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[0:00] My faith is found to rest in place at the feet of Jesus. Pray that yours has as well. I can still hear the words of our Lord when it says, Be of good cheer, my son. Your sins are forgiven.

[0:12] If you're saved in here today, you should know that and rejoice in what was just sung. Tracy, I know that soon you'll be in Chile. The doors will open up for you there. But until then, I'm so thankful that you are using your singing ability to remind us of our resting place in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[0:26] It's just wonderful. As you turn to Luke chapter number 5, I want to read something to you today. I want you to make a decision early on. Normally, we work towards a decision. At the end of the service, I want to just come right out of the gate and ask you to make a decision based upon the Word of God that is there in your lap or that you're holding in your hand today.

[0:45] We have Mr. Brian, our Awana missionary here with us today. If you'll raise your hand, works with Awanas, helps us out and appreciate him being here today. He's checking to make sure that we're teaching the Bible in the adult room as they teach it in the Awana room.

[0:57] All right? He's got to make sure that we're working together in tandem here. And I so much want to make sure that you know we are teaching God's Word. This is what I read this morning and made a decision personally.

[1:09] I want to read it to you and I want you to make a decision as well. It says, We can't make any manipulation of it.

[1:43] We don't need to. The Word of God in its context is enough to change our lives. The story that we have today, it's a simple story. But many times, it's just the simple stories of the Bible that are so hard for us to live out, right?

[1:55] He could not be any more clear to us, but we've got to make it true in our lives and to live it out. And I pray that you'll make a decision on this. As I can't manipulate the Word of God from here, between me communicating it and it finding a place in your heart, I pray that you'll make a decision and say, God, whatever your Word says for me today, I want it.

[2:13] I want to receive the Word of God as it comes from Him today. Because that's most certainly what we have in front of us is the Word of God. And so, some questions that we'll ask the passage.

[2:24] What was God's intent in preserving this story for us? So many things happened during the life of Christ. Why is it that we have this story that's shared for us here? What does it mean that the power of the Lord was present in the passage?

[2:36] What made these men unique in the way they handled their situation? What does it mean to bring people to Jesus today? What did we learn from Jesus' response to this man, to these men and their friends?

[2:48] As we will ask the Bible questions, it will answer them, and we will learn what He has for us. One of the things that isn't needed in a good hermeneutics or study in the Bible, but I add anyway, because it's a lot of fun.

[3:01] You know when there's a tornado and they interview somebody from Alabama or maybe Kentucky, and they say, what did you see? And they're like, oh man, you ain't going to believe it. It came right through here, and it was so fast, and it was gone. All right, you know what I'm talking about?

[3:12] And you're like, man, that's one of Trent's cousins, right? Every time, any time there's an interview, they always find somebody like me or my cousin that is just so excited, right? And they're like, they make no sin.

[3:23] And they're like, what was going on? So as I read a story like this, I think, what would the tornado interview look like if they went to somebody? And they're like, what happened today? Man, I don't know. The place was packed. Everything was so many people.

[3:34] We had teachers. We had religious people. Next thing you know, the ceiling's opening up, and this guy comes down. You ain't going to believe it, you know? And I can just imagine this guy being so excited about the story. And I just want to remind you, it's a true story.

[3:47] It starts off that it says, at a certain place. In verse number 26, it says, at the past on a certain day. Our story of Jesus Christ, I remind you, is not a once upon a time story.

[4:01] It is in time. It's historically true. There was a day that this took place. And even though I can't tell you the date on the calendar, everybody involved knew that this was a real thing that happened that had real significance for them.

[4:13] It has real significance to us. And on a certain day that had come into their lives, I pray that every one of you have a certain day where you met Jesus. June 7, 1992, I heard, be of good cheer, son.

[4:26] Your sins are forgiven. At the age of nine, somebody took me to the feet of Jesus. A teenager showed me Jesus Christ. And I knew from God's word that the God of heaven was speaking to me about my sin.

[4:38] And I put my faith and trust in Jesus, that I was given wisdom from the holy scripture of God. I got supernatural knowledge about things that I would never have known about if the God of heaven hadn't given it to me.

[4:50] And it happened on a certain day. I pray that every one of you know when you were taken out of darkness and put into light. You may have grown up in a Christian home, but there has to be a decision that you will make when you will put your faith and trust in Jesus.

[5:05] And so here's the crowds they have been building. Jesus was about to do the thing that he does. They'd already heard about it. There'd already been a miracle. Jesus is going to do that thing that he does. Everybody is circling there.

[5:15] I have a picture of not the house, but what the house might kind of look like to give you an idea of how packed it could be. And so here are these people. It says that we had religious teachers that are sitting there on the ground, maybe blocking the door.

[5:29] There's a large crowd of people that were coming. And maybe you've seen before, if they can get it in the back, the picture of the house. And there's a ladder up that would have went up to the side of the building and also up to the top.

[5:42] And so in the doorway here, it just says that it was packed out and that people would have come upon the roof. And that's where they have taken their friend because there was no way for them to come through the door that day with so many people.

[5:55] They had heard of the testimony. And it says that people were coming from different places. We had a variety of people. Verse 17, which were come out of every town in Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem.

[6:06] People were attracted. People desired to come and to see Jesus. When people know Jesus, they love Jesus. When the world knows about Jesus, they're attracted. When He is high and lifted up, He draws all men to Him.

[6:18] And so He was drawing people out of different cities. And it says that the Pharisees and the doctors of the law were sitting there at their feet. So you have the good, you have the bad, you have the ugly, you have everybody around them.

[6:30] You have those that really just want to come to see Jesus because they believe He's the Messiah. You have other people that are sitting there with pen and paper and they're just wanting to catch Him in a trap as we saw last week. They're always looking for Him to say or to do something wrong.

[6:43] And they're just waiting for an opportunity to take His life or to turn the crowds against Him. And this is there. And what an incredible picture in even the time that we live in in Christianity.

[6:54] You just have everything. You have the nominal fans that are just there because it attracts a group of people. Hey, I just was walking by and I saw there were some people, so I stopped by. You have the religious people in there that have made a whole career out of trying to disprove the Bible and they're blocking the door.

[7:10] But in the middle of it, there were some friends that cut through all of that mess and they got some people to the feet of Jesus. Can I tell you, especially being Christians in the Southeast, a big part of our job is to help people cut through all of the mess that is religion, that is all the things that isn't about Jesus and teach them about a simple faith, talk to them about a sincere faith to loving Jesus.

[7:28] Because there's been a lot of people that have been hurt by people sitting in the door and never made it to the feet of Jesus because some religious teacher or some kind of fan of Jesus that wasn't a follower of Jesus has said something about Him that was not true.

[7:42] So that's why we take them to the Word and we help them put on what's true and take off what's not true because the Word of God will do that in our lives and they'll help us. And these friends did that. But not only was this group of people present, the good, the bad, and the ugly, but what was present in verse number 17, the power of the Lord was present to heal.

[8:02] And that's what makes Jesus not a priest, not just our high priest, not just a teacher. But Jesus could do what a priest couldn't do. Leviticus chapter number 13 verse 34.

[8:13] We've seen this in earlier passages when somebody would be healed of leprosy, they'd be sent to the priest. This is what was told of a priest that do in Leviticus 13 verse 34. And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scale and behold, if the scale be not spread in the skin nor be in sight deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean and he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

[8:35] Did you see what the job of the priest was? It was simply to pronounce that something was clean, but they couldn't make anything clean. They couldn't hear leprosy. All they could do was say, something happened to you and I can recognize that something happened to you.

[8:47] But that wasn't what Jesus' story was. Jesus was able to make clean. He was able to not just pronounce somebody clean, but to make them clean as he has done. He was able to heal him. He lays hold on the man and Jesus doesn't just, Jesus doesn't come unclean, but the man becomes clean.

[9:03] When Jesus goes to touch the leper in the story that we had before here, everybody around him had to think, this is going to really mess up our calendar. Jesus, there's Peter, you know, who's probably the type A personality who has a plan of what all is going to happen next.

[9:17] And he says, Jesus, if you go and touch this leper, you're going to be unclean and you're going to have the ceremonial rites and you're going to have to step out of ministry for a couple of weeks as you become clean again. But when Jesus touches the man, the man becomes clean.

[9:30] Jesus doesn't become unclean because he wasn't just a teacher. He wasn't just a priest. And that's why the crowds were gathering around. There was no one like him. He is the son of God. The more than a teacher was present, the power of the Lord to heal was present.

[9:44] And so people were showing up. That's what made that room and that building different than just any other day. The power of the Lord was present. I want you to recognize that this was a place to be. In the time and age, if you were in that city or if you were in Judea, Jerusalem, or Galilee, and you heard about this going on and you knew Jesus was there, it was time to sit down whatever you were doing.

[10:05] It would be time to postpone your plans. And it was the head there and to see it. That was most certainly the place to be, was at the feet of Jesus, hearing him teach, seeing him do that work.

[10:17] But I want to remind you, you have good news today, that you're at that place as well. That's available. Not just because we're a building on top of a hill. Not just because we have a building. But when the children of God get together, the Holy Spirit lives inside of us.

[10:31] And this is a place where he is present. This is a place where you can find healing today. This is a place where you can come to know Jesus. And we looked at in chapter number 4, Luke 4, 14, And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit in the Galilee.

[10:44] And there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. Jesus at great length made it known to us that the power in which he overcame temptation, the power that he went through those 40 days of fasting, was in the power of the Holy Spirit, which is available to every believer, because he had overcome sin for us.

[11:04] And so it's wonderful. It's speaking about something that's available to us today. It's something that's available when you're not in this building and you're with your family. It's available when you're at your workplace. That this is a place where healing can take place.

[11:16] This is a place where the power of the Holy Spirit is present, because he is there living and indwelling in you. So this is the place to be. If you want, you can get t-shirts made, right?

[11:26] Wear it to work. Say, if you're around me, this is the place to be, all right? Why would you want to be any place else? Because here, with the Word of God, I can introduce you to the Creator of the universe.

[11:37] You guys are just little mobile parties. You may not know that about yourself. But wherever you're at, it is the place to be. Not only is that the place to be where the healing power of God is present, where Jesus Christ is being known and people are worshiping him, but I want you to see here that men were not innovative, but they were convinced.

[11:56] You shouldn't be looking up at the roof today. You should be looking at the feet of Jesus. You don't need to know much about the roof. That was just a means, but that wasn't what needs to be done. And behold, men brought in a bed, a man which was taken with palsy, and they sought means to bring him in and to lay him before him.

[12:11] They sought means, and they found him. Their friend had been there not walking, that he's not able to. He lived on that mat, the same mat that it would probably use to bring him down through the wall.

[12:23] He had lived his life there, unable to get up. Unable, no matter what city he was in, no matter what he was at, it didn't matter if it was 10 feet away, it didn't matter if it was 10 miles away. This man was not getting to Jesus, but God used these four men in the story to bring them to the feet of Jesus.

[12:39] And that's incredible that God would use us in a story like this, that God is still using people in our story. But what's important to realize, it's not the means in which this happens.

[12:50] William Carey, he wrote a book in 1792, and this is the title of it. I'm not kidding here. All right? An Inquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens.

[13:01] It's like 14 words. Brother Jeff, if you'd write books with those titles, you'd be halfway done. By the time you start, it's longer than any book I've written. An Inquiry into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of Heathens.

[13:13] Basically, the idea is, hey, if we're four friends and our friend's laying on a mat, do we go over there and pick up our friend and bring him to the feet of Jesus? Or do we just say, whatever will be, will be, and I don't need to do anything?

[13:26] If Jesus wants to walk by the man, then that's good enough. No. God uses you. God uses me as a source of means that bring people underneath the teaching of his word so people can know him.

[13:39] And that was the big appeal that William Carey made. And he says, if you'll hold the rope for me, I'll go to India because I'm going to allow God to use my life and to go over there to bring people to the feet of Jesus. But if this story happens today, I've got another slide for you here.

[13:51] If this story happens today, we would probably really, there's a good chance that we would miss out, okay? This is what happens today. I try to get the two best salesmen I know, which is my son Carson and O'Gregory here, okay?

[14:02] And our children's pastor. And so this happens today, and we have an experience. We have something that happens. And Jesus is there in the room, and they cut a hole in the ceiling, and they're let down, and this man gets healed.

[14:16] The American form of Christianity, what we do is we're going to now hold conferences called It's All About the Roof. We're going to hold conferences about cutting holes in roofs. And we're going to have an online conference, three easy payments, and these three guys will teach you about cutting holes in roofs.

[14:31] And then we will have talking and teaching that's all about methods and means. But these men, they just knew they were convinced. If I get my friend to Jesus, something will happen.

[14:41] That's all that mattered. You can take that picture down because it's kind of weird. All right. And so it's all about the roof. And so you don't need to get caught up in it. We don't need to replicate it. We can't be looking at another church or another person's life and say, I want to replicate this.

[14:55] Just simply know this. If you get your friend to the feet of Jesus, something can happen. If you get your friend to the feet of Jesus, something will happen. When you're thoroughly convinced that Jesus is the only person that can make a difference in your friend's life, then you're going to do whatever it takes.

[15:13] If that means cutting a hole in a roof, that's what you're going to do. If it means setting up an early morning appointment for coffee, that's what you're going to do. If it means picking them up and taking them somewhere, that's what you're going to do.

[15:23] If it means making a phone call every day at the same time, you're going to do it because it's not about the roof. These two men, their method is very simple. What is the straightest path that we can get somebody to the feet of Jesus?

[15:34] Let's go to the roof and cut a hole. That is your straightest path. All right. What is a good means? What is the straightest path that gets somebody to the feet of Jesus? And another thing we see from them is what doesn't seem reasonable under normal circumstances becomes reasonable when you're thoroughly convinced that Jesus is the only solution to your problem or to the problem of your friends.

[15:59] Yeah, they say it's probably not a big deal cutting a hole in a roof. They could have put it back. I don't know. It's a big deal if you cut a hole in my roof no matter how quickly I can put it back. That is not a reasonable thing to do.

[16:09] That is not a normal thing. We don't see it in another time in the Bible where they're just talking about, hey, let's just cut a hole in the roof. All right. They don't do that. It's unreasonable, but in those circumstances, it becomes reasonable.

[16:21] It's true about you. You may be a shy person by nature. You may be this type of person or another type of person you need to call yourself. This isn't typically your personality, but when you come to thinking about getting your friends to Jesus, what once seemed unreasonable seems now very reasonable.

[16:37] What kind of price would you pay upon that? Whatever needs to be done, we should get our loved ones to the feet of Jesus. They knew at the feet of Jesus they would find answers. We don't know their names, and I'm glad we don't.

[16:49] You probably have heard people giving them names before. It would make this message preparation a lot shorter and weird that their names could be Frank Faith or Harry Hope or Larry Love or Dan Determination.

[17:01] All right. You can name these guys, but they're not mentioned. And I think it might be on purpose because they just represent every one of us that just said, I have this friend. I can't do anything for him.

[17:12] I have a friend that no doctor has been able to do anything for him. I have this friend, and he's not going to get to the feet of Jesus unless God uses me. So I'm going to seek for means. I'm going to find some way to get them, and God uses them.

[17:25] And God's used so many unnamed people in my life and so many unnamed people in your life to point me to Jesus. And I hope we can be that for more people. They are convinced. They are thoroughly convinced that Jesus and only Jesus was the answer.

[17:38] Not only did he have the answer, but he was the answer. And here's something wonderful about Jesus. In Luke chapter number 5, verse 12, it says, And it came to pass when he was in a certain city, behold, a man full of leprosy, who seeing Jesus fell on his face and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

[18:00] The question wasn't, was Jesus capable? The question was, was he willing? Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. There's no doubt. There is no doubt about either one.

[18:11] The situation that you're facing that I don't even know about, the situation with your friend or your loved one, I'm going to go ahead and tell you before you even tell me he's able to make a difference. And I want to tell you before you even tell me the story, he wants to make a difference.

[18:25] He is willing and able, even in the life of a leper that nobody else would touch, Jesus and his compassion would reach out and make him clean.

[18:36] And that's what he would love to do today in the life of your friend, or maybe you in here today. Maybe you are the one that God has brought here today to sit at the city of Jesus for the very first time.

[18:48] And whatever baggage or hardships that you have, I want you to know not only is he willing, but he is able completely. And so you don't even have to ask today. I want to ask you, are you convinced that he will work in your situation?

[19:02] These guys knew that about their friend. They didn't run in first and say, hey, Jesus, I know you've done some, I know you've healed leprosy. I know you've done a lot of things, but this friend over here, he can't walk. How are you doing with people like that?

[19:14] And then they run over and get their friend. They said, this Messiah that we know that he will be able to do something. And they go and they get their friend in this situation. What is the situation? And they ask, what is harder?

[19:24] He says, is it easier to say that sins be forgiven or to say, rise up and walk? The man that can forgive sins can do anything that he wants because only God has the power to forgive sins.

[19:36] And God has that power. If you know in here today that Jesus Christ saved you, and you should know that in here today, do you recognize what he did? That when you were an enemy of the cross, when you were dead in your sin and trespasses, when you had no love or desire for him, he knew you and he loved you.

[19:54] And the gospel was the power of God and salvation. You heard the gospel message and you responded to him. And that you having done nothing to merit your salvation, you brought nothing to him except for the sin that you had given.

[20:08] He saved you. And why? Because he's the creator of the universe and he can do that. And he sent his son to die for you. And so now tell me why your situation is hopeless.

[20:19] Tell me why you don't think that he can make a difference in your story right now. What's harder to say? Your sins be forgiven or stand up and walk? Anybody that can tell me my sins are forgiven, he can say stand up and walk.

[20:32] He can say anything that he wants to. And so I want to ask you, where do you draw the line today between what you believe God can do and what he cannot do? And the answer is, if not Jesus, where?

[20:44] Where do you take your friend if you're not taking him and bringing him to the foot of Jesus? Where are you going to take him? If you can't take him to Jesus, where are you going to take him? And if you can't, then our heart is going to be sick because there will be no hope for us if it's not found at the feet of Jesus.

[20:59] And I want you to know today that God can help your loved one that's dealing with addiction. God can bring healing to your friend who has been hurt. I wonder how many people in that moment when they brought their friend through the roof thought, I should have went and got my friend.

[21:13] I should go and get my friend. If he can do that for that man, if those four guys can come up with this and bring him, then I have a friend that is also on a mat that is dead in his sin and trespasses.

[21:25] I have a friend who cannot walk and they go and get their friend. That's why sharing your testimony is so important and it's so needed. And a lot of our New Testament is them rehearsing stories one to another and sharing what God had done.

[21:37] Because when you hear my story, it ought to remind you that if God can forgive my sins, he can make a difference in your life and the life of your friends as well. And so let's look at Jesus' response.

[21:49] Jesus' response is the message of that day and it's also the message of this day as well. Verse 20, You see, he was looking at the faith in their heart.

[22:10] He wasn't looking at the hole in the ceiling. He was looking right at that man. He was looking at that man and not only that, he was looking at that man's faith and he wasn't even looking at his physical ailments.

[22:22] He's not just looking at the faith of the men that was required for healing. He was looking at the faith of the man that is being brought down through there. When he saw the faith of these men, he was looking at the faith of five people, not four people.

[22:34] And how do I know that? Because the Bible teaches that you're never saved by the faith of anybody else in your life. It has to be a personal decision. That man did not inherit the faith of his friends.

[22:45] Abraham 4.3 says that Abraham believed and it was accounted unto him righteousness. That it was his, that man's personal belief. It was that man's faith. When he says, I don't know what my friends have got me into.

[22:57] He was vulnerable and he was helpless and he was coming down through a roof, but he looked at Jesus and he said, if this man, I believe he can help me. I believe he is the Messiah. And Jesus looks up and he says, man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

[23:11] I saw their faith. And he saw that about that man. He saw it and forgiveness was given. And we know that because it's what the Bible teaches us, that it's a personal individual decision that that man made.

[23:25] But it is worth noting that Jesus not only says, do I see your faith? But he says, I see their faith. He saw the faith of all their men. Everything about that story was an act of faith.

[23:36] It was a faith that Jesus would make a difference. And Jesus is commenting on that, that I see your faith. I see what you're doing. What an incredible thing that the God of heaven would look up and say, I see your faith in what you're doing, that he would make a comment on that.

[23:50] We ought to be people living lives of faith. We ought to be doing things and living lives of faith. Man's greatest need is always for his sins to be forgiven. It might've been weird to those sitting at the table.

[24:02] It might've been odd to those that are sitting on the ground when they looked at him and they're saying, why is he addressing the sin and why isn't he dealing with the fact that the man can't walk? And I would say exactly religious teachers, you always miss the point.

[24:14] You're always looking at the externals when God looks upon the heart of them. And so every, God would bring people to the feet of Jesus.

[24:25] And that's a wonderful thing. And that you may have been involved in before. That by faith, God used you to bring somebody to the feet of Jesus. I shared it many times, but the first time in a prayer meeting in high school, twice a week, praying for Les and praying for Sean, two teenagers that were not believers.

[24:46] One day in a church service, a man was preaching the gospel and Sean and Les stood up. I was sitting between them, just like Banks here, between Turner and Jacob here.

[24:58] And those two guys stood up during the invitation. They gave each other a fist bump and they went to the altar. And they gave their life to Jesus. And I knew in that moment that it was their faith that saved them.

[25:09] But God let me be part of that by praying for them and witnessing to them. And I thought this was incredible. That the God of heaven would allow me to do something that would touch and affect all eternity.

[25:21] I don't know where Les and Sean's at right now. And from what I remember in high school, I don't really need to know, all right? They were troublemakers, all right? But Les and Sean, I don't know where they're at today. But I know where they're going to be for all eternity.

[25:32] I know that I'll get to see them again. I know that a decision was made on that day. Their faith, that they used the faith of some friends to be praying for them, to be sharing Jesus with them.

[25:44] And I pray that you would have the faith of these four people as well. And until your friend or family member has faith in Jesus Christ, I pray that you'll continue to have faith that Jesus can make a difference.

[25:54] Verse number 24, but that you may know that the Son of Man hath power upon earth that forgives sins. This is Jesus speaking here that the Son of Man, 80 different times Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man.

[26:09] You've all met people before that says, Jesus never said he was God. And that just really bothers you, right? Because just time and time again, he says, me and the Father are one. He says it a million different, he says it dozens of different ways, but it just doesn't say it the way that they want him to say it.

[26:25] And so it's like playing a board game with a little kid, right? They always win because they just change the rules to no matter what it is, because unbelief is, it's blind, it doesn't have faith. But Jesus says he calls himself the Son of Man.

[26:37] And those sitting in the room, especially those sitting on the ground that would have been the doctors of the law, of the first five books of the Bible, and knowing the Old Testament and the prophecies of Daniel, they would have known what he was saying.

[26:48] Daniel 7, 13, and I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the ancients of days, and they brought him near before him, the ancient of days.

[27:02] A phrase that's used three times in the book of Daniel. Occasionally it's going to be in a song that we sing around here, speaking about the Father. And what is it that the ancients of days gives unto the Son of Man?

[27:14] Daniel 7, 14. And there was given him dominion and glory and kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that he shall not be destroyed.

[27:29] They said, correctly, that only God can forgive sins. So you have forgiven sins, so you're saying you are God. And Jesus says, you got it right, you know?

[27:41] He's saying he is the Son of Man. That's exactly what's supposed to happen. People are supposed to know that Jesus is the Son of God, because he did what only God could do. And so these men knew that they were completely helpless unless God did something.

[27:55] They were completely helpless unless they bring them to Jesus. And so these Pharisees on the ground, they should have immediately jumped up. They should have immediately said, the Son of Man and Daniel, given authority, here's a living example that not only does he have the power to forgive sin, but now he's going to make this man walk.

[28:12] This is the Messiah. They should have fell on their face at the feet of Jesus. But we know that they don't. See, Luke is telling you there's no one whose sin has put them out of reach of Jesus, not the leper or anybody.

[28:27] In 513, it says, and he put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will be clean. And immediately, leprosy departed from him, because Jesus has authority. Because Jesus, the Son of Man, has given power and dominion, and he can make the difference.

[28:42] And these men believed it. The man that was healed believed it. But those sitting in the room, they just remained curious. They remained asking questions. And they began asking questions that would never be answered.

[28:52] Matthew 9, 2 says, and behold, a parallel passage for this, and behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed, and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee.

[29:07] Our fundamental need in this world is forgiveness of sins. Without that blessing, no other blessing of God can be enjoyed. Jesus saw past everything in this man's life, and he saw that this man's identity was needed, and he needed forgiveness of sins.

[29:23] It wasn't saying that the man's physical ailment was brought on by sin, which happens in the Bible. But what he was saying is, if you're physically healthy, or you're not physically healthy, the greatest thing that I can do for you is offer you forgiveness of sins.

[29:37] And you're going to receive forgiveness of sins today, not because you're in proximity to me, not because your friends have cut a hole in the roof, but because you have faith in me. And the faith of your friends has brought you to a point where you now have faith in me as well.

[29:50] The greatest need for anybody in this room, or anybody that will ever live, is forgiveness of sins. Hey, I don't know what you have on your to-do list this week, but I promise you on that to-do list, it isn't earn favor with God.

[30:03] It isn't get forgiveness of sins. So at any point in your life when you feel like you're overwhelmed, you can go ahead and write on that list, get forgiveness of God, and check it off. Because you're already blessed, because he doesn't impute your sins upon you anymore, but his righteousness to you.

[30:19] Jesus saw past everything, and he just considered it. And we would do well to do that as well. It would be really odd for you to say, hey, there's Trent, the Nissan Frontier driver. Trent, if you know anything about Trent, he drives a black Nissan Frontier.

[30:31] That's one thing I could tell you about Trent. It'd be really weird for you in here. Most of you thought, I didn't even know Trent drove a Nissan Frontier, right? It's not part of my identity. I never go around and say, that's part of my identity.

[30:42] Me driving a Nissan Frontier is as much part of my identity as this man wasn't able to walk. It was small detail. This man needed forgiveness of sins. The problem that your friend has, maybe they're involved in some kind of sin and it's hard for you to overlook because it's so far from the type of sins that you would be involved in.

[30:59] You say, I can't ever imagine being involved in this. That's not the detail of the life you need to worry about. They need forgiveness of sins. And so you need to look past it and look deeper. Not overlook it as if it doesn't matter, but look through that and say, they need forgiveness of their sins.

[31:14] When you look at a person and you say, they're just so nice and they're so sweet and they're loving, you need to look past that part of their identity and say, if they have not come to the feet of Jesus, if they have not put their faith and trust in Jesus, they need forgiveness of their sins.

[31:26] That's the two groups of people in this world. Those that have received forgiveness of sins and those that haven't. And every other detail in the story can be a distraction to you. You need to know they need forgiveness of sins.

[31:39] And so lastly here, what does it mean to bring people to Jesus today? If it means cutting a roof, by all means, cut a hole in the roof.

[31:50] The deacons will get over it, I'm sure. Okay? If it means cutting a hole in the roof, let's pray that we're never in a place together where a person would have to cut a hole in the roof. We'll never have to cut through all the mess of religion and cut through everything.

[32:03] That when a person who needs Jesus comes in here, that we would part like the Red Sea and say, make your way to the altar. Make your way to the Word of God. Make your way to Jesus. That our life is given to help and get people to Jesus.

[32:15] And we're not part of that distraction in the story of making something that is confusing to people, that it's simple. So if it's cutting a hole in the roof, by all means, do it. But true friends bring people to meet Jesus.

[32:27] That's what a true friend does. Proverbs 27, 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. You know, these weren't good friends if they wanted them. They said, you know what, you may not be able to walk, but it's not that big a deal, to be honest with you.

[32:40] You've got quite good at getting around in your wheelchair. You've come quite good at managing your life, not walking. That's not being a good friend. A good friend says, I recognize there's a need that only Jesus is going to meet it.

[32:54] And that's what kind of friend we ought to be, is to recognize, hey, I see that you're in need of forgiveness. But that's okay, because I can take you to the only one that can give you that. True friends will discourage sin and encourage obedience because they love God and they love us.

[33:08] Hebrews 10, 24. And let us consider one another, provoke unto love and to good works. Let's do whatever it takes to get our friends to Jesus. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if we could see some strange things in here and together?

[33:21] Verse 26. And they were all amazed and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, we have seen strange things today. I was studying that verse when Sherry Penland was talking about, I need to have suckers for the kids because the kids in this church have an agreement that they come to church, they learn about Jesus and they get a sucker before they go home.

[33:39] And I can't breach the contract with them, okay? They have to get their sucker. Andrew Pearson suggested, why don't you give out chicken wings? Because you love chicken wings so much, that could be kind of your thing.

[33:50] And I said, man, if we did that, everybody who leaves on Sunday morning would say, we have seen strange things today as the pastor is handing out chicken wings to the kids, all right? There's a lot of strange things that are being seen in this world today.

[34:01] It is super strange, meaning not normal. Let's let the world see some things that are strange in a wonderful supernatural bringing people to the feet of Jesus. There are some, we may get to hear stories of God making a difference.

[34:14] And you can read prayer letters, you can talk to people in your life group, and you're getting used to knowing and you're getting, you get often reminded that the God of heaven intervenes in this world and he does something.

[34:24] We rejoice together when we pray for Brother Austin and we get answers to those prayer requests. We rejoice together when your loved one or your friend, Brother Todd had a friend of 30 years that he shared the gospel with.

[34:35] Last Sunday, we learned that he had put his faith in Jesus. We remember that there's a God in heaven that's intervening in this world. There's pockets and places that you can go today where people are living with deferred hope.

[34:47] They're living as if there is no hope in this world and their hearts are sick because of it. And you know what they need to see? They need to see something strange. They need to see something that's different than what they've seen before.

[34:58] They need to see a friend that is so convinced that Jesus will make a difference. They say, whatever it takes, I'm going to get you to the feet of Jesus. I'm going to inconvenience my life.

[35:08] I'm going to alter my life. I'm going to do what's not normally reasonable because getting you to Jesus is the most important thing in all of the world. And these Pharisees and everybody in that room had a living demonstration.

[35:21] Jesus said, I told the man to walk and I said he was forgiven of sins. And you see him walking? Not only is he walking, but I also forgive sins. In the Christian life that I live, doing good for my neighbor and all that, that is not my salvation.

[35:35] But it is a sign that Jesus Christ can forgive of sins. My desire to do good today is the fact that Jesus forgives sins. My desire to do good today shows that he can renew a person's mind.

[35:46] My living out my Christian faith is evidence of the fact that Jesus can say, your sins are forgiven and stand up and walk. And when people come to me and they say, hey, you're walking, I want you to know before I was ever walking, I was on the ground, dead in my sin and trespasses, but I had faith in Jesus Christ and he forgave me of my sins.

[36:06] You have that story. Somebody might have cut a roof, a hole in a roof for you one day. And we're cutting holes in roofs around the world to try to get the gospel to people. What are you doing today? What is the means that you're going to use to get the gospel to somebody?

[36:19] Look at Jesus' example of what to do when people wanted to know about him. I go to this passage often when I think about what does it look like to bring our loved ones to Jesus. John 1.38, I shared in the Come and See a couple of weeks ago, it says, People should get to sit with Jesus in his word.

[36:52] Jesus should get to know about Jesus Christ by spending time in his word. The creator of the universe in a 33-year time here on earth, when people wanted to know more about him, he set aside two days so that they could know about him and he made himself open.

[37:12] How are we to not give our lives fully to say, if you want to know Jesus, if I'm going to bring my friends to the feet of Jesus, I am willing to spend significant amount of time in this word with him.

[37:25] You can't walk into that room that I showed you, but you can walk to a table with the word of God and his presence is there. His presence to heal is there. The Holy Spirit inside of you through his word will encounter the heart of a person who is not believing.

[37:39] His presence is there to heal. But are you going to do that or are you going to sit there and just watch the show? Are you going to sit there and just ask questions? I leave you with this quote.

[37:50] If that hole in the roof teaches us anything, it's that faith is what brings a person to Jesus. Not intellectual reasoning, curiosity crowded the room, but it was a faith that dug through the roof to bring a paralytic to the feet of Jesus.

[38:06] If it left the smart people in the room that were just reasoning and thinking about stuff, that man would have still been paralyzed down the road. He would never came to Jesus. If it was just the people that were sitting there enjoying the show, that man would have still stayed there.

[38:19] But what it took was it took some people that were convinced that the only thing that's going to make a difference in my friend's life is I'm going to have to get them to the feet of Jesus. And if you and I didn't have somebody in our life that was convinced that Jesus was the only answer and they used use of means to get us to Jesus, today we would be dead men.

[38:37] We would be unable to come to him, but God used them and he could use us. And so the question isn't about cutting holes in roofs. The question is about means. I'm not even going to give you a clipboard where you can sign up for the next great cutting the hole in the roof campaign that we're going to start.

[38:53] This is what I know, that when God's people are convinced that Jesus is the only answer, they will find a way to get their friends to Jesus. And I want to ask you today, will you give up on everything else?

[39:03] Would you give up on everything else when it comes to your friends and say, if I don't get them to the feet of Jesus, then they're never going to have hope. They're never going to have any answers. Let's pray. With every head bowed and every eye closed, and before I begin to pray to the Lord and to ask him to take the word of God deep into the heart of every believer in here, and you make that decision and say, I am thoroughly convinced that getting people to the feet of Jesus is the only answer for my friend.

[39:30] I want to speak to you in here today as a friend. Maybe you come today and you don't realize what Jesus can do for you, that Jesus alone. You think you need to hear other answers?

[39:42] You have questions in life? But I promise you that the most important thing in your life, the starting point of your new life is to hear, Son, be of good cheer.

[39:53] Your sins are forgiven. And I would like for you to have that opportunity today. This church exists so that you can have that opportunity today. But the greatest barrier for you is to acknowledge your sinfulness and need of him.

[40:07] And so that's where I started here. If you're in here today and you say, I know that I need to put my faith and trust in Jesus, I want to spend that two days with Jesus as he offered. I want to know him better.

[40:17] If that's you in here today, would you raise your hand so that I'll know to pray for you, recognizing that you don't know that you have put your faith and trust in Jesus. Well, those of you in here that are my brother and sister in Christ, would you do inventory of your heart and say, God, I haven't been living as if I'm convinced that bringing my friend to Jesus would make a difference.

[40:36] And I ask for forgiveness for the way that you haven't been a friend to that person. And right now, recognize that only he alone can make a difference. And commit in your heart that whatever it is this week or whatever this month that comes into your life, regardless of the cost, you're going to do it to bring your friends to the feet of Jesus.

[40:55] Heavenly Father, I pray that you'll be with us now. I pray that everyone in here, believing and unbelieving, will make a decision based upon your word, that somebody would find forgiveness of sins today. I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ, Lord.

[41:08] I pray that they are thoroughly convinced that only you can bring healing and provide forgiveness of sins, and that they will do all that they can to bring their friends and loved ones to the feet of your Son.

[41:18]  Amen.