had a great question for the sick man here in John 5.
And as we look at this miraculous story, we can see that Jesus has some life-changing questions for us.
1. THE FIRST QUESTION IS: ARE YOU WILLING?
*That's the question Jesus asked this sick man in vs. 6: "Wilt thou be made whole?" "Are you willing to be made whole?" "Do you want to be made well?"
*At first glance, this could seem like a ridiculous question, because the answer seems so obvious.
The Lord knew that this man was terribly sick, and he had been for 38 years.
*Pastor Guy Caley said, "Add to this the fact that the sick man was there at a pool known for healing.
And we begin to get a sense of how crazy it might have sounded for Jesus to ask, 'Do you want to get well?'
*Does a crippled man want to get well?"
That question reminded Pastor Caley of one of his Dad's all time favorite questions: "Do you want a spanking?"
That's a question I often heard from my own daddy.
And he never had to wonder about the answer.
(3)
*Jesus asked: "Are you willing to be made whole?"
And it may seem like an unnecessary question.
But our perfect Savior had a perfect reason for asking that question.
*Melvin Newland explained that "actually, it was a very valid question, for there are people who, if given an opportunity for healing, might actually choose to remain sick.
*Right now, they're free of some unpleasant responsibilities.
And they get sympathy by complaining about their sickness.
They can manipulate other people by being sick, or punish themselves if they feel guilty."
(4)
*Jesus' question was both necessary and proper: "Are you willing to be healed?"
It's as if the Lord was asking: "Are you willing to let go of the past?
Do you want to move forward in your life?"
*Think about the sick man's answer in vs. 7: "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.''
*Here was a man who could have held on to his past.
He could have gotten tied down by his past setbacks, and disappointments: "God, why don't I have somebody?
Why did they let me down?
Why did You let me down?"
*Author John Phillips explained this man's misery by saying: "He had no friends, no family.
His companions were life's victims: blind people, lame people, people withered inside and out.
All their hopes had shrunk to the small chance they had of outsmarting the others and being first in the pool.
*There would be the usual jockeying for position with all the passion of people desperately clinging to their one tiny hope for healing.
The sight, the stench of it all, must have been depressing.
In that pitiful spot there was unmitigated misery and unending poverty."
(5)
*This sick man could have easily gotten bitter and envious.
Other people had someone to help, but he didn't!
Other people were getting healed, but he wasn't!
He could have just gone on lying there feeling sorry for himself.
*Church: On a smaller scale, I've seen people do this, and I've done it too.
Rather than looking ahead to see what God has in store for us, rather than letting God bless us, we can get obsessed with what's gone wrong in the past, or who's done us wrong in the past.
*In vs. 7, the sick man told Jesus, "I have no man to help me."
But the Lord didn't want him to be thinking about what he didn't have.
Jesus wanted him to be thinking about what he did have standing right in front of him.
So, the Lord asked the question: "Are you willing?"
*And if we will listen, we can hear Jesus ask us the same question every day.
Are you willing?
-- Let your answer to the Lord be "yes!"
2. THE SECOND QUESTION FROM THIS MIRACLE STORY IS: ARE YOU BELIEVING?
*Take a look at the sick man's faith in vs. 8-9:
8. Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk.''
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9