True Friends (St. Matthew 9:1-8) October 26, 2025

True Friends
St. Matthew 9:1-8
St. Peter’s Anglican Church
October 26, 2025

Through my years of teleprompting I have prompted multiple meetings of professional associations. It’s seems that for every profession there is an association.

Part of the purpose of these associations is to lobby politicians on behalf of whatever profession or group — and as such, most of their headquarters are in the Washington, DC area.

If there is a profession — there is an association on their behalf — pharmaceuticals … nurses … physical therapists … corrections officers … lawyers … farmers … teachers … dentists … and on and on and on …

This coming week I will be prompting the American Association of Hispanic Engineers — like I said … if there is a profession … there is a professional association … I just hope I don’t have to prompt in Spanish … although I’ve done that before!

As I said … part of the job of these associations is to lobby politicians on their behalf … to either pass laws that will benefit the particular association … or to try to block laws that would be detrimental to that particular association.

These associations usually have a general convention once a year … and those are the events that I usually prompt.

During their conventions friendships are developed and there is a lot of comradery … because they are like minded … they are usually united in their purpose.

Last weekend I prompted an event that was different than the rest — the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

The purpose of this foundation is specifically to remember those firefighters who gave their lives in the performance of their duty.

The event that I prompted was in memory of the 176 firefighters who worked on the pile of debris from the collapse of the World Trade Centers — on 9/11 — and subsequently developed cancers and other diseases.

However …. while there is a bond in other associations … it is different with the firefighters.

They are a special group of people … because if you think about it … when everyone is running out of a fire … they are running in … running towards danger and even death … in order to save lives and extinguish the fires.

We’ve all seen pictures of the firefighters entering the World Trade Center on 9/11 — never to be seen again. They gave their lives to save others.

If we think about it … that’s what they signed up for … and it was always a possibility that they would sacrifice their lives as they did their jobs.

Hence … the close bond with one another.

In our Gospel lesson this morning we read of something that happened frequently in our Savior’s ministry — some friends brought someone who couldn’t walk — a paralytic — to Jesus in order to be healed.

As we read, the man got much more than they bargained for — not only was he healed, but he had his sins forgiven.

We look at this passage and it is obvious that not only did the man have great faith, but also his friends and we see that Jesus recognized this — 9:2:

““Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw THEIR faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.””

We see more of this faith … if we look at a parallel passages in Luke 5 and Mark 2.

Here we get a fuller picture of what has happened — and the faith of his friends. Mark 2:1-5:

““And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.””

So, not only did Jesus see the faith of the man who was a paralytic — but also of his friends.

Look at the picture that is before us — there was such a great crowd of people that had come to see and hear Jesus.

So much so, that they couldn’t get in the door.

But his friends didn’t give up so easy — they went up to the roof … uncovered a portion of it — and let the man down through the hole in roof — because they knew that Jesus could heal their friend.

… and so we see the faith on their part!

As I said … they got more than they thought that they were going to get — because we see that Jesus not only healed him — not only did Jesus meet his immediate, temporal need …

— but he also forgave his sins.

While the healing of his body was important — we know that spiritual healing — having ones sins forgiven because of faith in Jesus Christ — is something that is eternal — something that is even more necessary than physical healing.

This is exactly what this man received with a little help from his friends … sounds like a song!

Physical healing … while great — at best … is only temporary.

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead — but he eventually died again.

The widows son … raised from the dead … eventually died again.

Jesus healed the man born blind — but he too eventually died.

And this man … who was paralyzed … he died also!

Everyone whom Christ and the Apostles healed … eventually had a natural physical death …

— just as we all will …

Physical death is the consequences of the sin nature that has been around since Adam and Eve!

This is why the spiritual healing — salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ is INFINITELY MORE IMPORTANT — because it is eternal — something that will last forever.

We then see the reaction of the scribes — and this is important as we consider who Jesus really is — we read: 9:3:

““And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!””

The scribes knew that it was blasphemy to say that you could forgive sins — because they RIGHTLY KNEW that only God could forgive sins.

The scribes and Pharisees were starting to put it all together …

— Jesus was claiming to be God … Jesus was claiming to be one who could forgive sins.

In fact … after another miracle recorded for us in John — in which Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath, we read:

““Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.””

And that is why we know — or should know — that only God has the power to forgive sins — and it is through the Lord Jesus Christ!

We know that there is no one else that we can turn to in order to have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life.

… this is what separates TRUE Christianity from all the other religions —

…. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims and every other religion and faith … it is the person and work of Jesus Christ …

Only Christianity has a Savior … Jesus is God in the flesh … the eternal 2nd person of the Trinity!

Our Savior … knowing what was in their hearts … was able to answer the religious leaders — telling them clearly that he had the power to forgive sins.

As we read: ““But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.””

At the end of this week will be the Anniversary of the Reformation … when Martin Luther nailed those 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Chapel — which started what we know as the Protestant Reformation.

One of hallmarks — one of the main doctrines to come out of the Reformation was that salvation was SOLA FIDE — faith alone — we are saved by faith alone through the grace of God.

Ephesians 2:8,9, emphasizes this:

““For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.””

It was through his study of the book of Romans that Martin Luther saw this foundational truth.

Romans 1:16,17 struck Luther like a brick:

““For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.””

This was the cry of the Reformation — ““The just shall live by faith.””

Luther also saw in Romans 4:3, that the Apostle Paul taught that it wasn’t by works that one was saved:

““For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.””

This is what Martin Luther saw … this is what Calvin saw … this is what the other great reformers saw — that salvation was not by works …
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Jesus came upon those who practiced religion — the scribes and Pharisees — and we know what he thought of them.

Luther came upon those who practiced “religion” — in fact he was one of them … before true faith was revealed to him!

And there are many today who practice religion of some type or another … and are very sincere about it … BUT … as the Scriptures teach us … Jesus is the ONLY way of salvation!

The friends of the man who was paralyzed knew that ONLY Jesus had what their friend needed.

There was a multitude of other religious leaders that they could have gone to — but these friends CAME TO JESUS.

They knew that only Jesus could bring healing to their friend — and their FAITH was such that there wasn’t anything that would stop them from bringing their friend to Jesus.

What we see is there is ONLY salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we read in Acts 4:12:

— “”Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

And we need to tell this truth to others … and we need to live this truth in front of others.

What are doing for those in our circle who don’t know Christ? … family members … friends … neighbors … co-workers?
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God called Israel His people — and gave them His law with it’s many of rules and regulations.

He did this so they could be a witness to the nations that were around them.

And this witness was to begin in their own homes.

As the Israelites were about to enter into the promised land, Moses tells them (from Deuteronomy 6)

““And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates…..

You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers, to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken.””

The lives of the Israelites would be a witness to their families — and to the surrounding nations.

We know that one of the reasons that God judged Israel was because they DID NOT obey Him, they were NOT a witness to others … they did NOT live lives that were a witness to those around them.

You see, it was not only their words, but their actions.

And then as we read through the New Testament we find that there is a continued emphasis on telling others about Jesus Christ.

We are familiar with what is known as the Great Commission — Matthew 28:18-20:

““And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.””

This is repeated in a different way in Acts 1:8:

““But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

The Apostle Paul — and all of the Apostles for that matter — were witness to the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

And Paul did ALL that he could to reach others with the Gospel — listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians 9:19:

““For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.””

Contrary to what some teach … our faith is NOT something that is personal and private — but something that should be shared … something that really should be proclaimed from the roof-tops if you will.

And we must always remember that we are not only called to be witnesses … but it is who we are …

As I have said … the very fact that we get out of bed on Sunday mornings to come to this place of worship … is a witness to our family … neighbors and friends …

… the very fact that we support this place of worship with our hard earned money … is a witness to our family … neighbors and friends …

… the very fact that we don’t participate in some of the actions of the world … is a witness to our family … neighbors and friends …

So then we ask … what are we to do?

We begin by praying … praying and then praying some more… pray that God would open their hearts to the truth from His Word … and the pray that God would give you or someone else the opportunity to tell them about Jesus …

… to tell them that only Jesus is the Way … the Truth and the Life … and NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT through him!!

If we know God through the Lord Jesus Christ … then we have the same faith as those who brought the paralyzed man to Jesus …

Let us pray for those in our family and friends … pray that God would open their hearts to the truth and that they would have this same faith.