LUKE 5:17-26
WHAT A FELLOWSHIP
DRIVING . . . SINGING THE WORDS TO A SONG BEING PLAYED OVER THE RADIO AIRWAVES. HALFWAY . . . SINGING THE WORDS TO THE SONG, I WAS NOT COGNIZANT OF THE WORDS I WAS SINGING (2X).
THE THOUGHT OCCURRED: HOW MANY THINGS ARE WE GUILTY OF SAYING, SINGING, OR DOING WITHOUT BEING COGNIZANT OF WHAT WE ARE SAYING, SINGING, OR DOING?
AFTER PREACHING . . .
TALKING TO YOU . . .
CHURCH TODAY . . . ROUTINE/HABIT.
WELL LEST THE SPIRIT OF LETHARGICNESS CREEPS INTO OUR CHURCH AND INTO OUR WORSHIP EXPERIENCE, IT IS MY ASSIGNMENT. . . DISECT . . .
I AM A PART OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED.
I – SUGGEST THAT ONE HAS MADE A CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO GATHER IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AND THE PEOPLE OF THE LORD. A CONSCIOUSNESS THAT SAYS I NEED TO BE IN THE MIDST OF THE LORD, BECAUSE I NEED THE LORD, AND I WANT TO BE HERE, BECAUSE I NEED TO BE HERE.
DAVID – PSALM 122:1 “I WAS GLAD . . .”
“I AM A PART OF THE FELLOWSHIP” – NOT APART – SEPARATELY, DIVIDED INTO PIECES, BUT A PART – WHICH MEANS TOGETHERNESS/TEAMWORK/UNITY. IT MEANS HAVING AN UNDERSTANDING THAT TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK. BEING A PART ENTAILS HAVING A MINDSET “THAT WHILE SERVICE WON’T BE STOPPED BECAUSE OF ME, I DON’T WANT IT TO START WITH ME NOT THERE.” BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND, I’VE BEEN CALLED FOR A PURPOSE AND THAT I HAVE A PURPOSE.
PAUL – CORINTH (I COR. 12:14) “NOW THE BODY IS NOT MADE UP OF ONE PART, BUT MANY.”
HEAD, FEET, HANDS, EARS, EYES, NOSE, ARMS, LEGS. PAUL SAID IN VERSES 21-25, EACH PART NEEDS WHAT ANOTHER PART BRINGS. SOMEONE IS DEPENDING ON YOUR SMILE . . .
PAUL WENT ON TO SAY, THE DIFFERENT PARTS HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO WORK TOGETHER BY KNOWING THEIR INDICIDUAL PURPOSE . . .”
PAUL WHEN TALKING ABOUT BEING A PART OF SOMETHING STATES IN VERSE 26, “IF ONE PART SUFFERS, EVERY PART SUFFERS WITH IT. IF ONE PART IS HONORED, EVERY PART REJOICES WITH IT.”
TOE EXAMPLE . . .
LIKEWISE, BEING A PART MEANS . . . GOING THROUGH – DON’T BOAST – COULD BE YOU. LIKEWISE – BLESSED – DON’T HATE - COULD BE YOU.
NEIGHBOR – I HOPE YOU DO MAKE IT, BECAUSE YOU COULD BE ME (2X). IN FACT, I’M GOING TO HELP YOU MAKE IT. BECAUSE WHEN YOU MAKE IT, YOU BECOME A TESTIMONY TO ME, THAT I TOO CAN MAKE IT.
THAT’S WHAT THESE MEN IN OUR TEXT UNDERSTOOD.
V.17 (READ) . . .
IT’S ONE THING TO BE SOMEWHERE AND YOU’RE NOT COGNIZANT OF WHY YOU’RE THERE, BUT IT’S ANOTHER THING, TO BE AT THE RIGHT PLACE WITH THE WRONG MOTIVE.
PHARISEES – WHERE A SELF-RIGHTEOUS, HYPOCRITICAL JEWISH SECT MOTED FOR THERE STERN OBSERVANCE OF RITES/TRADITIONS . . .
LUKE 14 – JESUS HEALED A MAN OF THE SABBATH . . .
PHARISEES/SCRIBES (SCHOLARS) WHERE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, BUT WITH THE WRONG MOTIVES. BUT, BECAUSE LUKE IS A PHYSICIAN . . .
-PHY-SI-O-LOGICAL
-PSY-CHO-LOGICAL . . . NEGATIVITY . . .
HE QUICKLY ADDS THAT WHILE THE PHARISEES/SCRIBES WERE PRESENT WITH WRONG MOTIVES, THERE WAS NO NEED TO WORRY – POWER OF THE LORD WAS PRESENT ALSO. THE HOLY SPIRIT/PARAKLETE WAS PRESENT. I DON’T CARE WHO MAY COME TO CHURCH FOR THE WRONG REASON, AS LONG AS THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD IS HERE, SOMETHING GOOD IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THESE BROTHERS KNEW THAT AND MADE UP THEIR MINDS THAT THEY WOULD LET NOTHING/NO ONE KEEP THEM FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SAINTS WHO GATHERED TO WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT/TRUTH.
V. 18 – THESE BROTHERS CARRIED THEIR PARALYZED FRIEND ON A MAT AND TRIED TO TAKE HIM TO JESUS VIA THE DOOR.
V.19 – BECAUSE OF THE CROWD, THEY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, BUT NOT DETERRED.
IS THERE ANYBODY HERE THIS MORNING THAT MADE UP YOUR MIND LAST NIGHT, THAT I DON’T CARE WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO GET TO CHURCH TOMORROW, I’M GOING TO BE THERE.
CALL
EARLY – GET UP
BUS TRANSFERS . . . I’M NOT GOING TO MISS THE MOVE OF GOD.
LOOK, WHAT THESE BROTHERS DID:
FOUGHT THEIR WAY UP THE EXTERNAL STAIRS – ROOF. CARRYING THEIR FRIEND AND HIS MAT, WHILE BOLDLY DECLARING “HE IS NOT HEAVY . . .”
TORE UP THE TILE ON THE ROOF, BROKE UP THE BRANCHES, WITHTHIS ONE THOUGHT IN THEIR MIND. THE SAME JESUS THAT CAN MEND OUR FRIEND, CAN PUT THIS HOUSE BACK IN ORDER . . .
LOWERED THEIR FRIEND, DOWN THROUGH THE ROOF AND SITAUTED HIM ON HIS MAT, BOLDLY AND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF JESUS. LET US BOLDLY APPROACH THE THRONE OF GRACE AND THE MERCY SEAT OF GOD.
SOMEONE MUST HAVE ASKED THE QUESTIONS: WHO DO THESE FOOLS THINK THEY ARE? AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING?
IN MY SPIRITUAL IMAGINATION, I HEARD ONE OF THE BROTHERS DECLARE “WE ARE PART OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED” AND WHATEVER WE HAVE TO BATTLE THROUGH, WHATEVER WE HAVE TO TEAR UP, WHATEVER WE HAVE TO BREAK UP, HOWEVER NON-TRADITIONAL, NON-DOGMATIC WE HAVE TO BECOME, SO BE IT! IF IT WILL BRING US CLOSER TO JESUS. IF IT WILL SAVE MY FAMILY MEMBERS. IF IT WILL SAVE MY FRIENDS. IS THERE SOMEBODY HERE TODAY, THAT’S READY TO BATTLE THROUGH SOME THINGS, TEAR UP SOME THINGS, BREAK SOME RULES AND DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO, IN ORDER TO DRAW NEARER TO GOD.
THESE MEN SAID, NAW, WE AIN’T DRESSED UP, PROTOCOL, SYMBOLS . . .
WE’RE JUST OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED AND WE KNOW JESUS IS HERE.
AND WATCH THIS: JESUS SAW THE FAITH OF THE FRIENDS AND HEALED THEIR FRIEND, BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH (2X).
I’VE COME TO TALK TO PEOPLE THIS MORNING THAT HAVE FAITH TO BELIEVE EVEN WHEN NO ONE ELSE BELIEVE. FAITH TO SEE WHEN OTHERS CAN’T SEE. PAUSE HERE . . .
THESE MEN BELIEVED THAT SOMETHING GOOD WAS BOND TO HAPPEN WHENEVER YOU COME INTO THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD. JESUS HEALED THE MAN, BUT BECAUSE THERE WERE SOME IN THE CROWD (THE RIGHT PLACE), WITH THE WRONG MOTIVE, THEY WERE HATING ON JESUS FOR HEALING THE MAN, HATING ON THE MAN FOR GETTING HEALED, HATING ON HIS FRIENDS WHO DARE BRING THEIR FRIEND TO JESUS TO GET HEALED. BUT, I LIKE THE ATTITUDE OF THESE BROTHERS: WE CAME HERE TO WORSHIP GOD WITH YOU, BUT IF YOU DON’T WANT TO WORSHIP GOD WITH US, WE NOT GONE TRIP ON YOU. WE CAME HERE TO GET A BLESSING, TO BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE ELSE. SOMEONE IN THIS HOUSE TODAY NEEDS TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE IS DEPENDING ON YOUR SMILE . . . HELLO . . . TESTIMONY . . . SEE YOUR BLESSING.
GOD HAS HEALED YOU . . .
BLESSED YOU . . .
SAVED YOU . . . SO STAND UP AND BE A BLESSING.
V.25 – IMMEDIATELY THE PARALYZED MAN STOOD UP IN FRONT OF THE CROWD, TOOK WHAT HE HAD BEEN LYING/DEPENDING ON . . .
I PONDERED THE QUESTION . . .
NEIGHBORHOOD CLINIC . . . THERE’S A STRANGER IN THE CITY . . . .
LUKE HAS A PANA-RAM-IC LENS, AS HE SHOWS THE PARALYZED MAN PRAISING GOD, HE PANS BACK TO THE CROWD WHO IN V.26 WERE AMAZED, WERE GIVING GOD PRAISE, WERE FILLED WITH AWE, SAYING: WE HAVE SEEN REMARKABLE THINGS TODAY.
WHO WERE SINGING: WHAT A FELLOWSHIP . . .
FLASH BACK TO THE POST-PARALYZED MAN AND HIS FRIENDS “I AM A PART . . .” I AM NOT ASHAMED . . .
