Pickup Your Mat

John 5:1-15 “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. 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 thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had 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 into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am 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. T…”

This is the third sign in the Gospel of John that Jesus is indeed the son of God. Jesus is at a Jewish festival. He winds up at the pool of Bethesda which means the House of mercy there is an ironic scene at this pool of Bethesda. Because at this house of mercy is misery blind people laying people paralyzed people. Pools are a size of a football field about 20 feet deep five of them separated by colonnades. And there is a mass of people who have gathered at this house of mercy because they are blind and lame and paralyzed all of them are there clustered around this pool at Bethesda waiting on the troubling of the waters because they superstitiously believed that an angel troubles the waters.

Verse number four is a superstition talks about this angel that comes in and troubles the waters which is not in the original manuscript the church does not have in his possession the original manuscripts of scriptural text we have hundreds and thousands of copies. So we depend on the science of contextual criticism to try to come as close as possible to the earliest writings of Scripture and the earliest manuscripts do not obtain verse number four. Verse number four is in insertion into the text to make verse number seven make sense. Verse number four is a superstition they believe the waters troubled by an angel because they know anything about the science of artesian wells they do not know that Jerusalem’s waters, underneath the waters of Jerusalem are artesian wells and those whales bubble up every once in a while in the minerals from those wells sweep into the waters of Jerusalem and the first person into the waters after the artesian well that cause the current of water to move causes these minerals which have medicinal properties to come up in the waters and they believe an angel has stirred the waters in the first one to get in because of the mineral properties in the waters get well. Give example of artesian well

Because they know nothing about the signs in the minerals of the artesian wells they believe the water has some healing properties that God has magically placed their there is no magic when it comes to spiritual matters God does not magically make the waters heal they just believe that because of their superstitions folk legend like a black cat crossing a path or walking underneath a ladder somebody sweeping on your foot mean you’re going to jail go to jail because you commit a crime you got bad luck as you pay your bills or skip step in our crack or black Crossing a path of putting salt on your food and doing some of this all behind your back that’s a superstition the same thing is have it happening here in this passage of Scripture Jesus is in this place and Bethesda and there are people there lame and paralyzed in blind and of all the people were in this place Jesus singles out one man. Jesus eases one man was paralyzed and he’s been his condition for 38 years he has never walked in his entire life easy is 38 years paralyzed at the pool of Bethesda is paralyzed at the house of mercy is lame he’s blind at the place that promises to cure is broken is paralyzed at the very place heat that he superstitiously believes will give him relief. This man is a type of sick people in this church in this city in this state, in this country, in this world who run after superstitious cures. Broken systems who all know water. That whole no water broken religion broken formulas broken systems that promise us relief only to ultimately disappoint us because they no help there is no hope outside of relationship with Jesus Christ I don’t have I don’t care how religious you are if you have a relationship with Christ you remain broken and paralyzed in blind because there’s no help outside Jesus Christ.

I don’t care who your life coaches I don’t care how much you can lose I don’t care who your self-help guru is I don’t care what books you. Anytime you lose how many booths that you. If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal savior you’re lost and on your way to hail because nothing will satisfy but a hope in Jesus Christ. Her brothers and sisters we as Christians need to stop apologizing for going to church on the Sabbath morning we need to keep me.

I’m a believer similar believer it may not happen but I believe it will be not come to pass but I believe it will may not show up when I wanted but I believe he’ll show up on time it may not open the door but I believe that if you don’t open the door to open a window which I have a believer here. If you trust you never doubt he will he will he will surely bring you out. You have to do it I just believe he can we have to try me own experience go to Lord your own darkness your own hour of misery God showed up they may have not take you out of the situation he may just get in the situation with you. Jesus Jesus decides to single out this one man because he was in the right place at the right time and this morning you could be the only person on your role to get blessed because this message may be tailored just for your situation if nobody on euro raises her hand if no one on your pew opens their mouth the message is not for them. Some of you were raised like I was race my grandmother used to say if you throw a rock and a pack of dogs the only one is going to holler is the one you hear if you do a word and a pack of believers though no one was going shall is the one that word is for someone here this morning is going through your own misery going through your own lane your own paralysis but if you trust God he’ll make a way out of no way want to do it here make your enemies leave you alone here poor joy bales back linking euro so he will make your enemies your footstool. He just bought the design fiat by design for sovereignty decides of all the people sick body he decided to bless one man by design fiat walks up to that man after knowing he had been there. 38 years which means there’s no cure for what’s ailing him Jesus walks up to him and asked him a cruel question. It’s a cruel question at first reading the nerve the temerity the call of Jesus to ask a paralyzed paralyzed man do you want to walk. In a paralyzed man doesn’t say it but in his mind he said what you meant what you think I’m doing here? I’ve been here every day 38 years and you talk about do you want to be made whole? But Look again zoom in, zoom the Cambrian and look again Jesus is not asking a question is make an offer in the King James it makes a point he says will you be made whole because the word made in the text is the real sh being whole is not what the shout is do you want to be made whole because that word made in that verse goes back to the prologue in John chapter 1 the beginning was the word and the words word with God and the worst was God and the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and Jesus is saying do you want to be just like me do you want the creative work of God that made me make you over again your brothers and sisters if you want to be made whole there is a difference between getting whale and being made whole because you can be well and never be whole. Jesus is do you want to be made whole not a question and offer he takes our brokenness and turns it into blessing he takes our brokenness and turns it into a blessing. Broken folk has no business going to meet other broken folk they can help you that in the same shape you in that’s what they tell people in treatment Alcoholics Anonymous cocaine anonymous you gotta change your company. You have to get away from the crowd because he banged around with them you can go back to doing back to the things you used to do Jesus is do you want to be made whole he takes your brokenness and turns it into a blessing Jesus raises the question which is really an offer to this broken paralyzed man who has dragged himself to the pool house 38 years and Jesus makes him an offer do you want to be made whole do you want me to take your brokenness and turn it into a blessing and the man offered Jesus an excuse for why he’s not well. He said Sir every time I get ready to step in the pool somebody stiff stand before me. So much just like us regarding excuse I will return March I will get back in the choir I will become a usher again I will go to Sabbath school all kinds of excuses Jesus is saying that the people stop you from being and doing what I want you to do just listen to me don’t listen to them as you keep your eyes on those people you will never get healed let circumstances getting your way you will never find a blessing if you let conditions stop you you will never get what you’re trying to go. The situation is magazine is a situation that has paralyzed him we look at the text he talks about folks who are lame and paralyzed there’s a difference between being laying and being a paralyzed name has to do with an inability of your body to physically function like the man who had a withered hand on the woman with an issue of blood that caused them to be unable physically to function but this other paralyzed has to do with a disease that keeps you from being all that you need to be in every one of us is stricken with the disease that stinks the house and lames and paralyzes and is called CN but here’s what Jesus office not only will he turn your brokenness into blessings but here turn your paralysis into purpose Jesus to the man you want to be made whole he said every time I get ready to getting somebody jump to My Pl., Jesus had an answer that you come up at all confident excuses like the one at the whale talk about we are to worship in the marriage and now Gary is in and out guy desire Jesus it is not the issue this morning do you want to be made whole the message Sir I do but Sir Jesus is not the offer I’m not offering you to bring you back to a dead water system because you think there is life in that water when you’re talking to the water of life life is not in that water if you come to church for life you come in for the wrong reason because life is not in a building life is in a person and the person who conceives Jesus Christ stop stop and buy dead systems. He said every time I get ready to step in somebody stiff stand before me Jesus said here’s what I want to do rise take up your mat and walk. He did not heal him and tell him to walk he told him to walk and he got healed because the healing is in the obedience. I know you haven’t walked in 38 years but I say take up your mat. I know you never stood on your own fee and 38 years but have my word rise take up your mat throw it over your shoulder and walk. For the first time in his life is paralysis became his purpose he got up and put his mat on his shoulder and walked never happened before never happened before but Jesus said get up take of your mat walk. Don’t leave it down there you can go back to it did get up carry around with you so that people ask you what you doing with that it becomes your testimony in somebody here this morning used to lay on the mat of depression a matter of discouragement and mat of self-pity but the Lord told you to pick it up and walk and everywhere you go people look at you and say you’re not the person you used to be something got a hold of you something is different about you and what is different about you now is your mat is your testimony. Whole lot of us want to stay on a mat because we like people thought sorry force we like folks giving us handouts we like people beating us to get up from that get up rise take up your mat and walk. This man for the first time in his life took up his mat and walked but here’s the show it was the Sabbath day. And the Jews the Pharisees said to him hey man what you doing picking up a map. The Sadducees had 633 laws in addition to the 10 Commandments 39 of those 633 that with which you could and could not do on the Sabbath day and at 39th law of those 39 laws. You cannot carry something from one place to another place on the Sabbath day because Pharisees never see miracles and the reason Pharisees never see the miracles that all the mackerel because they’re always looking for violations. There always looking to see if you broke some rules. The seven the seven last words of a dying church is that we are net we’ve never done it this way before the reason why you can’t see a miracles is because you saw a man pulling up his mat on the Sabbath day you can’t see God because you’re looking at a mat. He said the man they asked him. They asked that man what you doing picking up your mat on the Sabbath day he said the man who healed me told me to take up your bed and walk the only person who has RIA to command you is the one who healed you is the person who saved you you didn’t save me so you can’t dictate how I give God glory you didn’t die on the cross for me so you can’t tell me how to praise God you didn’t go into grave for my salvation how dare you tell me how to express my hallelujah. There are some Pharisees on your pew there some Pharisees in your section you want to make a mad just start shouting for no reason just start praising for what he’s already done it all and take all of that you take your brokenness into blessings he takes your paralysis into purpose and finally he turns her mat into a miracle so that when folks see you they can understand it. The Pharisees asked him who told you take up your bed and walk and the man didn’t even know who Jesus was he said that mantle take up your bed and walk because the content of your faith doesn’t have to reach the reality of your faith until you find out who Jesus is I don’t know who healed me but are some about the way he looked at me something about the way he spoke to me that made me know he’s better than y’all. Your minimum bombard Timaeus the towbar Timaeus don’t give him any credit don’t give him any glory give God the glory this man’s a center bar Timaeus said he might be a center he may be everything you say years all I know is that one day I was blind but right now I can see you don’t have to have any theology you have to know anything about the Bible something got a hold of me. The thing you still depend on are you caring around with you that think you had to use to carry you now you’re carrying yet he carried to Richard to work you character church you carry with you every time you get around your family they look at your entire remind you of what you used to be in the trouble he used to cause and the palms used to have in the divorce you went through in the abortion you had in the drugs they choose to use and alcohol is used to drink and all that stuff is true all of that is real out of that is you who you were this is in your past is of you