" BARRIERS TO BLESSINGS "
Mark 2:1-5
And again he entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. [2] And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. [3] And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. [4] And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. [5] When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
If a man seeks forgiveness of sins, I mean truly seeks with a desperation that will not quit no matter what is in the way, he will be forgiven. This is the great lesson learned from the man with palsy.
Notice: The prerequisite to being forgiven was clearly demonstrated by what happened.
1. The man came to Jesus. Actually, this man was brought to Jesus by four other men. Note two significant things.
a. The man was desperate for help and very hopeful, having heard about Jesus.
b. The man was counted as a very dear person by the four men. This is indicated by the extreme action they took to reach Jesus.
The point is clear: the first prerequisite to forgiveness is coming to Jesus. A person must come to Jesus for forgiveness, even if he has to be brought. Compare the invitation of God to "come":
2. The man and his friends possessed a sincere, desperate faith in Jesus’ power.
A faith, that would not quit even with barriers in front of them.
Most people give up when a barrier is in the way.
What are some of our barriers to the blessings of God.
I. SELF CENTEREDNESS.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Selfish ambition can cause some terrible things among men.
It can cause...
Jealousy
Hatred
Suffering
Envy
Sneakiness
Divisiveness
Bitterness
Conflict
Death
Anger
Self-centeredness
Destruction
Great barriers are built between people in their worship. Think about the Jewish Temple for just a moment.
Imagine the huge walls (barriers) separating people from God, and the various courtyards favoring Jewish men before women and all Jews before any Gentile. Imagine the self-righteousness, pride, self-centeredness, prejudice, envy, and jealousy. Where is love, care, ministry, evangelism, social consciousness, and a sense of human need in such a scheme of religion? Every generation of believers must search their hearts for any sign of prejudice and division, and purge their hearts of such sins.
We are always at the center of the picture.
Humility begins to come when we honestly face ourselves and admit our self-centeredness.
Self-centeredness weakens and limits and destroys relationships and achievements.
Humility reaches its height when we lose our lives in the cause of Christ and welfare of others.
II. INDIFFERENCE.
Luke 10:30-33 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. [31] And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. [32] And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. [33] But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
A lot of people today are just like this priest and Levite. They could careless!
III. CRITICAL ATTITUDES.
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
Scriptures teach that our human problems are heart problems. It might be possible to cover yourself for a while, but eventually you inner attitudes will reveal themselves.
IV. UNFORGIVING SPIRITS.
Hebrews 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Matthew 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
The very idea of forgiveness is just what it says: it is forgiving. God knows that He cannot forgive an unforgiving heart. His nature of love and justice will not permit Him to indulge in sin and give license to the passions of a man’s unforgiving spirit. He can forgive only where the mercy and tenderness of forgiveness are found. Therefore, Christ had to teach the basic principle of prayer-forgiveness
There is the warning-refuse to forgive and be unforgiven.
The believer who prays for forgiveness and holds feelings against another person is hypocritical. He is asking God to do something he himself is unwilling to do. He is asking God to forgive his trespasses when he himself is unwilling to forgive the trespasses of others. Bad feelings against a person are clear proof that a person is not right with God.
a. Bad feelings show that a person does not know the true nature of man nor of God. He does not know the true exalted perfection of God nor the real depth of man’s sinful nature-how far short he is of perfect righteousness.
b. Bad feelings show that a person walks and lives in self-righteousness (that is, that he thinks that he is acceptable to God by deeds of righteousness). He feels better than others, and judges himself able to talk about and look askance at the sins of others.
c. Bad feelings show that a person has not taken the steps he must take in order to be forgiven his own sins.
d. Bad feelings show that a person is living by the standards of society and not by God’s Word. God’s Word is clear: "there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Romans 10:12; cp. Matthew 19:17). Therefore, we are to help and love one another, and care and restore one another when we stumble, slip, fall, blunder, and deviate.
