From the Pentecostal Evangel, March 23, 1946.

In the second chapter of Mark we have the wonderful story of the healing of the one sick of the palsy who was laid at the feet of the Lord Jesus. Christ spoke a word, “and immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.”

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever, and wants to manifest Himself in our midst in a similar way. It is His purpose that signs and wonders shall be seen in our midst, and men shall go away and declare, “We never saw it on this fashion.”

God wants the gifts of healings and the working of miracles to be seen in our midst. In the book of Acts we read, “There came also a multitude out of the cities round about Jerusalem bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits and they were healed every one.” God wants us to move on into a Pentecostal experience where we shall see this happen in every meeting.

I believe that if there is anything that God is dissatisfied with, it is our settling down into a stationary condition. We stop on the threshold, when God in His great plan is inviting us into His treasury. Oh, this treasury of the Most High, the unsearchable riches of Christ, this divine position which God wants to move us into, so that we are altogether a new creation, the old self-life having passed away, where we are dead unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

There is one thing that hinders, and that is the carnal mind, which is enmity against God. But there is a glorious victory over carnality through the cross of Christ. My Bible tells me that my old man with all his carnality was crucified with Christ. At the cross of Christ there is victory complete and full over all the old self-life. God wants us to know the resurrection power of the Lord, and to bring us into a place of rest, of faith, of joy and peace and blessing and of fulness of life; the very same Spirit which raised up Christ from the dead quickening our mortal bodies so that we are full and overflowing with the life of Christ Himself.

May the Lord give us a new vision of Himself, and such a fulness of His divine life that we will shake off all that remains of the old life. Let us pray that He may bring us fully into all the newness of life. May He reveal to us the greatness of His will concerning us for there is no one who loves us as Jesus, there is no love like His, no compassion like His. He is filled with love and never fails to take those who fully obey Him into the promised land.

Beloved, in God’s Word there is always more to follow, always more than we can know, and if we will allow the Spirit of God to take us into all that is in the mind of God for us, what wonderful things will happen. Do not merely take a part of the Bible, take it all. When we get such a thirst upon us that nothing can satisfy us but God, we have a royal time.

If you are a child of God do not be satisfied with anything less than reality all the time. God has His hidden treasures for those who seek Him. Are you dry? There is no dry place in God, but all the good things come out of hard times. The harder the place you are in, the more blessedness can come out of it, as you yield to His plan. God is so abundant, so full of love and mercy; there is no lack to them that trust in Him.

It is an ideal thing to get people to believe, when they ask, that they shall receive, for Christ has said, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” It must be so, when God says it.

In the case of this man with the palsy, we see a helpless man, so infirm that he could not help himself to get to the place where Jesus was. Four men, whose hearts were full of compassion, carried the man to the house, but the house was full. I can see that house today as it was filled, jammed and crammed, just as I have seen houses in Mexico, in Switzerland, in Sweden, in Norway, and in Denmark. The places have been packed to hear the word of our Savior. There was no room even by the door. It was crowded inside and crowded outside.

The men who were carrying the palsied man said, “What shall we do?” But there is always a way. I have never found faith to fail, never once. Do not accept opposition. Believe through. There is always a way. May God the Holy Ghost give us a new touch of faith in God’s unlimited power to remove every obstacle, and bring us to the place where we have such a living faith that we dare to trust Him and say, “Lord, I do believe.”

There was no room, not so much as by the door. But these men said, “Let’s go up on the housetop.” Unbelievers would say, “Oh, that’s ridiculous!” But the men of faith declared, “We must get this poor fellow in at all costs. It is nothing to remove the roof. Let’s go up and go through.” That is the spirit that we must have. These men said in their hearts, “Let’s drop him right into the arms of Jesus, and He will fix him up.”

O beloved, that is a lovely thing to do, to drop right out of your self-righteous unbelief, right into the arms of Christ, who will meet every need of yours for spirit, soul, and body. I find some people who have been in a strange place of deadness for years; but press through to our lovely Christ and He will shake you out of it. He can make perfection out of imperfection by His wondrous loving touch.

I tell you, my sister, my brother, that when Christ’s blood was shed, He paid the full price and met all the world’s needs. Truly our Lord Jesus has met the need of the broken hearts and the sorrowful spirits, and also the withered limbs and the broken bodies. God’s dear Son paid the debt for all, for He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. In all points He was tempted like as we are, in order that He might be able to succor them that are tempted.

I want to make Him real to you so that you will say, “He is my only salvation, He is my only life, He is my only help.” Oh, thank God! He has triumphed over all the power of hell. He came to seek and to save that which was lost, and He heals all that come to Him. Even though your faith may be tested, believe, and continue to believe. He never fails. In Him there is full redemption. He is still the same blessed Jesus, under the same mighty anointing filled with the Holy Ghost and with power, just as He was when He went about doing good in the days of His flesh, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.

As the palsied man is let down through the roof there is a great commotion, and all the people are gazing up at this strange sight. We read, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” What did the forgiveness of sins have to do with the healing of this man? It had everything to do with it. Sin is at the root of disease. May the Lord cleanse us from outward sin and from inbred sin, and take away from us all that hinders the power of God from working through us.

The scribes reasoned in their hearts, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” Christ answered the thoughts of their hearts by saying, “Whether it is easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (He saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.”

Christ had seen the weakness of that man and his helplessness. He saw also the faith of these four men. There is something in it for us today. Many people will not be saved unless some of you are used to stir them up. Do not say with Cain, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We have a responsibility towards our brethren, we must take them to Jesus. When these men carried the palsied man, they pressed through until he could hear the voice of the Son of God, and liberty came to the captive. The man became strong by the power of God, arose, took up his bed, and went forth before them all.

Beloved, I have seen wonderful things like this wrought by the power of God. We must never think about our God on small lines. He spoke one day and made the world from things which did not appear. That is the kind of God we have, and He is just the same today. There is no change in Him. Oh, He is lovely and precious above all thought of comparison. There is none like Him. Let us remember this. He has declared, “The just shall live by faith,” and nothing will profit you but that which you take by faith. God wants you to come into a close and intimate place with Himself, where you will believe and claim the promises, for they are Yea and Amen to all that believe.

Let us thank God for this full gospel which is not hidden under a bushel today. Let us thank Him that He is bringing out the gospel to us as in the days of His flesh. God is all the time working right in the very midst of us. Beloved, there is greater blessing for you than you ever received in your life. Do you believe it? Will you receive it?

Labels: 1946, Pentecostal Evangel