Introduction:
U2 sang these lyrics: You broke the bonds and you Loosed the chains Carried the cross Of my shame Oh my shame You know I believe it
Sounds great, about Jesus but then they sing: But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
WBTU:
Don’t jump to conclusions or judgments here. Have we ever felt that way?
There has to be something more. I am missing out on something in my Christian life.
Next week planning on speaking about spiritual dryness. Good introduction to that.
The same old practices in our Christian life just don’t seem to have the same punch they did have. The prayers, the Scriptures, the church services, communion, loses something.
When this happens we need to go to God and be honest about where we are and what we are feeling. We need to think about what we want from our relationship with God/ Christ.
We want salvation. Very important, but can be much more to our relationship than that.
There are times in my life when I can say, “These are the moments I will remember on my deathbed and say, ‘That was what I was meant for.’”
There are other times in my life when I am aware of my brokenness, and a longing for real, fundamental change groans within me. In one season of my life I experienced a betrayal so deep that for quite some time I was almost paralyzed. I had the normal feelings of rage, sadness and grief, but there was an even deeper longing- the longing to be healed.
When was the last time we had a longing? A longing for love, a longing for more of God, a longing to live our lives as they were meant to be lived in God? When was the last time we felt a longing for healing and fundamental change groaning within us?
No, no, we need to silence our desires and not dwell upon this. After all desire can be a bad thing. Are not my desires full of human deception and sinful urges? What if these desires overtake me and propel me down a path I ought not to go? Worse yet, what if I find those desires within me and let myself really feel how deep they are ingrained into me, only to discover that those desires cannot be met?
There are several places in the gospels where Jesus asks people questions that helped them to get in touch with their desire and name it in his presence. Questions like, “What do you want? What do you want me to do for you? Do you want to get well?”
Thesis: Let’s look at 3 of those places in the life of Jesus.
For instances:
Mark 10:46-52- Blind Bartimaeus
We don’t know how long Bartimaeus had been spending his days begging by the side of the road, but on this day Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, and he saw an opportunity. Perhaps Jesus could do something for him that no one else had been able to do. Perhaps Jesus could do what he had been hoping for and dreaming of for so long.
But it was noisy and crowded in the city that day, and it would be hard to get anyone’s attention, let alone Jesus. In order to get Jesus’ attention, Bartimaeus had to reach deep within, and cry out from his desire.
Jesus heard him that day, above all the others. The people around Jesus were embarrassed by such an explosion of need and tried to silence him, but Bartimaeus’s cry so captured Jesus’ attention that it stopped him in his tracks. Jesus summoned him and Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?”
Now, if we had been Bartimaeus, we might have gotten a little impatient and said, “What do you mean by this question? Isn’t it obvious? And besides, this is getting a little personal, don’t you think? We don’t know each other that well!”
However, Jesus asked this question for a good reason. This question can penetrate to the core of our being. It brings us face to face with our humanness, our vulnerability, our need. This is a tender place indeed.
The desire of Bartimaeus was granted. It was a holy desire, but what about unholy desires?
In my deepest being I really want something that is unholy.
Mark 10:35-45- Request of James and John
When James and John were bold enough to reveal their desire, it exposed selfish ambition that was harmful to them and to the community of disciples. There are also desires within us that work against the life of the Spirit within us- desires rooted in selfish ambition, pride, lust, fear, self protection, and many others.
I know this is wrong for me so I will not tell the Lord about it. We need to let the Lord know because to refuse to acknowledge what’s real within us, this desire seems to wield a power over us. This power only gets stronger the longer we repress it. How much safer it is for ourselves and everyone around us if we open up our desires in Jesus’ presence and allow him to help us sift through them.
This can be disturbing for us to be exposed before the Lord in this way, but many times this is what we need. We need Jesus to strip away that which is sinful and destructive in our desires and fan into flames those desires that are good and true.
With James and John, Jesus showed compassion and love for them. James and John’s ability to be honest with Jesus opened the way for Jesus to being the process of making right that which was not right within them. If they had not been honest with Jesus about what was going on inside, their darker desires might have eventually destroyed their relationships with the other disciples and their ministry. Look at Judas and what happened to him.
Jesus also showed them actions that would lead to a better way of fulfilling their desires. Be a servant of all. Don’t lord it over others. This lead the other disciples in healthier directions.
Jesus said that he did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life. Object lesson
John 5:1-9a (don’t forget vs. 4 in notes)- Paralytic at pool of Bethesda
Ruth Barton- I have spent a lot of time on the sidelines of youth soccer games and have witnessed all sorts of obnoxiousness on the part of the soccer parents. But every so often a bit of truth presents itself in this unlikeliest of places. One day a particularly overbearing father was yelling at 2 4th grade girls who were converging on the ball and trying to win it for their team. In an attempt to be motivating, the father screamed, “How bad do you want it? You’ve got to really want it!”
This desire, how bad do we want it? The depth of our desire has a lot to do with the outcome of our life. Often, those who accomplish what they set out to do are not those who are the most talented or gifted or who have had the best opportunities. Often they are the ones who are most deeply in touch with how badly they want whatever they want; they are the ones who consistently refuse to be deterred by the things that many of us allow to become excuses.
The paralytic was full of excuses: Vs. 7. Really the paralyzed man never really stated his desire to Jesus. He came up with excuses as to why his desire had not been granted.
Without naming his desire, Jesus surprises everyone by making it possible for this man to walk. Don’t know the faith of this man, it appears he doesn’t have much. Been trying to get the healing from the pool but for many years not able. He has accepted this as his lot in life. Think about the horrible conditions this man has endured for 38 years. 38 years in this condition was unheard of in the days of Jesus. No wheelchairs in those days. Little control over bodily functions. This man was probably the worst case in that crowd of handicapped people. Maybe his family deserted him. Few who are helping him.
In a Peanuts comic strip, we find Snoopy thinking to himself: “Yesterday I was a dog. Today I’m a dog. Tomorrow I’ll probably still be a dog. There’s so little hope for advancement.”
The paralyzed man had enough faith to do as he was told. Picked up his mat and walked. His willingness to do this simple thing, his willingness to follow his desire opened the way for him to experience Jesus’ healing power.
Desire and the willingness to name that desire in Christ’s presence, can be a life changing event. It can be one of the most powerful motivators for a life lived with focus. The willingness to open up this tender and sometimes volatile place in Christ’s presence is part of the intimacy we seek. This can enable us to rise up from our place by the side of the road so that we can actually get on the path to spiritual transformation and follow Christ.
Conclusion and invitation:
Wilt Thou Be made whole as sung by Carroll Roberson
Jesus came to Bethesda's pool, where the crippled did wait for the water to move,
A man had been lame for 38 years, He asked him this question that still rings in my ears.
Chorus- Wilt thou be made whole, do you want a new life, wilt thou be made whole and believe in Christ, do you want to be washed, as white as the snow, God's question to you, wilt thou be made whole?
He said there's no man to help me in the pool, I try to get up there's nothing I can do,
Jesus said rise take up thy bed and go, and by his faith he was made whole,
Chorus- Wilt thou be made whole, do you want a new life, wilt thou be made whole and believe in Christ, do you want to be washed, as white as the snow, God's question to you , wilt thou be made whole?
How to not get well? Just wait. No, come. Plan of salvation.
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
