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Welcome back to Anam Cara.
Jesus had an opportunity in the Gospel of Mark chapter 2 where some friends of a paralyzed guy brought him to Christ to be healed.
It's an interesting story.
They couldn't get in because the crowd was so great.
Finally they sort of did a S.W.A.T. team maneuver and got up on top of roof of the house
and then dropped the guy down literally after ripping the ceiling apart,
dropped the guy down through the roof into the middle of the room where Jesus was teaching.
I kind of have a sneaking suspicion that while all that was going on there was probably a glimmer in the eye of Christ
and maybe a sort of a smile on His face because He knew what was going on,
but they wanted their friend to be healed.
Well they dropped him down in midst of Jesus and all of this crowd of folks gathered in this house
and Jesus looked at the man and made a statement that just blew everybody away.
He said 'Son, you sins are forgiven you'.
Well I'm sure the guy on the mat thought 'That's it? I mean, no magic wand,
no magic words, no special pill, no abracadabra?'.
He just laid there.
Of course his friends, you know, they went to all the trouble to get him to Christ
and again they were probably thinking 'What a waste of time.
I mean, he's not doing anything he's still lying there on the mat.'
And I'm sure the guy on the mat was probably feeling embarassed , ashamed and humiliated
because I mean nothing happened.
And then of course the chatter started all around the room.
The religious monkies that were standing around watching were beginning 'Who is this guy thinking he has the power
to forgive sins, only God can forgive sins.'
In a minute Jesus seized the moment as He was planning to do
and He made sure they understood something that was essential.
Who He was. He said 'I want you to understand something,
that you might know that the Son of Man has power on Earth to forgive sins,
which means He's God.
He looked down at the guy and said 'Take up your bed and walk'. [ finger snap ]
Immediately the guy took his bed up, got up and began to walk and I'm sure the place just went crazy.
But here's an essential question that we have to ask.
When was that guy really healed?
I submit to you that he was healed the moment Jesus told him his sins were forgiven.
He was released, he was set free
and yet he continued to lay there on that mat in a paralyzed
condition or what he thought was a paralyzed condition.
He didn't accept the truth that he was forgiven and free and continued to lay there
as if he was paralyzed when in reality he truly wasn't.
You know, there are a lot of people today in the church who live paralyzed lives.
Maybe because of things they've done in the past,
maybe because of present things they're struggling with that they have a difficult time accepting
the reality that they are forgiven.
And the reality is that you ARE forgiven.
Christ has forgiven you of all of your sins...past, present, future.
The apostle Paul tells us that He has removed and forgiven us ALL of our trespasses.
Not just some of them, but all of them.
And when we are forgiven, we are released and we are set free.
But yet so many people live paralyzed lives.
They are not able to move forward because of their past.
They're stuck in the past and they're always looking over their shoulder,
never able to focus on moving and taking steps forward in their life.
Or again because of the condemnation or shame that they feel for things
they may be having difficulty with in the present.
Here's the truth, when Jesus forgave you He set you free.
You are really forgiven and He really does love you and
And He really has liberated you. Accept that reality.
Take up your bed today and get up and begin to walk
Because the Lord has forgiven you and the Lord has set you free.
Don't let the past, don't let the present, don't let things that you're struggling with keep you
from getting up and moving on with your life because you have a Lord who declares to you today
'You are forgiven, you are free, and you are loved beyond your wildest imagination.'
Take some time to meditate on that reality and remember
spend a few moments today taking time to behold Him who is beholding you and smiling.