Matthew chapter 9

Rise Up: The Power of Forgiveness and Healing

Bible Passage: Matthew 9:1-8

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1. Faithful Friends Facilitate

Matthew 9:1-2

In this passage of scripture we see something that we can all applied in our lives. The verse we are looking at in this section is

Matthew 9:2 “And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.””

We also see this same encounter described better in Luke

Luke 5:18–19 “And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.”

I know we are in the book of Matthew but he doesn’t go into full detail of what this paralyzed man’s friends did to get him in front of Jesus they literally tore off the roof of a house lowered him in because of the faith they had in Jesus and the love they had for their friends.

We need to surround ourselves with people that wont let boundaries stop them from showing up for us. Instead of worrying about my friends talking about me behind my back I want the friends that know my struggles and go into their prayer closet and go to battle for me. The devil comes to kill steal or destroy and he will use people in your life to accomplish his objectives. That’s why Matthew 18:15–16 says ““If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” God wants us to have real biblical relationships with one another he wants us to reconcile our relationship not they to get even by one upping each other. How do we expect God to bless us if we aren’t living out his word. People are out here blasting each other putting each others name through the mud but are still expecting blessings that is foolish. As Christian’s we are suppose to life each other up not tear each other down we dill with that enough in the world if we are doing that to each other as well in our community where is are safe place going to be. It wont be in the church because that’s we have been tearing each other down listen to this that is were we have cause church hurt for someone once we do that, that is where people start going out into the world to find what only God can give them. Tell them your experiences

2. Skeptics Silenced by Authority

Matthew 9:3-5

Now we take a look into

Matthew 9:3 “And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.””

Now in order to understand what they were accusing Jesus of doing we need to look at the definition of blaspheming it means to insult God’s name and honor by laying claim to an attribute or action that could be attributed to God alone

Now the Jews would have had the right to accuse Jesus if not for the miracles and authoritative teaching that they witnessed Jesus doing those miracles and authoritative teaching testified that he was the messiah

We can not be like the scribes and not seek understanding and most importantly turn away from Jesus’ true identity he is waiting for a relationship with everyone here to bring you healing and forgiveness he is wanting us to accept his gift that he gave us all which is the Holy Spirit so that we can live in fruits of the spirits

To get more comfortable with God we need to spend time into his word and spend time worshipping spend time just talking to him so we know his voice and how he answers us we can be like the scribes and discredit what Jesus did for us and what we know about his authority and power given to him by God is we play with that we will fall short of the kingdom of God

3. Authority Affirmed Through Action

Matthew 9:6-8

Matthew 9:6 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.””

This verse comes from the story where Jesus heals a paralyzed man (Matthew 9:1–8). Some friends bring the man to Jesus, and instead of immediately healing him, Jesus first says, “Your sins are forgiven.” This surprises and offends the religious leaders present, who think Jesus is blaspheming—because only God can forgive sins.

Jesus, knowing their thoughts, then says the words in verse 6:

• “That you may know…” — Jesus is providing proof that He has divine authority.

• “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — “Son of Man” is a title Jesus uses for Himself, rooted in Daniel 7, implying both humility and divine authority. Here, He claims the right to do what only God can do: forgive sins.

• Then he heals the paralyzed man — The physical healing is visible and immediate. It’s meant to confirm that Jesus’ invisible act—forgiving sins—is real and within His power.

Key Point:

Jesus uses the physical healing as a sign to validate His spiritual authority. The verse affirms both His power to heal bodies and His unique authority to forgive sins, identifying Him with divine power.

Summary: In Matthew 9:1-8, we see Jesus coming back to His own city, where He is confronted with the faith of a paralyzed man, lowered through the roof by his friends. Jesus first addresses the man's spiritual state by forgiving his sins before performing the miraculous act of healing him, demonstrating His authority both over sin and physical ailments. We need to be careful who we surround ourselves with you never know who the devil has planted in your lives to disrupt the blessing god has for you. Jacob like to say if you show me your friends I can tell you your future and there is so much truth to that if you surround yourself with chaos your life will be chaos if you surround yourself with believers you will see the fruit from that. I want you to know though just because you don’t surround yourself with unbelievers don’t mean you wont have hard times talk about the truck fire after taking the youth director role

Discernment- The ability to judge

Have a greater discernment then insecurities