Old Llantrisant Hill
Introduction
- We meet a poor paralytic man - characteristics
- We meet Pharisees - characteristics
- A comparison
- Jesus often made comparison between the religious and the poor
- Example
- The paralytic man goes home rejoicing as he has been healed and forgiven of sin
- The pharisee continues with evil in his heart
- The religious can be like this
- Our greatest need - is the forgiveness of our sins
- The paralytic must have been aware of his sin
- Perhaps the Jewish misunderstanding that his ailment was due to sin
- He was troubled and weighed down by his sin
- He hears the words he most needs to hear - "Your sins are forgiven you"
- Do we really understand what it means to forgive?
- We must understand the holiness of God - we have broken Gods law and are condemned because of sin
- Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness - the Pharisees understood this
- Look at the passage: v17-20
His difficulty led him to Jesus
- Many religious leaders
- From all of Judea, Galilee and Jerusalem
- They have come to investigate Jesus
- They do not like what Jesus is teaching
- The pharisees
- Called the separated ones
- From the Gentiles
- From nominal Jews
- Very zealous for the traditions of the fathers
- Built up tiny laws
- The Scribes
- A responsibility to interpret and apply the law
- Jesus is performing miracles
- He could not always perform miracles
- There was much faith at present
- Jesus had been praying in the wilderness
- The paralytic's friends
- The paralytic
- Many practical implications
- Perhaps his greatest need was physical healing, emotional healing, economic help, love and friendship
- The hidden things of the passage
- Jesus saw his greatest need - the forgiveness of sin
- The hearts of the pharisees
- God is interested in the matters of the heart
- Do you see that your greatest need is forgiveness?
- It only comes on the basis of something very costly
- The sacrifice of Jesus Christ
- We must repent
- Examples of sin
- Do you see that your greatest need is forgiveness?
We need at times to help others find forgiveness
- The paralytic's friends
- Tried their best to bring the man to Jesus but they faced many obstacles
- Imagine what it must have been like for the man to be lowered through the roof
- The friends trust and act in faith
- If we want to bring our friends to Christ - are we prepared for sacrifice and cost?
Only God can forgive
- v21
- No human beings can forgive sin
- The pharisees were theologically correct, but the application of their theology was totally wrong
- They had not understood that Jesus is co-equal with God
- Jesus proves He is God
- He knew their evil thoughts
- He healed a paralytic
- He called Himself by the Messianic Title "Son of Man" (v24) - cf. Dan 7:13
- Jesus was able to forgive sin, because:
- He is God
- He is the mediator between God and man
- Through His atonement - all who believe in Him are forgiven
- Have you believed in Him?
- The pharisees went away hardened
- The crowds were amazed and in fear
- Some would have come to faith
- The paralytic and his friends
Closing Remarks & Recap
- We need to be led to Jesus
- God must draw us - we must respond by faith
- Jesus is Lord over sin and sickness