Transcription
Mark chapter 2, verses 1 through 12 says like this: And again he entered Capernaum after some days. As it was heard that he was in the house, somebody said, "He's in the house." Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And he preached the word to them. Somebody said, "He preached the word." See, sometimes you know that's a little sentence there, but you have to realize that Jesus was preaching the word. Even though he was a word that came in the flesh, he preached the word. And I know there's so many preachers these days and so many different sermons and people, but where the Bible says, "Preach the word in season and out of season."
Verse 3: Then they came to him bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. Some said, "It was carried by four men." And when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they—meaning the four men—uncovered the roof where he was. So that when—so when they had broke broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic man was lying.
Verse 5: When Jesus saw their faith—somebody say with me, "Jesus saw their faith"—he said to the paralytic man, "Son, your sins are forgiven." By what you take note as we enter in that number one: Jesus saw their faith. That doesn't say the paralytic's faith; it says the four men, he saw their faith. And some of the scribes sitting there reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Verse 8: But immediately when Jesus perceived it in the spirit that they had reasoned thus within themselves, he said, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?" But that you may know—but that you may know—but that you may know—that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. He says to the paralytic man, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed and go to your house." And immediately he arose, took up the bed, went out in the presence of them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this." One more time: "We never saw anything like this." And I believe in 2018 you're gonna see things you've never seen before, if you believe. We're gonna see God's hand move like you've never seen before, because God will do new things that you've never seen before. You think God is an old God and he does the same MO, same MO, but Mark's how you knew every morning is his faithfulness. God as a God in the noon. God is not the god of the old; the Bible says, "New every morning is his faithfulness." New the morning the sun comes up, just know his faithfulness and goodness to you is new that morning. You're still alive because Jesus loves you. You still have an opportunity to be blessed and safe because Jesus loved you. You still have grace in your life and you still have the ability—where there's breath there's life. Somebody has said, "A man who"—young man—"a man," praise God.
So here we go to the first light. I'm going to talk to you about the number four for a few, because in my experience, I will mention this to you that don't know. What I was eight years old, God called me into the ministry, even though I wasn't ready. He told me, I'm eight years old, I was going to be a preacher then. Sixteen—eight years later I was born again of the water and spirit. And then eight years later I ended up in Bible College for the ministry. So every eight years God would do something new for me. So eight is a number of new beginnings. So every eight years God would do something new for me, and he still does every year. So I have been a person that God has revealed to me seasons and times and numbers. And so when I see the number four, it spoke to me because all week I've been tired of this verse of new year. All week I've been seeing the number four. And when I saw these four men, it touched my heart when I began to read this story again about the four men, because it was their faith that helped the paralytic man. See here you go: you need about four people around you that believe in your call more than you do. You need four people around you to pray for you, to lift you up when you're down. I will say that I heard that particular revelation from Ron Over, who was a man that came back from the dead. I met last year; he's an international evangelist that literally was electrocuted, I could put him in a body bag. And that rosin from the net, I met him last year. We doesn't work with him in ministry for the First Nation Native Americans, or what the Morongo tried together with some other nations up to the Paiute. Let me tell you, he told me that God revealed to him, "You need four people around you that are willing to support you, to lift you up, to be a mother, brother"—it could be a silent, could be a dark—you know the Bible says, "Where there's two or three gathered together, he'll be in the midst." Well, if two or three believe anything to defy being burnt up, but they want the free the Milwaukee a fourth shoulder.
So now the number four is made up of three and one equals four, and it denotes and marks the which follows the revelation of God, namely his creative work. So number four has to do with this creative works. He is known by the things that are seen. His word commences with the words, "In the beginning God created." Creation is therefore the next thing, the fourth thing. And the number four always reference, it has to do with what is created. It's emphatically the number of creation; it is the number of things that have been, beginning things that are made of material things, of matter itself. It is a number of material completeness; hence it's an—the number of—it is the world number. Now the next point is, the fourth day saw the material creation finished: the Sun, the Moon, the Stars completed, and the work they were given light upon the earth and had been created to rule over the day and the night. Put it Genesis 1:14–3:19. Four is a number of the great elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Four are the regions of the earth: north, south, east, and west, which the Native Americans called the four corners or the four winds. Four other divisions of the day: morning, noon, evening, and midnight. Four of the seasons of the year: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. And remember the four Gospels, and then something you could study about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. So four has to do with matter and has to do the creation. So when I saw the four men carrying the paralytic man, I saw that God has established a material order. There's a natural order and there's a spiritual order. Now this—for the next slide—when Jesus saw their faith, we must admire several characteristics of these men, qualities that ought to mark us as fishers of men. For one thing, they were deeply concerned about their friend and wanted to see him healed. They had the faith to believe that Jesus could and would meet his needs. They did not simply pray about it, but they put some feet to their prayers. And they did not permit the difficult circumstances to discourage them. They worked together and dared to do something different, and Jesus rewarded their efforts. How easy it would have been for them to say, "Well, there's no sense of trying to get to Jesus today; maybe we could come back tomorrow," which might be kind…
I'm partner too, so I can say that don't feel bad with me; don't get mad; don't throw tomatoes. But I want you to see right here the absolute revelation that when Jesus saw these four, he said, according to their faith. They were not discouraged by the circumcised. You see, there's people in your life you need to support them, though they can't see the vision. You need to support them, though they can't even walk; they might be in a very bad state. There are people in your life to give you that loan and prayed for, but you need to do something for them. You need to help them to get them to Jesus because they may not know that they don't know how important it is to be at the feet of the master. They can't see what God is able to see; they don't know, but you know. But it can—I tell you today, there are people that hear life that you need to also pray for, but also you need to bring them to Jesus. Faith without works is dead, James said. You see them—a man is justified by works and not by faith only. We talk about a lot about faith by grace, and we believe we're saved by grace, not by works, but there comes a time, because you—you have faith because you are a believer—you need to show your works. Trouble, but I love you, but maybe you need to buy up some groceries; maybe you need a friend when they determine you to support them. Hallelujah. But nobody else wants to be around the baby; you need to go with and be that person that is going to support them, because see the Bible says, "Likewise was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out of another way?" For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. So we talked a lot about faith, but with faith we have to have true—hallelujah—we have to say, "Our great faith." Pastor, and I have great faith to do this and I have great faith to do that, but the Bible of Jesus that you shall know them by their fruits. Alleluia. We didn't have to have a demonstration of the authority and the power and the love of Jesus or our eyes. Not only the demonstration, but we need to see it with actual hands and feet. And you are crazy. God bless the Presbyterians today. Amen. Amen, Brother Tommy. Let's—a bit—go to the next point. Forgiveness: What is it? Now Jesus, the first thing he tells the young man that's on the—on the bed, "Son, your sins are forgiven." When our Lord looked down, he saw the palsy man laying on his mat, and immediately Jesus went to the heart of the man's problem: sin. Now not all sickness is caused by sin, but evidently this man's condition was a result of his disobedience to God. Even before he healed the man's body, Jesus spoke peace to the man's heart and announced that his sins were forgiven. Forgiveness is the greatest miracle that Jesus ever performs. It meets the greatest need; it's cost the greatest price, and it brings the greatest blessing and the most lasting results. People of God, we need understand that Jesus has forgiven you of your—now the word there in the Greek is *aphesis*, which means released from bondage. When the Bible's talking about forgiveness in the Greek, it means released from bondage or imprisonment. Forgiveness or pardon of sin, letting them go as they never like—they never were committed. Remission of penalty. I think a lot of people will be healed more or less than their heart if they realize that they were forgiven, to receive the forgiveness and accept their forgiveness and stop condemning themselves to hell. Because we take off the start to walk with Jesus, but then we feel so unworthy or we feel like maybe we're not right or we're not good enough. But I'm gonna tell you that is a lie of the devil. If Jesus has set you free, then you are free indeed. These are all the tubes and the heat would set you free; it's a lie of the devil to say or you can make—or I don't know if Jesus really forgave me. When Jesus died on the cross, that shed his blood—because without the shedding of blood there's no provision of sin—that blood is so perfect and only cleanses you; it fully washed you. You are washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the devil and whoever says different is a liar like the devil. This—hallelujah—because the devil is a liar, liar. Thank you from a telephone wire. And I'm gonna tell you right now the devil will always tell you you're not good enough; you can't make it; you're not forgiven. But on my trinity, when Jesus set you free, that is a bondage. You're holding yourself in the prison and in jail. So we know that to be true, and I'll remind you back many years ago I was in a—a vision the Lord gave me, and we went to a tent. And in this tent, and the microstepping Bibles, a big white temper. When I went in, there was a lot of people crying. Those people doing drugs, there was people doing all kinds of groups in a girl fight for her father that she had been rejected by her father. There was people there that were looking at pornography; there was people there that were doing drugs that were getting drunk; there was all kinds of debauchery going on in this tent. And when I was looking around, the Lord called me and revealed to me, "These people are in bondage," because as soon as I turned around I saw a muddy-looking man came into the room where everybody, and he had a lot of ropes around him, and he was full of ropes. And then the dream, I come—I know who you are; you're the spirit of bondage. See, because when you allow the past to affect your future and you allow things that happened years ago, that is a type and a form of bondage, hungry young. But see, in the dream I went up to the spirit of violence and I pull the rope off with the Lord show you, but some people are in bondage, like Brother Gilbert said. So people get healed miraculously, a miracle in a moment, but unforgiveness or to hold on the past of the sticks or past situations, because Paul 70 and I do—I forget the things behind me. Hallelujah. Well in idea was that forget the things behind me. So when Jesus was saying, "Son, your sins are forgiven," to this paralytic, that meant that word "son" was a word used as an affectionate father to a son. So I had sons and daughters hear God do not today. Man, are you the daughter? Forgot if you are sons and daughters, you know today is a new year, this is a new time, and you need to know that God is forgiving you about it because Jesus has done this work. Jesus's book in the word, Jesus has been the only Savior, and if he said you are forgiven, then you are forgiven. That's why Paul wrote in Acts 26:18, "To open their eyes to turn them from the darkness to the light, from the power of Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sin and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Now, under this verse for a minute, because this is to open their eyes. So people don't know they're walking in darkness because they're not walking with Jesus. In order that when your eyes are open, you can be turned them from darkness to the light, from the power of Satan to the suicide. There are spirits like you prevents us from moving forward, and it is about all—it is a fight. But I thank God we've already got the victory because the Lord Jesus Christ—out of the yeah—we've got the victory to the Lord Jesus Christ. There's power in Jesus' name. Amen. There's power and healing in the name of Jesus because he delivered us from darkness to light that they may receive what—forgiveness of sins. See, of all the things Jesus does for us, I think when we get to heaven we're going to be more thankful that he wants to lay us that we're not going to be held accountable for all the mistakes we've done, including myself. Because I'll tell you right now, I'm not the nice little pastor that went to a nice little church; they brought up. I was born recently settled a—on the back side of town—on drugs, on street fighting, doing—getting arrested and doing everything I shouldn't be doing, even though Jesus called me at eight. What happened to me was I was baptized at 16, which was wonderful. There was an evangelist there preaching price; the pastor was a good friend of Joe Angles and they got the fight, so he throws out the church. So my dad came to talk to Bobby; throws out of church; they don't want us in church. So my dad says, "You're 17, you're a man now. I'm gonna quit," so you go ahead and drink now. So I'm like, okay, my dad said this, drink. So I started drinking; my cousins are drinking; hanging up—he was booking the Satan's letters. Busted, disgusting, couldn't be trusted. Tora before be done for the feeder. I spent five years, from the time I was 17, I spent five years on the street; almost died several times because I listened to my earthly father. I loved my earthly father; I thank God for him. But when he told me, "Let's drink," okay, you should never tell a teenager, "You're a man now, 17, let's drink." Rock, you will never hear me say that; never say that, mijo; not gonna happen. He liked because the devil uses liquor and drugs to help us in bondage. Five years on the street; my mom would pray for me, and I would try to stay home; couldn't. She would beg me to stay home; to pray for me, and I'd look back on the street, go back down the street, and sometimes I knew I may not come home tonight. But all of a sudden, somehow Jesus showed up the next Monday. That's all of a sudden he showed up and set me free, because there's power in Jesus' name. They're healing in Jesus' yeah; there's deliverance in Jesus, man. When he says that, that means there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. Now what you see that I know absolutely that the word of God is true, because I've experienced it myself. When he set me free, I didn't take all steps; I just took what it was. Jesus, if you need to take 24 or 36 or 58 or 150 or 2,000 steps, go ahead and take them, but just take them towards Jesus. Amen.
Now we're gonna go to our last slide and wrap this sermon up, and I want to make these last points that Jesus said, "That you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins." Did you may know absolutely that the Son of man has power? Now the Pharisees were there; then Jesus looked around and saw the critics and who had come by to spy on him. These religious leaders certainly had every right to investigate the ministry of their new teacher, since a religious life for the nation was under their supervision. They should have come with an open mind and heart seeking truth instead of—with—of what—crucial minds—I'm sorry—and said with critical minds seeking heresy. Some of the negative attitude that had been present in Judea cornered John for once before had now invaded Galilee, and this was the beginning of the official opposition that ultimately led to our Lord's arrest and death. He was so popular that the Jewish leaders dared to ignore him—dared not to ignore him. Be careful when you become popular; be careful when you become prosperous. Some people say, "I want to be popular and I want to be prosperous," and I don't have a problem with being prosperous; I don't have a problem with the Lord blessing you or us or anybody with great finances, but longed to use it for God's glory. You know their money answers a lot of things, but I want you to know that be careful when you want to become popular, because the Bible says that when Jesus came, he mo—he made the top of no reputation, taking upon himself a former form of a servant, that humbled himself. He didn't go out and say on the billboards and text everybody. They hated Jesus because the Bible says, "Those that exalted themselves shall be humbled, but those that humble themselves shall be exalted." Amen. Hallelujah. But he became popular; in fact, they must have the right early for the meeting. Think about this: this house was packed up, but they had Pharisees right there because they were right at the scene of the action. Or perhaps Jesus graciously gave them front-row seats. Last point: Suppose a religious leaders pedal through their hearts to the truth that day. What could have they have learned? One thing then it could have learned that sin is like sickness, and that forgiveness is like having your health restored. Now I'm gonna read that again: They could have learned that those Pharisees had showed up, and they could have read that sin is like sickness and that forgiveness is like having your…
House restored. Now I'm going to be reading one of my favorite verses that I read so much over the years: Proverbs 17:22. If you don't have this verse in your arsenal, please write it down or keep these notes. And I'm going to remind you the Bible says in Proverbs 17:22, "A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones." A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.
When we're down and out, and we have a broken spirit, and the world has crushed us, and we feel like we have been surrounded and we are burdened on every side, and it seems that nobody loves us, nobody wants us, I want you to know that Jesus loves you and Jesus wants you. As soon as you begin to call upon Him and begin to praise His name, you will have a merry heart, and it will be like good medicine to develop. That's why it's so important if you worship God.
[Music] Yeah. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Oh, He is wonderful. He's awesome God. He's amazing. Hallelujah. Come on. [Applause] [Laughter] [Applause] Forgive me my sin. Thank you, Jesus, for setting me free from bondage. I might tell you right now, and may my heart be good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bone.
I was in a room with the Apostle just yesterday. The American of Moscow brought me around 2010, and we were in a hospital. There was a woman; the doctor wanted ether, wanted two hours left, and we went in to pray for her. She was on her deathbed, and they asked us to go in there and give her the last rites. The doctor said, "Call the family, this is it, she's gonna go now." So Jacqueline and I walked in that room, got that stuff, and she went on to do him. Lord, I pray, and we began to pray. They had asked us to give the last rites, but we can give the best right now. We get it written, praise the Father right now; we rebuke this death; we command the spirit of death to come off her and even get the copper side, Lord. Not only I walk out of this, this is possible death, and everybody's gonna know that Jesus Christ is Lord. When you get like Brother Cooper, you know absolutely only yes. And they called this a few hours later; she went home the next day.
[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] It was a one-percenter bike club—I'm not going to mention which club it was—but 1% was a president for a one-percenter bike club. He gave his heart to Jesus after he saw us see where God healed somebody. You don't want to heal that person, but He heals the people around them too, because He—you need four friends, and he said, "Well, I have to buy more." Tell you right now, I'll be number three, and that the fourth, we the Holy Ghost, because we sold and know and believe that absolutely that Jesus is a healer. Jesus is the healer; His name is Jehovah Rapha in the Old Testament, and that means that you make—His name means I am the Lord that heals you. So I'm gonna ask right now, there's somebody that needs healing in the heart or healing in the body. I want you to bow your head right now. We're going to open the altar in a minute and we're going to pray for you because I believe He that is the same yesterday, today, and forever is here. Father, we just thank you right now and praise Your Holy Name for Your goodness.