Bring People to Jesus

“Bring People to Jesus”

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This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible!

It teaches us what man’s greatest need is; what do you think man’s greatest need is? You may be sitting there thinking, I know what my greatest need is. I need a job, I need a car, I need a spouse, I need some money; I need a physical healing. Those are all legitimate needs; but they’re not your greatest need. And they’re not the greatest need of the people that you know and love.

Your greatest need is the forgiveness of sin!

The man in this story was physically paralyzed, and came to Jesus for physical healing. But before Jesus dealt with this physical problem, Jesus forgave the man’s sins, because that was the man’s greatest need!

Sin is our greatest problem; therefore forgiveness is our greatest need!

The Bible tells us that sin is our greatest enemy; sin separates us from God. Sin makes us spiritually dead. Sin not forgiven, results in eternal death and hell. Sin shatters relationships, causes our thinking to be confused, leads us to make bad decisions, and moves us to act in evil and destructive ways.

What is man’s greatest need?

Our greatest need is forgiveness of sins.

The next question is, can a person be forgiven of their sins? The Bible has a wonderful answer, yes!

Next question:

Who can forgive your sins?

God; only God can forgive sins. God revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ; Jesus is God; and Jesus can forgive your sins!

Jesus Christ can forgive our sins; and the sins of our family and friends. Knowing that people need forgiveness; and that Jesus alone can forgive sins; we must bring people to Jesus!

This story is in the Bible to teach us what it takes to bring people to Jesus.

We are going to meet some men who go to great lengths to get their friend to Jesus. Luke doesn’t tell us what city this takes place in; but Mark in his gospel tells us it was the city of Capernaum. Jesus has made Capernaum His headquarters. Jesus is probably at Peter’s house, and people find out He is there and they come and fill the house and overflow out into the yard and street.

There are all kinds of people who have come to hear Jesus preach, the curious are there, new disciples are there, the Pharisees and scribes are there.

Get that picture in your mind! This place is packed, wall to wall people; you couldn’t get another person in that house with a shoe-horn! Why did they come? Jesus was in the house! Do you know the greatest thing that could happen to Crossway Baptist Church is for word to get out that Jesus is in the house! Jesus is at Crossway Baptist Church! Jesus is at work in that Church, the presence of Jesus is there!

If word got out that Jesus was in our church, these buildings couldn’t hold the people who would come! What does Jesus do?

-“He was teaching…

A house filled with all kinds of needs, problems, heartaches, sickness, and burdens. Jesus gave them what they needed most, the Word of God! That’s still what we need today; the word of God is what meets the deepest needs in our hearts!

WOW, what a great service this must have been! The place is packed out, the Word of God is open, the prince of Preachers is preaching! The atmosphere is electric, something great is going to happen, and you can just feel it in the air!

-Read

The gospel of Mark tells us that there were four men that brought their friend to Jesus.

They couldn’t get their friend in the house, so they take him up on the roof, cut a hole in the roof, and let his bed down into the presence of Jesus. Their attitude was, we'll do whatever is necessary to get our friend to Jesus!

It is an amazing story and it teaches us what it takes to get our friends to Jesus.

#1 it takes:

1. LOVE for that unsaved Person!

V:18-“behold, men brought in a bed a man which was paralyzed…

What motivated these men to do this? They loved their friend who was lying on that pallet paralyzed! And that love caused them to do whatever it took to get there Friend to Jesus! They would not be stopped! Maybe he was “family member” a brother or uncle or father. Maybe he was a neighbor they grew up with, went to Capernaum high School with.

It took love for these four men to go through what they went through to get their friend to Jesus.

Whatever the relationship, they loved him! And whatever happened that day—healing or rejection—the paralytic was a very rich man. He had something people spend millions to find and yet never find – FRIENDS! God was going to work in his life because his friends loved him

· Churches don't bring people to Jesus!

· Buildings don't bring people to Jesus!

· Programs don't bring people to Jesus!

· People bring people to Jesus!

What caused God to send his son from heaven to this Earth to the cross to die for our sin?

-" For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe it in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

What motivated God to give his son? What motivated Jesus to give his life for us on the cross? It was love!

-"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"

God loved us enough to wrap himself in human flesh, and died on the cross and pay the debt of our sin! What GREAT love!

-"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us…

God's love led Jesus to the cross, God's love drew me to Jesus, and God's love will lead me to the lost! When my heart grows cold toward the lost, it is because my heart has grown cold toward Jesus!

When we love Jesus we will love the lost.

When we love the lost, we will Bring them to Jesus!

You heard the old adage," people do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

The reason that I'm saved this morning is because somebody loved me, and brought me to Jesus!

We learn from these guys that we must love people, and when we do we will bring them to Jesus. They didn’t look at him and say; he's not worth bringing, or let someone else bringing, no! They loved him, and they could not bear to leave him in the condition he was in. What does it take to get a lost person to Jesus? It takes love for that person. It is very important to learn how to share the gospel with someone, to be taught how to share your testimony. But without a heart of love for lost you won't share your faith!

#2 it takes:

2. FAITH in the Power of Jesus!

V:20-“And when he saw their faith…

Along with great love, his friends had great faith. There is no way they would have gone to such outrageous extremes to get there Friend to Jesus if they didn’t believe Jesus could heal him!

In all three gospels we find the words, Jesus saw their faith."

How do you see faith? How did Jesus know they believe in him? He saw it in their actions!

When the dirt and debris started falling on everybody's head in that house, and daylight came through a hole in the roof, and eight hands were seen digging, and eight eyes were looking down through the hole and a man on a pallet is being lowered down by his friends, Jesus knows these men believe He could heal their friend!

-“faith without works is dead"

Faith if it has no works is dead faith.

Real faith will lead to action! If you believe that Jesus Christ can save your soul, then you will walk down this aisle and say; I want to be saved today!

If you believe that Jesus can save your love one, then you will share the gospel with them! You will pray for them, you will invite them to church, you will expect them to be saved!

Jesus saved me, Jesus can save you, Jesus can save your lost family member, and Jesus can save anyone!

Now my faith in Jesus cannot save anyone else. But my faith in Jesus will lead me to bring people to Jesus! These men were bringing their friend to Jesus because they believed that Jesus was the solution to his problem!

The Bible tells us that “the just shall live by faith”

These men teach us that faith in Jesus does not just sit down in the full house, fold our hands and listen to Jesus, as great as that is!

But real faith will get us up, and out, and going after the people who are paralyzed in their sin, and have no standing before God, and can't walk with Jesus. Real faith will go from your head to your heart to your hands!

It takes faith to get people to Jesus. Do you really believe that Jesus can save your neighbor? Do you really believe that Jesus can save your lost friend? Then let that faith lead to action – go and tell him about Jesus, pray for them, bring them to your Bible fellowship class and church!

What does it take to bring a lost person to Jesus?

It takes:

3. PERSISTENCE in spite of Opposition!

V:19-“And when they could not find a way to bring him in because of the multitude…

They have tried to get him to Jesus, but they could not get near Jesus. It was not easy to get this man to Jesus! They ran into obstacle after obstacle, but they would not give up or quit! These guys pushed through a big crowd carrying their totally paralyzed friend. These guys were persistent, determined, dedicated; they said “we're going to do whatever it takes to get our friend to Jesus”!

When they came to an obstacle, they didn't say, “Well, the place is full, nobody will let us through, we will come back another day. I guess this isn’t the Lord’s will.” This is going to make people mad; we should have made an appointment.

They didn't make excuses about why they couldn’t get their friend to Jesus; they determined they would get their friend to Jesus!

I admire these men, and what they went through to get there friend to Jesus. Think about the difficulties they overcame:

· First difficulty, he was crippled.

This man could not help them at all, he was dead weight. He was paralyzed, he couldn't move, stand, walk; he had no strength.

This man’s physical condition is a picture of the spiritual condition of the unsaved. The Bible tells us that we are all born spiritually crippled; we have no right standing before God. We cannot walk with Jesus.

-" For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

Most lost people don't have any desire to come to Jesus. It is hard to get lost people to understand they have no standing before God, and that they are sinners in need of forgiveness.

People paralyzed by sin, paralyzed by indifference, paralyzed by ignorance are not coming to Jesus on there on! They must be brought to Jesus.

And we must be persistent, because we know their need even if they don't! So it took persistence to pick this man up and carry him around.

· Second difficulty, was the crowd.

V:19-“they could not bring him because of the multitude…

The crowd of people would not let them through. They tried to push their way through the crowded doorway, and then through a window, but they could not get through the crowd.

I can hear them as they cried out." Make way for the sick, made way for our paralyzed friend, let us through, we need to get our friend Jesus"

But nobody moved out of the way for the paralyzed man. The people in that room cared more about their seats than that man's soul. They were more self-centered than soul-centered.

They were supposed to be worshiping the one who said I have come to seek and save the lost, but they were keeping this man from Jesus. When people come to this house let's make sure we let them know that were glad they're here!

Come on in and sit by me! Give them a warm welcome, handshake and a smile!

What if they sit in my pew pastor? Find another pew! I've been in some churches if you sat in Aunt Polly’s pew she would kick your kneecaps off!

But our attitude should be that person may be a spiritually paralyzed person who needs Jesus.

And I am going to make way for the lost! Our goal and desire is to see people saved! Sometimes we can’t reach the goal, because were stumbling over our own players.

It is sad, inexcusable for that person who is saved, to not be a part of helping others get saved!

The most important part of this service is the invitation! It is the time when everything we have prayed for, studied for, preached for, sang for comes to a point. Time to make a decision for Jesus! It is the time when we invite people to come to Jesus and be saved. It is a time when saved people should be prayerful and careful not to disturb the time when people are making a decision for Jesus. Please be in prayer during our invitations that people might come forward and get saved.

We need to provide an atmosphere that is conducive to bringing people to Jesus!

Every time a lost person walks into this church, I want everything he sees, everything he hears, and everything he feels, to tell him these people are really concerned about me knowing Jesus Christ.

This man's friends were persistent, they overcame the:

First difficulty – The man was crippled.

Second difficulty – The crowd.

· Third difficulty was the critics.

V:17-“there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by…

Somehow they got a seat! They were not there to worship, they were there to whine. They were not interested in anybody being saved, delivered, healed; they were looking for something to criticize.

And instead of enjoying the miracle, we find they were criticizing Jesus, when Jesus said “man your sins are forgiven. They said:

V:21-“who is this which speaks blaspheming? Who can forgive sins, but God only?

These religious people were a sad, depressed, jealous bunch of people. They were there to criticize Jesus. It doesn't take much size to criticize!

The greatest hindrance today to people coming to Jesus is not the atheists and agnostics. The greatest hindrance to people coming to Jesus is the critical, cold, carnal, backslidden church member, whose attitude and heart is so bitter, hateful, critical, and ugly that people can’t see Jesus for them being in the way!

But praise God these friends didn’t let the critical Pharisees keep him from bringing their friend to Jesus! Don't let criticism keep you from being excited about Jesus and his church! Don't let the critics steal your joy for serving Jesus or your desire to bring the lost to Christ! Some people will quit over the least bit of criticism, but these guys didn't! It takes persistence in spite of opposition to bring people to Jesus today!

What does it take to bring a lost person to Jesus? It takes:

4. CREATIVITY in finding new ways!

V:19-“they went on the house top, and let him down to the tiling with this couch in the middle before Jesus”.

Other people were there trying to get their sick love ones to Jesus. And when they saw them tearing a hole in the roof and letting their paralyzed friend down into the presence of Jesus, they said, why didn't we think of that.

We need to be constantly looking for new ways to get people to Jesus! A faith which truly believes that Christ is the only way will be creativity! This was a real unconventional thing! These guys couldn't get in the house so they looked for a solution.

They said to one another, there has got to be a way to get our friend to Jesus. This house had a flat roof, with stairs on the side of the house leading up to the roof, so they hauled there friend up on the roof. Now this was a very creative idea, but it would also take all four of them working together to get this done. If one man had dropped his corner of the stretcher, the paralyzed man would have fallen out. If one man had said, I helped bring him here, but I am not going up on that roof to embarrass myself. It took all four of them!

As a church we must be combined, we must be in unity, committed to bringing people to the Lord Jesus Christ no matter what it takes!

The church is a powerful force when we band together to bring people to Jesus and finds creative ways to do it. These guys, tear a hole in the roof; secure their friend on that stretcher, tie ropes on the stretcher and let this man down right in front of Jesus.

Do you know what every program, activity, and ministry in this church is? They are a stretcher to bring people to Jesus!

· The radio ministry – a stretcher to bring people to Jesus.

· The Media Ministry-a stretcher to bring people to Jesus.

· This building – a stretcher to introduce people to Jesus.

· The AWANA ministry – a stretcher to bring boys and girls to Jesus.

· The preaching ministry – a stretcher to bring people to Jesus.

· The music ministry – a stretcher to bring people to Jesus.

· Upward basketball – a stretcher to bring people to Jesus.

· A South campus-a stretcher to bring people to Jesus.

· Mission trips, mission giving-stretchers to bring People to Jesus.

· Crossway Cares-a stretcher to bring people to Jesus.

Every ministry is a stretcher to bring people to Jesus.

We are always looking for new and improved stretchers to bring people to Jesus!

What does it take to bring a lost person to Jesus?

It takes:

5. SACRIFICE to make it Happen!

V:19-“let him down through the tiling with this couch into the middle before Jesus”

Because these guys loved their unsaved friend and because they had faith in Jesus they were persistent, and they found a creative way to get him to Jesus, and they were willing to pay the price.

They tore open the roof!

They were willing to pay whatever it costs to get there friend to Jesus!

Can you imagine what it looked like on the inside of that house when they tore the roof open and started letting their friend down through the hole?

I believe that Jesus had a great big smile on his face! It really blessed the heart of Jesus to see these friends so burdened and concerned about bringing their friend to Him! Their attitude was we will get our friend to Jesus the matter of what the cost!

If this was Peter's house, can you imagine the look on his face while there tearing a hole in his roof?

He may have been saying you're going to pay for the damages. You guys are going to have to fix this; my homeowners’ policy won't cover this.

These men had already decided to take care of the hole in the roof. Whatever the cost, it was worth it to get their friend to Jesus!

That man's soul was worth more than that roof, his soul was worth more than that house; his soul was worth more than the whole village that man's soul was worth more than the whole world!

The attitude of these men; we will pay for a whole new roof on this house, if it means getting our friend to Jesus.

Sadly too many Christians say, I am willing to do anything for God as long as it doesn't cost me anything. The fact is if you determine that you're going to bring lost people to Jesus it will cost you.

It will cost you love, time, energy, and money.

Building a strong soul winning church that honors God and wins the lost is costly! To build buildings, paved parking lots, call new staff members, buy more property, make another Road out of here, to open a South Campus, it is all costly! We must keep asking and answering the question –" are the lost worth the cost? Yes, 10,000 times yes!

These guys do whatever it takes to get there friend Jesus. They take a day off work, they buy some ropes, they sweat, pray, work, strategize and carry him on that roof and tear it open and let their friend down to Jesus, sacrifice was involved!

You cannot bring people to Jesus or do the work of God without sacrifice!

Jesus looks at this man, looks up at his friends, looks back down at this man and says:

V:20-“man, your sins are forgiven you”.

Jesus forgave his sins, which was what he needed more than anything. Then Jesus told him:

V:24-“I say unto you, arise, take up your bed, and go into your house

That man gets up, takes up his bed and walks out the door rejoicing. This man couldn't get in that house, but praise God he got out!

What happens when we do whatever it takes to bring lost people to Jesus?

· The lost will be saved.

· The saved will be thrilled.

· The people will be amazed.

· The Lord Jesus will be glorified.

Can you imagine this man and his friends leaving that house that day? They are running, dancing, jumping, praising God going down the street while the multitude clapped and shouted.

And as he went home, he carried something far more impressive than his bed; he had a clean heart, he had been forgiven; the greatest miracle of all—no guilt, no bitterness, forgiven and headed to heaven.

Someday his newly restored limbs would become weak, and he would die. But the forgiveness he had experienced would last forever! The greatest need you have today, is forgiveness of sin!

The greatest need your family and friends need is forgiveness of sin! And the greatest JOY you will have is Bring them to Jesus!

There is no joy like the joy of having your sins forgiven!

· If you're here today, and you're not saved we want you to come to Jesus.

· If you're here and you know Jesus will you pray, God help me to do whatever it takes to bring people to you.

We must LOVE people; we must believe Jesus can save them! If we do then we will persist, be creative, and sacrifice to bring people to Jesus!

God help us to do whatever it takes to bring people to Jesus!