June 25th & 29th
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
—Hebrews 4:12 NLT
Come, let us return the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will us; has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
—Hosea 6:1 NIV
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
—Mark 2:1-12 NIV
3 - Do I want Jesus to do something for me or in me?
…he [Jesus] said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
— Mark 2:5b-7 NIV
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
— Mark 2:8-11 NIV
He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
— Mark 2:12 NIV
4 - Do I think like the people in the house or on the roof?
16 When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
— Mark 2:16,17 NIV
The longer we are in the crowd the less we think like those who aren’t in church.
But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.
— Numbers 32:23 NIV
Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here?
—Numbers 32:6 NIV
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Next Steps:
1. Today I make a decision to start following Jesus for the first time in my life.
2. I am going to make a “hit list” of 5 people I am going to tear the roof off for and invite them to church!
3. I have stopped fighting, stopped sacrificing, and stopped committing to the fight of others. I repent of that today.
4. Sign me up for getting water baptized at the Block Party next week.