Look Who Moved Out (Part 1)

This is a message from leading the way with Dr. Michael.

You sat we pray that it will encourage you in your walk of faith. If you would like to learn more about Dr. you Seth for leading the way, please visit LTW.or borough law of words. We can express our love to sacrifice in order to help somebody good good education is wonderful to sacrifice in order that somebody may have a better shot of life is great to sacrifice so that someone will have the necessities of life. It's terrific but to sacrifice so that someone become a return that is saved and have a different destination eternally. From where they're going. Now is the greatest sacrifice of all this is not my idea is Jesus idea. This is not the church of the apostles are there. This is God's idea, and I will you turn with me please to Mark chapter 2.

As we begin this new series beginning at verse one Mark 212 12. I try to imagine this scenario and try to just put my arms around it than if you grew up in a culture like I did with masses of people you will have a glimpse of what that means. If you have never been in a mob scene. You might not be able to put your arm around this. If you've never been caught in the middle of a mass of humanity and bodies everywhere. You will not get their arms around this, but I'll try to make it as easy as possible for you because I know when I was a boy. One time I got caught in one of those masses of people and almost was trampled underfoot. If you ever got James on the subway, you probably did a glimpse of what that means.

You can breeze now that is a scene in a Small Way in Mark chapter 2 here. The situation in Capernaum was wall-to-wall with people that were not even enough room for one party to go through the crowd, not even outside the house, let alone inside the house.

But then there were four friends who not only needed to cram their bodies within those masses of people they needed to take a stretcher with them where they're carrying their friend into the house.

Their friend obviously is a quadriplegic because he was on a stretcher and only a paraplegic would be covered by two people face-to-face and even when places where there no wheelchair to still do that for paraplegic so that this man must've been a quadriplegic. That is why he is on a stretcher. The scene was so discouraging to say the least.

All those four friends. No one would barge and make room for them. They all came for Jesus to meet their needs and they not about to leave the space and sacrifice their place. This was a wall of humanity that is impenetrable wall of humanity was immovable. That wall of humanity was rocksolid, but these four friends made the decision to move out.

There were going to move out of their comfort zone in order to bring their friend to the feet of Jesus and nothing was going to stop them.

There's was not a halfhearted commitment. Their commitment was binding. Their commitment was unwavering. Their commitment was immovable that their dedication was not fleeting and was not momentarily was not just for a period of time.

It was day in and day out weekend and week out. And if anybody needed or can have a good excuse to give up and just say what would give it our best goes for have every excuse in the book that Melissa Wellman would give it the old college try and it did not work that we did our best, but we failed. We went the distance, but is not working. We might try another time. We have taken so much time of our busy schedule and we cannot take anymore time out of work we did all that we coordinate some possible we couldn't do it. Or then there is the all big girls.

Pious excuse. It might not be the will of God is not God's timing may be just is the wrong time in the wrong place blubber limitations something I'm confessing to you. I have given up at times for lesser obstacles.

I know I have given up on some things to early to soon.

I know that I have prayed for things that I knew was consistent with the will of God, consistent with the word of God. There were consistent with the character of God. There were consistent with my knowledge of God and yet when my prayers were not answered quickly.

I give up praying and when God later on answered my prayer I said in a puddle of tears out of shame and embarrassment before God, not people but before God that I gave up too soon. I tried to lead someone to Christ and when that person would not come to Christ. I gave up praying for that person, long time. Later that person come to Christ. Meanwhile, I came across the biography of George Mueller and that man's life has become a rebuke for me.

He was a man of faith.

He trusted God. He prayed for supernatural miracles and they happened quickly and fast, but they not all that way he had prayed for some people to come to Christ for 23 years.

I couldn't persist for 23 days so I began to learn. Persistence in prayer from George Mueller. I began to learn to persistent effort.

I began to learn to persist in the face of undependable obstacle while I was trying to look at these four men and learn from them.

In fact if you look at the passage in the Scripture, the Bible doesn't give us a great deal of information about them. We don't have a great a lot of knowledge about who they are with under their names we don't know their professions. We don't know whether came from. We don't know what family background. They had the we don't know the level of their education which we we don't know what their biblical knowledge was like.

But we know two things and all come from the what we see here in the text.

First, they had undaunted faith in Jesus and secondly they had an irrepressible commitment to their friends. Deliverance they had on on daunted faith in Jesus. They knew that only Jesus would save their friend. They knew that only Jesus can answer the dilemma.

Probably they have tried other avenues and other things in other ways and other people and nothing worked. Not long ago was talking to a precious lady and she was telling me how she was terrified of death and then as we began to talk to said I tried everything I tried Taoism as she's I tried Hinduism. I tried new age, but I still am terrified of death. That person said to me she said every time when I turned to one of those new philosophies for a short period of time I would get a glimmer of hope and I feel good but then not very long time later. I feel more depressed than ever before and more fearful than ever before in history because only Jesus can save a life. Only Jesus can forgive the sin. Only Jesus can give us confidence that staying is already been photographed, and these four people knew that only Jesus could meet their friends desperately needs. Only Jesus could give their friend what no one else could give him only Jesus could heal the body and heal the soul. Only Jesus could perform the real miracle that they needed. Only Jesus could touch the physical and the spiritual infirmities and make him whole. Only Jesus could give them the peace of mind that he was searching for and that is why they persisted.

And that is why they would not allow difficulties to stop them they would not allow the crowd to hinder them they would not allow perplexity of the situation to deter them. They would not allow anything to come in the way and not even the personal sacrifice I found myself praying Lord, give me that faith not long regarded the story about a shift known as the express of Ireland was sank in many passengers on that ship has drowned among those who perished in the ill fated vessel were hundred and 29 Salvation Army officers when their bodies were recovered later. Not one of them had a life vest on him.

Survivors told of how these faithful servants of God reacted with Carmen with confidence when passengers were informed of the ship's inevitable fate.

You see, there were not enough life vests on board so they confidently removed tears and gave them to others and there were heard to have said, we know the Savior unrelated to meet the Lord but others were not in their wind down singing praises to the Lord. No wonder Gen. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army motto, which was one word others that were took a new meaning and a new significance as a message of the death of those hundred and 29 Salvation Army officers echoed around the world. They had undaunted faith in Jesus. These four friends climbed the roof of the house. They dug a hole in the roof and they lowered their friend all the way down in front of Jesus. Now, just in case some of you, get distracted and say you know man that they get jackhammers that have the did the recovered and explained to Ruth's bike than when not hard to break into their just basically flat beans that are every 3 feet in and then the some mob palm branches in the thin layer of clay so they can fix it very quickly. But that's not the issue. The issue here is there persistence in faith. Look at verse five says seeing their faith. Jesus, seeing their faith. Jesus seeing their face.

Jesus said, son, your sins are forgiven, we don't know much about the faith of the man who was paralyzed we don't know much about it. He could've had the greatest faith of all, we don't know Jesus did not refer to his faith he referred to their face. Seeing their faith. Don't miss it for when you tried to introduce someone to Jesus. When you try to bring someone to the feet of Jesus. They may not know much about the Bible they might not know much about faith. They may not be able to articulate their desperate need for forgiveness and release from guilt and that burning in their minds they might not be able to comprehend how, why, and only Jesus can forgive sins but that doesn't matter. God is seeing your faith God is seeing your commitment. God is seeing your desire to see the person save God honors your desire for their forgiveness.

And God responds to you by taking steps to honor your faith they had in undaunted faith in Jesus. Secondly, they had an irrepressible commitment to save their friend.

I think most of us would say we have. If you know the Lord. Irrepressible desire to see family member save spouse saved a dear friend saved a coworker saved and that's where you start, that's where you begin this, we need to start, but if you're like me now your family saved and your coworker saved what you do you sit in your Blessed assurance and while I'm save my family; to save not only to do anything now that is not at all consistent with those who belong to Christ. Your faith in Jesus, then must be exercised on behalf of whoever the Lord brings your way. These four people did not just want their friend to be healed.

They wanted him to be eternally saved and that is why Jesus said to the man your sins are forgiven. These friends knew that Jesus is the only one who can forgive sins.

Sadly, today there are so many churchgoing people don't know who Jesus is. They think they do but they don't. They live the life as if they don't, there are so many people are preaching Jesus and church pulpit but they don't know who Jesus is.

They think they do but they preaching around Jesus and that is why they preach and teach the Christians and Muslims and boaters and everybody worship the same God and my answer is categorically absolutely not. Our God is fully revealed himself in Jesus.

There is, is not our God allows us to know him personally. There is does not. Our God is a noble God. Theirs is not our God reveals himself to us in his word, but there is does not our God indwells us by his Holy Spirit.

But there is does not. I believe in knowledge. I think knowledge is very important. I know there's some Reno time in the past were Christians, of always attack knowledge and studies and and so forth. I am not knowledge is wonderful because knowledge will always, if a person since it will lead to the truth. In fact, knowledge of God for us. The Christian believers is the ladder upon which faith climbs knowledge of God is the springboard from which faith can leaps forward and onward, and that is why we not afraid to know God like there are these friends would not bring the needy friend to just any old rabbi initial teacher hole. They brought him to God's Messiah. They brought him to the only one who can heal the body and the spirit and the soul, our faith is built on nothing less, than knowing that without a shadow of doubt Jesus and Jesus alone can eternally save the Jesus and Jesus alone can forgive our sins that Jesus and Jesus alone can redeem us from the pit of hell. And that is why these four friends committed to introducing their friend to the only one who is trustworthy. The only one who's got a very God become man of 30 men and Jesus did the rest. Faith in Jesus honors God love for people moves God and Jesus seeing their faith, he said, son, your sins are forgiven and you notice the Bible said that these merchants of religion were sitting there a who's who does he think he is forgive sins. Of course you see this never change has if I was a spectator that if I was watching their outside man went to heal him first. Then you can save his soul.

Why don't you get them up on his feet first before you can tell him that he needs to be saved, and he needs to be forgiven.

But listen, there might be my priority is not the priority of Jesus and thank God. Jesus placed the priority where it belongs. Jesus knew that eternity is a long long long time.

And Jesus is saying that this is the most important thing of all. Jesus is saying that removing the sting of death. First, that removing the stain of sin. First, that removing the pain of guilt.

First, that Jesus is cleansing the spirit. First, that Jesus is releasing this man's restless conscious. First, Jesus is bringing this man's soul to rest. First, Jesus was assuring this man of his eternity in heaven. First and the rest is going to follow this and I'm not minimizing healing. Please understand I am a great believer in the healing of the Lord, I intercede every single day for people for healing in this place and elsewhere.

I am not minimizing that. Don't misunderstand me.

But Jesus is saying the greatest expression of love for someone with a be a family member of your neighbor will be a coworker is to bring into the feet of Jesus and he will do the rest is not about you trying to convert people is not about you trying to get a course of evangelism is not about this is not about that is you bring to Jesus and he will do the rest. That's all that we are called to do. You and I cannot convert them to Christ.

You and I can never change the lives you are not can never change their eternal destiny you are and I cannot force them to receive Christ forgiveness can do it only bring them to Jesus. He will do the rest. We can persist in praying for them or we can refuse to give up on them. We can try every possible avenue to reveal Jesus to them, not only in words but in deeds and in our lives. Having undaunted face having irrepressible commitment is what honors the Lord the most. When God places a person in your life. It is your faith in Jesus and caring for them is what will bring about the miracle really will and you know the ramification of what God can and will do in these situations. Sometimes incalculable. That's what I want to tell you the story as I conclude, because it's a story of a man, a godly man caring for his friend who, if he had any faith at all. Was not much to write home about.

And as a result, millions of people been blessed the story of a him a beloved him. I grew up singing it as a boy. It's in many languages around the world, but it began with this gifted musician by the name of Joseph P.

Webster while he was a brilliant musician he is to suffer a great deal from depression, not clinical chemical but just emotional depression down and discouraged all the firemen and sees things so black and darkened, and often, my beloved friends listen to me when we get down and stay down in those conditions is because our faith is very low that we don't believe that God will do what he promised to do, and so on one occasion when he was really down in a very melancholy mood. He received a visit from a close Christian acquaintance, a writer of hymns and others guys are musician writes tunes, but this friend by the name of Filmore Bennett was a writer of words lyrics Bennett had constantly prayed for his friends have constantly interceded for his friends. He constantly tried to encourage his friends but knowing that he needed something to lift his friend up from this grave and and tomb of depression to bring healing to his sagging spirit. He knew that his friend is such a gifted writer and composer Bennett came to see him and when he saw his condition.

He pinned down polities in order to get him to think beyond himself away from his depression.

In fact, during that visit to Joseph Bennett asked Emerson how you feeling and the man like most people, when they down. He said well I'll be all right in the by-and-by. Bennett exclaimed aloud is that I know that's true, the trials and can generate great glory for arson in the sweet by-and-by inspired by his sick friend. He started writing the following verses and as Joseph hears those verses. He gets a spark in his eye and a spring in his step and almost immediately was lifted up completely from the grave of depression to a new height and when Joseph heard the words that Bennett had written. He immediately reached for his violin and he began to play the melody of what later become a beloved him in the sweet by-and-by. There is a land that is fair than day and by faith, we can see at the far for the father awaits over the way to prepare us a dwelling place. There we shall sing on the beautiful shore.

The melodious song of the blessed in our spirits shall sorrow no more. Not a sigh for the blessings of rest 1 million head and undoubtable faith in Jesus irrepressible commitment to his friend, both together, blessed millions of people around the world. You never know what caring for an individual in reaching out and bring them to Christ will do when there was a very timid Sunday school teacher decided to visit the boys in his class. He came to one boy who worked in a shoe store. By the age of 15 and he hesitated should I go into an archer during. Finally he goes into the store.

You never heard of him and he leads 15-year-old boy named DL Moody rock to cutlets for Christ. Think of God's economy, not yours. And if you do one thing. This should there be worthy of all eternity. We say Lord give me indomitable faith give me irrepressible commitment to seeing lots. People come to Christ to spring to Christ. He will do the rest. Shall we pray together.

Father, we have sat in the pews of salvation for too long we have sat and beaten ourselves with guilt for too long, and father all you asking us is to offer ourselves and you will provide the faith you will provide the commitment. Father I pray that this power that comes from you. The operating in each one of us today. Lord I thank you for those who have come to know you. Last year, and I pray that you give us more this coming year. Father, we want to go to heaven not to embarrass northern shame, not hanging our heads, wishing that we have used our resources better that we would've had witnessed better that we wish we had done this, and we wish we had done that father I pray that as we close our eyes, and death. Whenever that they come in face to face to face we hear from those pure lips of Jesus. Well done, good, faithful servants, will we begin today Lord we begin today with your power with your strength, believing that nothing is impossible for you in Jesus name