INTRODUCTION:

I read about a man who really wasn't much of a handyman, but with rising cost of living he decided to save some money by changing the oil in his car himself. He prepared very carefully. He went to the store and bought a pair of vehicle ramps to drive his car up on. They were on sale for $29.95. Next he bought a "creeper" so he could roll under his car easily. That cost him $15.95. He also bought a special flat oil pan, a drip free, oil can spout, an oil filter wrench and the oil filter. All of these came to $18.34, for a grand total of $68.73 including tax.

The guy took all of the stuff and headed home. He drove the car up on the ramps. Got on his creeper and rolled under the car where he took out the oil plug and drained the oil in the special flat oil pan. He unscrewed the oil filter with the special oil filter wrench and replaced it with the new filter. He grabbed the special drip free oil can spout and realized that he had forgotten to buy any oil.

No problem, K-Mart wasn't that far away. So, he jumped in the car, backed it off the ramps and drove to K-Mart. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. Cars don't run very well without oil. The cost of his overhaul was $895. Making the total cost of his oil and filter change project right at $964. (1)

We filter a lot of things in life. And you can buy filters for just about anything. Except there's no filter for dumb decisions. I wish there were don't you? I wouldn't have made so many dumb mistakes or done so many things I've regretted doing.

There are a lots thing in life that are filtered, though. We have a lot impurities in our lives and in the world. We filter water, oil, fuel, air, we even filter our coffee. There's nothing worse than a mouth full of grounds in cup of coffee.

We even have filters for our computers. There are internet site filters like Net Nanny (the best one on the market in my opinion) to keep little eyes and minds and even big eyes and minds away from sites they shouldn't see. I wish we had junk mail filters and junk fax filters. Especially for all the junk e-mail we get. We call that stuff Spam.

Now I like Spam, the product. I can't eat it any more. It's too high in fat and salt but I still like it. Spam e-mail, though, just drives me nuts.

We've got Spam filters. Spam is that unsolicited commercial e-mail from someone you don't know and don't care to know. Spam is that junk that clutters up your inbox.

As I've been thinking about it this week. I've come to realize that Spam is not just about the junk e-mail on our computers. I think Spam is a good modern parable for sin. Sin is that junk in our lives that keeps us separated from a loving relationship with God and a life of wholeness.

What better way to talk about that kind of stuff than through the use of something like Spam. Spam is that stuff that clogs up our computers and our arteries. It's that stuff that clogs up and takes over our lives too. Before you know the Spam in your life controls who you are.

And everybody's life is filled we Spam. Just like sin, it's everywhere and in everyone. It's not localized. It's worldwide.

We all want to get rid of the Spam in our computers AND in our lives. Spam is that junk in our lives, those habits, those old wounds, those thoughts, those actions and attitudes, those deeds we've committed that need to be cleaned up and filtered out.

The passage from Mark this morning tells about Jesus forgiving the sins a paralyzed man and the turmoil that pronouncement caused the religious leaders of the day. Jesus then went on to heal the man. Let's look at the passage. Mark 2:1-12. I'll be reading from The Message.

[1] After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was back home.

[2] A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word.

[3] They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men.

[4] When they weren't able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher.

[5] Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, "Son, I forgive your sins."

[6] Some religion scholars sitting there started whispering among themselves,

[7] "He can't talk that way! That's blasphemy! God and only God can forgive sins."

[8] Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and said, "Why are you so skeptical?

[9] Which is simpler: to say to the paraplegic, 'I forgive your sins,' or say, 'Get up, take your stretcher, and start walking'?

[10] Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both..." (he looked now at the paraplegic),

[11] "Get up. Pick up your stretcher and go home."

[12] And the man did it - got up, grabbed his stretcher, and walked out, with everyone there watching him. They rubbed their eyes, incredulous - and then praised God, saying, "We've never seen anything like this!"

Let's look at the passage and see what we can glean today. And find out how our lives can be "Filtered and Purified."

I. HE ADMITTED THE PROBLEM:

A. THE FIRST THING WE NEED TO NOTE ABOUT THIS PASSAGE IS THAT THE MAN ADMITTED THE PROBLEM.

What do you see when you look in mirror? I'm not talking just about your reflection. Do you ever take time to look deeper? Do you like what you see?

Some people like what they see. They're very happy with themselves and content with their life.

Some people don't like what they see but they don't do anything about it. They just continue doing what they've always done. And they blame someone else for their problems. They continue adding insult to injury by living same old self destructive life. Keep letting the Spam in. Don't use any filters. The flow of Spam is wide open and they live a life of no controls.

One of first steps in any 12 step program is to admit there is a problem. THAT'S THE FIRST THING THE MAN IN THE STORY DID. HE ADMITTED THE PROBLEM.

Now he didn't have a whole lot of choice. He was paralyzed. But it still holds true. He had to admit that there was a problem before it could be fixed.

In the early part of the 20th Century, the London Times held a competition in which they asked several prominent authors and philosophers to answer the profound question, "What is Wrong with the World?" Christian humorist and apologist G. K. Chesterton wrote this brief reply: "Dears Sirs: I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton." (2)

Judy was cleaning the kitchen floor with a sponge mop. After completing half the floor, she accidentally dropped the mop. Going to her knees to retrieve the mop, she took a closer look at the tile surface. She noticed that the mop wasn't cleaning some of the lighter stains off the floor. Judy grabbed a pillow to pad her knees and began to scrub the floor by hand to make sure it was really clean. But it was only when she was on her knees that could she see all the dirt and grime. (3)

It's the same in our lives. The most humble place on earth, the place where you can truly be honest with yourself and with God is on your knees.

It's there on our knees in the presence of God that we are able to admit the problems in our lives. It's there, on our knees that we come face to face with the reality of the Spam in our lives.

If we want to clean up the Spam in our lives, THE FIRST THING WE HAVE TO DO IS WHAT THE MAN IN THE STORY DID. ADMIT THE PROBLEM TO OURSELVES AND TO GOD.

II. HE HAD A SUPPORT GROUP:

THE SECOND THING ABOUT THE MAN IS HE HAD A SUPPORT GROUP.

A. The Disney animated movie "Ice Age" is about three prehistoric mammals that return a lost human baby to his tribe. Manny the Wooly Mammoth, Sid the Sloth, and Diego the Saber tooth Tiger all work together as a very unlikely team. Diego, the Saber tooth Tiger, secretly plots to deliver the others to his pack to be devoured. During a volcanic eruption, Manny risks his life to save Diego. The Sabertooth tiger asks Manny why he would do such a thing. And Manny says; "That's how a herd operates. In a herd, everyone looks out for each other."

The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love." NIV

In John 15:12 Jesus put it this way: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

This paralyzed man had a group of men who cared enough for him that they not only carried their friend to Jesus, seeking healing for him. But when they got there and saw that the crowd was too large to go in through the door. Their friendship and concern for their friend spurred them on to break through the roof of Peter's house so they could lower their friend into the crowd so he could be healed by Jesus.

Their move was a little drastic but it worked. This man had one heck of a support group.

B. A support group helps us keep our heads in reality. A support group helps call us to task when we let areas of life start to slide. A support group both encourages us and challenges us to be everything God created us to be.

I've been in an Emmaus Reunion group with 2 other guys for the last 8 years. And I've been in a Clergy support group with the same 5 guys for as long as I can remember. Once a week I meet with my reunion group and we hold each other accountable for our spiritual lives and Christian walk. Once a month or every six weeks I get together with my Clergy support group and we let each other know what's going on and how we're doing. And we challenge each other and support each other.

I'd tear a whole in any roof if any one of these guys were sick and it meant they would be healed.

THIS MAN HE HAD A SUPPORT GROUP. We all need support groups. It can be family but sometimes you're too close. But a Reunion Group can help. A Covenant Group. A Sunday class. Whatever. Each of these can be the kind of support group the man in parable had.

III. HE SOUGHT OUT JESUS:

A. THE THIRD THING SEEMS PRETTY OBVIOUS TO US BUT ISN'T NECESSARILY THAT OBVIOUS. THE MAN SOUGHT OUT JESUS.

I read about a guy who bought a brand new car with one of the high tech GPS guidance systems. The first time drove the car in the rain, he pushed a button to turn on the wipers. The wipers didn't come on but a message flashed across the dash: 'Drive car in 360 degrees.'

He read the manual and discovered that he'd accidentally turned off the car's internal compass. The navigation system had lost its sense of direction. The car had to be pointed due north, and then driven in a full circle to reset the internal compass.

B. Sometimes we lose our direction in life. Sometimes we get lost. Or we forget who we are and start Living Outside Salvation's Touch. It's then that we need to reset our internal compass.

That's what this man did. He sought out Jesus to Reset his internal compass.

The Good News is that we usually don't have to go very far. Why? Because God is looking for US. God is seeking us so we can be in relationship with God. So we can experience the wholeness only God can offer.

And like this guy and his support group we should be looking for God, too. The Paralytic and friends sought out Jesus because they were so sure Jesus could make a difference in this guy's life. They were so sure, that they broke through the roof of Peter's house.

THEY SOUGHT OUT JESUS AND HE MADE A DIFFERENCE.

IV. HE OBEYED AND FOLLOWED JESUS:

A. THE FINAL POINT THIS PASSAGE TEACHES US IS THAT THE MAN OBEYED AND FOLLOWED JESUS.

The First thing Jesus did was offer the man forgiveness. It shocked everybody, including the guy who had been lowered. But maybe that would have been enough. Sometimes the Spam in our lives, the sins we have committed hinder us. It's never the physical loads that wear us out and tear us down. It's the spiritual loads. And the load on our hearts and souls. The weight of the guilt is just too much and we just stumble through life under a heavy load.

But the Good News is that God doesn't look for the most beautiful gold and silver vessels to use. God chooses the best vessel possible. And what's best in God's eyes isn't always the same as what the world would choose.

You see, God's into recycling. If the vessel God has chosen is unclean, cracked, dented or broken, that's Okay. God cleans them up, repairs them and heals and uses them anyway. And most of the time God takes the flaw and then uses it as a singular strength to reach out to the rest of the world.

B. And once God decides to recycle the junk of the world. Once God decides to use us, the castoffs and outcasts of society, all we have to do is what the man in this parable did.

Jesus told him: "Get up. Pick up your stretcher and go home."

His life had been "Filtered and Purified." He had been made whole and all he had to do was follow the one who made him whole. Do you think he ever turned away again? I doubt it.

THIS MAN OBEYED AND FOLLOWED JESUS.

CONCLUSION:

There's an old story about a little boy who went with his mother down to the corner store. The owner took a large jar of candy off the shelf, and invited the little boy to have some. But the boy wouldn't put his hand in the jar. The store owner was surprised by the boy's reaction. So, he stuck in hand in the jar and pulled out a big handful of candy for the boy.

Later the boy's mother asked him why he'd suddenly become so shy, and why he wouldn't take a handful of candy. The little boy grinned from ear to ear and then replied, "Because his hand is much bigger than mine!"

That little boy understood what Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:20-21 NRSV: "Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

To often we think too little of God. We don't put it all into the right perspective. We think that our Spam is unforgivable or our load is too heavy and we don't want to burden anyone else. Or we think our problem is so small and God is so big that God couldn't possibly care. And so we turn way. Or we don't pray or we keep doing what we know is wrong. And keep living in all that Spam.

When in reality we have the greatest Spam filter of all. We have the ongoing work of Salvation through Jesus Christ working in our lives through the Power and Presence of the Holy Spirit. That's the best filter of all. You see, it allows us to see the world, each other and ourselves through the eyes of Jesus. And when we look through the eyes of Jesus, we don't see junk. We see possibilities and grace. We see new life from old junk. We see lives "Filtered And Purified" through the work of the cross.

I don't know what's keeping you separated from God or what Spam you have burdening your soul and spirit. But this morning I'd like to give you a chance to let it go. You've each been given a coffee filter. I want you to write one thing on that filter that you would like to get rid of. One thing in your life the you want filtered out so you can be made whole. Write it and don't share it. This is between you and God. Now fold it up and tear it up.

Then as we sing our hymn of invitation, I want you to bring those forward and dump them in the trash. They go where Jesus went on the trash heap of the world. They were crucified with Him and you don't have to carry that burden ever again.

Let your life be "Filtered And Purified"

ADMIT THE PROBLEM, DEVELOP A SUPPORT GROUP, SEEK JESUS AND THEN OBEY AND FOLLOW HIM.

1. From The Clergy Journal, May/June 1991, pg. 61

2. (Cal and Rose Samra, More Holy Humor)

3. TLN Daily Uplink for February 16, 2003.

4.

www.preachingplus.com

www.SermonWriter.com (Copyright, Richard Niell Donovan, 2000)

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www.deaconsil.com

www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermon.html (Richard Fairchild Lectionary Resources)

Homiletics, (Communications Resources, Inc., Canton, OH)

Lectionary Homiletics, (Lectionary Homiletics, Inc. Midlothian, VA)

Dynamic Preaching, (Seven Worlds Publishing, Knoxville, TN)

The Clergy Journal, (Logos Productions, Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN)

Preaching Magazine (Preaching Resources, Jackson, TN)

Circuit Rider, (The United Methodist Publishing House, Nashville, TN)

The Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1953)

The New Interpreter's Bible, (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1995)

Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 2002) SermonPrep Version.

Preaching the Miracles, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 1998) SermonPrep Version.

Preaching the Parables, Cycle A, (CSS Publishing, Lima, OH, 1997) SermonPrep Version.