Praying Isnt Enough

Sermon

Luke 13:11-13 Focus verse 13

Praying isn’t enough

Introduction: We learn that this is Luke- a doctor (Colossians 4:14), a Greek, and Gentile Christians. He is the only known Gentile author in the New Testament. Luke was a close friend and companion of Paul. He also wrote Acts.

So we see here in chapter 13, that this is the story about a woman that had an infirmity for eighteen years, in which case she was bowed together or bent over to were she couldn’t lift herself. (vs. 11)

(Vs. 12); we see here that Jesus doesn’t pray, he speaks to her infirmity. He tells the women that she is loosed from her infirmity

(Start talking about speaking to your problems)

· Hebrews 6:1-3 I Timothy 4:14-15 2 Timothy 1:6

· Not just words I Thessalonians 1:5

· Anointing with oil James 5:14 Mark 6:13

(Vs. 13) After speaking, he lays hands on the women. He doesn’t pray.

(Starting talking about laying on of hands)

Mark 7:31-37

1. What were the circumstance behind the healing of the deaf and the speech-impaired man?

a. This incident followed Jesus’ encounter with the Syrophoenician mother and the casting out of the demon from her daughter (Mark 7:24-30).

b. On his way back to Galilee, the Lord passed through Sidon and went through the midst of the borders of Decapolis or Ten Cities (Mark 7:31).

c. As He arrived at the Sea of Galilee (before the feeding of the 4,000), some interested friends brought to Him a deaf and speech-impaired man to be healed.

d. As in the case of the paralyzed Jew (Mark 2:1-12; Matt. 9:1-8; Luke 5:17-26), Jesus responded to the faith of this helpless man’s friends.

2. “How shall they believe in Him who they have not heard? (Rom. 10:14)

a. Begin deaf, this poor man was effectually cut off from salvation.

b. Because of his great affliction, his healing caused much admiration (Mark 7:37).

c. Mark recorded another such miracle when a demon-possessed, and also deaf boy was also cured by Jesus (Mark 9:17-27).

d. Because such handicapped people were unable to hear, they were also unable to speak correctly. Therefore, this man could not even offer praise and prayer to God.

e. The verb meaning to hear in Greek also has the implied meaning of “obey” (Mark 6:11). Hearing is the beginning of understanding and believing which in turns lead to obedience.

f. Through the faith of friends, however, this man experienced Jesus’ loving touch, which heals not only physically, but also spiritually (Mark 2:5, 9, 10).

3. How did Jesus affect the cure?

a. The deaf man’s friends besought Jesus to put His hands upon him. He did, but not as they expected. Probably they thought He would do it right then and there, publicly.

b. Instead, he took him aside from the multitude, probably to avoid publicity (Mark 7:36). Jesus did not want to be acclaimed as a political liberator of the Jews (John 6:15).

c. Just as Jesus was not uniform in His method of healing, so too His spiritual salvation is not uniform in its manner. Most of the time healing resulted form His word (Matt. 8:8, 16; Mark 2:11); but due to the man’s deafness, Jesus also used touch, first the man’s ears and then spitting and touching his tongue (Mark 7:33). For some, the words of salvation must be accompanied by perceived acts of love and kindness. Sometimes we lead the spiritually deaf to Jesus in this manner.

4. Why did Jesus look up to heaven and sigh?

a. The man could see what Jesus was doing even though he could not hear, by His upward look, Jesus wanted to convey to the man the idea that what he was about to do was by divine power.

b. His sign also indicated that Jesus was compassionately human. Although the man could not hear he sighs, he could see His chest rise and falling, as well as the other visible expression of His sorrow.

5. Jesus then spoke

a. First he said the Aramaic word, be opened, which referred to the man’s ears and mouth. The man immediately was able to hear and began to speak (Mark 7:35). Jesus spoke the words of command for the benefits of the few who were in private with Him (Mark 7:34).

b. He then told the witness of this miracle not to tell anybody, but they did so anyway (Mark 7:36). When we have been touched by Jesus or seen His salvation at work in another, it is impossible not to share our joy and excitement with others. Later, Jesus commanded His disciples to do just that (Acts 1:8).

(Conclusion):

Acts 6:6 laid their hands on them. In the NT the laying of hands was used in five ways: (1) in connection with miracles of healing (28:8; Mt 9:18; Mk 5:23;6:5); (2) in blessing others (Mt 19:13, 15); (3) in connection with the baptism in the Spirit (8:17, 19; 19:6); (4) in commissioning for a specific work (v.6; 13:3) and (5) in impacting spiritual gifts by the elders (1 Timothy 4:14). As one the means by which God mediates gifts and blessing to others, laying on of hands became a foundation doctrine in the early church (Heb 6:2). Its must not be disassociated from prayer, for prayer indicates that the gifts of grace, healing or baptism in the Holy Spirit are from God and not from the person who are ministering.