FOUR OF A KIND BEATS A FULL HOUSE
Mark 2:1-2:12
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Speeding Stories
1. a. Kimberly Owen’s husband was driving home from work when he was pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt. Two days later, he received the same ticket from the same cop.
b. The officer said, "So... have you learned anything?" "Yes, I have," said her husband. "I've learned I need to take a different way home from work!"
2. DILIGENT POLICE OFFICERS
a. While returning from a trip to visit his grandmother, a man was stopped by a state trooper for exceeding the speed limit.
b. Grateful to have received a warning instead of a ticket, my friend gave him a small bag of his grandmother's delicious chocolate chip cookies and proceeded on his way.
c. Later, he was stopped by another trooper. "What have I done?" he asked. "Nothing," the trooper said, smiling. "I heard you were passing out great chocolate chip cookies."
B. SPIRITUAL GAMBLING FACTS
1. The third highest hand in a game of poker is Four of a Kind. The odds of a hand like that are 1 in 3,744 hands. The next highest hand is a Full House, the odds are 1 in 624. You are 6 times more likely to have a Full House than to have Four of a Kind.
2. That’s the way it was in the story before us. Jesus had a Full House, the house was packed where He was preaching. But just because the House of God is full does not mean that the house is full of God. All kinds of different people had come to hear Jesus and they had come for different reasons, but along came Four of a Kind. These men had a common interest and purpose: they cared about their friend who was suffering and worked together to bring him to Jesus.
C. TEXT: Mark 2:1-12
“A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.
2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why
does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
D. TITLE: “Four of a Kind Beats a Full House.”
I. TASK UNDERTAKEN TOGETHER
A. THEIR UNSELFISH INTEREST
1. Their love for their friend was sacrificial. He would be a heavy load. How many of us have four such friends? The paralytic may not have had much, but he was rich. He who is loved by others has riches which the world cannot buy.
2. Unresting until their friend is healed.
3. Faith they had for their friend – “If we can just get him to Jesus, he’ll be healed!”
B. NEEDFUL TODAY
1. Many people only require one witness for them to be saved.
2. Many will never be won through the efforts of one; they require the combined efforts of several. Some plant, others water, etc.
3. I pray that little squads of soldiers of the cross will go out to bring them in. Someone’s got to bring them to Jesus!
II. DIFFICULTY IN GETTING TO JESUS
A. ATTEMPTS TO ENTER OBSTRUCTED
1. Even outside the door -- large crowd.
2. "Make way! Make way for the sick! Stand aside! For Mercy’s sake, let this sick man reach the healing prophet!"
3. In Vain were their entreaties. Many other sick were also trying to enter.
4. It was IMPOSSIBLE by ordinary means to get to Him.
B. WE ALSO FACE OBSTRUCTIONS TO JESUS
1. Trials cloud our faith.
2. Worldly crowd/thinking, hinders us.
3. Time to pray -- seems scarce.
4. The Bible says that Satan works harder today because he knows his time is short. Shouldn't we be working harder too?
C. BUT WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A WAY
1. The question is, Do we have the will?
2. HUMOR. Self-defeating attempts
BJ Novak says, "I spent four years in college. I didn't learn a thing. It was really my own fault. I had a double major: one was psychology and the second was in reverse psychology!"
III. DARING FAITH/ DETERMINATION
A. VAULTING THE OBSTRUCTIONS
1. They said, "If the door is shut, we’ll go through the roof!" We’re not going under, folks, we’re going over!
2. Whatever the cost, expense, efforts, we MUST get our friend to Jesus!
3. They found a staircase going up onto the roof. One borrowed some ropes. The others began removing the tiles
of the roof above Jesus.
4. The Bible says, "The violent take it (the kingdom) by force!" The Greek language for Mark 2:4 indicates they "Dug" through an insulating dirt layer of the roof. Then they removed the thatching on the rafters.
5. They began lowering their friend down in front of Jesus!
B. THE LESSON
1. Undoubtedly there was dust, falling materials, and danger in the operation. They were Tearing up someone's home!
2. Was this unconventional/striking/radical? Yes!
3. But if we want to win souls, to see lives changed, we often must be unconventional. We have to get out of our routines and our dead ends.
4. We're fighting a war. We sometimes must put earthly rules and etiquette aside to win people!
5. If you get in the way, you better watch out, or there will be some shoemarks on you -- because I'm going to get to Jesus!
IV. CHRIST’S RESPONSE TO THEIR FAITH
A. JESUS “SAW THEIR FAITH”
1. Notice the Bible doesn’t say Jesus saw the dust and debris, or the house torn up.
2. What Jesus saw was their FAITH, boldly demonstrated. He saw their spiritual motivation.
3. Jesus could have told them to stop, early on. But He didn't. Instead, He honored their daring faith. He always does!
4. Where is Capernaum now? A heap of rubble. But what about the lives that were changed forever when that house was torn up? They live still!
B. COMPASSION OF CHRIST
1. "Be of good cheer" Mt. 9:2. This man evidently felt unworthy. Have you ever felt that way?
2. It's also possible that the man was discouraged.
3. In Matthew and Mark’s account, Jesus said, "My
son/child," Gr. teknon. How comforting that must’ve been.
C. “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN”
1. Why did Jesus deal with this first?
a. Because the keen eye of the Great Physician penetrated through the superficial symptoms to the more terrible disease beneath.
b. True healing begins within. Without sin being dealt with first, there can be no effectual healing.
c. His paralysis may have come from his sin.
2. REACTION OF THE PHARISEES: Blasphemy!
a. The Pharisees were correct in their assumption, "only God can forgive," but wrongly concluded that Jesus was not God. They challenged Jesus’ deity.
b. Christ doesn't pray for man's forgiveness; He pardons the man Himself, as having the right to do so.
3. PRACTICAL TEST TO PROVE HIS DEITY
a. Proof: "I will heal this man, something visible, as evidence of My power, in that which is invisible."
b. Jesus isn't practicing medicine; He's a healer. Nothing can stand before Him: sugar diabetes, lupus, cancer, etc. -- all the devils must bow!
V. HOW YOU CAN TAKE YOUR FAITH THROUGH THE ROOF
A. WHAT OUR ROOF MIGHT BE
1. There are barriers to some of our needs or aspirations which seem impossible to overcome.
2. But there is a way, somewhere.
3. A "Roof" is an artificially imposed limit.
4. If you think of your roof's height, in relation to the sky, it's very low to the ground. Height of atmosphere is measured in miles. Height of your roof is measured in feet.
5. The thought of this message is NOT that our faith must achieve the level of the stars, but that our faith should go beyond its present limits.
6. Believe a little more than ever before. Attempt a little more than ever before. Walk with God on the Sea a little.
B. HOW YOU CAN PIERCE THE OBSTRUCTION
1. Believe that if you’re asking something that is the will of God, there’s a way to achieve it.
2. Do NOT consider difficulties or obstructions as indications that God doesn't want you to have it. Rather see the opportunities God is giving you to demonstrate your faith in a more daring fashion. Every miracle has a key. If you can discover the key, your miracle will be released!
3. Be of good cheer! It's your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom! Try every door. Pray for God to intervene. Persevere until you get to Jesus!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. A church was heavily in debt. One day a stranger came by that church and asked for the pastor.
2. "Pastor McNeil, I understand that you have a debt problem at your church. I've heard about the good job that you're doing and I want to help."
3. Laying a blank check on the pastor's desk, he said, "Fill in the amount you need and I will return later and sign it." Then he left.
4. The pastor sat looking at the check and said, "Surely he doesn't realize that our debt runs into hundreds of thousands of dollars. He would never give that much. He told me to make it out for the full amount, but I'll just put down half. I'm afraid he will not even sign that much."
5. After a little while, the stranger returned, and with scarcely a glance signed the check and left without another word.
6. The pastor looked at the signature and realized it was that of a well-known philanthropist. It was then that the pastor realized that he could have easily paid the entire debt.
7. The pastor groaned, "Oh, what a man of little faith; I will never doubt again!"
8. Have we been treating God that way? As if He can't handle our total problems?
9. I want you to take your faith through the roof!
B. THE CALL
1. Do you need healing this morning? God is still a healer!
2. Have you had obstacles between you and God, where you felt like you couldn't get through to Him? We are here to help you tear the roof off and get to Jesus!
3. Matt. 11:30, "Come unto Me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest."
4. Come up to the front and let's pray together!
