Are you ready for a brand New Year, a brand new start? Who doesn’t like brand new starts? Who doesn’t like clean slates? Imagine the chance to have a brand new credit score or all your bills wiped away. Imagine having a brand new youthful figure. Well God offers brand new starts, spiritual brand new starts. Baptism is a brand new start because that is when we are born again. Repentance is a brand new start which we can have daily. Today’s sermon is from John chapter 5 about the healing of the man at the pool whom through Jesus got a spiritual brand new start.
#1 We All Need Healing

  • To be disabled means something physically is impaired.
  • Something is damaged or weakened.
  • We all at one time or another are going to be spiritually disabled.
  • Two areas include damaged faith and weak convictions.

Damaged Faith

  • We all take hits to our faith be it through physical or emotional challenges, self inflicted sin, and life.
  • What varies however is our response to these hits.
  • Some dig deeper into their Bibles and prayer and some go the other direction.
  • You stop trusting God and don’t believe he wants to help you so you take back control of your life.
  • The answer is getting in your Bible and rebuilding your faith through God’s word.

Weak Convictions
Psalm 36:1-4

  • This is when you flat out stop rejecting what is wrong and don’t get convicted anymore.
  • You have been in the same condition for a long time. You are struggling with the same sins every week and don’t feel the need to confess anymore or get help from anyone.
  • This cause you to be spiritually disabled (Blind, Lame, Paralyzed).
  • Paralyzed=You don’t walk with God.
  • Blind=No vision about people becoming Christians or how God can use your life.
  • Lame=You have lame excuses about why you can’t change.

#2 Do You Want to Get Well?

  • Jesus is asking the man at the pool if he wants to change.
  • If your faith is low then the answer is to dig deeper into your Bible. Proverbs 2:1-5
  • If you are struggling with purity then you should fast.
  • If your marriage is in the same place then you should get on your knees and spend time begging God to show you how to change
  • Get off your mat.
  • The mat represents comfort. Change will occur when you get out of your comfort zone.
  • Jesus also told the man to get up and walk. Start by putting one foot in front of the other.
  • We have to exercise our faith and workout our faith muscle.

Hebrews 12:11-13

  • Strengthen your arms by doing the prayer flex or reaching out and fellowshipping or handing out invitations to church.
  • Strengthen your knees by kneeling in prayer more often.
  • Make level paths for your feet by clearing your schedule and making time for your spiritual decisions to help you change.
  • What is the result of all this? HEALING
  • You will be happy with how you look in the inside even if your new years resolution is to get in shape on the outside.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
#3 A New Creation
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!”

  • We are new creations everyday.
  • What do you want to see new created in you this year or today?
  • God will give you a brand new start!