Inspirational and Insightful
March 23, 2021

Faith in Action Day 2

Mark 2:1-5 says that when Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outsid...

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Mark 2:1-5 says that when Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pastor-lucy-paynter/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pastor-lucy-paynter/support

Pastor Lucy Paynter Daily Insights 

Transcript

<span;>Faith in Action Day 2
<span;>Good Morning and welcome This is Pastor Lucy Paynter with your Daily Insights.

<span;>Now, imagine you have a brother who has been confined to a wheelchair their entire life and you take him to a doctor one day and the doctor simply looks at him and says get up and go home. You would think he is either joking, a fraud, or he is totally out of his mind because healing from something like that requires some period of therapy and rehabilitation before they can be on their feet properly again. It would take a lot of faith in the authority of the doctor for your brother to even attempt to lift a muscle without any immediate visible sign that some operation or treatment has been done.
<span;>Today, as we continue in our exploration of faith in action, our focus is going to be on on the healing of the paralyzed man that Jesus met in Capernaum
<span;>Mark 2:1-5 says that when Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

<span;>Jesus had just returned to Capernaum, his home. I tend to think that this was maybe his house or one of the disciples house, His fame had spread so far that people gathered wherever he went. We are told in this passage that a large crowd had gathered around him that there was no more room even outside. We are told that crowds had gathered but there is no mention of any other healing. It is possible that most of those who had gathered there had only been awed by his miracles and were only passive listeners who had no intention of becoming his disciples. There were probably other sick people outside. But here comes a group of four, carrying a paralyzed man with so much faith, so much care and compassion that they are willing to do whatever it takes to get their friend into Jesus’s presence.

<span;>This was a man who had become accustomed to the quiet and solitude of his condition.i imagine It took faith for him to accept to be made the center of attention, not only to the Messiah, but also to the larger crowd that surrounded him in an attempt to get healing for a condition that no one could have believed would be healed. When the four friends realized that they could not get him to Christ through the door, they resolved not to get disappointed. They resolved not to lose faith of  the one they had come the long way to meet. They opened up the roof of the house and lowered the man in to where Jesus was preaching. An act that showed their faith in Jesus and their ardor in the cause they were pursuing. They would not turn back because there seemed to be no way to where Christ was. They would not let Christ leave that place before they got what they were after.

<span;>It was true faith, strong, active faith that gave them the strength to withstand the difficulty they faced. Jesus accepted and commended their faith. The faith that conquered the demonstration of modesty and reason. He addressed the man  in a fatherly tone, with such tenderness and concern, to the point of even calling him his child. You see, there was no obvious way for the man to know if his sins had really been forgiven except by believing. His forgiveness was invisible, but it was his faith that he had been forgiven that earned him his healing. Even the men that were with him are not reported to have spoken any word but their faith was evident and this is what Jesus saw.  The faith that motivated their action. The men and their patient had believed before the man was healed and thus their faith was not as a result of the healing. And this is what we are focusing on this week it is faith in action as opposed to passive faith.

<span;>It was their faith that made them count on Jesus healing the paralyzed man. They lowered him into the room in faith that he would walk out of the room healed. This was a faith coupled with determination and boldness. A faith that could be seen not only by Christ but also by everyone who was in attendance. It is only faith in action that can address someone's greatest need, that of salvation. Active faith is beyond intellectual assent, it is beyond emotions. It surpasses any difficulties that we may face, It is rewarding and survives in the face of obstacles. A faith in action is a combination of being and doing. You have to follow up what you believe in with corresponding actions. It is only though active faith that we can experience salvation. It is only through this kind of faith that we can live abundantly and rest in the love of Christ.
<span;>Purpose in your life to be constant in faith, to be persistent in faith even in the face of obstacles, and commit yourself to action and you will surely see the Lord demonstrate his power and authority in your life. He sees through your heart. He understands our unexpressed thoughts and desires. Just have faith in Him and in His plans and like the paralyzed man, you shall walk out of whatever situation you are in .
<span;>This Pastor Lucy Paynter with your Daily Insights and This is Faith in Action Day Two Shalom.










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