The Empty Chair
Sermon Discussion Guide - Not Going Well (August 9th, 2026)
August 9, 2026 · Mark 2:1–12
Big Idea
When you can't walk by faith, borrow someone else's.
Recap
Week 2 of The Empty Chair took us to Mark 2, where four friends carry a paralyzed man to Jesus — and when the crowd blocks the door, they climb the roof, dig through it, and lower him down. It cost them time, dignity, and somebody's roof. Notice what Jesus responds to: "Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'" The man on the mat had no faith to offer that day; his friends had enough for both. Jesus met the deeper need first — forgiveness — and then healed the body, proving He had the authority to do both. This is the second of our three "nots": when things are not going well in someone's life, the walls come down, and that's often the moment God uses a friend who is willing to do something inconvenient.
Connect
Who is the friend in your life who shows up when things fall apart — the one who brings food, sits in the waiting room, or just refuses to leave? What do they do that makes them that person?
Tell us about a time somebody helped you with something you absolutely could not do on your own.
Check-In
Looking back at last week — keep this to 10–15 minutes.
Last week we each wrote down one name — the "not in church" person God put on your heart — and committed to pray for them daily and make one no-agenda move in 24 hours. Who did you write down, and did you make the move?
For those who took a step: what happened? For those who didn't: what got in the way?
Contemplate
Read Mark 2:1–12 (CSB) out loud together — twice, slowly. The first time, just listen. The second time, ask everyone to note one word or verse that stands out.
Setting the scene: Capernaum was Jesus' home base. Houses were small, single-story, flat-roofed structures with an outside stairway; roofs were packed mud, straw, and branches over wooden beams — diggable, but expensive to repair. When Mark says there was no room "even in the doorway," picture a house so jammed that the only way in was through the ceiling.
In verses 3–4, list everything these four friends actually had to do to get their friend to Jesus. What did each step cost them?
Verse 5 says Jesus saw their faith — not the paralyzed man's. What does that tell you about how God works through a community?
Jesus deals with sin before He deals with the man's legs (v. 5). Why do you think He addressed the need nobody in the room was asking about?
Read verses 6–10 again. What are the scribes right about, and what are they missing? How does the healing prove Jesus' point?
Verse 12: everyone is astounded and gives glory to God. Who all gets to celebrate in this story, and why does that matter for a group like ours?
Additional passages: Galatians 6:1–2; James 5:13–16; Luke 5:17–26.
Consider
Be honest — when has your own faith been on the mat? Who carried you, and what did they do?
Who in your life right now is in a season where things are clearly not going well? Say the name out loud if you can.
The friends hit a crowd and found another way in. What obstacle stands between the person you just named and Jesus — schedule, distance, hurt, awkwardness, your own fear? What's your roof to dig through?
Sometimes we offer only the practical help and stay quiet about Jesus. Which comes easier for you — the casserole or the conversation? Why?
In the next 24 hours, what is the one concrete thing you will do for the person you named — the text, the call, the meal dropped off, the offer to pray with them out loud?
Cover
Confession: where have we noticed someone's life caving in and chosen convenience — telling ourselves we'd be intruding — instead of picking up a corner of the mat?
Dependence: Holy Spirit, give us faith big enough to carry someone else's, and courage to name Jesus out loud and not just be nice.
Intercession: pray by name, out loud, for the person each member named tonight — for their body, their circumstances, and above all their forgiveness — and for anyone in this room who is the one on the mat right now.
Practices
Pick up a corner of the mat. Choose one person whose life isn't going well and do one tangible thing for them this week — a meal, a ride, childcare, showing up.
Pray for them by name every day, and tell them you're doing it. "I prayed for you this morning" is a sentence most people never hear.
Ask one invitation question. Before next Sunday, ask, "Can I pray with you right now?" or "Would you come with me Sunday?" — then let it sit without pressure.