Four Men Without a Name
Notes
Transcript
And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
The Story in this lesson exemplifies the unselfishness that is necessary for God’s work to be accomplished. Unconcerned about themselves, four men helped a needy friend get to Jesus for healing. It was their faith, persistence, ingenuity, and cooperation that God responded to and blessed.
Dying to self is the key to living for Christ.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
In Mark 2, we read the account of four men who were determined to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus and ask Jesus to heal him.
Each of the four unnamed men in this story could have thought only of themselves that day. If they had not cared for the need of their friend, they probably could have individually found their way inside and through the crowd to get a close seat and hear Jesus teach and preach. They could have assumed a prestigious place where others would have noticed them. They surely had needs in their own lives that they could have asked Jesus to meet.
Instead, they saw a need for their friend and, realizing that by themselves there was little they could do, they banded together to help. As a team, they were part of a great miracle.
Most of us have heard or read about the plagues of locusts that have devastated large regions throughout history. In fact, one of the great plagues God brought upon Egypt to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites go was that of locusts. When the Egyptians woke up the next morning there was not a green thing left for their eyes to see. In one night those insects consumed every green thing! Desert locusts are often called the world's most devastating pest. Swarms form when locusts' numbers increase and they become crowded. This causes a switch from a relatively harmless solitary phase, to a gregarious, sociable phase. In this phase, the insects are able to multiply twenty-fold in three months and reach densities of eighty million per square kilometer. Each can consume two grams of vegetation every day; and combined, a swarm of eighty million can consume food equivalent to that eaten by 35,000 people a day.
Amazingly, this kind of devastation can be brought by what are ordinarily solitary creatures, not normally living or working in communities. But when God needs them, they are willing to leave their normal comfort zone and band together for a cause.
The locusts have no king, Yet go they forth all of them by bands;
Locusts have no hierarchy, no organization, no association, no king or leader—just a cause.
The four men in Mark 2 definitely had a cause. We are not told if they had any relationship with each other prior to this day. But for the sake of a cause, they forgot about their individual personalities, abilities, and motives. Four unnamed men banded together and accomplished a task that could not have been done otherwise.
I. An Unselfish Compassion
I. An Unselfish Compassion
Many factors contribute to a selfless life, but a predominant factor is the love that God gives us for others.
And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.
Charity can overcome a multitude of selfish conceit. When the love of Christ is constraining us, it will be much easier to take our eyes off of ourselves and live for the welfare of others.
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
A. Selfishness Denied
A. Selfishness Denied
We live in a selfish time. Just check and see how many "selfies" you have saved on your phone!
I saw this illustration the other day. If you turn on your flash light on your phone then swipe to open your camera your light goes off. The idea is that we cannot be shinning the light of Christ and looking at self at the same time.
The Bible actually predicted that loving self would be prevalent in the last days.
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Philippians 1:21 and Philippians 2:21 present us with two different types of Christians. It's up to us to decide which we will be.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.
Will we be a living-for-Christ Christian, or a seeking-our own Christian?
We must die to self—that means sacrifice.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
The problem with a "living sacrifice" is that it is always trying to crawl off the altar. God, through the testimony of the apostle Paul, gave us a remedy for this:
I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
Every morning we must conduct a funeral for self so that we live dead (to self) all day.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
A. A Selfishness Denied
B. A Service Delivered
B. A Service Delivered
Because self didn't matter to these men, service did. Too often in our lives, service doesn't matter because self does!
First Corinthians 10:24 would be a good life's verse for all of us.
Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
Are you in your marriage to make life better for your spouse? Are you working a job to make your company profitable and your boss successful? Are you serving in ministry to see others saved and grow for the glory of God?
We marvel at the accomplishments of the apostle Paul, and we should. His service in ministry was incredible. The truth is, the secret to Paul's life of service was his death to self. Read his own words about this.
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
1. An Unselfish Compassion
II. A Unified Cooperation
II. A Unified Cooperation
One person by themselves could not have gotten this man with palsy—a kind of paralysis—to Christ. But the four men working together could do something special.
A. An Individual Inadequacy
A. An Individual Inadequacy
Word had gotten out that Jesus was in Capernaum and preaching in a house. The crowd packed into this place so that there was not even room on the outside to get close to the door.
And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
There simply wasn't a way to bring a grown, paralyzed man through that dense of a crowd. And any other method would have been too great for any one man to do alone.
The work that God has given us to do is much bigger than ourselves. Alone we cannot raise our families properly. Alone we cannot reach our communities with the gospel.
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
We see an example of this in the Old Testament. The legacy of Moses would have been greatly tarnished had he not learned from his father-in-law the lesson of individual inadequacy.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.
And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God:
When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
If you recognize that you are inadequate to do what God has called you to do, don't despair or give up. Instead, recognize that God gives great assignments so that we might partner with others.
A. An Individual Inadequacy
B. An Increased Industry
B. An Increased Industry
God understood the principle of synergy long before man discovered it. Synergy is the principle that two parts are able to do more together than a combined total of their individual parts.
If you take a large two-thousand-pound draft horse and place him in a harness, he might be able to pull seven or eight thousand pounds of weight. If you took another draft horse of the same size and placed him in a harness, he could do the same. Logically then, one would think that by harnessing them together, they could pull around fourteen to sixteen thousand pounds. But this is incorrect. Together they would pull well over twenty thousand pounds. Their combined strength is more than the simple sum of their individual strength. This is the principle of synergy.
This is one of the reasons that God instructs us throughout the Bible to labor or strive together with others.
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
One of the great keys to the incredible power in the local church in Jerusalem was unity. This unity produced the synergy that made God's work possible.
And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
1. An Unselfish Compassion
2. A Unified Cooperation
3. An Unstoppable Creativity
3. An Unstoppable Creativity
Having unselfish compassion and unified cooperation is a great start. But what do you do when you come upon difficulties to your mission?
A. Here Was a Restraint
A. Here Was a Restraint
To these four men the need was obvious—a man was sick with palsy and needed help. The solution was obvious—they needed a miracle from Jesus. But there was an obstacle—the room was too crowded to bring this man, who had to be carried on his bed, to Jesus.
The crowd filling the house where Jesus was teaching was massive. No doubt everyone in that crowd was there because they considered their need important.
There will always be barriers to serving. There will always be hindrances to accomplishing God's work.
Most people see the roadblock and stop. Some people, without even seeing a roadblock, declare the task impossible. We see this expressed through subtle humor in the Bible.
The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; A lion is in the streets.
If you looked out your window tomorrow morning and saw an African male lion lying in your driveway blocking your exit from the garage, you'd be taking pictures, texting your friends and eventually calling the animal control center. The truth is, it would not be wise to just walk out there and kindly take the lion by his beard and drag him off your driveway. The wise thing would be to keep your family inside the house! But eventually, someone is going to have to deal with the lion, right? There is only so much food in your pantry, and Pizza Hut is probably not going to deliver with that lion lying there! So that lion will have to be moved.
When there is a restraint to doing what is right or what we ought to do for the Lord, it is not time to wave the white flag of surrender and give up. It's time to find a solution.
A. Here Was a Restraint
B. Here Was a Resourcefulness
B. Here Was a Resourcefulness
Restraint requires resourcefulness. Conflict should be a catalyst for creativity.
These men knew that they were going to have to come up with a strategy that was unconventional. It would take effort and might even be expensive—they likely had to fix the roof when it was all over.
And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
A closed door doesn't necessarily mean that the door is locked and we cannot enter.
Paul saw an open door even when there were obstacles.
For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
Paul recognized the adversaries, but they didn't indicate a closed door to him. He looked beyond the hindrances to the opportunity.
When we are inside a room in an office building, there is a door to the outside hallway. That door may be closed, but that doesn't mean we have to spend the rest of our life in our office. The door isn't locked, nailed shut, or sealed up. We can go through that door to the outside hall and go our way. We will need to go over to the door and with a bit of effort turn the door handle and push the door outward, but it is "open."
Too often we hurriedly say that a door is closed, when in reality we should ask God to give us a bit of resourcefulness and creativity, and then act!
A. Here Was a Restraint
B. Here Was a Resourcefulness
C. Here Was a Resilience
C. Here Was a Resilience
Do you suppose on that day when the four men broke through the roof to bring the paralyzed man to Jesus that anyone questioned their actions?
Why are you moving that sick man from his house?
Why are you carrying him to the top of the roof? Why are you destroying the roof?
Why are you disturbing the service where Jesus is preaching?
Just about any or all of these actions today would bring an attorney running with a lawsuit in hand!
It has been said that the measure of a man's character is what it takes to stop him. Are you resolved? Are you resilient? Are you committed?
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
When we are faced with obstacles, setbacks, or resistance to doing the work of God, we shouldn't give up but apply some creative resourcefulness to overcome the challenges in front of us.
1. An Unselfish Compassion
2. A Unified Cooperation
3. An Unstoppable Creativity
4. A Unique Contribution
4. A Unique Contribution
Wouldn't you have liked to have been one of these four men when the Lord looked up and saw them?
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
The Bible indicates that it was faith that brought this great victory for the paralyzed man.
A. The Increase of Faith
A. The Increase of Faith
The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith.
And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
Were they asking for more faith? I don't think so.
The apostle Peter had enough faith to step out of a boat and walk on water. That would take a lot of faith! When he began to sink, Jesus said, "O ye of little faith." When Jesus called Peter's faith little, did He mean Peter didn't have enough faith? Peter's problem wasn't that he didn't have enough faith—his problem was that his faith was short-lived. His faith wasn't little in amount but in duration.
The apostles did not need an increase in the amount of their faith. They needed an increase in the duration—the endurance—of their faith.
If the fire of your faith is down to a small flickering, you can fan it with God's Word today and increase your faith. Just as a muscle must be exercised to grow, so our faith will increase as we continue to exercise our Christian life.
A. The Increase of Faith
B. The Influence of Faith
B. The Influence of Faith
It is interesting that this man in Mark 2 is healed not because of his own faith but because of the faith of these four unnamed men.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
The faith of these four men affected this sick man as they brought him to Jesus. We saw in an earlier lesson that the faith of a little slave girl affected Naaman the leper as she sent him to the prophet in Israel. Your faith affects others, too.
One very significant way our faith can affect others is through prayer. Some years ago, a young girl was very sick and not expected to recover. Because of her love for Jesus, she was troubled that she had not been able to do more for Him in her short life. Her pastor suggested that she make a list of people in their little town who needed Christ and pray that they might put their faith in Him. She took his advice, made a list, and prayed often for each person. Sometime later God began to stir a revival in the village. The girl heard of the people who were coming to Christ and prayed even more. As she heard reports, she checked off the names of those who had been led to the Lord, After the girl died, someone found a prayer list under her pillow with the names of fifty-six people. Every one of them had put their faith in Christ—the last one on the night before her death.
Such is the power of definite, specific, fervent prayer. Do you have a prayer list?
Who might you influence through your faith? How will they see faith enacted in your life?
And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Conclusion
President Ronald Reagan had a sign on his desk in the oval office that said, "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."
Too often, we neglect to serve God because we want to get something for ourselves, rather than dying to self that a greater work might be accomplished for God. We give up when things become complicated rather than cooperating with God and others around us to get the job done.
We must resist growing weary in well doing, and we must never give up.
These four friends did together what none of them could have done by themselves, and they gave us a picture and a great motivation to present ourselves, in synergy with others and our church, to be used by the Lord above and beyond our individual abilities.
Suggestion
Suggestion
Pass out paper and ask class members to write down two names: one person who has influenced their faith and one person they hope to influence through faith. Then ask them to take a moment to list on their paper in what ways the first person influenced their faith. Invite group members to share what they have written, and then encourage the group to consider if those might be the very ways they could influence the second name on their list through faith.