Jesus the Healer – Spiritual and Physical
Theme: Showing the importance of getting people to Jesus.
Text: Luke 5:17-26
Luke 5:17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
This was a committee of people that had come to “observe” Jesus. They did not come to listen to His message as much to try to find what was wrong. Their heart was not prepared to receive the message.
Parable of the Sower: Is your heart prepared?
Wayside – birds ate
Stoney ground – no root, scorched by the sun
Thorns – choked by the weeds
Good ground – prepared or open
Why is this important?
“And the power of the Lord was present to heal them”
This is good. There was healing in the house but the hearts had to be open to receive it.
(18) Then behold, men (4 Men according to Mark 2:1 – 12) brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. (19) And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.
Now we are introduced to the paralyzed man. We are not told how he got here, just the fact that he is here. Paralyzed by circumstances, paralyzed by the world and not able to get out.
People outside the church are paralyzed:
1. From hurt of or criticism of the church
2. From conviction
3. From fear of rejection
But thank God for 4 men who was willing to help. Four men who were willing to not leave their friend in the same condition they found him. Four men who were willing to have enough faith in Jesus that they had enough faith for their friend.
Seekers
Believers
Determiners –
Unsatisfied
Four men who were willing to remove the obstacles.
It is never easy:
1. Sometimes you have to remove the obstacles
2. Sometimes you have to carry people
3. Sometimes you have to be patient
4. Sometimes you have to go to the extreme
This man needed more than money or provision he needed a radical life change. He needed someone who would believe Jesus again. Someone who saw him more than a burden but someone whom God could heal.
Jesus in John 4: “the field is white with harvest but the labors are few”
(20) When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."
Their faith
To get him to Jesus
Matthew 9:2 Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven."
“be of good cheer” “
Jesus said have joy when we help one another. Jesus is passing by.
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
Why forgive sins first?
1. This was his greatest need. (In his life, in our life, and in your life)
2. Maybe this disease/brokenness came from sin.
3. Jesus wants to start from within first. “From the Inside Out”
Good Samaritan (These four friends remind me of the Good Samaritian story in Luke 10:33 -34).
“But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him” (Luke 10:33-34)
Saw him
Had compassion on him
Went to him
Bound up his wounds
Set him on his own beast
Brought him to a place of hope
Took care of him - discipleship
Jesus has to power to forgive sins, Why?
1. He is God
2. He died for our sins
“What Jesus was doing in healing people was not simply performing miracles, which is usually defined as violating or nullifying natural laws, but rather He was showing by these healing miracles that He was restoring a lost order. Disease and death were not natural to God’s creation, they were violations of it. The natural order was what God had created but had been ruined. Jesus was able to get behind the problem and deal with sin first, and then its effects. And as we said before, these individual miracles that He performed in His earthly ministry were signs of what He would do at the second coming when He restores the lost order of creation in full.” – Bible.org 12. Authority to Forgive Sins
Can Jesus forgive sins? Then and now
Then – Only God alone can forgive sins by faith in God and sacrifice
Turning to the Old Testament, we find other people whose sins were forgiven before Jesus died on the cross. David prayed for forgiveness (Psalm 51:2) and received it. “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven” (Psalm 32:1). As he touched Isaiah with a coal from the altar, an angel declared the prophet’s forgiveness: “Your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7). The atonement provided by the animal sacrifices resulted in forgiveness (Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31, 35).” – God questions “How could Jesus say “Your sins are forgiven,” before He died on the cross?
Now
We know that God forgives sins on the basis of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross (Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:7).
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
(21) And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Who all the scribes and the Pharisees? They were the religious leaders (notice that term “religious leaders”) who, instead of listening to Jesus’ healing and life changing words were listening for faults.
Just think they had seen many people healed and God was doing miraculous work in their midst, yet they are focused on whether or not he was following their theology.
The same religious leaders passed by the Samaritan in the ditch because they did not want to “get their hands dirty”. They did not want to “stoop” down. In other words they forgot where they came from. They forgot that they were robbed of their joy, peace, forgiveness, hope but someone intervened.
The book of Deuteronomy was that to the Jews. A book reminding them not to forget. All the acts that God has done for them, don’t forget.
How you forgotten where you came from? Have you forgotten what it took to get you where you are?
(22) But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts? (23) "Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'? (24) "But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"; He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
That is enough said right there. Jesus knew their thoughts. Wow! We are not fooling God.
Confirmation of the Messiah. Isaiah 61 and Luke 4
John the Baptist
Matthew 11:2-5 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples (3) and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" (4) Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: (5) The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
(25) Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
Immediately the man go up and took his bed. He comes in lying on the bed and leaves carrying it.
That is the power of God. Immediately healed.
Notice his testimony.
(26) And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"
Two results of this miracle.
1. They glorified God
They praised God for what he had done. This is important because there are other times in scripture where people didn’t praise God. Ten lepers were healed and one comes back.
2. They were filled with fear
You see when you see things happen it can cause you to fear. When you see the power of God at work you have to change.
That is what Isaiah ran into. He saw God high and lifted up. He saw His Glory. He saw the seraphims praise the Lord with words of Holy! Holy! Holy!. So he has to change and yell out, “Woe is me I am a man undone. I am a man of unclean lips.”
Conclusion
Three things (salvation, miracles & healings) we will be praying for.
First, I will be praying for salvations.
Second, I will be praying for you. If you have a need, a miracle or a healing and you would come and say, “I believe that God will heal it tonight”. Then I want you to come and stand on my right side.
Third, I will be praying with those who are willing to be like these four me. People who would say, “Pastor today I want to intercede for someone. I want to pray for them. I believe God can heal them. I am also willing to go and pray for them with this prayer cloth.” I want you to stand on my left side.
Season of Expectation: Easter, Mother’s Day, Family Day
