Good News! Series

Good News!

HIV Aids - Small pox - Ebola - diseases that bring terror to our hearts.

This is nothing new - in Jesus’ day, it was Leprosy (Show an image of a leprous person)

LEV 13:1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 "When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. 3 The priest is to examine the sore on his skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest examines him, he shall pronounce him ceremonially unclean.

LEV 13:45 "The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, `Unclean! Unclean!' 46 As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.

Read Luke 5:12-16

If you are willing.

Do you people know how willing Jesus is?

Willing enough to contaminate Himself

Willing enough to touch the dreaded disease

Lev. 13 again - Go outside the city limits to be examined by the Priest. If he is healed - and he almost never was - then 2 live clean birds were brought along with some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop. One bird would have its head twisted off and its blood sprinkled in the water, then the live bird would be dipped in the water along with the cedar wood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. The hyssop would be sprinkled 7 times over the one to be cleansed and the bird would be released into the open field. FREE

The ordeal isn't over yet, all the clothes of the once leprous person must be washed, all the hair on his body must be shaved off and he must bathe. After 7 days, he must repeat this routine, and on the 8th day offer 2 male lambs and one ewe - a year old, without defect along with flour and oil for an offering. One of the male lambs is for a guilt offering, for sins. Then the priest pours some of the oil in the palm of his hand, and dips his right finger in the oil to sprinkle it before the Lord 7 times, and anoint the right ear lobe, the right thumb and the big toe on the right foot and put the rest of the oil on the head of the healed person, and make atonement before the Lord.

Imagine the shock on that Priest’s face - the healed man didn't have to say a word!

Luke 5:15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 5:17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

Your sins are forgiven you -

This is so radical - don’t miss this.

Not because he repented or believed Jesus died for his sins.

Jesus was proclaiming God’s solution to sin - I forgive you!

You want proof that the Kingdom is here - pay attention

LK 5:21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Get up and walk'? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."