Sermon Tone Analysis

Pre

Miqlat Conference

SMALL GROUPS!

Intro ()

History Channel - Ancient Aliens type of stuff—facade of authority

On TV/history ch.

Guests with questionable credentials, degrees, and titles

Intrigue not logic and reason

No evidence; all theory

There were people like this in Jesus’s day who went around from town to town performing performing parlor tricks they called miracles, sometimes claiming to heal or cast out demons, and of course teaching, because teachers were expected to ask for money in return for their efforts to bestow wisdom on the people.

But, there’s something different about Jesus.

Jesus’s Miracles

(21-28) Jesus casts out a demon

The Jews believed that demons were disembodied spirits of dead giants.

— spiritual war

“A new teaching; one with authority.”

(29-34) Jesus heals and casts out of demons.

demons - spiritual / disease - physical

Jesus, “would not permit the demons to speak because they knew him.”

(35-38) Jesus prays and then preaches in the villages.

(39-45) Jesus heals a man with leprosy and there is such a huge uproar that Jesus had to leave the city and teach in the dessert.

Analysis

Jesus’s miracles were so profound that they didn’t just produce intrigue; they attracted huge crowds.

Jesus’s teaching is authoritative.

(Not based on intrigue, but the miracles provided hard evidence for what He said.)

Jesus’s efforts are motivated by God through prayer, not the desire for wealth or esteem.

This is today’s Epiphany.

We are continuing our series on Mark titled, Epiphanies.

And this is it.

We are going to see in part of the text that there is a greater miracle than all of these that are already mentioned.

Jesus healed and cast out demons proving himself more powerful and more wise than the other teachings of the day.

Healing and casting our demons is amazing.

But we are going to see a greater miracle, the forgiveness of sins!

Epiphany: There is a greater miracle: Forgiveness of sins!

To demonstrate this we’re going to look at where we are going to see three key movements in the story: The Accusation of Jesus, the Authority of Jesus, and the Awe of Jesus.

I don’t usually do alliteration in my points, but it worked out today.

And then we’re going to follow that up with another alliterating application: Settle, Submit, and Stand.

Body (2.1-12)

The story begins this way.

(READ PAX WITH EXPLANATION)

Mark 2.1-

When Jesus was going town to town and healing people and casting out demons, people could see what was happening and they recognized His authority.

But, here, Jesus makes really an abstract statement that the man’s sins are forgiven.

He clearly means they are forgiven by God and that caused problems for some of the scribes—the legal experts—who were present and they accused him.

This is…

The Accusation of Jesus

Not everyone present was a fan of Jesus

Most were not disciples, but curious

Some were skeptical — scribes

Mark 2.

What is blasphemy?

English: Sacrilegious (violation of the sacred) speech

Greek: “Blasphemy against God amounts to words or conduct that injures or diminishes God’s honor or holiness.”

What was said that could injure or diminish God’s honor or holiness?

“Son, your sins are forgiven.”

— (scribes are right) only God can forgive sins.

For a man to elevate himself to the authority of God is to tear God down to the level of the human and that was blasphemy.

How could it be perceived as blasphemy?

Either Jesus is a blasphemer or he is God.

We can’t believe that Jesus is a good and godly teacher as so many people today want to say.

He’s either a blasphemer, a heretic and fraud like all the other teachers going around in those days trying to gain wealth.

Or God in flesh.

No in-between.

Jesus either has the authority because of His divine nature or he deserves to be hung as a blasphemer.

History has proved over and over that Jesus is a historical figure.

No one in the scholarly world rejects the existence of the man Jesus.

Plenty of people reject His divinity or authority.

But, no one should value His teaching if they aren’t willing to embrace His authority, because as we said, either Jesus is a complete fraud or He is the savior, messiah, and Lord.

Let’s look more at the…

The Authority of Jesus

“The scribes questioned in their hearts”

Their skepticism was secret

It was intellectual (heart = mind; bowels = emotions) cf.

‘thinking’ in v. 8

Mark 2.8-

Which is easier

It is easier to say sins are forgiven (Catholic priests)

You don’t have to actually do a miracle to say this

It’s purely abstract and no one would know if it were true until they went to judgment.

Which is more believable?

All the other miracles were done for the express purpose that people would believe that Jesus has the authority to forgive sins.

When Jesus tells him to pick up his mat and go home everyone in this crowded room will see it.

Authority to heal proves his authority to forgive.

This is the problem with so much teaching today.

Not just Ancient Aliens and other history channel stuff — ghost hunters and all that

We need to be careful about Christian cultic practices that can influence us as well.

Predicting when Jesus is returning — no real evidence for claims and they’re always wrong.

Prosperity preaching — the only one who gets rich from the faithful giving of the congregants is the preacher.

Faith healing events — you buy a ticket to get in and when you aren’t healed it’s because of your faith not the power of the healer.

(God is the giver of faith!)

We go where there is true authority and for me there is nowhere else to go but to the scriptures.

A preacher who does not faithfully teach the Bible is not authoritative and must be avoided.

They are distractions at best and deceivers at worst.

All the miracles that Jesus did were done to establish His authority for the express purpose that people would believe that He has authority to forgives sins.

— the greatest miracle

And that’s what Jesus did in this story.

He forgave sins, but then he also healed the man so that they would know He had the authority to forgive sins.

And as a result, the people were in awe of Jesus.

Let’s talk about…

The Awe of Jesus