The Open door, # 2 of the enlarge your tent series, Isaiah 54: Main text Mark 2:1-11
Eric A. Snyder, Minister, Farwell Church of Christ
March 3, 2002
A hairdresser in Colombia believes he has the baldness problem licked. The barber from Pereira, which is approximately 100 mile east of the Bogota capital, uses a special tonic and has an actual cow massage his clients scalp with its tongue to encourage hair growth. One of the customers said the treatment has actually made him feel more masculine and more attractive to women.
Hey If you need a cow to lick your head to feel more masculine I’d suggest you talk to Dave Garver about starting a new business. I’ve noticed Dave has a full head of hair.
Maybe you could even produce a brand of cow saliva cologne.
We’ve been discussing Growth the last couple of weeks. And no it does not come from drinking from a magic formula. It doesn’t happen by accident.
I can remember when I was younger my cousin and friends were all getting taller and I started growing late. I can remember trying to come up with ways that I could grow. Such tactics included hanging from the monkey bars, and sitting while pulling my legs. I was sure that it was something that I could do. But It doesn’t work like that.
Isaiah 54:2 says "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.
Growth is a result of nourishment, and stretching. So the question we have been addressing is “Will you grow?” People say to me I’m not growing I’m not getting stronger in my relationship with God. Why is that? Well chances are that if you have stopped growing spiritually to have stopped making room to grow.
Did you know that ancient Chinese women valued small feet so much that they would wrap a girls feet when she was very young. And the result was that their feet would not grow because growth was restricted. So you would see a woman who was 40 years old but her feet would be the size of a 4 year olds feet.
Have you restricted any growth in your spiritual life? Have you made room for new growth to come in and develop?
The key to spiritual Growth is to expand, find nourishment and stretch yourself beyond your limits of comfort.
So the question is still “will you grow? Will you expand your door? Will you enlarge your means of access for people to come to God?”
Of all the plans God has to connect other people to Him, You’re it. Isn’t it amazing that God trusts this incredible responsibility to us.
If you are willing to increase your influence then you have to begin spotting opportunities
There were four people sitting in a train compartment: an elderly lady who was knitting, a young woman who was reading a book, a Professor who was talking about his research, and his young student whom he was taking to a conference, and who was listening to his professor and taking down notes.
This situation continued for quite a while. The lady knitting, the young woman reading, the professor talking away, and the student listening.
Then the train went into a tunnel, and the compartment was plunged into darkness. No-one could see anything. Suddenly there came the sound of a loud kiss, followed by a hearty slap. As the train came out of the tunnel, everyone was in the same position as they had been before.
Now the lady thought that she knew what had happened. Good for her, she thought, that young man has just kissed the girl, and she slapped him.
The young woman thought that she knew what had happened. She liked the kiss but she couldn’t believe the older lady had the audacity to slap the young man The professor thought that he knew what had happened. It’s not fair, he thought, my student kissed that girl, and she slapped me by mistake.
The student thought This is the greatest day in my life I just kissed the young woman, then slapped his professor.
If you want to Grow spiritually you have to make the most out of every opportunity.
In Mark 2:1-11 we find some people who were trying to make the most of every opportunity. They were looking for the open door into the presence of Christ.
The interesting thing is that these people began looking in unusual places for doors to be open.
2:1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since 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. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6 Now 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?" 8 Immediately 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? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ’Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ’Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But 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."
Prayer
This story depicts the mission of the Farwell Church of Christ: To connect unconnected people to Jesus. That’s why we exist. That’s what Jesus said that the church ought to do when he was giving his farewell address.
That’s what this story is about. Jesus was teaching in someone’s home and there was a large crowd. The people came because they had heard that God was moving and doing incredible things. You can bet that any time God is alive and moving through His people, crowds will soon form. Lives will be changed and people will understand the mission of Jesus.
These Guys had a goal to get this man to Jesus. Because they knew that he could change lives. It’s not about spending an hour at a self help seminar and listening to a good speaker. It’s not about taking a few notes and trimming the excess in our lifestyle. It’s about radical spiritual change. Our goal is not just to get people to church or the place where good teaching is provided, Your goal is not even to get them to the preacher. Our goal is to get people to Jesus. Not just suggesting that they come but bringing them along with you. Like the men in this text. They realized that they could not change this man’s life, But Jesus could.
And in the end I don’t change people, Jesus does that. Mike Slaughter Makes the statement that “Christianity will not change people, Jesus will change people” Only Jesus can put a life back together that has been shattered. Only Jesus can pull you out of that sinful pattern that you have been stuck in, Only Jesus can take a man who couldn’t walk and send him away leaping. Only Jesus can forgive you from your past.
But it does not happen by accident. Some even would say that Jesus uses our AID
1. Our Acceptance of others.
Only in Jesus have all barriers been broken down. They have been broken down because of Jesus.
One key problem with the relationship between Man and God was that we could not get to God. There was a great divide and there was no way to cross it. Sin had eroded a chasm between the relationship between God and man.
There was always this ceiling that seemed to keep us from God
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, set up a tent, and fall asleep. Hours later, Holmes wakes his friend.
"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Watson replies, "I see millions of stars."
Sherlock: "What does that tell you?"
Watson thinks for a minute. "Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. It also appears to be approximately a quarter past four. Astrologically, it tells me that sun is in Leo. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"
Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks. "Watson, someone has stolen our tent."
The Bible says that at the moment Jesus died the earth began to shake and the curtain in the temple that separated the most holy place from ordinary people was torn in half. Symbolizing that we can now come straight to Jesus.
Because of the Sacrifice of Christ there is now nothing that can keep us from His love manifested in Jesus. When Jesus died, someone stole our tent. We no longer have a priest dependent relationship with God but now he accepts us as His children.
But this acceptance has translated in other ways as well.
In the Old Testament the people of God were not to intermarry, intermingle or intermix. But it is in Jesus that we find a story about him walking through the ghetto of Samaria and talking with an outcast failure of a woman who could not keep a husband.
It is the words of Jesus good Samaritan tale that remind us about who our real neighbors are.
Only in Jesus do we find complete acceptance from God and an expectation that we should accept one another.
In Colossians 3:11 we are reminded that there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Galations 3:28 tells us that there is no male or female, there in no gender barrier with God. There is no slave or free, there is no class barrier with God, there is no Jew nor Greek there is no racial barrier in God’s kingdom. He accepts everyone.
It is only in Jesus that I see Barriers being broken down relationships being established.
Creed sings a song called “arms wide open”, Friends that’s how we need to greet others in the name of Jesus.
These four friends accepted this one paralyzed man and brought him with them to Jesus.
How big is your door of acceptance? A few weeks ago I left my garage door open at night. The next morning I found a cat going through my trash.
The challenge is that when you open your door anybody might walk in. You have to be willing to accept people who need Jesus.
Stretch your tent doors wide be open to new challenges and new people.
2. Our Involvement in lives
God not only wants us to accept other people he also wants us to get involved in their lives. These Four Guys could have met the paralyzed man but they knew they had to do something more they had to get him to Jesus. They had to be involved in this man’s healing.
I dare say that the problem with us is that we come to a place where we accept other people and then we just leave them alone. But The Job is not done until the paralyzed man can walk, Our job is not done until the sinful are standing in front of the one who forgives. You may have to carry a corner of a stretcher.
You may have to make another trip with your car. You may have to help with a bible study but if you are going to expand your door you are going to have to get involved.
Perhaps there are no doors in your life. I remember going to Disney land in Florida when I was just a kid. My day loved the haunted house, they get you in there and the close all the doors and turn off all the lights and that voice came on that tells you that there are no windows out and no doors and the only way out is going to be scary.
For some of you the way into your door is going to be terrifying.
Some of you are going to need to make a door where one never existed or was intended to be places.
Look at what these guys do they see that there is no way in so they go onto the roof and dig a hole through it and lower the man in front of Jesus.
Can you hear the crowd? Man look at this mess. We just put that roof on last year. This is highly unorthodox.
Jesus isn’t calling you to just be a part of the crowd He’s calling you to get your hands dirty. It’s not easy but we must continually allow God to expand our means of access.
A traveler became lost in the Sahara desert. Realizing his only chance for survival was to find civilization, he began walking. Time passed, and he became thirsty. More time passed, and he began feeling faint. He was on the verge of passing out when he saw a tent about 500 yards in front of him. Barely conscious, he reached the tent and called out, "Water...".
A waiter appeared in the tent door and replied sympathetically, "I am sorry, sir, but I have no water. However, would you like to buy a tie?" With this, he brandished a collection of exquisite silken neckwear.
"I’m dying! I need water! I don’t need a necktie"
"Well, sir," replied the waiter, "If you really need water, there is a tent about two miles south of here where you can get some."
Without knowing how, the man summoned sufficient strength to drag his parched body the distance to the second tent. With his last ounce of strength he tugged at the door of the tent and collapsed.
Another waiter, dressed in a costly tuxedo, appeared at the door and inquired, "May I help you sir?"
"Water..." was the feeble reply.
"Oh, sir," replied the waiter, "I’m sorry, but you can’t come in here without a tie!"
Here’s the hard question. Which person are you guilty of being? The one who sent the man away without meeting the need or the one who refused to meet the need because the traveler did not meet the standards?
God says don’t just send people away and say I hope your needs are met He says you meet their need.
When you grow God expands your heart capacity. Not only are you a means for others to access God You are a source of healing and hope in other people’s lives. Not only are you the doorway in but you are the conduit of God’s blessing out.
God will use you as much as you are willing to be involved.
He will resource you in direct proportion to your willingness to be a resource for other people.
So how big is your heart?
3. Our Diverse Abilities
The truth is it’s not about our ability but our expandability
The Bible tells us that all of us have different gifts and abilities, and in order to be most effective in our involvement he needs diversity.
Four men came with this stretcher, I imagine it would have been increasingly more difficult with just 3 or 2. My guess it that it could not even be done with one person.
It took all of them working together. My guess is that they all needed to be able to run very fast, after digging through their neighbors roof.
Last October on a flight from Seattle over the pacific. The pilot came on the intercom and said “We need you to help get where we are going, There are 3 of us up here and 300 of you back there. We have discovered that since September 11 we can not get there by ourselves. We are depending on you to be ready for action”
This church needs you to be involved in order to function at full capacity.
It is almost as presumptuous to think you can do nothing as to think you can do everything.
Phillips Brooks.
Jesus wants you to become involved open the door of your heart. Stretch those curtains wide. Broaden your horizons with your distinct involvement
The truth is there are all sorts or people in the world and you will not know how to connect with all of them. Paul said I have met all kinds of people and I have always sought common ground with each one so that perhaps only one person will come to Jesus.
Paul was saying I wan to win some. He wasn’t happy with just 1. He wanted to expand his door. Make it larger.
That’s who Paul was. I think that’s who these four men are. They wanted to get this man to Jesus. Just getting him to the class or the sermon was not enough. They wanted to get him to Jesus. So they all picked up a corner of a stretcher.
Signal Ellen
What would you do to get someone to Jesus?
Perhaps you are the person that has needs Jesus. Perhaps you have been looking for some real answers. Maybe you couldn’t get to Jesus until now. The life, the church, has been too full and you had no chance to find hope.
You may have done some really messed up stuff in your life and the only way out is by letting Jesus cleanse you.
You may have known about this condition for a long time and you got too proud to come clean before God. Maybe someone even a Christian pushed you out of the way and turned you off, Or they might have told you to be quiet. This morning we want to carry you to Jesus, We want to set you in front of him. We don’t care about the mess we don’t care about the cost we want you to know Jesus.
It’s you and Jesus what are you going to say to him as you look into the eyes of the one who sees your crippled paralyzed spiritual state. Will you ask him to heal? Will you ask him to forgive?
Let’s stand and sing
