“Healing is a choice?”
Opening Video Illustration: Challenge the Ordinary Bluefishtv.com
Thesis: Healing can be hindered by the choices that we make in life so we need to evaluate our lives to see if something is blocking my healing.
Opening Scripture Text: John 5:1-15
1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda£ and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.£ 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”
11But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”
12So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”
13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.
14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
Introduction:
I find it amazing that Jesus asked this man if he wanted to be healed – Why would he ask such a ridiculous question. Does not everyone want to be healed?
The truth is every single person alive needs a healing at some time in their life that is why God designed the body the way He did.
Stephen Arterburn states, “Surely God must love healing since He allows so much of it to occur every day. He created us with healing properties within us. A cut finger, in most cases, heals itself. There has to be something severely wrong with a person for a cut not to heal on its own. A broken limb has the ability to fuse back together. The cold virus is defeated and destroyed by the healing ability within our own bodies. Healing goes on all around us and within us. It is a miraculous ability that every person possesses to some degree or another. Although God has given us healing abilities, we can impair that process. Sadly, the ability to heal emotionally, spiritually, or physically has been destroyed or weakened for some. A physical wound must be cleaned and medicated rather than ignored. Emotional and spiritual wounds also need attention. They don’t just simply fade away” (page viii, Healing is a Choice.)
Beyond physical healing: Arterburn states, “The properties of healing are not found just within our bodies. They are also present in our minds and souls. God provided us with the ability to heal from emotional trauma and tragedy. When we lose someone we love, we are devastated; we mourn and grieve while wondering if our days will ever be full of light again. Our souls are sick from the loss of the love and from the pain that at times seems too much to endure. As our grieving progresses, we start to have a portion of a good day, and then a whole day or two good days come together. We start to sense a change from our constant agony and know that at some level, healing is taking place. God built that emotional and spiritual healing ability into most of us. If the ability to heal were not there, loss after loss, piling pain on top of pain, would lose our minds and could not go on. Almost everyone is fortunate to have the ability within to heal from hurts, rather than to be destroyed by them” (page x).
God’s moving through the power of divine healing all over the world today. See Video Clip from “Finger of God.”
T.S. – So let’s come back to our text Jesus asked the question “Do you want to be healed?” Let’s explore this question a little further this morning.
I. The choice: Do you want to be healed?
a. Jesus gave the man a choice at the pool of Bethesda to choose to be healed.
i. Arterburn states: “The man had a choice to be healed or not. There had to be a ‘want to’ in his will. He could have decided to stay unhealed forever, and there could have been some reasons to do so. He may have wanted to remain unhealed so he could just lie around, or he may have grown accustomed to begging and knew begging was easier if he had a severe health problem. He may have become comfortable in his role as an outcast. He may have used his illness to disconnect from the world and the other pressures of life. There are many reasons that he may not have wanted to be healed, even though Jesus was offering to heal him. Jesus took the time to ask if he wanted to be healed, rather than just barge in and heal him on the spot” (page xix).
ii. As a pastor I have meet and counseled many people who come to me for help but really don’t want to be healed.
1. They actually refuse it and even try to tell me why they cannot be healed!
a. This reflects in all three realms of our being.
b. Physically
c. Spiritually
d. Soulishly – emotional, mental realm
iii. Steve Arterburn in his book Healing is a Choice says:
1. “I know of overweight people, sex addicts, co-dependent wives of alcoholics, abused women and many others who have refused healing!”
2. Why – the list for this could be endless to explore but the fact is we have to want to be healed – it’s our choice given to us by Jesus!
iv. So why do some people refuse to go through the healing steps toward healing?
1. Maybe it is the lies we believe?
2. Maybe it’s because it takes faith?
3. Maybe it’s because it’s hard work?
4. Maybe it’s fear?
5. Maybe because it’s supernatural?
6. May be its __________________________?
b. But in the Biblical story the man choose healing – he said “Yes!”
i. When Jesus told him to pick up his mat and walk away he did just that!
ii. He acted on God’s spoken word and left the realm of sickness and crossed over to the realm of healing!
iii. This man stepped out of his comfort zone of 38 years and moved into a new zone with the Lord Jesus Christ!
T.S. – Some healings are hindered because they are a choice on our part and we chose to not be healed and at other times healings comes but the path to the healing can seem rather strange and some decide not to walk that path.
II. Healing sometimes takes strange and unusual steps but we have to choose to obey the direction of the Lord.
a. Case in point a man named Naaman.
i. 2 Kings 5:1-27: 1Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.2Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5“By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” 8When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” 11But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 13Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. 15Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.”16The prophet answered, “As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. 17“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the LORD. 18But may the LORD forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this. 19“Go in peace,” Elisha said. After Naaman had traveled some distance, 20Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” 21So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked. 22“Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’” 23“By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left. 25Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha. “Where have you been, Gehazi?” Elisha asked. “Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered. 26But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? 27Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.
1. Naaman was King Aram’s general and had led his army to many victories but he had a problem he was a leper.
a. According to Luke 4:27 we are told that no one had been healed of leprosy in this day except for Naaman an exception to the era of the time of Elisha.
b. Naaman discovers from his wife that there is a a mighty prophet in the land of Samaria named Elisha and he hears that he has healing power.
c. Naaman goes to the king to ask if he could go find this healing prophet and be healed in the land of Israel. The king agrees and writes a letter to the other king who gets mad and angry thinking it is a trick!
d. Naaman sets out on his journey toward healing and Elisha hears of his desire and tells the king of Israel to send him to him.
e. Naaman shows up in grand style to meet the healing prophet, but is a bit surprised to find a humble servant who tells him to go wash in the muddy Jordan River seven times.
i. Naaman gets mad and thinks this is so stupid!
1. You cannot get healed this way!
ii. Naaman wanted the quick fix laying on of hands and instant healing – washing in the river was a waste of time to get a healing from leprosy.
iii. Naaman actually refused to follow the plan for his healing from the prophet.
1. How about you?
a. Are you like Naaman where everything has to align with your thinking?
b. Are you refusing to follow the plan of God for your healing because it seems foolish?
c. Are you thinking that you deserve a better plan?
2. The truth is if Naaman would have never obeyed then he would never have been healed!
a. He had to do it God’s way no matter how foolish it sounded to get his healing!
b. We also must follow God’s plan for healing an lose our own plan for healing.
3. Because Naaman did what God wanted him to do he was the only person in this era to be healed of leprosy!
b. God could instantly heal you like he did the man at the pool of Bethesda but may be God is telling you that He has a specific path He wants you to walk down to receive your healing.
i. So don’t be discouraged, don’t lose hope in your healing find out the path the Lord wants you to take and walk it out – take the journey toward healing today – take the first step!
1. Do you need to forgive someone?
2. Do you need to repent of some sin?
3. Do you need to take a certain action?
4. Do you need to believe?
5. Do you need to obey?
6. Do you need to change the direction of your life?
7. Do you need to _____________________________?
c. Healing is a choice and sometimes god tells us that we must choose to follow His directions for our healing – are you willing?
i. He is willing to heal if we are willing to obey!
T.S. – Healing can take and unusual path but it’s all rooted in the act of obedience are you willing to do what God has called you to do? Healing can also be hindered by our mindsets and they needs to be changed so as to receive our healing.
III. Healing is a choice and sometimes the healing does not come because of our mindsets.
a. Romans 12:1, 2: “1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
i. Joyce Meyer has written a great book which addresses this subject of the battlefield of the mind.
1. In her book called “Battlefield of the Mind” she makes this statement, “I want to impress on you the absolute necessity of getting your thinking in line with God’s Word” (page 27). She also adds, “Let me put it another way: If we think fleshly thoughts, wrong thoughts, negative thoughts, we cannot walk in the Spirit. It seems as if renewed, God-like thinking is a vital necessity to a successful Christian life” (27).
a. Proverbs 23:7: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…”
b. Romans 8:5-7: “5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.”
2. She challenges us to think like God thinks to see things the way God see’s things!
b. I believe that this text points to the biggest hindrance to healing for many people today – it’s their own mindset.
i. They have a point of view that has an eternal perspective and a Biblical world view rather than a corrupt self-centered mindset.
Conclusion:
The final challenge taken from Stephen Arterburn’s book Healing is a Choice pages 220-223: I am going to read you a challenge that you need to consider this morning to determine that you are going to follow the path to healing in your Body, Soul and Spirit.
See handouts from the book!
Closing Video Illustration; Clip from “The Finger of God”
