The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18quoted as a call to worship before singing: always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in all circumstances, because this is God's will for us in Christ Jesus
16 Rejoice always.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.
read aloud as the account of Jesus healing the paralyzed man lowered through the roof
1 When he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was heard that he was in the house.
2 Immediately many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even around the door; and he spoke the word to them.
3 Four people came, carrying a paralytic to him.
4 When they could not come near to him for the crowd, they removed the roof where he was. When they had broken it up, they let down the mat that the paralytic was lying on.
5 Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
6 But there were some of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 “Why does this man speak blasphemies like that? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason these things in your hearts?
9 Which is easier, to tell the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven;’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up your bed, and walk?’
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—
11 “I tell you, arise, take up your mat, and go to your house.”
12 He arose, and immediately took up the mat, and went out in front of them all; so that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
read aloud as the account of Jesus calling Levi and eating with tax collectors and sinners
13 He went out again by the seaside. All the multitude came to him, and he taught them.
14 As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.
15 He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners sat down with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many, and they followed him.
16 The scribes and the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why is it that he eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
cited by a congregation member as the passage where disciples ask Jesus who sinned to cause a man's blindness from birth
1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him.
4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.
5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud,
7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.
8 The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?”
9 Others were saying, “It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.” He said, “I am he.”
10 They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
12 Then they asked him, “Where is he?” He said, “I don’t know.”
13 They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.
14 It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see.”
16 Some therefore of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was division among them.
17 Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”
18 The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,
19 and asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 His parents answered them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21 but how he now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself.”
22 His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”
24 So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.”
25 He therefore answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
26 They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered them, “I told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”
28 They insulted him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.
32 Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.
33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 They answered him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
36 He answered, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
37 Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”
38 He said, “Lord, I believe!” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”
40 Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?”
41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
read as a closing encouragement: the faithful love of the Lord never ends, his mercies never cease, great is his faithfulness, mercies begin afresh each morning
21 This I recall to my mind; therefore I have hope.
22 It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail.
23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This was a Monday evening study from First B Jackson, working through the opening chapters of Mark. Pastor Felix led the group through two connected stories: Jesus healing a paralyzed man, and Jesus calling Matthew and then eating with tax collectors and sinners. The evening included song, short dramatizations from The Chosen, and open conversation with the room.
What was said
Mark writes with unusual speed, moving from one event to the next with almost no commentary. To let the stories land rather than just pass by, Pastor Felix read each passage and then played a short clip from The Chosen to put flesh on the scene. The goal was not entertainment but internalization: to help the room sit inside the moment rather than skim across it.
The healing of the paralyzed man centered on a question Jesus himself raised. He asked the religious teachers which was easier to say: "Your sins are forgiven" or "Stand up and walk." The teachers considered the first statement pure blasphemy, since only God can forgive sins. Jesus answered by doing the second thing in plain sight. The miracle was not a display of power for its own sake. As Pastor Felix put it, the miracles are proof that the message is real, and Jesus was establishing, for anyone watching, that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
What stood out alongside the healing was the behavior of the four friends who carried the paralyzed man. They were so thoroughly convinced of what Jesus could do that they tore open a stranger's roof to get their friend in front of Him. Pastor Felix let that sit as a question for the room: do we have that kind of determined, inconvenient faith on behalf of the people around us?
The calling of Matthew moved the conversation in a different direction. Matthew had money and the protection of Rome, but he had made himself an enemy of his own people. Peter's protest in The Chosen clip gave voice to what anyone watching would reasonably feel: do you even know who this is? Jesus answered, in effect, that He knew Matthew exactly as well as He had known Peter when He called Peter, and that the response was the same: follow me. The dinner party that followed was Jesus making the conditions favorable, as Pastor Felix kept putting it, for disreputable people to come close.
The Pharisees' disgust at the dinner scene gave Jesus the opening for His clearest statement of the evening: healthy people don't need a doctor, sick people do. He had not come to call those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners. Pastor Felix connected this to the simple experience of admitting a back problem had gotten bad enough to need a doctor. The spiritual parallel was direct: the first step is knowing you have a problem you cannot fix on your own.
The conversation that followed ranged across several of these threads. One person raised what breaking bread meant in that culture, a level of intimacy and trust that made the Pharisees' offense even more understandable. Another noted that the paralyzed man's story sets up a question the Gospel keeps returning to: what is the relationship between physical suffering and sin? A woman who works at Cowboy Coffee and leads worship described building relationships in Jackson and discovering that simply living openly with her own faith creates space for people to say they have been hurt by the church, or that they have started asking questions. Someone from a Spanish-speaking context named the harder side of it: not just saying you are a Christian but showing what that actually looks like, especially when people are watching for you to fail.
Pastor Felix brought the threads back together near the end. The imperfection is not the obstacle, he said. We remain in Jesus, and He shines through us as imperfect as we are. He closed with a phrase that came up more than once during the evening: we are just one beggar telling another beggar where bread can be found.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
The friends of the paralyzed man were so convinced of Jesus' power that they tore through a roof to get their friend to him. What does that kind of faith and determination look like in your own relationships, and what gets in the way of it?
Pastor Jonathan pointed out that the people at Matthew's dinner party knew who Jesus was and had heard his message about repentance, yet they still came to him and felt comfortable around him. What do you think made Jesus that approachable, and what does that mean for how we relate to people around us?
Alright. Hey. Welcome, everybody. Good evening. How we doing?
It is very good to see you.
Thanks for coming on a Monday night and just being here together. I'm I'm glad to see you. And, also, a big thank you to Felix in Guadalupe for dinner tonight. Wasn't that great? They do such a wonderful job, and just very, very grateful for them.
We're just getting started in the book of Mark. It is conversation style, so keep that in mind if there's a little verse, word of encouragement for the conversation time at the end. But before we get there, how about we worship in song together? I would love to warm up to the Lord by by singing. And how about this one from first Thessalonians?
It's Thessalonians. It's always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances. Oh.
Boy, that's a good one. That one just hit me. Be thankful in all circumstances. Why? Because this is God's will for us in Christ Jesus.
Let's start by singing, let the redeemed.
Alrighty. He led me out. He led me out of the desert and brought me into a stream's river of living water. Turned my bitter into sweet and all my burdens lifted. He took the shackles off my feet and there's no sound out of there on a couch and set free.
So let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Sing all his promises evermore and pour out your thankfulness and let it overflow. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. And there is joy in the morning, springing up in my soul. There is life worth living because he calls me zoo.
There's a hallelujah after sweet victory. There's no sound out there on a captive set free. There's no sound alive than a captive set free. So let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Sing of his promises evermore.
For out your thankfulness and bet it overflow, let the redeemed of the Lord say so. You're my deliverer. You are my deliverer. Freedom I'm living in.
Amen. Man, there are such great parts in that song that I just love. And, you know, sometimes a song will strike you differently. And tonight's, it was you're my you're my delivery, the freedom that I'm living in. You know?
There is freedom, and there is peace in the Lord. And that's where we get we get to see that. It's all over the gospels. But I would love to I'd love to sing the gospel story right here in this song, king of kings.
Jesus, for our sake, you died. Praise the father. Praise the son. Praise the speed with three one. I don't know how to stand.
Praise
Here's a good word if you ever feel like you're losing the battle. Listen to this from Revelation 20. It says that we'll overcome. We'll overcome the enemy, his works and effects, by the blood of the lamb. That's Jesus' sacrifice.
And by the word of our testimony. That's our our our our testament... Our testimony about it as witnesses. That's how we overcome him. Christ's blood and faith in him.
You overcame awesome and great is your name. Power in hand speaking the father's plan, sending sides light in this brogue, all authority in every victory.
Amen. You can have a seat here for a moment. Alright. Here we go. The gospel according to Mark, and this is his lead off.
This is the good news about Jesus, the Messiah, the son of God. This is this is what we get to do. We get to open up the word, and we get to hear the good gospel news about Jesus, the messiah, the son of God. And why is the messiah the son of God? What made him that?
What what makes him the king? What makes him a king worth following? And we get to read all about it. You notice that Mark's writing style is very concise and factual. And to be honest, that was kinda hard for me to adjust to.
I'm more of a a a gospel John kinda guy. I just am. And so Mark is Mark's more concise, factual event to event to event, one event. This happened, this happened, this happened, which is really good. And I was thinking, you know, I don't I don't wanna rush through it, though.
I I want for it to to sink in as we read it. And so I wanna try something different, if you would humor me here. And that is first to read it, but then to watch, like, a short, dramatization, from The Chosen. Anybody watch, The Chosen? It's very, very well done, but I I feel like the two fit together so well, and it helps to internalize it a bit more.
So would you please give me some feedback at the end? Hey. The video clip's cheesy. Don't do that. Or, you know, whatever it is, please let me know.
But I wanna cover chapter two verses one through 17 tonight. So two two events we're looking at here. One is Jesus heals a paralyzed man. So we're reading that story. And then when Jesus calls Matthew or Levi and then has a dinner party at his house.
Those are the two. Two stories, each told with scripture, little drama. And starting in chapter two verse one, this is several days after Jesus healed the man with leprosy. We looked at that one last week. And the word spreads about him.
K? So more people are coming to know, who is this Jesus? He's getting a reputation here. People are coming out to see him. So I'm gonna go ahead and read it, and this is what it says.
And, Blake, would you track with me here? It says, when Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, this was after the healing of the God of leprosy, the news spread quickly that he was back home. So Capernaum was kinda like his, home base of ministry in Galilee. And soon, the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors, there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God's word to them, he's giving the message, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.
And they couldn't bring him to Jesus because of a crowd. He was prevented from from coming. There's a crowd. He he was physically unable to do it. So we're getting this picture in our mind.
And so they dug a hole through the roof above his head, And then they lowered the man on his mat right down in front of Jesus. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, my child, your sins are forgiven. That's interesting. But some of the teachers of the religious law who were sitting there, they thought to themselves, what is he saying? This is blasphemy.
Only God can forgive sins. Verse eight, Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, and so he asked them, why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man, your sins are forgiven? Or stand up, pick up your mat, and walk. So I will prove to you that the son of man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.
Then Jesus turned to that paralyzed man and he said, stand up and pick up your mat and go home. And the man jumped up and he grabbed his mat. And he walked out through the stunned onlookers, and they were all amazed. And they praised God, exclaiming, we have never seen anything like this before. So that's Mark's account of it, and now I wanna watch just a a short clip of it.
I hope it hope it shows up there.
Jesus of Nazareth. I saw what you did to the leopard on the road this morning. My friend has been paralyzed since childhood. He has no hope but you. Please do for him what you did for the leopard.
That's a rope.
Put it back, man. You are willing, rabbi.
You, by whose authority do you teach? Answer me.
If you are willing, rabbi, you know you can't. Hey. I'm talking
to you. By whom do you teach? Certainly not the authority of any rabbi from Nazareth. Where did you study?
Your faith
is beautiful. Son, take heart. Your sins are forgiven. Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?
Right? But I ask you, which is easier to say? Your sins are forgiven or rise up and walk? It's easy to say anything, no? But to show you, and so that you may know that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.
I say to you, my son, rise. Pick up your
bed and go home.
Makes me wanna cry. It it... I mean, really, though, that is so powerful. It it brings the story to life. It's so good.
Alright. Next. Next is where Jesus calls Matthew or Levi, and then he throws a dinner party at his house. So I wanna read this. This is beginning in verse 13.
It says, then Jesus went to the lakeshore again, and he taught the crowds that were coming to him. And as he walked along, he saw Levi, son of Alphes, sitting at his tax collector's booth. Follow me and be my disciple, Jesus said to him. And so Levi got up and he followed him. And later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests Along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners, there were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers.
Praise God. Verse 16. But when the teachers of the religious law, who were the pharisees, saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, why does he eat with such scum? Wow. And when Jesus heard this, he told them, healthy people don't need a doctor.
Sick people do. I've come to call those... Excuse me. I've come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners. And I wanna show just a a short clip of of that scene too.
Your
old friend Simon himself used to run the wagering tables. We're not friends. Next. Okay. Fine.
So you did not go to the races. You stay home? I went to see my mother. That would put me out too. She asked when you're going to give her grandchildren.
She didn't ask. I thought your parents don't speak to you. I had questions I couldn't ask anyone else. A mother of a son with talent like yours should be proud. She's ashamed that I could use the talent that God gave me against God.
Next. You're good at something. You found a way to make a living doing it. It's that simple. Must be nice to live in a world so simply ordered.
We live in the same world, Matthew. Next. Besides, what else are you gonna do with a mind like yours? Matthew. Matthew, son of Alphaeus.
Yes. Follow me.
Me?
Yes. You. Woah. Woah. Woah.
What
are you doing? You want me to join you? Keep moving, street preacher. Do you have any idea what this guy has done?
Do you even know him?
Yes. Listen. I said to What are you doing? Where do you think you're going? Guys, let me go.
Have you lost your mind? You have money. Quintus protects you. No Jew lives as good as you. You're gonna throw it all away.
Yes.
I don't get it. You didn't get it when I chose you either. But this is different. I'm not a tax collector. Get used to different.
I'm glad we passed by your booth today, Matthew. Shall we? We have a celebration to prepare for. You will regret this, Matthew.
What's the tablet for?
Grabbed it without thinking. Can you
put it back?
No. No. Keep it. I may yet find use for it. Where are we going?
A dinner party.
I'm not welcome at dinner parties, but that's not going to be a problem tonight. You're the host.
The
way he ran from the Red 0.25, nearly tripping on his robes. That fairy say running? Somehow, I can't see that. I thought for certain he would trip and fall, and I would be arrested.
Oh, your luck, Rivka. Probably would happen. I
thought for certain Lil was gone forever that day.
He's snappy now.
Always was. Does anyone want any grapes? Barnaby, you eat a
lot. Very observant. You.
Simon? You know, Matthew, when you're not behind iron bars, you're quite handsome. I agree. What
is going on? May I help you? We were just on a walk, we heard voices. And I thought it sounded like... But surely not.
And yet it is you.
Would you like to come in?
We would never. Never be caught dead in a In a what?
In a tax collector's house?
Not only that, but we say. Do you know what she and he... They are... You seem to
be having troubles finding your words, man.
Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners? It is not the healthy who need a doctor or the sick. I must say, I am shocked. She is from the Red 0.25. Much of what is done there cannot even be spoken by my tongue.
Across my lips, it is so unholy. A mere mention of it would defile me.
Sounds like a person
would probably.
But him and the others he works with. They betray our people for money, and they're not even sorry.
If you're so offended, then leave.
Let them speak, Andrew. They've never offered guilt sacrifices in the temple. What? The priest keeps records.
We checked them. Tax collectors are not welcome at the temple. We would like them better if they made the proper sacrifices.
This is not about me. This is about what God wants.
You are forgetting the scroll of Hosea. Go and learn what this means. I desire mercy more than sacrifice.
There are righteous men on the lookout for you, and they are weighing every word you say.
Is that a threat? Please let them know this, Youssef. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Is everything under control here? Yes.
We were just going on our way, Centurion, as premier ordinar to you. Alright.
So there they are, the healing of the paralyzed man and then the calling of Matthew and then the dinner party that followed. So I wanna share just a few thoughts, and I wanna hear, I'd love to hear yours as well. But, first, the the healing of the the paralyzed paralyzed man, a little takeaway, from last week as we see all of the miracles that Jesus is doing, it's proof that the message is real. The miracles are proof that the message is real, and, this one absolutely showed that. Jesus' biggest critics were always the religious leaders.
And for Jesus to say, hey. Your sins are forgiven, would have been absolute blasphemy, to them. Obviously, only God can forgive sins. Who is who is this man to say something like that? But here, Mark is showing us, again, the miracles are proof that the message is real is real.
Jesus says, so I will prove. I will show you. This is the evidence here that the son of man has that authority on earth to forgive sins. Stand up. Pick up your mat.
Go home. And the man jumped up, and he grabbed his mat, and he walked out. So Mark is confirming over and over again, and this is just so good for us to hear. Jesus is the real deal. He's bringing God's kingdom on Earth, and he really does have the authority on Earth to actually forgive sins then and now.
Miracles are proof. The message is real. Another comment on that I wanna mention is the faith of the friends. That... That's...
That always stands out to me. I'm curious for for you and that miracle of the paralyzed man. But they were so thoroughly convinced of the power of Jesus, they'd do anything anything to get their friend to them, even if that meant ruin... Wrecking somebody's house. You know?
And that level... I I think for me, it's that level of faith and friendship and compassion and determination. It's just... It's inspiring. I just...
I wanna make note of it. And, Lord, would you help us to have the same for our friends, for our family, for our community, to do all that we can as the spirit leads to bring them to you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Next, couple things on the the calling of Matthew.
I wanna just mention and the dinner party that that followed. Mark is is very, very succinct in saying, Jesus saw Levi. He said, follow me. Levi got up and and followed him. But I feel like that that clip does such a great job of portraying, Matthew's life as a tax collector.
Yes. He had money. Yes. He had, protection from Rome, but he was robbing his own people, and it made him an enemy. It made him, it gave him a terrible reputation.
It was awful. It really was. And you noticed Peter protesting in that in that clip. Do you even know this guy? You...
Do you have any idea what he's done? I don't get it. I don't get it, Jesus. And I I love Jesus' response in that clip. Yeah.
I know him. Oh, I know him alright. Jesus knows us. You know? You didn't get it when I chose you either.
You know, there was a lesson right there. And Jesus was gathering the disreputable and the sinsect to himself, and he was making the conditions favorable. I think that's something that just hit me over and over again as I was seeing this is Jesus was making the conditions favorable for these people to come. Yeah. He knew who they were.
Yeah. They knew who he was. Yeah. They knew his message, repent and turn, and yet they still came to him. What does that say about Jesus?
That makes Jesus very, very approachable. Can I ask a question in this room? How approachable are we? If people know that we do have faith in Jesus and believe in Jesus, how approachable are we? If someone has given you some sort of shocking news about their past or their life or what they're doing, How do we respond?
How are we are we trying to bring them to Jesus and to share the grace and love and the mercy of Jesus? While knowing too, repent is a very big part of of what it means to be a Jesus follower, turn from sin, turn to God. But are we approachable? This is something I wanna throw out there. And this too, if we ever find ourselves in that place of of judgment, and and we do at times.
We do. Like the Pharisees in the story thinking maybe somebody's beyond God's reach. Well, it's... You know, well, that... That's too bad.
That's too much. He's gone too far. Have they? Jesus said, the healthy don't need a doctor. Sick people do.
Quick story. Years ago, I was having issues with my back, and it was getting bad. I mean, worse and worse and worse. The point where I I I just could... I could not function like I I like I used to.
It it was bad. And... But the first the first step here in getting well was, first, I gotta... I had to admit, I I got a problem here. There's something wrong.
There's an issue. I was sick. I needed a doctor. I did try everything that I could on my own. I could not fix it no matter what I did.
I needed help. And I feel like in the spiritual sense, this is exactly what Jesus was saying. He didn't come to call those who think they're well righteous, but those who know they got a problem. And I'm gonna ask us, do we know? Do we know that we do have an issue, a sin issue?
All of us to varying degrees, we've all fallen short. That's the truth of the matter of it. But this is the good news right here. Jesus is offering the invitation, then and now, and he's making the conditions favorable. Come to me, he's saying.
The kingdom of God, it's here. Repent. Turn from sin. Turn to God. Believe the good news.
Believe on Jesus and the work that he would do. These people didn't know it now, but we have the whole story now. We have the whole story. We know what Jesus has done. We know that he took his...
Our sin on himself. He's asking us to believe. Trust him. That's the message to them. It's still the message to us.
But I think what what really, grabbed a hold of me and caught my attention here is how approachable Jesus really is. And he didn't use guilt and shame. He was loving those people into the kingdom while telling him the message too. I mean, the message was clear, and they would have heard it. Repent and believe the good news.
They knew that. But even though they knew that and it's a little bit scary to say, boy, I've really fallen short, Jesus still... They still date with him. They still came to him, and he was loving those people into the kingdom. And may we do the same.
You know? Number one, recognizing, hey. We've fallen short too to varying degrees. And to come to him as we are, as broken as we are in faith and repentance, and then invite others to do the same. We're just one beggar telling another where bread can be found.
That's that's our story. One beggar telling another beggar where where bread can be found. So, those are just a few of my thoughts, and I'd like to hear yours as well. So, again, the healing of the paralytic and then the calling of Matthew and the dinner party at his house. So before we chat, can I pray first?
And then I'll open it up. And I thank you for this word to us tonight. I always feel like whatever we're preaching on, this is what this is what you would have us here tonight. Thank you for the good news about Jesus, the Messiah, the son of God, that you provided the proof, the evidence that you do indeed have the authority on earth to forgive sins, and you made the conditions favorable. God, may we make the conditions favorable for others to come to you just as we have.
And thank you, God, for a new life. Thank you for forgiveness. And thank you, God, that you are progressively transforming us into your image and likeness. It does not happen all at one time. That as we are going, you're making us more like yourself as we yield to you.
Thank you for that encouragement. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright. So I'm gonna... I would...
I'd like to open it up. And if there were any any comments from, any thoughts from those two stories, something that that struck you, a verse, something about Jesus that really grabbed ahold of you? Would anybody would anybody like to comment? This is always the very... It's the best part.
For who who would be the first to go? Since no one was... Yes, it's on. It's on.
Since no one was coming up first, I thought I'd kind of give you my humorous take. That's a new spin on breaking and entering into a home. I guess it was beyond lawlessness, right? That's all I got to say.
All right.
I could sing Donke Shine.
One thing for me was a contextual thing is them breaking a bread and them eating together. Mhmm. I read this book called the Ragamuffin Gospel that really talks... Breaks about... Gets into it and what it means.
In that context, in that time, to sit down and eat with somebody was sort of like a holy thing and entering into a level of friendship. I don't even really know how to best to to describe it other than like maybe the most sacred thing is like or most precious thing is like my kids. Who would I trust my kids with? Like, that's the level of breaking... You know, that term breaking bread, and so that's what Jesus is doing.
And that dinner scene I really like because those pharisees, those super religious people are so disgusted that he's entering into that level of friendship with these people that are deplorable or have done all of these terrible things. And so I I really think it speaks to the... What my favorite line is from that is that I desire mercy, not sacrifice. It's not about how good these people were or the sacrifices that they've made. He's here for for mercy.
But the context of him breaking bread and entering into that level of friendship with the people that are, like, the bottom rung of society is what what I really like. That's that's who's here to hang out with.
Mhmm. Yep. I agree.
And how comfortable they must have been around Jesus too. That that really struck me. They knew who they were. They knew the message already, but they didn't feel beat up by it. It it actually gave them hope to turn to Jesus.
You know? And that's our hope here at First Bee that people wouldn't feel beat up by the gospel. Sure. There's conviction from the Holy Spirit. Absolutely.
Let's feel that. Let's feel the weight of that. But let's let God do that work.
It also makes me wonder, like, I desire mercy not sacrifice. Like, how do we walk that out in our life in this world too? And I don't have a good answer right now, but it's just what I was thinking about is I watched that clip.
You had even said something about the the past is their past. It's not where they're heading. And that actually made me think of yesterday. What was it? I'm terrible at scripture.
Luke nine sixty two? Yeah. And don't ask me to quote it because I'm terrible at that. But, and that's what he was trying to say. Okay.
Yeah, he did bad stuff but, you know, we're gonna show him the right way. Mhmm. Yeah. Just like everybody else.
Mhmm. And
for some reason, the last couple days, that's what's been sticking with
me. Mhmm.
Yeah. And do you think it all happened overnight? No. No. Absolutely not.
His own followers, we we see that throughout the gospels is with his own followers. They're... I mean, they made a lot of mistakes over and over and over again, but they they learned. They learned progressively. They became more and more like Jesus just as progressively we become more and more like Jesus, not all at one time.
Yeah. Sometimes there are radical big changes. No doubt about it. But from day to day, it's over time. Yep.
Any other thoughts? Ray, I can see you just itching. Would you agree? Okay to to show that that clip? Yeah.
Olive, you got you got you got a little something.
Yeah.
So we just got
back to
town this
week. Welcome back.
Good day. We've been... No. That's okay. So I work at Cowboy Coffee.
And So does my daughter. I wonder if you've met Rachel.
I haven't met Rachel yet. But something that... I mean, ever since I moved to Jackson, I moved here to lead worship services back in 2019. And I was I've walked through life kind of finding myself in situations where God isn't really, like, expressed by people or even received by people well, and I tend to put myself in those places because I I love those people and I love a lot of the same things that they love. And Jackson was a huge opportunity for that for me.
And there was this change that happened where I was like, well, I'm here for God. So if I don't, like, verbally express that, then I'm doing I'm not doing him honor. Like, I'm not actually doing what I came here to do. So that year, I worked at the general store, and people openly knew that I, like, was leading worship services and loved God. But that kind of quieted down the longer I stayed in Jackson because I think I found myself in those places more often.
I don't know. It just didn't... It wasn't like my job then, so it didn't come up as naturally. But the last few months, I'd say, like, every now and then I get this urge where I'm like, okay. I think it's time to, like, share this with this person, like, this is a belief of mine or this is a passion of mine or whatever.
This is why I came to Jackson. And today and... Today alone, I had two people without my own urge of saying it, tell me that they have tried going to church recently, and they're people I never would have imagined in a church, which is a weird thought to say out loud. But it was so special to be like... To realize we don't know how often our admittance of our own, like, faith and relationship with the Lord, like, creates a space where people feel safe enough to say, I have a question or I actually have been really hurt by that or I don't believe this.
And then at the same time, how often we can find ourselves in relationships with those people where we're almost putting an agenda on it, where in reality, just building a relationship with someone is what Jesus did. And I think we can run out of patience and we can want something for someone, but that's not... I believe we're called just to love people where they're at and and wait patiently with hope that they will know Jesus. And I think in Jackson, especially, the reason I wanted to share something was just to to maybe spread some encouragement of... I've only been here two and some years.
And I've never seen anyone come to know the Lord, but I've seen people ask questions and seen people express where they're at in their faith. And that's beautiful. You know, there's the message that we are just planting seeds or watering or we might not ever see cultivation of a faith, but we get to just trust that God is in charge of that. Like you said, like, he is the one doing the deed. Are just living our life out loud.
And so just some encouragement of, you know, when you see people in the grocery store, I love to just, like, spark up conversation. We're in such a small town, like, you're gonna see that person again most likely. So maybe take advantage of it and just trust.
Amen. Amen. That's a good word. And imagine if all of us are doing that. I mean, it's going to catch on.
It does. It does, though. Planting that seed, building relationships. Thank you for that encouragement and that reminder. It's good.
Both of the the... Those two things. I mean, I know they're sequential in scripture, but on both of them, that story that threw the roof is there's so much there. Dealing with that first problem when you said that it was for the people who heard it, it was blasphemy. Well, straight up, they thought it was blasphemy.
It's either blasphemy or it's true. And so, when he authenticates with the miracle, the people who thought that's blasphemy, having seen that miracle, knowing that that's what Messiah is going to do. They should have been the ones that have that knew that and recognizing that. It's when we start grasping for, holding on to earthly power, status, religious role, whatever. All of that.
When we when we want to hold on to that and we deny the actual truth of what we just saw happen. It's it's pretty rough and that was that was the beginning of a rub that lasted throughout the whole of his.
Yeah.
Ministry. So, anyway, I love this. Either blasphemy or just silly. I mean, it could be that. He could've just been out of his mind or it was true.
And he he showed, like he said, like the new new living, it says, in order to prove.
I will prove to you
Yeah.
That the son of man has the authority to forgive sins. Stand up and walk.
Yep. Anybody else? Hi, Algo.
I think I love that these stories are so intertwined, and they pull each other out by being opposites. I've always thought it was... It would have been frustrating to be that paralyzed man who gets let down through the roof, and the thing that Jesus says to you is your sins are forgiven. And you might be saying, yeah. But what about my legs?
What about this other problem? My legs? Yeah. And I've always kind of wondered, like, what was going on in that guy's mind as Jesus is saying your sins are forgiven? Is this my reaction would have been, okay.
Great. But, like, I came here to be healed. Mhmm. And then... So we see spiritual healing given when physical healing is asked for.
And, of course, the physical healing is given. And then we go through the calling of Matthew, and we get to the story at at his house, and we see all these people with very obvious sin around them. And Jesus is talking about the sick and the doctors and healing, which then makes us think about how our physical and our spiritual needs are intertwined. And I also think it's interesting in another place in the gospels. Ray, you can probably name the passage, but there's a place where his disciples ask him, like, what did this guy do that he's blind?
Yeah. John nine. Yeah. Like, what what sin did he commit that he's blind? And Jesus said, he didn't sin.
This is just to exhibit the power of God. Mhmm. And I wonder whether... Well, I don't actually know what I wonder, but I do like that. I like the juxtaposition there.
That's all I'm saying.
Yeah. Assumption, the assumption was that if this man's suffering, that he's suffering because of sin. It was just a normal assumption that if he's suffering, it has to be the result of someone's sin. In John nine, they specifically says, who sinned? This guy or his parents because he was blind from birth.
So, yeah. Anybody else? I'll give him a
challenge about the scripture because it's not about what Jesus said. It's... He said, I'm gonna show you. So I think that is the more difficult part for me to show the people because I can tell them about Jesus. I can tell them about the scripture.
I can I can talk, but I have to show them not only words? I mean, it's... And for me, it's a hard part. But like Jesus said, we have to show that the son of of God has power. And the question for for myself is how I can...
Okay. I was thinking about it. How can I show them the power of Jesus? And I'm thinking about it because sometimes I can say, oh, I'm a Christian person, but I'm really showing something about that. So I have to pray and I have to find the correct way to show who is Jesus.
And it's very hard because we are not perfect person. But the the rest of the people who doesn't know about Jesus, they think that because we are called Christian, so it's because we cannot make mistakes. We have to be perfect. And then if I want to tell them something about Jesus, they gonna point my mistake or something. You know what I mean?
Mhmm. Okay. So... Yeah. For me, it's very difficult, that part.
And now I was sharing six months with Mexican people with Mexican... Yeah. With Mexican people. And it was very hard for me. It was a challenge for me talk about Jesus.
But the the point in tonight is very important for me because I have to show them. Even if I don't talk nothing, but I have to show them about Jesus. And, yeah, it's hard. It's difficult, but I think Jesus has the power, then we can do that. We can show about Jesus.
We can show the the love of God for the rest of the people.
Yep. In in word and deed. And God does the work. God is the one who does the work. As we yield to him, God is the one who's doing that work through us.
And I think we all share that. And I'm... Thank you for for being... For having the courage to say that out loud because I think all of us experience that in that... In this room as well.
God, how is it that we can show your love? How is it that we can be light? Well, first, we we we remain in him. We remain in him, and we let him shine through us as imperfect as we are, as imperfect as we are. Just one beggar telling another where bread can be found.
Could we sing one more song together? Daily day.
Soul to sin. Weaken my soul to sin. And I will trust where you lead. And I will trust when I can't see. Morning by morning, great is your faithfulness to me.
Breath by breath overtaken by wonder. One step at a time when I'm over well. Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. The wake I can't see. Morning by morning great is your faithfulness to me.
And I will try with all my heart. And you are good. You always are. Morning by morning, is your faithfulness to me. Fear be reminded or fear be reminded.
My future is secure. Oh, my father has spoken and he keeps his every word. And I fear be reminded. My future is secure. Oh, my father has spoken.
He keeps his every word So I will trust. I will trust you. Morning by morning. Oh, morning by morning. Navitrols where you lead in Navitrols.
And I can't see. Morning by morning great is your faithfulness to me. And I will trust with all my heart in me wagons. You've always are. Morning by morning, great is your faithfulness to me.
I wanna leave you that little word of encouragement from Lamentations here. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this. May we dare to hope when we remember this. The faithful love of the Lord, it never ends. We just saw an example of that in scripture.
So good. And his mercies never cease. He desires mercy, not sacrifice. Great is his faithfulness. And his mercies...
Remember this. Remember this tomorrow morning because today's mercies were for today. Tomorrow's mercies are for tomorrow. His mercies begin afresh each morning. Amen.
