Pastor's Notes Hello We're looking at the ways you need to see God's mercy in your life. There are three emotions; shame, anger, and fear. God does not want you living your life filled with shame from your mistakes, filled with anger, or being afraid. That's why He sent Jesus. Jesus' ministry is all about mercy. In fact, he showed mercy to everyone. There's no one he did not show mercy to. Last week we looked at how God gives us mercy for our mistakes. This week we're going to look at a story where Jesus encounters someone who's angry. Perhaps, someone like you and me. Almost all anger in our lives comes from either fear or frustration. Anger is a warning light that says you're afraid or you're frustrated. When you don't have all your needs met you tend to get angry and the more needs that go unmet in your life the more angry a person you become. We need God's mercy when we don't have what we need. The fact is, none of us have all we need. None of us have everything we need within ourselves. We're all finite. We're incomplete. We're broken people with weaknesses. We all have things we lack in life. You don't have all the talents that you need. You don't have all the abilities you need. In fact, God did that intentionally. God gave us different abilities so we would need him and need each other. If you had everything to meet your needs in yourself you wouldn't need God and you wouldn't need other people. So you don't have all the abilities you need in life. You just don't have them. And on top of that we all have disabilities. We're all disabled in different ways. You have some mental disabilities. You can't think in certain ways that other people can. Mental disabilities. You have emotional disabilities and they keep coming up over and over in your relationships. And you fall in the same trap, the same arguments and the same conflict because of your emotional disabilities. You have physical disabilities. Have you noticed that your body isn't perfect? Have you looked in the mirror lately? Your back doesn't always work right. Other parts don't always work right. So we intentionally don't have it all in ourselves. This is because God wants us to be dependent. In America we think independence is the highest priority. But dependence is not a bad word. Dependence is just another word for trust. And trust is another word for faith. And God wants you to learn to depend on him. Why? It makes God happy when we depend on him. It's just like if you're a parent. You are happy when your children trust you. You are happy when your children
depend on you. Because it shows confidence in you. It shows they believe in you. You give them a promise; they believe you're going to keep it. God gets joy from having us be dependent on him. If you don't depend on God in your life and you only depend on yourself, you're going to have a pretty small life. You're going to have a frustrated life because you don't have enough in you to meet all your needs. You could not possibly meet all your needs. So you grow up being frustrated, disappointed and angry. Because you can't meet all your needs. There are needs in your life that only God can meet. And if you try to meet them you're just going to be frustrated, angry, resentful and disappointed. In John 5 we have another story of Jesus showing mercy. This time it's to a disappointed man. The story goes like this in John 5:2-5 "In Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, [There were many gates into the city walls. This gate was called the sheep gate because that's where the sheep went in. Duh! Near the sheep gate there...] was the pool of Bethesda, which was surrounded by five covered porches. [So there's this pool and like a portico around it and a colonnade around it] A large crowd of all sorts of disabled people would lie by the pool, waiting for a miracle. There was a legend [it wasn't true but there was a legend...] that every once in a while an angel would stir up the water, and whoever was the first to get in the water while it was still moving would get what they needed and be made whole. [So a lot of people are sick and they're sitting by this pool waiting for it to be stirred] One poor man had been waiting by the pool for 38 years." That's a long time to wait for a miracle. He's been waiting for his unmet need to be met for 38 years. What unmet need in your life have you been waiting to see met for 38 years? And you keep expecting somebody else to meet that need. Or something else to meet that need. And it's not happening. What have you been waiting on to meet all your needs? If I could just get married all my needs would be met. Anybody want to give a testimony on that one? Okay. This guy's disappointed. He's upset. He's frustrated. He's been laying by this pool for 38 years. Why? Because he put his faith in something besides God. And you're always going to be disappointed if you expect something else or someone else to meet a need in your life that only God can meet. He's disappointed. Imagine how discouraged he is and how let down. He's been lying by this pool for years. He has missed most of his life. Imagine all the good things of life he's missed simply lying by this pool. No wonder he's mad. No wonder he's angry. No wonder he's frustrated. His needs aren't being met. And he's just so disappointed! What's your secret disappointment? If we could do an x-ray on your heart what would it reveal
is your deepest secret disappointment? If I'm really honest Scott I'm disappointed in myself. I thought by this time in my life I'd be further down the road. But I'm not. And life has not turned out the way I thought it was going to be and I am disappointed. Maybe you're disappointed in a family member. Maybe you're disappointed in your career. What does Jesus do with your disappointments? With your secret disappointments? He responds with mercy. This guy's been disappointed for 38 years. And here's what Jesus does in, John 5:6 "When Jesus saw this man and heard that he'd been lying there for such a long time, he asked the man 'Do you want to get well?'" This sounds like an obvious question here doesn't it? Of course he wants to get well. He's been waiting for this. He's put his faith in this pool and he's been waiting for 38 years. Of course he wants to get well. Isn't it obvious he wants to get well? No it's not. A lot of people who are sick don't want to get well because health means you have to change and change is scary. And health means you have to take on responsibilities. You can't just blame other people. You can't just lay around for 38 years. Health means you've got new things in your life that are scary. A lot of people don't want to get well. Do you want to get well? Do you want to get healthy in your relationships? Do you want to get healthy with God? Do you want to get healthy in your life? Do you want to get well? I can't tell you how many people I've counseled; hundreds of people over the years. About their marriage, about their business, about finances, death, divorce and you name it. I couldn't count the number of people that I've talked to who were in very unhealthy, very sick, very miserable relationships and weren't willing to change. I'd go, Why don't you just change? Scott are you telling me to get a divorce? No, no, I'm not saying that. I'm saying change. You change. You can't change someone else. Let's just settle that one. You will never be able to change anyone else. You can only change you. But when you change you, it changes the equation in the relationship and it forces change in the other person's life. So you can't change them but you can change you. And that will change the relationship. When I say, why don't you just do that? They start making up all these excuses. And start giving me rationalizations. And start blaming the other person for their problems. And that's exactly what this guy did. And Jesus asked the question Do you want to get well? A straightforward question. Yes or no. And the guy doesn't give him a yes or no answer. Here's what the guy says back. Jesus said do you want to get well and in John 5:7 "'Sir,' the man replied, 'I have no one to help me get into the pool when the water is
stirred![jesus didn't ask how he was going to get into the pool.] While I'm trying to get there, somebody else always gets ahead of me!'" Jesus didn't ask the man about the pool or the other people at the pool. But the man's anger comes right out. He's missed out on all of the things of life that being able to walk will bring and so notice what he does. He blames other people. There's nobody to put me in the water. They keep cutting in front of me. Who are you blaming for your unhappiness? Who are you blaming for your unhappiness? If my husband, if my wife, if my dad, if my mom... who are you blaming? You are as happy as you choose to be because happiness is a choice. And if you're unhappy it's your fault. Happiness is a choice. No one else can make you or keep you happy. Happiness is a choice. Who are you blaming for your unhappiness? Not only did he blame others, he resented the success of others. He says, while I'm trying to get down there to the pool. And by the way, where are you trying to get? Where is the "there" that you're trying to get? While I'm trying to get there, that goal that you've got in your life, he says somebody else always gets ahead of me. Have you ever felt that way? I just can't get ahead. Everybody else gets ahead of me. Why did he get the promotion? I should have got the promotion. Why did she get engaged? I should have got engaged. How come they're having a baby? We've always wanted to have a baby. You're not only blaming, you're resentful of the success of other people. This is not a very happy man here. He doesn't have what he needs and he's responding with bitterness, anger, frustration and disappointment. And yet Jesus responds to him... with mercy. This is what he does in, John 5:8-9 "Then Jesus simply said, 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and start walking!' When the man trusted Jesus, [that's the key] he was immediately able to walk again." What had seemed impossible became possible when he trusted Jesus. Let me pause here and say this. We know that on earth not everybody gets healed. Not every prayer gets answered. That's on my list of questions to ask Jesus about when I get to Heaven. I know that sometimes when I pray for people they get better. I pray for some people and they died. I don't know why. What I do know is this: This is earth not heaven. In Heaven everything is perfect. On earth nothing is perfect. In Heaven there's no sadness, sorrow, sickness, sin, or suffering. On earth we've got all of that. And that's why we pray, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven because in Heaven God's will is always done and on earth it's almost never done. If I go out here and got drunk and had an accident and killed somebody people say, that must be God's will. That's not God's will. That's
my will. I made a stupid choice. People all the time say, why doesn't God just get rid of all the evil in the world? Fine. Who do you think does the evil? He'd have to kill all of us. It'd be every easy for God to get rid of all the evil in the world. Take away our freedom of choice because the fact is a lot of times I'm selfish. A lot of times I'm mean. A lot of times I'm only thinking of me. A lot of times I couldn't care less about anyone else. And you do the same thing too. And we hurt each other intentionally and unintentionally. And God can easily get rid of all the evil in the world by wiping us out or by taking away our freedom of choice and making us all puppets. But he wants us to choose to love him - a voluntary choice. He doesn't want puppets. Newsflash: Pastor Scott says, "God hates puppets." Hey, that's not what I meant. Live gets twisted up. It's not perfect. We all live with imperfection. I know many godly people who live with chronic pain. Live with chronic pain. And I also know this; when I ask for God's help, God's mercy makes the impossible possible! He can do things that I cannot do. He has power I don't have. He has resources I have never even thought of. And he makes the impossible possible. He makes it possible. What's the impossible problem in your life? The one that's never going to happen? You've been lying by the pool for 38 years and still don't have a husband. There's a double meaning in "pool" right here. If it hasn't happened by now it isn't going to happen. Anytime you use the word impossible listen for laughter from Heaven. Because it's not in God's book. Jesus says this. Luke 18:27 (NIV) "What is impossible with men is possible with God." That problem you think is impossible in your life, sometimes God doesn't remove it. But he gives you super natural power to handle it. Some problems in life you're going to have the rest of your life. They're just not going to go away. And you're just going to have to learn to manage them. But God will give you the power to make the impossible possible. And you'll be able to handle it. Why didn't God just take away all our problems? Because God's more interested in your character than he is in your comfort. The comfort comes in Heaven. But right now you're in school. And God wants you to grow up. And some things you only learn through tough times, like persistence, determination, diligence, and patience. Things like that. If you always get your way you're never learn patience. God wants to grow your character. What's impossible with men is possible with God. I want to be clear. As a pastor I love you, I care about you. My job as your pastor is to be your spiritual coach. Help you make smart decisions. Help you think through the decisions of your life. I want to be clear with you. Some of you, you haven't stepped across the line and opened your life, and
committed your life to Christ. You're thinking about it. That's okay. Take the time to make the smart decision. But I will tell you this: If you open your life to Jesus Christ, you give your life to God, and say God I want to go with your plan for my life from now on instead of my plan, you're not going to have a problem free life. And anyone who tells you that is lying to you. A follower of Jesus has the exact same problems as a nonbeliever. The exact same problems. The difference is we have a power that comes from God to handle it in ways that we could never handle on our own. And you don't get that power until you accept the mercy of God in your life. So I have the same problem, I just have the power and the energy that allows me to handle stuff in far greater ways. And that's what he wants to do in your life. Here's a promise from God to you. Peter 1:3a (TLB) "As you get to know Jesus better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life." If you trust Jesus Christ with your life he will give you everything you need for a good life. It doesn't say everything you greed. It doesn't say everything you want. You might want a Leer Jet. God's probably not going to give that to you. You're going to have to buy that one on your own. But he says I will give you everything you need for living a truly good life and that is a promise of God. When you don't have what you need and you give yourself to the mercy of God, he makes the impossible possible. Don't miss the best life has to offer, find God and unload all that stuff on Him! Blessings, Scott