It is All Easy for Jesus - 9/29/2024 Sunday Sermon

The Tabernacle Today

It is All Easy for Jesus - Matthew 9:1-8

There are no better friends than ones who will “carry” you to Jesus believing Jesus can change your temporary and eternal situations!

We are in the section in Matthew between Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5-7) and His sending out of the 12 on a short-term mission trip (Ch. 10). He was teaching them to see people with physical and spiritual needs through His eyes, and be ready to reach out to them.

No rest for the weary - V. 1-2a

Capernaum was a town located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 feet below sea level. New Orleans is 7 feet below sea level. About 1500 people lived there (Capernaum) in the first century.

Now we have seen that Jesus modeled carving time into His day to rest and recharge, and we should too. But to walk in the Spirit includes being able to switch gears and take time to minister to a need at hand.

Jesus responds to faith - V. 2b

No one is going to be saved who doesn’t personally trust Jesus, but salvation testimonies often include the faith of others who “carried” the person to Jesus – in prayer, in their vehicle, in a wagon, on a stretcher.

If someone carried you to Jesus, make sure you thank them again. If they are in heaven, tell someone else about them and this passage before 24 hours pass!

This verse tells us that Jesus responds to faith! The man must have been more concerned for his spiritual needs than his physical needs, because Jesus deals with his need for forgiveness of sins first!

Jesus rebukes evil-hearted unbelieving scoffers - V. 3-5

To the scribe’s credit, they understood that in a very real sense, every sin is first against God. For If there was no God, then it would be nonsense to talk about sin at all.

“If there is no God, all things are permissible." - Dostoevsky

Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that you are justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgment. - Psalm 51:4

The scribes understood that only God can forgive sin. They did not believe that Jesus was God, so they accused Jesus of blasphemy in their hearts. But since Jesus is God the Son, their thoughts were evil rejection of God.

They couldn’t forgive sins OR heal somebody – neither was easy for mere humans. But what is not easy for humans is easy for Jesus, because this Son of Man is also the Son of God, God the Son.

Our Lord Jesus has Heaven’s authority to forgive sin - V. 6-8

There’s that divine title for Jesus again – the Son of Man. And there’s that word authority again – Exousia (G1849) – Jesus has the right, authority, and power to forgive sins! When we come to Him in faith, He exercises His Exousia in our lives.

“I saw in the night visions, and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man, and He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion (LXX-Exousia) is an everlasting dominion (LXX- Exousia), which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” - Daniel 7:13-14

The thing the fearful and marveling crowd all needed to remember and act on is the same thing we need to act on with faith in Jesus – “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!”