A Miraculous Healing by John.

A Miraculous Healing
Mark 2:1-12

1. We live in an age when people tend to believe all miracles are faked like the work of The Great Houdini, or David Copperfield.
2. It is popular among many to deride people who really believe God performed miracles in the past, and that He still performs them in the present. Few believe He will perform miracles in the future!
3. Why did Jesus perform miracles?
(1) Was it just to help the sick? Many of us believe that is a good enough reason, Amen?
(2) Was it to produce faith in unbelievers? Many of us believe it was, don't we? Amen?
(3) Some of us believe it was also to fulfill Old Testament prophecy such as Paul quoted in Ephesians 4:7,8, "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: 'When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.'"
4. Dolores and I have personally experienced God's healing. By more than 50 years of experience, we are blessed and happy to say God's healing is real and permanent!
5. This particular healing has something almost unique about it.
(1) I say almost because there are a couple of other healings that are also unique and similar.
(2) Most healings in the New Testament mention only the person being healed, but in this one, the man's friends are prominent.
6. Let's look at it directly.

I. These Friends Had Faith in Jesus, But It
Their Faith Was Not Complete.

1. As far as we know, their faith was not what we would call a saving faith, but it was strong enough to cause them to go to great lengths to reach Jesus!
2. Their work shows how great they felt the need was.
3. I've never known anyone who was willing to tear the roof off of a church building to be healed, or to find Jesus, have you?
4. In fact, I haven't known of many churches that were so filled with people that there wasn't room for four, or five, or six more people, have you?
5. I remember well the story a missionary told about an African boy who left home in search of Jesus. He walked across Africa barefoot with his shoes around his neck. He wanted his shoes to look nice when he found Jesus!
6. I also remember well a Mexican man I met in Violet, LA that left Mexico and traveled over the world to find the little baby Jesus. That was the only Jesus he knew about. His church in Mexico had a crèche with the form of a baby in it, and he was told that was the Savior. He was badly injured in an accident in France, and while lying in a hospital bed there; a Baptist minister came and told him about the real Jesus. He immediately gave himself totally to the Lord. When he was well, he took ship and ended up in New Orleans. He married and lived in Violet for years. He and his wife were in their 80's when I went to tell them about Jesus. Instead he blessed me with his own testimony!
7. These friends would not stop until they lowered their friend down in front of Jesus!
(1) Oh, what a blessing to have friends like that!
(2) And oh, what a blessing to be a friend like that!

II. Jesus Knew the Need of This Man, His Friends and the Rest of Those Present.

1. V. 5, Why did Jesus not say, "Rise and walk?"
2. Why did He say, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
3. I think the answer should be obvious to all of us who are Christians.
(1) What's more important? Is it to have a healthy body, or to have a home in heaven?
(2) It's obvious from v 7 that these men were not aware of Who Jesus Was! They said, "Why does this man talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
4. Jesus was aware that all men need to know that He is God!
(1) No mere sinful man can save people from their sins. Jesus can because He is God, and He became our payment for sin because He never sinned! II Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
(2) I don't understand how can people have faith in anyone other than God, can you?
(3) If people do have faith in anyone other than God, their faith is in vain!
5. Just saying that the paralytic's sins were forgiven didn't produce any faith in the disbelievers, did it?
6. Jesus knew the need of their hearts, and He knows the need of your heart and my heart right now!
7. This miracle did it for them. What will it take for you? In John 20:29 Jesus was talking to Thomas, and He said, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
8. You've heard God's Word and that should be enough!

III. Jesus Always Completed His Miracles.

1. Jesus knew what was in the unbelievers' hearts then, and He does now.
2. He turned to those disbelievers and said, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?"
3. Then He completed His work of grace, He turned to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."
4. The man did those three things Jesus told him to do, and the crowd was amazed!
4. Their amazement turned into belief in Jesus!
(1) They praised God!
(2) And they said, "We have never seen anything like this!"

conclusion:

1. James said in 2:19, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder."
(1) Such a belief is certainly better than being an atheist, but it is not a complete belief, and it can lead to horrible sins. Saul believed in one God when he was putting Christians in prison, and they were being killed as heretics!
(2) Jesus gave us this parable to let us see that even the good works of these friends was not enough to save their friend, and it was not enough to save them either!
(3) Religion without Christ in your heart is a waste of time and effort!
(4) Jesus is the only way to life eternal!
2. Jesus knows where each one of us stands.
(1) He knows the thoughts of our hearts!
(2) He cares about the struggles we have in life and in preparing for eternity.
(3) He not only healed the man, who had an obvious need, but He healed his friends, and He made believers out of the crowd of thrill-seekers who watched HIm.
(4) Not a single soul dwells on this earth that Jesus is not concerned for him!
3. Perhaps you are here, and you are having trouble giving yourself completely to Jesus.
4. That's what we are here for. Jesus cares about you, and we are part of His miracle!
5. We want to help you find Him as your Lord, your Savior! We want you to live eternally.
6. Will you let us help you? Come during the invitation hymn to the front pew here, and we will help you.
7. When you believe, you too, will say, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Emmanuel 10/17/2006