Podcast appearances and mentions of jesus most

Discipline can be a tricky subject. Many of us have not seen discipline done well, and no one really loves being disciplined or having something they've done wrong pointed out. But something we must keep in mind with our heavenly Father is that he loves perfectly, so discipline must be a part of his perfect love. As we wrap up our week of looking at who God is, this is a crucial topic we have to look at to engage with all the ways God loves us. As we dig deeper today, may our hearts be open to God's loving perspective on correction for our good.     Our Scripture for today comes from Hebrews 12:6, and today's worship is Deliver Me by Audrey Assad.  -- Start your day with Jesus   Most of us know the importance of a daily quiet time consisting of Bible reading and prayer, yet many struggle with finding a devotional resource that is both easy to understand and relatable to daily life. The First15 app is designed to make connecting with God easier than ever.   “Thank you for providing this venue to help people give God space in their lives. I discovered First 15 through a Bible App plan and I've been listening to the podcast ever since. I look forward to winding down each evening with First 15. It is a blessing.” - Jessica Scott   Apple App Store Google Play Store  

As we continue our week on God being our Father, we look today at how God encourages us. There is nothing like an encouraging word from the Father when we're feeling low and discouraged. Sometimes life can be daunting, and our good Father knows just what to say when we need to hear it most. If you're feeling discouraged today, I pray the Lord speaks courage to your weary heart and strengthens your weary bones to keep running the race set before you. Our Scripture for today comes from Romans 8:31, and today's worship is  Fear Thou Not by Josh Garrells. -- Start your day with Jesus   Most of us know the importance of a daily quiet time consisting of Bible reading and prayer, yet many struggle with finding a devotional resource that is both easy to understand and relatable to daily life. The First15 app is designed to make connecting with God easier than ever.   “Thank you for providing this venue to help people give God space in their lives. I discovered First 15 through a Bible App plan and I've been listening to the podcast ever since. I look forward to winding down each evening with First 15. It is a blessing.” - Jessica Scott   Apple App Store Google Play Store  

Many of us deal with a fear of abandonment, rejection, or loneliness, and often for good reason. The beautiful thing about our heavenly Father is that he is present in our lives, and we are never alone. As we continue our week looking at the ways God is good to us, allow truth to permeate the broken places and make you confident and whole in God's ever-present love. Our Scripture for today comes from Deuteronomy 31:6, and today's worship is I Love Your Presence by Austin Johnson.  -- Start your day with Jesus   Most of us know the importance of a daily quiet time consisting of Bible reading and prayer, yet many struggle with finding a devotional resource that is both easy to understand and relatable to daily life. The First15 app is designed to make connecting with God easier than ever.   “Thank you for providing this venue to help people give God space in their lives. I discovered First 15 through a Bible App plan and I've been listening to the podcast ever since. I look forward to winding down each evening with First 15. It is a blessing.” - Jessica Scott   Apple App Store Google Play Store  

In our fallen state, patience isn't something we find very often in ourselves or others. I don't know if I know one person who has perfectly displayed patience for me, myself included. What's incredible about our Father in heaven is that he is an endless well of patience. He has patience in abundance, and it never runs out for us. Today allow God to reorient the way you understand him and his heart towards you. He is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, unlike anyone we've ever known. Our Scripture for today comes from 2 Peter 3:9, and today's worship is His Love Endures Forever by Nathanial Morales. -- Start your day with Jesus   Most of us know the importance of a daily quiet time consisting of Bible reading and prayer, yet many struggle with finding a devotional resource that is both easy to understand and relatable to daily life. The First15 app is designed to make connecting with God easier than ever.   “Thank you for providing this venue to help people give God space in their lives. I discovered First 15 through a Bible App plan and I've been listening to the podcast ever since. I look forward to winding down each evening with First 15. It is a blessing.” - Jessica Scott   Apple App Store Google Play Store  

There is no better father than Creator God. He formed us and knows us. He provides for us, loves us unconditionally, and longs for a real, life-giving relationship with us. He runs out to meet us in our sin, clothes us with a new identity, and restores to us the abundant life he has always planned for us. As we spend time looking at the father heart of God, may a fresh revelation of his love for you guide you into greater depths of relationship with your heavenly Father. Our Scripture for today comes from 1 John 4:18, and today's worship is Never Be The Same by First15 Worship. -- Start your day with Jesus   Most of us know the importance of a daily quiet time consisting of Bible reading and prayer, yet many struggle with finding a devotional resource that is both easy to understand and relatable to daily life. The First15 app is designed to make connecting with God easier than ever.   “Thank you for providing this venue to help people give God space in their lives. I discovered First 15 through a Bible App plan and I've been listening to the podcast ever since. I look forward to winding down each evening with First 15. It is a blessing.” - Jessica Scott   Apple App Store Google Play Store  

Summary Main Point: The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins. (The one who has the power to heal has the authority to forgive) Connection (Me) I am a sucker for the news cycle. No, it does not change how I live or bring me encouragement or hope. Yet, I find myself checking my favorite news site over and over again throughout the day. Maybe your own news consumption has increased dramatically in the past couple of weeks. After all, we are in the midst of the greatest crisis the world has faced in a long time. Tension (We) How often lately have you found your thoughts gravitating toward Coronavirus or the effects it’s having? Do you find you mind drifting to these things more than it does to Jesus? I know for me it can be easier to think endlessly about different problems in the world than it is to be with Jesus. And if we wanted to spend more time focusing on God, what about God could we specifically focus on that’s more amazing than what’s going on today? The passage that God in his providence has us going through today answer these particular questions. Revelation (God) Let’s jump into our text. We have so far seen a handful a stories introducing us to Jesus and his ministry. Now we get to see one of the stories where his ministry unfolds before us. Verse 17 says, English Standard Version Chapter 5 17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Here we see some new characters enter the story. Luke says “the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there.” This group of religious teachers and authorities will be reoccurring enemies of Jesus and his disciples throughout the rest of the gospel of Luke.[1] They will plot, scheme and insight violence against Jesus. They will outright reject the claim that he is the king and savior of God’s people and will try to destroy that belief in the minds and hearts of others. This verse also says “the power of the Lord was with him to heal.” That word “power” refers back to the teaching Luke has already presented to us: that the works and miracles Jesus accomplished were through the Holy Spirit.[2] On one side, we see the religious authorities with their institutional power and on the other we see Jesus, the man full of the power of God. How will this unfold? Next, verse 18 says, English Standard Version Chapter 5 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, Luke’s word “behold” is like an explanation point in the the text, summoning our attention. What does he want us to see? Here is a group of men who are not like the Pharisees.[3] The Pharisees sit there and rigidly and act as if they have everything they need apart from Jesus. The other group of men comes carrying their friend on a bed. They come as if the only hope for their friend is Jesus: this paralyzed man comes to Jesus with nothing. There is no achievement or ability he can point to that would cause Christ to favor him. All he can do is lay in his bed and ask for help. Being paralyzed is on of my my greatest fears. I fear it so greatly because it would reduce me to being able to do or accomplish nothing. The man’s paralysis has helped to show what is true of his heart (and our hearts): he is not able to do or accomplish anything pleasing in God’s eyes on his own. The condition of his body has helped prepare his heart to receive help from Jesus. Any infirmity, including paralysis or Coronavirus, is a teacher that helps to show how deep is our need for Jesus. This virus can help put an end to our self-confidence that we don’t need Jesus for everything in every moment. I am a Christian and I still struggle with that attitude at a heart level. May we shift into new levels of dependence on Jesus in this season as we feel our weakness and vulnerability more than ever. Yet, the these men discover there is a problem when they arrive. Verse 19 says, English Standard Version Chapter 5 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. When the men arrive at the house where Jesus is, they find that they cannot get to him because of the crowd around Jesus. Yet, their desperation to get to him is so great that they will not accept defeat. They will go to any and every length to get to Jesus. They even bring their friend up onto the roof of the house and began to pull the roof apart. I can’t imagine what the home owner thought. Then, they lowered their bed-ridden friend onto the floor before Jesus. Finally, the crowd parted and made way. How does Jesus respond to this desperate attempt to get to him? Verse 20 says, English Standard Version Chapter 5 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” The verse says Jesus “saw their faith.” How can that be since it is an invisible reality in the heart? Besides Jesus having the ability to perceive what is in hearts, their outward actions were a window into their souls that showed the faith that was within. [4] What Jesus says next should take us by surprise. Why did the men bring their friend to Jesus? Most likely so that he could make him walk again. Yet Jesus does not say, “rise and walk again.” No, he says “your sins are forgiven you.” That’s a remarkable response to this situation. We know already that Jesus the power to heal, so you think he would have seen this man’s great need to move and walk again and given him back to the use of his legs and give that back to him first. Yet he doesn’t. He says “your sins are forgiven.” Jesus understands that as great of a need as this man had to walk, his need to have his sins forgiven was greater still. Walking would increase his quality of life for a few decades, having his sins forgiven would increase his quality of life far more and forever. No more would he lay under the wrath of God and await his judgment. Instead, he would live as a forgiven man and await his resurrection when he would have a new body and be with God forever. This means that the forgiveness of sins is a greater miracle than the healing of paralysis. When your sins were forgiven, it was a bigger moment than if you had been laying paralyzed in your bed and you had suddenly been able to walk. Your heart was paralyzed and unable to respond to God as it should have, yet upon the moment of faith in him, now your heart could finally respond to God with joy and celebration. I want God to grow my heart to the point that even if I was confined to a bed for the rest of my life, my heart would still respond with joy. One pastor I whose sermon I was reading gave a wonderful illustration. If you were on death row and the guards brought you your last meal, even if it was the finest food you had ever tasted, you would respond with little joy, knowing what awaited you the next day. Yet, if you suffered in a dark, dirty prison and the last meal they brought you was cold and tasteless. Yet, if you heard at that same time that you had received pardon for your crime and would go free, your soul would fill with joy![5] The forgiveness of sins, as our greatest need, can bring us joy and happiness beyond anything else (and in spite of anything else). At this moment of Coronavirus, having our sins forgiven should cause our hearts to overflow with joy in spite of all of the loneliness and fear we face. It is very easy for me to forget how wonderful the forgiveness of sins is— after hearing it so many times to just shrug my shoulders. I think that attitude comes from severely underestimating how sinful I am and how much I need this forgiveness. One time I was having breakfast with Isaiah Langenfeld and something he said helps put this into perspective: If God has forgiven your sins, the best thing that could possibly happen to you has happened to you. Did you hear that? Yet, you might say, “no, Ross, being face to face with Jesus forever in a perfect place is the best thing that could ever happen to me.” You are correct, yet it is the forgiveness of your sins that guarantees that will happen so in that sense it is the best thing that has ever happened to you. Yet at this moment, the Pharisees, then enemies of Jesus and of faith, respond with hostility in their hearts to Jesus announcing the forgiveness of sins. They say, English Standard Version Chapter 5 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” The Pharisees, who are the enemies of Jesus and of faith, respond with offense and accusation against Jesus in their hearts. Their change of “blasphemy” is that Jesus spoke in a way that misrepresents and harms God’s reputation. Their challenge is that Jesus does not speak with the authority of God when he pronounces the forgiveness of sins. Whereas humble hearts would have likely sought some proof or verification, their hostile hearts reflexively responded with accusation.[6] Now they may have responded this way because when Jesus forgave sins with the authority of God, that means something greater than their temple and sacrificial system had arrived (the temple is where God forgave sins before Jesus came).[7] Instead of rejoicing that God had brought the one the temple and sacrifices anticipated into the world, they responded with hatred. More than valuing God and the forgiveness of sins, they valued the way things were and the position of importance it gave them. For Jesus the come and forgive sins threatened all of that. Yet, Jesus would responded to their objections in verses 22 and 23, English Standard Version Chapter 5 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? The objection of the Pharisees is a severe one. If he does not have the right to forgive sins, then the man laying on the bed is still dead in his sins— Christ’s pronouncement has accomplished nothing. Will Jesus be able to successfully demonstrate he has the authority to forgive sins? Let’s see… First, Jesus laments the rebellious response in the Pharisee’s hearts: “Why do you question in your hearts?” Next, he acts to confront the Pharisees’s challenge by demonstrating he has the authority to forgive sins. We should understand that when someone claims the authority to forgive sins, they are claiming the highest authority there can be. Since all sin is ultimately against God, it takes having the very authority of God to forgive sins.[8] In order to prove this authority, Jesus asks a question, “which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” He is asserting that if I have the power to make this crippled man walk, then I also have the authority to forgive his sins. While in one sense it is harder to forgive sins (since God alone can forgive sins), in another sense it is harder to say ‘Rise up and walk’ because people can immediately see whether or not the person got up and walked.[9] Jesus says “I will do something you can see and verify in order to point to the hidden (yet more wonderful work) you cannot see yet but will see in the future at the day of judgement.” In the confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees, everything comes down to his ability to heal the crippled man right at this moment. Verses 24 and 25 show what happen next, English Standard Version Chapter 5 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. Here is the climax of this story. Jesus speaks to the paralyzed man, and he walks. His rising and using his legs demonstrates that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. He can rest assured: the wrath of God no longer looms over him. Jesus was speaking truly when he said to him his sins were forgiven: he has the authority he claimed to have. What does Jesus refer to himself as in verse 24? He calls himself the “Son of Man.” If you want to know more about why Jesus calls himself that, you can look up Daniel chapter 7 sometime and read about the authoritative figure from prophesy that Jesus is referring to himself as. For Jesus to refer to himself as “the Son of Man” is to say he is this man who acts with the very authority of God. In our passage, he applies this authority to the forgiveness of sin and to bodies to make men well. Let us rejoice church that Jesus has such unquestioned authority. The one who forgives sins rules over Coronavirus with ease— without one bead of sweat on his forehead. He has determined when it has come and when he wants, he will cause it to leave. Yet, far more important than that, he possesses the authority to do what he claims to do— to forgive my sin and your sin. He could come with all of the pronouncements of forgiveness in the world, yet if he did not have this authority, it would mean nothing. What sweet joy that Jesus has such authority (especially when our sins can seem so vile and we feel like God won’t forgive us!) There is one last question I want to ask: Why did Jesus specifically chose to make him walk (instead of all of the other miracles he could have performed in this moment)? Here is one important reason: in the Scriptures, holiness and wholeness are intimately connected.[10] In other words, holiness and healthy bodies go together. When sin and separation from God enter the world, so also do disease and disability. For someone to have a disease or disability does not mean that they personally committed a sin worse than others, but instead their sickness shows that the whole of humanity has fallen into sin. So, it follows that if Jesus is going to repair our relationship with God by making us holy, he is also (at some point) going to restore our health and heal our bodies. So, the biblical authors pair together the forgiveness of sins and the healing of bodies. Here is what David writes in Psalm 103:2-3, English Standard Version Psalm 103 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases According to Lev 21:18 in the Old Testament, were this man a priest, he would not have been allowed to approach the alter and make a sacrifice because his disability would make him unclean (this is not because God does not like disabled people, but in the sacrificial system that has so much symbolism, his disability symbolizes human sin and inability). The holiness that the forgiveness of sins provides goes along with the wholeness of a body working rightly. For the one with his or her sins forgiven, healing is not a matter of “if” but of “when.” It may take until the new creation to receive it, or it may come far sooner than that. For Jesus to heal the paralytic, he is drawing a sure future effect of the forgiveness of sin into the present and giving it to the man right there as a proof his sins are forgiven. Were I to buy a home today with Theo’s help, I would still not receive the keys from him until I closed. Yet, if someone doubted I had bought the home, Theo could decide to give me the key in advance of the closing so I could show the person the key and say, “look, it belongs to me.” In the same way, Jesus pulling the man’s guaranteed healing from the future into the present further shows that he did act with authority when he forgave his sins. Application (You) So, how should we respond to Jesus’s amazing authority? Verse 26 shows us how the crowd who had came to see Jesus responded, English Standard Version Chapter 5 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” They were stunned at what Jesus had accomplished. I would be willing to suspect that “amazement” and “awe” has seized us today about the spread of the Coronavirus. Yet, that’s not what God wants us to be amazed at: far more amazing than the effects of this virus is Christ’s authority to take care of our greatest problem. You have probably spent hours dwelling on and reading articles about the Coronavirus. I want to challenge you to spend the next several minutes doing something else: As we sing and worship, please reflect on the great reality of Jesus forgiving even us for our sins. In just a few short years after this story, Jesus would surrender himself to Roman soldiers to undergo crucifixion. In his death on the cross, we see the source of his authority to forgive sins and to heal: The New International Version Chapter 53 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. It is the offering up of Christ’s body in our place that secures the authority for him to forgive us and also to heal us. Begin right now to establish a habit of reflecting and focusing on who Jesus is and what he has done rather than on what COVID 19 is and what it has done. Imagination (We) What would change in our community if we practiced this regularly? When we talk to one anther, we would be sources of comfort rather than of provoking more fear and anxiety. Since we have grounded our minds and hearts in the great person and work of Christ, we could help ground others do that same. I encourage you to write down something the Lord has impressed on your heart during this sermon or will impress on your heart in the next few minutes, and take your next chance to encourage your DNA group with that. [1] Bock, D. L. (2000). Luke. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 278). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. [2] Stein, R. H. (1992). Luke (Vol. 24, p. 176). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers. [3] Cf. Bovon, F., & Koester, H. (2002). Luke 1: a commentary on the Gospel of Luke 1:1–9:50 (p. 181). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. [4] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin’s Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 392. [5] Spurgeon, C. H. (1906). Good Cheer from Forgiven Sin. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 52, p. 581). London: Passmore & Alabaster. [6] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin’s Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 395. [7] Pao, D. W., & Schnabel, E. J. (2007). Luke. In Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament (p. 292). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos. [8] Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Gospel of Luke: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 214). Exeter: Paternoster Press. [9] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Lk 5:23). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [10] T. Desmond Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem (Kregel Publications, 2016), 154.

Summary Main Point: The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins. (The one who has the power to heal has the authority to forgive) Connection (Me) I am a sucker for the news cycle. No, it does not change how I live or bring me encouragement or hope. Yet, I find myself checking my favorite news site over and over again throughout the day. Maybe your own news consumption has increased dramatically in the past couple of weeks. After all, we are in the midst of the greatest crisis the world has faced in a long time. Tension (We) How often lately have you found your thoughts gravitating toward Coronavirus or the effects it’s having? Do you find you mind drifting to these things more than it does to Jesus? I know for me it can be easier to think endlessly about different problems in the world than it is to be with Jesus. And if we wanted to spend more time focusing on God, what about God could we specifically focus on that’s more amazing than what’s going on today? The passage that God in his providence has us going through today answer these particular questions. Revelation (God) Let’s jump into our text. We have so far seen a handful a stories introducing us to Jesus and his ministry. Now we get to see one of the stories where his ministry unfolds before us. Verse 17 says, English Standard Version Chapter 5 17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. Here we see some new characters enter the story. Luke says “the Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there.” This group of religious teachers and authorities will be reoccurring enemies of Jesus and his disciples throughout the rest of the gospel of Luke.[1] They will plot, scheme and insight violence against Jesus. They will outright reject the claim that he is the king and savior of God’s people and will try to destroy that belief in the minds and hearts of others. This verse also says “the power of the Lord was with him to heal.” That word “power” refers back to the teaching Luke has already presented to us: that the works and miracles Jesus accomplished were through the Holy Spirit.[2] On one side, we see the religious authorities with their institutional power and on the other we see Jesus, the man full of the power of God. How will this unfold? Next, verse 18 says, English Standard Version Chapter 5 18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, Luke’s word “behold” is like an explanation point in the the text, summoning our attention. What does he want us to see? Here is a group of men who are not like the Pharisees.[3] The Pharisees sit there and rigidly and act as if they have everything they need apart from Jesus. The other group of men comes carrying their friend on a bed. They come as if the only hope for their friend is Jesus: this paralyzed man comes to Jesus with nothing. There is no achievement or ability he can point to that would cause Christ to favor him. All he can do is lay in his bed and ask for help. Being paralyzed is on of my my greatest fears. I fear it so greatly because it would reduce me to being able to do or accomplish nothing. The man’s paralysis has helped to show what is true of his heart (and our hearts): he is not able to do or accomplish anything pleasing in God’s eyes on his own. The condition of his body has helped prepare his heart to receive help from Jesus. Any infirmity, including paralysis or Coronavirus, is a teacher that helps to show how deep is our need for Jesus. This virus can help put an end to our self-confidence that we don’t need Jesus for everything in every moment. I am a Christian and I still struggle with that attitude at a heart level. May we shift into new levels of dependence on Jesus in this season as we feel our weakness and vulnerability more than ever. Yet, the these men discover there is a problem when they arrive. Verse 19 says, English Standard Version Chapter 5 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. When the men arrive at the house where Jesus is, they find that they cannot get to him because of the crowd around Jesus. Yet, their desperation to get to him is so great that they will not accept defeat. They will go to any and every length to get to Jesus. They even bring their friend up onto the roof of the house and began to pull the roof apart. I can’t imagine what the home owner thought. Then, they lowered their bed-ridden friend onto the floor before Jesus. Finally, the crowd parted and made way. How does Jesus respond to this desperate attempt to get to him? Verse 20 says, English Standard Version Chapter 5 20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” The verse says Jesus “saw their faith.” How can that be since it is an invisible reality in the heart? Besides Jesus having the ability to perceive what is in hearts, their outward actions were a window into their souls that showed the faith that was within. [4] What Jesus says next should take us by surprise. Why did the men bring their friend to Jesus? Most likely so that he could make him walk again. Yet Jesus does not say, “rise and walk again.” No, he says “your sins are forgiven you.” That’s a remarkable response to this situation. We know already that Jesus the power to heal, so you think he would have seen this man’s great need to move and walk again and given him back to the use of his legs and give that back to him first. Yet he doesn’t. He says “your sins are forgiven.” Jesus understands that as great of a need as this man had to walk, his need to have his sins forgiven was greater still. Walking would increase his quality of life for a few decades, having his sins forgiven would increase his quality of life far more and forever. No more would he lay under the wrath of God and await his judgment. Instead, he would live as a forgiven man and await his resurrection when he would have a new body and be with God forever. This means that the forgiveness of sins is a greater miracle than the healing of paralysis. When your sins were forgiven, it was a bigger moment than if you had been laying paralyzed in your bed and you had suddenly been able to walk. Your heart was paralyzed and unable to respond to God as it should have, yet upon the moment of faith in him, now your heart could finally respond to God with joy and celebration. I want God to grow my heart to the point that even if I was confined to a bed for the rest of my life, my heart would still respond with joy. One pastor I whose sermon I was reading gave a wonderful illustration. If you were on death row and the guards brought you your last meal, even if it was the finest food you had ever tasted, you would respond with little joy, knowing what awaited you the next day. Yet, if you suffered in a dark, dirty prison and the last meal they brought you was cold and tasteless. Yet, if you heard at that same time that you had received pardon for your crime and would go free, your soul would fill with joy![5] The forgiveness of sins, as our greatest need, can bring us joy and happiness beyond anything else (and in spite of anything else). At this moment of Coronavirus, having our sins forgiven should cause our hearts to overflow with joy in spite of all of the loneliness and fear we face. It is very easy for me to forget how wonderful the forgiveness of sins is— after hearing it so many times to just shrug my shoulders. I think that attitude comes from severely underestimating how sinful I am and how much I need this forgiveness. One time I was having breakfast with Isaiah Langenfeld and something he said helps put this into perspective: If God has forgiven your sins, the best thing that could possibly happen to you has happened to you. Did you hear that? Yet, you might say, “no, Ross, being face to face with Jesus forever in a perfect place is the best thing that could ever happen to me.” You are correct, yet it is the forgiveness of your sins that guarantees that will happen so in that sense it is the best thing that has ever happened to you. Yet at this moment, the Pharisees, then enemies of Jesus and of faith, respond with hostility in their hearts to Jesus announcing the forgiveness of sins. They say, English Standard Version Chapter 5 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” The Pharisees, who are the enemies of Jesus and of faith, respond with offense and accusation against Jesus in their hearts. Their change of “blasphemy” is that Jesus spoke in a way that misrepresents and harms God’s reputation. Their challenge is that Jesus does not speak with the authority of God when he pronounces the forgiveness of sins. Whereas humble hearts would have likely sought some proof or verification, their hostile hearts reflexively responded with accusation.[6] Now they may have responded this way because when Jesus forgave sins with the authority of God, that means something greater than their temple and sacrificial system had arrived (the temple is where God forgave sins before Jesus came).[7] Instead of rejoicing that God had brought the one the temple and sacrifices anticipated into the world, they responded with hatred. More than valuing God and the forgiveness of sins, they valued the way things were and the position of importance it gave them. For Jesus the come and forgive sins threatened all of that. Yet, Jesus would responded to their objections in verses 22 and 23, English Standard Version Chapter 5 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? The objection of the Pharisees is a severe one. If he does not have the right to forgive sins, then the man laying on the bed is still dead in his sins— Christ’s pronouncement has accomplished nothing. Will Jesus be able to successfully demonstrate he has the authority to forgive sins? Let’s see… First, Jesus laments the rebellious response in the Pharisee’s hearts: “Why do you question in your hearts?” Next, he acts to confront the Pharisees’s challenge by demonstrating he has the authority to forgive sins. We should understand that when someone claims the authority to forgive sins, they are claiming the highest authority there can be. Since all sin is ultimately against God, it takes having the very authority of God to forgive sins.[8] In order to prove this authority, Jesus asks a question, “which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” He is asserting that if I have the power to make this crippled man walk, then I also have the authority to forgive his sins. While in one sense it is harder to forgive sins (since God alone can forgive sins), in another sense it is harder to say ‘Rise up and walk’ because people can immediately see whether or not the person got up and walked.[9] Jesus says “I will do something you can see and verify in order to point to the hidden (yet more wonderful work) you cannot see yet but will see in the future at the day of judgement.” In the confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees, everything comes down to his ability to heal the crippled man right at this moment. Verses 24 and 25 show what happen next, English Standard Version Chapter 5 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. Here is the climax of this story. Jesus speaks to the paralyzed man, and he walks. His rising and using his legs demonstrates that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins. He can rest assured: the wrath of God no longer looms over him. Jesus was speaking truly when he said to him his sins were forgiven: he has the authority he claimed to have. What does Jesus refer to himself as in verse 24? He calls himself the “Son of Man.” If you want to know more about why Jesus calls himself that, you can look up Daniel chapter 7 sometime and read about the authoritative figure from prophesy that Jesus is referring to himself as. For Jesus to refer to himself as “the Son of Man” is to say he is this man who acts with the very authority of God. In our passage, he applies this authority to the forgiveness of sin and to bodies to make men well. Let us rejoice church that Jesus has such unquestioned authority. The one who forgives sins rules over Coronavirus with ease— without one bead of sweat on his forehead. He has determined when it has come and when he wants, he will cause it to leave. Yet, far more important than that, he possesses the authority to do what he claims to do— to forgive my sin and your sin. He could come with all of the pronouncements of forgiveness in the world, yet if he did not have this authority, it would mean nothing. What sweet joy that Jesus has such authority (especially when our sins can seem so vile and we feel like God won’t forgive us!) There is one last question I want to ask: Why did Jesus specifically chose to make him walk (instead of all of the other miracles he could have performed in this moment)? Here is one important reason: in the Scriptures, holiness and wholeness are intimately connected.[10] In other words, holiness and healthy bodies go together. When sin and separation from God enter the world, so also do disease and disability. For someone to have a disease or disability does not mean that they personally committed a sin worse than others, but instead their sickness shows that the whole of humanity has fallen into sin. So, it follows that if Jesus is going to repair our relationship with God by making us holy, he is also (at some point) going to restore our health and heal our bodies. So, the biblical authors pair together the forgiveness of sins and the healing of bodies. Here is what David writes in Psalm 103:2-3, English Standard Version Psalm 103 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases According to Lev 21:18 in the Old Testament, were this man a priest, he would not have been allowed to approach the alter and make a sacrifice because his disability would make him unclean (this is not because God does not like disabled people, but in the sacrificial system that has so much symbolism, his disability symbolizes human sin and inability). The holiness that the forgiveness of sins provides goes along with the wholeness of a body working rightly. For the one with his or her sins forgiven, healing is not a matter of “if” but of “when.” It may take until the new creation to receive it, or it may come far sooner than that. For Jesus to heal the paralytic, he is drawing a sure future effect of the forgiveness of sin into the present and giving it to the man right there as a proof his sins are forgiven. Were I to buy a home today with Theo’s help, I would still not receive the keys from him until I closed. Yet, if someone doubted I had bought the home, Theo could decide to give me the key in advance of the closing so I could show the person the key and say, “look, it belongs to me.” In the same way, Jesus pulling the man’s guaranteed healing from the future into the present further shows that he did act with authority when he forgave his sins. Application (You) So, how should we respond to Jesus’s amazing authority? Verse 26 shows us how the crowd who had came to see Jesus responded, English Standard Version Chapter 5 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” They were stunned at what Jesus had accomplished. I would be willing to suspect that “amazement” and “awe” has seized us today about the spread of the Coronavirus. Yet, that’s not what God wants us to be amazed at: far more amazing than the effects of this virus is Christ’s authority to take care of our greatest problem. You have probably spent hours dwelling on and reading articles about the Coronavirus. I want to challenge you to spend the next several minutes doing something else: As we sing and worship, please reflect on the great reality of Jesus forgiving even us for our sins. In just a few short years after this story, Jesus would surrender himself to Roman soldiers to undergo crucifixion. In his death on the cross, we see the source of his authority to forgive sins and to heal: The New International Version Chapter 53 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. It is the offering up of Christ’s body in our place that secures the authority for him to forgive us and also to heal us. Begin right now to establish a habit of reflecting and focusing on who Jesus is and what he has done rather than on what COVID 19 is and what it has done. Imagination (We) What would change in our community if we practiced this regularly? When we talk to one anther, we would be sources of comfort rather than of provoking more fear and anxiety. Since we have grounded our minds and hearts in the great person and work of Christ, we could help ground others do that same. I encourage you to write down something the Lord has impressed on your heart during this sermon or will impress on your heart in the next few minutes, and take your next chance to encourage your DNA group with that. [1] Bock, D. L. (2000). Luke. In T. D. Alexander & B. S. Rosner (Eds.), New dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 278). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. [2] Stein, R. H. (1992). Luke (Vol. 24, p. 176). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers. [3] Cf. Bovon, F., & Koester, H. (2002). Luke 1: a commentary on the Gospel of Luke 1:1–9:50 (p. 181). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. [4] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin’s Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 392. [5] Spurgeon, C. H. (1906). Good Cheer from Forgiven Sin. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 52, p. 581). London: Passmore & Alabaster. [6] John Calvin, Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, trans. David W. Rev. William Pringle, vol. 1, Calvin’s Commentaries 23 Volume Set (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2009), 395. [7] Pao, D. W., & Schnabel, E. J. (2007). Luke. In Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament (p. 292). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos. [8] Marshall, I. H. (1978). The Gospel of Luke: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 214). Exeter: Paternoster Press. [9] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Lk 5:23). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [10] T. Desmond Alexander, From Eden to the New Jerusalem (Kregel Publications, 2016), 154.

Do we see the crowds? Do we have compassion for the people around us who don't know or follow Jesus? Most of us could use a better understanding of Jesus and how to experience His presence and His peace. But we don't need to be told, we need to see it in action. Do you see your tasks and your to-do list? Or do you see the people? Can you put some time in your schedule today and ask God to give you compassion for the people you interact with today?

December 1, 2019 How will you prepare to meet Jesus? Most of us don't think sin is a big deal -- at least ours aren't. We shrug them off and say, "Hey, nobody's perfect." How rarely do we seriously own up to our offenses! God called a prophet named John to get people ready for Jesus. He said, "Prepare the way for the Lord." They confessed their sins and were baptized.

Hey frequency family! So May is coming to a close and I know I took an extra week off because my vacation with my wife ran little longer than we expected. So I owe y’all a little extra content I guess. I have been receiving a lot of questions from listeners lately about “does the Bible speak of Jesus in the Old Testament”? Is Jesus really The Angel Of The Lord? What purpose did Jesus serve in the Old Testament by becoming The Angel Of The Lord? Was Jesus still God in The Old Testament or was he a created angel like the rest of the Angels? If Jesus was The Angel of The Lord then how come the KJV says there was “the angel of the Lord” in the New Testament? If this new testament angel is appearing to Mary, Joseph, the Shepards, and even during the events of the resurrection how can The Angel of the Lord be Jesus? Most importantly, why is it important for us to know all of this? I have done two teachings on this subject. The first was The angel of the Lord in the old testament. This was a teaching with Justen Faull on the Fourth Watch. The second was The angel of the Lord in the new testament. I recorded this short teaching to answer a listener question on this subject but it was never published on an official podcast feed outside of just responding to a question. I hope you are blessed by this mini -teaching on this subject. Grace and peace.

What You'll Hear: Mark Driscoll was born in North Dakota and grew up in Seattle, WA. His Mom was a born again Catholic and loved Jesus but Mark did not.   Mark's girlfriend gave him a Bible and he started reading it when he went to college. In his Freshman year, he was on a men's retreat on a walk by himself and God spoke to him audibly and told him to marry Grace, preach the Bible, train men, and plant churches. He's been married 26 years and they have 5 kids He pastors at Trinity Church in Scottsdale, AZ Don't chase signs and wonders, chase Jesus The Bible is the most widely translated, most widely published and least read book there is "I'm in the Bible every day because I like it" "I can hear from God through His Word any time I want" "You cannot consider one minute in God's Word as a wasted minute" "Jesus' life is admired by Christians and non-Christians, the question is can His life be experienced by God's people?" "Sometimes the Trinity is portrayed as the Father is the mean one, Jesus is the nice one and the Holy Spirit is the weird one... actually they live together in relationship and it's the Holy Spirit who empowers the life of Jesus" God wants us to appreciate the life of Jesus and to experience it There are several misconceptions about Jesus including that Jesus is an alien which keep us from modeling our lives after Jesus "Most people see Jesus as perfect but don't understand how He overcame temptation" Clark Kent pretended to be like us, but Jesus truly was like us "When you understand Jesus relates to you, it becomes a lot easier for you to relate to Jesus" Most of the creeds skip over Jesus' entire life. Jesus had to learn and grow because He set aside the continuous use of His divine attributes There's a difference between sin and trial and error Jesus experienced 12 different lanes of relationships as we do It's very important for us to forgive as Jesus did, it pushes the demonic out of your life Men have a performance mentality at their work God said He was pleased with Jesus before He did anything Our relationship with God starts with His approval and then we work from that not for that  Work is worship.  Jesus spent the first 30 years of His life swinging a hammer with His Dad.  This was sacred work because He was doing the will of God Doing your job well is part of your ministry If we are faithful with the work that we do, God super-naturally open opportunities for us to share our faith Sometimes people are looking for our character before they want us to hear our testimony 2 Cor 5:21 is one of Mark's favorite verses See God as a relational father who loves and enjoys His children Contact www.markdriscoll.org for free Bible teaching

What does it mean to be a Christian...really? What does it look like to follow Jesus? Most importantly, how can we KNOW that we really have a right relationship with God, and what His call on our life really is? Join us as we explore these questions and more.

In this lesson, Pastor Miller examines the first of the 10 Commandments. According to Baptists and Protestants the first commandment is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” What does that mean and how can we apply that today. Does the way this commandment is worded indicate that there is Polytheism? How did the New Testament apply this commandment to Jesus? Most importantly how can I today obey or disobey this commandment?For more information, please visit www.OTBChurch.com

Associate Teaching Pastor Josh McNall concludes the “Jesus First, Jesus Most” series in Colossians.