(NOTE: I WANT TO THANK ARRON CHAMBERS AND SHAN WOOD FOR THEIR INSPIRATION FOR THIS SERIES. Please purchase Arron's book, Love Better.)
INTRODUCTION
• Today our journey through loving better comes to an end.
SLIDE- LOVE NEVER ENDS WITH HANDS
• My prayer is that even though this series is coming to a conclusion, your personal journey to love better is just beginning!
SLIDE- WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LVOE BETTER?
• This series has centered on helping us answer two questions.
• What can I do to love other Christians better?
• What can I do to love people in my community better?
• If we say we want to love better but do so without loving each other better and without loving our community better, then what’s the point?
• There is very little reward for TALKING about loving better, and even less in KNOWING about loving better.
• Honestly, there is no reward for talking about it and not seeking to do it.
• The reward for doing it, for actually loving better, will be so much more.
• It's about transforming lives, healing wounded hearts, offering forgiveness, and much more.
• We’ve learned a great deal from the passage we have been studying since the beginning.
• Let’s look at the entire passage one last time.
3 SLIDES
1 Corinthians 13:1–8 NET 2nd ed.
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 If I give away everything I own, and if I give over my body in order to boast, but do not have love, I receive no benefit.
4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful.
6 It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth.
7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside.
• Today the focus of the conclusion of this series is the fact that love never ends.
• Many versions translate the first part of verse 8 as "love never fails," which is a perfectly acceptable translation of a Greek word that is somewhat challenging to convey in full nuance.
• The word translated ENDS in the NET2 means to fall, to suffer defeat, failure, or ruin.
• The phrase 'love never ends' in 1 Corinthians 13:8 means that true, selfless love is enduring and constant.
• Unlike spiritual gifts such as prophecy, tongues, or knowledge, which are temporary and will eventually cease or fade, love remains and continues forever.
• Paul is emphasizing that love is the most essential and lasting virtue in the Christian life.
• It is not subject to change or end—it persists through all circumstances and surpasses even the most miraculous spiritual expressions.
• Love is the foundation of all Christian conduct and has permanent value.
• We will center the message today on Luke 5:17-26.
• The story starts as an ordinary day that ends as an extraordinary day!
• This passage gives us the story of a man who was paralyzed and his friends lowered him to the feet of Jesus by making a hole in the roof of the place Jesus was teaching.
• I want you to experience extraordinary things today, and I want the people in our community to experience extraordinary things today, but—for that to happen—we must love them better.
• Jesus can make anything extraordinary. Nothing truly extraordinary happens without a true connection with Jesus.
• If we are truly connected to Jesus, we will want to love people in our community better by being more connected to them and help them to become more connected with Jesus… and extraordinary things will happen!
• Loving better looks like doing whatever we can to not let others fall so they can experience extraordinary things.
• How can we help people to connect with Jesus in an extraordinary way?
• Here are a few keys to helping people to connect with Jesus:
• Let’s begin by turning to Luke 5.
2 SLIDES
Luke 5:17–18 NET 2nd ed.
17 Now on one of those days, while he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting nearby (who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem), and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
18 Just then some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus.
• Loving better will require us to be…
SERMON
I. Extraordinary friends.
• Notice that verse 17 begins with the phrase “on one of those days.”
• It was an ordinary day, nothing particularly special about the day.
• Jesus had returned to Capernaum, and a large crowd was following Him.
• People wanted to hear the Word and see some healing.
• Verse 17 reveals to us that people from every village of Galilee and Judea, as well as Jerusalem, were there.
• A man who was paralyzed enters the scene being carried on a stretcher by some men.
• The passage doesn’t tell us much about the paralyzed guy’s friends, but we do see ordinary guys who become extraordinary friends.
• They were ordinary.
• Luke refers to them as just “some men.”
• Well, this is proof that “some men” can do something extraordinary when they simply put love into action.
• To make a positive impact in this world, we don’t have to be anything special.
• We just have to be good friends.
• Honestly, the Bible doesn’t even say these guys were friends with the paralyzed man.
EXTRAORDINARY FRIENDS ATTRIBUTES
• Even so, we do see signs of true friendship.
• First, these men were willing to sacrifice.
• These men were putting themselves out to help this man.
• They carried him, attempted to bring him inside the house, and even dug a hole in the roof to present him to Jesus.
• Next we see that these men were selfless.
• We have no idea how these men knew the paralyzed man.
• What we do know is these men had a willingness to sacrifice, a selflessness that says, “this man’s needs are greater than mine.”
• This is what incredible friends do.
• This is what incredible friends who love better do.
• These men could have easily come on the scene and made the logical assessment that there was no way they were going to get this man on a stretcher over to Jesus for healing.
• I am sure carrying the stretcher for who knows how long was not easy.
• Do you think these guys had needs?
• We don’t know, but what we do know is that they did not allow their problems to keep them from helping someone else.
• What about you?
• Are you more concerned about your problems than you are about your friend’s problems?
• What kind of friend are you to others?
• “I’m your friend, just not your friend who helps you move on the weekends.”
• “I’m your friend, just not your friend that will go out of my way for you.”
• “I’m your friend, just not the kind of friend that will talk to you about Jesus.”
• Another quality is to be one who is willing to seek for and with.
• These guys were both seeking for this person to get help and seeking with him to get that help.
• They went seeking him, and they did for him what he could not do for himself.
• They lifted him off his corner and delivered him to the feet of Jesus.
• But they didn’t just hand him a tract with information about Jesus and walk away.
• No!
• They walked with him, carrying him, and they never left his side until they saw him healed!
• Let’s be the kind of friends who never stop seeking for our friends to make sure they never feel lost, and let’s also make sure to never stop seeking with our friends until they find healing in Jesus.
• That’s what extraordinary friends do.
1 SLIDE
Luke 5:19 NET 2nd ed.
19 But since they found no way to carry him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down on the stretcher through the roof tiles right in front of Jesus.
• Loving better will require us to be extraordinary friends who are willing to use …
II. Extraordinary force.
• As I stated earlier, the men carrying the paralyzed man came up against some obstacles.
EXTRAORDINARY FORCE MARKS
• The place was teeming with religious people who were seeking Jesus.
• These folks came from all over to listen to, learn from, and witness the ministry of Jesus.
• However, it appeared that no one was prepared to make room for this paralyzed man to approach Jesus.
• They were in the presence of Jesus, and that is all they seemed to care about.
• Church family, I hope we never get that way. to where we are more concerned about ourselves than the salvation of others.
• I pray we are always willing to make room for someone to come before Jesus.
• We aren’t told why those inside the house did not make room for this group of people to enter.
• That being said, given the presence of Pharisees and teachers of the Law in the house, I believe it's plausible to suggest that their lack of compassion prevented them from making room for the paralyzed man.
• I pray that we never lose our compassion for lost and hurting people.
• I pray that we never forget what this gathering as Christians for Church is really all about.
• It’s not about a show; it’s about the Savior!
• It’s not about sitting in the presence of the Lord; it’s about seeking for and with the lost!
• It’s not just about the teaching; it’s also about the Teacher!
• It’s not just about the message; it’s about the Messiah!
• It’s not just about hearing the Word; it’s about sharing the Word!
• It’s not just about being holy; it’s about making a “hole” for someone in need!
• It’s not just about the lesson; it’s about His love!
• These men assessed the situation and came to one conclusion: we have to get our friend to the roof and tear up the roof so we can lower our friend through the hole to Jesus!
• Nothing was going to be easy about this endeavor, yet they were willing to use extraordinary force to get this man to Jesus!
• These guys were prepared to do whatever it took to lead their friend to Jesus!
• What are you willing to do to help get others to Jesus?
• When we truly believe in the power of Jesus, we will use our power to help our friends through anything to get them into His presence.
• Let’s move to verses 20-24
2 SLIDES
Luke 5:20–24 NET 2nd ed.
20 When Jesus saw their faith he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
21 Then the experts in the law and the Pharisees began to think to themselves, “Who is this man who is uttering blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 When Jesus perceived their hostile thoughts, he said to them, “Why are you raising objections within yourselves?
23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?
24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man—“I tell you, stand up, take your stretcher and go home.”
• Loving better will also require us to have …
III. Extraordinary faith.
• When you examine this event, what was it that drove these men to go to such extraordinary efforts to get the paralyzed man to Jesus?
• We do not know what they knew about Jesus.
• Did they see Him heal others, or did they just hear the stories?
• Did they encounter Jesus when He had been teaching somewhere?
• I can't answer those questions, but I can say these men and the paralyzed man have extraordinary faith.
EXTRAORDINARY FAITH MARKS
• The men carrying the paralyzed man had to have the faith to believe that Jesus could heal the person they were carrying, or else why go to the trouble and effort?
• They could have told the man, we will catch Jesus next time He teaches.
• Think about being the paralyzed man on the mat.
• Ok, we cannot get you in through the door, but here is what we are going to do.
• We are going to get you up on the roof, we are going to dig a large hole in the roof, and we are going to lower you in front of Jesus.
• What do you say?
• This act took an extraordinary faith from all of them.
• If you were paralyzed and knew Jesus could heal you, how far would you go to see him?
• Do you believe Jesus can heal?
• Only people who have seen what Jesus does, who have watched Jesus change people’s lives, who have watched Jesus restore families, who have seen Jesus enable people to overcome addiction—only people who have seen Jesus do what only Jesus can do will do whatever it takes to bring their friends to Jesus.
• The men who were carrying their friend were the catalyst for their friend's recovery.
• The paralyzed man had no other way to get to Jesus.
• You may be the only way someone can get to Jesus for healing, restoration, and forgiveness.
• Perhaps the greatest hindrance to someone being helped by Jesus may be the followers of Jesus who do nothing, who say nothing.
• Who give little.
• Who serve little.
• Who love little.
• What did Jesus do for this man?
• He did what seemed impossible. He healed the man, but not only physically, but more importantly, spiritually!
CONCLUSION
• RESPONSE We will conclude by discussing the man's response to his healing!
1 SLIDE
Luke 5:25–26 NET 2nd ed.
25 Immediately he stood up before them, picked up the stretcher he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.
26 Then astonishment seized them all, and they glorified God. They were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen incredible things today.”
FROM ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY
• What was, by all accounts, just another day turned into an extraordinary day thanks to the extraordinary faith of the men who were willing to use extraordinary force because they were extraordinary friends.
• These men were ordinary men who became extraordinary!
• Who are you willing to bring to Jesus?
• Do you want to experience the joy of seeing someone saved and healed by Jesus?
