Do You Want To Get Well?

You guys, on three.

Can we give it up to Jesus?

So,so on three.

So, one, two, 3.

Jesus,what we just experienced there, you guys, with the baptisms. I mean, Jesus says, " Let the children come to me." And we saw that.

We saw that if we can't get you in the pool,Jesus will help us figure it out because we're we're doing baptisms, you guys. That oh my when I get the spirit, I get chills.

I get these goosebumps and I know that's all from God.

So, good morning everyone. So glad you guys are here.

Before we jump in though, I know we already acknowledged Jesus.

We already said hi. But can we also give it up to everybody that got baptized today. I want you guys to see that not only is God's presence here through the baptisms, but can we also thank ouramazing worship team for leading us into I always say that our worship team is amazing.

I I tell Pastor Wes, I'm like, " You guys need to cut an album." Camelback's hit right there. So glad you guys are here.

So over the past several weeks, we've been walking through the series, the questions that Jesus asked.

We started with Pastor Wes. His question was, " Why are you so afraid?" Then we went with Pastor Shavian.

His question was, " Do you loveme?" Pastor James touched on what do you want me to do for you? Pastor Karen spoke on why do you call me Lord?

And she also talked about the amazing trip to Honduras. Pastor Danny said, " Why do you say that I am?" No, I'm sorry.

Who do you say that I am? Pastor Adrian did.

Why do you doubt? Pastor James said, " Why don't you do what I say?" Each of these questions has challengedus.

I know they haven't just challenged me.

And if you haven't had a chance to see them, I welcome you to not only goback on You Tube, but write down some of those nuggets, have those conversations with Jesus. And that question is, do you want to get well? Sounds simple, but do you want to get well?

Eddie, do you want to get well? Adrian, do you want to get well?

Danny, do you want to get well? I remember when Jesus asked me that. Have you guys ever been in a tough situation and you need some help during those situations?

Have you'veever prayed to God and were like, " God, can you change something about my life?" But then when God actually starts doingit, you're just like, " Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Start gets kind of scary because he's actually doing it.

For me, it can belike, " God, remove anything from me that's not for you." And then when he does, I'm like, " What just happened?" Not realizing that's what I've beenpraying for because healing sounds good, right?

Healing sounds wonderful until healing requires change. Freedom sounds great.

Freedom sounds wonderful until freedom requires responsibility.

Kind of owning up to it. I know it hurts. Restoration sounds great.

Restoration sounds wonderful until we're the ones that haveto let go of the pain that we built around it. You see, I grew up in a generation where I would say life would have looked different for me had I been born over here, had my parents looked this way,and if I would have had a better uh cards that were dealt with, not realizing it was me putting that out there.

But you see, today we're going tobe talking about a story where Jesus asked a man a surprising question.

Do you want to get well?

And at first, if Jesus asked you, " Do you want to get well?" You're going to be like, " Obviously, I want to get well.

Don't you see this, Jesus?" But the person we're going to be talking about has been struggling, has been hurting for 38 years. How long have you been hurting?

How long have you been struggling?

how long you've been part of this world until you started discovering who Jesus Christ is. But Jesus wasn't just addressing the man's condition.

Jesuswas addressing his heart.

We're going to be talking about a place called Betta. And this was a place where people were waiting by the pool.

And I know out here in Arizona, we have pools.

We havecommunity pools, but just imagine hundreds of hundreds of people waiting by the pool. And if you've had about 15, 20 people by your pool, the pools get kind of crowded.

Just imagine the hundreds alltrying to get in.

You see, Betetta was a place where people were waiting by the pool and they were waiting for the waterto start stirring up.

And I'm like, you mean kind of like those water gates like at Westgate?

Is that what they were waiting for? But just imagine this scene.

Hundreds of hurting people. Hundreds of people that are frustrated surrounded by the pool.

We had blind people.

We had people who couldn't walk. We had families just carrying their loved ones.

Every morning they would wake up hoping that today was going to be the day that today was going to bedifferent.

But they didn't do anything different.

But they wanted the they wanted a different result.

Isn't that called insanity? Their hope was mixed with dis disappointment.

Faith was mixed with frustration. Desperation filled in the air.

In my head, I'm picturing all these people by the pool, everybody just hanging out, living.

I know they didn't have any Fbreze.

I know they didn't have any nice, pleasant smells. But then what happens?

The water starts rising up.

And you would think everybody be like, " You're the first one here.

Goahead, jump in." Nah, they all would jump in.

They would think if I'm sick, whatever I got going on in my life, I'mgoing to jump in in that pool and I'm going to get better.

So that's exactly what they did.

They started thinkingthat they were going to be healed through the water.

So they idolized that pool.

They idolized that water.

They idolized that process. You guys ready to read that story? We're going to step into the story together.

We're going to read John 5 verse 1-14. We'll have we'll have the illustration on the screen.

If you have your Bible, pull it out.

If you have your phone, look at the sermon notes.

I know myversion might be a little bit different, and that's just because I got the recovery Bible, but it's okay. Jesus heals a lame man.

What kind of title is that?

But that's the title. Afterwards, Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days.

Inside the city near the sheep gate was thepool of Betta where five covered porches covered of sick people, blind, lame, or paralyzed.

Laid on the porches.

One ofthe men laying there had been sick for 38 years.

Just imagine being sick for years just waiting to get better.

When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he asked him," Would you like to get well?

Do you want to get well?" The guy responded back, " I can't.

Ican't, sir, the sick man said, for I have no one to put me in that pool when the water bubbles up.

Someone elsealways gets there ahead of me.

Jesus told the man, " Stand up.

Pick up your mat and walk." Instantly, the man was healed.

He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking. But this miracle happened on the Sabbath.

So the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, " You can't work on the Sabbath.

The law doesn't allow you to carry that sleeping mat." But he replied, " The man whohealed me told me, pick up your mat and walk." Who said such a thing?

They demanded. The man didn't know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd, but afterwards Jesus found him in the templeand told him, " Now you are well.

stop sinning or something even worse mayhappen to you.

Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who healed him. Think of a man who was just sitting down for 38 years crippled has an encounter with Jesus and that just forever changed him. He just stood up, started walking.

But the question really is, how long you've been struggling? How long have you been hurting? How long has it been that you talked to God?

When's the last time you let it out to God?

And what I mean by let it out to God, tell him.

Share your hurts, hang-ups, and habits.

Tell him everything that's happening in your life.

When's the last time you did that? Do you want to get well?

Do you want Jesus to help you? It's hard.

It was hard for me. Sometimes we become comfortable in what is hurting us. Nothing's ever going to change.

It happened to that person.

It's not gonna happen to me. But then sometimes we also hear, " Suck it up, buttercup.

That's life." For 38 years, this man lived with thatcondition.

This man was waiting and hoping to get better.

He just didn'tknow how.

Imagine that.

This man was okay with not even having a name.

Wedon't even know what his name was.

We just know he was crippled.

He was paralyzed.

He was okay with being part of that having his identity. People didn't know his name anymore. They knew him as the man by the pool, the crippled, the man who couldn't. But if we're being honest, many of us know exactly what that feels like.

Sometimes our pain becomes our identity. Sometimes we become the person, for example, the angry person, the addicted person, the anxious person, the victim. I'm the one that always gets hurt.

Me, me, me.

The pain is real.

The wounds run deep. But eventually, Jesus asked us the same question.

Do you want to get well? Do you? I wanted to get well.

I've been attending this church for 12 years. Jesus Christ asked me that same question after a failed suicide attempt. Jesus was like, " Damingo, do you want to get well?" Jesus Christ met me with the straight jacket under the 5150 holdbecause I was banging my head causing damage to myself.

Arizona doesn't have the mandatory like California.

I justknew that I wanted to die.

I just knew that I was hurting so much and I was struggling so much that I was justready.

And people were like, " What happened?" My parents got divorced at the age of 10.

I had a dad for the firstcouple of years.

My mom had me at the age of 15.

She did the best she could.

Teen Mom just wasn't around in the 80s. Growing up in Sana, Orange County, California, billboards in Spanish, trying to fit in on both sides, Istruggled.

It wasn't until I felt like my identity was my work, peoplepleasing, job titles, that when I let the world down, my family and myself, Ididn't want to face it anymore.

I was just hurting. During that time though, Jesus met me where I was at.

Just like Jesus is meeting you guys where you're at now. Just like Jesus knew you guys were going to come in today before you even woke up.

It's all part of that plan.

He's meeting you where you're at right now. When when Jesus asked the man, the next point is the man never answered the question. Jesus asked him a simple question.

Do you want to get well?

He didn't ask him, " What did you do?

Where have you been? I've been looking for you." That's the way I was raised.

God knows if you don't do good, God's going to punish you.

So,I had this illustration that I could never earn his love.

I had this illustration that I wasn't good enough for him.

I wasn't good enough for myearthly father.

Why would I be good enough for my heavenly father? The man never said, " Yes, Lord, I want to get well." He never said yes. What did he do?

He started explaining things that haven't changed.

Nobody helps me.

Someone always gets therefirst.

It's almost like saying, " I tried.

It didn't work out." But have you ever noticed how easy excuses become after disappointment?the man focus on the obstacle.

How often do we do the same?

How often do you're like, I'm going to be trying to do this. I'm going to try this Jesus thing.

Two days later, it didn't work out.

So, I'm going back to my old ways. Jesus asked if we want freedom and we start listing reasons why we can't have it. Our past may explain us, but our past doesn't have to define us. The enemy of our soul might know our past, but God knows our present, and God knows our future. God knows what's in your heart.

God know what's going on.

God is just waiting for you to talk to him.

God is just waitingfor you to have a relationship with them.

God is just waiting for you to just let it out. But in order to do so, healing requires participation. Jesus, what did he tell the man?

Get up, pick up your mat, and walk. That miracle came from Jesus.

But the man still had a respond.

Jesus walked him to the door. Jesus asked him, " Do you want to get well?" The man still had to walk through the door.

The man still had to believe that Jesus was going to help him. You know, sometimes we say faith moves mountains.

But what does that actually means?

That means faith means we have toobey.

Faith means taking things one step at a time.

Faith means one moment at atime.

Faith means that if you've helped, if you've experienced the truth and love of Jesus Christ, faith means invitingothers in.

Faith means telling people not only who your Jesus Christ story is, but inviting them to our community, inviting them here. But if you notice, Jesus tells him what?

carry the thing that once carried him. That one thing that represented weakness, his mat being crippled, became evidence of God's powerfor me.

When I read that, I'm like, that's like me saying, I struggle with reading and writing growing up.

Hooked on follics didn't exist.

But my biggest weakness became his biggest strength. That's God. The prison God brought you out of is the key to unlock somebody else's freedom. Your Jesus Christ story will unlock somebody else's prison. Because your story is going to show them the hope, the truth, the salvation, the redemption, and the healing through Christ. And then you're going to ask them if they want to be a part of it.

And if they say they don't know how, it's okay, you guys, because we're going to have a conversation with Jesus. And you start thinking, okay, how do we get started? But when you think about the crippled man, he didn't even have a name.

Jesus was try just trying to help him. Jesus was just trying to not only meet him where he's at, but Jesus wanted more for him than his legs.

Jesus wanted more than physical healing. What are you hurting with?

What are you struggling with? You know, for me, I'm going to get my wrist injections tomorrow.

I'm going to get my neck shots on Friday.

I've been struggling with my fall since on since I fell down at the grocery store on January. I've struggled.

Physical pain, invisible pain sometimes can be a challenge.

But being out in the wilderness, I keep asking Jesus, I want to get better.

I want to heal.

I want to be able to enjoy not only a quality of life, but I want to know that what I'm doing is for you, Lord.

So if that means removing things, removing different stuff, then that's fine because later on Jesus finds the man in the temp in the temple.

Jesus didn't celebrate the miracle.

What did Jesus do?

He pointed towards the transformation. And then what did Jesus tell him?

See, you're well again.

stop sinning or something worse may be happen to you. And when I read that, I thought of how I was before God. Before God, I used to love reading the daily horoscope.

If the horoscope said I was going to have a good day, that means I was going to have a good day. Growing up Hispanic, we had Wartc. If WTO said we were going to have a good day, my grandma said we were going to have a good day. I tried the crystals.

My mom always said I got the wrong ones. I tried learning the secret.

It just didn't work for me.

I tried the eye.

I tried different energies.

I tried all these different stuff when I was acting part of the world for asking for hedge of protections.

Going to all these different stuff that wasn't for God.

Not realizing that it started with God.

not realizing that if I wanted to get better, I had to start having a relationship with my higher power and his name is Jesus. So because of what I know now and Jesus saying stop sinning or something worse may happen.

Nah, I I don't want to go back.

I want to go to heaven.

So if that means learning how to live life differently, different quality of life, being there present for the family, not people pleasing, not running around, not being a workaholic, not idolizing the world, let's do it because I know who Jesus is and I want my family to experience Jesus and I want to be able to break these generational curses that's been passed down from all these different generations.

And that buck is going to stop with me. Jesus wasn't just concerned about the man's physical healing. Jesus cared about where the man was going to go afterwards.

He cared about his eternal life. Jesus wasn't just interested in his healthy legs.

He wanted a healthy life for him. Jesus didn't die for you and me just so we could have better circumstances, just so we can be comfortable.

He died so we can become new people.

He died so we can become a new creation.

He died so we can have a pathway to get to heaven.

He became the ultimate sacrifice for us. The greatest miracle wasn't that the man walked. The greatest miracle was what?

That he encountered Jesus. And if we have parents in the house, I know how it is to say, " I love my kids. I got five kids.

I will die for my kids." But if you think about it, Jesus died for our kids.

Jesus died for you and me.

God sent his son who didn't do anything wrong and died for us so we can live you guys. So today Jesus might be asking you that same question. Today Jesus is asking you do you want to get well?

Jesus is asking you do you want freedom?

Do you want healing?

Do you want peace?

Do you want a new beginning? Do you want to go to heaven with Jesus Christ?

I know I do. I have a son that's in heaven.

His name is Isaac Isaiah. We lost him close to the nine months. We had the furniture to show that he was real.

We had all the baby clothes to show, but it was one of those that you go to the hospital and don't leave with the baby. There was a time that I didn't know if I was going to see him, but this year he's going to be celebrating 17 years, and I know I'm going to see him.

And we still acknowledge his birthday. I can look back at my life and see when I was part of this world acting out addictive, there was a person named Susan and she would be like, " Damingo, life can get better with Jesus." And I remember just looking at her and just kind of laughing and saying, " I tried. It just didn't work out.

Let me tell you how I was raised.

Let me tell you how we used to go to church every Sunday and stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down and pray." But I couldn't tell her who Jesus was. She died, passed away, and went to Jesus five months after I started coming here.

And one of the last conversations I had with her, Susan Draft, she said, " I'm happy you found a church.

I'm happy you found a community. I'm happy you're getting your stuff together.

I'm happy you found Jesus." So maybe today is the day that you're going to stop making excuses. Maybe today's the day that you're going to stop settling. Maybe today the day that you're going to trust Jesus with your next step. You see, the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

The Bible tells us that he came to earth, lived the perfect life we couldn't live, died the death we deserve, rose again three days later, and today offers forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who believes in him. Earlier today, what did we witness? Baptisms.

We've witnessed people that were willing to declare that Jesus Christ has changed their life.

Their stories are different.

Their backgrounds are different.

But every single one of them answered the same question.

They decided, " Yes, Jesus, I want to get well." And I know for me started coming here to this church, you heard Danny talking about Camelback Academy and I love that school.

I've had four kids out of my five kids attend that school.

I got my last one in there, LJ.

And I'm like, LJ, don't mess up, man, because we we've had a good streak with three other kids. But when I started coming here, somebody sponsored my three kids for their backpacks because I couldn't afford it. When I started coming here to the church, somebody bought me food cards, gift cards.

I did not know how we were going to eat. Somebody walked alongside me and showed me not only who Jesus Christ can be, but kept me accountable to make sure I didn't go back to my old life. Because at that point, I just wanted to live.

At that point, I just wanted to get well. Every question we studied over the last several weeks has been leading you guys to this moment right now. Jesus is asking you, do you want to get well?

Jesus is asking you, do you believe? And I know with my kids, some of them might know me differently than the younger ones, especially the older ones, but I always tell them, have a relationship with Jesus.

Get right with Jesus because tomorrow may never come. And the d the time that I was ready to end it, all my family was in Orange County, California, and it was just me by myself.

I had a plan.

But Jesus had a better plan. Do you want to get well? Jesus never asked the man, " Does he deserve to be healed?" He simply asked him if he wanted to get well. He is asking you, do you want to get well? Church, I hope and I pray that you give Jesus a chance. At Celebrate Recovery, we say give Jesus a chance for 30 days.

And if you don't start seeing your life improve for the 30 days, I guarantee you those 30 days are still better off with Jesus than they were before you walked in the doors here.

Because before my name used to be an addict, a workaholic, a people pleaser, someone that dealt with fear, stress, anxiety.

Now I go by redeem.

I go by child of God.

I go by victory.

I go by his soldier. And all I'm trying to do is bring others so we can direct everybody back to Christ. Stand with me, church. We've been building up for these moments.

We know these are hard questions, but we know that once we lay it down to the cross and we surrender to the one that makes it all possible, Jesus Christ, he can help overcome our excuses, our fears, our own identity. He can give us the courage to walk in freedom.

He can give us not only the understandings to be able to trust him completely, but Jesus is asking you, do you want to get well?

Jesus is asking you, do you want me to be in your life?

Jesus is knocking on your heart. And I've learned to realize that I can't do this without Jesus Christ leading the way. Heavenly Father, want to lift everybody that's here.

Father God, Father God, I know that you love us.

I know, Father God, that you want the best for us. Father God, I know that you sent your son to die on the cross for us, Father God.

And I know life can be challenging. I know life can be hard.

It's not even that everything happens for a reason.

No, Father God, that's not even biblical.

It's you allow things to happen because you know something comes out of it.

So, Father God, I'm asking if there's people in here that has a desire to get to know you, give them that courage.

Father God, I'm asking if there's people that's here that wants to get a know that wants to get to know you.

Send your Calvary.

Create these divine opportunities.

Let people know that they're being seen, they're being heard, they're haven't been forgotten, you love them. Not with every head bowed, with every eye closed. Maybe you haven't accepted Jesus.

Maybe you didn't think this was possible. Maybe you didn't know that it's believing that God sent his son on earth.

That Jesus was born as a man. That he was nailed to the cross even though he didn't do anything wrong was crucified then rose on the third day and he's coming back.

If you would like to accept that free will, accept who Jesus Christ is, if you're ready to answer the question, do you want to get well? All I ask is please slip your hand up and say yes Jesus. Father God, thank you Father God.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for everybody here.

Father God, knowing that first service we had one person accept you, Father God, and knowing there was a celebration, knowing that second service we had seven or eight people baptized, and then knowing, Father God, that six people are willing to turn their lives over to you, Father God.

Knowing that these six people are willing to declare publicly, " Yes, Jesus, I want to get well.

Yes, Jesus, I want to have a relationship.

Yes, Jesus.

I want to get to know you.

Father God, I'm lifting everybody here in person.

I'm lifting everybody up online.

Father God, I ask for not only keep us together, keep us united, keep us soundminded, but let us be part of this community.

Help us reach more.

Father God, help us create that courage to share the truth and love within the community and invite others to this hidden community.

Invite others to Camelback Community Church.

Invite the kids to Camelback Academy.

Invite everybody to 7634 West Camelback Road in the beautiful city of Glendel because, Father God, what the world is doing out here, we know you're turning it for good.

We know you're you're changing people's lives.

We know you're ending these generational curses.

We know people are experiencing not only financial freedom, but they're experiencing you. So, Father God, I thank you for what you do.

I thank you for everybody who's here.

And Father God, I want to pray all of this and your precious son Jesus and all his faithful soldiers say, amen.