Luke 5:21
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Forgiveness – Christ has the authority
But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
Wanting Jesus for the Wrong Reasons
John 6:22-26 – “The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs."
There are many reasons to follow Jesus. Sometimes, we can let these reasons be selfish ones. When many people grow disillusioned with their walk with Christ, they give the excuse that it wasn't "working for them." What they mean is that being a disciple was harder than they thought it would be and they weren't getting the obvious "payoff" out of giving their allegiance to Jesus. However, we don't follow Jesus because of what we get out of him on a day-to-day basis, but because of who he is and what he did for us in sacrificing himself for us. Sometimes we have to follow regardless of the temporary circumstances. If all we do is follow when we get what we want, then when hardship comes, trials beset us, and the evil one attacks us — we're going to give up on God and lose everything. Jesus' blessings remind us who he is and where he is from. They point us to God and our home with him. Let's live for him no matter what our temporary circumstances may be.
Forgiveness – God forgives in Christ
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
[Message No: 6308]
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Forgiveness – Christ has the authority
But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”
Wanting Jesus for the Wrong Reasons
John 6:22-26 – “The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs."
There are many reasons to follow Jesus. Sometimes, we can let these reasons be selfish ones. When many people grow disillusioned with their walk with Christ, they give the excuse that it wasn't "working for them." What they mean is that being a disciple was harder than they thought it would be and they weren't getting the obvious "payoff" out of giving their allegiance to Jesus. However, we don't follow Jesus because of what we get out of him on a day-to-day basis, but because of who he is and what he did for us in sacrificing himself for us. Sometimes we have to follow regardless of the temporary circumstances. If all we do is follow when we get what we want, then when hardship comes, trials beset us, and the evil one attacks us — we're going to give up on God and lose everything. Jesus' blessings remind us who he is and where he is from. They point us to God and our home with him. Let's live for him no matter what our temporary circumstances may be.
Forgiveness – God forgives in Christ
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
[Message No: 6308]
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