March 17, 2024
Mark 2:1-12
Mark 2:1-12
I have been reading a book called PRAYER: Communing with God in Everything –Collected Insights written by A.W. Tozer. In a chapter called Prayer: No Substitute for Obedience, I was impacted by the following words.
“Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on as of late—and how little revival has resulted?
Considering the volume of prayer that is ascending these days, rivers of revival should be flowing in blessing throughout the land. That no such results are in evidence should not discourage us; rather it should stir us to find out why our prayers are not answered.
Everything has its proper cause in the kingdom of God as well as the natural world. The refusal for God to send obvious revival may lie deep, but surely not too deep to discover.
I believe our problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying; and it simply will not work.
A church, for instance, follows its traditions without much thought whether they are scriptural or not, or it surrenders to pressure from public opinion and falls in with popular trends which carry it far from the New Testament pattern. Then the leaders notice a lack of spiritual power among the people and become concerned about it. What to do? How can they achieve the revitalization of spirit that they need so badly? How can they bring down refreshing showers to quicken their fainting souls?
The answer is all ready for them. The books tell them how—pray! So the pastor calls the people to prayer. Days and nights are spent begging God to be merciful and send revival upon his people. The tide of feeling runs high, and it looks for a while like the revival might be on the way. But it fails to arrive and the zeal for revival begins to wane. Soon the church is back to where it was before, and numb discouragement settles over everyone. What has gone wrong?
Simply this: Neither the leaders nor the people have made any effort to obey the word of God. They felt that their only weakness was failure to pray, when in a score of ways they were falling short in the vital matter of obedience. ‘To obey is better than sacrifice.’ (1 Samuel 15:22). Prayer is never an acceptable substitute for obedience. To pray for revival while ignoring or flouting the plain precept laid down in the scriptures is to waste a lot of words and gain nothing for our effort.” A.W. Tozer
As we begin this morning, I want to ask a favor. Pastor Ryan spoke about Conviction’s Call last Sunday from Matthew 21. As we move toward Resurrection Sunday, I would like you to consider this area of obedience that A.W. Tozer spoke about.
I want to take us back to a very early event in Jesus’ ministry found in Mark 2. However, before I do that, I trust you have been praying for lost friends, family, or co-workers. In your bible or on your bulletin, I would like for you to write the name of one person, one person that you will commit to pray for between now and Easter and that you will invite to our Easter services. One person! I will come back to this later.
The healing of the paralytic man in Mark 2 is one of the most amazing stories in the Bible. But it is much more than a story. Let’s take a look.
Mark 2:1-12
Returning Home
1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.
Five Friends
3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 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.
Forgiveness Extended
5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Skeptics Revealed
6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Questions from the Savior
8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?
Rise and Go Home
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 say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
As we conclude this morning, I believe it is appropriate to ask, who in this story do you identify with?
Jesus – No, sorry you are not Jesus.
The Broken Man – Is there brokenness in your life today? Do you need friends to hold the rope for you?
The Skeptics – What are your questions this morning? Have you trusted Jesus for salvation?
The Friends – You have someone in your life that you desperately want to see come to Jesus!
Come pray for that one friend and then take action – be obedient to hold the rope!
