Take up a corner
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Hey my name is Jamie Spry I am one of the Pastors at REVO Church!
Shameless plug right out the gate, we are one church (REVO) in three locations! We have locations in Winston, Rural Hall, and Walkertown
As you can see, I brought our staff team with us, and we would love to tell you all about Jesus, and REVO!
If you don’t have a youth group that you regularly attend we would love to have you, we meet Wednesday’s at 6:30pm!
A little bit about me, I grew up in Davie County, didn’t get saved until I was 16, and started working Student Ministry at the age of 19. I am now 26, married, bought a house, and still doing Student Ministry!
I have had people come up and ask me, “Jamie why do you still do student ministry”, and the answer is simple - the impact that it had on my life - so again, if you don’t have a regular youth group we would love to have you, we have a United Bonfire tonight at our Rural Hall location check out our Instagram revo.students for more details!
Testimony
Testimony
Like I said I didn’t get saved until I was 16 years old, a little late I know
But here’s what happened, when I was a kid we went to church all the time! Not because it was important to us, but because we lived right beside a church
Any of you guys know what Awanas is? Yeah I was a part of it. I memorized all the verses, completed the books, and got all the little pins to go on my vest. But here’s the thing, I was just doing all that for the pin
By the time I was in middle school my family moved and we stopped going to church. This was the same time I started school
Because of this I had to find a way to fit in, which typically ment being bad
So I continued to grow up I got worse and worse, going to parties, getting into trouble with girls, and so many other sins!
Well my junior year of high school I was wrestling and I dislocated my knee cap.
All of a sudden my season was over
I had to have surgery, had a huge brace on and couldn’t bend my knee for 6 months
This mean’t my life was over; I had relied on wrestling for my confidence, my friends, popularity, MY IDENTITY
And in one second, one move it was all taken away
During this time my brother in law, Brad, kept inviting me to church - I finally went and felt like a fish out of water
I knew something was wrong, but I kept going back
Finally in the summer I went to a camp and found out that Jesus did love me and could use my life!
So long story short, I was a terrible kid, God humbled me, then after I started searching for an answer I found out who God truly was
Today I want us to look at a similar example in the Bible
A story of 4 guys that did everything they could to bring someone to Jesus
Before we dive in lets pray
Bible Starting
Bible Starting
And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
The he that verse one is referring to is Jesus
He returned to Capernaum - a common place that for His ministry since it was a trade city (lots of people come)
This was near the start of Jesus’ ministry when He was becoming a rock star!
In the chapter before Jesus performed many miracles - including curing leprosy, casting out demons, as well as healing other sicknesses
Jesus has for all intensive purposes - become a big deal!
So much so that in the book of Luke, Luke tells us that Pharisee’s and religious teachers were coming to hear Jesus’ speak!
But they weren’t the only ones
Grab a corner
Grab a corner
And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
In this culture if you were paralyzed, or had any other deformity you would have been seen as ceremonially unclean - an untouchable
So no one would help you, for fear of being seen as unclean
If you were paralyzed you couldn’t work, if you couldn’t work you couldn’t eat, so you had to beg
That’s where these 4 friends come in - they would bring him to the corner each day so he could beg
Then upon hearing of Jesus’ arrival decided to bring their friend to Jesus
Because they loved him and heard about how Jesus could save their friend
This leads to the first takeaway from the text:
Grab a corner!
These four friends sought and served the man that was paralyzed and couldn’t walk. They each grabbed a corner of the mat to carry him
Rather they were neighbors, family, or just compassionate strangers we know that they sought and served the paralyzed man
They brought the man to the road each day so that he could beg for money/food
They heard about Jesus - the guy that could heal people - and decided to bring him there
Are you doing this?
Are you seeking people that need help and then actively serving them?
In the book of Luke Jesus said his purpose was to seek and save the Lost - and Jesus’ purpose must become our purpose!
To seek the broken, the hurting, the sinful, and then reach out to them
To bring them back to life
Is this your mindset? Are you seeking people and trying to bring them to Jesus?
Trying to reach them for the Gospel?
I work student ministry: how many of you are actually inviting your friends to Youth Group?
It’s real simple: please come to Students with me! There I gave you the words!
Think back to my story: if Brad hadn’t sought me out, and continued to invited me to church I wouldn’t be here
Brad could have very easily have said:
I don’t cuss, I listen to K-Love, I am nice - surely Jamie will meet Jesus
But instead Brad took an interest in me and invested in me and grabbed a corner of my mat by inviting me to church!
Are you being a Brad to someone? Are you seeking the lost and trying to reach them? Are you grabbing the corner of the mat for someone?
Tear the roof off!
Tear the roof off!
And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
These four friends decided they were getting him to Jesus no matter what!
They got to the house and couldn’t get in
It was packed, they were slammed, and no one was moving to let 4 guys carrying a bed in
So the 4 friends did what no one else would have done and decided to tear the roof apart
Houses in the area were made with flat roofs, and typically had steps leading to the top of them, so it wasn’t a totally impossible task - just an improbable one!
Think about it! They climbed a ladder - carrying the guy
Tore apart a roof - that they’d have to pay for
And somehow lowered a paralyzed man down
All to get him to Jesus
This leads to our second point
Tear the roof off
These guys barely knew about Jesus - yet they were willing to do the unthinkable to get their friend to him
They carried him, in the hot sun
They tore down a roof, having to pay the owner and patch it
And lowered him down, all just to get him in the presence of Jesus
They didn’t let anything stop them from bringing their friend to Jesus!
So let me ask you, are you tearing the roof down?
Maybe you were like the 4 friends and you have picked up a corner of the mat - you have reached out to someone you know who is far from Jesus
But are you tearing the roof down?
These friends didn’t let anything stop them from getting their friend to Jesus
The walk? didn’t matter
The heat? didn’t matter
Packed house? didn’t matter
Tearing down the roof? didn’t matter!
Is this your mentality when it comes to bringing someone to Jesus?
Are you going to stop at nothing to bring them to where Jesus is?
Or are you satisfied with the ole “My life will bring them to Jesus”
If these friends would have been satisfied saying: I gave it my best effort - the paralyzed guy would have never got to Jesus
In my life, Brad kept inviting me to things
I turned him down for almost 3 months, then when I finally went it was because I told him “fine I’ll go, if you’ll leave me alone about it”
Think if Brad would have stopped at just picking up a corner?
If he would have been satisfied with - I invited him one time
Now think about your friends
Have you stopped at just picking up a corner of the mat?
Have you stopped at - oh I invited them to church - I wore a Christian tee shirt - I played Christian music in the car?
Or are you willing to tear the roof off to bring them to Jesus?
Let Jesus be Jesus
Let Jesus be Jesus
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
After being lowered to Jesus - we get Jesus’ response
He looks at the men on the roof - he looks at the paralyzed man - and tells him that his sins are forgiven
He calls him son - a term of love - showing family ties
The Pharisees in Vs. 6-8 are questioning the validity of what Jesus just did
They had never seen - or heard - of someone who can forgive sins, only ever heard of people healings and miracles
I don’t want you to miss this point - we are often taught that the Pharisee’s are bad, but they weren’t here
John tells us this in 1st John
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
You are to test what you hear - to make sure that it is valid, correct, and God honoring
That’s why Jesus poses the question and answers it this way: “which is easier?” Notice he doesn’t rebuke them - but teaches them.
Often Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, but here He teaches
Literally what Jesus is saying is: you cannot see the miracle I performed of forgiving sin -> but you can see the miracle of a paralyzed man walking
So Jesus is saying - believe the former (forgiving of sin), because you see the latter (healing the paralyzed)
This leads to our third and last point I want you to understand
Let Jesus be Jesus
You can’t save anyone
The four men that brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus didn’t save their friend: Jesus did
They didn’t heal their friend: Jesus did
Don’t get that confused!
You can’t save people
You can’t make people follow God
You can’t make people’s sins be forgiven
Only Jesus can do that!
Your job is not to save someone! Your job is to grab a corner and tear the roof off!
Your job is to do all you can to bring them to Jesus!
Let Jesus be the one that heals!
Brad didn’t save me
I went to church for 6 months before I finally accept Jesus
I got saved a summer camp
A summer camp that Brad wasn’t even at!
You can’t save someone - Jesus can!
Let Jesus be Jesus
Conclusion
Conclusion
Listen to Jesus’ words here
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
The harvest is plentiful!
Students I want you to hear what I am about to say
In the world approximately 332,000+ people die each DAY
That is roughly 4 people every second
In the United States almost ~8,000 people die each DAY
We know what Jesus tells us
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
HE IS THE ONLY WAY!
No other way can someone be saved!
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
All have sinned - sin = death - but Jesus came to bring life!
~8,000 people are dying each day! If they don’t know Jesus they will be forever separated from Him!
My challenge for you is to be like these friends!
The harvest is plentiful!
Grab a corner of the mat!
See people that are hurting and broken!
Be willing to take up the cause of Christ and share Jesus!
Reach out to a friend, family member, or loved one
Tear the roof down!
Don’t let anything stop you!
Don’t let excuses, fears, anxieties stop you
We know who Jesus is and what He calls us to do
Don’t get!
Let Jesus be Jesus
We can’t save people
Let Jesus do the saving, let Jesus do the healing
Accept that He is in control and you are not!
Student’s lets go grab a corner and tear the roof off for our friends to meet Jesus
Lets pray