The beginning of the gospel according to Mark

7/25/2019 The beginning of the gospel according to Mark

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Mark 2:1-12 The Healing of the Paralytic 1

Mk 2:112 (ESV) And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.(2)And many were

gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. (3)And they came,

bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. (4)And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the

roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. (5)And when Jesus saw their

faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven.(6)Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,(7)Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone? (8)And immediately Jesus,

perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, Why do you question these things in your hearts?(9

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise, take up your bed and walk? (10)But that you may

know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sinshe said to the paralytic(11)I say to you, rise, pick up your bed,

and go home.(12)And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and

glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this!

1. Background

A. Jesus had been preaching in the area around Capernaum and after some days returns home

1). The last time He was there He created quite a stirteachinghealingcasting out demons

2). He had been mobbed by the crowdsnow Hes home word gets out and the crowds return

Thought: Crowds are a recurring theme in Jesus Galilean ministry Mark mentions crowds 40 times

A. He mentions Jesus teaching crowds, having compassion on them

Healing them, miraculously feeding them, delivering them from demon possession1). Sadly what is missingno mention of the crowds turning to Christ in repentance and faith

B. We especially see this sad state of affairs here Capernaum

1). They had enjoyed so many spiritual benefitsJesus lived theretaught thereministered there

a). They were amazed at His teachingastonished by His authority over sickness and demons

2). The light of Gods glory blazed brighter in Capernaum than any other place

a). Yet they remained blind and hard hearted

b). Somehow what they heard and saw never caused them to turn to Christ from their sin

3). Jesus rebuked them harshly for this

Mat 11:23-24 (NIV) And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go

down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it

would have remained to this day. (24) But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the

day of judgment than for you."

THREE LESSONS WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS TRUTH

A. Crowds dont necessarily mean success

1). Jesus was popularthere were constant crowdsbut few conversions at this point

2). We error when we equate the size of a church with successnot always true

a). It is possible to put crowds into the seatsbut are they becoming disciples of Christ?

B. The amazing power of unbelief

1). All they heard and sawyet still rejected Him as Lord and Savior Why?

a). John 3 saysman rejects Christ because they love their sin

2). I see this and I am convinced two things are essential to see conversions

a). Preaching the Wordman is saved ONLY when they hear the Gospel and respond

Ro 10:14 (ESV) How then will they (the unbeliever) call on him in whom they have not

believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how

are they to hear without someone preaching?

b). Persistent prayerman is saved ONLY if God illuminates the Gospel that is preached

1a). 2 Cor 4Satan has blinded the unbeliever to the truth of the Gospel

They remain blind unless God opens their eyes to their sin and need of a Savior

3). I believe if we join together as a church crying out for soulswe will see souls saved

C. H. Spurgeon:Winners of souls must first be weepers for souls.


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a). We are all responsible for thiswe are all called to be part of the Great Commission

1a). While we cant all fit into the pulpit on Sunday to proclaim the message

All can be involved by praying throughout the week that God would powerfully

move through the message that is being proclaimed

4). For us to accomplish task set before uswill take preaching and prayerdependence upon God

C. I see a great warning hereyou can be in the crowd but not be in Christ

1). You can be caught up in the flow of whats happening singing the songsgoing to the events

Tasting of the goodness of what is happening around you

You can see others saved and not be saved yourself

2). Make your calling and election suremake sure YOU have gone to Christ personally

a). That you have turned from your sins to follow Him

b). That you are trusting in Him alone for your salvation

Transition: So Jesus has returned and so have the crowdsin vs. 3-4 it gets very interesting

A. Mark introduces us to a paralytic and his four friendsinteresting and funny

I. THE HELPFUL FRIENDSMk 2:34 (ESV) And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.

(4)And when they could not get near him

because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which

the paralytic lay.

1. These 4 men desperately want to get their friend to Jesus to be healed

A. They try to push through the crowd to no availtheres just to many in-between Jesus and them

1). I can imagine them setting the bed downa bit despondent - now what?

Suddenly one says I know! Through the roof! You crazy! Got any better ideas

a). So up the stairs they go onto the roof of the house

2. Typical house in those days would have a flat roof

A. They would use it like we use a deckto loungeget fresh aireateven hang laundry

1). There would be stairs on the outside of the house giving access

B. Roof would be constructed of timbersticksreeds and branchesthen overlaid with packed earth

1). The whole thing would be about 2 feet thick

3. Put yourself in that room for a moment

A. Youre listening to Jesus preach suddenly start to hear scratching and scraping above you

1). Then cracking as the branches are being torn away

2). Clumps of dirt start to fall on those belowdust fills the air

B. Finally a small hole is torn through the roofyou see skythen a face pears through

1). The digging intensifiesmore crackingtearingmore dirt and dust

2). Great turmoilits loud confusing - people screaming at them to stop!

C. Finally the hole has gotten very largethrough the dust now there are four faces peering in

1). Then something happens youd never expecta bedstretcher - appears in the hole

It has a paralyzed man lying on itand it starts to slowly descend until it is right before Jesus

Transition: What will Jesus do? Tell them off for doing something like that interrupting His ministering

JESUS RESPONSE

Mk 2:5 (ESV) And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven.

1. He saw their faith


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A. To do what they did - they must have reall y believedJesus could cure their friend

1). You dont rip through a roof if you arent convinced Jesus is able to heal

Thought: So rather than rebuke them I think Jesus was pleased

A. God loves faith because faith honors Him

1). It believes He is who He said He was and could do what He said He could do

2). And great faith still believes even against great obstacles like these men faced2. Notice. At first it doesnt seemlike Jesus gets it. Why theyve done all this

A. He says to the paralyzed man. Son, your sins are forgiven.

I wonder if the man thought Ok. But thats not why Im here. We ripped a hole in the roof to get to

you because I want to walk. Im paralyzed. Got anything for that?

Thought: You have to see what is happening herethere is a couple of lessons in this

A. First: Jesus is teaching that the spiritual is more important than the temporal and physical

1). Mans primary problem is moral not physicalitssin not suffering

a). We have broken Gods law We are guiltyalienated

b). Unless we are forgiven of our sin by God we MUST be judgedwe will go to hell

B. Second: There is another lesson herethat deals with prioritiesin our lifeidolsin our heart1). A lesson that teaches us not to settle for too littlethings that cant bring lasting satisfaction

3. Getting that ONE desire right

A. This man comes to Jesus and he is sickmore than anything he wants to be healed!

Im sure he thinks: If I could only walk THEN Id be happy. Id be set for life. If only I could walk

everything would be alright

1). That is all he wanted from Jesus AND he would have gladly settled for ONLY that

B. But Jesus lovingly, mercifully wants to give Him more than just a physical healing

1). He knows if hes only healed physically hell only experience a temporal satisfaction

a). Euphoria found in the temporal and physical realm ALWAYS wears off

Therefore it wouldnt be that long before hed be discontent againC. Timothy Keller speaks about this dynamic in his book on Mark

Referring to an article written by Cynthia Heimel for the Village voice

1). Working in Greenwich Village she knew many aspiring artists and actors

a). They all had that ONEgoalthey thought would finally bring them contentment

If they could only make it as an actor or actress theyd have it made

2). She watched many make itrather than being happier they became more miserableunstable

manic - angry

3). So she wrote this interesting article about the temporal nature of happiness in the physical realm

I pity [celebrities]. No, I do. [Celebrities] were once perfectly pleasant human beings. But now

their wrath is awful. More than any of us, they wanted fame. They worked, they pushed, but the

morning after they became famous, they wanted to take an overdose . .. because that giant thingthey were striving for, that fame that was going to make everything okay, that was going to make

their lives bearable, that was going to provide them with personal fulfillment and happiness, had

happened and nothing had changed.They were stil l them. The disil lusionment tur ned them

howling and insuf ferable.

Thought 1: Why do you think so many millionaires commit suicide?

A. They work all their lifesacrificing everything for that ONE thing that will make them happy = money

1). They base everything on that! Achieve that they will be content and satisfied!

B. But when they finally achieve their goalthey realize nothing has really changedthey are still them!

1). They still live with that same emptiness they had beforestill unhappySo now what!


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a). The disillusionmentthe shattered dream is crushingsome end it all

Thought 2: Back to our storythis man has ONE goalHe thinks if this happens - everything will be great!

A. Jesus says I love you too much to allow you to settlefor ONLY that

1). To ONLY meet that temporal need would have set this man up for devastating disillusionment

a). If he only gets this desireeventually the emptiness and discontent will come back

B. So Jesus gets to the root of His problemhis alienation from God his creator1). Fix that and youre set up for a joy and contentment that will last for all of eternity

2). A joy and contentment that is not dependent upon the temporal nature of the things of this world

a). Joy and contentment that can withstand the ravages of diseaseand fiscal cliffs

Transition: But what about us? We do the same thingGod must work on our desires too

4. We can do the same exact thing this man was doing

A. Rather than seeking our joy and contentment in God and our relationship with Him

1). We can allow other things to become our deepest desiresetting all our hope on them

2). We can have that one thing - we thinkif I had thatthen I would really be happy

a). If I had success in my career was in a relationship with him or her

If I owned a house a boat If I could change the way I look

If I could a certain amount of money in my bank account

THEN everythi ng would be ok! THEN I would be happy

B. We create idolsthat become supreme desires - thinking they will finally bring contentment

Thought: The dilemmawith that mindset youll never be content(You have to see this)

A. Youve elevated that one thingso much - that you think youll never be happy without

B. But once you do get itthere is a good chance youll end up feeling more empty than ever before

1). Why? Youre expectations are unrealistic no person or thing can deliver the kind of satisfaction

you are expectingonly God can

2). Temporal things can only bring temporal fulfillment the euphoria will wear offthen what!

C. So the idols we set upthinking they will make us happyactually make it impossible to be happy

1). We fixate on themarent content until we have them finally get them

And discover we are still discontentunhappy - they let us downthey dontdeliver

Transition: So God graciouslylovinglydeals with our idolsour desires

5. I see Jesus doing two great things in this story (for this manand for us)

A. He saves us from our sin that keeps us from God

He saves us from our idols that distract us from what will really satisfy = which is God

B. Because He loves us He will dig deep into our hearts and search out our idols

1). Those things weve set above Him in our desires

2). And He lovingly redirects those desires until our deepest longing is for Him

Point: He does that because He loves usHe is rescuing us from chasing what cant satisfy

A. He gently pries our heart off the temporal because He has something so much better for us

1). He is like the parent that sees their child playing with something that will harm them

They lovingly take that awayand replace it with something that is better

a). That kid may kick and scream at firstbut eventually they get itthey are happier

B. So He deals with our idolsthose things we fixate on and think we need

Those things we place above Him and feel we could never be happy without

1). Listen! You really want Him to do this in your heart

You really want that ONE driving passion in your life to be fixed on Him


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2). Only He is exciting enough to satisfy you todaytomorrow and for all of eternity

a). You know thats true right? Ive known Him since 1978 the thrill is still there

1a). The joy and satisfaction He brings has never faded

2a). The peace, rest, contentment just keeps increasing as I learn more about Him

3). And all those things I thought I needed to be happyI dont even have any longer

a). Visit a junk yarda monument to all those idols people thought they needed to be happy!4). But Christianity brings true contentmentWhy? It brings God into your life!

a). After 30+ years - He still thrills my soul with His greatnessbreaks my heart with His love

b). I am still learning new things about Him and will be for all of eternity!

c). He is exciting enoughgreat enoughbig enough to satisfy forever

Thought: I want Him to dig deep and reveal my idolsListen - so do you

A. Ive learned that idols are liarsthey never produce the satisfaction they promise

1). All they manage to do is distract me from the one that can bring real joyintense satisfaction

B. My prayer is that God would root them out of my heart until He is truly my ONE GREAT DESIRE

1). That He would help me pry my heart away from clutching onto that which can only disappoint

a). When He does that! Every idol He frees us from - that is great mercy indeed!Transition: So Jesus is teaching - this man cant get to Him they lower him through the roof

A. This man only desires physically healinghe is willing to settle for that

1). Jesus lovingly takes him deeper than these temporal desiresheals him spiritually

a). Now he can know a joy that will just become greater and greater throughout all eternity

b). That joy that will still be there even when the euphoria of the physical healing fades

B. But this sets up a confrontation with the religious leaders who were sitting there

II. THE HOSTILE FOES

Mk 2:58 (ESV) And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven.(6)Now some of the

scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, (7)Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can

forgive sins but God alone? (8)And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves,

said to them, Why do you question these things in your hearts?

1. Jesus says Your sins are forgiven the religious leaders are shocked

A. They think He is guilty of blasphemy - showing contempt against GodWhy?

1). Because He is claiming to do what Scripture told them only God could do

Mk 2:7 (ESV)He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?

a). Forgiveness of sin in the Scriptures was the exclusive right of God

2. Why is it that only God can forgive sin? (Ever thought this through?)

A. Because only the one who is sinned against has the right to forgive a person for that sin

B. Example: I go up to Mike and say something really offensive

1). Then Carri comes up to me and says I forgive you for what you said to Mike

2). What would Mike say to Carri? You cant forgive him He didnt offend you he offended me

a). Therefore only I have the right to forgive him = that is correct

Point: So only God can ultimately forgive sin. Why? Because all sin is ultimately against Him

A. Even when we sin against our neighbor it is ultimately against Godwe have broken His law of love

1). This is why David said after adultery with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah

Ps 51:4 (ESV) Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight

Question: So what is Jesus saying here when He forgives this mans sin THIS IS HUGE!


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A. He is saying I forgive you, and I can forgive youbecause your sins are really against me. I am God!

1). By forgiving this mans sin Jesus elevates Himself above just being a good teacher

Just being a great prophet or miracle workerHe is claim ing to be God!

a). And these religious leaders knew it and were furious about it

Transition: Lets carry on and see how Jesus handles thisconfrontation

Mk 2:812 (ESV) And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them,

Why do you question these things in your hearts? (9)Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to

say, Rise, take up your bed and walk? (10)But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive

sinshe said to the paralytic(11)I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home. (12)And he rose and immediately

picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw

anything like this!

1. Jesus perceives what they are thinkingagain proving He is God

Ps 94:11 (ESV) the LORDknows the thoughts of man

2. Jesus handles this opposition by posing a question

Mk 2:9 (ESV) Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise, take up your

bed and walk?

A. Its easier to SAY (Key) Your sins are forgiven

1). Thats not easier to accomplish that takes the crossbut it is easier to say thatWHY?

a). Forgiveness of sins is invisiblehow can anybody prove it didnt happen

b). But if you say pick up your bed and go home thats risky something has to happen

Thought: Jesus is going to use the visible miracle of healing to confirm the invisible miracle of forgiveness

A. He is going to show His authority over sin and its legal condemnation

By showing His authority over disease and its physical ramifications

B. If this happens what could the religious leaders say?

1). Jesus is putting His authority on the line in a very visible way

If He can pull this offit will prove He has the authority to forgive sins

AND if He has the authority to forgive sins it will prove He is God!

III. THE HEALING OF THE PARALYTICMk 2:1012 (ESV) But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sinshe said to the

paralytic(11)I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home. (12)And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and

went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this!

1. What a scene this must have been

A. The man is probably leaping for joyhis friends looking through the hole in the roof beaming

The crowd is buzzingthe religious leaders are fuming

2. Once again we are given insight to who this Jesus is. He is God Almighty!Transition: Lets apply this to some who may be here right now

THE CALL

TO THE UNBELIEVER

1. The man started the day physically sickended the day in perfect health

A. But more importantly he stared the day guilty and alienated from Godspiritually sick

And ended the day in perfect spiritual healthforgiven! Right with Godthe greater miracle

2. I dont know how you entered this day spiritually healthy or sick


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A. I do know you can end this day wellforgiven and right with God

B. Do you feel that tug at your heart? That sensing that youre not right with your creator

1). That is God drawing youwooing youwhispering to your heart to respond to Him

2). Take your sin and lay it at His feettrust in Him as your only hope of salvation

Go to HimJesus have mercy on me. Save me. Forgive me

3). You will be forgivenGod the Father loves to forgive sinit honors His sons work on the crossa). You may have walked through those doors lostyou dont need to leave the same way

b). You may have walked in a child of wrathyou can leave a child of God

c). You may have walked in headed for hellplease dont leave that way Jesus has opened

wide the gates of heavenbut you can ONLY enter in through Him

TO THE BELIEVER

1. Has God dug deep this morningrevealing idols in your heart

A. Maybe that one thing you think you need to be happythat one great desire

B. I dont care what it is how legitimate it isit can never be enough to give you lasting joy

1). It is not interesting enough to satisfy you long termthe thrill will wear off eventually

2). Only God is sufficient to satisfy you long termonly God will never let you down

2. Let God deal with your idolsplace them under His authority

Be willing to say Lord you are enough for me. If you want me to have this thing then fine. If you dont Im

good with that too! I trust your love for me. I trust that you know what is best for me. I trust that in your

wisdom you know what I need

A. You know the only way to have stable joylasting peace and satisfaction

Is when God is number 1 in your life

B. You NEED one thing = Him. Havent you learned - that really is enough

1). Then let Him decide all the resttrust His love for you in all the rest and rest in that love

a). God I dont need what you dont want for me

b). God help me at that point of desire to only want what you want for meTHAT is rest!3. Lets learn the example of these four friends

A. They cared enough about this sick man to do whatever it took to get him to Jesus

1). Invite your friends to church where the Gospel is being proclaimed

2). And all of uslets get involved by praying for the message when it is proclaimed

a). We must see souls saved! We will if we preach the word and call out to God!

The beginning of the gospel according to Mark

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