WHAT MAKES GOD GET EXCITED
Mark 2:1-12
We live in a world that is hooked on excitement. People jump out of airplanes to get a thrill. Others jump off a bridge to with a rubber band hooked to their legs to get a rush of excitement. Others are excited about money and fame.
What is it that gets you excited? What is it that turns your head and you can do it for hours and it seem like minutes?
Do any of these things excite you?
1. Knowing that you are going to heaven.
2. Knowing that God loves you unconditionally.
3. A romantic get away with your spouse.
4. Spending time with your family.
5. Breaking ninety on the golf course.
6. Hot homemade chocolate chip cookies.
7. Anytime South Carolina wins.
8. Anytime Clemson loses.
9. Nascar races.
10. To shoot a deer or catch a fish. At least it did when Spencer caught that whopper last year.
Think about this question -- what excites God? There is a story of an incident that took place in the life of Jesus in Mark 2 that gives me some clues on when God gets excited. It is an interesting story that believe it or not revolves around an invalid, in essence a paraplegic.
Now this man is called a paralytic, because the Greek word in essence gives us that English word. It literally means to be, "loosed on one side." Whether because of a fall or because this man was born this way, this man was crippled.
His arms hung on his side like Christmas ornaments on a tree. His legs were as limp as spaghetti. Now if he was going to get in to the presence of Jesus, somebody was going to have to bring him.
There was a greater problem, because even if he could have gotten up, he couldn’t have gotten in. The house was full. People jammed the doorways. Kids were sitting in the windows. Nobody could move. It was standing room only and this man could not stand. This is where the story really begins and when God really gets excited, because God gets excited when.
I. FAITH IS REVEALED
Dr. J. M. Buckley, a Methodist preacher, was once asked to conduct what they used to call in those days an "experience meeting" at a church in the South. That was a meeting similar to a testimony meeting such as we sometimes have today. A woman arose and bore witness to the preciousness of her religion as light bringer and comfort giver. "That’s good, sister!" commented Dr. Buckley. "But now about the practical side, the positive side. Does your religion make you strive to prepare your husband a good dinner? Does it make you look after him in every way?" Just then Dr. Buckley felt a yank at this coat tails by the host preacher, who whispered ardently, "Press those questions, doctor; press those questions. That’s my wife!" Does our faith show by what we do for others?
These men had faith that was willing to do more than just talk.
A. DANGER
1. Verse 2 proves they were early FWB members because they were late and by the time they showed up the place was full.
2. They could have fallen to their death while trying to help this man.
3. To some people it is just too dangerous for them to bring people to Jesus.
4. They are not willing to risk their reputation, their feelings, or even their life.
5. They could have dropped their friend to the floor. Furthermore, what they did certainly wasn’t kosher. I mean after all de-roofing someone’s house could be construed as anti-social.
6. Furthermore, they were going to interrupt Jesus right in the middle of His sermon, but none of these things mattered to those men. They saw their chance and by faith they took it believing that Jesus would take care of their friend.
7. There have been those who for Jesus were willing to go to the far ends of the world and by faith spread the good news and even die. Faith is dangerous at times but it is always rewarding.
8. Many never step out for Jesus because they are worried about what others will think. So they never exercise faith for Jesus and always play it safe.
9. IF these men would have been like today’s Christians this man would have died a paralytic.
B. DETERMINATION
1. I love these guys. They get on top of a man’s roof, cut a hole in it, let their buddy down through the roof while a church service was going on, they were facing a possible arrest and for sure a law suit, but they were determined to get this man to Jesus.
2. The owner of the house was ticked off. As you are going to see, the religious hypocrites in the crowd weren’t very happy, but Jesus was excited, because He saw real faith.
3. The reason why Jesus was so excited was He knew there was only one reason that would have motivated them to go to all that trouble to get that man to him and it was this:
4. They believed Jesus could and would heal their friend. If you are a believer today, I want to encourage you to begin to believe this -- God can use you to bring other people to Jesus.
5. Do you believe that Jesus can save your family to the point that you will do about anything to get them to Jesus?
6. By the way, did you notice it was a team approach? It took four men to bring him to Jesus. So often that is how it is. Most people are not brought to Jesus simply by one person, it is usually a team.
II. FORGIVENESS RECEIVED (5)
A. ANGER FROM THE JEWS
Mar 2:6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Mar 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
1. Now we see the root of the problem. Man’s problem today is not sickness it is sin.
2. Jesus wasn’t just interested in healing the sickness, but He was interested first in healing the SOUL.
3. This crowd never got mad when Jesus was healing people but as soon as He forgives sin they get upset real fast.
4. Can you imagine the thought of the 4 men who let down the paralytic? Don’t you know they may have thought, “Here were are going to face charges for interrupting a service and destroying a man roof and all he says is your sins are forgiven.”
5. Today it seems that there is more focus on the body than the soul. The church today has become a place where 90% of the prayers are over sickness when it should be over sin.
6. These Jews get angry when Jesus shows His Deity because that would mean they would have to answer to Him.
7. Isn’t it amazing today how people don’t mind you talking about church but when you talk about salvation they change?
8. The world is never going to be happy about Jesus.
9. God calls us to get in the game not to keep score. Too many just want to keep score.
B. ANSWER FROM JESUS
1. Notice what Jesus does, He uses the physical to get to the spiritual. Jesus healed the man’s legs to prove He could save the man’s soul. Jesus made it a put up or shut up time and for these religious hypocrites He put up and they had to shut up.
2. He really did ask "the" question and I want you to answer it. Which is easier for Jesus? To forgive a soul or to heal a body? Let me put it to you this way, to heal that man’s body it took one breath, seven words and 2 1/2 seconds, but to forgive that man’s sin, it took the blood of Jesus and the life of Jesus. One took a sentence, the other took his body. One took a moment, the other took his life.
3. Jesus shows them that He has the power to forgive sins not just heal a body. This is what excites Jesus. He loves to save sinners. He loves to make new family members.
Illus: In the sixteenth century, Oliver Cromwell ordered that an English soldier be shot for a cowardly crime. The execution was to take place at the evening bell. But at the appointed time no sound came from the belfry. Investigation revealed that the girl who was engaged to be married to the condemned man had climbed into the bell tower and clung to the clapper of the giant bell to prevent it from striking. They found her there with her hands bleeding and torn to shreds.
All of us are sinners under sentence of death. But Christ intervened in our behalf. Look at His bruised and bleeding nail-pierced hands on that cross.
Jesus took our place on the cross so He could forgive our sins. Heaven gets excited when someone is saved.
III. FAITHFULNESS REMEMBERED (12)
1. They were so excited about the physical, but Jesus was excited about the spiritual. They were so excited about the temporary, Jesus was so excited about the eternal. They were so excited this man could now walk. Jesus was so excited because this man could now worship
2. Verse 12 shows the faithfulness of Jesus. When He says something it will happen. These four men knew that Jesus had the power to help their friend and they also knew He was faithful.
3. God gets excited when we remember that He is faithful. He loves it when we claim His word and trust His faithfulness.
4. He gets excited about faith because He is faithful!!
When we remember God’s faithfulness it does two things.
A. SUPPLY YOUR NEED
Mar 2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all;
1. If God’s people would remember who Jesus is our faith would be stronger.
2. He can still meet our needs. He can still save a sin filled world. He can still change lives today.
3. We need to live in a way that shows the world we believe Jesus is still faithful to His word.
4. This man had two needs and both were met. He was paralyzed spiritually and physically and that say he got up and walked a saved man.
5. Do you sit here in church today with the need of being saved? If so you need to trust in the Lord Jesus to save and change your life.
6. This man’s life was completely changed.
B. SURPRISE THE NAYSAYERS
insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
1. Now all those who were skeptics and hateful realized Jesus was someone different.
2. Jesus isn’t a magician He’s a Messiah.
3. They were all amazed. They glorified God.
4. Jesus can do things that we can’t explain but it should get you excited.
5. One day when Jesus splits the clouds and takes away the Christians off this planet there are going to be a lot of Nay Sayers who are going to be surprised.
6. Are you surprised when God does something or do you expect it?
7. Are you in the crowd that knows Jesus can do what He says and so you bring people to Him or do you set back and keep score?
Conclusion:
How excited does Jesus get over you? Does your faith in His faithfulness bring glory to God? Is your life producing faith and fruit for Jesus?
Sir William Napier was one day taking a long walk, when he met a little girl about five years old, sobbing over a broken bowl. She had dropped and broken it in bringing it back from the field to which she had taken her father’s dinner in it, and she said she would be beaten on her return for having broken it; then, with a sudden gleam of hope, she innocently looked into his face and said: "But you can mend it, can’t you?" Sir William explained that he could not mend the bowl; but the trouble he could mend by the gift of a sixpence to buy another. However, on opening his purse, it was empty of silver, and he had to make amends by promising to meet his little friend in the same spot at the same hour next day, and to bring the sixpence with him, bidding her, meanwhile, tell her mother she had seen a gentleman who would bring her the money for the bowl next day. The child, entirely trusting him, went on her way comforted. On his return home he found an invitation awaiting him to dine in Bath the following evening, to meet someone whom he especially wished to see. He hesitated for some little time, trying to calculate the possibility of honoring the meeting to his little friend of the broken bowl, and of still being in time for the dinner party in Bath; but, finding that this could not be, he wrote to decline accepting the invitation, on the plea of a "pre-engagement," saying to one of his family members as he did so, "I cannot disappoint her, she trusted me so implicitly."
I promise you today that Jesus will not disappoint you. IF you are lost He will save and if you are saved He will not disappoint you either.
