3 | Jesus, Friend of Sinners

Mark 2:1-17
--
Slides:

Slide: We must walk in the tension between meeting physical and spiritual needs.

Slide: Mark 1:38 He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for."

Slide: James 2:15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for [their] body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, [being] by itself.

Slide: One of the ways we carry others to Jesus is through intercessory prayer.

Slide: Romans 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for [us] with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to [the will of] God.

Slide: Is my suffering or sickness punishment from God because of my sin?
It could be.

Slide: 1 Corinthians 11:27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

Slide: Is my suffering or sickness punishment from God because of my sin?
Suffering often has a redemptive purpose.

Slide: John 9:1 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "[It was] neither [that] this man sinned, nor his parents; but [it was] so that the works of God might be displayed in him.

Slide: Is my suffering or sickness punishment from God because of my sin?
We should fear sin more than suffering.

Slide: John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you."

Slide: Is my suffering or sickness punishment from God because of my sin?
Forgiveness is a greater miracle than healing.

Slide: James 5:14 Is anyone among you sick? [Then] he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

Slide: Be careful when reasoning spiritual things if you won’t let God amaze you.

Slide: Fishing tips:
Pick your spot.
Take a friend.
Don’t fall in.