What is Your Witness
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· 8 viewsyour test is your testimony
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The Oppertunity
The Oppertunity
The most famous ship of all time is possibly the Titanic, the supposedly unsinkable ship that went down on its maiden voyage. Many movies have been made and many books written about the fateful journey. Few will include the story of Scottish evangelist John Harper. Harper was a passenger on the Titanic.In 1912 Harper was travelling to Chicago to take up his appointment as Pastor of Moody Church. He had his daughter Nana on board with him. His wife had died a few years earlier. When the Titanic struck the iceberg and began to sink he put Nana into a lifeboat and then ran throughout the ship yelling “Women, children, and unsaved into the lifeboats!” When the ship finally went down he had already given his lifejacket to another passenger. Survivors report that to the very end Harper was witnessing to anyone who would listen. One survivor recalls clinging to one of the ships spars when Harper floated near him.“Man, are you saved?” cried Harper.“No I’m not” replied the man.“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” pleaded Harper.The waves carried Harper away and brought him back a little later. “Are you saved now?” asks Harper.“No, I cannot honestly say that I am” says the man.Again Harper pleads with him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”.Shortly afterward Harper went down. The man who survived was one of only six people rescued, but in a public meeting four years later, recounting this episode he said “There, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert.”
The most famous ship of all time is possibly the Titanic, the supposedly unsinkable ship that went down on its maiden voyage. Many movies have been made and many books written about the fateful journey. Few will include the story of Scottish evangelist John Harper. Harper was a passenger on the Titanic.In 1912 Harper was travelling to Chicago to take up his appointment as Pastor of Moody Church. He had his daughter Nana on board with him. His wife had died a few years earlier. When the Titanic struck the iceberg and began to sink he put Nana into a lifeboat and then ran throughout the ship yelling “Women, children, and unsaved into the lifeboats!” When the ship finally went down he had already given his lifejacket to another passenger. Survivors report that to the very end Harper was witnessing to anyone who would listen. One survivor recalls clinging to one of the ships spars when Harper floated near him.“Man, are you saved?” cried Harper.“No I’m not” replied the man.“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved” pleaded Harper.The waves carried Harper away and brought him back a little later. “Are you saved now?” asks Harper.“No, I cannot honestly say that I am” says the man.Again Harper pleads with him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”.Shortly afterward Harper went down. The man who survived was one of only six people rescued, but in a public meeting four years later, recounting this episode he said “There, alone in the night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper’s last convert.”
What is your witness
1 And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 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.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
mark 2:1
1 And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
1 And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 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.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 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.
Their problem became an opportunity of faith
A problem is only a problem if you see it that way.
1. Jesus was in town
2. Healing was needed by the man who could not walk
3.
3. There was no room for them to come in
If you are not willing to persist when obstacles come in your way, is your faith really there?
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
She could have said that the doctors couldn’t do it so I should just accept my faith.
Luke 8:43-
21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
matt
Her faith wasn’t that Jesus touch her, but that if “She could only touch his garment”
How far are you willing to go to just touch Christ
She needed to be healed and she was not waiting for the opportunity she went out and created it
4 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.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
They went to plan B
They would not give up on getting healing for their friend
They had to work as a team to lower him to Jesus
For faith to be effective we must persist
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
He said your sins be forgiven thee not be made whole.
13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
mt
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
In this situation Jesus was working not only on body but soul too.
sometimes our problem is so deep down inside only Christ can root it out.
The guilt of sin is a tool the devil uses too often to hold you from your blessings. sin is the cause of all our sickness and pain. The only way to remove it is to seek the healer of all that afflicts us.
They believed that Jesus was who he said he was and you must too to be healed.
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 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?
mark 2:6-
Who can forgive sins?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, That thou mayest be feared.
ps
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, And will not remember thy sins.
And to prove he is able and willing
is
9 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?
10 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,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
TAKE up your bed and go to your house.
9 Quid est facilius dicere paralytico: Dimittuntur tibi peccata tua: an dicere: Surge, tolle grabatum tuum, et ambula?
TAKE UP YOUR
That same power is speaking to you, get up because he has given you power.
MARK 2:9-
Power over sickness
power over temptation
TAKE UP YOUR
power over loss
power over depression
power over doubt
He says arise and walk in faith
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
2 cor 5:7
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
heb
Those men came in with four walking and one being carried and left with all being upright.
12 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.
After seeing the power of Christ they glorified God
when you endure your test by faith it becomes something else, it become a testimony so that all who see you will glorify God
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1 cor
Christ had a test and he turned it into a testimony. We are to glory in the cross.
14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
There is so much to learn from what happened on that day.
How to turn what seemed like defeat to all who was looking on to victory
How perseverance and faith with God wins the day every time
What letting go and let God truly looks like