(Luk 5:20) And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
Intro: There was a sister in Hawaii
There are times in our life when we are so down, that we need someone else to help us up. We are so wounded, so sick spiritually, so messed up in our brains that we can’t think straight, we become almost completely dependent upon someone else noticing our need and bringing us to God!
This was the case of the man in the story of the good Samaritan
a. He came across some people who had the wrong attitude.
i. The thieves said “What is your is mine and I am going to take it.”
ii. The priest and the levite said “what’s mine is mine and I am am going to keep it!”
iii. The Samaritan said “What is mine is yours and I am going to share it!”
b. He had Compassion!
c. If He would not have cared, that man would have died!
d. He didn’t have an attitude that said
i. “good enough for him, he was probably doing something wrong anyhow!”
ii. “If he wouldn’t be hanging around the wrong crowds he wouldn’t get into that mess.”
iii. He believed this man is worth it. He is worth Helping!
iv. All men are worth helping!
v. Who are we to determine that some just aren’t worth the time?
e. A church is a hospital
i. A hospital is not about the doctors and the nurses and the medical techs
ii. The hospital is about the patients!
f. He had to believe!
i. If I can just get him to a safe place
1. Church ought to be a safe place
2. Children ought not to fear other children
3. Adults ought not to fear what others say etc..
ii. A Place
iii. A place where he can be nursed to health
iv. A place where he can find rest (NOT Turmoil!)
v. A place where he can be loved!
g. He Risked!
Four friends who brought their paralyzed friend to Jesus
h. In all of the gospel accounts it said Jesus saw THEIR faith.
i. Sometimes God responds to the faith of our friends!!!
j. Sometimes a broken body can lead to a handicapped faith
k. A sickness can lead to a diseased attitude
l. If the man wouldn’t believe, the friends would!
m. If we can just get him to Jesus, Jesus can make a difference in his life!
i. Interesting to note, the first thing Jesus did was forgive his sins. Maybe that sin was one of the causes of his low or little faith
ii. A broken body and a broken faith
iii. We believe enough to stir up the normal
iv. To sacrifice our time
v. Our pride, to take a risk to bring someone to Jesus!
Jesus Tells Peter
n. I have prayed for you that your faith fail not
o. Peter was still shaken
p. Fear took hold
q. He denied once, twice, three times
r. The courage he once boasted of was gone
s. He went out and wept bitterly
t. But as he cried, maybe he remembered those words
u. I have prayed for you!
v. (Pro 27:10) Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
He was shaken but not taken!!!
Application: We can’t stop believing that bringing someone to Jesus can change them.
We need to pray one for another when we have compassion and see the needs of one another.
Conclusion: Loved to Life!; (From Reader’s Digest) The two twins born…As her first baby, a little boy, was born, Ogg caught a glimpse of a floppy, white body. Was that what a preemie should look like? She had no idea. As the team rushed to insert a tube into his lungs, Ogg delivered her second baby, whom they would name Emily. The little girl let out a cry, and for the first time, Ogg realized something might be wrong with the silent boy they’d planned to call Jamie.
The staff worked frantically on Jamie, but he never drew a breath. Finally, one of the doctors turned to Ogg. “We’ve lost him.”
As they handed Kate her baby, she noticed him gasp as if trying to breathe. “It’s just a brain stem reflex,” the doctor told her before leaving the couple to mourn in private. Kate gently unwrapped the blanket that surrounded Jamie and placed his fragile body on the warm skin of her chest. She wanted to get to know him. His future had been snatched from her, and she ached to get him back. For a while, she sobbed. Suddenly, Ogg thought she felt Jamie startle. She looked down and saw his chest move.
“I think he might actually make it,” she said excitedly to David. Again they were told it was a reflex. Then the newborn opened his eyes and seemed to grab for his father’s finger. David hurried to find a doctor, who explained that they weren’t seeing what they thought they were. “But look!” said Ogg, who had moistened her finger with colostrum from her breast. “He’s licking my finger.”
Quickly, the doctor listened to the baby’s chest. By now, Jamie’s lungs were inflated, he was breathing unaided, and he had regained full color. The medical team rushed Jamie to intensive care.
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