Healed

Last week we started our Easter season sermon series, “Acts of the Holy Spirit.” We are spending the next few weeks examining how God is at work in the lives of the early followers through the Holy Spirit and how we have that same power available to help us.

This is a new series, so it is easy to get caught up. You can find week one on our You tube channel. This week we look at how God heals and what a healing should mean and do for us. Our scripture comes from Acts 3:12-19. The words will be on the screen.

12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14 But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

17 “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.

Please pray with me…

We live in a broken world. We live in a world in which we need healing of various kinds. We often focus on physical healing, but it is often a healing from anxiety, addiction, loneliness, guilt, shame, and on and on that will often have a bigger impact on the individual and on society.

Our story today deals with a healing that has already occurred. It involved a man who was lame from birth. Peter and John point out to the man their lack of financial help but offer to help him in another way.

A healing takes place. The man goes from not being able to walk to leaping up. A miracle occurred and has been witnessed by those heading into the temple. This leads the crowd to follow Peter and to him addressing the crowd.

The miraculous creates a crowd. A group of people interested in what is going to happen next or be said by this man who was able to heal a man who had been unable to walk from birth. Peter knows that they are there because of what HE has done. He wants to make sure that they know God was who healed the man through him.

You probably have never done this, but I will never forget those times that I have taken credit for what God has done. I believed I have spoken before of my best example of this when I was taking a plane from Tampa to Columbus and saw a lady from church taking the same flight.

(Tell Jeff story)

God works in mysterious ways. There are many times that he sets up the situations in order to allow us to have an impact on those around us. We often miss where he set up the situation that allowed us to help someone.

We should remember to give the credit to the one who created the circumstances. We should be willing to acknowledge that we may have been the vessel that allowed for a person to be changed but it is because God allowed us to be that person.

This is just one of the reasons why it is important to stay connected to God. God has a plan, and we are more likely to get to be a part of that plan when we are listening for God to tell us what he desires from us.

The second part of the equation is that we have to be willing to believe that we are the right person to serve God in that situation. In my scenario I didn’t even know the way that God used me until after the fact.

Many times, I have chosen to ignore him when he directs me towards a situation. I question if it is God speaking to me. I don’t trust that I am the right person and therefore I ignore what God asks from me. We have to be willing to trust God and act when we even somewhat believe God has called us.

The situation that Peter and John found themselves in is a great example of choosing to act. They probably knew the man they ended up helping. They probably had passed him many times before. In fact, Jesus himself possibly walked by the man on occasion. But at that time the Holy Spirit put within the heart of Peter that they needed to heal this man.

The healing and the crowd that gathered around him led Peter to have to make a choice. He could have become the most popular person in Jerusalem by taking credit for what had taken place. He chose the second option. He gave credit to the one who did the work.

Unlike me originally, Peter let the people know who healed the man. Peter was the vessel, but the healing was done by God. Peter says it in such a way to make sure the people know that it does not matter how good you think you are, God does the work, and we are his servants.

We are unable to do many of the things we accomplish on our own. Peter calls it using our power and piety. We can’t be powerful enough or good enough to accomplish what God desires for us to accomplish.

This is because God wants to be along on the journey with us. God doesn’t want us to act on our own. He wants us to be willing to be in a relationship with him and be willing to allow him to help us serve those around us.

We should choose to believe that God is at work towards bringing the world back to a place of healing in replace of brokenness. The world is hurting. The world needs Jesus. The Holy Spirit helps lead those that are hurting towards a relationship with Jesus.

We often find within scripture that even for those that were not Jewish it took faith in the possibility for them to be able to be healed. A belief in healing will often have to occur for a healing to take place.

Our first reading speaks of a woman who had attempted to have the medical authorities help her. Scripture tells us that she had spent all her money on physicians that were unable to heal her. She had the faith that all she had to do was touch Jesus and she would be healed.

She touches Jesus and is healed. Jesus says that he perceived that power had gone out from him. Jesus didn’t do the healing. It was the power within him.Jesus tells her that her faith is what made her well. It was the woman’s faith and the Holy Spirit that allowed for the woman to be healed.

That is why Peter goes through who is performing the healing. He wants them to know it was the one they denied. It was the one they had arrested. It was the Messiah, the Holy and Righteous One. They chose to kill him instead of believing in him.

What we find within society today is a denial of Jesus. This is what Peter is saying to those that are in front of him. You have denied the one who wants to heal you from what ails you. You were waiting for your Messiah and then when he came you didn’t have the faith to believe.

The Jewish people were taught one way to view the Messiah and to view their relationship with God. They were led to believe the Messiah would conquer their enemies and set them free from oppression.

Their understanding of God was about rule following and attempting to be the best rule follower they could be. This led to guilt and shame. It led them to be focused on themselves instead of those around them.

Many of us in the world today have much the same issues. We have been through tough times and have faced obstacles that have led us to doubt if we deserve the healing touch of Jesus. Many of us that have a relationship with God through Jesus doubt if we are worthy of his love and healing touch.

We must believe we are good enough to be healed from the hurt and pain we have felt in our lives. In some cases, this may mean physical healing. In other cases, it may be about emotional pain that we have endured because of what we have faced.

God wants to heal you. He wants to help you become the person he desires you to be. It took me many years to be willing to turn to him and ask for his help. It was through healing from the anger and pain that allowed me to become a pastor. I am not perfect, but I know that God loves me and desires to continue to help me through the struggles that I face.

We do need to take into account when telling others about Jesus the distrust in Christianity within society. Many people have looked at the harm done in the name of Jesus instead of focusing on what Jesus desires for us to do. Show love and grace and offer hope to those that are hurting in this world.

We can find this in the second part of our first reading. Jesus is asked to go heal the daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue. Jesus is on his way when word comes that the girl has died. Jesus tells Jairus to keep the faith and his daughter will be healed. He offered hope that his daughter would live.

We have people laughing at Jesus and not believing that he could bring this girl back to life. Jesus enters the room, and the scripture says that Jesus touched her hand and her spirit returned. Again, it was the faith of her father that healed her.

We know from experience that situations do not always end this way. There are times when we pray, when we ask for the healing touch from God and it doesn’t come, at least not the way we want it to come.

I wish I could help and give you a good answer on why sometimes we have our friends and family members healed and sometimes we don’t. All I can say is keep the faith. Trust that God is at work even in these horrible circumstances. Try to remember that we have a God that will walk that journey with you.

We do have a message to share love and grace. A message that speaks of healing. A message that offers a better way to live. A message of someone that will never leave a person alone. A message that says God wants to be with you, speak to you, listen to you. Heal you.

Let us be willing to have the faith to believe that God has prepared the way. Let us follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and tell those around us about the healing touch of the one who saved us from sin and death and desires to do the same for them.

Please pray with me…