Text: Luke 5:17-26
Luke is the 42nd
book of the bible. It has 24 chapters, 1,151 verses, and 25,944 words. It portrays Jesus as The Perfect Savior;
The Son of Man.
Topic: “The Power of Faithful Friends”
20 And when he saw their faith, he
said unto him, Man, thy sins are
forgiven thee.
23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins
be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
They lived differently in Bible times. When we go inside our
house, we close the door. In some places, they LOCK the door whenever they go
inside. BUT in Bible times, they opened their door at sunrise, and closed it
when it got dark. An open door meant that anyone could come in at any time,
everyone was welcome and they didn’t even have to knock. A closed door meant that something was going on
inside that you were ashamed of or wanted to hide from someone. They didn’t
have this “privacy” hang-up that we have today.
Jesus began to preach in this house the doors were open and anybody
could come in at any time and they did! Including the Pharisees and educated
men with PhD’s, doctors of the law sitting by with their doctrines, rudiments
and philosophies.
But how many know; the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Where you find Jesus, you find His power … His power to change your life. Jesus was TEACHING at this time BUT He wasn’t HEALING anybody. The POWER to heal was there but no one was being healed, up to this time. WHY?
- MAYBE because there wasn’t any sick in the house.
- MAYBE because the sick didn’t really believe Jesus could heal
them.
- MAYBE because they didn’t ASK Jesus to heal them.
BUT the power was there
BECAUSE Jesus was there.
Look if people aren’t saved, it’s NOT BECAUSE the power of Jesus isn’t able to save them.
·
Matthew
18:11 For the Son of man is come to save
that which was lost.
·
Luke
19:10 For the Son of man is come
to seek and to save that which was lost.
If your needs aren’t met,
it’s NOT BECAUSE the power of
Jesus isn’t able to meet your needs.
·
Matthew
6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them (gentiles):
for your Father knows what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
If you’re living a defeated Christian life, it’s NOT BECAUSE the power of Jesus
isn’t able to give you victory.
·
1
Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
·
1
John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God over-cometh the world: and this is
the victory that over-cometh the world, even our faith.
If your faith is weak,
it’s NOT BECAUSE the power of
Jesus isn’t able to strengthen you.
·
Ephesians
6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able
to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
·
Psalms 27:1 The LORD
is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be
afraid?
·
Psalms
27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen
thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
If you don’t have the
joy, peace, hope & love that you need, it’s NOT BECAUSE Jesus
doesn’t have the power to give it to you.
·
Nehemiah
8:10: For the joy of the LORD is
your strength.
·
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
·
1 Corinthians 13:7 (speaking of love): Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
If these things aren’t happening for you it’s because you
haven’t come to Jesus for the power that you need that Jesus is able to give
you. “The power of the Lord was present then and it STILL IS”.
The Bible says;
·
Matthew
22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, “Ye do err, not knowing the
scriptures, nor the power of God”.
·
Luke
10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
·
Acts 1:8 But ye
shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.
That first word power in Luke 10:19 is
from the Greek word exousia (ex-oo-see’-ah),
which is defined as ability, privilege,
authority, or liberty of doing as one pleases; the right to exercise power. I like this definition Superhuman!!!
That second word power in that verse is from the Greek
word dunamis
(doo’-nam-is). This is the miraculous power, miracle working power, strength, might, virtue;
simply to be able, powerful.
Du’namis is a take-off of our English word dynamite (an explosive). So
people of God we are equipped with the power to blowup anything the devil throws at us.
Talking about “The
Power of a Faithful Friend”!
Let’s go back to our text!!!
So here in Luke we’re
going to see the power, love, concern, effort, and faith of friends who all cry out to Jesus for help, so Jesus helps the
man.
Luke 5:18 –Luke tells us that there
were four men who brought their sick friend to Jesus that day. The POWER to
heal him was there. AND that’s where they wanted to be SO they carried their friend on a stretcher one on each corner.
Their friend had “palsy”. They didn’t know much about this
particular disease that they called “palsy”. It didn’t say how long he had it
what caused it or how close to death he was. We do know that he couldn’t walk.
He needed help. But we do know that this man had four friends who were willing
to carry him to Jesus who had the POWER
to heal him.
Luke 5:19 – They must have come
to the door (if they could even get that far because of the crowd). There was
no room inside, where Jesus was. Nobody was going to budge. Most of them inside
didn’t even know that they (the man with
palsy and his faithful friends) were outside and couldn’t get in.
Most of us would have taken our sick friend back home. “Well, we tried, but we just couldn’t get in to see Jesus. Maybe we’ll try again the next time Jesus is in town.” Not
these friends! They weren’t going to give up that easily. They came for one thing only, they
came to receive the POWER of Jesus the Christ and they weren’t leaving
without it. They were determined. They weren’t giving up. They wanted the POWER
of Jesus.
Listen, PEOPLE OF GOD: You’ll never receive the POWER of Jesus
in your life if you don’t seek for it. The POWER is in Jesus. As long as you
keep Him out of your life, you’ll miss out on His power.
·
Jeremiah 29:13: “And ye shall seek me, and find
me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
These faithful friends didn’t give up.
They knew what they wanted, needed, and were missing. They had found where
Jesus was. They
weren’t going to leave until they had received the POWER of Jesus.
WHAT DID THEY DO? They tore the roof apart! Luke 5:19
In Bible times, they built houses differently than we do (their
building codes weren’t as strict!). Their houses had flat roofs made out of
rafters, with sticks and hardened mud for mortar. They spent a lot of time on
their roofs. There was usually grass growing on the roof and it was cooler up
there. There were stairs on the outside going up to the roof.
These four men climbed the stairs with
their friend on the stretcher and began to dig through the roof. The
word “tiling” refers to the hard-crusty mud that they had to dig through.
Can you imagine what it was like for those in
the room below! Dust was flying everywhere. Pieces of sticks, and chunks of hard,
dried mud were falling on top of them. People were scattering everywhere. Since
they were packed in so tightly, they were probably covered with debris before
they could get out.
The bigger the hole they dug, the more light
that was let into the room. All of a sudden those inside looked up, and four
men were lowering down a stretcher with ropes. Jesus is standing
there as the stretcher is lowered in front of Him.
It's impossible to understate the power of a faithful friend,
and it's critically important that we be that friend to people in our lives.
I want
to take time today to look at this man’s friends. If you’re familiar with this
story you will notice no names were given of these friends.
·
Mark 2:3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of
the palsy, which was borne of four.
Our
text Luke 5:18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which
was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring
him in, and to lay him before him.
No names were mentioned, nor were praise given unto them by their friend or friends. Thanks and
praise was given to Christ alone.
They didn’t stand around and tell Christ they were the ones that
brought him there. They didn’t act with pride with what they did; but they were
more concerned with just getting the man with palsy to Christ and let Him do
the work that was needed!
If I had to give his friends a name: I would have to say
the first
friend was……
Friend Number One is….COMPASSION
This friend had seen his friend in need. Not only in need but
knew that he could help him to get better.
Not getting better by anything he himself could do, but by what his
Almighty Friend Jesus could do.
Jesus was good enough for the Lame man (Acts 3:1-10);
He is good enough for the man with
Palsy!
This man of Compassion is a friend we need to have.
**Not to be critical of our situation or what we’re going
through.
**Not to pass judgment on us or standing by and not doing
anything about a situation.
**Not to make our situation worse by harmful words, but Compassion
is willing to help NOW.
Compassion doesn’t just let us stand by doing nothing but causes us to be
more concerned with the situation at hand and also get others involved to help.
>>Not only is that the friend we need,
but that’s the friend we need to be also…AMEN!
Psalm 86:15 says…
But thou, O Lord, art a
God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in
mercy and truth.
Psalm 111:1-4 says…
Praise ye the LORD. I
will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and
in the congregation. The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them
that have pleasure therein. His work is honorable and glorious: and his
righteousness endures forever. He hath made his wonderful works to be
remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
I Peter 3:8: says…
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.
Friend Number Two is….FAITH
“He (Jesus)
saw their faith”! WHOSE faith? He saw the
faith of the four friends. What does “faith” look like? Can you SEE
“faith”? Jesus can.
You and I can’t SEE anybody’s faith. HOWEVER, we
can see EVIDENCES of a person’s faith.
Like Peter and John, they had nothing to give to the Lame man
lying at the gate,
[They gave what they had…. which was JESUS CHRIST THE ANOINTED ONE]!!!
The woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48) knew what these four friends
knew…“If
we can just get to JESUS, He alone can help us”.
>>This kind of FAITH only works in those
who believe.
I don’t know about you, but I want people who
believe and know the power of prayer and faith praying and helping me. How
about you?
The Centurion Soldier knew that all JESUS had
to do was speak the word and
it would be done for his servant. Matthew 8:5-13.
The Bible says that FAITH cometh
by Hearing - Romans 10:17.
I think it would be safe to say these men have
either heard of the things that the Lord Jesus Christ has done
or has seen them firsthand.
Talking about faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the
word of God.
See we believe with our minds. Faith joins the
heart and mind together. Faith allowed the four men’s spirit man to overtake the flesh. By faith their minds
trusted in God and their hearts responded to the love
of God!
Remember what I said about FAITH only working in those that
believed, it was their belief that gave them power
to tear off the roof to get the man with palsy to Jesus.
It was “their” faith that made the
difference. Luke 5:20: And when he saw their faith, he said
unto him, “Man, thy sins are forgiven thee”.
·
Galatians 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I
live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for me.
As great as this man’s sickness was, GREATER was his friend’s FAITH in JESUS!!!
Matthew
17:20
“If
you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ’Move
from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible unto
you.”
It doesn’t take much faith to move mountains.
Do you know why? Because “faith” doesn’t move mountains GOD DOES! It only takes
that “mustard
seed faith” to go to a big God who has the POWER to move the mountain. The
“mustard
seed faith” has nothing to do with “size” as some
folk quote it, but the scripture states “faith as a grain of mustard seed”, which
denotes “quality”. The “mustard
seed” is one of the smallest seeds but as it reproduces it becomes enormous. It also connotes the
growth of the Kingdom of God that started as small beginnings but even
now continues to spread worldwide.
These four men had all the “faith”
they needed. They simply used the “faith” they had, to bring their
friend to Jesus who had the POWER to heal his body.
Jesus saw their faith in their
hearts, everybody else saw their faith by how they
exercised it in bringing their friend to Jesus.
Jesus is looking into your heart right now and
He’s SEEING your faith and He’s SEEING whether or not you’re exercising
the faith that you have.
Friend
Number Three is….DETERMINATION or WILL
They were no doubt tired from carrying their
friend, but pressed on.
They were no doubt taken back by the press of
people, but pressed on.
They were no doubt trusting still that Jesus
would make the trip worth it all.
II
Peter 3:9 says…
The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.
Even though sometimes it’s hard and the load
heavy, press on.
Don’t be focused on the load you’re
carrying, but the goal that waits. That goal is JESUS!!!
·
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus.
Friend
Number Four is….LOVE
God’s Love is NOT a Pampering LOVE, it’s a PERFECTING
Love.
His friends had this very thought…. Get him
perfected!
These are the kind of friends we need
to have, not friends like Job had. Un-like Job’s friends, these friends
were godly, no matter what their friend the
man with the palsy was
going through, they weren’t judging him, but they went to him to help him
and did.
Not only did he (the man with the palsy) and they (the
four friends) get what was desired, but they got even more than what they ever
expected.
That’s what Love will do…
Romans 5:5 says
And hope makes not
ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the
Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Ephesians 3:17 says…
That Christ may dwell in
your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Vs 18: May be able to
comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height;
Vs 19: And to know the love
of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the
fullness of God.
Hebrews 13:1 says…
Let brotherly love
continue.
Look people of God:
If it was just COMPASSION
holding a corner of the bed, they would not have made it.
If it was just FAITH
holding one corner of the bed, they would not have made it.
If it was just DETERMINATION/WILL
holding one corner of the bed, they would not have made it.
If it was just LOVE
holding one corner of the bed, they would not have made it.
But it took the four Faithful Friends Compassion, Faith, Determination/Will
and above all Love working together
to accomplish the goal!
Compassion gave them the desire, by faith the mind trusted in God, the
heart responds to the love of God, and the will
submits to the command of God.
People of God those same four friends must
be resurrected in us. They are the four quarters of our body
(earth) and the four faces of our personalities.
These are the four living creatures that the prophet Ezekiel and John in Revelation talks about in relation to the face of a man, the face of a lion, face of an ox/calf, and the face of an eagle.
THESE ARE THE FOUR FACES OF OUR
PERSONALITY: (LION; OX/CALF; MAN; EAGLE): IN COMPARISON WITH: (COMPASSION; FAITH; DETERMINATION/WILL; LOVE).
LION (emotions) (SOUL): “COMPASSION”:
When you are
having compassion toward others, it doesn’t mean to be sorry. We must have “compassion” and
not sorrow. Sorrow
is mental suffering caused by loss, disappointment or grief. Compassion means to com’pass about or compass’
which means to surround; understand; achieve; or to contrive
(think up; bring about; manage).
We know that a compass
is an instrument for showing
directions. It engulfs, entails,
and includes every direction. It encompasses the entirety of whatever
is in the middle of it or the midst of or the immediate area. Compassion does not target just the immediate problem, it
goes all the way back to the beginning and discovers the source of the problem
and finds the solution. It brings
deliverance to the person and protects them from being attacked by problems
like that in the future.
·
Acts 1:3: To whom also he showed himself
alive after his “passion” by many infallible proofs, being seen of them
forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Passion is from the Greek root word pas’cho,
meaning to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful); suffer;
be vexed; feel. (Jesus suffered at the
hands of men): (Mt.16:21; 17:12; 1Pet.2:23).
·
Matthew
16:21: From that time forth began Jesus to show
unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things
of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again
the third day.
·
Matthew
17:12: But I say unto you, that Elias is come
already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they
listed. Likewise shall also the Son of
man suffer of them.
· 1 Peter 2:23: Who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judged righteously.
Jesus
felt “passion”:
·
Hebrew
4:15: For we have not a high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities: but was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin.
But He used His suffering to “encompass” sin,
death, hell and the grave that was brought on by the “first man Adam”,
triumphed over it, and has given us the victory in every area of our lives
eternally!
·
1
Corinthians 15:22: In Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive.
So
“COMPASSION” is related to the “soul” (lion) (emotions):
·
Acts
2:27: Thou will not leave my soul in
hell, neither will thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
We know that when the “Lamb” stands up in us
the “lion”
(emotions) (soul) is conquered because it has been “compassed” about
with the love of God.
Spirit: is from the Hebrew root word neshamah’,
meaning wind, vital breath, divine inspiration (an inhalation or being inspired mentally or emotionally to creative
thinking or action by God Himself); intellect
(having the ability not to just understand knowledge but also to accept
it).
Man
has his own “spirit” which came from God but he needs God’s “Holy Spirit” (ru’wach) to
purify his spirit to make him like God!
RU’WACH (wind; breath, in relation to a
sensible (or even violent) exhalation; life; Spirit or spirit; mind; spiritual)
/ (Also means to “blow, or breathe”; to smell or perceive (anticipate;
enjoy); accept; make of quick understanding).
When God’s Spirit takes man over he can’t help but “love”
God with all his “heart” (not the muscle in your chest) but the “heart” from the Greek root word” kardi’a,
meaning one’s thoughts or feelings (mind); the middle of oneself; “the real
man or the hidden man” of the heart, including his mental, moral, rational,
emotional activity, and his spiritual life.
·
Mark
12:30: Thou shalt “love” the Lord thy God
with all thine heart, soul, mind, and strength.
· Vs 31: And the second is like, namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
FACE
AS A CALF/OX (strength) (body): “DETERMINATION
(a firm intention):”WILL”: (the power of making a reasoned choice or of
controlling one’s own actions):
A
“calf” is an immature burden bearer. He
has to have the “strength”, the determination and the will to bring him or
herself to “maturity” which is the “OX”, which can carry the burden! But for this to happen, man must yield his “body”
totally to God!
·
Romans
7:12: Let not sin therefore reign in your
mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Vs
13: Neither yield you your members as
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:
but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
·
Romans
12:1: I
beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service.
· 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? For you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
When we yield our bodies to God as instruments of
righteousness, He uses us for His glory as His ambassadors in the earth!
·
1 Peter 5:10:
But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen,
settle you.
[When
something is “established” it’s
built from the outside. But when
something is “stablished” it’s built
from the inside out! That’s what God
does with His people, He works from the inside!
FAITH is from the root word pis’tis, meaning persuasion; conviction
(of truth, or the truthfulness of God); reliance upon Christ for salvation;
assurance; belief.
·
Hebrew
11:6:
Without faith it is impossible to please God: he that comes to God must believe that
he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
It is going to take the “mind” of man taking on
the “mind”
of Christ to bring about his transformation into the very image and
likeness of God.
·
Romans
12:2:
Be you transformed by the renewing (renovating)
of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
It is the “mind” of man that has destroyed
him, and it’s going to take the renewing
of his “mind” to deliver him from that which pertains to “humanity” and restore him back
to his “divinity”!
·
Hosea
4:6: My people are destroyed for the lack
of knowledge.
·
Colossians
3:9-10: Lie not one to another, seeing
that you have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man,
which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.
Jesus
was God in flesh form:
·
St.
John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: vs 14:
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us:
And
so are we God in flesh form:
·
St.
John 1:2: The same (we His people) was in the beginning with God:
·
Ephesians
5:30: We are members of his body, of his
flesh, and of his bones.
·
1
John 4:17: As he is, so are we,
in this world.
PEOPLE OF GOD examine yourself…….
Do you have these four faithful friends in your own life? Do you consider yourself a faithful friend to someone? Is one or more missing? So I’m asking you today…….commit yourself to Jesus…… Connect with the Christ and His Anointing today……… When we commit to Jesus, we are not only allowing Him to save us but to change our lives. Jesus changes people from the inside out. When we turn to Jesus we are really turning from our sin. If you do not know where you stand with Jesus today, please make that choice to follow Him. Jesus is waiting to make a personal connection with you. He wants to call you His friend and He also wants you to be a friend to someone else. All you have to do is: Trust God and stay the course, He is looking for faithful friends!
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
What a friend we have in
Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear;
What a privilege to carry,
Everything to God in prayer.
Oh, what peace we often
forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear;
All because we do not
carry,
Everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and
temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so
faithful?
Who will all our sorrows
share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Evangelist Jackie Burton