Faith that Breaks through the Roof | Pastor Bryan Loudermilk 5/25/25

To apostatize means to break off from one’s saving relationship with Christ or to withdraw from union and faith with Him. This includes two separate but related stages of rejection.

Hebrews 3:12

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

1. Believers become spiritually unconcerned, resistant, or outright rebellious. These individuals show their unbelief by failing to take seriously all the truths, challenges, warning, promises, and teachings of God’s Word. 

2.     The realities of and desires of the world become a higher priority than the realities and desires of God’s Kingdom and purposes. 

3.     The deceitfulness of sin enters in and the believer becomes increasingly tolerant of sin in their own lives. They no longer love what is right and hate sin.

4.     A believer's heart becomes resistant and unresponsive to God. Eventually, it leads to openly rejecting His way.  

Luke 5:17-26 ESV

17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.[a] 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 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.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

I.               Choose friends who have faith (vs 18-20)

And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

A.    Find friends who bring you back to the source.

Proverbs 13:20 (ESV) Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

I Corinthians 15:33 (ESV) Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals

B.     Find friends who raise your level of faith

C.    Find friends who have faith-filled action.

1.     The paralyzed man represents people who are spiritually stuck and able to reach Jesus alone.

2.     Faith is tied to action

3.     Don’t let physical barriers stop what Jesus wants to do in the spiritual.

4.     Your breakthrough might be tied to someone else’s boldness of faith.

D.    Be the friend you want them to be to you.

The faith that moves mountains also moves roofs

II.              Have a posture of desperation to have daily encounters with Jesus

A.    Remove excuses that hinder your path to daily encounters

1.     There is a difference between being present and encountering His presence.

2.     “Move from corporate encounters to daily encounters” – Mercy Culture

B.    Draw near to Him

James 4:6-8 (ESV)

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

III.            Keep the Gospel at the Center of Your Life (vs 20-24)

20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts?  23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 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.”  Luke 5:20-24 (ESV)

A.    Jesus the son of God has authority to forgive sins

Jesus was more concerned with this man’s inner healing of his soul than he was with his physical healing.

1.     Initiated by faith

2.     You have direct access

3.     Substitutionary atonement

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

4.     Don’t be paralyzed by the guilt of past sins

5.     Forgiveness in the antidote

B.    Place yourself under the authority of Jesus

1.     He knows your heart

2.     He is the Son of Man: Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV)

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven     there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days     and was presented before him.14 And to him was given dominion     and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages     should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,  and his kingdom is one that shall not be destroyed.

3.     Place yourself under his designed spiritual authority.

IV.            Never stop Glorifying God (vs 25)

25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” Luke 5:25-26 (ESV)

A.    Never stop glorifying God for what he has done in your life.

B.    When the power of God shows up, people take notice

1.     Awe

2.     Fear