Beyond Circumstances
1. Looking beyond problems and toward solutions
Don’t give excuses for the problem, look toward the answer
2. Looking beyond the healing and toward the healer
Is immediate obedience enough?
Are we just glad to be saved, not caring to be sanctified?
We need to go back to the healer
3. Looking beyond the present in both directions
It’s hard to keep our focus on the healer
Two practical steps to maintain our relationship with God
-Rememberence
-Vision
OPENING DRAMA- to be performed by youth group members
(A comical skit that involves a common church scene. A pastor leads worship to a congregation of a few energetic actors. The funny thing about these congregates is that when they are asked to stand for the hymn they merely come to their knees. When the singing is over the pastor delivers and inspiring message about how God has given them legs to stand, walk, run, and jump. After expressing great excitement over this new found gift of God the church members stand to their newly found feet! The pastor is very excited to have enriched their lives through the Word. Upon leaving the sanctuary, however, the members return to their knees and squirm out the door to the dismay of the young pastor.)
If you have a Bible turn with me to John, Chapter five verses one through fifteen. We’re going to look at the story of a man who was living only in his circumstances. Before we get into that, though, I want to admit that circumstances are very real. There are many difficult circumstances in this life. We all experience them. I want to be sure not to appear to be marginalizing circumstances. They are real and they can be very bad, but it is possible to look beyond them and find comfort. As I turn to the text for this morning take a few seconds to think about the circumstances in your life, whether good or bad.
JOHN 5:1-15
1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie--the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
7"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."
11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "
12So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"
13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
From this account, we’re going to look at how this poor man needed to look beyond his circumstances. He needed to look beyond the problem and towards the solution. He needed to look beyond the healing and towards the healer. He also needed to look beyond the present, but in both directions. That third one might be confusing. You’ve probably heard someone talk about the importance of looking to the future and having a vision of your dreams and goals. You’ve also probably heard someone talk about the importance of looking to the past and learning from your mistakes and triumphs. I believe this Scripture shows the importance of both of these views. The man needed to look beyond the present, but in both directions.
LOOK BEYOND PROBLEMS AND TOWARDS THE SOLUTIONS (outline given)
At first glance, many of you who just listened to this portion of Scripture may be asking yourselves how your lives could have anything in common with this man who had had this terrible infirmity for thirty-eight years. He had been seeking healing for all this time and still had no relief. I believe many of us here today, in a sense, feels the same way this man did. It feels like we’ve been waiting to get well our whole lives, but time is going by and nothing is happening. We get so bogged down by this feeling that we start to doubt it will ever happen. That is what had happened to this man. Jesus came to him and asked, “Do you want to be made well?” The obvious answer is “Yes, of course!” But this man didn’t answer in an enthusiastic manner at all. In fact, his answer was very negative. He said, "Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Obviously this man wanted to be made well, but the years of rejection had hardened his heart so much that he could only focus on the negative. Seems foolish doesn’t it? But the truth is that some of us here today have made the same mistake. We know our lives aren’t right. We know there’s something more to this life. We want to be made well, but we just can’t do it. If we experience this feeling long enough we’ll start to lose faith.
This man had lost hope that he would ever be healed. Instead of answering the question he gave a reason for his doubt. If only I had a good friend to help me into the water! If only I could move a little faster! If only others would realize that I’m in worse shape than they are and let me go ahead of them! If only! This man had given up on hope in exchange for a long line of what ifs. Sound familiar? I was guilty many times in my life of this same disease. Before I dedicated my life to Christ I made similar statements. If only God would speak to me in an audible voice, then I would give my life to Him and let Him make me well. If only. More often than not we know what would be good for us to be doing, but we make excuses. We give reasons why it can’t be done. The solution is obvious. We need to be made well! But we focus on the problem of our sickness and we give reasons why we can’t change.
The sad truth is that if we make excuses long enough our hearts will give up completely on being made well. This man, in my opinion, was very close to this point. Some of us here today might be near that point. Deep down you know you want your life to change, but you’ve been holding back for so long. It’s time to give up this resistance. Be made well! The amazing thing about this story in Scripture is that Jesus, who was asking the question “Do you want to be made well?” was able to heal him! Jesus was the solution to the problem. He is the same today. If we want to be made well Jesus is able to heal us. He’s able to change our lives into what they were intended to be!
In the movie Patch Adams Robin Williams played a young man who had checked himself into a mental hospital. While he was there he met a fellow patient who had formerly been one of the country’s leading minds. The old man seemed crazy to everyone. He went around asking everyone how many fingers he was holding up and everyone answered correctly much to his dissatisfaction.
Arthur Mendelson: How many fingers do you see?
Hunter Patch Adams: Four.
Arthur Mendelson: No no! Look beyond the fingers! Now tell me how many you see. You're focusing on the problem. If you focus on the problem, you can't see the solution. Never focus on the problem! See what no one else sees. See what everyone chooses not to see... out of fear, conformity or laziness. See the whole world anew each day!
Moments later, as his eyed focused beyond the blurring fingers, he found the solution: Eight fingers. Patch Adams proceeds from that point to do great things. Millions of people all over the world are focusing on the problems of life, but not getting anywhere near finding answers. We need to look beyond the problem to the solution: Jesus Christ. Some of you know in your hearts right now that that is the step you need to take today.
LOOK BEYOND THE HEALING AND TOWARDS THE HEALER
For others of you that first point didn’t really apply much to your lives. You’ve been made well! At some point in your life you gave up your fight against God and you accepted Christ’s free gift of salvation. Your life has been changed! But I now must caution you. We Christians have a tendency to lose sight of the one who healed us. Many times we end up focusing on just the fact that we have been made well. When the next troublesome event comes into our lives we don’t go back to the source of our healing.
I remember when I was young I collected lots of sports trading cards. I had over ten thousand football, hockey, basketball and baseball cards. Occasionally I’d be looking through the entire collection for one specific card. This could be a long process. I remember a few times through the years that I got desperate in my search so I made a deal with God. “God, if you will help me find this card I’ll NEVER ask for anything again!” It was quite a promise. Now I can’t be sure God really helped me find those cards, but it was always the case that after I’d prayed I found the cards quite quickly. Now comes the unhappy ending. Did I thank God for helping me find the cards? No. Did I give Him any credit for being part of my search? No. Did I keep my promise to never ask for anything from Him again? No. Granted, finding a baseball card is not nearly as important as a changed life, but I believe we can all think of magnified illustrations of the same point.
We can certainly see this syndrome with this man in Scripture. After waiting and waiting to be made well he finally was! But just hours later he hadn’t even bothered to be sure who had healed him! It says in verse 13 that “the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.” The first few times I read this verse I almost wanted to blame Jesus for the man not remembering Him. Jesus withdrew. How was this man supposed to find Jesus amongst such a crowd? He had just been made well. There were plenty of things he wanted to do for the first time. If Jesus really wanted to remain the focus in this man’s life, wouldn’t He have stayed with Him? Hadn’t the man thanked Jesus enough? After all, after being healed he obeyed his healer. We saw in verses eight and nine: “Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.” Isn’t immediate obedience enough?
Whether it laziness, fear, neglect, or flat out rebellion we refuse to give more than a few mere moments to the one who made us well. Maybe five minutes each morning, maybe five at night. Maybe a whole morning on the weekend, maybe a prayer group on a weekday evening. But beyond this allotted time we will give no more ground. And before too long we find ourselves becoming as frustrated as we were before.
The wonderful truth is that the more of life we give to God in utter devotion the less frustrated and the more peace and joy we find in our lives. We have so many things backward in our minds. We grasp for fragments of love, joy, and peace for fear that risking our scraps for a chance at the abundant, satisfying and fulfilled life is not worth the risk. I tell you today with the authority of Jesus Christ that the risk is well worth it! There’s no comparison. I mentioned before how if He would help me find my baseball card I’d never ask for anything from Him again. How ridiculous! He WANTS us to ask! He wants us to focus on Him and not simply what He has done. Christian scholar Hank Hanegraaff says something to the effect of, “Too many Christians are Christians not for love of the master, but for what’s on the master’s table.” We need to get to the source, to the healer Himself so that we never have to worry again. Some of you in this room today have been made well. You’re a Christian, but you’ve stopped focusing on the one who saved you. Instead, you’ve started focusing on what He’s given you. You’re glad that you’ve changed your life. Your family life is getting better. You’ve been living a healthier lifestyle. You’ve been freed from the guilt of past sins and mistakes, but in all those good things you’ve lost focus of the author of those changes. Go back to the source. Focus on the healer and not the healing.
LOOK BEYOND THE PRESENT IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
Admittedly, this third point sounds a little confusing. Look beyond the present in both directions? What in the world does that mean? Some of you may think I’ve finally fallen off my rocker. Perhaps, but I still say this third lesson from this Scripture passage is incredibly valuable. Some of you in this room have been made well. You’ve had your sins forgiven and many of the problems in your life have been taken care of. What a wonderful thing! Of those people, some have gone the next step. You realize that your focus should be on Christ the healer instead of the healing of Christ. This focus gives you a clear purpose and adds meaning to your life. It’s a wonderful thing, but honestly, it can be difficult to maintain. It takes work. It’s hard to keep focus. We know it’s what is best for us, but we struggle to keep on keeping on. With this third point I aim to point out two practical steps towards maintaining this vital focus: Reflecting on the past and looking towards the future. REMEMBERENCE and VISION are two very important ways to maintain a consistent life of personal growth.
This man in Scripture had overcome the problem of focusing on his problems. He had found the solution. He had struggled with losing focus on the healer, but in verse fourteen we see that Jesus found him in the temple and thus created an opportunity for this man to live a consistent and focused life. What advice did Jesus have for this man? Here are Jesus words, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
I did the bulk of my study in preparation for this sermon on the phrase “See, you have been made well.” The reason I looked into it more deeply is because I wasn’t quite sure why it was important. Why was it included in the text? There’s no way the man had forgotten that he was healed! He wasn’t back near the pool waiting for the angel to come stir the water up again; he was at the temple. Jesus was not simply informing the man that he had been made well. That would have been silly. There’s more to this than meets the eye in English. When Jesus told the man to SEE He was telling him to reflect and remember what had happened to him. Even more, He was telling him to reflect and remember WHO had happened to Him. Jesus was telling him to never lose sight of this great event in his life. Remembrance needed to be a consistent staple of his routine or else his heart would forget Jesus and he’d lose focus. I’d love to preach a whole sermon on the importance of remembering, but that will have to wait for another week. In the meantime REMEMEBER TO REMEMBER.
Remembering is a consistent theme throughout the Scriptures: The Israelites celebrated various festivals throughout their calendar year. These festivals were put in place in order that the people would remember all that God had done for them. The Passover commemorates the Feast of unleavened bread, the Feast of tabernacles and the Feast of Purim. And other Jewish festivals served as reminders of what God had done, or what he promised to do. Elsewhere in the Old Testament we are told to remember the Sabbath day, remember our creator and more. In the New Testament Jesus tells us to take communion in remembrance of Him. Peter reminds us to remember the words of the Prophets and Apostles. In Revelation chapter two the church of Ephesus had left their first love. What are they told to do? They are told to REMEMBER from where they have fallen. So throughout the Scriptures we find this emphasis on remembering. Why? Why does God feel remembering is so important? The answer is that we need to remember because we are prone to forget! We are more often than not negligent people, too often ungrateful. IF we don’t take the time to remember, we are prone to go our merry way, overwhelmed with the pressures and responsibilities of life, and we . . . forget! We forget to give God the praise that he deserves We need to take time to remember what God has done for us. This keeps us focused on the right things and gives us good perspective.
But remembering is only half the equation. Looking toward the future may be just as important. We need to have a vision, a set purpose in order to succeed in this life. So many people today are wandering through life aimlessly. It’s the people who know what they want that most often get there. Jesus gave this man a clear vision of what he was to do in the future. He said, in verse 14, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." The absence of sinning is part of what we call holiness. Jesus was commanding this man to stop sinning or else the consequences of sin would catch up to him. Jesus was not just out to scare the guy. He cared so much for this man that he was commanding him and pleading with him not to sin because He knew what terrible things sin brings to one’s life. With this goal of sin free living the man could now remain focused. He knew that his future depended on his obedience. If he didn’t obey the command something worse than the thirty-eight year sickness was going to occur. Jesus gave this man a vision for holiness. We all need that vision. We all need to go on to perfection and strive for Christlikeness. Looking into the future and recognizing the logical results of our current actions in an invaluable tool for staying focused.
One night a man, down on his luck and lacking a feeling of purpose for his life, went on a walk. With his head pointed downward he walked aimlessly for hours. At some point during the walk he passed onto the property of an area prison. He was startled as an armed guard shined a flashlight on his face and asked, “where are you from and where are you going?” After a moment of careful reflection the man answered, “How much are they paying you to work here? If you will ask me those two questions each day I will pay you twice as much.”
Where are you from and where are you going? Those are great questions to be asked and to ask others. Don’t forget about all the life changing events that have helped to shape what you are. Lessons are only lessons if they are learned and remembered. Remember all the times that God has stepped into your life. Value your past. Remember. But don’t stop there without looking toward the future. Have a vision. Have a sense of purpose. Recognize all that is yours if you are a child of the King. Dream. Imagine. Hope.
posted by matthew at 10:23 AM
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