The Unclean Spirit of Infirmity
The Unclean Spirit of Infirmity
(Luke 13:10-13)
Introduction:
Read: Luke 13:10-11 (sickness/infirmity)
Infirmity – means she had a disease /sickness
The interesting thing is that this infirmity is the result other than natural causes
Point:
If you went to a doctor with the condition this woman had (scoliosis) / Curvature of the spine
(Recommendation) – preventive treatments (things to strengthen your bones / calcium
Because as you age you become more susceptible to this condition
So here is this woman (but her condition of scoliosis was not caused by natural causes)
In fact in V16 Jesus says it was caused by Satan.
Luke calls it a spirit of infirmity.
Now, the reason this is important is because we want to talk about the spirit of infirmity
And the spirit of infirmity is one of the unclean spirits
Body:
Point:
Church, I don’t want you to be fooled or deceived (Unclean spirits are real)
Satan is real. Demonic activity is real.
(Reference) – Zechariah 13:1-2 (Do three things) / These things prevent us from progressing
Now, the reason we are looking at this woman is we are dealing with the spirit of infirmity
Read: Luke 13:10-11 (and you can have the spirit of infirmity for a long time)
And when you have the spirit of infirmity it will evidence itself.
And her case, she was bent over (bent double)
(Illustrate) – Visualize someone with scoliosis
So here is this woman and she has been like this for 18 years
(V12) – Jesus sees her (unsolicited) / Normally people come to Him
But the emphasis is Jesus knew something about this woman
Church, Jesus knows you. (There people around you may not know) – But God knows
Now, we don’t know how she became like this, but there is the understanding of old times
That if you had a physical ailment that it was the result of something sinful you had done.
We don’t know what she had done, but we know that she knows and Jesus knows
Point:
Maybe Jesus sees her and says, woman you have suffered long enough
Because even with her sickness, look where she is. She is in the synagogue worshipping God
It probably took her a long time to get dressed (bent over) but she wanted to be with God
She has been sick for 18 years (bent over for 18 years)
I can’t imagine being bent over for 18 years
When you sit down (bent over)
When you stand up (bent over)
When you lay down (bent over)
She is bent over, but look where she is.
Point:
She did not use her infirmity (sickness) as an excuse not to go to the synagogues on the Sabbath day morning.
Point:
And yet we can make so many excuses why not to come and worship on the Lord’s day.
But, you don’t know, it could be that Sunday that you don’t won’t to be here
That the Lord may be ready to release you from the infirmity.
Point:
In old times it was considered that if you had a disease or sickness that it was due to sin
But, let’s be clear. Every disease or sickness is not necessarily the result of sin /unclean spirit
(Reference) – John 9:1-3
Point:
Now, every sickness (disease / ailment) is not the result of sin
There are some diseases that are just diseases
But there are some diseases (sicknesses) that you get because of the unclean spirit
Read: Luke 6:17-18 (Some came to be healed of their disease
Others were the result of demonic activity
So, while all diseases are not the result of an unclean spirit / Some are.
Point:
Now, church there are some passages that we have read for a long time and looked over
When the bible is making it clear that your disobedience opens the door to an unclean spirit
(Reference) – I Cor. 11:23-27 (So you can partake of the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner
And when you partake in an unworthy manner, you profane the worship
(V27) – How many of you took communion this morning
And there are times when we take, we see it just as crackers and juice (give it babies)
But if you are a child of God, you need to pay more attention to what you are doing.
Because when you take it in an unworthy manner you are profaning the worship
And you open a door to physical infirmities.
(V27-30) (What is the spirit of infirmity? Always sick)
(Paul) – Profane the worship and you open the door to an unclean spirit
And in the worship we are all connected to one another (so don’t profane the worship)
(Reference) – I Cor. 5:1 (Immorality can be a door to the spirit of infirmity)
(V5) – Put him out and then he no longer has the protection of Christ
Now, if you have the spirit of infirmity, part of the antedote is to
- Know how you got it
- Lean to pray (James 5:13-14)