Friends Bring A Man to Jesus

Mark 2: 1 – 12 (NIV): A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 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. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 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? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 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!"

This is one of my favorite Bible stories for so many reasons. We have already visited it discussing how Jesus used this opportunity to show that he was not just a prophet or wise man, but God in the flesh. This story also points out that our most important need is to be made right with God. After all, everything on this earth is only temporary; it is what happens for all eternity that truly matters.

Today, though, I want to discuss the four men who brought their friend to Jesus. They are such a great example of what it takes to bring someone to Christ. First, it took quite a bit of effort. They didn't just tell the crippled man he should go see Jesus, they went and got him. They worked together and physically carried him to where Jesus was. Sometimes the best way to get a friend to Jesus is for a group of us to gang up on him and take him to a place where he can encounter Jesus. Perhaps to a revival meeting or to church.

And then when the men got there, they couldn't get to Jesus because of the crowd, but they didn't give up. They found the tools and rope they needed, climbed up on the roof, and proceeded to dig through. Now that is wanting to get to Jesus! They probably got dirt in their eyes and sweat on their clothes.

And imagine the dirt that rained down on Jesus and the crowd below. Houses were built differently back then, of course, and the roof could probably have been repaired fairly easily, but it still must have been quite a shock when it happened. Sometimes, if we are going to reach people for Christ, we are going to have to damage some property and get our hands dirty. I would rather tear up a church building by constant use than keep it pristine because nothing much happens there.

The Work that Gets Us to Heaven

Matthew 7: 21 – 23 (NIV): "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

It's clear from Jesus' words that good works will never get anyone into heaven. What better works are there than preaching, healing and casting out demons? It should frighten us somewhat when we first read this. It should make us pause and ask ourselves, “Am I doing the will of the Father so I can go to heaven?”

When Jesus said “prophesy”, he undoubtedly meant preaching. We see this in other New Testament passages. So being a preacher is not a guarantee that a person will get into heaven. Neither is being a healer or casting out demons. No, there will be people who do these things, good as they are, who don't have a relationship with God and will not enter heaven. Again, it's not our good works that save us, its something else.

But what? What is God's will to which Jesus is referring? It can't be a good work or preaching would qualify us. Jesus gives us a huge clue when he says he will tell them plainly, “I never knew you.” It must have to do with having a relationship with God. We find the answer by studying the rest of the New Testament. In John 6:29, Jesus, when asked what the work is that God requires, said, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Jesus also said this in John, chapter 3, when he told us that we must “believe in him”. Paul said we are saved by grace, through faith and not of works in Ephesians 2. The Gospel is salvation through placing our trust in Christ – understanding that he is our only Savior. After all, if we could save ourselves, then Jesus did not have to die for us. What a tremendous waste that would have been!

Now we know the secret to getting into heaven. It is by believing that Jesus is Savior. But it cannot stop there. James 2 says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” But that belief does not save them. We must take our belief to the next step – acting upon it. We must ask Jesus to save us. We must trust in him and him alone for salvation. When we do, he promises to save us; he adopts us as his children; he seals our salvation with his Holy Spirit. On “that day” when we face him, he will know us and welcome us into heaven.

Build Your House on the Rock

Matthew 7: 24 – 27 (NIV): "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

It's not enough to just hear Jesus' words, you have to put them into practice. It does you no good to know what he said if you don't do what he said. But it does begin with discovering it. How can you know what he said if you don't crack open a Bible and find out? The Gospel Matthew emphasizes what Jesus said; Mark and Luke emphasize what he did; John emphasizes who he was. Today's Bible Study is found at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. When Jesus said “these words of mine,” he was speaking, in part, of the words he had just preached. He had just told us to love each other, forgive one another, pray for one another, refrain from judging each other, and seek God above all else.

The next thing to notice about this story is that the storms come to the wise and the unwise. Some are preaching that Christians will not face life's storms, but this passage clearly states that we will. He described the storms exactly the same for the man who built on the rock as the storms that hit the house built on sand. For both, the trials came from all directions. Christians will face most of the same trials and storms that foolish men face. If we look around we will see that this is true. Christians are not sheltered from trials and difficulties, but we are promised a solid foundation that will withstand what the world throws at us.

This is not the only place in the New Testament that tells us it is not enough to know the truth. James, chapter two, says we must have a quality of faith that moves us to action. Even the demons know there is one God, but it is not a saving faith for them (James 2:19). Faith can't be just mental assent – head knowledge – a true faith will cause us to do something. If you say you believe, but it doesn't change you, then you don't really believe. If you say you have faith, but you have no desire to learn about Jesus and follow what he desires for you, then you don't have a saving faith. Faith must be accompanied by action or it isn't a real faith.

It's not enough to know what Jesus said, we must put his words into practice. Putting something into practice means we don't just do something one time, we make it our lifestyle. When we do this, we will build our lives on a strong foundation that can withstand the storms of life.

A Clean But Empty Life

Matthew 12: 43 – 45 (NIV): "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."

God never intended for us to live a clean, but empty, life. Cleaning up our acts will never work. If we run out one evil spirit, Jesus said, it will not only come back, but it will bring friends. It will return and find our hearts wide open, ready to be re-occupied.

A young man came to talk to me one sunny afternoon. We sat on the patio with a couple of glasses of tea and he told me how sick of his life he was. He was “turning over a new leaf”. He was going to get off drugs, get back into church, and clean up his act. He was truly excited about his decision to straighten up, and he was absolutely determined to do so. But as I listened, I thought of this passage. It became painfully obvious that he had no intention of filling his heart with God's Spirit, he simply wanted to get clean and go straight. I knew it would never work and it didn't. He is in prison now because he not only went back to his old life, he got even worse.

I think this is exactly what Jesus was talking about in this scripture. He doesn't want us to be religious – there were plenty of religious people all around him as he said this – he wants us to have a relationship with God. There's a huge difference. God doesn't want your heart to be clean and empty, he wants it to be full – of him! I've heard it said, “Rules without relationship lead to rebellion.” That applies to parenting, but it also applies to faith.

How do we fill our hearts with God? First we invite him in. It must begin there. God is a gentleman and only comes into our hearts if we invite him. So, we must believe in him and realize we need him to make us right – we cannot do that on our own. Once we do this, God will take care of everything else. He will run out the evil spirits and he'll put up a “no vacancy” sign. He'll do the cleaning and he will keep the enemy at bay. We shouldn't be discouraged if we are still tempted because we all are, but now we have help from a power that we didn't have before.

Jesus called his generation wicked. I'm sure he still feels the same way today. The world is full of people who are trying to be religious on their own and it's not working and never did. What God desires is a world full of people who, by faith, have invited him into their hearts. A world of people who live a life filled with hope, filled with power, filled with him.

Praying for Each Other

Colossians 1: 9 – 12 (NIV): For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Paul began this letter by telling the people at the church at Colosse that he thanked God for them. When we pray for one another, we should begin the same way, being thankful. God has given us people in our lives to support us, pray for us, minister to us, encourage us, to befriend us, and to help us. We wouldn't last a day without our friends and family, and we should feel thankful that God has given them to us. We also have people to which we minister, as Paul did here, and we are thankful for them as well.

Now, in these verses, Paul prays that God fill them with the knowledge of his will, and that they be given spiritual wisdom and understanding. Our main desire for each other should be that we know the truth about God, and what he desires from us. Think about it, what is more important – to have good health or to know the truth about eternal life? To be financially successful or to be in the center of God's will? Some men brought a bed-ridden, crippled friend to Jesus in Mark 2. Jesus looks down at him and says, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Being right with God is more important than anything else.

We tend to pray for each other's health and success, and that's understandable, but Paul prayed for wisdom and maturity. Paul prayed that they would learn the truth. Paul is showing what is most important. Do you pray that your loved-ones grow in their faith and understanding?

Next Paul prays that they use their knowledge to live for God every day. He wants them to please God with their lives and actions. When Christians are growing in their faith, they will produce fruit for the Kingdom.

Paul prays that their endurance will grow. Paul was not praying that they go through trials, but he prayed that those trials would lead to endurance. When we pray for others, we should pray that the storms that come into their lives drive them toward God and not away from him. We pray that they feel God's presence in good times and bad. Some of our best growth as Christians comes in our darkest days.

He reminds them that we have all of the power that created the universe and raised Jesus from the dead at our disposal. As we grow in our knowledge and faith, we find that we have all the strength we need for whatever we encounter.

Finally, Paul prayed that they be thankful people, full of joy and secure in their faith. When we pray for each other, this is a great example of how to do so.

The Widow's Oil

2 Kings 4: 1 – 7 (NIV): The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil." Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side." She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

The first lesson in this story is that the widow went to God when she needed help, since Elisha was a prophet of God. Often, we try everything else first, then go to God as a last resort. To be blessed, we should go to God when we are in need. Jesus taught us to pray to God for our needs, and Paul said we can approach God as a loving father.

This widow was facing a very serious, even life-threatening situation. Her husband had died and left her in debt. In those days, a person could be forced into slavery to repay a debt – or the person's children in this case. Without her sons' support, she might have starved. This was a desperate situation for her.

Elisha wanted her to take part in the blessing that God was about to provide. I suppose he could have zapped the money in front of her in some miraculous way, but God's ways are higher than ours. Instead, Elisha gave her some very specific instructions. Had she not followed them, the plan would not have worked.

Notice that God's blessing to her was measured out, in part, by her measure of faith. If she had only asked her closest neighbors for a jar or two, the plan would have fallen short. Since she asked the whole neighborhood, she had enough oil to pay her debt and even live on the remainder until her sons could begin to support her. God is a God of more than enough, but we must completely sell out to him to receive his full measure of blessing.

Why did Elisha instruct her to close the door when the miracle happened? Perhaps it was a private matter for her and her sons, or it could have been for her own safety. Whatever the reason, she followed Elisha's instructions exactly and that is what we must do if we want to see God work in our lives, even if we don't understand.

Consider the impact this miracle had on her sons. Think of the impact it had on her neighbors. She was blessed and God was glorified.

John the Baptist Doubts

Matthew 11: 1 – 6 (NIV): After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

John the Baptist was born of supernatural power. Jesus said he was the fulfillment of the second-to-last verse of the Old Testament, which says Elijah would return before the Messiah. (Malachi 4:5). John was the man who had the privilege of baptizing Jesus himself. He was a powerful preacher who pointed his finger at common people, religious rulers, and even Roman royalty. Yet, in these verses, we find that even he had his doubts.

This is encouraging to me because if a spiritual giant like John the Baptist doubted, then I needn't feel bad when I do. We all have our doubts and they seem to come from the same reason: Life isn't working the way we thought it should. John the Baptist must have been miserable in the small prison cell where Herod had thrown him. He was accustomed to being outdoors, sleeping in the wide-open desert. Now he was stuck in prison, silenced from his ministry. As he sat in that cell, doubts began to creep into his mind. Was Jesus truly the Christ? If so, why had God allowed him to be thrown into prison for preaching the truth? Suddenly, it wasn't adding up.

So, he sent a couple of his disciples to ask Jesus if he truly was the Christ. I love Jesus' answer. He didn't scold John for doubting or ask him to search his feelings, he gave him the facts that proved that he was, indeed, who he claimed to be. He pointed out that Isaiah 35 and 61 said the Christ would heal the blind, lame, deaf and sick, and he would preach to the poor. Jesus was not only doing these things, he was even raising people from the dead.

Jesus, in essence, told John the Baptist to base his faith on the facts, not on his feelings. Our feelings will betray us. The facts of the resurrection prove that our faith is reasonable and solid. The historic eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life give us a firm basis to believe and trust and hope.

No, we will not always understand life, just like John the Baptist didn't. But Jesus encouraged us to not fall away because we don't understand his plans. Weigh the evidence; consider the facts, and then believe.