REHEARSING REASONS TO
STAY IN A RUT
JOHN 5:2-9
Rev. M.D. Rogers
We come to this text today to watch a man's journey from
adversity to impotency. HIS ADVERSITY led to his despondency, his
despondency lead him to complacency, and his complacency resulted in his impotence.
That's his story, adversity, despondency, complacency, and impotence.
(Setbacks and suffering can keep you in a rut)
In that massive sea of human weakness and personal suffering was a
man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. The King James Version
translates John 5:6 as "He had been now a long time in that case. The
New American Standard says "He had been there a long time".The New
International Version says "When Jesus saw him lying there and
learned that he had been in this condition for a long time". For
thirty eight years he had been sick.
I'm not sure this text says that he had been around that pool for
thirty eight years, but it does say he had been in that condition for
thirty-eight years. Never forget that your physical condition and
your mental attitude live so close to each other that they catch each
other's diseases. This man had been physically infirmed (weak,
feeble and sickly) for so long that his mental attitude had also
become negatively impaired.
Write it in bold letters on the flannel board of your mental
awareness that …GOD HAD ONLY ONE SON WITHOUT SIN. HE HAS NO SON
WITHOUT SUFFERING OR SETBACKS. Adversity makes visitation to all of
our homes. Adversity knows your address. Adversity knows your zip
code. Adversity knows your telephone number. Adversity knows your
cell phone number. Adversity knows your beeper number and your e-mail
address. Adversity shows up as setbacks, hardships, disappointments,
obstacles, heartaches, burdens to bear, and crosses to carry.
All of us at one time or another has a reason to complain, to
express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction or resentment. You don't
know how blessed you are, until you compare your setbacks to the
setbacks of others.
Complain, get angry, cuss and swear, express feelings of pain,
dissatisfaction or resentment. (2)You can RESIGN. You can accept
things as they are, rather than focusing on what things can become.
To resign means to submit to something, accept something without
complaining, to give up. (3) You can REJOICE. Rejoice that your
situation is not worst than it is. Rejoice that you have discovered a
way that won't work. Rejoice that you don't have to go through what
you are going through by yourself. (4) You can RE-AJUST. You can do
what you have to do to keep going.
It bears being said again. What happens to you is not nearly as
important as how you respond to it. You can whine or you can win. You
can cry or you can try. You can be setback by your setback or you can
use your setback as a set up for a come back. Painful Adversity can
keep you in a rut.
PITIFUL DESPONDENCY
By definition despondency means having lost one's hope or courage. It
means to become discouraged, to feel hopeless and helpless. Listen
again to his man sick for 38 years response in verse seven, "I have
no man (I'm helplessness) , when the water is troubled, to put me
into the pool: But when I am coming, another steppeth down before
me". (It's Hopelessness) . He says "I'm helpless and my situation is
hopeless." HE'S REHEARSING REASONS TO STAY IN A RUT.
When you are hounded by hurts
Pounded by problems
Manhandled by misfortunes
Suffocated by suffering …it's easy to become despondent
Sadly, we have allowed adversity and despondency to steal our self
worth and snatch our joy. But to God we are priceless jewels. Malachi
3:17, " And they shall be mine , saith the Lord of host, in that day
when I make up my jewels ...." In Isaiah 62:3 he reminds us, "Thou
shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a
royal diadem (royal crown) in the hand of thy God."
God wants you to step out of despondency. The scriptures provide
some valuable insight. Observe the STEPS TO STEPPING OUT OF
DESPONDENCY.
1. ACCEPT THE REALITY THAT SETBACKS ARE PART OF EVERYONE'S LIFE-even
yours.
Life isn't fair and bad things to happen to good people. Job 14:1
Jas. 1:2,3
2. TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR ATTITUDE. We control our attitude. It is
not something that is genetically or environmentally determined. Each
of us can decide what our attitude is going to be. We can choose to
have a positive attitude or negative attitude.
4. LET GO OF THINGS THAT DON'T MATTER. Stop wasting energy on being
irritated and annoyed at things that really don't matter. Don't allow
every molehill to become a mountain for you. Remember, that ulcers
are the result of mountain climbing on molehills.
5. FIND PEOPLE WITH WHOM YOU CAN PROCESS THE SITUATION. Seek out
honest and trustworthy supporters who will not sugarcoat their
feedback or divert you with to much sympathy (a little reassurance
and empathy, are, however, always welcome!) Spiritual counseling is
always helpful when you are stuck in a rut. (Prov. 3:13-18; 4:13,14;
4:20-22)
The word of God is the very mind of God on paper. Has it ever
dawned on you that when you open up the word of God you are listening
to the very words of God; that God has shared is thoughts, he has
shared His teaching, he has shared his directions for us right here
on the pages of the Word of God? Do you have a time when you open the
Word and let God speak to you. That's where you need to get your
advice. That's where you need to get your counsel from.
Don't just read the word, but meditate on it. One of the Hebrew
words for meditate means to utter, to murmur. The English word used
in our translation of the Psalms means to MUTTER. In essence it is
being so absorbed in a matter that one talks to oneself. It's like a
tune in your head that won't go away. It is the picture of somebody
having a jingle in your head, and the tune just won't go away. You
keep uttering and muttering it all day. Under the law people would
read the Scriptures and memorize scripture. They would utter and
mutter those words to themselves as they were committing them
to memory.
7. . KEEP LOOKING UP, BECAUSE GOD IS LOOKING DOWN.
James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. He is
concerned about what concerns you, because you are his child. You
are a born again, regenerated justified, called out from the world,
baptized, blood bought, hell proof, heaven bound, Spirit filled-
overcoming, conquering son and daughter of God.
YOU ARE....
The apple of His eye
The delight of His Soul
The Love of His heart
If God is for you. If Christ is with you. If the Holy Spirit is in
you. If goodness and mercy is behind you. Why are you allowing
yourself to be overcome by the things that are going on around you.
PERSISTENT COMPLACENCY CAN KEEP
YOU IN A RUT
Being content with your situation)
His despondency lead him to complacency. When a man continues to
feel despondent (helpless and hopeless), and then continue to have
those feelings reinforced: he will eventually become complacent. You
see, the more he feels helpless and hopeless, the easier it will be
for him to become content (satisfied) with his situation.
Discouragement along with inactivity breeds complacency.
When you are not use to doing something you become comfortable with
doing nothing . Listen to this man's response--he replied, "Sir, I
have no man, when the water is stirred up, to put me into the pool:
But while I am coming, another stepped down before me."
He didn't answer the Lord question. He began whining about why he
hadn't gotten in the pool. Instead of listening to the opportunity ,
he reacted to his mentality. Instead of accepting the opportunity ,
he responded to his immobility. His adversity lead him to his
despondency , his despondency lead him to his complacency.
Here is a man who had been in the same place for thirty eight years.
To be in the same place means to be in a continuous condition,
situation, environment, and or wrong relationship. It also means to
be in the same place (or way) of thinking, attitude, behavior and
conduct.
Some of us are "in the same place" when it comes to our involvement,
cooperation and support of the church. WE ARE IN A RELIGIOUS RUT. We
are "in the same place" when it comes to our irregular attendance in
the worship services, and also our sporadic attendance in Bible
classes. We are "in the same place" when it comes to our giving as
we prosper. We are "in the same place" when it comes to winning the
lost, encouraging the discouraged, discipling the new babes in
Christ, getting and reaching personal goals.
THE MAJOR REASON GIVEN FOR STAYING IN A RUT IS "I'M BETTER OFF THAN
MOST PEOPLE I KNOW."
Having no power, purpose or productivity)
The impotent man, in our text, "could not think of what he
could be", but "why he was not"; and "why he was not" told him
that "he could never be" and "the thought of never being" caused him
to become complacent.
What powerful insight from a child. "What good does it do if they
cure the body but the person inside dies?" The person inside dies
when you stop dreaming and setting goals. You become complacent.
BECAUSE COMPLACENCY LEADS TO IMPOTENCY. No power, no purpose, no
productivity.
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