This morning we will be looking
at the gospel of Mark, chapter 2. Mark, chapter 2. And I hope you will follow along
in your Bibles with me as we read this remarkable, amazing
story. Mark, chapter 2. I'm beginning
with verse 1, and I read through verse 2. And again, he entered
into Capernaum, talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. He entered
into Capernaum after some days, and it was noised that he was
in the house. And straightway many were gathered
together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them,
no, not so much as about the door. And he preached the word
unto them." So this vast crowd of persons gathered around the
Lord, standing room only, and it says, he preached the word
unto them. God Almighty has one Son. Scripture says, one or one only
begotten Son. And he was a preacher. Now, though
the world calls preaching foolishness today, and indeed most of it
that goes on today is just that, foolishness. Yet, in 1 Corinthians
1, verse 21, it says it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching
to save them that believe. And though many false prophets
or preachers are gone out into the world deceiving many, our
Lord said, yet God has not left himself without a witness, a
true witness, true preachers Preachers of the truth. That's
what they are, and that's what they do. Preachers of the truth. Paul told a young preacher named
Timothy, preach the Word in season and out of season. Preach, Timothy. Don't sing, dance, or entertain. Don't be a politician, socializer,
organizer, but preach. Study to show thyself approved. Preach the Word. Timothy, not
confessions of faith, not denominational creeds, not sermons you purchase
in the mail, but preach the Word. Preach it, he says, in season
or out of season, popular or not, costs what it may, whether
men want to hear it or not. One time Paul said, Am I become
your enemy because I tell you the truth? Well, the truth will
set. some men and women free. And
that truth comes through the preaching. Now, Christ was a
preacher, and verse 3 says that they came unto Him bringing one
sick of the palsy, which was born of four. So there were four
men who brought a friend of theirs who was sick of the palsy. Now,
let's stop right there a moment. How did this man get the palsy? What caused this palsy? Well,
let me tell you the truth of the matter, the truth which may
shock you, yet this very truth will be a comfort to God's people. Let me tell you the truth of
how this man got the palsy. God gave this man the palsy. In fact, Jesus Christ, who is
God, gave this man the palsy. The one who is about to remove
it is the one who gave it. Now, Scriptures plainly declare
this truth throughout, from beginning to end, that all things are of
God. Scripture says He worketh all
things after the counsel of His own will. All things. according to his always unchangeable
will and purpose, which he determined before the world began. Yes,
Acts 15 verse 18 says, known unto God are all his works from
the beginning of the world. And I want you to jot these verses
down that I tell you of. Read them for yourself. Search
the Scriptures, these Scriptures, to see if these things are so.
I'm telling you what God's Word says about the true God, the
God of the Scripture. In Deuteronomy 32, verse 39,
it reads this way. God says, see now that I, even
I, am he. And there is no God with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. Neither is there any that can
deliver out of my hand. Jot these verses down. Deuteronomy
32, 39. Isaiah 45, 7. Jot those down. Read Job's account
in Job 1 and Job 2. This is the God of the Bible
who works all things after the counsel of His own will. All things. Now, if your God
is sitting by idly while the devil and circumstances and men
and the world do things which He has no control over, then
He's not God at all. Where is the comfort in a God
like that? Why would we need a God like
that? Well, God is the first cause
of all things. The God of the Bible, either
He is God or He is not. All right? I'm still reading
in Mark chapter 2. It says, "...they came to Christ,
bringing this one sick of the palsy." And we're going to see
that like Lazarus, of whom Christ said, this sickness is for the
glory of God. Well, so was this palsy. That's
why God gave it, and that's what God is going to receive from
it, glory. All right? We're going to see
the power and glory of God. We're going to see how that the
power and glory of God is a person, is the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse
4 says, When they could not come near unto Christ for the press,
or that is, for the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. And when they had broken it up,
or torn up the roof, they let down the bed, they lowered the
bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay." You see this picture here. They climbed up on the roof and
tore the roof off and lowered this man on his bed down into
the middle of the crowd where Christ walked. There's a saying,
desperate men seek desperate measures. These fellows desperately
wanted their friend to be healed, and they had to get to the only
one who could heal him. Now, Scripture says this. One time Christ was healing,
and it said, He healed all who had need of healing. In a moment, we're going to see
what this man's greatest need was, and our greatest need, and
the only one who can heal it. One day, there was a vast throng
of people surrounding the Lord, bumping into Him, touching Him,
groping for Him, as it was everywhere He walked. And it says He stopped. All of a sudden, He stopped and
said this, Someone touched me. Well, his disciples said, Lord,
you see this great crowd while they're bumping into you. Everyone
is touching you. But he said, no, someone touched
me. Someone truly needed touched
me. I recall a story of a of a small
town doctor in my hometown in Kentucky, a small town doctor
coming into the waiting room of his office after seeing many,
many patients who had very minor needs, or that is, that did not
require a doctor's care. Finally, in exasperation, he
came into the waiting room and said, Is there anybody in here
really sick? If there's anybody in here who
really needs a doctor, I'll see him now. Our Lord heals those
who have need of healing. And in a moment, we'll see our
greatest need. In verse 5, we see it. Verse
5, it says, When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick
of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. Thy sins be forgiven
thee. Now the Lord took care of this
man's greatest need, forgiveness of sin. And whether we know it
or not, this is our greatest need. the need of every son of
Adam, because, you see, we're born in sin. Scripture says we're
dead in sin, and only Christ can give us life. We're sinners
by nature, sinners by practice, sinners by birth, sinners by
choice. Read the book of Romans for yourself,
beginning in chapter 1. Read all the way through. But
read chapters 1, read chapter 3, read chapter 5, chapter 7
of the book of Romans. It will tell you of man's desperate
condition and only hope. Yes, we are sinners by birth
and sinners by joy. You have heard gross sinners
say this, such as a homosexual will say, Well, I was born this
way. I was born that way. Well, of course you were. Man
is born a sinner, but that doesn't excuse him. That doesn't mean
God loves him in his sin, but what it does mean is the wrath
of God abides upon it. And that sin separates us from
God. And our greatest need is forgiveness
of sin, justification from sin. And God saves us from our sins
and doesn't leave us in our sins. Yes, we're born sinners, and
yes, we'll die sinners. But to live forever with God,
accepted by God, Christ must do something about those sins.
God must forgive us through the blood of Christ and make us new
creatures in Christ. Well, I continue to read in Mark
chapter 2, verse 6. Our Lord declared unto this man
his greatest need and provided that greatest need, forgiveness
of sin. And verse 6 says, there were
certain of the scribes sitting there, that is, religious fellows,
Bible scholars, were sitting there and reasoning in their
hearts. Well, they thought to themselves, what's he talking
about? What's this man doing? This man needs healing, not saving. This man needs healing, not forgiving. And besides, they said, in verse
7, why did this man speak blasphemous? Who can forgive sins but God
only? Oh, how true. were the words
they just spoke. And how few know that in our
day, that God must save us. We can't save ourselves. That
God must decide to forgive us. That it's not in a decision on
man's part. That Jesus Christ is God, and
in Him alone is the complete forgiveness of sin. How few know
that in our day, and how that most reason in their hearts that
it's blasphemy, blasphemy that Christ alone must say, no, it's
not blasphemy, it's the truth. It's the truth. And this truth
will indeed set you free, free from your sin. In verses 8 and
9 it says, immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that
they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason
ye these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the
sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee? Or to say, Arise
and take up your bed and walk? Which is easier, inward healing
or outward? Regeneration or reformation? To make a man will or to make
a man walk. Why? People most in our days
say Jesus can make a man walk, but can't change his will. Well,
our Lord said in verse 10, that you may know that the Son of
Man hath power on earth to forgive sin. All power. Power over a
man's will as well as his walk. Power over all flesh. Power over
men, angels, and devils. Power to save. Power to damn.
Power to kill. Power to make alive. Power to
wound, power to heal, power to accept, power to reject, all
power in heaven and earth that you may know. And yes, salvation
is to know this, the true Christ who is the power of God. And
as if he said this in passing, in verse 11 and 12, he said,
Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. And immediately
that man arose, took up his bed, went before them all. And they
were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ìWe never saw it
on this fashion.î Well, this is the truth. This is the true
God, the true Christ, and the true gospel. And though not much
seen or heard on this fashion, yet it is so. May God show it
to you, and may you glorify Him and Him alone. Until next Sunday,
good day. you.