Healing 4
Notes
Transcript
We are going to pick up today and continue talking about healing.
We are roughly 3-4 sermons away from wrapping up this series and then we will move into a series on evangelism! We are going to talk about what the gospel is, as you should already know, and how to share the gospel!
Who is excited for that series?
Remember, keep memorizing the Romans road to salvation to receive a cool red band
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
Romans 5:8
Romans 10:9
Romans 10:13
For now, to continue looking at healing
Recap:
We talked about the authority that Adam and Eve had and lost with the fall in the garden
The authority along with power was given to satan
Along with this, the world became distorted and sickness entered into the picture
We talked about how sickness is the world of the enemy and Jesus came to defeat the work of the enemy
We then discussed whether or not christians should suffer
We looked at a few differing positions with this question
Anywhere from christians, along with non-christians will suffer in this life and should just accept it and embrace is to the side that christians should never suffer in this life
After looking at much scripture, we concluded that christians will suffer, but that we have the power inside of us by the HS to overcome and endure suffering
We concluded that we should not embrace suffering, but that we should endure with Christ.
Following our conversation about suffering, we looked at does God cause sickness, or ever use it
We concluded that throughout the OT God did use sickness, but it was always connected with disobedience to Him and as a form of judgement.
When we looked in the new covenant, we saw that ananias and Sapphira were struck down by the Lord. We don’t know that it was sickness, but certainly led to death.
We then looked at Paul and how God blinded him for 3 days to obviously get his attention.
So, God did use blindness, but it was for a short period of time and for a distinct, known, purpose.
The next and possible example that I failed to mention (thanks Jonathan) when I preached was Acts 12 with Herod. Herod was a terrible man, was persecuting Christians, and was having people worship him. God struck him dead.
So, yes, in the new covenant, there were a few extreme examples, but certainly was not common.
Thus, we can’t say that God NEVER would cause sickness, but is seems to be very specific and in extreme cases.
And, in these extreme circumstances, whether he used sickness is debatable.
I want to shift a little today and look at how God views sickness
A couple of questions that we are going to attempt to answer in next few weeks are:
Is it God’s will that we are healed?
Is it God’s will that we be healed now?
What role does faith play in healing?
How does God heal?
What are we called to do with sickness/healing?
Remember, that through this series I am sharing what I believe to be true from my studying of the scripture.
Of course, there are tons of nuances and differences
And that’s okay, this isn’t a question of whether someone is saved or not, it is simply us trying to understand God’s heart for healing and how that is applied.
Today, we are going to look at one of the most challenging and complicated passages on healing, actually a few couple of passages
I was going to take some time and read several stories of Jesus healing, but that would probably take a lot of time and I am pretty certain you all have a good idea of the stories of Jesus’ healing.
So, I think I will read a few passages and then we will jump back into the OT
A while back I preached on the compassion of Jesus and the reason that He healed was out of compassion and His love for us!
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
So, when Jesus was here in the flesh, he had compassion on people and healed them.
I am convinced that the reason God heals is out of compassion!
So, with this framework, let’s look at a difficult passage that is often quoted when talking about healing.
We are going to dive into Isaiah 53 and attempt to tackle something that has been wrestled with for many years
Some will make the comment that healing is paid for on the cross...
What does this mean, and is this true?
Is Isaiah 53 talking about physical healing or spiritual healing?
First off, let me say in the Hebrew, it is quite confusing…the tenses and speaker change making it a challenge
In fact, one of my commentaries explains it this way:
Isaiah 40–66: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition Behind the Text
This pericope is fraught with considerable exegetical difficulties, which are further complicated by the prominent role this text has played in the history of interpretation, especially in the light of Christian views of the death of Jesus.
So, know as we briefly touch on this passage today, I am not going to dive into all of the “ins and outs” of the passage, but that would be a great study!
Today, we are looking to see if this passage is talking about spiritual or physical healing, as that is where the debate lies.
So, to attempt to dive into the passage, we have to back up to chapter 12 starting at verse 13
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—
Who is “my servant”? well, it would be the suffering servant…Notice, verse 13 is in the future tense, He shall, or he will… act wisely, and will be lifted up, and will be exalted…
This hasn’t happened yet for this servant.
Which is great for prophecy, what is going to come, but quickly we change…
his appearance was so marred….wait, now we are in the past tense…
Then to jump to verse 15
15 so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
Back to future tense…so, you can see the difficulties with tenses…
Nonetheless, the reference is to Jesus and what He will do
Back to verse 13
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
The phrase “lifted up” here is an interesting phrase as it is the same one that Jesus referenced with Nicodemus.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
So, as we talk about whether this prophecy is talking about physical or spiritual healing, we see the same phrase is referenced by Jesus later as what would happen to Him on the cross.
In John 3, it seems like the reference to being lifted us is spiritual, and we know that the conversation with Nicodemus was about salvation
However, Jesus is referencing Moses in Numbers 21 jk
Here we have the Israelites in the wilderness complaining about not have food or water
So, God sends fiery serpents to bite the people and many of them die
The people repent and ask Moses to pray and he does
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
So, the actual reference that Jesus is quoting is in the physical sense, the people were healed when they looked upon the snake
So, the reference to being “raised up” must have a spiritual component, as that was the point to Nicodemus as well as a physical component as that is what happen to the Israelites.
So, before we even get too far into the prophecy of the suffering servant, it seems like there is a link to both physical and spiritual healing
Since we read the passage earlier, let’s jump on down to the meat of today
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
The word we need to look closely at here is the word “pain” in the NIV. In the NASB, KJV, ESV and others the word is translated as “grief.” However, some of you may have a footnote in your Bible that translates the word as “sickness, also in verse 4”
Further, I looked up the word in some charts
Notice here the uses of the word and the words it is translated into
Notice Here Some of the uses…look at the oddball verse
Finally, I looked it up in every verse in the old testament
The word is used 24 times, every single one of them, with the exception of 4 times is translated as sickness or illness
One time it is used to describe a grievous evil, one time affliction in reference to a “wound”
and the last two times in Isaiah 53.
So, 22 out of 24 times it is specifically sickness or illness. Thats 92-96% of the time!
We will come back to this point in a little while - probably next week. But, it is possible that the word could have, maybe should be translated as sickness
So, why isn’t it? That’s a good question that I don’t have a great answer for.
Perhaps it is because verse 3 is a reference to Jesus and to say that he was familiar with sickness might not be accurate.
Some may assume that to mean that Jesus was often sick…
I don’t think that it has to mean that.
Jesus was familiar with a lot of things that He definitely didn’t have directly Himself…
For example sin, He knows our sin, yet never sinned.
He cast our many demons and knew them, but was never demonized.
So, it could be what it might imply, otherwise, I have no idea why it is translated as pain or grief.
We are going end here this morning and pick up with verse 4 possibly next week. I am praying about palm Sunday and Easter to see if we continue here next week or postpone.
But, we will finish up here soon.
For this morning, as we wrap up, it is clear that Jesus experienced many of the things that we do.
He was despised and rejected….he was a man of suffering and He was familiar with pain/grief/sickness
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Jesus is a God of empathy, He understands what we are going through…so, we can approach His throne of grace with confidence!
Meaning, we can come expecting grace and mercy!
Paul begins the letter of 2 corinthians by writing:
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
the father of compassion and the God of all comfort! Who comforts us in all our troubles!
So, we can come confidently to the high priest who is God of all comfort, who knows what we are going through, expecting comfort!
Deacons and worship team
We are going to take communion this morning and as we come to the table, maybe you have never received Jesus into your life!
He went to the cross for you! - finish thought
Or, maybe you’re a believer who needs some comfort
