Day Thirteen - John 5: Jesus Is The House Of Grace

Taking A Stand For 
The New Covenant Age of Grace

Last Chapter REVIVAL among Non-Jews was a well, a woman and the Water of Life. Jesus related to the woman, who was not Jewish, as she was for who she was where she was. That's how the Lord meets you at His Table. He meets you where you are as you are for who you are. He does not ask for change. He knows if He has your attention that His love will transform you. The woman at the well was changed in a moment. She told the whole town about her transformation and the town came to Jesus. It was the first city-wide revival. Jesus then healed a young man who was sick at home. 

Chapter Five: We have a pool, a crippled man by the pool for 38 years and a crowd of Jewish people on the Sabbath. Also there is a pool was large and deep surrounded by 5 porches. 

The name of the pool was called Bethesda or 'House of Grace'. The word "5" means "redemption by grace" and "Portico" in the Greek comes from a root word that means "to make a stand". 

REVIVAL Denied among the Jews because of the unbelief and blindness caused by following the Mosaic traditions of The Law. 

Jesus said that He was working. His Father was working and Jesus' job was to do what the Father said to do and to speak what the Father gave Him to speak. So here you have Jesus, full of grace and truth, standing in the House of Grace taking a stand for grace. So what happens?

1) Jesus saw and healed the disabled man at "the house of grace" by the pool where an angel would stir the waters on feast days and holy days. Whoever was first in the pool after being stirred by the angel who was sick or diseased was healed. Now the creator of the pool and the angels was here in person. Grace is His House. Jesus is the New Living Water because He is the Word made flesh.*

Later at the temple area

2) Jesus warned him not to sin anymore so that nothing worse would happen.  

3) The Jews could not deny the healing so they accused Jesus of telling the man to break the law, the man healed of breaking the law. 

Then after the man identified Jesus 

4) the Jews went from accusation to persecution because Jesus was working on the Sabbath. 

5) They became infuriated and wanted to kill Him because He said God was His Father making Himself equal with God.

Communion became possible because we are born again into the house of Grace. Jesus already took the stand as The Word made Flesh before mankind on the earth. Jesus comes with goodness and mercy to heal the broken. 

Here He gives us a crystal clear glimpse into the Miracle of CommunionFire. 

The way Jesus relates to the Father is exactly how the Holy Spirit will relate to Jesus when He reveals Jesus to us at His Table. Communion by the bread of Jesus Flesh and the wine of Jesus' Blood brings us into the glory of Jesus presence by the Holy Spirit. See how Jesus relates to His Father and you see how the Holy Spirit will relate to Jesus when we come to receive His Body and Blood.

Jesus mirrors what is said here in talking about the Holy Spirit when telling how Communion works. He will show the disciples how to do the New Covenant meal that will replace Passover after the work of the Cross is finished and Jesus is resurrected.

Compare to Phrasing by Jesus when preparing the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit in John 14-16

* Jesus can do nothing of Himself unless it is something He sees the Father doing.

* Whatever the Father does, Jesus does, imitating His Father's example.

* Out of love the Father shows Him things He is doing. 

* He will show Him greater things that the world will marvel. 

* Just as He raises the dead by giving life so also shall Jesus give life to any one He wants to. 

* He also gives all judgment over to Jesus so that the world will honor Him the way they honored the Father. 

* If the Son is not honored then the Father who sent Him is not honored.

Revelation 19:10
The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy

Acts 1:8 
You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be my witnesses

In CommunionFire we sit down in His House of Grace at the Table of Grace to enter the Glory of his Grace. It is there that we witness the "Testimony of Jesus".

In the Light of His Presence we see Him, hear Him, and sense Him. In some cases other senses are involved. 

The 4 Witnesses of The Testimony of Jesus:

1) John testified to the truth was a lamp that was burning and shining
2) The works I do testify about me
3) The Father has testified about me
4) The scriptures testify about me

*Note: the Angel was on Jesus team. Raphael is the 'healing' archangel, so perhaps this was his assignment) but when Jesus comes on the scene His presence supersedes the Angel. 

God's Grace is active. Wherever His Grace is active there will be miracles. (To me this sounds a little bit like the grace founds at Lourdes and other locations where Mother Mary and Angels have appeared to bring hope, faith and miracles and warnings, even today.) In this case Jesus was there physically!

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The Presence of Jesus Releases
The Waters of Grace and Healing

1 After these things there was a feast (Sabbath) of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda (House of Grace), having five (redemption by grace) porticoes (stand Your ground). 

3 In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted. 

5 A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” 7 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.” 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began  to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day.      

10 So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the (Moses/Law) Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” 11 But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?” 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”

The Jews get upset, Irate and then want to kill Him
Religion and tradition Hate Revival Because it Brings Change

18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20 “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22 “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23 so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears (Me) My word (logos), and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Two Resurrections

25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice (Gk. phone) of the Son of God, and those who hear (listen) will live. 26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

31 “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. 32 “There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.

Marturo/Martus: Witness of John

33 “You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. 34 “But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35 “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

Marturo/Martus: Witness of Works

36 “But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.

Marturo/Martus: Witness of the Father

37 “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. 38 “You do not have His word (logos) abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.

Marturo/Martus: Witness of the Scripture

39   “You search the Scriptures (graphe) because you think that in them you have eternal life; 

it is these that testify about Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. 41 “I do not receive glory from men; 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. 43 “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 

44 “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? 45 “Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. 

46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. 47 “But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words (rhema)?”

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15 Hindrances From John 5 to Encountering Jesus 
and Experiencing Communion and CommunionFire

In Light of the "4 Witnesses" Jesus Takes a Stand 15 Times
To Confront the Jews who seek to kill Him:

1. My works declare that the Father sent Me
   
2. You have not heard the Father's voice
   
3. You have not seen His image
   
4. You do not have His Word (Logos) living in you
   
5. You do not believe Him whom He sent
   
6. You think Scriptures give you eternal life
   
7. You are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life
   
8. You do not have the love of God in yourselves
   
9.  I have come and you do not receive Me
   
10. If another comes you receive them
    
11. How can you believe if you receive glory from another
    
12. You do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God
    
13. I won't accuse you because Moses does
    
14. If you believed Moses you would believe Me because Moses wrote about Me
    
15. If you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words (rhema).