I'm jealous, but it might be that. But I know some pastors, they're great preachers, big giant churches, they can play piano, they sing, they can preach good. I'm like, man, they got all that talent, you know what I mean? They get up there and they can sing, and they can play the piano and all this. I'm like, wow, I just wanna try to squeak out a voice, you know? Amen, amen. Well, I hope you had a good day today. I hope the Eagles win. I'm looking forward to watching the game when I get home. But that's not the most important thing, is it? Let's look at something that is important. John chapter 5. Let me know when you're there. Let's start in verse 1 if you're there. Are you there? John 5? It says, After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda. having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, and blind, and halt. Look at this. I just noticed I had this on my wrist, a brand new tag for my coat. He touched me. It says, in these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, and blind, and halt, and withered. And what were they doing there? They're waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at certain seasons into the pool and troubled the waters. And whosoever then first, after the troubling of the waters, stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." I like that verse in verse 3. It says, there lay a great multitude of infinite folk, people like, it says, blind, halt, withered. And what are they doing? They're waiting. They're waiting for the moving of the water, and they're waiting for God to heal them. They're waiting for something good to happen. Amen? And maybe that's you today, or maybe that was you, waiting around for God to do something mighty. I'll tell you right now, God's always doing something mighty. Amen? But I want you to wait on the Lord. I want you to be patient on the Lord. But I like these people, because every day they showed up. There was porches, and they laid down. They didn't live here. It means every day they went home, every night, and every day they came back, and every day they came back, and every day they came back. And it says in verse 5, and a certain man was there which had an infirmity, look at this, 38 years. That's a long time. And for 38 years, Tony, he's been coming back there. 38 years he didn't give up hope. It might have dwindled, but he had enough faith to come every single day for 38 years, Joe. I can't believe it. And he, he didn't get healed. He didn't get touched. God didn't touch him and all that things. And, but he kept coming back and it goes to stories about him. And I just want to learn something from his life here. And it says in verse six, and when Jesus saw him lie, he knew that he had been now a long time in that case. And he said unto him, wilt thou be made whole? I love this where Jesus and a lot of thoughts come to my mind. But Jesus went to Jerusalem every year with his family. And Jesus is now 30 years old, 31. And he sees this guy, I wonder if he saw him every year as a little boy going up to Jerusalem. I wonder if he saw the same guy every year. And it wasn't until he was sent by God at 30 years old to do his ministry. Because remember, he couldn't do it. He didn't want to do anything until it was time. Remember his mother was at the wedding and said, hey, they're out of wine. Can you turn this? And he said, woman, what have I to do? My hour is not yet come. I can't start doing miracles yet. So I imagine Jesus seeing this man for all those years, saying, man, I want to touch him, but I can't. I can't do it yet. I'm not. I'm not. I have to wait. I have to wait. And just like this man was waiting, I believe Jesus was waiting to heal the man. And I think that when you're waiting, I believe Jesus is waiting as well to give you the miracle you're looking for. Waiting to answer your prayer. Waiting to, because you know what? Jesus said, and I did, and he said, it's better to give than receive. Those that receive the gifts from God are blessed, but God gets more blessings given them. giving them to you, being there to touch you and heal you. Wouldn't it be great if we had the power of healing? I mean, think about it. If I could ask for any gift, I would love that. To be able to go to people that are sick and touch them and see them made whole. Be able to go to the hospital and the children's hospital in those rooms and see the little kids with the bald heads and go in there and touch them. Oh my goodness, that would be the greatest day ever, Larry. If I was able to heal somebody, And Jesus was able to heal anybody. And he waited all those years and he knew this man was waiting there a long time. I wonder if the man would have given up the day before. I wonder if the man would have given up hope. You know what I mean? Just days before, a week before, but he waited 38 years. It says in verse six, and when Jesus saw him lie, and he knew that he was there a long time, that in that case, Jesus asked him a question. This is what he said. He said, will you be made whole? It's a funny question when you think about it. He says, will you? In other words, do you want to be made whole? But he didn't say, do you want to? He said, will you? He's asking the guy his own faith. He's asking the man, will you? It's been 38 years you've been coming. 38 years going home in the same condition. 38 years you've been coming. 38 years going home in the same condition. Are you ever gonna be made whole? Think about that. He was asking the man his faith. And look what the man says, his answer. The impotent man answered him and said, I have no man. when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool. But while I'm coming, another steps down before me. 38 years, he's been there. In 38 years, he's seen the water troubled by an angel to be able to heal it. He tried to get down. Somebody always got in first. Somebody always got in first. Somebody always got in front of him. You know, think about 38 years of that happening, and he keeps on coming back, Anton. I like people that don't give up. I like people that don't quit. I like people that after 12 years come back. I like people after 10 years come back. I like people, you know what I mean, like they're just not going to give up. If that makes me happy, imagine how it makes God happy. You know what I mean? And look what happens. It says in verse 8, Jesus said unto him, rise, take up thy bed and walk. What a great thing to say to this man. He's been waiting 38 years to hear it. And it says that immediately, immediately the man was made whole. He touched me. And now I am whole. And it says immediately the man was made whole and he took up his bed and he walked on that same day was the Sabbath. And the Jews therefore said unto him that was cured on the Sabbath day. It is not lawful for you to carry your bed. Now here he's cut. He's allowed to carry his bed in. He's not allowed to carry it out. Makes no sense, but he's carrying it out. And of course, the religious crowd tells him that you can't do this. Verse 11, he answered them. He said, he that made me whole, the same said unto me, take up thy bed and walk. Then asked they him, what man is that which said to thee, take up thy bed and walk? And he that was healed whisked not. He didn't know who it was. For Jesus had conveyed himself away multitude being in that place. Afterwards, Jesus, I want you to pay attention to this, afterwards Jesus finds him in the temple and said unto him, behold thou art made whole. Now remember he asked him, will you be made whole? And the guy said, he didn't say I'm about to give up, he didn't say no, he didn't say yes, he just said I don't have anyone to help me. Sometimes that's all someone needs, is just someone to help them. Will you come to know the Lord? I just need someone to help me. Maybe someone to help me pick me up for church and bring me in. Maybe somebody help me to read the Bible. I have trouble seeing. Maybe so whatever it is, all he needed was someone to help him. And just think what you could do if you just a little help for somebody. Don't ever stop. having hope that the people you care about and love will end up getting saved. This man, 38 years. Amen. Jesus asked me, he said, will you be made whole? And he said, I don't have anyone to help me. I try and every year I come or every day I come and I'm waiting and I'm trying, but everyone else jumps in before me. And Jesus said, get up, walk. And then he sees him later on and he said, have you been made whole? Look what he said here. He said, In verse 14, afterwards, Jesus finds him in the temple and said to him, behold, you're made whole. Sin no more, lest the worst thing come unto thee. I want you to think about this for a minute is what is your innermost desire? If God came to you and said to you, what do you want? And I'm being serious about that because he asked this man, he said, will you be made whole? And the man said, well, that's why I'm here. I'm here for 38 years to be made whole. I've been coming 38 years to this pool so that I can be healed, so I can walk again, so I can be whole, a real man. I want you to think about that. If God asked you right now and said, okay, you've been coming to church for this long, you've been doing this, what is it you really want? And if God asks you that question, what do you want? I wonder how you'd answer it. But I want you to think about this, is that each person has a desire of what they want. Each person, you have a desire, I have a desire, doesn't mean it's the same desire, amen? But this man's body was He wanted his body back the way it used to be. And he believed he could. And if only he had someone to help him. Well, he received what he wanted. He wanted to be made whole, and he was made whole. And all he needed was his faith to be completed was a man to help him, someone to help him out. He believed he could do it, but he knew that he needed help. And Jesus knew that he needed help. And Jesus waited probably 38 years for someone to help him. And nobody helped him, but Jesus came to help them. Let me ask you a question. What is your desire for yourself? If Christ came to you and said, will you be? What is it that you would be? Will you be? This man wanted to be made whole because he couldn't walk. Makes sense. What about you? What is your thing that you would say to God? if he'd say, what is it, what's your desire? I want you to think about that. What is your desire? And what would happen if Jesus gave you that desire? What would happen if after Jesus makes you whole? Because I thought of this years and years ago. I used to have a prison ministry and many of the people were, many of the guys in jail, they were all from drinking and drugs and stuck on things like, I appreciate Larry and I appreciate Gerald talking about their sobriety and many other people, but after Jesus makes you whole, after he makes you clean, after he delivers you from drugs and alcohol and pornographies and gambling and all the evil that was in your life, and you have help now, and you're around people. And Jesus says the same thing to you. He says, behold, you've been made clean now, you've been helped now, amen? Many of us are here in this condition, and we were in a condition, but now we've been made whole. Now we've been made complete. Now we don't drink and drugs and that anymore, amen? So now Jesus is saying, okay, look, you've been made whole, now what? Now what are you gonna do? And you have to answer these questions, because many of us, without us even knowing it, have been made whole, and we're still waiting for something, a moving of God, and God's already moved. He's already taken away your sin. He's already taken away your shame. He's already taken away your judgment. He's already cleansed you. He's already made you whole. The Bible says you are complete in him. You have every single thing you need to do what it is that you desire, but for some reason you keep hanging around thinking you're waiting for God to do something. I think God's waiting for us to do something. I really do. What did Jesus say to heal him? He said, get up, walk. Go. And I think of that, and I'm like, God, if only this, if I could have this, or I wish this would happen. You know what I mean? And we're sitting around wishing at the wishing well, and it's God saying, do it. It's already done. You just have to have enough faith to just do it. And I want you to think when he said, behold, Jesus said, you are made whole. This is what he said, go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. Many of us were in the circumstances like that. Because of sin, it's put us in a bad spot. Because of sin, it's messed our lives up. Because of sin, it's maybe hurt our bodies, maybe hurt our health. Because of sin, it's hurt relationships. It's done this. Whatever that sin is, and it's ruined our lives, and it's rendered us infinite, like this man was. He wasn't able. And we need God's help. And if only God would just fix me. If only God would help me. If only God would take this out of the way. And I'm here to tell you right now, I believe He's already did it. I don't think there's anything stopping us anymore, except ourselves. We sit around this all the time saying, I wish God would do something. I wish God would move, and I think he's already moved. I've seen him move today. I've seen him move in your lives. I see God doing things in your life, but we miss it. And the guy had faith, did he not? He had faith, but as James said, can faith alone save you? He had to get up and he had to walk. I wonder if Jesus, well, it's kind of dumb to say I wonder, because I know what would happen, but if Jesus would have never said to him, get up and walk, I wonder what he would say to us. Get up, go, do what it is that's in your heart. What is it that you want Jesus to do in your life? Why don't you start acting like he's already done it? See what happens. Why don't you just start believing and having faith? Because I believe that he's already done it. I believe he's already moved. The moving of God has already been on many of us. I'm telling you right now, I've seen it. And I know you've probably seen it. You might be waiting for something. But, you know, he said he needed a man. I'm here to tell you right now, you got a man. I'm here to tell you, look to your left, look to your right. You got friends. You got people here. If people are here, you're not alone. You might think that your circumstances are tough and never going to work. It's never going to work out. I'm telling you right now, you got people here. Yes, I'm going to help you. If you need help with growing in the Lord, you need help getting the church, you need help with reading your Bible, you need help going out and winning souls, telling somebody about Jesus, whatever it is you need help to do. I don't know what's in your heart, I don't know what's in your mind, and I certainly don't know what's in your prayers, but whatever Jesus said, what is it that you want? You want me to move? What do you want me to do? And the guy said, I just want to be whole. And Jesus said, get up, go. And then, you know, after that, he said, look, you've been made whole. Now what? Many of us have been made whole, but we're in the now what. What's stopping you? Think about it. I wanted that guy for 38 years. The day after he gets made whole, Gene, I wonder if he goes back, because he's so used to going back to the same things. He's so used to going back for 38 years, every single day, Joe. You know, he's made whole. Well, I got to get up. What are you doing tomorrow? I got to get back there. You know what I mean? Like he's not even thinking, you don't need to go there anymore. You don't need to do that anymore. I just wonder if we get in a routine in our lives and we don't even need to be in that routine anymore, but we're so used to doing it that we just do it. And God's like saying, yo, what do you want? Oh, I wish I had this. And God's like, I did that for you a long time ago. You've been made free, hallelujah. You've been delivered from darkness. You have the power of God in you. You have everything you need. And I just was hoping that one of us, somebody here would get something. Maybe a light would go off and realize you've been touched. You've been touched. God moved in your life. I've seen Him move in your life, Anton. I've seen Him. I've seen Him move in you guys' lives. I've seen Him totally move in you guys' lives. I see God moving. And I know He's moved. And I want you to realize that nothing shall be impossible for you. You can do anything. You know, if you want, if you, if you're, I don't know what your desire is. What is your desire? And if it's for someone else, that's a different story. But what is your desire for you? What are you asking God for you for? What do you want to be? What do you wish was removed? What do you wish you did? Turn with me real quick to Proverbs chapter four, and I'll be finished. Proverbs chapter four, let me know when you're there. In verse 23, I love this verse, it says, keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life. Keep your heart. I believe that's where God moves. He moves in your heart. I believe the stirring of the waters is the stirring of your heart. And I believe God has been stirring, God has been moving, God has been working, but yet nothing's happening in your life. I don't know why, but I believe God wants you today to say, what do you want? And then say, okay, go ahead and do it. And you just need to actually do it. It says, and also says in Proverbs 12, verse 11, look in Proverbs 12, verse 11. I like this verse. I like them all. It says, he that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread. But he that followeth vain persons, people, is void of understanding. He that tills his land, your land is your heart. He that keeps your heart tender, keeps your heart safe, soft, it says he's going to be satisfied. You know, being satisfied is a great thing. There's so many people that have so much and they're not satisfied. Then there's people with so little and yet they are satisfied. Satisfaction is a wonderful, wonderful thing. To till your land means you gotta dig it up, you gotta keep it soft, keep the ground ready for almost anything. You know, you can't let your heart get hard. You can't let it, 38 years of waiting there, I guarantee my heart would be hard. 38 years, Cindy, can you imagine coming, you know, and somebody, I know people that on Sunday morning here, and they told me this, and it's funny, I didn't think of it, they said for 38 years, too, that's what they told me, they've been going to church for 38 years, and they said they've never been used by God as much as they have in this church. 38 years, I'm like, well, what have you been waiting for? And the truth of the matter is, is every man and woman in this church should be teaching, preaching, song leading, maybe playing piano, whatever it is. You have gifts and you can do it. I know you can. Cindy tells me she can sing. I'm waiting for that song. One of you ladies told me you played an instrument. Was it you, Linda? No? Somebody, but every guy in here should be up here preaching. on a Sunday night, Wednesday night, even some Sunday morning. You know what I mean? Like there's nothing stopping you from being what God wants you to be. And I just think about tilling your land, keeping your heart shall be satisfied. Being satisfied is a great thing. It really is. How many people really are satisfied? with anything. I mean, being not satisfied leads to, it leads to, I'm sorry, being satisfied leads to, I'm sorry, I got it wrong. Being not satisfied leads to contempt and confusion, and it leads to complaining, and it leads to never being happy with anything. If you can't be satisfied with things that are good, you're really never going to be satisfied with anything. And the truth of the matter is, I have not been satisfied with the church services on Sunday mornings, or Sunday nights, or Wednesday nights. I haven't been satisfied. Today I was satisfied. It was nice to see everybody here, six hands raised for salvation. It was nice. You know what God told me? He said, it shouldn't matter how many people are here for you to be satisfied. You know why? Because I see God working in your hearts. And I want you to see God working in your hearts. I see it. I see it. And now God wants you to see it so that you don't have to say, oh, well, I just need this, or I just need that. But complaining, and it leads to an unhappy person. Being satisfied is a wonderful feeling. It truly is. And when you are, nothing seems to bother you. A little bit like you're talking about. When you're satisfied with the Lord, When you're satisfied with being saved. When you're satisfied with Jesus Christ. Think about that. You've been given the greatest gift in the world. God touched you. He made you whole. He's given you eternal life. He's forgiven you of every sin you've ever committed or ever will commit. He's given you his word. He's given you his spirit. He's given you his church. He's given you crazy knuckleheads to hang around with. He's giving you a church to come to. He's giving you America. He's giving you a house. He's giving us so much. In all reality, we need to be satisfied. And that comes from in here. We got to tell our hearts, keep our hearts. And we just have to really think about what it is that we do have. And I thank you for your praises. I thank you for praising God for everything. But when nothing seems to make you satisfied, you're going to be grumpy and complaining all the time. So I think you should start somewhere with being satisfied with something. And marriages, job, money, I'll tell you right now, all of it, you can always complain about something, right? But the Bible says godliness with contentment is great gain. I'll be honest with you, I'm very pleased tonight, just you being here. I have a peace in my heart. I did not think there would be 10 people here tonight. because of the Eagles game here and all that. I thought, I'm like, oh, nobody's going to show up. I appreciate you guys being here. Sarah Jean, it's great seeing you and Savannah here on a Sunday night. It's great seeing all of you here tonight. Larry, Christine, I'm just telling you, and ladies. I needed God to tell me, say, Mike, what do you want? And I'm like, well, I want more people in church. You know what I mean? Like, I got these once. And he's like, and he tells me, he says, how come you're not satisfied with what you have? You know what I mean? And here, this guy, he came to him after he made him whole and he said, well, you've been made whole. Now what? The guy could have found something to complain about, couldn't he have? Right? Well, you know, I don't have a job. And my point to all that is that I can learn a lot from this guy. 38 years he kept coming. In 38 years, he didn't get what he wanted. But finally he got what he wanted. And Jesus came back to him and said, now what? So how many times have you had your prayers answered? Amen? Now what? How many times has God moved in your life? Now what? Has Jesus touched you and made you whole? Now what? There's no excuses, amen? We got 2025, a whole new year. We're in January, two weeks in, not even two weeks in. Today's the 12th, right? Yes, not even two weeks into the first of the year. We have a whole new year ahead of us. I think we ought to be the now what? There's no excuses for us not to go out and share the gospel. There's no excuses for us not to be used by God. There's no excuses for anything because God's already made you whole. You got young people here. You got an old man here. And I'll tell you right now, there's nothing that you cannot do. Nothing. There's nothing. Joe, don't get mad at me, but Joe has a prosthetic leg, and he's the last person I would ask to carry down 50 to 100 pounds of cans up and down the steps all day, and yet he did it. Because he can do it. You know what I mean? It's like, we can say, oh, I got a bad back, oh, I got this. You'd be surprised, but you can definitely try. Amen? Amen. That's all I have for you tonight. I just want you to realize that. In 1 Timothy 6, 6, you don't have to turn there, but it says, it says, godliness with contentment is great gain. You have godliness. You have God, don't you? Now you need to be content with Him. That's great gain. There's many things you want to ask for. Ask, you shall receive. But then what? Have you ever asked for anything, Cindy, and got it? Joe, you ever asked for anything? Kira, did you ever ask for anything? Get it? How about you? Marcy, you asked for your daughter here. And look, she's here. So you've gotten what you asked for. Now what? You know what I mean? That's how your life, the rest of your life, you're either going to be, well, I need this. Well, I need this. God's like, you've been waiting your whole life for this. Now what? And so I just want you to realize there's nothing holding you back. You're able to do anything. You're in a great place right here because I'm not a pastor that's going to say you can't do something. because God says you can do all things. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Father God in heaven, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world, he's our light, he's our Lord, he's our God, he's our King. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the path of righteousness. He is the song in my heart. He is the reason I sing. He is the salvation. Knowing, Lord, knowing, not hoping, knowing that when I die, I'm gonna be with you in heaven forever. What a great gift that is, the gift of eternal, everlasting life. Thank you, Jesus. Forgive me when I complain. Forgive me when I am not satisfied with what you've given me. Because what you give me is so good. And I know each and every one of us here, you've given us so much. I thank you for this building and this property. I thank you for each and every person that comes here on a Sunday night, a Wednesday night, a Sunday morning, a Tuesday evening. Thank you for those faithful like that man for 38 years, he kept coming. And Lord, thank you for putting his name in the Bible, putting his story. I can't wait till one day I'm going to meet him. And I just pray, Lord God, that you would work and move in each and every one of our hearts. Stir us, stir us up, Lord. And I just pray that each and every one of us will realize what we've been given. The greatest gift in the world, that you left heaven and you came down and you touched us. You made us whole. We are saved. We are forgiven. We are loved. We have a home in heaven. We have the Word of God, the Bible. We have the greatest country in the world. We have people that care about us. We have someone there to help us. We're never alone. And Lord, I thank you for that. Would you please, Lord, bless us as we go home. I pray this week that we can just think about this little tiny message about being satisfied about now what? We have what we asked for. Now what? Help us to be a help to others. I know that man said he has no man. I wonder if he always went back every day now to help other people get in that water. I don't know if he did, but I wonder if he just became the greatest helper of people. Thank you, Lord, for everyone that's here tonight. Would you please help us? to do what you want us to do. We pray this all in Jesus name. Amen.