Jesus Is Lord! Series

Jesus is Lord!

Mark 2:1-27

Introduction

- Jesus is demonstrated in this book as a “servant”

-- He is the ultimate servant; giving Himself clearly for all who will receive

-- Key verse: Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

- Last week we saw the calling of the first disciples

- We also saw how Jesus’ ministry is personal; it really is one of service to others

-- He physically touched the leper to heal him; showing compassion and grace

- Jesus is the ultimate example of servitude and something we must learn

-- If we are to truly experience Christ’s life, we must be willing to live like Him

-- James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

- Today we continue to follow Jesus’ ministry

-- Jesus is Lord (title of this msg); either He is ‘Lord of All’ or ‘Lord of Nothing’

-- What’s key also is that He sees our need BEFORE we even know it exists

-- LOTS of scripture today … remember: God’s word always amplifies itself!

- Read Mark 2:1-12

∆ Point 1 – He is Lord over Sickness and Sin (1-12)

- Again, we see Jesus in Capernaum which is the home town of Simon (Peter)

-- While in the Galilean area, this city would’ve been his base camp

-- He is in the far northern location of the Sea of Galilee

- While he is in a house preaching, some men bring a friend to see Jesus

-- What is particular here is that these friends knew this man had a physical need

-- Jesus saw that his need was much greater than being paralyzed

-- APP: Something to learn here: Do we see the needs of others? Do we ask?

- These men are presented with a challenge: How do we reach Jesus?

-- Imagine a house being full of people, and there’s no way in

-- These guys do the logical thing: they disassemble the house

-- There’s no mention of whose house it is, or the owner’s reaction …

-- But try to imagine yourself as one who needs to see Jesus this badly

-- You are willing to lie on a pallet, be carried onto a roof, and lowered in

-- APP: Sometimes the need is greater than the risk; in this case it WAS!

- V5 is very peculiar in its wording: it says that Jesus “saw their faith”

-- He looks not only at the man, but at the friends who’ve brought him as well

-- These friends must’ve heard about Jesus and said “… we gotta go …”

-- Jesus, with compassion, says “son” which literally means “child”

-- Jesus, being fully God, understood the need of this man: It’s a heart problem

- Cue the disbelievers and the party poopers here …

-- Scribes were the keepers of the Law; they were the biggest adversaries of Jesus

-- What Jesus did was tell them that their way is trash; it’s not about you and I

-- It is NOT about your laws, but about a relationship with the creator

--- FACT: The scribes had put humanity in bondage trying to maintain LAWS!

--- It is the part they missed about God’s giving it; b/c they wanted to control it

-- BIG: God doesn’t need us to be His advisors OR His defenders …

- What Jesus does here is toss their thoughts back into their court

-- He asks, V9, “Which is easier …”; knowing that BOTH are difficult

-- Only God can forgive sin; and only God could perform this bodily miracle

-- Either way he has the scribes in a tough spot: b/c both answers ID Him as God!

- So, while Jesus puts them in their spiritual place, v12 shows the result

-- While (I am sure) they are thinking about it, this man rises and walks home

-- APP: Even the face of naysayers; Jesus is STILL lord over sickness and sin

- TRANS: Jesus is not only Lord over sickness and sin, but over relationships

-- Read Mark 2:13-17

∆ Point 2 – He is Lord over Relationships (13-17)

- In order to enter the city, you had to literally walk through a toll booth

-- This is where Levi (aka Matthew) would be sitting collecting money

-- Their income came from what was collected over and above Rome’s taxes

-- So most, out of greed and bitterness, charged whatever they wanted

- Levi was working in Galilee, which means he was working for Herod

-- His position alone put him at odds with society; he was an outcast of mankind