What's Your Problem??

Matthew 9, "And the scribes said to themselves, 'This man is blaspheming.' Jesus knowing their thoughts said, 'Why do you think evil in your hearts? Which is easier to say your sins are forgiven or rise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins."

Notice first that Jesus was not going to heal the young man's body without healing his soul. What benefit would there be in getting him up on his feet for the next ten minutes only so he could fall into hell? So Jesus put first things first. He said, "Let me deal with your eternal problem and then we'll work on walking problem." He put spiritual matters at the top of the list and said, "Your sins are forgiven."

Then notice Jesus' strong assertion. "I have the authority to forgive sins." That's when the scribes melted down. They understood what Jesus was saying. He was claiming to be God. No one else in the universe could make the claim to forgive sin except God Himself. Who do you think you are . . . God? And Jesus nodded, Exactly.

On another occasion, Jesus told the religious leaders quite clearly, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins." Another time, "I and my father are one." John 10:30
Another time, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." John 14:9
The scribes shouldn't have been surprised.

The same story of the paralytic's healing is told in two other Gospels. In Mark 2:7 and Luke 5:21 they said, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" To which Jesus could have easily replied, "Correct! Now you're getting it!"

Jesus didn't hedge at all. I am God in the flesh. I am the only One given the authority by God the Father to forgive sins. He told it like it was.

The problem is sin.

In God's eyes the healing of the body and the healing of the soul are not that far apart. Both problems are caused by the same thing. In fact, I would suggest to you that sin is the ultimate cause of every human problem. Sin is behind everything wrong in our world. Sin is behind every problem of substance in the universe.

Sin is the cause of every planet problem.
Volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, famine, and flooding in my basement -- are all because of sin. Special news reports tell us that our weather systems are more whacked than ever before. It's warmer at the poles, and colder in the tropics. A flip-flop in weather conditions drenches Phoenix while Seattle dries up. Storms have become more frequent and intense, but less predictable.

The universe itself is broken. The sun is burning out. Scientists tell us that the earth is turning slower every year. The solar system is winding down and getting worse because of sin. Romans 8:20 says all of creation became subjected to futility and the created world, the universe, is decaying. It just doesn't work as well as it used to.

And it's getting worse. In the last 15 years, we've experienced more earthquakes than the last 50 years and more in the last 50 years than in the last 500 years.

When Adam and Eve chose to sin and sent the human race into a spiral, God stepped forward in the early chapters of Genesis and cursed the planet. He said, Here's a choice between right and wrong - - choose. One tree in the middle of the Garden was the monument to that choice. When Adam and Eve decided, "We're going to do the wrong thing," God followed up with the consequences. God cursed creation, subjecting it to futility. It hasn't worked right since and God's not trying to fix it. Some day He'll completely wipe it out and create it anew, but not now. (Revelation 21:1).

Sin is the cause of every people problem in the body.
Every physical problem that you and I have is because of sin. Every cancer, every heart failure, every debilitating disease finds its origin in the Garden of Eden. God made man perfect but Adam and Eve's rebellion tore at the fabric of what God made them to be. God judged them with the same twisted brokenness that He declared on creation. We're part of that same curse. Our bodies break down because there is a judgment because of sin. All of us were not made that way, not originally, but we are that way now.

Sin is behind every people problem in our souls.
We're not just broken in our bodies, but our souls are sin-twisted. The part of us that lives forever is broken. The fact that we die is God's consequence for our sin. Our inclination is to do the wrong every time. All of us. Every breach of God's law, every violation of another person, every self-exalting, others-debasing, wounding action is because of sin. You could pick up a newspaper and read the result of sin on every page—the greed, selfishness, pride, quest for power; perversity is running rampant and getting worse. Every casual indifference to God's truth. Every prideful, "God's Word doesn't matter to me." Scripture says that evil men will grow worse and worse until God Himself steps back on the world stage and rights all that is wrong. Until you understand that, nothing else makes sense.

The planet is spiraling. The human body is diseased and subject to decay. And the human soul is in submissive to futility. No question about it, when the question is "what's your problem?" the answer most often is SIN!!!

And the solution . . . Jesus Christ !!! :)