Part III: Friends Not Fans 

Synopsis of 8.18.24 Sermon

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III 

Mark 2:1-5 
1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

I.               INTRODUCTION

1. Friendships are the most important relationships we will attain in life. Many friendships will come for specific reasons, but some will only be there for certain seasons. No matter which, all of them play roles in our lives.
2. Who we allow in our circle can affect our Destiny. If you get 5 real friends in your lifetime, you have done well. Proverbs 17:17 NKJV ¹⁷ A friend loves at all times,
   And a brother is born for adversity.
3. S.Lewis pinned a quote that says,“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one!””
4. We have to learn the difference between friends and fans. The difference between friends and fans lies in relationships. Friends invest in your well-being. Fans are attached to you based on your status and are focused on what they can get from you.
5. Some of you have been classifying people as friends in error. Just because people call you friend, doesn’t mean that they are your real friends. They will vacate the friendship when things get rough. You don’t know who your real friends are until things get rough.
6. You have to be able to discern between the two. When you do that, then you tap into the blessings behind the scenes.
7. In this season, you will learn to align with the right people.
8. In this story today, this man needed a miracle. Some of us find ourselves in the same situation. God will use human agency to help you with your breakthrough. In other words, God will send people into your life to be real friends. Don’t push them away, because of the things your past friends have done.
9. In today’s story, there is a paralytic. He lies on a cot and relies on others to get for him what he needs. This happens in a land called Capernaum. In this culture, it was believed that is was the cause of some sin that they may have committed, when people that had a sickness or ailment.

1. Think about Job’s friends. When he went through his attacks and his sickness, his friends asked him what he had done to anger God.
2. In john 9, the blind man’s friends thought he had sinned resulting in his blindness, but his blindness was so that God could get the glory.

1. Jesus started teaching in Capernaum. Everywhere Jesus went, word got out about Him. In this story, Jesus was in the house teaching and the crowd had gathered to hear him teach.
2. There is a man laying on a cot that had 4 friends. They heard that Jesus was in town, and they believed Jesus could help his situation, so they decided to carry him to Jesus.
3. When they carried him to the house, they realized it was blocked. They realized that they had to take him to the roof, break through it, and lower him down.

II.               THEY WERE NOT CRITICAL OF HIS CONDITION

• He’s lame and the culture judged him, thinking he had sinned. His four friends, however, did not.

A.    Everybody Can’t Handle Your Handicaps

1. Be very clear, lameness is something impeding your progress. All of us have some kind of lameness in our lives. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean you don’t have it. We all have some kind of handicap that tries to hinder us from reaching our destination.
2. Handicaps put us in certain predicaments. You’ve got to remind people that we all have issues, but it is the grace of God that allows us to do like we do.

B.    Real Friends Have Compassion

1. Compassion is the feeling you have for people that are suffering.
2. Attributes of Compassion:
   1. Compassion Hears – You don’t judge people for their disfunction. You’re able to allow them to tell you, their story. For example, a person didn’t just end up homeless. Let’s hear how they got there. Listen to the stories of people and quit judging. James 1:19 NKJV says “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”
   2. Compassion Hopes – Hopes for the best in people. Romans 15:1 NKJV says “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” – I see your potential, regardless of your situation. Some people hope you fail, but your friends won’t. You can’t be a hope-er and a hater at the same time.
   3. Compassion Helps – When you have compassion, it is true after the action. Galatians 6:2 NKJV 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Chris. In today’s scripture, we see that they saw their friend on his back and they refused to allow him to be in that situation. They were willing to help.
3. How did they help you ask? They carried him to Jesus.

III.               THEY EACH CARRIED THEIR CORNER

• Everyone had to carry their corner for his help to happen. Your one assignment is to carry your corner.
• We’ve got people trying to lift us, but they’re not able to carry their corner. Our situation ought to be better when we are being carried. In order for that to happen, you have to be handled properly. The people that are carrying you can’t drop you!
  • If you would remember in II Samuel, someone was crippled, because they were dropped as a baby.

A.    They Did What They Could To Get Him What He Needed

1. They knew Jesus was in the house. If Jesus is in the house, then healing is in the house.

B.    It’s Not As Heavy When We Work Together

1. When carrying somebody this kind of distance is hard, but it isn’t as hard, when we all work together.
   1. Force distribution – When multiple people work together, then the weight is evenly distributed. Stop living in situations where you do all the lifting. You can do bad by yourself.
2. There is power in togetherness. We are better together!
   1. God moves into togetherness. Remember when the Children of Israel were marching around the Walls of Jericho together and when they shouted, the walls fell? Psalms 31 reminds us of how beautiful it is for us to dwell together. Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the furnace, God gave them a breakthrough! Acts 2:1 KJV says “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
   2. Peter was in jail and the church was together praying for him and he was suddenly released. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas prayed together and an earthquake shook their chains loose. Everyone’s chains came off in the jail. When we come together, that’s when breakthroughs happen!
3. They take the paralytic man to the house where Jesus is and find that there is a crowd in the door.

IV.               THEY DIDN’T CANCEL BECAUSE OF THE CROWD

• Crowds are a deterrent for some people, but not when it comes to ball games and concerts. It’s only a problem when it comes to the things of God.
• The woman with the issue of blood, went through a crowd to get to Jesus. In Luke 14, this guy climbed a tree to get to Jesus. You don’t know what some people had to press through, just to get here today

A.    Don’t Allow The Facts To Frustrate You

1. What do you do when you get there, and both the windows and doors are full of people? What do you do when you take the journey God said to take and there is no access when you get there?
2. You have to have:
   Faith beyond the Situation – You’ve got to believe what God told you.
3. Finish What You Started – If you got to the house, make up your mind that you’re so far out, that going back is not an option.
4. Focus On Solutions – Stop talking about what can’t happen. Start speaking to those things that can happen.

B.    They Didn’t Leave Him At The Door

1. Fans will leave you at the door. We don’t need to be left at the door. We need to get in God’s presence. Stop letting people drop you off at the door.
2. Somebody reading this, needs a miracle or something to happen for them. God says it will happen today! God doesn’t send his word by accident. He sends it at that right time and at the right place.
3. This word is about to position you in the best season of your life.

V.               THEY WERE CREATIVE TO GET HIM TO THE CHRIST

• Real friends will get you to Jesus, to get your miracle.

A.    Obstacles Are Nothing More Than Opportunities

1. There is a book that is called, “Obstacle is a way”. In this book, it explains that Obstacles are not roadblocks. They are opportunities. It’s not about breakdowns, but instead
2. The only way a miracle can happen is it has to be beyond something you can do.
3. Shift your perspective. You’re in the prefect situion.
4. They got him to the house but couldn’t get him through the door. You need people around you that can think. We need conversations about solutions, not people that just stand around, watching to see what you are going to do.
   1. The friends tried to get their friend through the door. Then they tried the window, and then they decided to do something unorthodox. They said let’s go and rip off the roof and let him down to Jesus.
5. This is your roof ripping season. Everything that is trying to block your blessing needs to know that this is your rough ripping season.
6. Back in the Bible days, you can look at the houses, the way you look at them today. Houses back then were built with ladders on the side. On top of house, there was mud, planks, and then beams.

B.    You’ve got to Do What You Never Did, Before You Ge What You Never Had Before

1. You’ve got to be spiritual enough to reach for more. God closed this portal, because it is too low for you. Either you stay frustrated on this ladder or get on another level. God is calling you to another level. My praise and worship is going to another level!
2. You get to other levels step by step, not by the elevator.
3. When you get to another level, you have to be strong enough to rip the roof off. If you want a miracle at this new level, you’ve got to be willing to move the mess out of your life. Get the messy people out of your life. Be willing to say, “Don’t send me an email with mess in it”.
4. At this level, you don’t have time for any mess.
5. You have to be willing to show respect concerning how you move at this level. The friends knew they had to be careful with how they handled their friend on the cot. They had to come to a demonstration, not demolition. In other words, they didn’t want to interrupt the beams, out of fear of tearing the whole house down.
6. Some people speak against structure. Jesus doesn’t go to houses where there is no structure. Stop creating things that don’t have structure.
7. Just because you have structure doesn’t mean there is no room for your gift. They moved the guys between the beams. We are not trying to hinder your miracle, trying to get our miracle. It’s your season to receive a miracle.
8. They let him down on the ropes at the feet of Jesus. Jesus said your sins are forgiven. Jesus wanted the haters to know that he was the one that forgave sins.
9. In verse 11 of chapter 2, Jesus looked at him and said he wanted him to arise, take up his bed and go home. Take what was holding you, hold it, and then go home. You are leaving here better than you came! You came crippled but you will leave here walking.
10. You’ve got to be willing to tell everyone what God has done for you.
11. Just like Jesus did for the paralytic, God is going to give you your breakthrough immediately.