May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 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. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 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? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 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!" (Mark 2:1-12)

In Christ's name and to his glory, dear friends: In nothing is absolute and complete certainty so essential to me as in the matter of the forgiveness of my sins. Every once in awhile I forget this. I start thinking about the uncertain things in my life-how is my family going to change over the years...what about my health...will we have a war...when is the market and economy going to get steaming? There are lots of uncertainties in my life. But I can live with innumerable uncertainties as long as I have this one absolute and complete certainty-the forgiveness of my sins before God. This Gospel story reminds me and you of this.

I know lots of people live from day to day and worry not one bit about anything like the forgiveness of sins. They pile up sins against God day after day. It's as if they are buying rooms full of furniture in answer to the ad: Pay nothing until 2005; but they don't really think 2005 will ever come. It will. They laugh at the idea of responsibility to the Judge. I know that many others are aware of their sins but figure they are more or less safe. Some just risk it: I hope God wasn't watching. Some have plans to make up for their sins, but they're fooling themselves both on the quantity of their offenses and the burning anger of the Almighty over those offenses. And some feel more or less safe because they see among the sinners some pretty nice folks and think: How could God be angry with such good people?

As for me-thanks but no thanks to that uncertainty. I only get one chance at this life-death-Judgment Day thing. It's not like some new skill I can learn by trial and error. One day, maybe today, I'll get the summons and there I'll stand. I have to be ready. So do you. And this Gospel story gives us certainty that we are ready. It's the Judge himself speaking to us about THE CERTAINTY OF THE FORGIVENESS OF MY SINS BEFORE GOD.

I could not live without this certainty. What that paralytic got that day-the certainty of the forgiveness of his sins-I could not live without. Oh, sure, I could walk, work, eat, play and sleep without this certainty; but I wouldn't call it really living. It would be more like running. I'd have to be looking over my shoulders constantly. When is God going to catch up with me?

How could we ever face trouble as this paralytic faced if we didn't know about the forgiveness of our sins? Life is going fine; then we hit a speed bump or worse-a tragic accident. Life was probably great for this paralytic too, but then the tragic accident-maybe a stroke left him paralyzed; maybe he fell from the patio on his roof, and when he woke up he had no feeling in his legs. Whatever it was, his first thought was-God has caught up with me. Jesus could see those anxious thoughts in the heart; actually see it in his heart. This man was more worried about what God thought of his sins than about the fact he couldn't walk anymore. That's how the conscience reacts that is conscious of sin. I just could not live if I wasn't certain of the forgiveness of my sins. Every little set back would make me crumble in a heap, unable to function. God is angry with me and he's after me!

Or how about those four that brought their friend. It didn't happen to them personally, this trouble. But they had similar thoughts. The story says that Jesus saw their faith. They too were concerned. God is getting awfully close, they must have thought when their friend suddenly couldn't walk anymore. It didn't happen to me, but it could have been me. Am I next? I haven't been doing every thing God asks of me. Sure, the world looks at me and says, What a great husband/wife...student/parent...volunteer/employee. But they don't see what I know in my heart. God sees it. I cannot hide it from him like I can hide it from them. I cannot live if I'm uncertain about my standing with God.

In a very real way, you and I are born into this world with an assignment from the Creator. You must live avoiding completely what I say you are to avoid, and you must live doing completely what I say you are to do. No ifs, ands or buts. And there is a due date daily and eternally on Judgment day. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Cor 5:10) But we don't live up to this obligation. We know it. God knows it. We cannot truly live and enjoy life without knowing whether this issue is resolved or not before the Almighty! We have to have an answer. And the answer is as close as the Gospel story before us. It tells us that...

Certainty of my forgiveness before God is so easy to obtain. The paralytic is like me, like you, he knows he must have some certainty about his standing with God. He lets nothing keep him from finding that certainty-not powerless legs, not overcrowded rooms, nothing. Jesus saw their faith-all of them, the paralytic and his four friends needed that assurance and certainty. Perhaps they thought that Jesus would give them some great and cleansing duty to perform. What must I do to be saved? is the question. People assume the cleansing process will demand a great deal. To their surprise they hear no demand at all. Son, your sins have been forgiven. That's the way Jesus said it-have been forgiven. Your forgiveness is already accomplished; you need not bring it about. Your heavenly Father who sent me, his Son, has accomplished it. He is the one who has "carried your sins away from you." His love for you, his gift of his Son as payment for sin, this makes your forgiveness certain. And if you or your friends or even my enemies doubt it, says Jesus, I will give proof of my authority over such profound things. Then the crowd, the enemies of Jesus, the friends and the paralytic watch as Jesus shows his power-get up, take your mat, and go home. And the paralytic walks! Everything this Jesus offers is real.

Such certainty we have. He repeats it time and again in his word. Romans 5:1-- since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. He speaks to us today and says, Son, daughter, your sins are forgiven. He gives us the Supper and his Baptism in which he conveys his forgiveness to us and gives us a visible sign of his intentions for us-forgiveness and cleansing. He gives us his Spirit that testifies with our spirit that we are his sons and daughters. (Romans 8:16).

Now I can face other uncertainties, trouble, sickness, setbacks, even death itself for this one thing is certain-my sins are forgiven before God in heaven. I have eternal life. Amen.