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Revelational Bible Study with Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
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We begin with a look at Jude 1:21-23, which speaks to how we reach out to different kinds of people in sin. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. The passage tells us that some people are morally good sinners—civilized, intelligent, living outwardly clean lives—yet they are not born again. It is easy to approach them and talk about the Savior and salvation.
Then there are those deep in sin: deep in occultism, Satan worship, idol worship. And others deep in the sins of the flesh. We are called to reach everyone, for no one is beyond the reach of salvation.
There is a critical principle here: catch the fish first, get the fish out of the river, and then teach them whatsoever Christ has commanded. We must not argue with people about external changes—their dress, jewelry, or practices—before they are born again. Real transformation comes through genuine salvation in Christ, not external conformity.
Don't let us argue with them about the understanding. Let them have Christ as savior. When they have Christ as savior, then as we interact together, we can go through scriptures with them and show them what should be the right approach in all these things.
Our calling is to preach Christ, to preach salvation, to preach the Savior, and to lift up the Savior for sinners to see. The Lord is giving us the heavenly vision to take the gospel to the whole congregation and community, with every believer—man, woman, young and old—getting involved and reaching out to everyone everywhere.
We now turn to Mark 2:1-12, the account of the paralyzed man. Jesus had entered into Capernaum and came to a house. The people knew he was there, and straightway many gathered together, so much that there was no room, not even about the door. And he preached the word unto them.
The Perfect Example of Christ
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Jesus preached the word because that is what he came to do. The Father sent him to give the message of life to the people of Israel, to the Gentiles, and to all generations. Christ is our perfect example: wherever we go and come across people, we too must preach the word unto them.
But notice something remarkable in verse 3: they came unto him bringing one sick of the palsy, carried by four men. Many people were present, each one concerned with their own place in the crowded house. Yet these four men combined their efforts and brought someone to Jesus.
Many of us come all alone. But these people, exemplary people, good people, loving people, concerned people—they brought somebody to the Lord. I pray God will help us to wake up and bring others to the Lord in Jesus name.
We must ask ourselves: Are we bringing others to Christ? It is not enough to be regular in our own walk; we must be intentional about bringing others to the presence of Jesus.
The Topic: Divine Power and Authority Released through Active Faith
We examine three things in this passage:
The Four Men and Their Active Faith
In verse 4, when the four men could not come near to Jesus because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was and let down the bed on which the sick man lay. This was extraordinary. They broke through—literally and figuratively.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Jesus saw their faith. Not in words, but in action. The activity of faith, the plan of faith that they carried out. They believed: If we can just get him to the presence of Jesus—Jesus the Lord, Jesus the healer, Jesus the deliverer, Jesus the Savior—that is all we need to do.
Christ as the Devoted Master
Christ was always fervent. He concentrated on his calling. He devoted his time, life, and energy entirely to what he came to do. Consider: what did Jesus accomplish in three and a half years? When you are focused, fervent, and faithful, much can be accomplished.
If I be Lord and Master as you call me, and so I am. You see what I've done? I've given you an example that you should do as I have done.
In Mark 6:34, when Jesus saw the multitude, the only thing he could think about was their eternal destiny. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd. In 2 Timothy 4:2, we are told:
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exalt with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Reprov and rebuke are part of ministry. Do not dodge correction when the word of God convicts you. This is what ministry is meant to do.
But verse 3 warns us: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. Some places have reached this point, where people vote for the kind of preachers they want, rejecting doctrine on repentance, restitution, redemption, righteousness, sanctification, and holiness.
I hope and I pray and I believe it shall not happen in Deeper Life in Jesus name.
But we must watch. Verse 5 says: But watch thou, watch your hearts, watch your leanings, watch your disposition, watch your thoughts. In all things endure affliction. Do the work of an evangelist. Make full proof of thy ministry.
The Full Manifestation of Friendly Fellowship
There is another aspect to the four men: they demonstrated friendly fellowship. If you say you are in fellowship with someone in need, you will visit them. You will see their helplessness. And if you cannot help them alone, you will get other friends to join you.
Like Moses and Joshua: Joshua went to the battlefield, and Moses lifted up the rod. But they discovered that the two of them could not make victory continue. So Aaron and Hur came. Four together made the victory come to Israel.
Sometimes in the church, it takes the combination of efforts of many to bring someone to Christ. The moderator makes an announcement; the usher welcomes them; the choir sings; the Scripture is presented. It might take those four sections, working together in unity in a friendly way, that someone feels at home and says, I think I'll make this my home church.
We invite other people. And when they come, we get them to Jesus. Do not think about yourself. Mine may be important, but what you do alone may not bring that man to Christ.
Consider John 1:40-42. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, followed Jesus and said, "We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ." He brought his own brother Simon to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, "Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a stone."
Wouldn't it be a great thing as we bring people to the Lord and these people grow in the Lord so much that they even become more noticed than you are?
Saul was converted but feared by the disciples. They suspected him. But Barnabas knew him and knew what had happened—that he had met the Lord. Barnabas introduced him. And Paul became so high in revelation that the Lord gave him revelations more than were given to Barnabas or even the twelve apostles.
You can be an instrument bringing somebody in and bringing somebody to Jesus so that they will grow and move on in the Lord in Jesus name.
The four men who brought the paralyzed man faded from attention. When Jesus said, "Thy sins be forgiven thee," and when he said, "Take up thy bed and walk," the people praised the Lord and glorified his name. They even forgot the activities of the four men. It was the man who won attention.
Do you mind if the four people you brought, if he has more attention than you have? I pray God will give us the joy of bringing people to the Lord and they will continue following after the Lord even more fervent, more consecrated, more committed than we are in Jesus name.
We look now at Mark 2:5: When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."
We examine three things:
Saving Faith for a Reassuring Pardon
The man who came on a stretcher found assurance of eternal life with the Lord. The greatest need of people is not healing. The greatest need of people is salvation—forgiveness of sin.
Healing is good, but we do not know the last sickness someone will have before he passes to the great beyond. It is easy to focus on healing and miracles. But our concern should be: Does this person have assurance that his sins are forgiven? Is his soul saved?
There are times when the sick are prayed for, but before we pray for healing, we must ask: Any sin unconfessed? Any secret sin? If Christ should come today, would you make it to glory? This is not intrusive; it is essential.
After we've settled the soul's salvation and the person has assurance that sins are forgiven and the soul is saved, we can now pray for healing.
In Isaiah 55:6-7, the Lord calls:
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
In Micah 7:18:
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardons iniquity?
God is angry with the wicked, but that anger is not forever. When the sinner, the prodigal, the backslider returns to the Lord, God does not retain his anger. The punishment is taken away, because he delights in mercy.
Sure Forgiveness for the Repentant Person
Proverbs 28:13 says:
He that covereth his sin shall not prosper. But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Notice: confesseth and forsaketh. When the Lord pardons us, he does not expect us to continue in that same sin. That would make the grace of God cheap. We must confess and forsake, turn around, and begin to live in the grace of God, living in newness of life.
Steadfast Freedom from Restored Penitence
In John 8:12, Jesus says:
I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
But we must understand what precedes this. In verse 11, a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus. The religious people said, "The law says such a woman should be stoned." But where was the man? It takes two to commit adultery. Why was the man left behind?
Jesus said, "He that has no sin, let him throw the first stone." They all went away. And Jesus said to the woman:
Neither do I condemn thee... Go and sin no more.
Notice: there is no full stop after "Neither do I condemn thee." He did not finish. Forgiveness does not give us license to return to the evil we were doing before.
Neither do I condemn you because I forgive you. But don't go back to that man. Go and sin no more. It is not only adultery. It's not only fornication. Lying is sin. Deception is sin. Stealing is sin. Don't go to any other sin anymore.
Then in verse 12, Jesus speaks to everyone:
I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness.
If you are walking in darkness, you are not born again. If you have a kind of evil spirit, a spirit of darkness, sorcery, you are not born again.
In verse 31, Jesus says:
If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.
If you do not continue in his word, you are not his disciple. If the word tells you "go and sin no more," and then you leave the Bible study or the Sunday fellowship and go straight back to the old sin partner and the old sinful life, you are not his disciple.
In verse 32:
Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
If you are not free, you do not know the truth. You might think you know the doctrine in your head. But if you are not free from sin, from bondage, from the power of darkness—you do not know the truth. If you know the truth, if you have an experience of the truth, ye shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.
We come now to Mark 2:9-12. Jesus asked:
Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Jesus was saying: forgiveness and healing, the miracle for the soul and spirit and the miracle for the body—both are equally easy for him. With the spoken word, sin is forgiven in the heart. With the spoken word, the body is healed. Both are equally easy for the Lord.
In verse 10, Jesus said:
That ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins... Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
In verse 12:
And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all, insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Undeniable Miracle by Christ's Power
In Acts 10:38:
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.
The presence of the Father with the Son Jesus Christ made all those healing miracles possible. Jesus himself said:
The work I do is not me. It's by the power of the Father that lives and dwells in me.
Now Jesus is gone to heaven and sits by the right hand of the Almighty God. God is still with him. And if you call on the name of Jesus today, he will heal you, deliver you, and set you free.
Unprecedented Miracle for Complete Paralytics
What Jesus did for this man was unprecedented. He said:
Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
And verse 12 says:
And immediately he arose, and took up the bed, and went forth before them all.
A real miracle. A definite miracle. A supernatural miracle.
The miracle of forgiveness: the man had guilt and condemnation before. Now Jesus said, "Son, thy sin be forgiven thee." He went home with assurance and the might of forgiveness.
The man did not have salvation before. Jesus spoke to him, and salvation became his right then. He went home with a definite experience of salvation.
The man did not have a free heart, a forgiven heart, a redeemed heart, a saved soul before he came. But Jesus gave him conversion and forgiveness, and he went home with the joy of the Lord—the assurance that his name was written in the book of life.
I pray you'll go home with that assurance in Jesus name.
And then the healing of the body. Jesus said, "Arise, take up thy bed." Remember, they brought him on a stretcher. He could not hold anything, could not carry anything. But now he carried the bed. He could not walk before. He was a complete paralytic. But now he walked.
I will walk. I will see. I will hear. Whatever miracle you need, be granted unto you in Jesus name.
The Untold Miracles of Converted People
But the people said, "We never saw it on this fashion." Yet my challenge to them is: you never saw the conversion of the soul, the burdened one now set free. And this miracle can work in our lives. The miracle of real transformation—you never saw, you can see today in Jesus name.
The miracle of purity, the miracle of sanctification: your heart so pure and so free, so released from every kind of wrong temper, bitterness, hatred, anger, any kind of secret sin, depravity that has been hibernating there. The Lord can so work on your heart tonight. He will take all that away.
I've been coming to church for a long time, but I never saw it on this fashion. Sanctification possible tonight. Holiness possible tonight. Real, definite experience of salvation possible tonight.
In 1 Thessalonians 1:5:
Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.
They became examples to all that believe. From them sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in their region, but in every place. Their faith to God's word spread far and wide.
Characteristics of the Truly Born Again
What characterized those believers? When you hear the word of God and turn to Christ, there are marks of genuine salvation:
Decision for Christ. The first mark is that you decide for Christ. I've decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back. A world behind you and a cross before you. This is not a vague feeling; it is a decision.
Experience of Conversion. The next mark is that you experience conversion—a real change. The guilt is gone. The condemnation is gone. The fear of Christ's coming and losing out is gone. There is a change.
Earnestness in Christ Likeness. The next mark is that you are earnest in Christ likeness. Don't tell me that your deeper life if you have never taken a step by yourself to decide for Christ. If you were born by Deeper Life parents but you have never had a time when you said, "Today I decide for Christ," if you cannot point to a day, a time, a message, a prayer that converted you—you do not have the experience of real conversion.
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
Your earnestness is shown in your cry: I want to be like him. That's the passion I have. You are earnest for Christ likeness.
Purity in Conscience. You exercise yourself to have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward man. Your conscience is not like that of the unbeliever or the hardened person. Your conscience is softened, cleansed, and clear.
Exemplary Under Correction. When the word of God comes and corrects your life—whether directly or indirectly—you are exemplary and enduring under correction. You do not become agitated or defensive. You say, "Yes, Lord, I hear." And you take action.
Readiness for Christ's Coming. Finally, readiness for Christ's coming is on your heart. Lord, I want to be ready. Anything in my life that needs to be chisel out, I want you to do it.
Watch therefore and pray and be ready, for ye know not when the son of man shall come.
This is what the Lord wants in our lives—that real change, that real experience of the Lord.
Say to me, no anger against the Bible study and no animosity or bitterness against whatever correction we're having. That's a real child of God. And the Lord make this experience real in every life in Jesus name.
