Can you see it
Can you see it? / nv / 2/13/05 am
OS: Text 1-4
I. 5 Lessons found in the text:
A. Jesus reminds us to face adversity and criticism head on.
B. Jesus reminds us that there are some things more important than physical well-being.
C. The Pharisees and Teacher’s of the law remind us to beware of losing sight of ministry by being overly focused on the law.
D. The one who was healed reminds us to be thankful and to give praise to God for the blessings He gives.
II. Greatest lesson – we learn from the four men who took up a mission to get this paralyzed man to Jesus.
A. When we make a commitment to be a disciple of Jesus we take upon ourselves a mission to bring people to Jesus.
1. John 17:18, “Just as You sent Me into the world, I sent them into the world.”
B. Another lesson to remember: the lesson of the crowd
1. We can hinder God’s mission – The crowd was literally in the way.
2. Obviously wanted to be close to Jesus, were basking in this spiritual experience of being in His presence – so much so, they failed to notice the paralyzed. Somehow they didn’t notice.
C. Col. 4:5, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
TS] In our text we find some keys to fulfilling God’s mission in the world – His mission given to us.
I. 6 Have concern for those who are hurting.
A. Who were the four men? Friends, family, previously disabled?
1. They obviously loved and had concern for this man.
2. Good example: Love opens doors – makes doors when needed.
3. To keep from being unaware, we must care.
B. Romans 15:2-3, “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”
C. How often do we pray for those who are hurting, lost, paralyzed?
1. Ask God to soften your heart, and give you a real concern for the lost.
2. Ask God to give you opportunities to share.
3. Ask God to soften their hearts.
4. In other words, then you work in partnership with God.
D. Lessons learned from the four men – be concerned…
II. 7 Be convinced that Jesus is the answer for every person.
A. The four men were obviously convinced that Jesus would heal.
1. Has Jesus not healed us?
2. A church needs to minister to believers, and non-believers.
B. Don’t let your life be just about you.
1. As you experience God’s blessings, don’t stop there. Think of how He can do the same for others who are hurting.
2. Heb. 725 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
3. He’s not just thinking about us, but those out there.
C. When you pray for those who are hurting, and those who are lost – don’t stop there.
1. Bring them to Jesus – Someone must.
2. This man could not come himself – he had to have help.
D. There are people in our world today who are paralyzed and cannot come on their own.
1. Loneliness, they are afraid to reach out.
2. Guilt, they are constrained from reaching out.
3. Crowd, they are pressured from reaching out.
4. Sin/blinded, blinded from reaching out.
5. Circumstance, they are kept from reaching out.
6. Problems, they are too traumatized to reach out.
E. The paralyzed of our world are depending on us to bring them to Jesus. Care about them, and be convinced that Jesus is the answer.
III. 8 Don’t let nothing stop you!
A. These men obviously had a plan.
1. We’ll carry you to Jesus.
2. They ran into obstacles, and if they had given up and gone home there would have been nothing to write about. This man would have remained at the gate for the rest of his life.
3. The changed their plan, they improvised, and they made a way.
B. Question: What are you willing to do for the paralyzed of our world?
1. What are we willing to do as a church for the paralyzed of our world?
2. Willing to move? Willing to plan? Willing to overcome whatever obstacle Jesus puts in our way?
IV. 9 Practical things as an individual disciple of Jesus.
A. Come to church to BE a blessing, not for a blessing.
1. Archbishop William Temple: “The church is the only society in the world that exists for the sake of those who are not members of it.”
2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, writing from a Nazi prison in 1944, “The church is the church only when it exists for others.”
B. Can you see a church of these four men? Five men now.
1. We are building a building not for ourselves, but for the paralyzed of our world.
2. We are challenged by God to deconstruct the church built for ourselves in order to build the church that exists for the hurting, pain-filled, and lost of our day.
3. We don’t want a church that exists primarily for its members but one that exists for those God wants to bring in.
4. A church not focused on our own needs to the point we don’t notice the broken folks around us trying to get to Jesus.
C. What do you see? Church of the four men, or church of the crowd?
1. A place to encounter Jesus in an environment where everyone is accepted just as they are yet challenged to become more like Him.
2. A place where you can find comfort, meaning, and healing within a loving family of 1000 people who come together for authentic worship to God.
3. A place that facilitates spiritual maturity of members and outreach to the residents of our region through Bible Studies, small groups, seminars, retreats, and support groups.
4. A place where every member serves others and dares to accomplish God’s purposes for their lives.
D. God is with us, but it is up to us – it is time to plan, and it is time to act.
Let us be a church that cares about people, completely convinced that Jesus is the answer, and let’s not allow anything to stop us from bringing the paralyzed to see the Master.
That’s being a disciple of Jesus.
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