Keion Henderson - Thank You for Being Late - Part 2

Thank you for being late. After this, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem, by the sheep market, a pool which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, which actually means «having five porches.» In these lay a great multitude of infinite people: blind people, halt people, withered people, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water; whatsoever then first, after the troubling of the water, stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said unto him, «Will thou be made whole?» The impotent man answered him, «Sir, here is his excuse: I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.» Jesus said unto him, «Rise, take up thy bed and walk.» Our last verse: and immediately the man was made whole and took up his bed and walked, and on the same day was the Sabbath. I want to talk on this subject: thank you for being late. This colonnade, although it was full of lame, blind, impotent people, at least had enough sense to have five porches. They had five porches, five places where you could drop the dirt, five places—the number of grace—five places where you could deal with your issues, five places where you can get rid of it before you come in here. I just want to tell you that some of us are struggling because your life has no porch. People walk right through the dirt, right through your front door, right through your heart, right through your emotions, right through your ear gate, eye gate, mouth gate. You need a porch. You need a gap that is between you and what the enemy has planned for you. A porch had a purpose: it was for removing the dirt before you entered. I dare you to just tell people that you meet, «You got to remove that before you come in here. You got to get rid of that negative perspective before you come in here. You got to get rid of that lying spirit before you come here.» It’s not that I won’t deal with you, but you’re going to have to spend some time on the porch. Your life needs a porch. But here it is; here’s the problem. The problem with the porch in this text is the porch was designed to get rid of the dirt so that they could enter. But the problem here, according to the text, is they lay on the porch; they didn’t stay—they lay on it. Can I ask you? I don’t mean to be facetious nor rude, but how long have you been laying in the dirt? How long have you been laying in negativity? How long have you had that grudge? How long have you been angry? How long have you been trying to get even? How long have you been trying to make somebody else hurt as much as they made you hurt? How long have you been trying to get back at somebody who held you back? It’s called laying in the dirt. And when you lay in the dirt, no wonder you’re impotent. No wonder you’re blind. No wonder you can’t walk because you’ve lain in it. How long have you laid in the absence of your father? How long have you laid in the lack of love from your mother? How long have you laid in the bad decision that you made that made you feel guilty? How long have you laid in your own sadness and in your own emotions? I’m telling you today, it’s time for you to get off the porch. That’s a word for somebody. I should have named this sermon: it’s time to get off the porch. It’s time for you to get out of the dirt. It’s time for you to get out of the filth. It’s time for you to stop feeling insecure. It’s time for you to get out of that place that was designed for transition that you’ve made a place of inactivity. But I’m glad, after I read this text, that our God, our Jesus, is attracted to the porch. I’m glad that He likes the porch. The Bible says that He came to the porch where the lame man was and where the blind people were and where the inactive people were and where the shameful people were and where the insecure people were. And He showed up. And the Bible says when He gets there, He asks a man a question and I want to ask you the question: do you want to be made whole? Now your answer can’t be like his, because if I was in the presence of the answer and the answer had just asked me a question, then I would have said something different than this man. He says, «Do you want to be made whole?» The man said, «Yeah, I do, but—Sir, I have nobody to put me in the pool.» And just about the time I do get to the place where I feel like I have a little assistance or a little hope, somebody jumps in before me. Somebody jumps in before me because I’m too insecure to move quickly. I’m too upset to move fast. I don’t have the courage to move. I’m stuck—I’m stuck. My mind won’t fire. I’m debilitated. I’m inactive. Something happened to…