Whatever It Takes
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Mark 2:1-12
1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home.
2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,
3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.
4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves,
7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts?
9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said,
11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”
INTRODUCTION:
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of missions without realizing our personal role in the mission. For example, many love sports. They sit on the sidelines and pull for their favorite team but never step foot on the playing field to make a contribution themselves. They are great cheerleaders but not actual contributors. Sadly, the same can be said for members of the local church as well.
Notice some things about the four men in the text.
I. THESE MEN HAD A CONSUMING PURPOSE. (Mark 2:1-3)
I. THESE MEN HAD A CONSUMING PURPOSE. (Mark 2:1-3)
1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home.
2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,
3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.
A- Jesus had a purpose in his life. (Mark 2:1-2)
A- Jesus had a purpose in his life. (Mark 2:1-2)
1- That purpose was twofold:
a. Provide for our salvation. (Matthew 1:20-21)
20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
b. Proclaim the good news of his coming kingdom. (Mark 1:38)
38 But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.”
c. Jesus summed up his overall purpose like this:
(Luke 19:10)
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
B- Jesus has a purpose for his followers. (Mark 2:3)
B- Jesus has a purpose for his followers. (Mark 2:3)
3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.
1- These men had come to town with only one purpose in mind.
a. Bring their friend to Jesus.
(1) They actually believed that Jesus could heal this man. They thought, “Maybe, just maybe.” They took a risk because of the mission.
2- Just like these four men, our purpose should be to bring people to Jesus.
a. Jesus told us this in the Great commission.
(Matthew 28:19-20)
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
What drives you?
What spiritual things has God put on your heart, that you long to see come to fruition in your lifetime?
Do you have kingdom dreams (such as people coming to faith in Christ), or are your dreams all tied to this life?
When was the last time you stopped to think about those dreams?
II. THESE MEN ENCOUNTERED A PERPLEXING PROBLEM. (Mark 2:4)
II. THESE MEN ENCOUNTERED A PERPLEXING PROBLEM. (Mark 2:4)
4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
A. They encountered issues that became perplexing problems. (Mark 2:4a)
A. They encountered issues that became perplexing problems. (Mark 2:4a)
4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
1- Inconvenience
a. They had to carry their friend to see Jesus. He was unable to travel on his own.
2- Uncooperative People
a. No one would let the men get near the house where Jesus was.
People sometimes keep people from coming to Jesus (Romans 1-2)
Unbelieving people
Religious people
3- Discouragement
a. Because of the crowd, there was no way to Jesus. They probably were discouraged and thought about giving up.
4- At this point, many of us give up. We throw up the white flag of surrender. There’s no way in—or so it seems. We assume that an open door is equal to the path of least resistance.
Imagine for a moment if the apostle Paul would have only walked through open doors? Half of the New Testament would have never been written. These men saw the obstacles, but because their hope and belief were so strong, they kicked open that closed door.
B- They embarked on an action of personal risk. (Mark 2:4b)
B- They embarked on an action of personal risk. (Mark 2:4b)
4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
1- Their motivations:
a. Concern for their friend
b. Faith in Christ
2- Their motions:
a. They did extraordinary things to enable getting their friend to Jesus.
b. They personally brought their friend to Jesus.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
What obstacles have derailed you from the mission of Christ?
Do you have a desire to see someone someone come to faith in Christ?
Does your desire move you to action?
What would it look like for you to dig a hole in the roof?
III. THESE MEN ENJOYED AN EXCITING PRIZE. (Mark 2:5-12)
III. THESE MEN ENJOYED AN EXCITING PRIZE. (Mark 2:5-12)
5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves,
7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts?
9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’?
10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said,
11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”
A- Jesus honors our faith in Him. (Mark 2:5a)
A- Jesus honors our faith in Him. (Mark 2:5a)
5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
1- He recognizes the hearts of his followers who work to bring others to him.
a. The text says, “ Seeing their faith.” - Whose faith? initially it was the faith of the men who had brought the paralytic to Jesus.
2- You and I must move in faith, trusting that God will enable us to obey Him and that he well reward us for doing so.
(Hebrews 11:1,6)
1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
B- Jesus will provide forgiveness and salvation to those who respond. (Mark 2:5, 7, 10-12).
B- Jesus will provide forgiveness and salvation to those who respond. (Mark 2:5, 7, 10-12).
5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said,
11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”
1- Jesus offers forgiveness.
a. Everyone’s greatest need is forgiveness.
(Romans 3:23)
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
(Romans 6:23)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
2- Jesus has the authority to forgive.
a. He has provided the pathway to forgiveness.
(Romans 5:8)
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
3- Jesus will forgive and transform those who trust in Him.
(Romans 10:9-10, 13)
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
a. Don’t settle for the mundane when Jesus wants to do the miraculous.
People thought the primary need was external.
What Jesus did in this passage is true for everyone.
He shows us that the greatest need is forgiveness and salvation.
And, when Jesus addressed the deeper need, the people were filled with awe!
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
How did others play a role in your trusting in Jesus?
In what ways has Jesus transformed your life?
Why would you not long for this same type of transformation in others?
CONCLUSION:
Illustration:
“Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.
Week after week, month after month, and year after year, these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. Year after year they carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation and declared that fishing is always to be a primary task of fishermen.
Continually, they searched for new and better methods of fishing and for new and better definitions of fishing. They created witty slogans and displayed them on big, beautiful banners.
These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters.”
The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn’t do, however: They did not fish.
In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out fishermen to other places where there were many fish. The board hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the staff and committee members did not fish.
Large, elaborate and expensive training centers were built whose original and primary purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish. Over the years, courses were offered on the needs of fish, the nature of fish, where to find fish, the psychological reactions of fish and how to approach and feed fish.
Those who taught had doctorates in “fishology,” but the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing.
Year after year, after tedious training, many graduated and were given fishing licenses. They were sent to do full-time fishing, some to distant waters, which were filled with fish. Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded. They were commissioned and sent to fish. But like the fishermen back home, they never fished.
They engaged in all kinds of other occupations. Some felt their job was to relate to the fish in a good way so the fish would know the difference between good and bad fishermen. Others felt that simply letting the fish know they were nice, land-loving neighbors and how loving and kind they were was enough.
Now it’s true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen’s clubs and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never fished.
Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who don’t fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct.
Is a person a fisherman if, year after year, he never fishes?
More plainly stated: Is one really following if he isn’t fishing?
It’s time to start casting our nets. Who’s the one you’re going to go after?
Who’s your one?