007-Mark 2:12

Summary: We have to get to a point in life where we don’t stop at the door so we can see what God has for us!

I.Introduction - Illustration

On July 4, 1952, at the age of 34, Floerence May Chadwick attempted to become the first woman to swim 21 miles across the Catalina Channel, from Catalina Island to Palos Verde on the California coast. The weather that day was very poor. The ocean was ice cold, the fog was so thick that she could hardly see the support boats that followed her, and sharks prowled around her. Several times, her support crew used rifles to drive away the sharks. While Americans watched on television, she swam for hours. After 15 hours and 55 minutes, she felt that she couldn't go on, and asked to be taken out of the water. What she didn't know, due to the thick fog, she was only a half mile from the sore.

a. How many of you in life have felt like you can’t do anything?

b. That you stop doing something because you can't see what is ahead of you or that you feel that you have come to a dead end road or a closed door?

c. Florence May Chadwick Swimming the English Channel in 1952. 15 hr 55 mins and less than 1 mile away she failed

d. But see life doesn’t have to be that way.

e. See God wants to do some amazing things in our lives!

II. Read

Mark 2:1–12 CSB

1 When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: 7 “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—11 “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” 12 Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Pray

III. Matt. 19:30 says the first should be last and the last should be first. So let’s start at the end of the passage.

IV. The Message says: “They rubbed their eyes, incredulously and then praised God saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”

How many of you want to see God do something amazing in your life? We have to get to a point in life where we don’t stop at the door so we can see what God has for us!

a. We miss out on a lot of God’s blessing because we stop at the door!

1. The first thing is to get rid of all the excuses!

Mark 2:2–4 CSB

2 So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. 3 They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

a. We give God all kinds of excuse!

b. Gideon in

Judges 6:11–16 CSB

11 The angel of the Lord came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” 13 Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!” 15 He said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.” 16 “But I will be with you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.”

i. He was in a winepress hiding grain.

ii. Angel calls him a Mighty man of valor.

iii. He give excuses about being the weakest

d. Moses in

Exodus 4:10 CSB

10 But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant—because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.”

i. Moses gave all kinds of excuses

ii. I am eloquent speaker

iii. Ask to send someone else.

As far as excuses goes they had a pretty good one don’t you think? There was a crowd. They couldn’t get in. Nobody was going to let them through.

They could have said let’s come back tomorrow.

e. God is tired of hearing our excuse

2 important questions to ask WHAT and WHY?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT TO BE DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR LIFE?

WHY DOES GOD WANT THIS PART OF YOUR LIFE TO BE DIFFERENT?

You will see that when you start to connect the why to the what it becomes easier and less likely for excuses to be made.

Read through Bible, pray w/spouse, LG, spiritual leader —draw us closer to Christ.

Eat right, lose weight, exercise, quit smoking — care for temple

2. Do what you CAN do.

Mark 2:4 CSB

4 Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

The second thing we need to do is don’t let obstacles get in the way.

a. These men didn’t let the crowd get in the way.

b. They didn’t allow the fact Jesus was preaching the word.

They did what they could do.

c. Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem.

didn’t allow the distance get in the way.

He didn’t allow the fact he didn’t he didn’t have resources

He did what he could do.

e. 1 Samuel 17 – David fighting Goliath

He had no armor

No military experience

He had the his sling shot that he trusted.

He did what he could do.

These guys looked at an impossible situation a huge obstacle.

I imagine they asked themselves what can we do?

avoided the obstacle and made a hole in the roof.

g. To many times we let thing get in the way of what we are doing for God.

h. Sometime it is the circumstance just like the crowd.

3. TRUST GOD TO DO WHAT YOU CANNOT DO

Mark 2:5 CSB

5 Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

We have to be strong in our Faith

a. These four mean didn’t know if Jesus going to heal their friend, but they knew Jesus Could!

Last week the man with leprosy- same kind of faith- I know you can do it are you willing God.

They did what they could do it and had faith that Jesus would do it what they could not.

Hebrews 11:8 CSB

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.

Proverbs 3:5–6 CSB

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.

Jesus saw their faith acted in their determination!

Could it be that all that Christ is waiting for you to do it’s to demonstrate your faith that HE can do it?

Hebrews 11:6 CSB

6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

And there is there a real picture of faith. Faith, first, is rooted in truth; it's rooted in God's declaration of who He is; it's rooted in the truths of the Gospel. Faith is not some kind of religious leap in the dark; it’s rooted in truth, but it's not just that. It's important to say that faith is never just theological; faith is never just conceptual; faith is never just mental assent to something. Faith is always action. It's always a way of living; it's always a lifestyle; it's always an approach to life.

Faith will not just change the way you think; faith will always change the way you act.

How many of you want to see God do something amazing in your life?

You are only giving this one life. Do you want to get to the end of it and look back and marvel at the work Christ has done.

1-Get rid of excuses

2- Do what you can do

3- Thrust God to do what you CANNOT do.

Let me finish with this.

Those guys new that they could get this man to Jesus but they could not save him or heal him.

The same way you can bring yourself to church, you can clean your life, you can start acting different but only God can forgive you of your sins.

Only God can save you.

Maybe you start here today.

You listen and apply the word of God to your life but you start by asking Him to save you. To forgive you of your sins.

Because Jesus is the only one that has the power to do that.