Sermon - Laying on of Hands - Things a Christian Ought to Know

Introduction: Welcome to Romaine Park this morning, welcome to everyone joining us here either as a regular or for the first time. We also welcome those who are joining us online. We are so glad that you have joined us today and hope that we will see you here in person in the coming weeks and throughout the year. Well, today, we continue with our series on "Things a Christian ought to know!" While Christianity is not about having all the doctrines down pat, there is a very good reason to have solid teaching so that we can grow. I sincerely want you to know this though, Christianity really is the ultimate "not what you know but who you know". You can know everything about Christianity and still go to hell, because you have to know Jesus. He will say on that final day to many people, some who even did miracles in his name, "Depart from me, for I never knew you!" That is a terrifying statement. Jesus does not deny the miracles, nor that they were done in His name. He denies the person for not knowing Him or being known by Him! Simply put, we must know Jesus, heart to heart not just have head knowledge about Him. But, there are still some things that we need to know. In fact, the early church wouldn't even admit people into the church until that had been catechised... That's not a word that we normally use but Many of you might have grown up in a Catholic or some other traditional church where you went through that process of learning the teachings of the CHURCH. This is often called being Catechised. I need to say right now, I don't want you to know the teachings of the Church. I want you to know the teachings of Jesus. I want you to love Jesus, to follow Jesus and to serve Him with your life. (That sounds a little like our vision doesn't it. Loving God, serving faithfully, reaching faithfully together.) If you haven't met Jesus, well I'd love to introduce you to Him at the end of the service today. Let's take a look at our main passage that we are going through again today. Hebrews 6: 1 - 3 6 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. The early church actually had a document called the Didache - "The Lords teaching or The 2 ways". The way of life versus the way of death. The Didache is 1st century document from around AD 60. Contains teachings of the early church. Possibly written and circulated around Egypt or Syria and seems to have been written by Jewish believers (many in the early church thought that it might have been the 12 apostles or the Early church council in Jerusalem). It is not scripture, it is not something that a Christian must adhere to in order to be a Christian. But it is a good document for us to gain some understanding from about how Christians in the early church discipled others. To Catechise, means to train another person in Christian doctrine through questions and answers. catechise (verb) 1. instruct (someone) in the principles of Christian religion by means of question and answer, typically by using a catechism. Today, I want to look at a foundational doctrine, one that truthfully amazes me that it is in the list. I think if you are honest, you'd probably say the same thing too. Faith - yes that's important. Repentance, well yes, of course. Baptisms - (we'll get to that one next week and out of the order of the text) but its obviously something that Christians ought to know and do. We can also see how many of the rest of them are important even if we haven't taken time to study them or to have been taught them. BUT WHY IS LAYING ON OF HANDS IN THIS LIST? What makes it a foundational doctrine? Today's message, will be more teaching, rather than preaching. I'll give an overview today and then I'll actually post online some teaching lessons from some great Biblical teachers such as Derek Prince and another Pastor, who's teaching that I think was exceptional. I'll post these on our church Facebook page and to our closed group. I'd encourage you to hear what they have to say, they'll go through it in much more detail and you can always start and stop the videos and come back to them in your own time. Some years ago now (actually back in around 2012) I was a building site foreman and built 2 Catholic churches. When they were done, I was sent along from the Building company for the openings of each of them. They were opened by the Arch-Bishop of Brisbane and were both in the same parish. Well, in the first one, it was a bit more of a smaller building and in a lower socio-economic area. The church council (for want of a better term) who had organised the event all knew that I was a good Christian, even if I wasn't a Catholic. They told me to go and take communion with all the parish members. This was an honour and not something that I thought I would do, not being a Catholic as they have a closed communion for Catholics only, where as here, we practice an open communion for any Christian believer. The second church opening some months later, was in a bigger build that I finished after another foreman had been moved to a different job. It was larger and in a more up-market area of the parish. The church admin lady told me to go forward at communion time that day and cross my arms over my heart. Not knowing anything about this, I did what I was told and when I went forward, the Catholic Archbishop didn't give me any communion but placed his hand on my head and blessed me. (He laid his hands on me as scripture instructs). Maybe, some of the traditional churches get some of this better than we do. Now, I am not blaming anyone here but myself. I've been here for a lot of years and never taught our church much about laying on of hands other than in the context of praying for healing on a few occasions. * What does laying hands mean? The laying on of hands is a physical act which communicates something of spiritual significance. It falls into the same series of church practices and disciplines as anointing with oil and fasting - outward expressions of a spiritual event or movement. It manifests as a transfer of something invisible, such as a blessing or an affirmation. The Laying on of Hands is the Authority and Power of the Kingdom of God Made Manifest through believers in Christ. When we place our hands on your head or shoulder, we impart to you a Spiritual gift. * Where does this teaching come from and where and when should we practice it? It actually is found all throughout the scripture, from both the Old and New Testament alike. I'll give just a few examples today. But this action was used to confer or impart (give to or bestow) to another person a spiritual blessing. Genesis 48, reveals it in the story of Jacob blessing Joseph's 2 sons. He gave the firstborn's blessing to the younger. Jacob had deliberately crossed over his arms to give this blessing. Numbers 27 Verse 17 - So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. In fact it goes on and says it again in Vs 22 - 23. 22 So Moses did as the Lord commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. 23 Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people, just as the Lord had commanded through Moses. * In the Old and New Testament, it helped to acknowledge and establish people into a role as a leader. As we just saw with Joshua, often also with the priests. We can see it as an instruction in 1 Timothy 5: 22 22 Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands and do not share in the sins of others. That verse is specifically about raising someone into leadership. Telling us not to do this too early and thereby causing them to stumble in their Christian walk because of pride or some other sin. * When Jesus was ministering, He laid hands on people to heal and to bless. Matt 9: 18 - 30 - woman with issue of blood touched Jesus, - Jairus' daughter was touched by Jesus. - Two Blind men healed when Jesus touched their eyes. Mark 6: 5 - In Jesus home town of Nazareth, we are told that Jesus could do no great miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. Luke 18: 15 - 17 Blessing the children. Even though this was not what the disciples thought to be a great use of the Messiah's time or skill. Jesus loves Children and prioritises Children's ministry. (I want to take a few moments here to speak about this. We should never think of this as the main event and Kid's church as just child minding). I am so grateful for the Kid's pastor in Brisbane, Greer Brooker discipled my children so well in Brisbane. I am so thankful for every Christian teacher and teachers-aids who give their lives to the training, teaching and discipling of our Children. (BTW - youth ministry fits into this as well). We should never think of these ministries as insignificant or just additional to the 'real church'. Kids and youth are the church of now and the future. I wonder, did you ever think of Jesus as a Kid's church worker? Well, you are following him when you lay down your lives to disciple and to bless Kids as they learn to follow Christ. Kid's and Youth are the most important ministries that any church can have because without these, we do not have a future. God Bless, Anita and Martina and everyone else who helps out in Kid's church. (Maybe I should call for a response for those who wants to help in Kid's church now?) * Jesus also commanded the disciple to lay hands on the Sick (with a wonderful promise) Mark 16: 17 - 18 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. When you pray for someone, put your hand on them (ask them first and it doesn't have to be weird) And pray for God to heal them. You don't have to heal them, that is God's job. We have to pray. BTW - there is a teaching that we shouldn't be in a hurry to lay hands on people because we might get whatever demonic spirit or demon that they have attack us. That is just not Biblical, it is not a good application of that 1 Tim verse. If you are a blood bought believer in Christ, no demon in hell can overcome Jesus Blood protection on you. You heard about this in last weeks message from Marg a bit with the blood of the Passover lamb. To recap a few of the very important aspects of the Blood of Jesus - It Provides forgiveness, washes away every sin - provides atonement - it gives access to God's throne of grace - It protects from Satan. If you missed Marg's sermon last week, jump online and have a listen. Friend, we'll be looking a bit more into Spiritual warfare in the coming weeks when Rod Morse preaches on the Armour of God and also when I preach on the name of Jesus. Just remember "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." We don't want to make this weird for you, but we want to equip you in this series with the things that a Christian Ought to know. So pray for healing, without worrying what might happen. Jesus told us to do it and promised His protection. * When we lay hands on people we impart a gift or an anointing! 2 Tim 1: 6 - 7 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 1 Tim 4: 14 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. * We impart or bestow the Holy Spirit Acts 8: 14 - 17 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. A very unfortunate thing happened in the early church over the first few hundreds of years. The experiential nature of Christianity was diminished and a ritualisation happened. Baptising of Babies rather than a believers baptism is noted by Tertullian around 220AD and Augustine in AD 400. The connection of Water Baptism became a formalised practice and the praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit was also relegated to a ritualised practice and so many missed out on the reality of God's Spirit in their lives. The church lost its fire, miracles became much less frequent as church became institutionalised. God keeps trying to bring His Church out of this, (This is what we often call revival) because we as people have a tendency to want to return to Religious practice. The Dead Works that we mentioned a couple of weeks ago! We need the reality of God in our lives and in His church! I will speak more on this tonight at our monthly prayer meeting and also in next week's sermon. As I close today, I want to invite people who might like to receive a Spiritual Gift, the filling of the Holy Spirit. Why not come forward as we close today and some of our leadership who are here can come and pray with you. Finally, I want to invite anyone who does not know Jesus, to surrender their lives to Jesus today. I would love to lead you in prayer as I introduce you to Jesus. Let's pray this prayer today for Salvation and repentance. Pray it with me as I lead and you repeat the lines. Salvation Prayer Dear Lord Jesus Christ I believe you are the Son of God. Jesus, I believe you died on the cross for me, Jesus, I believe you rose from the dead. Jesus you are alive today. Come and live in my life. Jesus, forgive me of all of my sin. Wash me clean with your precious blood. Jesus Christ. You are my saviour, Lord and God! I now belong to Jesus. And Jesus is in me. Holy Spirit please fill me. Transform me. In Jesus' name. AMEN! Sermon - Laying on of Hands Things a Christian Ought to Know 2