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Fellowship Bible Church - Topeka, KS

Questions Jesus Asked - Week 3

·33 min·3 clips
Why did Jesus tell a paralyzed man his sins were forgiven instead of healing his legs?
The episode is a sermon from the series 'Questions Jesus Asked', focusing on Week 3. The speaker opens by referencing a song lyric about doubting Thomas, linking ancient doubt to modern faith struggles. He recounts Old Testament miracles like Moses' staff turning into a snake and Elijah's fire from heaven to illustrate God's past faithfulness. The main text is Luke 5:17-26, where Jesus heals a paralyzed man lowered through a roof by friends. The speaker describes the friends' desperate, roof-breaking effort as an act of radical faith. Jesus surprises everyone by first forgiving the man's sins instead of healing him, leading Pharisees to accuse him of blasphemy. Jesus perceives their thoughts and asks which is easier to say—forgive sins or command healing—to demonstrate his authority as the Son of Man. He then heals the paralytic, who walks away glorifying God. The speaker analyzes each character: Jesus as the divine authority, the paralytic representing human need for spiritual healing, the friends as models of desperate faith, and the Pharisees as examples of explaining away God's work. He applies the story to listeners, challenging them to examine their own desperation for Jesus amid busy lives. The sermon concludes with a call to share faith during Easter, using a quote from Dr. James Allman about God's past faithfulness as a promise for the future. The format is a solo teaching with illustrative anecdotes and direct application.

As heard by us

Thomas, Moses, and the friends who bring a man to Jesus all point toward trust.

The episode opens with Brian joking that he is not much of a music guy, then uses that moment to move into Thomas and the disciple's refusal to believe in a resurrection until he could see it and touch the scars.

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Why you'd press play

When Thomas wants scars, this sermon keeps asking what faith costs you.

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