Naylor Community Christian Church
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to Luke 5:17-26
Luke 5:17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees
and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of
Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus
to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried
to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find
a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him
on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of
Jesus.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your
sins are forgiven.”
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began
thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can
forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why
are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your
sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the
paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately
he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home
praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled
with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
-- how many
of you know who Albert McMakin is? -- well, then let me tell you the story of
Albert
-- Albert grew up in Charlotte,
North Carolina, in the 1930's -- like most young boys in his day, he spent his
days playing baseball with his friends, going hunting and fishing, and in the
springtime, helping tend his neighbor's garden -- really nothing that would
make him stand out above the crowd
-- but Albert had something in
common with the men in the story we just read from Luke -- he was a believer in
Christ -- and he was desperate for his friends to come to know Jesus in the
same way that he did -- he would share the story of Jesus with them -- he would
tell them about what Jesus had done for him -- but they just weren’t interested
-- as young men, they had other things on their minds
-- there wasn't
much in the way of excitement or things to do in rural North Carolina in the
1930s -- so when a fiery traveling evangelist named Dr. Mordecai Hamm showed up
in town, Albert started going to listen to him every night
-- in those
days, revivals didn't just last three or four nights -- they went on for weeks
-- and Albert went every single night -- he kept trying to get his friends to
go with him, but they never would -- they were more interested in other things
than Jesus
-- all the
while, Dr. Hamm just kept on preaching and getting more and more in the town's
business -- one day, he pointed out in his preaching that the town had a house
of ill repute and then proceeded to name the townspeople who frequented there
-- well, this just set off the town folks, and several of those that Dr. Hamm
had mentioned by name decided to go to the tent where Dr. Hamm was preaching
and confront him
-- this was
the chance that Albert was waiting for -- he went to one of his friends who had
been steadfastly refusing to go see this preacher and asked him if we wanted to
go see a fight -- that the townspeople were coming and were going to call the
preacher out
-- this got the other boy
interested -- he said he might just go to see a fight -- Albert then sealed the
deal -- he said, "If you go, I'll even let you drive my truck to the
meeting." -- so off they went, Albert and his friend
-- well, even
though Albert's friend had grown up in church and knew the story of Jesus, he heard
the gospel in a new way that night -- Dr. Hamm presented it as he had never
heard it before, but still he balked -- he just couldn’t go down front -- he
didn’t want to be saved
-- so, Albert kept bringing him
back night after night -- finally, one night, something about the message just
gripped Albert's friend and shook him to the core -- he found himself desperate
for Jesus -- he found himself desperate for forgiveness and love and the peace
that Dr. Hamm talked about
-- after struggling within for some
time as the last hymn was played, he finally made the decision -- Albert
watched as his friend got up, went down front, and committed his life to the
Lord
-- while you probably haven’t heard
of Albert McMakin before, you’ve probably heard about his friend -- Dr. Billy
Graham -- arguably, the most famous evangelist outside of the Apostle Paul and
John the Baptist
-- the message this morning is not
so much about Billy Graham and what he did in his life -- the message this
morning is about the Albert McMakins of the world -- those individuals who are
desperate for Jesus -- who are desperate to see their family and friends come
to know Jesus -- who just go through life quietly -- never making a name for
themselves -- just being content with living out the true gospel message in
their lives and introducing their friends to Christ
-- people
like the ones we see in this passage here in Luke Chapter 5-- let's look back
at this passage in some more detail now
II. Scripture Lesson -- Luke 5:17-26
-- look
back at verse 17
Luke 5:17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees
and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of
Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus
to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried
to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find
a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him
on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of
Jesus.
-- in this familiar story that we
find in all four of the gospels, Jesus is in the middle of His Galilean
ministry -- He has already delivered the Sermon on the Mount -- and the
authority of His preaching -- combined with the miracles and the healings --
have caused people to come from everywhere to hear Him and to experience a
miracle through Him
-- as this passage opens, we find
Jesus sitting inside a house somewhere in Galilee -- people have come from all
the villages of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem to hear Him -- the house where
He is sitting is full -- and the people are standing around outside --
straining to hear Him through the open door and windows -- desperately seeking
a glimpse of Him
-- as part of that crowd, four men
showed up, carrying their paralyzed friend with them on a mat -- obviously,
they had heard of Jesus and were desperate for Jesus to heal their friend
-- they tried to get into the house
where Jesus was, but there was no way -- the crowd was too thick and the people
just wouldn’t move and let them through -- they were faced with a dilemma
-- they could wait until Jesus was
done preaching and hope to catch Him as He left -- they could leave and try
again another day -- or they could just give up and say, “Well, we tried”
-- but these men obviously cared
about their friend -- they were desperate to see him healed -- and they knew
Jesus was their only hope -- there was no way this man was ever going to walk
again unless Jesus healed him -- and they were not going to give up
-- even though the door was closed
and the windows blocked, they were not going to give up -- they were determined
to find a way, not matter what it took
-- most houses in first century
Palestine had flat roofs, with ladders that led up to them -- because of the
heat, the people would seek refuge up there in the evenings and would even
sleep on the roofs, because the night wind would keep them cool
-- we don’t know whose house Jesus
was in on this occasion, but it appears to be the house of a wealthy man since
the roof had tiles above the normal straw and clay that most people used
-- when the four men could not get
in the house the normal way -- not even through the windows -- they carried
their paralyzed friend up the ladder to the roof and began removing the tiles
above the place where Jesus was
-- after removing the tiles, they
then dug down through the hardened clay and straw that formed the inner roof --
and made a hole large enough for their friend and his mat to fit
-- I’m sure that all the people
knew something was going on -- they heard the commotion on the roof -- they
probably saw clay and straw falling down as the men dug -- all eyes were on
that spot above Jesus -- and everyone watched as daylight broke through,
followed by the paralyzed man on his mat
-- the four men -- desperate and
determined to see their friend healed -- lowered him right in front of Jesus
and watched through the roof to see what Jesus would do
-- verse 20
Luke 5:20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said,
“Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
-- “When
Jesus saw their faith” -- whose faith?
-- the faith of the men who brought
their friend to Him -- when Jesus saw the paralyzed man being lowered in front
of Him through a hole in the roof, He knew the faith of those men -- He saw
their determination -- their desperation -- their belief that He was the only
hope for their friend
-- their
faith was expressed through their extraordinary actions -- through their
determination and their desperation -- and Jesus saw that and honored their
faith
-- He
turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven”
-- these
four men had brought their friend for a physical healing -- but Jesus knew his
real need -- He knew this man needed the healing of his heart -- He knew this
man needed the healing of his soul -- so, Jesus spoke forgiveness in his life
and brought salvation to this man because of the faith of another
-- have you ever been that
desperate for Jesus? -- have you ever been that desperate to bring a friend
before Jesus?
-- every
Sunday, we pray for our family and friends to come to a saving knowledge of
Jesus -- we pray for their salvation -- we pray for their healing -- but, too
often, we stop there
-- we say
the words -- we ask for healing of bodies and hearts and souls -- and then we
go home and wait to see if He responds
-- Jesus
healed this man of his sins because of the faith of his friends -- He healed
this man because they acted with determination out of their desperation
-- they
knew Jesus could heal -- they believed that above anything else -- and they
knew that if they could just get their friend in front of Jesus, that Jesus
would heal him
-- here’s
the questions before us this morning -- are we as desperate for Jesus in the
same way as these four men? -- are we as desperate to see our friends healed
and forgiven as they were?
-- if so,
then what roof do we need to tear apart to bring them to Jesus? -- what actions
should we take that will bring them to the cross and to the place where they
can be healed and forgiven, as the paralytic man was?
-- let’s go
on and finish this story -- verse 21
Luke 5:21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law
began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can
forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why
are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your
sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the
paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately
he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home
praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled
with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
-- when
Jesus told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven, we read that the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves that this
statement was blasphemous -- that no one could forgive sin except God --
implying, of course, that there was no way that Jesus was God
-- I think
it’s interesting that the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were in the
room -- they were there with Jesus even though they had no faith in Him -- they
didn’t believe He was God -- as we see in the gospels, they didn’t believe in
Him or His teachings at all -- they thought they knew all the answers -- and
they didn’t need Jesus for anything
-- how common
is that in our day? -- how often do we think we have it all together and don’t
need Jesus for anything? -- how often do we become so comfortable and
complacent in our religion that we can be in the presence of Jesus and not even
know who He is or comprehend what He can do?
-- at the
same time, those who are desperate for Jesus are often left outside our
churches -- they want Jesus -- they need Jesus -- they just can’t get to Jesus because
others are blocking the way
-- we need
to know these people -- we need to find these people -- we need to help them to
find Jesus and to know Him so that they can be healed and experience the saving
grace and mercy He offers
-- knowing
the thoughts of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, Jesus proves His
authority to forgive sin by physically healing the paralyzed man -- He tells
the man to get up, take his mat, and go home -- and the man got up, and left
the room, praising God for all that had been done to Him
-- this is
a reminder to us of what the miracles and healings in the Bible were -- they
were given as signs to affirm the deity and authority of Jesus -- the miracles
were not just performed because Jesus could do them -- they were performed to
point people to Jesus -- to lead them to the truth -- to lead them to salvation
and the healing of their hearts and souls
-- I think
it’s important for us to notice here that the physical healing was given only
as a sign -- the true healing that was given because of the faith of his
friends was the forgiveness of sins
-- too
often, we seek healing of the body above healing of the heart -- we seek a
physical healing in place of a spiritual healing -- desperation and
determination will always cause a response from God, even if the response is
not what we want or what we are hoping for
-- God is always going to give us
what we need -- He’s always going to give us His best -- even if we don’t
recognize it at the time
III. Application
-- so, what
is the take-home message from today’s story of the four men and their paralyzed
friend?
-- the big take-away
is that we have to learn to be desperate for Jesus, just as these four men were
desperate for Him -- it is in our desperation -- it is in the moment of our
need -- that we truly turn to Jesus for who He is -- that we truly turn to
Jesus for healing and help
-- we need
to learn to seek Jesus first -- to long for Him -- to long for His presence in
our lives and in the lives of our family and friends above all else
-- in Psalm 63, David wrote, “You,
God, are my God -- earnestly I seek you -- I thirst for you -- my whole being
longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water…your love is
better than life”
-- David understood what it meant to need God
desperately -- his soul thirsted for God in the same way our bodies thirst for
water in a dry and parched wilderness
-- David was so desperate for God
-- he desired God so much that without Him, he would perish
-- this needs to be our perspective
on God, too -- we need to desire God -- to seek God -- to be desperate for God
-- to want Him and cry out for Him and to need Him in just such a way
-- we need to remember why we are here -- we need to remember that God is the
most important thing -- and we need to learn to seek God and trust Him as David
writes about in Psalm 63 and as the four men in this passage displayed in their
determination to see their friend healed
-- Francis Chan wrote, “I also
believe that the Spirit is more obviously active in places where people are
desperate for Him -- humbled before Him -- and not distracted by their pursuit
of wealth or comforts (like we are) -- God delights in showing up when His
people are in desperate need of Him, because that means no one else can steal
His glory -- I want to live in such a way that I am desperate for Him to come
through.”
-- that is
the desperation and faith that we see in these four men who were willing to
break down walls and tear through roofs in order to get their friend before
Jesus -- because they knew that Jesus was the only hope he had
-- I think
it’s important, too, to recognize that these men had made friends with someone
who had problems -- they made friends with someone who had needs in their life
-- who didn’t have it all together -- with someone who needed help
-- with the way the world is today,
our first instinct a lot of the time is to withdraw -- to pull back into safe
communities of faith and to isolate ourselves from the world -- from those who
think different from us -- who look different from us -- who have obvious need
for healing and forgiveness in their lives
-- we need
to remember what the Bible teaches -- that we are to be in the world, just not
of the world -- we are to be ambassadors in this foreign land --
representatives of the Kingdom of God -- those who know Jesus and are desperate
for Jesus above all the world has to offer
-- that
means that we need to go out into the world and make friends with those who are
not Christians -- with those who are not like us -- with those we may not even
like, but who we are called to love
-- and once
we have made friends with them -- once they know that we love them and
genuinely care for them and would dig through a roof for them -- then we need
to do whatever we can to introduce them to Jesus -- to be desperate and
determined to get them to Jesus -- so that He can make them better and heal
them of all that is wrong, just as He has healed us of our sins and sicknesses,
too
-- and,
finally, we need to keep in mind that the world and the devil are going to
throw up obstacles in our path to keep us from carrying our friends to Jesus --
just like in this passage, when these men tried to carry their sick friend to
Jesus, they were faced with an obstacle -- the crowd was too big -- they
couldn't get through the door -- there was no way for them to get their friend
to Christ
-- what
would you do in a situation like that? --
what would you do if you were trying to get your friend to come with you to
meet Christ and things got in your way and the path got difficult?
-- would
you just shrug your shoulders and say, "Well, I tried. If God wanted it to work out, He would have
made a way."
-- what are
we going to do when we invite our friend to church for the umpteenth time and
they say, "Nope, not today." -- are we going to give up? -- or are we
going to do like these men with their paralytic friend? -- are we going to do
like Albert McMakin -- are we going to be persistent and determined and
desperate to bring our friend to Christ?
-- we need
to realize that when we try to bring our friends to Christ, obstacles are going
to come up -- Satan doesn't want us to succeed in our quest, and he is going to
do anything he can to keep our friends away from Jesus -- the world is going to
try to lure us away with its siren song of wealth and power and prestige -- but
if we trust in the power of God -- if we pray with all our hearts for our
friends to be able to hear the gospel and to receive the gospel, then miracles
will happen
-- miracles
happen and hearts are healed and sins forgiven when we refuse to let a few
obstacles in our path keep us from carrying our friends to Jesus -- when we
persist with the knowledge that this is the will of God -- that all should be
saved and come to put their faith and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior
-- when we step out on the promises
of God, knowing that with Him all things are possible -- then our friend will
meet Christ and He will see our faith and miracles will happen before our eyes
-- I've seen
it myself -- I have seen lives changed and marriages mended, and broken hearts
healed, all because a good Christian friend persisted in bringing the sick to
the Savior
--
we can never give up -- even if that means we have to tear a hole in the roof
to get our friend to come in the church --even if that means we have to let our
friends drive our new truck to the revival -- whatever it is -- we can't give
up, because our friends need a touch from the Master's hand
IV. Closing
-- if we are to truly find Jesus
and live for Him with our lives, we have to be desperate for Him -- we have to
want Him more than anything else -- we have to have a desire for Him and a
desire for others to come to know Him more than anything else
-- it’s like Natalie Grant sang in
her song, “More than Anything”:
“Help me want the Healer, more than
the healing
Help me want the Savior, More than
the saving
Help me want the Giver, More than
the giving
Oh, help me want You, Jesus, More
than anything”
-- that’s where we need to be in
our lives -- that is the place where Jesus wants us to be
-- so, let us leave here seeking to
be desperate for Jesus and for those who don’t know Him -- desperate to live
our lives wanting Jesus more than anything -- and desperate for those around us
to know Him more than anything, even if that means we have to tear our roofs
apart to see it happen
-- let us
pray
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