1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,770 Kyle Lounsbury: Brothers and sisters, good morning. 2 00:00:01,770 --> 00:00:03,330 It is great to be together. 3 00:00:03,330 --> 00:00:06,660 It's great to have our Korean and Spanish speaking ministries in 4 00:00:06,660 --> 00:00:08,070 the service this morning with us. 5 00:00:08,070 --> 00:00:08,610 Amen. 6 00:00:12,549 --> 00:00:16,810 Grateful to be able to speak this morning and be able to, uh, preach the word. 7 00:00:16,810 --> 00:00:17,979 I'm very grateful for Dr. 8 00:00:17,979 --> 00:00:22,479 Greg and him, uh, doing just a great job going through our Nehemiah series, 9 00:00:22,479 --> 00:00:24,640 talking about rising up and building. 10 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:25,119 Amen. 11 00:00:25,450 --> 00:00:28,090 And today we're actually gonna take a break from that series. 12 00:00:28,090 --> 00:00:32,800 As I give the lesson today, we're gonna look at a, what I call a Jesus moment. 13 00:00:32,890 --> 00:00:33,400 Amen. 14 00:00:33,610 --> 00:00:33,670 Okay. 15 00:00:33,670 --> 00:00:36,460 So you can just start turning your Bibles over to John chapter five. 16 00:00:36,460 --> 00:00:41,019 But before we read that, what I wanted to do this morning is share a story. 17 00:00:41,544 --> 00:00:42,324 All right. 18 00:00:42,775 --> 00:00:47,125 I wanna start off with a story, and we're gonna close, uh, our 19 00:00:47,125 --> 00:00:48,774 sermon today with communion. 20 00:00:48,985 --> 00:00:49,345 All right. 21 00:00:49,345 --> 00:00:51,344 So I'm doing like a sermunion. 22 00:00:51,774 --> 00:00:55,044 The story I wanna tell is a story of Roger Banister. 23 00:00:55,074 --> 00:00:56,964 Anybody know who this man here is? 24 00:00:57,264 --> 00:00:57,894 Alright. 25 00:00:57,984 --> 00:00:58,974 A few of you may know. 26 00:00:58,974 --> 00:00:59,334 Dr. 27 00:00:59,334 --> 00:01:00,864 Greg knows that's why he's a doctor. 28 00:01:00,984 --> 00:01:01,494 Amen. 29 00:01:05,093 --> 00:01:11,124 For decades, experts believe something very specific about the human body. 30 00:01:11,829 --> 00:01:12,820 Do you know what that was? 31 00:01:13,839 --> 00:01:19,899 It was believed to be impossible to run a mile in under four minutes. 32 00:01:21,609 --> 00:01:23,829 Doctors said the heart couldn't handle it. 33 00:01:24,189 --> 00:01:27,850 Coaches said the lungs would collapse, and Sports Rider 34 00:01:27,850 --> 00:01:29,529 said it was a physical barrier. 35 00:01:29,529 --> 00:01:32,320 The body simply could not cross. 36 00:01:33,759 --> 00:01:37,149 You see, athletes trained at this for years and they kept missing the mark. 37 00:01:38,229 --> 00:01:41,889 Four minutes, one second, four minutes, two seconds. 38 00:01:42,850 --> 00:01:44,530 Close, but never under. 39 00:01:44,979 --> 00:01:46,690 It became more than a number. 40 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:49,299 It became a psychological wall. 41 00:01:49,989 --> 00:01:57,699 But then on May 6th, 1954, a 25-year-old medical student named Roger Banister 42 00:01:57,759 --> 00:02:01,120 stepped onto a track in Oxford, England. 43 00:02:02,229 --> 00:02:04,750 He was just a med student, wasn't even a professional. 44 00:02:05,590 --> 00:02:07,149 He wasn't a professional runner. 45 00:02:07,989 --> 00:02:11,829 Between his medical student commitments and studies, he would 46 00:02:11,829 --> 00:02:18,040 train to run, and that day he clocked a three minute and 59.4 47 00:02:18,129 --> 00:02:19,179 second mile. 48 00:02:20,230 --> 00:02:21,099 He just broke it. 49 00:02:22,029 --> 00:02:25,899 So for the first time in human history, this barrier was broken. 50 00:02:26,230 --> 00:02:27,700 But here's the part that matters. 51 00:02:28,899 --> 00:02:30,640 This barrier didn't stay rare. 52 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:32,980 46 days later. 53 00:02:33,385 --> 00:02:37,344 A runner named John Landy broke the same barrier and broke his time. 54 00:02:39,804 --> 00:02:42,894 Within a few years, many more athletes followed, and today 55 00:02:42,894 --> 00:02:47,214 over 2000 different runners have recorded an under four minute mile. 56 00:02:48,564 --> 00:02:54,265 What had been called impossible for decades became over time an expectation. 57 00:02:54,265 --> 00:02:55,704 At the most elite level. 58 00:02:56,814 --> 00:02:59,695 You see, the limitation wasn't physical. 59 00:03:00,489 --> 00:03:05,619 Rather it was a belief, and for years, the world was waiting for something 60 00:03:05,769 --> 00:03:10,689 that wasn't actually impossible, but they became comfortable with being 61 00:03:10,749 --> 00:03:14,170 stuck, comfortable with a barrier. 62 00:03:14,799 --> 00:03:18,640 You know, sometimes in our walk with God, we can get put into some 63 00:03:18,640 --> 00:03:23,739 seasons of waiting longer than necessary, not because God hasn't 64 00:03:23,739 --> 00:03:25,869 moved or God can't do the impossible. 65 00:03:25,899 --> 00:03:26,079 Right, right. 66 00:03:26,589 --> 00:03:32,319 But because we've accepted being stuck in waiting, and sometimes the longest waiting 67 00:03:32,319 --> 00:03:39,609 seasons aren't even caused by God's delay, but by our acceptance, as we look at John 68 00:03:39,609 --> 00:03:43,899 chapter five, we're gonna see a story where Jesus walks onto the scene and sees 69 00:03:43,899 --> 00:03:46,029 a man that had been waiting unnecessarily. 70 00:03:46,719 --> 00:03:50,289 In John chapter five, we're gonna go ahead and read in verse one. 71 00:03:50,289 --> 00:03:53,815 The title of today's lesson is Waiting to Walking. 72 00:03:54,925 --> 00:03:58,015 Waiting to walking John chapter five, verse one. 73 00:03:59,425 --> 00:04:03,595 Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 74 00:04:04,075 --> 00:04:08,485 Now there's in Jerusalem near the sheep gate, a pool, which an Aramaic 75 00:04:08,485 --> 00:04:13,825 is called Bethesda, which is surrounded by five covered colonies here. 76 00:04:13,885 --> 00:04:16,765 A great number of disabled people used to lie. 77 00:04:17,065 --> 00:04:22,885 The blind, the lame, the paralyzed one who was there had been an invalid. 78 00:04:23,229 --> 00:04:29,229 For 38 years, when Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been 79 00:04:29,229 --> 00:04:33,909 in this condition for a long time, he asked him, do you want to get well, 80 00:04:35,020 --> 00:04:38,440 sir, the invalid replied, I have no one to help me into the water or 81 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,120 the pool when the water is stirred. 82 00:04:40,270 --> 00:04:41,109 Well, I'm trying to get in. 83 00:04:41,109 --> 00:04:42,849 Someone else goes down ahead of me. 84 00:04:43,929 --> 00:04:46,630 Then Jesus said to him, get up. 85 00:04:46,780 --> 00:04:50,859 Pick up your mat and walk at once. 86 00:04:50,859 --> 00:04:51,969 The man was cured. 87 00:04:52,299 --> 00:04:55,030 He picked up his mat and he walked. 88 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:56,799 I'm gonna stop there. 89 00:04:57,940 --> 00:04:58,989 I love this passage. 90 00:04:58,989 --> 00:05:03,849 I love how short and simple, yet powerful this interaction 91 00:05:03,849 --> 00:05:05,500 is that Jesus has with this man. 92 00:05:06,820 --> 00:05:09,340 And I, I'm the kind of guy when I speak, I like to break the 93 00:05:09,340 --> 00:05:10,870 lesson down into three points. 94 00:05:10,870 --> 00:05:11,260 All right? 95 00:05:11,260 --> 00:05:12,340 I'm a campus minister. 96 00:05:12,340 --> 00:05:13,809 We like to keep it clear. 97 00:05:13,870 --> 00:05:17,799 So I've got three points that I'm drawn from the text that I feel like impacted me 98 00:05:17,799 --> 00:05:18,875 that I wanna share with you this morning. 99 00:05:19,735 --> 00:05:24,175 The first point is Jesus moves towards stuck people. 100 00:05:24,685 --> 00:05:28,075 Jesus moves towards people who are stuck, who are sick, who 101 00:05:28,075 --> 00:05:29,635 are lame, who are struggling. 102 00:05:30,295 --> 00:05:31,765 That's the God we serve. 103 00:05:32,335 --> 00:05:38,515 And we see that there's this man here at this pool who is stuck. 104 00:05:39,415 --> 00:05:41,335 Now, a little background on the pool. 105 00:05:41,605 --> 00:05:45,235 We, we know that, uh, the, the sheep gate or the, the pool 106 00:05:45,235 --> 00:05:46,420 was located by the sheep gate. 107 00:05:47,125 --> 00:05:51,325 And in Aramic it's called Bethesda, which Bethesda means 108 00:05:52,225 --> 00:05:55,945 House of Mercy or House of Grace. 109 00:05:57,025 --> 00:06:03,025 And what's, what I find ironic about this story is that the House of Mercy 110 00:06:03,025 --> 00:06:05,095 became a house of waiting for this man. 111 00:06:06,060 --> 00:06:09,055 He had been there 38 years. 112 00:06:09,805 --> 00:06:12,805 You know, as I started studying this out, I really had a lot of questions. 113 00:06:12,805 --> 00:06:13,135 I was like. 114 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,140 How, how was it that in the ancient world, they thought that if you just go sit by 115 00:06:17,140 --> 00:06:20,770 this pool, that it would miraculously, the water would stir and then you 116 00:06:20,770 --> 00:06:22,419 jump in and miraculously get healed? 117 00:06:22,419 --> 00:06:24,070 Like, how is that even possible? 118 00:06:24,460 --> 00:06:29,590 So I started studying this out and I, what I learned is that in Arche, the archeology 119 00:06:29,590 --> 00:06:33,880 has actually discovered these five covered colon colonate and they've uncovered 120 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,159 this pool and what it looks like from. 121 00:06:36,865 --> 00:06:40,645 The study of this is that it was actually some underground springs 122 00:06:40,675 --> 00:06:46,135 underneath the pool that would cause the water to bubble up others. 123 00:06:46,195 --> 00:06:50,515 And if you notice, verse four is actually not included in most of 124 00:06:50,515 --> 00:06:54,565 our bibles because they believe it was to, it was added later on. 125 00:06:55,045 --> 00:06:58,555 But verse four really talks about that some believed an angel 126 00:06:58,555 --> 00:06:59,640 would come and stir the waters. 127 00:07:00,895 --> 00:07:02,455 So I don't know, which is true. 128 00:07:02,515 --> 00:07:03,025 All right. 129 00:07:03,054 --> 00:07:05,935 I, I tend to believe it was more of a spring and there was maybe 130 00:07:05,935 --> 00:07:10,044 a little more, uh, uh, of a, just a science based explanation. 131 00:07:10,044 --> 00:07:11,215 But hey, you never know. 132 00:07:11,215 --> 00:07:12,475 So we don't truly know. 133 00:07:12,475 --> 00:07:13,975 That's a question we'll have to ask God one day. 134 00:07:13,975 --> 00:07:14,515 Amen. 135 00:07:14,539 --> 00:07:14,830 Amen. 136 00:07:14,965 --> 00:07:18,804 But the reality is they believed that this water had power. 137 00:07:19,705 --> 00:07:23,095 They believed that when you got in this water, something would heal you. 138 00:07:23,845 --> 00:07:28,710 And so hundreds of sick and disabled people would be laying there by this pool. 139 00:07:30,355 --> 00:07:32,784 You see, this wasn't just a place though of sickness. 140 00:07:32,965 --> 00:07:35,635 It was a place of delayed hope for many people. 141 00:07:36,925 --> 00:07:43,255 And we see in verse five, this man who had been there for 38 years, 142 00:07:45,865 --> 00:07:48,865 lying there, sick, handicapped, 143 00:07:51,415 --> 00:07:52,105 stuck, 144 00:07:54,295 --> 00:07:57,180 and Jesus then walks into this place. 145 00:07:58,689 --> 00:08:00,520 Full of sick people. 146 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:02,949 And what does Jesus do 147 00:08:05,530 --> 00:08:09,850 says when Jesus saw him lying there, he picks him. 148 00:08:11,110 --> 00:08:17,559 Jesus goes to the one man that had been there 38 years out of, out of a crowd 149 00:08:17,559 --> 00:08:21,159 of suffering people, people who had been waiting, people who had been sick, people 150 00:08:21,159 --> 00:08:22,480 who were trying to get into that water. 151 00:08:22,630 --> 00:08:25,030 Jesus singles out one man. 152 00:08:28,150 --> 00:08:30,370 He didn't wait for that man to call out to him. 153 00:08:31,090 --> 00:08:35,260 He didn't wait for the water to stir and then go and help him. 154 00:08:35,530 --> 00:08:38,830 No, he walked into the waiting place and he picked him. 155 00:08:40,179 --> 00:08:42,280 You see, I wanna relate this to us for a minute here. 156 00:08:43,419 --> 00:08:46,510 Jesus picks us and OC church. 157 00:08:46,510 --> 00:08:47,350 We've been through a lot. 158 00:08:47,350 --> 00:08:48,640 Let's just face it. 159 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:50,530 We've been through a long journey. 160 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,000 We have many new members. 161 00:08:52,344 --> 00:08:57,444 I know Kevin men or uh uh, uh, Greg mentioned Kevin Mains last week, and I 162 00:08:57,444 --> 00:08:58,974 had college students who go, who's that? 163 00:08:59,964 --> 00:09:00,685 And amen. 164 00:09:00,775 --> 00:09:01,194 That's great. 165 00:09:01,194 --> 00:09:04,675 We have new people, but for a lot of us, and I knew Kevin, even though 166 00:09:04,675 --> 00:09:09,084 I wasn't an OC Stewart, his son was my campus minister, so I, I felt the 167 00:09:09,084 --> 00:09:15,805 loss distantly, but losing Kevin, our church leader, that put us into a 168 00:09:15,805 --> 00:09:18,324 transition, put us into some waiting. 169 00:09:18,744 --> 00:09:21,685 Then three years later, we're hit with a global pandemic. 170 00:09:22,555 --> 00:09:24,415 That delays everyone and everything. 171 00:09:24,475 --> 00:09:25,195 You with me? 172 00:09:25,735 --> 00:09:25,825 Yes. 173 00:09:26,365 --> 00:09:30,055 And then after that we had leadership transitions and different changes, 174 00:09:30,595 --> 00:09:34,045 and then we started renting out our building and we had more 175 00:09:34,045 --> 00:09:35,575 waiting and more transition. 176 00:09:36,265 --> 00:09:38,095 And we've been wondering what's next? 177 00:09:38,095 --> 00:09:40,315 What's God gonna do with us? 178 00:09:42,205 --> 00:09:47,065 I wanna remind us, Jesus does not avoid churches who are in transition. 179 00:09:48,565 --> 00:09:49,915 He actually moves toward them. 180 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:55,000 He moves towards people who've been waiting, people who maybe have been 181 00:09:55,000 --> 00:10:00,520 stuck, and just like he moved toward the invalid Jesus is moving toward you. 182 00:10:01,420 --> 00:10:01,540 Amen. 183 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,380 He's moving towards the teen that's in here this morning and maybe teens, 184 00:10:05,380 --> 00:10:09,250 your're, feeling unsure if your faith is really your own or if it's your parents. 185 00:10:09,460 --> 00:10:10,630 Jesus is moving towards you. 186 00:10:11,770 --> 00:10:12,550 College students. 187 00:10:12,550 --> 00:10:13,480 He's moving towards you. 188 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:15,910 Maybe you feel stuck in a sin that you can't overcome. 189 00:10:16,570 --> 00:10:17,330 He's moving towards you. 190 00:10:17,545 --> 00:10:21,834 God members who have been in here, maybe you feel tired and 191 00:10:21,834 --> 00:10:23,755 you feel burned out and exhausted. 192 00:10:24,235 --> 00:10:25,645 He's moving towards you as well. 193 00:10:25,645 --> 00:10:26,094 Amen. 194 00:10:27,084 --> 00:10:29,875 And maybe you're visiting with us, or, or you walked in here 195 00:10:29,875 --> 00:10:32,755 for the first time and you're a little curious of what's going on. 196 00:10:32,755 --> 00:10:34,854 Maybe you're cautious, you're like, I don't really know. 197 00:10:34,854 --> 00:10:36,385 There's a lot of people hugging at me. 198 00:10:36,385 --> 00:10:39,535 And man, Jesus is moving towards you as well. 199 00:10:39,535 --> 00:10:40,015 Amen. 200 00:10:40,219 --> 00:10:40,510 Amen. 201 00:10:42,115 --> 00:10:45,685 I wanna remind you, you're not disqualified because you feel stuck. 202 00:10:45,775 --> 00:10:46,189 This man. 203 00:10:46,885 --> 00:10:49,345 Was not the most spiritual person in the story. 204 00:10:49,825 --> 00:10:52,735 He had been there 38 years and Jesus saw him. 205 00:10:55,195 --> 00:10:58,375 He was laying on that mat, and then Jesus moved toward him. 206 00:11:00,925 --> 00:11:05,215 The second part of this verse, I love and I think we can gloss over 207 00:11:05,815 --> 00:11:09,085 as Jesus learns that he had been in this condition for a long time. 208 00:11:10,285 --> 00:11:14,605 Jesus learned he had been in this condition for 38 years. 209 00:11:17,380 --> 00:11:20,470 I'm still 10 years away from 38 of just being alive. 210 00:11:20,620 --> 00:11:24,250 I can't even imagine being sick and on a mat for 38 of 'em. 211 00:11:25,690 --> 00:11:29,590 And I think that detail matters church, because Jesus was aware that 212 00:11:29,590 --> 00:11:31,090 this wasn't a new struggle for him. 213 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:36,160 Jesus was clearly aware that this wasn't just a bad week or a rough 214 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:41,290 season or a moment, but this had been going on for decades, a 215 00:11:41,290 --> 00:11:43,570 long time of pain and suffering. 216 00:11:45,235 --> 00:11:47,545 But then I find it so funny, and Jesus does this in the 217 00:11:47,545 --> 00:11:48,865 Bible all the time we see it. 218 00:11:48,865 --> 00:11:54,145 But Jesus asks a question, and I find this question so interesting because 219 00:11:54,145 --> 00:11:58,945 it's to me, common sense, but he asks him, do you want to get well? 220 00:12:00,325 --> 00:12:02,845 I mean, Jesus, he's been sick 38 years. 221 00:12:03,870 --> 00:12:09,325 Of course he wants to get well, right In that first glance, it looks obvious. 222 00:12:10,165 --> 00:12:15,925 But I think Jesus is not asking about his desire in theory, but if he's really 223 00:12:15,925 --> 00:12:22,645 ready for true change, because what's the invalids response in verse seven, sir? 224 00:12:22,675 --> 00:12:25,855 The invalid replied, I have no one to help me into the pool 225 00:12:25,855 --> 00:12:27,265 when the water is stirred. 226 00:12:27,325 --> 00:12:28,194 Well, I'm trying to get in. 227 00:12:28,194 --> 00:12:29,845 Someone else goes down ahead of me. 228 00:12:31,225 --> 00:12:31,795 I'm stuck. 229 00:12:31,795 --> 00:12:34,615 Jesus, what does he start doing? 230 00:12:34,825 --> 00:12:37,015 He starts making excuses. 231 00:12:37,329 --> 00:12:39,459 Jesus asked the most simple question ever. 232 00:12:39,459 --> 00:12:41,469 All he needed to do was say what? 233 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:44,739 Yes or no? 234 00:12:44,739 --> 00:12:46,780 I guess, but I don't know why he would do that. 235 00:12:48,369 --> 00:12:51,849 All he needed to do was say, yes, and this is his response. 236 00:12:51,910 --> 00:12:52,810 Can we relate to this? 237 00:12:52,810 --> 00:12:55,449 Sometimes Jesus is standing right in front of us. 238 00:12:55,449 --> 00:12:56,949 He's saying, do you want to get Well? 239 00:12:57,010 --> 00:12:59,589 We're like, oh, but I got all, oh, I, ah, 240 00:13:02,260 --> 00:13:06,459 he's just saying, can you just say yes, my second point. 241 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:06,610 Right. 242 00:13:07,870 --> 00:13:09,699 Excuses can keep you stuck. 243 00:13:11,199 --> 00:13:13,329 When we make excuses, it can keep us stuck. 244 00:13:13,329 --> 00:13:16,630 Brothers and sisters, the man says, I've got no one. 245 00:13:17,439 --> 00:13:18,640 I've got no one to help me. 246 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:20,170 Someone else goes ahead of me. 247 00:13:20,920 --> 00:13:24,430 Well, I think that translates in our context to, well, it's not my fault. 248 00:13:24,430 --> 00:13:25,390 I'm in this spot. 249 00:13:26,410 --> 00:13:32,199 It's the system, it's the church, it's the timing, it's the people around me. 250 00:13:33,100 --> 00:13:35,530 For 38 years, he was stuck. 251 00:13:35,530 --> 00:13:36,460 Brothers and sisters. 252 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:40,870 Yeah, he was stuck waiting, and I think some of us have been saying 253 00:13:40,870 --> 00:13:46,630 some similar things when things get better or more unified or 254 00:13:46,630 --> 00:13:48,220 when we move back to the building. 255 00:13:49,569 --> 00:13:52,480 You see, waiting at times can be wisdom. 256 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:52,930 Amen. 257 00:13:53,560 --> 00:13:55,120 There's a season for discernment. 258 00:13:55,540 --> 00:14:00,640 There's a season to wait and be wise, but waiting can also become an excuse. 259 00:14:01,900 --> 00:14:04,300 You see the past year, year and a half. 260 00:14:05,545 --> 00:14:07,645 We've been in a waiting season as a church. 261 00:14:08,395 --> 00:14:12,355 I know I've felt that there's been uncertainty, transition questions, 262 00:14:13,585 --> 00:14:18,685 but if Jesus is speaking clearly now and we are still waiting, that's no 263 00:14:18,685 --> 00:14:21,115 longer patience That becomes avoidance. 264 00:14:21,925 --> 00:14:26,545 And personally, I wanna share that I've had to check my own heart in this area. 265 00:14:28,584 --> 00:14:31,165 You know, for the, for the past several years, I've been dreaming 266 00:14:31,165 --> 00:14:34,944 and excited about the, the idea of even being here in this moment right 267 00:14:34,944 --> 00:14:37,464 now, and it feels great to be here. 268 00:14:37,464 --> 00:14:37,944 I'm excited. 269 00:14:37,944 --> 00:14:38,574 I'm encouraged. 270 00:14:38,574 --> 00:14:42,594 God's doing great things, but to be real with you guys, I started putting a lot of 271 00:14:42,594 --> 00:14:50,334 hope and security and trust in the system of us coming back to the building thinking 272 00:14:50,334 --> 00:14:52,435 when this happens, then God will move. 273 00:14:53,545 --> 00:15:00,775 And I've started to let that take more control of my view of God than who God 274 00:15:00,775 --> 00:15:03,235 is simply just saying, I'm right here. 275 00:15:03,235 --> 00:15:04,375 I want to help you get well. 276 00:15:04,375 --> 00:15:05,965 Come on Kyle, come on. 277 00:15:06,265 --> 00:15:09,475 And the reality is we've been back here in the building for the past month. 278 00:15:09,505 --> 00:15:11,575 This is our fifth Sunday here, and it's been awesome. 279 00:15:11,575 --> 00:15:12,085 Amen. 280 00:15:12,535 --> 00:15:13,255 It's been awesome. 281 00:15:13,255 --> 00:15:14,125 We can cheer for that. 282 00:15:14,125 --> 00:15:14,870 Let's cheer it up. 283 00:15:15,060 --> 00:15:15,805 It's been great, 284 00:15:20,875 --> 00:15:23,905 but I want to say this and if you can relate to this, amen. 285 00:15:28,030 --> 00:15:33,310 I was waiting for a building to fix what only obedience to Jesus can fix, 286 00:15:35,949 --> 00:15:40,239 and I needed to repent of this mindset because building or 287 00:15:40,239 --> 00:15:42,969 not Jesus is still present. 288 00:15:44,050 --> 00:15:46,509 Jesus is here because we are the church. 289 00:15:46,509 --> 00:15:47,020 Amen. 290 00:15:47,224 --> 00:15:47,515 Amen. 291 00:15:47,515 --> 00:15:47,545 Come on, Kyle. 292 00:15:48,819 --> 00:15:51,100 And so church, we gotta be honest with ourselves. 293 00:15:51,130 --> 00:15:52,510 Let's be honest with ourselves. 294 00:15:52,510 --> 00:15:57,699 Some of us have said, I'll engage and start to give when things get better. 295 00:15:59,110 --> 00:16:02,560 When we're back in the building, or I'll start to serve when 296 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,089 the staff gets more unified. 297 00:16:04,630 --> 00:16:07,180 And amen, we need to be more unified and we're working on the 298 00:16:07,180 --> 00:16:09,730 unity for brothers and sisters. 299 00:16:10,060 --> 00:16:11,319 The waiting time is over. 300 00:16:11,890 --> 00:16:13,510 The time is now. 301 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:14,740 Let's lean in. 302 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:16,120 Let's not answer Jesus. 303 00:16:16,719 --> 00:16:17,560 With excuses. 304 00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:19,209 Let's answer him with yes Lord. 305 00:16:20,140 --> 00:16:20,259 Amen. 306 00:16:20,319 --> 00:16:20,829 Yes. 307 00:16:20,829 --> 00:16:21,310 I want to be. 308 00:16:21,310 --> 00:16:22,180 Well preach it. 309 00:16:24,935 --> 00:16:25,224 Amen. 310 00:16:25,229 --> 00:16:25,390 Amen. 311 00:16:26,290 --> 00:16:26,739 Amen. 312 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:31,330 You see the waiting season that you're in, maybe personally outside of the 313 00:16:31,330 --> 00:16:35,319 church context, I do wanna speak to that as well because I know some of 314 00:16:35,319 --> 00:16:39,789 us might be in here and we haven't yet made the decision to follow Christ. 315 00:16:40,660 --> 00:16:43,750 And for those of you who haven't made that decision yet, I want to encourage you 316 00:16:43,750 --> 00:16:49,420 that Jesus is standing here right in front of you, saying, do you want to get well? 317 00:16:50,410 --> 00:16:52,480 It's time to take that next step in your faith. 318 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,300 It's time for you to be open about whatever's going on in your life. 319 00:16:55,300 --> 00:16:56,050 It's time for you. 320 00:16:56,050 --> 00:16:58,300 If you haven't been baptized, get baptized. 321 00:16:58,360 --> 00:16:59,050 Be renewed. 322 00:16:59,050 --> 00:17:00,310 Become a new creation. 323 00:17:00,310 --> 00:17:00,820 Amen. 324 00:17:00,820 --> 00:17:00,970 Amen. 325 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:03,190 Let's get well together. 326 00:17:03,190 --> 00:17:04,990 Let's build together. 327 00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:06,670 The waiting season is over. 328 00:17:08,679 --> 00:17:11,949 And the waiting season doesn't have to define us, right? 329 00:17:12,519 --> 00:17:14,469 But excuses can define us. 330 00:17:15,939 --> 00:17:20,348 So we must ask ourselves, do we really want to get, well, not in theory, 331 00:17:21,309 --> 00:17:23,499 but for true change from within. 332 00:17:24,878 --> 00:17:26,169 You see, verse eight. 333 00:17:27,608 --> 00:17:31,359 Jesus then says to him a command, and this is my last point here, 334 00:17:34,389 --> 00:17:34,959 pick it up. 335 00:17:35,844 --> 00:17:38,784 Jesus says in verse eight, then Jesus said to him, get up. 336 00:17:38,814 --> 00:17:41,215 Pick up your mat and walk. 337 00:17:42,715 --> 00:17:45,324 What I love about Jesus is this man answers in verse 338 00:17:45,324 --> 00:17:46,915 seven with all these excuses. 339 00:17:47,485 --> 00:17:48,894 He says, I have no one to help me. 340 00:17:49,404 --> 00:17:52,764 And it is not like Jesus empathizes or Jesus goes, oh, I'm really 341 00:17:52,764 --> 00:17:54,024 sorry that's been going on. 342 00:17:54,205 --> 00:17:58,104 Now Jesus empathizes with us, but in this moment, what did this man need? 343 00:17:58,104 --> 00:17:59,094 38 years? 344 00:17:59,094 --> 00:18:02,245 And he couldn't answer with a simple yes, Jesus gives him a command. 345 00:18:02,485 --> 00:18:04,044 He says, get up. 346 00:18:04,540 --> 00:18:07,000 Pick up your mat and walk. 347 00:18:09,550 --> 00:18:13,240 A simple command, but a powerful command. 348 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:16,840 But don't miss this part here. 349 00:18:18,010 --> 00:18:24,760 Jesus says to pick up your mat, he says to pick up your mat. 350 00:18:25,209 --> 00:18:28,629 He doesn't just say, Hey, just start walking or just 351 00:18:28,629 --> 00:18:30,610 start getting, getting better. 352 00:18:30,699 --> 00:18:32,110 Just start moving along. 353 00:18:32,770 --> 00:18:33,429 What does he say? 354 00:18:34,044 --> 00:18:38,425 Pick up your mat for 38 years. 355 00:18:39,355 --> 00:18:42,715 This man had a mat that he was laying on. 356 00:18:43,524 --> 00:18:45,324 I got my, my wife's mat here. 357 00:18:47,004 --> 00:18:48,115 Get this mat out. 358 00:18:49,554 --> 00:18:50,605 I'm gonna sit on the mat. 359 00:18:51,804 --> 00:18:52,135 Sorry. 360 00:18:52,165 --> 00:18:52,824 Camera, crew. 361 00:18:56,004 --> 00:18:57,115 38 years. 362 00:18:59,574 --> 00:19:01,435 38 years on this mat. 363 00:19:01,509 --> 00:19:01,569 Yeah. 364 00:19:03,699 --> 00:19:05,949 You know, this mat became something to him. 365 00:19:07,149 --> 00:19:10,959 This mat wasn't just a thing to sit on. 366 00:19:11,559 --> 00:19:13,509 I believe this mat became his identity. 367 00:19:15,369 --> 00:19:21,669 This mat became who he was, his address, his routine, where he was always 368 00:19:21,669 --> 00:19:24,279 at, oh yeah, you wanna go see him? 369 00:19:24,309 --> 00:19:25,419 Oh yeah, he's on his mat. 370 00:19:25,479 --> 00:19:26,049 Go visit him. 371 00:19:26,589 --> 00:19:27,489 You know where to find him. 372 00:19:28,869 --> 00:19:30,939 Every morning he woke up on this mat. 373 00:19:31,615 --> 00:19:33,534 Every night he went to sleep on this mat. 374 00:19:36,054 --> 00:19:37,074 That mat defined him. 375 00:19:38,905 --> 00:19:44,365 You know, for us, I think sometimes we have mats in our lives that define us. 376 00:19:44,395 --> 00:19:44,605 That's right. 377 00:19:45,625 --> 00:19:46,675 That can be our identity. 378 00:19:47,574 --> 00:19:51,085 You know, some of us have been lying on the same mat for so long. 379 00:19:51,835 --> 00:19:53,185 It begins to feel normal. 380 00:19:54,955 --> 00:19:56,395 It begins to feel safe. 381 00:19:56,439 --> 00:19:56,499 Yeah. 382 00:19:57,340 --> 00:19:59,649 It begins to feel like, oh, I, I actually like my mat. 383 00:19:59,709 --> 00:20:01,659 That's why I'm gonna make my excuses. 384 00:20:02,169 --> 00:20:02,799 Do I want to get what? 385 00:20:02,799 --> 00:20:04,959 Oh, I don't know if I want to get up from my mat. 386 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:07,809 I don't know if I really want to change. 387 00:20:09,340 --> 00:20:10,539 And we've gotten stuck. 388 00:20:11,169 --> 00:20:11,350 Yep. 389 00:20:11,949 --> 00:20:12,100 Come on. 390 00:20:12,100 --> 00:20:12,219 Copy. 391 00:20:13,929 --> 00:20:17,409 The three mats I think that we could probably relate to is, I think 392 00:20:17,409 --> 00:20:18,820 the first one's the failure map. 393 00:20:19,989 --> 00:20:20,199 Yeah. 394 00:20:20,259 --> 00:20:21,249 For some of us. 395 00:20:21,774 --> 00:20:25,014 That mat is the fear of failure and a decision. 396 00:20:25,195 --> 00:20:29,874 Maybe in the past you regret, maybe it's a mistake you made, something you're ashamed 397 00:20:29,874 --> 00:20:34,824 of, and even though God forgave you, you're still allowing that to define you. 398 00:20:37,104 --> 00:20:39,804 I think others of us could be maybe the wounded church mat. 399 00:20:40,435 --> 00:20:43,284 We're all people and people sin people hurt each other. 400 00:20:43,614 --> 00:20:46,524 Our church is not perfect and people have been hurt. 401 00:20:47,215 --> 00:20:49,479 And for some of us, this mat is a mat of pain. 402 00:20:50,724 --> 00:20:56,904 And wounds from the past, the losses, the painful memories. 403 00:20:56,904 --> 00:21:00,114 Maybe it's the hope that was deferred, something you prayed for for so 404 00:21:00,114 --> 00:21:02,334 long, God hasn't answered on it yet. 405 00:21:03,144 --> 00:21:07,194 And over time, caution became your identity, became your mat. 406 00:21:07,944 --> 00:21:11,124 Or maybe getting negative or critical became your default. 407 00:21:13,284 --> 00:21:17,034 You see, you can't build the future of a healthy church from 408 00:21:17,034 --> 00:21:18,984 the posture of self protection. 409 00:21:18,999 --> 00:21:19,059 Wow. 410 00:21:20,559 --> 00:21:24,069 We have to lean into one another and build one another up. 411 00:21:25,329 --> 00:21:27,819 And for others of us, I think this can relate maybe more to 412 00:21:27,819 --> 00:21:33,669 some of our youth in our campus, is the mat of insecurity or fear. 413 00:21:34,749 --> 00:21:36,579 We live in an anxious generation. 414 00:21:38,859 --> 00:21:42,129 Maybe you question your capability, your sense of self-worth. 415 00:21:42,519 --> 00:21:45,669 I'm not leadership material, so do I really have value in God's kingdom? 416 00:21:46,089 --> 00:21:46,809 Can be the lie. 417 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:53,649 Maybe you've attempted to follow Jesus, study the Bible, but it didn't work out. 418 00:21:55,899 --> 00:22:00,310 And culture tells you your struggle is your identity, but 419 00:22:00,310 --> 00:22:02,110 Jesus wants to redefine you. 420 00:22:02,110 --> 00:22:05,860 Church, Jesus wants to write the story. 421 00:22:06,610 --> 00:22:08,439 Jesus wants to redeem you 422 00:22:10,659 --> 00:22:12,010 and notice something powerful. 423 00:22:12,010 --> 00:22:14,735 What Jesus says, he tells him to get up. 424 00:22:15,924 --> 00:22:18,205 Pick up his mat and walk. 425 00:22:19,014 --> 00:22:20,904 I love that, that, that imagery. 426 00:22:20,904 --> 00:22:23,334 He says, pick it up, pick up the mat. 427 00:22:26,094 --> 00:22:30,264 Pick up this mat, this identity you've been sitting on for so long. 428 00:22:31,014 --> 00:22:33,024 Pick it up, carry it. 429 00:22:34,854 --> 00:22:36,174 And what does he say in verse nine? 430 00:22:36,174 --> 00:22:41,344 He does, he says that once the man was cured, he picked up his mat and he walked. 431 00:22:44,679 --> 00:22:48,669 The mat that once carried him becomes the thing that he's carrying. 432 00:22:49,780 --> 00:22:54,550 The mat that he was identifying with no longer has power over him, 433 00:22:56,620 --> 00:22:57,550 and that's redemption. 434 00:22:57,550 --> 00:23:01,149 Brothers and sisters, that's what Jesus wants to do in the OC church. 435 00:23:01,449 --> 00:23:02,504 Jesus wants to redeem. 436 00:23:03,174 --> 00:23:08,215 He wants us to carry these mats and he wants us to go forward and build for him. 437 00:23:14,485 --> 00:23:18,379 Imagine for a moment, brothers and sisters, a church where 438 00:23:19,465 --> 00:23:20,934 we're all carrying our mats. 439 00:23:21,715 --> 00:23:22,999 We're not defined by 'em. 440 00:23:22,999 --> 00:23:24,624 They're pieces of us. 441 00:23:24,624 --> 00:23:25,975 They're useful, they're great. 442 00:23:26,004 --> 00:23:27,024 We all have our gifts. 443 00:23:27,024 --> 00:23:30,445 We all have our different things we identify with, but 444 00:23:30,445 --> 00:23:32,184 we're not identified by this. 445 00:23:33,129 --> 00:23:34,420 We're identified by God. 446 00:23:35,830 --> 00:23:37,210 Imagine the impact we can have. 447 00:23:37,210 --> 00:23:40,360 Imagine the, the, the community will have in here when we're no 448 00:23:40,360 --> 00:23:42,430 longer allowing these to define us. 449 00:23:43,930 --> 00:23:48,700 You know, as we transition to our time of communion, I want us to 450 00:23:48,700 --> 00:23:49,810 remember where this comes from. 451 00:23:50,889 --> 00:23:54,340 We're able to carry these mats because of the cross. 452 00:23:55,540 --> 00:24:00,129 We're able to have redemption because of what Jesus did for us. 453 00:24:01,014 --> 00:24:03,745 Jesus is standing there saying, do you want to get well? 454 00:24:04,225 --> 00:24:07,465 And Jesus has paved the way for us to get well. 455 00:24:08,634 --> 00:24:13,495 You see the cross, it won't erase your past, but it will redeem it. 456 00:24:14,245 --> 00:24:15,475 It can redefine it. 457 00:24:19,165 --> 00:24:25,374 You can go from waiting, stuck, being identified by your mat to 458 00:24:25,374 --> 00:24:28,354 a place of walking with Christ. 459 00:24:28,659 --> 00:24:31,989 Yeah, moving forward for him. 460 00:24:33,340 --> 00:24:37,570 And so as we get ready to pray here in a moment, always remember 461 00:24:37,570 --> 00:24:38,679 where the power came from. 462 00:24:39,729 --> 00:24:43,899 Always remember, it's from the cross of Christ, brothers and sisters. 463 00:24:43,899 --> 00:24:47,800 If we're gonna lean into this new era, we have to put it at the foot of the cross. 464 00:24:49,060 --> 00:24:51,669 The man picked up his mat because Jesus spoke. 465 00:24:51,759 --> 00:24:54,580 We stand today because Jesus died and rose. 466 00:24:55,330 --> 00:24:57,999 That's why when he says to get up. 467 00:24:58,794 --> 00:25:00,475 Pick up your mat and walk. 468 00:25:00,864 --> 00:25:01,945 We all can do the same. 469 00:25:01,945 --> 00:25:02,364 Amen. 470 00:25:02,679 --> 00:25:02,969 Amen. 471 00:25:03,144 --> 00:25:03,445 Amen. 472 00:25:03,445 --> 00:25:03,894 Let's pray. 473 00:25:05,514 --> 00:25:09,175 Father, thank you so much for this morning, so thank you so much, 474 00:25:09,175 --> 00:25:12,475 father, for the example of Christ. 475 00:25:14,034 --> 00:25:17,725 Lord, thank you for stories like this that are so relatable and so relevant, 476 00:25:17,725 --> 00:25:23,485 and just for the ability for us in 2026 to connect with these ancient scriptures 477 00:25:23,814 --> 00:25:26,274 that are gonna help us draw closer to you. 478 00:25:27,024 --> 00:25:27,864 Thank you for. 479 00:25:28,179 --> 00:25:31,810 The example of this man who eventually, even though he made his 480 00:25:31,810 --> 00:25:34,360 excuses, he obeyed Jesus' command. 481 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:37,479 He got up, he picked up his mat, and he walked. 482 00:25:37,779 --> 00:25:42,129 I pray that you would help every single individual in here this 483 00:25:42,129 --> 00:25:45,159 morning to pick up their mat and walk. 484 00:25:45,909 --> 00:25:49,600 I pray that we can go from this place of being stuck and waiting 485 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:51,999 and begin walking with you. 486 00:25:51,999 --> 00:25:53,649 Lord, you want us to walk with you? 487 00:25:55,210 --> 00:25:55,960 Lord, we love you. 488 00:25:55,960 --> 00:25:56,530 We thank you. 489 00:25:56,530 --> 00:25:59,500 We're so grateful to be able to serve a God like you. 490 00:26:00,340 --> 00:26:04,930 I pray that as we take the communion and reflect on the cross and the sacrifice 491 00:26:04,930 --> 00:26:10,870 of Jesus, Lord, that you would humble our hearts, fill us with gratitude. 492 00:26:10,870 --> 00:26:15,040 Fill us with a sense of peace that only can come from you because 493 00:26:15,639 --> 00:26:17,320 you want us to have a new life. 494 00:26:17,740 --> 00:26:21,490 You wanna redeem us, you wanna redefine us, and you want 495 00:26:21,490 --> 00:26:22,735 to help us to move forward. 496 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:24,399 We love you, Lord. 497 00:26:24,399 --> 00:26:26,110 We thank you in Jesus' name. 498 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:26,620 Amen.