The Authority to Forgive Sins

Introduction:

The past several weeks we have seen the explosion of Jesus’s ministry

Miracles are happening—people are responding to Jesus

And last week we looked at how Jesus, in the midst of the chaos and busyness, slows down and prioritizes time with the father

As we continue in Mark 2 today, we are going to see Jesus expose the greater need that these people have, the problem of sin—and the need for forgiveness

Scripture Reading:

(SLIDES)

Mark 2:1–12 (CSB)

When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—“I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

So looking at the text, this is our outline for this morning:

(SLIDES)

The Deeper Problem

The Greater Solution

Bringing this Truth to Others

The Deeper Problem

(SLIDE—Title)

Black mold at Ridge House

Tenant complaining about smell

House Manager recommend air freshener

Eventually they got sick

Turns out someone painted over black mold

We had people come and check it out

It was far more damage than we thought—affected multiple rooms

ended up being a leaky pipe (?)

Sometimes we think the symptoms are the issue…but we have to find and solve the cause behind the symptoms if we want things to change

And in the story we just read, we watch Jesus see through all of the circumstances to identify the deeper problem

(SLIDE—Text)

Mark 2:2–5 (CSB)

So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

What would you say this man’s problem is??

He is a paralytic

What is Jesus’s reaction?

To forgive his sins (?)

It doesn’t seem to make sense

It’s like calling for an ambulance—and having a pizza man show up

Great, I appreciate it, but i still have my problem that I need help with

Jesus was healing all sorts of people

Why didn’t he just heal him like he did everyone else?

I think Jesus was using this as an opportunity to teach others

He was ‘speaking the word’ to them

All eyes are on Jesus

There is a drastic interruption

Rubble—Dust—Ceiling breaking

And He uses this interruption to shed light on the real problem beneath the surface

And to meet this man at his deepest need

Jesus knows and recognizes that at the heart of all of our problems we face—is sin

It is a heart that has been separated from God

I think we can think of sin in an abstract way~bad~

But sin is deeply relational

It breaks and distorts the way we view and interact with God and others

And sin is a cancer, it spreads and infects and rots and destroys us

Physically, mentally, spiritually

James says when sin is fully developed it brings death

(SLIDES)

Romans 6:23 CSB

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And Jesus didn’t come into this world to slap a band-aid on this cancer

As big of a problem that this man’s paralysis was, it wasn’t the biggest concern

Jesus could’ve healed this man—without addressing the problem underneath and he would’ve walked away still separated from God

He could’ve gone on to live a whole life, but his sin would still separate him from eternal life with God

And guys, sin is still the greatest problem in this world, and in our lives

Underneath all of our issues, struggles, fears, anxieties—is sin

Sin that separates us from God

Sin that makes the world around us fallen--with sickness and pain

(SLIDES)

“God hates sin not just because it violates his law but, more substantively, because it violates shalom, because it breaks the peace, because it interferes with the way things are supposed to be.”

―Cornelius Plantinga Jr., 

Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin

Things are not the way it’s supposed to be

There is black mold in each of our lives

We might not be able to see it but it is rotting us slowly

No amount of patching it up or painting over it is going to fix it

But Jesus is clear, He has a solution to our greatest problem

The Greater Solution

(SLIDES)

Mark 2:5–12 CSB

Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—“I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.” Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Jesus claims to solve this deeper problem

He forgives this man’s sins, and it sends the religious leaders in an internal uproar

And they have a point…

“Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

If I went over and stole something from Tami

What if one of you came to me and forgave me for it?

You couldn’t—You weren’t the one that was offended

You see every sin has an offender and a victim

Someone that sins and someone that is sinned against

And here Jesus is saying: I’m the one who has been sinned against

Therefore I have the authority to forgive you of your sins

And like we’ve seen before in Mark, Jesus uses a miracle—not to impress people—but to show that what he says is true

(SLIDES)

Mark 2:9–11 (CSB)

Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—“I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

As much as healing this man’s paralysis was a miracle—the greater healing this man received was the forgiveness of his sins

He can now be back into relationship with God

Because sin is what separates us from God

(SLIDES)

Isaiah 59:1–2 (CSB)

Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save,

and his ear is not too deaf to hear.

But your iniquities are separating you

from your God,

and your sins have hidden his face from you

so that he does not listen.

And now this man’s sin has been dealt with

There is no more separation between him and God

He is no longer hidden from God because of his sin

And you might have a question:

How can Jesus forgive this man’s sins if He hasn’t died and rose from the dead yet?

We have forgiveness because of the cross—but what about this guy?

You can forgive someone (relationally) while still having to make a payment later

If you were to crash into my car in the parking lot

And I was to forgive you (relationally)

I wouldn’t need to make the payment immediately to get my car fixed

Part of me forgiving you would be agreeing that I would take on the consequences in due time

So I think Jesus has his eyes on the cross, He knows the cost of what it takes to forgive sin

(SLIDES)

Hebrews 9:22 (CSB)

According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The payment of this man’s sin, and ours, would be the blood of Jesus

But before he gets to the payment of the debt

He restores the relationship

He forgives this man’s sin

And guys, this is at the center of the gospel

I think there are three very foundational truths that we constantly need to remind ourselves of

(SLIDES)

We are Created by God and For God

We are Loved by God (not just robots—created for relationship)

We are Forgiven by God

You see the first two were true even before the fall

But even after all of our mistakes and brokenness, God still wants you

One of the hardest parts of Christianity is letting this truth sink in:

You are forgiven

Its hard because we want to fix ourselves or make ourselves look better—seeking to earn forgiveness

We want to make up for our mistakes

Trying to pay a wrecked sports car

Its also hard because we constantly fall short

It’s not just that we need God’s forgiveness for our pasts—but we need it each day

We need to constantly remind ourselves of the forgiveness we have in Jesus

Our deepest need is to be connected to God—We can do all things through Christ

And sin is the greatest obstacle to this

Whether its sin done by us, sin done to us, sin done in our presence

(SLIDES)

1 John 1:9 (CSB)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We have a promise of forgiveness and cleansing

We can walk free from the taint of sin

Guys, I want you all to know that the offer of God’s forgiveness is open

We just need to accept it

So often we run from our sin, we try to forget it, we try to cover it up

But unless it is dealt with, it will continue to eat us up from the inside

It will continue to build a greater and greater separation between God and ourselves

And maybe you’ve tasted the wonders of forgiveness, but you have forgotten...

Being forgiven once—you know try to justify yourself, and fix yourself

You can’t do it—You are in constant need of God’s grace

David puts this experience of separation from God, and the joy of being forgiven, very well in Psalm 32…

(SLIDES)

Psalm 32:1–7 CSB

How joyful is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How joyful is a person whom the Lord does not charge with iniquity and in whose spirit is no deceit! When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was drained as in the summer’s heat. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is faithful pray to you immediately. When great floodwaters come, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance. Selah

The Freedom of Forgiveness

Your hand was heavy upon me -> You are my hiding place

Did God change or David change?

Lastly, I briefly want to focus on one detail of this story that is so powerful

Bringing this Truth to Others

(SLIDES)

Mark 2:2–5 (CSB)

So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them. They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

The Paralytic man did not do this on his own

He had people that brought him to Jesus

He was unable to do it on his own

But his friends would not relent//they would not give up until he had an encounter with Jesus

This works both ways:

We need faithful friends and family members that will bring us to Jesus when we are unable or overwhelmed

When we are paralyzed with fear or hardened by sin

This isn’t something you can do alone

I have people in my life

Confession/Checking-in/Prayer

But also we need to be taking those who don’t know Jesus—but deeply need it—right to him

Inviting them to church, initiating conversations about Jesus, praying for them

But not only unbelievers

When a Christian friend complains—pray for them

Intentionally check-in with them: remind them of their need for Jesus

We see this man’s life was changed because of four people that cared enough about him to bring him to Jesus

They didn’t even know the extent of the problem—that this man deeply needed forgiveness

But they knew Jesus was the man that would change his life

And guys, you don’t have to know everything about someones problems to know Jesus is the answer

We don’t need to fix people, or have all of the right answers

We have to be able to bring them to Jesus

Conclusion

So to wrap things up—We see Jesus give another little glimpse at what his mission is

It’s not to amass a huge following—it’s not to overthrow the Romans

One of Jesus’s primary concerns is bringing forgiveness to humanity

(SLIDES)

Colossians 2:13–14 CSB

And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Whiteboard analogy

He came to throw out the whole whiteboard

I want to end by reading this Psalm about who our God is:

(SLIDES)

New Living Translation Psalm 103

8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

9 He will not constantly accuse us,

nor remain angry forever.

10 He does not punish us for all our sins;

he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.

11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

12 He has removed our sins as far from us

as the east is from the west.

13 The LORD is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

14 For he knows how weak we are;

he remembers we are only dust.

15 Our days on earth are like grass;

like wildflowers, we bloom and die.

16 The wind blows, and we are gone—

as though we had never been here.

17 But the love of the LORD remains forever

with those who fear him.

Reflection Questions

(SLIDES)

Is there sin in your life that needs forgiveness?

Who in your life needs an encounter with Jesus?