The Healing of a Sinner
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Important messages
Mark 2:1-12
Message by Dan Brueckner, our oldest son and pastor of Swanton
Christian Church
(another of Dan's messages can be seen on this Blog, September 21, 2019)
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| Dan preaching in Swanton |
The key part of this passage is that Jesus preached the
Word to them. It would be easy to go over that part and enter the story of the
healing of this man, but the key throughout the Gospels is that Jesus preached
the word. In one place, they looked for Jesus to stay with them, but he said, “I
must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in other towns.
Capernaum was a dark place and everywhere that Jesus
went, He fulfilled Scripture. The Scripture said that He would be born in
Bethlehem and He fulfilled that Scripture. Then He fled to Egypt and that
fulfilled Scripture. The Scripture said that He would be called a Nazarene, so
he was raised in Nazareth and now He goes to Capernaum, lived there and that became
His home. This also fulfilled Scripture.
I want to read a little about Capernaum from Matthew 4:13-17:
“And leaving Nazareth, He went and lived
in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what
was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be
fulfilled: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the
sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles (a derogatory statement) – the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a
light has dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
We have an idea of what He was preaching about, when He
made the move to Capernaum, a spiritually dark place. These people lived in
trespasses and sins, dead to the things of God. They were willingly ignorant of
the Gospel. This was a horrible place to live. They dwelt in darkness, because
their deeds were evil. The second death loomed over them, not only the first
death, but if they didn’t repent, they would experience the second death. Jesus
came to this dark place and I’m glad that He did, in order to show that there
is no place so dark, but that Jesus can go to it. He leaves other places and
goes to this dark place. He is light and wherever He went, He effected the
darkness around Him. The people had never seen light like this, as their eyes
began to open. His message was to repent! It was their only hope.
In Luke, when people mentioned to Jesus about Pilate
killing people and mixing their blood with their sacrifices, Jesus said, “Do
you think they were worse sinners, because this happened to them? No, but except
you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Jesus brought up His own story about
the tower of Siloam. He said, “Do you think that that tragedy happened to people,
who were worse sinners than others? Unless you repent, you will all likewise
perish.” His message was continually ‘Repent!’ This is the background behind
this story.
Positive Disturbances
“They came,
bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.” This paralysis kept this
man from ever getting out of bed, restricted to simply lying in one place. Sometimes
a paralysis could bring about an early death. He brought no income to his
family, but he hears people passing by, saying that Jesus was back in town. He
must have heard about this message of repentance and he was thinking about his
own sin. It weighed on him and he was under conviction.
He had a desire to see Jesus, but he could not go without
help. Some men cared enough about him, loved their neighbor as themselves, and
took time to care for him. As others rushed by, without thinking about him, he
had a soul and he was loved by God. These did something about his situation.
They shared the burden, picked the man up and told him, “We’re going to get you
to Jesus.” They came to his side. I don’t know if he was married, but if he was, his wife
might have been thinking, “Please don’t get his hopes up, so that he comes back,
having them dashed.”
“When they could
not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and
when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic
lay.” There were people filling the yard and they couldn’t get near the
door. They may have tried to push their way through; they were very determined,
but they couldn’t find a way. When we begin to pray for somebody, we run into
obstacles, and things can get worse instead of better. You may wonder why you
even started to pray and you are tempted to give up. These men could have been
saying, “We just can’t do it. We tried, but there’s no room. Nobody can say we
didn’t try.” But, they didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. They had come with a purpose,
and they would not be satisfied, until they brought this man before Jesus.
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| Daughter, Anna, and wife, Shelley sing. |
Maybe you’re facing an obstacle today and you feel like
giving up, God is encouraging you today through the faith of these four men. They
thought they would try the roof. Many houses those days had an outside stairway
leading to the roof, so they carried him up there. Can you imagine what
happened below as Jesus was preaching and noise was heard on the ceiling; dirt
and dust begins to fall into the room? It maybe even got into people’s eyes… a
little more disturbance, than a baby crying in a meeting. This was a major
disruption, to the point that nobody could hear what Jesus was saying. They had
to make a large opening in the roof, and they demolished it to get this man
through. Nobody had ever tried this before; it was an unusual move, but it was
effective. God can use disturbances.
At a Christmas program one year, the husband of a church
member came along with his wife and he was “hammered”… a bit drunk. It was an
interesting service, because he would start to sing songs, before the
congregation began. I preached for a little while and he interrupted my sermon,
asking a question. But it had to do with salvation, so I answered his question.
Someone else came up to speak in the program, and this husband stood to his
feet and slurred, “Well, what about this,” much to the embarrassment of his
wife. At the end of the program, I was thinking, “Well, at least we got through
the service.”
It was a few days later that we learned there was a young
boy in the meeting, who was listening to the questions and the answers. Of
course, we quickly answered the questions, because we thought the program was
more important. But that night, Christmas Eve, the boy was under conviction for
sin and couldn’t sleep. His mother got out of bed and asked him why he was
crying. He said, “The man asked a question and the pastor told him how to get
right with God. I can’t sleep, because of my sin." The mother and the boy got on
their knees beside his bed and he received Christ.
The disturbance of coronavirus may be something that God
can use for His glory. A disturbance can be a good thing and this time in
Capernaum it was. The paralytic only saw the faces of his helpers, as they
lowered him into the room, and looking on the face of Jesus for the first time,
he heard these words. “When Jesus saw
their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” Jesus
saw their faith… What did other people see? Some saw four troublemakers,
demolishing a roof, thinking, “What do you think you’re doing?” Jesus saw their
faith and without faith it’s impossible to please God. The first thing that
Jesus said was, “Your sins are forgiven.” Maybe the helpers thought, “That’s
not why we brought him. We want him to be healed.” But it shows you that man’s
greatest need is forgiveness of sin, regardless of his physical need.
God knows what you are thinking
This man was under conviction of sin. The reason I can
say this is because in Matthew’s account, chapter 9, before Jesus said, “Your
sins are forgiven,” He first said, “Son,
take heart.” He heard Jesus’ message on repentance and the first thing he heard
from Jesus was, “Your sins are forgiven.” This man couldn’t physically jump,
but inside, he leaped for joy, because his sins bothered him more than anything
else. There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents. The angels rejoiced
with this man. The Amplified Bible says, “The
penalty is paid; the guilt is removed and you are declared to be in right
standing with God.” That’s what it means to have your sins forgiven and
when Jesus said it, it happened at that moment. There was no questioning about
taking a period of time, to see if something happened. One moment he was on his
way to hell, and in the next moment he was on his way to heaven. He was not
told to do something in order to merit the fact.
It is more important that the cancer of the soul, our
sins, be removed. It’s more important than healing of coronavirus. Jesus is the
only one, who can forgive your sins. This story tells us that only God can
forgive sins. As those words came from Jesus’ mouth, I can hear a gasp in that
room, and in their heart, a group of people present, were critical of those words.
“Some of the scribes were sitting there
and questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man speak like that? He is
blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” There were all kinds of
people sitting around Jesus. There were those who were concerned for their
souls, and there were those who were just sitting there… occupying space. If
you are listening to these words, you should know that if you will repent,
Jesus will forgive sins today. “Immediately
Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves,
said to them, ‘Why do you question these things in your hearts?’” Jesus
knew their thoughts and He knows yours right now, whatever they are. How many
times do we read in Scripture, “Jesus knowing their thoughts, said…?” He goes
right to the heart of the matter.
When I was in Macedonia, I was sharing the gospel with Boșko and his wife. He was listening
carefully, but his wife had no interest in such things. I just began to read
from the Scriptures, showing that they were sinners and needed a Savior. Much
later on, he told me that he thought I was God in the flesh. The reason that he
thought so was, because he thought I could read his mind. As we read through
the Scriptures, Romans chapter 1, where there is a list of sins, he was
thinking, “How does he know that I’m doing these things?”
He was really blunt with me and it was because, he thought,
there was no use in lying, if he was talking to God in the flesh. I was really
shocked, because he told me everything about himself. There weren’t too many
gospel tracts in the Macedonian language at that time and when a new one was
printed, I didn’t have time to visit him that day, but I wanted him to read the
tract. So I drove to his house and gave it to him and said, “Read this.” Just
before I came, he had been thinking on the subject presented in the tract and
it answered his questions. He was convinced: God knows what I’m thinking.
He got a new job and he now worked alongside Christians
from the church. He just couldn’t get away from God. His wife was dying of
cancer and she had always laughed at me, but now, she wanted me to come to
their home. I was scheduled to preach that night in northern Macedonia and
should not have been home. However, I was physically exhausted, called the
pastor and told him, I just couldn’t make it. I was ready to crash on my bed,
when the phone rang, but I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Shelley told me, who
was on the phone and I was shocked, so I took the phone and then, I went to
their house. She was very sick and asked me to pray for her. I said, “I’ll pray
for you, but you have another cancer that is worse yet; it’s the cancer of your
soul. So again, with her husband sitting nearby, I went through the gospel with
her. I asked her, “Do you want to repent of your sins and find life in Christ,”
and she answered, “Yes, we will.”
Her husband had been hearing the gospel for three years,
so he knew to say, “Wait a minute, this is personal, you have to speak for
yourself and I have to decide for myself.” So now, she said, “Yes” for herself.
I said, “All right, Boșko, your wife made the decision herself - what do you say?
You’ve been listening for three years and you still haven’t repented of your
sins.” He sat for a long time and I
waited for as long as it took for him to answer. Finally, he said, “Yes” and we
all prayed together and they received Christ. The next day, they came to the
house to give thanks to the Lord. I say these things just to make the point,
that a person will become brutally honest, when he understands that God knows
every thought of his heart.
Physical evidence that revealed a more
important spiritual result
So Jesus goes on: “Why
do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the
paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and
walk’? “Which of these two options will put a strain on omnipotence? Of
course, neither one. One statement would bring a visible result, the other
would not, so He goes on… “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority
on earth to forgive sins – he said to the paralytic – I say to you, rise, pick
up your bed, and go home.” The purpose was for them to know that the Son of
Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Both are impossible with men, but
the four helpers brought the paralytic to the right One. The word of
forgiveness was backed up by a word of healing!
The men, who let him down through the roof, had no
intention of lifting him back through the hole. Jesus told the paralytic to go
home and that’s what he did, rejoicing and glorifying God. The crowd that he
couldn’t get through before, opened up, as he carried his pallet and walked out
among that massive crowd. I don’t know who fixed the roof, but there are more
important things that the Bible has to say to us. On your death bed, what will
be most important to you? What you have accomplished or not accomplished, or
whether or not your sins are forgiven?
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| Daughter, Ruth, at piano recital |
“And he rose and
immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were
all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’” In
Luke’s gospel (5:25) it says that he,
specifically, glorified God: “He
picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.” I’m
sure you all know the song, It is Well with
My Soul. One verse, in particular, blesses my heart, each time it is sung.
I can picture Mr. Stafford sitting and writing these words, My sin… he writes it down. Then, he got
so excited about what he was going to write next that he puts down a comma and
follows, Oh, the bliss of this glorious
thought. Then another comma, and he wrote on, My sin, not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to His cross, and I bare
it no more, Bless the Lord, Bless the Lord, Oh, my soul!
Psalms 103:1-3, a Psalm of David, showed that he is
contemplating the same thing: “Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your
diseases.” The Psalmist had the same thoughts as Stafford: My sin, not in part, but the whole. Bless
the Lord O my soul! This former paralytic went home, bragging about Jesus.
Peter said (1 P.2:9) “You are a chosen
race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that
you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Jesus went into this
dark place and found a man living in darkness and death, and said to him, “Son,
your sins are forgiven you.” This man went out, proclaiming the excellencies of
him who called him out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Light in the darkest places
The land of Naphtali, the land of Zebulon, did see a great light and it brought
life to the whole territory. Already, in that town lived an official, who had a
son on his death bed. He found Jesus in Cana, walking 15 to 20 miles from
Capernaum, and told Jesus, “My son is home. Please come and heal him.” But
Jesus said, “Go, your son will live.” His servants met him before he got home
and said, “Your son lives.” He asked when he became well and they said, "About 1
P.M". The official exclaimed, “What! That was the time of day, when Jesus said ‘Your
son lives.’” Arriving at his home, not only he believed, but his whole household.
Before Jesus moved into town, there was a family of believers established.
Light was beginning to shine and people were transformed by the gospel,
repenting of their sins and putting their faith in Him. They became ambassadors
and representatives, people who reflected the light of Christ.
Is there someone today, like those in the crowd ‘sitting there’,
occupying space, criticizing everything Jesus did? They didn’t care about their sins. You need to
leave that group and go, where others are rejoicing and joining in heaven’s
party. You need your sins forgiven and Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me, I will
in no way cast out.” Turn to Christ, if you haven’t repented of your sins, and
I can guarantee you that He will not cast you out. You don’t want to die in your sins, but die free from your sins, and in right relationship
with God.
Concerning you, who have someone especially that you
are praying for, remember the four, who brought the man to Jesus. Ask others to
join in prayer with you… share the burden. If it is someone who needs Christ in
your family, covenant with others to bring that one before Jesus. You will run
into obstacles, but persevere, continue in prayer. In the end, people will be
saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!” God still does these impossible
things.
I close with a story of a 60-year-old lady, Debbie, who
lived kitty-corner from our church. She had been badly abused by her husband
and other men, physically, emotionally and in many ways. She was suicidal and
an alcoholic, as well. She lived in darkness and fear. She wanted to come to
church, would leave her home and would stand on the sidewalk outside the church,
but couldn’t get in the door. She could hear
some things happening inside, but was too afraid to enter. After three months of
attempting, she got up the courage to come in and sat in the back. Anyone
looking at her, could see the fear in her face and as soon as the meeting
ended, she left.
But she came again and again. We had a meal after one
service and she was invited downstairs, but she had a fear of basements. We
held prayer meetings in the basement, so she wouldn’t come to those. Little by
little, as other women gathered around her, praying for her, encouraging her to
look to Christ, she began to change. She eventually came to the prayer
meetings. One night after prayer, she came to me and said, “Dan, I did it; I
gave my heart to Christ!” It took time, it took effort, something like breaking
through the roof.
Then she wanted to visit her husband. He is a Viet Nam
veteran, is in a home for seniors and has been on hospice care for over a year.
Counsellors warned her not to go there, because it affected her badly and
afterwards, she had difficulty recovering. But she went now and told her
husband that she forgave him for all that he had done. She reads Scripture now
to him, incessantly, and prays with him. I went once while she was there and saw
her with her arms around him. Previously, she could never cry in his presence,
because that was a sign of weakness to him and he would become very angry.
Visiting one day, something saddened her and she began to cry. He patted her
head lovingly and said, “Oh Debbie, what’s wrong.” That night in prayer
meeting, excitedly she told everyone, “That’s the first time in 40 years that
he kissed me.”
One time, she asked the chaplain in the home to come with
her and pray with her husband. The chaplain sat with tears in his eyes and
said, “I read his files. I don’t know how you can even come here. I don’t
understand how you can forgive him.” She was shocked and thought, “Aren’t you a
chaplain? Aren’t you supposed to know about these things?”
She wanted to serve God in any way possible, so we gave
her the keys to the church, and she took on the ministry of toilet cleaning. She
helped clean in any way possible, and when she went to her job, she bragged to her
co-workers, “Look, they gave me the keys to the church.” She was as excited about
that key, as someone would be about a gold medal won at the Olympics. The women
in the church were like the four men who came around the paralytic and carried
him to Christ. Our ladies carried Debbie to Christ.
There were many difficult times and a lot of time spent,
but now, Debbie is bearing the burdens of others and sharing the gospel with
them. Debbie was also afraid of water and she told me, “Dan, I want to be
baptized, but don’t be surprised if I drag you underwater with me, when you
baptize me. I never go in the water, because I’m scared to death of it.” We
prayed about it and she did just fine.
Christ will come to the darkest places. If you’re there,
and you have light, you will have an effect on the darkness. Carry someone to
Jesus by prayer and do whatever you can to help that person. Share those
burdens with one another. Thank you,
Lord, for your word. Thank you for this man, whom we will meet up in heaven,
because his sins were forgiven. He’ll tell us his story with more details. Give
us more stories like these, so we can say, ‘We’ve never seen anything like
this!’ Like Debbie’s testimony and others listening today with their life
story. You are a merciful God and you care about us. Help us to be faithful,
having compassion to carry others to you… Loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Help us to effect the dark area where we live with the light of the gospel for
the glory of God. We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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May 11, 2020 at 4:35 AM
Andreea
Hi! I sent you the song, "In You Will I Trust" via email and I hope you can open it without problems.
Are you Andreea (nee Stan)? If so, I remember you well. Please let me hear from you and also I hope you continue to use this blog.
Blessings Lowell Brueckner
May 11, 2020 at 12:36 PM
Yes it is me, and yes I have received the song. Thank you! How lovely to see you are still active in the Lord's work. Am glad I found this blog.
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