Going The Extra Mile In Faith

Going the Extra Mile

PART 1 - ABRAHAM SACRIFICING ISAAC

Matthew 16:24 (AMP) Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].

Picking up your cross will look different for all of us,

• Discipleship
• Self Denial It For The Benefits Of Others
• Delayed Gratification
• Spirit Lead Versus Flesh Impulsed

The Paralytic Healed

Mark 2:1-3 (AMP) Jesus returned to Capernaum, and a few days later the news went out that He was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no longer room [for them], not even near the door; and Jesus was discussing with them the word [of God]. Then they came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, who was being carried by four men.

• The first question, that came to my mind was what was the relationship to this paralyzed man?
• How long was he paralyzed?
• What galvanized them to do it?
• Was this man their father who had gotten hurt?
• It makes me ask the question: who do you love so much that you would carry them to Jesus?
• In the military i heard of no man left behind
• Do you think this journey would be an inconvenience to them?
• How long would they have to carry him?
• Helping someone who cannot help themselves

Mark 2:4 (AMP) When they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Jesus; and when they had dug out an opening, they let down the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying.

• The door was closed, but faith was available
• How do you handle when the doors of life are closed?
• Where there is a will, there is way

Mark 2:5 (AMP) When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

• I don't how I'm going to get there, but I'm going to get there

The Just Shall Live By Faith

Hebrews 11:1 (AMP) Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].

Hebrews 10:38 (AMP) - Faith Pleases God But My righteous one [the one justified by faith] shall live by faith [respecting man's relationship to God and trusting Him]; And if he draws back [shrinking in fear], My soul has no delight in him.

Romans 4:16 (AMP) Therefore, [inheriting] the promise depends entirely on faith [that is, confident trust in the unseen God], in order that it may be given as an act of grace [His unmerited favor and mercy], so that the promise will be [legally] guaranteed to all the descendants [of Abraham]—not only for those [Jewish believers] who keep the Law, but also for those [Gentile believers] who share the faith of Abraham, who is the [spiritual] father of us all—

Matthew 21:21-22 (MSG) But Jesus was matter-of-fact: "Yes—and if you embrace this kingdom life and don't doubt God, you'll not only do minor feats like I did to the fig tree, but also triumph over huge obstacles. This mountain, for instance, you'll tell, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it will jump. Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God."

Mark 9:23 (AMP) Jesus said to him, "[You say to Me,] 'If You can?' All things are possible for the one who believes and trusts [in Me]!"

Mark 11:22-24 (AMP) Jesus replied, "Have faith in God [constantly]. I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea!' and does not doubt in his heart [in God's unlimited power], but believes that what he says is going to take place, it will be done for him [in accordance with God's will]. For this reason I am telling you, whatever things you ask for in prayer [in accordance with God's will], believe [with confident trust] that you have received them, and they will be given to you.

Hebrews 11:6 (AMP) But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.

Paul and Silas in Prison

Acts 16:22-30 (AMP) The crowd also joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and ordered that Paul and Silas be beaten with rods. After striking them many times [with the rods], they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely. He, having received such a [strict] command, threw them into the inner prison (dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks [in an agonizing position]. But about midnight when Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; suddenly there was a great earthquake, so [powerful] that the very foundations of the prison were shaken and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. When the jailer, shaken out of sleep, saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, saying, "Do not hurt yourself, we are all here!" Then the jailer called for torches and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out [of the inner prison], he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

Jesus Heals the Paralytic

Mark 2:6-12 (AMP) But some of the scribes were sitting there debating in their hearts [the implication of what He had said], "Why does this man talk that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins [remove guilt, nullify sin's penalty, and assign righteousness] except God alone?" Immediately Jesus, being fully aware [of their hostility] and knowing in His spirit that they were thinking this, said to them, "Why are you debating and arguing about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven'; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your mat and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has the authority and power on earth to forgive sins"—He said to the paralyzed man, "I say to you, get up, pick up your mat and go home." And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before them all, so that they all were astonished and they glorified and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

• WE NEED TO SEE YOUR FAITH WORK

Faith and Works

James 2:14-26 (AMP) What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient—genuine faith produces good works.] If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves," but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective]. But someone may say, "You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do]." You believe that God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror—they have seen His wrath]! But are you willing to recognize, you foolish [spiritually shallow] person, that faith without [good] works is useless? Was our father Abraham not [shown to be] justified by works [of obedience which expressed his faith] when he offered Isaac his son on the altar [as a sacrifice to God]? You see that [his] faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed [reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience]. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and this [faith] was credited to him [by God] as righteousness and as conformity to His will," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man (believer) is justified by works and not by faith alone [that is, by acts of obedience a born-again believer reveals his faith]. In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works too, when she received the [Hebrew] spies as guests and protected them, and sent them away [to escape] by a different route? For just as the [human] body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience] is also dead.

John 15:13 (AMP) No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.

Discussion Questions

1. What does it mean to "pick up your cross" in your daily life, and how might that look different from person to person?
2. The four men who carried the paralytic to Jesus demonstrated extraordinary faith and commitment. Who in your life would you "carry to Jesus," and what obstacles might you face in doing so?
3. When the four men found the door blocked by the crowd, they removed the roof to reach Jesus. What does this teach us about persistence in faith, and how do you typically respond when the "doors of life are closed"?
4. Jesus saw "their faith" (the faith of the four friends) and healed the paralytic. How does this passage illustrate the power of interceding in faith for others who cannot help themselves?
5. According to Hebrews 11:1, faith is "the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." How do you maintain faith in God's promises when you cannot see immediate results?
6. Paul and Silas praised God while imprisoned and in stocks. What does their response teach us about maintaining faith during our darkest moments, and how can we apply this to our own trials?
7. James 2 emphasizes that "faith without works is dead." What are some practical ways you can demonstrate your faith through your actions this week?
8. The passage asks, "Which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven' or to say 'Get up and walk'?" Why did Jesus connect physical healing with spiritual forgiveness in this encounter?
9. What is the difference between self-denial that benefits others and self-denial that is simply self-punishment? How can we discern between the two?
10. John 15:13 states that the greatest love is laying down one's life for friends. In what ways can we "lay down our lives" for others in everyday situations, even when we're not literally sacrificing our physical lives?

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