THE MENTALITY OF WAITING ON MEN

TEXT: John 5:1-9

AIMS: 1. To remind ourselves that the best any man can do for us has limits.

2. To teach that all hope must be on God.

 INTRODUCTION:

The word “mentality” is a particular way of thinking while “waiting” is remaining in a particular state expecting or hoping that something will happen soon. To wait on men simply means to expect that human beings are capable of meeting one’s need at a given period or season. The major focus of this study is to re-echo it to ourselves that no matter how best we can rate men, it could be based on their status, rank, age, experience or track records, there is still limit to what they can offer us.

Our hopes must be on God! The characters in our text can be categorized into three, we have an angel who only come to stir the water once in a season, the sick man who is in dire need of healing and Jesus, whose authority and ability is not limited by time. It is of importance, to note here that angels which dwell in the presence of God are also limited! They are messengers and can only function within the time frame of their given assignment. When Jesus saw this man, Jesus asked if he’s willing to be made whole, his answer was “I have no man……”.

No man has ever received anything good except he is given from heaven (John 3:27; James 1:17), if you are privileged to be helped by fellow human beings, it only shows that the Lord permitted it to be so for that period, even angels from heaven only carried out their activities on earth as instructed by God. There is a God who has the unlimited ability to do all things without being limited by the law of time and season, have you been expecting anything from your fellow human? It is time to shift your expectation(s) to God and Him alone (Psalm 121:1-2).

DISCUSSION:

1. Mention some of the results one can derive from solely hoping in what men can offer.
2. Clearly explain this statement “It is better to trust in what God can use man for than to rely on the strength of men”.
3. To what extent should we depend on the ability of a fellow Christian?
4. What are the benefits of hoping on God and Him alone?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

The ability of any human being outside Christ cannot find expression beyond the flesh, only the spiritual being can draw inspiration and leading from the Lord. So, the only way to get the best from men is to follow God in men!

MEMORY VERSE: Psalm 27:14.