FAITH FACTORS
Mark 2:1-12
“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." [12] He 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!”
INTRODUCTION:
“What is God doing in our church? What do we anticipate God to do in our church in the future?" Well today, I want to take a look into our very near future. I can tell you that we have a clearly defined vision of what we believe God desires for our fellowship. I can tell you that we will be a prototype for what the church will look like In the 21st Century. I can also tell you that as bright as our future is before us that it will only be accomplished by faith. This will be the type of Faith that every member of the FIRST FAMILY will be called upon to exercise. Faith is what the church will be absolutely necessary if we are to move forward with the PROMISES OF GOD! We simply must be people that GOSSIP JESUS and exercise our FAITH IN HIM ALONE. There are certain facts of faith that accompany the people who live to pursue to live in the presence of Jesus. Where Christ finds a place that is willing to receive Him by faith and honor and obey Him by faith then we will see revival. When the presence of Jesus is a reality then word begins to spread throughout the city. I want you to join me by faith in this hour and put these faith factors in your bible and then join me as our future unfolds we will see Christ glorified through this ministry.
I. FAITH FACTOR ONE: A CHURCH FULL OF PEOPLE (v.1-2)
“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.”
There were so many people in that place that it was literally almost impossible to fit one more in. I believe in crowds! I believe in numbers. I don’t believe God would have led the people of First Baptist to build this magnificent worship center on this strategic location in this great city if He had not intended on filling and refilling this building.
Crowds represent people! If there are no crowds there will be none there who need Christ or need the power of Christ in their life! If there are no crowds it is an indication that God’s People are not walking be enough faith to believe that our family, friends and neighbors desperately need Christ. You need to understand the principle of success in the marketplace. CROWDS DRAW CROWDS! People don’t support needy causes they support successful causes. Where people walk by faith and trust Jesus they will see the power of His life and enjoy His blessings.
Illustration: We just returned from our vacation and stopped in a community that we knew nothing about and wanted to get lunch and there were two restaurants and one is packed with cars and people and the other has two cars, that of the waitress and the cook...where are you going to stop? People want to be a part of something that is exciting, successful, where lives are being changed and where Jesus is exalted! When word begins to spread about what God is doing then the crowds will come. It begins first with US, the FIRST FAMILY WALKING BY FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE! The People of God. Anticipating what God is going to do and not being willing to miss a single opportunity! Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm!
The crowds came because the faith of God’s People is evidenced in:
a) Anticipation. Jesus was coming and no one wanted to miss seeing Him or being a part of what He was doing!
b) Preparation: Someone had to get the word out and make the preparations for when the crowd did come. This we will be doing over the next few months as our staff and leadership work together. We will prepare through strong organization and a strong commitment to prayer! PRAYER ALWAYS PRECEDES A MIGHTY MOVEMENT OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
GREAT CHURCHES IN AMERICA ARE GREAT BECAUSE THEY ARE BUILT ON JESUS CHRIST!
II. FAITH FACTOR TWO: A CHURCH FULL OF LOVE: (v.2-4)
“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.”
You can not read this story and NOT see faith that produces the love and concern that is displayed in the lives of God’s people throughout the scriptures. It does not matter what we do or accomplish in our church if we do not have a genuine love for the lost and those in need then we will never be the church of the future! The very theme of the Savior is LOVE. “For God so loved the world...” “Greater love hath no man than this...” “For God demonstrated His love toward us...”
Look at the life of Jesus and you will see His love and compassion: The little children, the woman caught in adultery, the leper, the blind, the lame, the thief on the cross....
Our mission, if we are to walk by faith in the future and be the church the Lord desires for us to be, is to LOVE our LOST friends so much that we love them TO CHRIST! We must display that love in our homes, love in the marketplace, love in the schools, and love in our neighborhoods! Everything that we will do at First Baptist will be to meet the needs of this society through the power and love of the Lord Jesus Christ. OUR COMMUNITY THAT WE CALL FIRST BAPTIST MUST BE KNOWN AS A PLACE FOR COMPELLING LOVE!
Illustration: Elizabeth Smart taken from her home in Salt Lake City, her father came on television with her mother and the father said, “Honey, If you are able to see this please know that we love you so much and we will do anything possible to bring you home."
First Baptist must communicate this compelling love of Jesus Christ to this city and say without reservation to those who are lost and held captive by the Enemy, “Jesus Christ loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life and we love you with His love and will do whatever it takes to bring you safely into His home!”
III. FAITH FACTOR THREE: A CHURCH FULL OF COOPERATION (v.3-4)
“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.”
NOTICE THAT FOUR MEN brought the paralytic to Jesus. Let me be very clear on this point…if we are to be that church that becomes a model for the future and to see the vision that God has given us become a reality then it will take a cooperative effort of each one of us participating in…
Being willing to study God’s word and identify your spiritual gift and your passion
Being willing to allow our Community Involvement team to work with you in placing you in an equipping ministry to prepare you to help in our ministry.
Being willing to commit in cooperating by sharing your TIME, YOUR TALENT AND YOUR TREASURE for the sole purpose to glorify Christ and to bring others to Christ.
It takes all of us working together by faith, doing our part, making our commitment to see God’s vision become a reality.
What if one of the men that day had said, “I don’t want to hold the blanket. I don’t have time, I have other plans. I can’t get involved?” Then three men would have been forced to carry the load. Perhaps they could have done it but it would have been a great strain. What if there had been two that said “I can’t help you today. I will someday but not today.”
If the FIRST FAMILY IS TO WALK BY FAITH THEN WE MUST FACTOR INTO OUR FAITH THIS COOPERATIVE EFFORT! We must each carry our load and cooperate by obediently following Christ! Too many churches have a very few who are trying to carry the burden of responsibility. 20% do 80%! That simply must change. That can not be the rule of the ministry at this great church.
ILLUSTRATION: Vacation we went to church in Virginia last Sunday and I was shocked to sit in the pew and observe during the offering. I sat in a section full of young single and married adults and I had five rows in front of me and saw only two people give anything. They took up two offerings…one for tithes and one for a mission project to Nicaragua. We gave all the cash we had and it was a joy to give.
Not only would it hurt the church if you don’t carry your load but it would rob you of the blessing that God has for those who walk by faith and live in active obedience to His word.
We all MUST carry our load.
Evangelistically by gossiping Jesus and talking to our friends, neighbors, work associates about what God is doing in your life and church.
Ministerially by examination of our spiritual passion and gift and talent.
Financially by making an investment of not only obedience to the tithe but by giving an offering which is over and above that which God has required.
Do you know why the Church of the Living God is so very weak today? Because God’s people have made FAITH commitments to everything else this world has to offer except the one thing that will last beyond this world and that is an investment in the Kingdom of God.
God’s people must come to the place in our lives where we quit asking God to excuse us from doing the things He has called us to do. We will NEVER change the world for Christ so long as the world sees that we make a faith commitment to everything before thinking of making our faith commitment to Christ.
IV. FAITH FACTOR FOUR: A CHURCH FULL OF CHANGED LIVES (v.5)
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven.”
KEY: Jesus never saw the faith of the paralyzed man. He saw the faith of the friends. This is the picture of intercession. Those in need may NOT have the faith but we can “stand the gap” and apply our faith to their lives and see the conquering faith give the victory.
The most tragic verse in the Bible concerning the work of Jesus in the church is when He returned to His home town for the first time after His earthly ministry began...He was met with skeptics and ridicule and He left, “He could do there no mighty work because of their unbelief!”
The people of First Baptist must capture through cooperate prayer the power of His Spirit that results in seeing lives that are changed. We must be a people that are determined to overcome any obstacle that keeps others from coming to Christ.
V. FAITH FACTOR FIVE: A CHURCH FULL OF CHALLENGES (v.6-9)
“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?”
“Scribes, thinking to themselves”....Greek words for scribes is SLOBS! They were always critical of Jesus because sinners were coming to Him and their lives were being changed.
The scribes were thinking...“Well, we don’t know about this...we are not sure what you are doing...I don’t know if we approve...this is different than what we have done before…Whose going to repair that hole in our church roof?”
Scribes do one thing well. Notice in v. 6! “They were sitting…” Some were saying, “Remember, I’m a pillar in this temple. Remember, a pillar is nothing more than a piece of dead stone standing in one place and never changes.
Illustration: Okie saying applies to criticism…
An Oklahoma saying that applies in the Body of Christ. “You should never talk about how crooked a man’s rows are in his field unless you have first plowed your own.”
Any time you see a people who understand the FAITH FACTOR and participate in a work of God you will also see the “Enemy” bring as many challenges as possible to do whatever he can to stop the power of God moving through the people of God.
MOST GENERALLY IT BEGINS WITH A CRITICAL SPIRIT. We must respond, not react to such a challenge. We respond by FAITH in the word of God. Jesus addressed the critical challenge and put it in perspective. We must do the same.
VI. FAITH FACTOR SIX: A CHURCH FULL OF HIS POWER (v.11-12a)
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." [12] He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all…”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ will always ask us to do what we can not accomplish. Lame people can not walk, not unless of course it is done in the power of His word and for His glory!
What is it that people say can NOT be done in our Community at First Baptist?
1) It can never be the church of the future that it was in our past.
2) It can never overcome the transition to an international church.
3) It can never meet budget requirements or pay off its debt.
4) It can never build a state of the art family life center.
The Gospel will always ask of us to do that which man considers impossible. Truth is that all of the above are impossible outside of this church walking by faith trusting in the power of Jesus Christ. The fact is that Jesus has called us to action and He will equip us with that which we need to see the demonstration of His presence and power in our midst. Jesus said, “Rise up and walk!” The world said, “That’s impossible!” We know that it is possible and we desperately need to see HIS POWER in our church today. We need to experience His power in our homes, our marriage, our work, our schools, and our neighborhoods.
VII. FAITH FACTOR SEVEN: A CHURCH FULL OF PRAISE (v.12b)
“This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!”
“We have never seen anything like this before!” When the people of God in this great church begin to corporately walk by faith then we will see the power of Christ take control....and ALL OF US...regardless of how long we have been in the church or in the ministry...will proclaim in a testimony of praise…
“We have never seen anything like this before.”
© Dr. Larry L. Thompson (Friday, August 02, 2002)
