John 5 Notes - Do You Want to Get Well?

“A copy of Pastor Joe’s notes from Gateway’s Bible Study”-darren

Pastor Joe Key Points John CH 5

Do You Want to Be Well? (Verses 1 to 9)
Jesus encounters a man who had been disabled for thirty-eight years at the pool of Bethesda and asks a direct question. I was talking to someone this week that said they had gone through a challenging season many years ago. Those trials caused them to develop a way to “feel better” that led to them slightly bending the truth. We call that “deception”. The slightly bending of the truth continued to grow ever so slightly until they were lying in so many ways to so many different people that they couldn’t keep track of the lies. Sometimes we live so long in our dysfunction that we start to believe that we are OK.

Discussion Questions

Have you ever adapted or adjusted to a problem instead of addressing it?
What excuses have you used when real change was required?
Is there an area or your life today where you have become spiritually passive?

Remember this…
Healing begins with willingness. Sometimes we are more attached to our story than to our freedom. Do YOU want to get well?

Responsibility and Grace (Verse 14)
After healing the man, Jesus tells him to stop sinning. If you are going to be well, your life is going to change. Think about this man and the “lifestyle” he had been in for decades. If you get well, you need to get dressed in some new clothes. If you get well, you need to start working and taking care of yourself.
Often quoted from Spider-Man as “with great power comes great responsibility,” Responsibility brings accountability and the need to manage consequences.

What about grace? Define GRACE. (God’s riches at Christ’s expense | unmerited favor)
What about “mercy”? What’s the difference between mercy and grace? “Mercy is not getting what you deserve; Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.”

“In your own life, how do you work out the balance between showing grace and holding yourself accountable?”
What habit or compromise needs honest confrontation right now? (work on that one)

Don’t forget that…
Forgiveness removes guilt. Obedience removes patterns. Mercy is God not punishing humanity for sins they deserve. Grace is God blessing humans with gifts they do not deserve, such as salvation and love. Both are essential for salvation and the Christian life.

Authority and Opposition (Verses 16 to 23)
Religious leaders oppose Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. The deeper issue is authority. They didn’t care about the man that was healed. They cared that someone or something else healed him!

Discussion Questions

Where in your life do you feel pulled to fit in rather than follow what you know God is asking?”
“In what situations do you find it hardest to obey God because of outside pressure?”
“Do you usually treat Jesus more like someone who gives good advice, or as the One who has full authority in your life?”

**Authority reveals allegiance. A man cannot serve both approval and obedience. You cannot make everyone happy. People pleasing will wear you down. If you want to make everyone happy, don’t be a leader: sell ice cream!

Life and Judgment (Verses 24 to 30)
Jesus declares that He has authority to give life and execute judgment.

Discussion Questions

How does knowing Christ has ultimate authority shape your daily decisions?
What would “full surrender” look like in your current season of life?

Remember this…
Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is strength under control. Submission to Christ is not weakness. It is strength under divine leadership.

Information Versus Transformation (Verses 39 to 40)
The leaders knew Scripture but refused to come to Jesus. Here’s the bottom line. You can have all of the right information. You can be in the presence of God. But just as we learned last week, without transformation nothing will change.

Is it possible to know Scripture and still resist surrender?
What is the difference between knowing truth and living it?

There is a difference in head knowledge and heart surrender. Head knowledge without heart surrender produces pride, not life.

Seeking Glory from Men (Verses 41 to 44)
Jesus exposes their desire for human praise. If we are honest, we would probably all say that receiving praise from others feels pretty good. Receiving affirmation from those we love and those we trust is kind of amazing.
We need to always be careful to operate with the right MO…the correct motive…to please the Lord first. Will what I am doing make the Lord happy?

Do You Want to Get Well?

The Man at the Pool — John 5
This man had been sick for 38 years. When Jesus saw him, He asked a piercing question:
“Do you want to get well?”
At first glance, that question seems almost insulting. Of course he wants to get well… right?
But instead of saying yes, the man gave excuses:

No one helps me.
Others get there first.
It’s the timing.
It’s the environment. Jesus wasn’t asking about desire. He was asking about responsibility. Because saying yes means:
A new life
New expectations
New responsibilities If you are healed:
You’ll need new clothes.
You may need a job.
You may need a new environment. Have you considered what you will do when you get better?

The Comfort of Dysfunction
Some people become comfortable in dysfunction.
Drama defines them.
Without it, they feel lost.
In a transitional season, it’s tempting to say:
“Que sera, sera… whatever will be, will be.”
But Jesus cuts deeper:
“Do you want to get well?”
Because when you say yes:

Old things pass away.
Excuses expire.
Responsibility begins.
And then Jesus says:
“Get up. Pick up your mat. Walk.”
You take the mat with you — not to return to it — but to remember what God brought you through.

The Five Porches Around Your Promise
The pool of Bethesda was surrounded by five porches.
Healing was in the center — but obstacles surrounded it.
I believe these represent five levels we must overcome:
1. Discouraged
“There was a great multitude of sick folks…”
Lie: “God doesn’t care about my situation.”
Result: A loss of courage because your problem feels insignificant.

2. Diseased (Thinking)
Physical, emotional, or mental illness that infects perspective.
We become carriers of:

Fear
Doubt
Negative expectation

3. Delusional
Reality becomes skewed.
We confuse:

The natural for the supernatural
Activity for progress
We can’t see clearly.

4. Disengaged
Unattached. Uninterested. Unwilling.
Mentality:
“I’ll figure this out on my own.”
Observer mode instead of participant.

5. Depressed
Fear it won’t work.
Fear it won’t last.
We become depressed instead of impressed.

Conquering the Five Levels
To get well:

We must confront these levels.
We must stop making excuses.
We must accept support.
Some people don’t truly want to get well because getting well requires change.
But you are not a sinker.
You are:
An initiator
A pursuer of destiny
A person who has said YES
“Lord, I want to get well.”
You may be stepping into uncharted waters.
But you are ready for net-breaking activity.
Ready for new partners.
Ready for blessings for your family and your future.

Final Charge
It’s time.
Pick up your mat.
Pick up your life.
Stop rehearsing excuses.
Start moving forward.
And answer the question with a resounding:
YES. I want to get well.

Adapted from Pastor Joe’s Book, “Transitions; Grace to Navigate the Storms of Change”

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