WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.720 Welcome to the official podcast of the Church 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:05.240 of Christ Wheeler area. We're so glad that you've 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:07.719 tuned in for today's message. Whether you're 00:00:07.719 --> 00:00:09.939 on your morning commute or if you're relaxing 00:00:09.939 --> 00:00:11.919 at home, we're here to share the strength and 00:00:11.919 --> 00:00:14.919 truth of God's Word with our community. If you're 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:16.539 in the neighborhood, we'd love to meet you in 00:00:16.539 --> 00:00:20.179 person. Come see us at 1500 South Allen L. Bean 00:00:20.179 --> 00:00:23.149 Boulevard right here in Wheeler, Texas. We gather 00:00:23.149 --> 00:00:26.250 every Sunday morning at 10 .30 a .m. and in the 00:00:26.250 --> 00:00:29.050 afternoon at 2 .30 p .m. We meet again on Wednesdays 00:00:29.050 --> 00:00:32.630 at 7 p .m. Right now, let's open our Bibles together 00:00:32.630 --> 00:00:35.890 and dive into today's sermon. This afternoon, 00:00:36.049 --> 00:00:38.729 I want to start with a question. If Jesus was 00:00:38.729 --> 00:00:41.570 here today and he asked you, do you want to be 00:00:41.570 --> 00:00:44.850 healed in a physical sense, what would you say? 00:00:46.160 --> 00:00:48.100 I've been trying to think of an answer why someone 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:49.740 would say no, I don't want to be healed I kind 00:00:49.740 --> 00:00:51.960 of enjoy her and I enjoy this thing that's happening 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:54.579 to me But I cannot think of any reason why anyone 00:00:54.579 --> 00:00:56.759 would say I don't want to be healed You know, 00:00:56.759 --> 00:00:59.380 I have some problems. I have psoriasis. I really 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:01.719 don't like that stuff, but I have it I got a 00:01:01.719 --> 00:01:03.280 wrist that's been messed up. My hand will go 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:05.480 numb. It's kind of annoying I would love for 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:07.299 that to be healed I bet you you could think of 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:09.040 something that you're going through or have some 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:11.620 sort of element on Why you would want to be healed 00:01:11.620 --> 00:01:13.840 and I think that we would all do it without even 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:15.780 thinking about it asking any questions we would 00:01:15.780 --> 00:01:19.159 just say, yes, make me whole, heal me Jesus. 00:01:19.659 --> 00:01:22.980 And we see this in the New Testament quite often 00:01:22.980 --> 00:01:25.200 where Jesus heals people. And we're going to 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:26.659 look at an example of that, and we're going to 00:01:26.659 --> 00:01:29.120 be in John chapter 5, and we're going to start 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:32.219 in verses 1 through 4. After this there was a 00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:34.620 feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:37.060 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market 00:01:37.060 --> 00:01:39.260 a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue, 00:01:39.319 --> 00:01:43.019 Bethsaida, having five porches. And these lay 00:01:43.019 --> 00:01:46.219 a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, 00:01:46.379 --> 00:01:48.900 haught, wither, waiting for the moving of water. 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:51.859 For an angel went down a certain season into 00:01:51.859 --> 00:01:54.040 the pool and troubled the water. Whosoever then 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:56.060 first after the troubling of the water stepped, 00:01:56.579 --> 00:01:59.219 it was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." 00:01:59.219 --> 00:02:02.099 So we see folks here that are sick. They're by 00:02:02.099 --> 00:02:04.599 this pool and an angel comes down, he stirs up 00:02:04.599 --> 00:02:06.299 the water. If they get in there, they're made 00:02:06.299 --> 00:02:09.419 whole. And Jesus is here and he's here at this 00:02:09.419 --> 00:02:12.900 pool. So he sees a guy here in verse 5 it says 00:02:12.900 --> 00:02:15.000 in a certain man was there which had an infirmity 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.479 38 years So we see a guy he's been sick and he's 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:21.020 been sick for a while 38 years When Jesus saw 00:02:21.020 --> 00:02:23.199 him lie and knew that he had been now a long 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:25.879 time in that case He said unto him will thou 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:28.500 be made whole do you want to be healed? Do you 00:02:28.500 --> 00:02:30.419 want to be made? Well is what some other translation 00:02:30.419 --> 00:02:35.199 says The impotent man answered him, sir, I have 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:37.259 no man when the water is troubled to put me into 00:02:37.259 --> 00:02:39.840 the pool, but while I'm coming, another step 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:41.599 it down before me. So we see a guy, he goes, 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:44.020 yes, I want to be healed. I would love to be 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:46.219 healed, but I have this problem. And people say 00:02:46.219 --> 00:02:48.020 he was paralyzed, he was lame, and he could not 00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:50.319 get to the water. He said, I need help. I need 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:53.180 someone to get me into this water so I can be 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:56.789 healed. In verse 8, it says, Jesus said unto 00:02:56.789 --> 00:02:59.650 him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk, and immediately 00:02:59.650 --> 00:03:01.990 the man was made whole, and took up his bed, 00:03:02.370 --> 00:03:05.009 and walked, and on the same day was the Sabbath. 00:03:05.009 --> 00:03:07.349 So we see this amazing miracle, don't we? Brandon 00:03:07.349 --> 00:03:09.129 talked about Jesus this morning and all the great 00:03:09.129 --> 00:03:11.949 things he's done, and about how many miracles 00:03:11.949 --> 00:03:15.169 he has accomplished. But this one miracle, there 00:03:15.169 --> 00:03:16.810 was a man who had been sick for so long, and 00:03:16.810 --> 00:03:19.250 he said, Get up and walk, and he walked. That's 00:03:19.250 --> 00:03:21.650 an amazing feat. You know, if Jesus was here 00:03:21.650 --> 00:03:23.169 today and said, Do you want to be made whole? 00:03:23.210 --> 00:03:25.069 Do you want to be healed in a physical sense, 00:03:25.110 --> 00:03:27.889 it would happen like that. Now I want to tell 00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:30.069 you Jesus isn't quite saying that right now, 00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:32.349 but I mean we pray for people, we do things like 00:03:32.349 --> 00:03:34.490 that, but Jesus is here today and He's saying 00:03:34.490 --> 00:03:37.169 do you want to be healed? Do you want to be made 00:03:37.169 --> 00:03:39.330 whole? But He's doing it in a spiritual sense. 00:03:39.870 --> 00:03:41.650 He's given us something greater than healing 00:03:41.650 --> 00:03:43.650 the body. He's given us eternal life with Him 00:03:43.650 --> 00:03:47.229 in heaven forever, for all eternity. But what 00:03:47.229 --> 00:03:50.030 do we do on the spiritual side of it? Well I'm 00:03:50.030 --> 00:03:52.550 not ready yet. I got to think about it a little 00:03:52.550 --> 00:03:55.819 bit longer. Maybe after this season I have all 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:57.780 this stuff going on, then I'll come to the Lord. 00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:01.080 We make excuses when it comes to the spiritual 00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:03.680 side. And you may be thinking, well, I've already 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:05.620 been baptized. I'm already a saint, so it don't 00:04:05.620 --> 00:04:08.639 apply to me. Christians, they put Jesus in the 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:10.979 back burner, don't they? But God over here, they 00:04:10.979 --> 00:04:13.400 fall trapped to sin. And they fall away from 00:04:13.400 --> 00:04:14.639 the Lord. And you know what Jesus is saying? 00:04:14.939 --> 00:04:16.699 I already made you whole. I can heal you again. 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:18.699 I give you steps in the Bible how to come back 00:04:18.699 --> 00:04:21.220 to me. And what do we say? I'm going to do it 00:04:21.220 --> 00:04:24.839 on my own. I'll figure this out myself. You know, 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:29.120 after this season, I know I came to you, Lord, 00:04:29.620 --> 00:04:31.519 to be healed, but now I'm going to go do this, 00:04:31.579 --> 00:04:33.839 but I'll come back later on in life. We come 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:36.920 up with all these excuses on why we were not 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:39.139 going to follow Christ in the spiritual. We put 00:04:39.139 --> 00:04:41.540 the physical over the spiritual, and the spiritual 00:04:41.540 --> 00:04:45.699 means so much more. In Ecclesiastes chapter 12 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:48.889 verse 7, It says, then shall the dust return 00:04:48.889 --> 00:04:50.949 to the earth as it was, the spirit shall return 00:04:50.949 --> 00:04:54.329 unto God who gave it. This body that we're in, 00:04:54.350 --> 00:04:56.209 one day it's just gonna be long gone. It's gonna 00:04:56.209 --> 00:04:57.889 go back to the dust. You know, all the stuff 00:04:57.889 --> 00:04:59.790 we worry about, all the physical things that 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:02.990 we worry about, the worldly things we worry about, 00:05:03.750 --> 00:05:05.629 it's for nothing. You know, I gotta go to work 00:05:05.629 --> 00:05:06.930 tomorrow, and you think about that, you're gonna 00:05:06.930 --> 00:05:09.670 go work 12 hours, 10 hours, whatever it is, and 00:05:09.670 --> 00:05:11.699 at the end of the day you go... Well, that really 00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:14.139 didn't mean a whole lot, did it? In the big scheme 00:05:14.139 --> 00:05:16.019 of things, you know, God tells us work to do 00:05:16.019 --> 00:05:18.000 these things, but one of these days we're gonna 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:19.759 be in eternity and we're not gonna worry about 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:21.980 the things of this world anymore. It's for nothing. 00:05:22.019 --> 00:05:24.839 It don't matter. But what does matter is our 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:27.139 soul one day is gonna go up to heaven. It's gonna 00:05:27.139 --> 00:05:29.819 go back to God and he's gonna judge it and he's 00:05:29.819 --> 00:05:32.319 gonna say either, you followed me, you're going 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:35.019 to heaven or you're gonna go to hell. But we 00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:36.819 worry so much about the physical but we forget 00:05:36.819 --> 00:05:40.439 about the eternal. Now I'm not a smart guy, but 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:42.819 I cannot usually wrap my head around eternity 00:05:42.819 --> 00:05:47.100 and how long eternity is It never stops But if 00:05:47.100 --> 00:05:48.980 I'm gonna be honest with you if we're honest 00:05:48.980 --> 00:05:51.959 with ourselves, we really don't understand how 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:55.360 long this life is We know that it's short. We 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:57.079 know we don't have a whole lot of time But you 00:05:57.079 --> 00:05:59.300 know what? I can look in the future say I'm gonna 00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:01.540 do this this and this because I feel like I have 00:06:01.540 --> 00:06:04.560 a lot of time But I may not we do not know what 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.889 we have James 414 says, whereas you know not 00:06:08.889 --> 00:06:10.990 what shall be on the morrow for what is your 00:06:10.990 --> 00:06:13.709 life, it is even a vapor that appears for a little 00:06:13.709 --> 00:06:18.910 time, that vanish is the way. We don't know how 00:06:18.910 --> 00:06:21.149 long we have on this earth. But if you ask me 00:06:21.149 --> 00:06:22.910 right now, I'm going to tell you, I can't wait 00:06:22.910 --> 00:06:25.290 to go to Texas graduation one day. I don't know 00:06:25.290 --> 00:06:27.810 if I'll be there. And we do the same thing in 00:06:27.810 --> 00:06:30.199 our Christian life. We go, well, I'll repent 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:33.100 later. I'll come to God later in life. I'll do 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:34.920 this. I'll do that. But we do not know how much 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:37.779 time we have. You know, I had a buddy pass away 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:40.000 not long ago. I got to go see him on a Friday. 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:43.240 I went up. I talked to him. We hung out. He was 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:45.740 at the hospital. He had stage four cancer. I 00:06:45.740 --> 00:06:47.360 remember getting in the car with Alexis and I 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:50.040 told her, he's going to be okay. They got a good 00:06:50.040 --> 00:06:51.779 plan ahead. They're going to go to Houston. They're 00:06:51.779 --> 00:06:54.300 going to do these things. And a week later he 00:06:54.300 --> 00:06:57.399 passed away. He found out about that diagnosis 00:06:57.399 --> 00:06:59.660 and then two weeks later he passed away. You 00:06:59.660 --> 00:07:02.079 think he knew that was gonna happen? He didn't 00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:04.420 know. He thought he had all this stuff, all these 00:07:04.420 --> 00:07:06.740 plans ahead of him. You know, he was 40 years 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:09.480 old. I'm 37. I start to go, maybe I won't be 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:12.040 around then. Are we putting the importance on 00:07:12.040 --> 00:07:14.180 the spiritual life or are we really looking at 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:17.100 the physical and making excuses why we can't 00:07:17.100 --> 00:07:19.660 follow God or do the things that he's asked us 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:23.569 to do? Colossians 3 2 says set your affections 00:07:23.569 --> 00:07:25.610 on things above and not on the things of this 00:07:25.610 --> 00:07:28.750 earth When we look at this when we look at the 00:07:28.750 --> 00:07:30.829 healing of Christ in a spiritual aspect We got 00:07:30.829 --> 00:07:33.610 to focus on things above and on things of this 00:07:33.610 --> 00:07:37.069 earth We got to put the worldly stuff aside and 00:07:37.069 --> 00:07:40.029 look at eternity. Look what Jesus is given to 00:07:40.029 --> 00:07:44.230 us or promising us So we're gonna look at this 00:07:44.230 --> 00:07:46.529 a story of the man who was healed and there's 00:07:46.529 --> 00:07:48.069 a few points I want to make because I think we 00:07:48.069 --> 00:07:51.279 can correlate the physical to the spiritual So 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:53.980 when this man was healed, what happened? In verse 00:07:53.980 --> 00:07:56.399 9 it says, and immediately the man was made whole 00:07:56.399 --> 00:07:59.060 and took his bed and walked, and on the same 00:07:59.060 --> 00:08:02.899 day was the Sabbath. When he was healed, when 00:08:02.899 --> 00:08:05.720 Jesus had given walk, what happened? It was like 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:08.540 that. He got up and walked. It was immediate 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:11.240 gratification, wasn't it? You know, us today, 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:13.620 we're immediate gratified. I want to be immediately 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:15.959 gratified. I guess I was trying to come up with 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:17.620 a word that's not even a real word right there. 00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:20.420 But we want to be immediately gratified. You 00:08:20.420 --> 00:08:22.519 know, I don't want to go eat. When we go eat, 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:24.360 I don't want to wait forever. You know, we took 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:28.160 Alexis out to a birthday lunch. Not going to 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:30.019 say the place, but you know, after a while everyone 00:08:30.019 --> 00:08:32.539 goes, it's been 45 minutes. Where's our food? 00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:35.000 We want to eat. But you know, the food was really 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.480 good, so we got delayed gratification. And that's 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:40.519 what it means to be a Christian. Jesus promises 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:45.200 us... something great and what that is is a heaven 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:49.120 an eternal life with him but it's a delayed gratification 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:51.059 we're not going to get that reward right here 00:08:51.059 --> 00:08:54.299 and right then you know if when you're baptized 00:08:54.299 --> 00:08:56.799 you went straight up to heaven more people would 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:59.100 come and they'd follow christ wouldn't they but 00:08:59.100 --> 00:09:01.759 what is it it's a journey it's a whole lifetime 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:07.200 commitment on being a christian people say i'm 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:08.879 gonna wait till later in life i'm gonna do it 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:11.289 later You know, I'm going to try to face this 00:09:11.289 --> 00:09:12.669 same problem by myself and then I'm going to 00:09:12.669 --> 00:09:14.190 get the help I need if I can't figure it out 00:09:14.190 --> 00:09:17.210 myself. You know what we do? We try to work the 00:09:17.210 --> 00:09:20.230 system. I'm going to do what I want to do and 00:09:20.230 --> 00:09:21.629 then I'm going to do what Christ has told me 00:09:21.629 --> 00:09:23.649 to do and follow him and let him heal me and 00:09:23.649 --> 00:09:26.590 do these things. But you know what's crazy? We 00:09:26.590 --> 00:09:28.389 don't know what time we have, how much time we 00:09:28.389 --> 00:09:30.230 have on this earth. Today could be your last 00:09:30.230 --> 00:09:32.529 day. Your last day could be 80 years from now. 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:35.340 We don't know. We've got to make sure that we're 00:09:35.340 --> 00:09:38.120 following Christ now and doing what He's asked 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:41.559 us to do, even if we don't get the reward right 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:45.139 this second. In 2 Corinthians 4, it says, while 00:09:45.139 --> 00:09:47.919 we look not at the things which are seen, but 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:49.940 at the things which are not seen, for the things 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:52.340 which are seen are temporal, but the things which 00:09:52.340 --> 00:09:56.840 are not seen are eternal. You know, the things 00:09:56.840 --> 00:10:01.789 we see is temporal. The jobs, the worries. You 00:10:01.789 --> 00:10:03.429 know, I don't want to tell people what I'm going 00:10:03.429 --> 00:10:05.549 through because they might judge me. That's temporary. 00:10:05.629 --> 00:10:08.210 It don't mean nothing. The things that we don't 00:10:08.210 --> 00:10:10.309 see, that's eternal. What Jesus has promised 00:10:10.309 --> 00:10:14.110 us. Heaven, that's eternal. You know, I got a 00:10:14.110 --> 00:10:15.750 daughter, she asked a lot about heaven lately. 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:17.539 we're driving she goes you think we're gonna 00:10:17.539 --> 00:10:19.519 drive in heaven there's gonna be cars in heaven 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:21.440 i was like i really don't know i've never seen 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:23.480 it maybe there are maybe hell you know maybe 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:25.679 get stuck behind a guy going 30 into 75 for eternity 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:28.000 i don't know i don't think that's how it works 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:31.320 but we have not seen heaven we have not seen 00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:33.299 those things but we're promised those things 00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:36.019 but they are eternal the things here on this 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:40.419 earth are just temporary galatians 6 9 says and 00:10:40.419 --> 00:10:42.659 let us not be weary and well -doing for in due 00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:47.039 season we shall reap if we not faint It's work. 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:49.259 You know Jace not long ago talked about Hebrews 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:52.620 the race of life have patience Beset these things 00:10:52.620 --> 00:10:55.059 that easily but these things aside that easily 00:10:55.059 --> 00:10:58.879 beset you It's a race you got to endure You're 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.620 not gonna be immediately gratified, but the gratification 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:04.139 you're gonna get an eternity That's never gonna 00:11:04.139 --> 00:11:06.720 stop never gonna end is so much greater than 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:12.019 anything you can get here on earth We can look 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:15.759 at a bunch of different or a few different Places 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:17.740 where people in the Bible they wanted that immediate 00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:20.759 gratification and it did not turn out good You 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:22.200 got the prodigal son. What do you say? I want 00:11:22.200 --> 00:11:24.200 my inheritance now. What happened? He came crawling 00:11:24.200 --> 00:11:27.200 back. It did not work out good Esau. He traded 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:30.799 his birthrights for a meal. Not a good deal When 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:33.600 we see these things we go well, I want this now 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:34.980 I want this now we need to look and see what 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:37.259 Jesus did and Jesus was tempted three times by 00:11:37.259 --> 00:11:40.360 the devil After he fasted 40 days and 40 nights. 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:43.139 He was tempted. This is on the third one and 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:45.990 Matthew 4 chapter 8 It says, again, the devil 00:11:45.990 --> 00:11:48.509 taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, 00:11:48.610 --> 00:11:50.450 and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, 00:11:50.730 --> 00:11:53.289 and the glory of them. And saith unto him, All 00:11:53.289 --> 00:11:55.230 the things will I give thee, if that will fall 00:11:55.230 --> 00:11:58.009 down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, 00:11:58.149 --> 00:12:00.710 Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:03.629 shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only 00:12:03.629 --> 00:12:06.830 shalt thou serve. You know, he was tempted with 00:12:06.830 --> 00:12:08.950 everything. You can have this whole kingdom, 00:12:09.009 --> 00:12:11.960 you can have it all. What Jesus said, no. I'm 00:12:11.960 --> 00:12:13.679 not going to do that because I'm going to serve 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:16.399 God and I'm going to do what He has asked me 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:19.980 to do and what did Jesus do? He endured. He faced 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:24.039 the cross. He did these things because that's 00:12:24.039 --> 00:12:28.399 what God wanted him to do. There's a book that 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:30.419 Shawn told me about so I've been listening to 00:12:30.419 --> 00:12:32.480 it. I drive a lot so I get to listen to Audible 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:35.860 and it's Fox's Book of Mortars. If you want to 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:38.460 read a book about people who look towards Jesus 00:12:38.460 --> 00:12:41.120 and weren't worried about the instant gratification, 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:43.840 I would tell you to read that book. It's about 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:45.600 people who were killed because they believed 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:47.379 in Christ and they weren't just killed, they 00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:49.639 were tortured. It was horrible. You couldn't 00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:51.980 believe people could do these things to other 00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:54.460 people. And to make it stop, all they had to 00:12:54.460 --> 00:12:57.629 do was denounce that Jesus was Christ. They didn't 00:12:57.629 --> 00:12:59.370 do it They faced it all the way to the death 00:12:59.370 --> 00:13:01.210 because they knew how important the spiritual 00:13:01.210 --> 00:13:04.269 was and how unimportant the physical was and 00:13:04.269 --> 00:13:07.789 that's what we need to do as Christians We can't 00:13:07.789 --> 00:13:10.190 worry about that immediate gratification because 00:13:10.190 --> 00:13:13.220 we were promised something so much greater You 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:15.059 know, we must follow Jesus in His commandments. 00:13:15.179 --> 00:13:17.700 If we go back to John chapter 5, verse 10 through 00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:19.980 11, it says, The Jews therefore said unto him, 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:22.940 That was cured. It is the Sabbath day. It is 00:13:22.940 --> 00:13:25.419 not lawful for thee to carry the bed. He answered 00:13:25.419 --> 00:13:28.320 them, He that made the whole the same said unto 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:31.279 me, Take up thy bed and walk. The Jews of the 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:32.720 day said, You're not supposed to be doing this 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:35.139 on the Sabbath. He said, I'm doing what Jesus 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:37.980 told me to do. And sometimes that's hard. Sometimes 00:13:37.980 --> 00:13:39.639 we're worried about that. Sometimes we think 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:42.059 we can't live up to that. How am I supposed to 00:13:42.059 --> 00:13:44.340 do what Jesus is telling me to do? Because in 00:13:44.340 --> 00:13:46.899 John chapter 14 -15, it says, if you love me, 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:49.639 keep my commandments. Well, I'm human. I mess 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:52.759 up. I make mistakes. You know what Jesus doesn't 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:55.139 say? You have to be perfect. You know, people 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:57.139 will say, I want to fix this problem. Then I 00:13:57.139 --> 00:13:59.360 will come to the Lord. You know why you come 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:01.909 to the Lord? To fix your problems. That's what 00:14:01.909 --> 00:14:03.950 you do. You know the the man that was healed 00:14:03.950 --> 00:14:05.549 from being paralyzed from being lame Do you know 00:14:05.549 --> 00:14:07.190 what he didn't do? He didn't get into the water 00:14:07.190 --> 00:14:09.330 then come to the Lord and go hey I'm healed now 00:14:09.330 --> 00:14:12.289 I can come to you. No Jesus came to him He healed 00:14:12.289 --> 00:14:16.049 him we come to Jesus for that healing so we can 00:14:16.049 --> 00:14:18.350 better understand his commandments and try to 00:14:18.350 --> 00:14:20.889 keep them We're never gonna keep them all the 00:14:20.889 --> 00:14:23.730 all the way and first John 1 8 tells us that 00:14:23.730 --> 00:14:25.889 if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves 00:14:25.889 --> 00:14:29.820 the truth is not in us We're going to make mistakes. 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:32.299 Jesus did not say that you had to be perfect. 00:14:32.340 --> 00:14:34.740 He's perfect. He's what makes you perfect, but 00:14:34.740 --> 00:14:37.919 he wants you to strive daily to walk like him 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:43.500 and to be as perfect as he was. This man, he 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:45.100 faced the persecution of the Jews. We're going 00:14:45.100 --> 00:14:46.919 to face persecution in our life. It may not be 00:14:46.919 --> 00:14:49.399 like the fox's book of mortars, but we are going 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:52.480 to face persecutions. It says, for I have now 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:55.500 persuaded men or God, or do I seek to please 00:14:55.500 --> 00:15:00.379 men? For if I yet please men, I should not be 00:15:00.379 --> 00:15:04.539 the servant of Christ." Are we doing it to please 00:15:04.539 --> 00:15:06.759 men or are we trying to please God? You know, 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:08.360 people are going to persecute you. If you follow 00:15:08.360 --> 00:15:10.820 Christ, you may lose family members. You may 00:15:10.820 --> 00:15:13.259 not be invited to people's houses. People may 00:15:13.259 --> 00:15:15.399 look at you differently, but we're not worried 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:17.399 about pleasing men, are we? You know, I've had 00:15:17.399 --> 00:15:20.000 jobs where I said, I don't work Sundays because 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:23.179 I go to church. and there was people that I worked 00:15:23.179 --> 00:15:25.080 with that looked at me like I was lazy and it 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:27.539 would make me very angry because I'm going I'm 00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:30.360 not lazy this is just what I need to do but people 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:32.500 will do that to you though they'll ridicule you 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:34.299 and say oh you think you're better than me and 00:15:34.299 --> 00:15:36.220 all this stuff but you know what we have to worry 00:15:36.220 --> 00:15:40.179 about is the eternal we can't worry about the 00:15:40.179 --> 00:15:42.620 worldly or what people may think of us we have 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:45.840 got to do what Jesus has asked us to do and it's 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:47.960 because he's promised us so much he's given us 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:51.289 so much that we can't worry about the stuff or 00:15:51.289 --> 00:15:55.049 the worldly things that are just temporary. When 00:15:55.049 --> 00:15:56.950 it comes to following Jesus we have to make a 00:15:56.950 --> 00:15:59.570 change. John 5 14 going back to the story Jesus 00:15:59.570 --> 00:16:02.990 finds the man who he healed and says after Jesus 00:16:02.990 --> 00:16:05.210 finds him in the temple and said unto him behold 00:16:05.210 --> 00:16:07.549 thou art made whole send no more lest a worse 00:16:07.549 --> 00:16:12.769 thing come unto thee. He told him go change I 00:16:12.769 --> 00:16:14.370 made you a new creature now you're gonna be a 00:16:14.370 --> 00:16:16.909 new creature in me go and send no more and change. 00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:19.399 What got me thinking about this sermon was I 00:16:19.399 --> 00:16:22.500 was watching this was a video of a podcast called 00:16:22.500 --> 00:16:24.580 unashamed It's the duck dynasty guys and y 'all 00:16:24.580 --> 00:16:27.159 may have seen this There was a comedian talking 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:30.919 about this passage John 5 6 about being healed 00:16:30.919 --> 00:16:34.039 And what these under what he was saying in this? 00:16:34.580 --> 00:16:38.120 This video was that I know I need to change and 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:40.240 I know I want to be healed or I want to be healed 00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:42.059 by Jesus But I don't know if I can change or 00:16:42.059 --> 00:16:44.620 if I'm ready to follow him like that You know, 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:46.200 people are worried that they're not gonna be 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:47.320 able to change, they're not gonna be able to 00:16:47.320 --> 00:16:49.360 follow Christ, they're afraid of change. You 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:51.539 know, change is not that bad of a deal. Change 00:16:51.539 --> 00:16:53.879 is a good deal. You know, when we're buried with 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:56.059 Christ in baptism, what are we? We're a new creature 00:16:56.059 --> 00:16:59.000 in Christ. Christ has given us a way that the 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:01.740 old man can die and the new creature can come 00:17:01.740 --> 00:17:06.170 or be alive. What he's giving us a chance is 00:17:06.170 --> 00:17:08.190 in a video game when you're not doing that good 00:17:08.190 --> 00:17:10.390 you can hit reset It's the same thing that Christ 00:17:10.390 --> 00:17:12.470 does for us We get to start over and we get to 00:17:12.470 --> 00:17:16.289 make a change from the old self to the new self 00:17:16.289 --> 00:17:22.509 Matthew 16 well, I skipped a few things Second 00:17:22.509 --> 00:17:25.130 Corinthians 517 therefore if any man be in Christ, 00:17:25.150 --> 00:17:27.509 he is a new creature old things are passed away 00:17:27.509 --> 00:17:31.150 behold all things are become new You get to be 00:17:31.150 --> 00:17:33.349 a new creature in Christ. You get to start over 00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:35.640 That's a glorious thing. That's a great thing. 00:17:35.980 --> 00:17:38.160 We should want to change. I had up there Romans 00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:40.920 12 too, do not be conformed to this world but 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:43.180 be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 00:17:44.059 --> 00:17:45.420 You know what we have to do? We've got to change 00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:48.319 our mindset. When it comes to change, you know 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:51.000 what you have to change is your mindset. And 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:53.319 what are we focused on? We're focused on eternity 00:17:53.319 --> 00:18:06.420 and not on things of this world. 1 John 2 25 00:18:06.420 --> 00:18:08.339 says, and this is the promise that he has promised 00:18:08.339 --> 00:18:10.940 us, even eternal life. I've been talking about 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:12.619 this promise this whole lesson and I should have 00:18:12.619 --> 00:18:14.859 probably put this at the beginning, but that's 00:18:14.859 --> 00:18:16.599 the promise he gives us. He gives us that eternal 00:18:16.599 --> 00:18:18.880 life. We change our mindset. We're a new creature. 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:21.960 We get to change in Christ and we get that opportunity 00:18:21.960 --> 00:18:26.599 of being with Christ in heaven. Lastly, I want 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:29.619 to look at what the man who was healed is in 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:33.559 John chapter 5 verse 15. The man departed and 00:18:33.609 --> 00:18:36.130 told the Jews that it was Jesus which has made 00:18:36.130 --> 00:18:39.269 him whole people are worried about being healed 00:18:39.269 --> 00:18:41.289 because like how will I ever talk to people about 00:18:41.289 --> 00:18:44.289 Christ you know I grew up with an evangelist 00:18:44.289 --> 00:18:46.190 sad he hung out with other evangelists and I 00:18:46.190 --> 00:18:49.109 heard these guys talk I heard them quote scriptures 00:18:49.109 --> 00:18:51.390 and I was like I'll never be able to do it like 00:18:51.390 --> 00:18:53.849 these guys can they're they're so knowledgeable 00:18:53.849 --> 00:18:56.150 how will I ever be able to talk to people about 00:18:56.150 --> 00:19:00.210 Christ like these guys do but you know what we're 00:19:00.210 --> 00:19:03.210 commanded to do it 2nd Corinthians 520 says now 00:19:03.339 --> 00:19:06.140 then we are ambassadors of Christ as though God 00:19:06.140 --> 00:19:08.920 did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ's 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:12.519 stead be you reconciled to God we're ambassadors 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:14.779 of Christ we're supposed to go tell others about 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:17.140 Christ so they can be reconciled with God when 00:19:17.140 --> 00:19:19.599 we're buried with Christ in baptism and his blood 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:21.880 washes away our sin you know what we are we're 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:24.480 reconciled with God and that's what we're supposed 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:27.599 to share with others and you may think well I 00:19:27.599 --> 00:19:29.660 can't talk to others about Christ I can't do 00:19:29.660 --> 00:19:32.720 or Talk to others about Christ or talk to others 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.500 about The the goodness of God because what if 00:19:35.500 --> 00:19:38.000 they ask us questions that maybe we can't answer 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:40.900 maybe they ask us questions that stump us You 00:19:40.900 --> 00:19:43.140 know some of the best people about talking to 00:19:43.140 --> 00:19:45.059 others about Christ are people who just love 00:19:45.059 --> 00:19:48.880 people You know Matthew 22 39 it says in the 00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.720 second is like unto it thou shalt love thy neighbor 00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:55.000 as thyself If you love others, you know what 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:57.819 you're going to do? This man healed me. He changed 00:19:57.819 --> 00:20:00.059 me. He gave me a hope of eternal life and I want 00:20:00.059 --> 00:20:02.140 to tell you about it too because I want you to 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:04.359 have eternal life. We don't have to be biblical 00:20:04.359 --> 00:20:06.819 scholars to help people. We just need to be able 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:08.480 to tell them about Christ and tell them about 00:20:08.480 --> 00:20:11.119 the glory there is in him and the glory of eternal 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:13.839 life. If you're talking to someone and they start 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:15.799 asking deeper questions, then we can get with 00:20:15.799 --> 00:20:18.240 other people in the church that maybe can help 00:20:18.240 --> 00:20:21.150 answer those questions. But we don't have to 00:20:21.150 --> 00:20:22.829 be a biblical scholar. All we got to do is like 00:20:22.829 --> 00:20:24.670 this man did. He was healed and what did he do? 00:20:24.730 --> 00:20:27.569 He goes, this man was Jesus. He healed me. I 00:20:27.569 --> 00:20:31.970 was lame and now I walk. We get worried about 00:20:31.970 --> 00:20:35.569 what people might think. Luke 10 16, he that 00:20:35.569 --> 00:20:37.890 heareth you heareth me, he that despises you 00:20:37.890 --> 00:20:41.549 despises me. He despises me, despises him that 00:20:41.549 --> 00:20:44.910 sent me. We worry what people are going to think 00:20:44.910 --> 00:20:47.490 if we may get rejected. but it don't matter we're 00:20:47.490 --> 00:20:49.230 told to just go share the gospel because why 00:20:49.230 --> 00:20:51.130 because we love people and we want to tell them 00:20:51.130 --> 00:20:53.549 about Christ and we want them to come to Christ 00:20:53.549 --> 00:20:56.829 because we got eternal life through him if someone 00:20:56.829 --> 00:20:58.410 rejects you they're not rejecting you they're 00:20:58.410 --> 00:21:00.670 rejecting Christ and they're rejecting God God 00:21:00.670 --> 00:21:04.569 sent Jesus here they end up rejecting him what 00:21:04.569 --> 00:21:06.369 it really comes down to it has nothing to do 00:21:06.369 --> 00:21:10.230 with us what we do is share the story Jesus saved 00:21:10.230 --> 00:21:12.910 us he gave us this place he's given us his promise 00:21:12.910 --> 00:21:16.069 of eternal home he's made our life better We 00:21:16.069 --> 00:21:23.109 just want to tell others about that. In Proverbs 00:21:23.109 --> 00:21:27.670 chapter 1, 24 through 29, it says, because I 00:21:27.670 --> 00:21:29.829 have called you and you refuse, I have stretched 00:21:29.829 --> 00:21:31.970 out my hand and no one regarded. We got wisdom 00:21:31.970 --> 00:21:35.410 talking here, or the lady wisdom talking here. 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:38.279 Saying I have called you and you refuse I've 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:39.980 stretched out my hand and no one regarded because 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:42.859 you disdain all my counsel You would have none 00:21:42.859 --> 00:21:46.259 of my rebuke saying I give you the council. I 00:21:46.259 --> 00:21:48.720 told you the way to change I've given you these 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:52.140 things first 26 I also will laugh at your column 00:21:52.140 --> 00:21:55.559 or calamity I will mock when your terror terror 00:21:55.559 --> 00:21:58.640 comes when your terror comes like a store storm 00:21:58.640 --> 00:22:03.420 and your destruction comes Like a whirlwind when 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:05.920 distress and anguish come upon you then they 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:09.460 will call on me, but I will not answer They will 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:11.859 seek me diligently, but they will not find me 00:22:11.859 --> 00:22:14.680 because they hated knowledge. It did not choose 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:18.319 to fear the Lord You know what saying wisdoms 00:22:18.319 --> 00:22:21.339 giving you the answer Do you want to be healed 00:22:21.339 --> 00:22:23.099 do you want to be made whole wisdoms telling 00:22:23.099 --> 00:22:25.480 you what to do? Do you need to make a change 00:22:25.480 --> 00:22:27.640 wisdoms telling you you need to make a change? 00:22:28.099 --> 00:22:30.700 One of these days, it may be too late. You're 00:22:30.700 --> 00:22:32.019 going to look for that wisdom. You're going to 00:22:32.019 --> 00:22:33.500 look for Jesus. And you know what's going to 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:38.259 happen? It's too late. You have an opportunity 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:42.059 today to come to the Lord. I want to ask you, 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:45.140 if you answered yes, if Jesus was here in a physical 00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:47.279 sense and said, do you want to be healed? And 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:49.839 you said, of course I would. What's stopping 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:52.059 you from the spiritual sense? Is it the things 00:22:52.059 --> 00:22:55.619 of this world? I'm not ready yet, but we jump 00:22:55.619 --> 00:22:57.259 up and down to be healed physically But we're 00:22:57.259 --> 00:22:59.380 gonna stop and think about it when it comes to 00:22:59.380 --> 00:23:02.079 spiritually, you know This life is as a vapor 00:23:02.079 --> 00:23:03.920 as it said you don't know if you got today or 00:23:03.920 --> 00:23:07.660 tomorrow You don't want to be this at the end 00:23:07.660 --> 00:23:09.839 of your life where you go I should have done 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:11.500 something be up there at Judgment Day and said 00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:14.960 I've ran out of time You have an opportunity 00:23:14.960 --> 00:23:17.240 today. If you haven't started your walk with 00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:21.019 Christ. He will heal you he wants you to There 00:23:21.019 --> 00:23:23.660 should be no excuse. If you have a struggle and 00:23:23.660 --> 00:23:25.619 you need the prayers of the church Jesus gives 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:28.759 us ways to fix those problems and to get back 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:30.240 on that straight and narrow. You just have to 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:30.700 accept it.