Done Not Do

Sermon Notes

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Mark 2:1-12

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9

“This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Mark 2:12b

Table Group Resources

 

Mixer

How did you celebrate the arrival of 2021? What are you looking forward to this year?

Sermon Questions

Scripture: Mark 2:1-12; Ephesians 2:8-9

  1. In our passage today, what did you learn about the tension between Jesus and the religious leaders? What got in the way of the people in this passage that prevented them from believing in Jesus, and what gets in our way today?

  2. Pastor Ken said that Jesus is the New Testament. Why is this an important piece to understanding the time of the old sacrificial system (do) and the time of the new sacrificial system (done)?

  3. Human nature is bent on pleasing, and we see the world religions focusing their efforts on this same thing: Trying to please God (or a god). But Christianity allows for something different: We will never be good enough to please God. How does that sit with you? What insight did Pastor Ken’s message give to help you embrace this line of thinking? Or perhaps you still have questions….

  4. In wrestling with question #3, consider Ephesians 2:8-9. What does this verse tell you about “done not do”? Are works still important to our faith? How did Pastor Ken use this passage to tell us about our motivations for doing good works?

  5. In Mark 2:12b, we find that the people were amazed and praised God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!” What about you - what have you seen that causes you to praise God for what He has done for you? How does it change what you do for Him?

Live it Out

With an outgoing of 2020, maybe you arrived in 2021 disappointed that some of the “dos” in your life did not get accomplished, or you are discouraged because you failed miserably at some. Take heart, Pastor Ken pointed out that many of our New Year’s Resolutions don’t make it through January - so you are not alone. But there’s hope in the new starts of a new year! Let the passage in today’s message inspire you to create some new “dos” for 2021. Dos that come out of a heart of gratitude. Dos that you know please God - because of what Jesus’ has “done” for you. Think about the friends in this passage that brought someone into the presence of Jesus. How can you be that kind of friend in 2021? How can you/your family become a participatory Good Neighbor at The Church at RB this year? Make a list of who, and what you will do, and as Pastor Ken said in his prayer, what will you commit to? Ask God to open the doors for sharing the Gospel with a friend who is lost in their attempts at trying to please a God that they don’t yet know or understand. Jesus is the scripture that tells us what we need to know about Him!

Pray

Happy New Year! Join us in praying The Welcoming Prayer by Thomas Keating over 2021:

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

I welcome everything that comes to me today because I know it’s for my healing.

I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions.

I let go of my desire for power and control.

I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval, and pleasure.

I let go of my desire for survival and security.

I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person or myself.


I open to the love and presence of God and God’s action within.

Amen