Who Is Lord of Your Life? Jesus' Authority Revealed

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus intentionally pursues the marginalized and outcast.

In a world that often values people for what they can offer, Jesus demonstrates a different economy of worth. He goes out of His way to enter spaces others avoid, seeking those society deems unimportant or unclean. His actions reveal a heart that sees inherent dignity and value in every person, regardless of their condition or status. This pursuit is not based on merit but on His profound love and grace. He meets people right where they are, in the midst of their deepest needs. [36:37]

When he saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” (John 5:6 ESV)

Reflection: Is there a group of people or a type of person you have unconsciously placed in a category of being difficult to love or worship alongside? How might Jesus be inviting you to see them through His eyes this week?

Day 2: Do not give up; God's timing is not our own.

The man by the pool had experienced years of disappointment, which led to a spirit of resignation. He had come to believe his situation was hopeless because his desired solution had never arrived in the way he expected. Yet, Jesus was about to act in a powerful and unexpected way. Our weariness can blind us to the fact that God is often working just beyond our immediate sight. His faithfulness does not expire, and His power is not limited by our timelines or failed attempts. [41:37]

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9 ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life have you grown weary and are on the verge of giving up on a prayer, a person, or a situation? What is one step you can take this week to choose persistence in prayer instead of resignation?

Day 3: Obedience to Christ's command requires immediate action.

Upon hearing the words of Jesus, the man was faced with a choice. He could have questioned the command, given his thirty-eight years of paralysis, or he could simply obey. His healing was activated not by his own understanding but by his willing obedience to the word of Christ. True faith is demonstrated when we act on what Jesus has said, even when it defies our current circumstances or logic. His authority demands our response, and in our response, we find His power made manifest. [46:17]

The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. (John 5:7-9 ESV)

Reflection: Is there a clear command or prompting from God's Word that you have been delaying obedience to? What would it look like to "get up and walk" in that area today?

Day 4: Religious tradition must never hinder God's grace.

It is a tragic irony when the very structures meant to facilitate worship become barriers to recognizing God's work. The religious leaders were so devoted to their interpretation of law that they became blind to a miraculous work of grace happening right in front of them. They prioritized rule-keeping over relationship and tradition over transformation. This serves as a sober warning to ensure that our practices and preferences never become more important than participating in the life-changing work of Jesus. [49:08]

And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:6-8 ESV)

Reflection: In what ways might your personal preferences or long-held traditions be preventing you from fully celebrating how and where God is at work around you?

Day 5: True victory is found in surrendering authority to Jesus.

The central battle of the human heart is over who holds ultimate authority. We naturally desire to be the boss of our own lives, making our own rules and determining our own paths. Yet, this path leads only to weariness and loss. Jesus invites us to a paradox: we win by losing. Surrendering the authority of our lives to Him is not a defeat but the greatest victory. It is the exchange of our flawed and failing leadership for His perfect and loving Lordship. [56:21]

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25 ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life are you still trying to manage and control on your own terms? What would it look like to practically surrender that area to the loving authority of Jesus this week?

Sermon Summary

John 5 centers on authority and who commands life, law, and worship. The scene at Bethesda frames the issue: a crowded pool outside Jerusalem houses blind, lame, and paralyzed people whom society and religious leaders avoid. One man stands out—paralyzed for thirty-eight years—to magnify the magnitude of Jesus’ coming work. Jesus deliberately enters the margins, notices the man, and asks a simple question that exposes both need and resignation: “Do you want to be healed?” The man answers with the voice of defeat, explaining how others always push him aside when the water stirs.

The narrative contrasts two ways of living: reliance on tradition, ritual, and human systems versus submission to the living authority of God. While popular lore at the pool expected an angel and stirred water, Jesus heals with a word—“Get up, take your mat, and walk”—demonstrating power above customary explanations. The man obeys immediately, showing prompt, unquestioning response to divine command. The healing provokes religious leaders to object because the act happened on the Sabbath and because Jesus claims unique relationship with the Father—“My Father is working, and I am working”—thereby asserting divine authority.

The conflict exposes how religious additions and rules can hide God’s work when traditions outrank Scripture and compassion. The story drives to a practical challenge: who rules a life? The biblical solution flips human ambition: victory comes by surrender. The text presses readers to yield authority to Christ as both Savior and Lord, to stop policing God’s grace, and to persist in faith when weariness tempts resignation. The passage closes with an invitation to repent, accept Jesus’ lordship, and join the life-changing work of the kingdom.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus pursues the marginalized Jesus deliberately enters spaces the religious establishment avoids and treats people of low status as worthy of attention and healing. That pattern reveals God’s priority: worth flows from creation and redemption, not social standing or ritual purity. Worship that excludes the marginalized contradicts the character of the Creator who redeems. [36:37]
2. Authority over life belongs to Christ Jesus commands healing with a word and then identifies his work with the Father’s ongoing activity, asserting divine authority. Human traditions cannot arbitrate ultimate right and wrong where Christ claims lordship. Surrendering authority to Christ reorients moral and practical decisions under God’s reign. [52:01]
3. Religious rules can obscure grace The leaders’ extra rules turned Sabbath safeguards into barriers that blocked mercy and missed God’s movement. When tradition stands equal to Scripture, communities justify policing rather than participating in God’s redemptive work. Reexamine customs that interrupt compassion and prioritize ritual over lives changed. [50:18]
4. Win the battle by surrendering Daily life becomes a battlefield over who commands the heart; obedience to self defeats, surrender to Christ wins. The paradox of the gospel calls people to lose control so they may truly find life under God’s rule. Persistence in prayer and obedience opens the door for God’s timely response. [56:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[30:00] - Central Question: Who's the Boss?
[32:30] - Bethesda: The Setting
[33:31] - A Man Paralyzed Thirty-Eight Years
[36:37] - Jesus Enters the Margins
[39:26] - Do You Want to Be Healed?
[41:11] - A Voice of Despair
[45:00] - Word Over Water: Instant Healing
[47:07] - Sabbath Controversy and Tradition
[52:01] - Claim of Divinity
[56:21] - Winning by Losing
[57:47] - Invitation: Surrender and Follow
[60:00] - Closing Prayer and Next Steps

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading: John 5:1-17 (ESV)

Observation questions

What physical and social condition was the man at the pool in before he encountered Jesus?
What was the popular belief about how healing occurred at the pool of Bethesda, and how did Jesus' method differ? [44:30]
What two specific reasons did the religious leaders give for being upset after the healing took place? [52:01]
How did the man who was healed respond to Jesus' command to "Get up, take up your bed, and walk"?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think Jesus asked the man, "Do you want to be healed?" instead of just healing him immediately? What might this question reveal about the man's heart or our own? [39:26]
The religious leaders were more concerned with the man carrying his mat than with his miraculous healing. What does this reveal about how religious rules can sometimes obscure God's grace and work? [50:18]
Jesus states, "My Father is working until now, and I am working." What claim is Jesus making about His own authority and identity through this statement? [52:01]
The man had been ill for 38 years and expressed a sense of defeat. In what ways can prolonged hardship lead to resignation, and how does Jesus interrupt that cycle?

Application questions

Jesus deliberately went to the margins to people society and religion had cast aside. Is there a type of person you struggle to worship with or see as worthy of God's attention? What would it look like to repent of that and see them as God does? [38:07]
The religious leaders had added so many rules to God's law that they missed His work. Are there any traditions or personal preferences in your life that you have placed on the same level as Scripture, causing you to judge others or miss what God is doing? [50:18]
The man was commanded to "get up" and he obeyed immediately. In what area of your life is Jesus commanding you to obey Him right now, without question or delay? What is holding you back from simple obedience? [46:29]
A daily battle rages over who is the boss of our lives. What does it look like, in practical terms, to "win by losing"—to surrender your authority to Christ each day? [56:21]
Have you, like the man by the pool, ever felt like giving up on a prayer or a situation? What encouragement can you take from this story to persist in prayer and trust in God's timing? [41:37]
The religious leaders were "policing God's grace" instead of joining Jesus in His life-changing work. How can you move from being a rule-keeper to a grace-participator this week? [59:21]

Sermon Clips

This is an area that the religious leaders would not have gone to. The reason they would not have entered into this area themselves is because they didn't wanna be around people like that. They would have said, we don't wanna be around those types of people. Because if we get around those types of people, then they are gonna make us spiritually unclean. Because of their defilement, they're going to defile us. But I what I want you to see is this is the type of people Jesus goes to. This is the type of people Jesus intentionally enters into their presence. [00:36:05] (35 seconds) #JesusReachesOut

Instead of rejoicing with this man whom they would have known for thirty eight years could not have walked instead of rejoicing, instead of their hearts leaping, instead of them being excited, instead of them giving them a big hug for the first time, this man takes steps. And they step in his path and they berate him. They berate him. Oh, how sad when our religious rules get in the way of God's grace. [00:48:46] (32 seconds) #RulesVsGrace

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Who Is Lord of Your Life? Jesus' Authority Revealed

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus intentionally pursues the marginalized and outcast.

Day 2: Do not give up; God's timing is not our own.

Day 3: Obedience to Christ's command requires immediate action.

Day 4: Religious tradition must never hinder God's grace.

Day 5: True victory is found in surrendering authority to Jesus.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Who Is Lord of Your Life? Jesus' Authority Revealed

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