Introduction:
Do You Want to Be Healed?
5 Things You Need to Do to Get Better :
(John 5:1-18)
- You have to Want to. (John 5:6)
- Stop Blaming others for your problems. (John 5:7)
- Stop doing things Your way. (John 5:7)
- Do what Jesus says to do. (John 5:8)
- Get up
- Take up your bed
- Walk
- Live in Gratitude to Jesus. (John 5:14)
Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANK
Hint: Highlight blanks above for answers!
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01:11-01:11
John 5.
01:12-01:15
Every message through John, we're looking at one thing.
01:16-01:19
And that's what does Jesus want us to know about Him.
01:20-01:23
So that we might know Him in a greater way.
01:24-01:29
That's our theme this year, "Knowing Jesus." John 5. Pick up in verse 1.
01:30-01:35
It says, "After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
01:36-01:44
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, an Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five rooted colonnades.
01:44-01:54
And these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, and paralyzed." Okay, so John takes us to the scene.
01:54-02:03
There's a feast, one of the three annual feasts of the Jews, and Jesus, like every Jewish man, went to Jerusalem for the feast.
02:03-02:07
And it says there was this pool that was by the sheep gate.
02:07-02:08
Do you know what the sheep gate was for?
02:09-02:10
Sheep, OK.
02:11-02:11
That's right.
02:12-02:13
You've studied this?
02:14-02:15
Yeah, the sheep gate was for the sheep.
02:15-02:19
But this pool, think of it in terms sort of as a public pool.
02:19-02:20
It was used for water.
02:20-02:22
It was used for cooling off.
02:22-02:24
It was used for bathing.
02:24-02:25
But this was a large one.
02:25-02:28
We know it's large because it had five porches.
02:30-02:34
And it says that this is a place where many invalids hung out.
02:35-02:37
Well, why did they hang out there?
02:38-02:40
Well, does your Bible have a verse 4 in it?
02:41-02:42
Look down at your Bible.
02:42-02:43
Is there a verse 4 in your Bible?
02:44-02:44
No.
02:46-02:46
Wait a second.
02:46-02:49
I got a defective-- I know I shouldn't have bought my Bible at Ollie's.
02:50-02:53
No, your verse 4 might actually be in the footnote.
02:53-02:54
That's where it is in mine.
02:55-03:06
It says, "Some manuscripts," insert, holy or impart, "Waiting for the moving of the water, for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred the water.
03:06-03:17
Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had." Like, why isn't that up with the regular text?
03:17-03:22
The reason that's not up with the regular text is it doesn't belong in the text. That's why.
03:23-03:26
This was actually a superstition, okay?
03:26-03:27
It wasn't true.
03:28-03:41
What happened was in the early manuscripts, that wasn't in there at all, and somebody later, when the manuscripts were being copied, knew of this superstition and said, "We're going to insert that in there." But that didn't really happen.
03:42-03:46
Like, how in the world, Pastor Jeff, do you know that that didn't happen?
03:46-03:48
I want you to think about it.
03:49-03:53
Where else in God's Word have you ever seen anything like that?
03:54-03:56
I was thinking about it a lot this week.
03:56-03:59
You know, that's an extremely cruel thought when you think about it.
04:00-04:02
I mean, just, who do the angels work for?
04:03-04:05
God, right? And they work for God perfectly, right?
04:06-04:07
They do whatever God says to do.
04:08-04:18
So you're telling me that under God's sovereignty and under God's direction, this angel, every so often, has a race for invalence.
04:19-04:28
And says, "I'll tell you what, I'm going to sneak down and I'm going to splash the water, and whoever gets into the pool first gets healed, and the rest of you, sorry about your luck.
04:28-04:30
Does that sound like God at all to you?
04:31-04:35
To have some sort of an impromptu race for handicapped people?
04:36-04:38
I mean, that sounds horribly cruel to me.
04:39-04:41
And I just don't buy it.
04:42-04:44
I just don't buy that that was actually a thing.
04:44-04:45
I think it was a superstition.
04:47-04:50
Like, oh, they were so silly back then, weren't they, Pastor Jeff?
04:50-04:53
I look up the Popovich Miracle Water, right?
04:54-04:55
Right, Darren Keller?
04:55-05:01
Sally sent me a video one time with Peter Popovich with his miracle water.
05:02-05:09
That you get this little packet of water in the mail, and these people are like, I got a check for $7,000 thanks to the miracle water.
05:11-05:12
Some people believe anything.
05:13-05:15
And that's exactly what was happening here.
05:15-05:21
The pool was probably fed by some underground spring, and every so often it bubbled up.
05:21-05:24
And the people were like, "Oh, the angels are taking a bath!
05:25-05:30
Now's the time to jump in and get healed." Well, that's what was going on there.
05:31-05:34
The Invalids laid around there because a lot of them believed the superstition.
05:35-05:38
Verse 5 though, let's focus on one of them in particular.
05:38-05:43
It says, "One man was there who had been an Invalid for 38 years." Just stop there for a second.
05:43-05:44
Let's try to conceptualize that.
05:45-05:47
Some of you haven't yet lived 38 years.
05:48-05:52
So just for you, it's like your entire life plus, right?
05:53-05:54
I was trying to conceptualize it for me.
05:55-06:02
That would mean for me that I would have become an invalid in sixth grade, or I'm sorry, when I was six years old.
06:02-06:04
Sorry, six years old, that's first grade.
06:04-06:06
I wasn't six years old in sixth grade.
06:07-06:15
First grade, from my first grade year of elementary school until this very day, I would have been an invalid.
06:15-06:16
It's a long time.
06:18-06:19
That's this man's story.
06:20-06:21
Invalid 38 years.
06:22-06:33
It says when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he'd already been there a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be healed?" I'm going to stop there for a second because I'm going to be honest with you.
06:34-06:36
I don't mean this to sound irreverent whatsoever.
06:36-06:37
I'm just being honest with you.
06:37-06:40
When I first read this, I thought that was a really dumb question.
06:41-06:44
Now I'm conflicted here because I know Jesus doesn't ask dumb questions.
06:46-06:53
When I first read this, I'm thinking, wait a minute, here's a guy that's been, almost four decades, he's been unable to walk.
06:54-07:01
Okay, and then Jesus shows up and he says, "Do you want to be healed?" And I just imagine the smart-alecky side of me, and no, I don't want to be healed, actually.
07:01-07:06
I was thinking about maybe laying here another 38 years, you know, sort of even out the tan.
07:06-07:08
Like, do I want to be healed?
07:09-07:10
Like, what kind of a question is that?
07:11-07:16
I'm like, you know, the more I thought about that, you're going to see it.
07:16-07:20
There's something extremely profound and wise in that question.
07:22-07:23
We're going to get to that in a second.
07:24-07:28
But as we go through the text, I want you to see the question isn't near as surprising as the answer.
07:28-07:31
You would think that the guy would be like, yes, I want to be healed.
07:31-07:32
Yes!
07:32-07:33
Look at his answer.
07:34-07:34
Verse 7.
07:35-07:40
It says, "The sick man answered him, 'Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water's stirred up.
07:40-07:57
And while I'm going, another steps down before me.'" He sort of gives his canned complaints, "Life's not fair, I'm such a victim, let me give you all the reasons I can't get well." You notice the guy didn't even really answer the question.
07:58-07:59
Why didn't he just say yes?
08:00-08:05
Well, truth be told, he had no idea who he was speaking to, okay?
08:05-08:07
We're going to see that very clearly later in the text.
08:08-09:13
He didn't know this was Jesus, he didn't know what Jesus was capable of, he just thought this was just some random stranger walk up like do you want to be healed like he didn't know it was Jesus but would it have mattered if he did know because 38 years is a long time to settle into the comforts of being an invalid to always have the excuse ready and if we're honest being well well that holds a lot more responsibilities. Maybe Jesus' question wasn't so crazy. Do you want to be healed? Maybe your Bible says, "Do you want to be made well?" Well, that means I'm gonna have to do more than just lay here. That means I'm not going to get people's donations, and I'm not going to get people's pity, and I'm not going to get people's attention. Maybe it's not such a crazy question. Think about it in in terms of our day, of somebody who has some sort of a physical issue going on, and they've learned to live off of SSI.
09:14-09:22
Imagine going to that person and asking them, "Would you like to get healed and get off of SSI?" For some people, the answer would be no.
09:22-09:23
Look, this is how I live.
09:23-09:24
This is what I'm used to.
09:25-09:29
And I can't imagine what life would be any different than it is.
09:30-09:32
So he gives Jesus his excuses.
09:32-09:47
verses 8 and 9, Jesus said to him, "Get up, take up your bed and walk." And at once the man was healed and he took up his bed and he walked. Now, that day was the Sabbath.
09:48-10:05
And that last statement tells us the problems that are going to be coming, you're going to see again in the text, the problems that are going to be coming with the Jews. Jesus did this healing on the Sabbath. You know, the guy was an invalid for 38 years. Jesus a day sooner, or he could have waited a day later.
10:07-10:10
Jesus very specifically and intentionally did this on the Sabbath.
10:12-10:16
And to the Jews, what this man did was a violation of the Sabbath.
10:16-10:23
To carry your bed as Jesus commanded him to do, this man broke the Sabbath.
10:23-10:25
And that was a huge no-no.
10:25-10:26
And you're like, "Wait, wait, wait.
10:26-10:31
Isn't breaking the Sabbath, isn't that like in the Old Testament?" No.
10:31-10:32
It's really not.
10:33-10:38
If you study your Old Testament, the only prohibition regarding the Sabbath is don't work.
10:39-10:40
What's the heart behind that?
10:41-10:49
The heart behind that is men would just keep working 24/7, 365, never stop, never take a break, never focus on worship, ever.
10:50-10:53
Never spend time with their family, ever.
10:53-10:54
Never rest.
10:54-11:02
Sabbath was a gift from God to man to say, you need to take time away from your work to rest and to worship.
11:03-11:10
So the Jews made up hundreds of man-made rules that they believed would help them keep the Sabbath.
11:12-11:13
Rules like.
11:14-11:18
You're not allowed to carry your bed on the Sabbath.
11:19-11:21
This man clearly violated that.
11:22-11:32
First, hence, the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is a Sabbath and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed." But he answered them, "The man who healed me..." See, he didn't know it was Jesus, okay?
11:33-11:54
He says, "The man who healed me, that man said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'" They asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?" We just have to pause here and note the true insanity of this passage, But the Jews didn't care that a man who was crippled for four decades is walking around.
11:55-11:56
Don't care. Do you know what they cared about?
11:57-12:14
"You're breaking our rules, pal." "What?" Verse 13, "Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn as there was a crowd in the place." I've got to stop here.
12:14-12:17
I love this verse because this verse lets me cut the guy some slack.
12:18-12:24
You know, I read so many preachers and commentators and scholars this week.
12:24-12:27
And do you know what I saw over and over and over and over in my studies?
12:28-12:30
So many of the preachers were like, "This guy was such an ingrate.
12:31-12:39
Like Jesus healed him and he never said thank you." According to verse 13, does it look like the guy had a chance to know or to thank Jesus?
12:41-12:49
It sounds like Jesus, according to verse 13, it sounds like Jesus just sort of flew by the pool, healed the guy and just kept going.
12:49-12:56
It says Jesus had withdrawn before the guy was even like, "Whoa, who was that guy?" But Jesus is going to make sure that they meet again.
12:56-13:04
Verse 14, "Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, 'See, you are well.
13:05-13:10
Sin no more that nothing worse may happen to you.'" So Jesus finds him in the crowd.
13:10-13:12
I don't think that was an accident.
13:13-13:14
Well, what's the point?
13:14-13:16
Well, Jesus wanted to tell him the point of the miracle.
13:16-13:22
You realize when Jesus did these miracles, it wasn't just a matter of dazzling people or showing off.
13:23-13:25
There was always a point behind the miracle.
13:26-13:30
I could do a whole sermon on this, but here's the short version.
13:30-13:30
You ready?
13:31-13:35
Jesus said to the man, "Look, I gave you a new lease on life.
13:36-13:37
Now go live like it.
13:38-13:42
Because the results of sin are a lot worse than the results of illness.
13:43-13:47
In 38 years in invalid's bed, eternity in hell apart from God.
13:50-13:52
In other words, don't take grace for granted.
13:53-13:55
We're going to talk more about that in a couple of minutes.
13:55-14:07
Verse 15 says, "The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him." So he uses his brand new legs to run to the Jews and tell them it was Jesus.
14:07-14:07
Why?
14:08-14:18
Again, a lot of people that I read this week, that was sort of the whole gist of their sermon, was like the guy was an ingrate and he was ratting Jesus out.
14:19-14:21
And I just got to tell you, I can't say that.
14:22-14:27
I would say maybe, but look, the text doesn't give his motives.
14:29-14:29
It just doesn't.
14:30-14:33
And perhaps, perhaps the guy was just innocent.
14:33-14:36
Perhaps he was like, "Hey, I found out who that was.
14:36-14:41
Hey guys, guys, I found out who that was. It was Jesus." I mean, we don't know that it was malicious.
14:42-14:43
I don't know.
14:43-14:47
It doesn't matter, because that's not the point anyways.
14:47-14:49
The point is verse 16. Here's the point.
14:50-14:54
This is why John tells us this whole story, to get to this point.
14:55-15:09
He says, "And this is why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath." John's like, "This is the whole point." Okay, so let's not split hairs over motives or gratefulness or anything like that.
15:09-15:13
The point is they were mad at Jesus because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.
15:15-15:19
Well, Jesus knows everything and He knew their attitudes, so He responds to these Jews.
15:20-15:40
Verse 17, "But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I am working.'" Jesus' response to them is simply, "My Father and I are at work." You Sabbath police people, your work is enforcing your little man-made laws, But my work is my Father's work.
15:41-15:42
That's to love people.
15:42-15:44
That's to minister to suffering people.
15:45-15:51
Verse 18 shows us that Jesus' statement to them just doubled their reasons to hate Him.
15:52-16:04
This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, look at this, making Himself equal with God.
16:07-16:09
they at least rightly understood what Jesus was saying.
16:10-16:11
He was equal with God.
16:12-16:23
And this event is a turning point in the Gospel of John, because this event really fires up the hatred of the Jews, specifically the Jewish leaders, against Jesus.
16:25-16:29
But for a few moments this morning, I just want to focus on one question.
16:30-16:33
Again, I thought when I first read this that it was kind of a silly question.
16:35-16:45
The more I've thought about this passage and meditated on it and studied it in its context and examined my own life, I think there's something profound here for you and for me.
16:46-16:50
Jesus said, "Do you want to be made well?" Do you want to be made well?
16:52-16:57
He confronted this man with that question, and He confronts you and I with that question today.
16:58-17:07
"Oh, maybe you haven't been an invalid for 38 years, But you have something going on in your life that's been debilitating to you.
17:07-17:15
And Jesus comes to you and He says to you, "Do you want to be made well?" What area is it for you?
17:17-17:20
Because the Bible says Jesus knew what was going on with this guy.
17:20-17:21
He knows what's going on with you.
17:21-17:25
He knows the thing that's been even metaphorically crippling you.
17:26-17:27
It's been hurting your walk.
17:28-17:29
It's had a stranglehold.
17:29-17:30
It's kept you in bondage.
17:30-17:33
And imagine Jesus walking in today.
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He just cuts right through the chase.
17:35-17:37
He goes, I know what's going on in your life.
17:38-17:39
Do you want to get better?
17:40-17:42
Are you content to just lay there?
17:43-17:44
Do you want to be made well?
17:46-17:49
That addiction, that addiction, you just can't seem to get behind you.
17:50-17:51
Do you want to be made well?
17:52-17:58
You know that addiction to pornography that's brought you such shame and damaged your relationships.
17:59-18:02
to you, Jesus says, do you want to be made well?
18:03-18:10
That marriage that has been miserable, Jesus comes to you and he says, do you want to be made well?
18:12-18:27
That unforgiveness in a relationship that went bad years ago that you've just been so sour towards that person, you've had such hatred towards that person, and you know that's not God's intention, you know forgiven people forgive.
18:27-18:31
And Jesus says, "Do you want to be made well?
18:34-18:38
Or maybe it's bad money management, right?
18:38-18:46
You've so poorly mishandled God's money in your life that it just seems to hinder everything in your life.
18:46-19:02
You just can't seem to get ahead or get a grip on anything in life because this financial thing is hanging over you." And Jesus comes to you and He says, "Do you want to be made well?" Well, I want you to jot some things down in your outline.
19:03-19:04
Do you want to be healed?
19:04-19:05
Do you want to be made well?
19:06-19:07
Write from the text.
19:07-19:09
Here's five things you need to do to get better.
19:10-19:12
Five things you need to do to get better.
19:13-19:17
And number one, you have to want to.
19:17-19:18
It starts here.
19:19-19:19
You have to want to.
19:20-19:21
You have to want to.
19:22-19:30
It all starts with How you answer the question, "Do you want to be made well?" I mean, like, honestly answering the question.
19:31-19:33
In other words, are you comfortable in your place?
19:34-19:36
Have you excused your inability to change?
19:37-19:38
Have you settled for less?
19:40-19:49
Have you gotten to the point with whatever your thing is - you know what it is - have you gotten to the point in your life that you're like, "Well, there's just really nothing more to life.
19:49-19:50
This is it.
19:50-19:59
Nothing's ever really going to change for me." and you just have this attitude of defeat that you're carrying around, like, "This is it. It's not going to get better for me. This is it.
20:00-20:05
I'm just resolving myself that it's going to stink from here until the grave.
20:05-20:18
It's just not going to get any different or any better for me." And I would suggest to you, if that's your attitude, you're just like this guy at first, when Jesus says, "Do you want to be made well?"
20:20-20:21
(mumbling)
20:22-20:23
Like, what?
20:24-20:25
How about yes?
20:25-20:26
How about that?
20:28-20:32
Maybe you've never really considered that God has something better for you.
20:33-20:35
God has something more for you.
20:35-20:38
And if you wanna get to a better place, you have to start here.
20:38-20:44
You have to say, this is not what I want for my life, because this is not what Jesus wants for my life.
20:46-20:51
This sin that I'm in bondage to, this debt, this whatever it is.
20:51-20:52
It's not okay.
20:52-20:54
It's not okay to live like this.
20:55-21:01
And if Jesus is asking me if I want to be made well, He's not taunting me.
21:02-21:05
If He's asking me, that means He's willing to get me there.
21:05-21:12
But look, all I can tell you is it starts with this truly profound question.
21:13-21:14
Do you want to be made well?
21:14-21:15
You have to want to.
21:16-21:25
And with all due respect, if your answer is no, then go back to doodle on your bulletin or something.
21:25-21:37
Or maybe there's a magazine in the seat back you can read, but the rest of the sermon is not really going to apply to you if you don't want to experience everything that God wants for you.
21:38-21:38
That's where it starts.
21:38-21:39
You have to want to.
21:40-21:44
Number two - five things you need to do to get better.
21:44-21:46
is you've got to stop blaming others for your problems.
21:47-21:49
You have to stop blaming others for your problems.
21:50-21:53
You notice the man's response in verse 7?
21:55-22:00
His response was in two parts, and both of them involved blaming other people.
22:00-22:01
Did you catch that?
22:02-22:13
Jesus says, "Do you want to be made well?" He's like, "Well, Jesus, I'm going to give you a sermon right now." Two points. Point number one, "No one helps me." Okay, point number two, and I'm concluding.
22:14-22:16
Everyone cuts in front of me.
22:17-22:18
Blaming others for your problems.
22:20-22:28
What this man did was settle into an identity that people love to embrace today, and it's victim mentality.
22:28-22:31
I'm a victim, I'm a victim, I've been wronged.
22:32-22:44
I've been wronged by somebody somewhere, somehow, somebody said something that I don't prefer, or somebody did something that wouldn't have been my choice, and now I'm a victim.
22:45-22:47
And we just thrive on that stuff.
22:48-22:49
And that was this guy.
22:52-22:56
Here, God is standing in front of him, saying, do you want to be made well?
22:56-22:57
Nobody helps me.
22:57-22:59
Everyone cuts in front of me.
22:59-23:01
All right, thanks for that update, Eeyore.
23:02-23:10
Now listen, I'm not saying that other people's actions don't have a direct impact on our situation sometimes.
23:10-23:19
Can we stop explaining to God that the reason we haven't let Him have control of our lives is because other people have control of our lives?
23:19-23:21
Can we stop reasoning that out with God?
23:21-23:27
Like, yeah, I see what you say in your word, God, but you don't understand what my co-worker's like.
23:29-23:31
And our Lord is like, "Well, they must be a pretty important person.
23:32-23:36
"If they have more of an impact on your life, than you're allowing me to have in your life.
23:37-23:39
My work would be so much better.
23:40-23:47
I'd be a better employee, but my co-workers have nothing to do with that.
23:49-23:51
Or let's hit a little closer to home for some of you.
23:52-24:05
My marriage would be so much better, but my wife is such a-- or my husband, you don't understand, I could be the best wife in the world, that my husband is such...
24:07-24:07
How about this?
24:08-24:18
God, if I'm going to get better, you're going to be the reason, regardless of what anyone is doing or not doing.
24:21-24:23
For some of you, you need today.
24:23-24:24
So you know what, I'm done.
24:25-24:33
I'm done laying around like this guy, pointing to everybody else as being my problem while God's asking me if I want to get to a better place.
24:33-24:34
I'm done with that.
24:37-24:39
Number three, stop doing things your way.
24:40-24:41
Stop doing things your way.
24:42-24:43
Do you wanna get better?
24:45-24:46
Stop doing things your way.
24:47-24:50
This guy, this guy had one plan to get better.
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What was his plan?
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He goes, I can't move.
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Been like this almost four decades.
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I'm gonna get better.
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What was his plan?
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His plan was the magic angel bubbles, right?
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That was his plan.
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And you see, he pushed all his chips into that.
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He's like, I'm pushing all my chips into this.
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This is my plan to get better.
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When the angel comes splashing around, I'm going to get in that water.
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And then you're going to see, I'm going to skip out of here.
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And at this point, the question was, yeah, how's that plan working out for you?
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38 years later, how's that working for you?
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And I love the fact that Jesus didn't offer to help him with his plan.
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Did you catch that?
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Jesus is like, do you want to be made well?
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And the guy's like, yeah, yeah, I've got to get in the magic angel bubbles.
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And Jesus is like, that's a great idea.
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I'll tell you what, buddy, I'll stay right here with you.
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And when the angels start splashing around, we'll beat the pants off these other people.
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It's not even going to be close.
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I'm going to scoop you up, and I'm going to throw you in cannonball, and you're going to come out an Olympian.
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It's going to be awesome.
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Jesus didn't go with this guy's plan, did he?
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Jesus said, OK, you're going to get better, but you're going to get better my way.
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Do you want to be made well?
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Well, obviously, if your plan isn't working, maybe you're going about it in the wrong way.
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They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over and expecting a different result.
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And if we're honest, that's a truth that hits a little too close to home for some of us.
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Like, you know, Pastor Jeff, you mentioned earlier, the whole pornography thing. I've had this shame in my life, And I just can't seem to break that bondage.
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Well, what has your plan been?
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Has it worked for you?
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I want to get out of debt.
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I want to be in a better place financially.
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Well, how has your plan to date worked?
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And I would suggest to you that maybe you need a new way.
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It hasn't worked yet.
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Maybe you need a new way.
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Well, what way is that?
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Well, that's number four.
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Do what Jesus says to do.
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That's the new way.
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This man did have a choice, right?
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He could trust and do what Jesus told him to do or he could just lay there.
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But he obeyed.
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And I would ask you, do you want to be made better?
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Do you want to be healed?
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What is God's Spirit, through God's Word, telling you your next step is.
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For you. For your situation.
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For the thing that's crippling you.
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What is God's Spirit through God's Word telling you?
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Hey, here's your next step.
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I have a feeling, for those of you who walk with the Lord, you know what the next step is.
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You know exactly what the next step is.
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You know what you should do.
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You just haven't done it.
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And if you're sitting here today and you're like, Pastor Jeff, I have no idea what the next step is for me, I would ask you, are you even seeking the Lord on this?
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Are you even listening to what Jesus is telling you to do to get out of the place you're in?
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Are you looking for that from Him?
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Or are you just laying there making your excuses and pointing fingers?
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You have to do what Jesus tells you to do if you want to experience the life He wants you to experience.
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That's why in verse 8 he gives a three-part command.
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And I love this because it's so simple, and it's progressive, and it's transforming.
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Here's Jesus' three-part plan.
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He's like, "Okay, your thing isn't working.
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Here's what you're going to do instead.
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You're going to get up, you're going to take up your bed, and you're going to walk." And you know those three things?
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Those are the three things he's calling you to do today, too.
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You're like, "But I'm... my legs are fine, I'm not a..." Look, it's the same three principles, the exact same three principles.
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Drop these down.
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Letter A, the first thing Jesus is telling you to do is get up.
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Get up.
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That's not in your power.
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What that meant for this man and what this means for you is you need to trust His power.
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Jesus didn't tell this guy to get up in his strength.
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He said, "Get up in My strength that I'm giving you." Jesus provides His power through His Holy Spirit for everyone who will trust Him.
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So you've got to start trusting the power of Christ in your life, and stop trying to trust your own power that's left you laying there for 38 years.
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Get up in the power of the Lord.
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Letter B, "Take up your bed." What does that mean?
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That means make no provision to come back here.
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Make no provision to go back to your old ways.
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That's why Jesus told him to take his bed.
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It wasn't like, "You're going to do better for a while, but leave the bed here.
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Just in case this being well thing isn't working out so good for you, you can come back and lay by the pool." No, He was saying, "Take it. You're not going to need it here anymore." That's what the New Testament refers to as making no provision for the flesh.
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That means you might have to cut off that relationship you know you shouldn't be in.
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It means you need to stop going back to that place that keeps getting you into trouble.
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It's no looking back, burn the bridges, this chapter of your life is over, you're not coming back.
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So get up in the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Take up your bed, make no provision for the flesh.
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And what did Jesus tell them to do third?
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He said, "Walk." Walk. That's moving forward, expecting continued success.
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In other words, you're a forgiven, transformed, born again child of God.
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So walk like it.
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Stop walking like somebody that doesn't know the Lord, or His power, or His Word, or His goodness, or His wisdom, limping through life.
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Walk like a child who has received the power and gift of God.
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to walk confidently yet humbly before the Lord.
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Walk like it.
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That's what the New Testament refers to as walking worthy of the Gospel.
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So do what Jesus says to do.
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And then finally, number five, live in gratitude to Jesus.
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Live in gratitude to Jesus. I love verse 14.
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Jesus finds the guy again in the temple.
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Did you see the first thing Jesus says to him?
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Kind of cracks me up.
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He's like, "See, you were well." The guy's like, "I am! Wow! You know, I forgot.
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You know, those five minutes of walking kind of blocked out the last 38 years of laying, so thanks for the reminder that I'm still well." Like, did the guy really need reminded?
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I mean, come on, come on. Did the guy really need reminded?
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And the answer is yes, he did, because we all do.
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I don't know about you, but I see very blatantly in my life that I have this tendency to experience God's grace and immediately go back to old attitudes and habits, forgetting what He's done for me.
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How about you?
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God shows up in a profound way and does something that only He can do, and we are so blessed at the presence and work of the Lord, and then we go about our business and we just forget.
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We just forget.
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you know we're back to laying by the pool complaining about everybody.
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Living in gratitude keeps us from living in sin.
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Living in gratitude keeps us from living in sin.
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So live in gratitude to Jesus.
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Do you want to be made well?
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You can get to a better place.
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You don't have to settle for where you are.
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You don't have to hope that someday your way of doing things that have always ultimately failed are just going to magically bring about a different result because it won't.
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God supplies the grace, the power, the wisdom, and the continued success of a transformed life and all you need to supply is the one thing that to this point maybe you haven't. That's your will. Do you want to be made well? Let's pray.
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Father in heaven, we thank you for the simple yet profound nature of your Word.
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Boy, we saw some things in here that just baffled my mind, that hits a little close to home when I really stop and think about it. Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters here, and I pray for my brothers and sisters who are listening to this online, whether they're sick and couldn't join us today or They're listening on the other side of the world.
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Father, so many of us can identify with that guy by the pool.
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Something in our lives has crippled us, and we've been so content to just lay around and make excuses and blame everybody else for our problems.
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Today, Father, I pray with fresh eyes we would see Christ showing up, asking us if we want to get to a better place, if we want to be made well, if we're willing to abandon what we've been doing and what we've known for what He has for us instead.
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Father, I pray specifically that You would, by Your Spirit, change our heart and give us the will.
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Father, I pray that we would leave here today no longer willing to be content, to settle, but instead, Father, our hearts are wide open to receive whatever it is You have for us.
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Give us the faith to get up and to pick up our mat and to walk.
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Through the incomparable name of your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we pray.
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Amen.
Small Group Discussion
Read John 5:1-18
What was your big takeaway from this passage / message?
Why do you think some people do NOT want to be made well? (John 5:6)
Why do you think we naturally tend to point fingers and blame others for our troubles? (John 5:7)
How does living in gratitude keep us from living in sin? (John 5:14)
What specifically has God done for YOU that you could use reminded of?
Breakout
With which of the “5 things needed to get better” do you struggle the most with? Why? Pray for one another.
