Let's turn to Mark chapter 2.
Mark chapter 2, we are talking this month about first things first.
And that is the new guy coming in, wanted you to know the priorities that stir me.
I wanted you to know what it is that sets my focus and seems to guide my direction as a pastor.
Just to put it bluntly, I want you to know my heart.
I want you to know what makes me tick and what gets me up in the morning because we're family.
I don't know everybody's name, but I've been to some family reunions like that before.
So now I'm just trying to figure out who's the ones that bull through the lines and get all the food and then leave and don't speak to anybody.
You know, so those type of things.
So we've been talking about first things first.
We began to talk about the need of knowing that you are saved.
There's doubt in your mind.
We need to nail that down because the reality is you won't grow.
You won't share.
You won't thrive in your Christian walk if you're struggling, whether it's even there or not.
So you need to know that.
And if you don't know the Lord Jesus today, I want you to know that of all the things that we talk about and all the things that we do,
the most important thing that we want you to know is the Lord Jesus on a personal basis, surrendering your life to him.
So I believe it's important.
I believe it's bedrock to know that you know the Lord, you're saved.
Then if you do know him, I think you'll live for him.
That includes spending time daily with him.
And we've shared that, a plan of reading the word of God daily and implementing that and allowing God to speak to you and use that in your life.
I'm going to speak to that again in coming days because I just believe that it ought to be a part of our life, you know, like brushing your teeth.
And if you don't do that at least a couple times a day, you need to, okay?
You need to brush your teeth, but you also need to spend some time in God's word.
So I believe it ought to be as natural as that.
You know, when I say that, I think, well, some people may not think it's natural to brush their teeth, but I hope you do.
And if you don't, your neighbor will let you know it.
So, and then I think we ought to spur one another on because I promise you there's always going to be times of discouragement.
There's always going to be times when we need one another and we try to hide that on Sunday, okay?
We try to look our best and we try to act like that all the pieces of our pie are in place and all those things.
But the reality is we need the Lord Jesus and he established the church because we need one another.
And we need to be spurring one another on in so many different ways that we can do that.
Today, I just want to encourage you to do a simple thing and that is grab a corner.
Just grab a corner.
Mark chapter 2, beginning in verse 1, it says this.
And when he, speaking of Christ, returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.
And many were gathered together so that there was no more room, not even at the door.
And he was preaching the word to them.
And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
And when they could not get near because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him.
And when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, son, your sins are forgiven.
Now, some of the scribes were sitting there questioning in their hearts, why does this man speak like this?
He's blaspheming.
Who can forgive sins but God alone?
And immediately Jesus perceived in his spirit that those questioned within themselves, that they questioned within themselves.
And said to them, why do you question these things in your heart?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven?
Or to rise, take up your bed and walk?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
He said to the paralytic, I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.
And when he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all,
so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, we never saw anything like this.
When Jesus entered Capernaum again, there was a buzz in the air.
His reputation had preceded him.
Jesus was in town again.
When he had previously been there, Scripture tells us that he had taught in the synagogue.
After teaching and eating at Simon's house, literally across the street from the synagogue,
the whole town came and more were healed.
He pulled up the next morning and went to pray.
And when he got up, he went and preached in Galilee, that same region,
that larger, greater region around Capernaum.
That is a beautiful area.
All of it overlooks the Sea of Galilee.
It is pretty rolling pasture.
It smells of Jesus up there.
It's just a special spot.
You can sense his influence.
And still today, the Galilean people are different.
There's a different flavor to them.
There's a pleasantness about them, a different countenance than you see in other folks in that area.
They look Galilean.
They act Galilean.
And when they first told me that, I didn't really understand what that meant.
But once I met them, I understood what they meant by that.
It's pretty neat.
And while this morning in our passage, he returns to Capernaum,
he had taught folks.
He had healed folks.
He had fellowship with folks.
And they had spread the word about that.
And folks were coming because they had spread the word about what God was doing.
While stopping at someone's house, a crowd began to gather and surround the place.
And Jesus began to teach.
It was a crowd.
An overwhelming crowd surrounded the house, hung in the windows, all those things.
As much as they do wonderful in reaching out and how you need to take advantage of the opportunity,
they didn't have Facebook ads in that day.
And they didn't have yard signs in that day.
They just had word of mouth.
Now, I will say that we've got BBS yard signs.
If they're still available, they're out there.
Pick them up.
Put them in your yard.
Invite some kid.
Get off my lawn and come to BBS and learn of the love of Jesus.
But the reality is, the best way to share the news of Jesus Christ is to tell somebody.
Just tell them.
And that's what they had done.
They told them.
And the result of them telling that was a house that was overflowing with people.
Church, don't ever underestimate your influence.
God has placed you here to use you here.
Tell somebody about Jesus.
The evil one wants you to underestimate your influence.
To say you don't know what to say.
To worry about questions someone may ask.
Just share what you know.
The room was filled.
The doorway was filled.
The windows were filled.
People were everywhere.
And there was a special need on the outer edge of the crowd.
And thankfully that man had help.
He was a paralyzed man being carried on a cot by his friends.
And they had a burden.
They wanted this man well.
And when they heard of Jesus and they heard of his power, they wanted to get that man to Jesus.
When it comes to seeing lives changed by Christ, I believe we have a lot to learn from this account.
And I believe we ought to practice what we learn.
He came to Christ because of his friends.
He could not come on his own.
He was physically unable to.
Jesus may pass by him.
But he was not going to pass by Jesus because the man was paralyzed.
He was incapable of coming.
That reminds me of a spiritual, biblical concept in Romans chapter 3, 10 and following when it says,
None is righteous, no, not one.
For no one understands, no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside.
Together they become worthless.
No one does good.
Not even one.
This man was physically incapable of coming to Christ.
But there are a lot more that are spiritually incapable of coming to Christ.
We are not brought unless we're drawn.
And God uses his own people through the Holy Spirit of God to help draw folks to Christ Jesus.
You don't wake up to the fact one day that you need Jesus on your own.
God always makes the initiative.
And listen, he uses us believers in that process of making that initiation.
He has commissioned us to join him in the task of bringing others to Christ.
It is his last words.
I've been at the bedside of those who are dying.
I've heard their last words.
And people hang on the very end to see what it is they last say.
And Jesus, of all things, right before he ascended, told us to go.
Just like the ladies sang just a few minutes ago.
Go tell folks the difference that Christ makes.
He's commissioned us to do that.
We ought to live by that.
Now having said that, it is challenging today.
It seems that less come to Christ.
Why?
Because our country's filled with so many spiritual options.
America is a melting pot that has brought in people from all over the world.
And they brought their gods with them.
And what we found is we have a spiritual mess on our hands.
We are a very enlightened bunch.
Plus, we've tried our best after breaking off from Europe.
We've tried our best to become more like Europe.
And you know what?
It's happening.
America feels too smart for God.
We've become so open-minded our brains are falling out.
And another reason that happens is because Christians have decided,
whether in their head or just in their practice,
that they'll just keep their faith to their self.
They'll just mind their own.
To be blunt, the devil is pulling out all the stops.
To discourage Christians from sharing their faith
and to allow lost people to stay lost.
If you're a Christian today, the devil can't have your soul,
so he'll try to rip your testimony out of your life.
And if you don't know the Lord Jesus, he don't want you to.
The reality is, he is trying his best.
And he'll oppress the Christian.
He'll influence the society.
He'll indoctrinate the carnal man.
The reality is, as the Apostle Paul tells us, we're in a war.
And if we're not sharing Christ, we're losing that war.
Most people will never come to know the Lord if Christian friends don't bring them to Christ.
He allows us to play a part in that process.
We are responsible for that.
We think it's none of our business when Scripture tells us that it is.
We think that they can see the Christ option clearly when Scripture tells us that they can't.
Why can't they see it?
John 1 verse 5 says that Jesus is the light that has shined in the darkness,
but the darkness has not understood it.
Never expect someone spiritually in the dark to become spiritually enlightened
without the outreach of a Christian friend.
God chooses to use us in that process.
All folks in need must know the Savior that solves their needs.
And God chooses to use believers.
I want you to notice something else.
I want you to notice that his friends had to make an extreme effort.
They had planned to lead him through, but the crowd was too great.
They couldn't get through.
So they went to the nth degree.
Four of them carried him up to the roof.
Now typically, in that day, a house in that region would be a flat-roofed house.
And on the side of that house would be clay steps that led up the side of that house
to allow them to get to a flat place.
It's where you dried out things.
It's where you stored things.
But they climbed up the top and began to tear through that roof,
that roof of hay and dried mud,
and that began to fall in that room with Jesus.
Can you imagine the scene there as Jesus is teaching,
and the roof is beginning to fall?
What if the friends would have said,
that's too much work?
I mean, we tried.
We got him this far, but why bother going any further?
What if the friends would have said,
well, let's try again later?
Or what in the world are people going to think?
A good question is, what will the owner think?
I mean, you know.
What will Jesus think?
I mean, we're interrupting him.
Maybe we ought to do this next time.
All of those reasons would have been unacceptable
because it was a day of a miracle,
and none of these friends knew when they got up that morning
what they were going to see happen.
You never know what God is going to do
and when he's going to do a miracle in somebody else's life,
and he uses your effort to carry that out.
So the question is, what is too much?
When have you went too far to lead one to Christ?
When have you done too much
to encourage somebody to come to Christ?
When is it too much to do,
to do our part,
to keep somebody out of an eternal hell?
When do you give up trying on that?
These guys show us, you don't stop.
It's never too late.
God chooses to work in the extreme efforts.
He chooses to use us in that process.
And don't misunderstand me.
God can save folks without us,
but why should he have to?
Why can't he involve us in that process
after he's changed our life,
we've committed our life to him,
and he's commissioned us,
empowered us,
and promised us he'd be right there with us
the whole time we go?
Why not get in on what God wants to do?
And it is in those times
that he often makes his greatest moves.
Notice the reason Jesus did what he did.
I didn't put this in here.
Verse 5 says he did it because of their faith.
That's what it says.
It does not say simply that man's faith.
It says their faith.
Don't look at me like that.
I didn't put that in there.
It's in there.
I didn't write it.
Our faith, get this,
our faith, our active faith,
plays a role in changing the world
for the Lord Jesus Christ.
I promise you.
Could it be that we have given up too easily?
Could it be that we've said
there's no need to go to an extreme effort
to reach somebody?
They did.
And it worked.
I want you to notice something else too.
Jesus knew the man's greatest needs.
He knew his greatest needs.
After they did all that,
Jesus didn't even do what they wanted him to do.
At least he didn't do it in an obvious way.
He handled something else.
Man had a physical condition.
He couldn't move.
He was paralyzed.
Had to be carried on a cot by four friends.
Torn through a roof and dropped down
in the middle of that teaching spot.
And Jesus looked past his physical condition
and saw his spiritual condition.
And he first dealt with the spiritual condition.
He ends up dealing with the physical condition,
but just as an evidence of what he can do spiritually.
Because he was more concerned about the spiritual condition.
By the way,
he always is more concerned about the spiritual condition.
We can make a prayer list all we want to.
We can pray for physical needs
and God chooses to heal when he wants to heal.
And he chooses to do it in a way,
I ask him to do it in a way
where we know it's been by his hand
and we give him all the credit.
Not the medicine,
not the doctor,
not the hospital,
that we get him the credit.
Lord,
make it obvious to us
so we don't miss it
that it's been by your hand.
And thank God,
we've seen him heal
and we've seen him do wonderful things.
But I promise you,
he's always more concerned
about the spiritual condition.
He's always more concerned about that.
Yes,
he healed this man as proof
of what he could do in somebody's heart,
but I bet nobody thought
that was how it was going to go.
I want you to understand something.
It is not our job
to determine someone's greatest need.
That is not our job.
It is not our job to qualify somebody.
It is not our job to disqualify somebody.
It is our job commissioned by Christ
to get them to Jesus.
He'll work out the details.
Just get them to Christ.
If you'll get them to Christ,
he'll work it out.
We often think somebody needs
to change their lifestyle first.
They need to change the places
that they go first.
They need to act differently first.
They need to show a concern
for such things as that first.
I want you to understand something
and I want you to remember it.
Never forget that people without Jesus
are without Jesus.
Lost people are going to be lost
and they're going to act lost.
Don't expect any different.
The only hope they have
is in Christ Jesus.
If we could fix the things
in our life that's broke,
we would need a Savior.
And so listen,
if you're here today
and you're waiting to fix
some things in your life
before you come to Christ,
stop waiting.
It's not going to happen.
And by the way,
once you give your heart
and life to Christ,
you'll still find out
that you're imperfect.
You'll still find out
that you can't get it all right.
And that is why,
two weeks ago I said,
let's spend daily time
with the Lord,
asking Him to empower us
and strengthen us
to rise above the frailties
that so condemn our lives
and that the devil
kicks our teeth in about
and that we are discouraged
along the way about.
Let's continue to bring
those matters before God
daily
because then
there's a relationship.
We've established something
real with the Lord
that forever will change our lives.
But do not expect the world
to act Christian
when they're not Christian.
It's not going to happen, folks.
Don't worry about
what God needs to do
in somebody's life.
Get them to Jesus.
Let them take care of it.
Let Him take care of it.
Listen.
And when it comes
to the decisions
that people make today,
when it comes to the persuasions
that they follow,
when it comes to how
they mark their life
in so many ways
that make us sick
to even think about,
instead of condemning folks,
let's get a burden for folks
and realize the only hope
they have is in the Lord Jesus.
Just bring them
to Jesus.
One more thing to notice.
This is as much
why I share this this morning
as anything.
Many lives were changed
by what they witnessed.
Verse 12 says
that He went out
before them all.
That paralytic
that was now walking.
Went out before them all
so that they were all amazed
and glorified God,
saying,
we never saw
anything
like this.
This transformation
was not done in secret.
People saw
what took place
and they couldn't help
but share it.
Do you know
what is so powerful
about when somebody
comes to the Lord?
A life is changed
for eternity.
However,
it does not only
affect that person.
It affects
so many
others.
Now,
I will tell you
just
clearly honest,
I'm a pastor
at heart.
Greatest concern
I have
about the kingdom
of God
is Pickens First
Baptist Church.
that's where
my heart is.
That's my concern.
Any strategic
moves that I make
besides personally
with my walk
with God,
any strategic moves
that I make
spiritually
in doing
what I do
for the Lord
Jesus
is in an effort
to strengthen
the body
of believers
and an effort
to help the church
become stronger.
How does that happen?
It becomes
a reaching church.
It becomes
a church
that's not afraid
to walk across
the street
and invite a neighbor
to come to church
so that they'll hear
the gospel
when they come.
It's not afraid
to even initiate
a conversation
and ask somebody,
let me ask you
something.
Has there ever
been a point
in your life
where you've
come to the point
in your life
where you know
for certain
that you have
eternal life
and you'll go
to heaven
when you die?
And if they say
yes,
then say,
I love to hear
people's testimony.
Can you tell me
when and how
that happened?
Let them share
with you
how Jesus
changed their life
and if that's
not the message
they share,
then share
with them
how Jesus
can change
their life.
church,
not only
can you get
involved
in being a part
of somebody
coming to the
Lord Jesus
by that,
but it changes
your life
and when
your life
is changed
the overflow
of that
affects your
household
and the overflow
of that
affects your
church
and there
begins to be
a momentum
built among
God's people
that we are
looking out
for our
neighbors.
We are
stepping up
and taking
the opportunity
to do
whatever we
can
to bring
folks
to Jesus.
There's an
atmosphere
that takes
place with
that.
Full revival
can start
in a people
when somebody
walks down
an aisle
and gives
his or her
heart
to the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Salvation
is not
to be
done
in secret.
It's to be
done
publicly.
I just
shared with
somebody
during Sunday
school
who had
questions
about their
salvation
and I
said in
Romans 10
9 when
it says if
you confess
with your mouth
Jesus is
Lord.
He's not
talking about a
private confession
in the preacher's
office.
It's not what he's
talking about.
No,
what the
Apostle Paul is
looking at is
what was happening
in the Roman
Empire and in
the Roman Empire
at that time
they were
burning incense
before some
icon of Caesar
and saying
Caesar is
Lord.
And then they
could go on
about and be
a Roman citizen
and have the
right to shop
and a right to
live and the
right to have
the freedom
within that
empire.
But when
Christians were
put in that
spot,
standing before
some representative
of Caesar and
they burned
that incense,
instead they said
in their own
language,
Kyrios Christo,
which is
Christ is
Lord.
And because
of that,
they were
thrown in
jail.
Because of
that,
they were put
into exile.
Ask John,
the writer of
Big John,
Three Little
Johns in
Revelation.
Or they lost
their life.
They lost
their life.
Or Nero,
impaled their
bodies and
dipped them
in tar and
lit his garden
with them.
Because they
said Christ is
Lord.
Publicly.
There's never a
time when
Christianity
ought to be done
in private.
is to be done
publicly.
Yes, you live
it out
privately, but
oh, you let
it shine
publicly.
And when we
do that, and
when we confess
our faith before
others, people
get fired up.
Lost people get
saved.
Private
Christians make
their decisions
public.
Churches experience
revival.
The kingdom of God
will grow.
Heaven celebrates.
I believe the
Lord shouts.
Why?
Because some
friends went to
the extreme to
bring a man to
Jesus.
Because Jesus
heals their
deepest hurts.
Because he cures
the deepest wounds.
Because he changed
that man inside and
out.
And because there
were a flock of
folk watching it
happen.
That scripture
tells us left
there saying,
dude, I ain't
ever seen nothing
like that.
I mean, I've
heard some stuff.
But I ain't
ever seen
nothing like that.
Did you hear
what happened?
Tell you, I
ain't never seen
nothing like that.
It changed
our lives.
Let me remind
you of the last
thing Jesus said
before he ascended.
You know it
well.
It's Matthew
28, 19, 20.
Go therefore and
make disciples of
all nations,
baptizing them in
the name of the
Father and the
Son and the
Holy Spirit,
teaching them to
deserve all that
I've commanded you.
Behold, I am with
you always to the
end of the age.
The last thing he
said.
He closed out his
earthly ministry and
ascended into heaven to
prepare a place for
those who would
surrender their lives to
follow him because he
thought it was the most
important thing for us to
do was to bring folks to
Jesus.
Now the good news is
this.
You don't have to do it
all.
You don't have to do it
all.
God's the one that
does the work.
He's the one that
changes lives.
But God chooses to
use us in that
process.
Andrew got changed by
Christ.
He looked at Simon who
later became Peter and
said, hey, come and see
this.
Philip just did what God
told him to do.
Listen to me.
He just was sensitive to
the Holy Spirit of God.
He just listened to his
leading.
He went where God told
him to go.
And when he got to the
crossroads, the man was
searching the scriptures,
trying to find an answer
for a prophecy that
proclaimed that Christ was
coming and didn't
understand it.
And when Philip shared
with him what it meant,
don't you all see God
all over that?
I mean, the man is
struggling and searching
on his own.
And God brings a man
who's led by him to
speak to him exactly
where he is.
And his life is changed.
That's the divine
appointment, folks.
God loves making divine
appointments.
And he wants us a part
of that.
And some folks are
going to scatter seed.
And some folks are
going to come behind
that and water it.
And some folks are
going to see the harvest
come.
I don't care if you're
scattering or you're
watering or you're
harvesting.
Listen, let's just
let it grow.
Let it grow.
You don't have to tote
the whole man on your
back.
You just got to grab
a corner.
Just do something
to share your faith
with somebody else.
And let God use us.
Don't misunderstand me.
He can save the world
without us.
But man, I sure don't
want him to.
I want to be a part of
it.
I want us to be a part
of it.
Let's grab a corner and
make a difference for the
kingdom of God.
With every head bowed and
every eye closed, I think
you know my burden is that
if you're here this morning
and you don't know the
Lord Jesus, today's the day
of salvation.
You come, we'd love to
share with you what it
means to give your heart
and life to the Lord
Jesus.
He will forever change
you, I promise.
He is better than we
are.
Don't look at us as
examples.
He's stronger and better
and more real than we
are, I promise you.
And he'll change your
life.
You come to Christ with
boldness.
Don't wait.
We'll stand and sing.
You don't sing a note.
You just come.
Maybe you're here and you
do know you're a Christian,
but you've done that
privately.
You've never made that
public through baptism.
You've never told anybody
what God has done in your
life.
Maybe just a handful of
people know.
You've never made that
public through baptism.
I want you to know the
first step of obedience to
follow Christ is through
baptism.
And the devil would love to
keep you ashamed of the
decision you made and
afraid of the decision you
made.
I encourage you to come.
Be bold.
You will never know this
side of eternity, the
difference that it makes
when you obey God and
walk forward and are
baptized.
I always, 100% of the
time, see lives changed
because somebody else got
baptized.
You don't need to do it
if you've done it as a
Christian, but if you've
never done it as a
Christian, you need to do
it if you're saved today.
Maybe God's leading you to
be a part of this
fellowship.
How we'd love to allow
you to join us in the
journey.
Let us grow in the Lord
together.
Let us sharpen each other
as iron sharpens iron.
Let's be faithful to do
that.
I don't have a clue what
God's telling you this
morning.
I know what he told me to
say and I trust him with
the results.
I just want you to be
obedient.
Just do what he tells you
to do.
Never do more than what he
tells you to do.
Never be satisfied with
less.
Lord Jesus, I love you and
I thank you for your word
and I ask your God that
you'll help us to live in
response to it.
Oh God, lay somebody on
our heart right now,
Father.
Give us the boldness for
it, Father, to follow
through.
Have your will and your
way right now in our
midst, Lord.
In Jesus' precious name,
amen.
Amen.