Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
[Music]
your eyes a gift from God
hard to imagine life without them but
you can’t always trust what you see life
is full of things that can’t be seen
with the naked eye that’s where God
comes in we see a problem he sees a
solution we see weakness II see strength
as you’re looking for answers keep one
thing in mind you’ll need more than eyes
to see the things that matter believing
is seeing
when we speak of the natural we’re
talking about things in accordance with
the laws that God has established by
which the world works science can exist
because there are natural laws that
through the process of observation and
testing have been deemed to be
consistently dependable so that we can
live our lives based on those laws we
call them the laws of nature but when we
talk about the supernatural we’re
talking about when God Trump’s his own
laws when God rises above his own laws
to do something outside of those laws to
demonstrate that he is not limited to
the natural of his laws but if in fact
supernatural that is he can supersede
his own laws as he so chooses
in this series recalling believing is
seeing experiencing the supernatural we
are discovering and have discovered
already how God works based on faith to
do things outside of the natural scheme
and order of nature today is no
different but with a twist Jesus Christ
according to chapter 2 verse 1 has come
back to Capernaum he’s come back that
means he was already there
let me summarize what’s been going on
with Jesus he hit a stride Jesus is
right now has hit a stride and he’s
riding a wave of popularity chapter 1
verse 37 Simon and the companions find
him and they said to him everybody’s
looking for you where you go you you’ve
gone
everybody’s looking for you Jesus
responds by saying in chapter 1 verse 38
let us go somewhere else to the towns
nearby so that I can preach there also
for that is what I came for
in other words to folk what my miracles
they don’t want my sermons so Jesus
Christ takes a break from Calpurnia but
after he takes his break he comes back
and that opens up this most stairing
story stay with me I think you’ll find
some unique things here for your
experience of the supernatural many were
gathered together so that verse 2 there
were no longer that was no longer room
not even near the door as he was
speaking to them and in the midst of his
sermon something takes place and they
came bringing to him a paralytic carried
by four men they came bringing to him a
paralyzed individual now if he’s
paralyzed he can’t walk for one reason
or another his muscles have stopped
working his limbs have stopped
functioning and he is stuck in a
condition he can’t get himself out of he
is paralyzed here we have a man who is
in a hopeless situation and let me tell
you how you can know when you’re in a
hopeless situation you know you in a
hopeless situation when you can’t get
out of it by yourself he can’t get out
of this he can’t move on his own now
there are a lot of kind of paralysis
that goes on there is the obvious one
physical paralysis but you can be
mentally paralyzed stuck in a mindset
you can’t shake you can be
circumstantially paralyzed by situations
you can’t get out of you can be
paralyzed by
diction you can be paralyzed by another
person whatever it is it’s locked you in
hold you hostage and you can’t budge
you’re stuck
such was this man he was paralyzed and
even if you’re not paralyzed you know
some folk who are and the reason you
know that paralyzed is for ten years
it ain’t changed for ten years they
haven’t budged for ten years they’re
complaining about how it is but it never
gets any better he’s paralyzed
but the story introduces us to for the
people now we don’t know their names
their backgrounds and their history but
it says that four men took this man to
the house four men took this man for
Jesus to remove his paralysis now right
there we are informed of a lot number
one we’re informed that there were four
people in this man’s life who cared
about his condition even though he
couldn’t move there were four men who
can’t be him enough we’ll call him his
small group so so they cared for him but
they knew where to take him I said if we
can get if we can get homeboy to Jesus
then we believe his circumstances in
life can change I don’t know how long
he’d been paralyzed but however long it
was he was a grown man who couldn’t
stand on his own two feet he you know
anything about men like that grow man
but he can’t stand on his own two feet
need you to hear me a grown man
but he came stand on his own two feet
but he did out some brothers in his life
who helped him stand up so they carried
him Jesus is preaching the for carry the
one and here’s what we read being unable
to get him verse 3 in to Jesus because
of the crowd they removed the roof above
him and when they had dug and opening
they let down the pallets on which the
paralytic was lying they lowered him
right smack-dab in front of Jesus what
does that tell us
that tells us that they were not going
to stop until something changed this was
not casual commitment this was some
brothers who said we’re gonna fight for
you until we get you to the one who can
change you so before I go any further I
need to ask you everybody in here should
be in one of two positions you either
are a paralytic so you’re in a situation
you can’t fix on your own or you ought
to be somebody’s friend so that you can
reach down and help somebody else get to
where they need to be cuz one day you
may be the paralytic and you may need
some folk in your circle your group who
will not just leave you there to
languish there but will reach down and
help you get to where you need to do you
know you ought to be one of the two
categories but today unfortunately we
live in a day when people are just
looking for that blessing our series is
called believing is seeing
watch this Jesus seeing their faith not
hearing them talk about their faith
not examining their feelings of faith
seeing in other words this was a visible
faith it was faith but it was faith in
motion faith moving faith that you could
see not just talking faith remember our
definition of biblical faith for the
believer it is acting like God is
telling the truth
it’s acting like it is so even when it’s
not so in order that it might be so
something because God said so that is
biblical faith biblical faith involves
movement that’s why it’s called walking
by faith and Jesus visualized their
faith he’s feeling this batch following
orders in it look it up send his guy
lower down and he’s watching faith at
work keyword watch this they’re not his
there when he saw their faith now the
paralytic had a little bit of faith one
because he’s in the word there and it’s
five guys it’s four guys pull off the
paralytic but he had faith enough for
the four to pick him up hoist him up and
drop him down so he had faith enough to
relinquish himself into the care of
caring people who are willing to trust
God for him and with him until his
change came because sometimes when
you’ve been hurt deep enough long enough
and strong enough you don’t have enough
faith to bleed it can happen for you you
hear Jesus didn’t have done it for all
these other folks but you’re not sure he
can do it for you
until some folks show up who believe
where you can’t believe trust where your
trust
has become weak and are willing to bring
you to Jesus he says son your sins are
forgiven there’s a whole story that we
don’t know the details of the story but
we notice much there was a direct
correlation between his sin and his
circumstances okay there was something
wrong spiritually in his life that led
to and kept him in his paralysis so
watch this before Jesus dealt with his
circumstances he dealt with this
spiritual reality what you have to
understand is and not all negative
circumstances are due to our personal
sin Jesus says in this world you will
have tribulation some are just life’s
realities which life has realities to
them but he specifically says mister
before I change your circumstances I
have to deal with your spiritual
condition so what does that mean it
means the first thing you want to make
sure of when you’re asking for your
blessing your miracle your supernatural
presence is that the spiritual has been
addressed that you are coming before God
and giving him the freedom to address
sin so that now he’s free to address
circumstances son your sin has been
forgiven so this man was willing to
entrust himself to folk who could get
him to Jesus you know we want we want to
entrust ourselves the folk who got
connections we want to trust ourselves
the focal have a big name
we want to trust ourselves the Focolare
power folk will have money who have
absolutely nothing or no concern about
our spiritual condition but in the world
they got a little something-something
so we want to entrust ourselves to them
you better find some folk in your life
who know how to get a hold of Jesus and
who are willing to open up the roots
until they get you to the one who can
deal with the spiritual because Jesus no
all him other folk who can help you that
means that the paralytic was willing to
take that risk he was willing to take
the risk these boys weren’t gonna drop
him and that Jesus could help him now
your sins are forgiven he hadn’t he
hadn’t touched the man’s circumstances
man still paralyzed but his spiritual
condition is now right and that’s what
you want you want the spiritual to be
right so that God is free for the
circumstances in accordance with his
will well the scribes were sitting there
these are the note takers they sitting
there and they’re saying and everyday
colloquial English say why because he
says they said the scribes were sitting
there resuming in their hearts that
means thinking to themselves why does
this man speak this way he is
blaspheming who can forgive sins but God
alone translation this man is out of his
mind
how about your sins are forgiven acting
like he God oh well
immediately Jesus aware in his spirit
that they were reasoning that way within
themselves said to him them why are you
reasoning about these things in your
heart now they should have known
something was different when he told
them what they were thinking they reason
in their heart and he will come up and
tell them y’all were just thinking about
how could I do this
since God could only do this that oughta
been a clue and then he asked a question
this is a great question
Jesus says verse 9 which is easier to
say to the paralytic your sins are
forgiven or to say get up and pick up
your pallet and walk watch this now God
Jesus says this is what we’re gonna do
what we’re gonna do guys is verse 10 but
so that you may know that the Son of man
has authority on earth in history to
forgive sins he said to the paralytic I
say to you get up pick up your pallet
and go home
now watch stay with me when God deals
with you and me spiritually which means
he’s been free to address our sin and we
deal with that as first and primary the
spiritual comes first freeing him up to
then just like it takes supernatural
work for God to forgive to address our
circumstances once he addresses our
circumstances take up your pallet and
walk the reason that he does the
supernatural in the circumstances that
people can see is to show them he also
can deal with the spiritual that you
can’t
so when God breaks through and does
something outside of nature he does it
so that you become a testimony to
everybody watching that the God who
deals with what you can’t see is the God
who will deal with the more important
thing that you can’t see because God is
first interested in the spiritual over
the circumstantial but he will do the
circumstantial so that you will know the
spiritual because the goal of the
circumstantial is to bring you into
relationship to the spiritual so that
you have a relationship with him the one
who you saw do the physical so when some
of you begin to live this life of faith
and you watch God break through he just
breaking through for you he’s not just
breaking through so that you can feel
better live better walk better talk
better spend better
he’s breaking through for you so that
other folk can see that Jesus Christ is
Lord that he is God and that you are in
spiritual relationship with him which
freed him up to do what they could see
in other words your individual faith led
to public sight to draw a public sight
back into your individual faith you’re
invisible faith and when he did that
when he did that it says that the man
got up immediately now let me tell you
the secret of when you can pretty much
know you’re involved in the supernatural
it’s not the only way God works but it
is the dominant way God works when you
can know that something and this ain’t
natural okay
because sometimes things you think of
supernatural you wonder well was this
supernatural was this just the natural
working out of things okay
sometimes you’re not sure okay but let
me tell you when you can be like sure
it’s the word immediately sometimes the
Bible calls it suddenly okay I mean I
don’t know where that means where that
come from
I mean who ain’t see that coming but
that that’s when God swoops down when
you you how you gonna be pulled off for
38 years and then just jump up
immediately
come on honey some doctor I need a
medicine I need some surgery but don’t
tell me immediately I got my spiritual
life right with God and I don’t know
where God comes in and somebody calls me
for a job immediately I got my life
right with God and I got the right my
right with God I had to chase nobody
somebody found me immediately
maybe God comes out of nowhere cuz
you’re in touch with him and suddenly
immediately he told him get up then a
man had a responsibility because Jesus
gave the command but he had to get out
so he had a responsibility gods and
Mirat miracle involved him without it
being dependent upon him because Jesus
had already spoken the word to him so
you know it’s the miraculous when she
out of nowhere God enters into the
situation because you’ve been made right
with him
that’s not the only way he does it but
that’s the way you can know that the
supernatural has intervened into your
circumstance and it closes by saying so
they were all amazed and we’re
glorifying God saying we have never
never never ever never
seen anything like this do you have some
faith God can see how about your talk
and I ain’t talking about waving your
hand in the air like you just don’t care
I didn’t talking about that I’m talking
about where you are moving in faith or
if you can’t getting other folk to help
you move in faith so that God can see
y’all’s faith saw their faith that’s why
you need to be connected you need to be
connected so that where your faith is
weak you can add to somebody else where
their faith is weak they can make you
can add to them they can add to you and
God says Group faith and that’s when a
thief
even brought a collection faith you see
more happening in the community and in
the nation because God sees that the
group is serious so then that means ego
in response to faith God responds to
faith that is visible but as you seek
your supernatural presence of God let me
let me warn ya enemy let me tell you the
whole truth let me warn you see when you
go to the hospital and you say this is
wrong whatever wrong is whatever that
wrong is this is wrong with me my back’s
hurting the stomach certainly it’s
hurting all you have given them are
symptoms
you told them how you feel so that they
got the symptoms back stomach here they
not gonna let it go with that this case
you haven’t been to the hospital they
will hear you pray to them about your
symptom back hurt her stomach hurtin but
then what they gonna do is go deeper
x-ray here scan there because they know
your symptom may simply be the fruit and
not the root of what’s really wrong your
head may be hurting coz there’s a tumor
you don’t know it’s a tumor you just
know the symptom that is hurtin but they
gonna go deeper to find out what’s
really wrong
when you come to God he’s gonna deal
with what’s really wrong not that
camouflage stuff and he’s not gonna do
what many in the Christian faith do he’s
not gonna give you a placebo make you
think you getting something real when it
ain’t not meant above water then I’ll
give you a placebo because he wants you
really healed he wants you really well
he wants you really transformed and if
that means surgery he wants to do
surgery and if that means a scope he
wants to give you a scope why because
he’s not just trying to fix your
symptoms you can go to Walgreens for
that he’s trying to deal with the cause
give you the killer so that he heals you
from the root so that now you can be
blessed with the fruit so the question
is do you really want to get me well are
you like the crowd you want to be in the
house but you don’t want to exercise the
faith
if the truth were told sometimes we have
trouble believing we have trouble
exercising the faith that mean we may
want to exercise but it just seems to
escape us well I want you to use the
strategy of Mark chapter 2 those first
12 verses because here was a man who was
in a situation he couldn’t fix but he
got a few of his homeboys a few of his
buddies a few of his friends and they
lifted him up cut a hole in the roof and
dropped him down before Jesus and it
says when Jesus saw their faith he
healed the man and the fact he healed
them not only physically but healed it
spiritually your sins are forgiven you
see sometimes we need some help
and that’s why you must be in a
community of people whose faith you can
piggyback on when your faith is too weak
to go on his own
it would be great if in every situation
we had this awesome confidence in God
but sometimes circumstances had made us
Smid our spiritual immune system weak
and we just can’t get there on our own
it even takes faith to entrust yourself
to others who have the faith that you
need to piggyback on because this man
had to allow them to pick him up
hoist him up Trust trust them not to
drop him as they lower them through the
the roof of the house and believe that
it would make a difference well if you
do not have some spiritual people in
your life
when you could leave I remember one time
a gentleman come into my office who was
desperate but it was weekend faith and
he just grabbed me and held on to me the
tears running down his eyes and they
wanted me to be with him because he
couldn’t just get it there on his own so
I lent him what I had because he even
had faith to look with me so make sure
you don’t let your weak faith stop you
from getting together with others who
could hoist you up as long as they’re
taking you to Jesus
[Music]
for most Christians acting on your faith
can be scary because it means trusting
something your eyes can’t always see
Tony Evans reminds us that what we see
with our eyes is not as reliable as what
God reveals through this spirit today’s
message is part of an eight part
teaching series called
believing is saved and you can obtain
your copy by making a donation of any
amount Tony Evans born today
you