March 5, 2000     The Quartet that Raised the Roof      Mark 2

by Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church

The Power to raise the roof released the power to cause a paralyzed man to get up and walk. The power to heal was also seen in the power to forgive sins. This is the power of the living God at work in the place that he created.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

When I worked in the coal mines in Nicholas County, WV, I was a Certified Shot fireman. I was one of the men who had the job of blowing up the cuts of coal so that it could be loaded into the shuttle cars to be taken to the belts to be ran outside of the mine. We put caps into each stick of powder and then loaded it into the holes to be fired from a remote point. We would take an electric cable and go around the first corner to set off the charge. Then we would holler to give the other miners warning that there was going to be an explosion. We would yell; fire, fire, fire. Then pushing the buttons on the battery discharged the shot. The resulting explosion would blast the coal into small pieces that could then be loaded into the cars. The hidden power in the dynamite was released into the coal so that the result was controlled and the end was beneficial to all involved.

The purpose of this message is to show people the power of God and encourage them to be open to him working in your life.

Scripture text: Mark 2:1 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 were 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, 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.

1. The Power of the Presence of the Lord. Is Jesus in the house? Do others know that he is here? What was the result of that presence? If he is in the house it is because that he is in the people that come to that house of worship. If he is there then we have got to spread the good news.
2. The Power of Unity. Combined efforts of two people working together is more than the sum of the individual efforts. When we get together we can become the release of the power of God. To lift a man upon a roof on a stretcher it took all four of the men working together to prevent him from falling off.
3. The Power of Commitment. These men would stop at nothing to make sure that their friend got to see Jesus. When they came to the house there was only one way to get there. They had to look up. Someone had the vision to see that there was another possibility. They to go up to let the man down to Jesus. We must first look and go up before we get them to Jesus. We can't allow the obstacles to stand in our way if we want to bring our friends, family, and neighbors to Him. Are we committed to the getting the Job done? This will be the most important thing that you will do.
4. The Power of Faith. James said that Faith without works is dead. Faith that works is real faith. It is this type of faith that these men used to bring this man to Jesus. Pastor, do you just accept the status quo (that's Latin for "the mess we're in!") or are you a renegade? Renegades never quit, despite the bruises. In the 18th century, Samuel Johnson wrote, "Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome." Ask yourself the ultimate question: What's stopping you from living your dreams? Maybe you need to become a little more "unreasonable." Maybe you need to become a renegade.
5. The Power of God. God is at work in the lives of people. He is giving them the faith to overcome all possible objections to do his work. If we are not ashamed and not afraid to allow his power to be released in our lives and in our church. We must take them to Jesus. We must begin with prayer and a resolve to get the job done for the Lord. God can heal. God can forgive sins. God can overcome the obstacles in our path. God can save those who have the faith to believe in him. Do you believe that God is the power in the church to accomplish his work? Will you release him?

Will you:

Are you ready to go through the Roof for Jesus?