BARRIERS TO BLESSINGS

Mark 2:1-5

There were three periods in the Life Of Christ. They are:
1. OBSCURITY. This was the period of time from His birth until His baptism.
2. POPULARITY. This was the period of time for about a year or year and half after He started His public ministry.
3. REJECTION. This was the period of time before His death and the nation of Israel rejected Him as a nation at Pilate’s judgment hall.
“Again” – He had been there before.
“Capernaum” - Majority of miracles worked there.
“Noised” - word got out. How did the word get out?
“After some days” - rested for several days.
“Crowd gathered “
“He preached the word unto them”
“Four men carrying friend” Where did they get him? What problem did these men encounter? They encountered a Barrier. They did not allow the barrier of people to stop them from getting the blessing of God.

What are some barriers that prevent the blessing of God from coming to you? Let me explore three quickly.

I. SELF-CENTERED Philippians 2:21
“For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s”
This is exactly opposite what our Lord Jesus did. His whole ministry was others. There is a song of yesteryear that expresses how our Lord Jesus lived. The name of the song is “Others”. We are more interested in ourselves. If we want to get the blessings of God, then we need to get rid of this barrier.

II. INDIFFERENT Lamentations 1:12
“Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by”
In other words, the Lord is asking if we care less. That is one of the attitudes that we face is that people careless whether or not they get the blessings of God or not. They are so wrapped up in the things of the world and seem to have everything else that the blessings of God are the last thing on their mind. Also since it is the last thing on their mind, they are blinded to the need. They are indifferent to the claims of Christ. They are indifferent to the church that God has placed in their lives. They are indifferent to the promises of Christ. Another word for indifference is apathy. What is apathy? It is beautifully illustrated with this sentence. “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

III. CRITICAL ATTITUDE
There was a sign in a business one time that read “You came in here without knocking - leave same”. That is good advice. This is especially true for church.
There is enough grouches in this world. Why should we be one of them?

An old preacher of yesteryears preached a message calls “Some dogs I have known.” He likened the qualities of some dogs to certain kinds of people. These demonstrate some of the attitudes of people including the critical ones.
1. Some are like collies—slow, patient, kind, friendly.
2. Chihuahuas—snappy, yappy, nervous, cowardly, irritable.
3. Poodles—dainty, prissy, high strung, high maintenance, good for nothing.
4. Pit-bulls—Strong, tough, tenacious, brave, high tolerance to pain, fighters.
5. Great Danes—Large, slow, cumbersome, not too bright.
6. Rat Terriers—Fast, playful, full of energy, desire to please, easy to teach/train.
7. German shepherds—Protective, alert, intelligent, quick.
8. Mutts—Common looking; loyal; easy-going; always available.
He concluded his sermon by saying, “But a dog is still a dog!”

A critical attitude like some of these dogs is still an attitude. It is a barrier to the blessings of God.

How do get rid of these barriers to the blessings of God? I thought upon this and one verse of scripture came to mind. Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”

Having our minds like Christ will destroy self-centeredness, indifference and a crucial attitude.