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Welcome to the live big broadcast with Derek Greer. We believe this teaching from God's Word will empower you to live a full, impactful life in Christ. Let's dig in. Luke, chapter six and verse six. Now, it happened on another Sabbath. The Sabbath, or Shabbat, was the most significant ritual in. In all of Judaism. And we see in the Gospels that though Jesus kept the law perfectly, he refused to the additional rules of behavior that the Pharisees and the Sadducees added to the law of Moses. You see, rules about the law of Moses and actually the Sabbath by that time we actually have record of this, were taken so far that some people wouldn't even have a bowel movement on the Sabbath because they considered the pushing worked. I'm sorry, but. But even with godly things, humans seem to have an endless supply of stupid. How many y' all know what I'm talking about? Deuteronomy 4:2. God was clear. He said this. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, meaning God does not need our help. Don't you hate it when you tell somebody to share something with somebody else for you, but they change it, but still use your name? That's often what happens in religion. But God and his Word are one. And this is why we stay in this book line upon line upon line, so we can stay in sync and in union with God. Holding people to our standards and not God's standards is always wrong. And we find in the Scriptures, Jesus had absolutely no patience with it. Back to 6 and 6. Now, it happened on another Sabbath also that he entered the synagogue. So we see that Jesus went to church regularly. And unless you're facing extenuating circumstances, perhaps you live in another part of the globe or you sprain your foot or something like that. Following Jesus should also mean that you attend weekly, too. So he entered the synagogue, and the house of God is where God does the teaching. So what did he do? He what? Taught. And you'll notice in the Gospels that people refer to Jesus generally as teacher and never really in the Bible as preacher. Why? Because Jesus taught much more than he preached, as every good pastor should. Actually, when you go to the Book of Ephesians and it talks about pastors, actually there's a single kind of title. It's Pastor and teacher. So if your pastor's not teaching, get in a place that does. Remember this. It's important. Like most babies. How many of y' all remember having a baby? The ladies in the room. Yeah. The best deliveries are Head first, get the mind and the heart right, and everything else will follow. Because again, deliverance is headfirst. So I gotta get into your ear and you get understanding and then the rest of you will eventually follow. And. And a man who was there, whose right hand was withered. Now, to us, this may seem like an ordinary handicap, but in the Middle east, the Horn of Africa, much of Asia, it's still an insult to touch anyone with your left hand. In fact, I was in my wife's country and I was sitting down and I crossed my leg to sit, and she said, don't do that. She said, you're showing the man next to you the bottom of your foot. In that culture, you do not show someone the bottom of your foot. That has nothing to do with the passage. But I just want to make the point. In many places on the planet, the devil himself is considered left handed. And in those parts of the world, it's still an insult to touch anyone with your left hand. Just like it was an insult to. To show the man next to me the bottom of my foot. Now, if you're left handed, don't get upset at what I'm saying, because my wife was born left handed and her mother would smack her hand every time she tried to use her left hand to eat. But her mother did that to her and her mother did that to her. And the point was, in that culture, it's extremely rude to use your left hand, really to do almost anything, except the thing I'm about to talk to you about. And a man was there whose right hand was what, withered. So we're about to see a problem that was not, that's not obvious to us because we live in a different generation, a different century. But toilet paper was not invented until 1600 AD in China. So toilet paper didn't exist until 600 years later. Also, at this time, they did not have running water in their homes. So after doing their business, all the tidying up was done with the left hand. And this is why touching someone with your left hand in many parts of the globe today is so offensive. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. He could not touch anything because his right hand was withered. Any people or any objects without being looked at in disgust. So if he visited someone's home, everyone's like, just don't touch anything and I might let you in. He probably ate alone. When he ate, he. He might have lived alone. I'm not quite sure. But I do know, according to the culture of the day, he ruined everything he touched. Is there anyone in this room that ever feels like you ruin everything you touch? And if that's you, you're in the right place this morning. So the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, Jesus, closely, whether he would heal. Now, the Greek term here used or translated heal in English is the word therapeutic. Therapeutic. Therapeutic. And it's the most common word used for healing in the lexicon, the Greek lexicon, the New Testament lexicon. But what modern word do you hear in this word therapeutic therapy. Now, what's about to happen is I'm about to challenge some of your preconceived notions about how Jesus did the things he did. And in fact, I'm gonna give you a new lens to look at some of the conversations Jesus has and some of the directions he gives in Scriptures. Most of Jesus healings were actually divine therapy sessions. And one of the most important decisions you make when it comes to therapy is not just the fact you want help, but deciding on your therapist. And many of us going to the wrong therapist. They know nothing about the book, nothing about God's law, nothing about God's principle. And you're going to them for advice, and you're wondering why not working or helping? Y' all got real quiet, but I'm preaching good. So the scribes and the Pharisees now are watching him closely because they know how Jesus does things. And today, many of us see healing as some sort of magic. But when Jesus did something, he typically or when he healed, he typically required the person to cooperate by doing something before that person got the results that Jesus wanted them to have. So Jesus, too, always required people to have some skin in the game. Before he did his greatest works, they watched him closely. Watch this. Whether he would not heal Pharaoh Pael on the Sabbath. Now you understand the conflict that they might find accusation against him. How many have ever been to physical therapy? Yeah, so a few years ago, my hands froze up and I had to go to physical therapy. I don't know, I probably went eight, seven or eight times. But what I didn't like is when my hands froze up. And all the rest, they said, well, is this nerve, the elder nerve, Did X, Y, and Z, and all that pressure and stress on you, man, it just got tired and it just froze up because you're just so tense, and you might not have realized it, but what's going on, on in your life shows up somewhere on your body. So I go to therapy, and then they make me do all the exercises. I was like, Give me a pill. What's this about? But a couple times I really had a good therapist. She reached in there and she put her thumb into my shoulder and the whole thing would loosen up. But the next time I came, I wanted her to do it again. She's like, no, you need to pull the rubber bands. You need to turn your head. You need to do X, Y and Z. She didn't want me dependent just on her. She wanted me to learn how to cooperate. You hear what I'm saying? It was a therapy session, not a magical healing session. See, I wanted some magic. Would you do that again? But she wanted to give me therapy and part of the therapy, I still have it in my daily routine. I stretch regularly. More information than you want, but what I want you to see. They watched him closely. Not just for him to do some magic, understand? Jesus did therapy. And this is why they felt he was breaking the Sabbath. He would therapeutic on the Sabbath that they might find accusations with him. Now they wanted to see though they watched him closely to see if he required this man to do anything that was against their denomination, not against Scripture, but against their denomination on the Sabbath, against their circle of friends, against the way they're. There's nothing wrong with having a tradition. Just don't assume your tradition is God's. There's nothing wrong with having a party as long as you realize your party is not necessarily God's. You take godly principles into whatever party you are a part of and you don't move from them. I don't care how slick the tongue is, I don't care how big the promise is. You do not move from kingdom principles that was free to somebody in the room. Let's look at a couple examples because I'm trying to get in your ear this morning to make you think and understand some things newly. John, chapter five and verse five. Now, a certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years. We all know the story about the man at the pool of Bethesda when the water bubbled up. He, you know, the first person that jumped in got healed. Verse 6. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been in that condition for a long time, he said to him, watch this. Do you want to be made well? Jesus started to therapy this man's paralysis in his mind before he addressed the paralysis in his body. The reason many of us don't get well, we don't get healed is because we go only after the final results. But skip the mental process. Pay attention to what I'm saying, how many believe God was powerful enough to create everything on this planet in one day? Yeah, yeah, yeah. He could have done it. He could have done it at the snap of his finger. But he took six days because he wanted to show us that he's a God of process, not just a God of power, which we want supernatural. Stop. Pop it, pop it, do it, do it. Power. But he's not just a God of power. He's a God of process. You want God to just fix your marriage. You want God to just fix your finances. You want God to just fix. Fix your thinking. But God is a God of process. Line upon line, precept upon precept. Here, a little, very little. Take a step here. God will bless you there. Take another step here. He'll bless you. Take another step here. But you got to take some steps. And if you stick with the process, results will always eventually come. And the sick man answered him. So Jesus is doing his therapy thing, but they're not mad at him yet because he didn't ask him to do something yet. He's just dealing with the man's mind. So the sick man answered him. And this is really important. Some outcomes, pay attention to what I'm saying will not come without some serious back and forth between you and God. I know you just want him to magically do it. But I have found often it's after those long conversations when I bare my soul in my heart, I stop trying to be a good Christian. I stop trying to be a theologian. I stop trying to be somebody's bishop. And I talk to God heart to heart, about what I'm really feeling. It's usually at the end of that conversation, I get results. And he said, jesus, listen, sir, I'm respectful. You can be respectful in your conversations with God. Listen, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water stirred up. But while I'm coming, another steps down before me. How many of you have some problems or know someone whose problems are always somebody else's fault? Yeah, this guy was in this trap, constantly blaming others. But when you do it, it robs you of the energy that you need to improve yourself or your condition. Blame is a lazy person's way of excusing their mess. Yeah, you're not gonna like me yet, but I'm gonna do some good. But the counselor was doing what a counselor's supposed to do, get to the root. And only after he deals with the man's thought process and therapies the mind. If you Will, does he help the body? And God cares about what's going on in your circumstance, in your body, your finance, your reason. The problem's up here. So he doesn't just quit to fix it. He's like, let me work at the root of the problem, which is in here. So he takes you through a process. So eventually, Jesus said to him, rise. He said, listen, man, stop being so passive. You need to take some action. Get up, take up your bed and walk. Now, here's the deal. You may not realize this, but healing was in the Mosaic covenant for this man. Psalms 103, verse 3 says, he forgives all my iniquities and heals all my diseases. God said to the Israelites, I will take all of the sicknesses that were placed on the Egyptians out of my people. And the Bible says that when they left the promised land, there wasn't a feeble person among them. So there was healing in the old covenant in which this man was under. But how many know there's also healing in the New Covenant? James, chapter 5:15 says, the prayer of faith shall save the sick. And then it goes on said, and the Lord will raise him up. But here's the deal. The problem is you're expecting magic, someone just to kind of throw their coat at you. You fall down and get up. Well, sometimes God can do stuff like that. I'm not mad at nobody that gets healed that way, but God. It's never worked for me, though, I'll tell you that. But God is not what magic. Typically, you must cooperate in the area in which you need God's help. Y' all did hear me. If it's relational, you might have to ask for forgiveness. If it's relational, you might have to say, I was wrong. If it's financial, it might mean giving some money or being a blessing to somebody else. Yeah, but Galatians says you reap what you sow, so stop trying to get harvest in areas you've made no investment. It could say you reap in the area you sow. Some of us are in great physical shape because you invest hours a day, but you're in terrible spiritual shape because you might invest 30 minutes a week. I know what's wrong with me today. But if you want to get well, you have a part to play, an investment to make. So stop missing Saturday leadership sessions. Make the investment so you can handle conflict, get over your trouble and do better. Stop asking for me to magically fix it and pray for you, lay hands on you when you have the power Yourself to sow the right seed to fix it, fix your situation. I'm preaching good this morning, ain't I? This is why everybody needs a pastor, because you're not going to say that to yourself. And immediately the man was made. Well, when the man did his part, took up his bed, Jesus did his, and the man walked. You see, the Red Sea only parted after Moses lifted up his rod. The walls of Jericho only fell after they walked around it. Seven days. And on the seventh day, seven times. The sun only stood still as long as Joshua fought. Jesus did turn water into wine. But first they had to fill the the bins with water. Pay attention to what I'm saying. Faith without corresponding action is dead. It's useless, ineffective. If you really believe it, you'll do it. But here's the problem. And that day was the Sabbath. And he asked the man to do something, and it went against their particular denomination. You weren't supposed to do certain things on that day. And the Jews therefore said to him, who was cured, hey, man, it's the Sabbath. The problem was not God sovereignly healing on that day. The problem was that Jesus required participation on the Sabbath. And if Sunday is really your Sabbath, you could do something right now to get free. If it's a relational thing, you can make a decision right now in your head. I'm going to call that person and apologize. If it's a financial thing, you get free right now. You know what? I am going to stop being so doggone greedy and selfish. I am going to invest in God's Word, okay? That's free. And I'm going to keep sticking to my business here. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, it is a Sabbath. It's not lawful. It's against our denomination. I know what the Bible says, but we've done some extra stuff. It's not lawful for you to carry your bed. But nothing in the Old Testament prohibited this man from carrying his bedroll on the Sabbath. But again, the Jews got mad because of their traditions, not the Bible. And many people I know often get mad at me because I don't do what their last pastor did. Well, that was their tradition. And I appreciate and celebrate their tradition. But if it's not in the Book, I'm not required. Do you understand what I'm saying? So stop letting your traditions or what someone else experienced or what someone else said to you or anything else get in the way of what Jesus is telling you to do. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Jesus closely, whether he would Therapeut on the Sabbath, was he going to call someone to do something against their particular denomination that they might find accusation against him? These were Sabbath legalists. But some people have come to grace. I don't feel comfortable because I don't have asthma. Nothing wrong with a little hoop. Nothing wrong with. Nothing wrong with it. I enjoy it. No, no, it's good. It's good and God uses it. It's moving. But I was born with good lungs. I can breathe. And just because I don't tune up don't mean I ain't saying nothing. Pay attention to what I'm talking about. But he knew their thoughts and said to the man who had the withered hand, arise and stand here. This was the man that ruined everything he touched. The man who caused polite people to cringe when he entered in the room. That was the man that Jesus told to stand up for him. You see, God uses broken people like you and me to rescue broken people like you and me. It's funny. Jesus didn't do a whole lot of healing of the Pharisees. It's folks that recognize they need mercy, they needed grace. Folks that messed up everything, ruined everything they touched. And he arose and stood. And this is important because Jesus didn't require him to figure everything out. He didn't require all that. All he required is for this man to obey and his obedience set him up for what happens next. Skip to verse. Verse 9. Jesus said, Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or do evil? He's dealing with the denomination. Nothing wrong. Some denomination. Listen, nothing wrong with being part of denomination. Just don't confuse your denomination's rule with the word of God. Pay attention to what I'm saying. Is it lawful on the SAB to do good or to do evil? To save life or destroy? And he's saying, Jesus said, what's wrong with me doing something right? And Jesus wasn't trying to change God's law on the Sabbath. He was just trying to deal with their false interpretation or expansion of God's law on the Sabbath. But watch Jesus. We see something of his personality. And I really appreciate this about the Master. It says. And when he looked around at all of them, listen, fire was shooting out of them eyeballs. Jesus was not shy before he did it. He looked at each. I know all this royal. I mean, this regalia. I mean, these are the Pharisees, the Sadducees. These are powerful people, you know. And listen, their government was religious. So these weren't just spiritual leaders. These were government Figures. And they're standing there all puffed up and you know, you messing up with our denomination. You know, we Democrats don't do that, We Republicans don't do that, that type of thing. And. Yep. And he looked all of them in their eyes and he said to the man, stretch out your hand. And what I want you to see here to receive from God requires our cooperation. Sometimes you must try something that you think is impossible. Sometimes you got to do things that in your natural mind don't seem to make a lot of sense. If I have a withered, old, crippled up hand, how am I going to stretch it out? But God told him to do what he couldn't do. In God's saying is the power for the doing. Whatever God tells you to do in the Bible, in the saying is the power of the doing. He couldn't hold you accountable for disobedience unless in the saying was the power for the doing. And I have found in my life, my brain would limit me. My mind would say, I can't do that. I'm not built for that Yadava. But he would tell me to do it. And as I stretch out my withered, confused, disoriented, my disfigured self into fellowship with the Master, I find that I could do what I couldn't do. I discover a new strength. I can't explain it, but healing comes. But it comes as I take a step into what God has said. So here's the big question. What has God said to you? And are you waiting for some magic feeling to occur? Are you waiting for some miracle to happen? But before you step out, do you know that when they crossed the Jordan and the Jordan parted, first they had to step into the water, first they had to get wet. And sometimes with God, first you gotta get into it before he gets you out of it. He'll open it up, but you gotta have faith enough to step in. God doesn't bless lazy and don't make him more mystical than he is. Jesus wanted this man to do something that can be seen and felt. And God, there's areas of your life you want freedom, but you won't do what God said do. So the freedom doesn't come. But if you would just take that step, get under the therapy of the Word of God and begin to renew that mind and think differently, make better decisions, you will see more of the power of God in your life. And when he did so, his hand was restored as whole as the other. How many of y' all want some restoration? Some Areas, how many of you got some areas? You know, it's all right on this side, but on this side and God is saying, if you just obey me, if you just do what I say, stop waiting for feelings, just do what I say. I am all wise, all knowing. My power, the power of my saying releases power for the doing. And if you would just step out. You know how I got saved? Because I was special? No, because I heard the Lord knocking on my heart and I felt like he was saying come. And I got out of my 20 year old seat, all my pride and arrogance in front of a room of people. I walked up to an altar to a preacher I didn't even like and gave my life to Jesus. But Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. And many of us start by faith. But then we stop, we take that first step of faith, we make him Lord. But then when he tells us, you know what, I want you to forgive, I want you to give, I want you to go, I want you to serve. It's like eh, and just like that step of faith caused you to step out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. If you want the results of the kingdom in your life, you're going to have to obey, obey the scriptures and do what the Lord is instructing you to do. And as I speak to you today, it's not so much that God needs to tell you a new thing to do. He's already been telling you what to do and when you do it, that's when the freedom comes. Now in this case, when this man did it, it happened immediately. But I mentioned the Jordan, they had to get in first. And sometimes, you know, the 10 lepers came and the Bible says as they went they were healed. Sometimes it's in the going and, and obeying over time it happens. So I don't know if it's going to happen immediately or in the process of time, but what I can tell you, God is faithful and if he said it, he will perform it. So you need to step out and do the thing that God has told you to do. Stop making excuses and stretch out that arm and you'll discover new strength. Give God a hallelujah and a hand clap for that. Thank you for joining us. Until next time. Remember you have what it takes in Christ to live big. We also invite you to partner with Derek Greer Ministries in bringing the life changing and impactful teachings of God's Word to the world. Get started by visiting Derekrer.com by clicking the link in the description.