Untitled Sermon

Take Heart

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

john 3:16

HAVE CONGREGATION STAND

2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed.

What do you suppose the man lying on that bed was thinking? Fixed to that bed, unable to move, held in place by paralysis. What was the cause? Was he born with it, was it an accident, was it the consequence of some sin? The text doesn’t tell us.

What was he feeling? Curiosity, fear, pain, maybe hope? What would you be feeling? Or maybe better, what are you feeling right now? Perhaps you’re full of curiosity. Maybe you’re trying to manage a well hidden fear, or bear up under some kind of debilitating pain. Or maybe you’ve recently caught a glimmer of hope and you’re anxious to see more of it.

What was that man feeling? To be sure, emotions are one thing, but what about the man’s body? Was it just his legs or were his arms immobilized and numb too? Could he feel the touch of a hand or the embrace of a loved one? Matthew doesn’t tell us the extent of the man’s paralysis. It’s the same with Mark (ch. 2) and Luke’s (ch.5) account too. Yet, those two accounts tell us how the people lowered the man down through the roof in order to get him to Jesus.

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2And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. Who was this man? Was he young? Was he old? Was he a beggar on the street, a neighbor, or a friend? Did he have a wife or children? Who were the people carrying him? Were they strangers or friends? Were they related to him? Do you have people in your life who would do the same for you?

Regardless of their standing to each other, the affection they had for the man was great. They saw his plight. They knew his affliction. They witnessed his pain. And so they embraced his humanity and desperation. Entering into his affliction, they grab a hold of his mat and carry him to Jesus. Do you have anyone who will do that for you?

2And 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.”

It is an extraordinary miracle. This absolution carries a profound comfort that goes deeper than the forgiveness of sins. By faith you and I look forward to it. As the Pharisees witness, this absolution brings healing to both body and soul. For behind all paralysis lies the curse that all forms of sickness and sin are inextricably linked.

Of course, not in the way that every sin will inherently cause bodily harm, though some sins naturally do, but in the way that sin brings fallen-ness and brokenness, and therefore sickness and death to every last man, woman, and child on the face of this planet, you included.

Fascinating is the contrast between the Pharisees who had no faith, with the people who were full of faith. Those with faith flock to him. Those without, despise him. Which one are you?

Most people might sit and listen to this extraordinary miracle unfold, but not the Pharisees. They were beside themselves! “He’s blaspheming!” they seethe. It’s like the media’s inability to report when President Trump actually does something good. No matter how good it might be, all they can do is shout, “He’s the devil!”

Maybe it’s also a bit like the Internet blogging I see in some of our Lutheran circles. Not only are fellow Christians and pastors crassly dismissed for a difference of perspective, their baptized humanity is often disregarded altogether, “If you are not for us, you are against us. Therefore, you’re a heretic and need to burn at the stake! After all it is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Here I stand!”

Too often you and I are sitting with the Pharisees, faith paralyzed by contempt, compassion immobilized by anger, and love neutralized by hatred. We’d be better off lying on that bed like the paralytic. Perhaps some of you feel like you already are.

What do you think about when you are lying awake on your bed? Are you fixed there unable to move, held in place by the paralysis and panic of the day’s burdens? What thoughts race through your mind?

Brother Pastors, what do you think about? Perhaps you lie there paralyzed by the boredom and melancholy of ministry that has rendered you numb. You think about how to put on a good game face, but you just don’t have the energy to do it anymore. Maybe you’re so immobilized spiritual apathy you can’t even rouse yourself to care about the holy things of God. So, you lie there contemplating if you ever find anything to jolt you out of your paralysis and numbness, thinking maybe another x-rated internet search might do the trick.

Or maybe you lie there thinking about another endless day of other people’s burdens, demands, and expectations. The countless situations you are dealing with barrage your mind. Then your schedule flashes before you and you remember you’ll miss the kids’ bedtime yet again. Another night of meetings filled with gripping, groaning, and strategic bemoaning of how you aren’t doing enough or doing it right awaits you. You lie there paralyzed, thinking how to please all your critics, freeze all congregational fires, and ease your own pain.

Wives what are your thoughts as you lie there? “Is he thinking about me? Why isn’t he thinking about me? If he really loved me he would know what I’m thinking right now. Let’s see if it works. (Telepathically). ‘Honey, can you hear me? Why aren’t you thinking about me?’

More likely you are paralyzed by thoughts like, “Will he be gone again tonight? Will he ever be around to help with the kids? Why does everyone else get so much of his time and I don’t? How can he be so patient with everyone else but not with me (or the kids)? If he loves me, why can’t he set and keep his boundaries and commitments to me?”

The cause of your paralysis may be different, but you’re lying there like that man on his bed. And what you want is someone who cares enough about you to pick you up and carry you into the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, you are desperate to have someone see your plight, know your affliction, witness your pain and in love embrace your humanity and desperation. You long for someone who might enter into your affliction, grab a hold of your mat, and carry you and your aching heart to Jesus.

2Behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. Brothers and sisters, the men and women of Doxology are your family—brothers and sisters to carry you to Jesus—the Fellows in the DOXOLOGY Collegium are here to be your pastors. They are here to walk with you in compassion, hear your pain, comfort your soul, receive your confession, and pronounce absolution in the name and the stead of our Lord Jesus.

In fact, another Pastor is being inducted as a Fellow in just a few moments. These Collegium Fellows are here to carry you to the Lord. Paralyzed, immobilized, or terrorized, we are here to carry you to Jesus. He has Good News for you. He tells the paralyzed man to “take heart.” He speaks those very words to you on this day. “Take heart, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus sees your quivering lips. He knows your restless heart. He hears your cries. He knows you. He knows you better than you know yourself. He’s thought of you often.

In fact, what do you suppose Jesus was thinking when He was lying there being nailed to cross? Fixed to the wood, unable to move, held in place by the brutality of your sins and mine nailing Him to the cross, what was He thinking?

He was thinking of you; your healing and your salvation. On the cross, He took onto Himself all your paralysis, all your heartache, and all your grief. He took into himself all your sins, all your failures, and all your shame. He took it all upon Himself and then buried it all in the tomb of His death, taking it all far away from you.

In so doing, He rescues you from your false belief, your despair, and all your great shame and vice. He frees you from your sins and from your paralysis. And in their place, He breathes new life into your soul. Having walked out of that tomb alive, He now baptismally lavishes you with His irreversible love and sacramentally feeds you with His everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. “Take heart, my brothers and sisters; right here, right now, your sins are forgiven.” Amen.