There is no substitute for the preaching and teaching of God's Word. Each weekday on enjoying the journey, Scott Pauley leads us in a brief study of Scripture.

Today, on the weekend pulpit, we are happy to share a full-length Bible message given through Scott's pulpit ministry. These messages were recorded live in a local church or gospel event in recent days. It is our prayer that the message will be a help to you today. I want you to open your Bible with me, if you will, to the Gospel According to Matthew.

That's the first book of your New Testament, easy to find.

Four gospel records, but only one gospel of Jesus Christ.

And Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were evangelists.

That's what they were.

They were gospel men who wrote each of them their own account

of the life and ministry and work of Jesus Christ while he was on this earth. And of course, now our

privilege is to take that glorious gospel and pass it on. I bring you to Matthew chapter 9 because God

has led me to spend today with you in this portion of scripture.

And Matthew 9 really hinges on a phrase that is found in the opening verses.

I'm going to draw your attention to it because it's sandwiched right in this beautiful story

of the healing that Jesus gave to a paralyzed man. Look with me at

Matthew chapter 9, verse number one. The Bible says that he, that's Jesus, entered into a ship

and passed over and came into his own city. And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy,

lying on a bed. jesus seeing their faith said under the sick of the palsy son you are sick of the palsy no more get up and go home is that what your Bible says? No.

Now that's what's getting ready to happen, but that's not where it starts.

This is very important.

Look at it carefully.

The first words that Jesus speaks to this man are not to his body, to his soul.

Would you lift your head and look at me just a minute?

How many of you took time to get dressed this morning? Would you raise your hand, please? And we all thank God for that, all right? How many of you have eaten in the last 24 hours? How many of you're already thinking about what you're going to eat when I stop preaching? Come on now. How many of you know we pamper our bodies? We take care of our bodies. There's nothing wrong god gave you one body be a good steward of it take care of that body but in it interesting

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