The Time is Now

Welcome

Welcome to Celebration. We are so glad that you are here. My wife, Maegan and I are honored to serve as the Lead Pastors and if there is anything that we can do to better serve you and your family, please don’t hesitate to let us know. If you are joining for the first time welcome, or digitally, we welcome you as well and want to invite you to join us if you are ever in the Orlando area.

Introduction

It is so hard to believe that we are in a new year, a new decade. Time flies. I remember when it hit the year 2000 and everyone panicked and thought the world was coming to the end because the computers were going to collectively crash. I remember watching movies and 2020 was always projected as a distant future with flying cars. It’s so wild to think that today is yesterday’s future and today will be tomorrow’s past and our responsibility is to be present where we are.

Don’t be paralyzed by the past, don’t be anxious about the future, be present

I want you to know that I have been praying for each of you and I believe God has given me a prophetic word for our church. This will be your best year, if it’s your best year spiritually. Put God first and watch what He does in your life: faith, family, finances, freedom, and fitness. Join us as we pray, fast, and read the Word of God together. I want to invite you to our next Equip class. I will be teaching on How to Study the Bible and would love to see you there. Space is limited so please register so that we can account for you.

Scripture

John 5:1–9 ESV

1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 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?” 7 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.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

Today I want to talk briefly about how to get movement in your life and how to recognize the moments that grace shows up. For some, there is stagnation. For others, we have movement, momentum but we need to know where to steer it. Vision without movement is frustrating and movement with no direction can be reckless. Today I believe God wants to give us movement and direction. I have entitled today’s message: The Time is Now!

Prayer

Lord, we are thankful for allowing us to the space to meet with you in our community. We invite you to speak to us today. Give us open eyes, ears, and hearts. In Jesus’s name, Amen!

Illustration

Every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions, hoping to spark positive change. The recurring themes each year include a more active approach to health and fitness, improved finances, and learning new things for personal and professional development. We set our goals, develop a strategy because a goal without a strategy is a dream.

Our strategy is our systems

You do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.

A Goal is your desired outcome. Your system is the collection of daily habits that will get you there. Daily discipline will get you results that last longer than a day.

We launch…then according to varying stats, 80% do not exceed. In fact, we stop ‘really’ trying within the first month. Why?

Nothing will bring your momentum to a halt more than these 4 things:

Complacency. Not allowing your big to become small again.

Unwillingness. Don’t want to change. Unwilling to learn.

Pride. Ego and self consumption make it hard to change. Doing something different isn’t an assault on your legacy.

TIME

One of the top reasons is we can underestimate how much time it really takes. We set a goal and we don’t see the results in our time table and give up. Or, we keep pushing the timeline back; I’ll start next week. Time is the boundary for our expectations. The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. Timing is everything.

In order to protect our feelings, we can come up with elusive timelines that keep us from being practically expectant. We procrastinate. What if God wanted to do something in your life, not in the distant future, but right now. Who among us would define yourself as a procrastinator? Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing something. We’ve probably all been there, right? We delay on cleaning up. We delay on taking the trash out. Putting up the Christmas decor…taking down the Christmas decor. We delay on homework/buying books. We delay on getting our bills in order. We delay on shopping. My mom is the opposite of that. She makes sure there is zero chance of her ever running out of supplies. However, we like living on the edge. Nothing screams faith like hearing my wife ask if we have anymore soap, while she’s in the shower. Let’s not talk about toilet paper. Why do I do this to myself?

As a family, we are in a season where, for the first time ever, we are on the same page with our fitness. It’s a good idea until we have to actually do it. There would literally be times when I would fake like I was sleep when my daughter would come to get me. In the back of my mind I am saying, I wish I had more time.

Transition

Jesus didn’t go looking for people to heal. As He was going about His business, people’s paths would cross with Jesus and maybe something they’ve struggled with for years was fixed in one moment. What if, the thing you have been dreaming and believing for isn’t in the distant future but God wants to do it now…would you recognize it? I believe the time for healing is now, restoration is now, freedom is now!

When we look at our passage today, it is saturated with time and Jesus wanted to change everyone’s perspective on His timing.

Background/Context

Jerusalem

Allow me to pain the picture. This miracle takes place in Jerusalem. The spiritual capital of the world. It was the place that Jesus did ministry, died, was resurrected, and will return to. We are outside of the temple at an area where both Jews and Pagans would gather at these pools in hopes of experiencing a miracle. It was a part of the culture and belief that an angel would stir the waters and the first person in would get healed. It was full of superstition and luck. The currency of the kingdom is not superstition, tradition or luck, it’s Jesus. Jesus is our healer. Tradition does not heal you, Jesus does; and He is not bound by tradition.

Sabbath

Jerusalem, Israel and its historical context helps us to have a healthy interpretation of scripture. An important part of understanding the rhythm of God is understanding rest. God modeled it, He commanded it, Jesus embodied it. Rest is important. Sabbath was God’s way of helping His people to rest in Him. We honor God when we rest because we are communicating that we trust Him. This miracle takes place on the Sabbath, which for the guardians of the law, was a violation. In other words, there was an appropriate time for miracles, but the sabbath was not one of those moments. This was one of the major reasons Jesus was met with opposition. Their issue was, this is not the right time. The right time to do the right thing is right now.

38 Years

Next we have a man that has been paralyzed. In fact, he is surrounded by broken people. However, what’s unique about this guy is he has been invalid for 38 years! Another reference to time. 38 years is a long time. Under the Roman Empire, the average lifespan was about 35 years. Jews were unique because they had laws that governed their cleanliness so they lived longer. That said, it still wasn’t as long as the 75-80 years we see today. What that means is this, no matter how you look at it, this man has been paralyzed for a lifetime. There were no conveniences for the impaired. No handicap ramps. All he could do, is beg for money. In 38 years, you can become numb to anything new happening. We call it acceptance but it’s actually a lack of hope. In 38 years you can learn how to spot out of towners. In 38 years, you develop rhythms that allow you to function with dysfunction. Went to an early movie and went outside only to be uncomfortable with the light. It’s funny how quick we can adapt to the dark. Sometimes our deliverance is more scary then our bondage. In 38 years, it can become your normal. What has become normal in your life? Anger, impatience, bondage? Jesus shows up to disrupt his normal.

The Question

The text tells us that Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been there a long time and said, “Do you want to be made well”? Why did Jesus ask that question? We must recognize that when God asks us a question, He’s not looking for information, He is leading us to a revelation. The man had a rhythm to his life. He had his mat, his speech, his cup to collect money. He has had a long time to perfect it. Jesus’ question implies that the man seems very comfortable where he is. It is possible for us to be so content with where we are, that we stop looking for content to make us better.

When Jesus shows up to do a new thing, do we use old logic? Every time we move into a new house, I always buy a new vacuum. I refuse to bring old dirt into a new season. Maybe the thing we need to let go of is the reservoir dysfunction that we have allowed to become a part of us. You are not your season. You are not your sin. You are not your struggle.

The Answer

His response to Jesus is powerful, it is understandable. He said I don’t have people to help me and someone always beats me to it. You ever felt like you were at a disadvantage? You ever felt like you were the underdog? This man had extreme faith but it was misguided. He had faith in his friends. Faith in himself. His response was powerful and understandable, but it lacks something; faith in Jesus. We can sometimes be so focused on the past that we miss what is right in front of us.

We can cheat on the future because of an unhealthy loyalty to the past.

We have to get past the past, if we are going to have a promising future

The quickest way to keep from moving forward is to focus on the past.

Isaiah 43:19 ESV

19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

His healer was standing in front of him and he couldn’t see it. He couldn’t see past his pain, comfort, normal. Jesus wants to do a new thing in every area of your life: faith, family, finances, freedom, fitness. It is hard to experience something new when we are consumed with what is old. Jesus shows up to disrupt our normal.

Observations/Points

Over 2 decades ago, my life was radically changed. I had an encounter with Jesus and never looked back. There were moments where I slowed down, but I never stopped.

Get up from where you are

Jesus says GET UP. This is the same word that is connected to resurrection. It means to rise up. Egeiro. Jesus egeiro(d) Lazarus; Jesus egeiro(d) Himself. It is a verb. It has action. That means, the word has the power in it. When Jesus told the man to get up, the power was connected to the command. Jesus is telling some of us to get up from where you are. Rise above it. The power is connected to the command. It is time to get up. You have been there long enough. Get up.

The only way to move forward is to get up from the place that is keeping you at a standstill.

Instead of being at a standstill, stand on God’s word!

Pick up from where you left off

He is told to pick up his mat. That mat was a part of his story. That mat once carried him, but now he is empowered to carry it. There was nothing to be ashamed about. Pick up from where you left off. I love how video games save your progress. You can pick up from where you left off. You may be rusty, but pick up from where you left off. There is no shame. The key is to keep moving forward.

Go to where God is leading you

As the man left, it began to draw attention. He was carrying his testimony. People clearly noticed something different about him. There were questions. He didn’t have all the answers. However, Jesus found him in the temple. Make sure the grace of God leads you to the place of God. Jesus spoke to him again in the temple. God is leading all of us to draw closer to Him.

Closing

It is so interesting that time undergirds this entire narrative. The man was paralyzed for 38 years, that’s a long time. So long that maybe he lost hope. The Jews were frustrated that the man was healed on the Sabbath…this wasn’t the right time. Time plays a big part in our experiences. If it’s too long we stop expecting. If it doesn’t fit within our schedule, we don’t have the appropriate response. It’s all centered around time.

Luke 19:44 ESV

44 and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

John 4:10 ESV

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Last year my wife went to Israel. She was about 6 hours ahead of me. We had to be creative on when we spoke. She would often text me when she woke up. 7am in her time would be around 1 am in my time. I would go to sleep a little earlier so that when she contacted me, it wouldn’t be an inconvenience. I took it as my responsibility to adjust to her time, instead of expecting her to adapt to mine. What if we did the same with Jesus. When we can’t sleep, instead of ignoring it, maybe it is Him wanted to talk, the time is now. Apologize, the time is now…healing, miracles, breakthrough, revelation, healthy, financial. Don’t move away from what God wants to move in. The time is now! You can either make moves or you can make excuses…do you want to be made well?

Altar