WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:22.079 chapter 9. Beginning in verse 1. Matthew, he 00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:25.260 writes, speaking of our Lord, that he got into 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:27.199 a boat and he crossed over, again that's the 00:00:27.199 --> 00:00:30.190 Sea of Galilee, And he came, and we should say 00:00:30.190 --> 00:00:33.710 he came back to his own city. Then behold, they 00:00:33.710 --> 00:00:37.310 brought him a paralytic lying on a bed. When 00:00:37.310 --> 00:00:41.009 Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 00:00:41.229 --> 00:00:45.710 Son, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven 00:00:45.710 --> 00:00:49.450 you. And at once some of the scribes said within 00:00:49.450 --> 00:00:54.049 themselves, This man blasphemes. But Jesus, knowing 00:00:54.049 --> 00:00:56.850 their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in 00:00:56.850 --> 00:00:59.820 your hearts? For which is easier to say, Your 00:00:59.820 --> 00:01:02.399 sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk? 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:06.719 But that you may know that the Son of Man has 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:10.260 power on earth to forgive sins. Then he said 00:01:10.260 --> 00:01:15.420 to the paralytic, Arise, take up your bed, and 00:01:15.420 --> 00:01:19.319 go to your house. And he arose and departed to 00:01:19.319 --> 00:01:23.200 his house. Now when the multitude saw it, they 00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:29.489 marveled, and they glorified God, or I should 00:01:29.489 --> 00:01:35.590 say authority to men. Let's pray. Our God and 00:01:35.590 --> 00:01:39.810 Father, we would see your son this morning. Lord, 00:01:39.870 --> 00:01:42.129 we know through the pages of Holy Scripture, 00:01:42.349 --> 00:01:44.489 he is veiled in flesh. And Lord, we don't see 00:01:44.489 --> 00:01:48.310 the full orbed glory that belongs to him as the 00:01:48.310 --> 00:01:51.129 living God. But Lord God, this morning, would 00:01:51.129 --> 00:01:54.230 you help us by your spirit to point to your son 00:01:54.230 --> 00:01:58.379 and we're to see the hope. to see the help, to 00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:01.620 see the forgiveness, to see the salvation that's 00:02:01.620 --> 00:02:04.280 found in him. God, would you help me this morning 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:07.400 to preach Christ? Lord, this is the task of the 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:10.060 preachers, to preach Jesus. And Lord God, would 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:12.520 you give me grace to do so, I pray now in his 00:02:12.520 --> 00:02:16.479 blessed name. Amen. It's interesting, we're reading 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:19.879 in Matthew, but John, in his epistle, the epistle 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:22.060 of 1 John, there's an interesting verse there, 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:24.280 1 John chapter 3, and it's found in verse 8. 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:27.960 And it says, the reason the Son of God appeared. 00:02:28.080 --> 00:02:30.460 Now that's an important statement. Because if 00:02:30.460 --> 00:02:31.620 John's writing there, he said, now I'm going 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:34.539 to tell you the reason Jesus came. The reason 00:02:34.539 --> 00:02:39.439 the Son of God appeared was to destroy, to annihilate, 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:43.000 if you will, the works of the devil. So John's 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:45.919 telling us here that the reason Christ came was 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:50.680 to destroy the works of Satan. So what does that 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:54.020 mean? Christ came to undo all the damage that 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:56.979 Satan had inflicted and caused. He came to redeem 00:02:56.979 --> 00:03:00.379 what Satan had stolen. But he said he came to 00:03:00.379 --> 00:03:04.259 destroy the works of the devil, plural. What 00:03:04.259 --> 00:03:07.000 are the works of the devil? Well, it's easy to 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:10.460 say sin, and of course that's not wrong. But 00:03:10.460 --> 00:03:12.419 what are the works that John is referring to? 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:15.099 When we talk about sin, even if we just use the 00:03:15.099 --> 00:03:18.680 word sin, sin, even scripturally, is multifaceted. 00:03:18.990 --> 00:03:21.110 The Bible used different terms. We see the word 00:03:21.110 --> 00:03:25.490 sin or transgression and iniquity. So, for example, 00:03:25.569 --> 00:03:27.069 when you see the word sin, these are all different 00:03:27.069 --> 00:03:30.169 Greek words. When you see the word for sin in 00:03:30.169 --> 00:03:33.370 Scripture, it's anything that violates God's 00:03:33.370 --> 00:03:36.490 law. It's anything that falls short of God's 00:03:36.490 --> 00:03:40.189 standard or God's righteousness. So sin, then, 00:03:40.289 --> 00:03:42.889 is to miss the mark. There's a bullseye of God's 00:03:42.889 --> 00:03:46.139 perfect standard, God's perfection. And anything 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:48.439 that would fall outside of that bullseye, regardless 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:54.120 how close or how far, is sin. Now, the word transgression. 00:03:54.680 --> 00:03:58.340 This means you violate a known command or boundary. 00:03:59.099 --> 00:04:01.840 Often, not necessarily, but it often implies 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:04.300 a deliberate disobedience. You knew what the 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:07.479 standard was. This I see with my children. Don't 00:04:07.479 --> 00:04:10.719 do that, and they do it. That's what we do as 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:14.360 well. God said don't, and we did. Or God said 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:18.990 do. And we didn't. That's a transgression. Then 00:04:18.990 --> 00:04:21.910 we come to the word iniquity. Iniquity, it's 00:04:21.910 --> 00:04:24.470 describing a persistent or ingrained pattern 00:04:24.470 --> 00:04:27.569 of wrongdoing. This is a state. It's a state 00:04:27.569 --> 00:04:29.689 of moral corruption. So when you think about 00:04:29.689 --> 00:04:33.050 repeated sin, iniquity is going to be the consequences 00:04:33.050 --> 00:04:36.290 of repetitive sin. It's more a settled pattern. 00:04:36.550 --> 00:04:41.310 Someone living in iniquity. Now when Satan, when 00:04:41.310 --> 00:04:43.829 he tempted Adam and Adam fell into sin, there 00:04:43.829 --> 00:04:48.509 was a disruption in God's good creation. For 00:04:48.509 --> 00:04:50.850 the first time ever, man was now alienated from 00:04:50.850 --> 00:04:53.870 our creator. We're alienated from God. And when 00:04:53.870 --> 00:04:56.610 we are alienated from God, chaos is going to 00:04:56.610 --> 00:04:59.029 ensue. So you find chaos in the created order 00:04:59.029 --> 00:05:01.310 and you see that all around, even in weather 00:05:01.310 --> 00:05:03.949 patterns. Then you also have disease introduced 00:05:03.949 --> 00:05:07.120 into the human species for the first time. Death 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:09.660 begins to take place, and not just death for 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:13.180 man, but death for all creatures. So when we 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:16.660 talk about the works, John, the works of Satan, 00:05:16.860 --> 00:05:20.300 he's referring to his spiritual deception, his 00:05:20.300 --> 00:05:25.300 ability to deceive, moral corruption, the disruption 00:05:25.300 --> 00:05:30.839 of all creation, and Jesus came to destroy those 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:33.000 works. Now you look at the word destroy, the 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:36.530 Greek word is luo, and it means to loosen. to 00:05:36.530 --> 00:05:40.529 untie, to set free. So what do we mean that Jesus 00:05:40.529 --> 00:05:43.449 came to set free? It's the idea of liberation 00:05:43.449 --> 00:05:46.329 day, friends. This is freedom day. Jesus came 00:05:46.329 --> 00:05:50.569 to liberate, to set free both his people and 00:05:50.569 --> 00:05:55.149 all of creation from the bondage of Satan. So 00:05:55.149 --> 00:05:56.829 that means where there once was going to be deception 00:05:56.829 --> 00:06:00.009 and where there's darkness, Jesus is bringing 00:06:00.009 --> 00:06:03.379 revelation. He's bringing light. Where there's 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:06.560 now moral corruption, Jesus came to bring holiness. 00:06:07.420 --> 00:06:10.519 That's why we're a holy people. Where there's 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:14.860 brokenness, Jesus came to bring wholeness. And 00:06:14.860 --> 00:06:16.579 you start to see that in the miracles. Look at 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:19.199 the broken people, and Jesus is restoring back 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:21.720 to health and wholeness. And where there was 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:25.879 a disruption of the created order, Jesus came 00:06:25.879 --> 00:06:28.560 to bring shalom. Now, shalom is a greeting. It 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.019 simply means peace. But when we talk about peace, 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:33.620 we think of absence of conflict. But that's a 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:35.439 different Greek word. That's erene. When we're 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:37.899 talking about shalom, it's the idea of harmony 00:06:37.899 --> 00:06:41.680 everywhere. Wholeness. It's life as God intended 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:44.819 it to be. And lastly, where there was death, 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:50.120 Jesus came to bring life. How could that possibly 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:53.300 happen? How is he going to do that? This is the 00:06:53.300 --> 00:06:56.800 divine mystery, church. This is the wonder. It's 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:59.990 the mystery of the incarnation. What do we mean 00:06:59.990 --> 00:07:03.250 by that? The Son of God, the second person of 00:07:03.250 --> 00:07:07.410 the Godhead, would take on flesh. He would become 00:07:07.410 --> 00:07:13.449 a man. Why? In order to redeem mankind and defeat 00:07:13.449 --> 00:07:16.629 Satan. He's going to enter purposely into enemy 00:07:16.629 --> 00:07:18.449 territory. And what he's going to do, he's going 00:07:18.449 --> 00:07:20.069 to reclaim it. He's going to stake it for his 00:07:20.069 --> 00:07:23.490 own. He's coming to reclaim all the ground that 00:07:23.490 --> 00:07:26.949 was lost now for the glory of God. So Jesus is 00:07:26.949 --> 00:07:29.430 going to defeat Satan. He's going to redeem his 00:07:29.430 --> 00:07:31.750 sinful people. He's going to restore creation 00:07:31.750 --> 00:07:33.930 by becoming a man. But you're like, well, how 00:07:33.930 --> 00:07:41.290 does that work? Through his life, death, resurrection, 00:07:41.550 --> 00:07:45.870 and ascension, Jesus will redeem and he will 00:07:45.870 --> 00:07:51.009 restore all that Satan sought to destroy. Now 00:07:51.009 --> 00:07:54.110 we come to Matthew's gospel. Matthew has been 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:57.269 showing us precisely what I've been saying, the 00:07:57.269 --> 00:08:01.509 restoration. We see Jesus conquering Satan, little 00:08:01.509 --> 00:08:05.209 by little. He's taking back... all things from 00:08:05.209 --> 00:08:08.149 enemy territory. Just look at the miracles. The 00:08:08.149 --> 00:08:11.250 miracles are not ostentatious displays. They're 00:08:11.250 --> 00:08:14.250 signs. What is he doing? He's healing people 00:08:14.250 --> 00:08:16.350 where they were broken and diseased. There's 00:08:16.350 --> 00:08:18.870 life and wholeness where people were bound by 00:08:18.870 --> 00:08:21.069 demons. He's now setting them free through those 00:08:21.069 --> 00:08:24.310 exorcisms. He's basically saying, Satan no more. 00:08:24.410 --> 00:08:28.790 This is mine. Matthew opened this gospel. Jesus 00:08:28.790 --> 00:08:31.769 is the promised Messiah. He's the king of the 00:08:31.769 --> 00:08:36.740 Jews. Son of David, son of Abraham, son of God. 00:08:37.620 --> 00:08:39.980 He's the one who has power, but not just power, 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:42.919 but he has authority to accomplish this great 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:45.659 task that the Father had given to him. Now, if 00:08:45.659 --> 00:08:47.419 you're in the King James, there's two words, 00:08:47.539 --> 00:08:50.860 and they're both translated power. Other translations 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:52.500 will differentiate them because they're two different 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:55.019 words. There's power and authority. This is an 00:08:55.019 --> 00:08:58.039 important point. Power, if you just look at the 00:08:58.039 --> 00:09:00.669 word power, it's the word dunamis. Think dynamite. 00:09:00.830 --> 00:09:03.370 This means you have the ability, you have the 00:09:03.370 --> 00:09:06.669 strength, the ability to carry out the commission. 00:09:08.090 --> 00:09:10.750 But then you have the word authority, also translated 00:09:10.750 --> 00:09:13.169 power in King James and sometimes in the New 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:17.090 King James. It's the word exousia. And it means 00:09:17.090 --> 00:09:20.450 you have the right to do it. You have the jurisdiction 00:09:20.450 --> 00:09:22.970 to do it. So not only do you have the power to 00:09:22.970 --> 00:09:24.830 carry it out, but you have the right to carry 00:09:24.830 --> 00:09:26.110 it out. That's what they're fighting about in 00:09:26.110 --> 00:09:28.970 California. We know that the Marines can go in 00:09:28.970 --> 00:09:31.149 and squelch that rebellion in California. They 00:09:31.149 --> 00:09:33.710 have the power to do it. Governor Newsom's saying 00:09:33.710 --> 00:09:36.470 they don't have the right to do it. And what 00:09:36.470 --> 00:09:38.370 we're seeing here in this gospel, though, is 00:09:38.370 --> 00:09:41.049 that Jesus both has the power, he has the ability, 00:09:41.250 --> 00:09:43.929 and the authority, he has the jurisdiction, over 00:09:43.929 --> 00:09:47.590 what? Everything you've seen. Sickness? He did 00:09:47.590 --> 00:09:50.080 it. Nature, he calmed the wind and the seas. 00:09:50.379 --> 00:09:54.419 Hell itself, he's casting out demons. Why? He 00:09:54.419 --> 00:09:58.679 is the superior and everyone must obey his voice. 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:02.399 Now today we even get a clearer picture of this. 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:05.919 I love this passage. I love what we're getting 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:07.899 ready to look at this morning. You see that Jesus 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:10.179 has the authority, the power, the jurisdiction 00:10:10.179 --> 00:10:15.139 over sin. And he has the divine prerogative, 00:10:15.259 --> 00:10:19.250 the authority. To forgive. Now let's get our 00:10:19.250 --> 00:10:22.070 bearings about us. Last week we were crossing 00:10:22.070 --> 00:10:23.929 over from Capernaum and we were going to the 00:10:23.929 --> 00:10:26.470 Gentile side, remember? Jesus and his disciples 00:10:26.470 --> 00:10:28.490 had left Capernaum because the crowds were too 00:10:28.490 --> 00:10:30.450 large and they would not even give him a moment's 00:10:30.450 --> 00:10:32.570 break. So he and his disciples, they get into 00:10:32.570 --> 00:10:35.049 the boat and they sail to the other side. But 00:10:35.049 --> 00:10:38.570 in the meantime, a violent storm arose that threatened 00:10:38.570 --> 00:10:40.870 to sink the boat. And of course, Jesus, what's 00:10:40.870 --> 00:10:43.690 he do? He wakes up and he simply speaks to the 00:10:43.690 --> 00:10:46.240 wind and the waves and they obey him. So they 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:48.700 arrive safely in that area known as the Decapolis. 00:10:49.019 --> 00:10:52.700 That's on the western side, and that's more the 00:10:52.700 --> 00:10:56.879 Gentile area where Jesus healed 2 ,000, excuse 00:10:56.879 --> 00:11:00.840 me, not 2 ,000, he healed two severely demon 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:04.179 -possessed men by casting out thousands of demons 00:11:04.179 --> 00:11:06.840 from them who then entered into that herd of 00:11:06.840 --> 00:11:10.279 swine nearby. Now think about this. All these 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:12.980 demons were in these two men. We know then these 00:11:12.980 --> 00:11:16.279 demons, they leave, they go into, 2 ,000 pigs, 00:11:16.480 --> 00:11:19.759 we are told. These 2 ,000 pigs rushed down the 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:22.419 cliff into the sea, and they drowned themselves. 00:11:23.500 --> 00:11:26.360 But the two men were saved. So the whole town 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:28.100 there in the Decapolis, that whole area, got 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:29.960 word of what had happened, and they came out 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:31.980 to see for themselves exactly what had taken 00:11:31.980 --> 00:11:34.799 place. And when they had ascertained all the 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:38.620 facts, they said, Jesus, please leave. Leave 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:40.960 us alone. We do not want you here any longer. 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:44.460 They asked Jesus to leave, so he did. He left. 00:11:44.809 --> 00:11:48.330 Now today, Matthew 9, he's crossing back from 00:11:48.330 --> 00:11:51.309 the Decapolis, back across the Sea of Galilee, 00:11:51.370 --> 00:11:53.929 and he's entering back to Capernaum, where he 00:11:53.929 --> 00:11:56.029 had previously left, where he had done many miracles, 00:11:56.269 --> 00:11:58.309 and where the crowds had been grown so large 00:11:58.309 --> 00:12:01.009 he had to leave. So look at verses 1 and 2, and 00:12:01.009 --> 00:12:04.049 you see that. It says he arrived in his own city. 00:12:04.230 --> 00:12:06.710 This is not Nazareth. Nazareth is a place where 00:12:06.710 --> 00:12:09.750 he grew up. Born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, 00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:13.470 but from his whole public ministry, The city, 00:12:13.509 --> 00:12:15.190 which would be his base of operations, would 00:12:15.190 --> 00:12:17.529 be Capernaum. And that's where he is. He's back 00:12:17.529 --> 00:12:20.509 in his own city, the base of operations. It says, 00:12:20.610 --> 00:12:23.509 now notice, there's no antecedent here. It says, 00:12:23.590 --> 00:12:26.190 they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. 00:12:27.649 --> 00:12:32.070 Well, who? They. They brought to him. Who are 00:12:32.070 --> 00:12:35.730 they? Matthew never tells us. Now, Mark and Luke 00:12:35.730 --> 00:12:38.490 also wrote about this event. Mark chapter 2, 00:12:38.590 --> 00:12:42.139 we read this. Then they came to him. bringing 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:45.240 a paralytic who was carried by four men. And 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:46.740 then it goes on to tell you what they did about 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:48.419 when they could not come near him because of 00:12:48.419 --> 00:12:50.379 the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was, 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:52.159 so when they had broken through, they let down 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:55.399 the bed on which the paralytic was lying. It's 00:12:55.399 --> 00:12:57.220 interesting. We're never told who these men are. 00:12:58.059 --> 00:12:59.720 We're only told how many there were. There were 00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:03.940 four men carrying a man who was paralyzed. Now 00:13:03.940 --> 00:13:05.940 Jesus is back in Capernaum, so what's that mean? 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:10.110 Wildly popular, right? Wildly popular because 00:13:10.110 --> 00:13:12.210 his fame had spread because of all the miracles 00:13:12.210 --> 00:13:14.809 he had done. And so he gets back in Capernaum, 00:13:14.830 --> 00:13:18.429 and guess what happens? Immediately, crowds begin 00:13:18.429 --> 00:13:21.830 to form. Now, ironically, it was those same large 00:13:21.830 --> 00:13:23.730 crowds that had driven him away because they 00:13:23.730 --> 00:13:26.649 wouldn't even give him a moment's rest. But here's 00:13:26.649 --> 00:13:28.789 four men. We don't know their names. We don't 00:13:28.789 --> 00:13:30.769 know anything about them. But somehow they know 00:13:30.769 --> 00:13:33.830 Jesus is back in town, and they had a very sick 00:13:33.830 --> 00:13:35.690 friend, I assume. Could have been a loved one. 00:13:35.809 --> 00:13:38.350 We don't know. But four men said, we've got to 00:13:38.350 --> 00:13:40.769 get this guy to Jesus. Now, if you're in the 00:13:40.769 --> 00:13:44.409 King James, it says the man had the palsy. If 00:13:44.409 --> 00:13:45.710 you're in others, it's going to say he's paralyzed. 00:13:45.889 --> 00:13:49.649 The palsy, it's the Greek word paralytikos, paralytic. 00:13:49.950 --> 00:13:53.470 The man's paralyzed. So by the time they get 00:13:53.470 --> 00:13:56.809 to the house where Jesus is now teaching, there 00:13:56.809 --> 00:14:00.350 were so many people gathered, they couldn't enter. 00:14:00.690 --> 00:14:03.409 They couldn't even get near the house. hordes 00:14:03.409 --> 00:14:06.669 of people had gathered again to hear Jesus. We 00:14:06.669 --> 00:14:09.250 read about that in Mark 2. And again, he entered 00:14:09.250 --> 00:14:11.769 Capernaum after some days. It was heard that 00:14:11.769 --> 00:14:14.509 he was in the house. Now look at verse 2. Immediately, 00:14:14.610 --> 00:14:18.190 many gathered together so that there was no longer 00:14:18.190 --> 00:14:21.009 room to receive them, not even near the door. 00:14:21.049 --> 00:14:23.870 You couldn't even get near the door. And it says 00:14:23.870 --> 00:14:26.730 Jesus preached the word to them. Okay, see, these 00:14:26.730 --> 00:14:29.230 guys, they're desperate. What are we going to 00:14:29.230 --> 00:14:32.659 do? And we can't get close to him. But these 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:35.159 men were undeterred. They were going to do whatever 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:39.279 it was necessary to get this man to Jesus. Desperate 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:41.980 times call for desperate measures. There was 00:14:41.980 --> 00:14:44.399 no case more desperate than this paralyzed man. 00:14:45.320 --> 00:14:47.440 So these men, they came up with an ingenious 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:48.980 idea. They said, hey, let's get him up on the 00:14:48.980 --> 00:14:53.580 roof. And they began a radical demolition project. 00:14:54.300 --> 00:14:55.860 Now they go up on the roof. They're not pitched 00:14:55.860 --> 00:14:57.879 roof. Roofs in first century Palestine, these 00:14:57.879 --> 00:14:59.879 were typically flat. They were made of local 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:01.399 materials. So you think of the trees, there'd 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:03.820 be cedar trees, sycamore trees, olive trees. 00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:07.179 That would have served as the beams. And then 00:15:07.179 --> 00:15:10.120 they're going to use smaller sticks, some reeds, 00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:12.960 even palm branches or palm leaves. They would 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:16.120 use as cross beams. Then they would pack it together 00:15:16.120 --> 00:15:19.539 with clay or mud and just let it harden. So these 00:15:19.539 --> 00:15:21.320 four men, they go up to the top of the roof. 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:23.679 They get the paralyzed man up there as well, 00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:27.059 and they begin to tear open a hole. They're just 00:15:27.059 --> 00:15:29.200 digging away with their hands, just clawing away. 00:15:30.139 --> 00:15:32.080 Now I was thinking about this. What if you were 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:34.539 in the house, okay? You're sitting there. Let's 00:15:34.539 --> 00:15:36.539 say you're in the living room, and some clay 00:15:36.539 --> 00:15:39.320 begins to fall on your head. And all of a sudden 00:15:39.320 --> 00:15:40.740 you look up, and you're like, you see sunshine 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:43.879 peering through the living room ceiling. You're 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:46.440 like, that's not good when sunshine starts to 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:48.259 appear in your living room through the roof. 00:15:48.860 --> 00:15:51.179 So they start to look up. And then suddenly, 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:56.700 you have a man being lowered before you into 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:59.659 your presence on a stretcher into the room where 00:15:59.659 --> 00:16:02.960 you were seated. Now, surely these people, and 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:05.440 I think the paralyzed man, he never speaks, at 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:08.240 least not in this particular passage here. They 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:11.740 were wondering, all right, what's Jesus going 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:19.559 to do now? Verse 2, the latter part. Their faith. 00:16:20.659 --> 00:16:23.200 He said to the paralytic, son, be of good cheer. 00:16:23.580 --> 00:16:26.200 Okay, I'll just stop there for a minute. Jesus 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:29.840 saw their faith. He did not see his faith. He's 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:31.360 not talking about the paralyzed man's faith. 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:33.320 He's talking about the four men. He saw their 00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:35.500 faith. You say, well, how did he see it? Now, 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:36.799 some of you are saying, well, he's God in the 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:38.919 flesh. He's omniscient. He knows all things. 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:41.679 And therefore, he knew these men had faith. But 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:43.679 it didn't say Jesus knew their faith. It said 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:48.039 he saw their faith. How did he see it? The answer 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:50.820 lies in what just took place. These four men 00:16:50.820 --> 00:16:53.620 were so convinced that if they brought this paralyzed 00:16:53.620 --> 00:16:57.440 man to Jesus, then he would be healed. This is 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:59.799 why they were desperate enough to go up on top 00:16:59.799 --> 00:17:04.519 of a roof to get this broken man to Jesus. They 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.900 believed that Jesus was this man's answer, and 00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:10.799 their actions proved it. Well, how do you know 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:18.259 they believed? Look at what they did. Faith shows 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:23.460 itself in works. These men believed and their 00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:26.500 actions, well, it demonstrated, it proved they 00:17:26.500 --> 00:17:29.339 did believe. Because this is the point. Faith 00:17:29.339 --> 00:17:32.200 is internal. I can't see faith. You can't see 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:36.180 faith. It is unseen. But what is internal? What 00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:39.119 is in us? What is not seen within us? If it is 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:42.759 genuine, folks, it will show itself externally 00:17:42.759 --> 00:17:46.779 and visibly in our lives. And that's exactly 00:17:46.779 --> 00:17:48.940 what we see with these guys. James wrote about 00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:51.839 that in James chapter 2. Someone will say, you 00:17:51.839 --> 00:17:54.920 have faith or you say you have faith and I have 00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:57.859 works. James poses this question. He says, okay, 00:17:57.980 --> 00:18:01.539 let's do a project here. You show me your faith 00:18:01.539 --> 00:18:06.079 without your works. I will show you my faith 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:12.140 by my works. Works are not faith. They're not 00:18:12.140 --> 00:18:16.769 the same. Works are the... consequence of faith. 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:20.869 They demonstrate it. Now, Jesus seeing these 00:18:20.869 --> 00:18:25.289 men's faith, he said to the paralytic, son, be 00:18:25.289 --> 00:18:28.990 of good cheer. That's a good word. Be of good 00:18:28.990 --> 00:18:31.670 cheer. Son, don't be afraid. Something good is 00:18:31.670 --> 00:18:34.130 coming your way. That's what it means. Don't 00:18:34.130 --> 00:18:37.109 be afraid, son. Something good is headed right 00:18:37.109 --> 00:18:40.549 now. Now, once you hear... Son, be of good cheer. 00:18:40.730 --> 00:18:42.710 What do you think everyone in the house, including 00:18:42.710 --> 00:18:44.750 this paralyzed man, is expecting to hear next? 00:18:45.849 --> 00:18:51.170 Be healed. Instead, we hear, be of good cheer. 00:18:51.349 --> 00:18:54.029 Something good's coming your way. Your sins are 00:18:54.029 --> 00:18:58.809 forgiven you. What did he just say? I mean, did 00:18:58.809 --> 00:19:00.890 we hear him correctly? Did we hear him what we 00:19:00.890 --> 00:19:03.549 think he said? Did he say that your sins are 00:19:03.549 --> 00:19:07.670 forgiven? Now, these men had brought this man 00:19:07.670 --> 00:19:13.910 to Jesus. To be healed, not to be forgiven. Jesus 00:19:13.910 --> 00:19:15.329 said, no, no, no. Be of good cheer. Take heart, 00:19:15.430 --> 00:19:19.809 young man. Your sins are forgiven. Now, let's 00:19:19.809 --> 00:19:21.329 be honest. Let's stop here before we go any further. 00:19:21.430 --> 00:19:23.970 If Jesus looks at you and he tells you your sins 00:19:23.970 --> 00:19:26.069 are forgiven, that is reason enough to be happy 00:19:26.069 --> 00:19:28.690 and rejoice. That's a very good day, by the way. 00:19:29.289 --> 00:19:32.529 If nothing else would have happened on that day, 00:19:32.690 --> 00:19:36.119 it would have been reason enough. for this paralyzed 00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:38.779 man to be carried home and to rejoice for the 00:19:38.779 --> 00:19:41.079 rest of his life. His sins had been forgiven. 00:19:42.220 --> 00:19:46.539 But we read more. Why did Jesus forgive the man 00:19:46.539 --> 00:19:51.460 before he healed him? Well, this is speculation. 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:56.460 Perhaps to show the priority of spiritual healing 00:19:56.460 --> 00:19:58.259 over physical healing. Now let me explain that. 00:19:58.700 --> 00:20:01.960 Because this is what we need to see today. This 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:05.720 man's greatest wound, this man's greatest need 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:11.500 was not his paralysis, but rather his sin. That 00:20:11.500 --> 00:20:15.519 is the greatest need of mankind. He is estranged 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:19.359 from God and he needs forgiveness. Now that's 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.380 not denying the man is in a very broken condition. 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:26.740 But the greatest need he had was to be reconciled 00:20:26.740 --> 00:20:30.960 to God, forgiven by God. before he ever was able 00:20:30.960 --> 00:20:36.500 to regain use of his limbs. Sin lies at the root 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:40.099 of all human suffering. That does not mean that 00:20:40.099 --> 00:20:42.980 this man's paralysis was directly caused by a 00:20:42.980 --> 00:20:48.380 sin. But all disease, all brokenness has at its 00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:53.019 root, at its core, sin. All disease does. Because 00:20:53.019 --> 00:20:56.220 Adam fell, we fell with him in his first sin, 00:20:56.339 --> 00:21:00.160 and disease entered in the world. R .C. Sproul 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:04.039 said this, When people came to Jesus, it did 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:07.140 not matter whether they came on stretchers or 00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:09.220 they walked in under their own power, whether 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:11.640 they were blind, deaf, crippled, or completely 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:15.279 healthy. All of them came into his presence carrying 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:19.140 a burden of guilt. To have that burden removed 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:23.779 was far more important ultimately than to receive 00:21:23.779 --> 00:21:28.140 physical healing of their bodies. Amen. This 00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:31.380 is why our greatest job and mission of the church 00:21:31.380 --> 00:21:36.539 is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It reconciles 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:40.200 sinful man back to God. Now, secondly, you're 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:41.980 saying, why do you do this? I'm giving you speculation 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:44.119 here. Secondly, and I think this is a reason 00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:45.779 why, and I think I can show you from the text, 00:21:45.960 --> 00:21:49.539 we know from Luke's gospel that the scribes and 00:21:49.539 --> 00:21:51.579 Pharisees, remember those religious leaders, 00:21:51.779 --> 00:21:55.339 they also had heard about Jesus' fame, and they 00:21:55.339 --> 00:21:57.640 came up to see what was going on. We read about 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:01.180 that in Luke chapter 5, same event. Now it happened 00:22:01.180 --> 00:22:03.160 on a certain day as he was teaching that there 00:22:03.160 --> 00:22:05.579 were Pharisees and teachers of the law, that's 00:22:05.579 --> 00:22:08.140 scribes, sitting by who had come out of every 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:10.960 town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. Now they 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:13.599 left Jerusalem and came all the way up to northern 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:16.140 Israel into Capernaum, and the power of the Lord 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:18.119 is present to heal. So Jesus was healing a lot 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:20.259 of people. Now we know it's the same event because 00:22:20.259 --> 00:22:23.180 look at verse 18. Then behold, men brought on 00:22:23.180 --> 00:22:24.720 a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought 00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:26.849 to bring in and lay before him. Same event here. 00:22:27.589 --> 00:22:30.809 So now Jesus knows who's gathered, right? He 00:22:30.809 --> 00:22:32.609 knew that the religious leaders, scribes and 00:22:32.609 --> 00:22:34.349 Pharisees, are there. You would have known that 00:22:34.349 --> 00:22:35.930 by the way they were dressed also, by the way. 00:22:36.549 --> 00:22:38.650 But he knows their thoughts. He knows their hearts. 00:22:38.789 --> 00:22:40.829 He knows they're cold -hearted. He knows that 00:22:40.829 --> 00:22:42.869 they're unbelieving, and he's going to confront 00:22:42.869 --> 00:22:46.109 them, and he's going to demonstrate his own divine 00:22:46.109 --> 00:22:50.069 authority. So these men are present. Jesus hooked 00:22:50.069 --> 00:22:52.869 up this man, and he says, your sins are forgiven. 00:22:53.730 --> 00:22:56.410 And the scribes, who were the Jewish theologians, 00:22:56.529 --> 00:23:01.730 were outraged. Look at verse 3. And at once some 00:23:01.730 --> 00:23:04.509 of the scribes said within themselves, this ain't 00:23:04.509 --> 00:23:06.730 blasphemes. You've got to be kidding me. This 00:23:06.730 --> 00:23:10.009 isn't of God. He's a blasphemer. Now what's it 00:23:10.009 --> 00:23:13.609 mean to blaspheme? To blaspheme is to speak ill 00:23:13.609 --> 00:23:17.250 of God or to show great disrespect or contempt 00:23:17.250 --> 00:23:22.920 for him. So blasphemy, you can say God is majestic. 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:27.339 Any violation of God's majesty is blasphemy. 00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:32.779 It's to rob him of the honor due unto him. Now 00:23:32.779 --> 00:23:35.319 in the scribes and Pharisees' minds, you've got 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:39.220 a man, they say just a man, Jesus, who is taking 00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:42.759 to himself a divine prerogative to forgive sin. 00:23:43.259 --> 00:23:46.539 In Luke, we read in chapter 5, verse 21, the 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:48.500 scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying, 00:23:49.390 --> 00:23:53.670 Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive 00:23:53.670 --> 00:23:57.670 sins but God alone? That last question, excellent. 00:23:57.789 --> 00:23:59.950 Who can forgive sins but God alone? And you know 00:23:59.950 --> 00:24:01.549 what their answer was? No one. And you know what 00:24:01.549 --> 00:24:04.609 our answer is? No one. They're correct there. 00:24:05.089 --> 00:24:09.829 Only God can forgive sin. But Jesus just said 00:24:09.829 --> 00:24:14.329 he forgave this man's sin. What was Jesus saying? 00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:20.619 He was saying that he was God in the flesh. These 00:24:20.619 --> 00:24:25.460 religious leaders were right. Only God has the 00:24:25.460 --> 00:24:29.920 authority to forgive sin. And Jesus, by his own 00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:34.079 authority, just forgave a man his sins. It is 00:24:34.079 --> 00:24:38.940 clear Jesus is claiming to be divine. There's 00:24:38.940 --> 00:24:40.519 no doubt. There's no ambiguity in this claim 00:24:40.519 --> 00:24:44.140 whatsoever. But we go on. But Jesus, knowing 00:24:44.140 --> 00:24:45.779 their thoughts, he said, why do you think evil 00:24:45.779 --> 00:24:48.630 in your hearts? He is God in the flesh. He knows 00:24:48.630 --> 00:24:51.349 the thoughts of these men. So you ask him a question. 00:24:52.529 --> 00:24:54.190 Why do you think evil in your hearts? He says, 00:24:54.230 --> 00:24:59.150 basically, why are you assuming that I am blaspheming? 00:24:59.230 --> 00:25:02.710 Now, can I tell you here an irony? The very fact 00:25:02.710 --> 00:25:05.109 that the scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus 00:25:05.109 --> 00:25:08.910 of blasphemy is causing them to blaspheme. They're 00:25:08.910 --> 00:25:11.549 speaking ill of God. Jesus is God in the flesh. 00:25:11.950 --> 00:25:14.750 They're the ones guilty of blasphemy. So Jesus 00:25:14.750 --> 00:25:17.460 then asked him a question. He said, listen, Let 00:25:17.460 --> 00:25:19.799 me ask you this question. Which is easier? To 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:21.680 say to this man, be healed, or to say to him, 00:25:21.700 --> 00:25:26.319 your sins are forgiven? Which is easier? Now, 00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:30.240 what's Jesus doing? He's masterful in the way 00:25:30.240 --> 00:25:32.099 that he just gets these guys and pins them against 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:36.299 the wall. Anyone, anyone can say your sins are 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:39.000 forgiven, but how do you prove that? I can say, 00:25:39.019 --> 00:25:40.579 oh, your sins are forgiven, but I have no way 00:25:40.579 --> 00:25:43.559 of proving that in a tangible way, indeed, your 00:25:43.559 --> 00:25:46.819 sins are forgiven. I can't prove it. But if there's 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:48.279 a man that comes before him and he's paralyzed, 00:25:48.339 --> 00:25:52.339 and I say to him, be healed, there would have 00:25:52.339 --> 00:25:56.599 to be some tangible evidence, some proof, that 00:25:56.599 --> 00:25:59.220 the healing actually took place. Look at verse 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:03.200 6. But so that you may know that the Son of Man 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:05.579 has power. Now this is, if you look here in verse 00:26:05.579 --> 00:26:07.140 6, it should be on the wall behind me here. Go 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:09.440 to the next slide, guys. No, I didn't put it 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:11.619 there. He has the power. It's the word authority. 00:26:12.619 --> 00:26:15.900 Exousia. So that the Son of Man has the right 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:19.599 on earth to forgive sins. So he looks over and 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:24.220 he says to this young man, Arise, take up your 00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:27.579 bed and go home. Okay, he's going to show these 00:26:27.579 --> 00:26:30.319 religious leaders, You think I'm guilty of blasphemy? 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:33.220 I will prove to you I have the authority to forgive 00:26:33.220 --> 00:26:36.279 sin. So he told the paralytic, Get up, take up 00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:37.759 your mat, which you won't be needing anymore, 00:26:37.980 --> 00:26:42.000 and go home. Look at verse 7. And he arose and 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:44.190 departed to his house. I love this. Jesus said, 00:26:44.210 --> 00:26:45.769 get up and go home. He got up and went home. 00:26:46.390 --> 00:26:49.690 But he went for the first time. Notice, no one's 00:26:49.690 --> 00:26:53.990 assisting him. No one is carrying him. He can 00:26:53.990 --> 00:26:59.809 do it himself. Jesus spoke, and his word brought 00:26:59.809 --> 00:27:03.950 life. Jesus spoke, his word brought healing. 00:27:05.349 --> 00:27:08.130 Jesus spoke, and his word brought forgiveness. 00:27:09.589 --> 00:27:14.309 God's word is attached to God's power. Just as 00:27:14.309 --> 00:27:15.990 it was in the beginning, so it is with Jesus. 00:27:16.069 --> 00:27:21.049 He speaks, friends, and it's done. What does 00:27:21.049 --> 00:27:25.049 this miracle prove? It's a sign, right? It proved 00:27:25.049 --> 00:27:29.269 Jesus, he calls himself the son of man, he has 00:27:29.269 --> 00:27:33.390 authority to heal and he has authority to forgive. 00:27:34.849 --> 00:27:37.680 Matthew puts this in his gospel. He's letting 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:41.539 his readers understand who Jesus is. Remember, 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:43.660 he's talking about the kingdom. What's Christ's 00:27:43.660 --> 00:27:45.720 kingdom going to look like? Look at this miracle. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:49.400 Jesus is the king. He's the long -awaited son 00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:53.880 of David. He's finally come, and he brings both 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:58.140 physical healing and spiritual healing or divine 00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:04.220 forgiveness. The Lord Jesus has come to bring 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:09.710 shalom. wholeness, harmony, destroying the works 00:28:09.710 --> 00:28:13.450 of the devil. He's taking back everything that 00:28:13.450 --> 00:28:16.910 Satan stole incrementally, piece by piece, and 00:28:16.910 --> 00:28:18.990 he's giving it and restoring it back to his father. 00:28:19.170 --> 00:28:24.210 He's come to make all things new. Amen? And we're 00:28:24.210 --> 00:28:28.589 seeing that. Healings. Where there's brokenness, 00:28:28.589 --> 00:28:32.250 there's now wholeness. But notice that when Jesus 00:28:32.250 --> 00:28:35.480 looked at these scribes and Pharisees, He spoke 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:41.680 of himself as the Son of Man. Now, Son of Man, 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:44.539 I don't want to go into a real long excursus 00:28:44.539 --> 00:28:47.140 here, but the Son of Man is a messianic title 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:49.980 found in the book of Daniel. It is also a title 00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:52.880 given to just a Son of Man. But if you're talking 00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:55.599 about the Son of Man, it's a messianic title 00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:58.019 you find in Daniel 7. Now, notice this is so 00:28:58.019 --> 00:29:00.180 important, and I love what Jesus is doing here. 00:29:00.900 --> 00:29:03.890 Because he's always subtle. He's letting the 00:29:03.890 --> 00:29:06.490 light bulbs click in their own minds. Now, Daniel 00:29:06.490 --> 00:29:09.750 has this vision. He says, I, Daniel, was watching 00:29:09.750 --> 00:29:11.890 the night visions, and behold, one like the Son 00:29:11.890 --> 00:29:14.910 of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven, that's 00:29:14.910 --> 00:29:17.609 usually judgment, he came to the Ancient of Days, 00:29:17.910 --> 00:29:21.630 and they brought him, Son of Man, near before 00:29:21.630 --> 00:29:24.690 him. Ancient of Days. Now, if you look at Ancient 00:29:24.690 --> 00:29:27.930 Days, he's sitting on a throne, full of white, 00:29:27.990 --> 00:29:32.380 eyes like fire. This is God, okay? Then to him, 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:38.180 son of man, now notice verse 14, was given dominion 00:29:38.180 --> 00:29:43.259 and glory and a kingdom that all peoples and 00:29:43.259 --> 00:29:47.019 nations and languages should serve him. His dominion, 00:29:47.019 --> 00:29:50.619 the son of man, is an everlasting dominion which 00:29:50.619 --> 00:29:53.099 shall not pass away. His kingdom, that's the 00:29:53.099 --> 00:29:55.420 son of man's kingdom, is the one which shall 00:29:55.420 --> 00:29:58.069 not be destroyed. Awesome here. All right, so 00:29:58.069 --> 00:29:59.809 now you have something. Daniel has a vision. 00:29:59.849 --> 00:30:02.089 It's a vision, folks. We know that God the Father 00:30:02.089 --> 00:30:04.289 and God the Son are ontologically one, meaning 00:30:04.289 --> 00:30:06.250 they're not separate. You don't have God on this 00:30:06.250 --> 00:30:07.789 throne, Jesus on this throne talking to each 00:30:07.789 --> 00:30:10.710 other. It's a vision. It's helping us understand. 00:30:11.250 --> 00:30:13.490 You have an ancient of days representing God 00:30:13.490 --> 00:30:15.710 the Father. You have the Son of Man representing 00:30:15.710 --> 00:30:20.710 the Messiah. The Son of Man is given. He's bequeathed 00:30:20.710 --> 00:30:26.329 dominion, authority. He's also given glory, and 00:30:26.329 --> 00:30:29.210 he's given a kingdom. Now, what's the glory? 00:30:29.569 --> 00:30:32.089 This is the glory. That all peoples, nations, 00:30:32.250 --> 00:30:34.250 and language groups should serve him. What does 00:30:34.250 --> 00:30:37.210 Philippians 2 tell us? Every single knee is going 00:30:37.210 --> 00:30:39.650 to bow and every tongue is going to confess that 00:30:39.650 --> 00:30:42.910 that man named Jesus is Lord. That's what it 00:30:42.910 --> 00:30:45.589 means right there. This kingdom, though, he's 00:30:45.589 --> 00:30:48.150 given a kingdom, and this kingdom will never 00:30:48.150 --> 00:30:52.890 be destroyed. His dominion, his authority, Jesus, 00:30:52.990 --> 00:30:57.079 it's everlasting. The Son of Man. will rule as 00:30:57.079 --> 00:31:02.680 king forever over all people. Now, Jesus looks 00:31:02.680 --> 00:31:06.299 at these religious leaders and he's talking about 00:31:06.299 --> 00:31:10.819 himself and he uses this title, son of man. They're 00:31:10.819 --> 00:31:14.380 experts in the law, folks. They immediately know 00:31:14.380 --> 00:31:18.299 what he would have meant. Jesus is looking directly 00:31:18.299 --> 00:31:22.059 at these religious leaders and saying this, I 00:31:22.059 --> 00:31:28.720 am the Messiah. I am your king. I am the one 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:31.900 sent from God. By the way, by his miracles, he 00:31:31.900 --> 00:31:34.859 proved it to them. Think how cold hearted you 00:31:34.859 --> 00:31:36.519 have to be. Think of all that they had seen. 00:31:36.660 --> 00:31:39.279 They knew, they can see that Jesus is proving, 00:31:39.400 --> 00:31:43.460 I am your king. But we go to the end of Matthew 00:31:43.460 --> 00:31:47.619 and just before Jesus is crucified, what do these 00:31:47.619 --> 00:31:50.059 religious leaders cause all of Israel to cry 00:31:50.059 --> 00:31:56.740 out? We have no king. But Caesar. They understood 00:31:56.740 --> 00:31:58.779 what Jesus meant. He was claiming to be their 00:31:58.779 --> 00:32:00.759 king. Even Pilate said this is the king of the 00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:03.619 Jews. Don't say that. Say he said I'm the king 00:32:03.619 --> 00:32:09.180 of the Jews. We have no king but Caesar. The 00:32:09.180 --> 00:32:13.099 king had come and they rejected him. The kingdom 00:32:13.099 --> 00:32:18.400 of God was offered to them. They shut themselves 00:32:18.400 --> 00:32:22.140 out. The healing of this paralyzed man, it's 00:32:22.140 --> 00:32:24.799 a foretaste, friends. It's a foretaste of the 00:32:24.799 --> 00:32:27.839 kingdom to come. It demonstrated the kingdom 00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:29.799 of Christ. If you are in Christ and you're a 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:31.940 part of this kingdom, here's what you can look 00:32:31.940 --> 00:32:35.180 forward to. The restoration of all creation. 00:32:36.299 --> 00:32:40.240 We sung how long, oh Lord, how long till your 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:43.220 glory fills our eyes. When that kingdom in its 00:32:43.220 --> 00:32:47.720 fullness arrives, all that is broken, your broken 00:32:47.720 --> 00:32:51.700 body, your broken heart. All that is corrupt 00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:53.559 and all that is sinful will be done away with. 00:32:54.500 --> 00:32:56.859 Not another tear shed, not another painful moment, 00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:00.779 not another sorrow or sadness at all. The miracles 00:33:00.779 --> 00:33:04.980 that Jesus are doing right now are pointing to 00:33:04.980 --> 00:33:07.640 the renewal of all things. This is what it's 00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:10.299 going to be like. Now, there's a crowd gathered. 00:33:10.420 --> 00:33:12.319 What was their response to this man? Look at 00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:17.019 verse 8. When the multitude saw it, they marveled 00:33:17.019 --> 00:33:19.940 and glorified God. who had given such power to 00:33:19.940 --> 00:33:23.539 men. Remember that five solas of the Reformation, 00:33:23.539 --> 00:33:28.799 that fifth sola, Soli Deo Gloria. God alone be 00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:33.200 the glory. To God alone. This is the people marveled. 00:33:34.500 --> 00:33:38.000 They're amazed. They're amazed at what they've 00:33:38.000 --> 00:33:40.440 just witnessed. Now, let's be honest. They did 00:33:40.440 --> 00:33:44.019 not yet know that Jesus was God incarnate. They 00:33:44.019 --> 00:33:46.569 didn't figure it out yet. But they knew for certain 00:33:46.569 --> 00:33:49.069 that God was among them and that God was the 00:33:49.069 --> 00:33:51.730 one that had granted this miracle. That's why 00:33:51.730 --> 00:33:54.910 they glorified him. Now, friends, what are the 00:33:54.910 --> 00:33:58.809 takeaways for us today? First of all, the easy, 00:33:58.950 --> 00:34:00.829 low -hanging fruit. I want you to see this every 00:34:00.829 --> 00:34:04.049 week, every week, every Lord's Day. Matthew is 00:34:04.049 --> 00:34:06.769 showing us, continuing to show us, Jesus is the 00:34:06.769 --> 00:34:09.309 Christ. There should be no doubt in your minds, 00:34:09.349 --> 00:34:11.690 friends. He's the one who can both heal you. 00:34:11.769 --> 00:34:14.210 He's the one who can forgive you. He can do so 00:34:14.210 --> 00:34:17.949 because he is God in flesh. He's the promised 00:34:17.949 --> 00:34:20.829 Messiah. And to enter into his kingdom because 00:34:20.829 --> 00:34:23.349 he was given a kingdom, that means you must trust 00:34:23.349 --> 00:34:28.409 him and you must own him as your own king. See, 00:34:28.449 --> 00:34:29.849 by and large, when you talk about the people 00:34:29.849 --> 00:34:32.090 of Israel, they shut themselves out of the kingdom 00:34:32.090 --> 00:34:36.769 of God. Why? They rejected the king. The kingdom 00:34:36.769 --> 00:34:38.909 is about the king. You don't get the kingdom 00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:41.769 without the king. Whoever has the king has the 00:34:41.769 --> 00:34:46.590 kingdom. Whoever has a son has life. So that 00:34:46.590 --> 00:34:50.650 means you receive him. If you want to receive 00:34:50.650 --> 00:34:54.670 him, you have to own him as your own. Bow your 00:34:54.670 --> 00:34:58.030 knee, confessing your sins, repenting of it, 00:34:58.050 --> 00:35:00.829 and receiving him. But secondly, church, I want 00:35:00.829 --> 00:35:03.630 you to notice this. Jesus responded not to the 00:35:03.630 --> 00:35:05.809 paralyzed man's faith, but to the faith of his 00:35:05.809 --> 00:35:09.969 poor friends. Do you see your role? Do you see 00:35:09.969 --> 00:35:13.309 the importance of intercession? Do you think 00:35:13.309 --> 00:35:17.230 your prayers don't matter? We need each other. 00:35:18.570 --> 00:35:22.150 Friends, we're a body. We need each other's prayers. 00:35:23.889 --> 00:35:28.909 Don't ever, ever underestimate your part or the 00:35:28.909 --> 00:35:31.690 part of your parents. Grandparents, you may say, 00:35:31.730 --> 00:35:33.389 my children aren't serving the Lord. I'm concerned 00:35:33.389 --> 00:35:36.739 for my grandparents or my grandchildren. underestimate 00:35:36.739 --> 00:35:39.539 your part here. Look, friends and loved ones, 00:35:39.639 --> 00:35:42.940 you also are helpful in bringing people to Christ. 00:35:45.019 --> 00:35:47.559 Christianity, folks, it's not private. It's communal. 00:35:48.159 --> 00:35:53.980 We're an interdependent body. And lastly, this 00:35:53.980 --> 00:35:56.260 passage shows us that Christ has the authority 00:35:56.260 --> 00:36:00.280 to forgive sins. It's so sad that many people 00:36:00.280 --> 00:36:03.780 go through life burdened by not feeling they 00:36:03.780 --> 00:36:07.719 are forgiven. They doubt it. They walk under 00:36:07.719 --> 00:36:09.960 a cloud of condemnation, not sure that God really 00:36:09.960 --> 00:36:14.739 has forgiven them. Has he? I hope he has. I want 00:36:14.739 --> 00:36:18.340 it to be sure, but I don't feel it. What's John 00:36:18.340 --> 00:36:22.320 say in 1 John 1 .9? If we confess our sins, he 00:36:22.320 --> 00:36:24.760 is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and 00:36:24.760 --> 00:36:27.519 to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Believer, 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:32.280 friend, you may not feel forgiven. But if you 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:34.219 have confessed your sin, then he has promised 00:36:34.219 --> 00:36:36.719 to forgive you, and he's promised to cleanse 00:36:36.719 --> 00:36:39.480 you. He's not just going to wipe you down, man. 00:36:40.460 --> 00:36:44.420 He's going to cleanse you, head to toe, from 00:36:44.420 --> 00:36:46.880 all unrighteousness. See, it's not a feeling 00:36:46.880 --> 00:36:49.780 of forgiveness. It really is a fact of forgiveness. 00:36:50.099 --> 00:36:55.159 He said he would, and he will. What did he tell 00:36:55.159 --> 00:36:57.820 the paralytic that day? Son, your sins were forgiven, 00:36:57.960 --> 00:37:00.730 and they were. How do you know? He told the man, 00:37:00.769 --> 00:37:02.170 get up and go home, and he got up and went home. 00:37:03.150 --> 00:37:05.050 And he looks to the church, he looks to his bride, 00:37:05.170 --> 00:37:07.269 he looks to you and me today, and he says, you 00:37:07.269 --> 00:37:12.869 are forgiven if you confess your sins. Have you 00:37:12.869 --> 00:37:17.230 confessed? Have you owned your sin? Have you 00:37:17.230 --> 00:37:22.489 brought it to him? Why? Because he has the power 00:37:22.489 --> 00:37:27.250 and the authority to forgive you. He has promised 00:37:27.250 --> 00:37:31.219 to forgive you, friend. Stand on that glorious 00:37:31.219 --> 00:37:35.940 promise today. You want more proof? Come to the 00:37:35.940 --> 00:37:38.820 table of the Lord and hold in your hand those 00:37:38.820 --> 00:37:41.920 precious promises. Look at the crucified body 00:37:41.920 --> 00:37:44.780 and the shed blood of Christ and know that you 00:37:44.780 --> 00:37:47.099 have been forgiven because of God's promises 00:37:47.099 --> 00:37:53.179 given to us in him. It's glorious. It's far greater 00:37:53.179 --> 00:37:56.139 than you can imagine. Let this, friend, let this 00:37:56.139 --> 00:37:59.889 day. Be a day of worship and honor and glory 00:37:59.889 --> 00:38:05.809 unto Christ. May your eyes be open to see him. 00:38:05.849 --> 00:38:08.110 Do you see him? I want so bad. That's what I 00:38:08.110 --> 00:38:10.630 pray, Lord. Let him see him. Do you see him? 00:38:10.690 --> 00:38:12.929 Are you growing in your confidence of Jesus and 00:38:12.929 --> 00:38:16.349 Jesus alone and Jesus only? That's my prayer 00:38:16.349 --> 00:38:20.230 this morning. Let's pray. Father, help us, Lord. 00:38:20.929 --> 00:38:23.650 God, save those who are lost, Lord. Save the 00:38:23.650 --> 00:38:26.539 lost, Lord. the lost in this building, the lost 00:38:26.539 --> 00:38:28.719 in this sanctuary. Father, who are assembled 00:38:28.719 --> 00:38:31.219 among us, Lord, who can't worship because they're 00:38:31.219 --> 00:38:33.139 away from Christ, but Lord God, you can reach 00:38:33.139 --> 00:38:33.460 them.