Live Free with Josh Howerton - The Power of Friends with Faith • Pastor Joby Martin| Ep. 218 | Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Episode Date: December 6, 2023

Do you have friends that carry you to Jesus? What a gift it is to have those around you willing to take you to the Healer. Find those friends and be that friend to others. Miracles happen when we believe and surround ourselves with those who do as well. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's daily drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. This Christmas, we want to invite you and your family to join us for our candlelight services on December 22nd through 24th at any of our six locations. or for church online. For more information, visit latepoint.com. com slash daily drive. And now, let's dive in to today's devotional.

Welcome to the Daily Drive. I am Pastor Jobi Martin. It is a pleasure to be back with you again. If you would turn your attention to Mark chapter 2, I know you're driving, but I'll read it for you. The Bible says this. It's one of the earliest miracles recorded in the Gospel of Mark, not the first one, but one of the early ones.

And Mark says this. And when Jesus returned to Copernium after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And Jesus was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him. And when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. and when Jesus saw their faith, you hear that?

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, son, your sins are forgiven. Now, I could totally preach an hour sermon just on this section of this event, but there's a couple of things I want you to pay attention to. First of all, this man on the mat, this paralytic, he had four friends that were willing to pick up a corner of the mat and carry him to Jesus. Let me ask you, do you have four friends that are willing to drop whatever's going on in their life and at great inconvenience and costs to themselves, do you have four friends that would be willing to pick up a corner of your mat and carry you to Jesus? And if not, then something is wrong.

If you can't write down four friends' names right now that would do whatever it takes to carry you to Jesus, then there is a problem. We have been created to be in relationship because we are image bears of God and God in and of himself is a perfect relationship. One God and three persons. God, Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit are in a perfect, submitted love relationship with himself. And as image bearers of God, we are supposed to be in these kinds of relationships. And if you look at the language of the New Testament talking about the church, one of the primary things the church is described as is a family. Talks about brothers and sisters and bearing one another's burdens. Listen, if you've been attending Lake Point, it is a phenomenal

church with incredible teaching and all kind of wonderful ministry. But if you don't have four brothers and sisters in Christ that right now would drop what they are doing to pick you up and carry you to Jesus, then I think you need to do whatever it takes to have those four kind of friends, that you would take a step of obedience and get involved in small group, involved in Bible study, involved in ministry with some people. Now, one of the best ways to find four friends like that is to be that kind of friend. To which I would ask you this, are you that kind of friend? Is there somebody in your life right now that you are praying for like crazy that God might use you to carry them to Jesus? Around here at 1122, the church I get to pastor, we call those people are one more. Who is that one more

person that you were praying that God might use you to reach, that you would carry that person to Jesus? That you would do whatever it takes, that you would make room, that you would make room, that you would spend the money, that you would tear a hole in the roof, that you would do whatever it takes to get that person into the presence of Jesus. Because what's very interesting about what this text says is Mark says that when Jesus saw their faith, he looked at this paralytic man and said, son, your sins are forgiven. Now, have you ever thought that your faith, that you, not just having ooey-goey feelings,

but faith is an activity. Faith is acting as if you actually believe that Jesus is who he says he is and he always keeps his promises. Did you realize that Jesus might look at your faith and it can have a huge impact on the eternity of someone else? And so this very week, what could you do to bring one of your friends into the presence of Christ? Because the Bible says that whenever we gather together as a church family, as a body,

whenever the saints get together to lift up Jesus that he will draw all men and women unto himself. So I dare you, pray big, share an invitation this week that one of your friends, somebody that God has put in your life, that you would do virtually whatever it takes to get them into the presence of Jesus, and here's why you have no idea what hangs in the balance. That's right. The person that maybe you have given up on a long time ago, you quit praying for him, you quit inviting, you quit trying to share the gospel, don't give up on them because Jesus has not forgotten, and Jesus has not given up on them. And the reason that you can believe is because if the tomb is empty, anything is possible. That means including that the almighty sovereign king of the universe

could use just a regular person like you, inviting somebody, bringing them into the presence of Jesus, and Jesus may do the ultimate miracle, which is forgive their sins, and call them son or daughter of the Most High King. So I'm praying for you this week as you pray big, bold prayers and do whatever it takes to bring your one more to Jesus. Amen. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship,

join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, Would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.combe.combe slash daily drive.