Untitled Sermon (2)

Introduction

Be vulnerable in your weakness

It seems that with a sickness of invalidity that this man would have been full of shame. It would make more sense for this man to hide in his house and out of site of people. I mean not only was the sickness in itself embarrassing, but many people in the Jewish culture believed that those who carried sicknesses, diseases, and in capabilities were that way because they or their parents had sinned.

John 9:2–3 NIV

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

We don’t know this man’s exact emotion or much about him at all, but I believe that it was shameful, embarrassing, and belittling for this man to go out in public. What truly amazes me is that despite all of the stigma that came with him being an invalid he still was vulnerable enough to go out in public, because to him being healed and receiving his breakthrough was far more important than the shame and embarrassment that came with his in-capabilities.

There are many of us who sit in the pews today and we are embarrassed of our short comings. We try to paint over them with the good qualities in us or we bury them down into the depths of our heart hoping that no one would find out for fear of what they would think, say, or how they would treat us.

If I can be honest with you what has brought my biggest breakthrough was not the fact that I was “strong” enough, but it was the fact that I was weak and in my weakness I was vulnerable.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Paul boasted in his weaknesses because then He could boast in the strength of Jesus.

I didn’t let shame or guilt grip me. If that is what haunts you today I want to say this. That is exactly what Satan wants. He wants you to feel unworthy to enter into the presence of the Father. Shame, guilt, and unworthiness do not come from the Holy Spirit. I heard this fire quote recently that has inspired me.

Religion: “I messed up my dad is going to kill me.”

Relationship: “I messed up, I need to call my dad.”

Don’t let your shortcomings tell you that is who you are. Let the Father define you by what He says about you in His word.

Satan will win the battle of your mind when you are the only one who is fighting the battle. There should be no confidence in your flesh.

Be persistent in your vulnerability

I want to give Olga credit for this even though she isn’t here as this definitely has opened up to me a lot more over the last week. The man believed after all of this time that there was a possibility that he would still be healed even after 38 years of being invalid with no healing. I mean how discouraging would it have been to be this person. Every time the water stirred the excitement in him rose, but every time someone would beat him to it. I mean there was most likely a lot of built up frustration in this man, but yet he didn’t let that stop his hope that one day he would receive his healing breakthrough.

You would also think that after a long time this man would be embarrassed as others have been healed and maybe even walk by him and he still sits there carrying this burden. Yet he was persistent in his vulnerability.

Do not let your vulnerability be a one time thing. It is a lifestyle. I believe a generation that learns to be vulnerable as a lifestyle is a generation that will begin to see the power of God move more mightily, because in that state there is a corporate agreement that only God has the power for breakthrough.

Are you saying for me to not try David? No I am saying for you to try less at being the power of your change and try harder at coming to the closet and the word so you develop a deep reliance on Him.

Expect that Jesus can do great things

As I mentioned earlier this man was probably full of frustration so when Jesus approached the picture he just saw Jesus as another bystander who could potentially help him. Jesus asks the man a simple question. “Do you want to be made well?”

Of course he wanted to be made well! What kind of question is that Jesus? For my whole life I have been like this and even just the thought of possibly being a little better keeps my trying to get in that water. The man was so focused on getting in the pool the whole time that he didn’t even think for a second that this was the Jesus of Nazareth that everyone was talking about. This was the healer. The messiah. Jesus was about to offer the man help, but it wasn’t in a way that the man ever thought possible.

Don’t let your Faith sell you short on what God can powerfully do in your life. The man was looking for anything, anyone to help him get in the water, but the whole time Jesus was enough. Jesus was the fullness of his healing.

Don’t let your Faith allow you to settle where you are at. Don’t let your weakness allow you to stay put.

I believe the man in the story didn’t settle for staying paralyzed because he truly believed this isn’t who he was. This isn’t what he would settle for.

What is the focus of your Faith? Is the focus of your Faith the experiences you have had. Is the focus of your Faith your messups and regrets or is the focus of your Faith the work and the person of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:12–13 NIV

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Jesus is your strength, Jesus is your healing, Jesus is your joy and in Jesus you can do marvelous and wonderful things far greater than what you ever imagined possible. In His name there is power. In His name there is power in prayer. In His name there is power in healing. In His name there is power over your sin. There is power in the name of Jesus.

Expect Jesus to bring it to completion

Again the day was the Sabbath. Jesus continues to break cultural boundaries and norms to reach a generation that is sick and in need of His presence and His power. That means that Jesus would go through great lengths to meet you. There are no physical, cultural, or spiritual limitations that stop Jesus from reaching into your situation and enabling you with His power.

The word “sabbath” comes from the Hebrew shabbat, meaning “to cease” or “desist.”1

1 Bruce, B. J. (2003). Sabbath. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1426). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

The pharisees missed the entire point here. They were so focused on the physical work this man had done that they completely missed the spiritual rest that Christ had provided. I mean this man’s sickness had ceased. There was completeness in this man.

Maybe you are in a place right now of complete brokenness and you feel as if you are so completely far from the completeness that Jesus talks about.

Philippians 1:4–6 NIV

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

After the man was healed he became so caught up with the pharisees and their anger at him carrying the mat that he completely threw out the work that Jesus had done in Him. This is exactly what Satan wants again for you and me. He wants us to become so focused on our problems and conditions that we stop relying on Jesus. That we stop thanking Jesus. That we get so focused on our issue that we forget the victory he has already completed in us.