Sermon notes from Sunday evening 14 January 2018
Luke 5 verses 17 - 20
Here in this portion of scripture we see a man carried by 4 people on a stretcher. He was carried beause he was unable to walk, unable to do anything for himself. They brought him to where Jesus was ministering in a home, they opened up the roof and lowered him down. He is gloriously healed and he is able to walk away. We see a miracle of what God can really do. Maybe you have never experienced that miracle in your life, never come to the Lord for mercy and help at his hand. Maybe tonight this could be your night.
Notice this story begins with an unselfish act. It begins with 4 men who see their friend as not able to do anything for himself. Deep down in their hearts they had a compassion for him. They have talked with him in the past, in better days now struck down with palsy. He was unable to walk, to move, he was in great pain every minute of the day. These men looked on him and had compassion on him. It says in Mark`s gospel "It was noised abroad that Jesus was in the house." Jesus began to open up the word of God in a house and people started to gather around him. These men heard he was there. "The power of the Lord was present to heal them." It is not the crowds that draw the Lord tonight. He was in a house in Capernaum and it was noised abroad that Jesus was there. These men heard that Jesus was there and he could do something for their friend. They sacrificed their time and energy just to do this for their friend. Think of Andrew when he found the Lord for himself. The first thing he thought of was his brother. His feet never stopped until he found his brother Peter. Peter came and proved the Lord for himself. The same day Philip found the Lord he went straight to find his friend Nathaniel. It takes an unselfish act. Maybe there are those in our family, in our neighbourhood, our community that we need to invite to a meeting. When I think of the 4 corners of this stretcher, take each of them in turn. The first relates to the doors being opened and the invitations given out. Another corner is the testimony of a man saved by God`s grace. Another corner is the singing of the hymns and the final corner is the message from God`s word being proclaimed. What about that unselfish act of the Lord when he left heavens glory, he came down into the world to be born of the virgin Mary, took his abode in a little manger then to walk the streets of Jerusalem until taken into Pilate`s judgment hall and nailed to the cross, bleeding just for me. An unselfish act.
An unusual approach. These men found on their arrival a multitude of people and they could not get near the door. The went around the house and climbed the staircase. They uncovered the roof and lowered the man down through the roof. This was an unusual approach. Can almost imagine Jesus standing in that house watching this stretcher coming down. This was an unusual approach. nicodemus came to the Lord by night. That was unusual for a man like Nicodemus. At some time he heard the Lord preaching, seen the miracles done. Something was stirring in his heart. That is how God works, stirring our hearts, convicting us of our sin and showing us our need of salvation. When we begin to think of our sin that is coming from the Holy Spirit himself. Nicodemus was a wealthy man, an important man and it was a dangerous place to be on at night. Think of Zacchaeus. Jesus was coming to Jericho, passing through it, not stopping there but passing through on his way to Calvary. Zacchaeus had to make his way down the streets that day, he had to climb up into a sycamore tree. He was a rich man and he was running down the street then climbing up a tree. A most unusual approach. Jesus stopped at the very street he was in and called him down. We don`t all come to Christ the same way. There are different ways of bringing us to Christ. Some are straightforward conversions. They come to meetings and somehow God begins to stir their hearts and you get saved. Others are just so unusual. We all come in different manners to Christ. Maybe you are thinking you are not like another man or women who reallly need to be saved but not you. Maybe you are saying "I never miss church, always here, I love to hear the preaching, the singing, the testimonies" but you are not saved. You are going to have to come from that very same place to salvation.
An unsympathetic attack. In verse 20 this man was lowered down to the feet of Christ. Jesus says to him "your sins are forgiven." In verse 21 there was an unsympathetic attack. The Pharisees and scribes and doctors of the law saw all this. They saw this man and his friends eager to get to Christ then hear Christ saying your sins are forgiven. They are opposed to what is happening. They will bring Christ to account for what he has done. They had no compassion on the man at all. There are still Pharisees today in our society. They look down their noses at you. They will say there is no such a thing. People will be quick to judge you. You can be saved tonight but you will be talked about. If you come forward tonight and think tomorrow it will be great think again. There will be those who will be unsympathetic, even those in your family who might question why you got saved in the first place.
An unmistakeable atmosphere. Things changed now. Jesus told the man to take up his bed and walk. When the Lord spoke to him he was able to stand. Everyone looked at him, they knew he had been bedridden but now they see him standing at the command of the Lord. The whole atmosphere changes. The people are looking because they had never seen this before. They began to glorify God. There will be angels rejoicing in heaven tonight if you get saved. The change in this man`s life brought great glory and honour to the Lord. It tells us in vese 28 that the people were so amazed and that they glorified God and had great reverence for him. A change in the atmosphere that very day in that house. Are you saying no to the Lord tonight? Is this now the night that you would forsake sin and trust Christ as your own and personal Saviour? This mya be the final invitation. Don`t turn your back on God tonight.
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