Samuel Rodriguez - I Don't Live There Anymore
Open up your Bibles quickly, John 5, John 5. We wanna land on this. John 5. Someone asked, «Well, Pastor Sam, are you gonna slow down this year»? Probably not. «Can you speak at a slower pace»? Good luck with that. Alright, John 5:1. I’ll tell you what the Spirit of God placed in my heart for you today. Here we go. And we’re gonna include the disputed verses that do not necessarily define the entire context of John 5. There’s a couple of verses in dispute historically, but they are not Germane to the heart of the message.
John 1:5, «Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the sheep gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. Crowds of sick people lie, blind, lame, or paralyzed, lay on the porch waiting for a certain movement of the water. For an angel of the Lord came from time to time to stir up the water, and the first person to step in after the water would be stirred would be healed of whatever disease he or she carried». Verse 5, «One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, 'would you like to get well'? 'i can’t, sir, ' the sick man said, 'I can’t. I can’t, for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me'. Jesus told him, 'stand up, pick up your mat, start walking'! Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat».
Go ahead, lay that out for me, George, and take a nap. «He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking»! But here comes the clincher. «But this miracle,» and in the Greek, in every version regardless if you’re reading King James, NIV, NLT, that conjunction appears right there. «But this miracle happened on the sabbath. But it happened on the sabbath». So, I wanna title our time together here, «Lighting the fire of faith, but it happened on the sabbath: when God makes it happen when it’s not supposed to happen». When God makes it happen when it’s not supposed to happen. Touch your neighbor, the one you like and tell 'em. Tell 'em, «When God makes it happen when it’s not supposed to happen».
Tell your other neighbor, the one that you tolerate, tell 'em, «When God makes it happen when it’s not supposed to happen». When it’s not supposed. And it’s gonna happen even when it’s not supposed to happen. The story is so compelling, hey, take a nap, for real, like chill, and I’m serious, like, just relax. I’ll call you when I need you. You’re just fine. Can I get you anything? Good. The story, we have the pool of Bethesda. We have the paralyzed, the lame, and the broken sick folk. On occasion, heaven’s constructs, heaven would come down, move the waters, and whoever would experience the moving of the waters first would receive their corresponding miracle or breakthrough. We have a man that, for 38 years, stood paralyzed. We know the illness, if you do your due diligence, would be paralysis. He couldn’t move. He explains it.
Now, he missed his turn. He explicitly reveals that every single time the waters would be moved and he thought it was his turn, someone else would get there ahead of him. He would always miss his turn. In the 7th verse he explicitly reveals why. «I have no one to put me into the pool when the waters bubble up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me». He missed his turn every single time. Imagine being so close and yet so far. He missed his turn. Why did he miss his turn? He depended on others for his breakthrough. He depended on others for his healing. He depended on others for his miracle. It’s an issue of dependency. The reason why many people miss their turn is because they have a problem with dependency.
When you depend on others more than you depend on God, you will never see the fullness of what God has for you. When you depend on others more than you depend on God perpetual paralysis will define you. The reason things are not happening, things are not moving is because there’s an issue with dependency. It is a matter of dependency. One more time. We call this holy harassment. Touch your neighbor and tell 'em, «It’s a matter of dependency». Tell your other neighbor, the one that’s not even cracking a smile yet, tell 'em, «It’s a matter of dependency». But it’s truth.
We have depended on others to make us happy. We depend on others to make us complete. We depend on others for our breakthroughs. We depend on government, media, and culture to teach our children what is right and what is wrong. We depend on others, even in this… No, I understand government has the role, but when we depend on government to define our economic viability, when we depend on uncle Sam to define my financial reality, there is a biblical misalignment because we should be depending on God, and on the giftings of God, and on the calling of God, and on the ideas of God more than in uncle Sam.
So, it’s an issue on dependency. We depend. Are there any questions? Great. And this issue of dependency permeates every viable conversation we are currently having, it is. And sometimes because of that dependency we sacrifice truth. And sometimes because of that dependency we refuse to advocate righteousness and biblical holiness because we may lose the very dependency that we have depended on. It’s time for a shift. I don’t care if I get in trouble. I’ve reached the part this year where I’ve decided I don’t give a holy hoot who likes me, who doesn’t like me, who follows me, who doesn’t follow me. You have to come to the place where you just don’t care anymore what people say about you, think about you, post about you, write about you.
All I care is when I wake up in the morning, goodness and mercy are following me all the days of my life. And there are blessings that are following me to overtake me. It’s a matter of dependency. A matter a fact, look at your neighbor and tell 'em, «It’s time for a shift». Tell your other neighbor, tell 'em, «It’s time for a shift». I’mma speak prophetically now because your destiny is not in someone else’s hand. Your future is not in someone else’s hand. Your family is not in someone else’s hand. Let me prophesy to you. From this moment on your faith, your future, your family, and your finances are in the hands of the one who said in John 10:28, «Nothing will be able to snatch them away from my hand». It’s time to live out Psalm 62:5, «I depend on God alone».
Raise your right hand and repeat after me, «From this moment on I will depend exclusively in the one that never fails. I will depend on the God of Ephesians 3:20, the one who is able to do exceedingly… I said exceedingly, abundantly above all, anything and everything I could ever imagine or ask for». If you believe that, give God the best praise you’ve given him thus far today. Simple. I depend on God alone. But I wanna break this down for you quickly in an expedited matter. If you’re taking any notes, number one will be this. The lighting the fire of faith ends generational paralysis, it does. Lighting the fire of faith. «Crowds of sick people,» we’re reading from John 5:3, «Crowds of sick people, blind, lame, or paralyzed, lay on the porch waiting for a certain movement of the water».
The condition is paralysis. And here’s a Revelation. Here’s an epiphany. We have all suffered from paralysis, not necessarily physical but spiritual, emotional, financial, relational. Some of you here today listening to this message or watching right now around the world are just like this man. You have suffered from paralysis, the lack of mobility, action, or movement, paralyzed integrity, paralyzed faith, paralyzed dreams, paralyzed destiny, paralyzed family members, paralyzed ministries, paralyzed finances. «Paralyzed by what, Pastor Samuel»? Paralyzed by sin, failure, fear, the past, shame, religious condemnation, paralyzed by self-pity and a victimization mentality, paralyzed by poverty, and erroneous thoughts, and abuse, and broken relationships, paralyzed by unforgiveness and unbelief.
Some of us are paralyzed by others' opinions of us, paralyzed by what others say about you, paralyzed, what I alluded to previously, by the constant need to be affirmed and validated like, like, like, like, like, like, like. How many likes, how many likes. I have decided to follow Jesus. I’ve made a decision. I am not defined by the likes of many. I am defined by the love of one. I am not defined by the likes of many. I’m defined by the like of one. At a corporate macro level, and you know this, and I’ve seen this firsthand. There is a generation, turn on the news, paralyzed by moral relativism, and cultural decadents, and spiritual apathy, and violence, and corruption, and darkness, and hatred, and bigotry, intolerance, perversion, and death. We are paralyzed to a great degree by political correctness.
We are paralyzed, turn on the news today, by political discord. Turn on the news. Turn on Fox and MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Univision, and Telemundo, 'cause you can’t say, «Telemundo,» without going, «Telemundo». And I kid you not, you will see this nation right now as paralyzed. It is paralyzed. What’s the answer? Let me tell you what we don’t need more of. We don’t need more followers of the donkey or the elephant. What America needs is more followers of the lamb, Jesus. Let me get somebody really upset. What we need in America right now are not more republicans or more democrats. We need more born-again, blood-washed, devil-rebuking, demon-binding, water-walking, mountain-moving. No, no, no. We need more holy, healed, healthy, happy, humble people of God that’ll stand up in the name of Jesus and speak and pursue righteousness and justice for the glory of his name. Paralyzed.
What we need is a holy, united church. And not just any church, but a united church. A divided church will never heal a broken nation. What we need is faith that will ignite us to stand up, to boldly proclaim that Christ is Lord of all, that he reign supreme. We find ourselves paralyzed. This man always missed his turn. I’mma tell you what the Holy Spirit placed in my heart for you and I’mma lay it out just how he placed it. I say that with fear and trembling. When faith is on fire, when we light that faith up in our lives, automatically, scripturally speaking what happens is you become next. The man missed his turn every single time. Imagine, he was waiting, waiting, waiting, and boom, the waters would move. Someone else would get there ahead of him. Every time he will probably tell himself, «Next time is my time».
Next time came, nope. Someone else would get there. So, let me ask. If you’ve ever missed your turn ever in your life, raise one hand. Wow. If you’ve missed your turn on a couple of occasions raise both hands. If you’ve missed your turn so many times you lost count, raise both hands and a foot. If you’ve missed your turn so many times that you can’t even spell GPS raise both hands and both feet. We have all missed our turn just like this man. But lighting the fire of faith will always make you next. So, I’mma give you what God told me to give you. And if it’s for you, it’s for you. If it’s not for you, just make belief. Fake it until you make it. And make belief is actually, here it is, I’mma give you what God gave me.
Here it is. If you’ve been waiting for your turn, I’m talking about at the precipice, you’ve been at the cusp… By the way, I have, there’s a word for pastors here, right? And I’mma give it to you. As the Spirit of God gave me. It’s fresh. It’s for you. If you’re a pastor here, raise your hand. And there are two things coming your way after this conference, in this order, resources and harvest. I’mma say that one more time. God, and that, I don’t share that everywhere. A matter of fact, I’m sharing it with you right here live on, for the first time here. God just told me when I was sitting there, «Tell them, 'two things are coming your way'. But by the time this conference is over, the atmosphere has shifted over them. It will be their turn, and there are two things coming their way in that order, by the way».
You can’t have the harvest without the resources. So, you can’t say harvest… No, no, no, no. It’s the resources and the harvest, resources. So, if that’s for you, raise one hand. If it’s really for you, look at your neighbor and tell 'em, «Resources and harvest». Tell them, tell your other neighbor, «Resources and harvest». By the time you get home, you will experience an overflow of resources and I’mma speak to every entrepreneur, every businessperson in this house right now. Resources and harvest are coming your way.
So, if you’ve missed your turn before, and I’m speaking to every single person who has missed their turn. Here it is, here it is. If you’ve been waiting for your turn, praying for your turn, fasting for your turn, if you’ve been through hell for your turn, if you fought off devils, demons, principalities, powers of darkness, people, and even yourself for your turn, God gave me a word for you, I will give it to you the way God give it to me. «Believe it or not, you are next». I’mma say that one more time. You are next. You’re not maybe next, you are next. Tell your neighbor, «I’m next». Tell your other neighbor, «I’m next». Tell 'em, «I’m next. I’m next. I’m next. I’m next. I’m next».
I need you to praise like you’re next, shout like you’re next, dance like you’re next, rejoice like you’re next. I dare you to raise both hands, say, «I’m next». And raise your right hand and repeat after me, «I’m next». By the way, if you wanna get this straight. Isaiah 46:13, memorize this scripture, «I am ready to set things right, not in the distant future, but right now! I am about to set things right in your life, not in the distant future, but right now»! Isaiah 46:13. Raise your right hand and repeat after me, «I am next. I’m next to see my entire family saved». You have no idea what you just said. Say it one more time. Say, «I am next to see my entire family saved». Raise both hands, say, «I am next to reap unprecedented harvest. I am next to witness a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I am next for the breakthrough. I am next for the overflow. I am next for the healing. I am next for the resources. I am next for the harvest. I am next».
Give God a shout if that’s really yours. I said, you’re next. You are next. I don’t care what hell you’ve been through, get ready, you are next to see the fullness of God’s promises fulfilled in your life. You are next. You’re next. Why do you think you’ve been through what you’ve been through recently? It’s all a distraction from the reality, and the fact, and the promise, that you are next. No, you’re not hearing me. You’re really next. That’s not prophetic I hope. That is the word of the Lord for your life. You are next. Your family is next. Your children are next. Your church is next. Your city is next. You’re next. Hashtag «I’m next». Next. Are we live on television right now? Are we broadcasting it all? Where’s the camera? We are next. We are next.
I know this is for somebody here. We are next. You thought it was never gonna be your turn. You thought you were never gonna see the fullness of everything God placed in your heart, but you are, by the way, we’re next. We are next. And we are next. Raise your hands because we are next to see an awakening in our nation. Because we are next to see an awakening in our nation where millions will come to the knowledge of Christ as Lord and Savior. We are next to see a revival. We are next to see this thing turn around for the glory of God. We are next. I’m gonna say it till the devil gets a migraine. We are next. Somebody, shout, «I am next». I need you to shout it like you believe it. Say, «I am next. I am next».
Lighting the fire of faith makes you next. And when Jesus saw him lighting the fire of faith, he equips you to change in front of your circumstances. Verse 6, Jesus asked the man, he shows up, «Would you like to get well? Would you like to get well? Would you like to get well»? But the answer is one of the most strangest, awkward, and silliest responses ever recorded in biblical history. Because Jesus asked the man, «Would you like to get well»? And his response is, «I can’t». Parenthetically, let’s break down the exegete here. Jesus is asking him, «Do you want what I have for you»? And he says, «I can’t».
Let me speak parenthetically out of his response. «Yeah, I know you can’t. If you could, you wouldn’t be there. Obviously, you can’t. You’re here. I know you can’t. Stop being a narcissist. It’s not about you. It’s about me. You can’t, but I can. I’m not here because you want me to, you think the», because there was already, by the way, there was already a construct in place, and it wasn’t diabolical, it was heavenly. There was already a system ordained by heaven where the angels would come down and stir things up and the first person to walk in would actually receive a corresponding miracle. Wow.
So, it wasn’t devils, demons, legions doings it. It was the angels of God who would the stir the water. Then you have the expectation that Jesus would come along and say this, «Ah-ha, here it is, I’m Jesus. And I’mma make you next. So, here’s what I’mma do. The angels work for me». I got it like that. «So, I’mma do just for you. I’mma call the angels down and I’mma tell them, 'stir up the water'. And even if it isn’t time, I’mma tell them in time and they’re gonna stir, 'cause I can do that. I can do that». But he didn’t do that, but he didn’t do that.
Jesus could’ve said this, «Ah-ha, because I’m Jesus, the moment I go into the waters, I’mma pick you up myself. A matter a fact, I don’t even need the angels. I bypass their bureaucracy. I just, man, ask mom. I can do things with water. So, I’mma just go in the water and just, bloop, and that’ll bubble up. I, myself, will carry you. I could do this,» be he didn’t. There was already a system in place that he upgraded, did not use the system already in place. He did a new thing for him. You’re gonna get this is about a second. There comes a time that God favors you so much that he’ll create a new role that hasn’t been created yet. I’m done. «'behold, I do a new thing, ' says the Lord». Yeah. I don’t care what door is closed on you. I don’t care what avenue is closed on you. I don’t care what dried up that…