Four Men At Work

4/10/12

Four Men At Work

(New Version)

Mark 2:1-12

1-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. 6-But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts. 7-Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only? 8-And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves he said unto them,

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Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9-Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10-But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, he saith to the sick of the palsy. 11-I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.12-And immediately he arose. took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. As a Christian we all have an important Mission to fulfill. They are an essential part of living for Gods Glory. The Bible gives several reasons why our Mission is so important. John17:18 TMB In the same way that you gave me a Mission in the world I give them a Mission. We all were made for a Mission. God is at work in the world and He wants you join Him.

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This assignment is called your mission. God wants us to have not only a Ministry in the body of Christ but a Mission in the world. 1-And again he (Jesus) entered into Capernaum after some days; (Maybe several weeks) and it was noised (to spread by rumor or report) that Jesus was in the house. (Peters house) Dont you know that there had been a lot of talking about what was going on? The rumor had definitely been spread. They were probably coming from all directions to see what was going on. Actually this second verse answers that question. 2-And straightway (Immediately) 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. The house was full to capacity. They could not get any one else in not even through the door. The man that had the Palsy had needs that moved his friends to action. But because of the crowd they had to come up with a plan. So what did they do?

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3-And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy (Paralysis) which was borne (carried) of four. 4-And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, (The great crowd) they uncovered the roof where he was: (Houses have flat roofs in that part of the world, usually with steps on the outside leading to the top) and when they had broken it up, (there were usually one or more trapped doors in the roof, and it was one of these which they probably enlarged) they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When you recognize someones need, do you act? Or maybe just say, well I am sorry for what you are going through I will be praying for you. When all the time you had means that you could have helped them but did not. By friend that is not compassion! Many have physical and spiritual needs you can meet either by yourself or with others who are also concerned. Watch what happened in the following scripture.

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John 11:40,42-44 40-Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 42-And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me 43-And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44-And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, loose him, and let him go. Jesus knew the need here to be great, but He stayed away four days to perform a miracle that would open the eyes of many that day and even now as they read it. Did He not say but because of the people which stand by this is why I have prayed as I did? Jesus saith unto them, loose him, and let him go.

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Wow! This is what we need to say to Satan! Loose these people that are bound and let them go. We must intercede for the lost. Be willing to stand in the gap for them. So you see human need was what moved these four men to take action! They were on a mission and were determined to get this man to Jesus no matter what they had to do. Our mission is a continuation of Jesus mission while on earth. As His followers we are to continue what Jesus started. He calls us not only to come to Him but to go for Him. Our mission is a wonderful privilege. Paul calls us co-laborers and says we are workers together for God. I want to call these four men: Work..Compassion. PrayerFaith And the sick man we will call Hope. These four men had a friend that had a disease that was called Palsy. They loved their friend very much and were very much concerned about his needs. So lets picture the conversation here.
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Mr. Work began to think in his mind I know where Jesus is and we have to get Mr. Hope to him. We must come up with a plan. So he says to Mr. Compassion (who was sitting there with tears in his eyes as he looked at the condition of his friend. While turning to Mr. Prayer he said what do you have in mind? You see Mr. Prayer had been talking to God about his friends condition. I have the answer he said, but I want to know what you think about it. The four of us must work together on this plan to get it done. (Divided we fall together we stand). Mr. Faith says I believe if God has given you a plan it will work. About that time all wheels began turning. (God knows how to put people together and give them wisdom to know what to do in times of crisis). Now Mr. Work has been sitting back just listening to the conversations. As Mr. Prayer, Mr. Faith, and Mr. Work discussed all the plans and looked at the lay out, they were excited.
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Mr. Work spoke up and said, but what about the sick man (Mr. Hope) what do you think he will say about it. Mr. Work says, Oh I believe he will be excited about it. Hey Guys that is why we all call him Mr. Hope. Hope: Means, a feeling that what is wanted will happen. The object of this is a person or thing on which one may base some hope. To want and expect! I believe that even though he was a sinner his heart was being stirred up within him. Mr. Hope had that feeling that what he wanted was going to happen. We do not see anywhere in the scriptures that he argued with these men in any way. Luke 11:9- Ask and ye shall receive seek and ye shall find, Knock and it shall be opened. There is no other way to receive Gods benefits without dong these three things. We all know that our God likes to work when nothing else will. I believe for this very purpose is why this man had not been healed before now.

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Gods plan is not always on our time table, but it is always the right one. Lets go back to the sick man. (Mr. Hope) We know from what we read in the scriptures that he was not a Christian. I believe as he watched these three men working so hard to get him to Jesus that Hope began to rise up in him. Think about it church, there have been so many won to Christ by seeing things done by other Christians. As they see God working in someone elses life it will cause them to have that hope that if they will allow God, He can and will do the same thing for them. They got excited about what they were doing. We need to have excitement in our walk with God. Cant you just see these four men (Faith, Prayer, Compassion, and Work).As they put this man on a bed and was going to take him to the house where Jesus was. Wouldnt it be wonderful if we had that much faith that we would try that hard to get the sinners to the house of God? Just think what would happen.

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As they pressed their way through the crowd they could not come nigh Him because of the press. What did they do? Here they had run upon an unexpected hindrance. Well do we stop here and give up? Do we say well we went as far as we could go but it is just too complicated to go on? So we will have to turn around and take him back to his house untouched by the Master. We just cant do it! You think these men had no more faith than that? Prayer, compassion, and work would not be stopped that easy. Mr. Faith held on, Mr. Compassions feelings were so strong that he could not and would not give in. Mr. Prayer just kept on talking to his Heavenly Father, and Mr. Work was going to do what he could to get him there. Mr. Hope (the sick man) said there hast to be a way. We can make it! We can make it. Dont you see that (you can make it spirit kick in). They were all on the same page, working together to get this man to Jesus. Once we have a made up mind that we are going to live for Jesus no devils in hell can stop us. But there were four things they did not do.

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1- They did not sit down and throw a pity party, grumbling and complaining about the situation. 2- They did not discourage the sick man. 3- They were not concerned about tradition. We better do it a certain way or we will offend someone. But as they prayed they received Gods instructions and they listened to Him. 3-They did not argue about who was going to do what, because they already had a plan. No one was jealous of the other one. But what they did, was this, they put their plan into actions. Wow! They were willing to work together to get the job done. No one person trying to get the recognition. Just look at what team work these men had. So what made these four men do what they did? They were dissatisfied at just looking at the situation and not doing anything about it. One minister said it this way: Your life is like a voyage. If you want to avoid ship wreck read Acts 27:11- 12 TMB: But it was not the best harbor for staying the winter. Phoenix, a few miles further on, was more

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suitable. The centurion set Paul's warning aside and let the ship captain and the ship owner talk him into trying for the next harbor. 1- In this scripture they two were dissatisfied with where they were. Since the harbor was unsuitable the majority decided that they should sail on. You know church we need to get dissatisfied to the point that we want God to do something about our situation. It is time to get tired of what the devil is trying to do to Gods people. What he is trying to do to our love ones. It is time for us to stomp him under our feet. We must learn that when things get difficult we cannot give up because Christ calls us to be over -comers for Him. 2- These men in Acts were impatient to get where they were going. There is not a single verse in the Bible that tells us to hurry or we will miss God! 3- In the wilderness Israel learned that when the clouds moves or when the clouds stop, stay where you are and wait on God.

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4- They failed to heed Gods Word, But! The Centurion instead of listening to what Paul said followed the advice of the Pilot. God must be our Pilot not our Co-Pilot! Be careful if you look hard enough you will find someone whose opinion confirms what you want to do. And that will get you into trouble. If there is ever a question about it dont do it!!! 4-They looked to the circumstances instead of looking to God to guide them. When a gentle South wind began to blow they thought they had obtained what they wanted, so they sailed on. Before long the ship was caught up by the storm. KJV-Acts 27: 13-15- 13 - The idea that circumstances will always line up favorably with Gods guidance is not scriptural. Sometimes God leads you through the wilderness. And He will never lead you anywhere that doesnt require His provision and protection. If you get there without God He didnt send you. So if you want to avoid shipwreck ask God to show you the right way which is always His way! The only one can stop you from being the person God intended you to be is You! Lets go back to the four men!
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I am sure that the people were laughing at these men, sneering at them, probably yelling at them for having to enlarge the opening in the roof. No doubt calling them all kinds of names, but, the love, compassion and desire they had to get this man to Jesus would not allow them to stop. Because of the roof being a flat roof it made it easier to get to, than an angle roof or slanted roof. But watch here now! Mr. Work had come with the right tools he would need to get the job done. You see they all were armed and ready for battle no matter what the crowd did to them. Determination is what it takes to succeed in any situation. (Keep your armor on Eph. 6) (We are in Gods Army) Your experience with Christ determines just how much you want to know Him, or how close you want to be to him. Do you realize that there is a continual covering of Gods presence over your life every moment of your time on earth? Why? Because He is God, he knows where you are going, what is about to happen and how it will impact your life.
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The Bible teaches that He measures what enters our lives against our ability to handle it. Once He is convinced of our ability through Him to manage the dead end he allows it. Yet even in those moments He makes a way for us to get through even if we are just treading water. This is the only plausible explanation for how you have survived the stuff that has happened in your life. Things that came against you have crushed and destroyed other people. But you survived because He assigned His Angels to watch over you and keep you. You have a mission to complete. With humility I offer my conviction that God is so careful about your life and your purposes that He will not allow the enemy to subvert that plan when you are submitted to Him and when He is in control of your life. I can see these four men now as they had the sick man on the bed climbing the ladder to get to the roof with him. When they finally got him there they placed the bed to the side and Mr. Work reached and got another tool to maybe saw or cut through the roof.

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Tool after tool that may have been needed but God had helped them put it all together before they got there. Nothing was missing. Although I am sure it wasnt easy because this opening had to be large enough to get the mans bed through it. Watch him now as they began to let the bed down through the roof. The crowd in the room will have to move back as this man is being lowered down into the room. Cant you just picture the people in the room as the debris from the roof started falling on them and around them? Scrambling to get away calling out to these four men, what in the world do you think you are doing? You see even though all these people were in the house where Jesus was, it was truly known that all of them did not share the same vision about the sick man as Work, Prayer, Faith, and Compassion did. I do think as in all services there was excitement within the true believers. Because they knew actually what was going on. You know I wonder just how Mr. Hope (the sick man) was feeling about now. Because he was seeing hope coming to place right before his own eyes.
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Im sure the devil was really talking to his mind, oh my, what is going to happen to me? The devil says this is just too much trouble. Jesus is not going to heal you so why are you allowing these men to make a fool out of themselves. Just look at the way they are being laughed at. Wow! But about then Jesus, looks up and sees what is going on. As the men lower the man into the room and Jesus the great physician walks over to his bed, as the four men are watching to see what He will do. Dont you know that room was filled with excitement? Mr. Work, Mr. Compassion, Mr. Faith, and Mr. Prayer were so excited at what was happening. You see they had been obedient to God and they knew something great was going to take place. Jesus was so touched at what these men had done. 5-But, When Jesus saw their faith, (Faith without works is dead) If God spoke to you would you know it! Are there times of confusion when you wonder if God is talking to you?

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(1John 4:1) Beloved do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. What do you think that means? How can we test spirits to confirm their origin? The best way is through Gods Word. Take everything to the Word of God and see if Gods Word verifies it. If you cannot find it in Gods Word cast it aside. 5-When Jesus saw their faith He said unto the sick of the Palsy, Son thy sins be forgiven. Verse 6- But, there were certain of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts. In my own words, Who does this man think he is only God can forgive sins. You see there are always critics in the crowd that want to complain. No matter how great the miracle they can always find something negative to say. But praise God this was no problem to Jesus. 8-And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves. (The Holy Spirit revealed their thinking to

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Him) he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? (This must have been startling to them. They had not spoken these things aloud, had only thought them in their hearts). 9-Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? (God alone can forgive sins, and God alone can heal. Therefore to heal validates the power to forgive sins. As stated they were now coming face to face with His Deity). 10-But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, he saith to the sick of the palsy (He did all of this in full view of everyone, even the skeptics, and especially the skeptics.) 11- I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house (All they knew including the skeptics that this man could not take up his bed and carry it unless he was truly healed; whether they admitted it or not they also knew that only the power of God could accomplish this).

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12-And immediately he arose (The Word of Christ healed him) took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion (whether this included the skeptics or not we are not told). I love what these four men did here. They were the key to this mans upper room experience. Wow! Faith kept the hundred and twenty in the upper room. Think about the word (Unity). It unites and brings people together. Love: We love others more than we love ourselves. What did they do? (1) They picked the man up (2) They carried him to Jesus (3) They faced obstacles trying to do it. But when you have a purpose you can expect to be faced with people hindering you. I believe that as a child of God when we have daily problems to take to the throne of grace it makes us more watchful. You see easy roads, makes sleepy travelers.
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These four men prepared themselves for whatever problem they may have encountered. Think about this! Faith is seen when: A: Plan doesnt work. Then you go to B Plan C Plan and D Plan. I think this was their plan. (A) (B) (C) (D) Plan.. Side Door Plan ..Back Door Plan...Window PlanLast resort Roof

When we give our all to accomplish what God has told us to do He will never fail us. We should never rest without a desperate struggle to do whatever is necessary to get people to Jesus. Ruth 2:2.. Says, let me go into the fields and pick the left over grain. Sometimes the leftovers are better fit for us than what we thought we might need. One writer wrote, even the dogs eat the crumbs from the Masters table. Remember God always has a plan. (Read Jer.29:11) So if you are downcast and troubled today come and glean in the abundance of precious promises of God that will meet your needs.
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Take this promise: A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not stuff out. This is exactly what happened to this sick man with the Palsy. He was as a helpless reed, insignificant and weak. A bruised reed out of which no music, no laughter, no excitement could come. He was weaker then weakness itself. A reed and that reed bruised and battered. As the song says: Though the ship is batter though the sail is torn, my anchor still holds! Wow! But if we are anchored in Jesus Christ we will not break. On the contrary Jesus will restore and strengthen us. You may be like the smoldering wick no light no warmth can come from you: but He will not quench you but He will blow with His breath of mercy until He fans you to a flame again for Him. I believe He is saying to us today wont you pick up some grain, come to me all ye who are burdened and carrying a heavy load. I will give you rest. My, what soft words from our loving Father!

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Your heart is tender as the Master speaks to you and He knows that and therefore He speaks so gentle. Wont you obey him and come to Him today. Take more grain. Dont be afraid to trust Him. Oh my friend, do not worry about failing, but worry about what you will tell Him if you do not ever try. Get your eyes on God not on the world. He is the rock we must build on. The Titanic received five icebergs warnings just before it went down. When the sixth message came during the wee hours of the morning Look out for icebergs the operator wired, Shut up! Im busy! Thirty minutes later the great vessel whose Captain said, Even God couldnt sink this ship but it was sinking fast. What happened? They forgot the truth about icebergs. What they saw above the water couldnt have sunk the great ship. But unfortunately most of the iceberg was below water. Do you know what saints, that iceberg represents your life! The ten percent above the water is your reputation and the ninety percent below is your character. And its what below the surface that sinks your ship.
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What is character? 1- Self- discipline the ability to do whats right even when you do not feel like it. 2- Core values- principles you live by in spite of the pressure around you. 3- Sense of identify- a self- image based on who God says you are not what others say you are. 4- Emotional Security- the capacity to be emotionally stable and consistent. Your lifes greatest impact doesnt come from what you own, but from what you are. Luke 6: 44-45- Jesus said, Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart and the evil man brings evil things stored up in his heart. Whatever is happening on the outside of your life today is coming from the inside. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh!
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He pri-ori-tizes taking care of the inside of (your heart) because that will determine what takes place on the outside (which is your behavior). Think about this. God can turn your failures into stepping stones. Look at Peter! Luke 22:31-32 - Jesus told him: Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But, I prayed for you! Jesus said, I have prayed for you Peter that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. Notice this: (1) Christ warned him about it but He did not stop it from happening. There are certain things we only learn the hard way. (2) Jesus told Peter that hed deny him, not once but three times. Most of us are stubborn we do not get it the first time. (3) Luke 22: 22-23- Peter thought he was stronger than what he was Lord I Am ready to go to Prison and to death We usually start out with an exaggerated opinion of our own strength.
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(4) Jesus told him, I am praying for you that your faith may not fail. Isnt that amazing when we cannot pray for ourselves Jesus handles the enemy and intercedes with the Father on our behalf. What did Jesus pray for? He prayed for Peters faith. Faith in Gods grace is the rope that pulls us back up again. (5) Jesus believed in Peter when he did not believe in himself. That is because we evaluate ourselves by our present circumstances. But Jesus sees us in fullness of our potential. So He tells Peter, When (not if) but when you get back on track do something good with what has happened. Now if temporary failure happened to Peter how much more is it likely to happen to us? And when it does what do you suppose the Lord wants to accomplish through it? We must realize with God it is never too late no matter what you have done. We as Christians must be like these four men were. As true servants of God we must be willing to work for Him.

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To get this man to Jesus required hard work. They not only worked hard but they showed compassion toward their fellowman. Compassion will cause us to push self out of the way and help others. With compassion in our hearts and the willingness to work we will be anxious to go to our Father in Prayer with Faith believing that He will do just what He says He will do. When we put to practice Work-Compassion-Prayer- Faith and Hope we realize that we can do what our Father wants us to do. It is then that we see the miracle of God preformed. And our faith will also begin to rise up to higher heights and deeper depths. Remember The Higher the Mountains the more understandable is the Glory of Him who made the mountain and holds them in His hands. I think one reason God delays His answers to our prayers is, because He knows we need to be with Him far more than we need the things we ask of Him? Wow!

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I find that doing the will of God leaves me with no time for disputing about His plans. Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. We dont have to be afraid of praising God too much; unlike humans, He never gets a big head. Despite hard times, Paul faced an uncertain future with confidence and was not afraid! He had a determination to press forward. When did you last count on God and He failed to come through? It was not hard for David to believe God would take care of the Giant. He represented another opportunity for God to show His power with courage. David declared to the Giant, despite hard times armed with a sling, five stones and a great experience with God he had tested in the fields of his Father, He positioned himself opposite Goliath. When have you faced a decision you committed to God and He did not provide wisdom and direction? When have you needed courage in the face of an attack and you trusted God?

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If you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior why would you want to put it off, time is running out. As we often say this is a free gift so just reach out and take it. (KJV) Psalm 37:4-Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Remember He showed up! You drew from a reservoir of strength and courage that had not been available to you previously. You did more things, said more things and accomplished more than you dreamed all because God was with you. Pour out your heart to him in true confession. Lord Forgive me of all my sins. Im sorry for all the wrong things that I have done. Come into my heart and cleanse me from all mine iniquities. I know that you died that you were buried, but Praise God I know that you did not stay in the grave. I know that today you are seated at the right hand of the Father. I receive you into my heart and I accept this free gift of salvation. Praise God I am saved and I go in faith believing in you.

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Ephesians 6:11- Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. A Fight to the Finish (MSG) Ephesians 6:10-12 And that about wraps it up! God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

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