The Lame Man's Story - Pastor Robert Morris

I want you to turn to John chapter five and we are continuing our series face to face divine encounters and this week we're going to talk about the lame man's story the lame man's story by the way I didn't mention I just notice my my worship guide this week that there are on the inside the Easter weekend service times you can tear these out and you can pass them out so people will know what times the services are at all the campuses all right John chapter 5 the lame man story I thought pastor Preston did a great job last week in with Matthews story I thought he did fantastic I listened to that this is a really interesting story and while I read when I read through the scripture and by the way thanks for bringing your Bibles to church but as we read through the scripture I want you to let things jump off the page at you all right won't you always get in the habit of doing that so that when you read the scripture during the week the Holy Spirit is speaking to you and revealing things John chapter 5 look at verse 1 it says after this there was a feast of the Jews now this is Passover and it's the second Passover Jesus has attended in his ministry he attended all Passover is growing up as a child but the second one in his mystery after this there was a feast of the Jews and Jesus went up to Jerusalem now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep gate a pool which is called in Hebrew Bethesda having five porches many people believe the porches were there to help these the people that were there to get out of the Sun in these lay a great multitude of sick people blind lame paralyzed waiting for the moving of the water for an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water then whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made well of whatever disease he had now a certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years when Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been in that condition a long time he said to him do you want to be made well the sick man answered him sir I have no man to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up but while I'm coming another steps down before me jesus said to him rise take up your bed and walk and immediately the man was made well took up his bed and walked and that day was the Sabbath Jesus had a real bad habit of healing people on the Sabbath the Jews therefore said to him who was cured it is the Sabbath it is not lawful for you to carry your bed he answered them he who made me well said to me take up your bed and walk then they asked him who is this man who said you take up your bed and walk but the one who was healed did not know who it was that's very important that he did not know it was Jesus for Jesus had withdrawn a multitude being in that place afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him see you have been made well sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you the man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well for this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill him because he had done these things on the Sabbath and not amazing they were going to kill him because he helped people on the Sabbath it just shows you how messed up religion can get you shouldn't help people on the Sabbath so it's amazing me alright well this is amazing one time or maybe you would call it a two time encounter with Jesus we've talked about encounters with Jesus and people have had several year encounters and we've talked about how important that is but this is the original encounter this guy has with Jesus and the first time he doesn't even know it's Jesus I want you to just think about this this happened at Bethesda Bethesda means the house of mercy so this is Tempah fiying the church here think think about it this way if you are when you see the word Beth in scripture comes from the Hebrew word and it means house so we talked a few weeks ago about beth-el being the house of God l being short for Elohim this is but house of mercy many people know Bethsaida means house of fish there was actually a fishing village Bethlehem where Jesus was born house of bread Bethpage meant house of FIGS fi GS figs and it was very close to the Mount of Olives so when you see that in there it means house of that's the point house of mercy it's got to represent the church if any place on earth and if any people should be merciful it should be the church I mean we have received mercy so it should be easy for us to extend mercy unfortunately many times the church is the place of judgment or the place of criticism but I think Jesus is saying listen this should be a place of mercy now it says at a certain time an angel went down and stirred the water now let me just give you a little history about this history tells us that these stirrings began in the life of Jesus after Jesus was born and at a certain time again history tells us that it happened around the feast now we don't know these things as the Bible doesn't tell us this I just said you want historical documents of the day tell us okay so it happens after the after the birth of Jesus in jesus's lifetime and around the feast well who would have been in town during these feast Jesus now I just few weeks ago we talked about turning the water into wine and I you know - I took a little liberty little comedic conjecture and just said you know what if some strange things happen around Jesus's house when he was growing up well I just wonder it says an angel but the word angel means messenger and the Bible actually first of Jesus says the angel of the Lord I just wonder Jesus just a little boy they're bringing him into town they got to go right by the sheep gate they're going to the temple I just wonder if Jesus walked by this pool and just get help and you know they're walking on and and Mary's probably saying you always do that you always play in the water every time and while she's saying that all sitting here this hallelujah I'm healed after a while I bet she kind of figured it out and you did that didn't you well mom they're sick you know and I just just you know this out of it I don't know but he he start he begins his ministry this is one year again into his ministry and he he goes to this pool and he sees the man and he knows he's been in that condition long time that's what it says and he says the question that to me seems unnecessary but Jesus would never say anything unnecessary I want us to think about this question here's what he said do you want to be made well do you want to be made well this week as I was preparing this message the Lord put his finger on an area of my life that I've been praying for and the Lord said to me do you want to be made well do you want to okay here's the amazing thing this man did not say yes you would they he would say yes they didn't say yes I want to just go through a few points here of why I think sometimes we don't say yes to the question do you want to be made well here's here's number one excuses excuses we come up with an excuse of why we're different and light won't work for us and that's exactly what he did sir I have no man to put me in the water when the angel comes but while I'm coming and other steps down before me okay all right I just this just a news may not be true I just wonder if he said it like this oh happy buddy put me to order so when he'll come where I went out Gina you know I just I just wonder if Jesus you know just let him get up you know I don't know I don't know but he said rise take up your bed walk yeah it's it's the reason I'm saying this is is because we all do this do you realize what he said was here's what he was saying it's not my fault then I'm not healed it's not my fault it's someone else's fault do you realize think about this now this is the number one excuse in society for our problems someone else did something to me and this is actually because it's no more excuse it's the number one lie of the enemy the number one lie is it's someone else's fault that you're in this situation can I tell you something no one can hinder the destiny on your life but you it doesn't matter what anyone's done to you and here's what people tell me all the time pastor you you just don't understand my situation maybe I don't understand all the details of your situation but I understand Jesus I know Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever I know there is no situation too difficult for him I know that but here's what we do I hear it's a lie it's a lie think about this I I believe that God heals marriages but let me tell you I won't work for me let me tell you why I'm different pastor I believe it here's one I believe in tithing but let me tell you why it won't work for me I've heard that one a lot let me tell you why I'm the exception to the power of God you are not the exception to the power of God there are no exceptions to the power of God there's nowhere and nothing that the power of God can fix and nowhere that it can't go so please hear this don't don't make up an excuse of why it won't work for you this up John 5 verse 5 says certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years and we assume that the infirmity would have been in his legs obviously but here's the point this word infirmity means weakness he had a weakness at matter of fact many times it's actually translated weakness Paul uses this word when he talks about how God would not remove the thorn from his flesh and he said but you know what I've learned I'm gonna boast in my infirmities because when I am weak then I am strong don't let the power of Christ in you okay here's the question what weakness do you have in your life now for him it was a physical weakness maybe maybe there's a physical weakness but maybe there's a an emotional weakness in your life maybe there's a mental weakness of spiritual weakness what's the weakness okay what weakness is it yeah just just just take a look just think about what what is the one thing that if you could get free from it or you could change in your life you'd like to what what weakness do you have and by the way if you say well I just can't think of weakness ask your wife okay just you you'll get a list of several you know I don't know you can have help if you need help but coming up with your weaknesses alright your friends can help you know lots of people can help okay what's your weakness okay here's the next question do you want to be made well do you want to be made well okay here's the number two effort effort he said rise take up your bed what he didn't say be healed he said are you willing to put some effort into and you got a thing but it says Jesus knew he'd been there a long time it's easy to get comfortable in our weakness you just wondering this guy's been there a long time in this situation waiting for the move in the water but they had to have something do feasts were only three times a year if they if this did happen around the feasts I think they had developed some sort of infrastructure some maybe some groups maybe some lights of interest maybe they had a bridge club you know I don't know I just think this guy had got comfortable he knew all the people he knew all the courses he knew what they bingo was I mean he J you know he's just comfortable so Jesus comes along and says do you want to be made well so it's a very good question I can remember that the church where I came from Shady Grove Church pastor Olin said that nearly every week there was this guy in a wheelchair there it was not do not paralysis it was a weakness and he was heavyset and they said to they would pray for he won't prayer every week he won't for every week and one day pastor only remember the scripture and he just said to him can I ask you something do you want to be made well do you want to be healed and the guy actually said to him you know I really don't because I'd have to get a job I'd have to put some effort into it and pastor Olin said to him listen I love you but don't come for prayer anymore until you want to be healed but if you don't want to be healed there's no reason for us to pray for you that's what Jesus will say this guy do you want to be made well are you willing to change your thinking are you willing to put some effort into it it could have been you jesus said to him later seeing no more or less the worst thing come on you that's that's amazing now people have built an entire doctrine around that verse that is totally inaccurate when you look at the rest of Scripture people have said well that proves that all sickness is a result of direct seein in someone's life I don't believe that's what he say but I will say this sometime there is ACN at the root of weakness in our life and Jesus very clearly says to him don't go back to that way of thinking because something works one company maybe it was bitterness for this guy maybe it was unforgiveness maybe it was resentment maybe it was blaming others for his situation maybe it was anger I don't know what it was do you know what a lot of people will get into that is actually sin that they don't realize as a sin self-pity and there are lot of people that really don't want to be healed because their affliction brings them attention and if they were to get healed they might not get attention anymore and it's a lie that the enemy has has built in their in their minds but you're going to have to put some effort into it that's what Jesus say take up your bed and walk take up your bed and walk put some effort into it one of our pastors many of you probably met him been in marriage seminar at some point Mike Brisky is our mayor's one of our marriage and family pastors and he had a very unique training for the ministry before he came on our staff he played on the PGA Tour so that's how God decided to train him for the ministry I used to go sometimes with him to two tournaments and even once caddy for him and but we became friends while he was on the tour and we would talk on the phone we'd pray together he took off from the tour event to be at our first service at Gateway and I'll never forget he was going through this this dry time this very difficult time and he wasn't playing well and he told me about something that happened to him he said he was out playing he's on the tour and he hit a shot and it went into the water which is if you don't know anything that golf that's not where it's supposed to go let's go there so and and he's walking on the fairway and he's saying to God what he'd been saying for months why aren't you blessing me I mean for years I did so well why aren't why aren't you blessing me God why why are you doing this to me that's what he was saying in his mind you know he said the Lord just spoke to him really clearly and said to him stop blaming me for your golf game the Lord said to me I am not the one hitting the bad shots and then the Lord said to have I thought this was gotta money he said I am a great golfer I don't hit it in the water son you're the one hitting it in the water but you're blaming me for it and the Lord started speaking to him when you were doing better on the tour you were putting effort into it you're not putting as much effort into your golf game now art will you put effort into being healed to changing your life so excuses effort and the third is experience now here's what I mean by this this guy's waiting for an angel to come down that was his religious experience Jesus comes along and says are you willing to do something different than your experience he even said to him take up your bed and walk and the Bible shift specifically tells us it was the Sabbath and and so they said to him hey hey hey why are you carrying your bed on the Sabbath I loved his answer the man who made me well told me to carry my better self in other words that you understand it was not against the law for him to carry his bed on the Sabbath it's against the law to work and and the Jews had taken this so far you know that while carrying your bed would be working you know it's amazing I go to Israel I've been there several times when you go to Israel on the Sabbath the elevators don't work because it would be work to push the button but it's not work to climb the stairs okay this is too far that's not what God meant but the point was he had to go against his religious upbringing there's a possibility that for you to be healed you might have to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to your religious upbringing you might go to a church where they lift their hands I remember the first time I started going to church that lifted their hands during worship I remember thinking I'm not doing this that this is a charismatic thing this is a Pentecostal thing can I just clarify it's a Bible thing just just get your Bible software and look up lift and hands and see how many times it's in the Bible it's in the Bible but I'll never forget the first time the Lord kept convicting me you know what what do you are you too good to lift your hands what are you are you afraid about what other people think I mean the Lord's coming so finally one song I decided cap will lift my hand then will lift my hands this is what I did I'll never forget I went like this I didn't even do both of them I just did it just like this and I remember my first thought was everybody's staring at you now they might have been cousin I said look at that guy remember when I was like yeah you know I don't know but it took me awhile I'm just saying you might have to get past your religious experience well this guy had to okay now one other thing I want to hit on this and that his experience was different than what he was like he was looking for an angel this is the way God had moved in the past in his life so he's looking for that same experience and Jesus comes along and it says he did not know it was Jesus okay there's a theological truth about Jesus called the Incarnation and we could teach a Bible college class on it but the Incarnation simply is a God in flesh that's what it means Carn that part of the word comes from the Latin word carro which means flesh a carnal person is a fleshly person carnivorous actually means we say a person who eats meat but it's flesh is what comes from the word say so incarnation is God in flesh let me give you a very simple definition God in the body of a human that's what that's what this theological truth means God in the body of a human was Jesus okay let me give you a very simple definition of the indwelling Holy Spirit God in the body of a human first corinthians 6 says your body is the temple of the holy spirit so god in the body of a human walks up to this guy and says do you want to be made well again isn't it and it's just a simple question you just you think the guy would say yes but and say yes and he gives excuse you know I'd a minute a nobody all this damn nobody put me in the water I know why I don't even believe the excuse and I think if you really want if the god really wanna be my well it would seem like he could have just laid on the edge of the pool and when the angel came down he could have just you know kind of you know like that one doesn't it seem that way I kind of wonder if that looked okay did that look okay guys Oh and look pretty good not fun okay all right is it looks okay okay you think okay okay all right it looks okay doesn't it seem like he could have put some more effort into this you know and not make an excuse okay but here's the deal God walks up to him in the in the form of a human and he doesn't know it's God if he had known it was God he would have said yes don't you think this is one of the reasons I don't think he said yes okay the indwelling Holy Spirit is God in the body of a human I wonder if your life group leader might say to you hey let's we want to gather around you and pray for you at the end of group tonight would that be okay and we say oh no it's okay you don't need to I I'm sure things will turn around they always do can take something that might have been God that might have been God in the body of a human wanting to touch you wanting to pray for you wanting to change your circumstances we say every every week at all the campuses okay if you have a prayer need come down here let us pray for you just so you know this this lady that stands right here she has God in her she's ever thought about that she has God in her it could could be God I told you uh a few and think about this when we talked about putting effort into it you do you want to be made well you might need to attend some classes you might need to get in a small group you might need to come forward for prayer I told you about this lady I prayed for while I was getting my hair cut at the hair salon overheard her in the next chair talking about how she suffered a miscarriage and how she so wanted to have children and I just got such a burden in me was it me it was God in me and so I got up and I go over to her and she's getting up to leave they just think about this she's never met me she didn't know who I was and I just said to her I just overheard I'm sorry but I just want to pray for you would you mind if I prayed for you what if she had said no and you know the end of the story you know she she had a child and God healed her and I found that lady she'd suffered many many miscarriages I mean told she couldn't have children now she's a member of our church as a child what does she'd said now so I'm asking you do you want to be made well what's the area of your life you need to be made well okay stop making excuses put some effort in it and humble yourself that your experience might not be the way it has been in the past I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes I want you to just take a moment like we do every week and just ask the Lord Lord what do you say to me through this message what are you saying to me and just just for a moment think about it what area of your life have you made an excuse for why you haven't changed in that area and what effort would you need to put into that area to see that area changed we won't to pray for you it could be God could be gone no matter which campus you're going to no matter what your prayer need is if you need prayer in any area of your life and and I know we have many faithful leaders of all our campuses and sometimes you're able to serve an ultra ministry sometimes you're not you have something else if you're able this weekend we need everyone we can get I've noticed from the other services that a lot of people coming for prayer and I'm glad for that I'm very glad for that so if you need prayer you're not going to be the only one if you're in the second level its South Lake it by every exit we have leaders for prayer so you don't have to come all the way down to the front part of the of the first level you can go toward one of those exits and we ask that no one leave during this time unless you have an emergency we understand emergencies if you don't have an emergency it's important because this is an important time of the service because if you're not coming for prayer I want you to actually enter into this last worship song so that we can worship God they create an atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to move in people's lives it's very important this is not the gather your stuff up and get ready to go time this is an important time when God ministers to people but if you need prayer for any area of your life no matter which campus you're attending or if you're in an overflow room at the front of the room where you're attending we're gonna have leaders we're gonna have one more worship song during that song you come and we want to pray for you okay Holy Spirit I pray we'll draw every person with any prayer need in Jesus name amen I was 19 years old when I gave my life to the Lord and everything changed I didn't have any desire to go back to that old life I wanted to walk with the Lord and learn more about him and some people helped me to learn the Bible and to learn how to pray and to learn about my new life in Christ and that's what we want to do for you I am so excited that you've given your life to the Lord he's forgiven all of your sins and you're on your way to heaven but we need to learn some things now about the Bible about prayer about some basics of the Christian life so that you can be victorious and live for the Lord like I know you want to so we've designed a class called fresh start and I want to encourage you to sign up for this class because we want to help you grow in your walk with the Lord now I love you and I'm so proud of you

Channel: gatewaychurchtv

Views: 116,996

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Keywords: Heal, Healing, Healed, Pastor Robert, Robert Morris, Gateway Church, gatewaypeople, Face To Face, The Lame Man's Story, Lame man, Story, DFW, Southlake, Texas, New sermon

Id: Tw07qLKbIS0

Length: 29min 44sec (1784 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 27 2013