Partnership | Pastor Rick Wright | The Church at CW

Well, church, I'm so thankful today to be here.

I want to ask you to take your Bibles and turn to Mark chapter 2 as we continue in the series on friendship.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

And I I want to say to uh Richard, our church counsel, and um those involved, uh thank you for recognizing our pastoral staff.

I'm thankful for this team of people, and it is our honor to be able to serve Jesus Christ in this church, and we love you, and um it really is a privilege.

So thank you, church body, and thank you all for that recognition of sweet.

Mark chapter 2.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

In 1997, I learned a very valuable lesson on carrying heavy things, and I learned it a really hard way.

James Keys, who I learned earlier this year, passed away.

James Keyes was a grizzled six foot three, 270-pound beast of a man who was a former boxer.

He had the longest, strongest arms I'd ever seen.

And I literally later on I had watched James Keys carry a washer by himself.

It's the type of man that James was.

Well, James Keyes looks at me from the top of the steps, and we're getting ready to go down some steps, and there's an upright dresser.

And James says, How do you want to carry this?

And I didn't know there was a right way and a wrong way.

So, me being 15 and this man on the other end, I just start at it and I start trying to lift this dresser, and somewhere down a few steps, and through a coat closet with a dresser on top of me and James Keys on top of the dresser, I learned that I did that the wrong way.

James muttered some cuss words at me as I was dying with him and the dresser on top of me.

And I learned that day there is a right way and a wrong way to carry things.

A few years later, James Keys requested me every day.

He told me after that incident, boy, you carry boxes and don't touch nothing else.

I was affectionately for a month known as Box Boy.

He requested me later why.

I learned that carrying a heavy load is a whole lot easier when you learn how to balance the weight.

It's an important thing today.

And I if I could name this as friendship partnership, but if I could give it another name, I would say this.

Learn to carry your corner.

Carry your corner.

Would you pray with me?

God, we thank you today for the blessing of your word.

We thank you for this book that teaches us.

And I pray, God, for the Holy Spirit to illuminate our hearts.

Lord, pull us open.

Lord, reveal in our hearts the areas that need work.

And God, I pray that your Holy Spirit would be given freedom in this place.

God, we do not need to have just another service.

We need to meet with the Holy Spirit of God.

And God, do your work.

We invite that, Lord.

And I pray for every person here that they would invite the Holy Spirit to move to work and to change us today.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

In Mark chapter 2, I want you to look at verses 1 through 4 as we open.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

And again, he entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in the house.

Immediately many gathered, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.

And he preached the word to them.

Then they came to him, bringing a paralytic, who was carried by four men.

And when the crowd could not come near him because of the crowd, or when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was.

So when they broken through, they let down the bed which the paralytic was lying.

Point number one this morning is this they carried their friend.

They grabbed a hold of their corner.

See, this is a story of five people, one man's on a mat, and four friends carrying their piece.

Letter A is this in order to do that, in order to take care of, to care for needs, you have to first see a need.

These friends, letter A, they saw a need.

What does it take to go from see a need to carry a need?

Well, we're gonna get there, but the first step is to be able to see it.

The great theologian said this about the scene that is painted here.

Love was in the house, and the house was packed so much so they left the back door cracked.

That's Toby Mack.

Four friends had heard the rumors that Jesus was in the house, and these four friends get a crazy idea about their friend.

What if they can get their friend who was physically paralyzed?

What if they could get him to Jesus?

Frank tried to make me a Boy Scout.

I've got a book in the lobby that will prove it.

I've got a Boy Scouting book, and I read this week about some things, and I did, I learned.

Frank is still teaching me from heaven.

Uh Frank Andrews had ALS, and uh he was um was before he passed, he was uh father-in-law, uh Heather's stepdad, and he had ALS, and it all happened sort of at once.

He was playing basketball.

It didn't happen at once, but he started noticing, and he couldn't jump any longer.

And then it progressed, and by the time we got to know Frank, he had use of his thumb, some of his eyelid, and basically nothing else.

And Frank traveled the world like that.

Nothing was gonna stop Frank.

And uh Frank would use you, he was an engineer, so it's like a brilliant mind, and he cannot use his hands.

But he would use gifted his giftedness and have you do things, projects.

So I did things with Frank.

Um he taught me how to build stilts as a gift to the kids one Christmas.

But Frank was exceptional.

But you couldn't help when you'd be around Frank to just feel mad at disease.

Just feel sick at the idea that this man could not do any more than he was doing.

This man with all this mind, with all this potential, you could not help but be mad at ALS.

Church, many of our friends probably are not suffering from paralysis physically, but maybe today there are many suffering from spiritual paralysis.

The idea of these four guys and their friend was a dangerous idea.

How were they gonna do it?

How were they gonna transport him to Jesus was a question.

What if they got there and the friend was rejected if Jesus said this is not a healing day?

What if the man was being transported and he fell and he got further hurt?

What if, what if, what if?

When are we gonna do it?

It was a dangerous sort of idea.

But five friends are together and one of them has a problem, and they say, We're going to do something.

We're not just gonna watch this struggle.

They knew this.

He couldn't get to Jesus on his own.

I wonder if hundreds, if not thousands, of people had seen this man and his problem.

You know the story of the Good Samaritan.

Many walk by and see somebody beaten, left for dead in the parable, and one doesn't.

So here are some practical thoughts for you and me today.

Number one, ask God to help you see.

Ask God to help you to see a need.

Reveal a need.

Two, ask God to give you people who will help you.

Ask God this, that there will be four friends, all having a corner, to help.

That God would give you people that would help you, and then be ready to carry your corner.

I want you to look around at the church family today, and I want to tell you as a shepherd of this church, there's people here that are spiritually exhausted, emotionally exhausted.

There's some people here physically exhausted today.

There's people struggling in grief from a loss.

There's people that are drifting spiritually that are in this church family today.

There's some people sitting here feeling very lonely today.

And there's a lot of people with all those things going on, wondering if anyone sees.

And these four friends wanted to carry their friend, but the first step was see the need.

Letter B, we see that they shared his burden.

Luke 2 describes it and says 218, these men brought their friend on a bed.

In verse 4, it says, and when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was.

So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was laying.

So in stride, they see this need, and four friends begin to carry.

I'm gonna ask my guys that are gonna help me to come on up while I explain an illustration of carrying.

So, have you ever carried someone a long distance?

Any dads here?

Ever carried someone any kind of distance?

None.

Well, forget it.

Let's close.

Have any of you ever been to Disney World?

Oh my heavens.

So it was 147 degrees.

Okay.

And I got little ones.

Y'all don't start just yet, just get in position.

I said, be ready to carry.

Don't care yet.

And so we're going through Disney 143.

I think we went in May.

Don't go in May, June, July, August, September, or ever.

So, anyway, next thing I know, and mind you, at this point in my in our marriage, Heather would get pregnant with kids, and she would have the baby.

I would get pregnant and stay pregnant.

We're gonna eat, we're gonna eat together.

Let's party.

So I'm like 220, trucking it through, and look at okay, five foot, that ain't right, okay?

So, and I got kids on my shoulders, and it's 143, and I'm like, this is absolute misery carrying.

And the kids, they don't remember any of that.

They don't remember.

They don't, y'all don't remember how I suffered because I love you.

So we made it through Disney.

I just want y'all to think about that.

All right.

So, guys, go ahead.

You're ready to carry your corner.

All right, they're sharing a burden.

Y'all go ahead and walk Owen across the stage.

Now pause.

What if Cole doesn't do his part?

How's that go?

What if what if Jared doesn't do his part?

What if no, I'm just kidding.

Go ahead and walk him over.

Now I want Reese, you come over here.

Jared's got it.

Take the walk.

Jared, is that a little bit harder?

Alright, I want y'all to come back.

Cole, what if you don't do your part?

What what what what?

You can put it up.

Y'all give them a hand, would you?

Thank you.

Thank you, Owen.

You're a star.

I want y'all to get the picture of four friends carrying something, and I don't want you to miss this idea of four.

Because I don't want you to leave here saying, Pastor Rick said, I gotta carry everything all on my own.

I gotta carry my part.

I want you to see what happens when four people, and I'm gonna listen, challenge you.

Do you have four that'll grab a corner with you?

If you don't, I want to challenge you.

There is more than four here today.

And you can get, now listen, they could have got it done with three.

I don't know if two works very well.

Here's what I'm trying to get you to understand.

Four friends can solve a problem together.

Four come together.

And I don't know that there's many needs in this church if four of you that spiritually are giving effort can't come together and get somewhere.

If four families get together, I believe they can help one family in crisis.

I believe they can.

Now, one, it's gonna be real hard for one to help a family in crisis.

Two, it might also be difficult, but do I think four?

Some of y'all got a connect group, you're thinking of your classes and groups, and what will it look like to help somebody?

If four of you come together and say, there is a lost person in our group, and four of you are inviting, and four of you are serving, and four of you are going out of your way to share when opportunity.

I believe four people.

Maybe God would work.

But this is what I want you to see.

You have a corner, and everybody needs to take their corner.

Now, there are times in life where your pace may not be as fast as someone else's.

You just take your corner.

I'm gonna tell you, those guys would tell you this.

As long as everybody had their peace, it was better.

Even if someone else was stronger, even if someone else was carrying more weight, everybody having their peace made it better.

Church, somebody needs your faith when they are weak.

Somebody needs your shoulder when they are sad, somebody needs your determination to push through when they want to quit.

Someone needs you to help them get to Jesus.

And these four friends, I want to ask you a question.

Who's not here today?

Yeah, four of you decided.

I'm not saying bug them, I'm saying love them.

What they did was not bug him to Jesus.

They loved him.

They're willing to care.

What do I gotta do?

Do I gotta come to your house?

Do I gotta give you a ride?

Do you need some money?

Do you need some clothes?

Do you need some food?

How can we help you get to Jesus?

It's just been the nature of this week.

It's budget season.

CCW has a one million dollar budget.

I mean, that's a big budget for a church this size.

You know what?

No one person can carry that corner.

It should be really hard for one person to carry.

If you can carry it, let's talk.

I'm joking.

But you say, Pastor, four people can't carry that.

When you break that down, it's like$20,000 a week, right?

That we need to have income.

Well, you know, we have 250 covenant members.

I'm not that quick at math.

But what I'm saying is, if everybody each week will take their corner, maybe it's$75.

It's your coffee money.

But there are churches everywhere, and they say this.

You know, 80% of the people aren't doing that.

Covenant members.

Why are we not taking our corner?

This is what Scripture says.

Corinthians 16, 2, first day of the week, let each of you lay aside something, storing away for the collection of the saints.

Matthew 6, 21 says, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Heather and I, by the grace of God, this is a boast in our God.

But upon marriage, we made a commitment to God that we would give of every paycheck.

And we have given for 20 years without missing a paycheck.

And here's the boasting, it's not nothing to do with me.

It's all God's.

But the blessings that God has given, and I don't do it for his blessings, but I want to promise you, God has done so much for me that is undeserved.

I can't even imagine what God has done.

Why?

And I didn't, it's not because of blessings.

It's because this book says to do so.

And I want to carry my corner so that I can be a part of the blessing.

Do you?

These four friends are not named.

It doesn't say which corner they had.

If they had an executive corner, if they had the you know, the CEO's corner, they just had a corner.

It didn't say their pace, it's not important.

Just says they were committed to getting the burden to Jesus Christ.

Think about it.

I think we miss this in the story.

You know, this guy had a disease, had a problem, and we look at the end and go, he was healed.

But the four friends, I bet it was fun.

I bet the mission to Jesus was a fun trip.

I bet they went back after this and they talked everywhere they went about what they did for their friend and the blessing to be involved in carrying a need to Jesus.

You know, you're gonna carry some needs all week long.

You're carrying a burden.

Your home is a burden.

How to get that paycheck is a burden.

All these things in life are burdens.

You're carrying things.

But what they did was a Jude 22 burden.

It says, and some have compassion, making a difference.

This is what they did.

And so they carried their corner.

And I want to ask you today, are you doing what you've committed to do?

He said, I've given my life to Jesus.

Are you carrying your corner?

Now notice the paralytic.

He's able to do very little, but he doesn't fight it, and that's important.

He doesn't fight his friends, and that's important because there is a New Testament story where Jesus asks a man who is on a mat, he asks him this question, and I want to pose it today.

He asks him, Do you want to be made well?

And the man doesn't immediately say yes.

He begins to give reasons why he got to this place.

Well, you know, this is my struggle, and I've been on this mat, and other people keep going by me, nobody sees.

Jesus said, Do you want to be well?

He says, Well, the water is being stirred, but I can't get there.

And he begins to highlight, he begins to talk, he begins to glorify the struggle.

But not this man.

His friend said, We gotta get you to Jesus.

And you know what?

He said, Yes, hear me, because this is hard.

Pride says, Don't you say yes?

He said, Yes, I need help.

He needed help.

And four friends, they take the transportation fees, they make the plans, and they step in faith.

If they'd carry their corner, they believe they could get their friend to Jesus.

I want you to go to Galatians chapter six.

It says, Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

If anyone thinks himself to be something, here's a pride verse, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself and not in another.

For each one shall bear his own load.

I think Paul said, carry your corner.

Paul doesn't say this.

He doesn't say, bear you one another's burdens.

He doesn't say, brethren, you which are spiritual.

He doesn't say, now, Christians in Galatia, you should consider this.

This is the suggestion.

It is an imperative command that he brings forth.

Brethren, ye which are spiritual, restore.

It's your job to carry a corner if you're a Christian.

It's a command.

This is a Christian friendship mandate.

If you're gonna call yourself a friend with other Christians, you've got to carry a corner.

He doesn't say you should think about it.

He says, bear one another's burdens.

If someone is spiritually in a place of paralysis, he says, restore them.

How?

He says, how?

Gently.

He says, not judgmentally.

In a spirit of meekness, you go gently.

Then he says, further, what else?

Why bear one another's burden?

Because it fulfills the law of Christ.

The law of Christ is the Old Testament.

And he said, sum up all of the law, your greatest command.

He says, Love God and love people.

He says, This, bearing your burdens of others, is fulfilling the law, the Old Testament.

He says, This is loving God and loving people is carrying your corner.

And then if you want to go further, since we're in church, in verse 10 it says, and especially those who are of the household of faith.

So especially those, look around, especially your church.

Especially this body.

Carry your corner.

Secondly, they conquered every barrier.

Go back to Mark.

Every barrier.

Look at verse 2.

Immediately many gathered, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door, and he preached a word to them.

First part of verse 4.

And when they could, when they could not come near because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof.

So letter A is this the crowd could not stop them.

The first barrier they get to as they're carrying their friend is it is jam-packed.

I mean, it's full.

And they can't find their way.

And it's interesting when a crowd shows up, what Jesus wants to do.

I want you to see that, highlight it.

Jesus could have made a spectacle of things.

Jesus could have had a miracle service like a magician.

But when the crowd grew, Jesus wanted to preach.

The crowd grew.

Preaching was central to the ministry of Jesus Christ.

And I want to tell you as a side note for the church today, this has to be central to what we do, preaching the Word of God.

There ought to be excitement about the Word of God coming from the man of God to the people of God.

There should be excitement when the Word of God is open.

Jesus drew a crowd, and you know what he said?

Looks like a good time to preach.

And so he does.

These four friends arrive, and the crowd is crowded.

It's jammed up, and there's no room at the end.

And I want you to notice just because there's a crowd somewhere doesn't mean everything's right.

Sometimes a crowd will be something and it can distract you.

What everyone else is doing.

You can get in a crowd and not hear the voice of Jesus.

You might hear a lot of other voices.

A crowd can gather around and they can hear Jesus preach.

They'll gather around and see a miracle of Jesus.

And then a crowd will be gathered around Jesus and turn their back on him.

You know, it was a crowd who said, crucify him.

There was a crowd.

Back to Disney.

There's a crowd if you're at Disney, right?

So one year, I think I was describing maybe the first time we went, the second time, and last, and we'll see.

Jury's still out.

Anyway, we go, and it's on like the sixth month anniversary of Frozen.

You remember this movie?

Blew up! I mean, huge.

Anyhow, we're gonna go and we're gonna let our baby, sweet Princess Callie, go see Elsa and Anna.

We get in early, like every smart parent should.

We got the stroller, and we are jammed up.

Moms wall to wall.

I'm looking around.

I don't fit, but I'm there.

And we're in this group, and Heather, they open up the gates and they take off.

They're headed toward Elsa and Anna.

And it's like nothing you've ever seen before.

It is a stampede, like the running of the bulls.

There they go.

All these moms, these carts, these strolls.

Heather, when I finally get to her, I mean, we're, I don't know where we got.

I I maybe made it five steps.

And then I never seen her again until later on.

We found each other, and she's like, You don't know, you won't believe what happened.

This mom busted up against her with a stroller.

Heather got thrown into a post.

I mean, it was like all out.

They were animals to get to these princesses.

And by the time they finally get to the other side, Heather says, No, correct me if I'm wrong.

She says, the wait at this point is now six hours.

Four hours.

Four hours to see Elsa in a costume.

It wasn't the real Elsa.

Sorry, Callie.

A lady in a costume.

We're like, we're not waiting four hours.

But I do have a picture.

Callie finally got to see a princess, if y'all will share that.

Her dream came true.

We've seen Cinderella, we've seen Rapunzel.

But just because there's a crowd there, folks, doesn't mean what's going on is right.

The crowd was jammed up.

But it didn't stop these friends.

I want you to see letter B.

The cost did not scare them.

What do you mean, cost, Pastor?

Verse 4.

B.

So they got to that crowd.

And they were either gonna get stopped and go back, but they look at the situation and see that they're going to have to go to a roof.

Church family always reminds you they don't give up spiritually.

What if the four friends get to the crowded house and said, Well, we tried.

Well, we got here and there's just not another opportunity.

We got you to Jesus, but it doesn't look like it's a healing day.

You might think, maybe another day.

I want to encourage you.

Don't let an obstacle send you home on a person.

Don't give up on people.

Don't give up.

Listen, there's some of you here, and you've got a long-running relationship, and you're going, I'm so tired and weary at the idea that God hasn't done something yet.

I'm so tired and heavy at the idea that this hasn't gone or changed from what I thought it would be.

And you can look at it again in your prayer book and go, God, I can I even keep praying for this?

I wanted to share with you a testimony.

Um so when I was 21, I got the idea to send my family letters.

I was at Tennessee Temple, and I wanted to know about their salvation so I could know who to pray for.

And I didn't know all of who was, I knew some people's stories, so this was back handwriting.

Okay, hand wrote some letters, and in it I said, this is my testimony, this is how I came to Christ.

I said, if you have a testimony or something similar that happened to you, I would love it if you wrote a letter and sent it back to me so I could know.

But my real ploy in my mind was then I'll know who to pray for.

And I got several letters back, but I didn't get a letter from Uncle Russ and Uncle Derek.

And just recently, I wanted to share this text with you.

I think we've got the text to put up on the screen.

Um if not, I'll find it on my phone.

There it is.

I cannot read that, but I'll read it from mine.

This is Uncle Derek.

He says, I wanted to let you know that I accepted Jesus Christ into my life yesterday, knowing I needed forgiveness.

This is August 17th.

God's help, and I have decided to follow him.

What a blessing! I want to also let you know that the words you spoke at your mom's funeral was a huge part of getting me to where I'm at today.

I want to thank you for the words you said that day, asking if you need Jesus Christ in your life.

Accept him in.

I have chosen him as Lord and Savior.

In some part of 20 years, and I would love to stand here and honestly say today that I prayed every day for Uncle Derek.

I have not prayed every day, but I have prayed for Uncle Derek, and I have him on my continual prayer list with salvation needed.

And I prayed whenever I thought of Uncle Derek.

And when he sent me that, I said, Oh my gosh.

And I began to text with him.

Uncle Derek had one more picture he wanted me to show you of something that he's wearing all the time now.

Um and so Uncle Derek boasts.

There he is.

Hadn't taken that off.

I got him one of your books, Barry, and he's read through it cover to cover, told me about it this last trip.

Here is what I want you to hear today, church.

There was a lot of times over those years I would pray a prayer thinking, God, wouldn't it be great?

I hope one day this happens.

And sometimes I'm just being honest, some of my belief, I was praying obligatorily.

I was praying because it was a family member, I was praying because I loved him.

But I don't know if I ever really understood or believed that one day this would happen.

So when it happened, I went, and this is all I can say.

When I was being faithful, I was carrying my corner.

Don't give up on somebody.

Church family.

A paralyzed friend is a heavy carry.

It would feel like this was a locked door.

And I want to tell you, as a friend today, real friendship costs time.

It costs energy, it costs convenience.

It'll cost some of you, you know this, sleep.

It costs courage.

It cost forgiveness, it costs money.

Their friends mattered so much to them that they said, it doesn't matter what the price is.

We want to try to get them to Jesus.

So scale back and think about the scenario.

There they are coming.

There's one crazy one, right?

How many of you got one crazy one in your group?

You know it.

It might be you, right?

You know you got one.

You got a friend, you know who they are.

They always got an idea.

Every group has one.

He doesn't have a budget or a permit or a ladder, but he's got a look in his eye.

And that friend says, Guys, are you seeing what I'm seeing?

Look at the roof.

Let's get to the roof.

And they're like, What?

This thing has been heavy.

We've been carrying.

You want a what?

And he's like, We're gonna take him to the roof.

Now I've preached with distractions before.

That was right on cue.

I mean, we paid that baby.

We love that.

We love babies.

Um, I have flipped a bottle, making a point in my own sermon about the kids today that say landed it.

The bottle flipped and the lid was open and splashed water all over me.

So I'm standing here preaching like that.

I had one day where my microphone was in my beard and Heather was giving me this eye.

I'm like, what does that mean?

I couldn't figure out what it meant.

And so if you see me, I have a bad habit now.

If you see me doing this, that's why.

I'm sorry.

Okay, it was scratching.

Anyhow, um we had a kid in youth group one day, and I was shooting a video, and I couldn't stop what was going on.

I had to do a video for a ministry class, and he was eating Cheetos.

And when he was done, he crumbled the whole bag.

And I'm like, it's all gonna be in the video.

Like, I got an immediate C.

Distractions, right?

Imagine Jesus this day.

Preaching.

And you know it was good, because Jesus was preaching.

I mean, he had the greatest hook to start the sermon.

The middle was always perfect, the ending, fabulous.

It was Jesus he was preaching, and all of a sudden, he's hitting a home run and dirt starts falling out the roof.

Right?

Dirt starts falling down, hitting his holy hair.

Straw falls out of the root and hits his sandals.

And there's Jesus preaching, and a rock hits his royal robe.

Can you imagine?

You're not supposed to laugh in church, right?

You remember when you were a kid, you weren't supposed to laugh?

You had a fake cough?

You're not supposed to be laughing in church.

Jesus wipes the dirt, and as unthinkable as the things that were happening were, notice what he says that was more unthinkable than anybody could imagine.

All of this happening, man's being lowered, Jesus preaching.

And Jesus looks at the man and says something more unthinkable than what was happening.

He says, Son, your sins are forgiven.

Wow.

I want you to go down to Mark 2, 6 through 12.

And we'll finish.

Why did he say that?

What was happening?

The third point this morning is this they celebrated Christ.

Jesus said that at the end of verse 5.

When he saw their, highlight that, when he saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven.

And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, why does this man speak blasphemies like this?

Who can forgive sins but God alone?

Immediately when Jesus perceived in the Spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, he said to them, Why do you reason about these things in your heart?

Which is easier to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or say, Arise, take up your bed and walk.

But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, I say to you, arise, take up your bed and go to your house.

Immediately he arose, took up his bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed, and all glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this.

And you can imagine we would feel the same way.

Letter A, we see Jesus offers.

Why are they celebrating?

He offers eternal peace.

They bring a man who's paralyzed, and Jesus looks past this simple fix, and he says, I'm going to give you something that's really going to blow your mind.

He says, Son, your sins are forgiven.

So, like we we brought somebody who can't walk, Jesus.

And Jesus is thinking way outside of your box, church.

Sometimes I think we're thinking, if I could just get this, if I could, and you're going, why am I going through this, God?

And God's way over here going, you're going to one day see why you were going through that, if you just hang on tight.

And Jesus says, your sins are forgiven.

If our greatest resources had been money or time or income or anything like that, Jesus would have sent that, right?

If our greatest resource need were answers, Jesus would have sent us all an educator.

If our greatest resource needs were business, Jesus would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest resource need was care, Jesus would have sent down a doctor.

If our greatest resource needs were entertainment, Jesus would have sent us an actor or an athlete.

If our greatest resource needs was our feelings getting fixed, Jesus would have sent us a psychiatrist.

But our greatest need was forgiveness, and so he sent forth his son.

He sent a savior.

John 3.16 says, For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him would not perish, but have not just this physical life fix, everlasting life.

People didn't understand this.

Hebrews chapter 10.

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

I want you to look at.

Why would they not understand this?

Son, thy sins are forgiven.

Only God, only God can forgive sins.

This man is speaking blasphemy.

Hebrews 10, 10.

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ here, this church family, once for all.

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifice, which can never take away sins.

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down at the right hand of God, and from that time waiting till his enemies are made his footstool, for by one offering he perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

The Old Testament priests would offer a sacrifice for you and for me, for all of their people for their sins, and it was a never-ending trial.

It could never actually come to fruition that all of sin would be forgiven, except for this one man named Jesus.

Came in church family.

We celebrated it earlier, but what he did, he said, priests did this over and over and over, and this man did it once, and it was for all of time.

He finished the job of eternal peace.

Think of this.

He says, Is it harder to forgive or to heal?

That's important.

God effortlessly in the Old Testament parted the Red Sea, but it took no less than his one and only Son to forgive sin.

Effortlessly, God did things with his words and his power.

It took no less than one-third of the portion of God Himself to forgive sin.

So he says, is it harder to forgive or to heal?

Some of our problem is we live as if this life is the end of the story.

For the physical calamity the man had, this life, this physical problem was maybe the end of his story.

And the Bible says, this life is a vapor.

It's here and it's gone.

And Jesus says it's harder to fix something that will last a hundred years or to fix something for all of eternity.

Bible says, for you and me, church, a man in this life can gain the whole world and lose his soul.

Don't leave today if you have a broken soul.

Let me implore you today.

Jesus Christ did what all the Old Testament priests couldn't do.

He came and bled.

He took your sin and my sin on a cross so that you could be saved.

That's the gospel.

Remember singing that old song?

Jesus paid it all.

When sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.

He died for your peace.

Last part is earthly proof.

So he died for eternal peace.

And then earthly proof we see here in this text.

So after he's done, he says to the paralytic, I say to you, arise.

This is verse 10, take up your bed and go to your house.

Immediately he arose, took up his bed, and went out in the presence of all of them.

So Jesus gives them this back and forth.

Is it harder to forgive?

And then he says in his next breath, Arise, get up and walk.

Jesus healed this man's feet to meet his need.

Not only that, but to confirm to the people in Capernaum, I am who I've said I am.

Church friend, do you believe that he is who he says he is to you in your life?

He says, Arise, go to your house immediately.

And hear this immediately and everywhere, for the rest of this man's life, as far as we know, he got up and walked.

A man who had never walked.

He was changed.

A lame man now has a new testimony of walking.

I bet that looked different to people.

I bet them four friends who carried their corner, it was just as much their testimony as anyone else.

They said, Look at our friend.

Look at our friend walk.

Yesterday he was on a mat, and now look at him go, do you think Christians?

Don't get excited when somebody is restored.

We love to see somebody walking in spirit and in truth, walking restored.

So this was the testimony.

And I hope this can be true.

When God changes a life, that life should never look the same again.

So a man that was paralyzed, he never looked the same again.

Everywhere he went, he got his PF flyers and he was walking.

He was going.

Because why would I stay down on a mat when I've been healed?

Are you hearing me?

Spiritual people.

Why would I stay down on a mat when I've been forgiven?

Why would I stay spiritually paralyzed when God has provided a different way?

I wouldn't stay lame and make all the excuses.

If God had healed me, I would say, I can't get past that one.

I won't be able.

God won't be able to change that one.

If God has changed your life in your heart, it should be continually evident in the way that you walk.

My Bible says in Psalms chapter 40, verse 2, He took me out of the pit.

Psalms 40:2

He took me out of the miry clay.

And he has established my goings.

And now I got a new song in my mouth.

And you know what?

I'm not going to stop singing my song because my life has changed.

Now you may be here today and your life has not changed.

And you're wondering why I don't have a song.

Why don't I feel like other people?

You may not have encountered the real changing power of Jesus Christ.

Don't miss this.

We're almost finished.

How did this take place?

It says, when Jesus saw their faith, that faith activated Jesus' next words.

When Jesus saw their faith, he said, Son, your sins are forgiven.

He didn't heal him.

He said, when he saw their faith, your eternal peace has been granted to you.

Your sins have been forgiven.

Not the paralytics faith, not disciples, not the crowd, when he saw the faith of these friends who would do anything to help their helpless friend, when he saw that, when he saw them carrying their corner, he immediately responded.

I believe that if Jesus saw that heart and people in our church family, he'd be moved by our faith.

We know this scripture says that Jesus is moved by faith.

Hebrews 11, 6 says, without faith it is impossible to please God.

For you and me, practically what that means.

Are you taking a step of faith today?

I don't believe Jesus is asking anybody here to carry the whole thing.

I don't believe Jesus is asking anybody here to fix the paralytic.

I think Jesus is asking you today to be faithful, to carry your corner.

And for some of you here today, before you leave, what that means is you're gonna have to take a step of faith.

Say, God, I'm in.

I'm in.

I want to help.

I want to be a person who helps for the cause of Jesus Christ.

You know, if I'm honest, I haven't really been carrying my corner.

Not like I think I can, or not like I know I should.

I haven't been carrying my corner in this way or that way or this way.

Can you be honest this morning?

I think a lot of people can be helped.

I don't know of a need when I think about it, and I'm not just talking about money.

Spiritual needs, financial needs, community needs that couldn't be met.

If groups of four people in this church didn't come together, I got a guy right now, and I I okay.

I usually got a tra I gotta go with my treasurer on this.

There's a guy that shared with me a need, and I believe before I leave today that his need will be met if four more people will go in.

I'm giving, I got$50 towards this need.

I need four more people.

This happened, this a man shared with me a problem yesterday.

And I think it can be met like that.

That's a money need, but what about spiritual needs?

Who's not here?

Who's not saved?

Who in your family needs four people concentrating?

Listen, I'm not saying you are the magic button, it was always Jesus.

But each person got their corner and did their part, and it made a huge impact.

I'm gonna ask you to stand to your feet this morning.