Carrying Your Bed — Don Wilkerson

You know, they have all these good different translations today, and they're all fine and good. The problem is that you can't have responsive reading anymore because everybody has a different translation.

And I probably have a different one and that you have Mark chapter 2 I want you to stand with me for the reading of the word and when he had come back to Capernaum several days afterwards it was heard That he was in the house.

Chapter 2 verse 1 and I think in the King James your first verse says that I like the King James even better. It says that it was noised doesn't it say in the King James. It was noised that he was in the house.

Well, that's what we want that's what we've been saying spread it around noise it abroad that Jesus is here in Times Square, and he's at Town Hall and Many were gathered. So that there was no longer room even near the door and he was speaking the word to them.

And they came to him bringing him a paralytic carried by four men. And here's how it happened and being unable to get him. Get to him because of the crowd. They removed the roof above him and when they had dug an opening they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying and Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic my son your sins are forgiven.

But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts. Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming and then they said something. It was very correct. They said who can forgive sins, but God alone.

Brother Bob was talking about how Caiaphas spoke prophetically at one time. They didn't realize that they were speaking prophetically. Who can forgive sins but God alone and immediately Jesus aware in his spirit that they were?

Reasoning that way within themselves said to them. Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier to say to say to the paralytic your sins are forgiven or to say arise and take up your pallet and walk.

But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins he said to the paralytic I say to you rise take up your pallet and go home and He arose and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of them all under his own power.

So that they were all amazed and were glorifying God saying we have never seen anything like this. I Want to speak to you tonight about carrying your bed. Carrying your bed, let's bow in a word of prayer.

Lord we thank you as. Now we come and we open the word and we pray that you would anoint us and open the word to us Lord tonight. Oh how we need to receive from you Lord minister to everyone that's here minister to all needs that are here tonight.

We thank you for a people that are coming and ready to receive and to hear from you. Because you're in the house and you're here to speak the word. Help us to carry our beds in Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated.

What draws my particular attention to the story? of this paralytic is His utter helplessness. Christ is always Attracted to the powerless in the Old Testament. There is a story of Elijah who is a type of Christ and He found a widow Who was preparing a few sticks of wood to build a fire and to prepare a meal for herself.

Her lap was going to be their last supper. There was a famine she was preparing to die and the Prophet came along and There was something that attracted him to this woman. It was her sorrow. Christ always Desires to find a home in the widowed heart in the broken and desolate heart.

He is attracted to that now. Do you want Christ to be attracted to you? The question is what is there about us for him to be attracted to? It is not that we are good it is not that we are worthy. It is not that we are great or beautiful in a natural sense.

It is our helplessness our powerlessness and our spiritual poverty. Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God. God comes to the person who acknowledges his need and his lack his hunger. There is a story of It's in the I think the seventh chapter of the book of Luke you don't have to turn to there.

But it's a story of the seraphinitian woman and I was about to say You're familiar with a story and I have to remember that we have new people who are not familiar with some of these stories but those of you that are Christians are familiar with the story of the seraphinitian woman and She came to Jesus and seemingly was turned aside.

But she was not doubted by that she was not held back and she took the humblest lowest place to lay claim to her need and She said this she said I am content to be a dog if I can only have crumbs from the table from underneath the table and Jesus responds to that kind of attitude.

He is attracted to people who confess their spiritual poverty and he said to this poor woman I'm giving you what you want. Great is your faith now in the palsied man. We get a picture of powerlessness helplessness Need and in it is a twofold picture of the work of Christ.

Which I want to share with you tonight. We will see in the palsied man what Christ does for us in Meeting us at the point of our confessed need. Secondly we see what Christ does in us. Enabling us to respond to his work for us so that we can carry our bed and I hope that I can make it clear as to the difference between what Christ does for me and Secondly what his work is in me and through me or my response to what he does for me.

Now note first of all what Christ does for this paralyzed man this paralytic and note what Christ does for us in verse 4 and Being unable to get to him because of the crowd they remove the roof above him now.

Get the picture. He interrupts Jesus. He's in the midst of sharing the word and they Make their way through the roof and lower this man down. It's a very dramatic scene and they It says and when they had dug an opening they let down the paddock on which the paralytic was lying.

You talk about getting a front Seat and what is interesting is that in verse 5? That Jesus seeing their faith. He said to the paralytic my sin my son your sins are forgiven. Jesus does not respond to the man's physical condition.

Rather, he says my son your sins Be forgiven. Now, why does Jesus ignore his obvious? Physical need and the thing that motivated him to come and his friends to bring him here. Why does he ignore that?

Well because first things first first things first. Jesus always attacks the greatest enemy first. Everybody saw this man as a sick man physically, but Jesus saw him as a sick man Spiritually and note that Jesus did not say your sin be forgiven thee, but your sins in the plural.

You can see Christ was after everything all of the man's sins and So often we are attracted to Christ because of our condition. We may be attracted to him because of a physical need. Some people are attracted for that reason others are attracted because as many of our residents and teen challenge.

They have a life-controlling problem. They've got a drug habit or or alcohol problem. But Christ wants to get to the bottom of our cases. It's our sins that make us powerless and helpless and unable to find a way as the psalmist says in 107 Psalm a way to a city of habitation a place of refuge.

It's our sins that keep us from finding our way to that city of refuge. And so Christ does for the man what he cannot do for himself neither anybody else in the house and He pronounces him a forgiven man and the scribes immediately wanted to know by what?

Authority he forgave and they said only God can forgive. Well, they were right as I said. You know why. Because the Bible says that God has laid upon him the iniquity of us all. Christ as the Lamb of God is able to say to the man to you tonight your sins be forgiven and Why can he do that?

How can he do that? Because Christ took away my offense against God. We're gonna celebrate communion tonight and it celebrates the fact that Christ bore my sins my penalty. He paid it dead he did not.

Oh I owe a debt I could not pay. He has that authority. Like a stack of bills and I've got a few of them on my desk at home. Our sins our debts that will never be able they'll never to be able to be satisfied.

And Jesus looked at the list of our debts. He saw that we had no credit balance before God and in the case of our sins. He put us in the red Hallelujah, he marked over it marks over paid in full. Praise the Lord he was delivered for our offenses and was raised for our justification.

The moment that you or I rise in faith He rises to the height of grace and he says son thy sins be forgiven thee. Now you say you're talking about the sinner being forgiven. What about me? I'm a Christian.

I've sinned. Well, first of all you need to regard your sin is that of the child who has sinned and. And not as before conversion when you were spiritually and morally homeless. You see as a Christian.

If and when you sin in the house you sin as a believer. You must realize that you have no right or no need to have done so. The Bible acknowledges that Christians may sin, but it is not an inevitability.

It may happen. But it need not happen. Provision has been made for prevention as well as for deliverance and I want to tell you victory is a greater testimony than restoration in in the first epistle of John.

It tells us that if any man says he has no sin is a Man is a liar. But then it goes on and it says and if a man should sin First Turn with me if you will and to have you turn their first chapter of John.

First epistle of John chapter 1 if we say chapter 8 if we say that we have no sin. We are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

But then he says my little children. I am writing these things to you that you may not sin and if anyone sins. We have an advocate with a father Jesus Christ the righteous but notice it uses the word if not when.

The Bible does not presume upon the fact that we're going to sin. He says I am writing to you that you may not sin. Now he realizes that it is possible. So provision has been made for a Christian to be cleansed even as a lost soul can be forgiven so a Christian can be forgiven and that's why he says in First John 1 and 9 he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all Unright.

Let me just give you one further word about the place that God has provided both for the sinner as well as for the Christian. Who needs to be forgiven. Turn with me to? The gospel of John Chapter 20, I believe it is.

Yes, that's chapter 20 of John. Not only does Christ forgive But he makes me his brother. I like this what in this account when Mary Magdalene was privileged to have the first revelation of the risen Savior and her very first assignment is given to her in verse 17.

Let's read verse 16. Jesus said to her Mary and she turned and said to him in Hebrew Rabboni, which means teacher and Jesus said to her Stop clinging to me for I have not yet ascended to the father. But go and here's her assignment.

She says he says go to the disciples but note what he says, but go to my brethren and Say to them I ascend to my father and your father and my God and your God. Now think of it. You are a brother. I am a brother to the risen Christ and Here Jesus uses for the first time.

He uses his term and he says go tell my brethren. It was not until he was risen from the dead that he could say go tell my brother and say to them I ascend to my father and to your father and to my God and your God.

Why. Because the Transaction had been completed. Christ was able to complete the transaction of which he had come to earth and That is to settle our offenses against God. He made. It meant that everything was removed everything he made everything that was necessary.

He took care of what my debt was taken care of and he could go back to the father and say to them They are my brothers. And what is God's response to that? God says any brother to my son is a son to me.

John 1 12 says but as many as received him to them gave you power to become the sons of God. That's why he could say it but then secondly. The second aspect of Christ's work in the palsied man. He forgave him and then he doesn't work in him when the scribes questioned Christ authority to be able to forgive sins.

He interjects another aspect of this story with a question look at verses 8 and 9 and Immediately Jesus aware in his spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves said to them Why are you reasoning about these things in your heart?

And he says this he said which is easier. Which is easier to say that the paralytic your sins be forgiven or to say arise and take up your bed and walk. Now in this we see the twofold work of Christ. One is forgiveness and the other is freedom.

Forgiveness and freedom only God can forgive. We have absolutely nothing to do about or towards the forgiveness of our sins. But we do have something to do about our freedom and this is often misunderstood.

After Christ does the forgiving having done that he does not leave us at that point. But he imparts new power and that is what Christ refers to in this question he says what is what is easier the power to forgive or the power to say rise up and take up your bed and walk.

And Jesus is simply saying I have power to do both. I have power to forgive you and then I have power to enable you to take up your bed and walk. Now we must understand that we have this power and what we are to do with it.

In the case of the palsied man. He was enabled now. Listen to me. He was enabled to do the very thing that had rendered him helpless. He had power at the point of his weakness or the point of his affliction.

Now, you know that you have new power in your life. When you realize that whatever Was your powerlessness over sin before Christ entered. That is where you will have new strength once Christ has forgiven you and has come in.

In other words you will carry your bed. The palsied man could not do anything he could not go anywhere without his bed and Christ now says arise carry your bed and. So it is with us whatever it was that crippled you.

So that you had accepted the fact that you had to make your bed and lie in it. Now in Christ, you can be victorious. You can take up your bed and you can carry it. Hallelujah. Whatever you were notorious for in your state of sin.

That can be the very area you are victorious over in the state of grace if you were greedy. Covetous a covetous person if you were selfish self-centered. When Christ comes in and frees you. With that new power that new nature within you now you become generous and giving.

If you said yes to every temptation that came down the pike now you can carry your bed and you can learn to say no. By the way, I'd like to teach mrs. Mrs Reagan a little lesson on her program her whole program about saying no to drugs.

Saying no to drugs presupposes that you've you've got to say something. You got to say yes to something before you can say no to something if you had a temper. And you flew off the handle and it crippled you.

It was like a bed that you were lying on. If it crippled your relationships with other people. I want you to know that if Christ comes in you can carry that bed. You can become a gentle caring Person one who's not easily provoked.

Look at a Christian Who is walking close to God and you will see how? By the grace and power of Christ that a man or woman becomes superior in what used to be the very Weakness of their old life if a man in sin was driven by Ambition in a godly lifestyle.

That is the very thing that he will not be. You see the old ambition or that lust that grows out of our infirmity. That is the bed that that man lies in but after Christ comes in he carries that bed he is victorious in that very area and Some of you may think that you cannot lie down certain practices and habits or behavior.

Those things are the fruit of your spiritual disease. But when you get when Christ comes in and when the fruit of righteousness is within you. You will carry that it you will crush it. You will overcome it.

Jesus calls it rising Taking up your bed and walking in newness of life. I know Because I've seen it in the ministry of teen challenge. I watch young men who've come in and Some of them are notorious in their old life.

They even carry nicknames or whatever because they've been they've been known had a reputation When they lived in sin and I've seen what the Lord has come Done in their life in the very area that was their bed or their weakness that becomes the very area of their strength.

We had a young man here this weekend Seven and twenty one years ago. He came through the doors of teen challenge and he came as we say for three hots in a cot three hot meals and a bed to sleep in and We didn't know at the time that he had violated his parole.

And so his parole officer was looking for him and he heard in the neighborhood that there was a place You know called teen challenge run by some religious people and he was told that they were very nice people but they were very stupid people and You could go there and you could hide out and the reason they said they were stupid people because those were the days when I was In charge there.

We're just just learning how to do it. That got conned a lot. And so he came in but we didn't know any of the circumstances. But there was one thing that I noted about this young man is that he He had a look on his face he had a frown on his face a Defiance on his face that if looks Could you know could kill?

That a lot of people would have been dead. I would just know to you just you see him coming and you could see and He challenged the other fellows in the program call them sissies for praying and reading their Bible and At one point he he snuck out went home to Get a meal or something and and while he was home Hello and behold his pro officer knocked at the door and he ran back to teen challenge figuring out God was telling him to come back to teen challenge, but you know one night we had we used to have a rallies in an old theater down a lower east side in Manhattan and and I'll never forget that night because I knew some of the things were going on behind the scene after this fella kept giving us trouble and and Even leading other for influencing other fellows and some of the staff were divided.

About whether he should stay or whether he should go and half of them said he should. You know, he should go because he was such a troublemaker and the other said well, let's give him another chance. And so we finally said, all right, we'll give him one more day.

Give him one more day and I realize now that's just what the grace of God is. It's one more day and we get but we gave him until Saturday and we said we'll see what happens. And sure enough in that meeting Ben went forward and he accepted the Lord and you know the next day he was riding in the van with the fellows to go to church and he started singing and one of the father said boy you sure look different and He said thank you and he went to church and he came back and as soon as he came back He ran upstairs to look in the mirror and he didn't you know, he was disappointed because he didn't look any different to him.

But you know there had been a spiritual change within him. But what began to now if you see this gentleman, he is now a Bible teacher. In fact, he's moving back east here to be a part of what's going on here.

And if you see him now and some of you fellows I heard him preach. You know, what is been noted for when you first see him the big beautiful smile on his face in The very area you see but it was written all over his face.

Now in the change that God has brought in him God has given him a vibrant a joyous spirit. He's carrying his bed. I've seen vultures turn into doves. I've seen pigs turn into cuddly Pandas if you might if I can use that word, I've seen lions come become puppy dogs.

We were having a street meeting a couple years ago up on a hundred and tenth Street or Or Yeah in Spanish Harlem and you know when we go out in some of our street meetings and some of you that are now part of our fellowship will be Inviting you this summer to come and be a part and we go into some of the drug areas the troubled areas.

We're gonna invite you to come and when we go into these areas We mean business. We take a team with us we take A sound equipment. In fact, we were setting up one time and one of the fellows we have what fifty thousand dollars worth of sound equipment we go in because we believe that when you go out on the streets that The people the street people deserve the very best that we can give them in terms of the presentation of the gospel.

They deserve just as good as what we have in the house of the Lord. And we were setting up all this equipment and one fellow said one time. He said boy you people are serious about this. You know, he was very impressed with all the Just the equipment going up and Well, it was being set up one of my staff came to me and he pointed out a drug addict that showed up and he Was carrying a bag over him and he said brother Don.

He said there's a there's an addict there and he's a burglaries. That bag is his burglary tools and he's casing the whole joint because we had also a lot of musical instruments there. And I said to him I said you you keep your eyes on him and he said I will and that particular night we were having difficulty getting the power generator going and They said what do we do?

And I said well I said come here and I showed them at the bottom of the streetlight where they could plug in and Plug into the streetlight and they said is that okay? And I said yes, I'm sure mayor Koch won't mind whatsoever.

He wouldn't want to see our street meeting not go on here. He won't mind and actually we had permission. We had a permit and everything and if an emergency you're allowed to do it so I showed them where to hook that off so they had to make a lot of changes and One of our technicians was running around and he was he was out of tools.

And he said I need some pliers and nobody responded and he hollered out again. He said I need some pliers. Well, the the drug addict was still standing there and he reached into his pocket. He said here let me help you.

And so he gave him a pair of pliers and So he fixed whatever and then pretty soon the technician said I need some clippers and follow reaches around. He had everything. He had everything he reaches in.

He had a pair of clippers and so and I watched all that and I said Lord Isn't that beautiful how you take the tools of the devil? You take the tools of the devil and you change them. Hallelujah. And where they were afflicted.

Now it doesn't say in whom it says Bible even as the Lord gave to every man. He said I have planted a Paulus watered but God gave the in go down to verse 9. He says but we are laborers together with God.

Ye are God's husbandry. Ye are God's building. Ask you tonight this Affliction that they were in that they can rise up and carry that bed. Hallelujah. Turn with me to a vision. Ephesians the fourth chapter.

Because Ephesians goes into some of the details of it here and that you be renewed the verse 23 of Ephesians chapter 4 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and Put on the new self which is in the likeness of God which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and in holiness of truth and then the following verses give us a picture of what that righteousness and Holiness of truth is therefore laying aside all falsehood.

Speak truth. Every one of you with his neighbor. For we are members of one another. The man who lies becomes truthful. The man in his old state who lies becomes truthful in his new state. Verse 26 be angry and yet do not sin.

Do not let the Sun go down on your wrath. The angry man who's out to get everybody in His in his changed life. He can't go to bed at night until he's made things, right and do not give the devil an opportunity.

The one who gave the devil opportunity just about to do whatever he wanted in his life now He is able to resist the devil. So that he will flee and do not give the devil an opportunity let him still steal no longer.

Let me tell you another story. Fella came to me one day and teen challenge. He said brother Don. He said what's going on in me? He said please explain what's going on in me. He said last night. I laid down on my bed and I looked up on my dresser and there was a can of shaving cream and I saw it and he said I got under such deep conviction.

Because a few days ago I had borrowed it from another fella. But the only thing is I didn't tell him that I borrowed it. I Stole it and he said I can't I look up at that. I saw that shaving cream and I get so under conviction.

He said I had to go up get it and take it back to the brother. He said the little he said I've been on the street. I've robbed people. I've mugged mugged people. I've done the most vile things in my life.

And now here I am. I'm in the center and a can of shaving cream. And I said yes, that's right. It comes down to that. Yes a can of shaving cream. Let him who steals steal no longer. But rather let him labor Performing with his own hands what is good in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.

Oh. And when I see the chance those who've been takers or stealers all their life now in the new state They become givers. They want to give away everything verse 29 let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only Such a word as is good for edification.

According to the need of the moment that it may give grace to those who hear in other words. What I'm saying to you that if in the old state you had a dirty mouth or Always mouthing off in the new thing that God does to you.

You got a clean mouth. Your words are wholesome and clean and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God By which you were sealed for the day of Redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice and be kind to One another tender-hearted forgiving each other just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Let me Give you two biblical examples in closing. Of those who carried their bed turn with me to the first chapter of the gospel of John because a man named Simon Had a character change and a name change.

Consider the Apostle Peter and The fact that he for a long time was carried along in a bed of affliction. But became strong at the very point of his weakness. The first time that Jesus met Peter verse 42 he prophesied over him.

He prophesied that one day he would not be the same man and Jesus looked at him and he said verse 42 of John chapter 1. He said you are Simon. The son of John you shall be called Cephas which translated means Peter.

Note the prophecy. You are Simon. You shall be Cephas. You are you shall be. You are you shall be. He's talking about the change. Now, what was Simon? Well, he was to say the least Wishy-washy, I think that means unstable.

One day he makes bold Announcements bold Proclamations. When others forsake Jesus he says to whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life. On another occasion Peter says I'll never forsake you like others.

And yet a few days later Jesus is taken to the court before Caiaphas the high priest and where is Peter. The scripture says this but Peter was standing at the door outside. Peter who always at one time was always in the middle of things with the Lord.

Yet he did not have the character in the hour of trial and that little scripture that says and Peter was standing on the outside is very reflective of what was going on in Peter's heart and. Then a little girl asked him if he's a Jesus person and he he he swears.

He said he says no, I have nothing to do with that. Now. What did Peter become? Turn with me to John chapter 21. One of the last things that Jesus says about Peter. Peter did become what Jesus prophesied he would become.

He did become Peter the Rock. He did become the stable one. His moral bed of affliction became his strong point. Jesus says to Peter in chapter 20 verse 18 truly truly I say to you when you were younger Peter You used to gird yourself and you walked wherever you wished.

Because that's the picture of the one who has is in self-will. But when you grow old and he was now talking not only his physical age. But he was also talking about his spiritual condition. He said but when you grow old You will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go and that is a prophecy of Peter's death by martyrdom and Here Peter who is not strong enough He has to stay when Jesus is in the hour of trial when Jesus is going through his His crucifixion Peter's on the outside but now Jesus is prophesying and it says Peter.

You will no longer be carried along by that bed of affliction. You will no longer be an unstable man. You will be a rock and Peter carried his bed to his deathbed and then consider one more character.

Old Testament character. Consider Jacob. If ever a biblical character. Had a moral bed of affliction. It was Jacob. Turn with me to Genesis chapter 27. Genesis chapter 27. This is a story When Jacob takes the birthright From his brother when Jacob along with his mother conspire to deceive after his brother discovered it in verse 35 and it says He's saying now to his father.

This is Esau. He's talking to his father. He said your brother came deceitfully and hath taken away Your blessing and then he said is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times he took away my birthright and behold now he has taken away my blessing and He said have you not reserved a blessing for me?

And so Esau says about his brother. He said boy you he sure is named, right? He's a Jacob he has the character which means a Surplanter which means a deceiver or in the language of today. We would say a con man he had some con in him now go over with me to Genesis 32 and After a number of dealings in Jacob's life Chapter 32 and verse 24.

I don't have time To spend on this account the time I would like to. But it's a time when Jacob is having an encounter with God. Verse 24 it says and Jacob was left alone and a man Wrestled with him until daybreak and When he saw that he had not prevailed against him He touched the socket of his thigh so that the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

And then he said let me go for the dawn is breaking, but he said I will not let you go unless you bless me. And so he said to him. And this is it this is a a picture this is Christ. This is an appearance of Christ to Jacob and he says to him.

What is your name? And he said? Jacob. But let me tell you how he said it. You can't get it just for the natural reading what he said was. When he was asked what is your name in Silence, he said it's true that I have been a supplant er.

It's true that I have been a deceiver. It's true that I have had the character of a Jacob within me and when he says That's why God that's why he was asked. What is your name? It is a confession of what is conditioned and he's asking at that moment as it were he's asking for forgiveness and He's saying oh, yes, and he's admitting to God.

He said I am a Jacob and at that moment of his need that moment of his confession He said to him your name shall no longer you shall no longer be a Jacob. You shall no longer be live up to that name. But you shall be Israel for you have striven with God and with man and have prevailed.

And now he had moved into in Hebrews 11th chapter at the end We are told about you don't need to turn to it. But it says by faith Jacob as he was dying blessed each of his sons and worship leaning on his staff and There we see the taker becomes a giver the self-centered becomes a worshiper the supplant er becomes a blesser of others and that's what God can do for a Jacob and Make a man the very opposite in his new nature to what he was in his old nature.

And in the end Jacob is God's man instead of a con man. Have you taken up your bed? People so often Go on just the same way They are After they've come to Christ. They go on the same way that they used to be before.

But a Christian is one who exemplifies another man a man who not only forgives. But a man who has power to free. He has power to to give to us and he has power to come within us enabling us to rise. And to take up our bed and walk.