What is your greatest need?
There are times in life when we just want so much out of it that we forget to consider what has really happened to us. Like the wasp that’s so busy tasting the sweetness of the Jam that its oblivous to the fact that its body has just been severed in half..... It forgets its greatest need for a split the result is death...
I suppose you can ask a variety of people ‘what is our greatest need?’ And no doubt you would get a variety of answers from money, success, possessions, good health to have a loving family. These things are not bad in themselves but often like the wasp they can distract from what truly is our greatest need!
‘People today know exactly what they want, but is it what they need?’
As we look at ourselves in the west today we are more affluent than ever before and you would not be wrong in thinking that materialism is our greatest need.
The Enlightenment dictum: Cogito ergo sum’ (I think therefore I am) has been changed to ‘Tesco ergo sum’ I shop therefore I am. ‘
Having much.
As we look into the lives of people in the west we find a real superficiality they say we have never had it so good. Yet for many who have tasted so much of the benefits of materialism and the accolade of fame, we find that rather than them being happy with their lot so many are deeply troubled. For many lives appears meaningless a chasing after the wind as King Solomon said.
French philospher Jean-Paul Sartre said, “There is something about the glory, the horror and boredom of being human” that cries out for an answer beyond us.
In 2003 Mike Tyson was declared bankrupt he owed a stretch limo firm $309,000. A year earlier he had spent $174,,000 on a white gold necklace with 80 carats of diamonds. He once splashed out $140,000 on two white Bengal tigers and $1.5 million on four Bentleys in one afternoon. The staff at Versace in Ceasers Mall in Las Vegas will never forget the time Tyson and his entourage left the shop with $250,000 worth of gear. Currently in 2005 after his defeat against journeyman Kevin McBride he owes creditors $30 million dollars.
Mike Tyson was interviewed after his final defeat against journeyman Kevin McBride, “Who am I? What am I? I don’t even know. I’m just a dumb child whose been abused and robbed by lawyers, I’m Just a fool who thinks he’s someone.”
Having little
On the other side of the coin there are those who are poor who are still crying out the same questions as iron Mike Tyson. For them too life becomes just as futile and meaningless exercise. In fact many have given up a long time ago.
Just go down to any of the major cities of our country and see the destitute people living upon our streets. They have nothing, many have given up and live a life of prostitution, alcoholism and drug addiction and abuse.
(8 million people die a year as a result of poverty) Make poverty history is to be commended, but where the real poverty lies is not in the feeding of this world the end of global debt but in our relationship with God it needs to be restored. How many are dying with out Jesus Christ?
The death rate is awesome every second people are passing into eternity without Christ.
Our greatest poverty is in our relationship with God. Our greatest need is not to end poverty but to end the poverty we have with God.
1) Jesus has got time for others. v1-2 Set the scene Luke 5; 17-26.
A few days have passed and Jesus is back in Capernaum he’s come to his home base v1 it may of well been Peters home it doesn’t say but we could infer from 1:29 The people obviously had picked up on the grapevine that Jesus was back in town v1. There appears to be a huge crowd forming outside the home where Jesus is located. The crowd is not only outside but also inside with the door of the home wide open and people standing in the doorway and in a few minutes there will be even a group of men upon the roof determined to see Jesus.
No time
I suppose Jesus is the equivalent to our media and sports personalities of our day who are continual hounded by the press and the public. Continually hiding and seeking refuge from the people who desire to meet them. But unlike the celebrities who live behind electronic fencing and surveillance cameras with a couple of Doberman pinchers in the driveway.
Open door
Jesus has the door to his home wide open he is prepared to meet with people he invites people in! Because unlike the celebrities of our culture he cares for people and has a relevant message v2 He preached the word to them.
I believe and continually pray and anticipate that day when over two hundred people will gather in this building to hear and meet with Jesus because here is a place where Jesus is in the midst, touching and healing broken lives.
All sorts (Churches diversity with changed lives)
How people need somebody like Jesus one who has time for others, no matter what background they’re from. In this crowd we’ve got the religious elite to the average person in the street to the paralytic we see he has time to minister to all who want to meet him.
Do you want a meeting with Jesus?
We can learn from Jesus that God’s people should have time for others v3
It is a Christian’s prerogative to show Christian love towards others those in the faith and those outside of the faith. A Christian should show no distinctions or partiality towards people. Jesus called us to love one another but he also called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Loving our community)
Four men who bring the paralytic to Jesus here is a man who is laid by the roadside or left outside the temples to beg (India beggars) Just to survive. Hebrews believed those with various illnesses were inflicted because of sin (Pharaoh Gen12:17) so they were not always compassionate towards others so at times they showed partiality, but these four men didn’t they picked the man up and carried him to Jesus.
Have we time for others or do we look at them sometimes and say well they deserve it, is it not our desire to see people changed? Are we prepared to bring others to hear Jesus to meet with him are we concerned about the condition that people are in physically, emotionally and spiritually.
2) God’s people will demonstrate faith by action
V3-5. Not only do these men actually care for this man in carrying him about, but they also go to great lengths to get the paralyzed man to see Jesus. They have to take him upon the roof of the house because of the crowd and then create a rather large hole to drop a fully-grown man down right in front of Jesus!
v5 Jesus saw their faith!
How does Jesus see their faith? The answer of course was by their actions. James tells us that genuine faith will be demonstrated by action!
Faith is more than good intentions you know a few pious words to somebody in need. Faith is more than simply accepting the ABC way to God. Faith is really demonstrated by our actions towards God and others. Genuine faith is demonstrated by a loving and obedient response to what God has already done for us in Christ Jam.2: 14. What good is it my brothers if a man claims to have faith but as no deeds? You see James is saying that a genuine faith will automatically produce deeds in keeping with that faith.
The human body has a Spirit but if the spirit leaves the body that person is dead! So it is with the person who claims to have faith and yet no deeds.
These men were alive spiritually they were prepared to bring the paralytic to Jesus because they had faith in God they knew Jesus could heal this man. It was exactly the same for the Roman centurion who also lived in Capernaum who asked for his servant to be healed.
Matt.8:10 Jesus said of him I’ve not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.
CT Studd, said ‘We should attempt great things for our God and expect great things from our God.’
You see you will always be able to tell a real Christian by their words and actions towards others. We are saved by faith alone but faith doesn’t stand-alone it will always be accompanied by actions.
The teachers of the law v6
Their agenda was always to undermine Jesus because their power base and authority was being undermined. Ultimately they would crucify him as a result of this incident and others which point directly to his identity as God!
Beware of religious people: Mark here is showing us the unhappy fact that make us uncomfortable that there are people within Religion who are fake, in fact are evil. We can get to grips with Satan in the wilderness tempting Jesus and with Jesus exercising evil spirits, which we witnessed last week. But the possibility of these religious leaders being agents of evil is difficult too palate but something we must understand.
Matt.7: 15 they come in sheep’s clothing but inside they are ravenous wolves v16 By their fruit you shall no them.
3) Jesus knows our greatest need. V5
If were honest with ourselves many of us really don’t know what we need out of life we chase after many things and yet as Mick Jagger says ‘I still cant get no satisfaction.’ So we go to all kinds of places, try all kinds of things hoping some how we might stumble upon what we need, but nothing ever seems to deliver! My grandma used to say to me, ‘Aubrey there is none so blind as them that see!’
See and hear
That was true for many in the crowd that day they would see with their own eyes something astounding Jesus healing a paralyzed man but even more astounding they would hear Jesus issuing the divine decree ‘you’re sins are forgiven.’
The tragedy of Capernaum is that many failed to act upon what they seen and heard. That tragedy is repeated today, although Jesus still issues this divine decree people still fail to accept and receive forgiveness!
Lets be honest is there anybody in this Church today who needs forgiving?
Jesus sees the inner problem v5 “Your sins are forgiven”
In a New York cemetery there is a gravestone with this simple word ‘Forgiven.’ can we say that?
Jesus goes beyond the physical problem to the inner of this mans sin; it was highlighted because he stood in need of forgiveness more than physical healing. We tend to look at the outer problems and make more of it and yet so often we ignore our greatest problem. We see the outer problem of world poverty etc, but these are just the symptoms of the greater inner problem we fail to grasp….
Inner poverty of humanity:
"On July 6th 2005, 8 men who form the G8 will decide the fate of eight million people.’ Who die every year as a result of poverty, but I want to tell you a far greater statistic the Son of Man will decide the eternal destiny of 6 billion who live in this world. Aubrey Vaughan Feruary 2005."
Problem of Sin
We are all born spiritually paralyzed and like this man you are unable to help yourself, only an encounter with Jesus will eradicate your sin problem.
Somebody once said “That the heart of the problem is the problem of the human heart.” Jer.17.9.The heart is deceitful above all things. (Jesus does)
V8. Jesus knew what they were thinking. Just like in the Hit show The Big brother house.
Psalm.94.11 the Lord knows the thoughts of men. We see the mind of Jesus Christ has profound insight into human nature understanding the inner thought pattern of these religious men.
V6-7 They fail to grasp who Jesus is?
V7 ‘who can forgive sins but God alone.’ These Pharisees were absolutely right only God can forgive sins but they failed to grasp that God had manifested himself in the flesh and so were left in unbelief. CS Lewis quote
V9 Jesus sees the outer problem. (Holistically)
Jesus outwardly proved the inward reality of forgiveness by healing this man of his disability. This outward miracle is evidence of his identity as the Son of Man able to forgive sins. Its our greatest need. Have we received this forgiveness? Or are we so busy living for this world we havwe just failed to take notice? Wake up before its too late.
