Unrecognized Forgiver
Unrecognized Authority • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 12 viewsWhen Jesus forgave the paralytic of his sins, Jesus revealed his identity as God leaving no room for anyone question his authority.
Notes
Transcript
Please open your Bibles up to Matt 9
And as you do, I would remind us all that we have been learning about Jesus’ authority as it was demonstrated through many mighty works
And in the last tow weeks we have been the second of three sets of miracles each of wich contain 3 stories that demonstrate Jesus authority
Now in this second set of miracles, Matthew has been showing who Jesus is with far greater clarity than the first set of miracles
in the first set we saw that Jesus was a healer… that was the common theme in the first three miracles
But in this second set Matthew intends of us to see and recognize who Jesus is. And Matthew does this through the testimony of three witnesses
Up until this we have seen/heard two testimonies of those testimonies
The winds and the sea provided the first, when they obeyed Jesus’ command
The second testimony with increasing clarity came from the demons when they identified Jesus and again obeyed Jesus’ command
And this week we will see the third and final testimony and I want you to listen carefully and try to identify who it is who will reveal Jesus identity as one who has ultimate authority.
And if after the Scripture reading you don’t recognize who gives the testimony, my goal is that you will know who’s report it is that we see here in this section.
1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 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.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 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.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Let’s pray
Intro:
Intro:
There are both seen and unseen realities in this world
A fan has both seen and unseen realities
Similar to gravity…
But seen and unseen realities don’t only exist in our model of a fan and wind, or gravity and apples. But seen and unseen realities exist all throughout creation
And in todays text we are going to see this repeated theme in three different places…
The unseen subjects we will see today are these:
Faith
Sin
Forgiveness
And each of these unseen subjects with have their seen counterpart much like the fan or whatever falls
1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.
Remember, back in ch 8, Jesus left his own city, why?
Because the crowds were drawing around him because they saw him as a healer. But Jesus came to do far more than just heal sick people… and so the crowds grew increasingly bent towards receiving healing, Jesus left the crowd.
But after last week Jesus was told to leave the region of the Gadarenes, and so we pick up seeing Jesus is going back to where he just came from. So Jesus is back in his own city, where everyone saw him as a healer:
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.”
And notice, Jesus is being thrust right back into the same thing that he left… that is healing, because remember, all these people see Jesus as is a healer
And it is here where we see the first visible reality to that which is not seen… namely faith
1. Though faith itself cannot be seen, faith is revealed by those who seek Jesus.
1. Though faith itself cannot be seen, faith is revealed by those who seek Jesus.
This was already seen two weeks ago it’s negative form through the disciples little faith when whey crossing the Sea of Galilee. Their their little faith was displayed/seen in their fear.
But this week we see the positive form of faith demonstrated in the paralytic and those who were carrying him
How is it in this immediate context that faith is made visible?
Matt 9:2 says, they bought to him (Jesus) a paralytic laying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith...
so it what way do we see a visible demonstration of faith?
When people of faith have a problem, they go to Jesus.
This is how people of faith have always respond to their problems.
Listen to this OT psalm, where we see unseen faith demonstrated through action even before Jesus was with his disciples in the NT:
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
notice what isn’t there: namely fear in v.2
Again, consider the disciples little faith during the storm… they had fear
But notice even then, Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples that they didn’t have faith, rather it was that they had little faith. for even the disciples in their distress still went to Jesus
But here in the psalm the reason the psalmists were not afraid is because the they put their faith and confidence in God and they went to him and finds shelter in him during their greatest time of trouble.
But here in Matt, the way those of faith respond to their problems is they go directly to Jesus. But how did people go to God before he was seen in the person of Jesus?
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
And after Jesus ascended into heaven look how people of faith continued to go to God even in the in the NT.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
And if you don’t understand what it means to call to God and draw near to him today listen to the utter clarity of James
15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
So how is it that faith is seen?
Faith is seen when we in our trust and reliance upon God go to him for everything.
and for us, that is going to be most evident in the way we pray.
For if we do not pray, then we demonstrate that don’t truly depend on God.
True faith is clearly seen and visible…
and it is visible when we show to be dependent on Jesus through prayer
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.”
2. Our greatest problem is not our outward sickness, but our inward sin.
2. Our greatest problem is not our outward sickness, but our inward sin.
Here is the second invisible reality…SIN
Now granted, sin is not invisible…
but when we think of our problems like sickness, we are so quick to point to all the outward problems that we have but slow to admit we have a sin problem
And further what we often don’t recognize is that sin is the root of all the other problems we have
Sickness here in this story is one of many outward problems that we make our focus…
sickness is one problem, but more than this, we have
school problems
family problems
provision problems
you name it…
Even more lately with all this is happening, we might be close to point to every social political or economic change that is needed and yet we fail to recognize that all these things will not fix our greatest problem
So we need not look to a greater president, governor, or any other kind of political authority, for the solution to our problem is not within their grasp…
We need more than help with these external problems just as the paralytic needed more than healing in his legs
Just recognize the situation:
this man and his friends have brought this paralytic to Jesus for what reason?
Because the man cannot walk
and they know Jesus can heal him
But instead of receiving healing in his legs… Jesus goes far beneath the surface of his outward problem by forgiving him of his sins.
Because all brokenness in this world, and every problem that we have ever experienced, is a result of sin.
Not necessarily a direct result of sin, but a result of sin all the same.
Yet how often is it when we do come to Jesus, in our state of need but we don’t come to him for our greatest need…
we make healing our agenda for coming to Jesus but fail to ask for grace
We make school our request in prayer with out asking for forgiveness…
We need to recognize this: our agenda is not Jesus’ agenda
And further, if Jesus’ agenda is not ours, namely that we bring our life into conformity with God’s will to glorify him in all that we do, then we must repent until our life aligns with his will…
and in order to do this we need God’s help…
So again our dependance on God lies far deeper than going to him for help in sickness,
for we ought to go to him in every need we have, be it for grace for past sins, or grace to overcome future temptations…
This is why Jesus teaches to pray like this:
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
We must be dependent on God to forgive us of sins:
and we must be dependent on God to keep us from sins:
So far we have seen the invisible realities of:
faith - demonstrated by our reliance upon God
And sin - revealed in all the other problems that should cause for us to repent
Let’s finish this story because the rest of story with what is the main thrust of the entire story and of this sermon:
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.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.”
Two questions:
First of all, what is blaspheming?
it is to speaking wrongly or irreverently about God…
And secondly why did the scribes think Jesus was blaspheming and speaking irreverently about God?
Well the scribes (being the religious authorities and teachers of Jesus day) knew the Scriptures
And the Scripture repeatedly show that it is God alone who can forgive sins, because ultimately our sin is against God.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
25 “I, I am he
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
Our sins are chiefly against God, and so God alone is the one who can forgive us.
This is even demonstrated in the Lord’s prayer:
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Notice we are forgiving our debtors, but we cannot forgive their debts…
So these scribes have this desire to not see God’s name profaned by having what they think to be a mere man claiming to be able to do what God alone can do. But they don’t recognize that which the demons recognized last week and the wind and seas recognized the week before. These scribes, though they knew the Scriptures, did not know Jesus. And when they reveal themselves as not knowing Jesus they also revealed that they don’t know God.
Thus we see the third reality that is unseen by so many: namely that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins as he alone is God
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
First of all, recognize this: Jesus knows the thoughts of men though they do not even speak…
But what I want us to focus on is v 5
Consider this question for a moment:
Which is easier to say ‘ your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘rise and walk’?
Let’s consider this question for a moment:
which of these two things is easier?
Well in one sense it is easier to say your sins are forgiven:
because as we saw earlier, the stain of sin is something that we cannot see.
We can see the effect of sin as every problem that we have and all the brokenness in this world is a result of sin.
But the stain of sin cannot be seen.
for you can take a room much like this, and line everyone up side by side. And from mere appearance, you and I won’t be able to tell who here has recieved grace and forgiveness compared to those who haven’t
In fact people who live in sin try to hide in their sin all the time. And it is likely that there are many of us here who are living in sin, but try keep it hidden. And so some of us put on our church face to present ourselves to everyone around us as if we are a Christian, when in fact, we are living in rebellion against God when no one else is looking.
A word on this: You might be able to fool your parents
You might be able to fool your small group leader
you might be able to fool me
But the same God who saw the unseen hearts of the scribes in v 4 also sees your evil heart… And so don’t deceive yourself thinking you can hide it. But instead repent and trust that Jesus can and will forgive your sins.
But back to Jesus’ question… which of these is easier to say:
your sins are forgiven
or rise and walk
Well it’s way easier to say your sins are forgiven, because there is no immediate evidence of forgiveness is there?
But if you say rise and walk, and nothing happens you are immediately going to be seen as a fake
But consider this question further: Which one is truly easier to say:
Remember, the Scribes had no problem with Jesus healing up until this point in Matthew. In fact, everyone is here in this scene precisely because they know that Jesus is able to heal. And the scribes had no problem with this because God often worked through his servants who did many mighty works on behalf of God.
Miracles were credited to Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Elisha, and many, many others.
But there is no one besides God who has ever been able to forgive sins…
And so once again, we must return to Jesus rhetorical question:
5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
Well after realizing who alone had the authority to forgive sins, we have to determine that it is way harder to forgive sins.
For even a doctor can help with the symptom of sin
As can a good neighbor who loves the sick and poor…
These all ways we can care about temporal suffering
But only God can deal with our eternal sin suffering:
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.” 7 And he rose and went home.
3. Jesus’ healing was a visible demonstration that he had the authority to forgive sins.
3. Jesus’ healing was a visible demonstration that he had the authority to forgive sins.
Remember who’s testimonies have we heard from concerning the identity and authority of Jesus in this series of miracles
first we have the winds and the sea for they knew the voice of their maker
Then we had the demons last week with increasing clarity identify Jesus as the Son of God…
and if that wasn’t already enough we now have Jesus own testimony revealing who he is.
And make no mistake in the claim that is being made:
for if Jesus lacked the authority to forgive, and then wasn’t able to back it up with such an undeniable sign as the paralytic being healed… we might be left with the scribes and the paralytic questioning the authority of Jesus and even accusing him of blasphemy.
But if Jesus’ ability to forgive sins was not blasphemy, then it is a claim of startling clarity. And Jesus knows it… This is why he says: v 6 “that you may know the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sin…”
Jesus healing the paralytic wasn’t about the mans legs…
Jesus healing was all about the forgiveness of those who Jesus came to save… and his healing was but a demonstration of his authority to do so…
For God alone can forgive sins…
And Jesus, here with utter clarity is pulling the curtain back on his identity to the Jesus revealing that he the Son of God who been given this authority from the Father to forgive
And so it was of Jesus on the cross. He hung there and in that moment he took upon himself the sins of the world so that we too with this paralytic can be forgiven.
But many people died on the Roman crosses besides Jesus…
For during Jesus’ own death on the cross, he was surrounded by two criminals. For one his right and his left each dying on a cross like Jesus’.
So how can we know that Jesus there on the cross effectually died for the sins of the world?
How can we be confident that this invisible reality is in fact reality?
Well, Jesus gives us a demonstration of his authority of the finished work that he accomplished on the cross. For he gave us a visible demonstrated his authority over sin and death when he rose again from the grave having paid for the full price of sin.
And what a marvelous reality this is that Jesus died for me… but not only that. But he rose again from the grave for me.
And so, how can one respond to such a wonderful revelation as this?
8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
