Phil Beach Jr. emphasizes the importance of acknowledging our brokenness and the need for healing in his sermon 'Wilt Thou Be Made Whole.' He draws parallels between the physical and spiritual states of being, using the story of the man with the withered hand to illustrate how we often hide our true selves from God and others due to shame and pride. Beach challenges the congregation to confront their hidden struggles and to come before God with their vulnerabilities, reminding them that Jesus is the physician who heals the sick. The sermon calls for a deep desire for God's presence and a willingness to be made whole by exposing our weaknesses rather than concealing them. Ultimately, it is a call to authenticity in our relationship with God and each other.

Okay, beloved, as the children go, I'd like to just pray a short little prayer, and then I really am asking the Lord to help us to be able to receive what He wants to do for us this morning, okay? Father, we want You to make us hungry for You. We want You to show us that You are searching and seeking for hearts where there is a hunger for You. Holy Spirit, we know that we can't conjure up the hunger. You have to give it to us. And we pray that as we continue right along with what our brother David was sharing, Lord, that You will help us to see why so often we're not hungry and why Your presence doesn't seem to be near to us. Help us to see that this morning, Lord, we pray in Jesus' name. Beloved, this is a message that you will want to refer to over and over and over again, okay? This is just one of those times when the Lord gives us something that is applicable for the entire span of our Christian life, okay? So I trust that the Lord will give us ears to hear. We're going to have it on tape. A few summers ago, while I was jogging, I was running through a neighborhood. Actually, it was a neighborhood where my mom and dad live near the Hackettstown Hospital. I don't even know what the name of the neighborhood is technically. Willow Grove Development. I think that's what they call it. Is that right, Mom? Willow Grove? Yeah, okay. And it was in the summer, and I began to take notice of how remarkably well all of the homes and lawns looked. I was amazed. And even while running, I was noticing that there were a number of men with their sons that were working on the lawn. And it struck me how, for the most part, every house that I jogged by, everything was just perfect. The lawn was perfect. The shrubs were trimmed perfect. The paint was perfect. And I realized something. We're so concerned that things look good on the outside, aren't we? We live in a society that majors on cosmetic look, how things look. Now, is it wrong to have a nice yard and a nice house? And of course not. Of course not. We're trying to go deeper than that. We're trying to go deeper than that. What I saw when I was running was all the neat, nice, perfect, coordinated yards and homes was like a picture. It was a reflection of the way that we try and be with our lives, the way we try and be with one another. That is where we make our mistake. That's where we make our mistake. Jesus is not attracted to the one that feels they've got it all together. He's not attracted to the one that's all polished. I have no need. I've got my life together. He's attracted to those who recognize, oh, God, I messed up. Now, listen, I want to read a scripture as the title of this message. Please bear with me just for a short little time here, OK? Bear with me. This message and the Holy Spirit enabling us to understand this message will make the difference in our life. Listen, it will make the difference in your marriage. It will make the difference with your relationship, with your children. It will make the difference in your whole Christian life. Just understanding this truth that we're going to share now, John chapter five, Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Feast of the Jews and he came to Bethsaida and there in Bethsaida lay a great multitude of impotent folk, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the angel to come and move the water. For an angel went down at a certain season in the pool, and whenever the water was troubled, the first one that went into the water was made whole. And the scripture says in verse five, And a certain man was there which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. Thirty eight years he had been ill with an infirmity. That's a long time. And when Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had now been there a long time in that case, he said to him, Now, listen to the words of Jesus. Will you be made whole? Can you imagine such a thing? Jesus stood before a man who had been ill for 38 years and he asked him the question and the question was simple. Do you want to be made whole? The Lord stands in our midst now through the Holy Spirit. He's asking you. The same question. Do you want to be made? Oh, that's not a light question. Think about it. Do you want to be made whole? That's the question. OK, if you and I want to be made whole, then we have to pray that the Holy Spirit will give us an understanding heart about some things that need to be dealt with. OK, just for a short time, let's go back to Genesis. Genesis, that's the first book in the Bible. Now, remember the question that Jesus is asking you and me, do you want to be made whole today? OK, do you want to be made whole? Genesis chapter two. God created Adam, took Eve out from his side. And Adam called his new wife a woman because she was taken out of his side. And in verse number 25, chapter two, listen carefully. And they were both naked. Now, try and understand that when the Scriptures speak of them being both naked, it has a deeper meaning than simply unclothed. OK, this is very important because this is all going to connect in just a short time to the question, do you want to be whole? Jesus is standing in our lives today, standing in the midst of his whole church, and he's asking the question to every soul. Do you want to be made whole? Do you want to be made whole? Do you want my healing presence? And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Adam and Eve, before they sinned, were in a state where there was no shame. They were naked before God. Listen, nothing was covering them because there was no need to be covered. There was nothing in them that they did not like. There is nothing in them that they didn't like. They stood perfect before God. Why should they be ashamed? God said, I made man, and it was, no, very good. Everything was good, but when God created man, it was very good. So, they stood, this is imperative that we understand this, to the question, will thou be made whole? Are you going to be made whole today? They stood naked and unashamed in the presence of God. There was the absence of fear. There was the absence of that which was displeasing to them and to God. Now, they did not cover themselves. Slip down to chapter 3 now. Okay? Oh, His grace is here. His grace is here. Listen, listen now. Chapter 3. We're going to go to verse 6, but we know the previous verses. The old serpent was there. The old serpent began to talk to Eve and lied to her, and it resulted in her disobeying God. Okay, now watch what happens. Verse 6, And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them were both opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, Adam, where are you? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. A great change has taken place in the life of Adam and Eve from this part of the story to the one we just read. The Bible says that the eyes of them were both opened. Beloved, their eyes were opened before they fell, but now their eyes were opened to something else. Before they fell, their eyes were opened, but they didn't see anything that grieved them. They didn't see anything that troubled them. But now, their eyes were opened and they saw their nakedness. They saw something in their nakedness that they didn't like. The entrance of corruption. The entrance of sin. The presence of that which was not like God. Suddenly entered in to their bosom. Suddenly entered in to their life. An element that was a part of their nakedness now that brought fear and brought shame. Before they were naked, but they were whole. Before they were naked and they were undefiled. Before they were naked and they shined with light. Before they were naked. And everything was good. But now, in their bosom, in the depths of their being, their nakedness troubled them. And in their trouble and in their fear, and in their guilt, and in their pride, they made the fatal mistake that you and I continuously are making. They hid themselves. They covered themselves. The Bible says that they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. And in the state of covering their nakedness, they heard the voice of God in the garden. They hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. They hid themselves from the presence of the Lord because they didn't want God to see their corruption. They didn't want God to see that they didn't have it all together inside anymore. They didn't want God to see that there was something in them that now looked like a withered hand. I don't want you to see my withered hand. I don't want you, God, to see my withered hand. Withered. Oh, I've got to hide. God, I don't want you to see me now. I'm all withered and crippled and lame and blind. I'm paralyzed. God, I don't want you to see me. I don't want you to see me, brothers, sisters, husband, wife. I don't want you to see my true state. Will thou be made whole? The Lord called Adam. Adam! Adam! Where are you, Adam? God knew where Adam was. God sees, even now, in our midst, that we are constantly trying to hide from Him our corruption. We want to look good. Adam, where are you? Phil, where are you? Mike, Gary, Brian, Norman, where are you? I'm hiding. Lord, God is saying to us, where are you? Why are you hiding yourself? Why are you hiding that part in your life that is withered, that is corruptible, that isn't nice and neat, that's lame, that's blind, that's maimed, that's paralyzed? Why are you hiding it? Will thou be made whole, beloved? What are you hiding today? In response to God's question, here's what Adam said. Well, God, I heard Your voice. You see? I heard Your voice. And I was afraid. I was afraid because now I see corruption inside of me. I see something inside of me, Lord, that I don't like and I know You don't like it. And so I try to hide my true state from You. I try to hide my true state from my wife. We both put fig leaves on because we didn't want our true state to be known one to another. We were afraid. Fear of rejection. Fear of misunderstanding. Being vulnerable. We were afraid, so we both put fig leaves on that kept us from seeing each other. And then when You came, we hid behind the trees. We didn't want You to see us. Oh God, help us. Oh God, help us. Now listen, beloved. This was the necessary background information to bring us to where we're going. Jesus stands in our midst today. And this is what Jesus says to our condition. Our condition. He comes into our midst and He sees so often the very condition that He saw way back when Adam sinned. First of all, as Jesus stands in our midst and He beholds you and I, asking us, will you be made whole? Will you be made whole today? This is what He says. First of all, He says in Mark 2, verse 17, He saith unto them, They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Listen carefully to the Spirit of God right now. When we see Jesus in our state of corruption, when we see Jesus in our state of being a mess, He says to us, It's okay. I'm the doctor. They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. Will you be made whole? Will you be made whole today from whatever it is in you that you know is sick? It's not well. Luke 6 Once we recognize that we have covered ourselves and we have hid so that others cannot see and God cannot see, once we recognize that and then hear the words of Jesus saying, Listen, I'm the physician. It's okay that you are sick. This is what He says. Luke 6 All of a sudden, we have to see ourselves in a different light. We have to see ourselves as this man right now with a withered hand. Listen to what Jesus said. And it came to pass, Luke 6, on another Sabbath that He entered into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man whose right hand was withered. That's our condition. Oh no, our right hand is not withered. But this right hand being withered represents a condition. A condition, beloved. A condition of need. Something in your life, something in my life is withered with sin. Now here's the test. Verse 10 And looking around upon them all, He said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. What was He saying? Don't hide it. Don't hide your withered hand. Stretch forth. Oh God, here's the withered thing in my life. I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of covering it up. I'm tired of coming to You and lifting my good hand. Jesus is saying stop lifting your good hands. Stretch forth thy withered hand. Do we want His presence? Oh, our dignity and our pride. This is what happened when Adam sinned. The law of sin was formed inside of him. And you know what the law of sin is? Pride. We want to save face. We want to look good before men. We want to look good before our families. And you know what that does? That keeps our withered hand nice, tucked away and hidden. And when Jesus comes by, it remains withered. You know why? Because we come to Him as whole, hiding our withered condition. Will we be made whole this morning? Luke 15. I'm sorry, Luke 5. Listen, beloved. Verse 18, And behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy, and they sought means to bring him in and to lay him before Jesus. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw whose faith? Their faith. Do we recognize the measure to which the Lord may require us? Some of us are not healed because we refuse to lie down, spiritually speaking, on a bed of impotence and acknowledge our need to the point where we say, brothers, I need your help. I can't get myself to Jesus. Would you help me? There goes your pride. There goes your pretense. There goes putting on an act. There goes putting on a front. There goes trying to appear that you're something. Listen, by the Spirit of God, I speak in mercy and in tenderness. Some of us have not received the healing that we've asked for because we won't lie down and acknowledge the depths of our need. Some of us are not being healed because we're taking that withered part of our life and we're hiding it. There's something about the face of Jesus when you see it. And He says it's okay. You don't have to hide. You don't have to hide anymore. Many, many more examples which I'm not going to go into. Luke 5, 12-13. This man's healing came when he fell on his face before Jesus and cried out, have mercy upon me. There are some children who could be healed. I'm not talking about physical healing now. There are some children that could be healed if their parents weren't so proud and weren't so concerned about what other people thought of their children, but did like Luke 9, 37-42 tells us. A man came before Jesus and said, have mercy on my child. He's all messed up with the devil. Don't present your children as whole before other people when in fact, they're in great need. Have mercy on my children, Lord. They need You. We live in a day when parents like to boast about their kids. Like to brag on them. Don't do too much of that. It's good to affirm that you love them. Don't give them a big head. Tell them the truth. You're loved. Your worth is not in what you do. It's in what God has done for you. But you're in awful need of a change in heart. And so as we come to a close this morning, I go back to the original question that Jesus spoke. Will you be made whole? What will you say this morning if the Holy Spirit whispers that in your heart? What are you saying to Him right now? Will you be made whole? Or will you long after My presence? You know the presence of God is not attracted to people who are clothed in fig leaves. Do you know why we need grace? Do you know why we need the power of the Holy Spirit? To overrule that law of sin that is in every one of us. Because given to ourself without the grace of God, when Jesus comes into our midst, we will hide our sin. We will put on a front. Our pride and our dignity will not allow us to expose our need. Men, that's what destroys our relationship with our wives. We will not allow them to see our need. We're afraid. Take off the mask this morning. Listen, you don't need to wear a mask when you come to God. You don't need to. Will you be made whole? If so, then stretch forth your hand. Not your good hand. Stretch forth your withered hand today. Holy Spirit, we welcome You. We welcome Your presence. Lord, we long for You, Lord. We long for Your presence. But we realize, Lord, that the nearness of Your presence will only come in the midst of those who take off the fig leaves. Stop hiding behind the tree. Cry out for mercy and grace and be enabled to stretch forth the withered hand. What's withered in your life? What's withered? Why do we hide it then when we come to God's presence? Why do we hide it when we're with one another? Oh, I don't want you to see my true condition. So we put on a garment called religion. Jesus, I pray that Your presence will come and that You will free us from the fear of man. Free us from the fear of rejection. Because we know, Lord, that our corruption does not result in You rejecting us because You paid the price on Calvary. Father, please help us to see You and to be made whole. Now listen, this is going to require, and as I said, this message is applicable every day of our life. When we stop, we're saying to God, I'm whole. I'm okay. And basically, you're saying, Lord, I don't need You. I don't need You. Okay, now listen, Jesus wants to bring healing in our lives. But as sure as God's Word is true, it's going to come only as we come out from our hiding. I'm going to ask Collette to come to the piano. Now listen, there are some areas of corruption in our life, some areas of sin in our life, in our relationships with one another that we simply have not been able to overcome. But we've prayed, Lord, heal me, deliver me. And He hasn't. How come? This is why. Because we never stretched it forth to Him. We've never come out of hiding. Why? Because we want to save face. We want to look good. We don't want to be a paralytic. We don't want to be a cripple. We don't want to be a lame person. We want to be whole. God, smash our pride. Amen? Smash our pride. We've yet to see what God wants to do in His church because we've yet to see a true work of grace in our hearts that frees us from living a lie and pretending. The day when our hearts are awakened to see that it's okay to stretch forth our withered hand to our wives, our husbands, our children, the day we see it and come in brokenness before God, we will not only be healed, but we will see a return of His presence and a return of His glory that will leave us speechless and that will indeed draw men unto Him. As we sing this song, I ask this one question. Will you be whole in that area of your life? Then stretch forth your hand and don't stretch forth your good one. Take that withered part. Bring it to God openly and He'll heal it. If you want prayer, come forward and we'll pray. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord. Yes, Lord. It's time to stop hiding. Stop hiding. God, help us to come as we are. One more chorus, one more. Then we're going to pray together. Yes, Lord.