Lame Excuses | Robert Madu | Elevation Church
TL;DR Summary
In this engaging sermon, Robert Madu addresses the theme of “Lame Excuses” by reflecting on the story of the man at the pool of Bethesda from John 5:1-15. Madu draws parallels between the physical lameness of the man and the metaphorical lameness of excuses we often make in our lives. He challenges listeners to examine the excuses that hold them back from fulfilling their God-given potential and to recognize the power of Jesus to transform their circumstances, regardless of how long they have been stagnant.
Madu delves into the biblical account where Jesus heals a man who had been lame for 38 years. He emphasizes how Jesus, the Living Water, approached the man directly, bypassing the crowd of sick individuals waiting for the pool to stir. This act demonstrates that divine intervention does not depend on human effort or timing but on God’s grace and initiative. Madu highlights the significance of Jesus asking the man if he wanted to be well, probing deeper into the man’s desires and readiness to embrace the responsibilities of a healed life.
The sermon encourages believers to abandon their “lame excuses” and step into the fullness of their purpose. Madu urges listeners to trust in Jesus, who can provide healing and wholeness beyond physical restoration. He calls for a shift from dependency on past experiences or external validations to a reliance on Christ’s presence and power. The message concludes with a powerful reminder that God’s grace is sufficient to overcome any excuse, and believers are invited to rise, take up their mats, and walk into the new life God has prepared for them.
Full Sermon Transcript
Before we get to the message let me know right now where are you watching from where are you joining from our efam around the world welcome I’m excited to bring God’s word to you today also April 18th through 27th elevationnights.com our elevation night spring tour it’s me holly Elevation Worship a word from God the spirit of God your favorite songs all right here’s where we’re coming Austin Texas Oklahoma City Oklahoma Minneapolis Minnesota Kansas City Missouri I’m tired Denver Colorado that altitude got me St Louis Missouri Fort Wayne Indiana and Toronto Ontario we will see you elevationnights.com get your tickets right now let me know where you’re joining us from I want to see it in the comments let’s go to the word of God it’s good good church on a Sunday are you guys [Music] in the house of God elevation hey man across every location even at home I know you just tore up your bathroom your living room praise and you can sit down I am elated and excited to be back at Elevation Church my name is Robert Madu and I am not a guest here I am for real a part of the fam I hope you know that I uh have the privilege with my wife and Pastor in a church in the great country of Texas called social Dallas and I love my church I love my church but if they ever start tripping they ever get sick of me I know why I’m moving I’m going straight to Charlotte and I’m just gonna get on staff here at elevation so I social dollar family y’all better treat me right treat my wife Taylor Wright but uh it is such an honor to be here I love this house and I love your pastors I love Pastor Stephen I love Pastor Holly they are dear friends to my wife and I am you know I said that about my church treating me right I hope y’all treat your pastors right Samuel they they filling up Arenas and there’s a lot of cities a lot of countries that would love to have them and I’m just in this season especially now where I don’t want familiarity to rob me of appreciation sometimes often the greater the gift God has given you take it for granted and I pray that is not the story of this church I pray you always honor salute and celebrate and cherish the gift God has given you in the life of Pastor Stephen and Holly so can we just give them just some honor come on let them know we’re covering you we’re praying for you elevation nights come on I’m packing out Arenas all over the nation and [Music] and it’s good to have an elevation morning I’m excited to preach the word of God I hope you’re ready to hear it are you ready to hear it I want to jump straight into it today I want you to go with me to the Gospel of John today the Gospel of John if you don’t mind can we stand to honor the reading of God’s word is this cool I know you just sat down got comfortable but come on you wore those shoes trying to be cute should have put some comfortable shoes on at Elevation Church I want you to go with me to the Gospel of John chapter number five and I want to look at verses 1 through 15. John chapter 5 start at verse number one and will land at verse number 15. when you’re ready to read it say yeah if you need some time to find John say hold up I heard one hole up right here in this section and I’ma wait for you I’m gonna wait for you across every location eat fam we love you John chapter 5 I’m gonna start at verse number one and it declares afterwards Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days and inside the city near the Sheep gate was the pool of Bethesda with five covered porches crowds of sick people blind lame or paralyzed lay on the porches and one of the men lying there had been sick for 38 years and when Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time he him who the answer is asking a question I want to pause before I even asked what Jesus asked and this is what I I wish I wish Bible could give us facial expression and vocal intonation don’t you just like just on the Bible app if we could just Paul could actually see face and maybe hear his vocal intonation how he asked this because there’s really two different ways to ask this question you you know you could he could have said do you want to get well that’s an option that’s the option I don’t know if you ever felt like that if you ever felt like God he just just annoyed with you just a little bit like how long is it going to take you to get yourself together so do you want to get well that’s an option then again I can’t imagine the creator of the universe being annoyed with what he created so maybe he had a different facial expression a different vocal intonation maybe the facial expression of a Chick-fil-A worker I’m just like do you want to get well [Applause] and you know I can do that right my pleasure I can do it I can do it maybe that’s the way he asked it but look at this man’s reply I can’t sir I can for I have no one to put me in the pool when the water bubbles up someone else always gets there ahead of me Jesus told him stand up pick up your mat and walk instantly the man was healed rolled up his sleeping mat and baked can walking this miracle happened on the Sabbath so the Jewish leaders objected of course they did they said to the man who was cured you can’t work on the Sabbath the law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping man but he replied the man who healed me told me pick up your man at all who said such a thing as that they demand it the man didn’t know in front of you can be shouting about stuff you don’t even know when Jesus disappeared into the crowd but afterward Jesus found him in the temple and told him now you are well so stop sinning or something even worse may happen to you and the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him can you say Amen oh that’s good stuff elevation fam I want to preach to you today as always not long probably about four and a half hours just using this as a title today lame excuses lame excuses look at your neighbor for the last time right on their face and say neighbor it’s time for you to stop with a lame excuses come on across every location if you believe God’s gonna speak would you give us some praise in advance come on I mean a for real get up and take your mat and walk praise father have your way speak to our hearts today in Jesus name amen you may be seated in the presence of the Lord lame excuses elevation fam it’s crazy how much I can personally relate to this man who is in our text today not because I’ve been lame for 38 years but I have been alive for 38 years matter of fact this June I turned 39 turned 39 Oh yes 40 is coming y’all 40. it is coming on your boy you know they say that in your 20s you are obsessed with what other people think about you in your 40s you stop caring what other people think about you and then in your 60s you realize what nobody thinking about you anyway so so I’m about to enter the stage of my 40s where I just I don’t care what you think about me that’s what I’m entering in and don’t get me wrong I want to grow I don’t want to be rude I want to get better but I’m just in the season of life where I know my strengths I know my weaknesses I know what I’m good at I know my deficiencies I know my idiosyncrasies I mean I know what I can do and I know what I can’t do like I can’t do math I don’t do numbers my my eight-year-old daughter beautiful baby girl Evie she asked me to help me with her basic math homework the other day I said no I said no so sweetheart daddy is a communicator not a calculator you’re gonna have to do this do this on your own I don’t do math I don’t do numbers yo I don’t cook I don’t cook I cannot cook anything you know how some men think that like masculinity is synonymous with grilling I am not that dude okay I don’t cook I don’t Grill okay I make reservations that’s what I do and I’m cool with that it is what it is I know my straights I know my weaknesses y’all I also know that oh I’m not good at texting people back I know I know I know that’s that’s the Cardinal unforgivable sin in this day and age in which we live I am so sorry I have a phone full of text messages that I have responded to in my head but it just hadn’t got to my fingertips yet okay give me some Grace okay don’t even ask me did you get the text of course I got it you know I got it just give me some time to respond okay I got a wife I got three kids I got a church we got a pet dog that needs Deliverance a squirrel and guinea pigs I got stuff going on get to it when I get to it it’s just hard I’m telling I’ve learned that people don’t like it when you don’t respond to their texts they don’t care what excuse you have in fact matter of fact you ever text somebody if you ever text somebody and all of a sudden you saw them start to reply you see the little bubbles and then it just disappears oh your mind just starts jumping all these stories about what they could have done what they could have said oh I’m telling you I have all kinds of excuses for why I didn’t get back to your text message but no matter what I give it always feels like a lame excuse you ever given a lame excuse lame is you why you were late for work really it’s traffic every day you ever given just a lame excuse lame excuses are interesting because lame excuses we think exonerate us from our responsibility if we didn’t we wouldn’t give the lame excuse we in our minds think that that lame excuse actually exonerates us from the responsibility or the thing that we were supposed to do and I came to tell you that it doesn’t you still have a responsibility as a matter of fact I think the greatest gift God has ever given humanity is responsibility response response ability the ability to respond that God is looking for your ability to respond to the call to the purpose to the Mandate he has put on your life and he is not interested in your lame excuse but in the crazy the lame excuses that we give God as a matter of fact your Bible is full it is replete of examples of people giving lame excuses especially when God tells them their purpose Moses go tell Pharaoh let my people go to God you know I can’t talk lame excuse Gideon you are a mighty warrior no you understand God I’m the least in my family I can’t really do stuff like that lame excuse excuse Mary the holy spirit’s gonna overshadow you you’re gonna give birth to the son of the Living God where I don’t even know Joseph like that how is that girl name lame excuse you laughing but I’m wondering what lame excuse are you giving God right now for why you haven’t stepped into the fullness of your purpose what lame excuse are you telling him thinking that that excuse exonerates you from the responsibility in my text today we don’t just run into a lame man we run into a man who has a lame excuse and for 38 years y’all 38 years as long as your boy has been living this man has been lame before you start judging people’s lame excuse maybe check the environment from which the excuse came because I think lame excuses are birthed from lame environments think about this man for 38 years we don’t even know when this lameness occurred or whether he’s just been by the pool for 38 years but either way you put it for a long time this man has been stuck in one position not being able to move you understand during this time period there are no hover rounds there are no wheelchairs you would stay in one position anytime you wanted to move somewhere you had to do it yourself if you didn’t do it yourself you were dependent on other people around you say hey could you help me hey I actually want to move over there could you help me get up no wonder when he responds to Jesus the first words out of his mouth were a kid I don’t have anybody to help me there’s nobody that can put me in it’s easy to judge people’s excuses if you don’t know their environment what else does he have to rely on there’s nobody else to pick him up because his entire life he’s learned to be dependent upon other people it’s amazing how sometimes even your physicality will affect your psychology when you’re lame all you have to talk to is other lame people what you gonna do today man probably lay here I was thinking the same thing [Applause] it affects your conversations all you have is lame conversations you don’t talk to people who are up you talk to people who are down this is the challenge of being lame it affects your ability to work this man couldn’t find a job what do you do what a job do you apply for he’s even having to beg probably just to get something he’s laying there and I think so often we judge people’s lameness then we judge their excuses without even taking the time to at least see the environment from which the lame excuse okay at least check the environment this man was lame for 38 years not only is he lame in his environment but let’s look at the environment in which he is surrounded the Bible says that there was a pool there was a pool at Bethesda Bethesda Maine’s House of Mercy but it may as well be a house of misery because if you see this scene there are broken people everywhere in fact the Bible says a crowd another version says a multitude the only place we see multitude other in the gospels is really in the feeding of the fish in the Five Loaves this is not a few people there’s a lot of people this is a multitude of sick people and some are blind and some are lame and some are missing arms and some are missing eyes here’s one thing about this whole environment of the people about the pool they’re all broken it’s not a single person by the pool that has it going on it’s not a single person by the pool that has it all put together everybody at the pool is broken in some area there’s some people that had some legs and some people that didn’t have arms and some people that had eyes and some people that could hear but no matter where they were everybody had some area of Brokenness by the pool I’m gonna pause right here since we at the pool and let you know that every single person has some area of Brokenness I know you can’t see it because it’s Sunday and they got that good shirt on and all that Mary Kay and Mac makeup but I’m telling you they are not showing it well they are hiding their Brokenness all of us have some area of Brokenness and I wish just for once we could have some people that would put away the pretense and be honest and say I don’t have it all together I’m not really living how I’m posting there are still some areas of Brokenness in my life as a matter of fact you ought to thank God for some of those areas of Brokenness because some of us wouldn’t pray if we didn’t have Brokenness some of us wouldn’t cry out to God if we didn’t have Brokenness but there’s something about being broken there’s something that knowing that you’re frail that actually makes you cry out to God God I need you in this area everybody at the pool full of broken people I wish I could see their Instagram and they tick tock because you know they didn’t post what was broken they posted what was whole the lame person just posting his arms like yeah [Applause] I do upper body no lower body man just upper body person that’s blind got sunglasses on So You Don’t See and they just yeah man I’m cool can’t see the comments or the likes but they just posted isn’t it funny how we like to show the good parts we hide our Brokenness but everybody at the pool was broken and everybody at the pool had a belief system and the police system was that whenever the water would bubble they believed that an angel would stir the waters that every time the water would bubbles the first person to get in would get the healing this is the belief system of the broken people that you gotta be first first person in is the one that’s going to get the blessing and so I gotta fight and I gotta do whatever I can to be first this is our generation no wonder all of us are fighting for attention no wonder all of us are fighting for people to validate us and look at us because we all think if I could just be the first one to get in thou be the one that gets the Breakthrough I’ll be the one that gets the blessing it’s a generation of life and matter of fact to me that’s what lame stands for lame l-a-m-e look at me everybody [Music] you want to see a lame life look at a person who has put themselves on the center of their world and is saying look at me everybody as long as I can be first to get here and I can see this man I don’t know who dropped him off at the pool that day but a wholeheartedly and earnestly believe that the day he was first dropped at the pool he actually had excitement that he was going to get it oh I can see him I can see the first day he was dropped by the pool he’s like oh I’m gonna get my break through today I’ll see you over there don’t think you’re gonna beat me as soon as that water bubbles up I’m gonna be the first one in there and he was going with all the might and the tenacity he could find come on you know how it is when you first start coming to church and you start praising you how you used to be when you first came to Elevation as soon as you’d be like oh when they gonna start man I can’t tell you what come on Save god let’s go see them people it’s like oh whatever you can tell you just started coming didn’t you you knew you knew to this set all right you need to get it together don’t take all that oh I think when he first got to the pool he was excited he couldn’t wait he’s like I’m gonna be I’m gonna be the first one in that water I’m gonna get my healing I’m gonna get my breakthrough I’m gonna get everything I need but year after year of disappointment a year after year of not getting to the water year after year of people stepping over you and getting in front of you how many you know after a while 38 years you start saying maybe I’ll never get the healing maybe uh maybe I’ll stop trying to even go to the water I think after 38 years you stop chasing to the pool and you just start relaxing on the porch you ever been on the porch the porch is when you have gotten to the place where you say it hurts to Hope again it hurts to believe it it is what it is I guess I’ll never have a good marriage it is what it is I I guess I’ll never get out of debt it just it it what it is I guess my kids will never never be set free it it is what it is after a while when you’ve been hoping and believing for so long and you’ve had so many disappointments it is easy to relax on the porch and not even fight to get in the stirring of the water again it is easy to chill on the porch because at least the porch has shade and I’m covered you ever seen people just sitting on the porch and some houses they give it up on life and they just sit on the porch just watch look her down and Miss Johnson get some new grass yeah they’re gonna figure out something to cry okay just watching everybody else that’s how some people come to church they’re in the room they’re just on the porch oh look at him yeah he’ll learn yeah he’s shouting at Pastor Steve’s message yeah I used to shout like that too but now huh my right toe hurts now I just sit down now they know my heart they know my heart I just say Amen to my heart I just did that this is what it is what it is and he resolved to the porch and he’s given up and he probably stopped looking at the pool and he probably just kept looking up in the air not even looking for a miracle anymore but here’s what I love about the story of this man this man has proved positive that even in life when you’ve gotten to the porch and you don’t even want to fight for the pool and you feel like giving up and thrown in the towel and you can’t even believe again and you can’t even hope again even when you’re not even looking for a miracle I’m so glad that a miracle will look for you I’m so glad that even when we have laid on the porch of life and we don’t have any more fight in us and we don’t want to Hope again I’m so thankful for a savior that will come after us that will seek after us look at Jesus coming after this man he didn’t even know he was on the radar he didn’t even know he was on the schedule of the King of Kings and the lord of the Lord I don’t know who this message is for maybe you’re at home but I came to tell you even when you’ve given up and you’ve lost a hope God has not given up on you God will find a way to get to you God will do whatever it takes to make sure you don’t just relinquish to the points when you got so much purpose on your life look at Jesus coming straight for this man who’s been laying by the pool for 38 years all y’all just messes up my Theology and my christology because understand there’s probably thousands of people at this porch this is a festival there’s a whole lot of sick people and Jesus oh steps over all these people and come straight to him oh you said you want to clap at that can you imagine being one of the ones who was laying on the side and to watch the King of Kings and the Lord of lords he steps over them excuse me excuse me watch out excuse me no no no no I came straight for you he came straight for this man [Applause] so away with this notion I only get my healing if I got faith I only get the Breakthrough if I got enough Faith to believe for it you know what we feel sometimes like I gotta be like the woman with the issue of blood and press my weight through the crowd see that’s why you didn’t get a breakthrough you didn’t have enough Faith explain homeboy right here what faith does this matter he not even expecting it as he’s just laying there all of a sudden he sees the king of glory going what’s up right looking straight at him this is the beauty of Grace this is the beauty of coming to Jesus you don’t even know to know that you need him it’s not for the work of Grace every healing every Miracle it is not your Merit it is not your record it is not your good behavior it is nothing but the grace and the goodness of God he is the Great initiator look at Jesus tell him I got his appointment excuse me not today not you not you excuse me excuse me watch out coming straight for this man and he looks at him and he asks him a question the answer ask a question excuse me do you want to get well before I deal with that question let me just talk about the questions of Jesus I know I said he’s the answer asking the question and that’s what we think Jesus is the answer but almost I’m starting to think this is the question because Jesus will ask you the question that you don’t even know to ask so he can show you he’s the answer when I study the gospels I’m Blown Away by how many questions Jesus asked in your gospels Jesus asked approximately 307 questions 307 questions he has asked in the gospels 183 questions of those 183 he really only directly answers about Adam that’s how your God Rose you come to him with a question who he’ll hit you with a question and two stories you’d be like wait a minute what did I ask he’s talking about must have said I’m confused what oh I’ll tell you we think he’s the answer but I’m telling you he is the question your God was always asking questions as a matter of fact the first words that emanate from the mouth of Jesus as a teenager and the temple was a question remember Mary and Joseph lost them they lost Jesus remember they couldn’t find him and they lost them and they said hey where are you we were looking all over for you boy what’s wrong with you it’s like why were you looking for me didn’t you know I must be about my father’s business Jesus was always asking questions he died on the cross with a question my God my God why have you forsaken me he got up from the grave with a question remember how he messed up Mary she was at the tomb and here’s Jesus resurrected new body new wardrobe it’s like excuse me who are you looking for he’s always asking questions where is your faith who do men say that I am who told you that God is asking questions all the time why does he ask questions because he wants to send you on a quest answers have a finality to it and we live in a culture that just wants an answer but you have a God that will give you a question to take you on a journey because he’s trying to draw you into himself he’s trying to show you who he is and you can’t find that out in a moment I’m telling you questions are powerful questions will not allow you the luxury of staying on the surface questions always force you to go deeper into the deep things I don’t know who this is for but this is your last year to live shallow God said he wants to take you deeper and sometimes he’s going to ask you the tough questions the questions that you don’t want to ask yourself that’s why if you got a good counselor after you sat on that couch and got a good bill at the right moment they won’t hit you with and how does that make you see ya [Applause] because there’s something about the question that probes deeper beyond the surface so he’s asking this man do you want to get well do you really want to get well what is Jesus probing at this question he wants to know what do you really want what do you really desire because it is obvious to me that you have been at this pool for so long that you started to lose your desire to walk again you started to lose your hope to walk again and I wonder if there’s somebody in here today lost your desire you stop dreaming you stop stop and you’ve made the final words of somebody who’s truly given up it is what it is God sent me on assignment to tell you to dream again to believe again to hold again to let you know that where you are is not again that he can still do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask think or imagine you want to get well he’s going after his desire it’s interesting the word desire has the word sire in it and you’ve studied the etymology it literally means of the father of the father that desire is of the father subliminally suggesting to us that our desires should actually come from our father this is why the Bible says the light in the Lord in all your ways and he will give you the desires of your heart that’s not a verse to just say oh he gonna give me whatever I want oh yeah he’ll give me the desires of my heart come on y’all the Tesla’s coming let’s go no it’s as I Delight myself in him all of a sudden his heart becomes my heart and I start to see things the way he sees things and I start wanting what he wants from me and guess what he doesn’t just want you to walk he wants you to walk home he doesn’t just want you up on your feet he wants you up on your feet walking in the fullness of what he has for you he wants your legs to be an outward sign of the inner wholeness that’s on the inside of you because what good is it to have your legs restored if your heart is still far from him what good is it for him to bless the business if you’re not going to live a life of generosity and allow your life to be a conduit of generosity to help somebody else what good is it for him to give you the house if you ain’t gonna have nobody over the house and actually share the gospel with them you don’t invite nobody to your apartment and you want a bigger house no I’m just good by myself I don’t really do people okay he wants he wants you whole so he says do you want to get well he’s also trying to get him to understand that when I heal you you are now gonna have to do the work of walking and wholeness I think we come to church and we shout about the idea of being whole but the actual work it takes we don’t want do you want to get well because I’m about to hear you and guess what you’re gonna have to walk right into a j-o-b because you will have no more excuses once your legs have been healed later he will find this man in the temple and he had no clue who he was who healed him and he actually tells him to stop sinning and I’m curious what was he doing I got the strange suspicion that homeboy might have went back to the same environment again that’s the challenge of actually getting up and getting home because once I get up I have no more excuses I have no more crutches actually I have no more friends who do you hang out with when you’ve been laying around with the same people for 38 years see sometimes God will heal you to a place where he wants to know are you okay with being whole but still being by yourself and as long as you know that I’m your child as long as you know that I am the one that cares about you are you cool with that or do you need the camaraderie of other people to validate you sometimes you gotta walk by yourself say I would rather be by myself and hold then I have some people that are benefiting from my Brokenness who does he hang out with who does he talk to can you see him going back to the dudes by the port saying I will look at you I don’t know why he walked past me and then it healed you I don’t know what you did that was so special you ever see those people that try to get mad just because of the favor and the grace of God that’s on your life and you’re trying to tell them I can’t explain it I don’t know why don’t ask me ask him [Applause] look at you got your little legs y’all stuck up I’m not stuck up I’m just up you’re the one that stuck don’t be mad just cause he healed me don’t be mad just cause he delivered me don’t be mad just cause I’m not in that same cycling system of Destruction do you want to get well it’s hard to do the work of being whole is hard to do the work of not just shouting about the idea of freedom for saying God I’m now going to trust you for every single step and keep walking and put away the excuses so I can be who you called and created me to be look at the person next to you and just just push them a little bit and say no more excuses no more lame excuses it’s time to get up do you want to get well sir I can’t I don’t have anybody to help me I don’t have anybody to pick me up and put me into the water and somebody always gets ahead of me isn’t that crazy he’s looking in the face of Jesus he’s talking about the pool he responds to a savior who has the simple question do you want to get well that’s like a yes or no question but he goes into all these excuses and in his excuses he’s talking about the pool when Jesus is from front of Jesus says do you want to get well and he’s talking about the pool let’s try another one The Living Water is in front of him asking him do you want to get well and he’s talking about the poor I wonder are you talking about something that is peripheral to what is really important when Jesus is right there in front of you saying now that I am here the pool is no longer necessary you need to look at me I am the Living Water I am every single thing that you need what I show up in your situation stop talking about the pool and all your excuses and start running after me you don’t need to pull anymore cause I’m here oh I want to talk to somebody that’s got all kinds of excuses about why you can’t do something oh I’m too black oh I’m too white oh I’m too old oh I’m through this oh I’m to that no no no no as long as Jesus is with you as long as he’s standing right there in front of you you got everything that you need why are you talking about the pool when the Living Water is right in front of so many times we put our hopes and dreams in past experiences and the way we thought it should go and we’re still looking at the pool when the savior is right in front of us we still coming to church thinking it’s just another service not knowing this could be the day where that stronghold of depression and anxiety is broken off of your life and nobody even has to lay a hand on you but even as you stand there and lift up your hands in a worship it can fall off of your life today why are you waiting for the future when he’s right in Trump oh I don’t want to spend my life talking about well maybe then or maybe later or maybe the pool when he is right there in front of me go on what do you need I love it because Jesus literally interrupts him the Greek is crazy it’s abrupt he says get up take up your Madden wall I like that he literally interrupts him it actually suggested a written language that if Jesus had not have interrupted him he would have kept on talking about all the excuses that I have nobody to put me in the pool and you don’t understand what happened to me when I was in town I had this happen and nobody ever validated up take your mat and walk I feel like that’s what God sent me to interrupt somebody that has all kinds of excuses and say this is your day get up take your mat and walk I know you got all kinds of reasons why it can’t happen to you and while you feel like you can’t do this or can’t do that but God sent this chocolate brother from Dallas Texas to look you right in your face and say get up take up your mat and walk this is your day to get up from living this level and rise up into all that God has called you to be get up take your mat and walk I love that he didn’t say imma do a six-week series on how you can get up he didn’t say I won’t lay hands on you he said no I’m gonna give you a word and when I speak this word you need to respond to the word that you heard oh who is this for somebody needs to respond to this word that I’m preaching today and say enough with the excuses I am who God says I am I can have what he says I can have I can step into whatever he wants me to step into no more lame excuses get up get up get up from the pain of your past from that worry [Music] get up from the guilt get up from the shame I know it’s been a long time I know it’s been so long it hurts to Hope again but when the savior of the universe come straight to you and ask you a question throw away all your excuses and tell him what you want tell them what you need get up [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] look at how powerful a command of God is this man gets up and immediately his legs are strengthened yo his muscles tightened he didn’t have to do any physical therapy one word was enough for him to get up and start walking yo when I sit on a plane too long I need to like get a moment to get my but the word of God is so powerful that within the command is every single thing that you need he didn’t tell him take a step here he didn’t say let’s stretch they said no no no get up he gets up he says oh and take your man oh can you see him carrying the thing he used to be relying on I don’t know who this is for but those things you’ve been relying on that you’re going to be holding now he always would tell lame people to take their mat you know why because anytime somebody sees you holding what you used to be laying on it is a walking living breathing testimony matter of fact it was a setup he did it on the Sabbath on purpose because he wanted some people to see that man walking he wanted people to see him holding the thing that he used to be laying on I don’t know who this is for but maybe there’s something you’re ashamed about but this is the beauty of the grace of God it’s the same thing you’ve been ashamed about God can flip that thing it’ll actually become a testimony of his goodness a testimony of his grace so people will look at your life and say if God can use and heal and set free somebody as broken as you I know he can do it for me too says take your man he starts walking right into opposition because here comes the religious system saying you can’t do that you got to be ready for the opposition if you’re going to get up from the excuses and here’s the danger he didn’t even know who it was that healed them this is how I know this is just a sovereign work of Grace he wasn’t even seeking for the healing God sought after him he didn’t even know it was Jesus who did it oh the power of just Obedience of doing what he told you to do but look at this savior who found him again and said hey hey I’m the one who did it stop sinning you have no more excuses your legs are whole let those legs be an outward sign of the inner healing that has taken place in your life I’m gonna ask heads be bowed and I’ll be closed across every location today I don’t know who I came for today but today’s the day to put away the excuses enough is enough maybe you had your hopes and dreams in the pool maybe it was a job maybe it was a career maybe it was life playing out a certain way presence of Jesus he is here [Music] what do you want me to do I’m asking you the question because I’m no longer giving you the opportunity to live your life shallow and on the surface I want to go deeper so that you can be healed not just externally not just with blessing inside out heads about hours are closed across every location but if you’re here today and you’ll be so honest to say Pastor Robert I know there’s some excuses I’ve been making and I think those excuses exonerate me from the purpose of the call but today since God reminding you that I use Earthen vessels [Music] that it was never about you but I’m a God that seeks after you and I can use you quit disqualifying yourself his strength is made perfect in your weakness but just as a sign across every campus to say hey if I know what that excuse is of today I’m putting the lame excuse to the side God I’m gonna step into what you have for me would you just lift up your hand as a sign to say this for me this for me yeah yeah thank you God you know what that thing is thank you Jesus I see those hands thank you God you can put it right back down I want to be real specific if you’re here watch it online and you’ve never taken that first step which to say Jesus my life is yours maybe you made all the excuses all church people at this this and that up can I tell you there are no perfect churches and if you found the perfect church as soon as you got there you would ruin it because we’re all broken I’m telling we all have areas some area of Brokenness this is not a community of perfected people it’s a community of the redeemed they’re redeemed so what heads about and I was closed if you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus I would love to give you that opportunity across every campus even at home God’s presence Knows No Limits if that’s you today say Pastor Robert would you include me in this closing prayer I need to give Jesus my life it’s so simple confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord that God raised him from the dead if that’s you would you lift up your hand high enough and long enough to where I could see it yeah thank you God thank you Lord anybody Lord yeah yeah you don’t have to clean yourself up to come to him you come to him just as you are anybody else thank you Jesus come on can we pray this prayer as one big family come on across every location can we pray this say dear Jesus I Need You I cannot do life without you Jesus thank you so much bring the life that I was supposed to live for dying the death that I was supposed to die you took my place so my response to give you everything forgive me of myself make me brand new From This Moment forward I’m walking with you in Jesus name am a man a man a man a man a man come on if you meant what you prayed come on can we all collectively just give King Jesus the best praise that you got oh come on give us a praise if I can see yourself getting up carrying your map no more excuses I’m walking into what he has for me God bless you elevation hey thank you for watching the Elevation Church YouTube I want you to subscribe that way you can know when we go live and post new content make sure to leave me a comment let me know what spoke to you today where you’re watching from and what we can pray for you about and if you’d like to support the ministry financially you can click the give button now and help us continue reaching people around the world for Jesus Christ thanks again I’ll see you next time
