Mark 2:1-5

Mark 2:1-5  A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.  So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 

Faith is a belief grasped as reality.  This reality in God's domain is as real as anything concrete, spatial, or tangible in our physical world.  When we place our faith in the realm of the Spirit, faith is as real as anything that we can determine or identify in our biological existence.  This substance, which has been the core to Godly men throughout the ages, cannot be substantiated by our senses or by physical proof.  Faith, although a reality to believers, is also a supposition that God is real, a belief that opens the door to his eternal domain.  God will not allow men to come to him through the door of the rational mind, through empirical methods.  He demands unadulterated faith from us that HE is and that He is a good God.  As the Word says, And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.  (Hebrews 11:6)  We must believe, even though we do not have absolute tangible proof of his existence.  Yes, for many Christians life itself indicates there is a God.  The intricacy and complexity of the universe gives us meaningful evidence that God exists.  The uniqueness and diversity of plant and biological life also supports our supposition.  The exact relationship of the sun to the earth: size, density, distance, and so on affirms our belief in a supreme being.  We know any other relationship would negate life on this planet.  We see God's hands in the composition of the atmosphere, knowing that any other ratio between the gases would eliminate the unique balance for life to prosper.  As we examine the necessary components that allow humans here on Earth, we magnify God and his greatness.  As Christians, we marvel at God's "blue planet" and boldly declare a supernatural design behind all that we see, hear, taste, and touch.  But to the secular world this concept of God is nonsense.  They view all that we know as life as an accident, mere happenstance.  Their supposition is if you throw a few billion years into any environment of elements, life will eventually spawn from inert substances.  Their substance is science as they see it.  Our substance is faith.  We believe faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  (Hebrews 11:1)

In the above scripture we see men who are acting on their belief that Jesus is a healer.  They believed so much that they put actions to their belief by choosing to bring a paralytic man to Jesus to be healed by his hands.  They are motivated by their faith in God, knowing in God's kingdom all things are possible--realizing even the prophets of old performed many miracles.  The Bible says you must believe in God and that He is good.  They believed, but their belief was not one of the mind only; they put feet to their belief.  They tore open the ceiling of the dwelling place, to lower the paralytic down to Jesus.  James said, What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  (James 2:14-17)  The men in this story illustrate clearly what James is talking about.  Their deeds were obvious that day.  In Acts we read about a crippled man who had been lame since birth.  He was listening to Paul speak.  Paul looked at this man and saw he had the faith to be healed.  Paul said, “Stand up on your feet!”  At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.  (Acts 14:10)  Paul had faith the Lord would heal this man because the man had faith to be healed.  God met these two and a great miracle took place.  They glorified God with their faith that day and many witnessed the miracle and praised God.  Paul was moved with compassion by this man's physical needs and he did not ignore him.  Paul put his faith in action just as the man put his faith in action by believing in the words of Paul.  

Sometimes putting feet to our prayers means continuing to pray even though we don't see evidence of anything happening, especially in the way we desire.  If we fail to continue to pray, we are like the people of the world who require empirical evidence before they will believe.  We will only believe in what we see, hear, taste, or touch.  But Jesus says that God is not unjust, so he told his disciples a parable about an unjust judge and a persistent widow to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  This woman wanted justice with her adversary and because she kept coming to the judge, he finally granted her wish.  He said, Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!  Jesus used this to instruct his disciples. Listen to what the unjust judge says.  And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.  However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?  (Luke 18:1, 4-5 & 6-8)  Can we believe that?  Will we trust God when He asks us to endure difficult circumstances and to rejoice in all things?  Are we sure He hears us and answers our prayers or are we like the world, demanding facts?  God does answer prayers, but He answers with his perfect wisdom and for his glory, not ours.  That is a statement of faith, of spiritual facts.  That is the substance that we Christians believe in.  Whether the answer is in the package we desire is another story.  Or whether it is in the time element we desire remains yet another story.  God hears our words.  He knows our hearts.  Can we believe that or are we just like the world, waiting for empirical evidence?  Jesus says if we are like the world, not really believing in a good God, will he find faith on the earth, saving faith, active faith.  God is looking for faith that is based on trust, the trust Job expresses when he says, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.  (Job 13:15)  Are you walking by faith, standing in the freedom of Christ, knowing you can trust him or are you walking with the foolish people of this world, trusting empirical evidence, discounting faith in Christ.  If you are trusting in this world, your house is built on sinking sand, and you will not withstand the storms of life.  Cry out to Jesus in faith today.  He is waiting for you right now.  He will heal your broken heart and spirit.  He came to set the captives free and to give you a new song of praise.