Waiting by the Water

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Thirty-Eight Years Beside the Pool

The man at Bethesda’s pool spent decades waiting for healing, yet remained trapped in cycles of disappointment. His story mirrors those who’ve grown accustomed to stagnation, mistaking survival for living. Jesus approached him not when he cried out, but when he’d stopped expecting change. Healing began not with perfect faith, but with a willingness to answer Jesus’ disruptive question. True transformation starts when we confront how long we’ve tolerated brokenness as normal. [34:29]

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:5-6, NIV)

Reflection: What area of your life have you stopped expecting Jesus to change? How might His question, “Do you want to get well?” disrupt your resignation today?

Day 2: “Stand Up, Pick Up Your Mat”

Jesus’ command required immediate action from a man conditioned to helplessness. The mat symbolized both his infirmity and his identity—carrying it became an act of defiance against old patterns. Obedience often begins before understanding fully, trusting the authority behind the voice more than the logic of the request. Miracles happen not when we analyze the water, but when we respond to Christ’s direct call. [37:33]

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. (John 5:8-9, NIV)

Reflection: What “mat” have you been lying on that Jesus is asking you to carry as a testimony? Where is He calling you to move before you feel fully ready?

Day 3: Critics or Christ: Whose Voice Wins?

Religious leaders criticized the healed man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath, prioritizing rules over restoration. Their reaction reveals how others may resist our obedience to Jesus, preferring the comfort of our past limitations. Following Christ means embracing the tension between human approval and divine purpose. The man’s simple defense—“He told me to walk”—models holding fast to obedience over explanation. [40:33]

They asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. (John 5:12-13, NIV)

Reflection: Whose disapproval or skepticism most tempts you to downplay what Jesus has done in your life? How can you anchor your identity in His command rather than others’ expectations?

Day 4: From Healing to Holiness

After healing the man, Jesus later finds him in the temple and says, “Stop sinning.” Physical restoration was never the end goal—Christ wanted lifelong transformation. The greater miracle wasn’t walking legs but a redirected heart. Our healing always points beyond relief to relationship, beyond cure to calling. Jesus pursues us not just to fix our problems, but to align our steps with His eternal purposes. [44:35]

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

Reflection: How might Jesus be calling you to move beyond gratitude for past healing into active obedience for your next steps? What “something worse” might stagnation invite?

Day 5: Baptism: Leaving the Pool Behind

Baptism symbolizes leaving our old place of waiting to walk in Christ’s authority. Like the healed man, believers stepping into waters declare they’ll no longer be defined by what once bound them. This public obedience often attracts criticism, but it solidifies our identity as those who’ve heard Jesus’ voice and chosen to follow. The pool remains full of the waiting—our testimony invites others to seek the Healer, not just the water. [48:35]

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:4, NIV)

Reflection: What part of your “old life” still tempts you to linger by the pool? How does your baptism (or commitment to Christ) compel you to walk unapologetically in newness?

Sermon Summary

The water in summertime carries pictures of rest, cooling off, and getting away, but the pool in John 5 becomes a picture of long waiting. The pool of Bethesda holds people who are waiting for something to change, and one man has been there thirty-eight years. The man has watched other people move forward while he stayed in the same place. Disappointment has become normal, and survival has started replacing expectation.

John shows that Jesus walks toward a man who is not looking for him. Jesus sees him, knows how long he has been sick, and asks, “Would you like to get well?” The question is not asked because Jesus lacks information. The question is asked because the man has to decide. There is a difference between wanting life to improve and wanting Jesus to change life.

The man answers with the language of helplessness. “I can’t, sir,” because no one puts him in the pool and someone else always gets there first. Jesus does not argue with the excuses. Jesus simply says, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk.” The power comes from Jesus, but the man still has to respond.

The healing happens instantly, but the religious leaders miss the miracle. The man who could not walk for thirty-eight years is now standing, walking, and carrying the mat that used to carry him. The leaders do not celebrate what God has done. They criticize the mat because it is the Sabbath. Their reaction shows that not everyone will celebrate when a person begins to obey Jesus.

The healed man does not have all the answers. He does not even know Jesus’ name yet. But he knows enough to say, “The man who healed me told me, pick up your mat and walk.” Obedience does not wait until every question is answered. Following Jesus eventually brings every person to the place where one voice must carry the greatest authority.

Jesus finds the man again in the temple. The miracle is not only that the man can walk. The deeper miracle is that Jesus finds him and calls him to a changed life. Healing gives the man the ability to walk, but relationship with Jesus determines where he walks next.

Baptism stands in that same direction of obedience. The waters do not save anyone. Jesus saves. Baptism publicly says that the old life no longer defines the believer, that the person is no longer sitting beside the pool, and that life is now walking with Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. Disappointment can become an identity Disappointment does not usually announce itself loudly. It slowly teaches the heart to stop expecting, to make peace with what once broke it, and to call survival normal. John 5 shows that Jesus can step into a place where hope has gone quiet and still ask a question strong enough to wake desire again. [35:31]
2. Jesus asks for a decision Jesus’ question, “Do you want to get well?” presses deeper than the man’s condition. The issue is not whether Jesus knows the pain, but whether the man is ready for a life that will no longer be arranged around the pool. Grace does not flatter helplessness, but calls a person out of it. [36:22]
3. Obedience outranks every critic The healed man cannot explain everything, but he knows the voice that told him to walk. Critics can be loudest at the very moment God has done something unmistakable. Faithfulness requires deciding whether the crowd, the critics, or Christ will carry final authority. [42:58]
4. Healing must become holy walking Jesus does not heal the man and then leave him directionless. The command to stop sinning shows that changed circumstances are not the same thing as a transformed life. Jesus gives the man new legs, but also calls him to a new path. [44:35]
5. Baptism testifies, Jesus saves Baptism does not create salvation, but it gives public witness to the Savior who has already met the person. The water points away from itself to Jesus, just as the pool was never the man’s true hope. Public obedience says the old life no longer gets to name the future. [48:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[30:14] - Honoring Faithful Youth Ministry
[31:15] - Baptisms and God’s Word
[32:13] - Summer by the Water
[33:01] - Waiting Changes the Heart
[34:03] - Thirty-Eight Years by the Pool
[35:31] - Disappointment Becomes Identity
[36:22] - Do You Want to Get Well?
[37:33] - Get Up and Walk
[39:01] - Critics Miss the Miracle
[42:06] - Obey Before Everything Is Clear
[44:18] - Jesus Finds Him Again
[46:16] - From Waiting to Walking
[48:20] - Baptism as Public Obedience
[50:56] - The Water Does Not Save

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 5:1-9, 14-15 (ESV)
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus 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?” 7 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.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked… 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.

Observation questions

The man at the pool had been waiting 38 years. What reasons did he give Jesus for why he hadn’t been healed? (John 5:7)
Why do you think Jesus asked, “Do you want to be healed?” even though He already knew the man’s condition? [36:22]
How did the religious leaders respond to the healed man carrying his mat, and what does this reveal about their priorities? (John 5:9-10)

Interpretation questions

The man’s answer to Jesus focused on his helplessness (“I have no one…”). How might prolonged disappointment shape a person’s ability to hope for change? [35:31]
Jesus later tells the man to “sin no more” after healing him. What connection might exist between physical healing and spiritual transformation in this story? [44:35]
The religious leaders criticized the healed man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. Why do you think people sometimes focus on rules over celebrating God’s work in others’ lives?

Application questions

Disappointment can become an identity. Where in your life have you stopped expecting change and settled for “survival mode”? What would it look like to invite Jesus into that area? [35:31]
Jesus’ question, “Do you want to be healed?” implies a choice. Are there areas where you’ve wanted improvement more than true transformation? How might Jesus be calling you to respond differently? [36:22]
The healed man obeyed even though he didn’t fully understand. What step of obedience is Jesus asking you to take now—even if you don’t have all the answers? [42:06]
The religious leaders criticized the miracle. When have you hesitated to follow Jesus because others might question or misunderstand? How can you prioritize His voice over critics? [42:58]
Baptism declares, “I’m no longer sitting by the pool.” If you’ve been baptized, how does your daily life reflect that public commitment? If not, what holds you back from this step? [48:20]

Sermon Clips

71s

#ChooseJesusFirst

“``Because sooner or later, following Jesus will put you in a position where you have to decide whose voice carries the greatest authority in your life. Is it the crowd? Is it the critics? Is it the expectation of other people, or is it Jesus Christ? You have to make that decision at some point in your life. This man had spent thirty eight years unable to move. Thirty eight years unable to get off that mat, and then Jesus spoke. And now that he could walk, he wasn't gonna put that mat back down and return to the pool just because someone didn't approve. See, when Jesus changes your life, don't go back to where you were because someone is uncomfortable with where he is leading you. Follow him with obedience. Obedience to Jesus will not always be understood, but it will always be worth following.”

58s

#ObeyBeforeUnderstanding

“There's something very powerful here for every person who's learning to follow Jesus. You don't have to understand everything before you obey Jesus. You don't have to be able to answer every single question. You don't have to know the bible in its entirety. You don't have to even know our theology, and you don't have to have it completely figured out. You simply have to know who you are going to listen to in this life. Because sooner or later, following Jesus will put you in a position where you have to decide whose voice carries the greatest authority in your life. Is it the crowd? Is it the critics? Is it the expectation of other people, or is it Jesus Christ?”

70s

#RiseFromDisappointment

“You see, disappointment can quietly become our identity. After thirty eight years for this man, hope became distant. Disappointment became normal, and survival was replacing expectation. You see, many people aren't just waiting on God. They have actually settled beside the pool. You can live beside hope without ever stepping into a new life. That's the danger we face today. And in the midst of all this, Jesus asked a singular question that changes everything. Jesus asks, do you want to get well? Jesus doesn't ask the man that because he doesn't know. He asked the man because the man needs to decide. This is the turning point for the man. There is a difference between wanting to improve your life and wanting Jesus to change your life.”

49s

#StepOutFromThePool

“You see, many people aren't just waiting on God. They have actually settled beside the pool. You can live beside hope without ever stepping into a new life. That's the danger we face today. And in the midst of all this, Jesus asked a singular question that changes everything. Jesus asks, do you want to get well? Jesus doesn't ask the man that because he doesn't know. He asked the man because the man needs to decide. This is the turning point for the man. There is a difference between wanting to improve your life and wanting Jesus to change your life.”

47s

#WalkInObedience

“You have to make that decision at some point in your life. This man had spent thirty eight years unable to move. Thirty eight years unable to get off that mat, and then Jesus spoke. And now that he could walk, he wasn't gonna put that mat back down and return to the pool just because someone didn't approve. See, when Jesus changes your life, don't go back to where you were because someone is uncomfortable with where he is leading you. Follow him with obedience. Obedience to Jesus will not always be understood, but it will always be worth following.”

56s

#HardTruthsAboutWaiting

“I'm gonna just jump right into the the hard truths this morning. You see, disappointment can quietly become our identity. After thirty eight years for this man, hope became distant. Disappointment became normal, and survival was replacing expectation. You see, many people aren't just waiting on God. They have actually settled beside the pool. You can live beside hope without ever stepping into a new life. That's the danger we face today. And in the midst of all this, Jesus asked a singular question that changes everything. Jesus asks, do you want to get well?”

79s

#ObeyTheHealer

“But notice the man's response. He says this, the man who healed me told me, pick up your mat and walk. The man not only doesn't have all the answers, he doesn't even know Jesus' name yet. Did you catch that? He doesn't say Jesus healed me. He said the man that man, he came in. He healed me. But he does know one thing for sure. I couldn't walk before, but now I can. And the one who changed my life, he told me to walk. There's something very powerful here for every person who's learning to follow Jesus. You don't have to understand everything before you obey Jesus. You don't have to be able to answer every single question. You don't have to know the bible in its entirety. You don't have to even know our theology, and you don't have to have it completely figured out. You simply have to know who you are going to listen to in this life.”

84s

#ExpectResistance

“And we need to understand something about following Jesus. Not everyone will celebrate when you begin to obey him. When Jesus changes the direction of your life, some people may not understand. Some people may question you. Some may criticize Some people may become more comfortable with the person you used to be rather than the person Jesus is calling you to become. But notice the man's response. He says this, the man who healed me told me, pick up your mat and walk. The man not only doesn't have all the answers, he doesn't even know Jesus' name yet. Did you catch that? He doesn't say Jesus healed me. He said the man that man, he came in. He healed me. But he does know one thing for sure. I couldn't walk before, but now I can. And the one who changed my life, he told me to walk.”

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Waiting by the Water

Devotional

Day 1: Thirty-Eight Years Beside the Pool

Day 2: “Stand Up, Pick Up Your Mat”

Day 3: Critics or Christ: Whose Voice Wins?

Day 4: From Healing to Holiness

Day 5: Baptism: Leaving the Pool Behind

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Waiting by the Water

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