Mark 2:5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."

If the key to the text is faith, and

the healing of faith is centered in the forgiveness of sins,

the center of the forgiveness of sins is in the person of Jesus Christ.

Once you see who Jesus is, which is the word opening our hearts and minds

The Spirit works faith in our hearts.

And that is often where we stop,

It’s a good place to stop, because it covers the basics

It guides people to the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ

It give comfort and peace.

And yet there is something more to the text

Something we find it hard to talk about as perhaps it may lead to works righteousness

[although it is not so in the text]

Because besides all the wonderful things about the forgiveness of sin

Freedom from sin death and the devil

And everlasting life.

Faith is what makes the church,

And our text has a wonderful example of the faith of the Church in action.

Consider if you will, if you had a friend who was ill, bedridden.

It we needed to move them, we call the ambulance,

If its an emergency, they have medical planes and helicopters too.

How did the people of faith bring their friend to Jesus

It wasn’t just prayer

They picked up his bed and carried him to the place where Jesus was.

That’s faith, it moves people to action, it changes us

But the problem was that there were so many people they couldn’t get close

But they didn’t give up

And again faith moves them to action

When the door is closed, as it were

They go through the roof.

We need to be reminded about such things today

As often the door seems closed

We need to begin thinking creatively

How can we bring those in need to Jesus

For that is why we are here,

And if we trust in the grace of God to guide us

Faith will show us the openings, we never would have noticed otherwise

The church is a wonderful thing.

It is preserved in faith, not by works

But by the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

467

473

656