It Could Be Worse

John 5:14
Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

Have you ever been sick before? I mean down on your back sick and you told God, “If you get me through this I promise I’ll do better.” We’ve all been sick before or in a place where we were not complete. God graciously stepped in to our time and space to heal us. However, there was a pre-requisite to your healing; you had to want to get better. God can’t move against your will. You have to want to get better and do better. Getting better and doing better both go together. The very thing that God is bringing you out of could be worse than what it is because after you get better you have to do better. It could be worse.

Many people who get organ transplants are advised by their doctors to take care of their organs but many of them go right back to the behaviors that made them sick in the first place and destroy the new organ. They are worse than before. They have wasted the sacrifice.

When Jesus gives you new life you have to change your lifestyle or you could be worse than you were before he saved you. Jesus healed a man that had been an invalid for 38 years, lying in the same spot making excuses that people kept cutting him off. How many of us have been lying in the same spot for years? Do you want to get well?

I was watching a movie last night called Surrogates with Bruce Willis who plays a cop trying to stop a man who helped create a high-tech surrogate phenomenon that allows people to purchase remote controlled humanoid robots through which they interact with society. These fit, good-looking, remotely controlled robots ultimately assume their life roles, enabling people to experience life vicariously from the comfort and safety of their own homes. Bruce’s character destroys the machines because it robbed the people of their ability to truly live. Many of us have surrogate appearances while our true selves remain invalid. Once the façade of who we are in public is destroyed who we are in private has to get up and do better.

Jesus has raised us to our true selves and we have gotten back in church. Jesus healed the invalid, got him back on his feet, but he doesn’t know who healed him. Could it be that many of us have benefited from being healed by Jesus but we really don’t know Jesus? We’ve been healed but we haven’t been discipled. Jesus meets the man in the temple. You have to give the man credit at least he was in the Temple even though he didn’t know the man who healed him. Jesus had slipped away before he could finish his introduction. Many times we leave church before we are properly introduced to Jesus but every now and then he will catch us at church and he will tell us, “You are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

After you are healed you need to:

1. Go back to church. This Sunday you need to get back in church so you can have an encounter with Jesus. You can worship with us live or online at www.n2newdirection.org 8 am and 10:30 am, 6120 Winchester, or 9:15 am Collierville, 114 Highway 72.

2. Get Disciples which simply means, get taught on what it means to be a Christian by attending Tuesday night Bible study live or online at 6120 Winchester @6:30 p.m. or Wednesday in Collierville 114, Highway 72 6:30 pm.

3. Change your Lifestyle or give your life to Jesus through service. Sign up for a ministry so that you can engage your life in something positive. When you stop doing something bad you need to start doing something good.

Dear God,

Thank you for saving me and healing me. My life could be worse than what you delivered me from. I don’t want to see what worse looks like. I’m ready to head in a New Direction from the inside out.

In Jesus Name,
Amen