Faithful Friends

Challenge toward true friendship from Dr. Michael you sent greatest expression of love, friend or loved one is to bring to the scene of Jesus and you and I can convert anybody knowing I cannot change anyone's heart. You cannot force anybody to know Jesus but our job is to bring bring people to Jesus Christ and just like these four friends like these four men. Jesus will do the rest friends, people with whom we share common interest passion for and simply enjoy doing life together today on leading the way. A very practical message from Dr. Michael Yousef called faithful friends you look at what several men were willing to do when they knew the only thing that would help the hurting friend was a personal encounter with Jesus.

Here is Dr. Michael you set revealing the compassion of these faithful friends. I want to please turn with me to march up to two beginning at verse one.

A few days later when Jesus again entered Capernaum. The people heard that you have come home so many gathered that there was no room left not even outside the door and he preached the word to them so men can bring to him a paralytic. The four men since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the room above Jesus and often digging through it lowered the map that the paralyzed man was lying on when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, son, your sins are forgiven. Now some of the teachers of the law were sitting there thinking to themselves is this fellow talk like that. He is a Muslim or you can forgive soon, 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. All said get up that your mouth and walk, but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins and he said to the paralytic, I tell you, get up, document, and the whole he got up, took his mat and walked out and sees you of them all this amazed everyone and they praise God, saying, we have never seen anything like this. I want you to imagine with me. This scenario in this small Palestinian home on the first century here for friends.

Each of them holding a corner that's flimsy Matt and Sandra's eyes and call the vet is not much of a bed, it's a very flimsy mattress and this man was obviously quadriplegic because if he was paraplegic to people would've counted him and they would've taken them everywhere. Remember in the book of acts we told about the man said in front of the temple into people counted him and placed him and then pick them up at night and took him back but when a person is quadriplegic.

It has to be carried on the mat with four individuals holding each corner of that Matt, this quadriplegic man comes to Jesus by his friends. He obviously could not come Jesus by himself. So they come looking for Jesus and they saw that it was impossible to make their way to Jesus, even by themselves, let alone carrying that Matt, this was us all of humanity. This wall of humanity was imperative. This wall of humanity was in these four friends. The gringos I like to call them. These are the bringers. These bringers come in they could not go in. They could not make their way you know what they could have easily said to themselves. We came all the way we not sure how long they covered their friend.

They probably walked a long distance bill probably exhausted.

There probably tired.

We probably looked at the situation and said that's impossible. We cannot do this. They probably looked at the crowd of people outside than inside. In this and we gave them the good old college try and is not working. We gave it fast, but we can do nothing about it. Will we take so much time of our busy schedule to care for our friends. We got our own problems.

We got out on the difficulties with lines to think about when we have, we have sacrificed we can do a thing about it and I can imagine one of them probably a pious one that says you know probably is not the will of God for this friend of ours to see Jesus. You know what they could've had any excuse and none of us would've been able to blame. I can't blame them. I would be able to blend them past. I think everyone of us cannot honestly moments we know a time in our lives when we are tempted to give up.

I know there are times in my life when I have given up when you pray for something when you know in your heart and your mind and in your spirit that you are praying according to the will of God that you are praying consistently with the word of God and then when God does not answer your prayer in your own time you gave up. You and I have been there when we saw things looked at the impossibilities looked at the mountains in our lives, and said we can meet on that's impossible. And that is why people like George has been a challenge to me throughout my Christian life since I was a young Christian I would read his biography. He was a man of prayer is a man who trusted God to pray for things and within minutes. God answered his prayer.

We don't know much about these four guys we not really very little about them. We don't know their names. We don't know where they're from. We don't know the professions.

We don't know their religious convictions. We don't know their background and family background. We don't know much but you know what Jesus made one statement that told us volumes about their faith.

Now let me summarize this into points two points that I want you to remember. Write them down their faith in Jesus was unconquerable by the circumstances.

Secondly, their faith in Jesus gave them the unexpected. Their faith in Jesus was unconquerable. These four friends were determined to bring their friend to the feet of Jesus.

No matter what they knew in their hearts that if only their friend can come. Jesus. Jesus will take care of the rest. They knew that only Jesus could meet his most desperate needs. Then he only Jesus could perform the real medical that he needed. They knew that only Jesus could heal. Being inside on the outside. Only Jesus could the physical thing as well as this mutual infirmity. Only Jesus could have on the real the real, extreme makeover water. How many of us would have the kind of faith on behalf of others about the kingdom of God. The half of the work of God on behalf of the glory of God and so they would not allow the difficulties to stop them they would not allow the obstacles to hinder them they would not allow the perplexity of the situation to the terrorism very word not allow their faith to be conquered very word not allow their faith to surrender the circumstances so they went upstairs and the old houses in Palestine. Most of the stairs on the outside of the house so they went upstairs and got to the roof you knew exactly where Jesus was thinking. Imagine silica lowering something right there in the middle of Muslim Jesus teaching. Teaching the word and all of a sudden this mattress was coming right in front of them then exactly what he was now just in case you're thinking – did they have chisels that have mallets that hammers how did they cut through the roof the roofs back then when not like ours. These all flat roofs and they had fled beans and these flat beams were about 3 feet apart and on top of these means they put brushes on top of these brushes. They had a thin layer of clay, so it wasn't as a huge thing of damaging the house as you might think the probably fixed it with a couple of hours so I wanted to look with me at verse five of Mark chapter 2. That is the key verse here. I pray to God that no matter who you are, whether you old or young, rich report. No matter where you are a man or a woman that you will open your heart to the spirit of God to speak to you about faith in a new way and then see the face. Jesus said to the quadriplegic man, your sins are forgiven that we don't know much either about the quadriplegic guy. We don't either, but his faith. Jesus never referred to his faith he referred to their faith, the faith was full friends. I don't want to miss this.

Please don't miss what I'm going to tell you whenever you and I bring somebody to Christ and the likelihood that person does not understand what's going on in all likelihood, this person may never be able to articulate his or her desperate need for forgiveness that person not able to comprehend the awesomeness of the grace of God that you are not.

I have experienced in our lives. He or she may never be aware that you are exercising faith on their behalf.

But God does that all that matters. Jesus new and that's all that mattered. These four men didn't evangelize didn't pull the guy by his lapel as his repair center. They didn't know any of this. This woman didn't say you have to jump through certain hoops to get the Jesus none of these men did not know a whole lot of things probably themselves that they knew one thing and that was enough for Jesus, whether they know. Please rewrite what they know and you that if they just bring their friend to Jesus. Jesus is going to do the rest bring their friend to Jesus. Jesus is going to perform an extreme extreme makeover and that is why. Secondly, there faith in Jesus gave them the unexpected, given the unexpected. I have to confess to you, and I know some of you have seen that and probably wondered in your heart. I've seen church leaders on television when they get interviewed and to talk about faith and not I hear them talk about faith in such a way that truthfully, I gotta tell you this. I want to puke. I really do him and genuinely not not just in discussed veterans sorrow and deep down inside of me because the word faith in the where it is used even by some folks in the church.

Most people view faith as a blind faith in us how to talk about it so see faith as a leap into the dark.

We don't know we don't understand, but we have faith in an some people talk about faith that it is something mystical. Now, my beloved, listen to me faith is not like that at all. In reality, our faith rests on the knowledge, faith rests on reason and fact. Knowledge is a letter in which faith climbs higher knowledge as a springboard for which faith leaps further and these men, their faith was based on knowledge of Jesus is there, was based on the knowledge of Jesus's character was based on the knowledge of Jesus's identity was based on knowledge, the trust while the missing Jesus not to be sure they did not expect the problematic but nonetheless they totally, completely without a shadow of doubt trusted Jesus I want you to him rot in this one. When you introduce a friend to Jesus, you can rest assured Christ will do the rest. When you done your job. You don't have to fret. You don't have to agonize. You have to trust Jesus in this with his cousin if we just bring them to Jesus.

We know Jesus is going to do.

We just need to bring into Jesus and you know what Jesus will always surprise you by doing more than you expect or imagine. You know why because your absolute faith in Jesus always nuts sometimes multiple occasions always honest. Jesus is alive faith I have mastered something.

What did you do lately to demonstrate your faith on wavering faith on comfortable faith.

What did you do in the last week in the last months in the last year to demonstrate your unconquerable faith.

Ask yourself that question and please do not give up until you give up the answer.

Faith in Jesus will always honor Jesus only confess to something.

But sometimes I pray for things. Sometimes I have faith to believe before the thing happened when I know without a shadow of doubt on praying, consistent with the will of God and the word of God, and there are times when I know that what I'm praying for is consistent with the word of God is consistent with the word of God, but I can't seem to believe. I don't seem to have that faith you know what I do I go before God on my face mask to give me the gift of faith and I have never ever in all the years I've been walking with the Lord not know the Lord working on to give me that gift. When asked challenge that if you are walking by sight and you want to walk by faith and decide just can't get it to listen.

Faith is not works is not something you have to generate but you can ask God for what he will give it to you.

And so Jesus sees that incredible this unconquerable faith and he says to the man's son, your sins are forgiven.

Now let me be upfront with you.

Let's be honest with each other. Had we been fair. Watching this weather be sitting on the roof were sitting on the inside the house wherever we might be. I think all of us without exception would be very surprised. I think we would be very surprised. I think we would be shocked every one of us would've expected Jesus to heal the man first, then give them a sermon every one of us would've expected the physical numerical first, then the spiritual. But Jesus shocked them all by forgiving the man's sins and then pick you as an incredible incredible Jesus, forgive the man's sins first and that of course give the Pharisees, heart palpitations, and again the case of the jitters in the hook as well.only God can forgive sins. You got them in front of you explain something to you that as of the most important to most Jews, if not all Jews at the time of Jesus believe that all physical infirmities all diseases, all sicknesses everything was a direct result of sin.

Remember the gospel of John, the disciple's eyes. Jesus said this man born blind that he sin or his parents. So he was born blind and Jesus said neither this is so Jesus glorified in the situation.

And so Jesus forgives the man's sins first. You know what Jesus is trying to tell us know what Jesus is saying to us first one to remove the staying off soon. First, he wants to remove the sting of sin and guilt. First, he wanted to cleanse the man spirit. First, he wanted to release the man's conscious first he wanted to bring rest of this man's soul. First he wanted to assure the man and his life.

First is about what message is Jesus trying to give us what message is he trying to communicate here.

I'm glad you asked someone to tell you is what Jesus is saying that he is saying to everyone of us every one of us that where a person is going to spend his or her paternity is far far far far far far far far more important than willing to spend the next few years, my beloved, I want to tell you the greatest expression of love for a friend or loved one is to bring them to the feet of Jesus and leave them there. You and I can convert anybody you and I cannot change anyone's heart. You and I cannot change anyone's eternal destiny.

You and I cannot force anybody to know Jesus but our job is to be bringers to bring people to the feet of Christ and just like these four friends like these four men. Jesus will do the rest. The real extreme makeover. Only Jesus can do that on the Jesus can do that to me tell you, Jesus wants to cancel the ball of sin and death for you today. Today, Jesus wants you to know that when you come to him. He forgives you all of your skin cleanses you he restores you he heals soon Jesus wants to say to you first, your sins are forgiven, your sins are forgiven and then he wants to say to you get a document and go home. Thank you for joining Dr. Michael you sat with convicting message on leading the way audio you can listen to archived messages night after you set through the leading the way our or your favorite podcast platform or online. Learn more and LTW.org as you heard it takes the loving actions of friends to bring someone to the feet of Jesus. That is what happens every single day because of your support of leading the way one of the stories comes to us from Tunisia with a woman who works as a university professor had been deeply touched by the character of Jesus when she was in school she connected with our team behind the leading the way Facebook page and she began an online conversation where she learned even more about Jesus, she began to understand the basics of faith and she experienced a life changing conversion.

She still corresponds with the team digging deeper into living faith filled life so that she can further impact her husband and her children to friends know that when you support leading the way you are making it possible for ministry to continue right there with you around neighbors and the people all around the world. People in places like Tunisia with this morning found in our lives and serves Jesus learn ways that you can stand with Dr. you set give us a call at 866-626-4356 866-626-4356 and online LTW.org LT W.bring today's episode of leading the way to a lie would invite you also watch leading the way television each week dig into the truth of God's word and be challenged to love and serve the Savior leading the way television is available in most areas on TBN DayStar NRB INSP PCP God TV as well as use nation FOXBusiness lifetime, and more. Visit LTW.O RG for details.

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