A Life of Blessing-Luke 6:20-49

Many have said it is "the greatest sermon ever spoken"... It has lines like:

"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh."

"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

"Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?"

"Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you."

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?"

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit."

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

And..then it concludes with a marvelous parable that we "church" people having been singing a simple song about since early Sunday school..a wise man and a foolish man...a house built on the rock and a house built on sand. It is Jesus speaking the Word and heart of God most excellent!

Modern day scholars disagree over if the Luke version is the same event as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. My take...it has some of the same sayings...and I often say the "good things" from God are worth repeating.

Two Questions we can draw from this passage:

1. How many want true happiness and a blessed life?
2. How many would say you that you are GODLY?

Jesus had just picked the twelve disciples-all different, needing teaching. To most Jewish people, the word blessing evoked images of a long life; wealth; a large, healthy family; a full barn; and defeated enemies. With the coming of Jesus, Israel’s childhood period ended, and the people had to mature in their understanding of God’s ways (Galatians. 4:1–6).

The Lord explained in this sermon that the truly blessed life comes not from GETTING, or from DOING, but from BEING. The emphasis is on GODLIKE CHARACTER.

Jesus' lesson applies to life today and describes the kind of godly character we should have as believers in this world. Ask yourself: Do people around me SEE me as GODLY?

What Jesus did was to focus on ATTITUDES: our attitude towards:
1. Circumstances (Luke 6:20–26),
2. People(Luke 6:27–38),
3. Ourselves (Luke 6:39–45),
4. God (Luke 6:46–49).

He emphasized four essentials for true happiness: FAITH in God, LOVE toward others, HONESTY with ourselves, & OBEDIENCE toward God.

1. CIRCUMSTANCES (vv.20-26)-Life was hard…They discovered that what they needed most was not a change in circumstances but a change in their relationship to God and in their outlook on life.

The four “woes” all share a common truth: you take what you want from life and you pay for it. If you want immediate wealth, fullness, laughter, and popularity, you can get it, but there is a price to pay: that is all you will get.

Jesus did not say that these things were wrong. He said that being satisfied with them is its own judgment.Life is built on CHARACTER, and character is built on DECISIONS. But, decisions are based on VALUES, and values must be accepted by FAITH.

2. PEOPLE (vv. 27–38). Jesus assumed that anybody who lived for eternal values would get into trouble with the world’s crowd. Christians are the “salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13–16), and sometimes the salt stings and the light exposes sin.

How should we treat our enemies? We must love them, do them good, and pray for them. Hatred only breeds more hatred, “for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:20 NIV). This cannot be done in our own strength, but it can be done through the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22–23).

Two Principles Stand Out:
1) WE must treat others as we would want to be treated (Luke 6:31), which assumes we want the very best spiritually for ourselves;

2) WE must imitate our Father in heaven and be merciful (Luke 6:36).

Luke 6:37–38 reminds us that we REAP what we SOW and in the AMOUNT that we SOW.
If we judge others, we will ourselves be judged. If we forgive, we shall be forgiven, but if we condemn, we shall be condemned (see Matt. 18:21–35).

One of the hardest part of our Christian walk is FORGIVENESS. I challenge you..ask yourself-"Have I forgiven everyone who has ever hurt me?"

If the answer is NO...you need to make it right..if you shy away from certain people, if you wish ill to others, or rejoice in their misfortune...you have UNFORGIVENESS in your heart. Be careful...Notice in the Lord's prayer, we are "TO FORGIVE"...as WE "HAVE FORGIVEN"..get it..past tense..done deal, no carrying it around.

3. SELF (vv. 39–45). The four striking figures in this section teach us some important lessons about ministry. To begin with, as His disciples, we must be sure that we see clearly enough to guide others in their spiritual walk. While there are blind people who have a keen sense of direction, it is not likely any of them will be hired as airplane pilots or wilderness guides.

Luke 6:40 (plank and speck) reminds us that we cannot lead others where we have not been ourselves, nor can we be all that our Master is. In fact, the more we strive to be like Him, the more we realize how far short we fall. This is a warning against pride, for nothing blinds a person like pride.

Continuing the image of “the eye,” Jesus taught that we must be able to see clearly enough to help our brother see better. It certainly is not wrong to help a brother get a painful speck of dirt out of his eye, provided we can see what we are doing.

The emphasis here is on being honest with ourselves and not becoming hypocrites. It is easy to try to help a brother with his faults just so we can cover up our own sins! People who are constantly criticizing others are usually guilty of something worse in their own lives.

The illustration of the tree reminds us that fruit is always true to character. An apple tree produces apples, not oranges, and a good person produces good fruit, not evil. Believers do sin, but the witness of their words and works is consistently good to the glory of God.

The last image, the treasury, teaches us that what comes out of the lips depends on what is inside the heart. The human heart is like a treasury, and what we speak reveals what is there. We must be honest with ourselves and admit the blind spots in our lives, the obstacles that blur our vision, and the areas within that must be corrected. Then we can be used of the Lord to minister to others and not lead them astray.

4. GOD (vv. 46–49). Our Lord’s emphasis here is on obedience. It is not enough merely to hear His Word and call Him “Lord.” We must also OBEY what He commands us to do.

All of us are builders, and we must be careful to build wisely. To “build on the rock” simply means to obey what God commands in His Word. To “build on the sand” means to give Christ lip service, but not obey His will. It may look as if we are building a strong house, but if it has no foundation, it cannot last.

The storm here is not the last judgment but the tests of life that come to every professing Christian. Not everybody who professes to know the Lord has had a real experience of salvation. They may have been active in church and other religious organizations, but if they are not saved by faith, they have no foundation to their lives.

If Christ is in our hearts, then our mouths must confess Him to others (Rom. 10:9–10). If we are “rooted and built up in him” (Col. 2:7), then our fruits will be good and our house will withstand the storms.

This is the “new blessing” that Jesus offered His nation and that He offers us today. We can experience the “heavenly happiness” and true blessedness that only He can give.

ARE YOU LIVING A LIFE OF BLESSING?

Do Nothing or Do Good? Luke 6:6-11

On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?" He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

By this time it seems Jesus knew what was coming...the Sabbath seemed to be a real point of contention between Him and the Pharisees.

The whole issue is now is doing GOOD “WORK” on the SABBATH-specifically HEALING a person with a shriveled hand...meeting a human need and showing compassion.

Rabbis of that day held that only if a life was in danger was healing permitted…it was silly-you could treat a heart attack, but not a toothache.

The Hebrew word for Sabbath is “sabat” and it means “repose or rest.”

Jesus asks them directly…wanting them to answer…

“Which is lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

The Bible speaks in several places about placing bindings & burdens on people:

"Whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, is loosed in heaven.” - Matthew 18:18

“For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.” - Matthew 23:4

“Why do you try to test God by putting on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? -Peter in Acts 15:10

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. “ - Paul in Galatians 5:1

Jesus' defense in picking kernels the grain fields was based on the Old Testament Scriptures, but His defense in the synagogue for doing good and healing a man was based on the nature of God’s Sabbath law. God gave that law to HELP people, not to HURT them, to BLESS them, not to BURDEN them.

These Pharisees, these church leaders have NO CONCERN or CARE for the man…only their precious LAW. Rather than rejoice at an actual miracle, they want to argue over silly points of their man-made additions to the true word and law of God.

Jesus showed that compassion for people was more important that silly man-made rules...

He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Matthew 12:11-12

Jesus argued that if a farmer could care for his animals on the Sabbath, shouldn’t we care for man, made in the image of God? Jesus was frustrated (“at their stubborn hearts”) and angry(Mark 3:5)

Then...Jesus takes the offensive...he does something NEW and completely different.

Jesus calls the man front and center, for ALL the critics to see… and heals him…’ “STRETCH FORTH YOUR HAND”…and the Pharisees begin to plot against Him.

We modern-day followers of Christ need to know...

if we decide to follow the ways of Jesus, we will have religious critics.

Our Lord’s Day ought to be a time of rest…a time we set aside for God…and if we have the opportunity to DO GOOD…then let us DO GOOD!

“Anyone then knowing the good he ought to do, and doesn’t do it, sins.
James 4:17

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest (sabbatismos) for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest.”
Hebrews 4:9-10

Are YOU giving God 1 Day out of 7…for time just with HIM?

Questions for Discussion:

1. What harmful “religious” tendencies was Jesus resisting by His actions andwords during these incidents
2. In these incidents, whose actions were really Sabbath-keeping? Why?What could you do to make next Sunday a service to God?

3. List some of the traditions that are taken for granted in your church, but are not directly mentioned in the Bible. Which seem to aid Christian mission? Which seem to impede the work of Christ?
4. Teaching that God's rules can sometimes be set aside for the sake of human need, is dangerous. How can we observe this truth without abusing it?
5. Are there any people who you are "looking for a reason to accuse"? (6:7) Why is this attitude dangerous? How can it blind you?

Lord of the Sabbath-Luke 6:1-5

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" 3 Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." 5 Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Luke 6:1-5

We should hestitate to criticize another’s faith or religion. We want people to respect our faith. We must look close and understand the religion of the Pharisees…to see why Jesus was SO OPPOSED to it.

The Pharisees started out wanting to do good...wanting to keep the law. Psalm 119:33-36 would be a good example of their original intent: Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

Phariseees were devoted to Law..but then over time, they began to devote themselves to ALL the rules one step removed from the Law.-thus creating a Law Centered religion.

Jesus and disciples walking thru grainfield eating grain was perfectly legal according to Deuteronomy 23:25- If you enter your neighbor's grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain.

But the Pharisees had become OBSESSED with not violating "their" rules of the Sabbath and not "working" on the Sabbath.

From the Talmud:” In case a woman rolls wheat to remove the husks, it is considered as sifting; if she rubs the heads of wheat, it is considered threshing; if she cleans off the sides adhearances it is sifting our fruit, if she bruises the ears, it is grinding; if she throws them up in her hand, it is winnowing.”

It even got worse...even silly...
Couldn’t travel more than 3000 feet from your house
Not carry anything weighing more than a dried fig
Not have a needle..might have to sew something
Couldn’t take a bath…might splash water and wash the floor…

Jesus spoke against the Pharisee's ways in Matthew 23:4
“For they bind heavy burdens and grevious to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”

The Sabbath was originally to remind the Israelites of their slavery…

Two greatest needs..WORSHIP and REST….Israel was not free to do either in Egypt.

Psalm 37-“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”

God's original intent was for the Sabbath to be a BLESSING not a BURDEN.

Notice Jesus did not point out the silliness of their laws. He used their own Scripture to try to convict of the error of their way and expose the truth.
Jesus’ point: Human needs (compassion and mercy) should override bare legalism.

Jesus then asserts His authority-“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”

Lessons for Us as Modern Day Disciples.
We are Jesus’ disciples watching this…even today. What can we learn?

First, to observe the Sabbath-No where does Jesus give ANY justification for breaking the Sabbath. He and disciples observed it as a day of rest and worship. The Sabbath was for the Jewish people, thus the no mention of it in the NT.

The principle of setting aside a day of rest and worship is biblically sound.

Second, the Law is not to make life harder for man, but to help man. The Pharisees didn’t have any problem with laws that prevented mercy to the suffering. But Jesus,…was a man in love with people….always recognizing their needs and eager to help their suffering.

I think Jesus’ frustration is with the complex system religion has become..His is much simpler..It starts with love for the Father and works itself out with love of man. It flows out of a heart yielded to God, not mind schooled in regulations.

If we truly follow Jesus’s way…

we can expect to be criticized by our religious peers.

As the original Sabbath gave the Jewish people opportunity to celebrate the freedom and rest from slavery in Egypt…our modern Lord’s Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate the freedom and rest from the slavery of sin that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus.

Questions for Discussion:
1. What does the word “Sabbath” mean to you?

2. List some of the traditions that are taken for granted in your church, but are not directly mentioned in the Bible. Which seem to aid Christian mission? Which seem to impede the work of Christ?

3. Teaching that God's rules can sometimes be set aside for the sake of human need, is dangerous. How can we observe this truth without abusing it?

4. In these incidents, whose actions were really Sabbath-keeping? Why?

Living a Patchless Life-Luke 5:33-39

They said to him, "John's disciples often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking." Jesus answered, "Can you make the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; in those days they will fast." He told them this parable: "No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'The old is better.' "

Luke 5:33-39

From that point on...Jesus answered and then tells parables on PERSONAL DISCIPLINE.

Gospel writers Matthew and Mark make explicit the "unshrunk cloth" (Greek agnaphos) that is implied by Luke's "new garment" (Greek kainos) (Matthew 9:16; Mark 2:21).
Once we become Christians God does not want us hanging on to the old garments of our sinful past and just putting "patches" on the holes in our lives.

The New Testament teaches us again and again on this…Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus…"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to PUT OFF your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to PUT ON the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22
"Therefore each of you must PUT OFF falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." Ephesians 4:25

· What OLD garment am I to take off? FALSEHOOD-LYING
· What NEW garment am I to put on? Speaking TRUTHFULLY to people.
"He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need." Ephesians 4:28
· What OLD garment is a thief to take off?

STEALING.
· What he needs to do is “put on” getting a job. But he not only needs to get a job… he has to change his entire attitude toward money.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29

What are we to TAKE OFF? UNWHOLESOME TALK - cursing, gossip, put-downs, insults talking behind their backs.
What are we to PUT ON? Talk that BUILDS others up.

Christianity is about more than "PATCHING" the holes in my life.

That's NOT how the Pharisees did things...the Pharisees were all about "PATCHING" over the holes in their lives.
Matthew 23:27- Jesus saying: "You are like whitewashed tombs."

When it came to SIN, the Pharisees' philosophy was:"If you can't SEE it - it doesn't exist." And "If I can PATCH the hole… the hole isn't there anymore."

Some Christians act like that is true about other things:
• Telling lies is cancelled out by going to mid-week Bible Study
• Verbally abusing your wife is canceled out by teaching Sunday School.
• Running around is canceled out by giving a gift to the church.
• Gossip is canceled out by supporting a missionary.
• Unforgiveness of an enemy is canceled out because you’ve kind to the poor.
• Hatred of someone who did me wrong is canceled out because I love Jesus.
• Grumbling in church or at home or work - is canceled out by the fact that I do a good job of supporting my family.

There's a 2nd aspect of the Pharisees' "PATCHING" theology... They figured people were acceptable to God as long as they didn't tear TOO BIG a hole in their lives.

But, back to the text…Jesus begins his parable… "And no one pours NEW wine into OLD wineskins. If he does, the NEW wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined."

In His first parable Jesus was telling us that He wanted us to CHANGE on the OUTSIDE He wanted us to change how we LIVED and ACTED.

In this 2nd parable, Jesus was saying that this CHANGE was going to be on the INSIDE as well. Something "NEW" was going to be poured into this container. God had spoke about this, in Ezekiel 11:19… "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh."

"When he (Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment."

Jesus in John 16:8

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the OLD has gone, the NEW has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Are YOU Living a PATCHED or PATCHLESS LIFE?

Questions for Discussion:

1. In what ways does following Christ require us to replace old habits with new ones? Why do we resist making these changes?

2. Does Jesus speak against fasting in this passage? What does he teach about fasting, if anything, in this passage?

3. What are the structures in our lives and society that are incompatible with the Life of the Spirit in our lives?

4. Please share a struggle you had with trying to contain the Life of Christ in an "old wineskin"?

The Most Unloved Man in Capernaum-Luke 5:27-32

At this point in Luke’s story…we have met a fisherman, a leper, a paralyzed man…and now a TAX COLLECTOR.

Have you ever felt like everyone hated you…despised you…made fun of you. Have you ever felt that way to the point you would do ANYTHING to change…

The tax collector's name is given in Mark and Luke as Levi, making it likely that he is a descendent of the tribe of Levi, from whom the priests and Levites descended. Look in the New York City telephone book today, and you'll find thousands of families by this name. Instead of a holy ministry of serving in the temple, this Levi is instead engaged in a most unholy trade -- at least as it was practiced in Palestine.

Jesus looks at him, and says simply: "Follow me." The word in Greek is, akoloutheo, which means, literally, "come after" from a, copulative, and keleuthos, "road," properly, "walking the same road.". Then it means "accompany, go along with." But it also has a specific meaning, "to follow someone as a disciple."

Think what Levi feels like when he hears those two words tap-tapping like a door-knocker on his soul. He is being called to leave his lucrative trade as a tax collector to become almost a beggar, sustaining himself on the sometimes meager contributions made to his Rabbi or Master. In an instant he is being called from wealth to poverty. But I don't think the issue of poverty really enters into his decision. Only one thing matters, and it matters very deeply -- oh, so deeply -- to Levi.

Jesus has sought him out for a purpose...

He seeks US out for a purpose today.

So what does Jesus DO that makes a DIFFERENCE?
· Jesus ACCEPTS him.
· Jesus LOVES him -- the most unloved man in Capernaum.
· And Jesus CALLS him personally: "Follow me." Since he was a boy he hadn't imagined himself a righteous man. Now he is being called to accompany a holy man on his itinerant travels. How bizarre! How wonderful!

Matthew replies to Jesus invitation by issuing an invitation to his new Master. "Jesus, I would be very honored if you would be a guest in my home this very night." Jesus accepts.
This is no intimate dinner party for a few guests. Luke describes it with the word megas, meaing "great." To his large house suited to a wealthy man, Levi invites "a large crowd of tax collectors and others."

Levi has introduced his closest friends to his newest Friend, and is now ready to follow. The growing band of disciples -- Peter and Andrew, James and John -- who have despised him for collecting a toll on their fish exports may have been stand-offish at first. But when they see Jesus warmly accept him, they accept him, too, into this strange new fellowship of disciples called from all walks of life to walk with Jesus and learn his ways. It is giddy and glorious, and deeply moving to Levi, as he cleans up after the party.

He is no longer Levi the tax collector.

He is Matthew the Disciple.

Two clear lessons for disciples in this passage:
1. Jesus doesn't really care what others think about a person, or how others value a person. He loves the outcasts and the unloved.
2. Jesus didn't concentrate on polishing the already righteous, but on rescuing the perishing. His mission is to the poor, the sick, the oppressed, and the brokenhearted.

The scribes and Pharisees saw Matthew and his friends as condemned sinners, but Jesus saw them as spiritually sick “patients” who needed the help of a physician. The first step toward healing sin sickness is admitting that we have a need and that we must do something about it.

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (5:31-32).

If all were righteous, spiritually healthy, Jesus would have no necessity to pay a house call. But because we are not so righteous after all, because our souls are troubled and besmirched by compromise -- because of all this we desperately need Jesus to come and call us to something better than the filth we may be living in. We need him to call us to our best.

Have YOU made an appointment to see Jesus?

Have YOU seen Great Physician about YOUR sickness or problem?

Jesus LOVES you…Jesus will ACCEPT you..and Jesus is PERSONALLY CALLING you to come and FOLLOW him down the road He is walking.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Who in our society would correspond to the rich outcasts like tax collectors were in Jesus'day?

2. Why do we Christians feel so uncomfortable around blatant sinners? Why did Jesus succeed in making himself so at home in their presence?

3. Have you ever had a time when you felt like an outcast? What did it feel like to you, when Jesus' voice broke through all the static and let you know that he had chosen you and really wanted you?

4. What was Levi’s first action as a new follower of Jesus? (Vs 29) Who did he invite to his “new career” party?

5. To follow Jesus or to walk more closely with Him, what are (or were) the most difficult things (or ways of life) for you to leave behind?

Four Faithful Friends- Luke 5:17-26

On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the man who was paralyzed--"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home." And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

First things first....wouldn't you have given anything to be there that day? But think about all the people you could have been...a listener, a disciple, a Pharisee, a paralytic...or someone's friend who just happened to have great faith.

WHAT WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DO FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND?

We see an interesting phrase: "And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick" (5:17b). Does this mean that the power of God was NOT always with him to heal? No, not at all.

It's just another in a series of mentions Luke makes of the POWER of the Holy Spirit that is upon Jesus for ministry:

• "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan...." (4:1)
• "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit...." (4:14)
• "The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to...." (4:18)
• "With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out" (4:36)
• "The people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all." (6:19)
• "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." (8:46)
• "He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases...." (9:1)

But, when Jesus saw their faith...the whole situation begin to change.

FAITH -- someone's faith -- is one important ingredient in healing. Lack of faith in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth resulted in few healings (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5-6).

"Friend, your sins are forgiven' " (5:20).

Jesus knows that if he forgives the paralytic his sins, it would cause a great stir. I can't escape the impression that Jesus deliberately provokes the scribes and Pharisees. Now he increases their discomfort with a choice: "Which is easier? To say:

"Your sins are forgiven" OR "Get up and walk".

Then he tells the man to get up, healing him. The clear take away lesson is that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins AND heal the sick. Anyone can say, "Your sins are forgiven." Those are easy words to say, and who can tell whether or not the sins really HAVE been forgiven. But Jesus both pronounces forgiveness and then heals. GOD WORKS ON US FROM THE INSIDE OUT!

Today, some of us need to come and be forgiven and receive a blessing of healing as well.
WHAT IS PARALYZING YOU FROM RECEIVING FROM JESUS?

One of the biggest things paralyzing the church today is FEAR: The Bible speaks to this…

"Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for FEAR that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:20-21)

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to FEAR, but you received the Spirit of sonship." (Romans 8:15)

"For God did not give us a spirit of FEAR, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7 )

What's the OBSTACLE in your life that is preventing you from experiencing the POWER of Jesus in your life? Here’s some examples that most of us struggle with:
·A habit …
·a secret sin …
·a person you don't like
·a person in church you don't like or talk to...
your love for the world or the things of the world?

We must lose our fear...go deeper into our faith, and be open & willing to receive a word or work that God wants to do in our life.

What lessons are intended for us disciples to grasp from this day's events?
1. The importance of persistent, unstoppable faith in receiving from Jesus.
2. Jesus' authority on earth of forgive sins.
3. Jesus' authority to heal the paralyzed.
4. Fearlessness before the religious authorities.
5. A willingness to stretch people's understanding, even at the risk of offense.

Questions to Discuss :
1. What quality did Jesus see in the paralytic man who was lowered from the roof?What were his first words to him? (v. 20) Is forgiveness a kind of healing?

2. Why do you think Jesus spoke the extremely controversial words, "Your sins are forgiven." He could have been less offensive to the visiting guests. Why did he choose not to be?

3. What is the connection between sin and sickness in this passage?

4. Which of the two phrases IS easier to say? "Your sins are forgiven!" OR "Get up, take your mat, and go home!"? What point did Jesus want us to draw from this incident?

5. Why did Jesus use the term "Son of Man" rather than "Son of God" or "Messiah"?

6. Whom do you feel most like at present? The paralyzed man or one of the four friends? Why?

7. From whom do we need forgiveness? To whom should we give forgiveness?

"If You Are Willing.." Healing a Leper-Luke 5:12-15

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
Luke 5:12-15

Speaking...the Unspeakable,
Doing.........the Undoable,
TOUCHING...the Untouchable!
Leprosy is a disease of the nervous system, you can’t feel pain, you get infection, your body deforms and then your limbs deteriorate. Leprosy made a person ritually unclean. To touch a leper defiled a Jew almost as much as touching a dead person. In a sense, leprosy was a sign of God's disfavor. Healing a leper had not been done in Israel for 700 years, and was thought to be an earmark of the Messianic Age when leprosy would no longer afflict people. Jesus sent a message of this to John per his disciples in Luke 7:20-23:

When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' " At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

To the rabbis, the cure of a leper was as difficult as raising a person from the dead. In all Biblical history only two people had been cured of leprosy -- Miriam, who had leprosy for seven days as a punishment for speaking against Moses' leadership (Numbers 12:9-15), and Naaman, general of the army of Aram, an heathen from Damascus (2 Kings 5). When he obeyed Elijah's instruction to wash seven times in the Jordan River he was healed.

But what about this man, this leper?

He would have been subject to the rules of the law.

"The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp" Leviticus 13:45-46

But, the Healer is in town...the new rabbi on the scene, the one who does things different, speaks different, is different. Maybe if he could get to him...things would be different. Desperate times call for desperate measures...so he runs, not shouting "Unclean", and then falls down on his face in front of this new and different Rabbi.

LORD, IF YOU ARE WILLING..., YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN!

It is a statement of FAITH.A deep faith that believes Jesus WILL DO something that has not been done in 700 years! (Why can’t we believe that Jesus is will to heal our pasts, or what happened just months ago?) It isn't a matter of ABILITY, the leper is saying. It is ONLY a matter of WILL. Jesus is ABLE to heal him. And then, the new Rabbi breaks the rules too, he goes way over the "comfort zone" of the day, the crowd gasps in astonishment and Jesus does the unthinkable...He reaches down and touches the man with his deformed and deteriorated skin and says,

I WANT TO...BE CLEAN!

3 LESSSONS FROM A LEPER:
1. Jesus' expressed will is to HEAL. That should be our assumption, not considered the exception. We have forgotten Jesus had a threefold ministry of Preaching, Teaching, & Healing.
2. Jesus doesn't shrink from TOUCHING the unlovely. Neither should we.
3. Our FAITH should be as BOLD as the leper's in order to receive from Jesus.

We need to KNOW & LEARN the difference between believing God CAN DO something for us... and believing that he WANTS TO DO something for us
LEPROSY is much like SIN...It starts inside us, it spreads,it eats away in us, it rots us, it defiles us, it make us UNCLEAN to a HOLY GOD! Just as leprosy ISOLATED people then, one day SIN will isolate people to HELL, and result in everlasting DEATH.

And with this new cleanness, the man is given a new command: "Go and show yourself" to the priest...as a testimony. Notice that Jesus stays within the tradition of the day...he honors it. But Jesus also orders him not to tell anyone about this incident, to which the other Gospels writers say he went and told everyone.

How ironic, Jesus told people in his day NOT to TELL ANYONE about Him and they TOLD EVERYONE, but Jesus told US to TELL EVERYONE about Him and what He does, and most of us DON'T TELL anyone!

So, if YOU know what God CAN DO, then what is keeping you from asking him what He WILL DO for you in your situation, with your past, with your infirmity?

Questions to Discuss:

1. Who in our society are treated like lepers were treated in Jesus' day? Who sometimes feels like a leper in the presence of Jesus?

2. Describe the kind of faith it takes to act and speak as this leper did. What level of belief was required of him?

3. What is the difference between believing God CAN do something for us and believing that he WANTS to do something for us? Would you call the difference faith? or knowledge? or both?

4. After Jesus touched the man and cured him of leprosy, why did he have to show himself to the priest? (Leviticus 13 and 14)

5. What person in your life could most benefit from a caring touch from you in the name of Christ?