 Today we're in Matthew chapter 9. We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 8 as we continue our verse-by-verse study through the gospel of Matthew. And today we're going to be looking at something that's very powerful and very practical for every person. It's the forgiveness of sins. And we're going to be seeing that taking place here in Matthew chapter 9 verses 1 through 8 where the Lord Jesus Christ is going to pronounce a paralyzed man to be forgiven of his sins. I will be also taking a glance at Mark's gospel because Mark gives us some insights that Matthew wasn't led by the Spirit to give to us. By combining Mark and some of the aspects of Mark and then one aspect that we glean from Luke's gospel we get a more complete picture of what's taking place here in Matthew chapter 9. So let's begin reading together Matthew chapter 9 at verse 1. I'll read to verse 8 and we'll get into our study. Matthew chapter 9 beginning at verse 1 reading to verse 8. So we got into a boat crossed over and came to his own city and behold they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic son be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you. And at once some of the scribes said within themselves this man blasphemes. But Jesus knowing their thoughts said why do you think evil in your hearts for which is easier to say your sins are forgiven you or to say arise and walk. But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. Then he said to the paralytic arise take up your bed and go to your house and he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitude sought they marveled and glorified God who had given such power to man. So let's begin by looking at the obvious the Lord Jesus Christ is not simply a teacher a good man a prophet or a religious figure. When you read your Bible you see that Jesus Christ actually came on a mission. And the mission that Jesus Christ came on was to reveal the kingdom of God to fallen men. Mankind the Bible teaches is under the sway and domination of the enemy and the enemy abuses his captives. But Jesus came in order to set captives free and to bring them into liberty a liberty that you could have in him. In the right in the right of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 2 verses 14 and 15 said it like this. He said because God's children are human beings made of flesh and blood. Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form for only as a human being could he die. And only by dying could he break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. So as God in human flesh Jesus had authority and demonstrated his authority in various ways. As we've been looking at Matthew when you look at chapter 7 verses 28 and 29 for example. Jesus's authority was revealed in his life as well as his teaching because in Matthew 7 28 and 29 Matthew writes so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. So Jesus Christ came and Jesus Christ came with a mission to save mankind. Jesus Christ came with authority that he had from heaven and Matthew has been highlighting his authority. So he had begun in Matthew 7 28 and 29 but pointing out that Jesus's teaching came with authority. Now as we got into chapter 8 Matthew continued highlighting and emphasizing his authority throughout the chapter and he did it by giving us various examples of him exercising authority. We saw in verses 1 through 4 of chapter 8 that he had the power and authority to cleanse a leper. In verses 5 through 13 he had the authority to heal the sick even at a distance. In verses 14 through 17 he had the authority to heal Peter's mother-in-law fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy. In verses 23 through 27 he had the authority over nature stealing a storm. And then again in verses 28 through 34 he had authority over demons no matter how many or how powerful. Now chapter 9 gives us insight into his authority to forgive men of their sins. Now sin normally is translated or interpreted as being one who falls short of the mark. The common word that is used in Greek for us to translate into the word sin is hermitia. And it means to fall short of the mark. When you use the word sin or hermitia it could speak of not fulfilling the requirements of the law of God. And so all have sin and fall short of the glory of God. In other words there's none righteous, no not one. There's not one perfect human being on the face of the earth. The only person who is perfect we all know is Jesus Christ. And so all of us were born in sin. We have sin as our nature. And sin being our nature is what has provoked our lifestyle. And so what we have here in this particular portion of scripture is Jesus telling a man that his sins are forgiven him. Now when he does so the fact that he does this completely outrages the Jewish officials. But the question has to be asked why would these scribes who were religious, they were the religious experts. They were the theologians. Why would these scribes be so upset? Why would they say amongst themselves again in verse 3 within themselves this man blasts fiends. Why would they be provoked to do something like that? They were outraged because by forgiving sins Jesus Christ was declaring himself to be God. That's why they got so upset. Jesus was making it clear that he's God. You see according to the Bible only God has the right and authority to forgive sins. It is the ability of God to forgive sins that distinguishes him from all so-called gods. In the Old Testament book of Micah chapter 7 verses 18 and 19 for example. It reads where is another God like you who pardons the sins of the survivors among his people. You cannot stay angry with your people forever because you delight in showing mercy. Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean. So the Bible teaches that it is God who forgives sins and when Jesus Christ pronounces this man's sins to be forgiven. It outrages the religious leaders of his day. They understood that forgiveness of sins is strictly under the authority of God himself. And by pronouncing forgiveness Jesus was completely shaking their understanding of Scripture. They were saying to themselves how can he do such a thing? How can he say such a thing? And it stumbled them. It caused them great offense. Because Jesus Christ was saying he forgives sins. In the Gospel of Luke there's a beautiful story there. We're all familiar with it. It's found in chapter 7 verses 36 through 50. It's the story of a man by the name of Simon, a Pharisee, who had invited the Lord Jesus Christ over for a meal. And Jesus attended the meal. He received the man's invitation and came and was reclined there at meal. When a woman was well known in the community as a sinner, a person who was living a very sinful life. Many commentators would say that she was undoubtedly a prostitute. This woman enters into the room. We all know the story how she enters in. She looks around the room. The room becomes silent, I'm sure, as people were speaking amongst themselves. And then when she appears there's this sense of what she's doing here. That kind of attitude that people can have. And as she sees the Lord she walks towards him, begins to weep. The tears begin to drip from her chin onto his feet. She becomes aware of that, kneels down, takes her hair, undoes it, begins to dry his feet from her tears. And as she's holding his feet in her hands, she with reverence kisses his feet. And Simon is watching this take place and says within himself, if this man truly were a prophet he would know who and what manner of woman this is that is touching him. She's a sinner. And that's when Jesus has that famous conversation with Simon and says I have something to ask you. And Simon says we'll say on. He says there was a man who owed another man 500 dinari. There was another man who owed the same man 50 dinari. But the man who was owed the money completely forgave both of those men of their debts. I mean I want to ask you a question. Which one of those men will love that man the most? And in an Arab indifference almost like just oh come on it's obvious. Simon says I suppose the one who was forgiven the most. It's obvious in other words. In Jesus's you see this woman. That's one of the traits of the Lord Jesus Christ by the way that I admire the most. He has a tendency of drawing our attention to other people. And he says to Simon all you have seen in this woman is a test case. All you have seen in this woman is that Jesus is a sinner. But have you really looked at her? Because this woman has a lot of things in her that Jesus himself would have understood. That Simon for some reason in his indifference and callousness had failed to take into consideration. And he says have you looked at this woman Simon look at this woman. And he begins to speak and we know I'll know the story. We all know that Jesus at that point says when I walked in you didn't give me the customary greeting of a kiss on the cheek. You didn't anoint my hair with oil and you didn't wash my feet. And Simon those are the things that every good host will afford to his guest. You didn't do any of those things. But when you look at this woman she's been kissing my feet. She has loved me. And Simon there's a good reason it's because the one who has been forgiven much loves much. And so for me as I read that I have to remember how much have I been forgiven. And if I've been really forgiven of all things then shouldn't my love for Christ be intense and growing. And the answer to that obviously would be yes. But after Jesus speaks to Simon he turned to the woman and he spoke to her. It's recorded in Luke 7.48 and 49. He said to her your sins are forgiven. And those who sat at the table with them began to say to themselves who is this who even forgives sins. So once again we see Jesus evidencing the fact that he has come to forgive sinners by forgiving sins. He transported himself out of the realm of mere man and he claimed to be God. And that's what's being seen here. And if Jesus is God then we would obviously expect to find him doing what God alone can do. And that is what we see. He pardoned sinners and he brings them to a place of contentment and peace. Because Luke records that Jesus went on to say to the woman your faith has saved you. Go in peace. And that's something that only God can do to bring you into peace. And yet Jesus commends her faith and says go into peace. So in this passage Jesus does not deny that he has the authority to forgive sins which only God can do. He not only forgives sins but he goes on to perform a miracle proving that he has the power and authority to do so. And he's able to do that because he's God in human flesh and the savior of the world. In 1 John 4.14 it says we have seen and testified that the Father has sent the Son to be the savior of the world. And so Jesus is revealing that to us as we look at this passage. So in chapter 9 here in Matthew verse 1, Matthew says he got into a boat, crossed over and came to his own city. Now we have read that Jesus had just delivered two demon possessmen in a region on the eastern shore in a place called the Gadarenes. So instead of recognizing his power and compassion we had read that the people asked him to leave and he returns now to his own city, the city of Capernaum. The city of Capernaum is if you were looking at a map it's on the north portion of the Sea of Galilee. It's a fishing village and it had become Jesus's headquarters according to Matthew 4.13. Now as he arrives there in the city it's not unnoticed. He couldn't move freely because many people began to follow him and news of his return to the city is stirring up the people and they come looking for him. Mark chapter 2 verse 2 says immediately many gathered together so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And he preached the word to them. So the word spread quickly. Jesus is back in town. A great crowd begins to form to hear him speak. And as this crowd has formed I want you to notice with me what Mark has pointed out. He preached the word to them. He never got sidetracked from the one thing he had come to do. Jesus had come to give the good news of the love of God and salvation offered to men by God and he did so in a message called the gospel. And so even though everyone might be looking for him he was not sidetracked by the amounts of people. Mark tells us in chapter 1 that Peter was speaking to Jesus and said everyone is looking for you. But he said to them let us go into the next towns that I may preach there also because for this purpose I have come forth. Jesus came not to entertain. Jesus came to set people free and he did that through his message. You see preaching the gospel of the kingdom is the center of the ministry of Jesus Christ. In John 5.24 he said I tell you the truth. Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life will not be condemned but has crossed over from death to life. These crowds that Jesus is now having form around him. These crowds need to become converts. The Lord doesn't want just a lot of people to be interested or curious in him about him. He doesn't want people to simply come to hear him speak or be amazed by his works or to try to get to know him that they might use him. These people need to be saved from future condemnation. John 3.17 and 18 says God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he is not believed in the name of God's one and only son. God is not interested in simply gathering crowds. There are many places that are crowded but not necessarily pleasing to God. In Ezekiel 33 verses 30 through 33 God says to Ezekiel, As for you son of man the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses and they speak to one another. Everyone saying to his brother, Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord so they come to you as people do. They sit before you as my people and they hear your words but they do not do them. For with their mouth they show much love but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument for they hear your words but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass surely it will come to pass then they will know that a prophet has been among them. Ezekiel it's not enough that crowds are forming to hear. You're like an entertainer. The things that you're saying has popularized you. But he says as they are seated before you they come and seat themselves before you as if they're my people. And this is the thing that's amazing about what God is telling Ezekiel. The prophet at that point he says they sit before you as my people but they are not my people. And this is why they are not my people because he said they hear but they do not do. So Jesus did not come to draw crowds. Jesus did not come to entertain people with eloquence. He did not come in order that he might heal the sick alone. Jesus came to proclaim a message that set captives free. Jesus came so that he might provide forgiveness for those who have sinned. And the Bible says all have sin and fall short of the glory of God. And so what we have here is an example of the Lord Jesus Christ doing the work that he was sent to do. Which is to bring healing to those who have a need especially as it pertains to their sins. And so it says he came into his own city and then in verse 2 of Matthew chapter 9. Behold they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. And Jesus seen their faith said to the paralytic son be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you. Matthew simply records they brought to him a paralytic on a bed. But Mark gives us a bit more detail because in Mark chapter 2 verse 3. It says they came to him bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. Now this paralytic is being emphasized here. The question has to be asked why would the healing of a lame man be something that needs to be recorded in this kind of detail? Well the healing of those who are crippled is one of the works that Messiah was to perform. The Messiah would actually heal the lame. And that was known by those of that day to be one of the earmarks and the things that gave the Messiah credentials. And that is that he healed the lame. There's an interesting story found in Matthew chapter 11. We'll get to chapter 11 in about two years and as we get there you'll see it. But in Matthew chapter 11. John the Baptist and we all know John the baptizer. John had been put in prison because John had been preaching to Herod that it was not lawful for Herod to have his brother Philip's wife. And that had outraged him and infuriated him and so Herod had placed John in prison. John knows that his season of ministry is almost up and he's going to die. He's aware of this and so what he does is he calls some of his disciples to him and he sends them on a mission. And the mission is to go and speak to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now remember with me that John had baptized Jesus. John said I didn't know who he was but the one who sent me said the one whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining. This is he and he pointed Jesus Christ out as being Messiah. But now this great man of God whom Jesus refers to as the greatest born to women. This great man of God is languishing in prison. He's about to die. He's concerned and so he sends his men to go and speak to Jesus and he says I want you to go and speak to him and ask this question of him. And so in Matthew 11 verses 4 through 6 after they said to him John has sent us and asked the question are you the coming one or should we look for another? The coming one is another title for Messiah. Are you Messiah is what they're saying or should we look for another? Jesus responds in Matthew 11 4 through 6 by replying go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight. The lame walk. Those who have leprosy are cured. The deaf hear. The dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor. And blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me. Blessed is the man who is not stumbled because of me. Blessed is the man who does not think I should be doing certain things and when I don't fulfill his expectations just walks away from me and says I don't need this. You see there's a number of people who have quote unquote come to faith in Christ because they expected Jesus to do something for them. They actually wanted Jesus to be almost like a puppet on some strings. You do exactly what I need to make me happy and I'll follow you and when he doesn't do what they want or disappoints them in some way they just walk away. I don't need this. I already had misery. I still have misery. I don't need Jesus Christ. And many people who have claimed to have a faith in Christ in reality were fair weather disciples thinking that he was going to make everything better for them. But what happens? What happens when you're put in a position where your faith is tested? And that's why Jesus would say blessed is the man who is not stumbled or caused to be offended because of me. Blessed is the man who hasn't tried to create me in the image that they want for their Messiah but has allowed me to be who I am and receive me in that fashion. And there are a lot of people who think Jesus is supposed to do certain things for them and when he doesn't they say who needs this. Well there you have John. And what's interesting is Jesus' response because he points out that the lame would walk which was one of the things that would occur through Messiah. Someone wrote these miracles were not only the most convincing proofs of the supreme power of Christ but were also emblematic of the work of salvation which he affects on the souls of men. Men are blind. They are darkened by sin and do not see the way of truth and salvation. Men are not able to walk in the path of righteousness. Men are leprous. Their souls are defiled with sin deepening in themselves and infecting others. Men are deaf to the voice of God, His Word, even to their own conscience. And men are dead in trespasses and sins and the result is they are separated from God. It is Jesus who opens the eyes of the blind, enables the lame to walk in the way of holiness, cleanses the lepers from all the defilement of their sins, opens the ears of the deaf to hear His pardoning words and raises those who were dead in trespasses and sins to live in union with Himself for all eternity. So Jesus Christ as Messiah came in order to make the dead come alive, the crippled to be able to walk. That was what Messiah was to do. There's an author by the name of Ken Geyer and he wrote a devotional, incredible moments. And he concentrated one of his devotionals on this man that we're looking at here, this crippled man. And this is what he said. His spindly legs and arms form the bars to the cell that imprisons him, isolating him from the rest of the world. And so there he lays alone on a three by six mat, day after day, week after week, month after monotonous month, never able to rise and stretch with the morning sun, never able to socialize in the streets, never able to step out for a casual breath of fresh air, never able to walk off his frustrations, never able to have a change of scenery without inconvenience in a handful of other people. He had to rely on others for everything, for every sip of water, for every bite of food. For every time his bowels moved or his bladder needed relief, somebody else has to turn him and bathe him and clothe him. Dependency, humiliation, confinement, boredom, loneliness, frustration, shame, despair. These are just a few of the entries in the thesaurus that defines life on a three by six mat. This man was crippled, he couldn't care for himself, but there's something he had that we all need and that was friends. He had some very, very true friends. In Mark chapter two verse three, Mark tells us that he was carried by four of them. What a blessing it is, isn't it, to have friends? There are a lot of men today who don't have any friends. There was a book written years ago now that that was something like the loneliness of the American male. And there are a lot of men today who don't have friends. They're unable, if you were to sit down, perhaps you're married to one. And you said to him, name your best friend to me. Some of us will have to actually think back to elementary school and maybe we'll think of junior high or high school or college. And we'll say, oh yeah, I had, and then you say, but who's your best friend now? I don't have any friends because I got you. A lot of men I know have basically stopped having outside buddies of any sort and have concentrated their friendship on their wife. But if you were to ask them who is your best friend, they're unable to say they have one. They'll say I've got buddies. I have guys I know, guys I work with, guys I once in a while will see at church. But friendlessness is one of the plagues of American society, especially as it pertains to men. If you ask an average guy something like, tell me some of your more fun experiences you have. Tell me things that you really enjoyed. You know, a lot of my memories are like this. I'll say, you know, I remember one night we started out real late, and we rode our motorcycles from Norwalk to Santa Barbara. We got there about midnight, hooked up with one of my friends from San Luis Obispo, and then rode our bikes from Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo and enjoyed myself for two or three days. I can tell you stories like that. I can tell you stories of driving late at night and stopping at some roadside diner in some small town where a couple buddies and I pulled over two or three in the morning and went in and sat down and drank some coffee, ate some breakfast and just talked about life. I can tell you about being 12 and 13 with my best friend as I'd spend the night at his house and we'd stay up late and do stupid things that 12-year-olds can do. I'll give you an example. I remember staying at my friend's house, Bill, and we're, you know, we were 12 years old and we're sitting with our T-shirt and our BBDs. That's what we wore to go to sleep, but we're sitting watching, you know, Alvira or some kind of spooky thing. And he says, hey, let's go out and race cars in our underwear. So I said, why not? There were no cars anyway. So I said, why not? And so we were standing by the door looking, waiting for a car to come driving down the street. It's like two in the morning. There's no cars out. Here comes a car. And so my friend and I, he says, let's go. He said, when he gets up to that driveway, let's run and roll, race them down the street. And I said, why not? So I'm standing there and here comes our, and he runs out and I stayed behind and I hid behind the door. And he's running down the street on the sidewalk and this woman, I'll never forget this older woman just staring with her mouth open at this 12-year-old guy in his underwear running down the street and he stops and looks and I'm waving at him from behind the door. And those are memories I have and they're good memories. They're funny memories, silly memories, you know, and they were with my buddies. We had relationship. We had friendship and we cared about one another. We really did as silly as we might have been at 12, 13 and all because it's the same guy, Bill, that ran down the sidewalk wanting to race these cars in our underwear. It's the same guy who put me in, who told me you need to come to this Maranatha concert in order to give your heart to Jesus Christ. It was the same friend because friends bring other friends closer to Christ. That's what a real friend does. When you begin to look at your friendships, the best friends you have, listen carefully. The best friend you have is the one who will not take you away from Jesus. The best friend you have is the one who brings you closer to him. Never forget that because some of you have friends who are always telling you things that would actually take you away from Jesus. And they're not intending to. They're just saying things to you like, what's wrong with this and there's nothing wrong with that. And that's his opinion. And you're not even listening to what the Spirit is saying because your friend is busy telling you something other than that. Be careful. Be careful that you don't circle yourself with people who draw you away. Pray that God will give you friends who bring you to Christ. This man had friends who could do nothing for him, but the best thing, which was to take this man to Jesus Christ. And what's interesting is it says in Matthew 9 verse 2 that Jesus saw their faith. How did he see their faith? Again, by combining Mark's account with Matthew's, it says in Mark chapter 2 verse 4 that they couldn't come near to him because of the crowd. So they actually uncovered the roof. What they had done is they walked up the side stairs of this small place and they began pulling the patio roof apart. If you were to see what the roofs and patios of that day were like, you would see that the roof was flat with beams that ran transversely. They were normally overlaid with brushwood and tree branches and were covered with a thick blanket of mud or clay mixed with straw. And what they did is they actually broke up this roof. And as they were working furiously, there was falling debris. And the falling debris began to create a billowy cloud and particles of dust and debris were floating. Jesus is inside. As you can see right above him, the roof began to open up. And you can see these fingers of these men as they're pulling it apart. And Jesus, as he was teaching, undoubtedly just waited for them to finish what they were doing. And they finally opened it wide enough for them to begin to lower their friend down. Even if the man didn't want to come, he was coming anyway. There was nothing he could do about it. So slowly and gently they begin to lower that bed on which their friend was lying. This was what is called faith in action. They were four working as one. They were a team of ministers. Their faces were sweaty. Their hands were dirty from breaking up the roof. You see, faith is active. And it's noticeable when it's exercised. James 2 verse 17 says, Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone. But Jesus here sawed their faith. And then he said to the paralytic son, Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you. Now Jesus is promising this sick man forgiveness of his sins. Now why would he do that? Well, the reason he's promising forgiveness for his sins is because even more than walking, this man needed to be forgiven. Even more than the ability to stand up and walk, to dance, to run, to jump. He needed his soul healed more than he needed his legs healed. Jesus asks the question in Matthew 16 verse 26, What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? What material thing have you ever gotten or I ever gotten that has made me eternally happy? Blast and please, I am so glad I'll have this forever. What material thing lasts for eternity? That's the point Christ is making, not a single thing does. You buy a car and it's nice to have a nice car, it's great to have a nice car. But two or three years down the line you want to get rid of it and get another one. Four years, five years, you get another one. Why? Because that car, as fun as it may be and as enjoyable as it may be and all of that, isn't going to produce for you what you really long for. That's true with every material thing. That's true with every relationship. Yeah, you can clap. I think that's true. It is true. Amen. Those are all single people by the way, clapping. But it's true. It is absolutely true. God help us to see this today. God help us to see it. So many singles say, I'm lonely, I need a mate. I do not in any way shape or form denigrate that at all. I do not. It is not good that man should be alone. I understand that and yes I'm married, I've been married a long time and I've had people say, well, you say that because you're married but you're not alone. All I know is this, that the Lord satisfies my soul and the deepest recesses of it. He does. And I really believe strongly that he has to be the number one love of our life. And I used to tell my kids, I'd say, you know what? If you want to have a good husband or wife, then become the best Christian you can be. Be the best gift to them that you could possibly be. Don't be their ministry. Be their helper. And be a person that is satisfied in Christ because a person who's not satisfied in Christ is going to try to be satisfied in human beings and the human being will never meet their needs. But when you find your satisfaction in the Lord, when you trust Him, you become an entirely different person and in doing so there's a satisfaction the world cannot give. And Jesus said, you know, who's going to be satisfied with the things of the world? What this man needed was forgiveness. And so what he does in Matthew 9 verse 2 is he speaks to him and he says, son, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven you. Be of good cheer. In other words, take courage. Courage that is deep. Courage that is genuine. It speaks of an inner strength, an inner strength that overcomes fear. He says, be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven. Your forgiven means to be driven away, doing away with. Jesus was promising this sick man forgiveness of sin because that's what he needed more than the ability to walk. Now that's hard for us to understand today. I know that. I realize that. I do. But he needed forgiveness more than the ability to walk. And Jesus granted to him what he really needed. But the men did not know that he needed. They knew that he was crippled. They brought him to Jesus undoubtedly because Jesus couldn't heal. But Jesus looked past the first and looked to what was the deepest and that was forgiveness. You see, sin. Sin needs to be forgiven, not excused. There are numbers of people today, many people, a whole society really that is in the sin excusing business. Well, the reason he's that way is because he was raised that way, or he was not educated enough, or he had a bad role model, or had no role models, or it's the neighborhood, or it's the lack of education. We're able to explain so many of the symptoms. But what is the root cause? Why is it? Why is it that this person has done what he has done? It's because of his heart. It's because of the condition within him. It's because of the evil that is rampant within that hasn't been checked. And that is something that can be checked when you say to God, be merciful to me. I am a sinner. Listen, when I got saved, you know, I've had friends of mine who were into drugs and alcohol a lot longer than I was. And they say, ah, Dave, you are a lightweight man. I was in it for 30 plus years. And I say, well, you know God was merciful to me at an early age. And I went for it. Because, yeah, I did my drugs, and I did my alcohol, and I did the things that pertain to that kind of life. But one day I was driving, and I'll give a little detail. I was driving, I'd been drinking, I got in an accident, I was, I hit a pole, and a police officer came and said, stay in your car, we're going to have to take you in. But two girls I knew came pulling up behind me and they walked up and said, what's going on? And I climbed out of the car. When I climbed out of the car, the police officer, the sheriff, Norwalk Sheriff, hooked me up, put me in the back of his car and dropped me off at the Norwalk substation. While I was at the Norwalk substation, I had long hair. One of the officers looking at me, talking to his friends, said, what is this? Is this a girl or this a boy? And I looked at him and I said, at your age, if you don't know the difference between a girl and a boy, there's something wrong with you. So he maced me. I still remember that. He maced me and threw me in a cell. And when he had me in the cell, I was drunk, he took the handcuffs off and threw me in the cell. A guy that I had met that night who actually was part of helping me to get into jail because he was pushing me in his car, which is what caused me to slam into the pole in the first place, he got arrested. So here's, this guy's in the cell next to me, the guy who got me arrested. Yeah, I got myself arrested, the guy who helped me to get myself arrested. And he brought reds with him. Some of you know what reds are, second, oh. They were dropping drugs in the jail cell. That was my life. That was what I did. The next day I was transported to L.A. to county jail. And they took me to county jail. And my dad came and picked me up out of the holding cell there. And my dad did not smoke, but my dad had a pack of cigarettes and he was chain smoking all the way from L.A. county jail to where we lived in Norwalk. One cigarette after another, just smoking. He was so upset. And he says, what is wrong with you? And I said, I don't know dad, I'm sick. And so what he did is he sent me to a psychiatrist. And so I started going to a psych to try and explain to him why I was so destructive, why I was so crazy, why I was so angry. And I never was able to explain what I was feeling. And it was at that time that my friend Bill, the underwear racing car guy, was at that time that BBD Bill took me to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. And I discovered that my problem wasn't a lack of relationship with a girl or money or education. My crazy problem was sin. I needed to be forgiven of my sins. You see, daddy could have given to me a new car. As a matter of fact, when I was 17, he said, if you go on the honor roll, I'll buy you a brand new Mustang. He took me to a car lot. I looked at 1968 Mustangs. I picked out a green fastback with a 3-speed, a 390. I still remember it. David, if you get on the honor roll, I will buy you this car. I graduated high school with a D minus average. I didn't even go to school. I never got that car because I didn't care. You see, the car wouldn't have done it. The relationships wouldn't have done it. The education for me wouldn't have done it. I needed Jesus Christ. I needed my sins forgiven. And that's what this is all about. That's why Jesus looks at this man. Son, your sins are forgiven you. And the people around, this man blasphemes. Who could, Mark adds, who can forgive sins but God alone? And that's what's going on here. You see, the Bible tells us very quickly, if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. They're asking, who is this man? Because they hear what he's actually saying. They're saying, man doesn't have the authority to forgive sins against God. Who is this man? Well, Jesus forgives sins because Jesus is God in the flesh and only God forgives sins. Therefore, Jesus is claiming to be God. Isaiah 43.25 says it like this. God speaking, I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, remembers your sins no more. Psalm 103.12, as far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us. It's God who forgives sins. He is the one who forgives. And so, Jesus knows their thoughts. Jesus actually responds to their thoughts. It says, Jesus knowing their thoughts said, why do you think evil in your heart? Again, this expresses his divinity. Psalm 44.21, he knows the secrets of the heart. Hebrews 4.13, nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account. But he goes on in verse 5, which is easier to say your sins are forgiven or say arise and walk? Well, both are impossible without God. But the fact is to say someone is forgiven is easier than to heal that person physically. One is an act that is not necessarily visible. The other is obviously immediate and visible. So he says in verse 6, that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. So he says the Son of Man, that is a messianic title. But he says so that you may know that I have power on earth to forgive sins. He says that the paralytic arise, take up your bed and go to your house. So the invisible forgiveness is demonstrated by the visible healing. His faith responds with behavior. The crippled man is made to walk through faith and obedience. Undoubtedly, joy floods his soul. He rejoices over what God has done. Now listen, Jesus gave an impossible command. He cannot get up. That's the reason why he was brought here in the first place. It is impossible for me to get up. You're telling me to do something I cannot do. But remember this, when God gives a command, he supplies the ability to obey. He supplies the ability to obey. God will not tell you to do something he will not give you power to do. He's not going to make you look bad or stupid. Listen, when our church was young, I would be thinking, oh, Lord, I don't know what to do. We have a bill here or we have to do something there. I don't know what I'm going to do. One of the things the Spirit of the Lord began to speak to my heart very early in the history of this ministry was this. I can say it like this, because this is how it came across in my own heart, where God said, I did not raise you up to let you fall. I'll support you. I will take care of you, which he has been faithful to do for all 34 years of this ministry, and he's been that way ever since the day I got saved. He is faithful. He has always been. What does the man do? Well, he arose and departed to his house. When the multitude sought, they marveled and glorified God who had given such power to men. They marveled. They were filled with awe, reverential fear towards Jesus Christ. Can you imagine the joy that everybody in his home experienced? He was forgiven. And he was walking again. In Luke chapter 5, verses 25 and 26, immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house. Glorifying God, they were all amazed. They glorified God, and were filled with fear saying, we have seen strange things today. They marveled and glorified God. When you are made to walk, people also will be drawn to Jesus Christ. So I'm coming home from a Maranatha concert on 20 years old. I had been expecting to go across the street from where I was living to smoke some pot. Some friends of mine had received a shipment of marijuana from Thailand. But instead of going to get high that day, December 27th, I went to a Maranatha concert. I heard this preacher named Arthur Blessed speak. I gave my heart to Christ. I came home. I had been drunk or loaded almost, well, several times a week for about a year, going down. And I come walking into the house. I walk into the den where my parents and my two sisters were. And I said, Mom, Dad, Becky, Madeline, I love you. Praise the Lord. And I walk into the bathroom, which is attached to the den. And my two sisters jumped up and ran in there. What happened to you? And I said, I gave my heart to Christ today. I got born again. I'm saved. My mom and my dad, I hear the TV go off. And my dad brings my mom walking past the door because he was taking her to their room. And she and he stopped looking, and they stopped and looked at me as they were just staring. And my mom was shaking her head. And my dad was patting her on the back because she knew I went crazy. That's what they told me. They knew you went crazy. My dad's comforting. And my dad said, I just told your mama, it's okay, honey. He found God. It's okay. And my mom went to her bedroom and she did a rosary for me because she knew I was crazy. Three weeks. Well, that day, I should say it this way. That night, my sister Madeline went to bed and said, whatever you did for him, do it for me. And she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. Three weeks later, my dad and my mom are in their kitchen. I come walking in with a Bible. I'd been reading it like I was told to. And I'd gotten a Revelation 9 and it's about men with women's hair, iron teeth, stings that they want death for five months in the whole nine yards. And I read it to my dad. I say, dad, this is the word of God. I look into what God says and I read this verse, this chapter to him and I say to him, I don't know what it means, but I know this is not speaking to me and it's speaking to you. And I looked at my dad and I said, you're a good man. You're the best man I'll ever know, but dad, you will be the best man in hell if you don't give your heart to Jesus Christ. I said, I love you, daddy. And I don't want to go to heaven without you. Bow your head. You're receiving Christ right now. And my dad did and my mom did. My brother, Frank, gets saved two years later and that's when I started a Bible study in Ontario. He had a girl that he worked with named Marie who started going to the study. My sister led her to Christ. She needed discipling. I married her and that's how this church eventually came to be. And they were amazed and they glorified God. And they glorified God. When your sins are forgiven, you can walk. And when you walk, people will be amazed at what God has done in you. Don't we worship an amazing God? We do. We do. We do.