FOUR OF A KIND
A SERIES ON JESUS: PART III (HEALING)
BIBLE VERSE: Mark 2:1-12
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven. 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ’Your sins are
forgiven,’ or to say, ’Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . .." He said to the paralytic, 11 "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
TRANSITION: Using a deck of cards, explain how cards are played. If you have knowledge of a basic card trick, you may even perform it. Then explain that today at Bible Study, we are using some card metaphors. But unlike a game of luck, when studying the Lord we will take no chances.
1. FOUR OF A KIND
A. LIKEMINDEDNESS (ONE ACCORD): Acts 2:1 in the King James Version:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Explain how powerful a rope is when three cords come together. And mention that perhaps the greatest key to continued and sustainable church growth is the decision to be in ONE ACCORD (mention that this is
not the priority of our lesson today, but we will mention it every chance we get).
Remind all of the ONE ACCORD standards we have set:
1) Church every Sunday.
2) Bible Study every Sunday.
3) A Midweek Small Group (Prime Time or other).
4) A daily quiet time.
B. THE THREE M’S:
Mind: Their minds were all about bringing a “sinner” to Jesus (and remember, the word sinner applies to the paralytic here, and is used in reference to the “non-believer” or “the lost”). You know what? If we want to witness to people, we have to have our minds in it to do so. There are so many chances lost that we probably cannot even comprehend because our minds are not into it.
Motive: 2 Peter 3: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentence. Understand, that these 4 men had one motive AND so does God. Their motive matches the creator of the world, and that is for people to come to know Jesus. Tough question, does your motive match the Lord’s?
Motion: But it wasn’t just words. They carried actions.
3 Frogs sitting on a log, 2 of them thought about jumping. What happened? Nothing, thinking about it doesn’t do anything. It takes action, it takes motion.
General McClellan: In the civil war, General McClellan was a horrible Northern general. He was horrible NOT because he didn’t drill his soldiers, he drilled them awesome. He was horrible because he wouldn’t
attack. Antietam: Lee went North looking for a victory to crush Union morale (however, Southern battle plans had been found rolled up with cigars in an open meadow). McClellan attacked Lee in a battle ending
23,000 lives (bloodiest single day of CW). McClellan doesn’t pursue Lee (Lee’s surrender would have ended war). McClellan could have won the war and saved millions of lives: but no action, no motion.
THESE 4 MEN WERE OF ONE ACCORD, THEY WERE FOUR OF A KIND.
2. A FULL HOUSE
A. THE CHURCH WAS FULL: Notice that the church/house church that was meeting that day, was full. Every seat was taken, it was probably uncomfortable. Notice though, that a full house doesn’t necessarily mean that “the lost” can get to Jesus.
B. QUOTE FROM SERMON
Pastor Charles Trout puts it this way:
We live today in a land where the church houses are often filled; it is not uncommon to hear of a church with hundreds and even thousands in attendance. In and of itself attendance is not the issue that we will address in this message, but rather the condition of the hearts of those in attendance. It is often the case that we come to church for the wrong reasons: for personal blessings, for personal worship, for personal edification. When God is moving in the church house personal blessings should be the farthest things on our hearts. The large crowds that followed Jesus in his earthly ministry followed expecting their daily, physical needs to be met. Whether the need was healing, miracles, or simply the daily bread needed for life. When we come and bask in the glory of God, accepting his blessings, without ever considering the needs of the lost and undone outside of the saving grace of Jesus, we are no different than the crowds that followed Jesus simply for what he could do for them.
C. BUT THE GOAL IS GROWTH (TREE EXAMPLE):
What happens when a seed becomes a tree? Well, it grows. Ask the students some characteristics of a growing tree? Then ask them some characteristics of a dying tree? Compare the differences.
Folks, we are suppose to grow. We were meant to grow. Our church is meant to grow. Babies are cute when they toddle around the house in their diaper, but there is no one in the room that states that’s okay
for a 20 year old. So we too must grow in our faith, and grow in the church (by the way, if we really had the goal of church growth in mind, would we be critical of the stuff we are critical of, would we dream of
missing service?).
THE GOAL: A FULL HOUSE OF DISCIPLES WHERE THE LOST ARE WELCOME
3. A BAD HAND
Transition: Take your deck of cards, and show a bad hand (perhaps a 3, 7, 8, 10, Jack, or something). No pairs, no colors, no orders, nothing, this is a folding hand. And you no what, sometimes in life we get a bad
hand, and in this story, the paralyzed person seems to have it.
A. THE PARALYZED MAN: The paralyzed man had been that way since birth and most likely was an embarrassing beggar in the streets. He was carried up to the top of a house and had a roof destroyed for him (by the way, if someone puts a hole in my roof just to come in to me because it is crowded, I would be ticked). The homes in Palestine had flat branch/sod roofs with exterior staircases leading to them. Though making a hole in the roof would be easier then than today, carrying a man on a mat up the stair and lowering him in would have been unbelievable.
B. NOTICE, WHAT IS THE MAN ASKING FOR? We have got to ask the question, did the man get his prayer answered? Take a look at it, a paralyzed man comes through an open ceiling, gets dropped down in front of Jesus, and looks at him (some translates him with the word palsy, giving us a better visual of what Jesus is seeing). And Jesus says “your sins are forgiven?”
Now the man is obviously very thankful to have his sins forgiven (it also answers the question do people of disability need a savior, they sin too you know). But that is not the request, the request is healing!
Why? Give some time for answers.
The answer I will go with is though we bring our prayer requests to Jesus, and he could fully answer them, He is more concerned about the inside than the outside. We see the man’s outer, Jesus saw the inner.
And you know what I bet, I bet the man was thankful to have his sins forgiven too, maybe even more so than his ability to walk.
C. TAKE YOUR MAT: Why did Jesus tell him to take his mat and go? Why take the mat?
Allow time for answers, there are probably many. But the mat is a reminder to his past. How many of us had lived a horrible life, turned over a new life to Jesus, but forgotten how bad we were only to become
judgmental of the “sinner?” The mat is a visual reminder of the grace this man received.
At this point, feel free to use a life story about a time when life dealt you a bad hand. As of press time, I am not sure I will use the lose of my child or not, but it is tough obviously. The “mat” Jesus gave me is a child gravesite, of which I have yet to go visit. To the teacher, did Jesus give you a mat too?
THE GOAL IF LIFE HAS GIVEN YOU A BAD HAND: WORK HARD TO FIND JESUS
4. THE ANTE: The ante is the price one has to pay to enter the game. You know what, in Christianity, in walking with Jesus, there was a price to be paid.
BIBLE VERSE: Luke 9:62
Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
THE MEANING: In this verse, Jesus is saying that once someone gives their life to him and begins their work of serving the Lord, they should not stare back in reverse. If they do, they wantonly look back for what they have given up, only to be unable to plow straight. They are double-minded. How can they plow a straight path while looking back?
Sources:
Going Deeper, Life Focus: Bible Studies for Life, Leader Guide, Fall 2009, pages 17-19.
Martin, Donnie. The Joy of Bringing Men to God. Parkview Baptist Church, Mississippi, May 9, 2002.
Trout, Charles. Four of a Kind Beats a Full House. Living Waters Independent Baptist Church, North Carolina, December 2000.
NAME: ______________________
FOUR OF A KIND
A SERIES ON JESUS: PART III (HEALING)
BIBLE VERSE: Mark 2:1-12
1. ______________________________________________
A. LIKEMINDEDNESS (ONE ACCORD):
Acts 2:1: And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with ______________ in one place.
ONE ACCORD REVIEW:
1) __________________________________________________
2) __________________________________________________
3) __________________________________________________
4) __________________________________________________
B. THE THREE M’S:
1) _____________________________________________________________________________
2) _____________________________________________________________________________
3) _____________________________________________________________________________
General McClellan Example
2. _______________________________________________
Church was ______________________
Charles Trout Quote:
Tree Example:
3. ________________________________________________
Paralyzed Man: ________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________
What is the Man Asking For? _____________________________________________________________
What Does He Get? ____________________________________________________________________
The Odd Command: ____________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________
BIBLE VERSE: Luke 9:62
Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the ___________________________ and ____________ _________________________________ is fit for the kingdom of God.”
My Ante: _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________