Fellowship of the Mat
(Outline Theme resource – “Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know them” by John Ortberg)
Luke 5:17-26
TOP 10 Lame-brained, Foot-in-mouth Compliments from a Husband to His Wife
10. “You look great for a woman who has had four kids.”
9. “This is almost as good as mom used to make.”
8. “Thanks for the new shirt. It’ll be great for working on the car.”
7. “That’s a great new hairdo, Honey. How much did it cost?”
6. “I never knew you could sing that close to pitch.”
5. “I like it when you wait until halftime to vacuum.”
4. “Whaddaya want me to say? Okay, you look fabulous.”
3. “This ... meatloaf is a neat color.”
2. “Yes, that actress is beautiful, but you’re pretty on the inside.”
1. “Wow, that makeup works wonders!”
As we celebrate Father’s Day today, I would like to share the following story about the effect that one father had on his family. This particular family had three small children who were determined to have a puppy. Mom protested because she knew that somehow or other, she would end up caring for the critter. True to form, the children solemnly promised that they would take care of it. Eventually, she relented and they brought their little puppy home. The children named him Danny and cared for him diligently - at first. But, sure enough, as time passed, Mom found herself becoming more and more responsible for taking care of the dog. Finally, she decided that the children were not living up to their promise so she began to search for a new home for Danny. When she found one and broke the news to the children, she was quite surprised that they had almost no reaction at all. One of them even said rather matter-of-factly, "We’ll miss him."
"I’m sure we will," Mom answered, "but he is too much work for one person and since I’m the one that has to do all the work, I say he goes."
"But," protested another child, "if he wouldn’t eat so much and wouldn’t be so messy, could we keep him?"
Mom held her ground, "It’s time to take Danny to his new home." Suddenly, with one voice and with tears in their eyes, the children exclaimed, "Danny? We thought you said Daddy!"
Introduction
Luke 5:18, “Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.”
Some men brought on a mat a man to Jesus. We don’t know a lot about the men carrying the paralyzed man and we don’t know a lot about the paralyzed man. Were they single, married, did they have children, young, middle age or old? We’re not told.
We do know that the four men formed a fellowship around a mat. They were:
Men of Compassion – they took time
Men of Courage – they were unstoppable
Men of Commitment – Jesus is the answer
Men on a Mission – They were on
a mission to take the man to Jesus
If anyone needed a friend the paralyzed man needed one – he was helpless. He depended on others to feed and cloth him and care for him. No rehab programs or experimental medical research programs were available. This man had to be resigned to lay by the road and beg for money. He had day after day on his 3 ‘ by 6 ‘ mat dreaming of better days when he might get well and get married and have children. He could only imagine what it would be like to have a healthy body. His whole world is a mat. He is a prisoner to his own lifeless body.
He did have a small fellowship group of men that he could call his friends. This best thing going for this lame man was his cheerful and positive attitude. People enjoyed being around him. His friends – made a difference in his life. In fact would never heard of this man had it not been for his four friends.
This paralyzed man lived a life of praise in spite of his circumstance.
The cripple man had to work extra hard to make friends. The assumption in Israel was that if a person suffered a physical handicap the person had brought on the problem on himself.
John 9 - The Disciples asked Jesus about a man born blind, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind.” 9:2
The cripple man had a quality of character that drew the four men to meet with him on a regular basis.
Maybe one or all of the friends of the man had heard or seen Jesus and witnessed a healing. So one day when they heard Jesus was coming to their town of Capernaum they wanted to see Jesus, even more they wanted to take their cripple friend to see Jesus. From their view Jesus was the man last resort for help. They convinced the cripple to see Jesus and arranged for a time they would pick him up the next day – latterly pick him up bed and all, to go see Jesus.
They pick up the man and carry him on his mat to see Jesus, When they get to the house where Jesus is speaking the house is crowded and overflowing with people out into the streets. They can’t even get close enough to peak in a window or door.
They probably thought about giving up. They may as well turn around and go back to their homes. It must not be God’s will for them to see Jesus today. Then one of the four – a visionary risk taker, the innovative one, has an idea. “Let’s take him up the outside stairs onto the flat thatched roof.” (The roof in those days often doubled as a outside patio.) “Let’s see if we can make a hole in the roof and see Jesus. One of the other men, practical thinker said, I’ll find a rope and cut it into four lengths and lower our friend at the feet of Jesus.
Being a part of the Mat Fellowship involved trust all the way around. The cripple on the mat might have thought: “Have these ropes been tested?” “What if I get dropped?” “What if Jesus rejects me and the crowd and owner of the house turn on me?” The company of committed all trusted each other enough to believe that “If Jesus can help no risk is too great.”
The paralyzed man commanded with determination: “Let me down, I do trust you.”
With rope in hand they carry the man up the stairs onto the roof. Jesus is speaking and the people are listening intently. Jesus may have been saying: “In this world you will have tribulation and stress, but be of good cheer I have overcome the world. My peace I give unto you.”
The peaceful thought was suddenly shattered by a thrashing of noise on the roof. Then dust and pieces of straw and reeds begin floating down from the ceiling with dirt and dust getting in the people’s eyes and hair. Then large chunks of hardened mud and large pieces of thatch tumbled down hitting people on their heads. People begin to scatter and fall over one another.
Jesus stops speaking and all eyes are looking up. Four pairs of hands are busy at work making a big hole large enough for a 3’ by 6’ mat.
You wonder what the owner of the home is thinking. Does he have adequate home owners insurance? He may have called out, “Hey you guys, you roof crashers, what are you up to?” He may have thought that since Jesus was teaching in his home his insurance agent might cover the damages under and “ACT OF GOD.”
The four men weren’t concerned about public opinion. Let people call them religious fanatics they were determined and desperate to get their friend to have Jesus pray for him. They were willing to be inconvenienced, ridiculed, even put in jail for the sake of their friend.
That special evening they were willing to give up their special sports program on the Holy Land Channel to help their friend. They were willing to give up the peace and quiet of an evening at home to join the “Fellowship of the Mat” and become roof crashers to get their friend to Jesus .
Getting people to Jesus usually happens through team work. God blesses teams involved in serving others. You only crash through roofs to benefit others and not for what you personally can get out of crashing someone’s party.
Men from time to time you can do a little roof crashing for your wife and family. You notice your wife is a little discouraged so you take her out on a special date.
You find out that your child is facing conflict at school. Your Junior High Son comes home from school beaten up by a school bully. The son happens to be a Pastor’s son. The Pastor knows about turning the other cheek, but he also knows that sometimes confrontation is the answer before someone really gets hurt bad.
The pastor called up the bully’s father and told him that he wanted him and his son to meet him along with his son in the School Principal’s office the next day. The pastor and his son and the bully and his father met the next day and the pastor has his son give his side of the story and the bully agreed that was what happened. The pastor said in front of the principal and the father to the bully, “This had better not happen again or else.” His son was no longer bothered by the bully.
Here was a father that was willing to join the fellowship of the mat. He was willing to take a risk for the sake of his son.
# Henry Moorhouse, the 19th-century English evangelist, was feeling loaded down with the burdens of his ministry. Then the Lord gave him a tender reminder of His care.
When he came home one day, his young daughter, Minnie, whose legs were paralyzed, was sitting in her wheelchair. He was going to take a package upstairs to his wife when his daughter asked if she could carry it. Moorhouse said, "Minnie dear, how can you possibly carry the package? You cannot even carry yourself."
With a smile on her face, Minnie said, "I know, Daddy. But if you will give me the package, I will hold it while you carry me."
Moorhouse saw this as a picture of his relationship to God and the burdens of ministry he was carrying. But praise God, he could proceed with confidence, knowing that the Lord was carrying him.
You can ask the Savior to help you. He will carry your burdens--and you. No burden is too heavy for the everlasting arms of the Lord.
Everyone has a mat. Everyone has something he/she needs someone to help them with.
1. The mat for some may be an uncontrollable temper. This person flies off and spews forth volatile words that result in tears and a broken spirit. A husband loses control and says things to his wife until she gets up leaves the room and slams the door. Your children look at their dad with frightened eyes. Anger and guild are the controlling factors in that home.
2. Fear may be the mat for others. You love to hear stories of people blessed with courage and boldness. But try as you may you get sweaty palms at the mere suggestion you need to take a risk.
3. Your mat may be lack of trust. You always have to be in control and will not trust anyone. Your mat may be false guilt, a compelling sense of failure, loneliness or a nagging sense of inadequacy.
Some people spend their entire lives in “Mat Management.” Others will not even admit they have now or have had a mat. They don’t need any help now or in the future. They see and listen to other people tell about their mat, but never reveal their own.
Do you ever admit you have a mat? Not to the point that when someone asks you how you are you give them a sick organ recital. We all need friends we can be open and honest with and admit our struggles and weaknesses and ask for special prayer and support and accountability.
My first five years of marriage were rocky. I grow up in a dysfunctional home where I didn’t see healthy communicated modeled. I was afraid in marriage to communicate on the “I feel” level. I was afraid to tell who I was and really felt because I feared Carollyn would not love me if she knew my struggles. When we were able to communicate on an “I feel” level our marriage was enriched.
Families are a lot like the “Fellowship of the Mat.” When one member of the family is down the other members rally around and give support and carry the person until they are able to get up.
As Father and Husband you want to do all you can to help your family. Your priority commitment is to lead your family to Jesus.
The action of Jesus demonstrated that Jesus put a higher priority on the spiritual than on the physical and material. Jesus didn’t say to the man: “Here is a handful of gold, go get the best treatment possible. You now have enough money to live comfortably the rest of your life.
The Biblical account says that “When Jesus saw their faith (the faith of the four men) he said to the cripple man, Son your sins are forgiven.” Those words may have been a surprise to the cripple man and his friends. He hadn’t signed up for the mobile voyage to talk about his sins.
Jesus knew the cripple man’s heart and life. He needed physical healing, yes, but more than that he needed forgiveness of his sin. Jesus knew his heart and the man in his heart was seeking God’s love and forgiveness. Though a person is flat on their back the person can be guilt of various sins: arrogance, bitterness, loveless ness, judgmental attitude, hatred, or anger.
The religious snobs: Pharisees, teachers of the law sitting my strongly reacted to what Jesus said: “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus answered their question and said: “Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, “Rise up and walk?” “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” He looked at the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
As parents you want what is best for your children and grandchildren. You want them to have a good education and to be kept from harm and abuse. But the most important thing, the main thing, is their personal relationship to the Lord and Creator. Most of all we want our children to honor and serve the Lord and live by Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the Kingdom of God – and then all other less important needs will be cared for.”
As a church we never want to get to a place that we don’t believe in the supernatural power of God to work miracles of healing. Sad to say thee are some Church Fellowships that intellectualize away the supernatural power of God. They can no longer say like Peter and John said to the lame man as they entered the temple in Acts 3, “Silver and Gold have we none.” They have plenty of money and outstanding programs, but they cannot say, “Rise up and walk.”
Jesus said to the man on the mat – “Arise take up your mat and go home.” What a healing, useless legs, atrophied muscles became strong. The man stood up, picked up his 3 by 6 mat and folded it up and went his way rejoicing. He now looked the world as a new man, mind, body and soul.
When he got home he may have hung the mat on the wall to remind him of his friends. Without his friends that took him to Jesus he would still be lying on that mat.
The Fellowship of the Mat still exists today. You see it in homes, marriages, in church – people concerned about the well being of others. There are roofs of business and prejudices that need to be crashed through.
Today are you on a mat, helplessly looking to others? Or are you part of the Fellowship of the Mat, working together with others in Jesus’ name to help and carry others?
From time to time you may take a turn on the mat, but don’t stay too long. Look to Jesus. He will forgive your sin and offer you a helping hand to lift you up and get your feet to walking and dancing praising the Lord.
Dads take the spiritual leadership in your home and lead the way, lead the way to Jesus.
A father and son were walking along the beach. The boy was lagging behind and suddenly shouted, "Look, Daddy, I’m walking in your footsteps!" This prompted the man to think about his responsibility to provide spiritual leadership for his son.
Second Kings 13 records a sad period in the history of God’s people. The kings of Israel were not obeying the Lord but were following in the footsteps of their evil fathers. The sinful practices of one generation were repeated by the next, and the blessing of the Lord was withheld from the nation.
Whether they are aware of it or not, parents set an example for their children. An unknown author wrote:
A careful man I ought to be; A little fellow follows me. I do not dare to go astray. For fear he’ll go the selfsame way. Not once can I escape his eyes; Whate’er he sees me do he tries. Like me he says he’s going to be- That little chap who follows me. I must remember as I go Through summer sun and winter snow, I’m molding for the years to be- That little chap who follows me.
Parents, be careful where and how you walk! Someone’s following in your footsteps! A child may not inherit his parents’ talents, but he will absorb their values!
As Fathers we need to join the “Fellowship of the Mat.” From time to time members of our family are on the mat. They need our helping hand. They need our prayer. They need us to take action and model for them the way they should go. Whatever their need spiritual or physical, may we say, “In the powerful name of Jesus rise up and walk.”
