FREELY FORGIVEN
Welcome to Day Two…
Lets Begin by Reading Chapters 2 & 3 from the Book of Mark
Who was Jesus?
Jesus was a man who made some really big claims about Himself. Enough to get him killed. However anyone can claim to be anything. Did Jesus prove what He claimed?
Son of Man
Jesus was a man who seemed to walk His talk. A key to understanding Jesus is to watch what He did and said. Ask yourself, did they line up? The Bible says His miracles were signs proving His claims about who He was. Lets have a look at the examples in Mark 2.
Word had got out regarding Jesus and what He was doing. Huge crowds followed Him everywhere and this caused problems for those people trying to get close to Him. Some desperate friends got creative and managed to get their paralysed friend inside through the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. But instead of healing the man, Jesus tells him that his sins are forgiven!
The people around were shocked! In Jesus’ time to forgive sins is literally claiming that you are God. Vs 10 brings the story to a pivotal point, as not only does Jesus forgive sin but He also heals the guy! The two highlighted points here is that Jesus knows that no other issue is bigger in humans than sin and forgiveness. Jesus points out that the miracle he preformed was a ‘sign’. But was what it pointing towards? The miracle (sign) was pointing to Jesus’ authority as God! The reality is that it’s impossible for anyone to have a true relationship with God unless they are first forgiven by God. This is why it is a crucial teaching of Jesus. Only God can grant total forgiveness which enables you come face to face with God. Forgiveness through Jesus and the cross is the basis on which you can face God with a clear conscience.
Forgiveness
Jesus chose to share meals with sinners. He tended to hang around people who were considered least in society. He even extended His invitation to follow Him to a tax collector who was a corrupt and greedy man.
Forgiveness is a process based on an event (the cross). Through this event your debt is completely cancelled! It is a debt that you couldn’t ever repay so Jesus died in your place with His life, therefore is able to totally forgive and restore you as righteous. Righteous means to be in right standing with God. Nothing you can do, could ever make you right before God. The message of the gospel is so good that to some it seems stupid and to others a scandal. Forgiveness is based on faith (trust) that God is a better justice maker than you. God makes forgiveness possible by giving you the nature of His Son, Jesus. When He did that, He offered the righteousness of God to everyone who believes in Him. You simply choose to accept and trust in Him (faith) that you will enter into new life if you put your faith in Jesus. Then you are declared by God to be flawless in His eyes forever. Incredible!
Reflection
Discuss these questions below
Why do you think it was so hard for the religious leaders to accept that Jesus hung around with ‘sinners’?___________________________________
Jesus made a profound statement “I have not come to call the ‘righteous,’ but to call those who are sinners and bring them to repentance” What does that mean to you?___________________________________
What role has forgiveness played in you life? Share your story with someone. ___________________________________
Did you know that the message of the Gospel consists of facts? Salvation is based on knowing, believing and then acting on these facts. The facts of the Gospel are 1)Jesus came to give you life; 2)He was born of a virgin and died in your place and was buried as a man; 3) God raised Jesus up from the dead on the third day and you receive righteousness from Jesus by simply believing in these facts. These facts are exclusively centred on the person of Jesus Christ, not only on his death and resurrection but also his life and teachings. Finally salvation comes when you with belief, in your heart, act on it by confessing with your mouth.
“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” - Timothy Keller