Have you ever been looking for a way out? Never forgot that God is always able to make a way out of no way. Trust Him to be your waymaker today.

Hello everyone. My name is Pastor roderick caesar the third on the lead Pastor of Bethel Gospel Tabernacle in Jamaica queens new york and my prayer is that? You would be blessed? You would be encouraged and strengthened by this word. Hope you enjoy God bless! Hey praise the Lord everyone. It’s Pastor Rod here. Today I’m gonna be talking about the Lord being our way maker. These are trying times. These are difficult times and we’re looking often for a way out, a way of escape and we know that the Lord is our way maker. So today I’m gonna be coming from the book of luke. Chapter five If you have your bibles buckle up and turn with me to the book of luke. Chapter five, verses 17 through 26 luke 5 17 through 26. And here we go. On. One of those days as he was teaching the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were sitting there who had come from every village of galilee and judea and Jerusalem and the power of the Lord was with him to heal and behold some of the men who were bringing on a bed, a man who was paralyzed. They were seeking to bring him in and lay him before jesus, but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up to the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, man, your sins are forgiven you And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question saying, who is this? Who speaks blasphemies? Who speaks blasphemies, Who can forgive sins but God alone. When jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, Why do you question in your hearts, which is easier to say? Your sins are forgiven you, or to say rise and walk, but that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the man who was paralyzed, I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home. And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what had been lying, what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God and amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with all saying, We have seen extraordinary things today. Now we believe that jesus is God and that God is the way and makes a way out of our situations, way out of our turmoil away out of our pain. But it’s different when you look at it through the lens of scripture, through the lens of it. What God has to say through his word. So let’s let’s let’s pray, Dear God, I thank you so much for this time. I thank you for your people that are listening wherever they are on the other side of the screen. I pray that you would be with them. I pray that you would strengthen them. I pray that you would hide me behind your cross as I speak your word. I thank you. I praise you. We give you glory in jesus name. Amen. Amen. And a men today. I want us to take a look at how God makes a way for us in difficult situations and times when we don’t fully understand what’s going on. Times like the season in which we’re living in today, difficult times, strenuous times, painful times. We see in verse 17 that Jesus was teaching Pharisees and village and teachers of the law were there? They come from every village of galilee, from judea and from Jerusalem and the power of the Lord was with jesus to heal. It’s interesting because jesus is doing what he’s always been doing. He’s been teaching and talking uh A big talk since he was 13, he’s been teaching the teachers since he was a child. Since he was a child. He has been speaking with such brilliance. Amazing the leaders in the temple and we see that still all these years later, he hasn’t lost his authority. He hasn’t lost his, his conviction, he hasn’t lost his, his perspective, he’s teaching with such authority because he knows who he is and he knows what his mission is and luke lets us know that the religious leaders of the day are present and it’s so important that that the religious leaders of the day are there because this is going to come into play later. It lets us know also that God desires to do things in his timing for his purpose. God desires to do things in his timing. Not our timing for his purpose, not our purpose, right? He does things his way for his reasons and what what the beautiful thing about the text is, it lets us know that the power was on jesus to heal now. It says the power was on him to hell. It’s so important because Jesus came to set the captives free and in setting the captives free, he’s reversing sin’s effects on the earth. In doing what jesus was called to do, to heal the blind, to raise the dead, to have the lame walk, he’s reversing Sin’s effects on the earth. What’s happening right now in our world is the effect of sin. The effect of sin, it’s not the will of of of of the lord for all of this death and disease and plague to come on our land. And so what we realize is that Jesus is the reverse of of of sin on the earth, right? Sit on the earth brings death, brings destructions, bring pain, brings sorrow. But what we see what happens in luke chapter eight, if we can just jump stories real quick luke eight, when the woman who is Unclean touches jesus who is clean, what is Unclean becomes clean, Right? So we see that jesus is the reverse, Jesus says I felt power flow from me, I I came to hell, I felt healing power flow from me into this woman and this woman who was now unclean becomes clean. The author puts this here in this portion of the text to let us know that there may be some healing that’s gonna follow later in the chapter says that the the healing of the Lord, the power of the Lord was on jesus to heal. It’s it’s a setup. It’s a setup to let us let us know what’s coming down the line. Yeah, the power of the Lord was on him to hell. Why? Because there’s gonna be a healing that’s taking place when we read on Verse 18 and behold some men were bringing on a bed, a man who was paralyzed. There we go right there, opportunity for healing opportunity for a way to be made and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before jesus. Now Jesus was known as a miracle worker. Jesus was known as a teacher. Jesus was known as someone who changed people’s negative situation into a positive, so much so that they had no space to move in no space to even get to jesus verse 19, finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up to the roof, they let him down with his bed through the tiles of the midst before jesus. This is beautiful, this is beautiful because this man could not get to jesus to christ for himself, he could not get to jesus for himself. So he had some individuals, his friends pick him up and get him to jesus and they couldn’t get through the front door, they couldn’t get through the side door, they couldn’t get through the back door, they couldn’t dig a tunnel. So they said look let’s let’s go in through the roof, let’s break open the tiles, let’s break open the door and mid sermon as jesus is teaching, they lower him down before the King of Kings, they lower him down before the Lord of Lords, they lower him down before jesus of Nazareth and they get his attention, they get they get his attention. If we look at Mark’s account, it says this is how many people was there, it says in Mark chapter two verse two, it says as they were gathered together so there was no more room, not even at the door and jesus was doing what he’s always been doing, teaching, preaching the word to them. The crowd that came, the crowd that was gathered, they came to hear the word. They came to hear the word, not not necessarily just to be healed but to hear the word. And so we see a hunger for the word, a hunger for something different, a hunger for something new. And so these people come, they’re bringing their paralyzed friend and they’re willing to go above and beyond for him, they’re willing to go the extra mile and make a way for him to get close to jesus. They tried this way, they tried that way and there was no way in, but they made a way, there was no way in but they made a way, there was no way in but they made a way they thought outside of the box and some of us we’re so we’re so accustomed to thinking only this way. Only in the box. Only this way. But perhaps God is is is causing things to be the way they are to get us to think differently to get us to think outside the box. They were persistent, they were desperate, they were committed, they were desperate, they were strategic and they were they were desperate and this shows us in the text that desperation is a key ingredient in our recipe for breakthrough, desperation is a key ingredient in our recipe for breakthrough. We must get desperate Saints of God, we must get desperate. Saints of God that shows me also that this man had incredible friends, incredible friends. These are the type of friends you want in a crisis. He was paralyzed in a day before wheelchairs before motorized scooters or wheelchairs. He was paralyzed, He was stuck, He was dependent on the mercy of others for assistance. Do we have people in our lives? Check your circle, Check your circle, Saints of God, do you have people in your life that are willing to do what needs to be done to assist you in prayer, do what needs to be done to assist you financially do what needs to be done to assist you in fasting, assist you in praise and in worship, assist you and to help hold your arms up when they’re too weak to help you in the midst of your trial. Do you have friends or people around you in difficult circumstances? This man was paralyzed. He was unable to move. Being paralyzed means I can’t go forward. I can’t go forward. I can’t go backwards. I just have to stay here. I just have to be stuck. People are passing me by and I’m stuck. My life. The world is passing me by and I’m stuck. Why are you paralyzed? Some of us are paralyzed. Yeah, you can be paralyzed physically, but you can also be paralyzed emotionally and spiritually. And and with what’s been taking place with covid 19, the coronavirus. The tragedies that have taken place in our lives, many of us have have been able to find ourselves unfortunately. And say, look, I’m paralyzed, I’m stuck and I need to move forward. I’m stuck and I need to take a step forward. I’m stuck and I need to move from the state of paralysis into a state of progression. I need to move forward and it find it so difficult to do this. But God is calling people, his people who know him, they know that he is the way they know that he’s the truth and they know that he’s the life to come alongside us as our paralysis uh takes hold and say no, no, not. So no, no, not you and help us be free from our paralysis. Help us be free from uh not not free from the pain but the effects of the pain which caused us to sometimes be still, which caused us to sometimes be stagnant, which caused us to sometimes not be able to move forward. We need to be able to have people that come alongside us and pray with us and intercede for us and go to the throne room for us and bless us to get out of our situation and move forward. We are blessed to be a blessing. We often say this and the Lord has called some of us to be an answer to someone else’s pain and answer to someone else’s paralysis away. Maker. In the midst of the situation, many of us we could be the answer to someone else’s prayers. But are we listening to what God is saying to us? So we can be in a position to bless someone else or are we just all you know, I’m just focused on me and focused on me and focus on me. No, no. Listen out for what God is saying to you because you may be the answer to someone else’s prayer. You may have the resources or the opportunity to bless someone else. In this season of struggle, we’re all going through. But God perhaps has called you to be the way maker for someone else. And so when Jesus saw their faith verse 20 he said, Man, your sins are forgiven you, man, your sins are forgiven you. The amazing thing is, it says it didn’t say when Jesus saw his faith, it said when jesus saw their faith, the man’s faith, his friends. Faith, Jesus didn’t just see the faith of the paralyzed man, but he also saw the faith of the group because faith without works is dead now they had faith, but it didn’t just leave him outside. They move forward, they work, they cut a hole through this roof and lowered him down with faith as the body apart from the spirit is dead. So faith without works is dead, Their faith was alive, their faith was active and Jesus saw their faith and said as a result of all of your faith, his sins are forgiven. That’s the amazing thing is they put in work to make it happen. And jesus said, all right, his sins are forgiven. Now imagine their shock. Imagine there are. Imagine there, hold up, what when jesus says to this man who is before him, interrupt him mid sermon, mid message to say your sins are forgiven, your sins are forgiven, He didn’t say you’re he’ll get up and walk, he didn’t say get up and walk, he said, your sins are forgiven. And the guy is probably looking at jesus like you. That’s not why they lowered me down. That’s not why they leave me before you. I need healing. I need I need healing. I need to get up and walk on out of here. That’s what I need to do. I need to ease on down the road, out of here, out of this place with my legs on my own two ft. That’s what I need to do, Jesus, come on, my sins are forgiven. What are you talking about? Imagine his confusion, looking at jesus like I still can’t move though. Your sins are forgiven, Your sins are forgiven, only jesus can do this, your sins are forgiven and you see many of us, we think we know what we need, we think we know what we need, but God knows what we need. God knows what we need, we think we know, but God knows, he says, look, your sins are forgiven. You know, uh we’re looking just at the outside, just at the external. But God is looking within as God told Samuel Man looks on the outward appearance, but God is looking at the heart, I want to take care of first things first. How’s your heart? I know you’re looking for a miracle. I look, I know you’re looking for a breakthrough. I know you’re looking for some sort of a miracle in the midst of this situation. But how’s your heart? That’s what I want to deal with. I want to deal with your heart in the midst of this trial, I want to deal with your heart in the midst of this pain. I want to deal with your heart in the midst of the circumstances. Your sins are forgiven sins are forgiven. Jesus deals with the heart and he says this no doubt, and it causes a pain in the ears of the religious leaders. Remember we told you we’d revisit that the ears of the religious leaders, the Pharisees and the scribes begin to question, saying, who is this? Who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins? But God alone? And Jesus said to them, Jesus said when he perceived their thoughts, he answered them, why do you question in your hearts, which is easier to say your sins are forgiven you or to say rise up and walk now. The amazing thing is the text doesn’t say that Jesus heard them and they began to question, saying, who is this? Who speaks with their whispering or thinking this through? And jesus, the text says, when jesus perceived their thoughts, which means that he discerned enough to understand what they were thinking. He pulled like a Professor X right? Like X. Men was listening and knows exactly what they’re thinking and they’re thinking this thing that whispering this thing and jesus says, why do you question? In your hearts, they’re like, hold up, he heard us hope, he knows our thoughts, He knows what we’re doing. And Pharisees don’t see jesus as the way. But Jesus uses this to let them know that he is the way let them know that he is the way he says. But you may know, but so that you may know that the son of man has the authority on earth to forgive sins, he says to the man who was paralyzed, I say to you, pick up your bed, rise up, pick up your bed and go home. And immediately he got up and picked up what he had been lying on, went home glorifying God and amazement seized them all and they glorified God and were filled with all saying, we have seen extraordinary things today, we serve a God that has the authority to make a way. He’s not asking for permission to make a way. He has the authority to do that very thing. The authority to change our situation. The authority to make all things new are God has that authority. Authority on earth to forgive sins. Authority on earth to heal authority on earth to make a breakthrough. Authority on Earth to give financial increase authority on earth to change your circumstances. Your situation, our God has all power. All authority. It’s what he has and he demonstrates it right here in the text, he says. Just so you know, I I do have the authority to forgive sins. And just to make it clear to you that I do have authority to forgive sins. Get up and walk. So how does paris is not questioned, you know, would this man even get up, Jesus used this as the perfect example to flex on them and let them know, look, this is this is who I am. I have authority to forgive sins. Rise up, get up and go now. The beautiful thing about this man is he gets up and he picks up what he had been lying on, he picks up what he has been lying when he didn’t leave his matt, but he took his mat with him as a sign as a symbol. Look this is this is where I used to be, but I’m not going back to it because I’m healed, this is how Jesus changed my life around. But I’m not, I don’t have to lay down on this thing anymore because I’m healed, I’m delivered, I’m walking and I’m glorifying God and as a result of him glorifying God. Everyone is amazed and they say they all glorify god as well. And they all say we’ve seen extraordinary things today. The wonderful thing about this is the man wasn’t the only person that glorified god, but the people did as well. So sometimes Jesus makes a way for us. But the reason he does this is that so others can come to glorify the father through the way that he made for us, right? We think it was all about us. It’s all about my healing. It’s all about my deliverance. But I don’t know, Jesus says I healed him, but then others have been brought to the father as a result. And in our lives we may be praying for deliverance, maybe praying for certain things. But it’s it’s interesting how sometimes we can want this healing or want this breakthrough. I want this situation to shift just for us. But God says it’s as much for somebody else as it is just for you. When God makes a way. Don’t forget to give him the praise when God makes a way. Don’t forget to give him the glory. God makes a way. But don’t surprise if he uses you to help him make a way for someone else as I close, let’s look at some lessons in in way making the first is this your faith can open doors that would otherwise remain closed. The reason why these men were able to go before jesus because their faith opened the door or in their their case opened the roof that otherwise would have remained intact or closed. The second thing is this our persistence can make a way out of no way a way out of. No way. Thirdly, jesus, is the way for our needs to be addressed. He is the way the way the truth and the life come to him in prayer, come to him and surrender, seek him with everything we have. And 4th and finally Jesus is the way that our sins are forgiven. Jesus says, I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father except through me. He knows what he’s talking about. If you have seen in your life, if you have a situation in your life that needs to be resolved, take it to jesus, take it to christ, leave it at the cross, leave it at his feet, come before jesus and and seek him with all that you have with all that you are. Use this time today. Use this quarantine time. Use this season of difficulty that we’re in to draw closer to God and to realize that God is our way maker in and through these difficult times. So let’s be encouraged because we have a way maker. By our side, we have a miracle worker and by our side we have a promise keeper at our side, we have a deliverer at our side, One that makes a way out of No way God is the same yesterday, today and forever