People Need Jesus

Matthew 9:1-8

“People Need Jesus”

“Everyone, including us, is in need of a healing, loving relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Sunday Morning Sermon

03.25.07

Intro:

VIDEO CLIP – LOST EPISODE “Enter 77” 3/07/07

Starting with: 36:06

Ending with: 40:33

Discussion: (Start with Title and Text)

We moved down to our house this week – which is a huge praise, the Lord. I returned the truck and of course you make small talk with the person checking the truck over for scraps and dings. I told him, I am a preacher at this church – his daughter goes to school across the street, and he lives on Greenbrook with his family. Listen, his response to me being a preacher was something I’ve never heard before. I’ve heard EVERYTHING – from the people who start talking like we are in the year 1611, to apologies after every cuss word – everything in between. His response was something like this – “I guess you would have a lot to preach to me about.” He isn’t active in church, and he feels guilty about it – but he believes that I, because of my status with the almighty, my oneness with the universe, or my purpose driveness – WHATEVER it is, He believes that we are different – opposites, against each other – in conflict with each other. That somehow I believe I am good, I believe that he is not good. Really, the truth of my belief is very different than that. I think we are all capable of a healing, loving relationship with Jesus Christ – I know for sure that some aren’t involved in that relationship, some are fighting it, and some simply embrace it.

Listen – what our church, our programs, the relationships we build, our desire to get people in here, it should communicate is that everyone, including us, is in need of a healing, loving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Turn with me, if you have your Bibles to (Advance) Matthew 9:1-8 (read)

There are really only two kinds of people in the world

(Advance)

I. The Sick

The man lying on the stretcher – the person in need of healing. We have stretcher guy around us everyday

a. He just takes on a different form – We need the eyes of God to see these people:

i. The father at the truck rental place – feels guilty about skipping church

ii. The bus driver who takes you to school – running from unforgiven, unconfessed sins

iii. The person who drives slow in the fast lane -- YEAH

iv. The young man who lost his father – angry, and justifiably so

v. The co-worker – Going through a divorce

Oh, wait you thought I was talking about heart conditions and broken pinky fingers – NO -- God is concerned with our physical health – He is uniquely concerned with our spiritual health.

These men cared enough about this man that – they peeled the tiles off the roof because the front door was jammed with people.

b. Wouldn’t it be neat

i. If we were surrounded by people who didn’t give up at the front door

ii. If we were surrounded by people who cared enough – who had enough vision for our lives to say – “Let’s go to the roof”

They didn’t form a committee and hold meetings, they didn’t make excuses, they didn’t give up or justify their lack of effort, they didn’t bring up the past “The last time we tried to peel the roof off we created a big hole” or count the money in the roof fund– they simply peeled the roof off. I think sometimes, God surrounds us with – “Roof Peelers” to bring us to a relationship with Jesus. Maybe a better question:

c. Wouldn’t it be neat to be one of those people?

i. To not only love those around you – but have the vision enough to do anything to get those around to a loving relationship.

Notice the shift – instead of sitting on a higher horse and casting down judgement we go along side of them – and do whatever it takes. Wouldn’t it be a blessing:

ii. To be the person who explains what growing in Christ means

iii. To give someone hope – not only about heaven – I think our world needs hope for tomorrow.

It is my prayer that God will put you in a relationship with someone who either needs Jesus and you will go to the roof for that person or someone around you is willing to take extreme measures to get you to the roof.

Jesus sees the faith of these men – and tells the one lying on the mat: “Take heart, son….” Which means, basically, I’ve got the solution to the problem you have. The problem was pretty obvious – he’s on a stretcher – just came through the roof. Surely, Jesus is smart enough to know this man is physically sick: Jesus is smart enough to know that the problem is deeper: