TODAY IS DAY 32 Jesus heals
the invalid at Bethesda
READING:
John 5:1-9
Today’s
miracle is about a man who was paralytic for 38 years and healed by Jesus in
the pool of Bethesda.
POINT 1: JESUS DID NOT WAIT THE MAN TO COME TO HIM. JESUS
HIMSELF WENT TO HIM
- Some
people will never come to Christ unless we go to them and share with them
our love, our care and our testimony.
- How did Jesus reach out to this man?
- He saw him,
- He wisely approached him and
- He powerfully ministered to him.
QUESTIONS
What do you see around
you? Isn’t there someone in your neighborhood, in your family, in your office
or in your school or university you can reach out to? Someone who need some
help from you? Some attention? Some care?
PRAYER
POINTS N0 1
- Pray the Lord to open your eyes so that you can see the needs of others around you (Read and pray with Exodus 3:7-10)
- Pray the Lord to make your heart available to reach out at least at one person to which you can share something.
- Pray the Lord to provide wisdom about a good and effective way to approach those you’d like to reach out to (Read and pray with James 1:6)
- Pray the Lord to empower you by his Spirit with supernatural might so that you can be a blessing to him/her (Read and pray with Acts 1:8)
⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭⧭
POINT
2 AMONG THE MULTITUDE OF CASES, WHY DID JESUS SPOT ONLY ONE CASE?
In verse 3, it is
written that there was a great multitude. Why in such multitude Jesus spotted
only that man? Why not someone else? Was he better than others?
This text gives no
answer to that question. Meanwhile, from Scriptures, three things help us to
answer this question.
First of all, it was
the good pleasure of God’s will to spot him among the multitude. Secondly, he
found grace in the eyes of God. Finally, God purposed to heal him for the glory
of His name.
QUESTIONS
Among the multitude
who died this year, why is it you that God kept alive? Can you look back and
count the blessings of the Lord upon your life? Do you give glory to the Lord
who is the author or do you assume that you are the author? Do you have a
grateful heart? Do you have a praiseful heart? Do you take the grace of God for
granted?
PRAYER
POINTS NO 2
- Repent before the Lord for your lack of gratitude toward the grace of the Lord
- Take time to count the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon your life and pour your heart before him in thanksgivings (Read and pray with Ephesians 2:8)
- Pray the Lord that he will use you in this generation and the next generations for his glory (Read and pray with Ephesians 1:12)
POINT
3 JESUS WILL NEVER HEAL A MAN WHO DOES NOT WANT TO BE HEALED
When Jesus Christ
meets this man, he starts ministering to him by asking him one question: “DO
YOU WANT TO BE HEALED?” (John 5:5).
Why did Jesus ask him
such question? For two reasons:
1st reason: Because
God never forces his will on men but always respects their free will
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus stands at the
door of men’s hearts and knocks but men
are not willing to open. In Isaiah
1:19, it is written “If ye be
willing and obedient, ye shall
eat the good of the land”
In Luke
13:34 it is written "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the
prophets and stoning the ones having been sent to her. How often I wanted to
gather-together your children the way a hen does her own brood under her wings,
and you did not want it."
QUESTIONS
Are you
willing to forgive that man/woman who wronged you so that God can heal your
soul? Are you willing to allow God to use you so that through you many can be
reached and blessed? Are you willing to move to the next level of your
blessing? Are you willing to change?
- Jesus is not asking you "are you able
to be healed?" but "do you want to be healed?"
- Jesus is not asking you “is it possible to
get healed” but “do you want to get healed?”.
- Jesus is not asking you “tell me the story
of what happened” but “do you want to get healed?”
PRAYER POINTS N0 3
- Pray that God forgives your unwillingness to accept and receive what he offers you by his grace (Read and pray with Revelation 3:20)
- Pray that the Father helps you to be willing to receive his grace, to forgive others, to move to the next level (Read and pray with Isaiah 1:19)
- Pray that the Lord helps you to not focus on your ability but to focus on His ability (Read and pray with Luke 13:34)
POINT
4 JESUS WILL NEVER SOLVE THE PROBLEM UNLESS HE DEALS WITH THE ROOT
2nd reason: Because Jesus wanted
to diagnose and locate the root of his problem so that he can properly solve
it.
The
Bible says in John 5:7 “The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have
no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am
coming, another steppeth down before me.
From
this answer, we discover that that man had 2 problems which kept him for so long
into captivity:
1st
thing : When he says “I have no man to put me into the pool when the
water is troubled,”, he does not take responsibility but blames others who are
not helping him.
2nd
thing : When he says “While I am going another steps down before
me", he compares himself with others and concludes that he is
disadvantaged because others are faster than him.
Question/
Do you have the same blueprint with that man? Do you think that you are where
you are because others are not helping you? Do you compare yourself with
others? Do you think that you are disadvantaged comparing with others?
PRAYER POINTS NO 4
- Pray that the Lord helps you to stop blaming others and start taking responsibility for your actions
- Pray that the Lord delivers you from thinking that you are disadvantaged. (Read and pray with Acts 10:34)
- Pray that the Lord helps you to discover your abilities, your potential, your talents, your capacities. (Read and pray with Matthew 25:15)
- Pray that the Lord helps you to stop looking up to men for help but to God for help. (Read and pray with Psalm 34:5)
- Pray that the Lord helps you to build up your inner confidence (Psalm 27:3)
POINT
5 RISE, TAKE UP YOUR PALLET AND WALK
In
order for Jesus to provide healing to this man, He gives him 3 instructions:
rise, take up your pallet and walk.
1st
instruction: "Rise
+
This instruction means "Draw the strength in you. Stop waiting others to
do it for you”
2nd
instruction: Take up your pallet
+
This instruction means "Stop being carried. Start carrying"; "Stop
being a burden. Start carrying others’ burden"
3rd
instruction: Walk
+
This instruction means "Start doing with my power what you were not able
to do by yourself"
QUESTIONS
Do you know the power
God has deposited in you in Christ? Are you a burden to others or are you a
burden carrier? Do you have faith that you can do with the power of Christ what
you have never been able to do with your own power?
PRAYER POINTS N0 5
- Pray that the Lord opens the eyes of your understanding so that you may know the exceeding greatness of His power deposited in you. (Read and pray with Ephesians 1:19)
- Pray that the Lord helps you to never be a burden to others but a carrier of others’ burden (Read and pray with Galatians 6:2)
- Pray that the Lord empower you to do supernaturally what you are not able to do naturally (Read and pray with Acts 1:8)
IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST !
JESUS IS LORD !
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Pastor T.D. KASUKU K.K.
The Word Of Life Church International
Nairobi/Kenya
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