Matt Hagee - What Only The Grace of God Can Do
Where sin did abound, grace did that much more abound. But the truth is all have fallen short of the glory of God. The truth is there is none righteous among you, no, not one. The truth is the wages of sin is death. And so whenever you consider God's grace, what you have to understand is that you are being delivered from the truth of what you have done to trespass and transgress the law of God, because of his amazing grace. You don't get grace without understanding the truth. God's grace is a precious, unmerited gift that's beyond your ability to fathom. But there's this burden of truth that because we are men, we are hopelessly lost. We're sinners in need of a Savior. We're sheep, as Isaiah said, gone astray. We're slaves to sin, as Paul wrote in Romans.
The truth is that without Christ, we are hopelessly lost and outside of the covenant. You cannot have the glory of his grace without embracing the weight of his truth. And John's gospel begins by telling us this story about two things that just don't mix: God's grace and the works of man. Your effort will never make God's grace greater. So your works and God's grace, they just don't mix. And we see this in the miracle of the pool of Bethesda. In the very first verse, it says, "After this there was a feast of the Jews".
Now here's the problem with that: people immediately want to know, what feast was it. It doesn't matter. They said it wrong. Go read Leviticus 23:2. In Leviticus 23, this is the first that the feasts are being discussed, and God is talking to Moses about them. And God says to Moses, "The feasts of the Lord. Which you (Moses) shall proclaim as a holy convocation". He reiterates it. He says in Leviticus 23:2 "These are my feasts". He says, "Six days shall work be done. But the seventh day is a day of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it: for it is the sabbath of the Lord". But in John 5, we now have a feast of the Jews. And we have a problem, because Jesus did something he wasn't supposed to do, based on the law of the pharisees, on the sabbath day. Here is the point: it wasn't their day: it was God's day.
John 5:2, it says, "And there is a place there by the sheep gate, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda, having five porches". I want you to see what this pool looks like in the time of Christ. This is what the Temple Mount would have looked like. That's the temple. The outer court, the inner court, the holies of holies is in that building. The platform here. This is the pool of Israel next to the wall. This is the pool of Bethesda, having five porches. This pool, from architectural understanding, was longer and wider than a football field. And it was deeper than an Olympic swimming pool. It was about 16 and a half to 18-feet deep from what they can tell. This was no small puddle in the middle of the desert.
Now there were five porches here, which are the coverings around all four sides and through the middle. Why was this such a significant place? And why is it mentioned here in this text? Because the pool of Bethesda was called "A house of mercy". That's what it means. "Bayith" is the Hebrew word for house. And then when you take other half of Bethesda and you put the meaning together, it says it's a house of mercy and grace. It's a house where people, who do not deserve it, receive it. People, who did not earn it, get it. And someone has done something for you that you could not do for yourself. But they describe this place as having five porches.
How many of you see the wall leading to the temple, and there's the rise in the middle of the wall, and there's a small arch right there? You see the arch? That's the sheep gate. The sheep gate was not for a human being. The sheep gate was for the sheep. Dah. And what would happen at the pool of Bethesda, the pool being longer than a football field and wider than a football field with five porches, was that during these feasts, the Bible records how people would come to Jerusalem. They understate it, because they've found through studying ancient history that 200-300,000 people would come at one time to the temple in order to sacrifice unto the Lord. And so if you had 200 to 300,000 people washing off their sheep, you needed to have a big sheep SPA. And that's what this was.
It was a place where if you came from Ethiopia or Macedonia, or you came from the Galilee or some other region, and you were coming to sacrifice, and you brought your lamb who had been dirtied by the journey: that you could take them somewhere and wash them, because the Bible said he had to be without spot and he had to be without blemish. Otherwise, you couldn't sacrifice them for your sins. But imagine if you saw a bath for 200,000 sheep. It would be a place where you might want to change your shoes if you took a walk. But the Bible doesn't just say that there were 200-300,000 sheep in this place. The Bible tells us that there was a multitude, not just one or two. There was a multitude. They were stacked up on top of each other of blind, of sick.
You see, everybody at the pool of Bethesda was waiting on something. But the thing that they had decided they were going to wait for is something they heard about and not something they needed. I mean, if you're blind, don't you think you need sight? If you're lame, don't you think you need to walk? If you're paralyzed, don't you think you need to move? But at the pool of Bethesda, rather than the blind waiting to see, and the deaf waiting to hear, and the lame waiting to get up, they all had a mat and they were waiting on the churning of the water. Have you ever seen somebody that ain't where they want to be not acting like they should act, not being who they need to be, far beneath what they were created to be, and they've gotten so functional in dysfunction that they can start talking like it's normal? That's the pool of Bethesda. And it's a picture of the world that we're living in today. It's a beautiful place.
There's so many beautiful things to see in this world. But this beautiful world that we live in is so full of broken people who are desperate for a fix, broken people who will put their faith into all kinds of things, hoping that something will make it better. When you go to the pool of Bethesda, you see some re-constructive work as you get to look at the archaeological dig. And you see columns. Now the thing about columns is they wouldn't have put columns up unless they put a roof over. So what you see on these five porches, the four around the side and the one through the middle, are roofs, because in order for people to be able to stand for hours, waiting to wash their sheep in the middle of the desert heat, they needed some shade.
Now whenever I was looking at this text, I asked the Lord: I said, "Why were there five porches"? And it took me a while to dig it up in the study, but here's what I found. Five is the number of God's grace. One is the number of God. Four is the number of the earth. Six, according to Revelation, is the number of man, seven is the number of perfection. Nine is the number of the Holy Spirit. But five is the number of God's grace. What does God's grace do? God's grace gives you what you did not earn, what you do not deserve, and what you could not do without him. Here's a pop quiz for you.
In how many days did God create the heavens and the earth? Six. You're wrong. Read Genesis. In five days, he created the heavens and the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the water, the beasts, the fish, the trees. All of the stuff that you see around you in the world today that they're trying to protect with solar energy, he did that in five days. On the sixth day, the Bible says that God said, "Let us create man". Five is the number of God's grace. Six is the number of man. What did God do on the sixth day? He breathed into a pile of dust, and man became a living being. And then as soon as Adam started moving and breathing and walking, God said, "Come here, Adam. Let me show you what my grace made for you. You didn't deserve the sun, the moon, and the stars. I did that and I'm giving it to you. You don't deserve the grass in the field and the trees, and the plants, and the flowers, and the birds, and the bees. I did that in five graceful days, and I'm giving it to you. You don't deserve this world, Adam, but I created it in my grace, and I'm bringing you into it".
Oh, amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. Is there anybody in this room today that God's grace went and did something for you that you could never do for yourself, and then whenever he came and found you, he brought you into it, and he gave it to you? You didn't deserve it. He just handed it to you. You don't deserve that business. God's grace gave you that business. And now he's pushing you in it. It would have been a bad year, but it was God's grace. It would have been a broken home, but it was God's grace. It would have been a ruined life, but it was God's grace. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
It's time so why five porches? Because five is the number of God's grace. And even when these people laying by the pool weren't like they should have been, weren't who they should been, weren't where they should have been, they were covered. That's the beauty of God's grace. Even when you are dead wrong, he's still got you covered. Even whenever you are lost and in your sin, he's still got you covered. Even when that prodigal son and that prodigal daughter are way off in the far country and they know better, he's still got them covered. When you're doing wrong and you know right, and you don't deserve it, he's got you covered. These people laying by this pool were covered from the heat. They were covered from the wind. They were covered from the rain. It's a picture of God's grace. I don't know who needs to understand something today, but even where sin did abound grace, his covering grace, it did that much more abound. Thank you, God, for your amazing grace. Give the Lord a handclap of praise.
God's grace demands change. The truth that goes with God's grace is that when you receive it, you better change. Because here in John 5 Jesus shows up at the pool of Bethesda. And the Bible says that he looks at a man who's been laying there thirty-eight years. Jesus saw him and Jesus knew him. Jesus sees you and Jesus knows you. Jesus saw him and Jesus knew him. And Jesus asked him a question, "Do you want to be made well"? Are you ready to get over this dysfunction? You ready to be who I created you to be? You see, for 38 years, my grace has had you covered right here on this mat, but I'm here to tell you today, my grace won't cover you tomorrow. It's time to change. We've got places to go. We've got things to do. I've got plans for you. You don't know them, but I know them. And if you're going to fulfill them, we've got to be different tomorrow than we are today. And what does a brother do? Uh-hum.
I've been practicing this speech for 38 years. "Sir, I have no man to help me. For when I am starting to come, another steps in before me". A pile of excuses and taking no responsibility for himself. Just think about it. "Sir," excuse one. "Nobody helps me. My husband don't help me. My momma don't help me. My friends don't help me. I got unfollowed 17 times last week on Facebook". If it was pastor Matt, pastor Matt would have said, "Liar! How'd you get here? You've been here 38 years. Who feeds you? You can't fast that long". Some of y'all can't go 38 minutes, much less 38 years. Where does your water come from? Who changes your mat? This is a pretty new mat. A 38-year-old mat? I don't think so. This looks like that my pillow, Mike Mindell Mat you ordered. But he's convinced himself, nobody helps me.
Do you know anybody who lives with that lie locked around their neck? I've got to do it all on my own. Liar! He said, "I'll be an ever-present help in a time of trouble". He said, "If your father and your mother forsake you, I'll be right there beside you". "You just call upon me and I'll show you great and mighty things that you know not". It doesn't matter what the argument is. The question doesn't change.
Jesus looks at him and says, "Do you want to be made well"? Bear with me. "Sir, when I start". When you what? "When I start making my way towards the pool". Oh, so you can move? See, if it was pastor Matt. I know we're supposed to lay hands on the sick, but we're going to start down here. Because what you told me is you could start moving towards the water. What you told me is you're a starter: you're not a finisher. You told me you can make just a little bit of progress, but when it doesn't turn out like you want it to turn out, you go right back to where you started from.
What's the matter with you, man? After 38 years, if you'd have just gone one foot a year, I promise you, you could have been soaking in the water when the angel showed up, and you'd be home already! You know anybody that whenever it doesn't go like they want it to go, they'll go right back to being who they used to be before Jesus showed up? Jesus is so gracious. He doesn't do what pastor Matt would have done. He says, "Do you want to be made whole"? And he lays out the third excuse. "Before I get there, somebody gets in front of me". It's not my fault: it's their fault. You don't know what they did to me. You don't know what they took from me. You don't know how they treated me. Not only do I not have any help, and not only do I not get there soon enough, but everybody else, they get what they want, but not me.
Jesus doesn't even listen to the excuse. He just says something that changes this man's life forever. And what I want you to listen to and understand is exactly this: Jesus doesn't have to show up and read you the entire gospel in order to get you to change. All he has to do is say one word, and it changes everything. Whatever he says to you, you can do it. If he says, "Live," you can live more abundantly. If he says, "Move," then there's nothing that can stop you. If he says, "Grow," then good things are on their way. No matter what he tells you, I promise it'll come to pass. He looks at this man, and in one word, he says, "Rise". Get up. You've got to change.
This ain't going to work anymore. My grace was good for a little while, but you've got to get better, because you were created for more than this! And suddenly with one word, this man can do what he could never do before, not because he earned it, not because he deserved it, not because it was his power. But God's grace gives you the ability to do what you could not do without him. "Rise". God sent me here to look at you today and let you know very quickly, it's time for some of you to rise. It's time for some of you to get off that mat that you've been laying on. It's time for you to let go of that excuse. It's time for you to stop pretending like this is all you're going to get in your destiny. It's time for you to stop lying to yourself. Well, daddy laid on the mat, and grand daddy laid on the mat, and my great grand daddy laid on the mat. So all I'm ever going to get in life is this mat.
Let me tell you something, child of God. Nothing is impossible to those who believe! So rise! Jesus gave him the strength to do what he could never do. But then Jesus gives him something to do that he can do. You see, God's grace will get you where you don't belong. But it's going to be your obedience that keeps you there. Jesus said, "Rise," get up. Now we're going take up this mat. We've got to take it up, because I don't want your children and your grandchildren to come back to it. We've got to take it up. Because whenever life gets a little harder than you want it to be, and quit looks good, I want you to know that you can't go back where you started, because it's not there anymore.
We've got to take it up because old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new to those who are in Christ Jesus. You're not a better version of who you used to be. You're a brand-new thing from the top to the bottom. You've got to take it up so that the enemy can't tell you that you're still defeated. You've got to take it up, because whenever you take it up, it's gone, and you have victory in Christ Jesus! And the last command that he gives, "Walk". I've got more grace in your future. I've got more power that I'm going to pour out in your tomorrow. I've got things that I'm going to do in your life that are going to be beyond anything you could ask, think, or imagine.
So now that we've gotten rid of yesterday, let's walk into tomorrow. Let's move and see what God can do. Don't be afraid of your future. I'm already there. I'm already preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies. Don't ask, "What if". Start saying, "Why not? Why not me? Why not God? Why not here? Why not now"? This man starts to walk. It's the sabbath day. And the first thing that happens is the pharisee run up and go, "Hey, you can't do that. It's the sabbath". "You can't carry that my pillow bed". Forget the fact that a crippled man is walking. Let's forget the fact that for 38 years, he was laying flat on his back and those same rule-keeping, religious-regulating pharisees walked by him and wouldn't even look at him.
Forget the fact that God's done a miracle. You're doing it wrong! He said, no, I'm not, because the one who said to me, "Rise, take up your bed and walk," he's the one who gave me permission to carry this thing. He's the one who told me that I could overcome him, that devil, that enemy, by the blood of the lamb that made me rise up out of my death bed. And by the word of my testimony that says, what I used to struggle with, I now have power over, in the mighty name of Jesus. This bed used to be an addiction, but he broke the chain. This bed used to be alcohol, but I don't thirst anymore. This bed used to be a broken heart, but he put it back together. This bed used to be something that held me, but now I'm set free. For whom the son sets free is free indeed! Does anybody know what it feels like to be free today? Give the Lord a shout of praise!