I. An Issue For God: Text: Luke 8:40-48
A. If you have an issue today for God, the Word gives you 5 virtues that you need in your life that will cause Jesus to stop along the way and touch you, along with two principles that you must avoid.
B. I call these 7 principles the 3:16 Structure.
1. First, we must define the word ‘issue.’
2. Of course, in the case of our story, it means to ‘flow.’ When it states that she had an ‘issue of blood,’ it means that she had an irregular, constant blood flow problem.
3. However you want to look at it, it was certainly a problem that only Jesus could fix.
4. Therefore, today, we are going to look at the word ‘issue’ from the dictionary’s definition. The word means ‘subject; question; or topic of concern.’ So, today I ask you, my sermon title asks you, do you have an issue for God?
C. If so, let’s begin to look at…
II. The 3:16 Structure
A. Virtue #1 ~ He has called us to Salvation
1. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ”
2. Many of you are fortunate enough today to have this basic foundation of faith. For without it, the remainder of this sermon is not necessary.
3. Notice, it is apparent that, while she knew of Jesus, this woman didn’t know Him as Lord and Savior before she went to Him.
4. Notice in verse number 48 He says, “…Your faith has made you well.” But in the KJV it says, “…Thy faith hath made thee whole.” This implies a total transformation. Not just a physical healing but a spiritual one as well.
5. So, Jesus cleansed her spiritually so that He could cleanse her physically.
6. We must have this 3:16 principle foundation before we can expect God to do anything further in our life!
7. Jesus paid the price for our healing, but healing is reserved for those who are in covenant with God!
B. What Caused Jesus to Stop and Heal This Issue?
1. The faith of the woman.
2. Notice Jesus said it was her faith that made her whole.
3. Without faith we cannot even receive salvation.
4. She believed in Jesus and believed He could heal her infirmity.
5. She had so much faith that Jesus stopped on His way to an emergency to heal her!
6. The first virtue we must have is salvation!
C. Virtue #2 ~ He has called us to Sanctification (Holiness)
1. I Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”
2. Some may have salvation, but they are a far cry from sanctification.
3. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church later and said, “I die daily.” (I Corinthians 15:31)
4. Some of us feel like we’re honoring God by dying spiritually once a year. Or once every two or three weeks.
5. We’ve become no different than the Easter and Christmas people!
(By the way, what do you call a non-churchgoer? A “Seventh-Day Absentist.”)
6. We, too, must die daily. That is true sanctification.
7. To be sanctified is to be set apart from the world, and to God!
8. Holiness is what I’m talking about. Does the world see that you are different?
9. Not only does God know, but also do you know and does everyone around you know? If so, that’s what holiness/sanctification is all about!
10. Leviticus 20:7 “Sanctify yourselves, therefore, and be ye holy for I am the Lord your God. ”
11. I Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, ‘Be ye holy; for I am holy. ’” (Peter is quoting Leviticus 11:44).
12. Notice it doesn’t say ‘try’ and be holy. Because you and I are made in His image, we are holy. So what is unholiness…being holy but not acting like it! Or, being godly but not acting like it. Being in His image, but not acting like it!
13. So, the second virtue to posses, after salvation, is sanctification.
D. Virtue #3 ~ He has called us to Servantood
1. Colossians 3:16 “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
2. God has called each saved person – those who have been saved by grace and are in the daily process of sanctification – to servanthood.
3. We cannot expect God to continue to just throw out daily manna unless we’ve learned to trust in His Word by obeying it.
4. When we cease to obey His command and become as He did, a lowly servant, we will never advance in the kingdom!
5. Notice, our 3:16 verse says, from the beginning, to ‘let the Word of God live in you!
6. If it’s not in you, you cannot admonish others with it!
7. David said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. ” (Psalm 66:18)
8. He also said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11).
9. Once you have His Word in your heart, not only will it cause you to flee sin, it will also bring about an inner desire to sing! It causes one to want to share what’s inside their heart with someone else!
10. So, He’s called us to the following virtues so far. He’s called us to salvation, then to sanctification, then to servanthood. Next…
E. Virtue #4 ~ He calls us to the Scriptures (The Word of God)
1. II Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
2. Some of the church would think (and possibly even say), ‘Do you mean to tell me the Word of God is to be used to bring about reproof and correction? You better believe it.
3. And, if you have never been reproved or rebuked and corrected by God’s Word, either you haven’t listened to any sermon ever in your life, or, worse yet, you’ve never actually read His Word!
4. The Word gives you that basis for spiritual growth. Not only does it give you the blessed riches and jewels speaking of righteousness, peace and joy, but it also gives us, the believers, the correction that we need. The Scriptures are not only the staff of the shepherd but they can also be the rod!
5. If you don’t have the Word in your life everyday, you’re going to die spiritually.
6. You see, not everyone that Jesus performed a miracle for will always serve Him!
7. Remember, for instance, the demon-possessed men at Gaderenes that Jesus healed?
1. Matthew 8 gives us the best rendition. It says:
“When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gaderenes, there me Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Now a good ways off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, ‘If you cast us out, permit us to go away into the heard of swine.’ (Notice they had to ask. They have not authority or sustenance without God). And He said to them, ‘Go.’ So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.”
2. There are a few key things to recognize from this 3:16 virtue.
3. They are:
(a) Demons are week at the presence of God! They must ask permission to do things!
(b) The pigs didn’t want to go back to where they had come from. (The Pit).
(c) Demons only like dry places! (Spiritually, of course). They didn’t want to go to the sea, either.
(d) And, the last important item to remember about this verse is this, in question form: if the demons went into the pigs, does that make them deviled ham?
4. So, we need salvation, we need sanctification, we need to become servants, and, so far, we need to learn the importance of the Scripture in our lives. Whether it’s encouraging us or convicting us, we need God’s Word!!!!
F. Finally, the last virtue to posses, #5 ~ He calls us to Sacrifice
1. I John 3:16 “Bu this we know love, that He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
2. This was something that the disciples even had a hard time with.
3. If it came down to it, would you give your life in order to spare someone else’s?
4. Jesus did! And, it’s a good thing too, cuz, if He hadn’t there would be no salvation. And, if no salvation, no need for sanctification.
5. So, in all, He’s called us to these 5 3:16 virtues:
Salvation, Sanctification, Scriptures and Sacrfice.
G. Next we are going to look at the 2 elements we must avoid!
H. Avoid Strife
1. James 3:16 “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”
2. Strife causes division. Strife is not to be played with!
3. Strife causes dissension!
4. Strife is nothing more than true, ungodly discord.
5. We must avoid strife at all costs.
6. It’s not an easy one to avoid as it specifically targets those who are being tempted to ‘take matter in their own hands!’ That’s exactly what the devil would want you to do…take your problems into your own hands. No, don’t do that! Give them to Him! He can heal you today! He can deliver you today! If you simply let Him.
7. Think about it for a moment. How is it that we can so easily fall into an argument to the extent that discontent and strife begin!? I’m not sure why, I just know God has the solution! We must let Him take this issue of ours and heal it in His own name! He can do that today.
8. Don’t let your issue become someone else’s issue as well!
9. Give it to God!
I. Finally, the 2nd element to avoid is Self-Righteousness
1. Revelation 3:16 “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”
Do You Have An Issue for God Today?
Let Him Handle It!
