Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? Luke 5:23.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
There are many who never go forward with the great plans I have for their lives because they got stuck in their sins. They just keep looking back and going over and over their sins, mistakes, and the times they feel they missed My call. They cannot forgive themselves and fear they lost everything and I will not give them another chance. They see their life as gone and wasted, like the Israelites who would not take the opportunity I opened to them to have the promised land filled with all the good things they had always dreamed of and instead by the wrong choice, fear, and lack of trust in My Word, or just plain old sin that got them into unholy and improper situations that led on a downward path of painful relationships, they never had the dreams they desired down in their hearts. All lost because of their own choices that were not Mine for their lives.
But for those who are in Christ Jesus that is not the case.
Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Jesus forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. Acts 13:38-39.
The words “too late” and “impossible” are not in My vocabulary and never were. It is you who limit Me, not I you. Jesus wanted to heal everyone, but the people of Nazareth limited Him by their lack of faith so He could work no great miracles there. The power was there from Me, the blessing was there from Me, but no one would connect with Me by faith in My Son.
Again and again they limited God, preventing him from blessing them. Continually they turned back from him and provoked the Holy One of Israel! Psalm 78:41.
But I will share with you what I want each of you to know and understand. My Will is always for you to go forward and to richly bless you no matter what you have done or not done. And Jesus came to do My Will for you, My Will prospered in His hands, Isaiah 53:10, and I say that in the context of Isaiah chapter 53 which is the foretelling of the meaning of His death and resurrection.
Surely our sickness and griefs He Himself bore, and our pain and sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our SHALOM fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on (את) Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. Isaiah 53:5-6.
And that was My Will and My singular justice. I accounted all your sins and the results therefrom, such as sickness, grief, pain, and sorrow, to Jesus and He bore them all and carried them away by paying your judgment, offering His eternal life in the flesh for the one you lost in Adam, and taking and satisfying your sentence of going to the dust of the double death. And when all was atoned for and taken care of—all your debts to divine justice paid—I raised Him from the dead, from the pit of hell, by My Holy Spirit of power and seated Him at My right hand with all the sin gone. And when He died, by substitution, you died to sin, and when I raised Him up, I raised you in Him in the spirit by substitution, and seated you in Him at My right hand of power. Your sins are gone. Repent and believe in the good news and let the healing flow and get up and go forward to your high calling in Christ, after all, you are seated there already in your spirit.
And now let us see this in a healing miracle of Jesus where a man paralyzed by his sins became free when the sin burden was lifted off him and he came out with JOY and was led forth by peace in his soul after so many years of self-induced torment over his sins which crippled him.
So will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. Isaiah 55:11-12.
Both joy and peace are in the fruit of the Spirit which is produced in you who believe in the good news of My Son. When you know that you are forgiven and no mistakes you made in the past can hinder the plan I have for you, you will go out of that burden with joy and go forward in peace with yourself, Me, and all others.
And this is the healing that came through the roof!
This happened early in the ministry of Jesus when Pharisees and teachers of the law were still coming to hear Him teach
One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. Luke 5:17.
You will note that My power was present to heal. If you recall, when Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit came down from Heaven and filled Him with My power. I anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit (we anointed Him together) and we anointed Him with the oil of joy, Hebrews 1:9; Psalm 45:7, and in joy there is POWER. My joy is your strength and I anoint you with it in Jesus, for you share the anointing of your High Priest. Jesus has released you from your sins and made you a kingdom, priests unto Me—a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart (consecrated and sanctified), called out of darkness into My own marvelous light. I have poured the Holy Spirit into your hearts through Jesus and the power resides in you to heal as well.
And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. Luke 5:18.
The man was paralyzed. He could not get about and go anywhere on his own. But his friends had heard of how Jesus healed and they were determined to get him out of his paralysis. But it looked like that was impossible because of the crowd that had arrived there ahead of them.
But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. Luke 5:19.
When you are seeking something with great purpose, you find a way to get to it. And Jesus did not rebuke them for opening up the roof of His home, instead He was rejoicing in seeing such great faith, He knew they could connect, that is, his friends could, but looking at the man lying paralyzed, unable to go forward, He saw a man stuck in his sins that would block any healing power from flowing into his body racked with guilt, shame, and pain of a sinful and wasted life. But He also saw the hope that was lighting up in his heart because of the faith of his friends that he could be healed of all that was holding him in bondage. And Jesus took care of that because His heart was filled with compassion and He came to call sinners and seek out and save that which was lost.
Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Luke 5:20.
This was collective faith. The man stuck in his sins did not have faith on his own but his friends had more than enough and he had let them bring him and even lower him through the roof, which had caused him embarrassment before a crowd of Pharisees and scribe seeing how helpless and handicapped he had become. But his friends were in the prayer of agreement and they had no intention of leaving there with him not walking out.
And what Jesus said to him made the paralyzed man’s heart jump with joy. He heard the words he had begged Me to say to him or let him hear. I had forgiven him, it was music to his ears.
But the scribes and Pharisees were shocked.
The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” Luke 5:21.
They had gotten accustomed to the fact that Jesus healed people but they were quite taken aback and offended at Him forgiving sins. Today it is the other way around.
But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? Luke 5:22-23.
Please notice, Jesus did not say that forgiving sins or healing people was difficult. He said “which is easier?” Implying both are easy. And they are easy for Me to do because Jesus has taken care of both to make it easy for you.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; He pardons all your sins and iniquities, He heals all your ills, pains, and diseases; He redeems your life from the pit, He surrounds and crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; He fills your days with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalm 103:1-5.
Don’t limit Me, all My promises are “yes” in Jesus to you. You just have to take them by saying “amen.” But the paralyzed man needed more assurance and Jesus, who only did what I showed Him, gave him the final link that sealed his faith for his release to freedom. Like I told the Israelites when I parted the Red Sea for them, you just have to get up and go forward. Forgetting what lies behind, you go forward. If you put your hand to the plow and keep looking back you are unfit (too burdened) to go forward. You will never drive forward looking in the rear view mirror.
“But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”He said to the paralytic,“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” Luke 5:24.
The time had come to seize the opportunity and go into the Promised Land.
Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.” Luke 5:25-26.
He was ready. He went out with joy and was led forth by peace. He had gotten the Word he needed to stop looking back and go forward. With your sins gone, the party is on. And that is also the story of the prodigal son.
I love you. It is a wonderful thing to be forgiven, but it is even better to go beyond mere forgiveness to the complete removal of all your sins as if you had never done them. And that is what I did for you in Jesus. You are free of all that would hold you back from entering your promised land with peace beyond understanding. I delight in you. Don’t limit Me. My love has no limits.