Who Knows?: Believe

Introduction

Jeremiah 29:11–13 (ESV)

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Mark 2:1–12 (ESV)

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. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 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. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 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!”

What’s our theme verse for this week? Can anyone recite it yet?

For our final night we are talking about “Believe.” If we are going to seek God, we have to believe.

But what does it mean to believe?

Charles Blondin -

Believe Only Jesus Can Save You

So here we have a man who is paralyzed and needs some help.

Who are they going to believe to heal their friend and help him to walk?

These friends heard that Jesus was at home in Capernaum and they knew that only Jesus could heal their friend.

So they carried their friend to the house Jesus was at. But they had a hard time getting through to Jesus.

It was a similar situation to what Zacchaeus experienced. There were obstacles that were keeping them from Jesus.

Again they could have given up or tried to find some other options rather than going to Jesus.

They could have believed that something else could have healed their friend.

And yet, they were not going to let the obstacles keep them from Jesus.

They believed, they trusted that only Jesus could provide the healing that their friend needed and they were not going to let anything stop them from getting to Jesus.

Just like Charles Blondin. While people knew with their minds that he could walk across the tightrope, many of them let their fear of falling keep them from experiencing the excitement and joy of crossing the gorge with him.

Is there anything that is keeping you from trusting in Jesus?

If you are going to seek for Jesus, if you want to study Him and truly know Him, we must come to believe and trust that He is the only way for us to know and see God. What is standing in your way of believing in Jesus?

But here’s the thing. While they believed that Jesus could heal their friend, they received so much more than what they were expecting.

When they got there, Jesus saw them. In verse 5, it says, Jesus saw “THEIR” faith. He saw the faith and trust of all the men who came to him, including the paralyzed man.

And what did He do? Did He heal the sick friend?

Yes and No. Not right away in the way they were hoping. He actually provided a better healing than what they were hoping for.

Jesus gave their friend an eternal healing from the sickness and death of sin. He says, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

When we trust in Jesus, when we believe that Jesus is the Only Way, that He loves us and is willing to save us, He promises to give us the forgiveness and eternal life we need to live with God forever. Only Jesus can provide that. Only Jesus can save.

We can try to trust other things.

Our own good works

Our friends

Our parents

Our community

Our money and possessions

But only Jesus can Save!

Are you willing to follow Jesus even when it’s hard and scary? Are you willing to get in the wheelbarrow and let Him carry you from death to eternal life?

Believe Only Jesus Can Save Those Around You

Now, while the friends could not save or heal the paralyzed man, they knew who could heal him.

What did they do? They were good friends who brought him to Jesus.

They so believed that Jesus could heal him they did whatever it took to get him to Jesus. They did not let the obstacles stand in their way.

Now, you cannot force anybody to come to Jesus.

See the paralyzed man was saved, not because of his friends’ faith, but because he believed Jesus himself.

But he believed probably because his friends told him about Jesus and encouraged him to believe.

We all have friends who have the same need that this paralyzed man had. They might not be physically paralyzed, but spiritually, we are sick and dying and in need of forgiveness from sin.

Are you willing to share you faith in Jesus with your friends? Are you willing to help them know who Jesus is so they too can believe and receive forgiveness from sin?

It might require removing obstacles that keep them from believing. But those obstacles are probably not trying to get into a crowded house.

It is probably the obstacles of fear and unbelief. And only Jesus can help overcome those obstacles.

Which means, as we tell our friends about Jesus, we also need to pray for them, and ask God to help them hear what we are telling them and to understand the love that God has for them.

Even when it seems like your friends will not listen and believe, we can always pray for them every day and ask that God will help them believe and ask that God will give us the courage to keep loving them and telling them about Jesus even when it is hard.

Are you going to trust Jesus and get into the wheelbarrow to tell others about Him?

Jesus Came to Help Us Believe in Him

Finally, we need to see that Jesus has come to help us believe and know that only He can save.

When He declared the paralyzed man to be forgiven, what happened?

The religious leaders and scribes began to complain about this. They were saying in their hearts, only God can forgive sins.

You know what? They were right. Only God can forgive sins.

But what do we know about Jesus that they didn’t know? He IS God!

But how do we know He is God and able to forgive sins? Anyone can make that claim.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, which is another sign that He is God. I can’t tell who is thinking what. But Jesus can.

And so

Have you ever put your faith and trust in Jesus alone as your Lord and Savior?

Is there someone you know at home that God is calling you to be a good friend to by helping them know and believe in Jesus?