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Scripture: Matt. 1:21, 23
I. Who Jesus is:
Prove that Jesus is God.
А. Who did the ancient people say that Jesus was?
The Jews said that Jesus was a carpenter from Nazareth. Others said that He was one of the prophets, and still others said that He was a holy man or a religious revolutionary. In other words, they all considered that He was no more than an ordinary man.
B. Who does the Bible say Jesus is?
Chapter 1 of Matthew points out that Jesus had two names, Jesus and Emmanuel (which is, “God with us”). According to this name (Emmanuel), we know that the Lord Jesus is God with man. Jesus is God.
C. The facts prove who the Lord Jesus is.
Church history over the past two thousand years has proved that Jesus is an extraordinary person. There is an extraordinary power in the Christian faith, and its gospel has produced an extraordinary effect. This extraordinary One is God Himself.
This point should be emphasized.
D. Jesus is God coming as the Savior:
A. Jesus means “Jehovah the Savior.” Je means “Jehovah.” When Jesus was born, an angel declared that His name should be called Jesus, which means “Jehovah the Savior.”
B. Jehovah is God.
He is God incarnated to be the Savior; therefore, this Savior is God become man. He is God as well as man. As God, He is able to accomplish salvation for man; as man, He can become the substitute for all men.
E. How did Jesus become man’s Savior?
A. Jesus was crucified. Describe how He bore our sins, shed His blood for us, and suffered God’s righteous judgment. Thus, He solved the problem of our sins.
B. He was resurrected from the dead and ascended to the heavens to be the almighty Savior for all mankind.
C. As the Spirit, He entered into man to become man’s living Savior so that man might be set free from sin. He was crucified and shed His blood to wash away all man’s sins. He entered into us as the Spirit so that we might be delivered from the power of sin and from our sinful living.
D. By His death and resurrection and His descending as the life-giving Spirit, He is able to save men from sins. Sin has its punishment, its power, and its living. The shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus makes it possible for man to be free from sin’s punishment. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus and His descending as the Spirit enable man to be delivered from the power of sin and from sinful living. Therefore, He is able to save us out of our sins.
F. How can man receive Jesus as Savior?
A. By confessing that we were born in sin, brought up in sin, have lived in sin, and were also under the condemnation of sin.
B. By repenting and confessing our sins.
C. By confessing that the Lord Jesus died for our sins, that He was resurrected, and that He ascended to the heavens.
D. By receiving the Lord Jesus as our Savior.
Scripture: Matt. 11:16-19
I. This generation is like children at play:
A. In the eyes of the Lord, all our life is like child’s play.
B. All is but children’s play to the Lord, yet men look at this generation as something great. These two are in contrast.
C. Because men’s viewpoint and the Lord’s viewpoint of this generation are different, the emphasis is also different. Men of this generation stress today’s living and neglect the consequence in the future, but the Lord Jesus disregards today’s living and takes it as child’s play. He cares for the consequence in the future.
This section should be strongly emphasized. This is the only place in the whole Bible where it is mentioned that the life of this generation is but child’s play.
II. The wailing of the gospel:
A. Because the Lord disregards the life of this generation and cares much for the future consequence, He preached the gospel to men. The gospel turns men’s attention from this generation to the future. In other words, the gospel changes men’s viewpoint from this generation to the future.
B. When a man only pays attention to the life of this generation, he does not realize that there is any problem with his morality. When a man pays attention to the future, his conscience is activated, and he immediately realizes that he is sinful.
C. So the Lord’s gospel is to sing a dirge, because: (1) men are sinful, but they are not conscious of their sinfulness; and (2) they are on the way to destruction, yet they do not know it. Hence, the Lord’s gospel is to sing a dirge so that men may be made aware and that they would repent.
III. The piping of the gospel:
A. On the negative side, the gospel is to sing a dirge and to cause men to repent. On the positive side, it is the playing of a flute to cause men to rejoice. If the gospel is only the negative singing of a dirge and not the positive playing of a flute, the glad tidings would have become bad news. The reason that the gospel is glad tidings is because its dirge singing is for the flute playing.
B. The gospel flute playing is the good tidings of great joy, proclaiming to us that our Lord Jesus is our Savior who takes away our sins, delivers us from perishing, and gives us eternal life. All these should cause us to rejoice. Such a proclamation really sounds like music.
IV. Men’s reactions:
A. Men do not understand the dirge singing of the Lord Jesus and take it as something crazy; they think that He was out of His mind. Some heard the believers testifying about this sin, that sin, and many other sins, and they said, “These people must be crazy. They must be out of their minds.” What they did not know was that this is the dirge singing. Had they seen the terror of man’s perishing, they would have sorrowfully repented and would have not lived such a life in a stupor of carefree indulgence.
B. Men do not accept the gospel flute playing, and they consider it ridiculous and wasteful. The Lord Jesus played a flute to them, yet they said that the Lord Jesus was a gluttonous man and a drunkard. Men of this generation also criticize the joyful life of Christians. Christians often meet together and praise God. Those of this generation do not accept the music of Christians’ flute playing, and they say, “They are just wasting their time. Why do they go to the meetings instead of studying hard? Why don’t they take care of their business rather than listening to the messages?” They think that the Christians’ meeting, listening to messages, and prayers are altogether wasteful.
V. The choice of the wise:
A. The general reaction of men who reject the gospel is foolish. Here you should argue the reactions of the two points mentioned earlier. Make it clear to them: because men are sinful and will perish, should we not sing a dirge? On the other hand, because Jesus shed His blood and gives life, should we not play the flute?
B. Conclude that there should be a wise decision: to stress the future but not this generation; to choose Christ and not the pleasure of sins. I should lament when the gospel is being sung like a dirge, and I should dance when the gospel is being played on a flute. With a sorrowful and contrite heart I should echo the gospel’s dirge singing, and with joy and rejoicing I should echo the gospel’s flute playing.
C. The result of the wise choice is first the lamenting and then the dancing. First comes the sorrow, but the end is rejoicing.
Scripture: Matt. 11:28
I. The labor of the human life:
A. Man’s whole life is a labor. Point out strongly the various kinds of man’s laborings. For example, how laborious it is from grade school to college! There are different kinds of laboring in all occupations: teachers, farmers, workers, and merchants.
B. Not only is man’s laboring something laborious, but it is also a suffering. When there is laboring, there is also suffering. Point out the feeling of suffering: the laboring and suffering of students, businessmen, teachers and workers. Point out the suffering of man to touch people’s feeling.
II. The heavy burden of the human life:
A. Man’s laboring and suffering is his heavy burden. Laboring is a heavy burden, and so is suffering. Point out real examples of the heavy burden of those who are parents, children, husbands, wives, employers, managers, bosses, servants, employees, maids, rich, poor, students, learned, and unlearned.
B. Besides the heavy burden of laboring and suffering, there is the heavy burden of sin. The heavy burden of laboring and suffering is physical, emotional, and psychological. The heavy burden of sin is a matter of the conscience.
Touch the feeling of man’s conscience. When a man is committing sins and doing evil, his conscience is bearing a heavy burden. He feels bound up and condemned.
The heavy burden of laboring and suffering is related to the matter of man’s living. The heavy burden of sin is related to the matter of morality. There is a heavy burden and demand in man’s daily living on his morality, on his emotions, on his physical body, on his psychological being, and on his conscience.
III. A resting place:
A. Man himself has no rest. No matter how he may try, he cannot find rest, nor can he put off the heavy burden of laboring, suffering, and sin.
B. Man needs rest and salvation.
C. All the philosophers and founders of religious movements only increase man’s heavy burden. They cannot reduce man’s suffering; therefore, they are not man’s salvation, because they cannot cause man to find rest.
D. Only Christ can save man from his heavy burden of sin, laboring, and suffering. Therefore, He alone can give man rest. He is the place of rest. This is why He calls man to come to Him to find rest.
IV. How Christ gives man rest:
A. He takes away man’s sin. Here, point out the redemption of the cross, how the Lord was crucified and shed His blood to cleanse man’s conscience and to take away man’s heavy burden of sin.
B. He gives man His life to be man’s strength and to meet man’s need.
C. His life saves man from inordinate living. Man thus finds rest. In others words: (1) His shed blood cleanses man’s conscience and washes away man’s sins; (2) His life gives us strength and meets our daily needs; and (3) His life also saves us from inordinate living.
V. How to receive the rest of Christ:
A. Come to Me. Stress the word “Come.” “Come to Me all who toil and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:29). Come to Jesus. Come to where Jesus is.
B. Surrender yourself, your sins, and all you have to Christ. Commit your life and all your being to Christ.
C. Accept Christ and His salvation.
Scripture: Matt. 16:13-17
The Lord Jesus and His disciples discussed one subject in these verses: “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?...Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:13, 15). This was mentioned in Subject 61, but it was not a complete message. Now we make it a full subject. This subject is more difficult to preach.
I. Who did the Jews say that Jesus was?
A. Those who opposed Him said that Jesus was a carpenter from Nazareth, the son of Joseph; they said that He was only a man.
B. Those who favored Him said that He was one of the prophets, like Elijah, Jeremiah, or John the Baptist.
II. Who did the Gentiles say that He was?
A. The Gentiles of the past generations said that He was a religious revolutionary or a noble philosopher.
B. Others said that He was a servant who sacrificed Himself. To summarize, men have said that Jesus was one of four things: (1) a religious revolutionist, (2) a noble philosopher, (3) a noble moralist, or (4) a sacrificial servant.
III. Who does He Himself say that He is?
A. He said that He is the Son of God.
B. He accepts man’s worship as God. He told people that He was the Son of God. The Son of God is God. Therefore, He accepts man’s worship to Him as God.
C. His doings substantiated His words. His word says that He is the Son of God. He called not being as being; He commanded the storm and the waves, and they were calm. He healed the sick, He cast out demons, and He gave life to the dead. All these proved His words.
IV. Who does the Bible say that He is?
A. The Old Testament says that He is God. In Isaiah 7:14 He is called Immanuel. Isaiah 9:6 says that a child is born, and His name will be called Mighty God. Micah 5:2 says, “From you there will come forth to Me / He who is to be Ruler in Israel; / And His goings forth are from ancient times, / From the days of eternity.”
B. The New Testament tells us more clearly that He is God, the Son of God (John 10:30; 3:16).
V. Who does history say that He is?
A. The two-thousand-year history of the Christian faith proves that He is an extraordinary One. History reveals to us that no matter how people on the earth have opposed Him, He has always been victorious.
B. The fact of today’s continued evangelism proves that He is God.
VI. The fruits of the gospel prove that He is God:
A. Man receives inner peace whenever he accepts Jesus. Because He is God, He can forgive man’s sins and give peace to man’s conscience.
B. When man accepts Jesus as Savior, his life is changed. From deep within to his outward living, there is a great change. This wonderful change proves that Jesus is God.
C. Many believers had sicknesses that were healed when they called upon the name of the Lord. This also proves that He is God.
VII. What shall we do with Him?
A. Turn to Him and repent.
B. Accept Him; believe in Him.
C. Follow Him, that is, serve Him.
Scripture: Matt. 16:26
I. Life makes man valuable:
A. Man is the highest creature in the universe. Why? It is because man possesses a life that surpasses every other created life.
B. The human life, a life that surpasses the life of all other creatures, is commonly known as the soul. Man is precious because he has a soul, a human life. The difference between man and all other creatures is that man is the only one who has a soul with a unique connection to the human spirit.
C. Show how real the soul is and speak of its nature. Use examples to demonstrate that the soul is real. For example, the conscience is a proof of the existence of the soul as part of the heart. Describe how man’s conscience condemns him when he does wrong. Prove the existence of the soul by using love as an example. Love is something that cannot be seen, but there is no question that love exists. Last, show that the soul is intangible and inward.
II. The value of life:
A. The one thing that man neglects most in himself is his own life. Some may think that they are taking good care of their life, but they are actually only taking care of their physical bodies, not their life. Today people only care for their physical bodies. Their caring for “life” is only caring for bodily health. Others care for the education of their mentality. This education is only for their mentality, their psychological faculty. Although man cares for his body and his mind, he neglects his real life, which is his soul.
B. According to the appraisal of the Lord Jesus, the life, or the soul, that man neglects is more valuable than the whole world. The total wealth of the whole world cannot be compared with the value of one soul. Quote Matthew 16:26: “What shall a man be profited if he should gain the whole world, but forfeit his soul-life?” Nothing in the universe can be compared with the life of man’s soul.
III. How man can lose the life of his soul:
A. Man loses the life of his soul due to his negligence. Man cares only for the body and his mentality, and he neglects life. This causes him to lose the life of his soul.
B. Man loses his soul also because he cares too much for the material things. Because he cares for the body and the mind, he gives his full attention to the material things which the body and the mind require. Because he cares for the material things, he neglects the soul. So man forfeits his life simply because of material things. Man pays his soul for wealth, advancement, savings, knowledge, position, fame, and riches. This is what the Lord Jesus meant when He said a man gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul-life.
IV. How man’s soul can be saved:
A. Explain that he must despise the material things; that is, he must despise this age and the needs of the body and the mind.
B. He must then treasure his soul and the future. Just as the body and the mind are related to this age, so the soul is related to the future.
C. Receive the Lord Jesus as the Savior. Only He is the Savior of our soul. He can forgive our sins, and He can cause man’s soul to be saved, because He can give eternal life to man.
Scripture: Matt. 21:23-27; 22:15-22, 23-33, 34-40, 41-46
In the first passage the chief priests and elders came to ask Jesus, “By what authority do You do these things?” (Matt. 21:23). In return Jesus asked them this question: “The baptism of John, from where did it come, from heaven or from men?” (v. 25). In the second passage the Pharisees and Herodians asked the Lord, “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” (22:17). But Jesus asked, “Whose is this image and inscription?” (v. 20). In the third passage the Sadducees asked about the resurrection. Jesus said, “In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage” (v. 30). In the fourth passage the lawyer asked, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” (v. 36). The Lord Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (vv. 37, 39). In the last passage the Lord Jesus asked, “What do you think concerning the Christ? Whose son is He?” (v. 42). Eventually, they were not able to answer Him. Matthew 21 and 22 record how Jesus, during the last week in Jerusalem, was questioned by different classes of society and how He answered all four of their questions. At the end Jesus asked them a question. The question that Jesus asked is the question of questions.
I. The question of religion:
A. The chief priests and the elders were religious people asking a religious question.
B. They asked about the source of authority. This is a matter of the ultimate authority of religion. It is also a matter of the orthodoxy or unorthodoxy of the religion.
C. In return the Lord asked where the baptism of John came from. During that time the multitude acknowledged that John’s baptism came from God. The Lord was very wise: if they admitted that John was sent from God, they should also admit that the Lord Jesus was from God.
D. This forced them to lie. They said that they did not know. The Lord Jesus said, “Neither do I tell you” (21:27). You should stress this point heavily and place the blame on many religious people: pastors, elders, monks, priests, and nuns for telling lies to cover their consciences. Although they knew clearly, they said that they did not know. Although they studied religion daily, they told lies. Therefore, do not believe what such ones say, and do not be cheated by them.
II. The political question:
A. The question of tribute asked by the Pharisees and Herodians was a political question. The Pharisees were the patriotic ones. The Herodians were the Jewish rebels who helped the Romans rule the Jews. Ordinarily, these two groups were opposed to each other and would never cooperate. Yet surprisingly, on that day they united together to oppose the Lord Jesus.
B. If the Lord Jesus said to pay the tribute, the whole Jewish people would all be stirred up to oppose Him as a Jewish rebel. If the Lord said not to pay the tribute, the Herodians would surely say that the Lord was against the Romans. Therefore, no matter what the Lord would say — to pay the tribute or not to pay the tribute — neither answer would be right.
C. The Lord Jesus answered by asking them to show Him a coin from their pocket. Note that they had money to pay the tribute, yet the Lord Jesus had no money in His pocket. Then He asked them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” (v. 20). They said, “Caesar’s” (v. 21). The Lord said, “Render then what is Caesar’s to Caesar and the things that are God’s to God” (v. 21). Thus the Lord Jesus solved their political problem.
III. The question of faith, or of believing:
A. The Sadducees, the unbelieving ones, said that there were no angels, no demons, and no resurrection. They were just like the modernists of today.
B. Their question was about the resurrection.
C. But Jesus answered and said to them that God is “the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob...God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (v. 32). This proved that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will all be resurrected from death. Therefore, there must be a resurrection.
IV. The question of Bible interpretation:
A. The lawyers were not like the lawyers of today. All they did was to interpret the Old Testament. What they asked was related to Bible interpretation.
B. They asked which commandment of the law is the greatest and most important.
C. The Lord’s answer concerning the law was love toward God, love with three alls.
D. These four classes of people surrounded the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus was troubled from four directions. These were the leaders of all classes attacking Him, but the Lord Jesus solved all their questions completely.
V. The question of questions:
In return, the Lord asked them the question of questions.
A. These four questions represent the questions of all human society. The questions of all the friends among the listeners are not beyond the scope of these four questions. The first two questions were asked by unbelievers. The last two questions were asked by the seeking ones.
B. What do you think of Christ?
The previous four questions of religion, politics, faith, and Bible interpretation cannot save people. Only by knowing Christ is man able to be saved. What do you think of Christ?
C. Who is Christ?
Outwardly, He was the son of David. In reality, He is the Lord of David. Outwardly, He seems to be only a man; in reality, He is both God and man.
D. In the day that the four questions were raised up, everyone was clear about the questions. But the question of Christ was neglected; therefore, they could not answer this question. Who is Christ? They did not know. Today among the listeners there may be some who are like them. They do not know who Christ is. Here strongly emphasize that Christ is God as well as man.
VI. What should you do with Christ?
A. Confess that He is God incarnated to become man, to be man’s Savior.
B. With a humble heart, receive Him to be your Savior.
Scripture: Matt. 26:28
This gospel message is suitable for the intellectual.
I. The problem between man and God:
A. Due to man’s sin, man is not right with God.
B. Man lost God because of his sin, and man also lost all the blessings given by God.
C. Man’s sin also caused him to come under the judgment of God.
II. The Lord Jesus accomplished redemption for man:
A. The Lord Jesus died on the cross to accomplish man’s redemption according to the requirement of the righteousness of God.
B. The redeeming blood takes away man’s sins before God.
C. The blood of the Lord Jesus reconciles man to God.
D. The blood of the Lord Jesus brought man back to God and recovered God’s blessing upon man.
III. The blood of the covenant:
A. The blood that the Lord Jesus shed on the cross not only paid the price of redemption but also was the seal of the covenant.
B. In the age of grace, God not only accomplished redemption for us but also made a covenant with us. In this covenant, He promised to forgive our sins and restore our relationship with God so that man might be able to receive all the blessings given by Him.
C. The blood of the Lord Jesus is the price and the seal of this covenant.
D. When we receive the blood of the Lord Jesus, we receive the price of the redemption of sins and receive the seal of this covenant. Therefore, when we receive the blood, our sins are forgiven, and we also have the seal of forgiveness.
IV. How to receive the blood of Christ:
A. Confess that you are sinful and that you are not right with God.
B. Confess that the shedding of the blood of Christ on the cross is for your redemption.
C. Receive Christ and His redemption.
Scripture: Matt. 27:45-54
I. Why did the Lord Jesus die?
A. The Lord Jesus died to bear our sins and to satisfy the requirement of God’s righteousness.
B. During His crucifixion there was darkness in heaven and on earth for three hours. This darkness symbolized sin. During that time God gathered together all the sins of man and put them on Him. This was the time that God judged sin in the universe. That was why there was darkness in heaven and on earth.
C. Because He had taken up man’s sins at that moment, God forsook Him. God judged Him as if He were a sinner. That was why He cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46).
II. The effectiveness of the Lord’s death:
A. The Lord Jesus bore our sins and died to satisfy the requirement of God’s righteousness.
B. Because the death of the Lord has fulfilled the righteous requirements of God, his death has several obvious effects.
C. The first effect was that the barrier between man and God was removed. As soon as the Lord Jesus died, the veil in the temple was split from top to bottom. The veil in the temple was the barrier between man and God.
D. The second effect is to quench the thirst of man. The moment He died, the rock was smitten. According to the record in the Old Testament, when the rock was smitten, there was living water flowing out to quench man’s thirst. The rock is something dry; it cannot issue water, and it cannot quench man’s thirst. Because of the death of the Lord Jesus, the Rock has been smitten, and the living water can flow out to quench man’s thirst.
E. The third effect is to remove the power of death. When the Lord Jesus died, some graves were opened. The grave was the power of death, which had man bound within. After the Lord’s death the Lord’s people came out from the power of death.
F. The Lord’s death solved the problem between man and God, the problem of man himself, and the problem between man and Satan. To God, the split veil solved the problem between man and God; the barrier was removed. To man, the smitten rock solved man’s own problem; his thirst was quenched. To the devil, the opened graves solved the problem between man and Satan; the power of death was broken.
III. How to obtain the effectiveness of the Lord’s death:
A. There is a barrier between you and God. That barrier is sin. Therefore, sin must be confessed.
B. Confess that your life is a life of thirst; you are not satisfied.
C. Confess that you are under Satan’s power of death. Man is in the process of dying daily and is on the way to death.
D. Then confess that Christ died for you.
E. Receive Christ and His salvation.
Scripture: Mark 2:1-12
The following points are concerning the selection of materials for gospel preaching:
I. Man was born paralyzed, “a paralytic” (Mark 2:3):
In the Gospels the sickness of the physical body symbolizes the sickness of life. Therefore, this paralysis means the paralysis of human life.
A. Before God, man can do nothing. As to pleasing God or obeying the will of God and doing good, man is just like one paralyzed, without any strength.
B. Give an example of the paralyzed condition of man in the matter of doing good. He knows that he should do good, yet he just cannot do it. He knows that he should be kind and live righteously, yet he is not able to be kind or live righteously. Touch people’s feeling at the very beginning.
II. Then Jesus came:
A. In the second chapter of Mark, Jesus went into Capernaum, which was a slum area of Galilee filled with paralyzed people. The place where man lives is just like a slum area for paralyzed people.
B. When Jesus entered into Capernaum, He came not openly in the street but into a house. Christianity is such a house. The denominations — Presbyterian, Baptist, etc. — are such houses. Even the homes of believers may be such houses.
III. Come to Jesus:
A. Jesus came to save us, yet we still need to go to Him. Although He came into the house, He was surrounded by the house. We need to break through this house to come close to Him.
B. Anyone who comes to Jesus needs to break through His surroundings. What was it that surrounded Jesus? It was the house where He was. The Christians in Christianity are the surroundings of Jesus. In Christianity there is some measure of Christ, yet the organization and the Christians themselves have completely imprisoned Him. If you blame them in this way, the listeners will surely agree with you. They have respected neither the organization of Christianity nor the Christians with their so-called Christian families. If you point out these things and preach in this way, the listeners will surely agree with you, and the gospel meeting will be opened up. People will get saved. You should know people’s psychology when you are preaching. Do not think that people will not be convinced when you are condemning Christian organizations and nominal Christians in this way. Sometimes it is really convincing. For example, in China, Dr. John Sung strongly condemned the Western missionaries when he was preaching, yet the missionaries were helped while the listeners were saved. He condemned the sins, but he did not condemn the sinning ones. Christ is confined by the house — by many Christian schools, Christian hospitals, and Christian homes. Although Christ may be in them, they have confined Christ so that man can hardly approach Him.
C. The way to break through:
1. You need transcendency. They climbed over the roof-top of the house that surrounded Jesus. This was the same as Zaccheus, who climbed the sycamore tree. You need to transcend over the house of Christianity, the Christian organizations, the Christian works, and even Christians themselves.
2. You need to tear down the rooftop. Tear through the Christian organizations, and you will see Jesus.
D. You need to present yourself and your condition before Jesus. This is what the paralyzed one did in presenting himself on his bed in front of Jesus. If you want to come to Jesus, you should do the same.
E. Anything you do to come to Jesus should be done in faith.
IV. The Lord’s salvation:
A. The paralyzed one only knows the result of being paralyzed but does not know the cause of his condition. We only know we should do good, but we have no strength to do good. As far as doing good is concerned, man is paralyzed. Yet we do not know the cause of being paralyzed.
B. The paralyzed one does not know the cause of being paralyzed, yet the Lord knows the cause. When the paralyzed one came to the Lord for healing, the Lord did not heal his sickness first; rather, He said, “Your sins are forgiven” (v. 5), because the cause of being paralyzed was sin. Therefore, friends, if you do not want to be paralyzed in your human living, you have to solve the problem of sin.
C. The healing of the paralyzed man was based on the forgiveness of sins. Our salvation is also based on the forgiveness of sins. You need to touch people’s feeling on this point. Do you not feel guilty in your conscience? Do you not feel that you are sinful? You should not consider your own ability in doing good; rather, you should pay attention to the cause of not being able to do good. Therefore, you should take care of the problem of the forgiveness of sins.
D. Only God can forgive man’s sins. Because the Lord Jesus is God, He can forgive man’s sins. At that time Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven” (v. 5), and they all murmured. Today there is some measure of Christ in Christianity; however, many still do not know that Christ can forgive sins, so even their own sins have not been forgiven. Here you should condemn the pastors and elders in Christianity. They are the scribes daily preaching from the Bible, yet they do not know that the Lord can forgive sins. Even their own sins have not been forgiven.
E. The proof of the forgiveness of sins is that the paralyzed man rose up, took up his bed, and walked out. Once a man receives the Lord, his paralyzed condition is healed, and he can rise up and walk. Formerly, it was the bed that held him; now he can take up his bed and walk. Once he followed his bed; now his bed follows him. In Jesus, nothing is impossible. Which is easier, to forgive sins or tell the paralyzed one to rise up and walk? In the Lord all things are easy. But the scribes murmured and said, “It is too hard to forgive sins. Who has the authority to forgive man’s sins?” (cf. v. 7). Actually, to tell the man to take up his bed and walk is even harder. If you tell him to take up his bed and walk, he cannot rise and walk. What shall you do?
V. The results of being saved:
A. The man not only had his sins forgiven but also rose up and walked. Once a man comes to the Lord Jesus and is saved, he not only has peace within but also has the outward strength to walk.
B. Once a man comes to the Lord Jesus and is saved, he can glorify God.
Scripture: Mark 2:13-18
I. Jesus came to the seashore:
А. Man’s life is on the seashore. The sea is not a good thing; rather, the sea is the depth of sins. All that is against God is in the sea. For instance, the demon-possessed herd of swine rushed into the sea. The sea is the nest where the demons make their dwelling place. Movie houses and dancing halls are all seas.
B. Jesus came to the tax office. The tax office is the place where money is handled, where money is the center of everything. At the movie houses, the dancing halls, the sporting events, the markets, money is the center of conversation. Those who count the money, who handle the money, are all tax collectors.
II. Jesus came to call the sinners:
Stress that He did not come to call the righteous, and at the same time quote the words of the Lord Jesus.
A. When Jesus came to the tax office, He met the tax collectors. During that time the tax collectors were the most despised people. Money was everything to them, and justice was nothing. They sacrificed morality, reputation, justice, background, personality, everything, all for money.
B. Today Jesus is calling the sinners. Jesus never met the good people. Most of those He met were tax collectors. Are there any good people in the movie theaters and the dancing halls? Can those who sacrifice morality and reputation for money be good people? Jesus came to call such tax collectors.
Repeat that He came not to call the righteous. Quote verse 17.
C. The murmuring of the self-righteous:
A. During that time the Pharisees were questioning within themselves. The Pharisees were the false moralists, the false gentlemen. They had the outward appearance of doing good, yet they did not have the reality of doing good. They questioned why Jesus became the friend of sinners.
B. In today’s society there are Pharisees. Outwardly, they are cultured gentlemen; inwardly, they are robbers and prostitutes. They look down on the gospel of the Christian faith. They think that only the thieves and sinners need the gospel. They consider themselves gentlemen who do not need the gospel. At this point, strongly condemn these false gentlemen.
D. The joy of sinners:
A. Jesus came to the place where the sinners were. He brought glad tidings and joy.
B. Jesus is willing to be with sinners. This is the joy of sinners.
C. Where Jesus is, there is joy.
D. Whoever responds to the call of Jesus will have joy. Give the example of the tax collector, Levi. When he responded to the call of Jesus, right away he prepared a feast in his house. Preparing a feast is a matter of happiness.
E. What happened to the sinners who were called?
A. They were freed from the old ways of living; that is, they were freed from their former living. Levi had been a tax collector. When he responded to the Lord’s calling, he immediately left the tax office. He would no longer live a life of sacrificing his life and his reputation for money.
B. They followed Jesus. When a man is freed from his old ways of living, he immediately follows Jesus and becomes a fully saved person.
