Bust A Move
Pt. 1 - Move On
I. Introduction
If I had my wish/way this morning I would point your attention to a song that I remember from the soundtrack of a movie called Madagascar. Every time we would watch this flick our then, very young boys, would proceed to stand in front of the TV and give us hilarious and hind part moving frantically dance presentation. This song said, "I like to move it, move it!" However, the truth of the matter is we don't like to move it. We, by nature, prefer to stay the same. We avoid and fight change. We run away from resistance and stick to routine. In the process we plateau. We live life from the misperceived safety of the rut and in we fail to adapt, grow, expand, and fulfill potential and purpose. So, the hopes, dreams and desires from 10 years ago are unmet and unrealized and still the same hopes, dreams and desires today and we are no closer to fulfillment. So, I couldn't choose that song as the namesake of our series. Instead, there is another song that I remember from the late 1980s. It burst (pun intended) on the scene in 1989 and began climbing up the charts. The upbeat drums and catchy chorus caught everyone's attention and it became an instant ear worm. The song was a message to guys who were in need of a lady to bust or make a move. Quit stalling. Quit delaying. Quit hesitating. "Quit standin' on the wall like you was Poindexter." Bust a move. Although not his intent the concept of getting off neutral, idle, middle ground is a good and expected word of encouragement to begin a year. It is indeed time for us to bust a move! To get off the fence. To get it in gear. To make choices that make change. To make decisions that impact destiny.
Movement is defined as "a series of organized activities working toward an objective." I believe an absolutely essential action to take in 2022 is . . . to move on!
Acts 3:1-8 (TLB)
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock daily prayer meeting. As they approached the Temple, they saw a man lame from birth carried along the street and laid beside the Temple gate—the one called The Beautiful Gate—as was his custom every day. As Peter and John were passing by, he asked them for some money. They looked at him intently, and then Peter said, “Look here!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting a gift. But Peter said, “We don’t have any money for you! But I’ll give you something else! I command you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” Then Peter took the lame man by the hand and pulled him to his feet. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankle bones were healed and strengthened so that he came up with a leap, stood there a moment and began walking! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
I know the tendency as Holy Ghost filled, fire breathing, power wielding Pentecostals is to read this account and to see yourself as Peter and John. However, I submit to you that the truth is most of us are really look and act more like the man being carried on the mat every day.
In fact, I recognize that there are those who seem to have a silver spoon in their mouth, sleep on a bed of roses and have the world by the tail while others walk through life obviously injured. It is apparent. It is undeniable.
However, I need to assure you and admit to you this morning that although (SLIDES 9-10) we are not all lame everywhere, but we are all lame somewhere. I mention this because if I don't some of you will assume that your lameness is so severe and so debilitating that you are disqualified and dismissed from making a move. If we are not careful, then we will award ourselves an excuse, a get out making a move card because we will determine that our lameness is more severe or more painful than those around us who seem to be walking through life unscathed. More than likely, they have just learned how to hide their limp! We are all the lame man in the account!
So, let's get that straight from the beginning. If we don't, then when I make my next statement those of you have awarded yourself an excuse, no one has dealt with what I am dealing with, I am in more pain than anyone who ever walked the planet, I have been victimized more than any other breathing soul - so I don't have to move on card will be offended!
You have been lame long enough.
This passage is interesting to me because there is a detail here that could have easily been omitted. There are other accounts of paralysis being dealt with in the New Testament and the detail of origin is left out. But now we are told this young man has been lame from birth! The length of his lameness is a detail worth considering and comparing to our story!
How many of us have been lame in an area as long as we can remember? We have grown comfortable with lameness. We have become familiar with lack of upward mobility. We have determined that we can’t bust a move because we have become confined by the history and the pain of our lameness. Our unwillingness or reluctance to believe or participate in making a move is based on the fact that for as long as we can remember we have been lame in that area, bound in that area. So, we can’t and won’t move. We have been broke as long as we remember so we can’t move to financial freedom or participate in the process that would produce that freedom because our history overrules our faith. Having healthy relationships is an impossibility for us because for as long as can remember we have only known dysfunction. We are challenged to move towards health, but we can’t leverage faith because of remembered lameness. We hear about being delivered, free, drug free, alcohol free, snack food free but we can’t believe and won’t make a move because we have been addicted and under bondage for so long that my lameness overwhelms and overpowers my faith.
Hear me this morning the question is not how long have you been lame? 2 years, 10 years, 20, from birth? The real question that must be posed this morning to each and every one of us is . . .
How long are we going to let what happened to us lame us.
Peter and John have an encounter with a man lame since birth. Jesus has an encounter with a man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been lame 38 years Paul has the same experience in Acts 14 with a man lame from birth. In all three cases, Peter, John, Jesus nor Paul discount or deny the men's long-standing lameness. However, in bother cases they do dismiss their history as the determining factor of their healing.
I am not discounting that you have been dealing with this for decades. I am not dismissing the fact that you have become familiar with what you are facing. I am simply asking you, "Haven't you been lame long enough?" It is time to bust a move! It is time to move on!
I want to encourage you this morning . . .
Don't be lame.
I am here on assignment at the beginning of the year to assure you that Jesus has a track record of helping lame folks bust a move. What He did when He walked the planet is still His mission today! What did He do? We need to remember because we act like He did something then that He won’t do now!
Matthew 4:23-24 = everywhere He went people brought those were paralyzed to Him and He healed them.
Matthew 11:5-6 = He tells John's disciples to report to him that the lame walk as a result of Jesus' ministry.
Matthew 15:30-31= Near the Sea of Galilee people lay lame people at Jesus' feet and He heals them all.
Mark 2:1 - Four friends lower their lame friend through a roof and Jesus heals him.
John 5 - Jesus heals the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda
So, He's practice, track record, pattern is to deal with lameness. So, the truth is that in order to deal with our lameness we will have to bust a move!
To bust a move we will have to bust our memory.
We will have to allow Jesus to overrule and overpower our past. A will be made if you can get past memory. Everyone else may remember and recognize you as lame but to move you must to get to the place where you see yourself like Jesus sees you . . . whole. You have got move on. We have allowed our past to immobilize us from moving forward in our present and it is costing us our future! Jesus will force you to move past your memory! If you can get to Jesus, then you can remember that it hurt but you won't be able to remember what it felt like! That is called being whole! Forgetting those things behind is the only way to see the future. Bust a move!
One of the accounts I didn't mention is Matthew 21:14 because it unlocks the key item to making a move. Listen carefully.
"The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple, and He healed them."
Notice they didn't even wait for Jesus to come to them. They went to Him. It says they were lame, but they still made a move. It says there were limited in their capacity to journey, but they still got to Jesus. They were still sick, still sore, still broken, still battered, still bleeding, still limping, still lame but they got to Jesus.
To bust a move you have got to get to Jesus.
How many of us continue to be lame simply because we go to everyone but to Him? You have talked to, taken and relived your lameness to everyone else. We go to others and yet we don't move on! It is time to get to Jesus. Movement will be found when you get to the Master! I need to get to my counselor. Why don't you get to the Wonderful Counselor? I have got to get to my physician. Why don't you get to the Great Physician? I have got to get to my pills. Why don't you get to the Prince of Peace? Don't be lame. Get to Jesus!
Listen . . . I know what happened to you took your feet out from under you but don’t be lame. I know it was gut punch and stole your wind but don’t be lame. I know your heart was shattered but don’t be lame. I know you have tried before but don’t be lame. Bust a move. Take a step. Believe one more time. Try one more time. Get to Him this morning so that He can do what He does! He makes it possible for lame folks to leap, dance, and walk again!
Chapter 4 tells us the religious officials arrest the disciples for what they have done. I just need to tell you not everyone will delight in your dance . . . dance anyway. Not everyone will be happy about your healing . . . get healed anyway. Not everyone will like the delivered version of you . . . get delivered anyway. Not everyone will like your move . . . bust a move anyway!
