Sermon Central
-
What Do You Really Want?
Contributed by Tony Searles on Nov 19, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: A devotional from a Prayer & Praise Concert. Encouraging us in not just asking for things from the Lord , but to actually begin to seek them out too...faith without work is dead.
"What do you REALLY want?"
Prayer…
Most of us are familiar with this story…
There is a man here who has had an infirmity for about 38 years…
And he, among many others who were sick with a variety of infirmities, would wait beside a pool called Bethesda…
-Waiting for it to be stirred by the angel of the Lord.
-That when it was stirred…the first to get in would be made whole!
And this particular man had been waiting by this pool for quite some time…
-We don’t know how long…
-But we do know that each time the pool was stirred, he was beat to the punch and was still awaiting his healing…
Now…Jesus passes by and sees this man whom he knows is waiting there so that he could be healed.
And Jesus goes up to this particular man to question him…
-He looks at his situation and asks a very important question to the man…
-A question that I think is fair to ask…
Considering that he is sick…
He has been there for quite some time waiting for the waters…
He still has NEVER gotten into the pool yet…
He has never devised a plan to be the first…
Jesus says to him…”DO YOU WANT TO BE MADE WELL???”
-Fair…direct…and convicting.
-When you consider all that we have discovered…it is a question that must be answered…
-A question that you could almost assume that you know the answer to because it hasn’t happened yet.
But the man does want to be whole…however, he comes up with an excuse as to why he isn’t yet.
-And regardless of the reason…Jesus heals the man…
-And the man goes away whole, and happy…
********************************************
And you are probably asking yourself…
“What are you trying to say P.T.???”
Are you trying to tell us to just keep waiting upon the Lord for what we need???
-Yes that’s true…
Are you trying to tell us that if we just hold on, and continue to pray, and press in to God…He will come by soon and raise us up???
-Yes…that is true too…
Are you trying to say that we don’t really have to do anything, but just wait upon the Lord for what we need???
-That is true at times as well…
Are you trying to tell us that should do something more???
-That is true at times as well…
BUT…
There is something that strikes me when I read this particular passage that has little to do with these questions…
Little to do with the hidden meanings…and symbolism in the story…
Very little to do with healing and waiting upon the Lord even…
What I want to do is focus on that one question that Jesus asked this man with the infirmity…
“Do you WANT TO be made whole???”
-This is a good question!
Though you may be coming to Church…and have been for years and years…
-Does it mean that you really want to grow in the Lord???
Though you may have been paying your tithes for years…and even giving offerings…
-Does this mean that you are a joyful giver and are trusting God to meet your every need and to increase you???
Though you may come to the altars and pray for a healing in your body…
-Do you really want to be healed???
What I am trying to say is…
Though we may be SAYING that we want something…or we desire something…
-Is it in word…and not sincerity???
I don’t mean to question our motives, but I do want us to look deep within our hearts and ask ourselves if we REALLY want to…
-Be healed…
-Be growing and thriving in the Lord…
-Be a disciple of Christ…
-Be a blessing to others…
It is easy to say, but difficult to actually do…
ILLUSTRATION:
It is like telling someone that you will pray for them; but then you don’t remember them in prayer.
You forget about it, and then you really don’t care.
-We’ve all done it.
-Lip service…is easy
The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
********************************************
Jesus asks this question of this man…and I think for good reason…
After sitting here all these years, how could he NOT get in first and be healed???
And my friends…
After all these years of being in Church, and being around the things of God…
Do we really want to be whole…be healed…be mature…be a blessing to others???
-These are good questions to ask ourselves…
-For some of us should be further along than we are.
What I am trying to get at tonight…
Is that we need to re-evaluate and consider our intentions with the Lord…
And we know that we want to be His child and serve him with gladness…
-Therefore…if we are going to do it, then do it right!
