We Must Help Bring More People to Jesus!
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:15-26
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared September 22, 2021)
BACKGROUND:
*Think about how many miracles Jesus performed. In John 20:30-31, God's Word tells us that, "truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." John 21:25 tells us that "there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."
*Jesus worked an astounding number of miracles while He was here on earth. But counting His birth, resurrection and return to Heaven, only 40 of these miracles are detailed in the four Gospels. (1)
*Matthew 8 showed us that Jesus worked many miracles in Capernaum, but in vs. 18, the large crowd became a problem, and Jesus decided to take a boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. We don't know all the reasons why Jesus left Capernaum, but He surely needed some rest. And wherever the Lord chose to go, was exactly where He needed to be. So, in Matthew 8:23-27, when Jesus:
23. . . got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25. Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!''
26. But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?'' Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm.
27. And the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?''
*After that amazing miracle, Jesus and His disciples landed at the country of the Gergesenes, and there the Lord miraculously cast thousands of demons out of two tormented men. Today in Matthew 9:1-8, Jesus crossed back over the sea to Capernaum, and there He worked another great healing miracle. In this case, it was the healing of a paralyzed man who was brought to the Lord by four good friends.
*Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, Mark 2, and Luke 5 both give more details to the story. Luke 5:17 gives this background: "Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them."
*Mark and Luke also explain how strongly committed these four men were to get their sick friend to Jesus. That's our focus for today, so please open your Bibles to Mark 2, and we will begin by reading vs. 1-12.
MESSAGE:
*If you are Christian today, how did you get there? How did you become a Christian? Every believer has a unique story, your own story of how God worked in your life to help you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
*One of our daughters was saved when she was 5, our son was 6, and our other daughter was 7. I was saved when I was 24, and my mother was saved when she was 67. Every believer has a unique story, but all of our stories have this thing in common: SOMEBODY HELPED US GET TO JESUS.
*It may have been Mom or Dad, a co-worker, or a friend at school. It could have been the neighbors across the street. (That's who helped my wife Mary get to Jesus when she was a little girl.) Who helped you? It could have even been a total stranger. But somebody helped bring you to Jesus, and your life was changed forever.
*Now God wants us to be those helpers. God wants us to help bring other people to Jesus Christ. How can we do it?
1. FIRST: WE MUST FIND WAYS TO BE A FRIEND.
*The paralyzed man in the Scripture today desperately needed some friends. Think how helpless and hopeless he was in that day. He had no access to the modern technology that we usually take for granted.
*Geoff Thomas explained the man's troubles by saying, "We are told just one thing about him: He was a paralyzed man, that and nothing else. We are not told his name, his age, his marriage status, or the job he might have once had. We are given information about one thing: That he could not move. Nothing else was as important as that. Nothing else was relevant.
*Think about his pain: The cramps, the stiffness of the joints, the bedsores, and all the indignities of his condition. Think of his despair. Nothing lay ahead of him but more suffering and death.
*He possibly remembered a time when he played as a boy and worked hard as a young man. but now he could do nothing and was a burden to the people around him. He couldn't say, 'I have had enough of this! I'll send for the doctor, and he'll give me a wonder-drug.' There was no one who could cure him." (2)
*But then Jesus came to town! And everything could change, IF he could only get to Jesus. Oh, how much he needed help from true friends. And Church: There are people all around us who need a true friend. They may be struggling physically or financially. They may be struggling in their family. They may be lonely and heartbroken. And they need a friend.
*Dick Innes tells us that the word for "friend" among some North American Indians was "one-who-carries-my-sorrows-on-his-back." Hurting people all around us need friends like that. But most of all, they need Jesus Christ! (3)
*Many other people may feel on top of the world right now, but they have a hole in their lives that only Jesus can fill. And they need a friend who will bring them to Jesus.
*God wants us to find ways to be that friend, so ask God to put these people in your path. Pray for them. Listen to them. Tell them what Jesus means to you. Invite them to church. Use your common interests to plant the truth in their lives.
*Deacon Brad Black once offered these suggestions:
-If you love to play golf, play golf with them.
-If you love to hunt, hunt with them.
-If you love to fish, fish with them.
-And use that time to bring them closer to Jesus.
*Along those lines, here's a testimony I heard in 1998 from Herb Hubbard, another of our deacons in West Monroe. Herb heard it from a man at work named Jimmy. Jimmy's son, Jay, had been witnessing to one of his friends for a long time. And Jay couldn't tell if he was making any progress.
*But these two friends were big duck hunters, and as they drove out one day, it was obvious that Jay's friend had been thinking about everything. But he felt like he needed a sign, and he said, "You know, -- I 've never shot a banded duck before. If I shoot a banded duck today, that might be a sign from God."
*You may not know this, but shooting a banded duck is a very big deal to duck hunters. Well, that young man shot 3 ducks that day, and the third duck did have a band. When the friend cut the band off, he was amazed to find that it said: "Jesus loves you."
*I would call that a miraculous meeting with a duck, and yes, he did put his trust in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ. But God used a good friend to help bring that man to Jesus, and He wants to use us too!
*People all around us need a friend who will bring them to Jesus, and we must find ways to be that friend.
2. CHURCH: WE ALSO MUST CARRY OUR CORNER OF THE LOAD.
*Picture the scene again in. Jesus had come back to Capernaum, and word had spread like wildfire that He was "in the house." Jesus went back to Peter and Andrew's house.
*So, Mark 2:1-4 says:
1. And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
2. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.
3. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
4. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. And when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
*But everyone had to carry their corner of the bed. Everyone had to do their part. These four friends worked together as a team. They started on the mission together in vs. 3, and they finished together in vs. 4. They didn't give up! They stuck together.
*Think about those friends lowering the bed. What would have happened, if one of them had said, "That's it! I quit!" -- And then let go of the rope? It would have been a disaster.
*But they didn't give up. They stuck together, and we have to do the same thing. We must work together. We all must do our part, and there is something for every one of us to do.
*God's Word makes this truth clear in 1 Corinthians 12:15-22. There the Apostle Paul compared God's Church to our physical bodies. Please listen to it from the New Living Translation:
15. If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16. And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body?
17. Suppose the whole body were an eye -- then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything?
18. But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it.
19. What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part!
20. Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
21. The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you." The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you."
22. In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary.
*Christians: We are the Body of Christ! And there is something for every one of us to do. So must work together. We all must do our part. No one of us can accomplish all that God wants us to do together as His church. We need each other!
*How can we bring more people to Jesus Christ? We must carry our corner of the load.
3. AND WE MUST BREAK THROUGH THE BARRIERS.
*Think about the barriers these men had to go through to get their friend to Jesus. Their friend couldn't walk, but they carried him. The crowd blocked the way, but they found a way around the crowd. The roof of the house was between them and Jesus, but they went right on through the roof! (4)
*These men didn't let anything keep them from getting their friend to Jesus! And that's the kind of passion we need.
*What are you passionate about today? What really matters to you? What charges you up? Most of us are passionate about our families and our country. Most of us are passionate about our hobby or a sport.
*From 1981 to 1993, Joe Jacoby was an offensive tackle for the Washington Redskins. Joe helped get the Redskins to Super Bowl championships in 1983, 1988 and 1992.
*Joe Jacoby was passionate about football. He once said, "I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl." When Matt Millen heard what Joe said, he replied, "To win, I'd run over Joe's mom, too."
*People are passionate about a lot of things. But Christians, our greatest passion in life ought to be Jesus Christ! Our greatest passion ought to be getting closer to Jesus, and helping other people get closer to our Lord and Savior.
*Without great passion, we will never be able to break through the barriers in our way.
*By the way, I looked at Joe Jacoby's Twitter page a few days ago, and his last tweet was from Isaiah 54:17: "No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD (NIV). (5)
*Praise the Lord for the testimony of that Scripture! But how can we bring more people to Jesus Christ? We must breakthrough the barriers!
4. AND WE MUST KEEP GIVING GLORY TO GOD.
*The reports in Matthew, Mark, and Luke all note that the people there that day gave great glory to God. Mark 2:12 says this about the miraculously healed paralytic, "And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!'"
*Multitudes of people were giving great glory to God. And people today need to realize the majesty and power of Jesus Christ. They need to understand that Jesus is so much more than just a man. He is God. He is the Lord God Almighty! And this miracle story shows why God deserves our glory.
[1 FIRST: KEEP GIVING GLORY TO GOD, BECAUSE HE CAN FORGIVE OUR FAILURES.
*The most crucial thing Jesus can ever do for us is forgive our failures, and He can do it! Jesus Christ can forgive our sins! Verse 5 tells us that "When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.'"
*But the paralyzed man was still paralyzed. And he had come there hoping to be healed. Do you think he appreciated the importance of Jesus forgiving his sins?
*Johnny Dean gave great insight when he said, "You're at the hospital waiting to hear if your spouses' chest pains were a heart attack or something minor. Suddenly, the doctor walks out, and says, 'I have good news! Your spouses' sins have been forgiven. God loves both of you very much.'
*Somehow that's not quite what you wanted to hear. I mean, it's nice to know that your sins are forgiven. But what does that have to do with curing the problem?
*If I'm sick, what do I care about forgiveness? I just want to be well again. If I've lost my job, what do I care about God's love? I just want my job back. But how wrong can we be? The truth is that the forgiveness offered to us by Jesus Christ is the single most important thing in life. Without it we have nothing. With it we have everything!" (6)
*Jim Pye added that "The physical healing Jesus gave that man lasted for a few decades at the most. But the forgiveness Jesus gives lasts forever! Christians: One day we will go to Heaven to live with Jesus forever! There will be no more pain, paralysis, sickness, death or grief. (7)
*That's the great truth of the Gospel! But no one can get to Heaven without God's forgiveness, because the Bible tells us that the just payment for our sins is eternal death. And everybody has sinned, so everybody needs forgiveness.
*And the scribes asked the right question in vs. 7: "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" The answer is nobody. No one but God can forgive the eternal guilt and death we deserve for our sins.
*But the good news is that Jesus Christ IS God. He is the eternal Son of God who humbled Himself to become a man and die on the cross for our sins, so He is able to forgive our sins. And the original word translated "forgive" here has the ideas of sending our sins away, letting them go, and leaving them all behind.
*That's what Jesus can do for us! He can give us a full pardon for our sins. He can cover our sins. He can wash them away. He can completely cancel our guilt! And Jesus can do all of these things because He died on the cross for our sins, and 3 days later, He rose again in everlasting victory over sin and death.
*So put your trust in the Lord who died on the cross to save you from your sins. And keep giving glory to God because He can forgive our failures.
[2] ALSO GIVE HIM GLORY, BECAUSE HE CAN SEE INTO OUR SOULS.
*Jesus demonstrated His amazing power here! Yes, He can forgive our sins. But vs. 5-8 remind us that Jesus can also see into our souls:
5. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you.''
6. But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
7. "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?''
8. And immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?"
*Jesus could see into their souls. And He is looking into our hearts right now, because He is Almighty God. Jesus knows everything about us inside and out, past, present and future.
*There is nothing about us that the Lord doesn't know. Jesus knows us much better than we know ourselves! He knows us infinitely better than we know ourselves! And we can't hide anything from God!
*King David talked about this fact in Psalm 139. Please listen to vs. 1-6 from the New Living Translation:
1. O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
2. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away.
3. You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.
4. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.
5. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know!
*Jesus knows us completely. He can read our minds, both the good and the bad. He knows us completely, and that could be a scary thing. But the good news is that Jesus loves us anyway! And that is why He is willing to forgive us.
*Keep giving glory to God because He can see into our souls.
[3] AND GIVE HIM GLORY, BECAUSE HE CAN HEAL OUR HURTS.
*Jesus certainly has power over sickness and death. And according to His perfect will, He can heal anyone.
*The Lord cares about sick people. But in this story His greater purpose was to prove His power to forgive, so starting in vs. 9, Jesus asked:
9. "Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk?'
10. But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins," He said to the paralytic,
11. "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go your way to your house."
12. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"
*Yes, Jesus has the power to heal, so this is a story of two great miracles. But the greatest miracle wasn't the healing. The greatest miracle was what Jesus told the paralyzed man in vs. 5: "Your sins are forgiven."
*And you may never get a healing like this paralyzed man. But if you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have already received the greatest miracle of all! So, keep giving glory to God! And never stop trying to bring more people to Jesus!
*We need to be like Elmer Albright. At work Elmer met a man named Ernie Reisinger, and Elmer started inviting his co-worker to church. In one year, Elmer invited Ernie to church 52 times! And 52 times Ernie turned him down.
*Ernie finally did come once, but he didn't come back for weeks. Then Ernie did come back, and he never stopped coming.
*Over that whole year, Elmer never gave up! He kept inviting his friend, and he kept taking him to the Lord in prayer.
*When this tireless Christian's wife finally met Ernie, she said, "So you are Ernie Reisinger. My husband would often come home in the evenings, and though I had his dinner ready he would go straight to the bedroom. And I would go down the hall and listen outside the door, and I would hear him praying for this Ernie. And I would pray that you would either move, -- or get saved!" (2)
CONCLUSION:
*Christians: All our salvation stories have this in common: There is an "Elmer Albright" in there somewhere. Some faithful Christian helped us get to Jesus, and our lives were changed forever.
*Now God wants us to be those people. God wants us to bring more people to Jesus Christ. So, find ways to be a friend. Carry your corner of the load. Break through the barriers. And keep giving glory to God. Don't ever give up!
*And if you have never received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, call on the Lord to save you, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Sources:
http://blog.adw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/37-Miracles-of-Jesus-in-Chronological-Order.pdf
https://www.godisreal.today/miracles-of-jesus/
http://www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/miracles.htm
(2) Adapted from online sermon "Jesus Christ Has Authority to Forgive Sins" by Geoff Thomas - Mark 2 1-12 - Jan 19, 2003 - Website: http://geoffthomas.org/ - Sermon link: http://geoffthomas.org/index.php/gtsermons/21-12-jesus-christ-has-authority-to-forgive-sins/
(3) Source: www.actsweb.org/subscribe - Found in ChristianGlobe.com sermon "With a Little Help from My Friends" by King Duncan - Mark 2:1-12
(4) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "The Joy of Bringing Men to Jesus" by Donnie Martin - Mark 2:1-5
(5) Sources:
-Dynamic Preaching Aug. 2001 - Sermon #2
*Inactive links in 2021:
-http://www.suhornets.com/sports/fball/coaches/index
-http://www.joejacoby.com/
*2021 Links:
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Jacoby
-http://www.the-hogs.net/blogs/joe-jacoby/
-https://twitter.com/joejacoby66hog
(6) Adapted from ChristianGlobe.com sermon "Don't That Just Beat All?" by Johnny Dean - Mark 2:1-12
(7) Online sermon "Year B 2nd Sunday before Lent Mark 2:1-12" by Rev'd Jim Pye - Website: http://www.sermonsplus.co.uk/ - Link to sermon: http://www.sermonsplus.co.uk/Mark%202.1-12.htm
