Carry Them To Jesus Series

Introduction–

There are moments in life when faith feels strong.

And there are moments when faith feels… heavy.

Heavy because of grief.

Heavy because of exhaustion.

Heavy because you’ve prayed the same prayer longer than you ever expected to.

And here’s the truth we don’t say out loud enough in church:

Sometimes your faith is not enough to carry you.

That doesn’t make you weak.

It makes you human.

One of the quiet lies of modern Christianity is that faith is supposed to be private and self-contained. But Scripture tells a different story. From Genesis to Revelation, faith is almost always communal before it is individual.

Series Recap – How We’ve Learned to Believe Boldly

Before we go any further today, I want us to pause for a moment and remember where we’ve been—because this series has been building something, step by step.

Believe Boldly was never about hype.

It was never about pretending things are easier than they are.

It’s been about learning what faith looks like when life is real.

We started this volume with Ask Anyway.

We met Bartimaeus—blind, overlooked, sitting beside the road.

A man who had learned how to survive disappointment.

And yet, when he heard Jesus was passing by, he refused to stay quiet.

Even when the crowd told him to stop.

Even when it would’ve been easier to manage expectations.

He cried out anyway.

And we learned this:

Bold faith doesn’t wait for permission.

It doesn’t shrink because of discouragement.

It asks anyway—not because circumstances are favorable, but because Jesus is faithful.

Then in Just Say the Word, we moved from desperation to authority.

We met a Roman centurion—an unlikely example of faith.

A man who understood power, command, and authority.

And what amazed Jesus wasn’t volume or intensity—but clarity.

“Lord, you don’t need to come.

Just say the word.”

And that week we learned:

Faith isn’t about proximity or performance.

It’s about where you place your confidence.

It’s trusting that who Jesus is, is enough—even from a distance.

Then last week, in Surviving the Storm, faith anchors us to safety.

We stood with Paul on a ship in Acts 27—

a storm he didn’t choose,

a situation he couldn’t control,

and an outcome he couldn’t fix.

And yet, in the middle of fear, exhaustion, and loss, Paul did one thing:

He held onto what God had already said.

We learned that bold faith doesn’t always calm storms.

Sometimes it just holds on.

Sometimes it clings to broken pieces and trusts God to bring us safely to shore.

And if you look closely, there’s a progression here.

Bartimaeus shows us faith when we need Jesus.

The centurion shows us faith when we’re trusting Jesus’ authority.

Paul shows us faith when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

But today, the focus shifts one more step outward.

Transition – When Faith Isn’t Just About You

Because eventually, faith stops being only about what God will do for you—

and starts becoming about what God might do through you.

What happens when someone else can’t cry out?

What happens when someone else can’t walk to Jesus on their own—because they’ve been running, resisting, or hurt?

What happens when faith isn’t just personal—but relational?

Today, we meet a man who can’t move.

And four friends who refuse to leave him where he is.

And what we’re about to see is this:

Sometimes the boldest faith in the room

belongs to the people willing to carry someone else to Jesus.

So if you have your Bible, turn with me to Mark chapter 2.

Because this is where Believe Boldly doesn’t just ask,

doesn’t just trust,

doesn’t just endure—

It shows up, picks up the mat,

and carries.

Which brings us to this moment in the Gospel of Mark—a scene so vivid you can almost hear it.

Setting the Scene – A Crowded House and a Desperate Need

Jesus has returned to Capernaum. Word has spread. The house is packed. Shoulder to shoulder. Standing room only. People pressed up against the door, windows open, everyone leaning in.

Jesus is teaching.

And somewhere outside the house, four friends are carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.

They don’t just know about Jesus.

They believe something about Jesus.

They believe He’s worth the effort.

They believe He’s worth the risk.

They believe He’s worth the inconvenience.

And when they arrive, the obstacle hits them: no way in.

Now pause here for a moment.

Because this is where most of us stop.

Most of us see the crowd and say,

“Well… I tried.”

“Guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

“I’ll pray about it later.”

But bold faith doesn’t stop at obstacles.

Bold faith starts asking different questions.

Not “Why is this so hard?”

But “Is there another way?”

Read Mark 2:1-4

1) Bold Faith Looks for a Way, Not an Excuse