Skip HeitzigSkip Heitzig

Skip's Teachings > 41 Mark - 2013 > Mark 1:32-2:20

Message:

SHORT URL: http://SkipHeitzig.com/2466 Copy to Clipboard
BUY: Buy CD

Mark 1:32-2:20

Taught on | Topic: Mark | Keywords: Jesus, sinner, servant, gospel, demon, fast, Pharisees, Scribes, faith, heal, prayer, joy

Jesus Christ, the selfless Servant, is not "willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9). He came in the flesh and touched contagious, sick, and demon-possessed people—He healed them and He forgave their sins. He ate with tax collectors and sinners—the ones that needed to be saved. The Pharisees scorned Him for that. But He didn't mind, because He didn't come to pour new life into an old system, He came to bring something brand new.

Date Title   WatchListenNotes Share SaveBuy
4/10/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 1:32-2:20
Mark 1:32-2:20
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus Christ, the selfless Servant, is not "willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9). He came in the flesh and touched contagious, sick, and demon-possessed people—He healed them and He forgave their sins. He ate with tax collectors and sinners—the ones that needed to be saved. The Pharisees scorned Him for that. But He didn't mind, because He didn't come to pour new life into an old system, He came to bring something brand new.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study Guide
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD

Series Description

Show expand

41 Mark - 2013

41 Mark - 2013

Jesus Christ--fully man, fully God. As we consider the gospel of Mark, we gain a greater understanding of the suffering Servant and His human emotions, His service, and His sacrifice.

FREE - Download Entire Series (MP3) (Help) | Buy series | Buy audiobook

Study Guide

    Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Show expand

Mark 2
PREVIEW: In Mark 2, we see the faith of a paralytic's friends as they make a way into Jesus’ presence and healing power, Matthew was called to follow Jesus and left all to do so, and Jesus created a new establishment as He demonstrated that He is Lord of all and Lord of the Sabbath.
A Paralytic is Healed - Read Mark 2:1-12
1. After some days, Jesus was in a house, probably Peter’s (Mark 1:29). The Jewish custom was to leave your doors unlocked and to be hospitable to uninvited, unexpected guests. Who shows up when they find out Jesus is in the house (v. 2)? Describe the scene.


2. What was Jesus doing in that house (v. 2)?


3. Four men brought a paralytic to Jesus. What issues did they face? How did they overcome them in order to bring the paralytic to Jesus (vv. 3-4)? (See also Luke 5:19.)


4. Obviously Jesus saw the four men, the paralytic lying before Him, the hole in the roof, and the crowd, but what does Mark record that Jesus saw (v.5)? Why is this important to the story? (See Matthew 21:22 and Mark 11:24.)


5. The four men brought the paralytic to Jesus, most likely not to hear Jesus preaching the Word (v. 2), but for healing from his paralysis. What did Jesus initially do for the man (v. 5)? Why is this important? (See also Matthew 5:29-30, 18:8-9, and 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.)


6. Who was among the guests in the crowded home? What were they doing (vv. 6-7)? (See also Mathew 9:3 and Luke 5:17, 21.)


7. Jesus knew what they were thinking (Matthew 9:4). He perceived their thoughts in His spirit and asked them why they were thinking that way (v.8). He then asked them a second question beginning with, “Which is easier…” (v.9). What is the answer to His second question?


8. When capitalized, the term “Son of Man” refers to God’s Messiah, destined to preside over the final judgment of mankind. Jesus often used this term regarding Himself. In Mark 1:10, He used this title to demonstrate His power to forgive sins by healing the paralytic. What was the final response of the scribes and the crowd in the house (v. 12)?


9. The initial words in verse 10, “But that you may know…”, could be translated, “Now you (Mark’s readers) should know that…” What did Mark want his readers to know (v. 10)? How should this affect your life, especially if you have some paralyzing sin in your life?


10. What was the paralytic’s involvement in his healing (v. 12)?


Call of Matthew – Read Mark 2:13-17
11. Jesus called Matthew to follow Him. By what other name was Matthew called (v. 14)?


12. What was Matthew’s response to Jesus’ call (v. 14)? (See also Luke 5:27-28.)


13. After Matthew’s decision to follow Jesus, it is likely that he invited his former associates over for dinner to make his career change known to them. How did Mark identify those with whom Jesus was dining (v. 15)?


14. Tax collectors collected the required taxes for the Roman government. Any tax that they could collect above and beyond the required tax was money they could keep. This practice led to corruption and a hatred of tax collectors, especially Jewish ones. When the scribes and Pharisees saw Jesus dining at Matthew’s house, what was their response (vv. 15-16)?


15. How did Jesus respond to the scribes and Pharisees who noticed that He was dining with tax collectors and sinners (v. 17)?

Parable of Cloth and Wineskins – Read Mark 2:18-22
16. John’s disciples (see Matthew 9:14) questioned Jesus about why His disciples didn’t fast. Jesus responded by referring to His disciples as friends of the bridegroom (v. 19). What did John say the friend of the bridegroom would do instead of fasting? (See John 3:29.)


17. The Old Testament prescribed fasting for all Jews only on the annual Day of Atonement as an act of repentance (Leviticus 16:29), but the Pharisees promoted voluntary fasts on every Monday and Thursday (Luke 18:12) as an act of piety. Why did Jesus say His disciples could not fast as John’s disciples were doing (v. 19)?


18. Although Jesus’ disciples could not fast while He was with them, when would they fast (v. 20)?


19. Jesus was referring to Himself as the bridegroom. His presence among the disciples constituted a situation as joyous as a wedding festival. Jesus said that the days would come when the bridegroom would be taken away and His disciples would fast then. How were they to fast? (See Matthew 6:16-18.)


20. When answering John’s disciples, Jesus referred to old and new wineskins. This symbolized the traditions of Judaism (old wineskins) and the kingdom He was bringing forth (new wineskins). What happens if new wine is poured into old wineskins? What happens if new wine is poured into new wineskins (v. 22)?

Controversy Over Sabbath-Work – Read Mark 2:23-28
21. Jesus and His disciples traveled through grain fields on a Sabbath day and began to pluck and eat heads of grain (v. 23). The Pharisees said what they were doing was not lawful to do on the Sabbath (v. 24). Were their actions lawful? (See Deuteronomy 23:25.)


22. Jesus referred the Pharisees to 1 Samuel 21:1-6, when David and his men ate the showbread. Who alone was allowed to eat the showbread (v. 26)?


23. Mark quotes Jesus’ words that the Sabbath was instituted (by God) for mankind’s benefit and refreshment, not that people were made to keep burdensome regulations pertaining to it (v. 27). Read Hebrews 4 to discover how true rest is found in Him. How is Jesus the Sabbath that we all seek?


24. What does Jesus say the Son of Man is Lord over (v. 28)?


25. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Have you never read…” (v. 25). Why is it important to know what the Bible says and how it applies to your circumstances and actions?

Detailed Notes

    Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Hide contract

  1. Introduction
    1. Profound statement: "And the Word became flesh" (John 1:14)
      1. God in a human body
      2. Greek term for God is theos
      3. The Greek word for man is anthrópos
      4. Jesus is both man and God
      5. The word for God and man is theanthropic
    2. There are four gospels, each focuses on a different aspect of Jesus
      1. Mark focuses on Jesus' servant nature
      2. He is always busy
      3. He is the tireless servant
      4. He finds/pursues men and women who have needs
      5. Men and women who have needs pursue Him
    3. There is not one name that could sum up Jesus Christ
      1. Billy Sunday noted that there are 265 different names for Jesus in the Bible
      2. No single name can capture all that He is
      3. He is the God-man
    4. Setting
      1. In verse 21, Jesus went to the synagogue, read from Scripture, taught, and healed a demon-possessed man
      2. Not everyone who goes to church is a good person
      3. Last week, Skip explained the synagogue
        1. The hazzan—the minister of the synagogue kept the scrolls, trimmed the lamps, and swept
        2. The ruler of the synagogue would plan the services; Jairus was the ruler at this synagogue
        3. Elders of the synagogue
        4. Special attendant of the synagogue would read the scroll and give an explanation; that was Jesus on this day
        5. The interpreter was next to the attendant; the scriptures were written in Hebrew
        6. Almoners took the offering for the poor and distributed it in the community
  2. Mark 1:32-45
    1. The sick and demon-possessed were brought to Jesus for healing
      1. Word traveled fast
      2. Jesus has power over demonic spirits
      3. At evening, because it was the Sabbath day
        1. After the sun set
        2. The Sabbath is over
        3. You could not travel on the Sabbath
    2. The tireless Servant Jesus Christ
      1. Seeking out, ministering to, loving on
      2. He didn't ask for the evening off
      3. He's been seeking you for a long time
      4. He is not willing that any should perish (see 2 Peter 3:9)
      5. Some come to church to check it out; see if they like it
    3. Jesus got up before daylight
      1. It's wonderful to get up before daylight
      2. Sometimes it's hard—the body doesn't want to
      3. Nobody is stirring
        1. No sound
        2. No cars
        3. No dogs barking
      4. He went to a solitary place and prayed (v. 35)
        1. Three times in the gospel of Mark, he describes Jesus praying
        2. It's nighttime
        3. It's solitary
        4. There's some opposition going on
    4. Synagogues were one of the main focuses of Jesus' ministry
      1. Nicodemus said Jesus was a teacher from God (see John 3:2)
      2. Jesus had a reputation as a synagogue teacher
    5. Man healed of Leprosy (v. 40-45)
      1. If you are willing
        1. Doesn't sound like he had a lot of faith
        2. Prayer of faith?
        3. If leaves open the sovereign will of God
        4. It doesn't dictate what His will is
      2. Broad term for leprosy
        1. Broad: 72 skin diseases categorized
        2. Go to a priest to be examined (see Leviticus 13)
      3. Narrow term for leprosy
        1. Known as "the living death"
        2. Started as a spot on the arm or foot
        3. It deadened the nerves
        4. Known as Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium lepromatosis, or Hansen's disease
        5. If you had this kind of leprosy
          1. Rip clothes
          2. Shave head
          3. Cry out "unclean"
          4. Kept outside the camp
        6. This is the kind of leprosy the man in this verse had
        7. Most Rabbis shunned lepers
      4. Jesus was moved with compassion and cleansed him (vv. 41-42)
        1. Jesus reached out and touched him
        2. The people probably were shocked
        3. That touch spoke volumes more than what Jesus said
        4. A demonstration of love and compassion
        5. This man hadn't had human contact in a long time
      5. Jesus warned him not to tell anyone
        1. He went out and told everyone—it would be hard to keep quiet
        2. Broadcasting it would attract multitudes only interested in physical healing—wrong motivation
        3. It would attract unnecessary opposition by Jesus' enemies
      6. The law of the leper in the day of his cleansing (see Leviticus 14)
        1. Go to the priest to be inspected
        2. Take two doves—one killed, one let go
        3. Another week of quarantine
        4. If all was good, he was released
        5. Jesus instructed the man to follow the law
        6. Should have piqued the priest's interest: one with messianic power was there
        7. No one had been healed of leprosy since Elisha had cleansed Naaman (see 2 Kings 5)
      7. Jesus tells us to tell everybody, and we keep it quiet
        1. Typical human nature
        2. Evangelism is simply one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread
        3. Has your life changed? Does it now have purpose and meaning? Then tell people that
  3. Mark 2:1-20
    1. Jesus was in the house
    2. What do people hear about your house?
    3. Paralytic broke through the roof to get into the house
      1. Houses then were similar to native houses in New Mexico—flat roof
      2. Man's friends wanted to get him to Jesus
      3. Wait in long lines or Break through the roof
      4. Jesus saw the faith of the man's friends
        1. This overturns the teaching that you fail to be healed because you don't have enough faith
        2. The paralytic may not have even known Jesus
        3. Jesus said, "Your sins are forgiven"
          1. Prior thinking
            1. Jews thought suffering and sin were linked
            2. Job's friends told him he was a big sinner
          2. Priority
            1. Jesus said the most important thing that needed to be said
            2. Forgiveness of sin was the most important thing
            3. What good would healing be in hell?
            4. Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:36 and Matthew 16:26)
          3. Power
            1. The scribes thought Jesus was blasphemous—putting Himself in the place of God to forgive sins
            2. Part of what they said was true: only God can forgive sins
            3. Part of what they said was false: Jesus was blasphemous
            4. Jesus knew both the sins of the paralytic and the hearts of the scribes
            5. Which is it easier to say? (v. 9)
            6. Both of these are possible only for God
            7. Jesus shows that He has power of both the natural and the supernatural
      5. They were all amazed
        1. Understatement
        2. Have you ever seen a real, obvious, medically-attested-to healing?
        3. Skip has seen a couple
        4. It was so emotionally shaking that he burst out weeping
    4. Jesus called Levi (Matthew) to follow Him
      1. Mark and Luke called him Levi
      2. He was from the tribe of Levi
      3. Matthew was probably a name that Jesus gave him
        1. Jesus renamed Simon, Peter—small stone
        2. He renamed James and John, Sons of Thunder
        3. Matthew means Gift of God
          1. That's how Jesus saw him
          2. Others may see you as a failure, but Jesus sees how He can make you a gift of God
      4. He was Jewish, probably from the tribe of Levi
      5. He was a tax collector
        1. Renegade PK (Priest's Kid)
        2. Raised in Sabbath school
        3. He quotes the Old Testament more than any of the other disciples—he knew the Scriptures
        4. He probably ran away from that—he didn't want to be a religious person
        5. Tax collectors were considered by the Jews to be worthless, defiled, vile, sinners
          1. They worked for Rome
          2. Tax farming
          3. Barred from synagogue
          4. There were enormous, burdensom taxes in those day
            1. Poll tax
            2. Income tax
            3. Ground tax
            4. Harbor tax
            5. Road tax
            6. Fish tax
            7. Cart tax
      6. He was decisive
        1. Matthew had more to give up than any of the other disciples
        2. Money
        3. Cush job with the Roman government
    5. Jesus eats with sinners and tax collectors
      1. Jewish view of eating: intimacy—become one
      2. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20)
      3. This was a farewell dinner where Matthew wanted to share his faith and his Lord with his friends
      4. We get forgiven the same way a patient who goes to a doctor gets cured
        1. Admit they have a disease/admit they are a sinner
        2. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" Jesus said (see Matthew 5:3)
      5. Jesus indicted the Pharisees with spiritual malpractice
        1. They merely pointed their fingers, but they offered no cure
        2. Jesus came to cure the spiritually sick—the sinner
        3. Oliver Cromwell ruled England during a crisis, "Melt down those saints and get them back into circulation"
      6. Fasting
        1. Yom Kippur was the only mandatory day for fasting
        2. The Pharisees and the scribes fasted twice a week—Mondays and Thursdays
          1. Originally to draw close to God
          2. Be seen by people (see Matthew 6:5)
          3. They were hypocrites
        3. The religious people believed that an outward show of somberness was appropriate
        4. Jesus knew that was a time for joy—the bridegroom was with the bride
          1. Don't be so somber, dower, doleful, frowning, mourning
          2. People will hope you are not contagious
          3. Joy is a notable characteristic of a follower of Jesus
          4. If Jesus is with you, celebrate Him


Greek terms: θεός; theos, God, a god; ἄνθρωπος; anthrópos, a man, one of the human race
Figures referenced
: Billy Sunday, Oliver Cromwell
Cross references
: Leviticus 13, Leviticus 14, 2 Kings 5, Matthew 5:3, Matthew 6:5, Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36, John 1:14, John 3:2, 2 Peter 3:9, Revelation 3:20

Transcript

Open as Word Doc Open as Word Doc    Copy Copy to Clipboard    Print icon    Show expand

Introduction: Welcome to Expound our weekly worship and verse by verse study of the Bible. Our goal is to expand your knowledge of the truth of God as we explore the Word of God in a way that is interactive, enjoyable, and congregational.

Skip Heitzig: Father in heaven, we're about to open up your Book, your truth, your words; inspired by God, inerrant in all that they speak of. And you have a word or several words to speak to us pertaining to our lives, our condition, our situation, our pain, and our joys, and we give you permission to do that. We've come, Lord, to learn. We've come, Father, to empty ourselves of ourselves, and to be filled with our Holy Spirit, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

So, Father, I pray your Spirit would help us and would speak to us; I mean in a firm way, in a real way, an authentic way, in a way that would change the way we think. That little by little, week by week, Bible study by Bible study, we would be more conformed into the image of Christ. Lord, the last thing I ever want to do is to do something and say words that changes no one, where we just go living our lives as normal. We cannot; we're in on something eternal, something really big called the gospel.

So, Father, we pray your Spirit would simply do your work in each heart here, at our other campus in Santa Fe, people listening by radio, watching on the Internet, whatever means—by all means, Father, shape us, in Jesus' name, amen.

One of the most profound statements ever made was made in the gospel of John, chapter 1. You say, "Skip, wrong book; we're in Mark, chapter 1." I know, but listen up. He said, "And the Word became flesh." That is so profound; I can't even get my ahead around that. "Great is the mystery of godliness," Paul said to Timothy, "that God was manifested [in a body] in flesh."

The Greek term for "God" is the word theos. Theology comes from that; theocratic has that in it. Theos means God in Greek. The Greek word for "man" is anthrópos—anthropology, philanthropy—all have that idea of man in it. What makes Jesus absolutely unique is that he is both theos, God, a very God, and anthrópos. And the theologians give it a special title, a special name; the nature of Jesus is theanthropic. Theanthropic—theos and anthrópos. God and man mixed together in one Person, that he is fully God and fully man. "Great is the mystery of godliness: God manifested in the flesh."

The four gospels have four different portrayals of Jesus each a little bit different. Mark will focus on the servant nature of Jesus: he's always busy, he's always active, he's the tireless servant, finding needs, pursuing men and women who have needs, and being pursued by men and women who are in need—that's the tireless servant.

There's actually no one fitting name that could sum up Jesus Christ. Billy Sunday the great evangelist from many years ago, the ex-baseball player, professional baseball player turned fiery evangelist, Billy Sunday noted that in the Bible there are 265 different names for Jesus Christ. And that is because no single name can capture all that he is. So he is the God-man, not just a good man, the God-man. And here he is, the One who is a servant, ministering to people in need.

Now, here's where we're at in chapter 1. In verse 21 Jesus goes to the synagogue, reads from the text of Scripture, teaches from that text of Scripture, and heals a man who's in church that day, in synagogue that day who is possessed by a demon. And I said last week, not everybody who goes to church is necessarily a great person. You might be sitting next to a demon-possessed person right now. Now, that doesn't mean you nudge your husband and go, "I knew it. That is so you, dude." [laughter]

But in the synagogue in Capernaum there was a demon-possessed man and Jesus him, ministered to him. If you recall, last week I painted a picture for you so that you understand now what a synagogue service was like in antiquity. That there was the hazzan, the minister of the synagogue who kind of kept the place up. There was the ruler of the synagogue; in this case his name was Jarius. He was the one who orders the service for the people, the service structure for the people of God, the worship service. There were the elders that maintained important seats near the front of the synagogue service. Then there was a delegate of the congregation.

The delegate of the congregation was somebody chosen on a particular day to read from the text, and to teach from it, and that was Jesus. Next to Jesus would have stood an interpreter since the text is read in Hebrew. But the people didn't speak Hebrew, they spoke Aramaic, because that was the language of the captivity. So when the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity and kept it for hundreds of years, they spoke Babylonian, Chaldean, Aramaic. Then there were these almoners, two or three people who would take the gifts to the poor.

So Jesus goes into the synagogue, the service is underway, he teaches people, and he heals somebody who's demon-possessed; the people marvel. Now in verse 32, "At evening when the sun had set, they brought to him all who were sick and those when were demon-possessed." Why demon-possessed? Well, pfft, news travels fast. "This teacher, this guy who gave that, like, awesome sermon in the synagogue service, he has power over demonic spirits. Bring your demon-possessed friends tonight."

So they all came out. Now, why at evening? Because it was a Sabbath day. They weren't able to travel, at least those who lived a considerable distance away, and wanted to get help from Jesus. Because they were Jewish they would not dare travel until the sun set, and you could go outside and see those three stars shining in the twilight. And that was your signal that the Sabbath was over, the next day had begun, and now that the Sabbath is over you can go as far as you want.

You see, you couldn't travel on a Sabbath day according to their law or their interpretation of the law. The rabbis said you could only travel two thousand cubits. A cubit is eighteen inches, so about a thousand yards. You could only travel two thousand cubits. But get this--some Jews wanted to stretch it because, you know, if they could just walk a little bit further, they could reach the destination that they want to get on the Sabbath. And so they stretched it to instead of two thousand cubits, three thousand cubits, using the measurement of the Roman cubit, which is not one foot six inches, but one foot nine inches.

Which is funny, and interesting, and ironic, because then they would be accused by the legalistic traditionalists for following the value system of world rather than the value system of God, and that debate was endless. And legalistic people do that. They try to just kind of find out where their parameters are and what the limits are, and they try to just do it just so. But anyway, the sun is set, the evening has come. So news has spread so quickly, they brought anyone who was sick, anyone who was oppressed with a demon spirit.

Verse 33, "And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew him." Here is a picture of the tireless servant Jesus Christ seeking out, ministering to, loving on people who have need.

He didn't say, "Look, I work so hard, and studied so hard, and preached so hard in the synagogue service, leave me alone tonight. That is comp time for me. I want the evening off." A picture of Jesus relentlessly pursuing needy people. You know Jesus—some of you he has been pursuing for a long time.

The Bible says "He is not willing that any should perish." Some people come to church casually. They come to sort of check it out, spot it out, see if they like it or not, grade it, etcetera—everything except surrender their life to the One who wants to save their soul. And here is Jesus working miracles, ministering salvation to the people who come.

"Now in the morning," verse 35, "having risen," I love this, "a long while before daylight." It's wonderful to get up before daylight, it's sometimes hard, sometimes my body doesn't want to. But to get up before the crack of dawn when nobody is stirring, there aren't sounds, there aren't cars, there are very few dogs even barking at that time, and to spend time with the Lord. Here's a picture of Jesus—God—God in human flesh praying.

"Having risen a long while before daylight, he went out and departed to a solitary place; and there he prayed." You should know that three times in the gospel of Mark, Mark describes Jesus praying. Each time Mark describes Jesus praying it's nighttime, it's a solitary place, and it's somehow related to the opposition of the religious people against him, or some form of opposition; in this case, the demon-possessed man opposing him in the synagogue, which we read about last week. All three of those things you find every time Mark describes Jesus praying: it's night, a solitary place, and there's some oppression or opposition going on.

"And Simon and those who were with him searched for him." He had obviously gotten up before Peter was awake. "When they found him, they said to him, '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.' And he was preaching in their synagogues," notice that, "throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons."

Now synagogues were the focus, or at least part of the focus, one of the main focuses of Jesus' ministry. That's why Nicodemus in John, chapter 3, could say to Jesus, "We know that you are a teacher come from God." He couldn't have said that unless he developed a reputation as a synagogue teacher. So he went to other towns, to other synagogues using Judaism, which he was birthed into as their Messiah, as the platform.

"Now a leper came to him," notice a leper, not a leopard—a leper. A wild animal, it's not; a person with a disease, it is. "Imploring him, kneeling down to him and saying to him, 'If you are willing, you can make me clean.' "Now stop right there and analyze that prayer."If you are willing, you can make me clean." Now that doesn't sound like there's a whole lot of faith there. At least that's what some will say.

I have actually been in the past rebuked by people who have heard me pray, "Lord, if it is your will"—and I ask him for something. And they stop me say, "You can never pray that: 'If it is your will.' You need to say, 'Lord, I claim in the name of Jesus, by the authority of all of heaven, that this will be done, that that person will be healed,'—or whatever you're praying for."

And my rebuttal is always the same, "But I don't know if that's God's will or not." "Well, then it's not a prayer of faith and you won't get anything." Well, keep reading because this guy does get something, and his prayer is, "If you are willing—If you are willing." and I love the prayer. You are leaving open the sovereign will of God, not dictating to God what his will is.

Frankly, I don't know what God's will is much of the time, unless there's something clear in the Scripture, it's a clear scriptural principle that I can follow, those are the things that govern and oversee our lives. But have you ever been in gray areas where you just wonder, scratch you're head. "I wonder if it is God's will for this to happen or not?" So that's how he comes, "If it is your will," he says, "you can make me clean."

Now this guy's a leper; he has leprosy. When you read that in the Bible, it means one of two things: it's the broad term to describe all sorts of skin diseases; or number two, it's the narrow term to describe the most loathsome kind of disease. If it's category number one, the rabbis, the scribes have cataloged seventy-two different skin diseases all under the realm of leprosy, anything from a burn, to a boil, to psoriasis, to an itch.

And if you remember your Scripture, Leviticus 13, if a person had leprosy or was suspected of leprosy, any broad skin disease at all, he went to a priest and he was examined, and he was quarantined, etcetera. And then if it didn't get worse, he was pronounced clean. It was obviously one of these seventy-two skin diseases, short of the narrow one.

Okay, this one is in category number two. This is the narrow, loathsome disease known as the "living death" or "walking dead." It's that which started as a spot on your arm or your foot, and your arm or foot would eventually end up as a stump. It deadened the nerves, it necrosed the tissues, a progressive necrosis took over. That form is called Mycobacterium leprae, or Mycobacterium lepromatosis, a.k.a. Hansen's disease, something that was prevalent in the ancient world.

If you remember according to our study in Leviticus, a person who was examined by a priest, if he was suspected of having this kind of a disease, because it's highly contagious, he had to rip his clothes, shave his head, he had to cry out "unclean," be fifty paces away from civilization, and not allowed to have any social interaction whatsoever. According to Leviticus 13 he was kept outside the camp. That's the kind he has.

Now, before we read what Jesus did, this is what you ought to know what most rabbis did in those days: they shunned them. Why did they shun them? "Well, pfft, I don't want to get that disease. I don't want to come close to somebody like that. I dare not breathe in his air or touch him." Now that would make sense, but they became calloused. One rabbi wrote, "Whenever I see a leper, I throw stones at him lest he come near me." Horrible, isn't it? Another rabbi even wrote: "I refuse to buy an egg on the street that has been walked on by a leper."

Now, in contrast to that, verse 41, "Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out his hand and touched him, and said, 'I am willing; be cleansed.' As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed." I'm sure when Jesus started reaching his hand toward him, everybody gasped. Right? Because nobody did that. People turn away from lepers, you don't turn toward them, but Jesus did.

Now, when he touched him, that touch spoke volumes more than what Jesus had said. He could have said, "I'm willing, yeah, I'm willing. I'm willing, stay there." He said, "I'm willing," but then when he touched him, that touch spoke volumes more than anything he could ever say—here's demonstration of love and compassion.

Here's a man—imagine, here's a man who had not had human touch for who knows how long. If he was married, he hadn't felt the embrace or the touch of his wife, or his child climb up on his lap, or his grandkids come up and say, "Grandpa, I love you," with a kiss on the cheek. He hadn't experienced any of those filial kind of relational things that we often take for granted. So the touch—"Oh! Wow!" so unique.

"And he strictly warned him," this is fascinating, "and sent him away at once, and he said to him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.' However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely."

Now I don't chide him for that. If I had a loathsome disease and was pronounced incurable by the priesthood, and now I'm instantly healed, it's hard to keep that quiet, especially since my friends and family know it already. "Say, what happened to you?" "Nothing." "Yeah, but you're like totally cleansed." "Yeah, I-I-I know. Whatever." It'd be hard to keep that quiet.

So, "Began to proclaim it freely and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to him from every direction." Why would Jesus tell him to not tell anybody? It seems sort of to defeat the purpose of evangelism.

Number one, to proclaim it, to broadcast it would have made Jesus like a magnet for all sorts of people who were following Jesus for the wrong motivation, or would then follow Jesus for the wrong motivation. "Hey, there's the dude who will heal you. Let's follow the guy who will give us whatever we need." People with the warped motivation of the "name it and claim it" mentality, they would have followed Jesus for the wrong reasons.

Reason number two he said keep it quiet: it would be more like painting a bull's-eye on Jesus. It would attract undue attention from his enemies, and it was not Jesus' time. You're going to see this rising up through the gospel narrative that culminates at the crucifixion when Jesus' enemies finally have been plotting to put him to death, and that begins early on, by the way, when they finally get to that point. So that people wouldn't follow him with wrong motivations, number one; and number two, so that undue opposition before the time from Jesus' enemies wouldn't come.

So what does Jesus do? He says, "Here, go to the priest and offer the sacrifices." Okay, now, I'm going to take you back again. And see this is why it's good to go through the Bible. Otherwise if you had not read Leviticus, you'd just be going, "Huh? I don't get it," which is what a lot of Christians do, because they never read it. But you've read it, and you remember after Leviticus 13 comes—here it is, profound—Leviticus 14. Where it says in verse 1, "This is the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing." The law anticipated the possibility of a man being cleansed even from the most loathsome, narrow, contagious disease called leprosy.

So what was he to do? He was to go to the priest. He'd be inspected. He was to bring two doves with him, two birds; one was killed, the other bird, live bird, was dipped in blood and then let go, you remember. He was quarantined for another week, and then if all was good he was released. So, go to the priest, Jesus is saying, "Follow the Book, follow the Law, do things according to Levitical protocol," which would send a message to the priest that someone with messianic power is in their midst. It's like Jesus giving his calling card to the priesthood.

"Just go show yourself to the priest claiming Leviticus 14, making the necessary sacrifices that should pique their interest." Why? Because if I read my Bible correctly, nobody in Israel had been cured of leprosy since the days that Naaman the Syrian was cured by Elijah the Tishbite, the Tishbite prophet in the Old Testament. It was a last time in their midst, in their country, somebody was miraculously healed with leprosy. So this should arouse the interest of the establishment.

Now, there's something ironic I just want to bring to your attention. Jesus tells this guy to keep it quiet, and what does he do? He tells everybody. Today Jesus tells us to tell everybody, and we—ouch! Right? We keep it quiet. He says, "Tell it from the rooftops, shout from the housetops, tell everyone that I have come, that I have eternal life for them." "Well, I don't know if I want to do that." Typical pattern, human pattern, to do exactly the opposite that Jesus would command us to do.

Somebody once wisely said, "Evangelism is simply one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread." Has your life changed? Do you have hope, and satisfaction, and purpose, and meaning? Then just tell people that, tell people that. "Hey, let me tell you what I used to be like. You maybe look at me now and think that I'm pretty awesome." And then you'll be surprised if they go, "No, I've never thought you were awesome." [laughter] "You mean this is the changed you?" I hope that doesn't happen to you—but we tell.

Verse 1 of chapter 2, "And again he entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that he was in the house." Now presumably this is whose house? Peter's house. Because that was the house in chapter 1. Jesus doesn't have his own home: "The Son of Man has no place to lay his head." He's at Peter's house. His mother-in-law was healed in that house. So Jesus is staying in the house with Peter.

But I love it that says, "It was heard that he was in the house." How cool to say, "Jesus is in my house." "It was heard." "Hey, I hear that Jesus is in the house." What do people hear about your house? All the noises, and words, songs, programs that you watch on television—how much of that noise of what can be heard would tell people Jesus is in this house?

Jesus was in the house. "Immediately many gathered together, so there was no longer room to receive them, not even at the door." It's a packed house. "And he preached the word to them." I love it. The greatest need for these people was to have truth told to them, revealed to them, so he preached the Word to them, God's truths to them.

"Then they came to him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying."

I'm glad that we live in this state because you're going to be able understand this. If you lived in another state, and you're trying to picture people breaking through the house, and if you have a pitched roof house, how do you do that? How do they climb up there? In those places in the ancient Middle East the architecture is very similar to a native New Mexico architecture where you have clay, and wood beams, and flat roofs.

And why a flat roof? Well, because they didn't make pitched roofs. It is a drier climate like this. And also so that the family could up on the roof, because they would often put a little lean-to on top, or some kind of a veranda covering of branches. So that in warmer months you might even sleep outside. You could go outside and retire in the cool of the day toward the afternoon, enjoy yourself with the family. It was like an extra room, a patio that gave you a beautiful view. It was common in those kinds of homes. So there was typically a stairway on the side of the house that went up to the top of the roof.

These four guys had faith, and we're going to see that in a minute. And they're thinking about their friend who is a paralytic, "Man, we gotta figure out a way to get you to Jesus. We've seen what he can do. We've heard what he has promised. We've gotta get you to Jesus." But, now I can relate to this, they hated crowds. They hated lines. I hate lines. I don't know about you, but you know, waiting in long lines, like in traffic, now honestly, I just gotta tell you, there is no traffic in this city, in this state. None.

Never, ever, ever, complain about it. "Oh, you don't have to take my route." Listen, I took the 405 Freeway every day for years, where you don't go by miles, you go by hours to get from one place to the next. Bumper to bumper—and I hated it. That's why I'm not really fond of going to Disneyland and like standing in line for, like, four hours to go on a four minute ride. So I used to buy this nifty little pass, it was a year-rounded pass, and I'd go, like, as soon as it rained I would hit Disneyland and go, like, on a couple rides. Nobody was there. And then I would leave the park. And then a couple days later I'd find an off time and go back, and go on a few more—but I hated long lines.

These guys look it, they couldn't even get into the house, the door's packed, it's jammed, there's so many people. "Hey, let's go on the roof." So they broke through the roof. They had a breakthrough. Now the roofs had wooden beams with slabs of adobe, dried clay, that were placed on top, and then a smearing of wet clay on top for sealing. They chiseled through and broke through.

Now, if this were Peter's house, what do you think Mrs. Peter was thinking about now? "Here's Jesus, my house is packed, I don't have enough hors d'oeuvres for these people, and now somebody's breaking in my roof—thank you. This is all from following your Jesus, Peter." I mean, I don't know if that ever came up, but it would in a lot of homes, put it that way. [laughter]

Now, look at this, look at verse 5, "When Jesus saw"—whose faith? Whose faith? "Their faith." Not the guy who had the disease's faith, the paralytic's faith; when he saw their faith. "Their faith"—those four guys—then he turned and "said to the paralytic," Ooh, I love this. I love this because this overturns the notion, again, perpetrated by the "faith" churches that say, "If you are not healed, it's because you don't have enough faith to be healed." "You have a disease, you have a malady, you have a problem, you could be healed, it's part of the atonement," they tell you. "You just need to have enough faith. And if you don't get healed, the onus is on you, not God. Because God has said you can be healed."

Well, I don't read that here. I don't read that this guy, this paralytic, had any faith in Jesus at all. He might not have even known Jesus. He saw their faith. So I would say, "Hey, Mr. Faith Healer, you sound like you've got more faith than any of us. Let's use your faith for this healing, now, shall we? I'm coming to you, I'm faithless. This person's been pretty beat up, doesn't have much faith, but, boy, the way you talk, you seem like you have more faith than anybody in this town. So let's just borrow yours for this one."

He saw their faith, and he said to the paralytic something interesting. In fact, it must have bummed out his four friends. He expected Jesus to look at their faith and then turn to their friend and say, "You're healed." But he said, "Son," and they're going, "Come on, this is it." "Your sins are forgiven." And I'm sure they went, "Oh, man! We broke through the roof, might spend the night in jail, for this?" So anticlimactic, such a letdown.

So why would Jesus turn to the paralytic and say, "Son, your sins are forgiven"? I'll give you three reasons. I think all of them fit the picture, fit the bill, and are correct. Number one, prior thinking; number two, priority; and number three, power. I'll explain. It was the prior thinking of the Jews that anyone who was sick was sick because they were a sinner. This ancient Jews often linked suffering and sin. The rabbis would even say, "Whoever is sick will never be healed of their sickness unless their sin is dealt with first." That was their thinking—you got to deal with the sin.

Do you remember the book of Job? Remember Job's three friends—"friends" who came to "comfort" him and basically said, "You're a big sinner, Job, that's why you have a big lot of suffering." Eliphaz the Temanite one of his friends even said, "Whoever perished being innocent?" In other words, "Innocent people don't suffer like this. Obviously, then, Job, you're not innocent." That's prior thinking.

Reason number two, priority. Jesus said to that man the most important thing that needed to be said. What was his greatest need at that point? Now, his friends would say, "A physical healing." Jesus would say "No, it's not. Forgiveness of sin is the greatest thing." Because you can be healed and go to hell when you die. And what good is the healing then? As Jesus said, "What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but lose his own soul? And what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" So because of prior thinking, because of priority, the most important thing to deal with was this man's sin. And so he said, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."

Third is power, and that's in verse 6 and the following verses. "Some of the scribes were sitting there, reasoning in their hearts, 'Why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' "Now, analyze their statement. What they said is true—part of it, but part of it is false. Here's the true part: only God can forgive sins. That's true. Is that true? But they accuse Jesus of blasphemy—now that was false. "Only God can forgive sins" and Jesus said, "I forgive your sins. Your sins are forgiven." He was making quite a statement of who he was, of who he is. So it was part right, and it was part wrong.

"But immediately, when Jesus perceived in his Spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, he said to them, 'Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?' " Jesus not only knew the sins of the paralytic, he knew the hearts of these men. Now get this, " 'which is it easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'—He says to the paralytic, he said to the paralytic, 'I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go home.' "

Okay, now stop. Which is it easier to say—think about that? Is it easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or is it easier to say, "Rise, take up your bed and walk"? No, it's easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven." It's harder to say, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."

Okay, so let's say we're in a social setting, there's a whole bunch of people gathered around you. Is it easier for you to say with the crowd watching, "Your sins are forgiven," or is it easier for you to say, "Come on, get up, walk?" It's easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven." Why? Because nobody can see that part; it's internal. If you say, "Rise, take up your bed and walk," and it doesn't happen, you're in trouble. Right? You're false. People had their hopes up, you couldn't pull through. So simply on a superficial level it's easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven," because you're dealing with internals, a part that nobody can see on the outside.

So now watch what he says. " 'But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins'—He said to the paralytic, 'I say to you, take up your bed and go to your house.' "To say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Rise up and walk," it's impossible for man to say that. What's impossible for man, both of these are possible only for God. One who could say one of these statements could certainly say the other statement, and that's his point.

Watch this: "I want you to know that I have power over the stuff you can't see, the internal, the forgiveness of sin. So what I'm going to do is show you that I have authority over the external, the physical world, the natural world. And when I heal this man, and you see that miracle in the natural realm, understand and be assured that I also have authority over that part that you can't see, the supernatural realm, the forgiveness of sin."Prior thinking, priorities, and power—those are the three reasons Jesus said, "Your sins are forgiven."

"Immediately," verse 12, "he arose, took up his bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that they were all amazed," I would consider this an understatement, "and glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!' "I don't know if you've ever actually seen a true physical healing? I don't mean—not like, "I have a cold and I prayed for it, and I didn't sneeze." I'm not talking that. I'm talking something that is really an obvious medically-attested-to healing. But I will guarantee you I've seen one, seen a couple of them. And I never went, "Oh, praise God." I burst out weeping.

It was so emotionally shaking to see someone who had nerve damage and could not move his hand. And the doctor said he has injured his radial nerve and will not be able to move his hand again—to watch that hand open up, and begin to work again. Astonishing! "So they were all amazed"—Yeah! understatement of the year. "And they glorified God, saying, 'We never saw anything like this!' And they went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to him, and he taught them." There it is again, he wants to give them truth, teach them.

"And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus, sitting in the tax office. And he said to him, 'Follow me." So he arose and followed him." Mark and Luke call him Levi, his Hebrew name Levi [lay-vee']. Matthew gives us the other name, which is . . . Matthew. Thank you. Hence, the book of Matthew. But his original name was Levi because he was from the tribe of Levi. Matthew was probably a name Jesus gave to him.

Now check this out, this is not uncommon. Jesus often renamed people; am I right? "Simon, I have a new name for you. I'm going to call you Peter, a little, small stone. You're a chip off the old rock." Rocky—or pebbles would be more accurate. So he gave him a new name.

He renamed James and John who were referred to as sons of Zebedee; he called him them "Sons of Thunder," because they wanted to call down fire on the Samaritan village. So kind of tongue-in-cheek humor, new nickname, you know, Nuclear Boys, Sons of Thunder. Matthew was a name, no doubt, given to Levi by Jesus. Matthew means "the gift of God." The gift of God? Are you kidding? This is a tax collector. The Jews hated tax collectors, hated them, they were traitors. Why on earth would Jesus call him "gift of God?" Because that's how Jesus saw him. He saw the potential to take a crook and make him a gift by changing him.

You know, Jesus looks as you—others might look at you and see "failure" written all over you, or "sinner" written all over you, or "traitor" written all over, or whatever it would be. Jesus says, "Ah, I can take you and make you a gift to others. I see what no one else can see. And I can do for you what no one else can do." So he called him Matthew.

Couple things we know about him: he was Jewish, probably from the tribe of Levi. Now, if that's true, and we believe it is, most scholars believe that to be true, that would mean being a tax collector that he's a renegade PK. You know what a PK is, right? We call it a pastor's kid; in this case, priest's kid. You know, this guy had a background, he went to Sunday school, or Sabbath school his whole life.

In fact, gospel of Matthew, Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than any of the other gospel writers. He really was soaked in the Scripture; he knew the Scripture. He probably ran away from that. He didn't want to be a "religious" person. He didn't want to join the priesthood, so he became a tax collector. And so that's the second thing we know about him. He was a religious person from the tribe of Levi, a PK, but he became a tax collector.

I mentioned the Jews hated tax collectors. They were placed in the category of worthless, defiled, vile sinners. If a tax collector touched a house, it was rendered unclean. One Jewish author said in those days, "I have never yet seen a monument erected to an honest tax collector." They were considered traitors because typically, like Matthew, they were Jewish, but they worked for Rome, the Roman government, the enemies of the Jews who had taken them captive now.

But get this: taxes were conducted by a method known as tax farming. The Romans would give to the highest bidder the ability to extract taxes from the people. There was a certain amount that Rome required, whatever else he could gouge from the people by oppression he could keep for himself. So they were barred from the synagogue service. They couldn't go into synagogue. If one felt, "Oh, I gotta go talk to God." You weren't allowed in the synagogue if you were a tax collector.

Now, I just want to enlighten some of us who think we might have it bad with taxes. And I typically do, I am one who would espouse get the government out of the way, and lower taxes, and all that, but I just want to give you a little perspective check. There were so many taxes in those days, it was ridiculous.

Number one, there was a tax called the poll tax. Anyone male or female; if you were a male age fourteen to age sixty-five; female age twelve to age sixty-five, you paid a poll tax. That was simply your tax for being alive. For breathing Roman air you paid the poll tax. Number two, there was income tax on top of the poll tax; a flat 10 percent for everyone.

Number three, there were the ground taxes: one-tenth of all the grain, one-fifth of all wine was given to Rome; harbor taxes, import taxes, road taxes. In Galilee and Mediterranean there were fish taxes. You would be taxed per net that you would bring in, and per individual fish.

On top of that were the cart taxes. You would be taxed per wheel on the cart. If your cart had four wheels, or three wheels, or a wheelbarrow kind of a cart, one wheel. You'd always want that, because you'd get taxed less. So there were enormous taxes; it became such a burden. And Matthew got a chunk of all of it, so he was hated.

The third thing we know about Matthew is he's very decisive. Jesus came to him one day at the tax booth, "And he said, 'Follow me.' "And it says, notice, "So he arose and followed him." Matthew had more to give up probably more than any of the other disciples, very wealthy, a shoo-in for the rest of his life with the Roman government. If you left your job working for the Roman government, and you walked away from it, you could never walk back in that door and get your job back. He closed the door. That's why Luke, which he describes this scenario, said, "He left everything, and he followed Jesus."

Now probably Matthew had heard of Jesus, maybe even saw a miracle or two, obviously to be that decisive and to follow Jesus, you wouldn't do that for just anyone. "Now it happened, as he was dining in Levi's house that many tax collectors and sinners sat together with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and the Pharisees saw him eating with the tax collectors and sinners"—you're, you're meant to sort of sneer when you say that; that's how they did it.

"They said to his disciples, 'How is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?' "Now you know that the Jewish view of eating, whenever you ate with someone was to enjoy the most intimate form of fellowship. Revelation 3, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock," Jesus said. "If anyone opens the door, I will come in and eat with him," sup with him, have a meal with him. You're bringing somebody into that intimacy of fellowship that is unlike anything else. So that was a farewell dinner where Matthew simply wanted to share his faith with his friends and share his Lord with his friends, and he gets accused by the religious elite.

"When Jesus heard it, he said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a [doctor] or physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.' "We get forgiven in the same way a patient who goes to a doctor gets cured. The patient has to admit that something's wrong.

How odd would it be for you to be in the doctor's office, and he calls you and the doctor said, "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "Why are you here?" "No reason. I just love doctors' offices." "Okay, thank you. Pay your co-pay, and get out of here." You have to admit something's wrong. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," Jesus said. You have to acknowledge: "I'm sick; I need to be cured. I'm a sinner; I need to be forgiven."

"Those who are well don't need a doctor, but those who are sick. I didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." What Jesus is doing by this statement is indicting them in spiritual malpractice. "You guys are a bunch of spiritual quacks. You can diagnose the disease, but you can offer no cure. You can point your finger at the sinner and the tax collector, and sneer at them—you quacks. Don't you know that sick people need good doctors? I've come to cure the sick, spiritually sick, the sinner." See, the Pharisees did nothing to win people to faith. All they did is point fingers at people. Jesus came to cure.

I've always loved the story of Oliver Cromwell who led England during a time of crisis. And one day when his soldiers, his men came to him and said that they had run out of silver and gold with which to mint coins for the empire. And they said, "There is no silver left, there is no gold left. The only silver and gold left in all of England are the statues in the great cathedrals." Oliver Cromwell smiled and said, "Melt down those saints and get them back into circulation."

That's a good word for us. I think we need to be sort of broken down and we gotta get into circulation. We can point our fingers at all the bad stuff happening in the world; Jesus came to cure and to heal.

Then says verse 18, "The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. They came and said to him, 'Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?' "Now, there was only one mandatory day of fasting. Do you remember when that was? You studied Leviticus, now, you know it. Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement; that's the only day they are told to afflict their souls or too fast.

But the Pharisees and the scribes did it twice a week: Mondays and Thursdays. Why did they do that? Well, probably they wanted to draw close to God; that was their original thinking. But eventually they really did it to be seen by people, because Jesus made a note that they loved to fast by painting their faces as if they were sick, and gaunt, and malnourished, and stand on corners of the streets during rush hour in Jerusalem kind of moaning and mourning so people would go, "Wow! Look at those Holy Rollers." And Jesus said, "I'll tell you what they are; they're a bunch of actors, hypocrites."

"Jesus said to them, 'Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and they will fast in those days.' "Once again, these religious people believe that an outward kind of a sobriety, seriousness, even mourning was holy.

Jesus was saying, "That would be like totally inappropriate, because I, Jesus, am with these guys right now. I'm the bridegroom who's with the bride. We're all together; it's to be a time of joy, not mourning. "The day is coming," speaking of the future of his death and ascension into heaven when he would be away. "There will be a time for fasting, but now is the time for joy."

Let's just close on that note. More could be said, and I wish we had more time to finish the chapter. I mean, I'm ready to do so, but you have children, and we have commitments, and we like to keep our time commitment. Though we're not a slave to it, we just want to honor that, and we think honor the Lord, but go out on that note.

Rather than this being what marks you—that frown, that dour, doleful, mourning look. I mean how attractive is that? People will see you and they go, "What's up?" "I'm a Christian." And then you will be treated like a leper: "Unclean! Go away from me. Don't want to catch that. I hope it's not contagious."

But if you have a freedom, a joy, a joie de vivre as the French call it, that will be noticed, it will be an attractive, and people will say, "I want to get some of that." Is Jesus with you? Celebrate him. If he's in your midst, celebrate him! [applause] Amen!

O, Father, thank you you've taken away the garment of mourning, and you've given us the garment of praise, the oil of gladness and joy. Lord, some of us indeed have broken hearts, some of us feel bombarded, attacked by the enemy, saddened by events that are happening in our lives, people that we love, people around us, news that we've heard.

But Lord Jesus, you are both God and both man. You know what it's like to be a man; you know what it's like to be God. As man you relate to everything we go through; as God you have the power to deal with everything we go through. And so as the writer of Hebrews tells us, so we do, even now as we close this service, we come before your throne boldly, that we might approach the throne of grace to find help, mercy in time of our need.

And we pray, Lord that you will lift our spirits as Jesus lives and abides in our house, this body, and where we live at our home, our family. I pray that it would be noised abroad, that it would be heard that Jesus lives there. It's in his name, his strong name that we pray, amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

Show expand

 
Date Title   Watch Listen Notes Share Save Buy
4/3/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 1:1-31
Mark 1:1-31
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
The gospel of Mark is a fast-paced, action-packed read—a small package full of great things! In chapter 1, we encounter John, a messenger who prepared the way for and baptized Jesus. Jesus was immediately sent into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. He then began His ministry—gathering four fishermen as unlikely disciples, casting out an unclean spirit, and healing Peter's mother-in-law.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
4/24/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 2:21-3:35
Mark 2:21-3:35
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus Christ is the rightful King who possesses ultimate authority. His authority is one of compassion before custom. In this text, Jesus heals and cares for people in ways that are in direct opposition to the rules and customs of the Jewish culture. Through His words and actions, He elevates the importance of relationships and compassion over religious traditions.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/1/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 4
Mark 4
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
"To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God" (Mark 4:11). One of the ways that Jesus taught was through parables. On many occasions, Jesus shared a story of something familiar—farming or shepherding, for instance—in order to reveal truths that were previously unknown. These were stories with a message. Jesus wanted to teach the people spiritual things; He did it by showing them physical things. The power of a good, well-told story drives the truth home so that it can be applied in the life of the hearer.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/15/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 5:1-35
Mark 5:1-35
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus has compassion on everyone who is lost and entangled with the enemy of God, Satan. From this study of Jesus’ encounter with a demon-possessed man, we learn that while Satan desires to rob us of joy and see us condemned to eternal judgment, Jesus has ultimate power and has already defeated this enemy.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/22/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 5:30-6:13
Mark 5:30-6:13
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
God is not a prisoner to the laws of nature—He is God of the extraordinary. The miracles Jesus and his disciples performed validate who Jesus is and they reveal the heart of God. In this study, we learn to face life's difficulties, while remembering that God is good. Both faith and unbelief are powerful—and they carry eternal consequences.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
5/29/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 6:7-56
Mark 6:7-56
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus made His disciples apostles by sending them out to deliver His message. That message was heard by Herod, whose worldly sorrow led to death—the death of John the Baptist. When Jesus invited His messengers to go with Him to a quiet place and rest, they discovered a multitude of people in need of compassion and teaching, like sheep without a shepherd. As believers, we too are called to become apostles—careful to share the gospel with those in need.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/12/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 6:45-7:23
Mark 6:45-7:23
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
In this study, we learn that obedience to God's Word does not always equal smooth sailing. Yet, the Pharisees were more concerned with being ceremonially pure than morally upright. We must remember that God is first concerned with our inward attitudes before our outward actions.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/19/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 7:24-37
Mark 7:24-37
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
No matter what we do, we cannot get to Heaven based on our own merit. Jesus came to earth to offer His life as a sacrifice so we could be reconciled to God and fellowship with Him. In this study, we see Jesus demonstrate His amazing love by seeking outsiders to bring into His covenant. We're reminded that God alone can satisfy us, and He offers His salvation as a gift, but first we must receive it.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Transcript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
6/26/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 8:1-33
Mark 8:1-33
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
The feeding of the 4,000 in Mark 8 is a miracle we don't often consider, but through this miracle, Jesus demonstrated that His love isn't just for the Jewish nation but for anyone who will receive Him. And, through the Pharisees' refusal to see Jesus' authority and the man Jesus healed from blindness, we get a valuable lesson in faith. We also learn that we should seek God first in all of life's matters and are reminded that when we fail to remember God's mercies, our hearts begin to harden.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
7/10/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 8:34-9:41
Mark 8:34-9:41
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus presented two lifestyles to His disciples: They could deny themselves or live for themselves. Today, we face the same decision. Will we embrace the cross or ignore it? In this study, we learn that if we choose to follow Jesus, we must be willing to serve others, dethrone ourselves, abandon our personal ambition, and submit to God's will for our lives.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/7/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 9:42-50
Mark 9:42-50
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus explained that the faith of true believers would be like the faith of a child: simple, open, and dependent. In this study, we learn a tough message from Jesus about how we should deal with our sins and take care of younger believers. As His followers, we must remember that we were bought with a price and our lives should be consumed with His glory.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/14/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 10:1-52
Mark 10:1-52
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
As Jesus continued His journey to Jerusalem where He would be crucified, He knew He still had divine appointments with people—appointments that would change lives and teach timeless truths. In this study, we see Jesus address self-righteousness, salvation, servanthood, and what it truly means to have sight.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/21/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 11:1-33
Mark 11:1-33
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Mark 11 opens with Jesus' triumphant and peaceful entry into Jerusalem. As He encounters the chief priests, scribes, and elders in the temple, Jesus proves His rightful authority, God demonstrates His amazing sovereignty, and we gain insight about how our lives should look as we follow Jesus.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
8/28/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 12:1-44
Mark 12:1-44
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus often spoke in parables, presenting earthly stories with heavenly meanings to all who would listen. However, the religious leaders would challenge Jesus, waiting for Him to make a mistake. Instead, the truths He proclaimed would stumble them. As we look at His responses to the religious leaders, we learn about stewardship and the greatest commandment.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/4/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 13:1-37
Mark 13:1-37
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
In Mark 13, Jesus addresses His disciples in what is known as the Olivet Discourse. He warns them about spiritual warfare, false prophets, and the coming tribulation for the nation of Israel. As we study this teaching from Jesus, we are reminded as believers to be alert and to get busy telling the good news of Jesus Christ.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/11/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 14:1-26
Mark 14:1-26
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
As we consider Jesus' last days on the earth, we look at His Last Supper with the disciples and get a glimpse into the hearts of some people who spent time with Him. In this study, we see Jesus' tender and unconditional love and are reminded to take every opportunity for personal intimacy with our Lord.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/18/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 14:26-72
Mark 14:26-72
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
In Mark 14, we see Jesus preparing for His death on the cross, His trial before the Sanhedrin, and Peter's denial. As we study these moments, we understand the need for believers to be engaged in spiritual battle through prayer, Bible study, and being in the Lord's presence. We are also encouraged through Peter's life that even when we fail, God's grace covers us.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
9/25/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 15:1-32
Mark 15:1-32
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
Jesus' claims to be God were so offensive to the Jewish leaders that they gave Jesus an unfair trial—even breaking their own rules—so they could have Him killed. As we examine the trials and beatings that led up to the crucifixion, we learn who the real Judge is and see the extent of Christ's love for us.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/2/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 15:22-47
Mark 15:22-47
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
The early church leaders drew an interesting comparison between the sacrifice of Jesus and the near-sacrifice of Abraham's son, Isaac. We know God stopped Isaac's sacrifice, but He allowed Jesus to die on the cross. He acted as Judge: giving Jesus what we deserved and giving us what Jesus deserved. As we continue this study in Mark 15, we are reminded to keep Christ's sacrifice for us fresh in our memories.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
10/9/2013
completed
resume  
Mark 16:1-20
Mark 16:1-20
Skip Heitzig
Info
Message Summary
The resurrection of Christ is the greatest miracle in all of history; it was central in the apostle's teachings. They wanted everyone to know that Jesus conquered death! As we wrap up our study in Mark, we learn about the evidence for the resurrection. But it's not enough to just have the facts. Our lives are a witness and testimony to the people around us, so we must allow these truths to transform our lives.
Message Trailer
WatchClosed Captioned
Watch and take notes
Listen - Mini Player
Listen and Take Notes
Listen in Spanish
Detailed Notes
Study GuideTranscript
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Video (MP4)
Audio (MP3)
Spanish (MP3)
Buy CD
There are 20 additional messages in this series.
© Copyright 2024 Connection Communications | 1-800-922-1888