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- How did Nicodemus know that God sent Jesus?
-Because Jesus was doing many miracles which only God was able to do.
- Does “born of water” mean “be baptized”?
-No.
- Can baptism save us?
-No.
- What did Jesus mean “born of water”?
-To be born of water means that we must repent of our sins so that God will cleanse us of our sins.
- What did Jesus mean “born of Spirit”?
-To be born of Spirit means that God the Holy Spirit must give a new life to our spirit.
- What did Jesus mean, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit?
-Jesus meant that the flesh can only give birth to the flesh.
-Jesus also meant that God the Holy Spirit is the only One who can give birth to the spirit of man.
- According to God, who are the only two peoples in the world?
-Those who have been born only once, and those who have been born again.
- In whose family are the people who have been born only once?
-They are in Satan’s family.
- In whose family are the people who have been born again?
-They are in God’s family.
- How were Jesus and the brass snake which God commanded Moses to make in the desert similar?
-Just like the brass snake was hung up on a pole, so Jesus also would be hung up.
-Just like the Israelites were saved when they looked at the brass snake, so Jesus also would save those who believe in Him.
- Why did God send Jesus to this world?
-God sent Jesus to save us from the power of sin, death, and Satan.
- Will those who believe in Jesus be condemned by God?
-No.
- Why are those who do not believe in Jesus already condemned by God?
-Because they do not believe that Jesus is God the Savior.
- Why do people not want to listen to the Word of God?
-Because they love their sin.
-One day, Jesus returned to the village of Capernaum.
Let’s read Mark 2:1-2
1-A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.
2-So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.
-Many people came to hear Jesus teach.
-Jesus taught them the Word of God.
-The Word of God that Jesus taught is the same Word of God that we are teaching you right now.
-The Word of God does not change.
-The Word of God is the same for all people.
-Just like the people listened to Jesus teach the Word of God, God wants you to listen as we teach you the Word of God.
-Because Jesus was teaching in a house, and many people had come to hear Jesus teach, there was no more room left in the house.
-Even outside the door, there was no more room.
-As Jesus was teaching, some men brought a paralyzed man.
Let’s read Mark 2:3
3-Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.
-Was the paralyzed man able to heal himself?
-No.
-Were the friends of the paralyzed man able to heal him?
-No.
-Was any doctor able to heal the paralyzed man?
-No.
-Just like this paralyzed man was not able to heal himself, no one is able to save himself from the power of sin, death, and Satan.
-What did the men do with the paralyzed man?
Let’s read Mark 2:4
4-Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
-Because there were so many people listening to Jesus teach, and there was no more room in the house, the men took the paralyzed man up onto the roof of the house.
-They broke a hole through the roof of the house, and lowered the paralyzed man down on his sleeping mat right in front of Jesus.
-Because the Jews built their houses with flat roofs made out of mud and straw, the men were able to break a hole through the roof, and lower the paralyzed man right in front of Jesus.
-To whom did the men bring the paralyzed man?
-To Jesus.
-Who was the only One who was able to heal the paralyzed man?
-Jesus.
-What did Jesus do?
Let’s read Mark 2:5
5-When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
-Jesus saw that the men truly believed in Him, and He forgave the paralyzed man his sins.
-There were some teachers of the law who were sitting in the house.
-As Jesus forgave the paralyzed man his sins, what were these teachers of the law thinking?
Let’s read Mark 2:6-7
6-Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
7-“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
-The teachers of the law were thinking that only God can forgive sin.
-Were the teachers of the law thinking correctly?
-Yes.
-Is it true that only God can forgive sin?
-Yes.
-Can any man forgive sin?
-No.
-Can a priest forgive sin?
-No.
-Why was Jesus able to forgive people their sins?
-Because Jesus is God.
-The teachers of the law were also thinking that Jesus was blaspheming God.
-Were the teachers of the law thinking correctly?
-No.
-Was it true that Jesus was blaspheming God?
-No.
-Jesus was not blaspheming God.
-Did Jesus know what the teachers of the law were thinking?
Let’s read Mark 2:8
8-Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?”
-Although the teachers of the law did not say anything, Jesus knew what they were thinking.
-Because Jesus is God, He knew all of the thoughts of all of the people.
-Then, what did Jesus say?
Let’s read Mark 2:9-12
9-Jesus said, “Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?
10-but that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . .” He said to the paralytic,
11-“I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home.”
12-He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
-Jesus told the people that He had the authority to forgive sins.
-Why did Jesus have the authority to forgive sins?
-Because Jesus is God.
-Jesus showed His power as God by completely healing the paralyzed man.
-Why was Jesus able to heal sick people?
-Because Jesus is God.
-Only God was able to heal the paralyzed man.
-Afterwards, Jesus went out to the lake near the village of Capernaum.
Let’s read Mark 2:13-14
13-Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.
14-As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
-As Jesus was walking, He met a man named Levi.
-What was Levi’s second name?
-Matthew.
-What was Matthew’s work when Jesus called him?
-Matthew was a tax collector.
-Matthew collected taxes for the Romans, taking the taxes from his own people, the Jews.
-Because the tax collectors took taxes from their own people, and gave them to the Romans, the Jews hated them.
-The Jews also hated the tax collectors because the tax collectors were very evil.
-The tax collectors forced the Jews to pay more taxes, which the tax collectors kept for themselves.
-Jesus called Matthew the tax collector to follow Him.
-Why did Jesus call a tax collector to follow Him?
-Because Matthew understood that he had sinned against God.
-Because Matthew understood that God punishes all sin by death.
-Because Matthew understood that only God was able to save him.
-Because Matthew understood that Jesus was the Savior.
-Many years later, God the Holy Spirit led Matthew to write one of the books in God’s Bible.
-Because Matthew was happy to believe in Jesus as his Savior, Matthew invited Jesus and other men to his house to eat.
Let’s read Mark 2:15-16
15-While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.
16-When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
-What did the teachers of the law who were Pharisees say when they saw Jesus eating with Matthew and the other men?
-They said, “Why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
-The Pharisees did not believe that they were sinners.
-The Pharisees believed that they were without sin.
-The Pharisees did not understand that all people are born into sin.
-The Pharisees did not understand that all people have sinned against God.
-What did Jesus say when He heard what the Pharisees said?
Let’s read Mark 2:17
17-On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
-Jesus told the Pharisees that healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do.
-What did Jesus mean?
-Jesus meant that He did not come to save people who do not know that they are sick.
-Jesus came to save only the people who know that they are sick.
-Here is an illustration:
-If a man is sick but does not know it, does he go to the doctor?
-No.
-Why doesn’t the sick man go to the doctor?
-Because he does not know that he is sick.
-Jesus did not come to save the people who believe that they are without sin.
-Who did Jesus come to save?
-Jesus came to save only the people who know that they have sinned against God, and that only God can save them.
-What about you?
-Do you know that you were born into sin?
-Do you know that you have sinned against God?
-Do you know that God punishes all sin with eternal death?
-Do you know that only God the Savior can save you?
-If you know this, then Jesus said that He came into the world to be your Savior.