Mark 2:4 And when they could not come near to him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up… I. TRUE FAITH IS ALWAYS CONCERNED FOR THE WELFARE OF OTHERS. These men manifestly worked disinterestedly. So faith always acts; like the sister grace of charity, she "seeketh not her own." II. TRUE FAITH ALWAYS LOOKS TO CHRIST AS THE CENTRE OF ITS OPERATIONS. Not forms or ceremonies, or ministers, or churches, or even the Bible itself, but Christ is the only Saviour of the lost. III. TRUE FAITH IS FERTILE IN EXPEDIENTS FOR OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES. Have we exhausted all ingenuity in seeking souls? IV. TRUE FAITH MEETS WITH ITS APPROPRIATE REWARD. What a reward for their faith! Here is infinitely more than they ever expected (Ephesians 3:20). LEARN — that faith is essentially practical; that religion is promoted by the exertions of believers; that to bring others to Jesus is the noblest achievement of man. (W. W. Smith.) Parallel Verses KJV: And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. |