+
Over Mark 2:1-12
Jesus is our highest priest, someone who builds a bridge to God.
He came to connect us to the Father.
While in Capernaum, Jesus was performing miracles. The people were drawn to him because of these miracles he was performing. If some guy was performing miracles right in front of your eyes, wouldn’t you want to go see? I know I would. People would be crowding around, coming from all over. Just as it was in Mark 2.
Verse 5 shows a shift, in the men’s emotions who brought the paralytic through the roof and also the paralytic most likely. He didn’t want their sins to be forgiven, he wanted to be healed!
For most of us, the majority of our conversations with God are about what we need, instead of confessing our sin.
It’s easy to say your sins are forgive because how do you know if they are or not? You don’t know, on the other hand, physical healing is something you know immediately.
Jesus set this up, in the passage. If he can tell someone to take up their mat and walk then he can tell them their sins are forgiven. Because he has the power to forgive sins, and in the long run that is what these people needed, they needed Jesus. However, they didn’t trust that He was the Son of God.
Which is why this passage shows so much importance.
If Jesus heals someone and he can prove it, then maybe they should pay attention to the rest of the stuff he says. Jesus is trying to connect people back to God. They needed to know about God and His love. Jesus came to this world to connect us back to the Father. He’s the only priest we will ever need.
Jesus sets them up. He wants them to know he has the authority to forgive sins. Which is why he said that before he healed him.
After Jesus healed the man, no one praised him because he washed the man of his sin, they only praised him for the physical healing.. which was temporary.
We know what’s important now, Jesus knows what was important. That is what He wants us to learn. Don’t miss the importance of Him. Yes he performed miracles, but physical only happens on earth. When he heals us of our sins, that is eternal. Jesus wanted the man to realize that, he fixed the man’s temporary problem, but he cured his permanent problem.
Miracles: If we believe in what God can do for us, then our faith becomes based on what God can do for you. But that’s just a temporary fix. We’re happy with him when we are happy. But when we’re angry we aren’t. If we aren’t careful we get into this Christian idea of “karma” but that’s not what it is about. If that is the case, then your faith will become shattered when anything bad happens.
That is a danger thing called religion, a system.
That’s not what our faith should be about.
You might not believe in God for that exact reason, “I needed God to show up when (something bad happened)”
So what happens when your prayers aren’t answered, where does your faith go?
If your faith is based on what Jesus did or did not do, then your faith isn’t there.
This is what our faith should be based on:
Not just the death, but the resurrection. Jesus’s death didn’t stop there, when Jesus rose again he conquered sin, death and the grace once and for all. Let your faith be based on that. Not just because Jesus died for us but the fact that he conquered sin and death. Victoriously he rose. And he said he would do that. Just like he said he would heal this man and his sins were forgiven.
Jesus came back. Because of His resurrection, we can become confident in our faith.
Confident that Jesus is who he says he is, and that Jesus will do what he says he will do. Faith is confidence in Jesus. He never promised us that the more faith we have the easier it will be. But he says that in this world we will have trouble, he doesn’t stop there, he tells us to take heart because he has overcome the world!
If we ever try to lean our faith on anything other than Jesus and what He did than our faith will fall apart. Don’t let your faith depend on what God does for us, but what He’s already done for us.
Romans 5:8
No matter what happens to you in this life, you can remember this..God loves you. If you trust him your sins are forgiven. No matter what happens, believe that God loves you and your sins are forgiven.
Hebrews 4:14: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
When the hard times come, where is your faith rooted?
-Kerry Snyder
You’re also loved by meee:)
Our generation, our world, our people…We can make a difference. We hear that all the time from: sermons, camps, speakers, pastors, songs. There’s a reason we are hearing that everywhere. There’s a purpose. God is telling us something. He’s telling us to change our ways, change the ways of the world, and make an impact. Our world is broken and only One can fix it. Let’s show this world who that One is!
I will love you for you. Not for what you have done or what you will become I will love you for you, I will give you the love, the love that you never knew.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. (Psalm 37:3-6 NIV)
By loving God above all else, our desires will become what he desires for us. Then our greatest longing will be to confirm our lives to his will.
Anonymous asked: Heey! This is so uncomfortable haha for me to ask, hence why I'm on anon but I just read through your blog and you seem just so together and clued in. I'm not a new christian or anything, I just kinda lost my way, well really lost my way and I've been struggling to get back, its really hard and I've just finished high school so I'm getting ready to sort start adult 'life'. I just feel so completely lost and confused
Hi hun! Don’t feel uncomfortable, we all go through periods where we are lost and confused. Everyone has them, trust me! The main concern you have to distinguish is if you are willing to follow Christ, wholeheartedly. If so, He’s waiting for you. It’s very simple in a way, Life is confusing an complicated but with God in our hearts….that is where we find peace and joy. He brings peace to His believers hearts because he wants us to know we have chosen the right path, which we have. But the truth is no one is fully changed, we’re all in the same boat. The same struggle. But our focus is set on the right destination, eternity. And in order to get to that destination, it’s going to be rough and difficult but we have our God by our side through it all. So when you’re having a hard time, lean on Him. When you’re having a great time, praise and thank Him. I’m not even close to all put together, sweets. I wish I was but that’s not reality. I have my own problems like everyone else, but the difference is I can feel God in my heart, in my life. I depend on Him daily, and I love Him with my whole heart. I love Him with everything I have everything I am. I recommend you read a book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It’s eye opening, and puts your mindset on the bigger picture rather than our little one. You’re going into the adult world, which is great! You will need God though. Your past doesn’t matter, whatever you’ve done God will forgive you because Jesus paid your price. Move on, start anew. It just takes one leap, one leap of faith of showing you’re willing to love God and follow Him. I’m praying for you, that you will find Him in your time of Need. That you will learn to depend on Him, but also love Him with everything you have. He’s waiting for you!! God bless!
