Through The Roof!

[0:00] Well, if we could, this morning with the Lord's help and the Lord's enabling, if we could turn back to that portion of Scripture that we read, the Gospel according to Mark, in chapter 2.

[0:13] Mark chapter 2, and we're just going to look at this passage, but if we read again at verse 3. Mark chapter 2 at verse 3.

[0:24] And they came bringing to him, that is Jesus, a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him.

[0:36] 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.

[0:50] Amen. I'm sure we've all heard of the expression, through the roof. And we use the expression in two different ways.

[1:02] Because when we talk about the price of something, something that's soared, like petrol, we would say that, well, it's gone through the roof. The price of petrol has gone through the roof.

[1:12] But then on the other hand, we would use this expression when we're talking about people, and we're talking about their temper. Well, you'd say, well, when my father discovered that I smashed his new car, he went through the roof.

[1:27] And when you think about it, it's a really silly expression, and yet we use it all the time. Because when we talk about prices or petrol or people, we say that, well, they went through the roof.

[1:39] But we talk about them going through the roof from the inside out. And yet, when we're looking at this passage this morning, we see that this paralysed man, he came through the roof from the outside in.

[1:54] And I don't suppose anyone would want to try that today. Not only because our roof is so high, but, well, we've just had it finished. And as I said, we're so thankful to the Lord for the completion of our roof.

[2:06] We're thankful to the Lord for the financial provision of the congregation to get the work done. We're thankful to the Lord for Alec Murray construction, for working on the roof, and they've done a great job.

[2:19] It's very, very neat. And we're thankful to the Lord for the weather. The weather hasn't hindered them at all. And the job was done so smoothly and so efficiently. There's a lot to thank the Lord for.

[2:31] But, you know, in the passage we're considering this morning, there were four men who destroyed the roof of a church in order to hear more and more about Jesus.

[2:52] Because these four men, they went to great lengths in order to ensure that their paralysed friend met with Jesus. But in this passage, we see that it's not only the men who are active.

[3:06] Jesus is also active. Because in this passage, we see Jesus doing three things. We see Jesus speaking. We see Jesus seeing.

[3:17] And we see Jesus saving. And there are three headings this morning. Jesus speaking, Jesus seeing, and Jesus saving. So first of all, Jesus speaking.

[3:28] Jesus speaking. Look at verse one. It says, And when he 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.

[3:42] And he was preaching the word to them. So chapter two of Mark's gospel, it opens with Jesus returning to one of his favorite locations.

[3:52] Because we're told that after some days, Jesus returned to Capernaum. He had gone through all the cities and villages around the region of Galilee. He was teaching in their synagogues.

[4:04] He was preaching the gospel of the kingdom. He was healing every disease and every sickness. And yet Jesus returned home to Capernaum. Now Capernaum, it was a little fishing village along the sea coast of Galilee.

[4:19] And it was a familiar place because it was the home of the apostle Peter. But Peter's home was also the local church.

[4:30] That was where people from the community, they all gathered together to hear Jesus preach. And the event of Jesus preaching, it was a regular occurrence. And it was actually a highlight of the community.

[4:43] And as word got about that Jesus had come home and he was preaching in Peter's home, more and more people, they came to hear Jesus preach. And on this particular occasion, there were lots and lots of people who came to hear Jesus preach.

[4:58] Because we're told in verse two that there were so many people that there was no more room, not even at the door. The local church in Peter's home, it was bursting at the seams with people wanting to come and hear Jesus preach.

[5:16] And they came because the teaching of Jesus, it was a new phenomenon. We're told back in chapter one that when people heard Jesus speak, they all said, what is this?

[5:30] A new teaching. With authority. They wondered at what Jesus was speaking about and it intrigued them. They were interested in what Jesus had to say.

[5:41] And the more people that became interested, the fame of Jesus had spread throughout the surrounding regions of Galilee. And the crowds, they gathered together into this local church in Capernaum just to hear Jesus speak.

[5:55] But notice what Jesus is doing here. Jesus is speaking. Jesus is preaching. More specifically, we're told at the end of verse two, Jesus preached the word to them.

[6:07] Jesus preached the word to them. And this is important because the ministry of Jesus was not just about cleansing lepers and casting out demons and giving the blind their sight, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, and raising the dead to life.

[6:24] No, the ministry of Jesus was about preaching the word. Yes, miracles were wonderful. And there were, there was a glorious display of his, his power and the compassion of Jesus.

[6:40] But as we know, Jesus came with a greater intention and a greater purpose than just to provide physical healing. Jesus came with the message of salvation.

[6:51] salvation. Jesus came with good news. It wasn't a moral lesson that he came with. It wasn't an informative lecture. It wasn't a motivational speech.

[7:02] It wasn't a positive talk about how to be a better person and live a better life. No, Jesus preached the word to them. And back in chapter one, we're told that when Jesus first appeared in Capernaum, he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God.

[7:21] Therefore, the word that Jesus preached, it was, the time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.

[7:32] Therefore, the word that Jesus was preaching here in the local church again in Capernaum, it would have been the same message, the same plea. Repent and believe in the gospel.

[7:45] And you know, what better message could Jesus have preached to those who gathered in church? What better message is there in all the world other than the good news of Jesus Christ?

[7:57] Because whatever ailments people came to Jesus with, whatever problems they had, whatever burdens they bore, whatever issues they wanted Jesus to attend to, Jesus knew that all these miracles that he performed, they were never going to get to the heart of the problem.

[8:17] Because the heart of the problem, it was always the problem of the heart. And that's why Jesus preached the word to them. Because it's only the word of God that can tend to our greatest need.

[8:31] And you know, this is the wonder and glory of the gospel. That Jesus Christ is the word of God. Jesus is the word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

[8:43] And we're told here that Jesus preached the word to them. Jesus preached about himself. He preached about who he is. That he is the Messiah.

[8:56] He is the Son of God. He is the one who has been sent to be the Savior of sinners. He came to preach about who he is and why he came.

[9:07] He came not to call the righteous, but he came to call sinners to repentance. And he's come to call us to repent and believe in the gospel.

[9:18] Jesus has come to call us to turn from our sin and to commit our life to him. And you know, my friend, as the people of Capernaum, as they gathered together in their local church, squeezing in just to hear Jesus preach, he preached the word to them.

[9:36] And you know, in our local church here in Barvis, it's that same word that must be preached. Because nothing else will do. Nothing else will change lives.

[9:48] Nothing else will convert you. Nothing else will help you. Nothing else will give you hope in the midst of uncertainty. Nothing else will bring you comfort in the midst of sorrow.

[9:59] Nothing else will encourage you when you're at your lowest. Nothing else will remind you of God's faithfulness to you. Nothing else will show you that your sins can be forgiven and washed as white as snow.

[10:13] Nothing else will tell you that you're a great sinner in need of a great saviour. This Jesus who's calling you to come to him. My friend, nothing else will do your soul any good apart from this precious word.

[10:30] And Jesus preached the word to them. He preached the word to them. But you know the sad thing about the people of Capernaum?

[10:44] They had heard it all before. They had heard it all before. Do you know that there was no village in the whole of Galilee that heard the gospel as much as those in Capernaum?

[11:00] Capernaum was the place where Jesus performed many miracles. Capernaum was the place that Jesus delivered many sermons. And even though the people were amazed and they were astonished and they were filled with wonder because of all of Jesus' miracles, even though the people enjoyed listening to Jesus preach, they didn't respond to the word that he preached.

[11:23] They were still unconverted. Their hearts were still hardened to the gospel. And I say that because when Jesus later spoke about this village of Capernaum, he used very solemn words.

[11:42] Jesus said, Capernaum, you will be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, he says, it would have remained until this day, but I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.

[12:03] You know, they were solemn words to a community that had heard so much of the gospel. They'd seen Jesus time and time again, and yet they did nothing with it.

[12:15] They did nothing with it. J.C. Ryle, the 19th century preacher, he says in his commentary, he says, we forget that the people of Capernaum, they heard the most faultless preaching, and they heard it confirmed by the most surprising miracles, and yet they remained dead in their trespasses and sins.

[12:39] Never was there a people so highly favoured as the people of Capernaum, and never was there a people who appear to have become so hard. J.C.

[12:51] Ryle says, nothing seems to harden man's heart so much as to hear the gospel regularly, and yet deliberately prefer the service of sin and of the world.

[13:05] And you know, here we are in our little Capernaum. Many people in here are just like the people of Capernaum, where you come to your local church to have the word of God preached to you, and it's safe to say that you hear the gospel regularly, and yet you deliberately prefer the service of sin and the service of the world.

[13:30] And instead of your heart softening under the message of the gospel and under the preaching of God's word, the only change that seems to be taking place in your experience is that your heart is hardening.

[13:43] Because, my friend, here we are. We're back again, back in our local church, church, and you're sitting probably in the same pew you were sitting in four months ago, and you're still in a lost condition.

[14:01] Nothing has changed. Your heart is still hardened to the gospel. But the wonder of it is, Jesus is still speaking to you. And he's speaking to you again.

[14:15] And he's saying to you again, it's time to repent. and believe in the gospel. It's time for you to turn away from sin and commit your life to Jesus Christ.

[14:32] Because now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation. And so in the local church in Capernaum, we see Jesus speaking.

[14:48] But then secondly, we notice Jesus seeing. Jesus seeing. Look at verse 3. And they came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.

[15:02] And when they could not get near him 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, your son, your sins are forgiven.

[15:20] And what I want us to notice about these verses is that Jesus saw them. Jesus saw them. Jesus saw four men who carried this paralysed man to their local church.

[15:35] because we're told, as it says in verse 3, and they came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him.

[15:49] 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.

[16:02] Jesus saw them. And what's remarkable is that these four men, we don't have a name for them. They have no name.

[16:13] These four men are not identified. They are four unsung heroes. Because, well, no one would recognize them for their effort.

[16:25] No one would take notice of them for their determination. No one would praise them for their commitment. But Jesus saw them. Jesus saw them.

[16:36] And what Jesus saw about these four men was their faith. Jesus saw their faith. And, you know, it ought to be a reminder to us that nothing we do for Jesus goes unnoticed.

[16:50] However small it may be, nothing we do for Jesus goes unnoticed. Jesus saw their faith. They had the faith to believe that Jesus was able to heal their paralysed friend.

[17:04] And they were determined to bring him to the feet of Jesus. And, you know, it must have been amazing to be in church that day. It must have been amazing to have squeezed into the house, to be among this crowd squeezed into Peter's home.

[17:22] And these four men, they would have come there carrying this man. They would have seen that people were at the door. There was no way to get in. But that didn't put them off. That didn't deter them.

[17:34] That didn't cause them to give up. When they saw the staircase that led up to the roof, which was a common feature of the houses in Galilee, they would have just climbed the stairs, carrying their friend.

[17:48] And when they got onto the roof, it wouldn't have been too difficult for them just to remove the tiles and scrape away this coating mixture of clay and hay. it wouldn't have been difficult for them to make a large hole big enough to let their paralyzed friend through the roof.

[18:07] It must have been amazing to be in church that day. That would be a good day to go to church because you can just imagine Jesus standing there in front of this crowd and they're all there and they're listening to him preaching the word.

[18:21] And then there's this thudding on the roof. This thudding noise and there's this scratching noise as they're scraping the roof and pulling everything apart and the light begins to stream into the house.

[18:34] And Jesus looks up. He doesn't say anything. We're told he doesn't say a word. He doesn't say stop it. He doesn't say just come in. He just watches them.

[18:46] And without any announcement the men they drag their friend who's on his bed and they just lower their paralyzed friend through the roof right to the feet of Jesus.

[18:58] And when Jesus looks up what does he see? He sees their faith. Jesus saw their faith. Jesus saw that these men were so concerned about their paralyzed friend that they did the only thing that they could.

[19:15] They brought him to the feet of Jesus. They literally brought their burden to the feet of Jesus. Jesus. One commentator says these men didn't just pray about it and then hope that something would change for the better.

[19:35] They put some feet into their prayers and they did something about it. They brought their friend to Jesus. It wasn't enough for them just to stay at home and pray for their paralyzed friend.

[19:50] Of course there's power in prayer. Nobody doubts that. But you know prayer is no substitute for action. Because sometimes it's not enough to stop at prayer.

[20:03] Prayer must work alongside actions of faith. My friend our faith must have feet. Our faith must have feet.

[20:16] And we need to learn from these four men and seek to bring people to the feet of Jesus. Because we're not only to bring people to the feet of Jesus through prayer.

[20:29] That's important. But we're to bring people to the feet of Jesus by introducing them to the gospel. Whether that's speaking to them about Jesus or inviting them to come to church.

[20:43] Because you know gone are the days of people just coming to church. the empty pews are evidence of that. Gone are the days of every home from the community being represented in church.

[20:59] Gone are the days of expecting people just to walk through the door. And yet the Great Commission is still the same. Go. Go into all the world. Preach the gospel.

[21:11] We're to go to the people of our community with the gospel. We're to invite them to seek the Lord. We're to invite them to come to church. And we need to take our responsibility seriously.

[21:22] And our motivation, it always must be out of love and a genuine desire to see these people saved. Because you know when we look at these men of faith, they brought their paralysed friend to the place where Jesus was to be found.

[21:41] And they brought their paralysed friend to the place where the word was preached. And that's where we're to bring people. We're to try and encourage people to come to the place where Jesus is to be found and the place where the word is proclaimed.

[21:58] And we're to invite them and urge them and exhort them and encourage them and compel them and plead with them and persuade them. Whoever they are, whether they are our friends, our family, our neighbours, we're to encourage them to come to the feet of Jesus.

[22:18] And I know that for some of you, you've been asking your friends, your family and neighbours to come to church for years. And maybe you've tried and tried, but I want to say to you, don't give up.

[22:35] Don't give up. Don't stop asking. Keep going to them. keep asking them. Keep inviting them.

[22:49] The amount of people I ask to come to church, and they always say no, but most of them. And I say to them, do you want me to stop asking you?

[23:00] And they say, no. Don't stop asking me. So my friend, don't stop asking them. Don't stop asking them. Keep inviting them because our responsibility is to invite them.

[23:15] What they do with the invitation, it's up to them. It's entirely up to them. But my friend, if you aren't inviting people to come to church, if you aren't speaking to people about Jesus, if you're not speaking to them about their precious soul, then you know, it's a hard question, but we have to ask ourselves, how much do I love my unconverted friends, family and neighbors to keep this message from them?

[23:43] How much do I love my family to allow them to go their own way? How much do I love my neighbors to just contain this message within my own boundary? How much do I love those whom I work with to withhold this good news from them?

[23:59] And the Bible reminds us of the importance of inviting people to come and see their need of Jesus. us. Because the Bible says, if our gospel is hidden, it's only hidden to those who are lost.

[24:13] If our gospel is hidden, it's hidden to those who are lost. My friend, no matter how difficult it may be, and believe me, I know it's difficult, no matter how uncomfortable we may feel, and yes, I know it's uncomfortable, and I know how much of a challenge it is, but you know, we need to be concerned, we need to be active, we need to be determined, we need to be committed, like these faithful friends, and bring people to Jesus.

[24:47] Because you know, we have no idea what will happen when they meet with Jesus. These four men, they didn't know what Jesus would do, but they had the faith to believe that Jesus could save their paralyzed friend.

[25:03] That was enough for them to bring them, to bring this man to the feet of Jesus. And you know, that's what I'd like us to consider lastly.

[25:15] They brought this man so that he would be saved. So we've looked at Jesus speaking, Jesus seeing, and then lastly, we notice Jesus saving. Jesus saving.

[25:29] Look at verse 5. 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 that?

[25:42] He's blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone? What Jesus said at church that day, it wasn't what everyone expected to hear.

[25:55] because everyone expected Jesus to say, as he had said before to many other people, they expected Jesus to say to this paralysed man, get up and walk.

[26:07] But when Jesus said, your sins are forgiven, Jesus reminded the congregation that the man had a far greater problem in his life than his paralysis.

[26:21] Of course, being paralysed was a difficult problem for this man. He couldn't walk. He couldn't work. He was poor because he couldn't work and he depended upon everyone around him for help.

[26:34] And Jesus, he knew all this. He knew everything about this man. But Jesus also knew that this man's greatest problem in life, it wasn't his paralysis. It was his sin.

[26:47] Because his sin had separated him from God. His sin had destroyed his relationship with God. His sin was even the reason why he was paralysed.

[27:00] It may not have been an actual sin that caused his paralysis. But whether it was a disease or an accident that happened or he was born paralysed, sin was the root cause of it all that caused his suffering and his discomfort and his pain.

[27:20] And yet, what we see here is that with such compassion, Jesus speaks directly to this man and he saves him as only Jesus can. He says, son, son, your sins are forgiven.

[27:37] But of course, what Jesus said at church that day, it sparked an argument. Because the scribes, they had come along to hear Jesus preach. And they'd all come in their fine apparel, they'd all marched in to get a front row seat in the local church and they came to hear the doctrine that Jesus preached and they came to see what kind of miracles Jesus performed.

[27:58] And as overlords and judges of Jesus, the scribes, they were sitting there, not opening their mouth but questioning in their hearts, wondering what Jesus was doing. And in their heart they're claiming, well, Jesus is blaspheming, he's robbing God of his honour.

[28:15] Who can forgive sins but God only? And you know, the scribes, their theology was right. It's only God who can forgive sin. But that's the point.

[28:28] Jesus isn't any ordinary man. Jesus, he's presented to us on the pages of scripture as the God-man. He's God manifest in the flesh. He's Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

[28:42] This isn't any ordinary man. This is the saviour of sinners. And you know, I love the question that Jesus asked them. It says in verse 8, And immediately Jesus perceived in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves and said to them, Why do you question these things in your hearts?

[29:03] Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven, or to say, rise, take up your bed, and walk?

[29:15] Which is easier, to forgive sins, or to heal? And for the scribes, they could do neither. But you know, if I was to say to you today, well, your sins are forgiven, your sins are forgiven, your sins, they're forgiven.

[29:37] If I was to say that to you today, no one would know if I was telling the truth or not. if I had this prestige around people, that they thought that everything that came out of my mouth was the truth, and I said, well, your sins are forgiven, no one could argue against it.

[29:58] There would be nothing that could prove or disprove that I had forgiven your sins. And you know, that's the lie that the Roman Catholic Church feeds millions of people. That's the lie that sends millions of people to a lost eternity in hell.

[30:12] The lie that the priest or the Pope can forgive your sins and absolve you from purgatory and send you up into heaven. But you know, there's no proof that they have the power or the authority to do so.

[30:26] But listen to what Jesus says. Listen to what Jesus has to say. He says in verse 9, which is easier, to say to the paralytic, your sins are forgiven, or to say, rise, take up your bed and walk, but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.

[30:43] He said to the paralytic, I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go home. And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and he went out before them all so that they were all amazed and glorified God saying, we never saw anything like this.

[31:01] My friend, by healing the paralytic, Jesus proved, he proved to everyone at church that day that he had both the power and the authority to forgive sin.

[31:12] And in this church, this is what Jesus is doing here today. Jesus is proving to us, he's reminding us that he has both the power and the authority to forgive your sin.

[31:30] I want to speak to you as someone who is unconverted. Unconverted sitting here in church today. you know, like it was for those in the local church in Capernaum that day.

[31:44] They saw Jesus speaking. They saw Jesus seeing, he saw these men. And they saw Jesus saving. And here in our local church in Barvis today, Jesus is still speaking.

[32:01] He's still calling you to repent and believe in the gospel. He's still calling you to turn away from your sin and commit your life to Jesus Christ. Jesus is still speaking.

[32:12] But Jesus is also still seeing. Because he sees you. He knows you. Everything about you. He's still seeing.

[32:25] He sees your sin. And he sees your need of a saviour. Jesus is still speaking, still seeing, and he's still saving. still saving.

[32:38] After all these years, years of walking away, years of rebellion, Jesus is still willing to save you and forgive you and cleanse you and restore you and make you his.

[32:56] He's still willing. If you will only come to him and commit your life to it, if you will only ask him to come into your life, to change your heart, to make you new, ask and it shall be given.

[33:16] Seek and you shall find. Knock, the door will be opened. My friend, today in church, Jesus is speaking, he's seeing and he's saving. And you know, there were people in Capernaum who left church that day, different to the way they came in.

[33:41] Because they saw and heard from Jesus and what they saw and heard, it had an effect upon them. We read in verse 12 that they were rejoicing in Jesus and his salvation.

[33:55] But of course we know that there were others who left church that day, not rejoicing, but rejecting Jesus and his salvation. The question I want to leave with you, how will you leave church today?

[34:15] How will you leave church today? Will you leave church today rejoicing in Jesus and his salvation? salvation? Or will you leave church today once again, rejecting Jesus and his salvation?

[34:36] Jesus speaking, Jesus seeing, Jesus saving. my friend, how will you leave church today? May the Lord bless these thoughts to us.

[34:50] Let us pray. O Lord, our gracious God, we give thanks to thee that Jesus is able to meet us at our point of need.

[35:01] And whatever our need is, whether it's our lost estate, whether it's our need for growth in grace, whether it's worries or concerns, we give thanks to thee that this Jesus is one who speaks to us.

[35:16] He is one who sees our need and he's one who's able to save to the uttermost. Help us then to trust him. Help us to walk with him. Help us to leave this place knowing him and loving him as the author and the finisher of our faith.

[35:33] Keep us then, Lord, we ask thee. Bless us, we pray. Go before us and do us good for Jesus sake. Amen. Well, we shall bring our service to a conclusion by singing the words of Psalm 92.

[35:53] Psalm 92, it's on page 352. I want to remind you that there's tea and coffee provided after the service, so please do stay behind for a cup of tea and a time of fellowship if you can.

[36:15] So, Psalm 92, we're singing from the beginning down to the verse marked 4. In Psalm 92, it's a song for the Sabbath day. It's how we're meant to spend the Lord's day.

[36:27] That's what the psalmist reminds us. And he says in verse 1, to render thanks unto the Lord. It is a comely thing and to thy name thou most high, due praise aloud to sing, thy loving kindness to show forth when shines the morning light, and to declare thy faithfulness with pleasure every night.

[36:47] Psalm 92 from the beginning down to the verse marked 4. God's praise. To God's praise. To end our thumbs unto the Lord, it is a comely thing.

[37:11] Come to thy name, O how most high, to praise.

[37:22] God's love to sing, thy loving kindness to show forth when shines the morning light, unto thee prayer, thy faithfulness with pleasure every night, or not as ring and instrument upon the song.

[38:15] to thee, and on the harp with soul and sound, and great sweet melody.

[38:32] For the Lord by thy mighty words, hast made my heart right clapped, and I will triumph in the works which by thine hands were made.

[39:07] Gracious God, we give thanks to thee for all the provisions that have been made for us. Bless the tea and the coffee and all thy goodness to us.

[39:18] Bless these things to our body's use, and help us, Lord, always to eat and to drink, and to always give glory to thy name. We ask that grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that would rest and remain with us all, both now and forever more.

[39:36] Amen. Amen.