Dont Hid Your Mat

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, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 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 walked.

John 5:1-3, 5-17 ESV

Context

The pool of bethesda was a place were the sick and hurt would come in hopes that when angel would touch the water who ever got it the water first was healed of any aliment

the problem with it is that you had to wait

it turns into a competison where people would have to race and fight to get into the pool

there was no proof of this actually working

and the process seems more demented

but honestly for the people it felt like it was their only hope

this man that jesus enciunters we never get his name , but we do know a few things about him.

he has been paralized for at least 38 years,

But today he meets a man who literially changes all of that in a momment

I Want to look at only 2 things today

The Question

The Direction

The Question

the question Jesus Ask this man does he want to be healed

why did jesus ask this man that question? its so obvious

he was literllay standing in that place hoping that he would get a chance to be healed

Whenever you see God ask a question in the Bible, he is asking for you not himself.

The man responds out of his brokenness and present not with faith.

He gives a excuse to why he cant be healed

Some of us want to sit in our brokenness. We would rather stay where are and make excuses for what’s happened to us or past tramaha, We arnt responsible for everything that happens to us, but we are responsible for healing

The Direction : Get Up Take Up Your Bed And Walk

Get Up

He has to move He has to walk on legs that probably numb and wobbly

He has to do something that he hasnt done in at least 40 years

God is capable of doing his part , but what part has his asked you to do?

You want a new job, but have you applied You need a car , do you have your license You want to mend that relationship with a family member, when is last time you called them. You want a baby have you been the baby store.

There is always a part that we play

Take Your Bed and Walk

Pick the thing that was used to cover the brokenness

that thing that use to identify you and walk with it as proof

people saw him , folks that knew him

So often we have a tendency to be healed and we walk around hiding our testimony instead of letting know that God has truly done something amazing in your life.

To often we believe that our story makes us look weak , because if you knew what I struggled with or what I’ve done there no way you actual look at me the same.

Our testimony’s don’t make us weak, they make us real.( transpercny vs vulreneblre) see me vs hurt me

God doesn’t honor who you pretend to be.

Our testimony Glorify’s God and Give people hope.

it says look at what God has done

i dont know what your mat is for you

failed marriage

secrect sin

bad mind set

threw it all God has been faithful and true to his promises

through our testimony we bare witness there is is a god