Recorded March 23, 2025, with Rhonda Harrison.

It's time for the Champions in Christ broadcast

with Rhonda Harrison on 1017 Bay of Amish. Good

morning and welcome to Champions in Christ. We're

so glad you joined us today This is the day the

Lord has made and we will be glad and rejoice

in it. Hallelujah God is a good God and he loves

you today and So we're gonna get into the word.

We're gonna go into John in the New Testament

we're gonna start in chapter 5 and Jesus is on

the earth and He's heading after he left Jerusalem

for one of the Jewish holidays He's inside the

city near the sheep gate where the pool was of

Bethesda and there were five covered porches

there and This is chapter 5 verse 3 It says crowds

Isaiah 5:3

of sick people blind lame paralyzed lay at the

porches and one of them in laying there had been

sick for 38 years That's a long time And when

Jesus saw him and knew he had been there for

a long time he asked him Would you like to get

well? You know, there are some people that are

sick that don't want to be well It's hard to

believe but it's true There are some people that

are just comfortable in their sickness and they

don't want to be well or don't think they ever

can be well There's other people who you know

get disability checks and they don't want to

give up their checks and that's happened couple

of times that I've talked to people and that's

been the case and you know it's sad because God

is not only the healer but he's the provider

and so he helps anyone who calls upon his name

who's willing to just reach out to him and believe

him and trust him and so what happens here is

he's asking this man you know would you like

to get well and the man says I can't the sick

man said I have no one to put me in the pool

when the water bubbles up someone else gets in

there ahead of me Now in other translations,

this is a new living translations There is a

portion of scripture that they add and it says

that waiting for that all men that get in are

waiting for a certain movement of the water for

an angel the Lord comes from time to time to

stir up the waters and the first person that

steps in is healed whatever disease he had so

these people are laying around the porches and

Believing that at some point they're gonna get

in this water and they're gonna be healed But

he said no one's there to help him in the water.

So someone always gets in ahead of him Well,

he didn't realize that the living water Jesus

himself was standing by his side asking him Do

you want to get well, you know Jesus came and

he just so lovingly had compassion on this man

who had been ill for 38 years and so that love

and compassion God is extending to us even now

it's his same words the same way he's speaking

to us through this word through the Bible you

know he's ascended into heaven he died on a cross

he rose again and it was all for us Was also

we could be restored to that rightful state that

we started with when Adam was on the earth you

know when God created the earth he got it all

ready and then he created Adam and Eve and he

made them in in his image and at his likeness

and They began to walk together and talk together

and enjoy one another's fellowship God and Adam

and Eve But then there came the serpent and deceived

Eve and so that's what brought sin in the earth

be through Adam and Eve and then that's what

brought separation us with God so that's why

Jesus came so he's on the earth this is prior

to his death and he's he's asking this man would

you like to be well but he's asking you today

would you like to be well because the same healing

power of God that raised this man up is available

for you today so let's keep reading And so Jesus

told him, stand up, pick up your mat and walk.

And instantly the man was healed. He rolled up

his sleeping mat and began walking. But this

miracle happened on the Sabbath. So the Jewish

religious leaders, they objected and they said

to the man who was cured, you can't work on the

Sabbath. The law doesn't allow you to carry your

sleeping mat. I mean, they took the religious

law took Took it to the nth degree what work

was and he wasn't even allowed to carry a mat

You know, they ignored the fact that this man

had been ill for 38 years and was just raised

up and completely made whole No, they were worried

about the rules the rules of religion and I say

to you You know God does want us to obey his

commands but being healed is a blessing from

heaven and so They're asking who did such a man

such a thing as that they demand it I mean they

were not happy that this man was healed and it's

not because he was healed is because it was on

the Sabbath day and the man didn't know For Jesus

had disappeared into the crowd. But afterwards

later on Jesus found the man in the temple who

was healed and told him now you are well So stop

sinning or something even worse may happen to

you You know, not every sickness is caused by

that person's sinning because there are babies

who get sick. But in this case, Jesus told the

man, if you continue in sin, you will become

worse than you were when I met you. In other

words, turn your life around, you know, repent

and move on. I mean, he had just been given a

mighty miracle and obviously sin was an open

door for that sickness that came upon him. So

the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for

breaking the Sabbath rules, but Jesus replied

my father is always working and so am I He's

talking about the Father God. So then the Jewish

Leaders tried to harder to find a way to kill

him for not only did he break the Sabbath But

he called God his father thereby making himself

equal with God and that's verse 18 So because

Jesus made that comment they they took it as

Jesus saying that he was equal to God because

he is if he's God's son, he's the inheritor,

right? So Jesus explained, I tell you the truth,

the son can do nothing by himself. He does only

what he says, sees the father doing whatever

the father does. The son also does for the father

loves the son and shows him everything he is

doing. In fact, the father will show him how

to do even greater works than healing this man

that you will truly be surprised. For just as

a father gives life to those he raises from the

dead, so the son gives life to anyone he wants

to. In addition, the father judges no one. Instead,

he has given the son, Jesus, absolute authority

to judge. So everyone will honor the son just

as they honor the father. Anyone who does not

honor the son is certainly not honoring the father

God who sent him. Wow, Jesus is making it really

clear that he is the son of God It's that's exciting

But the sad part is their heart is so hardened

and so hard with the rules of religion that they

had created themselves Not only with what was

written in the law, but they they curved up a

little and made them like this Where forget about

love forget about compassion? You went against

the rules and worked on the Sabbath but in another

place in the word it says man wasn't created

for the Sabbath the Sabbath was created for man.

So at any rate this is you know a sad but yet

a blessed situation this man who had no idea

who Jesus was had no idea the power that was

standing next to him asking him no idea that

he is the living word of God praise God. You

know but in Hebrews 413 There's a scripture and

it says neither is there any creature that is

not manifest in God's sight, but all things lie

bare naked and open before his eyes and he is

the one to whom we are accountable. You know,

this man had no idea that who Jesus was nor did

he know that Jesus knew about a situation with

Jesus knew. Because the father knew and the father

told him that's called a word of knowledge here

on earth It's a supernatural gift and it's still

in a in operation today in the body of Christ

where you don't know something about someone

but God's going to give you that Situation or

something about it so that you can help them

and they be healed or enlightened or encouraged

or whatever is needed You know and Philippians

419 says in this same God who takes care of me

and this is Paul and Timothy who wrote Philippians

will supply all your needs From his glorious

riches which have been given to us in Christ

to God to the glory of our father forever and

ever Amen, this is Philippians 419. So the same

God who cared for this man back when Jesus walked

the earth is the same God today who will supply

your need. Do you have a need today? Are you

in need of a car? Are you in need of financial

help? Are you in need of healing? Are you in

need of peace? Are you in need of relationship

help? God is always available for you to talk

to. He is always there to hear what you have

to say. He wants you to come to him. He wants

to help you. The only thing he asks is that when

you come, say anything you want to him, but just

believe his word. Believe when he tells you he's

going to help you. Believe it. Believe it. Tell

him you trust him. Remind him of this scripture.

Remind him of this word that he will supply all

your needs because he will. This is a promise

given unto his children. And if you don't know

this Jesus I'm talking about, maybe you weren't

raised to know about Christ or haven't heard.

We'll give you an opportunity at the end of this

broadcast to receive him and therefore be an

inheritor of all that he's given us because of

Christ. Hallelujah. Praise glory to God. Glory

to God in the highest. You know, God is so faithful.

He's so willing to help. He is there. He is there

in the time of trouble. You know why he's omnipresent.

He is right there with you right now. If you're

in your car, if you're in your bathroom, if you're

in the living room, if you're outside in the

yard, he's right there with you. He hears you.

He knows everything about you and he loves you

very much. You know, the Bible says for God so

loved the world that he gave his only begotten

son. that whosoever would call upon his name

would be born again, would have eternal life.

What does that mean? When we die on this earth,

when you have separation of body and spirit,

because you are a spirit, you live in a body

and you have a mind, you will go to heaven or

hell. Those are the only two choices. And the

choice you have to make is here on earth. You

can't make it after you die. It's only here on

earth. You have to receive that free gift that

Jesus offers. It's it's by faith. Are you saved?

Not through works least any man should boast

you cannot work your way into heaven if someone's

told you that It's not true. It's not according

to the Word of God and you go Well, how do we

know the Word of God is true because Jesus said

he is the Word of God and he said I am the way

the truth and the life and There are so many

proofs and so many people there were over He

showed himself not just to the disciples after

he rose from the dead It's over 500 people before

he ascended into heaven. That's glorious. You

know, he's the same yesterday, today and forever.

He is the same God and his love and compassion

is towards you right now. It's toward you. Maybe

you're going through a tough time in your relationship.

God is with you pray ask him to help ask him

to intervene Ask him to show you his word says

that he is a lamp unto our feet a light unto

our path He's there for you. He loves you. He's

cheering you on he created you He wants relationship

with you. He wants to talk to you He's got big

angels around those that fear him not fear him

scared fear him reverent if you reverence God

Then he's got mighty angels around you and they

will help you as well, but they're obedient to

the word. We don't pray to angels. We don't worship

angels. They are God's helpers. They help him

and the Holy Spirit. Oh the Holy Spirit the Trinity

God the Father God the Son and the Holy Spirit

and those three are one. He is available for

you. That's the power that demonstrated was demonstrated

here. you know was the power of God in action

and it's demonstrated in our lives today when

we reach out in faith and we apply an action

we believe God because we we show an action and

God will move and the Holy Spirit will be there

and it's it's so exciting but God gets all the

glory. We don't it's not what we did. What do

we do? We just believe him. We trust him. We

put all of our faith in him and he will answer

you the Bible says you can call upon the Lord

and He will answer you. It doesn't say maybe,

it doesn't say sometimes, oh, you know, whatever,

you're lucky, you know, it's a crap shoot. No,

no, no, no, that's not the God we serve. The

God we serve loves you today. He absolutely loves

you. And it says in 1 John 4 16, it says, we

know how much God loves us and we have put our

trust in His love. God is love and all who live

in love live in God and God lives in them and

as we live in God our loves grows more and more

mature. So we will not be afraid of the day of

judgment when we face him confident because we

are we live like Jesus here in the world and

such love has no fear because perfect love casts

out all fear. If we are afraid it is for fear

of punishment and this shows that we have not

fully experienced his perfect love. God loves

you today. He loves you and he is there for you.

We're going to break and listen to a couple of

songs talking about the love of God and the fact

that he is the same God and we'll come right

back on the other side. Thank you. God to God

he's the same God and his love never ends for

you and he died on that rugged cross but the

good news is he rose from the grave he rose from

the grave for you and for me and if you want

to receive him as Lord and Savior if you want

to know this living God like he wants to know

you pray this prayer after me say dear Jesus

forgive me of my sin I repent will turn and do

no more as you help me and Lord I ask you to

fill me with your Holy Spirit I declare you as

Savior I believe that you came that you died

and rose again and that you love me in Jesus

name amen if you prayed that prayer today you've

just been born again if you have walked away

from God You just were reunited with him. Hallelujah.

That's all we have to do. If you walked away,

he loves the protocols. He loves the protocols.

He is wide. Oh, his arms are open. And when you

come home to him, he gives you the robe, the

ring and the fatted calf. What does that mean?

He will bless you to overflow overflow. Why?

Because he loves you. And we want you to know

we want you to get out there and find a good

church that preaches the whole council of God

where the love of God is made manifest and you

are changed. You know we want you to tell somebody

go tell somebody if you if you're not ashamed

of God he won't be ashamed of you. So tell somebody

what you did today. Let them know that God is

your Savior and your Lord. We want you to go

out and make it a great day. We want you to know

we love you. God loves you. and you truly are

a champion in Christ.