Blind. Halt. Withered... Waiting

The message in 6 points

1. Waiting at the pool

   He reads John 5:1-9, where a great multitude of blind, halt and withered people lay by the pool waiting for the water to move. His title comes from verse 3, and he says many people today are waiting in the same way spiritually, but Jesus is in the house.

   1:02:16

2. Spiritually disabled

   Bethesda means house of mercy, and it sat by the sheep gate, a fitting gate for Jesus, the Lion and the Lamb. He says people today can be disabled emotionally, blind to their purpose, paralyzed by habits of sin, or so focused on themselves that they cannot pray for anyone else.

   1:07:04

3. Hope is not in the water

   A house of mercy can become a house of idleness, where people say life will start as soon as things change. Waiting on the Lord means serving him, not lying in bed, and our hope is not in the pool but in Jesus, the great physician who came looking for those in need.

   1:13:51

4. Do you want to be made whole

   After 38 years Jesus asked the man a sincere question, because being made whole means giving up a lifestyle, excuses and an identity built on the past. There is a process, and the man said he had tried, which shows Jesus is looking for us to take the first step.

   1:22:45

5. Take up your bed

   The man carried his bed as a testimony even though religious rulers were offended that he did it on the Sabbath. Pastor Erickson says Jesus had him take his bed out of line and give up his place at the pool, just as the Red Sea closed behind Israel, so there is no plan B to go back.

   1:37:50

6. Stop waiting and do something

   He tells of a young woman, paralyzed in a car crash, who got tired of waiting for healing and began calling school friends to youth services, where many received the Holy Ghost. He calls people to stop waiting, surrender, and come to the altar, since Jesus will not force anything on anyone.

   1:50:50

In his words

Taken word for word from the video, with punctuation added.