We Need Each Other

 

We Need Each Other

Mark 2:1–12.

¹ When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

² So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them.

³ They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them.

⁴ Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

⁵ Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts:

⁷ “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

⁹ Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’?

¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—

¹¹ “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

¹² Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

This morning I want to talk to you about how “WE NEED EACH OTHER.”

• Church Family…
• This Sunday, I am doing something a little different.
• We have paused the Genesis Series
• Because I want to talk to you as family today.
• Because over the last several weeks…
• We’ve taken some unexpected hits as a church.
• During the week before Easter, 3 families left
• (Tim & Heather, Daniel & Elisha, Tru & Elissa)
• This past Monday, Shuana & Adam, our newest worship minister,
• Just quit with no notice
• And I feel the weight of all of this
• It’s heavy
• It’s frustrating
• And some moments, it makes me angry
• I don’t like feeling this way
• But I am letting you in on my feelings
• And I know I’m not the only one in the room
• Who has ever felt like that
• Some of you walked in this morning
• Carrying things nobody else sees.

Fear.
Marriage struggles.
Financial pressure.
Anxiety.
Loneliness.
Grief.
Disappointment.
Spiritual exhaustion.

• Some of you are smiling externally
• While internally, your soul feels paralyzed.
• And one of the things I love about the church…
• Is that sometimes when you feel like you can’t breathe spiritually…
• God places people around you
• Who help breathe courage back into your soul.
• What makes that so powerful
• Is that it is what our mission as a church is all about
• To Inspire People to Trust in and Live Like Jesus.
• That word inspire is a powerful word
• It literally means to breathe into
• To breathe life into
• To fill someone with courage
• To awaken hope
• To stir the soul
• To give strength or vision to
• All of that connects to our story in Mark 2…
• This story helps remind us of something we desperately need to hear:
• Jesus never intended for us to carry life alone.
• This man could not get himself to Jesus.
• He needed people around him.
• He needed others willing to carry the weight with him.
• That is what the body of Christ is supposed to be.
• Not spectators.
• Not disconnected Christians who simply attend a service.
• But a spiritual family that says:

“When you are weak…I will help carry you until you can stand again.”

• We were never meant to follow Jesus alone.
• God designed the church to carry people to Jesus together.
• That’s what this story is about.
• It’s in moments like these that reveal who we really are.
• Anybody can show up when things are exciting.
• But family is revealed when things get difficult.
• And I believe God wants to use this season
• Where it does not make sense to have all of this loss
• While we have been praying for more (God’s Math)
• He wants to use this season
• To strengthen us…not scatter us.
• To deepen us…not discourage us.
• To remind us that the mission He gave us
• Is still worth giving our lives to.
• Because there are still people in our city who need Jesus.

Still marriages hurting.
Still students searching.
Still families falling apart.
Still people battling addiction.
Still people wondering if anybody sees them.
Still people far from God.

• And the mission of New City has not changed.
• We still exist to inspire people to trust in and live like Jesus.
• So this morning…
• I don’t just want us to hear this story.
• I want us to see ourselves inside of it.
• Let’s look at the text more closely together

Mark 2:3
“They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them.”

• The first thing that stands out in this story…
• Is that the man could not get himself to Jesus.
• He needed help!
• He needed people willing to carry him.
• And before we move too quickly past that…
• I think we need to sit in that reality for a moment.
• Because we live in a culture that glorifies self-sufficiency.

Handle it yourself.
Fix it yourself.
Don’t let people see weakness.
Don’t ask for help.
Don’t burden others.

• But the kingdom of God works differently.
• The church was never designed to function as isolated individuals.
• Scripture calls us a body.
• A family.
• A flock.
• A temple made of living stones joined together.
• Everything about biblical Christianity is connected.

Genesis 2:18 says:
“It is not good for the man to be alone.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 says:
“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up…”

Galatians 6:2 says:
“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

1 Corinthians 12:26 says:
“So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it…”

• The Christian life was never meant to be carried alone.
• And yet so many people try.
• Some people isolate when they struggle.
• They disappear when life gets hard.
• They stop answering calls.
• Stop coming to church.
• Stop engaging in community.
• And the enemy loves isolation
• Because isolated people are vulnerable people.
• The paralytic’s miracle started
• Because somebody refused to leave him alone in his brokenness.
• You know what that is?
• That is discipleship.
• Discipleship is not just teaching information.
• It’s helping carry people to Jesus.

Sometimes spiritually.
Sometimes emotionally.
Sometimes physically.

• There are moments in life where people don’t need another lecture.
• They need encouragement.
• Presence.
• Prayer.
• Hope.
• They need somebody (Chris’s Story)
• Who helps inspire them to trust Jesus again
• When life has knocked the wind out of them.
• And if we’re honest…
• Some of us in this room are carrying heavy mats right now.
• Some of you are exhausted.
• You love Jesus…but you’re tired.

Tired of fighting.
Tired of disappointment.
Tired of trying to hold everything together.

• Some of you are carrying ministry pressure.
• Some of you are carrying marriage pressure.
• Some of you are carrying anxiety nobody knows about.
• Some of you are trying to hold together your faith
• While your heart quietly feels overwhelmed.
• We need each other!
• And church…
• One of the greatest ways we inspire people to trust in and live like Jesus…
• Is simply by refusing to let them suffer alone.
• Sometimes the greatest ministry you can offer somebody
• Is your presence.

A text message.
A prayer.
A conversation.
A meal.
A hug.
A moment where somebody realizes:
“I’m not carrying this by myself anymore.”

• We were never meant to follow Jesus alone.
• God designed the church to carry people to Jesus together.
• That’s not weakness.
• That’s the design of the body of Christ.
• And honestly church…
• This is one of the reasons
• Difficult seasons can actually strengthen the body.
• Because pain exposes
• Whether we were consumers…or covenant family.

Consumers ask:
“What am I getting out of this?”

Family asks:
“How can I help carry the weight?”

• Consumers disappear when things get difficult.
• Families lean in closer.
• And I need to say this lovingly as your pastor:
• This is not the moment for New City
• To shrink backward emotionally or spiritually.
• This is the moment to pray more.
• Serve more.
• Encourage more.
• Show up more.
• Love each other more intentionally.
• Church, there are people in this room right now
• Barely hanging on spiritually.
• And God may want to use your words…
• Your prayer…
• Your service…
• Your presence…
• To inspire them to trust Jesus again.
• Because the mission is too important.
• There are still people in our city who need Jesus.
• And maybe one of the greatest testimonies
• We can give our city right now…
• Is not pretending we never go through hard seasons
• But showing what it looks like
• For a church family to carry each other through them together.
• But the story keeps moving.
• Because eventually, these men hit a major obstacle.
• And what they do next reveals the kind of faith that changes lives.

Mark 2:4
Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

• Can you imagine this moment?
• The house is packed.
• People are shoulder to shoulder.
• Jesus is teaching.
• The doorway is blocked.
• And these men arrive carrying their friend with expectation and hope.
• But suddenly they realize:
  “We can’t get in.”
• Now most people stop there.
• Most people would have gone:
  “Well… we tried.”

“There’s no room.”
“The timing isn’t right.”

• I have heard some of these
• When things get difficult

“Church planting is too hard”

“This is too much work.”

• But not these men.
• Their love for their friend was greater
• Than the obstacle in front of them.
• So they climbed the roof.
• Started digging.
• Started tearing through barriers.
• Started making a way to Jesus.
• Can you imagine being inside that house?
• Dirt falling from the ceiling.
• People looking up confused.
• The interruption of the moment.
• And then suddenly…
• A man starts being lowered through the roof directly in front of Jesus.
• I love this story
• Because these men were willing to inconvenience themselves
• If it meant getting somebody to Jesus.
• That is real faith.
• Real faith keeps moving when things get difficult.
• Real faith keeps carrying the mat when the journey gets heavy.
• Real faith refuses to allow obstacles to become excuses.
• I think this is one of the clearest pictures
• Of kingdom teamwork in all of Scripture.
• Because these men understood something:
• Getting people to Jesus was worth the inconvenience.
• These men inspired faith in each other.
• One man may have wanted to quit climbing the stairs.
• Another may have questioned tearing through the roof.
• Another may have thought:
  “This is getting crazy.”
• But together they kept moving toward Jesus.
• That’s what healthy churches do.
• They inspire each other forward.
• And church, that is exactly why we need each other.
• Because no single person carries the mission alone.
• I may be the pastor, but
• God designed the church to carry people to Jesus together.
• That is the kind of people we must become.
• People who refuse to quit when things get hard.
• People who don’t walk away when there are obstacles.
• People who adapt.
• Sacrifice.
• Pray.
• Serve.
• Persevere.
• Because every God-given mission encounters resistance.
• Every church does.
• Every family does.
• Every believer does.
• There will always be moments where the doorway feels blocked.
• Moments where expectations collapse.
• Moments where leadership changes.
• Moments where people leave.
• Moments where resources feel limited.
• Moments where discouragement whispers:
  “It would be easier to stop.”
• But the mission of Jesus is too important for us to stop digging.
• I need you to hear my heart today.
• The vision God gave New City
• Did not come from one worship leader.
• One volunteer.
• One personality.
• Or one family.

It came from Jesus.

Matthew 16:18 says:
I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

• This church belongs to Jesus.
• And because it belongs to Jesus…
• We are not shaken every time difficulty comes.

We grieve.
We process.
We pray.

• But we keep moving forward.
• Because Jesus is still building His church.
• And maybe honestly…
• This is one of those defining moments for us.
• Will we become discouraged spectators?
• Or determined carriers?
• Will we retreat?
• Or will we lean into the mission more deeply?
• Because I believe God may be using this moment
• To raise up new leaders.
• New servants.
• New prayer warriors.
• New disciplers.
• New faith.
• Some of you have been sitting on the edge long enough.
• And maybe God is calling you now to grab a corner of the mat.
• Because this church moves forward
• When everybody carries part of the weight.

We need each other.

• To step into leadership.
  Serving.
  Discipleship.
  Prayer.
  Generosity.
  Mission.
• Not because everything is perfect.
• But because people still need Jesus.
• Sometimes the greatest moments of ministry
• Happen after the obstacle shows up.
• Because obstacles reveal
• Whether we were committed to comfort…or committed to the mission.
• Anybody can carry the mat when the road is easy.
• But these men kept carrying when things became difficult.
• And maybe that’s the word for some of us this morning:

Don’t stop carrying the mat.

Don’t stop praying.
Don’t stop serving.
Don’t stop believing.
Don’t stop showing up.
Don’t stop helping people get to Jesus.

• You see, when these men finally get their friend in front of Jesus…
• Jesus does something nobody expected.
• Because everybody in the room
• Was focused on the man’s physical condition.
• But Jesus saw something even deeper.
• And what happens next
• Reminds us that Jesus didn’t just come to improve lives.
• He came to forgive sins and restore broken people completely.

Mark 2:5
Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’

• This moment is incredible.
• Because everybody in the room
• Expected Jesus to deal with the obvious problem.
• The man couldn’t walk.
• That’s what everybody saw.
• That’s what everybody thought needed fixed.
• But when Jesus looks at the man…
• He goes deeper than the crowd expected.
• Before healing his legs…
• Jesus addresses his soul.

“Son, your sins are forgiven.”

• Why?
• Because Jesus knew
• The man’s greatest problem was not physical paralysis.
• It was spiritual separation from God.
• And that is true for every one of us in this room.
• Our deepest problem is not ultimately:

Financial.
Relational.
Emotional.
Political.
Or physical.

• Our deepest problem is sin.
• Sin broke our relationship with God.
• Sin left humanity spiritually paralyzed.

Unable to save ourselves.
Unable to heal ourselves.
Unable to fix what is broken inside us.

• And this is why the gospel is such good news.
• Because Jesus did not come merely to make bad people nicer.
• He came to rescue spiritually broken people.
• People like us.
• And I love the tenderness in the way Jesus speaks.

“Son…”

• There’s compassion there.
• Mercy there.
• Love there.
• The paralytic is not an interruption to Jesus.
• He is someone Jesus moves toward.
• And some of you need to hear that today.
• Your brokenness does not push Jesus away.
• It draws Him near.
• Some of you walked in

Carrying shame.

Carrying regret.

Carrying hidden sin.

Carrying disappointment in yourself.

• And maybe deep down you feel like:
  “If people really knew me…”
  “If God really looked closely…”
• But Jesus already sees fully.
• And He still moves toward broken people with mercy.
• That is the gospel.

Romans 5:8 says:
But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• Jesus came for broken people.
• Not polished people.
• Not perfect people.
• Stop looking for the perfect church
• You won’t find it
• Because there are no perfect Pastors
• No perfect members
• Just Broken people.
• And this whole story ultimately points us to the cross.
• Because spiritually…
• Every one of us is the paralytic.
• Unable to save ourselves.
• Unable to carry ourselves to God.
• And Jesus did for us what we could never do ourselves.
• He carried the cross.
• He carried our sin.
• He carried our shame.
• He carried our judgment.
• So we could be forgiven and restored.
• That is why we do what we do.
• That is why the mission matters.
• That is why serving matters.
• That is why prayer matters.
• That is why worship matters.
• That is why discipleship matters.
• Because there are still people who need forgiveness.
• Still people who need hope.
• Still people who need to encounter Jesus.
• One of the beautiful things about this story
• Is that Jesus responds not only to the faith of the paralytic…
• But to the faith of the people carrying him.

“Seeing their faith…”

• Their faith helped bring someone into the presence of Jesus.
• And never underestimate what God can do through your obedience.
• You never know what invitation…
  What prayer…
  What conversation…
  What act of service…
• Might help carry somebody
• Into an encounter with Jesus that changes their life forever.

That’s what we want New City to be.

• A place where broken people can get to Jesus.
• A place where people don’t have to pretend.
• A place where people can come

Exhausted…
Hurting…
Confused…
Addicted…
Wandering…

• And encounter the grace of God.
• Because Jesus still forgives sins.
• Jesus still restores lives.
• Jesus still changes people.
• And when Jesus changes people…people notice.
• Because the story doesn’t end with forgiveness.
• It ends with amazement.
• The same crowd
• That once watched this man get lowered through the roof…
• Now watches him walk out completely changed.
• And their response
• Becomes one of the most powerful lines in the entire passage:

Mark 2:12
Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’

• I love how this story ends.
• The room that once blocked the man from getting to Jesus…
• Is now standing in amazement at what Jesus has done.

People are worshipping.
People are stunned.
People are talking about Jesus.

“WE HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.”

• Church…
• That is what happens when people get brought to Jesus.

Lives change.
Families change.
Stories change.

• And eventually the people watching begin saying:
  “Only God could do that.”
• That is my prayer for New City.
• Not that people would look at us and say:
  “What an impressive church.”
• But that they would look at Jesus and say:
  “We have never seen anything like this.”
• That marriages would be restored.
• That addictions would be broken.
• That prodigals would come home.
• That students would encounter God.
• That people far from God would trust Jesus.
• That weary Christians would breathe again.
• That people carrying shame would find freedom.

And people would say:
“Only Jesus could do that.”

• But notice something important:
• The miracle that amazed the crowd
• Started with ordinary people carrying a mat.
• That’s it.
• Nobody on the roof was famous.
• Nobody on the roof was platformed.
• Nobody on the roof was building their own kingdom.
• They just refused to stop helping someone get to Jesus.
• I think sometimes
• We underestimate what God can do through ordinary faithfulness.
• A prayer.
• An invitation.
• Serving one more week.
• Showing up again.
• Leading a group.
• Holding a door.
• Praying with someone.
• Encouraging somebody who wants to quit.
• You never know what mat-carrying moment
• Might become somebody else’s miracle story.
• This is why we need each other.
• Because God designed the church to carry people to Jesus together.
• At New City,
• We say our mission is to inspire people to trust in and live like Jesus.
• And sometimes inspiration looks like preaching.
• Sometimes worship.
• Sometimes discipleship.
• But sometimes inspiration
• Simply looks like grabbing a corner of somebody’s mat
• And refusing to let them walk alone.
• And when the church does that together…
• People begin seeing Jesus in ways they’ve never seen before.
• I still believe God wants to do that here.
• I still believe there are people in our city waiting to encounter Jesus.
• I still believe there are stories God has not written yet.
• I still believe there are baptisms coming.
• Freedom coming.
• Healing coming.
• Salvation coming.
• Disciples being made.
• Families being restored.
• And I believe some day…
• People will walk into New City and say:

“We have never seen anything like this.”

• Not because of a personality.
• Not because everything always went perfectly.
• But because Jesus was present among His people.
• And a church family kept carrying people to Him.

So the question this morning is not:
“Is the church perfect?”

Because it’s not.

The question is:
Will we keep carrying people to Jesus together?

Will we keep praying?
Keep serving?
Keep showing up?
Keep believing?
Keep moving forward together?

So let me ask you this morning…

• Whose mat are you helping carry right now?
• Who are you helping get closer to Jesus?
• Who are you praying for?
• Encouraging?
• Discipling?
• Serving?
• Walking beside?
• Because the church was never meant to be a room full of spectators.
• We are called to carry one another toward Jesus.

– But for Some of you may need to ask a different question today:

“Am I letting anybody help carry me?”

• Because pride has a way of isolating us.

We convince ourselves:
“I’m fine.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“I don’t need help.”

• Meanwhile internally…we are exhausted.
• And some of you today need to stop pretending you are okay.
• You need community.
• You need prayer.
• You need people around you.
• You need the body of Christ.
• Because we were never meant to follow Jesus alone.
• I also want to speak to us corporately this morning.
• This is not the moment for New City to retreat.
• This is not the moment to disconnect emotionally.
• This is not the moment to sit back and simply observe.
• This is the moment to lean in.
• To become family even more deeply.
• To pray harder.
• Serve more faithfully.
• Encourage more intentionally.
• Love more sacrificially.
• Because the mission is still worth it.
• There are still people in our city who need Jesus.

And maybe more than ever…

• Our city
• Needs to see what it looks like
• When the church actually acts like the body of Christ.
• Not perfect people.
• Not polished people.
• But people who love each other deeply.
• Carry each other faithfully.
• And keep pointing people to Jesus.
• And maybe for some of you…
• God is calling you today to grab a corner of the mat.

Maybe it’s serving.

Maybe it’s joining a City Group.

Maybe it’s stepping into Discipleship

Maybe it’s leading.

Maybe it’s praying.

Maybe it’s simply deciding:
“I’m not going to stay on the edge anymore.”

• Because this church moves forward when everybody carries part of the weight.
• We need each other.
• And maybe today…
• You feel more like the paralytic than the people carrying the mat.
• You walked in spiritually exhausted.
• Emotionally overwhelmed.

Carrying shame.
Fear.
Sin.
Disappointment.
Pain.

• And maybe deep down you wonder:
  “Can Jesus really help somebody like me?”
• The answer of the gospel is yes.
• Because Jesus came for broken people.
• He came for weary people.
• He came for sinners.
• He came for people who could not save themselves.

And just like He said in Mark 2:
“Son… your sins are forgiven.”

• That same forgiveness
• Is available today because of what Jesus did on the cross.
• Jesus lived the perfect life we could not live.
• He died the death we deserved.
• And three days later He rose again in victory over sin and death.
• So now anyone who trusts in Him can be forgiven.
• Restored.
• Made new.
• And today your first step could be salvation.
• Today is the day
• You stop trying to carry your life on your own and surrender to Jesus.
• Today is the day you come home to Him.
• I know this season seems uncertain.
• But hear me clearly:
• Jesus is still building His church.
• Jesus is still saving people.
• Jesus is still changing lives.
• And the mission He has given us has not changed.

At New City, we exist to inspire people to trust in and live like Jesus.

• And sometimes inspiration looks like grabbing a corner of somebody’s mat and refusing to let them walk alone.

So church…

Let’s keep carrying people to Jesus.

Let’s keep praying.

Let’s keep serving.

Let’s keep believing.

Let’s keep showing up for one another.

Let’s keep making room for broken people.

Let’s keep moving forward together.

Because I believe with all my heart…

There are still people in our city who are going to encounter Jesus.

And one day they’re going to look at what God has done and say:

“We have never seen anything like this.”

We need each other! Stand with me.