Do you want to stop sinning?

Seems sudden doesn't it? Yet its no different than the words of Christ himself to the lame man beside the pool of Bethesda. Lets see how that encounter goes :

"Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath." (John 5:2-9)

Imagine what the man had going through his mind. A perfect stranger, much like I am to you, came up and asked him if he wanted to be made whole. If he wanted his disease cured. He obviously *did* want his disease cured, because he had come to this place where he heard that an angel could cure his disease. Much like your here right now, hearing this sermon because you heard Christ can cure your disease of sin.

This strange man walks up to him and simply asks, "Wilt thou be made whole?" Of course the man assumes nothing can make him whole. He has no one to carry him to the water!

Is this not what is going through your mind right now? "Sir, I have no strength, that I can come to Christ completely that my flesh may die, and I can stop sinning."

But how did Christ heal this man? Did He touch him? Did He bring him into the water? Did He bring the water to him? No. He said to him, "Rise, take up thy bed and walk." And how did the man respond? By faith in his word. By accepting the word of this stranger, he was enabled by faith to do those very things. He was made whole immediately scripture tells us, and he took up his bed, and he walked.

Now, we have very clearly here the testimony of the power of the word of God. He speaks and it is so. Now, did Christ give this man any other enablings or commands? Let us see.

"Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." (John 5:14)

Interesting. How many are shaking their heads right now? At least in their minds doubt suddenly that this means the *exact* same thing, as the command to Rise, take up thy bed and walk? Did Christ tell the man to do something impossible? Indeed he did. That man had his infirmity for 38 years, and needless to say he at some point tried to get up and walk. But could he? No.

He could not do it, it was impossible. For 38 years he lay there. And then, by the mere speaking of a command, he rises and is made whole. You may have been in sin for 38 years now. You may have been in sin less, you may have been in sin more. However Christ's words to that lame man are no less powerful today than then. His words to "Take up thy bed and walk" are no different than His words to "Go, and sin no more."

By Christ, all things are possible. All things. Not some, not a few, but all. (Phil. 4:13)

Now, there are many who speak of how hard it is to stop sinning, much like that man must have thought it was hard to get up and to walk on his own. What is the key link between these two persons? They are both trying of themselves. They have not accepted Christ's command to do it yet, and instead they are working of their own power to heal themselves.

Christ has given the command for us and for all people, to "Go, and sin no more." He has given us the promises that his word is true. He has given us the promises that if we listen, he will lead. He has given us the promises that by Him we are created new if we simply ask him, and then, as the lame man, claim it as done. Rise, take up thy bed and walk.

The man did not ask, "What if I stumble." He did not ask "What if I happen to sin." He did not ask "What if I go lame again." He rose, he took up his bed and he walked as Christ commanded him to do. And did he fall on the way to the priests? No. Did he sin? We do not know. Scripture dosnt tell us of that particular man's case. But it does testify of all those who will hear the words of the Savior and rise, take up their arms, and allow them to be nailed to the cross.

"Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."(1 John 3:9)

"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." (1 John 5:9)

When Christ created the worlds, by what power did He do it? By the power of His word. He spoke and it was. He did not say "Let there be light in a minute." He did not say "Let there be light at some point." He said "Let there be light: and there was light." (Genesis 1:3)

When Christ healed the lame man, by what power did He do it? By, once again, the power of his word. He spoke and it was so, the man only needed to claim it as done. Christ did not say "Get up in an hour." He did not say "Someone will take you into the water." He said, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole."(John 5:8-9)

When Christ creates a new Christian, he does not say "You will be sinless over time." He does not say "You will be sinless when you are glorified." He says, "Be ye therefore perfect." (Matthew 5:48)

Now. Present tense. Take up thy bed and walk, you are a new being, created in Christ unto good works. (Ephesians 2:10) Be ye therefore perfect, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. (Matt. 5:48, 28:20)

What is the difference between a treatment and a cure? This is obvious, a treatment is something you treat a disease with, a cure is something that cures the disease, gone, fixes it.

Is Christ the cure or the treatment for sin?

Was His blood shed to cleanse us or cover and hide us?

Was he our sacrifice to buy us from bondage to Satan and sin, or to make the down payment?

"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:34-36)

With his blood he made us free. We are bought with the price of his life. We are not to be the servants of sin but of righteousness (Romans 6), How then can we say if we still sin, that we are the servants of righteousness, when Christ so plainly tells us that if we commit sin we are its servant? No servant can serve two masters, as Christ tells us. (Luke 16:13)

Of all the ways you can kill yourself to suffer in the flesh and die with Christ, poisoning, shooting yourself, stabbing yourself, jumping from a bridge... You cant crucify yourself. It is a physical impossibility. The only way we can be crucified with Christ is to ask Him to, and allow Him to put us there once and for all. And what happens after this?

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." (1 Peter 4:1-2)

How do we know we are crucified with Christ? The same way that the man laying by Bethesda knew that he was able to rise and walk. By the power of the word of God. Christ tells us plainly,

"And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matthew 21:22)

And again, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (Luke 14:13-14)

Does this not include asking to be free from sin by His power, to claim His promises? Yea, his promises are already made. He tells us that when we are born of him we will not sin (1 John 3:9) and tells us to be perfect as the Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). He tells us that He has freed us from sin (John 8:34-36) and that we are made free from bondage to be servants unto righteousess, dead to sin (Romans 6).

Speaking of being born of God - Those who are, being unable to sin - the same author John tells us "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13).

He has spoken the word, the power is there. By His grace and power you can, right now, be made whole from the disease of sin. The voice that created the heavens, that restored the health of masses, and called the dead from the grave, is waiting to say "Be thou clean." (Matt. 8:2)

Come to him. Ask him to crucify your sinful flesh, "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." (Ecc. 9:5-6).

The dead only revive when commanded by Yah himself. He will put your nature away in the grave He has hewn in the rock of Christ for you, never to be alive again. If your old nature is dead how can it overcome you? It is dead, and it knows nothing. You will "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:18).

I invite you to take part in His sacrifice, "For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Hebrews 9:13-14).

I invite you to commune with him, to grasp the power in his voice. To take part in his promises, and to live forevermore to the will of the God of heaven.

Rise. Take up thy bed, and walk.