Where Are You In Life?

Where Are You In Life? Mark 2:1-12 People often say, "Knowledge is power." I disagree with that. Knowledge on its own is nothing, but the application of knowledge; now that's powerful. The application of knowledge is wisdom, but to be truly wise, the reverence and the fear of God must be your starting point. Let me explain why. If someone is driving 80 mph and notices a parked police car up ahead on the side of the road, they will slow down. In fact, a whole series of events goes into motion when they see that police car. First, the driver's heart suddenly beats faster. His brain tells him to get off the gas and apply the brakes. The driver's eyes look down at the speedometer to make sure they're no longer speeding. Finally, they quickly look in the rearview mirror to see if they've been caught or not. That series of events all went into motion because the policeman's presence produced a healthy respect for the law. When a police officer is present, drivers adjust to the law because of respect for the officer's authority. Now, a driver might not like the police officer's authority, may not want his authority, or may even be rebellious against his authority - but he still respects it. I mean, what would you think of someone who speeds up to 80 mph when they see a police officer? You'd probably think that driver is foolish. Why? Because that driver is showing no reverence for the law. Now, many people live lives according to their own set of laws because they don't respect God enough or acknowledge His rule over every area of their lives. Just as the driver should fear the police officer's authority whether they can see him or not, a Christian shows true fear of God by how they acknowledge God's authority. Truly fearing God means that God is your reference point wherever you go and in whatever you do. So, let me ask you: In every area of your life, is God your reference point? Or, are you happily speeding by doing your own thing? And how do you know you're speeding? Are you taking your time doing 15 in a 30 because you're trying to find your way? You're looking for answers. Or are you relaxed, making every mile a memory? Where Are You In Life? Albert Einstein once said, "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." If your life seems to be lacking balance, it's time to ask yourself, "Where am I moving to?" In today's Scripture, Jesus was moving, and the crowds were searching for balance. It's here in this passage where we see 5 Areas Of Life. Everyone in the world, Christian or not, is living within one of these five areas of life. These 5 Areas are 1. Getting to know Jesus. 2. Being forgiven by Jesus. 3. Being critical of Jesus. 4. Being tolerant of Jesus. 5. Praising Jesus in full view of others. The First Area of Life seen in today's Scripture is Getting To Know Jesus. Jesus is back home in Capernaum and preaching to a huge crowd. When Jesus preached, He drew a crowd. The same happens today. When God's Word is proclaimed, it draws a crowd. Some hate it; some love it, some make fun of it, some deny it, some question it, some accept it. It's no secret that everyone has an opinion when it comes to the Bible and Christianity. The crowd was huge, and beginning in verse 3 the Bible says, "Some men came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on." The people listening to the sermon were blocking the way. Undaunted, the man's 4 friends carried him to the roof. The homes in Galilee were built out of stone and had outer staircases that led to the flat top roof. The roofs were made of mud and straw and were strong enough that the homeowners would actually entertain guests on top of their roofs because there was more space, and it was much cooler. But these 4 friends, once on the roof, dug through it so they could lower their paralyzed friend down to Jesus. Getting to know Jesus means you can't follow the crowd. It means you stand out from the crowd and do what you have to do to get a better view of who Jesus is. Many people are in this stage of life, where they're getting to know about Jesus. They may still be in the crowd, they may be sitting at His feet, or they may be peering through a hole, but their conscience has convicted them enough to want to know more about Jesus. There are even many Christians who are still in this area of life of getting to know about Jesus. Some Christians will invite others to church, but not invite them to Jesus. They'll invite them to listen to sermons, hear the choir sing, and invite them to special programs, but they don't tell them about the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. These 4 men knew that getting their friend to a building wasn't the goal. Getting him to Jesus was! If your goal has moved from getting to know about Jesus to actually knowing Jesus and wanting others to know Jesus as well, you've made it to the second area of life. The Second Area of life is Being Forgiven By Jesus. You're laid out in front of Jesus, and there's no way you're leaving until Jesus Christ heals you. You know the Son of God is Jesus Christ and that He alone has the authority to heal you. This area of life of being justified and forgiven by Jesus means you've placed saving faith in Him and desire only what the Son of God can give: forgiveness. That's salvation. It's being saved eternal death and having all of your past, present, and future sins forgiven. The salvation of Being Forgiven By Jesus begins the process of Sanctification, meaning you become holy as God is holy, which is maturing as a disciple. Being forgiven is digging through the dirt of your life and coming to Jesus. It's you breaking past that barrier that's separated you from being in God's presence. That's what Lent is for. It's a time for breaking any barriers so you can get to Easter. Verse 5 says, "When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'" Jesus didn't just see one man's faith; He saw collective faith. There is no such thing as a solo Christian. We need each other. Sometimes life's circumstances will be so overpowering that you need to piggyback on the faith of others. Now, these men didn't bring the paralyzed man to Jesus because of some sin but because his legs didn't work. Yet, Jesus knew the deeper issue. No matter how poor your physical condition is, your spiritual condition must take priority. Spiritual sickness is worse than physical sickness, and spiritual healing can reverse sin's physical consequences. The Third Area of life is people Being Critical of Jesus. Everyone has an opinion about Jesus. Even not believing in Jesus is an opinion because there must be a reason for disbelief. Here, beginning in verse 6, we see that it's not just unbelievers who can be critical of Jesus. "Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 'Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?'" You can tell how highly they value Jesus by referring to Him as "this fellow." And they were teachers of the Law! They were sitting there front and center and watched everything that happened, yet had crude remarks. They thought they knew better. But Jesus knows better because Jesus knew what they were thinking. You see, you don't have to verbally criticize Jesus because thinking it gets the same response, "Why are you thinking these things?" Man, that one must have widened their eyes! I pray that everyone who is in this area of life will also have their eyes widened. The fourth Area of life is to be tolerant of Jesus. Whether Jesus is verbally criticized or not, many people just tolerate Jesus as one of many religious options people can choose from. They speak of peace, love, and forgiveness, but aren't willing to accept Jesus for who He is without trying to change Him. They're the ones who say it doesn't matter how fast you drive because life is a highway with many paths leading to the same destination. But Jesus confronts this type of thinking by saying, "Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk?'" People tolerant of Jesus say many things, but Jesus proves that He Alone is the only way by forgiving and healing that paralyzed man. Not a moment goes by where Jesus doesn't know exactly what everyone is thinking. Only God can miraculously heal and forgive sin, no matter what the world says. Jesus validated His authority to forgive sins by demonstrating His authority of making the paralyzed man walk. Verse 10 says, "I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins." This is the first time "Son of Man" is used in the Gospel of Mark. In John 20:31, the term "Son of God" is used. Putting both "Son of Man" and "Son of God" together reveals that Jesus knows your needs, sympathizes with your suffering, and has the authority to handle both by His forgiveness and healing. Folks, don't go to Jesus for help with physical circumstances unless you're willing for Him to also deal with your spiritual circumstances. Lastly, the Fifth Area of life is Praising Jesus in full view of others. When Jesus said, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home," the man did exactly what Jesus said in full view of others. Jesus doesn't ask that we live our faith; He tells us to! Praising God is listening to what He says and faithfully living what He has told us. Praising Jesus is telling others your testimony. When you share your testimony, especially during the season of Lent when others may ask you what and why you're doing what you're doing, they won't be able to deny how God has transformed your life. And a transformed life will get people saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" You represent Christianity, so represent Christ faithfully. So, Where Are You In Life? Also, knowing these 5 Areas of Life will help when you share your faith with others. If you're trying to witness to someone who's critical or tolerant of Jesus, you'll go about it differently than you would if you knew they were just getting to know about Jesus. Meet people where they are in life and direct them to Christ. Similarly, if you're in the Second Area of Life, being forgiven is only the starting point; the goal is to reach the Fifth Area of life, which is to live your faith Praising Jesus in full view of others. While studying today's Scripture, a minister received a call from the governor asking if he would open a special meeting at the capital building with a prayer. The governor said the minister had to pray generically and not mention Jesus so as not to offend anyone. The minister gladly accepted this invitation. The day of the event came, and the minister took his place behind the podium and began to pray, "Father, I want to thank You for this opportunity to pray before the city officials. I want to thank You first of all for creating them, because if they were not here, then they couldn't take on this responsibly. Your Word says Jesus Christ created everything. Thank You, Lord, for creating government. Government is an institution of God according to the apostle Paul who met Jesus Christ on the Damascus Road. And Lord, if there is anyone here today who does not understand that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, and bodily arose from the dead, would You explain that to them! In the name of Jesus. AMEN." After this prayer, the governor pulled the minister aside and expressed his disappointment in how the minister had imposed his religion on other people. The minister gently replied, "I don't do neutral prayers. I don't do Muslim prayers. I don't do Buddhist prayers. I do Christian prayers because I'm a Christian, and that means I follow Jesus because only 'the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.'" This season of Lent, are you praying neutral prayers? Are you living a neutral life? The government's laws are not perfect; people do get away with things like speeding. But where human laws fail, God's laws never do. Wisdom is knowing the power of God. So, no matter Where You Are In Life, your starting point is Jesus asking you to "Follow Me." AMEN 2