Jesus realized that the man was stuck. But, instead of carrying him to the pool he asked, "Do you want to be made well?" The man answered that he had no one to carry him. Jesus said, "Stand up, take your mat and walk." Rather than oblige the man, Jesus challenged him to walk.
Charles Dickens was so concerned that his children would know and love Jesus that he wrote a beautiful little book entitled "The Life of Our Lord." He never intended this book for publication; the little book was for his family. It was only published in 1933 after the death of his youngest son.
But imagine—just imagine—what would have happened if Jesus had said, “Okay, we’ll stay here. You go ahead and build those three dwellings for Moses, Elijah, and me. We’ll just stay put.” Imagine what would have happened. NOTHING WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!
In a sense, the disciples had been pregnant with the knowledge that there was something very different about their Master. They had experienced many of those "oh, oh" and "oh my God" moments before––but today was the day that the veil was lifted from their eyes and they beheld the glory of God.
Your face reveals what you look at, what you honor, what you desire. Spend your time with pornography, and your face will show it. Look on another race with hatred, and your face will show it. But see the beauty that surrounds you, even on ordinary days, and your face will show it.
When it comes to being made well, repetition is not necessarily a virtue. Too often we simply practice tired patterns of behavior without checking to see if they're valid. Jesus asks us today, "Do you want to be made well?" Do you want to experience life in all its abundance? Then, maybe you need to try a new approach.
A few years ago, I had an elder in my church who’d disappear every two or three months. I asked his wife what was going on. She laughed and said, “Oh, he just needs a little time every once in a while to be alone with God.” She said he’d go backpacking on horseback in the mountains of New Mexico.
One of the young people of St Paul’s recently ran off a country road after passing an oncoming vehicle and was heading straight for a tree. Before hitting the tree the car came to a stop – caught up in a fence. Injury was averted. Was that a miracle?
What I hope you'll get out of the sermon this morning is a clear and compelling invitation to listen to the voice of Jesus. If you do, you're in for a blessing.
Who has been encourager to you? They were God's servants to you, giving you the confidence, helping you deal with doubt, supporting you and encouraging you. Thank God for those encouragers. It follows then to ask, "How can we be God’s servants who encourage others?