#101 - Joby Martin // Daring to Be Defined by Christ, Not Your Scars

Jesus asks a seemingly obvious question at the Pool of Bethesda: "Do you want to be healed?" This profound inquiry reveals that many people don't actually want healing because they've built their identity around their wounds.

• Many resist healing because wounds have become their identity
• Some cling to injuries as excuses for destructive behaviors
• Others avoid healing because it requires difficult, sustained work
• Jesus is the Great Physician who offers true healing
• True identity comes from Christ, not from our wounds or scars
• Healing may involve both divine intervention and human effort

Bring whatever needs healing in your life to Jesus and dare to walk in the wholeness He offers. If you want to help equip other men for the fight, share this podcast and leave us a five-star rating and review.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to the Daily Blade.
The Word of God is described asthe sword of the Spirit, the
primary spiritual weapon in theChristian's armor against the
forces of evil.
Your hosts are Joby Martin andKyle Thompson, and they stand
ready to equip men for the fight.
Let's sharpen up.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome back to day three of the Daily Blade.
As we are unpacking thismiracle or this sign that
happens in John, chapter 5, thehealing at the pool of Bethesda,
we're going to reread some ofthe verses, just for context,
beginning of verse 1.
After this, there was a feastof the Jews and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem, bythe sheep gate, a pool in

(00:42):
Aramaic called Bethesda, whichhas five roofed colonnades.
Do you know why the Bible saysthat it has five roofed
colonnades?
Because it actually has fiveroofed colonnades.
It is details like this thathelp us understand that this is
not a myth.
This is not a fairy tale.
This is an actual event and anactual place, and actual details
like this actually happen.

(01:03):
Verse three in these lay amultitude of invalids, blind,
lame and paralyzed.
One man was there who had beenan invalid for 38 years, and
when Jesus saw him lying thereand knew that he had already
been there a long time, he saidto him do you want to be healed?

(01:23):
Now, when Jesus asked thisquestion, do you want to be
healed?
Don't you think the obviousanswer is well, of course I want
to be healed.
Jesus, I mean the brother, hasbeen here for 38 years.
At first it seems kind of likea rhetorical question, because
you would think the answer isobviously yeah, I want to be
healed.
Well, in reality that's alegitimate question.

(01:45):
Let me ask you do you want tobe healed?
You see, I've been in full-timevocational ministry for over 30
years and one of the thingsthat I've realized is I don't
know that you can make theassumption that people actually
want to be healed.
You see, there's a lot of peoplethat actually don't want to be
healed.
One of the reasons people don'twant to be healed, one of the
reasons people don't want to behealed is because they have

(02:08):
taken on such an identity.
They have been so defined bytheir wounds or by their scars
or by their addiction or by howsomeone else treated them, that
if you were to take away thatthing in their life that you
would actually be taking awaytheir identity.
Another reason some peopledon't want to be healed is

(02:29):
because if you were actuallyhealed, then you would no longer
have an excuse for your badbehavior.
I mean, if you actually forgaveyour parents and you actually
forgave your abuser, and if youactually forgave the person that
cheated on you, if you actuallyforgave the person that wounded
you.
If you were actually healed ofthat wound that you have been
clinging to for so long, thenwhat would be your excuse for

(02:51):
being so grumpy, being so angry?
Then what would be your excusefor drinking too much or
self-medicating?
Then what would be your excusefor losing in everything in your
life?
You see, there are some peoplethat actually hold on to their
sickness, to their lameness,because it is the excuse for the
life that they live.

(03:13):
You see, another reason that alot of people don't want to be
healed is because oftentimeshealing even miraculous healing
takes an incredible amount ofwork, and some people just
aren't willing to do the workthat it takes to be healed.
So let me ask you straight up Imean just between you and the
Lord do you want to be healed?

(03:34):
Are you ready to be healed ofthat addiction?
Are you ready to be healed ofthat bitterness that defines you
?
Are you ready to be healed ofall the excuses that you bring
up time and time again why youcannot be the person that God
has called you to be?
Are you ready to be healed ofthat unforgiveness that you have
been holding on to for yourentire life?

(03:56):
Well, there's only going to beone place where you can find
that healing that Jesus is thegreat physician.
Now, physically and mentally andemotionally, god heals in all
kinds of ways through peoples,prayers and pills, but he, and
he alone, is the great physicianand he wants to heal you.

(04:16):
He wants you to be whole.
The Bible says in Isaiah thatby his stripes we are healed.
Now, god doesn't always promisecures on this side of eternity,
but through the blood of JesusChrist he has a future and a
hope for us, and that future andhope is wholeness and healing.

(04:36):
Do you want it?
If you want to be healed, thenyou need Jesus, and I dare you I
mean I dare you to quit holdingonto all of your excuses and to
bring that thing in your lifethat needs to be healed to Jesus
right now.
Confess it and ask him to beginthe hard work in you to heal

(04:56):
that thing in your life that hasdefined you for too long.
Because you are not thatsickness, you are not that
addiction, you are not thatbitterness, you are not that
abuse, but you are who Jesustells you that you are.
I dare you to walk in thehealing and the wholeness that
Christ has for you.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
Thank you for listening to today's episode
Before you go.
If you want to help equip othermen for the fight, share this
podcast around and leave us afive-star rating and review.
Stay sharp.