iBelieve in God’s Power

Part 3 of “iBelieve” 

But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Exodus 9:16

Luke 5:17

One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. ¹⁸Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

 ²⁰When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

 ²¹The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

 ²²Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? ²⁴But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." ²⁵Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. ²⁶Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."

As I study this story in Luke 5, it leads me to make three statements about God’s power.

Statement # 1) iBelieve in a Big God!

A Christian Counselor had a theory of addressing his clients in one of two ways, and he would be able to perceive their mentality at their first meeting. He would ask them to talk about the problem and how they felt about it. Every one would share their problems, but then, after that is where they often went in one of two directions. Some of the people would have a down and out perspective that there was no hope – their problem was just too big to handle. But then, there are others who would say things like, “I know there’s a solution and I know that God can show me the way, I just need a little advice to steer me in the right direction, because I believe in a Big God!”

Some believed in a Big God. But some believed in a small God.

So, once the counselor knew what type of God they believed in, he would know how to approach the issues.

So, today, I ask you the question . . .

“How big is your God?”

I didn’t ask you  . . . how big is your mother’s God?

I asked you, “How big is your God?”

I didn’t ask you  . . .  how big is your wife’s God?

“How big is your God?”

Are you a Big Godder or a small Godder?

The four men mentioned in this story in Luke 5 were Big Godders. They believed that if they could only get their buddy to Jesus, he would be healed. The paralyzed man was facing a big problem. But, there was a big God!!   And, there were some obstacles.

Principle: Whenever you are on the verge of a miracle, you will always face an obstacle.

Luke 5:17 says, And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.

These four men believed in the power of the Lord. But there was a large crowd.  There was no way the men could bring their friend through the crowd and get to Jesus.

Some of you are in need of a miracle today.

The first step in getting your miracle is being a Big Godder.

Do you really believe that God can come through for you?
Do you really believe it?

iBelieve in a Big God!

Statement #2) iBelieve, and therefore, I act.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. I Corinthians 4:20

Luke 5:19 . . When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

These guys DID something about the problem. I’ve always told you . . . when you do your part, God will do His part.

Now, the homes in Palestine were, for the most part, open to people coming in and out. Not like the homes we live in today, where there are gated communities and security alarm systems and front doors that are always locked.

While it was always kosher to welcome visitors, it was not part of any tradition to climb the roof of someone’s house and cut a hole in it.

But that’s what these four guys did. The house was full. And these four guys were willing to do something unique. These guys were four of a kind. Someone once said, “The moral of this story is that four of a kind beats a full house.”

a) Your faith in the power of God takes you out of the box.

The truth is that these four guys were willing to do something that was out of the norm.

Sometimes, we must do things that are “out of the box.”

I love tradition. But tradition can often times keep us within certain parameters, and rob us of blessings from the Lord.

Luke 5:21 says,  The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

If you turn over to the next chapter, Luke 6, we will read about a healing that Christ did on the Sabbath.

 ⁶On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. ⁷The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. ⁸But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there.

 ⁹Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"

 ¹⁰He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored. ¹¹But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Why were the Pharisees so furious? It was because they were more interested in Tradition than on the power of God. This is called legalism.

Why did Jesus heal on the Sabbath in front of the Pharisees? Because He wanted to teach them a valuable lesson. The lesson that His power is greater than man’s tradition.

Many people today will argue with you about tradition. They put God in a box and believe that God can only operate in small parameters. And they miss out on the power of God!

b) Your faith in the power of God is more important than making impressions.

The other thing I noticed about these four guys is that they were not worried about making a good impression with Jesus.

Picture this: If you were going to visit a famous rabbi – where the throngs of people would follow Him everywhere around, you probably would want to make sure you wouldn’t do anything stupid. The disciples were there. A huge following of people were there. Probably, the poperrazzi was there, as well as KSAT 12 News. To do something stupid in front of all of these people would not be a good idea. You would probably want to make a good impression.

But that’s not what these four guys were thinking.

They decided to climb the roof. Cut a hole in the roof and lower their friend down to Jesus.

So, how did Jesus respond?
Was He upset that these guys would damage the house? No.

Did He get mad that they were making a scene at someone else’s house? No.
Did He get upset that they were interrupting His sermon? No.

He was moved by their faith.

People are more important to God than buildings.

Your faith in God is more important than making impressions.

Statement #3)  iBelieve that God’s power supersedes my expectations.

I love the fact that our ways are not like God’s ways.

These four guys believed that Jesus was going to heal their buddy.

They believed in God’s power.

But, Jesus superseded their expectations.

He not only healed the paralyzed man, He gave him eternal life.

Wow! Jesus forgave his sins.

Luke 5:20  When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

Have you ever prayed for something and you didn’t get what you asked for?

Could it be that God was trying to give you something better?

Could it be that God was trying to give you something beyond your expectations?