Matthew 9:1-8
- Bring people to Jesus
- . 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed
- The beginning of this story shows Jesus going to his own city and some guys bring him a paralytic
- Its interesting that Jesus saw THEIR faith- not the faith of the one who was to be healed.
- Its also interesting that Jesus cared more about this man sins than he cared about his situation
- Benson- By this Jesus intimated, both to the paralytic and to those who brought him, 1st, that sin is the source of all our evils; 2dly, that, sin being forgiven, bodily distempers can do us no real or lasting harm; 3dly, that the primary end of his coming into the world was to save his people from their sins;
- Did you catch that? 1. Sin is the source of all of our evils 2. Being forgiven of sin is more important that body problems. 3. Jesus came to save sins, not to fix all of our worldly problems.
- Therefore- if sin is the source of all of our problems, shouldn’t we make it a focus to bring people to be set free from the law of sin and death? Shouldn’t we help people to be set free from sin?
- Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
- Matthew 28:19 Go [a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
- What is the Gospel? Its very simple- Jesus came to save people from the penalty of their sins
- That’s why in this story he says that healing is easy- but only God can forgive sin-
- Theres two parts you can get from this first part- One- your faith can bring someone to Jesus to be set free 2. Jesus came to forgive sin- healing is secondary- he can do that too, but not primary
- What does it mean to you?
- Are you bringing people to Jesus? Are you helping them be healed and set free?
- Jesus is a healer! Matt 8:16 Healed all who were ill Matt 12:15 He healed them all Matt 14:14 Healed their sick Luke 4:40 He was healing them Luke 9:11 Curing those who had need of healing Mark 3:10 He had healed many Matt 8:7 “I will come and heal him”
- Jesus can and will heal people- that is true- but his PRIMARY mission was to forgive SIN
- So when we read in the Bible- we see that the earliest disciples went and preached this
- 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
- In this story we see people with Faith, bringing people to Jesus- we should bring people to Jesus- it should be what we think about and what we are about- bringing people to Jesus
- 1 Corinthians 9:22 to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
- We’re not going to save them all, but we can save some- we can lead some- have FAITH
- 2 Timothy 4:5b do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
- Whens the last time you shared your testimony with someone? Whens the last time you invited someone to church? Whens the last time you lead someone to Christ?
- There are hurting people all around- look for them- bring them to Jesus!
- Luke 14:23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 1 Corinthians 1:17 Romans 10:1
Forgive people
- So Jesus comes and he heals this guy and forgives him as well- what do the scribes do?
- 3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!”
- Why did they say this? They didn’t think Jesus was God- and only God can forgive sin
- To them- they didn’t believe in Jesus, so it was blasphemy to forgive- which, ok, somewhat understandable somewhat- but they didn’t even rejoice that this guy was healed-
- They wanted him to stay in his sin? They wanted him to be a paralytic? Infirmed?
- What kind of evil minded person do you need to be to not want to see someone healed?
- Even the Jews and the system of the law was centered around satisfying the need for forgiveness- they understood it and practiced it- but they chose to not believe it
- Are you keeping people in their sin?
- When these guys said in their hearts that Jesus blasphemes- they wanted this man to stay in his sin- do you want people to stay in their sin? Do you think that Jesus hasn’t forgiven them like he has forgiven you?
- Christians should be the most forgiving people in the world. Everyone all the time.
- This message can’t be preached enough- we have been forgiven- we should forgive people
- Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
- You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again- why? Because we are prone to revert back. Forget
- We always remember forgiveness when we want someone to forgive us- not others.
- There was a man in 1 cor 5 that was caught in a grievous sexual sin- based on 2 cor we can see that the church executed church discipline on him for the sin, But when Paul writes to him it seems that the brother had repented, but he church wasn’t welcoming him back- lets read
- 2 Corinthians 2:5-8 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.
- See there was punishment. But apparently they hadn’t forgave him and welcomed him back
- Paul warns that this wayward brother could be swallowed up with sorrow- to love him
- Punishment for sin isn’t unbiblical. Repentance should always be met with forgiveness and love
- I can’t aptly describe what repentance always looks like- but I know what unrepentance does
- Blaming, excusing, haughtiness, pride, no change in demeanor, character, actions, disposition
- Think about Stephen- this is what happened when he was being stoned-
- Acts 7:59-60 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- Can we forgive people? Can we allow others be to be forgiven?
- This takes a lot of moral and intestinal fortitude to do this. You choose to forgive people
- Ephesians 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Mark 11:25 Luke 6:37
Be forgiven
- This story isn’t just about the people who wouldn’t allow this guy to leave his sin- there’s a sermon in here as well- Are you taking up your bed? Are you walking in the freedom of Christ?
- 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house
- Now I’ve heard many a preacher use this verse to talk about healing and it’s a great healing scripture- but we talked about that recently. But don’t miss the connection- He was healed to prove that he could be forgiven from sin- The sin problem was the problem not the body problem
- I need you to be able to regurgitate this- Jesus came to save sinners. Jesus came to forgive sin. Jesus came to satisfy the wrath of God. Jesus came to solve our sin problem
- Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.Acts 10:43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
- I will continually be driving the point home until the return of Jesus because almost daily there is an outside attack on the church and the Gospel- Internalize it to protect the Gospel in your life.
- You will never convert someone to Christ without letting them know they have a sin problem.
- You can convert them to something else- but not to Christ- This book is not a love story- it’s a holiness story. God is holy- we are not and we need to be fixed. We are the problem.
- 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- What does it mean to you
- Are YOU walking in the forgiveness that Christ provides? Because this is the greatest freedom ever- not a freedom TO sin but a freedom FROM sin. This power not just forgives us from our past sins- but to keep us FROM sin as we live in this life- we can truly be set free!
- Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
- When you were far from God- he cleansed you from your sins- you became new
- Now- you walk in it- You don’t live in your past sins, or continue in them- you are free!
- Ps 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
- That’s a scripture! You are not your past- you are not your sin- That’s not you! Yes- forgive others- and I don’t say forgive yourself- you cant- but your debt has been paid!
- Bank that loaned us money- about once a year I call and thank them- weird- but not going to keep paying after the debt is secured- but I will always be THANKFUL for what they did
- Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
- NO CONDEMNATION. I don’t care what you did, where you went, what you thought, how much it cost, who saw it, did it, how dirty nasty disgusting it was JESUS FORGAVE YOU
- Hebrews 10:17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
- 2 Co 5:17 says you are a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
- Colossians 1:13-14 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption [b]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
- Glorify God
- The last part of this is that the guys that were there didn’t get converted- they didn’t change- they just looked upon Jeus as just a man- Just a really cool dude- “who had given such power to a man”
- I’ve seen this a lot- Jesus was a good moral teacher. He did good things. Good guy etc.
- No- He was God. He was much more than that. Much more. You can’t reduce him to just that
- And since He IS God and He DOES save and He DOES heal- they should glorify Him!
- These guys missed it tho- They should have Psalm 50:23 Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
- They should have- Micah 4:5 For all people walk each in the name of his god, But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God Forever and ever.
- But no- “given power to a man”. He is no man. He is God in the flesh- He is the messiah.
- What does it mean to you
- Your life is meant to glorify God in everything. This is your life. This what you do.
- You bring people to Jesus to glorify God. You forgive people to glorify God. You walk in the forgiveness that you have to glorify God. Your whole life- glorify God.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
- Ev-er-y-thing. Everything. You can’t own anything that you have or do- Its his.
- Relationship? Glorify God. Work? School? Hobbies? Thoughts, actions, deeds.
- Romans 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
- In the Army- refusing to sit down in Uniform. Thought it looked bad to people. No one else did.
- Why? Because I cared how people perceived the military- It was my job. I was an owned man
- I was a Christian before- but as a Christian- it feels the same to me- I never stop thinking whose I am. To my wife, kids, church, people in public. I want my life to glorify God- Its not easy-
- Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
- One of the most damaging theologies in the church is this “its all about you” mindset- This “God wants to help you succeed” and “bless your plans” no- you have one plan- Serve God.
- 1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.1 Corinthians 10:31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.colossians 3:23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
- Live for Jesus and him alone
Pastor Matt Krachunis preaches on Take up Your Bed . Please share online for others to see.
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