Leave No Man Behind

June 16, 2024 // Father’s Day // Child Dedication // Worship at the Park

Mark 2:1-12

• 10/3/1993 – more than 100 U.S. Army Rangers & Delta Force soldiers were dropped by helicopters deep in the capital city of Mogadishu to capture a Somali warlord.  Hundreds of Somalis were being starved under this country’s corrupt regime.  The mission was to be an easy in, easy out no more than an hour, but things went wrong and a firefight erupted.  Two U.S. Blackhawk helicopters were shot down and pilot Michael Durant was captured and taken away.  Yet, his fellow soldiers would not give up.  

A movie was made of this real-life event, and in one of the most dramatic scenes of the movie, a helicopter flies over the streets of Mogadishu, and Durant’s fellow soldiers speak into the sound system for all in the city to hear: “Mike Durant, we won’t leave you behind!  Mike Durant we won’t leave you behind!”  These were not only words of encouragement for Mike Durant, but they were also a declaration to the enemy.  Eleven days later Durant would be released and brought home, and reunited with his fellow soldiers that survived the battle.  

Many men have been shot down, wounded, and held hostage by the enemy.  As followers of Jesus we fight against the darkness of this culture in a very real battle—a battle that is claiming more lives than we know.  We need to develop and live with a ‘leave no man behind’ attitude.  And why should we do that?  In the last 2 months I have been engaging with:  

• Father of an 18 year old senior who took his life on the morning of graduation
• 42 year old father putting the pieces of his family together after his daughter was groomed by an older man (school resource officer)
• 21 year old man who gave his life to Christ 6 months ago and fighting for the battlefield of his mind in a psychiatric/behavioral unit 
• 42 year old man who threw his life away with felony charges w/ an underage girl 
• A 38 year old man who literally lost his life due to a relationship with a high school student

This leave no man behind mindset may require a paradigm shift in how you, your seed group, and perhaps our church (Vine) ministers to men and the Liberty HS/Bethlehem community.  Ministering to men for the sake of Christ and His Gospel is not about events, programs, or activities; it is about better and stronger relationships.  And the perfect model for how to minister to men is Jesus.  Jesus provides example after example of how to interact with men, teach men, counsel men, challenge men, mobilize men, lead men, and call men to a deeper commitment.  I would like to share a familiar story from early in Jesus’ ministry that will give us a vision for ministering to men and the type of man God uses. 

• MARK 2 – Four friends who learn Jesus the miracle worker is in town.  They commit to take their paralyzed friend to Jesus so he can be healed.  Let’s read verses 1-12.  
• Jesus Heals a Paralytic
• 2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. (The Good News of the Gospel, that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, for the forgiveness of sins) 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. (Since he was lying on a bed, the man’s paralysis was severe—perhaps he was a quadriplegic) 4 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. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (The aggressive, persistent effort of the paralytic’s friends was visible evidence of their faith in Christ to heal) (Many Jews in that day believed that all disease and affliction was a direct result of one’s sins.  This paralytic may have believed that as well; thus he would have welcomed forgiveness of his sins before healing.  The Greek verb for “are forgiven” refers to sending or driving away.  Thus Jesus dismissed the man’s sin and freed him from the guilt of it.)  6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (They refused to recognize Jesus’ power as coming from God, much less that he himself was God)  8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? (It’s much easier to say your sins are forgiven.  No human can prove that such a thing actually occurred since it is invisible.  Commanding a paralytic to walk would be more difficult to say convincingly, however, because of the actions of the paralytic would immediately verify the effect of the command) 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Jesus’ power to heal the paralytic’s physical infirmities proved the veracity of His claim and power to forgive sins)  
• These friends went through such trouble because they knew a man would be changed, healed, and transformed when brought into the presence of God.  These ordinary men believed they could do something extraordinary in the life of their friend if they only got him to Jesus.  It’s no different today.  God is looking for ordinary men to reach out to the men around them in the name of Jesus.  
• (4) Practical Applications from this story:

1. Men of Commitment
2. Men of faith/trust – A commitment to take Jesus at His Word
3. Men living & working in community
4. Men willing to pay the price 

• 1.  Men of Commitment – they were the friends the man needed to get to Jesus and be healed and forgiven.  The paralytic had 2 things going against him.  First, people with physical deformities were ostracized from society, disowned to fend for themselves.  Second, the mindset was that people with physical problems must have done something wrong and brought this on themselves. We see this cultural attitude in John 9:1-3 when Jesus comes across a blind man and the disciples ask Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  The friends of the paralytic were not going to allow social stigma or physical obstacles to affect their ministry to him.  They understood Jesus came for people.  (Needy, broken, hurting, marginalized, etc.)  The friends’ commitment to this man was great—they saw the paralytic the way Jesus saw him and they did whatever needed to be done to get him to Jesus. We devote time to succeeding at our jobs, making money, enjoying our hobbies, etc.  How much of our time do we devote to what is most important to Jesus:  PEOPLE.  Do we have a Holy Spirit sensitivity to the needs of others?  Most men have a mat, a place of brokenness, a weakness in his life.  Most men have a wound that needs healing.  Most men at some point in their lives have a need for others to carry him at times.  Look around and you will see men that need someone to help them into the presence of Jesus.  And that someone is you.  Men, we are sons of God. Men are His mission, so they are our mission.  In Colossians 4:2 Paul wrote, “ Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  May I encourage you to start each day with a simple prayer:  “Lord open my eyes to the needs of those around me.”  And as you go through the day ask the Lord to give you the vision to see the “mats” of men in your sphere of influence.  
• 2. Men of Faith/tTrust – A Commitment to take Jesus at His Word – In Luke 4:18 Jesus said HE came to preach Good News to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed.  The four men believed that Jesus could heal their friend, that Jesus could forgive him, that Jesus could transform him.  Their belief was greater than the obstacles.  Their friend couldn’t walk, the house was packed, and there was a roof in the way.  Just like these men we face obstacles and our faith in Jesus needs to be greater than any obstacles.  If we believe Jesus can do anything—heal a marriage, break an addiction, restore a relationship; if we believe Jesus can heal a wound and forgive a sin no matter how big it may seem then how can we possibly be okay with leaving men behind?  We need to bring men into the presence of Jesus and let Him do His work in their lives.  This is what followers of Jesus do.  Verse 5 in Mark 2 says an amazing thing, “When Jesus saw their faith…”  I like to think that Jesus considered this discipleship at its finest, people loving one another.  And when Jesus looked at the man on the mat, he saw not only a broken body but a broken fallen soul.  “Son, your sins are forgiven,”  He tells the man.  He heals him spiritually and physically.  The man gets up, takes his mat as a testimony and reminder of what Jesus did in his life and walks out the door.  This is what Jesu does best—transforming us from what we are to what we will become.  Transformed into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18, Eph. 4:20-22).  When Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus, Jesus said, “You are Simon son of John.  You will be called Cephas (translated Peter) in John 1:42.  You are, but you will become.  This is what Jesus wants to do in our lives and in the lives of the men in your sphere of influence.  God is looking for men of uncompromising faith—to crash roofs and go to any measure to bring another man into the transforming presence of Jesus.  
• 3.  Men Living and Working in Community – after pilot Mike Durant was captured in Somalia, it was not up to one soldier to rescue him.  Instead hundreds of soldiers were mobilized for the sake of the one.  In the story of the paralytic, it was four men who mobilized for the sake of one.  We don’t know how far they carried him but we know it took all four to take the man to the home and then up to the roof to lower him down to Jesus.  There is power in working together to reach men and bring them to safety.  There is power in sharing the load with each man carrying a corner of the mat.  Jesus showed us in scripture to do Kingdom work in community.  We see this throughout scripture.  The New Testament recounts about forty instances of Jesus healing people, and in thirty four of those, someone else helped or was with the person who was healed.  Our walk with Christ is a community project.  The isolated, separated, independent contractor, Jesus and me religion that often marks the modern church is not anything remotely close to what is described in the New Testament.   We need the intervention of the body of Chrst because we are all blind due to sin.   And the scary part is that a physically blind person knows that he is blind, spiritually blind people are blind to their blindness. Who knows you? Who have you invited into your private space as an instrument of seeing?  When someone who knows you points out a sin, weakness, or failure are you thankful?  Or do you rise to your defense?  Are you a master at giving nonanswers to personal questions or do you run toward the help the Lord has provided?  And not only that, but a community of believers is never there for itself or an end in itself.  It is a sign pointing further and deeper to the only Hope for humanity, calling us to love Him and one another.  Some thoughts to consider:  What can we do together that we cannot do by ourselves?  Is our Seed Group missional in nature or does it exist for itself?  Is our Seed Group open to bringing in new folks?  Is it a place of love, encouragement, acceptance, and truth?  Does our Seed Group really care about people who do not know Jesus?  Do we have plans to reach them?  What would it mean for our Seed Group to have a leave no man behind attitude?  A man who does not gather with a community beyond Sundays is a defenseless, foolish man.  And at risk to eventually be in captivity like Mike Durant. In the book, Lead Pastor Paul David Trip writes, “…behind the fall of church leaders was a dysfunctional ministry community that the crisis wasn’t just a crisis of individual leaders…the crisis was a crisis of leadership…that there was something not happening in those leadership communities that needed to happen and there were things happening that shouldn’t happen.  We need a healthy Gospel community to ignite spiritual health so that we may be fruitful in the things God has called us to do.”  The leadership here at Vine, the elders and seed group elders need your prayers and we need to pray for one another as well.  I am sensitive to this as someone who grew up in a religious atmosphere bordering on fundamentalism with prideful leadership and another church that started well and ended up losing its way because the eldership did not hold the Pastor(s) lovingly accountable.  All of us need checks and balances, a genuine community.  A lost and dying world doesn’t need another reason to mock and discredit our faith.  
• 4.  Men Willing to Pay the Price – There is no questioning the soldiers commitment to not leave Mike Durant in the hands of the enemy.  They knew it would cost them, and it did.  Eighteen U.S. soldiers were killed and more than seventy were wounded.  If we are going to make the commitment to leave no man behind, it will cost us as well.  The first cost will be time.  We live in a hyper speed time filled with doing stuff.  But reaching out to someone takes unhurried time and you cannot build relationships or bring others into the presence of Jesus in a hurry.  Second, it may cost you money.  The friends of the paralyzed man put a hole in the roof.  It makes me wonder how they made that right with the homeowner whether they fixed it themselves or paid the homeowner for the damage done.  Helping someone may cost you financially.  If a coworker is having struggles at home, it will cost you money when you take him out to lunch to talk.  It will cost you when you invite someone with you to a ballgame to fellowship.  When you reach out to a neighbor whose spouse is sick, you might buy them food.  When you reach out to a man who lost their job, you might end up helping by paying bills for the month.  It will cost your time, talents, resources, etc.  Third, leaving no man behind may bring controversy or ridicule.  Jesus was constantly harassed by religious leaders for hanging out with the non-religious of the time.  After Jesus healed the paralyzed man, the Pharisees saw him later eating with tax collectors.  They asked the disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors & sinners?”  (Mark 2:16)  When a man reaches out to the hurting, broken, confused, lost, marginalized, and ostracized of the world, there may be a price to pay.   The fourth cost is risk.  The four friends took a huge risk by lowering their friend through the roof.  Jesus showed us how to take a risk when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well.  There are almost fifty times in the New Testament when Jesus is seen interacting with nonreligious types or those who the jews considered terrible sinners.  To leave no man behind means not playing it comfortable or safe.  The Lord’s work gets done by men willing to take risks and not letting the cost make them passive.  Our Lord is looking for roof crashers, giant killers, and water walkers.  There are men in your sphere of influence that feel valueless, hopeless, Isolated, lonely, and lifeless.  But not in the eyes of Jesus.  They were created in His image.  He loves them and died for them.  No matter the life they have lived, they still have value and worth in the eyes of God.  May I suggest that all they need are a few mat carriers to help them out.  They need men who will leave their comfort zone, be bold, and take a corner of the mat and bring them in the presence of Jesus.  And when we do, we imitate the Greatest Father ever, the Great I Am; our Sovereign Savior King Lord Jesus.  Because Romans 5:8  reminds us that God showed his love for us in that while we (you and me) were still sinners, Christ died for us. Imagine that amazing Grace; while we (you and I) were still sinners, Christ died for us.  
• (2 Corinthians 5:21) reminds us that…He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  
• HE (God) made Jesus sin.  Only in one sense.  He treated Him as if He committed every sin ever committed by every person who would ever believe…though in fact He committed none of them.  Hanging on the Cross He was Holy & undefiled.  Hanging on the Cross He was a spotless lamb.  He was never for a split second a sinner.  He is Holy God on the Cross.  But God is treating Him as if He lived my life, your life.   God punished Jesus for our sins, turns right around and treats us as if we lived His life.  That’s the great doctrine of substitution.  That is the heart of the Gospel.  And what you get is complete forgiveness covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  When He looks at the Cross He sees you.  When He looks at you He sees Christ.  
• Amen.  Hallelujah.  
• In closing, we want ultimately to arrive at the question on this Father’s Day of how we will live differently because of what we have heard.  Otherwise, we might be tempted to simply listen & enjoy without allowing this to make us Holy by greater surrender, trust, submission, and rest in the One who holds your next breath.  What then will you do?  As David said to Solomon on his deathbed in (1 Kings 2:2 ESV) – Be strong, and show yourself a man.  So, how will you show yourself a man?  And be more Christlike?  Your family, friends, and those in your sphere of influence need committed and consistent followers of Jesus.  In light of what you heard, what is one thing you will do?  
• Let’s Pray:  Lord, may your Word today cause us to act and be the Good News and not just talk about the Good News to others.  Lord may Galatians 2:20 define us  Not I, but Christ.  You have made it clear that I am to be identified first and foremost as a Christ follower.  Help us to never substitute following Christ for anything else.  When we are having to make a choice between identifying with you or anything else, would you convict us toward choosing you only?  Everything else must be a distant second…our job, people, family, ethnicity, money, possessions, status, whatever wants to have our heart.  May we be people who truly seek first Your Kingdom and Your Righteousness.  May your standard be our standard.  May we not dumb down your standard so that we can gain the acceptance of people around us.  May we be willing to suffer with Christ because that is a part of our identity in Jesus.  If we’ve been rejected, may we gladly take up your cross because we have been accepted by you.  And may we accept the consequences of that identity.  May popularity with this world never trump popularity with you.  May I remember that to love the world is to lose the love of the Father.  It is to lose the experience of YOU at work in our lives.  May we not make the mistake of choosing this world over you.  May we love you with our whole heart and embrace our identity in YOU more than anything else.  In Christ, Amen.