WEBVTT 00:00:00.540 --> 00:00:09.259 Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today. 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:17.039 A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here and we're glad that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:25.160 but because we're following Jesus together as one community and as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good. 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:34.060 They don't need God's grace and no one so bad they can't have it and that's why we come back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in His Word. 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:40.700 We're continuing our series in the Gospel of Mark. We're starting in Mark chapter 2 this morning and you'll remember that 00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:50.379 Gospels tell the story of Jesus and His life and His death and His resurrection and we're asking two questions as we go through the Gospel of Mark. 00:00:50.380 --> 00:00:57.400 Question 1, who is Jesus? And question 2, how do we respond to Him? Who is Jesus and how do we respond to Him? 00:00:57.580 --> 00:01:03.940 And when we left off at the very end of Mark chapter 1, we saw Jesus healing a leper and so our answers were this. 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:07.920 How do we respond to Jesus? We make sure that we come to Him with our need. 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:14.760 Those who truly recognize their need will run to Jesus. They'll risk coming to Him with their hurts and their needs. 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:19.660 And then when we asked, who is Jesus? We saw that Jesus touches the untouchable. 00:01:20.320 --> 00:01:28.939 There is nothing so far gone that Jesus won't heal it and there's nothing so gross or repulsive that Jesus won't touch it. 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:35.900 That's where we left off at the end of chapter 1. We're coming now to the beginning of chapter 2 and so we're going to continue this idea of need. 00:01:35.900 --> 00:01:43.320 Yes, we come to Jesus with our needs and we want to make sure we never do that at the expense of our greatest need. 00:01:44.360 --> 00:01:50.400 And so Jesus is going to show us that this morning. He's going to show us what it is that we need more than anything else. 00:01:50.980 --> 00:01:53.780 Jesus is going to show us what we need more than anything else. 00:01:53.820 --> 00:01:57.280 And with that, I'm going to invite you to turn with me to Mark chapter 2. 00:01:57.400 --> 00:02:01.920 You can turn in your worship guide near the end. You can turn in your Bible or you can turn on your phone. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:04.799 No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's Word. 00:02:04.900 --> 00:02:10.740 And God tells us that His Word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold, and it's sweeter than honey. 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:13.759 Even honey that comes straight from the honeycomb. 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:17.180 And so that's why we read now, starting chapter 2, verse 1. 00:02:18.580 --> 00:02:23.240 And when He returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that He was at home. 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:28.060 And many were gathered together so that there was no more room, not even at the door. 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:30.439 And He was preaching the Word to them. 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:31.780 Verse 3. 00:02:32.419 --> 00:02:36.039 And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men. 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:41.719 And when they could not get near Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him. 00:02:42.199 --> 00:02:46.180 And when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 00:02:47.240 --> 00:02:49.960 And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:52.240 Son, your sins are forgiven. 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:56.439 Now some of the scribes were sitting there questioning in their hearts, 00:02:56.919 --> 00:02:59.000 Why does this man speak like that? 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:00.539 He is blaspheming. 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:03.719 Who can forgive sins but God alone? 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:05.520 Verse 8. 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:11.020 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in His Spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, 00:03:11.640 --> 00:03:13.879 Why do you question these things in your hearts? 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:17.760 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven? 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:20.860 Or to say, Rise, take up your bed, and walk? 00:03:21.820 --> 00:03:25.719 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:30.960 He said to the paralytic, I say to you, Rise, pick up your bed, and go home. 00:03:31.699 --> 00:03:35.400 And He rose and immediately picked up His bed and went out before them all, 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:38.939 so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:42.199 We never saw anything like this. 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:46.799 I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's Word. 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:52.900 Our Father in Heaven, we just thank you again for bringing us together, 00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:57.560 and we thank you for giving us your Word, that you do speak to us, 00:03:57.740 --> 00:04:02.840 you don't leave us alone as orphans in a merciless universe to figure things out on our own, 00:04:03.020 --> 00:04:05.720 but instead you guide us and you instruct us. 00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:08.379 We ask that you would do that this morning by your Word, 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:11.020 that you would show us who Jesus is, 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:14.219 and you would help us to know how to respond to Him with joy. 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:18.600 We ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 00:04:21.500 --> 00:04:26.500 Okay, when we left off last time at the end of chapter 10, or chapter 1, excuse me, 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:28.620 you'll remember Jesus had been in Capernaum, 00:04:28.660 --> 00:04:31.720 and then He went into the surrounding towns, these smaller areas, 00:04:31.720 --> 00:04:36.120 so that He could do ministry outside of this major metropolis of Capernaum. 00:04:36.180 --> 00:04:39.260 You'll remember Capernaum was a city of maybe around 10,000 people, 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:43.120 and so Jesus goes into these towns that are on the outskirts. 00:04:43.340 --> 00:04:47.460 That helps us explain why it is that He healed a leper in our most recent episode, 00:04:47.460 --> 00:04:49.560 because they would not have been in the major cities. 00:04:50.160 --> 00:04:53.120 They would have stayed away from those, and they would have been in smaller areas. 00:04:53.820 --> 00:04:55.600 And so we saw Jesus heal this leper, right? 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:56.800 He did this miraculous thing. 00:04:56.880 --> 00:04:58.940 He touched this person that no one else would touch, 00:04:58.939 --> 00:05:03.139 except at the very end of that episode, we have one big problem that comes up. 00:05:04.019 --> 00:05:06.120 Now, I didn't talk about this much last time, 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:10.240 but you'll remember that Jesus tells this man, chapter 1, verse 44, 00:05:10.819 --> 00:05:13.360 make sure you don't say anything to anyone. 00:05:15.540 --> 00:05:16.639 And what happens? 00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:21.060 Well, verse 45, he went out and began to talk freely about it. 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:25.139 So this leper does the exact opposite of what Jesus has asked him to, 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:28.459 and we understand why, because we're told again in verse 45, 00:05:28.459 --> 00:05:31.459 Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, 00:05:31.799 --> 00:05:35.799 but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter. 00:05:36.539 --> 00:05:39.979 In other words, things are heating up for Jesus in his ministry, 00:05:39.979 --> 00:05:46.479 and it's gotten to a point where his popularity and his power have made him desire secrecy. 00:05:46.599 --> 00:05:51.240 He needs secrecy as all these people are gathering to him and running after him. 00:05:51.799 --> 00:05:55.259 That perhaps helps us understand why things start out the way they do. 00:05:55.259 --> 00:05:58.360 At the beginning of chapter 2, we're told after some days, 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:00.339 it's that Jesus returns to Capernaum. 00:06:00.539 --> 00:06:05.379 Perhaps he has to lay low for a while as people are running after him. 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:09.120 Regardless, it's a bold move here on Jesus' part, 00:06:09.599 --> 00:06:11.459 that as he has all these people chasing him, 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:13.000 and he has to be in isolated areas, 00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:17.079 he still chooses to return back to his base of operations in Capernaum. 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:19.899 And you'll remember that that is the function that Capernaum has 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:22.579 as Jesus is ministering in the area of Galilee. 00:06:22.739 --> 00:06:25.319 He goes out, he has this rhythm, he goes out and does ministry, 00:06:25.579 --> 00:06:26.899 and he comes back to Capernaum. 00:06:27.539 --> 00:06:32.399 And Capernaum, you'll also remember, is the place where Simon and Andrew live. 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:35.019 And so it's not just that we've been at this city before, 00:06:35.060 --> 00:06:36.239 we've been to this home before. 00:06:37.139 --> 00:06:41.259 Verse 1, we're told it was reported that he was at home. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:45.719 And so things are getting, in this section, just more and more intense. 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:48.139 Things are ramping up and heating up from chapter 1. 00:06:48.139 --> 00:06:51.500 You'll remember in chapter 1, he had this whole episode in Capernaum. 00:06:51.599 --> 00:06:53.279 At this same house, he went to the synagogue. 00:06:53.779 --> 00:06:56.219 He was preaching, and then someone interrupted his preaching, 00:06:56.319 --> 00:06:57.560 who was possessed by a spirit. 00:06:57.919 --> 00:06:59.099 Jesus casts out the spirit. 00:06:59.180 --> 00:06:59.800 He goes home. 00:06:59.879 --> 00:07:01.779 Then he heals Simon's mother-in-law of sickness. 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:05.379 Then later that night, he has everyone surrounding his house coming for healing. 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:09.439 That's the whole episode we had before Jesus goes out 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:11.259 and finds an isolated place to pray. 00:07:11.899 --> 00:07:15.779 And as intense as things were in that time in chapter 1, 00:07:15.779 --> 00:07:18.039 they are even more intense now. 00:07:18.139 --> 00:07:20.079 We were told in chapter 1, verse 33, 00:07:20.719 --> 00:07:23.379 the whole city was gathered together at the door. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:28.019 In other words, people were outside of Simon and Andrew's house. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:31.819 It has gotten worse in chapter 2. 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:34.120 We see these same words, verse 2. 00:07:34.219 --> 00:07:35.500 Many were gathered together. 00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:37.719 That's the same phrase from chapter 1. 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:44.500 Now they're not just outside. 00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:47.040 They're also inside the house. 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:49.720 Now they're not just at the door. 00:07:50.280 --> 00:07:51.520 They've blocked the door. 00:07:52.419 --> 00:07:55.620 So I want you guys to remember, as we go through the Gospel of Mark, 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:59.379 it's tempting when we read the Bible to believe we're just looking at these isolated episodes 00:07:59.379 --> 00:08:01.759 and just here's another healing from Jesus. 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:04.419 But that's in fact not the way the Gospels work. 00:08:04.500 --> 00:08:06.839 There's this narrative and there's this story that's building. 00:08:06.939 --> 00:08:08.299 We're building from chapter 1. 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:10.539 Things are increasingly intense for Jesus. 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:12.959 His popularity is growing more and more. 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.739 There's this great desire to see him and to know his healing. 00:08:16.859 --> 00:08:20.479 And so that helps us understand what's going on in the rest of the story here. 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:22.079 There's this man and his friends. 00:08:22.479 --> 00:08:26.639 There's this paralytic, verse 3, who's coming to see Jesus and his healing. 00:08:26.740 --> 00:08:27.659 Remember verse 1. 00:08:27.819 --> 00:08:31.199 Word has gone throughout all of Capernaum that Jesus has returned. 00:08:31.339 --> 00:08:35.120 And so anyone who missed out last time on the late night healing, 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:37.000 this is their chance to make good on that. 00:08:37.340 --> 00:08:39.500 Perhaps these friends have been planning this for a while. 00:08:39.579 --> 00:08:40.759 Maybe they've been talking about it. 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:43.639 Man, we can't believe we missed Jesus last time. 00:08:43.819 --> 00:08:46.759 Our friend who is paralyzed, this would be perfect for him. 00:08:47.080 --> 00:08:50.120 And so they have every intention that this time they're not going to miss out. 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:53.500 Instead, they head directly for this house where Jesus is gathered. 00:08:53.720 --> 00:08:56.299 Unfortunately, they have a problem, right? 00:08:57.279 --> 00:08:59.480 Things are worse than they were last time. 00:08:59.819 --> 00:09:01.379 People aren't just outside the house. 00:09:01.460 --> 00:09:02.399 They're inside the house. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:03.500 They're not just at the door. 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:04.559 They're blocking the door. 00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:07.960 And so they come across this problem in verse 4. 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:11.400 They can't get near Jesus because of the crowd. 00:09:12.759 --> 00:09:16.080 And yet, they're not going to let anything get in their way. 00:09:16.720 --> 00:09:20.400 Now, these houses in Capernaum, we know a lot about them from archaeology. 00:09:20.540 --> 00:09:22.259 Capernaum is still a city in Israel. 00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:23.420 You can go visit it today. 00:09:23.860 --> 00:09:27.740 And this most likely would have been a one-story building with a flat roof. 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:30.920 And there was probably a set of stairs that went up to the roof. 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:33.879 And so you can imagine these men are carrying their friend. 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:35.799 And they see they can't get to the door. 00:09:35.939 --> 00:09:38.480 And so they immediately start heading up these stairs. 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:42.720 Perhaps they put down his stretcher on the roof, which would have been made of this wooden thatch. 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:44.960 It might have even had grass growing up on top of it. 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:47.659 And without hesitation, they just start digging. 00:09:49.080 --> 00:09:52.659 And so it's not just that Jesus' popularity is growing in intensity. 00:09:52.659 --> 00:09:56.019 It's also that the dramatic element of this story is growing as well. 00:09:56.059 --> 00:09:58.539 It's not just that people are bringing their sick friends to Jesus. 00:09:58.539 --> 00:10:01.740 It's that they're destroying the roof while Jesus is preaching. 00:10:02.579 --> 00:10:04.639 When we talked about Jesus preaching in the synagogue, 00:10:04.980 --> 00:10:08.059 I asked you guys to imagine what it would be like for me to be preaching 00:10:08.059 --> 00:10:10.980 and someone to come in here and start yelling during the middle of the sermon. 00:10:11.019 --> 00:10:12.459 Because that's what happened to Jesus. 00:10:13.179 --> 00:10:16.459 If you want to get a sense of this one, imagine that I'm preaching here. 00:10:16.579 --> 00:10:20.339 And you can start hearing people just thumping on top of the roof of the church. 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:23.480 And it sounds like they're tearing away shingles, right? 00:10:24.259 --> 00:10:26.219 That's what's going on in this scene. 00:10:26.220 --> 00:10:31.220 It's not just that these men are bold and they're not going to let anything stand in their way. 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:35.840 It's also that Jesus is trying to teach while the roof on top of him is being torn apart. 00:10:37.080 --> 00:10:39.600 And so you have to imagine what this might have been like. 00:10:39.700 --> 00:10:41.500 I'm not sure who this house belonged to. 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:43.120 Maybe it was Simon and Andrew's house. 00:10:43.519 --> 00:10:45.700 Maybe it belonged to Simon's mother-in-law. 00:10:46.040 --> 00:10:47.560 Remember, Simon and Andrew are brothers. 00:10:48.100 --> 00:10:51.420 Either way, we know almost certainly this house belonged to someone in the family. 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:56.019 Jesus is treating it as his base of operations, the place where he comes to crash, 00:10:56.220 --> 00:10:58.700 and as a result, their roof is getting destroyed. 00:11:00.920 --> 00:11:05.440 While Jesus is trying to teach, and by the way, we know the scribes are just sitting there watching. 00:11:06.980 --> 00:11:09.420 Point of all of this is to raise the tension for us. 00:11:09.460 --> 00:11:12.519 As good readers of this story, we're waiting for the climax, right? 00:11:12.740 --> 00:11:17.480 There's this rising tension as we see the problems around Jesus getting worse and worse. 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:21.560 We see the intensity of the people who want healing getting higher and higher, 00:11:21.659 --> 00:11:24.620 and it's building us to what we know is supposed to happen, right? 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:29.920 We know from what we've seen of Jesus in the past that we're all just waiting and holding our breath 00:11:29.920 --> 00:11:33.180 for Jesus to make this dramatic healing of this poor man. 00:11:34.300 --> 00:11:34.500 Okay? 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:37.159 This is like the movie that people watch and they say, 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:41.500 you know, it was a good movie, but it was just so predictable. 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:45.220 I knew what was going to happen in advance. 00:11:45.320 --> 00:11:46.539 I called it all. 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:47.740 You know, it's just cliche. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:51.399 It followed the same thing that all of these movies follow. 00:11:51.399 --> 00:11:54.579 I knew Jesus was going to heal the guy, right? 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:56.419 We all knew it for minutes before. 00:11:56.539 --> 00:11:58.779 We all knew that the hero was going to get in a battle. 00:11:59.199 --> 00:12:01.279 Everyone knows he's not going to die, right? 00:12:01.500 --> 00:12:03.480 Because it's 15 minutes into the movie. 00:12:03.579 --> 00:12:05.100 If he dies, the movie has to end. 00:12:07.299 --> 00:12:10.019 That's the same thing we're supposed to be feeling in this story. 00:12:10.139 --> 00:12:12.120 Of course, Jesus is going to heal this guy. 00:12:12.439 --> 00:12:16.220 He's powerful, and we're going to see how great these people's faith is. 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:21.560 And Jesus decides to call us out on it. 00:12:22.700 --> 00:12:25.860 For the first time, Jesus disrupts the narrative. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:30.080 He blows it up because he actually does something they don't expect. 00:12:30.259 --> 00:12:33.960 He doesn't play into the script that we think is about to happen. 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:35.759 Verse 5, 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:38.720 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 00:12:39.160 --> 00:12:41.340 Son, your sins are forgiven. 00:12:41.340 --> 00:12:46.840 Not at all what's supposed to happen, right? 00:12:47.160 --> 00:12:48.639 Not at all what we're expecting. 00:12:48.780 --> 00:12:51.440 It's like you're, you know, on Christmas, 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:53.860 you're waiting for some great and amazing gift. 00:12:53.940 --> 00:12:56.980 You think someone's going to get you, I don't know, a new bicycle, 00:12:57.180 --> 00:12:59.360 or they're going to get you some electronic thing that you want. 00:12:59.560 --> 00:13:01.920 And you're so excited, and you're opening this up, 00:13:01.940 --> 00:13:02.860 and you pull it out, 00:13:02.980 --> 00:13:06.780 and in your hands are a new pair of underwear and a new pair of socks. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.200 Jesus, we wanted healing, right? 00:13:11.340 --> 00:13:12.360 I'm a paralytic. 00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:13.360 I want to be able to walk. 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:13.899 And Jesus says, 00:13:13.980 --> 00:13:16.759 Congratulations, your sins are forgiven. 00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:22.280 You have to think for a second what these people are feeling and thinking. 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:25.980 We dug through a roof for Jesus to say this. 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:29.820 Here's this man who's supposed to be healing. 00:13:29.940 --> 00:13:31.639 He's supposed to be filled with power, 00:13:31.860 --> 00:13:34.240 and this is what he does. 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.360 He takes our expectations, and he blows them up. 00:13:38.040 --> 00:13:41.139 This narrative does exactly the opposite of what we're expecting. 00:13:41.540 --> 00:13:42.860 Mark blows up the narrative. 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:44.120 He disrupts it for us. 00:13:44.759 --> 00:13:46.899 Climaxes, by the way, when we read narratives, 00:13:47.019 --> 00:13:48.060 especially in the Gospels, 00:13:48.120 --> 00:13:50.660 the climax of the story helps us understand the point. 00:13:51.860 --> 00:13:54.200 The climax here that we're waiting for is the healing. 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:55.780 Instead, we get forgiveness. 00:13:55.779 --> 00:14:00.539 And so the point that Mark is making for us is this. 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:06.600 There is something better and greater and more important than physical healing. 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:14.440 There is something better and greater and more important than physical healing. 00:14:14.440 --> 00:14:20.860 Jesus is actually giving this man more than what he wants, 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:23.580 more than he thinks he needs. 00:14:24.520 --> 00:14:25.840 That's not less than that, right? 00:14:25.920 --> 00:14:29.160 Jesus is bringing true and real physical healing. 00:14:29.280 --> 00:14:33.720 That's part of the reason we long for when Jesus comes back to make everything in this world right. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:35.840 We're going to see later in this episode, 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:37.860 Jesus is going to heal this man. 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:44.200 And he wants these people to know there's something that matters more. 00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:48.700 There's something that matters more than healing. 00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:51.800 Spiritual need trumps physical need. 00:14:51.799 --> 00:14:53.939 One is temporary. 00:14:54.539 --> 00:14:55.699 The other is forever. 00:14:56.899 --> 00:14:59.599 Spiritual need trumps physical need. 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:00.679 One is temporary. 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:02.479 The other is forever. 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:05.199 It's the difference, perhaps you might think about the difference between 00:15:05.199 --> 00:15:08.819 cosmetic surgery and cancer. 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:12.819 One addresses something that won't kill you. 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:15.399 The other addresses something that will. 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:19.459 And so this isn't to downplay the importance of our physical needs. 00:15:19.539 --> 00:15:20.859 Jesus cares about those things. 00:15:20.860 --> 00:15:22.680 There's a reason he's healing these people. 00:15:23.460 --> 00:15:26.220 And he wants to make sure that they know, 00:15:26.800 --> 00:15:28.659 it's like Gandalf says in the Lord of the Rings, 00:15:28.879 --> 00:15:31.279 I am not a mere conjurer of tricks. 00:15:33.560 --> 00:15:36.360 I am not here just to perform miracles. 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:39.159 I have something greater and better in mind. 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:44.980 And so our question this morning is this, 00:15:44.980 --> 00:15:48.500 what is it that you want Jesus to fix in your life? 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:53.559 What is it that you want Jesus to fix in your life? 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:54.940 Maybe it's a chronic illness. 00:15:57.259 --> 00:16:00.220 Maybe you're single and you dream about being married. 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:04.399 Maybe you're married and you dream about being single. 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:11.100 Maybe it's your mental health, right? 00:16:11.100 --> 00:16:14.779 Maybe you long and wish that your chronic depression would go away. 00:16:15.860 --> 00:16:19.100 Maybe you wish you would never have to worry about PTSD again. 00:16:19.860 --> 00:16:24.600 Maybe you think if I could only never have to take medicine again for bipolar disorder, 00:16:24.700 --> 00:16:26.220 then things would be all right. 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:28.659 If Jesus could just heal that. 00:16:29.800 --> 00:16:34.240 Maybe you wish that you could rewind and relive your childhood, 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:37.500 but that it would be better this time. 00:16:39.560 --> 00:16:42.740 Maybe you wish that that car wreck had never happened. 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:49.200 Maybe you struggle with temptation and you wish that it would just go away. 00:16:51.060 --> 00:16:52.740 Maybe you have a child who's estranged 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:55.039 and you wish Jesus would fix it. 00:16:55.039 --> 00:17:01.959 Now those are all tender and precious and important things, right? 00:17:03.699 --> 00:17:07.139 And Jesus tells us whatever it is, it's not enough. 00:17:09.139 --> 00:17:14.180 Whatever it is that you want Jesus to fix in your life, it is not enough. 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:17.180 Those are all symptoms of sin. 00:17:17.379 --> 00:17:20.079 Jesus is here to address the root. 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:22.399 Those are all great needs. 00:17:22.500 --> 00:17:23.480 They're important needs. 00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:28.400 Jesus comes to address our greatest need, our most important need. 00:17:29.299 --> 00:17:32.240 So I'm not trying to dismiss those things by listing them, right? 00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:33.799 Those things are tender and precious. 00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:34.720 Those things matter. 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:39.120 It's just that there's something that matters even more. 00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:42.079 Those things matter. 00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:45.299 It's just that there's something that matters even more. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.980 When I was in seminary preparing to be a pastor, 00:17:50.980 --> 00:17:55.160 I remember being taught that one of the most important things you're supposed to do 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:59.000 when you start a sermon is you're supposed to help people understand why 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:00.740 what you're about to tell them matters to them. 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:04.220 So in a sense, you're supposed to figure out someone's felt need, right? 00:18:04.259 --> 00:18:07.519 And then you connect that felt need to whatever's in the passage. 00:18:09.299 --> 00:18:11.000 In this passage, Jesus is saying, 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:13.359 I actually don't care primarily about your felt needs. 00:18:15.700 --> 00:18:17.299 That's not my primary interest. 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:20.920 You have a greater need whether you feel it or not. 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:25.319 I am not primarily interested in your felt needs. 00:18:25.400 --> 00:18:28.940 The felt need in this situation is that this paralytic walks. 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:30.779 Jesus is not interested in that. 00:18:30.859 --> 00:18:34.079 He is saying, you have a greater need. 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:39.159 Remember that this happens while Jesus is preaching a sermon. 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:40.599 It tells us he's teaching the word. 00:18:41.059 --> 00:18:43.039 We can assume he's most likely teaching 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:45.679 what we've given a summary of before of his teaching. 00:18:45.779 --> 00:18:47.579 Mark chapter 1, verses 14 and 15. 00:18:47.699 --> 00:18:49.139 He's preaching that the kingdom has come near. 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:50.460 It's time to repent and believe. 00:18:51.419 --> 00:18:53.699 And so who knows what Jesus is saying at that moment 00:18:53.699 --> 00:18:55.179 when the man comes to the ceiling, 00:18:55.539 --> 00:18:58.519 but perhaps he's talking about forgiveness of sins, right? 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:01.119 Here's a perfect sermon illustration. 00:19:01.119 --> 00:19:04.419 Maybe he's just told them 00:19:04.419 --> 00:19:06.019 that their most important need is forgiveness. 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:09.979 Either way, Jesus is saying, 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:11.779 here's what you need more than anything. 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:18.319 As a church, people come here with all kinds of needs, right? 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:20.579 That's good and right. 00:19:20.659 --> 00:19:23.859 We want people to come and feel like this is a safe place 00:19:23.859 --> 00:19:27.159 to be imperfect and broken and sinful and needy. 00:19:27.639 --> 00:19:29.879 There's all kinds of material and physical needs 00:19:29.879 --> 00:19:30.619 that we care about. 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:31.839 We have a whole fund for it, 00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.339 our deacon's mercy fund that our deacons manage and oversee. 00:19:35.699 --> 00:19:38.799 And that's not the ultimate reason that we're here, right? 00:19:39.959 --> 00:19:44.119 We are here as a church primarily for your greatest need. 00:19:45.719 --> 00:19:49.099 We are not just another social services agency. 00:19:49.099 --> 00:19:50.319 We are an embassy and an embassy. 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:54.019 We are an embassy and an outpost of God's kingdom on earth, 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:59.219 announcing and proclaiming his reconciliation to men and women and children, 00:19:59.399 --> 00:20:02.719 that he has come to forgive sins. 00:20:03.879 --> 00:20:07.579 That is why we are here in Southwest Colorado Springs. 00:20:07.579 --> 00:20:14.000 And so we're seeing here a bit of our answer to who is Jesus. 00:20:14.179 --> 00:20:16.500 And of course, our other question is, how do we respond to him? 00:20:17.879 --> 00:20:21.059 Last week, we responded by coming with our need, right? 00:20:22.379 --> 00:20:25.960 This week, we never forget our greatest need. 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:29.519 This week, we never forget our greatest need. 00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:32.220 As we come to Jesus, as we bring him our needs, 00:20:32.340 --> 00:20:36.360 we know that one of those needs is that we need forgiveness. 00:20:36.359 --> 00:20:43.579 And so that's why Jesus offers that to this man first before everything else. 00:20:47.119 --> 00:20:51.119 Now, we're just a few verses into the story at this point. 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:53.779 And we have these scribes who are sitting here. 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:55.799 By the way, I don't think we've seen the scribes before, 00:20:56.379 --> 00:20:59.259 sitting around listening to Jesus' teaching. 00:20:59.379 --> 00:21:01.240 The last time, I believe, they were referred to, 00:21:01.619 --> 00:21:04.979 it was when people were commenting that Jesus has an authority. 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:07.860 He teaches with authority, unlike the scribes and the Pharisees. 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:12.039 Maybe they'd heard that dig, and they decided it was time for them to show up 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:14.740 and see what kind of authority Jesus has. 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:18.799 But we see immediately, they're thinking to themselves, verses 6 and 7, 00:21:19.400 --> 00:21:21.380 well, Jesus is blaspheming here, right? 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:24.319 Who can forgive sins but God alone? 00:21:26.380 --> 00:21:28.880 And of course, they're actually saying something correct, right? 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:31.839 It is true that only God can forgive sins. 00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:37.819 And Jesus, because he has authority greater than the scribes and the Pharisees, 00:21:37.939 --> 00:21:39.779 is able to read their minds. 00:21:40.359 --> 00:21:41.859 It's what we see in verse 8. 00:21:41.959 --> 00:21:46.159 Jesus perceiving in his spirit that they questioned within themselves. 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:50.399 And so Jesus poses them this difficult question, verse 9. 00:21:50.879 --> 00:21:51.859 Which is easier? 00:21:53.879 --> 00:21:54.939 Which is easier? 00:21:54.940 --> 00:21:56.460 Your sins are forgiven? 00:21:57.019 --> 00:22:00.559 Or to say, rise up, take your bed, and walk? 00:22:03.080 --> 00:22:05.279 Now, there's two different ways of answering that question, right? 00:22:05.460 --> 00:22:06.500 I'll give you one in a minute. 00:22:07.320 --> 00:22:09.880 But then immediately, this man stands up and walks. 00:22:11.120 --> 00:22:13.580 So these Pharisees don't understand what's going on with Jesus. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:16.580 Jesus uses his miracle here, right? 00:22:16.620 --> 00:22:18.720 Remember, Jesus still cares about physical healing. 00:22:18.840 --> 00:22:19.420 It is a need. 00:22:19.500 --> 00:22:20.360 It's an important need. 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:22.160 It's just not the greatest need. 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:24.620 And he uses it to make a point here to prove something. 00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:30.600 Which is easier, verse 9, to say, your sins are forgiven, or to say, get up and walk? 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:36.400 Well, if we focus on the word say, it's easier to say, your sins are forgiven, right? 00:22:37.380 --> 00:22:41.040 It would be easier for me to say from this pulpit, your sins are forgiven, 00:22:41.120 --> 00:22:45.019 than to say to someone who's a paralytic right now in this congregation, get up and walk. 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:48.539 Because one is easier to see than the other, right? 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:52.420 If I say, your sins are forgiven, you might think, well, yeah, my sins are forgiven. 00:22:53.299 --> 00:22:57.259 If I say, get up and walk, you can see that the person I just said that to can't walk. 00:22:58.740 --> 00:23:01.220 And so there's something clarifying about that, right? 00:23:01.220 --> 00:23:02.700 There's something visible about it. 00:23:02.700 --> 00:23:09.220 In other words, Jesus is using the thing that's easier to prove to verify the thing that's harder to do. 00:23:10.140 --> 00:23:15.779 Jesus is using the thing that's easier to prove to verify the thing that's harder to do. 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:22.180 Jesus' ability to heal authenticates and verifies His ability to forgive. 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:28.600 Jesus' ability to heal authenticates and verifies His ability to forgive. 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:33.959 What you can see, the healing, confirms what you can't see, the forgiveness. 00:23:35.099 --> 00:23:40.339 And that's the point Jesus is making explicitly here in verse 9. 00:23:40.899 --> 00:23:44.819 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. 00:23:45.579 --> 00:23:50.139 I'm going to prove my authority to forgive by my authority to heal. 00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:53.819 One is easier to say you're forgiven. 00:23:54.459 --> 00:23:55.980 The other is easier to do. 00:23:56.439 --> 00:23:57.579 And that's the healing. 00:23:59.199 --> 00:24:02.139 And so Jesus' healing here, it's secondary, right? 00:24:02.179 --> 00:24:03.719 It's secondary to his greatest need. 00:24:04.179 --> 00:24:09.679 It accomplishes one of the purposes of healing, which is to prove and authenticate Jesus' power. 00:24:11.259 --> 00:24:12.779 Yes, it is harder to forgive. 00:24:14.119 --> 00:24:17.559 Yes, it's going to require more from Jesus than his healing. 00:24:17.559 --> 00:24:20.539 And they're going to be able to see a taste of it now. 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:25.159 And as we look at this question of who Jesus is, 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:29.080 the Pharisees here, the scribes, help us answer this. 00:24:29.820 --> 00:24:32.460 Who can forgive sins but God alone? 00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:41.160 And Jesus is setting up a set of dominoes here for us to prove and to demonstrate kind of indirectly that he is divine, that he is God, right? 00:24:41.160 --> 00:24:42.200 So think about it this way. 00:24:42.279 --> 00:24:43.180 Jesus can heal. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:45.519 Then he can forgive sins. 00:24:45.580 --> 00:24:47.180 The healing proves his ability to forgive. 00:24:47.980 --> 00:24:48.900 Jesus can forgive. 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:51.279 Then he's divine. 00:24:51.279 --> 00:24:56.559 So Jesus is indirectly saying here, yes, I am God. 00:24:56.660 --> 00:24:59.200 Who can forgive sins but God alone? 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:00.160 That's true. 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:01.619 Only God can forgive sins. 00:25:01.759 --> 00:25:02.779 Guess who can forgive sins? 00:25:02.879 --> 00:25:03.720 I can forgive sins. 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:04.920 How do you know I can forgive sins? 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:06.259 Because I made a paralytic walk. 00:25:06.660 --> 00:25:07.379 Guess who's God? 00:25:07.619 --> 00:25:08.399 I am. 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:14.780 Jesus is indirectly proving and authenticating his divinity. 00:25:16.420 --> 00:25:20.500 And he's also revealing to the scribes here that he's a mind reader. 00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:24.220 He can do more than just heal. 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:26.000 He's the one who forgives. 00:25:26.080 --> 00:25:28.440 So Jesus is healing and reconciling the world. 00:25:28.560 --> 00:25:30.640 He is making everything right. 00:25:30.840 --> 00:25:34.340 And, of course, one needs to be solved before the other, right? 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:37.759 It is not enough for Jesus just to solve the symptoms of sin. 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:43.019 And sin is not the result of sickness. 00:25:43.519 --> 00:25:45.359 Sickness is the result of sin. 00:25:47.099 --> 00:25:48.819 Sin is not the result of sickness. 00:25:49.000 --> 00:25:50.299 Sickness is the result of sin. 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:53.980 Of course, Jesus wants to hit everything at the root. 00:25:54.099 --> 00:25:58.299 Of course, he wants to address the cause before the symptoms. 00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:01.059 He solves sin. 00:26:01.940 --> 00:26:03.980 Sickness is ultimately going to be solved as well. 00:26:04.660 --> 00:26:05.900 That's our hope as Christians. 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:13.259 That as Jesus puts death to death, we look forward to when he returns and sin and sickness are ended forever. 00:26:13.580 --> 00:26:15.600 That these things are a complete package. 00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:16.600 They do go together. 00:26:16.740 --> 00:26:19.420 It's just that one goes before the other. 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:23.420 Sin, the greater problem. 00:26:23.820 --> 00:26:25.380 Sin is a greater problem than sickness. 00:26:25.380 --> 00:26:31.040 Forgiveness is a greater task than healing. 00:26:31.040 --> 00:26:31.280 Sin is a greater problem than sickness. 00:26:32.000 --> 00:26:34.840 Forgiveness is a greater task than healing. 00:26:36.280 --> 00:26:37.480 And so who is Jesus? 00:26:38.920 --> 00:26:39.880 Jesus is God. 00:26:41.440 --> 00:26:44.080 He's the one who can forgive sins and not blaspheme. 00:26:44.600 --> 00:26:45.380 Who is Jesus? 00:26:45.500 --> 00:26:47.460 He's the one who's come to reconcile us. 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:49.740 He's the one who's come to give us forgiveness. 00:26:49.740 --> 00:26:54.700 And we know the way he's going to achieve that forgiveness is by dying. 00:26:55.859 --> 00:27:02.559 And so some people say this is one of the clearest points earlier in the Gospel of Mark where we can see the shadow of the cross falling over Jesus. 00:27:03.640 --> 00:27:07.940 He pronounces this forgiveness based on what he's going to do in the future, right? 00:27:08.120 --> 00:27:09.740 How is he able to forgive this man? 00:27:09.740 --> 00:27:17.539 Because he knows that he will pay the price for this man's sins when he dies on the cross and rises again from the dead after three days. 00:27:18.519 --> 00:27:23.160 And so we're looking forward to what enables and empowers Jesus to be able to do this. 00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:29.500 We're looking forward, even this early, the beginning of chapter 2 in the Gospel of Mark, to what Jesus will do at the very end. 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:34.599 He is going to go and he's going to pay for what he does now. 00:27:34.700 --> 00:27:37.380 He is going to pay the price for this man's sin. 00:27:39.740 --> 00:27:42.059 So how do we respond to him? 00:27:43.579 --> 00:27:49.220 If Jesus is God, if he's the one who's come to reconcile us, if he is the one who's coming to die for us, 00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:53.799 then we have to recognize and admit of our many needs what our greatest need is. 00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:59.039 And our greatest need is not that we be able to stand up and walk. 00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:02.220 Our greatest need is that our sins are forgiven. 00:28:03.460 --> 00:28:06.759 That's the greatest thing and the most important thing that Jesus offers. 00:28:06.759 --> 00:28:11.339 Nothing else that we look for for him is going to matter if we don't get that right. 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:17.299 It doesn't matter how many wonderful things we see happen at church. 00:28:17.960 --> 00:28:20.920 It doesn't matter how much aid one person offers another. 00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:26.819 If we don't understand and know and embrace and believe Jesus' forgiveness. 00:28:26.819 --> 00:28:32.119 That is the basis, the root, the foundation for everything else. 00:28:33.839 --> 00:28:36.439 The other way we respond to Jesus is this. 00:28:36.519 --> 00:28:38.059 We want to be like these friends. 00:28:39.659 --> 00:28:42.599 We want to continue to come to Jesus. 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:45.899 They do what we talked about at the end of chapter one. 00:28:46.019 --> 00:28:47.879 They come with their need no matter what. 00:28:48.179 --> 00:28:50.539 They don't care about how embarrassing it might be. 00:28:50.819 --> 00:28:55.240 They're not concerned ultimately with the destruction that they're giving to this roof. 00:28:55.240 --> 00:28:57.519 They're not worried about being embarrassed, right? 00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:01.000 Nothing is more important to them than getting to Jesus. 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:03.559 Their priorities might be wrong. 00:29:04.339 --> 00:29:07.720 They might prioritize the material over the physical, over the spiritual. 00:29:08.599 --> 00:29:10.480 And they get one thing right. 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:14.079 They pursue Jesus no matter what. 00:29:15.539 --> 00:29:20.000 Remember I told you about my seminary professor who said the disciples got many things wrong 00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:21.539 and they got one thing right. 00:29:21.539 --> 00:29:25.500 And that one thing was that they kept following Jesus. 00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:31.480 Brothers and sisters, we respond to Jesus by continuing to follow him. 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:34.599 We don't let anything stand in our way. 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:36.399 We don't care if the door is blocked. 00:29:36.639 --> 00:29:39.960 Whatever we have to do, as I've told you before, my mother told me growing up, 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:42.460 people will climb over walls to get to the truth. 00:29:43.720 --> 00:29:46.460 They will also destroy roofs. 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:55.799 We admit our greatest need and we continue following Jesus and running after him no matter what. 00:29:56.799 --> 00:29:59.720 This man and his friends might be misguided in some ways. 00:30:00.259 --> 00:30:01.860 They might be misdirected. 00:30:02.120 --> 00:30:05.640 They might not understand that one thing is more important than the other. 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:11.140 And they run after Jesus and pursue him no matter what. 00:30:12.039 --> 00:30:15.059 Brothers and sisters, the same is true for us. 00:30:15.059 --> 00:30:21.659 We admit our greatest need and we respond to what Jesus says in Mark 1, verse 17. 00:30:22.159 --> 00:30:23.799 Come and follow me. 00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:27.419 Come and follow me. 00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:34.119 Finally, I want you guys to not miss verse 11. 00:30:35.339 --> 00:30:35.799 Jesus says, 00:30:35.899 --> 00:30:38.440 I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home. 00:30:38.919 --> 00:30:41.779 Now I mentioned this when it came to the healing of Simon's mother-in-law. 00:30:41.919 --> 00:30:43.679 Jesus, remember, raised her. 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:45.740 Here he says, rise. 00:30:46.019 --> 00:30:47.440 It's the same word again. 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:49.920 It's the same word that's used to speak of Jesus' resurrection. 00:30:50.080 --> 00:30:53.120 In other words, Mark is winking at us again. 00:30:54.380 --> 00:30:59.340 He's winking at us again by using this word that speaks about Jesus being raised from the dead. 00:30:59.900 --> 00:31:04.980 Jesus is telling them that reconciliation with him, that forgiveness is more important than anything else. 00:31:04.980 --> 00:31:13.039 And he's giving them a small picture and a hint and a taste and a sampler and an appetizer of what he's going to do fully and finally later in the book. 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:16.200 We're going to see a small picture of this man being raised. 00:31:16.360 --> 00:31:20.640 We'll see the greater and greatest picture of Jesus being raised from the dead. 00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:25.880 This is just a hint and a piece of where this story is going. 00:31:26.200 --> 00:31:30.060 Remember, in this one in chapter 2, the intensity is increasing from chapter 1. 00:31:30.300 --> 00:31:35.440 It's going to keep going forward in what Mark is foreshadowing for us, both in chapter 1 and chapter 2, 00:31:35.580 --> 00:31:39.840 that Jesus is the one who raises and he's the one who's raised. 00:31:39.839 --> 00:31:48.759 That is the way he is going to be able to reconcile and bring forgiveness to everyone who has faith and trust in Jesus Christ. 00:31:50.919 --> 00:31:53.299 And so what is our greatest need? 00:31:53.439 --> 00:31:54.379 Who is Jesus? 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:55.679 Jesus is God. 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:59.699 He has come to reconcile us to himself. 00:31:59.819 --> 00:32:01.259 He has come to forgive us. 00:32:01.859 --> 00:32:04.240 And he's come to raise us from the dead. 00:32:04.359 --> 00:32:05.899 So how do we respond to him? 00:32:05.899 --> 00:32:08.459 We know our greatest need. 00:32:08.460 --> 00:32:12.559 We keep following after him no matter what. 00:32:14.200 --> 00:32:18.960 And that's why we're going to sing in a moment these words until page 6 of your worship guide. 00:32:19.900 --> 00:32:27.039 I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how he could love me, a sinner condemned, unclean. 00:32:27.920 --> 00:32:30.480 Unclean like the leper at the end of chapter 1. 00:32:31.100 --> 00:32:35.220 Unclean condemned like this man here in this story who needs God's forgiveness. 00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:36.720 Chorus. 00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:37.980 Marvelous. 00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:40.920 That's how wonderful is my Savior's love for me. 00:32:42.019 --> 00:32:43.380 That's our confession as well. 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:47.099 We recognize our greatest need that we're sinners condemned unclean. 00:32:47.360 --> 00:32:54.220 And we pursue and run after Jesus no matter what because we know of our Savior's love for us. 00:32:54.380 --> 00:32:54.599 Amen. 00:32:55.740 --> 00:32:56.420 Let's pray. 00:32:56.420 --> 00:33:03.320 Our Father in heaven, we praise you and we thank you that you do let us know what our greatest need is. 00:33:03.380 --> 00:33:06.120 And you meet us at that very same point of need. 00:33:06.200 --> 00:33:07.440 You don't leave us without hope. 00:33:07.539 --> 00:33:14.019 But instead, you've provided your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, to say to us, your sins are forgiven. 00:33:14.019 --> 00:33:20.759 We ask that you would make that more and more true in our consciousness and our lives and our hearts as we love you and trust you and look to you. 00:33:21.139 --> 00:33:24.000 And we ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:24.639 Amen.