INTRODUCTION:

1. Last week we saw how our Lord cleansed a leper (5:12, 13). We are going to look tonight at the healing of "a man which was taken with a palsy" (5:18).
2. Leprosy pictures the uncleanness of sin; the palsy pictures its impotence and pain.
3. Luke does not mention it, but Mark 2:1 tells us this miracle took place in a home in Capernaum.
4. We are not told the name of the man with the palsy, nor do we know the names of the four men who helped him get to Jesus, but that is not important.
5. What we see here is a picture of a helpless (paralyzed) sinner saved by grace. He could not come to Jesus on his own. He was totally helpless and hopeless.
6. He is a picture of a hopeless sinner. Ephesians 2:1 says unregenerate sinners are “dead in trespasses and sins.”
7. Ephesians 2:11 says they are “without Christ” and without hope, “and without God in the world.”
8. Christian friend: there are lost sinners everywhere, and they are paralyzed by sin, paralyzed by false doctrine, paralyzed by worldly pleasures, paralyzed by indifference and prejudice, and many other things that are keeping them from getting right with God.
9. There are paralyzed sinners all about us and they cannot get to Jesus. We must go and get them and bring them to Jesus (Luke 5:18, 19).
10. Sin is the most awful disease that ever took hold on man. Cancer is bad, but sin is far worse. There are many dreadful diseases, and we are familiar with many of them, but they are nothing compared to the paralysis of sin!
11. Behind the word “sin” is the hiss of the serpent – “ssssssin.”
12. These four men (Mark 2:3) were willing to tear off a roof in order to bring their friend to Jesus.
13. The man who owned the house (Peter?) was willing to let his roof be torn off. But many Christians today will not even cross the street to try and help a lost sinner. And many Christians would never allow four men to tear open their roof!
14. Many Christians do not want to be inconvenienced in any way.
15. What is a little inconvenience if it means getting someone saved? Remember this man was sick of the palsy. He was paralyzed by sin. And there are multitudes just like him all around us.
16. This was their only way to get their friend to Jesus. It would have been wrong for them to give up. It would have been wrong to wait for another opportunity. Perhaps there would never be another opportunity.
17. Thank God for their determination to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Let us be just as determined!
18. There will be a great reward in heaven for these four men who carried the man sick with the palsy to Jesus. We do not know their names but God does, and He never forgets.
19. Some church members think, “What can I do around here? I cannot teach Sunday School, I cannot play the piano, I cannot sing, I cannot preach, etc.” You can do what these four men did – they brought a man to Jesus, and that man was saved, and then he was healed.

1. FULLNESS OF POWER
2. FAITH OF THE MAN'S FRIENDS
3. FORGIVENESS OF SIN

 

I. FULLNESS OF POWER (5:17)

1. "The power of the Lord was present to heal them" (5:17b).
2. The power of the Lord is present to heal the sick, to restore the backslidden, to encourage the downhearted, to revive the saints, and to save sinners.

 

II. FAITH OF THE MAN'S FRIENDS (5:18-20)

1. Mark 2:3 says this man with the palsy had to be carried by four other men (cf. Luke 5:18). Luke 5:20 says the Lord "saw their faith." These men believed that if they could get their friend to Jesus, our Lord would help him.
2. Only God can see faith, but men can see evidence of genuine faith.
3. The word "faith" is found 13 times in James chapter 2. James teaches our works are evidence of our faith.

• "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" (James 2:14).
• "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17).
• "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18; cf. 20-26).

4. Abraham proved his faith when he climbed up Mount Moriah, and was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac (cf. Genesis 22:10-12).
5. The LORD tested Abraham's faith. Abraham passed the test. His works were evidence of his faith. The same with Rahab the harlot.
6. And the same with these four unnamed men in Luke 5:18-20.
7. Faith overcomes obstacles (Luke 5:19, 20).
8. Great things are accomplished by faith. We would not be here tonight in this building were it not for faith. I keep thinking of that as we approach our church's 25th anniversary.
9. We've come this far by faith,
   leaning on the Lord;
   trusting in His holy word.
   He's never failed us yet. — Albert A. Goodson
10. Great things are accomplished by faith. The Bible says, "By faith the Israelites passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace...Through faith believers have subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions; quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again" (Hebrews 11:29-35).

 

III. FORGIVENESS OF SIN

1. The man was paralyzed. He could not walk. He had to be carried by others. But he had an even bigger problem -- he was a sinner.
2. The sinner has the wrath of God upon him. John 3:36 says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (cf. John 3:18).
3. The sinner is spiritually dead -- "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). What could be more hopeless and helpless!
4. Notice our Lord gave the man with the palsy pardon for sins before He healed him. Forgiveness and salvation are far more important than physical healing (5:20-24).
5. Our Lord's statement, "Man, thy sins are forgiven thee," aroused indignation from the scribes and the Pharisees (5:21).
6. These religious leaders were right -- "Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" (5:21). Only God can forgive sins.
7. But they refused to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and since Jesus is God, He has the power to forgive sins.
8. A preacher put it this way: "Logical premise of scribes correct, but conclusion wrong" (W.H. Griffith Thomas, Outline Studies in Luke).
9. The same Jesus who "saw" the faith of the men who broke through the roof, "perceived their thoughts" (5:22).
10. These are divine attributes. Only God can see the faith of men, and only God can perceive the thoughts of men, and only God can forgive the sins of men.
11. And only the person sinned against can forgive sin. A few years ago, after one of these horrible school shootings, some misguided students put up a big banner telling the killer he was forgiven.
12. Some people were outraged and rightly so, because these students were not in any position to forgive him.
13. This man taken with a palsy sinned against God, and therefore Jesus was the one who could forgive him, and He did forgive him.
14. The scribes and the Pharisees could not see that the man's sins were forgiven, so they would not believe. Then Jesus performed a miracle they could not deny (5:23-26).
15. The cure was immediate. The man was healed, and the people “were all amazed” (5:26).
16. Forgiveness of sin is first...

• Pronounced (Luke 5:20), then
• Questioned (5:21), then
• Claimed (5:22, 23), then
• Proved (5:23), then
• Enjoyed (5:24-26).

 

CONCLUSION:

1. We see here man's greatest need, and God's great love.
2. Because he is a sinner, man's greatest need is forgiveness and salvation.
3. God's great love provides forgiveness and salvation. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8; cf. John 3:16).