20151202 A WARNING ABOUT DIVISION

A WARNING ABOUT DIVISION

Matthew 12:22-30 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn't speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see.  (23)  The crowd was amazed and asked, "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?"  (24)  But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, "No wonder He can cast out demons. He gets His power from Satan, the prince of demons."  (25)  Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, "Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart.  (26)  And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.  (27)  And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said.  (28)  But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.  (29)  For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.  (30)  "Anyone who isn't with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn't working with Me is actually working against Me.

A demon possessed man is set free. “Hallelujah! The Kingdom of God is among us.”

All too quickly that man is forgotten, dismissed, if you will. The religious leaders of the day attack the healer and the Spirit with which He operates. Their motive is not revealed in this passage and Jesus does not address it. First He addresses the foolishness of their argument. A house divided cannot continue to stand. It will fall miserably.

There is also an ominous warning here. Jesus alludes to His power and ability to plunder and bind Satan and then He says this, "Anyone who isn't with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn't working with Me is actually working against Me.”

Today three armed gunmen killed several people and wounded others in San Bernardino, CA. Before the attackers were caught, their motives known and the bodies of the dead had a chance to get cold, social media lit up with arguments over gun control. Well-meaning believers on both sides of this issue pulled out all stops to disgrace the other side.

Many people posted things like, “Praying for San Bernardino.” In the midst of it all, a friend far away in Pakistan contacted me. Not being fully aware of our geography here, she was concerned for my safety. I was touched even though I’m over 2,000 miles away. Her posts on social media was all about praying for the nations of the world.

I was… no, I am convicted by her faith and her conviction to pray instead of argue.

Yes, I have a conviction on the issue of gun control, but this is neither the place, nor the time. Now is the time to pray, “Our Father in heaven, holy is Your name. Bring Your Kingdom in all its fullness to this planet. Cause Your will to be done here as it is in heaven. Meet our needs. Forgive our sins, and remind us, empower us to forgive those who sin against us. Lead us away from temptation. Deliver us from evil and the evil one. Yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Comfort those in San Bernardino and bring the truth to the forefront. Draw the lost to Yourself. And, Father, unite Your church. Even so, Lord Jesus, come. In Jesus name, AMEN!!!

20150929 BE INTERRUPTIBLE, BE ENCOURAGED, HANG IN THERE

BE INTERRUPTIBLE, BE ENCOURAGED, HANG IN THERE

Matthew 9:20-22 Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind Him. She touched the fringe of His robe, (21) for she thought, "If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed." (22) Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well." And the woman was healed at that moment.

Jesus is on His way to raise the daughter of a synagogue leader when He is interrupted by a sick woman. She had no intention of getting any attention for herself except healing, but she got so much more. She got a glimpse of the compassionate Savior.

1.  She saw that He, Jesus is interruptible. I heard a man pray that one day. He said something like this, “Lord, give us interruptible hearts. Let us see the delays of life, the inconveniences, the detours as opportunities to see someone who needs a touch or an encouraging word from You. And may we be the conduit through which You meet those needs.”

2.  She saw Jesus see her. He saw all the suffering she had endured. Mark tells us that she had suffered many things from doctors and that she had spent all she had trying to find a cure. Jesus knew all this in a single moment. He could see it and He could see her faith. “If I can just touch His robe…”

If you have ever had an extended illness you know what it is to face discouragement. I spent 10 years on Lortabs and other narcotics dealing with severe and, at times, crippling pain in my lower back. Every time we would see another doctor we got the same news. “I can’t see anything on X-rays or MRIs that would cause this problem. Let’s try therapy and more medication.” There were a couple times that God touched me and I received a partial healing. I won’t go into all the details here, but those touches carried me through until in 2004 I had back surgery for a slipped disc. While the surgeon was fixing that he discovered a bone spur that was hidden from all our present technology. When I woke from that surgery I had immediate relief I hadn’t known in years.

I share that to say, be encouraged. Illness can be so mentally, spiritually and physically fatiguing. Hang in there. Keep the faith. Keep reaching for the hem of His garment. He sees you. Don’t give up.

3.  She saw herself as a daughter. Often sickness makes us feel abandoned, but He called her, "Daughter." He had not forgotten her. 

4. She saw encouragement that her faith in Jesus paid off in the end.

Father in heaven, grant that we may remain faithful to trust You and to keep reaching for the blessings You have available to us. And I repeat what my friend said, “Lord, give us interruptible hearts. Let us see the delays of life, the inconveniences, the detours as opportunities to see someone who needs a touch or an encouraging word from You. And may we be the conduit through which You meet those needs.” In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

20150909 SHH!

SHH!

Matthew 8:4 Then Jesus said to him, "Don't tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed."

Why would Jesus not want everyone to know that He could heal even the most loathsome of diseases? Here are some thoughts. Mark 2:4, 3:20 and 7:24 all talk about the “press” (KJV) of the crowd. A roof had to be torn off so some friends could get a sick man to Him. He and His disciples didn’t even have time to eat and He had very little time to be alone.

It may seem a bit selfish of Jesus to want to be alone, but He came, in part, to show us how to live. We often find Him out alone with the Father early in the morning. He cherished that time with His Father and we will find strength for our journeys if we make time to be with our Heavenly Father.

We all have to eat and we all need rest. Perhaps He knew that the more the miracles were proclaimed the more people would gather and there would be even less time to eat, sleep and to teach His disciples what they needed to know to carry on His ministry after He departed.

Furthermore, Jesus wasn’t interested in being a sideshow for thrill seekers. There were many then as there are now who run from one “healer,” “miracle worker,” to another. They aren’t looking to follow Jesus. They’re just looking for entertainment and a spiritual handout.

Jesus came to fulfill the law. It was right for this healed man to go show himself to the priest and let the priest give him a clean bill of health (Leviticus 14). It would be a testimony to the grace of God and it would show the priest there was a healer among them. If the man told the priest who healed him before getting the proclamation of his healing, the priest might well react out of jealousy and refuse to give the man his freedom.

I’m discovering, as I move forward with this blog that what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount can somehow be found in His words and deeds throughout the Gospels. In this encounter with the leper we see humility and righteousness.

Father in heaven, thank you for the example of Jesus Christ. Help us to look at each situation in which we find ourselves involved in light of the words of Jesus, and help us to respond accordingly. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!

20150904 WILLING

WILLING

Matthew 8:1-3 Large crowds followed Jesus as He came down the mountainside.  (2)  Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Him and knelt before Him. "Lord," the man said, "if You are willing, You can heal me and make me clean."  (3)  Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," He said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

Lepers were deemed unclean, untouchable, and from a human standpoint, beyond hope. Lepers were not sent to the physician, but to the priests who would offer no healing balm, no poultice of relief, instead they would set the individual aside to see what God would do. Would the infection prove to be temporary? Would it be healed? Or would it prove to be an illness of great judgment? Once declared unclean by the priests the diseased individual was shunned, put outside the city and commanded to cover their mouth and proclaim their uncleanness as they made their way from one place to the next. Being shut out from the city meant they were also shut out from the temple and all things holy.

But here we have Jesus, our great High Priest who reaches out and touches the untouchable, giving hope to the hopeless and healing the un-healable. While doing so He says, “I am willing. Be healed.”

The unclean man had faith that Jesus had the power to heal. The only question left was whether Jesus was willing. A man who may not have felt the touch of a human hand in years is suddenly touched by the Divine and healing pours into him and the disease is gone. It is disappeared.

When you are ill, what is the first thing you do? Reach for the aspirin? The cold medicine? The doctor’s phone number? I believe all of these things have their place, but as a believer shouldn’t we turn to Jesus first? How will we know if He is willing or not unless we ask? “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2b My own paraphrase)

I wonder how often He is willing, but we are not. Several years ago I was pastoring a small congregation or about 35 people. One Sunday morning I felt strongly impressed to ask those who were ill to come forward for prayer and anointing. There were two ladies in the congregation that day who both suffered terribly from diabetes. One came forward the other did not. The one who did was anointed and prayed over. A week later she had testing done and there was no sign of diabetes in her body.

I asked the other lady why she didn’t come forward. Her reply was something to do with not wanting to steal someone else’s thunder. She continued to suffer from her illness for many years until the symptoms of it eventually took her life.

Jesus is able and often willing to heal. Let us ask and ask and ask until the door is opened unto us.

Father in heaven, Thank You for the healing power You have manifested to us through Jesus and Your Holy Spirit. Please continue to grant miraculous healing to Your saints and to the lost who thereby may be drawn to Your saving grace. In Jesus Name, AMEN!!!