The sermon this morning comes from Luke chapter 5, starting with verse 17. Luke chapter 5, starting with verse 17. One day he was teaching and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem and the power of the Lord was present for him to perform healing. And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of him. but not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and led him down through the tiles with his stretcher into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, he said, Friend, your sins are forgiven you. The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sin but God alone? But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier to say, your sins have been forgiven you, or to say, get up and walk. But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, I say to you, get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home. Immediately he got up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home glorifying God. They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God and they were filled with fear saying, we have seen remarkable things today. Pray with me. Our God, bless us now as we come and as we look at Your Son, Jesus Christ, as we observe His authority, as we observe His power, as we observe His compassion, and help us to take now into our hearts this great message that You have given to us, that we would know it, and that we would believe it, and that we would live in accordance with this great truth. It is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Think in terms of this setting that has been given to us. This had been going on. Jesus comes, and he teaches. Jesus comes, and he teaches. Jesus comes, and he teaches. And the religious rulers of the day, they're getting offended. And they're getting ticked off that Jesus has been getting all of this attention. And they're looking for a way to get to him now. So the great crowd has assembled. They're all together. They're watching, and they're waiting, and they're listening to the teaching. Now, as we go through, we get to the place where it gives us the point by the time at the end that remarkable things had been happening. Some of you, when I talk to you throughout the week, you'll ask the question, well, how was prayer meeting this week? Now, if I were to say to you, remarkable things have been happening. For us, it has been remarkable things have been happening. We've been having 19 people or 18 people at prayer meeting and some of us, our jaws drop. Really? 19 people, 18 people at prayer meeting. We're shocked. That's more than we used to have at church sometimes. It's been a good thing. Well, here the picture is being given though. These remarkable things have been happening. And what is the response that we are to have? What are you to see in this? Well, we look at this and we are to see a Christ who has power to heal. A Christ who is willing to heal. A Christ who has the full authority to heal. And each of us, as we look at this, we ought to be thinking, Doesn't that mean He could even heal me? Doesn't that mean He could even answer me where I am? That He could look at me in my sickness? My weakness, my sin, look at me and my struggles with the old man that still abides within me, who keeps wrestling me, keeps taking out my legs, causing me to fall in the same old mud holes that I've been in again and again. What does that mean? He can and will heal me. And the answer is yes. Yes, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He does not leave us weak and he does not leave us crippled. He looks, but what does he look to see? He looks to see a people who really love him, a people who really trust him. And for us, it's coming to that place that we saw in the Psalm this morning. Lord, with my whole heart, There will be a battle that takes place in us to kill the old man, to put him off, to put on the new man. So our call for you this morning is to trust Jesus' power and His authority to both heal and to forgive. Our first step is give yourself to the real authority. Luke 5, 17. One day he was teaching and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present for him to perform these healings. These men who came, these Sadducees and these Pharisees, later Jesus describes them as those who tied up heavy burdens and placed them on men's backs. There was this weight that was put on them, a false authority that was put on them, that every day that they would be worrying about the letter of the law. And the worst thing about them was that they had rejected mercy. They had rejected grace. Jesus said, you tie up heavy burdens on them and you will not lift a single finger to help them. When these guys came into the room, you were fearful. They came in in their special garb. They came in looking so perfect. They came in looking so put together and there wasn't a step that you could take that they couldn't point to you and tell you why you were wrong. You took an extra step on the Sabbath. You just went that much too far. You didn't even wash your hands right. You ate a little too much. Oh, you opened your grain on the Sabbath? Woe to you, sinner. Well, these Pharisees were there and they were in the presence, but it's being described here that someone greater than them was there. Not someone who made his garb so beautiful, not someone who adorned himself in such a way externally, but someone who spoke the word with such authority and power that those who listened wanted more God. They wanted to know the Father more and he could back it up with the power that was present. Who do you follow? Who do you follow? Is it those who look perfect and look like they've got it together? Or is it this Christ who comes with the authority and the power and the heart to heal? Do we just make ourselves look perfect? Do we just try to put on the exterior? Or do we look at the Lord who is present, who does love, who does heal, and say, that's who I want. That's who I want. That's who I will follow. So our next step as we are to, we expect that we are those people who love Jesus, who want Jesus, who would follow Jesus. Our next step when we look at the people who came on the scene, that's the example here. Our next step is bring the people you love to the real Jesus. We look around and we grieve for our loved ones who don't know Christ. We see them as the people, as John 3.36 describes, those people who are still under God's wrath. That's supposed to break our hearts. That's supposed to make us fearful for them. That is supposed to make us long for them to come alongside and to put their trust in Christ Jesus. So look at these men in verses 18 through 19. And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of him. That is, they're bringing him to Jesus. But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. Something remarkable happened, didn't it? Something surprising. Why don't you ask your deacon later how he would respond. So they couldn't get in, the tiles fall down, they lower someone in. This was done with boldness. And this was done with difficulty. The people that you would bring to Christ, what boldness is required? What would it take? What would people be saying at this point? They're risking what people would say. Risking what people would think. They're risking the eyes of the Pharisees on them like, oh, go figure. They would be putting on this drama show now. And Jesus looks and Jesus brings in his affection. He brings in his response. But think about what it would take. What would it take? What effort would it take? Have you ever drug a man to the top of a roof? I've drug a man up a cliff and it's extremely difficult. What would it take for your loved ones and your neighbors for you to be this bold? To place them before Christ. You may even have to consider, what would that even mean? place them before Christ. I'm asking you to sort that out, to figure out what that would mean. What would that boldness look like in your life? And maybe even pick a neighbor at this moment, or a family member at this moment. What would that look like for you to have the boldness and the confidence to take that person, if you had to drag them up a cliff, or drag them to a rooftop. If you had to knock the tiles out of the ceiling to set them before Jesus Christ, what would that mean? And if we don't do it, why don't we? Are we afraid of the eyes of the Sadducees and the Pharisees? Are we afraid that Jesus won't do it? This brings us to our third step, which is really trust Jesus. Luke 5.20, seeing their faith, he said, friend, your sins are forgiven you. Why does Jesus forgive? Why does the father forgive? Having seen their faith, he responds in this way. So I have the expectation that this guy knew his sin. I have the expectation that this man even knew that he had been crippled because of his sin. And this great show has taken place. This big dramatic affair has taken place. This man who knows his sin has been lowered down and has been displayed to the assembly. Even the Sadducees and the Pharisees and the Son of God himself, he is laid out, displayed before them. What would your guilt feel like in that moment, knowing that this had to take place because of who you are and what you have done? For those of us who have to stand up here, you're afraid to take a bad step in front of the group. I've walked over here, and I've almost walked backwards off of the stage when we were singing, and I think that would have been embarrassing. What would the burden be to understand that the congregation looks and knows that I'm so guilty that I'm crippled? And in a way, isn't that where we all really are? Do you sense the guilt and the burden of your guilt and sense yourself as crippled because of it? The things that we imagined that we could do. We hadn't committed this sin or that sin or where we would be if that wasn't still on you. This has been laid out and displayed as the man is laid down before the son of God himself. the great preacher and healer of the day before the Sadducees and the Pharisees and the whole assembly. And when Jesus looks on him, he doesn't say, you dirty sinner. Of course you're crippled. Of course you're weak. Of course you have nothing to offer and you're a beggar. But what does he say? Friend. Imagine God saying to you, friend, your sins are forgiven you, which is the message that Christ has brought when he sees their faith. And what are we talking about? The assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Romans 10.9 puts it this way, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, so believing in Him as God, believing in Him as King, if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, as King, as ruler of heaven and earth, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. This is the great message for you. Do you believe in your heart? Do you believe in Jesus as Lord in your heart? Do you confess your guilt and helplessness as a sinner? Are you that cripple who has been brought in, believing in your heart? At that moment, God actually looks at you and says, friend, friend, your sins are forgiven. This is the rescue. This is the help. This is the acceptance. And this is what we are all supposed to be sensing and knowing. We are to be experiencing this in the reality of our lives. You can actually get up in the morning and think, you called me friend. You called me friend. Maybe some of us will remember in our lives the impact the first time someone said to you, I love you. And how that affected you days down the road. I love you. They said, I love you. And it was as if some place you had arrived in when they said that. How much more so for the king of heaven and earth to say, friend, friend, your sins are forgiven. So this faith that we're looking in Hebrews 11, six, and without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to him must believe that he is, that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. So it was demonstrated, they believe that he is. They believed in the I am, Jesus Christ, and that he was a rewarder of those who seek him. And that is really trusting Jesus. Is that where you are? The expectation is that that does stuff to you. That if you believe that he really rewards you when you seek him, what are you gonna do? You're going to seek him. You'll seek his face. You'll seek his presence. You'll diligently read your Bible. You'll pray every day. You will seek him. So what are the threats that threaten us here with this if we are in that place or as we see that we are to be in that place? And this is our fourth step. Guard your hearts from doubts. The scribes, verses 21 and 22, the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Don't the doubts come in? He says He forgives. He has said He calls us friend. He says that we are His, that we are His children. But those of us who have been down on ourselves, we say, can He really forgive me? The strange thing is, we get prideful in our sin. We think, oh, my sins are worse. He, yeah, he can forgive the people that sit on that side of the church. Or maybe the one, you might say, the people that sit on that side of the church, but not my sin. My sin is too great. He wouldn't want me. The one picture of this was a man who lived in the community, and when I invited him to church so many times, he would say, oh, if I came in there, the roof would cave in. And I sat and I thought about that, and so I was ready the next time that he said it. And I said, don't flatter yourself. You think your sin is heavier than everybody else's? Do you think your sin Christ couldn't bear? But isn't that the way we behave? Even if you're not thinking of it in terms of your salvation, maybe you think, oh sure, he saved me, but he can't really use me. Oh, sure, he saved me, but I can't really have fellowship with him. Sure, he said I'm forgiven, but boy, I can't live that joy and that grace because of what I have done. He won't cleanse me. Don't flatter yourself. Don't be so prideful in your sin that you imagine that the blood of the Most High didn't cover it. To imagine that He can't heal you? Oh, how dare we? How dare we put ourselves in such a place to imagine that our sin is more powerful than Christ? that our wickedness is greater than His grace and His forgiveness that was demonstrated in His life. So Proverbs 4.23 says, Watch your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Watch your heart for this doubt. Watch your heart for this pride to imagine that your sin is greater than Christ. It is a sad arrogance to hold such a place. Now, a part of the way that we guard our hearts is to guard our minds. Philippians 4, 8, finally brethren, whatever is true. So when you have that doubt, take a second. Is that true? Is it true that he can't forgive me? Is it true that he wouldn't forgive me? Is it true that my footsteps and my paths have been so dark, he can't save me? Is that true? Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, do you see that you reject the gospel in thinking that way? That you reject Christ's sacrifice in thinking that way? That all His sin, His sacrifice was only good enough for other people, but not me. Whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence, if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. So this puts us in the category of how do I think about myself and how do I think about Christ? Is my sin more powerful or is Christ more powerful? He demonstrates here that as you call on Him, as you trust in Him, as you have faith in who He is, what He has done, that He is and He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. He is more powerful than all of our sin. Can we have a different testimony than that? We look and we see the heart of the Pharisee and the scribe in verse 21. Who is this man? Who is this who thinks he can forgive sin? Isn't that the voice that echoes in our heart when we say, my sin is too great? Who is this man who thinks he can forgive me? And the statement is made, no one forgives sin but God alone. And we say, amen. Amen. No one can forgive sin but God alone. Amen. It is a forgiveness that has been given in Christ Jesus. Now we look and we see Jesus knowing the hearts of the Pharisees and the scribes. I point to you as evidence of Jesus himself being God. Jeremiah 17.10, I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind even to give each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds. In John 2, 24 and 25, Jesus on his part was not entrusting himself to them, for he knew all men, and because he did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for he himself knew what was in a man. Jesus Christ was God on the scene. Jesus Christ was God present, fully aware and has been fully aware of all of us. So then, how do we respond in light of our sin and Jesus having answered it? And this is our fifth step, which is focus on Jesus' authority to forgive and heal. Luke 5, 22 through 25. But Jesus, aware of their reasoning, answered and said to them, why are you reasoning in your hearts? which is easier to say, your sins have been forgiven you, or to say, get up and walk. But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, again, friend, I say to you, get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home. Immediately he got up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home glorifying God. And that's the place of salvation for all of us. Your friend, your sins have been forgiven. Pick up your mat and go home. Go home. Go home. At peace with God, we go home. So our focus then is no longer on our own sin that we imagine is so great. That couldn't be forgiven. The pollution that couldn't be healed. But the pollution has been healed. The sin has been forgiven. And it brings us to this place in verse 26. They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God and they were filled with fear saying, we have seen remarkable things today. Have you? Have you? Have you seen remarkable things? Have you seen the impossible removed? Have you seen your own heart cleansed, washed? Have you seen your eternity forgiven and set steadfast? Is that a remarkable thing? And what do we mean by remarkable? Worth remarking on. Worth talking about. To who? Everybody that will listen. You have been saved for this very purpose to proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. It is the reality of salvation. It is the reality. It is the mark of the church that we love one another. It's a love that we display. As he has loved me, so we love one another. We let our good works shine in such a way that the world sees and puts their trust in the son, Jesus Christ. Because that's why we act different. That's why we think different. That's why we are renewed with strength like the eagle. That people will look and see and believe as we march forward in Christ Jesus. We have a relationship with the Creator. With the Judge. With the One who knows every heart. The One who heals. The One who forgives. so that we can proclaim how excellent He is, as He has called you friend, as He has forgiven you, as He has healed you. Put your hope, your joy, your confidence, and your testimony in all of this. Pray with me. Lord, You have done such great things. You have done such remarkable works. God, forgive us for where we have not believed in You. Forgive us where we have imagined that our sin is greater than Your grace and Your forgiveness and Your power. God, cause us to throw off those sins, those doubts, those fears. May we guard our hearts and focus on what is good and excellent and true, You and Your power and Your authority to heal. and the truth that you have demonstrated this power and this authority and this love. Apply this word to our hearts, God, that we will live it in the midst of our homes, in the midst of our neighbors, that we will proclaim it and that we will bring others to you to be healed. It is in Jesus' name we pray, amen.