FOUR MEN ON THE ROOF

SERMON OF THE WEEK #20083 JANUARY 20, 2008

Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell the story of Jesus and four men who uncovered the roof. They let down on his bed a man, paralyzed by palsy, into the presence of Jesus. The house was crowded and there was no way to get this man into the presence of Jesus any other way.

The best thing anyone can do for another human being is to bring that person into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes it takes more than one person to do it, and in this case before us, it took four men. With us today it may take one, or it may take several to get the job done.

Someone has expressed it well for us in these words,

“When the voice of the Master is calling,

And the gates of the city unfold

And the saints of the ages are thronging into the city of gold.

How my heart shall o’er flow with rapture,

If some brother shall greet me and say,

You pointed my footsteps to heaven,

And you told me of Jesus the way.”

Now consider these four men, as they looked down through that hole in the roof at that paralyzed man lying at the feet of Jesus, and ponder this question: “What did they see?”

THEY SAW JESUS LOOKING UP AT THEM

They saw Jesus looking up at them very intently, and then all three writers record, “He saw their faith.” Now that is a curious statement; how do you see faith? Normally we would think that faith is intangible, it is not something you can see, touch, smell, taste, or hear. No one ever says, “Look at my faith.” Yet it says Jesus saw their faith. James in his 2nd chapter verse 18 tells us how we can see faith when he said, “Show me thy faith apart from thy works, and I, by my works, will show you my faith.”

Jesus saw the faith of the four men on the roof when He saw how far they were willing to go to put this man in His presence. Now, can Jesus see our faith as He sees how far we will go to get the job done? Has God ever looked at you, and seen any faith? Does He see any faith in a haphazard attendance at the worship service, and Lord’s Supper? How much, if any, faith does He see when the offering plate is passed? How much faith does He see in the amount of time spent in prayer? How much faith does He see in the amount of time we spend reading the Word of God as opposed to the time looking at much of the meaningless trivia on television? James 2:17 says to us, “Even so faith without works is dead being alone.” According to this a lot of people expect to go to Heaven with a dead faith. Hear James again in 2:19, “Thou believest that God is one; thou does well; the demons also believe and tremble.” Many today have that same devilish faith.

Our lack of faith should cause us the concern the Apostles had beginning in Luke 17:5 when they said unto the Lord, “Increase our faith.” And so the Lord looked up, and saw the faith of the four men on the roof, and today He looks down from Heaven and sees ours.

THE MEN ON THE ROOF LOOKED DOWN

AND SAW A BIG CROWD

Now what else did the four men see as they looked down through that hole in the roof? They saw a big crowd that had assembled for services, and the house was full, and others standing outside. And then there was also a smaller group known as Pharisees, and doctors of the law, of whom Luke says were sitting by. They did not seem to be there as worshippers, but more like a delegation that were there as spectators.

This is a normal situation whenever people are gathered together for worship. Part of the crowd is composed of spectators. They have not come to worship, but to watch the performance. While we all like to hear a good musical program, sometimes it will draw more spectators than worshippers. It is somewhat like the crucifixion of Jesus, a great crowd assembled, and after the soldiers parted His garments among them, they sat and watched Him there. They watched the show, and what a descriptive statement in Luke 23:48, “And the multitude that came together to this sight,” spectators at the crucifixion, watching the show.

Now in this case where the four men looked down through the hole at the drama unfolding before them, it is natural for a modern-day audience to ask, just what was Jesus doing to draw such a large crowd? I am sure that the appearance of Gabriel blowing his horn would have drawn a large crowd, but Gabriel was a no-show. The only thing that was special is when it is said in Mark, 2:2, “And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, no, not even at the door: and he preached the word unto them.” It was the preaching of the Word that drew the crowd. Actually, if the Word is not preached it doesn’t make any difference whether they come or not.

Here are a few Bible thoughts on preaching among many that needs to be stressed. Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word in season, and out of season.” In Acts 8:4, “They therefore that were scattered abroad went about preaching the word.” In the last chapter of Acts while awaiting his first trial in Rome before Nero, for two years Paul spent his time preaching the kingdom of God. And then that verse in 1st Corinthians 1:21, “It was the good pleasure of God through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” And remember also the church did not begin on the day of Pentecost with a counseling session; it began by preaching. And now, what else did the four men on the roof see as they looked through that hole on the crowd below?

BE OF GOOD CHEER THY SINS ARE FORGIVEN

The four men on the roof both saw, and heard Jesus say to the paralytic, “Son, Be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven.” This paralytic had a more urgent spiritual need than healing of his body. Perhaps the four men on the roof were somewhat disappointed. This is not the reason we went to all this trouble bringing him to you.

Forgiveness of sin is always more important than healing of sickness, especially if the patient dies and goes into eternity. When the doctor says you have a terminal disease, and you are brought face to face with your morality, everyone is faced with that thought, “Am I ready to face my Maker?” It is reassuring to think your sins have been forgiven.

Then too, the reason Jesus told him to be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven is because there may be some connection with his disease, and some sin of his past. While not all sickness is caused by sin, many times it is. Sometimes lung cancer may be brought on by nicotine. I told one young man he might get lung cancer from smoking. He said, “Well we all have to die with something.” I am aware that I am going to die, but I am not going to choose lung cancer as the best way to go, and then sometimes murder is committed by drunken drivers, and others are killed by AIDS, brought on by immorality. Much is said here in America today on heart attacks, diabetes, and strokes, brought on by obesity; and stress is the plague of many of us.

So then be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee. And now what else did the four men on the roof see as they looked down through the hole on the drama unfolding below? They heard Jesus say:

“WHY THINK YE EVIL IN YOUR HEARTS?”

The four men on the roof heard Jesus say, “Why think ye evil in your hearts?” When Jesus told the paralytic,  “Thy sins are forgiven,” the scribes and Pharisees reasoned in their hearts, “This man blasphemes, who can forgive sins, but God?” And Jesus said, “Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?”

This question of Jesus reveals that Jesus can read our minds; He knew what they were thinking. In Hebrews 4:12 it is written, “The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even unto the dividing of soul and spirit, both joints and marrow, quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.” God knows our thoughts. Romans 2:16 reminds us that God will judge the secrets of men. God knows our thoughts. Psalms 139:2 tells us that God understands our thoughts afar off, and again starting in the 23rd verse, “Search, me O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be some wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” God knows our thoughts. Then we need to pray the prayer of Psalms 19:14 daily, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” God knows our thoughts.

In Matthew 15:13, Matthew gives a catalogue of seven of our sins. Jesus said, “Out of the heart proceeds evil thought, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, railing: these are the things that defile the man.” God knows our thoughts. There used to be a popular song that said, “You Can’t Go To Jail For What You Are Thinking.” That may be true, but you can go to Hell for what you’re thinking, and remember God knows what you’re thinking.

Although in Genesis 8:21, God announced after the flood that the imagination of man’s heart is only evil continually; we are not left defenseless, because in II Corinthians 10 Paul tells us, “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty toward God to the casting down of strongholds, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity unto the knowledge of Jesus Christ. God knows our thoughts.

THEY HEARD A RIDDLE

Then the four men on the roof heard Jesus give the scribes a riddle. Which is easier, to say, “Thy sins are forgiven;” or to say, “Arise, and walk?” It would be easier to say thy sins are forgiven, because no one could prove it happened. To say arise and walk would be obvious it could not be done.

And then Jesus said, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins, then saith he to the sick of the palsy, arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house. And he rose, and departed to his house.” Jesus proved that He was God by the mighty deeds He performed. Would it not be blasphemy if a mortal man would tell you thy sins are forgiven, if he was unable to do the mighty works Jesus did?

TAKE UP THY BED AND GO UNTO THY HOUSE

Then the faith of the four men on the roof was rewarded, when they saw the man they brought on his bed; take up that bed, and walk out of the house under his own power, and go home. The paralytic did not stumbled, stagger, and fall after a few halting steps. It was a genuine case of a complete cure.

The cure of this paralytic provides a spiritual lesson in conversion. Many times people go through the process of becoming a Christian, make a profession that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and are baptized for the remission of their sins, and in a short time they are gone.

Unlike the paralytic who took up his bed and walked, it seems they stagger, stumble, and fall. Paul instructs us in Romans the sixth chapter that we arise from the waters of baptism to walk in the newness of life, but after a while many decide to walk in the same old life they lived before.

Beginning in II Peter 2:20 is a warning that needs to be heeded, “For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, to turn backward from the holy commandment delivered unto them. It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog turning to his own vomit again, and sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.”

WE HAVE HEARD STRANGE THINGS TODAY

And now, one more thought about the four men on the roof as they listened to the comments made by the assembled audience below. They heard them say, “We have seen strange things today-We never saw it on this fashion.”

The Greek word for strange in this situation is the same as paradox; what happened that day was contrary to expectations. We did not expect it to turn out this way. Actually the whole gospel story is contrary to the expectations of many.

Many would expect to go to Heaven if it appears that we have done more good than bad. Some would expect that God is so compassionate that He under no circumstances would condemn anyone to Hell, except Hitler, and a few others like him.

The scripture presents a different view in the second chapter of Acts when the Apostle Peter told the thousands that assembled on the day of Pentecost that Jesus died on the cross, and arose from the dead. When they heard they were guilty of killing the Lord, thousands of them asked what to do, and Peter told them, “Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” He told them this command was not only for them, but for their children and all as many as the Lord our God shall call unto Him.

I make no comment on these words; they speak for themselves. No doubt there are many who will say, “We have heard strange things today, and we never saw it on this fashion.”

However, here is something else that is just as strange in the Scripture, and contrary to all our expectations. I don’t understand it, and never will, and will marvel at it for all the ceaseless ages of eternity. In Isaiah 53:5 the prophet said, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” And yet in the same Word of God we read in Acts 17, how Paul said that God has commanded that all men everywhere should repent, inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world through that man whom He hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that He hath raised Him from the dead. And this is the strangest thing of all; the Judgment Day is the only trial in history where the Judge had been hanged for the guilty. We will never, ever, see anything like it again. We have seen strange things today. We never saw it on this fashion.