What is it You Desire?

Introduction

Socrates put his strong hands on the man's shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up. "What do you want?" he asked again. "Wisdom," the young man sputtered, "O great and wise Socrates." 

Socrates crunched him under again. Thirty seconds passed, thirty-five. Forty. Socrates let him up. The man was gasping. "What do you want, young man?" Between heavy, heaving breaths the fellow wheezed, "Knowledge, O wise and wonderful..." 

Socrates jammed him under again Forty seconds passed. Fifty. "What do you want?" "Air!" he screeched. "I need air!" 

"When you want knowledge as you have just wanted air, then you will have knowledge." 

This morning we are going to look at the difference desire makes in our life…Desire on the right things and in the right person

“Some time later” — Again John uses this phrase to move the narrative along. We don’t really know how much time has passed nor do we know the feast being referenced here. But we do know Jesus is in Jerusalem at a pool on the northeast corner of the city called the pool of Bethesda.

The pool was fed by a large reservoir called Solomon’s pools and intermittent springs. It was when these springs fed the pool that the waters were stirred. It was superstition of the day that an angel moved these waters and that the first one who touched the water after the stirring of the angel would be healed.

Naturally such belief led to a great number of blind, lame and paralyzed people to camp out around the waters of the pool waiting for them to be stirred.

Jesus looked upon these poor people and spotted a man in such a condition and began to talk with him. He learned that the man had been an invalid for 38 years. And then Jesus asks a question which, on the surface, might have seemed ridiculous. He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

Why would Jesus ask such a question? Wouldn’t it be obvious the man wanted to get well? Who wants to be an invalid? He was sitting by the waters in order to have a chance to enter them when stirred. Certainly it should be obvious that he wanted to get well!

Jesus could have just taken the initiative, went over to the man and healed him without ever even addressing him…but He doesn’t. And this is a very important point…Something of the character and nature of God is revealed to us here...

Jesus intended to heal someone on the Sabbath. In doing so He intended to teach something important about the Sabbath itself as well as His own identity (we will get into this next sermon). What Jesus really asked the man if he wanted to be a part of what God was doing in the world around him and in the process get healed!

The paralyzed man was the most unlikely of characters to be used by God that day. He had not sought Jesus out…He was not a follower of Jesus…in fact we never even see any indication that he becomes one.

This man could have said no…could have brushed aside any offers of help from the Lord. He could have neglected and rejected the blessing right in front of him. If this was not the case why ask the question in the first place?

This fella was a coward who tried to avoid trouble with the authorities by blaming the one who healed him when asked why he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath (v11). He is so dull as to not even get the name of the one who healed him (13) and once he finds out the name of his healer, he reports him to the authorities! (15) He was perhaps the most unlikely of all participants in God’s plan that day! But God gave Him the choice to be on mission with Him...

God loves us…He truly does…He loves us so much that He makes Himself vulnerable. He offers us the chance to reject Him. He has everything we would ever need for life…but not just life…eternal life. In His hands is all the healing our soul and life could ever need. He offers us forgiveness…cleansing from all unrighteousness…clean hearts and a clean slate…He offers us heaven and a never ending relationship with Him…this is the Good News…this is the Gospel…but He never forces us to receive any of it

Free Will — If the man responded no then Jesus would have moved on to the next man or woman. God does not force anyone to be saved or blessed.

We are all a part of God’s story called history…but we have the free will to choose how we will be a part of it...will it be as a blessing or curse. The man or woman who refuses God’s salvation, deliverance and blessing will have no one to blame but themselves…This man could have said “no” remained an invalid and Jesus would have moved on to the next man or woman in need of healing. God does not force anyone to be saved or blessed.

Jesus asks us the same question He asked the man at the pool that day…Do you want to get well?

It is vitally important that we focus on what would have been missed if the man had said no…He would have remained an invalid. If we say no to Jesus we miss out on the blessings He has for us as we join with Him in His work as well.

The Answer — The man answers Jesus with a list of excuses as to why he cannot be healed…He cannot put himself in the water when it is stirred, has no one to help him. He indicates clearly he has the desire to be healed but demonstrates no faith that Jesus can heal him.

Excuses

Where is the Faith — This is a time when the faith of the person being healed was not a prerequisite for their healing. This is simply because the healing itself was secondary…This man’s disability and subsequent healing were a part of a bigger story. Jesus was revealing something of Himself and this man was simply given the privilege to be the means by which He would do so.

The man was really presented here as a grouchy ingrate with little or no faith at all. He is not a man with a great deal of expectation. He is full of excuses as to why he cannot be healed. He never directly answers the question Jesus asked. But he does answer! He makes it clear that he wants nothing more than to be healed but cannot be so.

Desire is the Key that Opens the Door

In affect what the man says is that I cannot do what needs to be done so I might be healed…I cannot get into the water when it is stirred…and I have no one to do for me what I can’t…no one to place me in the water when it is stirred so I might be healed.

As soon as the man indicated he wanted to be well Jesus healed him. The desire was the invitation for Jesus to use him.

Jesus responds with an emphatic command…Get up! Pick up your mat and walk! — Jesus did not wait for the man to express faith in the ability of Jesus to heal him.

Sometimes we wring our hands and ask questions like, “What Is God’s will for my life?” or “How can I be a part of God’s will” or “How does God want to use me.”

A bishop of a century ago pronounced from his pulpit and in the periodical he edited that heavier-than-air flight was both impossible and contrary to the will of God. Oh, the irony that Bishop Wright had two sons, Orville and Wilbur! Wright was wrong. Sure of himself, but wrong. 

Before you answer yes you need to understand that answering yes will often times completely devastate your life!

We think God’s will is something we can figure out…that we can know it…that we can know everything He wants and intends to do…but who can know everything in the mind of God? Who can know the limits of His understanding? Thank God we don’t need to in order to be a part of what He is doing in the world around us.

His abilities, responsibilities and opportunities would be different from any he had known the past 4 decades. Perhaps he found security in what he now knew to be his lot in life.

The more important question is the one Jesus asked this man… “Do you want to be a part of what Jesus is doing in the world?”

If we desire to be a part of what God is doing we can be assured that He will make us a part of what He is doing. We don’t have to figure anything out…there will be no mystery to solve…no riddle or puzzle to the finding out of His will. We simply see where He is at work, hear His invitation to join Him and do so.

Willingness to be a part of God’s plan is the key that opens the door to salvation, blessing and a life lived in God’s will.

God has made it very clear that we are God’s workmanship and that He has created us to be a part of His plans.

Ephesians 2:10 NASB95

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

His power will come upon us…we just need to be available and ready to answer yes when the opportunities to be a part of what He is doing come.

The paralyzed man was the most unlikely of characters to be used by God that day. He had not sought Jesus out…He was not a follower of Jesus…in fact we never even see any indication that he becomes one.

This fella was a coward who tried to avoid trouble with the authorities by blaming the one who healed him when asked why he was carrying his mat on the Sabbath (v11). He is so dull as to not even get the name of the one who healed him (13) and once he finds out the name of his healer, he reports him to the authorities! (15) He was perhaps the most unlikely of all participants in God’s plan that day! But God gave Him the choice to be on mission with Him...

God is not waiting on us to become holy enough…none of us are holy enough.

The man in our story was a sinner and an invalid because of his sin…This is not always the case but it was true of him…his sin had caused him to become an invalid. What he did we do not know…but Jesus told him to stop it or something worse might happen to him next time.

He is not waiting on us to become talented enough…none of us could ever be talented enough. He is not waiting on us to pray enough, read the Bible enough or even have enough faith…We will never be enough…We will never be worthy of being a part of what God is doing around us...

We just have to have the desire to be a part of His life and plan…His grace will does the rest…remember, grace which comes before faith.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NASB95

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

The man in our story was a sinner and an invalid because of his sin…This is not always the case but it was true of him…his sin had caused him to become an invalid. What he did we do not know…but Jesus told him to stop it or something worse might happen to him next time.

Think about this man — He was not well enough, holy enough, good enough, talented enough…He couldn’t even lift himself up to put himself in a pool of water!

He had nothing to offer Jesus except the desire to be healed…and that was enough…the desire for something God wanted to do…God did the rest.

If you and I are willing to believe this, it will change our life — God is looking for those who desire to be a part of what He is doing in the world around us…and He will do the rest.

But that desire has to be genuine…It can’t be fake…it has to be a desire for Him…a desire to be a part of what He is doing…We never use God as a means to our ends…We make ourselves available and express desire to be used of Him as a means for His ends!

There's a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, "O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge." Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man through the streets, to the sea, and chest deep into water. Then he asked, "What do you want?" "Knowledge, O wise Socrates," said the young man with a smile.  Socrates put his strong hands on the man's shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up. "What do you want?" he asked again. "Wisdom," the young man sputtered, "O great and wise Socrates."  Socrates crunched him under again. Thirty seconds passed, thirty-five. Forty. Socrates let him up. The man was gasping. "What do you want, young man?" Between heavy, heaving breaths the fellow wheezed, "Knowledge, O wise and wonderful..."  Socrates jammed him under again Forty seconds passed. Fifty. "What do you want?" "Air!" he screeched. "I need air!"  "When you want knowledge as you have just wanted air, then you will have knowledge." 

There's a story about a proud young man who came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, "O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge." Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man through the streets, to the sea, and chest deep into water. Then he asked, "What do you want?" "Knowledge, O wise Socrates," said the young man with a smile.  Socrates put his strong hands on the man's shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up. "What do you want?" he asked again. "Wisdom," the young man sputtered, "O great and wise Socrates."  Socrates crunched him under again. Thirty seconds passed, thirty-five. Forty. Socrates let him up. The man was gasping. "What do you want, young man?" Between heavy, heaving breaths the fellow wheezed, "Knowledge, O wise and wonderful..."  Socrates jammed him under again Forty seconds passed. Fifty. "What do you want?" "Air!" he screeched. "I need air!"  "When you want knowledge as you have just wanted air, then you will have knowledge." 

If Socrates could see through the pride and self centeredness of a man, we can be assured that God can too...

Remember what James said in His epistle

Conclusion

What is it that you desire? Do you have a desire to be a part of what God is doing in the world around you? Be honest, Jesus already knows your heart so just be honest with yourself. We can get so caught up in our own plans that our passion, desire and time are focused on ourselves. We don’t have time or thought for desires beyond our own.

The fact is we are so often so caught up in what we want, what we are doing and our own plans that we really have no time or genuine desire to be a part of anyone else’s plan even if that person is God Himself.

Sometimes we have to be honest with ourselves and say, “Lord please make me willing to be willing to be a part of what you are doing in the world around me.”

God smiles when He hears such a prayer…He sees that spark in your heart for Him and He does the rest…His grace produces faith which results in a life on mission with Him.

C.S. Lewis gave us the following insight: Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. 

C.S. Lewis gave us the following insight: Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in the slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. 

Don’t sell yourself short…don’t settle for the things of this world and the plans you make in it. Decide that your heart will be set on Christ and what He is doing in the world…

Some will say faith is the key…but really it is desire for Christ that is key. Think about this…Jesus said the greatest command is to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength…no mention of faith in that statement…just love. We desire what and whom we love.