In this Bible account from Mark chapter two it says that word began to spread around that Jesus was in a particular house. In fact so many people heard about Jesus that the house was full and no one else could get in. On that day Jesus was preaching the Word of God.
® No doubt he was preaching a message of hope and life.
® No doubt he was preaching to meet the needs of the people present.
® No doubt he was through the word trying to mend broken hearts.
® No doubt he was reaching, with the Word of God, for those who were downtrodden.
But the house was full because word had spread that Jesus was in the house.
® There were people packed around the windows.
® There were people pressed in around the doors.
® There were people that filled the yard around the house.
And they were all listening to the preaching of the word. They were all straining to hear a word of hope and encouragement. But because of the crowd not one more person could get into that house. Not one more person could touch Jesus.
Along came a man that was sick. The Bible says that he was sick of the palsy. That means he was paralyzed to some degree. It could be that he was totally paralyzed or perhaps it was not to that extent. However sick he was the Bible says that it took four men to carry him on his bed. He was unable to get to where he needed to go on his own. He needed help and he needed to see Jesus. He needed to get to where Jesus was. They had heard that Jesus was in that house but they could not get into the house. They knew if they could just get him to Jesus, that Jesus would do something for him.
Let me preach to you this morning and tell you that:
® If you can just get to Jesus, he can and he will work a miracle in your life.
® If you will just do your best to get to Jesus he can meet your need today.
® If you will just reach out to him today he can put the broken pieces of your life back together again.
® If you will just press in, to his presence he will heal your body of whatever sickness you have.
® If you will just seek his face today he will forgive you of any sin that is in your life.
How can I make such a bold statement today? I can make it because Jesus is in the house! Jesus is in this house! But YOU must get to where Jesus is today. You must get into his presence.
Jesus is in the house! Jesus is in the house!
In this Bible account we find these men full of faith and trying to get this sick man to Jesus. But the house was full. Around every window there were people. Packed around the door there were people. There was no way in.
® There was an obstacle in the way.
® There was an obstacle between a sick man and his healing.
® There was an obstacle that separated the man in need from a miracle.
® There was an obstacle that was in between a needy man and Jesus.
Jesus was in the house but the man was on the outside and unable to look in on what Jesus was doing.
® I wonder if we sometimes let an obstacle get in the way from our entering into the presence of Jesus Christ.
® I wonder if we sometimes allow a problem to get in our way from getting to where Jesus is.
® I wonder if we sometimes allow an obstruction to stand between us and a miracle.
® I wonder if we sometimes allow a hindrance to block our way from getting right with God.
Let’s talk about obstacles for a moment. Let’s talk about things that we allow to keep us from God. What are the things that cause us to stop short of getting to where Jesus? Perhaps we journey a certain distance but we don’t come all the way to where he is. What causes us to stop short?
® It could be that it is just inconvenient. It is just a little difficult fitting church into my lifestyle at this time.
® Perhaps it is just out of the way for you. I want to get to Jesus but it is too far out of the way.
® I’m just too tired tonight to make it out to church.
® Maybe you feel it is not the right time for you. If church was at a different time I could make it. If they didn’t have church so often maybe I could make it. But it is just not the right time for me.
Let me tell you that you need to get to Jesus wherever is. You need to push the obstacles out of the way and get to Jesus! He is the only one that can meet your needs and he can do it today. This man that was sick and the men that were with him pushed every obstacle out of the way to get to Jesus.
® It wasn’t convenient being carried on his bed but he came anyway.
® It was out of his way but he came anyway.
® He was tired and sick but he came anyway.
® It wasn’t the right time but he came anyway.
And he received a miracle because he pushed the obstacles out of the way.
There is no excuse for not being in church. In fact the Bible says staying home from church is one of the signs of the rapture getting ready to happen.
Hebrews 10:25
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Push the obstacles out of the way and get to Jesus today. Jesus is in the house!
Jesus is in the house!
Now in the book of Luke it gives us this same story about the man sick with palsy.
Luke 5:17
17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
After that verse it goes on to say that the men that carried the paralytic could not get him into the house. What is interesting to note is that the power of the Lord was present to heal that day but only one man was healed. It is safe to say that there were more people that needed healing on that day but only one was healed.
From this I draw the logical conclusion that it is possible to be in the presence of Jesus and still be separated from Jesus. It is possible to be where he is and still have an obstacle that keeps us from him.
® Just being in the same house is never enough for you must touch Jesus for yourself.
® Just being in the same room with Jesus is never enough for you must reach out to him for yourself.
® Just being in the church building is never enough if all you do is sit there like a bump on a log and never touch him for yourself.
® Just coming to church is not enough if you are more interested in carrying on a conversation with someone other than Jesus while your here.
I wonder, what are the things that keep us from touching Jesus when we are in his house and in his presence. We are so close and yet so far away.
Could it be that our attitude sometimes separates us from God. We allowed something that happened or something that we heard and might not even be true to fester in our minds and it got into our attitude. We show up and our attitude is not right and we never really get into his presence on that day. We came with a need - yes - but we also left with a need. We never touched Jesus because of an obstacle.
Or maybe our attitude was okay when we arrived but something happened when we got here that soured it and it kept us from touching Jesus.
® Someone didn’t shake my hand
® It’s not the right temperature
® This chair is not too comfortable
® Bro. So and so looked at me the wrong way
® I don’t like the color of the carpet
It doesn’t matter if someone slapped you on the face on the doorstep of the church. We should never allow anything to get in the way of touching Jesus when we get into his presence.
I’m a pretty shallow person if I allow an attitude to keep me from getting to where Jesus is.
Another obstacle is pride. The Bible says that, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” When we allow pride to get into our hearts it becomes an obstacle that keeps us from Jesus. Perhaps there are issues that need to be dealt with and we need to bring to Jesus. That was the case with the man in our Bible text today. He had sin in his life that needed to be forgiven. And he was willing to do anything to receive his miracle. But when we allow pride to enter our hearts we say no I don’t believe I’ll go down to the altar today. Everyone will know why I’m there and I have got to appear that I’ve got everything in control so I’ll just do it my way. That’s pride and it will keep you from a blessing from God. Even though Jesus is in the house it will keep you from touching him.
Maybe it is a particular person that you don’t like. When you see that person it does something to you and it becomes an obstacle that keeps you from Jesus. You find yourself thinking more about that person than you do thinking about Jesus and the need that you might have. You’re so caught up with that person that Jesus comes and goes and you still carry your need. It’s an obstacle.
Maybe you have been offended or you don’t like something that has happened and all you can think about is that offence. It hinders you from getting to Jesus and having your needs met. It’s an obstacle. I know of people today that were offended years ago from something that happened to them and they said, “I will never go to church again because of what that person did to me.” For the last 25 years they haven’t gone to church, not one time.
I got to thinking about that. I thought how dumb that is. I’m a pretty shallow person if I allow another person or something that happened to keep me from the house of God. Think about it. You need a church. You need a pastor. You can’t be saved without one. You can’t stay home and be saved. Don’t allow any obstacle to stand in your way from getting to where Jesus is.
These men did not let anything stand in their way. They were determined to get to Jesus. And that’s when we usually get the answer that we need – when we are determined to get to Jesus. So they went up on the roof and began to tear up the roof. They let this sick man down through the hole in the roof and Jesus healed him that day. It was all because Jesus was in the house and they got that sick man to where Jesus was.
Jesus is in the house.
® I’m glad to know that Jesus is in this sanctuary today.
® I’m glad to know that Jesus is in this house.
® I’m glad that I know Jesus is in this building right now.
We want him to know that we want him in this church. By our praise and worship we signal Jesus that we want him here. You can have your needs met today because Jesus is in the house.
If Jesus is here there will be:
® Power
® Life
® Hope
® Healing
® Miracles
® Salvation
® Needs met
® Everything you need
If Jesus is in this house there is nothing impossible with him.
Without Jesus this is just another building. In fact there are nicer buildings in this city that people would rather go. There are nicer church buildings in this city that people would rather go. But Jesus is not there and there is no hope. Jesus IS HERE! Jesus is in the house!
It is Jesus that makes the difference. If Jesus is here anything can happen. If Jesus is here anything is possible.
It is not you or me that makes the difference. It’s not:
® Tom
® Bill
® John
But it’s Jesus that will attract people to this building and it’s Jesus that will help us fill this building.
Jesus is in the house!
Jesus is here right now but we also want him to stay here. We must be careful to keep Jesus in this church. Let me give you some things that will help us keep Jesus here.
Number one is prayer. Prayer is always number one. Jesus said that his house should be a house of prayer. We all need prayer more than ever. We cannot make it without prayer. These are perilous times in which we live. We will make it through with prayer.
2 Chronicles 7:14-16
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
Number two is evangelism. This must be a house of evangelism. This must be a church that reaches lost souls. Evangelism is the heartbeat of God. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus came to get people to know him. It is our job now to get people to know Jesus. It is our job to reach for hungry hearts.
This must also be a house of salvation. This must be a place where souls can be saved. This must be a place where people can meet Jesus Christ.
® It is God’s will for people to receive the Holy Ghost every week here.
® It’s God’s will for people to be baptized every week here.
® It’s God’s will for people to repent here every week.
This must be a soul saving church.
This also needs to be a house of hope. When people look all over the city for an answer. When they try every other thing available to them. When they look for help in every other direction. They must always be able to find an answer when they come to this church. This must be a church where people can feel Jesus.
This church needs to be a church where miracles happen. In the Bible I read of great miracles that take place. It says in the Bible that, “Greater works than these shall ye do.” God’s power is still available to this church today.
In this church:
® The sick should be healed
® The blind should receive their sight
® The lame should walk
® The deaf should hear
® All manner of disease should be healed
This should be a church where miracles happen. This should be a church where healing occurs.
This must be a worshipping and praising church. God loves the praises of his people. We must praise him in the good times and in the bad times. We must praise him when we are on the mountaintop and in the valley. The Bible says, “I will bless the Lord at all times and his praise shall continually be in my mouth. This should be a place where we praise and worship God.
As good as all that is before it can be anything else it must first be a church of prayer and evangelism! It must be a house of prayer and evangelism. If Jesus stays in this house it must be a house of prayer and evangelism.
® Before it can be a house of salvation – it must first be a house of prayer and evangelism
® Miracles
® Evangelism
® Praise
® Healing
® Hope
It must be a house of prayer for Jesus to stay in this church.
® I wonder if anyone has a need in their life today?
® I wonder if anyone has a problem that you can’t solve?
® I wonder if there is a situation that you are up against and struggling with today?
® I wonder if you feel like you have been in a long dark tunnel with no ray of light?
® I wonder if there is a sickness that someone is battling today?
® I wonder if someone is dealing with a broken heart and a broken life today?
I have good news for you today and that is: Jesus is in the house!
