Healed By His Wounds
Notes
Transcript
Could I just ask, what do you think is the most dreaded disease anyone could be diagnosed with? I would dare say for many of us it is cancer. And why is that? For one, it is not always readily evident - it may be hidden and not visible or easily diagnosed. Another may be that it can be hard to cure, as it may lurk and hide in other tissues and organs and arise again at a later date. One more may be that it is so unpredictable - one may be healed completely while another might not respond to the life-saving treatments being administered. It causes cancer to be feared and dreaded by so many because it is unpredictable and out of our control.
But today I want to talk to you about another disease that is just as deadly. A disease that can be just as hidden, just as hard to deal with, one that lurk and come out at inopportune times, but 100% deadly to those who never seek treatment. That disease is sin.
In our society today, we are experiencing a unique change in the view over sin. We have warped our thinking and our mindset to falsely assure ourselves, if we think it is right, it is right; and if it is wrong it is wrong. No longer do we look at society as a whole, no longer do we value traditions and standards, we are seeing a change over to a period of lawlessness. Or at least a perception of lawlessness. Police officers, upholding the laws of the land, are viewed as the enemy. Morals and ethics are being replaced by thoughts and feelings. Laws are being challenged, and evaluated not by the constitution, but by the courts of public opinions. We are losing the sense of right and wrong, and for the sanctity and privilege of the church and even Christianity.
Organized religion is stating sins are okay, Jesus loves them, and as long as they’re comfortable and think it’s okay then it is fine. There are religious leaders who will argue that a loving God would not condemn someone, but instead is loving, understanding, and will accept their sinful lifestyle. For the life of me, I do not understand how anyone can read scripture and not understand this is not truth. Yes, God is loving, yes God is understanding, but God will NOT justify sin as being acceptable REGARDLESS of what we as humans try to argue. If that had been the case, would there have been a need for the cross? Would there have been a need for the sacrifice of Jesus? Would there be a need of redemption?
Yes, God extends mercy and grace, and thankfully He is longsuffering. However, one thing I do know is that once someone is saved - truly saved - and repents of their sins they do not want to keep on sinning.
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Now, does this mean we are all perfect? My goodness, no. Paul even speaks to the struggles he had with sin. I like the way the New Living Translation describes this struggle.
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.
15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.
My goodness, doesn’t John (the apostle, son of Zebedee, Jesus beloved) and Paul bring up the daily struggle we all fight between our sinful human thoughts and desire, and the conflict that exists when we are Christians. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning. You see, once we accept Christ as our personal Savior we are no longer under the bondage of sin (notice sinning in the present tense) speaks to the desire to continue living in and practice sin habitually… It is not saying we are sinless and perfect, but that the DESIRE to ignore the sin in our lives cannot remain. This is then the struggle Paul had - he knows the law is good, from God, but he also acknowledges the sinful nature of being a human and the conflict between wanting to do what is right, but not doing it.
You know, this is called conviction, correct? So then, why do so many “Christians” try to ignore the conviction of sin and continue to live in and practice sin? Does this not deny what scripture is saying should be the result of salvation? Many want to fool themselves into thinking God will see things there way. But instead, they have convinced themselves that they are not sick. They deny their diagnosis, instead of acknowledging their need of the Great Physician and the treatment for sin. You see, we can be healed of the disease of sin.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
What is a “diagnosis”? Diagnosis is the art or act of identifying a disease from its signs and symptoms. So, by definition, David had diagnosed the disease of sin within himself. He could identify the signs and symptoms, and identified that sin was the cause. Maybe he was experiencing side effects of the sin.
We know that there are side effects we can experience from human illnesses. A good example now would be sore throat, fatigue, fever for strep throat. We know something isn’t right. Something is off in our body. Something has to be done. David was acknowledging the strain in his life caused by sin. This was written, most likely, in response to the sin in his life over Bathsheba and ultimately the arrangement of Uriah’s death. He refused to deal with his sin, and his spirit was grieved. David was miserable, not wanting to acknowledge his sin but knowing he had sinned against God. It was not until Nathan the prophet confronted him that he acknowledged his sin and confessed his sins to God.
You see, our sin cause the same turmoil in our lives. God’s Sprit is grieved when we sin against Him, as the Holy Spirit resides in believers. When we sin against God, we sin against ourselves also as believers and feel the guilt of that sin. It is that guilt that leads to a stressed and strained relationship with Him and we want to hide from Him instead of confess to Him - just like David. Thinking back to scripture, this was one of the first reactions that happened to mankind when sin entered the world.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
There is only one treatment, though, that will give relief to the symptoms of sin and that is confession of sins and the forgiveness that comes through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Treatment
Treatment
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The treatment plan for the most devastating disease is truly simple. Confession of sins. The truth is, we must confess our sins. Too often we want to think we do not sin and we do not need Jesus to deliver us from sin and the guilt of sin. We are warned in this way of thinking in the next verse.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
You see, to FORGIVE sin, sin must first be acknowledged. We have to take responsibility, accountability, for our own sins. I think this is where we are seeing a de-railing in modern views of Christianity. We want to place the blame on everyone and everything else, and have refused to take personal responsibility. While this is a novel thought, it would have gotten you a quick smack on the back of the head or, as I call it, the hand of judgment applied to the seat of knowledge back in my day.
Instead of acknowledging sin, many will seek treatment from a doctor and have a medications prescribed. Some will seek help from a psychologist or psychiatrist. Others will go to support groups. They will try every earthly solution but fail to see it is not an earthly problem, but instead a spiritual problem that requires simple confession of sins to Jesus. That is the ONLY source for the cure of the disease of sin, and the relief of the symptom of guilt.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Once confessed…and I want us to pay close attention to this…once confessed…He is faithful and just to do what?
Forgive our sins
Cleanse our unrighteousness
By the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, our sins are forgiven. Our unrighteousness (sin) is cleansed. Wow…listen to me, the stain of sin is removed and we are made white as snow. Renewed back to the original condition in which God intended for us to be. Confession is the reset button on life that leads to healing of the symptoms, the effects, the devastation caused by the disease of sin and when we confess those sins to Him, we are HEALED.
Healing
Healing
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Hallelujah, we have an cure for the disease called sin and we can be immediately HEALED! But the cure came at a price. The source of our cure cost the inventor His life.
I want you to think about this very carefully, the one who brought the cure to us took the symptoms, the effects, and the devastation of the disease of sin that each and every one of us have…and took it upon Himself so we would no longer have to suffer.
How many of you ever watched the movie The Green Mile? Do you remember the inmate John Coffey? He supposedly had the supernatural power to bring back things from the dead or to take on a disease himself. During the movie we see him take away the cancer from the wardens wife and heal the guards infection. Why? He was trying to right a wrong. He had witnessed the death of two young girls and tried to bring them back but instead was arrested and placed on death row. Why would John Coffey want to do that? Well, at that time in his life he had nothing to lose.
Thank God, He sent His son so that we could have our sickness, our disease, sin taken from us and give us everything in return. He takes our sin and gives us righteousness. He takes our guilt and gives us glory. He takes our death and gives us eternal life. You see, before salvation we have already lost it all. We have no hope. But because of the gift given to us by Jesus, we are no longer seen as guilty of our sins and our relationship with our Heavenly Father is restored - we are healed.
Closing
Closing
I have not done this in a while, but I want to make sure we all hear what Jesus has done for us and what we should do for Him.
All Have Sinned
10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Consequences for Sin / Reward for Salvation
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Christ Took Our Sins
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Confess, Believe, and be Saved
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Confirmation
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Security / Peace
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.