Luke Series #64 April 28, 2002
Title: Hope For The Hurting
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Introduction: Welcome to New life in Christ. On Sunday mornings we are currently going through the book of Luke verse-by-verse, as is our practice also for the Wednesday evening service in the book of Romans and in the Sunday morning Bible study at 9:00 a.m. in the book of Genesis. We are presently in Luke Chapter 13.
Read Luke 13:10-17
Bum Phillips, former coach of the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) once made the comment, "There are two types of coaches in the NFL: them that have been fired, and them that are gonna be fired." His statements applies to our topic today as well. There are two types of people in the world. Those who have been hurt, and those who will be hurt. We can’t escape it. Neither can we avoid it. At some time or another, we’ll all get hurt. When you make a commitment to follow Christ, you don’t receive an exemption from getting hurt.
Source www.sermonnotes.com “Hope For Those Who Hurt” by Steve May.
Even though all of us will experience hurts, sometimes very deep hurts, in life, we do not have to lose hope. Jesus offers hope to the hurting. Why is there hope for the hurting? Why can you be encouraged even if you are currently enduring a seemingly hopeless situation? This narrative text in Luke shows of three reasons there is hope for the hurting.
I. Jesus Notices And Cares for Hurting People.
II. Jesus Is Powerful Enough To Heal Hurting People.
III. Jesus Explains That Satan, Not God, Is The Cause of Hurting People.
Before I begin to explain and expound these three reasons as they are found in our Scripture text today, I want to briefly explain this woman’s condition. In verse 11 the Bible says that she was crippled, bent over and could not straighten up at all and that she had been this way for eighteen years.
Medically, this disease is probably what physician’s today would call Marie-Strümpell Disease, a fusion of the spinal bones. Early in the course of the disease, sufferers often find that the pain is relieved somewhat when they lean forward. So they often go through the day leaning slightly forward, and gradually their spine begins to fuse. The more they lean in order to relieve the pain, the greater the angle, until a patient might be bent almost double, as the lady in our story.
Source: Healing the Woman with a Bent Back
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson www.jesuswalk.com
What a terrible disease! Wreaking havoc on every aspect of her life: physically, emotionally, financially, spiritually, etc. Her hurts and bondage is symbolic of all of our hurts and needs. The way Jesus responded to her hurts is the way we can expect Him to respond to hurting people today. There is hope for the hurting because…
I. Jesus Notices And Cares for Hurting People.
Read Verses 10-12
One of the first things I want you to observe in these verses is that Jesus was not indifferent to the hurt, pain and despair this woman was going through. She did not go unnoticed by Jesus. He has an eye for the hurting. He noticed and called to her even though there is no record that she ever approached him. He reached out to her in the midst of her pain because He is aware and concerned with her hurts and all of our hurts.
This was not a typical way to conduct the synagogue service! Jesus response to her was not socially expected or even accepted. Women in that culture were generally thought little of and usually ignored. Why then did Jesus take notice of her and make a point to respond to her need immediately and publicly? Because Jesus notices and cares for hurting people! He has great compassion on those who are burdened, depressed, overwhelmed, and often ignored by people in general.
Yes, Jesus cares for all people but those who were hurting always seemed to receive special attention and responses from Him. In New Testament times women, lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, and widows were the most oppressed, ignored, hurting, and hopeless of people yet these are the very people to whom Jesus ministered most often and most powerfully. Why?
I. Jesus Notices And Cares for Hurting People.
You do not ever need to think that Jesus is not aware of your situation or unmoved by your tears. Jesus is not indifferent to or willing to ignore your pain. Some people have an erroneous idea that God does not take personal and emotional interest in us petty humans. This just isn’t the truth. Jesus expressed compassion for the hurting on numerous occasions and He is the perfect expression of God the Father. Through His life we know that God cares deeply for hurting people. You may not understand many things that you are going through or why your prayers go unanswered but you can be confident that God notices and cares about your pain.
We have a Lord who notices the hurting and has compassion on the burdened. As His followers we have the responsibility to do the same! We should not be indifferent to the hurting or unresponsive to the sorrowful and troubled. When we gather we should take the time to give attention and sympathy toward those in need. When we pray we should care enough to genuinely pray for those who are hurting, confused, sick or in pain. Hurting people should not be an afterthought in our prayers or our daily lives rather they should be our first priority.
Read Verses 14,15
We will come back to verse 12 in a moment but first I want to point out that this text also teaches us that Jesus expects us to have the same attitude of compassion toward the hurting as He does. In these two verses we see that Jesus rebuked those who ignored hurting people. This religious leader was more focused on religious rules and maintaining the order of service than in ministering to hurting people. He had no joy, no praise, and no relief at this woman’s healing. Jesus was greatly angered by this uncaring, indifferent response.
There is a message for us in this text. Jesus is saying, you can have your praise and worship, teachings, and communion but never forget that hurting people matter to God. Make sure you reach out to them. This religious leader basically said to this woman and to the crowd that now is not the time or the place for healing but to comeback at another time. What hypocrisy! She has been this way for eighteen years! You wouldn’t let your animal go without water one day because of religious tradition or scruples why should this "daughter of Abraham", an Israelite, wait another moment? Jesus expects hurting people to be the priority. Jesus cares for the hurting and He insists that we do so also.
Illustration: Six young men were slated to compete against one another in Seattle, Washington. The event was the hundred-yard dash. The men lined up, waited for the starting gun and took off in a sprint. About halfway down the track the man in front stumbled and fell, skinning his hands and knees. The other five men stopped and helped him up. After they brushed him off they decided to finish the race together, holding hands. None of the judges could tell who won the blue ribbon; none of them could see through their tears. No one in the stands that day would ever forget this demonstration of compassion. As the race ended the crowd stood and cheered for 10 minutes. These young men were competing in the Special Olympics; and they showed that they cared more for a hurting friend than for winning a race.
We are to have the same attitude to those who may be hurting in life. We need to stop and help, not proceed with everyday life in hypocritical indifference.
There is hope for you if you are hurting today because God does not forget you and He is not in different to your pain.
I. Jesus Notices And Cares for Hurting People.
II. Jesus Is Powerful Enough To Heal Hurting People.
Read Verses 12,13
Jesus compassion would be nice but of limited comfort and encouragement if that is all that He can offer us. If the only thing Jesus can do is sympathize with us then we are still hopeless. The good news is that Jesus is not only compassionate but He is also powerful! He can heal your hurts; He can lose your bondages, and He can change your situation.
As we see in this story, there is no situation, no matter how bad that is too great for Jesus. This was the worst kind of medical condition. A medical condition that to this day does not have a cure. Yet this did not pose a problem for Jesus. She had also been in this situation a long, long time but again that was not a problem for Jesus. I want you to understand that nothing you are going through or ever will go through is beyond the power of Jesus Christ to heal and restore.
You may have suffered for many years as this woman did but you can still be hopeful. There is hope because there is Jesus. He set this woman free from her infirmity and He can set you free from yours also. Never ever give up hope! No matter what type of problem, hurt, or bondage you may be facing you can be hopeful because...
II. Jesus Is Powerful Enough To Heal Hurting People.
If you are physically sick - He can heal you. If your marriage is troubled - He can restore it. If your ministry is a mess - He can repair it. There is nothing beyond the power of Jesus Christ. I know some of you may have been hurting for a long time and you have lost hope. I know some of you no longer really expect Jesus to supernaturally intervene in your situation or need. I can relate to that discouragement because I’ve been there. I know many of you have questions of God and I cannot answer every question you may have, nevertheless I do encourage you to look at this story and renew your faith and expectations. Let your faith be strengthened by God’s word. Keep your hopes up because Jesus still heals the hurting.
Psalm 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see in fear and put their trust in the Lord.”
There are Christians today who no longer pray for healing because they have lost their faith and don’t think God will heal them. There are Christians today whose marriages are failing yet they have no real expectation for Jesus to restore their marriage because they think it is too late. There are people who have quit serving in ministry out of discouragement because they think their situation is beyond God’s help. Our thinking needs to change if it is like this. We should never lose hope because…
II. Jesus Is Powerful Enough To Heal Hurting People.
So if you have a belief system that excludes God’s power from working in your life, then you need to change your belief system--because it’s based on something other than his Word. God wants to work miracles in your life. Source: www.sermonnotes.com
I. Jesus Notices And Cares for Hurting People.
II. Jesus Is Powerful Enough To Heal Hurting People.
III. Jesus Explains That Satan, Not God, Is The Cause of Hurting People.
Read Verses 15,16
Listen to some of the typical questions I often hear when people are going through hard times: Why is God putting me through this? Why did God give me cancer? Why did God take my child? Why is God breaking apart my family? Many times people assume that God must be behind all of our hurting and that there must be some mysterious divine plan in all of this. How can we have hope in we believe that God is the cause of our hurting? You can’t!
Fortunately there is hope for their hurting because Jesus explains that our hurting is not God’s doing! He clearly says, “Satan (not God) has kept (this women) bound for eighteen long years.” (Vs. 16) In verse 11 Luke also explicitly notes that an evil spirit caused this woman’s physical infirmity.
It is wrong to blame God for all of the bad things in life. The Bible teaches us that Satan is the one who brought pain, suffering and sorrow into the world through sin. God created the world good!
Look at the ministry of Jesus. Much of his ministry was spent healing and easing the suffering of people. Jesus looked upon death and diseases intruders and aliens in God’s world.
The next time something really bad happens to you, don’t be so sure to blame God for that. It might be worth asking “Could this be the work of Satan against me?” Source: STRUGGLING WITH SUFFERING by Mark A. Scott
A couple of things should be noted here to prevent misunderstandings. First, I do believe, as the Bible teaches, that God uses the hurts and pains of life for good purposes. Satan may be behind the hurting but God can take what Satan intended for evil and use it for good. Second I want to point out that sometimes God uses the evils of this world in His punishment of sin. Miriam’s leprosy is one example of this truth.
Having said that, I want to emphasize that in the majority of cases the Bible tells us that Satan is directly or indirectly the explanation for the troubles, pains, and hurts of this world. This is good news and reason for those who are hurting to have hope because it means that God is not against us rather He is for us. There is reason to hope because Jesus is greater than Satan. There is hope for the hurting because…
III. Jesus Explains That Satan, Not God, Is The Cause of Hurting People.
I want to point out that nothing in this text indicates that this woman was demon possessed or demonized. No demon manifested itself, was rebuked or cast out for this reason. In fact in verse 14 the religious leader says that she was “healed” not delivered, and Jesus specifically says in verse 12 that she was “set free from her infirmity (sickness, disease)” I say all this to point out that while a genuine Christian can not be possessed by a demon, they can be attacked by Satan in their bodies, marriages, ministries, finance is etc. When these attacks come we need to recognize the source of them and go to Jesus for healing and strength in His mighty power.
Conclusion: In verse 17 it says that all Jesus opponents were humiliated but that the people were delighted with all the wonderful things He was doing. They were rejoicing because finally they had hope even though they were hurting. You also can rejoice because…
I. Jesus Notices And Cares for Hurting People.
II. Jesus Is Powerful Enough To Heal Hurting People.
III. Jesus Explains That Satan, Not God, Is The Cause of Hurting People.
Closing Prayer.
