"Getting Past The Crowd To Christ"

"Getting Past The Crowd To Christ"

I want us to turn in the Scriptures for our reading just now to Mark's gospel chapter 2. As I have been announcing, I'm going to speak this morning, on the subject of 'Getting Past the Crowd to Christ'.

This is a very well-known story, certainly to Christians, but I'm not sure that Christians really understand the full import to them of this story.

We'll not just be touching unbelievers, but we will all be getting a touch, hopefully, from the Spirit of God from this account.

Mark chapter 2 and beginning at verse 1: "And again he", that is the Lord Jesus Christ, "entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne", or carried, "of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion" - and we end our reading at verse 12.

So let's look at how this man got past the crowd to Christ.

Let us bow in a word of prayer: Father, we thank Thee that the Lord Jesus Christ has come near to men. He could not have come nearer, for He came in the likeness of sinful flesh. He gave up the riches and splendour of glory, and came as a servant. Lord, we thank Thee that He went all the way to Calvary and died in our place that He might bring us to Himself.

Lord, we ask this morning that by the Holy Spirit He may draw another soul, and other person paralysed by the disease of sin, may they be liberated this morning through the Gospel - the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the same yesterday, today and forever - glory to His name. Amen.

It is,,,,, commonly held that Mark's Gospel is the gospel of the Servant of the Lord - that is the theme: the servanthood in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. In chapters 1 through to 3, you get another sub-theme: the Servant of the Lord and His power, as He served the Lord in His service, the power of God that He displayed in His ministry.

In verses 21 to 28 of chapter 1, if you look down at it, you will see the power that the Servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, had over a demon. Then in verses 40 through to 45, you see the power that He had over disease in general. Then in chapter 2 verses 1 to 12, our reading this evening, you see how He had power over a specific disease, one of the scourges of the present-day, leprosy. Then in chapter 3 verses 7 through to 12, you see that He also had power over demons - plural - principalities and powers, rulers of this wicked darkness that we cannot see.

I'm sure that you can imagine that word spread rather quickly of this miracle Man,,,, the self-proclaimed Servant of God,,,, who seemed to prove His God-given choosing and ministry by the power that He demonstrated in these great miraculous works……

I imagine the conversation of the day, particularly in Capernaum,,,,, was:;;;

'Where can we see Him?

Where can we go to witness one of these great supernatural works?

Where can this Man be found?'.

Eventually, as we find in chapter 2, the Capernaum communication network had located His whereabouts.