1173-The Changes Brought by Forgiveness#
1173-The Changes Brought by Forgiveness
(JP Text Group - Beautifully Organized)
Luke 5:17-26:
One day, while Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there; they had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you! Thank you for leading us to worship and praise you! We believe that when we come before you, you will bless us, you will personally provide for us, and we will be renewed in strength through your word. We look solely to you. You know my needs, and today, through your word, you will help me understand. In this new week, I look forward to your grace being poured out. Bless every brother and sister who seeks you. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!
The topic we are sharing is: The Changes Brought by Forgiveness
One day, while Jesus was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. The purpose of the Pharisees and teachers of the law appearing here was not really to hear the truth, but to find fault with Jesus' words. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. Of course, among them, some did indeed change.
Today we see: “The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.” This is a very important statement. At that time, Jesus was teaching the people.
The New Testament was written in Greek, and here it uses the imperfect tense, indicating that He was continuously teaching. During this continuous teaching process, the power was constantly with Jesus, and the power that was released could heal the sick. The power did not stop; it was continually flowing out during Jesus' teaching.
As we share God's word, and you are listening, you should know that at this moment, the power is also continually coming down from Jesus and descending upon you, able to heal you. The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. The Lord's power is continually flowing out, continually releasing healing power.
Is the Lord's power with Jesus healing one person? Or a group of people? The Lord's power is directed at all those who are listening to the message. Whether you are a Pharisee or a teacher of the law, as long as you are willing to accept it, this power can flow upon you and heal you.
In today's passage, in fact, only one person was healed, which was the paralyzed man; there is no mention of anyone else. Why is that? It is not that the Lord's power was lacking; it was the reception that was lacking. The Lord's power is continually coming upon people; that is one thing. If people are willing to receive, they can obtain it. In other words, Jesus' intention is: He hopes that all who hear the message can receive healing and this power. So His power is to heal them; this is the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Sharing the first point: Understanding that the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins on earth
When a person is very eager to receive healing from Jesus, his friends carry him to Jesus. Jesus says to the paralyzed man: “Your sins are forgiven.” He was asking for healing. But what Jesus first gave him was: “Your sins are forgiven.” Why is this statement not placed later? Why didn’t Jesus heal him first and then say, “Your sins are forgiven”? What is the difference? Brothers and sisters, this is what we are sharing: When you understand that your sins have been forgiven, you can receive Jesus' healing and His power. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to argue when Jesus said this.
Let’s read verses 21-24 together.
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to think to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
Jesus spoke to correct their erroneous beliefs. In the past, who forgave sins? The Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Because before Jesus came, it was the prophets and priests who did this. The prophets conveyed God's words, and the priests looked at people through the law to see if they were clean. Then they would tell you, “Because you have offered a bull, sheep, and dove, your sins have been forgiven.”
But after Jesus came, He said to this man, “Your sins are forgiven.” Because Jesus Himself is the sin offering. Through Jesus, people can have their sins forgiven!
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees began to think to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees could not accept what Jesus said. They believed that only God could forgive sins.
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
For the priests and teachers of the law, which is easier?
There is a person in need of healing in front of you; you say to him, “Your sins are forgiven.” Or “Get up and walk.”
Which do you think is easier for you? In fact, both are easy. The passage begins by mentioning: While Jesus was preaching, the power of the Lord was with Jesus.
When we tell people, “Your sins are forgiven,” who is forgiving? The Father is forgiving.
The Father says very clearly: “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)
Is it difficult to make a person stand up and walk? Difficult? Why do you think it is difficult? Because we cannot accomplish it ourselves. But it is not about you accomplishing the healing; you are merely speaking God's words. There will always be someone worried, saying, “What if I say it and it doesn’t come to pass?” You say what you need to say, and the Father will do what He needs to do. First, you must boldly speak out.
There was an aunt whose foot was very painful; one of our deacons said, “If you are willing, I will pray for you. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are healed.” Immediately, this sister's foot was healed.
You just need to speak God's promises, and God will do what He does. For us, these two things are equally easy.
But for the unbelieving teachers of the law and Pharisees, they felt that saying, “Your sins are forgiven,” was easier, while “Get up and walk” was truly too difficult. Jesus saw their problem and said, “Which do you think is easier?” The Pharisees thought the former was easier! Forgiving your sins is easy because whether your sins are removed is not visible. But this person standing up and walking can be seen.
They knew that only God could forgive sins.
The act of forgiving sins was originally done by the Pharisees (but they did not do it); now Jesus brought the truth to people, setting them free. Jesus then proceeded to do the following: “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home!”
Are these two things equally easy for Jesus? They are equally easy for you as well. What did Jesus see? Why didn’t He say such words to others? An important point here is: Jesus saw their faith.
Verse 20: When Jesus saw their faith.
This means that God is willing to heal everyone, but not everyone is healed; only some people are healed. The problem lies in the area of faith. He saw the faith of the paralyzed man and his friends.
Many may not understand the actions of his friends; because there were too many people, they could not get through. His friends thought of lowering him down from the roof, which was an action brought about by faith. Jesus did not say, “Your actions moved me, so I healed you.” Jesus looked at their faith.
Actions are the fruits produced by faith. Correct belief will lead to correct actions.
Jesus saw his faith and gave him the best answer: “Your sins are forgiven.”
Let this person know that his sins have been forgiven.
Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man. In the Gospel of Luke, as the Son of God, He became the Son of Man so that all people can become children of God through Jesus. He was originally the Son of God, and He came down from heaven to become the Son of Man, allowing us to enter the kingdom of heaven. He brought the kingdom of heaven down from above, so that you can enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
Jesus came from the kingdom of heaven; He can clearly explain the matters of the kingdom of heaven. He came from God, so He can clearly convey God's intentions to you. Much of what He spoke was very different from what the Pharisees taught. God is not a God who often brings calamity and is angry.
When the Israelites left Egypt, over two million people, God provided for them every day. Despite God's provision and grace, it was still very difficult for people to see God. At that time, God was a God high in heaven. If you wanted to see Him, it was very difficult. The high priest had only one opportunity a year to enter the Most Holy Place to see God. People had no qualifications or opportunities to see God.
Exodus 33:19-23
The Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But he said, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” 21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
But now Jesus has come down from heaven to earth. When did God change His heart? When Jesus Christ was crucified, He paid the price for our sins. He brought us into the new covenant.
Jeremiah 31:33-34
The Lord says: “The covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord, is this: I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
The new covenant officially began after Jesus was crucified.
Those days refer to after Jesus Christ was crucified, the covenant I will make with the people of Israel is this:
“I will put my law in their minds, I will be their God, and they will be my people. I will forgive their sins and will remember their wickedness no more.”
What Jesus wants to express is: Your sins are forgiven; all your sins have been placed upon me. This is a very important point. Jesus did not come to abolish the law. Rather, He fulfilled the law and took our sins upon Himself, granting us His righteousness.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Jesus did not come to contradict God's words but to fulfill God's words.
Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.” At this moment, the Pharisees rose up against Him, thinking that Jesus had abolished God's law.
They did not understand that Jesus came to fulfill the law and take our sins upon Himself.
What is the difference between fulfilling and abolishing?
In the Old Testament, if someone stole another person's cow, what was the outcome? After being discovered, they had to repay five cows.
If Jesus had come and said, “You don’t have to repay; it doesn’t matter!” that would be abolishing the law. But Jesus did not come to abolish the law; He repaid what we owed. This is how He fulfilled the law. When people understand this love of Jesus, they will turn away from sin and be willing to follow Jesus in their lives.
If Jesus had abolished the law, He would not need to be crucified or suffer. But He came to fulfill the law. The consequences of our breaking the law, He bore alone. This is why we look to Jesus Christ, because Jesus is willing to love us, care for us, and keep us.
Jesus did not come to abolish the law; because people do not understand, they think they do not need to obey the Old Testament law, as Jesus has already completed it for you. When God sees the work that Jesus has completed, He says: “I will forgive your sins and will remember your wickedness no more.” It is because Jesus has already paid the price; this is the true reason.
When we preach the gospel today, we must also tell the world: “Because of what Jesus did on the cross, all your sins have been forgiven.” When people hear this, they will receive faith and strength from God.
1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
The reason this man could stand up was that Jesus told him: “All your sins have been forgiven.” He received this forgiveness, and his heart was filled with faith and hope, and he received healing.
Jesus died for your sins; He shed His precious blood, and you received forgiveness. If you believe that this has been accomplished, healing will be upon you. You can easily receive it.
Jesus is willing to grant us His health, blessings, holiness, and righteousness.
The second point: Understanding forgiveness releases faith.
In fact, this was Jesus' second visit to Capernaum. The first time He had preached in the synagogue and performed many miracles. For some reason, the paralyzed man did not come that time. Perhaps later he heard about Jesus and decided that this time he must come before Jesus to receive healing.
If a person only hears the story of Jesus, they will not receive healing, unless you seek Him. What kind of Jesus you hear about is important.
If the Jesus you hear about is one who punishes and condemns people, like the Pharisees, you will not seek Him. Everyone needs the grace and acceptance of Jesus Christ.
When this paralyzed man heard that no matter what kind of person sought Jesus, Jesus accepted them.
Jesus is like this. Once, a woman wanted Jesus to bless and pray for her child. As she pushed her way through with her child, the disciples said, “Don’t go over there; you can’t go there.” Jesus rebuked the disciples, saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.” Jesus came over, picked up the child, and blessed and prayed for the child.
If the Jesus you hear about is like this, you will also be willing to bring your child to Him.
Some people always think Jesus is very busy, saying, “Such a famous person, I want Him to bless and pray for my child; that’s impossible.” If this woman had given up and gone home, she might have thought, “Although Jesus is famous and can indeed heal people, He is not someone ordinary people can approach.” Then God would be high in heaven, but Jesus never rejects those who seek Him.
Many people have this wrong notion that pastors are very busy, so many are embarrassed to approach them. Regardless of what others think, I personally believe that pastors are concerned about the matters of believers. The purpose of being full-time is to wholeheartedly handle the matters of believers and pray for them. If anyone has any issues, feel free to message me; don’t think we are busy and don’t have time. We may be busy at the moment, but we will definitely reply to you afterward! This is my attitude towards serving.
Brothers and sisters, when this paralyzed man understood that Jesus was willing to accept everyone, he made up his mind to come before Jesus. He told his four friends about this faith, “Please help me, because I really can’t get there; I only have one hope, no matter what method you use, just carry me to Jesus.”
These four friends carried him and saw that there were too many people ahead; they could not get through. The paralyzed man said, “You guys think of a way.” The four friends said, “The only way now is to climb up to the roof and lower you down from there; we can’t go through anywhere else.”
When his four friends saw his strong desire, they climbed up to the roof with him, tore it open, and lowered him down to Jesus. Brothers and sisters, this requires faith to produce such actions. After they uncovered the tiles, they lowered him on his mat to Jesus. His wish was fulfilled.
When Jesus said to this man that his sins were forgiven, faith was released in him with a “bang.”
We have often said, when you know how loving and wealthy your father is, every time you open your mouth, he will give to you, you will not have fear in your heart.
In that moment, he was completely released by Jesus' words. Jesus said: “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then this man stood up.
Once, while Paul was preaching in Lystra, there was a man who could not walk, who had been that way from birth. Paul was preaching there, and people were coming and going, but this man could not walk. People placed him there to listen continuously, and he did not know how many times he had heard.
The Bible says: “Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’” The man jumped up and began to walk. How did Paul discover this?
Let’s reflect: This man was lying there, and Paul was preaching: “God has forgiven your sins; Jesus has been raised from the dead and justified; God is willing to heal you; God loves you.” This man was listening and thinking, “What does this have to do with me? Can He heal me?” Paul’s words were heard by others, and they left.
Only this man continued to listen, listening once, twice, three times, perhaps countless times. When this word kept resonating in his heart, he suddenly understood, “Jesus died on the cross for me. He has also forgiven my sins. If others can be healed, I can be too.” At that moment, Paul said: “By the wounds of Jesus, you have been healed.” The man said, “Amen!” Paul saw his faith and said: “In the name of Jesus, stand up!” The man jumped up.
How do we respond to God?
You must know that when your sins are forgiven, what follows is healing, abundance, and prosperity. Faith comes from hearing the message, let’s read aloud: Hearing comes from the word of Christ, not from the words of the law. What Jesus Christ speaks is the words of grace and truth.
A leper came to Jesus and said: “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Perhaps this man had been hurt many times in front of others, rejected many times, and lost hope. But he had heard about Jesus. He had faith. He came seeking Jesus.
Many believers know that God has power, but they are not sure if God is willing to heal them because they have a wrong belief that sickness and calamity come from God. Since they think that sickness comes from God, why would God want to heal them? So they lack assurance.
Until one day, a person truly believes that this sickness does not come from God. God's intention is to heal you. When a person has this correct thought, saying, “Lord, since the devil gave me this sickness, I want to receive your healing from you.” He came before Jesus and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. This is an act of love. Jesus Christ touched him and said: “I am willing; be clean!” Immediately, the leprosy left him.
If you understand that God has forgiven all your sins, you should accept one thing: God loves you, God is willing to heal you, and God wants you to prosper in all things because His intention is so. Jesus' actions on earth are the pattern of God.
Where does your faith come from? It comes from hearing the message.
What kind of words do you need to hear? The words of Jesus Christ. You need to read more of the words of grace from Jesus Christ.
What does the gospel say? We talk about Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for you.
God can accept you because Jesus paid the price for your sins; God is willing to bless you because Jesus bore our curse. Therefore, God is willing to place the blessings of Jesus upon you. The source of faith arises from the words of Christ. When you understand that all your sins have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ, you will have faith and be willing to seek God, and your life will change.
What you need to be sure of is that God hears my prayers. We keep saying: “I am beloved by God; I am loved by God.” With such a heart, how can your prayers lack faith?
When you understand that God has forgiven you, you will be more willing to draw near to God. Because every time you seek Him, He always gives you comfort and acceptance. We need comfort and strength. So when you seek Jesus, He will give you. When you understand that Jesus Christ has forgiven your sins, faith will be ignited.
Let me tell a story from the Bible, in John 4, when Jesus arrived in Samaria, He met a woman at the well who came to draw water at noon.
Why did this woman come to draw water at this time? Because her life was very miserable. The whole town knew that this woman was a loose woman, having seduced five men, and the man she was currently with was still someone else's husband. She could not bear to be pointed at by others, so she chose to go draw water at noon when it was hottest, as there were fewer people.
At this time, she encountered a Jewish man. This man spoke about her situation, but unlike others in the town, although He pointed out her sin, He did not condemn her; instead, He accepted her.
Jesus said to this woman: “Go, call your husband and come back.” The woman replied: “I have no husband.”
Jesus said: “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
The woman immediately said: “I can see that you are a prophet. Please give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
She asked Jesus for the water of eternal life, and although she did not fully understand, she was willing to ask Jesus for it. What Jesus gave her was water beyond her imagination. When this woman was accepted, “Although He knows my problems, He did not attack me, slander me, or condemn me; instead, He accepted me. Could this man be the Christ?”
This woman left her water jar, ran into the town, and shouted: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”
The townspeople said, “Everyone knows about your situation. But why doesn’t this man condemn her?” Because only Christ can do this; Christ came to bear the sins of people. So the townspeople curiously followed this woman to seek Jesus Christ.
Afterward, many people believed. Jesus stayed in the town of Samaria for two days, and many accepted Jesus Christ. They said: “Now we believe, not just because of what you said, but because we have heard for ourselves.” This is faith.
Faith comes from hearing the words of Jesus Christ. What kind of words did Jesus speak in the town of Samaria? An ordinary Jewish person would not even step into the town of Samaria because they looked down on this mixed race of people, seeing them as dogs.
But Jesus entered the town of Samaria and told them: “I am willing to accept you.” God is also willing to accept you. Even if others look down on you, it doesn’t matter; always remember one thing: when you come before Jesus, He is willing to accept you. Moreover, what He gives you is far beyond what you ask or think. This is our New Covenant Jesus Christ. He came into the world for you, so that you could receive healing and eternal life from Him.
John 10:10 (b) I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Now let’s replace the words in parentheses; I mean “Jesus,” and replace “sheep” with “me.” Let’s read together: Jesus came so that I may have life and have it to the full.
Jesus came not to condemn you, but to save the world through Him. He came to heal you. He came to give you life and to give you that abundant life.
You have already believed in the Lord and received life, but God wants to bless you with the blessing of abundant life. He does not want you to believe in the Lord and still live in sickness; He does not want you to believe in the Lord and live with nothing. He wants you to live abundantly, like the descendants of Abraham.
He is willing to heal you and bless you. When there are problems in your family relationships, remember: Jesus came to make your family relationships better; when you have sickness in your body, Jesus came for your body to be healed; when your situation is difficult, Jesus Christ came to solve this problem; He wants to provide for you because all your sins have been forgiven by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and you can come boldly before God. Thank you and praise the Lord!
This is the gospel we preach; we keep talking about Jesus Christ. We talk about why Jesus blesses you so much, and I want to tell you: Jesus' intentions express the heart of the Father. We talk about the words spoken by Jesus Christ. Thank you and praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you. Thank you for loving me so much, for sending Jesus to the cross to give His life for my sins. For this, I thank you. When the precious blood of Jesus cleansed me of all my sins, you raised Him from the dead.
All my sins have been removed; Jesus Christ is my Savior. I am saved, I have received grace. I have received abundant grace in your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, I thank Jesus. I also wish to receive supernatural healing from Jesus Christ. I am confident that the Father hears my prayers. Thank you and praise the Lord! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!