WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:00.800 Awesome. 00:00:00.959 --> 00:00:01.760 Good morning, church. 00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:04.559 Who's excited to be in the house of God today? 00:00:04.959 --> 00:00:05.839 Come on. 00:00:07.599 --> 00:00:10.000 Sundays are the best days. 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:11.439 We love Sundays. 00:00:11.519 --> 00:00:13.039 We're glad you guys are here. 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:14.800 Pentecost next week. 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:16.079 You're not going to want to miss that. 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:17.600 That's going to be awesome. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:20.719 Pastor Wheel was talking about iced coffee. 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:22.160 I hope y'all like that. 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:28.800 Someone uh was upset that I didn't try it, and they literally baptized me with a whole cup of coffee. 00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:31.039 I felt like I was a championship coach. 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:33.759 You know how they get the you know, the gator hay dunk. 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:36.079 I literally got a whole iced coffee. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:39.039 I smell really Carmelo right now. 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:43.280 And so anyway, it's been a good day in the house of God. 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:51.759 Um, three uh sorry, at the beginning of the year in January, God really gave us a focus on three things. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:01:03.439 Uh He said, in this 2026 Mid-Cities Neely, I want you to prepare to go deeper in faith, deeper in worship, and deeper in relationships. 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:08.560 And so we've really just kind of continued to pray into that, focus on that. 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:14.319 And today we have a little bit of an open message after our tremendous big question series. 00:01:14.480 --> 00:01:20.560 And I'd really like to lock in on the third one and talk a little bit about deeper relationships. 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:39.120 Um, you know, one of the greatest dangers really of modern Christianity is uh people think that they can follow God deeply while remaining, um and uh we're gonna kind of picket that a little bit today, a little bit, because no one follows Jesus. 00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:42.400 You come to our scripture today, we're gonna talk from Mark 2. 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:47.760 We're gonna see one uh one story there, Mark 2, 1 through 5. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:53.280 Um, you're gonna meet a man who could not get to Jesus by himself. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:02:01.359 He was paralyzed, he was unable to move, and unable to carry himself. 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:09.599 And yet, he had four friends that were committed to get him to Jesus. 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:13.680 Do you have four friends that are committed to get you to Jesus? 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:16.960 When a knucklehead spirit falls on you? 00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.240 You all know about a knucklehead spirit, don't you? 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:27.039 I need someone to bring me to Jesus. 00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:29.520 I need someone to remind me. 00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:33.360 Sometimes I have a little case of gospel amnesia. 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:36.960 I need people like that in my life. 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:39.680 And you're gonna see it in today's scripture. 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:42.879 So uh Mark chapter 2, we have it on your screen. 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:45.039 I'm reading from the NIV today. 00:02:45.280 --> 00:02:53.759 It says, a few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:58.879 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left. 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:01.360 Not even outside the door. 00:03:02.080 --> 00:03:05.759 And then Jesus preached the word to them. 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:10.080 Don't you love it that preaching the word is Jesus' idea? 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:12.960 Yes? 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:14.319 Come on. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:16.960 You gotta be ready to talk back today. 00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:19.360 We're few but mighty in here today. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:20.319 Come on. 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:24.479 So it says he preached the word to them. 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:33.280 Some men came bringing to him a paralyzed man carried to Jesus, uh, carried by four of them. 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:38.879 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening. 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:51.360 They climb up on the roof, they make an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it, and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 00:03:51.680 --> 00:04:01.280 The Bible says, when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, Son, your sins are forgiven. 00:04:01.919 --> 00:04:10.719 The truth is, God often uses intentional, Christ-centered relationships to carry people toward him. 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:12.960 We're gonna dive into this today. 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:16.800 So, Father, thank you for your word. 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:24.879 Your word that constantly reminds us how much you love us and how much you want to change us. 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:32.959 And God, thank you for your word, God, that convicts us, and thank you that we would respond to your word. 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:37.680 So help us today as we study in Jesus' name. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:38.639 Amen. 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:46.800 Without a doubt, relationships shape us. 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:57.920 Now, a lot of you have had this talk with your preteen or your teenager, or maybe your preschooler, I don't know. 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:07.199 But today we're gonna allow the word to talk to us and remind us. 00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:23.759 The man did not get to Jesus alone, he was carried, and I believe many of us in here uh are where we are spiritually today because someone was committed to carry us. 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:28.639 Can you think about your own spiritual life? 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:30.560 Now, thank you, God, for Jesus. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:37.439 Thank you for his blood, thank you for the cross, thank you for the resurrection, thank you for his church. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:48.560 But man, I think a lot of us, if we think about our journey to Jesus, we can think about the people that God strategically placed in our lives. 00:05:48.959 --> 00:05:57.839 A parent that prayed for you, a friend that challenged you, maybe a pastor that encouraged you. 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:04.160 Someone in your life refused to let you stay far from Jesus. 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:10.160 And the key is relationships are never neutral. 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:16.240 We see that they moved the paralytic towards Jesus. 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:25.279 That our relationships and our lives are never neutral, they are always moving us somewhere spiritually. 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:44.959 So today we're going to evaluate who is it in our lives that God has called us to move towards Jesus, or we can praise God and be thankful for uh they're moving us, you know, they're moving us towards Jesus. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:57.600 My mama, God bless her, she gave me some good old country wisdom, and she used to say to me all the time, son, you are the five people you spend the most time with. 00:06:58.480 --> 00:06:59.920 Choose wisely. 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:03.439 How many of you know that's true today? 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:11.199 Like, if you wouldn't bring your friend home to your mama, then you probably don't need to be spending that much time with that print. 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:13.759 Right? 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:34.000 I mean, the Bible clearly tells us in uh um I'll jump down to the scripture, but it clearly tells us in Proverbs 13, 20 that if we walk with the wise, we become wise, and a companion of fools suffer harm. 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:41.199 And then Paul doubled down and said, 1 Corinthians 15, he says, Do not be misled. 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:46.800 Bad company corrupts good character. 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:50.079 Like I said, you've probably used that on your kids. 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:55.279 If you're in here and have kids, today let's apply it to our own lives. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:58.480 Let's think about mama's wisdom. 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:02.319 Let's think about our relationships and our friendships. 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:05.199 You know, today we actually have a label for it. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:11.439 We call people who shape the way others think, we call them influencers. 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:13.279 You know why? 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:18.240 Because influencers influence us. 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:28.800 But oftentimes we don't even have to think about it digitally, we could just think about it relationally. 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:36.080 How are the people in our lives shaping and influencing the way we view things? 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:39.840 The people influencing your life shape your thinking. 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:56.639 The people influencing your life shape your convictions, the people influencing your life shape your priorities, they shape your habits, and they ultimately shape the direction of your life. 00:08:58.399 --> 00:08:59.840 Would you guys agree with me? 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:01.679 You look a little scared. 00:09:02.799 --> 00:09:04.480 Are you scared today, Christopher? 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:05.279 Are y'all scared? 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:06.320 I ain't scared. 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:07.679 Tell me, I ain't scared. 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:09.440 Okay, thank you. 00:09:13.039 --> 00:09:24.720 Some relationships carry us towards Jesus, but other relationships slowly pull us away from Jesus. 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:33.679 And if we're honest, this church, so we have to be honest, we already know the difference. 00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:38.720 We know the people in our life who strengthen our faith. 00:09:40.720 --> 00:09:46.960 We know the people in our lives who sharpen our character. 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:52.159 We know the people in our lives who make us a better person. 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:58.480 Mamas, you know the the friends that help you be a better mama. 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:09.600 Men, you know the people you need in your life that strengthen your resolve to serve Jesus even when it's tough. 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:20.159 At the same time, we also know the voices in our life that normalize compromise. 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:37.120 We know the voices in our lives that press on us uh to be spiritually passive or distant from God. 00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:41.279 Hey, didn't you go to you're good, you went to church like last month. 00:10:43.039 --> 00:10:45.519 Man, you don't need to go to that life group. 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:49.039 Why are you hanging out with those holy rollers anyway? 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:52.399 Maybe that's just my friends. 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:54.639 Might be my wife, I don't know. 00:10:54.879 --> 00:11:01.279 Uh she said, you better watch it. 00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:03.600 She ain't wrong. 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:12.559 Uh the truth is, very few people, very few people intentionally walk away from God. 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:18.000 They tend to drift more than walk away. 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:30.240 More often, people slowly drift there because they have unexamined influences, unhealthy relationships, and are spiritually passive. 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:41.120 So let me ask you, since I'm already in front street of your life right now, let me ask you who is influencing you spiritually? 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:44.960 Have you considered that in a while? 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:49.200 Have you thought about the relationships? 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:53.840 The people you gossip, I mean, talk to around the water cooler. 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:00.639 And before I even let's just sit here just a second. 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:03.200 Let's think about it even deeper. 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.799 Who has influence over your thinking? 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:13.600 Who has influence over your priorities? 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:19.840 Who has influence over your character? 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:28.320 And who influences your passion and hunger and pursuit for Jesus? 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:30.639 That's what we're doing today. 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:37.279 Relationships are never neutral, they're always carrying us somewhere. 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:49.200 And I have to add this just as a little caveat: that this is not the call to isolate yourself from people who don't know Jesus. 00:12:49.840 --> 00:12:53.600 I mean, Jesus was known as a friend of sinners. 00:12:54.240 --> 00:13:07.200 So I don't want you to think of I just got to cut all the people who don't know Jesus out of my life because that would make you ineffective doing the very thing God called us to do, go win the loss and make disciples. 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:11.440 We are certainly called to love people. 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:17.200 We're certainly called to serve people and carry people towards Christ. 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:33.759 But there's a difference between loving people missionally and allowing the defense, the the deepest uh influences in our life to consent consistently pull us away from Jesus. 00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:35.440 Are you with me? 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:41.519 So the question is the relationship's okay as long as you're discipling them. 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:47.919 As soon as they start discipling you, then I better evaluate that relationship. 00:13:48.240 --> 00:13:57.919 As soon as that relationship starts pulling me away from Jesus, and their influence is greater than my influence, then I better evaluate that one. 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:12.240 These men intentionally carried their friend towards Jesus because they believed if they could only get to the feet of Jesus, Jesus would change the man's life. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:15.840 And they were right. 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:18.080 We see in the story. 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:28.960 You know, this type of love that these four friends demonstrated is a love that refuses passivity. 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:36.559 Honestly, most of us probably try to go through life and we're just trying not to bother anybody. 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:45.840 Like you do you, we talked about that a month or two ago, and I'll do me, and we'll just be friends. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:52.000 But I need some friends in my life who love me enough to refuse to be passive. 00:14:54.080 --> 00:15:04.080 Christy and I planted a church, and we were having babies, and we had three when we planted the church, and ended up with five amazing kiddos. 00:15:04.799 --> 00:15:10.080 And I told my best friends, I realized, you know, there's something inside of us all. 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:20.639 I mean, the Bible tells us essentially we have a self-destruct button called descend nature. 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:45.919 And I told my friends, I told them, I said, look, if I ever lose my mind, I want you to come to my house and argue with me until you're tired of arguing with me, and then take me out in the yard and beat me until I say yes to Jesus again. 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:50.399 Well, thank you for that. 00:15:52.639 --> 00:16:04.799 But that's the kind of friends I needed in my life that would love me and tell me the truth when I wasn't loving my wife less Christ loved the church. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:15.120 When I was drifting from my one passion of serving Jesus, and the whole reason I was planting a church. 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:28.240 You know, we're all tempted to drift from God, and we need friends like we see in today's story that will carry us to Jesus. 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:32.399 Think about how radical of a moment this was. 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:37.200 Verse 4 says they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd. 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:40.240 They made an opening in the roof by digging around it. 00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:41.759 I mean, could you imagine? 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:47.039 I mean, I just get upset when the doors open and we're trying to like have church in here. 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:51.039 You guys aren't like breaking through the stained glass. 00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:54.720 And then they lower the mad down. 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:57.440 I need some friends like that. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.039 I need some friends that'll climb the roof for me. 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:09.440 I mean, if these guys were like me, they they would have just made excuses. 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:10.160 Right? 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:11.359 I know what I would have done. 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:14.720 I would have said, man, bro, we wanted to get you to Jesus. 00:17:14.799 --> 00:17:16.240 It's just too crowded today. 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:18.240 I don't like long lines. 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:24.079 It's just inconvenient. 00:17:24.160 --> 00:17:28.079 Let's wait for another more convenient time to bring you to Jesus. 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:31.440 Man, we tried. 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:33.440 I tried. 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:37.599 I don't want friends like that. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:40.480 I want friends that'll climb the roof. 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:43.119 These men refuse to stay passive. 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:47.279 They climbed the roof, they made a hole, they lured them to Jesus. 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:51.200 The Bible literally says he saw their faith. 00:17:51.599 --> 00:18:02.079 See, your faith, if you believe that the one thing your friend needs more than anything is Jesus, because Jesus is the one that'll change your life, you won't just take them to the gym. 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:06.160 You won't just take them to far west, you'll take them to Jesus. 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:12.640 He saw their faith because their faith was in action. 00:18:13.119 --> 00:18:22.160 And what I love about this is, you know, sometimes I found that sometimes I need my friends to carry me to Jesus. 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:26.640 And then sometimes my friends need me to do the carrying. 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:36.319 And I want to build intentional relationships in my life that whichever side of the story I might be on today, it's going to happen. 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:38.960 We're going to get to the feet of Jesus. 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:49.359 These friends love their friend enough to carry him to Jesus because they believe Jesus could change his life. 00:18:50.079 --> 00:18:52.880 And truly, this is where the story confronts us a little bit. 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:55.119 It confronts me, right? 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:58.559 If I think about this, I mean, I'm busy. 00:18:58.640 --> 00:18:59.680 We're distracted. 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:03.680 Sometimes we're just too consumed with ourselves. 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:10.319 We desire deep relationships, like when it's on the screen, or we say, man, that's obvious. 00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:13.839 Like God wants us to go deeper in our faith, deeper in our worship, deeper in our relationship. 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:19.119 We sort of desire deeper relationships without deep intentionality. 00:19:21.279 --> 00:19:30.400 We want strong community with leftover time and leftover energy. 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:40.319 You have to prioritize the relationships you want in your life. 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:50.640 Deep spiritual relationships do not happen accidentally, they happen through priority, through sacrifice, through intentionality. 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:59.759 These type of relationships that we see in Mark II took sacrifice, took priority, took intentionality. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:03.759 You don't accidentally build a healthy marriage. 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:12.079 You don't accidentally uh disciple your children. 00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:21.759 You don't accidentally develop the type of Christ-centered uh friendships that you need on a rough day to bring you to Jesus. 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:26.000 All of these come through intentionality and investment. 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:35.759 And so what I'm giving you is sort of like the parental talk today that a lot of you guys have probably spoken to your kids. 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:39.920 But the truth really doesn't have a shelf life on it. 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:45.599 It's not just good for your kids, but it isn't good for your adult life. 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:53.920 You can't think that you're just gonna hang out with people who don't really love Jesus most of the time, and you love Jesus. 00:20:55.200 --> 00:21:00.880 We have to refuse to be passive about our relationships, and we have to choose to do this. 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:07.920 I mean, really, when we talk about, hey, these friends carry them to Jesus, that's what discipleship is. 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:15.680 We get like way too confused about the big D word, discipleship. 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:17.200 Like, I just don't know about that. 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:19.759 Maybe I need another class, or maybe I know. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:26.880 All you have to do is be a friend and consistently carry people to Jesus. 00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:35.680 Now, here in Mid-Cities and a lot of these amazing churches in our community, they have some sort of like life group emphasis, right? 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:36.480 We want you. 00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:50.240 We say when you come through our one-on-one class, we the things we we love for you to do is we love for you to show up, we love for you to serve, uh, we love for you to give, and and we want you, please join a life group. 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:59.039 The reason we do that is we understand this truth that God changes us through intentional discipleship, Christ centered relationships. 00:21:59.279 --> 00:21:59.759 And so. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:23:05.279 we try to like like like help you walk into that but how much more how much more better how much better come on how much more better pastor daniel is it they're used to bat my bat my bad grammar around here anyway that we would just do it organically you've got friends you don't need a new group of friends well but maybe you need a new group of friends but likely you got let's just make it let's put Jesus in the middle of it let's just put Jesus in the middle of it and I guarantee if you raise the standard your friends around you will appreciate it and rise to it that's all we're talking about here's why because when Jesus is at the center whatever he's in the center of he changes Jesus changes everything. 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:06.480 Look at verse 5. 00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:41.519 It says when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralyzed man your sins are forgiven see this true story is really not about the paralytic and the reason Jesus is telling it and the reason Mark wrote it here in Mark chapter 2 is because it's not really about the paralytic it's not really about the friends it's really about Jesus and who he was and that's why I'm talking about this today because when you're intentional about it and you're truly bringing your friends to Jesus Jesus changes everything. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:48.559 I mean what your friend needs is not necessarily another seminar or self-help book. 00:23:48.799 --> 00:24:12.079 Your friend needs Jesus and who do you think is going to give your friend Jesus you are that's why they're your friend they're not my friend they're your friend why do you think God has strategically put you in their life to be passive? 00:24:12.799 --> 00:24:37.440 To be wallpaper to be weak to be more worried about what they say than what Jesus says he's going to naturally give you ways to start a conversation ask questions listen to what they say and tell them about Jesus He's going to strategically do that because Jesus changes everything. 00:24:38.160 --> 00:24:44.319 Think about the tension in this room the roof opens the man's lower down everyone expects Jesus to do what? 00:24:44.559 --> 00:25:10.480 Heal the paralytic I mean the emphasis in the story is that he was paralyzed he couldn't get to Jesus so of course what is Jesus going to do he's going to heal him physically but how many know oftentimes we come to Jesus what we think we need and he gives us what we really need he gives us what we really need and he literally says son your sin is forgiven because Jesus is after something deeper. 00:25:10.720 --> 00:27:21.759 He's not out to just change your circumstances he's out to change your heart he's really after your heart and when he touches his heart I love this they're like wait who can say his sins like the religious people you know they'd be like some of us what is Jesus saying what is he saying he says son who can forgive sins but God and Jesus says that's right this story really about who Jesus is and why I'm emphasizing putting Jesus at the center of your relationship is because Jesus is God and when God is at the center of your relationships everything changes who is this Jesus they're saying I love this in verse 7 they say this like a like a country boy would why does this fella talk like that look well I wouldn't say fellow why would this fellow if you want to know where I'm really from he would be a feller why does this feller talk like that I'll tell you why he's God and so what does Jesus proceed to do he proceeds to heal him physically right to back up or to demonstrate that his authority spiritually he's like if you really want to do it like if you're really worried about it what I'm saying look rise up off that mat and walk and the paralytic gets up off the mat and walks Jesus proves who he is so the Son of man said I tell you get up take your mat and go home he got up took his mat and walked out in full view of them allgive sin. 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:26.000 Only Jesus can restore what is broken. 00:27:26.720 --> 00:28:06.319 Only Jesus can transform a human heart and what I love about this I was actually reminded last service is man doesn't that take pressure off of our discipleship that we don't have to change the people in our lives all we have to do is carry them to Jesus because when they get to the feet of Jesus Jesus changes everything man that takes the pressure off all I have to do is carry my friends to Jesus all I have to do is love them and refuse passivity. 00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:14.640 All I have to do is bring them into the presence of Jesus and Jesus changes everything. 00:28:15.920 --> 00:29:22.319 And this whole message has really been about relationships the truth is the most important relationship in your life is with Jesus when Jesus becomes the center of our lives everything around us changes families change marriages change business partnerships change friendships change because Jesus changes people you know often the transformation we long for in our lives never fully develops because we try to we try to build relationships around convenience or around common interests or comfort instead of building our relationships around Jesus these men believed if we can get just get him to Jesus Jesus will change his life and they were right because the paralytic encountered Jesus and everything changed. 00:29:22.799 --> 00:33:54.640 Think about this the mat that once carried him became evidence of his transformation he came in and the mat was carrying him he went out and he was carrying the mat because Jesus changed his life what once represented weakness now testified to the power of Jesus and that's the picture Mark leaves us with a man could not get himself to Jesus he was carried by intentional friends he has a defining moment with Jesus and walks away changed because when Jesus becomes the center everything changes in church this is still true today some of you here because somebody carried you towards Jesus a praying friend a parent a coach a pastor a grandmama thank god for the grandmamas amen somebody refused to let you drift away from God and now the question becomes what direction are your relationships carrying you who is influencing your faith who is influencing your priorities here's one who is influencing your your view of marriage and family who is stoking the fire of your passion and pursuit for Jesus we've got to pause and we have to think who is it who's placed this who are the people that Jesus who are my four friends who are the people that Jesus is placing in my life relationships are never neutral they're carrying us somewhere and deep relationships are not optional in the Christian life Proverbs 181 says the person that isolates himself rages against all wise judgment we fight this isolation sociologists call it crowded loneliness that you can be in the midst of a crowd be lonelier than ever we have to embrace this Mark II message that if God is calling us to deeper relationships we got to know who is it that God has called us to carry and who is it that carrying us to Jesus let me just ask you that put that on the screen who are you carrying towards Jesus right now who in your life needs encouragement who is someone you could call and pray for who you know have sort of bought the lie of culture and just needs a good dose of truth you know what I mean like truth and love who is it in your life that needs an invitation into deeper spiritual family deeper community I believe God is speaking to us right now you guys up in the balcony God is speaking to us and we're realizing you know what it's been a while since we even really evaluated our relationships or maybe we've had some conversations like oof maybe I don't need to spend so much time in that relationship. 00:33:55.039 --> 00:39:19.360 Today's a day of decision today's a day for you to make a understanding commitment like man I need to evaluate my relationships and I might need to make some changes think about the people in your life who need somebody willing to climb on the roof for them make a decision I'm going to be that friend you know before we close we truly want to be that kind of friend I need some friends in my life like I said that will go the extra mile that will love me when I'm unlovable and I need to be that kind of friend but maybe today you came in here and you identify a little bit more with the paralytic and you're like I can't even get to Jesus can I tell you that you're in the right place today Jesus is here and Jesus still helps people up off the mat I thank God for second third fourth chances if that's you today and you're like man I know I'm tired of this mat I'm tired of being paralyzed by my own stinking thinking and some stupid choices and I know today I've been lowered down in the presence of Jesus and today all you have to do is call on the name Jesus is here to forgive you of your sin to rescue you to save your life that's what he does you just call on so I want to pray for you and as I do you just put your faith in Jesus amen we bow our heads Father we thank you we thank you for your grace Jesus help us we don't want to be the man woman on the mat anymore so Jesus we call on you we confess you as Lord we thank you that you're savior we stop trusting in ourselves God just tell him right where you're at I stop trusting in myself and I start trusting in you for salvation God we turn from our sin we ask you to forgive us to cleanse us to make us new we thank you that your word to us is rise pick up that mat walk we thank you for your grace you know with your heads bowed if you just I'd just love to know if you prayed that prayer today would you just raise your hand and just show me that hand thank you thank you thank you man if you sincerely prayed that prayer your life has changed you're not the same four five six hands up today we're rejoicing with you father now for all of us would you guys just kind of change your posture just kind of maybe open your hands up God help us to evaluate our friendships today who is it in our lives that we're supposed to carry to Jesus and who is it in our lives are those friends that will carry us on our worst day God let us not play around with this when the Bible says that bad company corrupts good character God I don't want to test you in that God help us to make a decision today to be the kind of friends that the paralytic had and love people and carry them to Jesus in Jesus' name amen. 00:39:20.079 --> 00:39:21.119 Bless you guys