Hosanna Restoration Church

The sins we should be most concerned with are our own sins. Yes we all sin, we all come short of the glory of God before and after we come to Christ. We are definitely works in progress. If we say we do not sin, we call God a liar and we do not know the truth. The Bible says that so we may as well deal with it. This is not to make us sin conscious or fearful; this is to set us free. Because in Christ, we ask and we are forgiven; the forgiveness is waiting for us.
So here is a man who is paralyzed carried by friends and let down through the roof, and the first thing Jesus tells him is that his sins are forgiven. Wait, he never even asked. How can this be? Good question, but I am not about to argue with what Jesus told him. He did not argue either. Oh, but the religious folks argued. Since this man was paralyzed, he was never allowed into the temple. He never was allowed to give a sacrifice if he could not get in the temple, so he certainly never got in on the forgiveness. Jesus bypassed all the laws and released him from his sins. I have no idea what sins he had; more than likely he had a lot of bitterness and anger at people who walked right by him or stared at him or refused to help him. Whatever the case, Jesus cleared the slate. He also made it very clear to the religious leaders that they did not have the last say. He healed the man. And the man had the perfect response. He went home praising God.
Now, do you suppose he was happiest about his sins being forgiven or about being able to run home? Oh I am certain that he was pleased to have his sins forgiven, but I imagine that seemed small compared to being able to get up and run home. He did praise God; good move!
The power of God is an amazing thing. Which is best, forgiveness or healing. Would the man have gone out of the place praising God for his forgiveness if he was still being carried by his friends? We will never know the answer to that. We also do not know what he thought or felt when Jesus forgave him. In the same way, we do not know the hearts of others. We do not know how defeated people feel when they keep on sinning even after we or others have poured into their lives. The only thing we really know is our own response to our sins and our forgiveness.
Do you ever have the urge to shout and praise God for your forgiveness? Are you glad your past in gone? Are you glad he forgives you when you face your current sinful thoughts or acts? Has it ever occurred to you that in a sense, we all receive a miracle healing each time we are forgiven? The size of the sin (as we see it) has no bearing in God’s eyes. Sin is sin. Forgive me Lord for my wrong thinking or actions, or as David said, “for my secret sins,” the one’s I don’t even know about. Oh praise the Lord. Thank you Jesus for making the way for me to be forgiven.
James mentions that when we pray for the sick; they will be healed and their sins will be forgiven. All sickness is not from sin, but sin causes more damage than any sickness.