BEING FORGIVEN BY GOD IS A FIGHT, DON’T GIVE UP
In the name of Jesus, fellow redeemed – forgiven – sinners: I bring you grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Remember the story of Jacob, how he wrestled with a man who turned out to be God? Jacob said: “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” And yet he had received the blessing, the birthright, previously, more than once. Yet he acted like he hadn’t received it: “I won’t let You go unless You give me the blessing!”
This story shows something that St. Paul teaches in Philippians 3, where he says: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.” (Phi 3:12-13)
That’s what Jacob was doing. The Philippians verse teaches that even though we have saving faith, we should act like we don’t have it yet and need to grab onto it. This is first so we won’t take it for granted. But secondly it’s because this salvation that God gives us, this saving faith, is something the devil doesn’t want you to have; he’s always trying to take it away. So keeping this faith is a fight!
Although your faith is a gift of God, there is a part we play. As soon as the Holy Spirit gives you faith, You work with Him. This isn’t by your own power, but that which the Spirit gives. God gives us things to do, in the realm of our faith, that are essential: to follow Him, to believe, to use His Word, to resist the devil, not to be lazy in our faith, to turn away from evil. He says: fight the good fight of faith.
So there is a wrestling that we do. It’s especially true with receiving God’s forgiveness for all your sins, not only that we hear the words but believe it.
So back to Jacob: he’s the example for us. Though the blessing already was his own, he was acting as if he didn’t have it yet. His wrestling with God shows it was that important to him – at every turn he had to know he had the blessing. He wrestled, even with God, to have and keep the salvation God promises.
We now hear about a miracle of Jesus that happened in the midst of this battle of a poor troubled soul to have the forgiveness of sins.
St. Mark 2:1-12. And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Lord, this is Your Word and these are Your words. Sanctify us by the truth. Your Word is truth. By these words of truth, help us to arise by Your forgiveness. Amen.
The house where this happened is likely the house of Peter, where he lived with his wife and children, her mother and his brother Andrew. Archeologists have uncovered this house and discovered a church there. This house became a church. I love that! – especially with what happens in this story. Jesus turned this house into a church. All He used were His words – the forgiveness words.
That’s the high point of this story, when Jesus says to the paralyzed man: “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” It’s also the essence of the church. It’s what it’s built on: that Jesus won our forgiveness on the cross; that His resurrection on the third day proved that all the sins really are forgiven; and finally, that He dispenses this forgiveness, gives it out, in His church.
This is what the church is for. “In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives me and all believers all our sins.” In the Large Catechism Luther says: “Everything in the Christian Church is ordered toward this goal: we shall daily receive in the Church nothing but the forgiveness of sins.”
But although it happens simply through His Word, see in this story what labor and effort are going on around it, what obstacles are put up, how much tension, resistance and even hatred there is, a great battle of wills going on.
It starts with the paralyzed man. Jesus says to him, “Your sins are forgiven,” as the very first thing, because although he needed to be healed, he evidently felt unworthy to be healed because of his sins. He’s a troubled sinner.
Then there’s the obstacle the devil puts up. The man can’t get to Jesus due to the crowd, so the four friends go to great effort to get up to the roof, pull the tiles away and lower him down. This pictures the struggle of faith, the obstacles the devil puts in your life, all that he puts in front of you to distract and tempt you.
Finally there are the scribes who are spying on Jesus. Right after Jesus says, “Your sins are forgiven you,” we hear: “Some scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ ” They were saying that this spoken forgiveness can’t be true, it can’t be valid, you can’t be sure of it, don’t believe it.
This battle of wills goes on inside you too, in your conscience. You think: “Is the forgiveness truly valid in my case? Won’t I be exposed as a hypocrite? Maybe God will take it back. Shouldn’t I be unsure of it? Maybe I’m not forgiven.” This is the voice of the Law. It overpowers the Gospel you hear, that “your sins are forgiven.” In this struggle, the new man in you – your forgiven self – is often too weak and is overpowered by the old man – your sinful self. This is your paralysis.
The paralyzed man is a good picture of how we can’t struggle our way to believing, or having certainty. We can never “stand up” in our faith by our own powers. So the good news, the Gospel, is that Jesus is here to actually forgive sins. This miracle shows that His words are powerful to do what they say.
How did they know the sins were forgiven? Jesus showed it in the healing. He said, “That you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” … and then ordered the man to get up, and he did! How long did it take once Jesus said, “Arise?” No time at all! He got up right away. His paralysis was all gone. Jesus’ word did that. He was showing, it’s this way with forgiveness too!
Not only are the sins gone, but you believe the forgiveness. It isn’t by your own strength. Like the paralyzed man, we can’t stand up – that is, believe – on our own. Believing your sins are forgiven as Jesus says is by the power of His word.
But now learn what a mighty thing this faith is that God gives you. It doesn’t always feel strong. That’s just because you’re under attack by Satan. But as the Holy Spirit gives you faith, He gives you power – His power – to work with Him.
You go out into the world as one who’s been forgiven, you’re a conquerer over sin and Satan. And yet the world beats you down, the devil puts you under so much pressure and attack that your faith feels weak, you lose confidence and you hear negative voices and uncertainty in your conscience.
But what the Holy Spirit gives you is actually strong. Your faith is connected to Jesus’ word and God’s promises, to God and His power. He tells you to use this power, to use His armor – the sword of His Word and the shield of faith. He says: be of good courage, fight, wrestle. Know that your voice is important. What you do in your home, at work, in the community, is important. He called you to these stations in your life – He has stationed you there – to be His person in that place, to beat back the devil not just for yourself but for the good of others.
He gives you friends as the paralyzed man had friends. We don’t wrestle alone. He puts you in His Church. We’re here to encourage each other, make each other stronger. When you feel weak, someone can lift you up. When they feel weak, it’s your turn. So let’s do it. Let’s be honest with each other. If you feel weak, tell someone. If someone is veering off, bring them back. The message for each other is: It’s a fight to keep the faith that you’re forgiven and saved. Don’t give up!
Here in the church, we receive nothing but forgiveness and we receive it together. We come here to have our forgiven self made stronger – stronger for the battle. We receive the Lord’s Supper together, and we hear that it has made us stronger in faith in God, and stronger in love for one another. Amen.