Jesus, Healer

The Life Of Jesus

Message 4“Jesus The Healer”

LBC 2018-11-03

Mark Dell “Good morning, my name is Mark Dell, Senior Pastor here at Legacy Bible Church. I would like to welcome all of you here today. And I would also like to welcome those who are listening online too as we know people listen online if they can’t make it or if they haven’t made it yet. We look forward to meeting you soon.

Jab 1 (Funny or bizarre story about Change your thinking)

You know the tax season is upon us and for many folks this time of year is the time when they get to splurge a little bit on some things. They have received their tax refunds and they want to put some money toward something.

Some people are going to spend some of their tax refunds on cars. We have some folks in the car industry here this morning. There is probably a jump in car sales this time of year.

You see the mattresses going on sale this time of year.

I read a statistic that says that 20 percent of people will put their return in the bank or pay off some kind of debt. That is good. Next in line is where it gets fun when it comes to people purchasing a new car or a new boat. They spend that extra cash on things that they want. Not always on things they need.

The difference between peoples ideas of needs and wants can get a little fuzzy can’t it? Especially if you really try to figure out what a need is verses what a want is..

Do you know what the 5 needs are? Air, Water, Food Shelter and sleep. Those are our most basic and elemental needs. I might add coffee on to the list. See! I did it right there, our needs are in there.

But we look at our wants and we elevate them and begin to think of them as needs. But the thing about the list of needs and wants we have isn’t always the same. The list of needs and wants changes. I needed a vcr when they came out until they came out with a dvd until they came out with a Blu Ray. I don’t even know if there is anythign else out yet, please don’t tell me.

But those lists change.

Think about the Christmas list you had as a kid versus the Christmas list you had this year.

Jab 2 (Another funny story relatable to change your thinking)

When I was a kid I really wanted a stretch armstrong. I really did. I wanted to be able to pull on that thing and change its shape. I got one too. It was awesome, played with it all the time until of course I pulled it so hard that that jelly stuff came out of it.

But I really wanted that stretch armstrong and I needed it. I needed it.

There’s a great story that my siblings and I recall. My little sister, when she was probably 7 or 8 opened up one of her gifts which was a watch. Now you know how the watch boxes are? You know how the watch is kind of hidden in plastic? Well, my sister really thought that she got a box for a watch. And she was really excited about it, actually. She said, “wow, I am glad I have a box for my watch now”. It was hilarious.

But the things we wanted for Christmas, if we have the chance to see the lists every year growing up we would notice pretty quickly that the list changes. The list you had when you were 10 is different from the list you have now isn’t it?

My Christmas list changes. Don’t yours? They change don’t they?

Now I am thinking, man, new tires for the van would be nice. New tires Santa? Or a new van!

Or, hey honey, we really need a new dishwasher, lets give each other a dishwasher for Christmas! Our lists change as we get older don’t they?

As we mature, our wants actually begin to become more of what we need. As we get a better understanding in life our desires are more lined up with what we need.

Jab 3 (Why I am passionate about the big idea and why embracing it matters so much.

I think it is so important that we distinguish between our wants and our needs. And we understand that since our list of wants seems to change, we need to grow in our maturity to know the difference between needs and wants.

A mature Christian begins to want the needs instead of needing the wants. Not my will but yours…

Remember that prayer that we talked about last week? When you get to a place where you really trust God you trust him with His will instead of yours? Remember that? Thy will be done, not my will but thy will be done.

It might seem strange but we are talking about Jesus the healer today in our Life of Jesus series. Jesus is our healer, he really is. And...

Right Hook

Today’s story is an incredible example of how Jesus can meet our wants and our needs? Turn in your bibles to…

where we will be talking about how Jesus gets to the heart of the matter when it comes to healing.

ESV

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Jesus is just coming back to town. He had healed a man of leprosy and told him not to tell anyone but the guy did and so Jesus had to stay away for a little while.

Jesus didn’t want to be the traveling healer, He healed, but he had a greater purpose in mind.

So Jesus comes back to town and some think that he was in Peter’s house, doesn’t really matter but the place is packed. I mean really crowded. So crowded that people couldn’t get it. They were standing outside the door it was so crowded. And we are told that Jesus was speaking the word. He was preaching.

Now of course Jesus had a reputation of healing and so we are told that there were 4 men who carried a paralytic, a paralysed person to Jesus, presumably to heal him.

They can’t get in the door. They can’t get in the window. So these guys are resourceful. They carry the mat, the pallet up to the roof and they start digging through the roof to get the guy down to Jesus.

The roofs of these houses were basically just grass with some clay and grass could actually grow on top of your roof. But they dig through and plop him right in front of Jesus.

Can you imagine what that would have looked like? So Jesus does something incredible.

ESV

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

What? Your sins are forgiven? What does THAT mean? Why did Jesus say that? Jesus, um, you did something wrong. We didn’t mean to bring him to be forgiven. We wanted you to heal him. He needs his legs to work, Jesus.

We didn’t bring him for that we brought him for new legs. These men believed in healing. They really did.

That line that Jesus saw their faith and forgave sins, it doesn’t mean that the faith of the 4 men saved the guy. It means that they had faith that Jesus could do something in his life, but that guy needed help getting in front of Jesus.

They loved that man and they knew that the answer was Jesus and they desperately got him there. And when the people got in the way they found another way. When the roof got in the way they tore through it! They wouldn’t let anything get in the way of that man getting to the feet of Jesus.

We need more of that today. We need people who will bring others to the feet of Jesus, not because their faith will save the person, but so the person can get at the feet of Jesus!

They knew that Jesus could heal the man and nothing got in their way to get their friend or relative there.

Who needs your help getting here? Who do you know who needs a touch from Jesus? We need more stretcher carriers like these men. Is there someone who comes to YOUR mind right now that should be here?

Sometimes God gives you the responsibility of getting people here. Do it for their souls! Do it so they can get at the feet of Jesus!

Invite them, if they don’t have a ride, say “I will come pick you up” . I will bring you , you can sit with me.

It’s important. Make them feel guilty if you have to. Isn’t it worth the truth?

Here is a challenge for you, Easter is coming up soon and people seem to be willing to come for Easter. So invite them. Make it a big deal. That’s your homework for this week. Invite someone to church this week.

So Jesus does throw a little curve ball. Verse 5 says your sins are forgiven and verse 6 is the reaction by the Pharisees. (the jewish religious leaders who were not exactly happy with Jesus)

ESV

Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Now remember. This is important. in this culture it was believed, wrongly that a person who had an illness that was chronic; blindness, deafness, leprosy, paralysis; it was believed that they were in that condition because of sin in their life. It was believed that because they had sinned they received this punishment.

We know from Jesus’ words in other parts of the bible that this isn’t the case. But that was the thinking.

So Jesus wants to make a point. And of course Jesus knew what they were thinking and so he decides to play them at their own game.

The Pharisees said—in their hearts—only God can forgive sins. And so Jesus says. What do you think is easier to say? Your sins are forgiven, or to say Rise, take up your bed and walk?

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins he said to the paralytic rise, pick up your bed and go home..

And it happens!

Guess what? Jesus says, I can forgive sins. Here is the proof (according to your ideas). Get up and walk.

The Rabbis had a saying, ‘There is no sick man healed of his sickness until all his sins have been forgiven him.

Yup, guess who just forgave this mans sins? Jesus did!

The Gospel of Mark The Unanswerable Argument (

The experts in the law were caught at their own game. Their own stated beliefs was that the man could not be cured, unless he was forgiven. He was cured, therefore he was forgiven. Therefore, Jesus’ claim to forgive sin must be true.

And so this blew the minds of the pharisees who thought they knew everything. They arrogantly thought they had a handle on everything and Jesus just turned it upside down.

Again, the paralytic was brought to be healed but he received so much more. He thought he came to get his legs back but he actually had his sins forgiven.

He was looking to walk and he did, but he got so much more. They were looking at Jesus to heal his want and Jesus did, but he also healed his need.

There are so many times when we sell Jesus short of who He actually his. I include myself with this when I say that our requests of Him can be shallow and ultimately meaningless.

Sometimes we spend so much time on our wants when we actually need to be praying our needs.

I don’t know how many prayers I have prayed that are shallow and selfish. I mean really selfish.

I have heard of people who are praying to win the lottery because more money will solve all of their problems.

Jesus wants so much more for you and for me and it begins with us changing our minds about who Jesus is. Changing our minds about who Jesus is in our lives.

We need to change our ideas about Jesus being a Santa Claus for us, or a big brother who will help us out. And we need to understand and figure out that what I want from Jesus could very well be different from what I need from Jesus.

What I want from Jesus many times is different from what I need from Jesus. Are you with me on that?

I want the easy way out, I want this relationship to be magically fixed.

I guarantee that what Jesus wants for you and for me is better than anything that you can think up for yourself or get for yourself.

In our story today, 4 guys carried the crippled man in and desperately worked to put him in front of Jesus so that their friend could be healed the way they desired their friend to get healed.

They got him there and then they let Jesus do what Jesus does.

And Jesus did something different than what they thought He was going to do. They thought they knew what the man needed and they were partially right.

And you know sometimes Jesus does heal the way he asks. Praise God for that. Sometimes Jesus acts exactly the way we want in the way he heals. But sometimes he doesn’t.

Sometimes the sick don’t get better. Sometimes God says no...

Paul talks about an ailment. The apostle Paul, wrote most of the New Testament Paul. Asked God on three occasions to heal the thorn in his side, whatever that was. He was a believer, he had a ton of faith. He knew God and you know what God said to Paul when Paul asked over and over and over again.

He said, Paul, my grace is sufficient for you. My grace is sufficient. You don’t need that healing, my grace is sufficient enough.

And those can be difficult words. But if God says no doesn’t it make it maybe a little bit easier? Doesn’t it help to know that you are in God’s arms with this situation?

This is what I want you to leave with. Jesus knows what you need, all you need to do is show up. This is supposed to be a sermon on Jesus’ healing and it really is.

But before Jesus heals the man physically he takes care of the other need first, the more pressing need for him.

Jesus shows us what is really important first in this story. It is the soul. It is about being forgiven. Only Jesus can do that. Only God can forgive. You even hear the Pharisees talk about that. Only God can forgive, and they were right.

We need that ultimate healing from Jesus and we can only get that healing when we get at His feet, before Him, in His presence. That is where it all happens, at the feet of Jesus. We need to be in His presence if he is going to take care of us.

We get confused into thinking that we know what we need but let’s think about that. Many times when it comes to healing we think that healing looks like the fever breaking, or it looks like the cancer will go away. And yes, by all means. Jesus does that. He did it all the time. He made blind men see, He made crippled people walk, He brought dead people to life and made little kids get better. We don’t discount that. He still does that.

But we also know how important the soul is to Jesus and in our story today we see that Jesus first healed him of his sins, to show what was truly important, to show where real ultimate healing begins.

And to prove His authority and his dominion he then healed the man physically so that he could walk and that is what he did. Jesus told him to get up and pick up his mat and walk home.

This week, lets to go away from here understanding that we need to get before Jesus. We need to get at His feet. What does that mean? It means that we don’t get bogged down with our stuff.

It means that we look at Jesus as the healer and we trust Him in how he is healing us. We trust him with the understanding that my wants aren’t always my needs.

Let’s look to the savior as the one who heals us where He wants to be healed.

Do we still pray for personal healing? Do we still pray for the healing of our friends and our families and our friends? Of course we do. But let us get our priorities straight and look to the One who can heal us eternally!

His Name is Jesus. And I invite you to be right before Him today. I don’t want you to pray for a physical healing for yourself or even others if you haven’t been forgiven of your sin from the only one who can heal your sin.

Come to Him today.

Message 4“Jesus The Healer”

“Jesus The Healer”LBC 2018-11-03

LBC 2018-11-03

Mark Dell “Good morning, my name is Mark Dell, Senior Pastor here at Legacy Bible Church. I would like to welcome all of you here today. And I would also like to welcome those who are listening online too as we know people listen online if they can’t make it or if they haven’t made it yet. We look forward to meeting you soon.

Jab 1 (Funny or bizarre story about Change your thinking)

paradigm shifting everybody

Jab 2 (Another funny story relatable to change your thinking)

Jab 3 (Why I am passionate about the big idea and why embracing it matters so much.

I get really passionate about reality. Don’t get me wrong. I am happy to escape by watching a movie that makes absolutely no sense at all. I don’t always need a good dialogue or for everything to work out right scientifically so there are times I enjoy that.

But don’t you get really excited about getting to the bottom of something? Don’t you really want to know what is really happening?

Right Hook

Turn in your bibles to where we will be talking about how Jesus gets to the heart of a particular matter when it comes to healing.

Mark 2:1–12 ESV