Sunday
Morning Bible Study
June
7, 2015
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Luke was a doctor and a travelling companion of the apostle Paul.
He wrote this book while Paul was in prison.
In writing his book, Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel
of Mark, as well as extensive eyewitness accounts.
Jesus’ ministry has begun.
The people are amazed at both the things He teaches as well as the miracles
He performs.
We ended last time with Luke telling us:
(Luke 5:15 NKJV) However, the
report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came
together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
5:16 Quiet Time
:16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
:16 He Himself often withdrew
withdrew – hupochoreo – to
go back; withdraw
It comes from choreo – to leave
space (which may be filled or occupied by another), to make room, give place,
yield
The reason the translators add the word “often” is because the noun associated with it is in the “imperfect”
tense, carrying the idea of continuous action in the past.
:16 withdrew into the wilderness and prayed
Things were getting crazy around Jesus.
Great multitudes of people were showing up and expecting Him to heal them
or to teach them.
Jesus needed to unplug from the pressures and constant input from people to
pray and be recharged.
Lesson
Disconnect and Recharge
More than any time in history, we live in a world of information overload.
It has changed the way we interact with each other. We can get so caught up in our electronic
devices that we don’t even have a decent meal together.
Our busy information filled lives not only affect our families and our
relationships, but it affects our connection with God.
Jesus felt a need to disconnect from the world and pray.
So should we.
Mark gave us a clue as to what this looked like for Jesus.
(Mark
1:35 NKJV) Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He
went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
Take time each day to spend with God. Do your best to be in a “solitary”
place. Turn off the things that
interrupt as best as you can.
Pray.
David wrote,
(Psalm
62:8 NKJV) Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out
your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Pray for your family.
Pray for your work – the business you spend time on.
Pray for yourself.
Read.
Job wrote,
(Job
23:12 NKJV) I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured
the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.
Let God speak to you through His Word.
5:17-26 The Paralytic
:17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were
Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of
Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to
heal them.
:17 Pharisees and teachers of the law
As Jesus was beginning to grow in popularity with the people, the religious
leaders felt they needed to check this Rabbi out.
Pharisees
These were the ultraorthodox among the various Jewish sects.
They believed in miracles.
They held a high view of Scripture and worked hard to make sure they always
obeyed God’s Laws.
teachers of the law
These were the experts, teachers, and interpreters of the Law of Moses.
:17 Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem
Galilee was the more uneducated, backwoods area of Israel, located in the
north.
This is where Jesus is at the moment.
Judea was the more established part of Israel in the south.
Those who had travelled from Jerusalem were probably the most educated of
the bunch.
:17 the power of the Lord was present to heal
power – dunamis
– power, strength, ability
Lesson
Limits of unbelief
God doesn’t always require our faith in order for miracles to occur.
I always get mad when I hear that people were told that they weren’t healed
because they didn’t have enough faith.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, I don’t think the miracle depended
on Lazarus’ faith. (John 11)
There was a boy possessed by a demon, which the disciples had been unable
to cast out. When Jesus was told about
this, He had responded by saying,
(Mark
9:19 NKJV) He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I
be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”
Then Jesus told the boy’s father:
(Mark
9:23–24 NKJV) —23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are
possible to him who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears,
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
Jesus cast out the demon, but it was His doing, not
because of anyone’s faith.
Having said all that, there are times when because of my lack of faith, God
chooses to limit what He will do.
When Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth, Matthew records,
(Matthew
13:58 NKJV) Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Paul prayed this for the Ephesians,
(Ephesians 1:19–20
NLT) —19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s
power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised
Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand
in the heavenly realms.
On this day, in this gathering in the little town of Capernaum, God’s power
was there to heal.
Do you even want God to work in your life?
If you don’t, chances are He is not going to.
But if you want Him to work, then let’s pray and see what
He will do.
:18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they
sought to bring in and lay before Him.
:18 men brought … a man
Mark tells us there were four friends (Mar. 2:3) who were carrying their
paralyzed friend to Jesus.
(Mark 2:3 NKJV) Then they came to Him,
bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
J. Vernon McGee wrote,
There are many people who are not going to receive the message of salvation
unless you lift a corner of their stretcher and carry them to the place where
they can hear the Word of the Lord. They are paralyzed—immobilized by sin and
by many other things the world holds for them. Some are paralyzed by prejudice
and others by indifference. They are never going to hear Jesus say to them,
“Thy sins are forgiven thee,” unless you take the corner of their stretcher and
bring them to Him.
:18 on a bed
bed – klinidion – small bed, a couch
The man is being carried on
something like a stretcher.
:18 a man who was paralyzed
paralyzed – paraluo – to
loose on one side or from the side; suffering from the relaxing of the nerves,
weak of limb; tottering
Dr. Luke uses the more technical medical term to describe the man than does
Mark (2:3), and Matthew (9:2).
The grammar indicates that the man
was paralyzed sometime in the past, and has continued paralyzed.
The verb is a perfect passive
participle. He was paralyzed sometime in
the past and the results still continued on into the present.
Except for Heb. 12:12, this word is
only used by Dr. Luke (4 times).
Here is a man who is unable to move himself.
Here was a man who wanted to get to Jesus, but was unable to get himself to
Jesus.
But he had some friends.
:18 whom they sought to bring in
they sought – zeteo – to
seek in order to find; to crave, demand something from someone
This is the same word often translated “seek”, as in how we ought to be
praying:
(Luke 11:9 NKJV) “So I say to
you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it
will be opened to you.
This could be a good picture for us in thinking about how we ought to be
praying. There may be times when we
start praying in a certain way, but find that it just isn’t working. Find another way. Keep looking.
:19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of
the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed
through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.
:19 through the tiling
tiling – keramos
(“ceramic”) – clay, anything made of clay, earthen ware; a roofing tile
Mark records:
(Mark 2:4 NLT) They
couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through
the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in
front of Jesus.
Mark tells us this all happened in Capernaum, and it may have actually been
Peter’s house where the roof was removed.
We believe that Mark got most of his
material for his gospel from Peter. Mark
tells us this happened in Capernaum, and it may have been in Peter’s house,
through his roof.
Lesson
Thinking outside the box
Sometimes we have a hard time thinking outside the box.
When it comes to bringing people to Jesus, sometimes things get in our way.
We can’t see our way through the crowds to get our friend to Jesus.
That’s when we might consider thinking outside the box.
When it comes to evangelism, bringing our friends to Jesus, it doesn’t have
to be as hard as we sometimes think.
:20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven
you.”
:20 He saw their faith
Did you know you could “see” someone’s faith?
James wrote,
(James 2:14–18 NKJV)
—14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has
faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother
or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart
in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are
needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it
does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me
your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
We are saved by faith. We are saved
from our sins by believing that Jesus died for our sins.
Some folks get confused by these verses and think that James is saying that
we are saved by faith AND good works.
James is simply saying that if your faith if genuine, it will result in
good works.
Our “good works” are how people can “see” our faith.
Jesus said,
(Matthew 5:16 NKJV)
Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father in heaven.
:20 your sins are forgiven you
forgiven – aphiemi
– to send away; to let go, give up a debt, forgive
This is an odd thing for Jesus to say, isn’t it? I thought these fellows had brought their
friend to be healed, not forgiven.
Lesson
What we really need
We live our lives so focused on our physical needs, but I kind of wonder
sometimes if God doesn’t think our spiritual needs are just a little more
important.
I think we need to be careful that we don’t neglect the spiritual things
that God is trying to do in our lives.
I think that we sometimes look at spiritual things as some sort of
“consolation prize”.
Like, “I didn’t get the raise at work, but God gave me
patience instead.” Like Bob Barker telling me I didn’t win, but he has some
nice “parting gifts” from the Spiegel Catalog.
What if God REALLY wants you to have patience? What if He REALLY wants you to learn
contentment in all circumstances? What
if He REALLY wants you to learn self-control over your spending habits and
finances?
One of our greatest needs forgiveness.
We need forgiveness from each other.
Even more, we need forgiveness from God.
This is what Jesus is talking about.
This man hasn’t done anything to offend Jesus.
This man has sinned against God.
We don’t know if his paralysis is tied to his sin, but it
really doesn’t matter.
This man needs forgiveness.
Illustration
When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes
stories, wanted to play a practical joke on twelve of his friends, he sent a
note to each of them that simply read, “Flee at once. All is discovered.”
Within twenty-four hours, all twelve friends had left the country. That’s what
you call a guilty conscience.
Illustration
Psychiatrist, Dr. Karl Menninger, in his book ‘Whatever Became of Sin?’ begins his
first chapter with an intriguing illustration. On a sunny day in September, a
stern-faced, plainly dressed man could be seen standing still on a street
corner in the busy Chicago Loop. As pedestrians hurried on their way to lunch
or business, he would solemnly lift his arm, and pointing his finger at the
person nearest him, shout the single word ‘GUILTY!’ Notes Menninger, “Then
without any change of expression, he would resume his stiff stance for a few
moments before repeating the gesture. Then, again, he would raise his arm,
point, and solemnly pronounce the word ‘GUILTY!’ to the passerby. The effect of
this strange performance on the passing strangers was extraordinary, almost
eerie. They would stare at him, hesitate, look away, look at each other, and
then at him again: then hurriedly continue on their ways. One man, turning to
another, exclaimed: ‘But how did he know?’ No doubt many others had similar
thoughts. How did he know, indeed? “Guilty!’ Everyone guilty? Guilty of what?
Guilty of over parking? Guilty of lying? Guilty of unfaithfulness to a faithful
wife? Guilty only of evil thoughts – or evil plans?” (Whatever Became of Sin?
pg. 1,2)
Today, do you need forgiveness?
:21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this
who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
:12 began to reason – dialogizomai
– to bring together different reasons, to reckon up the reasons, to reason,
revolve in one’s mind, deliberate
:21 Who can forgive sins but God alone?
The Pharisees are right and they are wrong.
They are right in that if a person has sinned against God, only God can
forgive them.
They are wrong in thinking that Jesus isn’t God.
:22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them,
“Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
Jesus is reading their minds. He knows
what they are thinking.
:23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise
up and walk’?
:23 Which is easier to say …
Saying, “Your sins are forgiven”, is easy.
Who could really tell whether they were or not? You’d have to go to heaven to get empirical
proof that the statement was true.
To tell a paralyzed man to “rise up” is not so easy.
You will be able to tell right away whether the person is a phony or not.
:24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive
sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your
bed, and go to your house.”
:25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on,
and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
:26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with
fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”
:24 the Son of Man
The prophet Ezekiel used to call himself “son of man”.
It referred to his humanity, his connection with the people that he
ministered to.
He “sat where they sat”
(Ezekiel 3:15 NKJV)
Then
I came to the captives at Tel Abib, who dwelt by the River Chebar; and I sat
where they sat, and remained there astonished among them seven days.
The prophet Daniel takes the title “son of man” and applied it to the Messiah.
(Daniel 7:13 NKJV) “I was
watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with
the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.
Jesus has many titles through the Scriptures, including “Son of God”, used 29
times in the gospels.
But it seems Jesus’ favorite way of describing Himself was “Son of Man”,
used 84 times in the gospels. (32x in Mat., 26x just in Luke)
Jesus was indeed the Son of God.
But when He was with the people, He identified with humanity, being the
“Son of Man”.
Just like Ezekiel, Jesus “sat where they sat”.
Jesus “gets” you. He understands
you.
:24 power on earth to forgive sins
power – exousia – authority
Lesson
Forgiveness
Jesus has the authority to forgive sins because of who He is.
He is the Lamb of God.
He came to the earth to be a sacrifice to pay for our
sins.
(John
1:29 NKJV) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold!
The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
He is the Son of Man.
He’s one of us. He
understands us.
He is the Son of God.
He came to earth with an infinite, eternal life.
He died for us.
As the Son of Man, He could die in our place and take the punishment
for our sins.
As the Son of God, He could lay down an infinite life,
paying for an infinite amount of sins.
Jesus said,
(John
3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Illustration
Ernest Hemingway wrote a story about a father and his teenage son. In the
story, the relationship had become somewhat strained, and the teenage son ran
away from home. His father began a journey in search of that rebellious son.
Finally, in Madrid, Spain, in a last desperate attempt to find the boy, the
father put an ad in the local newspaper. The ad read: “Dear Paco, Meet me in
front of the newspaper office at noon.
All is forgiven. I love you. Your father.” The next day, in front of the
newspaper office, eight hundred Pacos showed up. They were all seeking
forgiveness. They were all seeking the love of their father.
Do you need forgiveness from the Father?
Jesus invites you to open your heart to Him and believe.