Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Mark 2:1-12.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Mark 2:1-12.
Lindsey: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Bobby Gilles and over yonder way is Lindsey Blair. This past Sunday, Pastor Jonah Sage preached from Mark two, verses one through twelve in our series called Good News People.
Bobby: Pastor Jonah said that Jesus provides full pardon and a warm welcome home. If you’ve forgotten or missed the sermon, it’s time for the Midweek Checkup.
Lindsey: Jonah began by saying that we prioritize our growth here as humans — healing, restoration, and becoming our true selves in Christ so that we might live as the true body of Christ. But when you heal and change and grow, many won't like it. Opposition and resistance are an inescapable part of following Jesus, and it was part of Jesus’s ministry, too.
Bobby: In this passage, friends of a paralyzed man tear the roof off of a house where Jesus is preaching, to lower him into the room so Jesus can heal him. Whose faith does Jesus respond to here? THE FRIENDS. Not the paralyzed man. zero indication that this man wanted to be healed.
Zero indication that this man had any faith, or asked his friends to do this.
Lindsey: And no one in that room was expecting Jesus to say his sins were forgiven. He shows us he's healing the deepest wounds and pains we carry
So he takes this opportunity to show us something of our real problem. Whoever sins becomes a slave to sin. Imprisoned in our brokenness
These friends thought they knew the real problem with this man. But Jesus is showing us the real problem: we are imprisoned in our brokenness.
Bobby: There are two ways to think about sin: rebellion and self-protection
Rebellion says, I don't trust God, want to do things my own way
You don't like what God says about sexuality, or money, or the poor, or whatever. So you do what seems right in your own eyes. You don't want to be told what to do. That's sin. On the other side, though, is self-protection.
We've been hurt but other people's rebellion against God. So, we deviate from God's design, thinking it will keep us safe. We lie to protect ourselves, or we isolate, or we hoard our wealth. We’re scared and hurting. Sin can be both of these things.
Lindsey: Several weeks ago, we learned that "repent" means to turn around and go to God. That’s the opposite of sin! Sin means to turn around and go away from God. Repent means turn around and come towards him.
And now, Jesus is announcing the follow up to the message. Going home is not good news if you have angry parents waiting for you. But Jesus announces for us here that we are welcomed back home. Forgiveness means a full pardon and a warm welcome is ours.
Bobby: Into Chapter 3, this is the first of 5 times where the authority of Jesus is questioned. In each instance, good news is met with resistance and opposition. So, for us, I want to be clear: people won't like it when you get better. People won't like it when you learn who you really are. People don't like it when those in prison are set free.
Lindsey: The helplessness of this man is meant to make us see our state: we are like a corpse. We are imprisoned, lifeless; we are not free. Jesus reveals this man's greatest need: forgiveness of sins. That is, a full pardon and a warm welcome home. And what happens then? The man jumps up, grabs his mat, and walks out. No amount of resistance can stop resurrection. Jesus stands, ready to save you. Through him, full pardon and warm welcome is available.
Bobby: Our journey through the Gospel of Mark continues this coming Sunday. And in Bible Fellowship, we’ll discuss Exodus three, where Moses talks with God at the burning bush and asks for God’s name.
Join us and bring a friend.
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Lindsey: Hey friends, my name is Lindsey Blair and I’m here with Bobby Gilles to tell you about our new Bible Fellowship class that we’re launching on Thursday, September 14. You know about the Bible Fellowships during each of our two Sunday service times, but now we’ll be here at 10:30am every Thursday.
Bobby: This may be a great opportunity if you’re a stay-at-home parent. While we cannot offer childcare, if you have school-age children in a public or private school, they’re at school during this time! It’s also a good opportunity for retirees or anyone with a non-traditional work or college schedule.
Lindsey: When I was a stay-at-home mom with little ones, sometimes I paired up with other moms to get childcare or to watch each other's kids on alternate weeks, taking turns going to Bible studies. Our Bible Fellowships don’t run on a curriculum that would make no sense if you missed any weeks, so this might work for some of you.
Bobby: You could also bring your little ones if you want! I bring my girls to Bible Fellowship every Sunday. We’ve got coloring sheets and room for toddling around.
Lindsey: Every Thursday, we’ll discuss a passage of scripture together — the same one that our Sunday Fellowships discuss — using a basic Inductive Study Method. We’ll learn to consider the World Behind the Text: engaging in cross-cultural learning as we consider the historical contexts of the Bible. We’ll look at the World of the Text: literary features of the passage, plot, characters, setting, and narrator.
Bobby: And we’ll be mindful of the World in front of the text: the history of interpretation from the last 2000 years of Christians. We’ll also be mindful that each of us comes to the text with our own way of seeing the world because of our own stories, our gender, where we’re from, what generation we’re part of, and all the other things that make you “you.” And this is why it's good for us to study and talk together, where every voice counts.
Lindsey: If it seems like you have to be a Bible scholar to join this class, that’s the beauty of it - you don’t. We’re on this journey together. Whether you just want to sit and listen for a while or dive right into discussion, this is the place for you.
Bobby: So if a Bible Fellowship at 10:30 am on Thursdays makes more sense or is more possible for you than our Sunday Fellowships, we hope to see you in the classroom next to our auditorium Thursday, September 14. Again, it’s a one-hour discussion Thursdays at 10:30 am. Join us, and bring a friend.