Sermon Tone Analysis

Forgiven

Mark 2:1–12 (ESV)

What is the most distinctive benefit that Christianity has to offer the World?

There are some people who think the great legacy of Christianity is a kind of morality, a kind of ethical approach to life.

There are others who think that the great legacy of Christianity is that it provides a certain kind of love and sacrificial affection for people, social responsibility.

Others think that it provides a kind of tranquility in life that they call peace.

There are some who think that what Christianity really offers people is fulfillment in life, or sense of satisfaction, or purpose.

Summing it all up, there are folks who think that Christianity’s greatest benefit is to provide people a measure of religious happiness.

It's true that there is contained in the pages of Scripture a moral standard, an ethical standard.

I agree with you that Christians are marked by love and peace and happiness.

I agree with you that Christians express social responsibility based upon a higher motivation than any other people and there is amazing fulfillment, purpose and satisfaction in Christianity.

But none of those is the great benefit of Christianity, those are simply by-products of the great benefit.[1]

Where Christianity marks itself out from all other religions on the planet.

It alone addresses man’s greatest need.

There are religions that offer ethics and morality, and social responsibility, and family values, and a measure of love and peace, somewhat a measure of fulfillment, satisfaction, maybe even a certain measure of happiness.

But what is man’s greatest need?

The greatest need of man simply put is to escape the wrath of God poured out on sinners eternally in hell.

Only through the Christian gospel can anyone escape the wrath of God poured out on sinners eternally in hell.

1.

The seekers of the healing

Mark 2:3–4 (ESV)

3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.

Four men struggling with a litter on which lay a paralytic, prone and motionless, approached the fringe of the impossible crowd.

Their few attempts to get through met with noisy rebuffs.

So they rested the mat and mopped their perspiration as they glanced from the thin, worn face of the paralytic to the crowd.

They conferred, picked up the stretcher, and moved around the crowd to the side of the flat-roofed house.

Possibly there was an outside stairway leading to the roof, as some homes had, or perhaps they ascended the neighbor’s roof and stepped across to the crowded house.

Whatever the case, after much hauling and pushing they had their friend on the roof, where they rested long enough to catch their breath.

Then they did an amazing thing: they began to tear a hole in the roof!

The typical Syrian roof was constructed of timbers laid parallel to each other about two or three feet apart.

Then crosswise over the timbers, sticks were laid close to each other, thus forming the basic roof.

Upon this was laid reeds, branches of trees, and thistles.

The whole thing was overlaid with about a foot of earth, which was then packed down to resist water.

All told, the roof was about two feet thick.

During the spring, grass flourished on these primitive roofs.

These men were digging through the roof!

Those inside the house heard the shoveling, then the pounding amidst loud conversation as the men dug away the dirt, tore the branches, and pried the roofing loose between the beams.

Debris began to fall on those in the house, and then there was a crack of light which widened to the size of a man!

We can be sure there were some shouts exchanged between those inside and those on the roof, especially if this was Peter’s mother-in-law’s house!

Finally there was a warning from those above, and down came the paralytic’s bed on ropes.

What a picture!

Above, with the light streaming past them in dusty beams, four sweaty, impish, determined faces; below, the Pharisees and scribes shaking dirt from their robes; and in the midst, the Prince and the paralytic.[2]

a.

They really loved him

They even “vandalized” another’s property to achieve their end.

They ignored the protests and judgments of those around them for the sake of their friend.

Perhaps he was “family”—a beloved brother or uncle or father.

Maybe he was simply a neighbor with whom they had grown up and played together.

Whatever the relationship, they loved him!

And whatever happened that day—healing, rejection, whatever—the paralytic was a very rich man.

He had something for which some people spend millions and yet never find.

God was going to work in his life because his friends loved him.

God is especially pleased to work when there is such love.[3]

Christ’s healing power is unleashed in the world—through love and through faith.

Oh, how they loved their helpless friend!

Oh, how the world must be loved by us—truly loved!

They believed Christ was the only way!

Their belief wrought persistence, invincible determination.

They would not be denied.

It also brought creativity, so that they found a way.

It was sacrificial, for it really cost them.

b.

His friends had great faith.

Mark 2:5 (ESV)

5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

They believed Jesus could heal.

They went to some very extreme points to get him down there.

They had to believe that.

Certainly the paralytic had to believe it.

First of all, he would be embarrassed to be seen in public anyway because any such kind of infirmity was deemed as a judgment of God against the man and people like that didn’t tend to go out in public.

So this man really believed Jesus could heal him and his four friends believed it to some degree and we know they did because in verse 5 Jesus sees their faith.

The people coming through the roof say nothing … at least nothing’s recorded … not even, “Excuse me.

Hate to interrupt your talk, but …” But Jesus speaks and this is so amazing in verse 5.

“Jesus seeing their faith … Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’

” That is a really interesting statement.[4]

Was this some … some supernatural kind of faith?

No … no, they believed He could heal … why?

Because He had been doing it.

This is natural faith.

This is human faith.

It’s the same faith you exercise when you go to eat in a restaurant.

You’ve never been in the kitchen in your life and probably shouldn’t ever go to the kitchen.

But there’s something about human experience that teaches you that this is something that could be counted upon and that’s exactly why these men did this.

There is evidently faith that Jesus can heal.

And it’s such a strong faith because they think He’s going to heal this man or they wouldn’t go through all of this,

they’re going to have to pay for the repair of the whole roof.

They’re going to have to embarrass the man if it doesn’t happen.

They have such confidence.

Why?

Because Jesus not only could heal, but He healed everybody.

We’ve already learned that.

There’s no hesitance.[5]

Do we believe Christ is the only way?

Has our belief wrought persistence in our lives?

Has it brought creativity?

Has it brought sacrifice?

Do we truly love our families, our neighbors, our weekday colleagues?

2. The Healer and Forgiver of Sins

“Son you’re Sins are Forgiven”

But there was something more with this paralytic than just human faith because although Jesus saw the faith of all of them, He narrows His statement down and He said specifically to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are … what?… forgiven.”

Not the rest, but yours.