In his sermon, Pastor Dave emphasizes that everyone experiences moments of paralysis in their lives, whether spiritually, physically, or emotionally. He reminds the congregation that true healing comes from Jesus, who asks each of us if we truly want to be made well. Pastor Dave encourages listeners to stand up, pick up their "mats"—their pasts and burdens—and move forward, sharing their testimonies rather than hiding from them. Ultimately, he assures the congregation that their identity is not defined by past mistakes but by the transformative power of God's grace.

John 5:1-9 - Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath,

Psalms 62:5 My soul is quiet and waits for God alone. My hope comes from Him.

Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him.

Acts 2:14 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

Ezekiel 2:1-2 He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you.” 2 As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard him speaking to me.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.