01.08. Bringing our Friends to Jesus
Bringing our Friends To Jesus
Many times we have heard expressed the desire of someone for a friend, family member or coworker be saved. We have seen many tears shed for someone who was going through a physical ailment that required a touch from the hand of God to cure. In our text today, Jesus is in His adopted city, Capernaum. There was a large crowd gathered to hear what He was going to say. The stage was set for a defining moment in His ministry. This event is recorded in Matthew 9:1-38 and Mark 2:1-28 as well.
I- Bringing Our Friends to Jesus: Luke 5:18-19
The story is told of four men who had a friend who was sick with palsy. This man was paralyzed and had to be carried to Jesus. He could not bring himself. They carried him on his bed to the house where Jesus was teaching. The indication of the text here is there was healing taking place as well. (Luke 5:17). The problem the friend ran into was that they could not get inside, at least through the doors. Not to be deterred they took the man upon the roof and took up the tiles and lowered him down into the house where Jesus was. We can discern several things from this event.
1- We must see our friends as being in need. These friends did not have trouble recognizing he was cripple because he could not walk. We have trouble seeing the needs of our friends to come to Jesus because we look only at their physical needs. We do not see them paralyzed by sin and needing a Savior.
2- We must see Jesus as their only hope. When God looks at mankind He sees them as helpless and hopeless unless they turn to Him. When we look at men we must learn to see them as God does. How can a man or woman make it to heaven? It is only by the blood of Jesus. Jesus is their only hope.
I’m sure these friends had tried other things. Perhaps without any success and now their only hope was Jesus.
3- We must not allow obstacles to stop us. These friends would stop at nothing to bring their friend to Jesus. How easily we are discouraged. Someone says, "boo" and we run away scared. Some cries out that we are judgmental and narrow minded and we start apologizing. We need to take a bold stand but attempt to do it with humility and stop apologizing for knowing the truth.
II- Declaring His Deity: Luke 5:20
When Jesus saw the faith of the men He made a statement that He certainly knew would cause a stir. He says to the man, "Man, thy sins are fogiven thee." It has been said that we have here a double miracle. First was a miracle of grace that the sins of this man was forgiven. The next was the physical healing miracle. The greatest thing that we need to recognize here is that the first priority of Jesus is not the physical healing but the spiritual healing of man. Jesus was the master at cutting to the chase and getting to the problem. You will recall the story of Nicodemus where Jesus did not answer his question but simply told him he had to be born again. Which need was greater the sickness of the mans physical body, not being able to walk, or the spiritual of being dead? Certainly it is the spiritual. Why do we focus so much on the physical? Because it is the part that we identify with. Did Jesus know that only God could forgive sin? Certainly He did. He chose this moment to declare that He was God who could forgive the man his sins. The response that He received shows us that the Pharisees and the lawyers understood what He was declaring as well. The reason that the Jews would ultimately kill Him was that He claimed to be God. No other place perhaps in the scriptures does he declare it so unequivocally.
III- His Omniscient (all knowing): Luke 5:21-22
One of the great mysteries that we know but cannot comprehend is how Jesus was both God and man. Jesus was God from eternity past and was incarnate into the flesh of men to walk this earth and be our sacrifice. Notice the word of God in Php 2:6-7, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." The phrase "of no reputation" is one word in Greek, kenoo (ken-o’-o) and means "to make empty" This is the great emptying of Christ when He became a man. Jesus chose to lay aside most of His attributes as God to become one of us.
The attribute that is evident that He did not lay aside is His omniscience. John declared in John 2:24-25 "…Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." You may recall the story of when Nathanael was brought to Him. John 1:47-49 "Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! 48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. 49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel."
We also see that Jesus knew all things when He told the woman at the well about here five husband and the man she was living with now. Also when He told the disciple to go find a colt tied and bring it to Him, and to find a man carrying a water pot on his head to prepare the upper room for the celebration of Passover.
Beloved might I say that Jesus still knows all. He sees our fears and our concerns and He alone can help us to bring our loved one to Him.
IV- Proving His Deity: Luke 5:23-26
We have a saying, "The proof is in the pudding." Jesus had declared He was God who could forgive sin what would be the proof. "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins…" Jesus stated and them He told the man to rise up and walk. Notice that Jesus did not argue but simply told him to rise. The power proved the pardon. You will also notice that it was not a gradual change but an immediate change. Salvation is a one-time event and not a process of growing into it. If you have got the, "I’ve grown into it gradually" salvation you need to check and be sure that Satan has not rocked you to sleep. Might I again state that it is God alone who can forgive sin and heal the deepest need or our friends and loved ones? Let us not be deterred or detoured from bringing them to Jesus.