Knocking Down the Obstacles

“…people brought to Jesus all who were sick. He placed his hands on each one and healed them.” Luke 4:40

Mark 2:1-12 (Jesus Heals the Paralyzed Man)

Props: 6 buckets, each labeled with one of the following “obstacles”: doubt, unbelief, fear, unconcern, busyness, problems.  One bean bag (or ball) large enough to knock down each bucket. 

Throughout the lesson, set down the buckets in a pyramid as you speak.  (3 on bottom row, 2 on middle row, 1 on top). 

God wants all of us to be like the men in today’s Bible lesson that carried the paralyzed man to Jesus.  Those men cared about the man who was paralyzed and they did whatever it took to get him to Jesus for a miracle.  They even tore through part of the roof!  The crowds may have been in their way and the roof may have been blocking their way to Jesus, but that didn’t stop them. 

            If we’re going to help bring people to Jesus, we will have things that get in our way, too.  The men had to take off part of the roof.  You will have to deal with things in your way.  Let’s look at some of the things that may get in the way. 

• (Hold up bucket that says doubt).  Doubt is thinking that God won’t do a miracle, or that He may not want to do a miracle for you or the person you’re praying for.  (Set down bucket on floor or table).  Doubt gets in the way, because if you believe that God won’t help you, you’re not going to ask. 
• (Hold up bucket that says unbelief).  Unbelief also gets in the way of many miracles.  Unbelief is believing that God can’t help you, even if He wanted to.  It gets in the way because if you don’t believe in God’s power then you’re not going to trust Him to do a miracle for you or anyone else.  (Set “unbelief” bucket beside doubt bucket.  Hold up bucket that says fear). 
• Fear is a huge obstacle for many people.  Have you ever wondered, “What if I pray for my sick friend and he/she doesn’t get well?”  That’s fear.  Fear can keep you from even praying for a miracle or asking someone else if you can pray for him or her.    (Set “fear” bucket beside “unbelief” bucket.  Hold up bucket that says unconcern). 
• Many people let unconcern get in the way of bringing people to Jesus.  It’s easy to forget that people have needs and problems, or to get caught up in your own problems and not care about others’ needs.  (Set down “unconcern” bucket on top of first row of buckets.  Hold up bucket that says busyness). 
• One more thing that you can allow to get in the way of bringing people to Jesus is busyness.  You might get busy with school, homework, chores and friends and not take the time to help people who need a miracle.  Those four men who carried the paralyzed man to Jesus were probably busy, but they set everything else aside and took the time to help him.  (Set down “busyness” bucket beside “unconcern” bucket.  Hold up bucket that says problems). 
• Finally, you may allow yourself to let problems stop you from bringing people to Jesus.  Maybe you have problems of your own and you let that stop you from helping other people find Jesus.  (Set down “problems” bucket on top of the stack.  Pick up bean bag.)    

 The key is to get all of these things out of the way.  The men in today’s Bible lesson tore through the roof to get the paralyzed man to Jesus.  So let’s see how we can take care of these problems.

            When you have problems of your own, remember the verse that says, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).  Care for others and God will take care of you.  (Knock down “problems” bucket).   

            If you are getting too busy to help others, remember that Jesus said to “do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).  If you would want others to stop and help you, then take time to help them.   (Knock down “busyness” bucket).

            There may be times when you don’t care about others and aren’t concerned about their problems.  God’s Word teaches us to “carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).  That means we should all help each other out and care about bringing people to Jesus when they need a miracle.   (Knock down “unconcern” bucket).

            If fear gets in your way, remember what Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).  (Knock down “fear” bucket).

            When you’re tempted not to believe in God’s power, remember that Jesus taught us “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22).  (Knock down “unbelief” bucket).

            If you’re doubting that God can work a miracle, keep in mind the words of Jesus: “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done” (Matthew 21:21).  In other words, if you believe God to do miracles and don’t doubt, nothing is impossible.  (Knock down “doubt” bucket).

            Remember, you can bring people to Jesus when they need a miracle.  Look at the things that were standing in the way.  Knock them down by using everything God taught us in His Word, the Bible.  Get rid of whatever is keeping you from helping others when they need a miracle.  You can be the blessing that someone is praying for.