Steven Furtick - Where Breakthrough Begins (06/20/2017)
In John 5, Jesus approaches a man invalid for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda and asks, "Do you want to get well?" The preacher declares this Previval message: breakthrough begins not when situations change or God comes down, but when we decide within ourselves to get up, drop excuses, and walk in faith—bringing our own breakthrough to revival by allowing God to change us first.
Preparing Hearts for Revival
I want to help you get your heart ready for what God wants to do for you, in you, to you, and through you in our revival. Some of the best speakers in the world are going to be on this stage over the course of those ten nights, yet it's not the job of the speakers to bring breakthrough to our church.
In fact, I want to announce that this is a BYOB revival. Touch your neighbor and say, bring your own breakthrough. Come on, this is one of those days I need the black people to show the white people how to have church. If you wouldn't mind, I'm not trying to stereotype, I'm just saying, I need the enthusiastic people, no matter the color of your skin. Come on, bring your own praise. Bring your own joy. The Spirit of the Lord is in this place.
Would you join me for a moment in John chapter 5? This little story should be a great encouragement to anyone who needs a breakthrough in your life. Raise your hand if you need God to do something in your life. I mean just anything, anything at all. You don't have to say what it is. I'm not going to bring the mic to you. I just want to know, do you need God to do something in your life?
Well, there was a man who found himself in the same situation, and he was in the right place at the right time. Because unbeknownst to him, when he left his house that day, Jesus was passing by the pool at Bethesda.
The Pool at Bethesda – The Setting
The Scripture reads in John chapter 5, verse 1, Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. It doesn't specify which festival. Yet Jesus makes a detour, verse 2, near the Sheep Gate. Because there is a pool near the Sheep Gate, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda. And so there is a meeting within the meeting. In other words, there is a purpose for Jesus' visit to Jerusalem. Yet, within the purpose of the festival he is visiting, he stops by to see about one specific person.
The Scripture further details that this pool was surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here, a great number of disabled people used to lie. The blind, the lame, the paralyzed, the gossips, the addicted, the cynical. If I kept going, I could hit you. But I'll be nice and move on to verse 5.
I will have you notice that we're going straight from verse 3 to verse 5. Because in most modern translations, there is no verse 4. And maybe I'll explain that to you in a moment. But all you need to know for right now is one was there who had been an invalid for 38 years.
And when Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he'd been in this condition for a long time, he said, Well, there's no use in me bothering with him. I might as well find somebody else. Huh? When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been this way a long time, he said, Oh, well, that's just Bob over there. Bob's never going to change. Bob's always been that way. No.
See, when Jesus walked by, he looked for the worst situation and went straight up to it. And sometimes when we come to church, we think that God can only deal with the presentable parts of our life. But breakthrough happens when you're willing to expose that place. That place. And so Jesus walks right up to that guy, that place, that person, that situation.
The Question That Starts Breakthrough
And he asked a question that on the surface seems obvious. But when he learned of his condition, he asked him, Do you want to get well? Do you want to get well?
I want to stop there and preach for a moment on this subject, Where Breakthrough Begins. Where Breakthrough Begins. Touch somebody and say, This is the place. And now is the time where breakthrough can begin.
You know what's weird to me? And I've never gotten used to this and I've been a pastor for over 10 years now. Thank you. Thank you so much. It's really nothing. But it is weird to me how people will come to church frequently and have absolutely no desire or intention to change anything about their life based on what they experience.
It reminds me of the days of yore. The town was Monk's Corner, South Carolina. The fitness facility was the YMCA. And I noticed one guy in the gym named Rush. Rush was big and strong, probably on steroids. There was another guy there. I won't say his name. Since it's Monk's Corner, let's call him Bubba. Bubba might be watching online, so we'll change his name.
But Bubba was at the YMCA every day. Like every day he was there when I got there. He was there when I left. But Bubba did not have the physique indicative of the fact that he spent the majority of his waking free hours at the YMCA. And one day I asked Rush about Bubba. I said, Rush, I noticed Bubba doesn't look like you. Bubba's been here longer than you, and he leaves after you, and he doesn't look like you.
And Rush said to me, Bubba doesn't come to lift. Bubba comes to walk around and see who he can talk to on the treadmill. Bubba comes to check out girls in the aerobics class. Bubba's a creeper. Bubba don't want no gains.
Reminded me when I went to Buck, Buck was going to train me. This was years ago. I met with Buck to train me, because he was a trainer. And I said, Now, you need to know, before I come to the training appointment, there are certain exercises I do and certain exercises I don't do. I don't run. I don't jog. I don't do any sort of cardio. I don't believe in that. I don't do legs. I remember he just nodded. Okay. I don't do pull-ups. I don't mind dips. I had prescribed for him what I would and wouldn't do.
Like when I went to the dentist, and the dental assistant hygienist said, I need to talk to you about… And I interrupted her. I said, I know. You're going to tell me to floss. But let me tell you what I've told every dental hygienist before you, and anyone that comes after you. You can give me the floss with the little Spider-Man on the floss pack. But I do not floss. You can show me pictures. You can tell me horror stories, how little Johnny didn't floss and now he has AIDS. I will not floss.
It reminds me of some of y'all who sit there and listen to me preach every week. And it wouldn't matter what I say and how I shout. I mean, my God, I can preach my intestines out on this stage. And some of you, it's like you came in with a resolution, this steely resolve. I will not change.
Loving Change vs. Circumstances Changing
Now, there are some things in my life that I would like to see change. And I've noticed in just over 10 years of pastoring that most of us love the idea of God changing our circumstances. More than the idea of God changing us.
There was a pool in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate called Bethesda. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie. Let me tell you something about everybody on your row. They each have a condition. The thing about our conditions at an emotional and spiritual level is that we're able to hide them more easily. It would be one thing if you could see my emotional state. Well, I can compensate for that. It would be one thing if you could see my spiritual state. Maybe I could cover it with fine-sounding language. You can live in this condition for a long time.
So I want to ask you a question, and I'll get out of your way. Because I don't want to spoil your appetite for a revival. That's what my mom used to say to me when she would catch me warming up a honey bun in the microwave at 4.30. Don't spoil your appetite.
But I just wondered if we could make a Mark on that area of your life where something needs to change. And I wanted to do some scientific research for my sermon, so I went on Facebook. And I asked a simple question. What's an area of your life where you need a breakthrough?
You know what was stunning? Over 90% of the responses… And thousands of people talked back to me. Over 90% of the responses… I'm probably being generous. It was probably 99% of the responses… Were responses about a situation. You know what I didn't see anybody say? And maybe they said it and maybe I missed it. That's entirely possible.
But I heard people talk about I need a breakthrough in my relationship because my husband is acting crazy. I heard people talking about I need a breakthrough with my child because they're out of control. I heard people talk about the job they needed. And all of those things are things I would love to pray with you about.
But you know what was strangely missing from the list? I didn't hear one person say, I'm selfish. And in this season of revival I would like God to set me free from me. Can I preach on Previval weekend?
And sometimes we need to just make a Mark in our lives and say, You know what, God? It would be great if you could change my marriage. And I want that. And it would be nice if I could get the home. I want that. And, well, Lord, you know what I'm needing that I'm not getting from others. But it starts right here. This is the place in my heart, in my life. Do a new work in me. Create in me a clean heart, O God. And renew a right spirit within me.
Jesus' Direct Question – Do You Want to Get Well?
And Jesus walks right up to the guy and asks him a question. Do you really want to change? Not do you want it to change. Do you want you to change? This man is apparently not only does he have a disability that prevents him from walking, he doesn't hear very well. Because he gives Jesus a response.
This reminds me of Holly. Holly yells at our kids. Sometimes y'all pray for her. And the other day I snuck around the corner and she was going in. And so here's a little tip for those of you who may be having children soon. When your spouse is handling a situation with your children, stand back and pretend to be ignorant. That's just a good piece of advice.
I was watching her and Elijah was explaining why he hit Graham and Graham was explaining why he hit Elijah back. They were giving the whole history of the argument leading up to this moment that she was reprimanding them for. And I watched my wife transform because she's sweet. You've seen her on stage, right? She's Mrs. Better half and she's all that and she really is. But she does have another half and that other half... Boy, the other half. That could be a whole series.
That other half came out. You know, Simon stood up and pushed Peter and Peter pushed Simon back and they're yelling at Holly. And she says in this voice that I will not attempt to emulate. She says, I did not ask you all that. I don't care who started it. I'm about to finish it. And she said it. And I prayed for her.
Now, Jesus asked a question. Look at me. Do you want to get well? Not do you want to feel better, but do you want to get well? There is a difference. We can come to church to feel better and never get well. We can come to church for comfort and leave unchanged.
And that's what the pool represented. It was a place to be comfortable. It was a place where you could be around other people who had similar disabilities, thereby feeling more normal in your own dysfunction. So I'm hanging out by the pool. And I've been this way so long that I've given up hope of change.
And part of this is the reason why sometimes I have fantasies about going back into youth ministry. Because they don't know yet. They haven't learned yet that some things never change. They haven't gotten all crusty like us. Rusty and crusty. Sitting there. Waiting. Waiting for verse 4 to happen.
The Missing Verse 4 – Waiting for the Angel
You see, in the manuscripts that you probably are looking at a translation of…. Can I teach you something real quick about your Bible translation? You've got one of those Elevation Bibles. This is called the New International Version. It's a good translation. You can look all this stuff up. Do you have the Bible app on your phone? You can get a reading plan and all of that. And even if you just start with a verse a day, it would be a good place to start.
You can look at the message, which isn't a translation. It's more like a paraphrase. The Bible that I learned off of was the New King James Version. Amen. And sometimes I like to quote in the King James Version because if you put thee and thou on it, it sounds more spiritual. Amen. The Devil can't take a thee or a thou. Wow.
So you've got to look at this NIV because…. Where are we at? John. Right there in John chapter 5. Now, I'm going to come back here to the camera to show them. Do you mind if I… I'll give it back. I gave you this Bible to begin with. But look, I want to show them this at Blakeney. I don't know if you can see it, but I mentioned that in verse 5… Am I standing in the… Is this good? Okay. Oh, we're over in 1 John now. Hold on. We've got to go back. That's a different thing. Okay. Bear with me for a moment because in John chapter 5, verse 3, we read about this place, this pool. Here we go. It's called Bethesda. It means house of mercy, five covered colonnades, and five is the number of grace. It's in John chapter 5. So, Jesus, who is full of grace and truth, is walking up.
But we won't preach about that today because it's a whole other sermon. If I can start on that, we'll be here until Friday night. The revival's started. But look, it says, verse 3, here a great number of disabled… You can't see. Yeah. Yeah. Here a great number of disabled used to lie. The blind, the lame, the paralyzed. And then right there it goes to verse 5. It's kind of hard to see on the camera. Tell them that I'm telling the truth. Right there. Three. Yes. And then that's a note to tell you why it goes straight to verse 5.
And here's what the note says. Watch this. These people who are sitting around the pool, they came to this particular pool for a reason. Because the Bible says… Show them verse 4. This is in some of the later manuscripts. It's not in the earliest ones. That's why the translation doesn't put it in. It says, from time to time, an angel of the Lord would come down. And sometimes that's what we're waiting for God to do when we say we want a change to happen in our life. We want him to break through and come down. Come down, God, and fix my situation. Come down, God, and work in my life. Come down. Come down.
So, we could pray during this revival for God to come down. Because it says from time to time, the angel would come down and stir up the waters. And when the angel would come down and stir up the waters, the first person who was in the pool would get healed of whatever was wrong with them. Which put this man that we read about, who is lying on his mat, in a disadvantageous situation.
Because when the angel would come down, the first one in would win. And that's the way religion works. The first one in wins. The person with the most titles or the most knowledge or the perfect church attendance. But here's what grace does. Remember that Jesus is the personified grace of God. The Word made flesh dwelled among us. Jesus walked up to the one who would have been last in line and said, You first.
I came to announce that the more desperate the situation, the greater the opportunity for a miracle. So, if you need something from God, guess what? You're in the right place at the right time. God, this is a spot for revival. They would wait. They would wait for the angel to come down. God, I need you to give me your joy. God, I need you to give me your peace.
No Begging Needed – It's Already Paid For
The other day, Abby was begging me for a certain item that she wanted me to buy for her. And she is our youngest child, so she has had the least amount of time to learn the system by which her parents can be persuaded or manipulated, depending on how you want to put that. And Elijah, being the oldest, walked up to her and said, Abby, this is not the way to get something from Dad. And he pulled her aside. And I want to pull you aside today.
Those of you who are begging God for a breakthrough, this is not the way to get something from your heavenly Father. You don't have to beg him for what he already bought for you. You don't have to beg him for what he died to give you. You don't have to convince people. You don't have to convince anybody. When God decides to do a work in your life, it's done. Somebody shout, it's done. It's done.
But the man, he had some reasons. He had some reasons why he couldn't receive, do you want to get well? And the man said, watch this. He said, sir, at least he was respectful. I have no one. And I'm expecting Jesus to just any minute jump in and say, I did not ask you all that. But isn't it crazy how, in the presence of an unlimited God, we will stay stuck in an explanation?
Now, let me be balanced. Everything that the man said was true. Everything that the man said was a fact. But faith has the ability to override the facts. And that's what he didn't know. And he started explaining to Jesus the way things work around here. You know, the pool. I need somebody. I don't have anybody. Nobody appreciated me. Nobody loved me. I have nobody. I didn't have anybody to show me. I didn't have anybody to hold me. I have nobody.
I appreciate the conversation, but you don't know my situation. I have nobody to help me into the pool. Now, what's funny about that is that you've got to really be a Bible nerd to understand. And I'm going to use your Bible for just another minute before I give it back. And this thing is going to be extra anointed when I hand it to you. See, I'm going to read it a lot this week.
But look, it says in John chapter 4 that Jesus was going through Samaria. And he comes up on this woman. He says, hey, woman, give me a drink. That's a great pickup line, by the way. And she's like, but you're a Jew, and I'm a Samaritan. And Jesus is like, don't even worry about that. I'm not worried about what people think about it. Give me a drink. And she says, but you don't have a bucket. And Jesus says to her essentially, not in these exact words, you don't need a bucket when you're the well.
See, I am the living water. And if you receive what I have to give you, it won't be about what people can do. You won't need a bucket. What's in me will get in you, and it will become within you a well that will never run dry. I feel joy welling up inside. I feel peace welling up inside. But he spoke this of the Spirit. And she said, but you Jews say that we have to worship in Jerusalem, and the Samaritans say we have to worship on this mountain. And Jesus says, you're both wrong, because it's not about a geographical location or a situation in your life. This is the place. And those who worship the Father must worship in spirit and truth.
So Jesus walks up to the man, and the man starts telling Jesus how he can't get to the water. And Jesus says, don't you get it? I saw that you couldn't get to the water. That's why the water came to you. This is grace. This is revival. This is the essence of salvation. That I couldn't get to the water. So the water came to me. And you know where breakthrough begins? Breakthrough begins where my excuses end. I don't have anybody. I don't know enough. I've been this way a long time. And Jesus steps right over his excuses and gives them a command.
The Command to Get Up – Breakthrough's Starting Point
Now, here's the command. Watch this. Because while we're busy trying to get God to come down, Jesus has a very different view of what needs to happen next in your life for change to occur. Real change. Deep change. Lasting change. Sustainable change. Evident change.
Jesus, after hearing all the man's reasons, after reading his doctor's excuse, I have no one to help me when the water is stirred. And while I'm trying to get in, every time I try to get in, someone else… You know, I noticed that all of this guy's mentality has begun to revolve around other people. They won't help me in, and every time I try to get in, they keep me out. They keep blocking me. They keep blocking my breakthrough.
It's funny. Everybody listening to me preach thinks they're the exception to what I'm preaching. Yeah, my situation is different, I mean, for her, yeah. And Jesus is simple. Essentially, hearing what the man said looks at him and tells him to get up. Could it be possible… This is just a question, and I'm about to get out of your way. Trust me, you're going to be tired of me after ten nights. I'm about to get out of your way.
While you're waiting for God to come down, God is waiting for you to get up. Maybe breakthrough doesn't begin. Come on. When your situation changes, but when you make a determination within myself, I'm not blaming anybody. I'm not waiting for anyone. I don't need my situation to change. God, change me. God, change me. God, change me. That's my prayer. God, change me. Do a work in me. Living water. Spring up a well within my soul.
God says, this is the place where breakthrough begins. This is the place where breakthrough begins. This is the place. Not with them. Not with them. Not with it. With me, God. Do a work in me. I'm ready, God. How many are ready for a revival? Jump up on your feet.
I want to pray for you because I believe that God has a breakthrough in mind for your life for this ten-day revival. Oh, Carl Lentz is going to preach great. John Gray is going to preach great. Christine Kane is going to preach great. Joyce Meyer is going to preach great. Darius Daniel is going to preach great. Louis Giglio, Levi Lusko, and whoever else I forgot. Oh, Pastor Craig Groeschel, my pastor. It's all going to be great.
But this is a B-Y-O-B revival. Remember, I told you 32 minutes ago, bring your own breakthrough. What do you mean by that? I mean that the only thing blocking you from the breakthrough that God wants to release within you is your ability and willingness to believe that it's possible. Amen.
And I wonder, do you even believe anymore or have you learned to live with things that Jesus died to take away? During revival, we want to see some things open up in our church. We want to see some things open up in our communities, but I believe it begins within. Amen.
I believe that breakthrough begins when I say, God, I'm going to get up, pick up my mat, leave behind my excuses, and do something very simple. Walk.