Grab a Corner

Let's turn to Mark chapter 2.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

Mark chapter 2, we are talking this month about first things first.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

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.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

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.

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 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,

Romans 3 · chapter mention

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.

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,

John 1:5

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.