Living Miracles: Saved to Serve
Living Miracles • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Can you believe we are already 5 weeks into this study on the Miracles of Jesus? We saw Jesus turn water into wine, heal the rulers son, cast out a deamon from a posessed man, and this week we will see Jesus heal a woman for a distinct purpose. Today we will be in Mark chapter 1 in verses 29-31 and we are brought into the home of Simon Peter. In this home Simon Peters mother in law is ill with a fever and is at this point bed ridden with this fever. We will find in the scripture this morning that Jesus has performed a miracle to help provide a profound proof, cultivate conviction, and to declare a destiny for us. This is the lens that we are using in every one of Jesus miracles. The miracles of Jesus were performed for a purpose and if we will look deeper into the purpose of Jesus miracles we can see how He is calling us to live in our every day lives. Today we will see a theme in the scripture that calls us to understand that Jesus healing is for the purpose of us serving. Jesus does not heal us so that we can enjoy the labor of Jesus and not be called to work in the harvest. The purpose of healing in our lives whether physical or spiritual is to call us to serve others. We often times get stuck in the self serving behaviors that surround us daily. Today the scripture will convict us to live in a life of laying down ourselves for others and accepting the healing of Jesus with the purpose of His healing. I find it very fitting that Jesus heals a woman, a mother, someone who wants to serve others. Have you ever noticed how much the women around us do? If I have not done so in some time, I want to take a moment to thank all the women of our church, all the women in our homes. I can only speak for inside my home because I dont live with any of you and that would be a wierd story to tell your friends if your pastor lived with you. Inside my home my wife is the example of servanthood, example of laying down her wants for the wants of others. My wife is not capable of having her own snacks in the house. When she has a snack the kids all want it, I get the nasty stuff so I dont have to share. She has not learned this trick yet. My wife puts the needs of everyone in the home in front of her own. The women in our church serve tirelessly, doing things that may never be seen by others and so for that I want to say thank you! In this scripture today we are introduced to a woman who is very ill and stuck in bed. Jesus steps in and heals her and her very first and most important instinct is to start serving others. This is not just a story of how God has given us all examples in the women around us of how God is calling us all to serve, but also a proof of the heart that God is calling us all to. If you have your Bible turn with me to Mark 1:29-31
29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
Today we will see the Profound proof being that Jesus heals in compassion, The cultivated conviction that our healing is for a purpose, and lastly the Declared Destiny is that God is building a family of people who serve each other.
Profound Proof: Jesus Heals in Compassion
Profound Proof: Jesus Heals in Compassion
29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
It is no secret that Jesus was able to heal and to perfom miracles. Jesus had already done so in front of the disciples but at this moment Jesus is going to perform a miracle in an intimate setting in front of his disciples. One may wonder why Jesus would do this. While there are many scholars who discuss what the purpose of this miracle was or why Jesus performed this miracle, I find myself agreeing with one group in particular. This group points out that James, John, Simon Peter, and Andrew are all with Jesus and they all tell Jesus about Peter’s mother in law. This indicates that this woman had a special place in at least the hearts of Simon Peter and Andrew, but also likely James and John. It says somethig when a person likes their mother in law. We will not take a vote in here on how many men like thier mother in law, I do not have near enough time for that much marriage counseling. Just kidding I know you all love your mother in laws. This woman was loved, she was cared about and the reason Jesus healed her is because his disciples cared for her and told him about her. The proof we see here in this scripture is that Jesus has compassion. Jesus was not just a healer that went around and asked for money to heal, he never did this. Jesus was not like most who perfomed miracles because of what it would do for his name. Jesus performed miracles for 2 distinct purposes. First to bring Glory to the Father. Second because He had compassion on the person. The fact is that Jesus cares about all of us and that is why He performed a miraculous healing through the cross for all of us. Not for some of us, not for those who are perfect, for all of us while we were yet sinners, Christ laid down His life for us to provide a path to healing. Jesus has compassion. Compassion is a funny thing though, compassion is the ability to feel what someone else is going through and being willing to do whatever it take to change that person’s life. The fact is that Jesus was the perfect person to have compassion on us. He lived in the flesh, walked on this earth, faced temptation, felt every thorn in the crown he was given, felt the tearing of his flesh when flogged, felt the nails pearce his flesh tearing through tenden and muscle. Jesus thirsted on the Cross, He cried out in agony. Jesus has compassion on us because He walked like everyone of us.
One of God’s faithful missionaries, Allen Gardiner, experienced many physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service to the Savior. Despite his troubles, he said, "While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me." In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America. When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God."
Allen Gardiner.
Compassion is not simply feeling bad for someone, compassion is walking in their shoes, sharing in their suffering. Can I tell you that we have many, many people who are willing to help others and I admire that. We have so many people who will help fund missions, fund good operations, and fund supplies. This is all well and good, but can I tell you what Jesus did? Jesus shared in our suffering then He supplied the need. Jesus was not content with simply from His throne in Heaven providing a need, He walked on this earth, lived a sinless life, died criminals death, all so that He could share in our suffering. How many of us have that type of compassion? Do we want to share in the suffering of others? Jesus when He went into this home had compassion on Simon Peter, on Simon Peter’s wife, and on Simon Peter’s mother in law. Jesus had compassion because He shared in the suffering of the flesh and would feel the pain in that very flesh in a very short time. Compassion is more than just a word it is a way of life that Jesus is providing proof of in His healing. The scipture tells us of compassion.
18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
blessed are all those who wait for him.
10 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Jesus is providing yet another proof of His compassion. Did Jesus have to heal this woman? No He could have left and said well, I will pray for you. Jesus was not content with offering a kind word or a good answer, Jesus had compassion and healed becasue of His compassion. Are you living in a life of compassion? Jesus compassion lead to the physical healing of this woman, His compassion has lead to the Spiritual healing of all who believe on His name. So what is the next step? If Jesus’ compassion for us has healed us, what comes next? Becasue of the compassion of Jesus we who believe in Him are healed and it cultivates conviction that our healing is for a purpose.
Cultivated Convistion: Jesus’ healing is for a purpose
Cultivated Convistion: Jesus’ healing is for a purpose
30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
I want us to look at the last 5 words of verse 31. Read that again
31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
“She began to serve them.”
There is significance in this scripture. First I want us to see that there was no command for her to serve. Jesus did not tell her at the bedside that He was going to heal her so that she could get up and start cooking them food and serving him and his discples. Jesus simply healed because He had compassion on her. Can I tell you that there are so many people out there that beleive that the gift of salvation came with a contract to perform certain things? They servce out of this sense that they must serve to prove thier faith, to earn their salvation. They walk in this life of never quite feeling good enough. They wake up in the morning challenged with the idea that they may never be good enough to deserve the salvation they recieved, and they have convinced themselves that Jesus healed them with a contract of service. Jesus healing of this woman came with no prerequisites, no demands, no expectations. Jesus healed her because He had compassion on her. In the same heart God and Jesus have given us salvation. There is nothing you will ever do to have earned your salvation. There is no level of action that Jesus says to God, OK this person finally got there and has earned their spot, put them on the list. Salvation is a gift to an undeserving person. Look at what the Scripture tells us.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Your salvation and my salvation and our healing is not predicated on the idea that we will perform any actions. When you give your heart to God it is not a deal making session. Ok God, you save me and I will do this or I will do that for you. Could you imagine what that would be like?
Imagine this. You are asleep in your bed, nice and comfortable. For me that means 68 degrees under a thick comforter. You are awoken to the sound of fire alarms, it is pitch black and you cannot see a thing. Smoke has filled your home so quickly that you cannot find the windows or the doors to make your way out. As you crawl along the floor trying to find your way out you hear the voice of a fireman. This fireman reaches out his hand and says come on I will save you and get you out of here. You are relieved, you reach out your hand quickly hoping to be lead out but instead the fireman says. Before I save you I need you to tell me that you will cut my grass, its been a long week and i’m exhausted, I need you to commit to this otherwise I cannot save you. Ok you say I will cut your grass. He then says well thats not really enough you know. After all I got called out in the middle of my dinner and it will be cold when I get back, will you make me dinner? OK you say, whatever it takes just please save me.
This is silly isn’t it? A fireman takes a job becase he wants to save people and do good work, not to negotiate with those he is saving. Why is it then that we treat God, and Jesus this way? We all spend our time trying to bargain with God for a gift He is giving us freely. The things we do are out of conviction and condemnation and not out of a heart of service and gratitude. I am not saying that you are in this position today, but if you are can I just say to you today that God wants you to stop it? Just stop it. Quit waking every day with this guilt and pressure. You know what I am talking about this underlying conviction that you will never be good enough to earn salvation. I am going to save you a lot of time. You are never going to be good enough for Salvation becasue Salvation was not determined based on your goodness but on the goodness of God and Jesus. When Jesus heals us it is not a bargaining table. You have only to believe in Him as the Son of God to recieve the gift of God.
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.
The first conviction this morning is that the gift of Salvation and healing is done so from a place of love and not of bartering. God is not saying that you must do things for Him because He gave you Salvation. The second conviction this morning is that service is a part of gratitude for the healing. Let’s read that scripture again.
31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
Why did she serve Jesus? Is it because she had signed a contract with Him for her healing? No it was because out of a heart of gratitude she wanted to share the blessing of her healing with those around her. Can I tell you that often times we equate “religiousness” with healing? Those who are really religious must really have a good relationship with God. The fact is though that some of the least religious people I know are the biggest servants. There are people I know who can memorize some scripture and can pray when called on but they would rather be out in the trenches serving those who need to share in the healing power of the name of Jesus. God is not calling for us to be religious, pious, or pompous. I just like using that word thats why I threw it in there. God is calling us to serve others. If we are grateful for the free gift we recieved, the only thing God asks us to do is to share it with others. I am not telling you not to memorize scripture, I think it goes a long way in helping us to understand the person of God and explain to others His love for them. I do not believe though that God wants us to bypass serving others and sharing in His healing in their lives so we can memorize scripture. I’ve said it before and I believe it. If someone who God has placed in your life needs your witness to them on a Sunday morning and you override serving that person for going to church, you are missing the point of your salvation. Your salvation was not given so that you can become a well polished christian with distinction in your congreagation. You have been saved so that you can walk in the desert in sandles, eat locust and honey, sit at the table with tax collectors, heal the lepers, pick up and save the prostitute, quite frankly get your hands dirty in ministry. These things though are not a way to earn or prove your salvation, it is a way to proclaim your salvation. The church must understand that the conviction in this miracle is that we are given a free gift of healing, our hearts of gratitude should lead us to a place of serving others.
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
The profound proof is that Jesus had compassion on us in His healing. The cultivated conviction is that the healing should lead us to service of others. Lastly, Jesus is declaring a destiny of a family that serves each other.
Declared Destiny: The Family of God is a family of Servants
Declared Destiny: The Family of God is a family of Servants
31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
This scripture paints us a picture of what it should look like when Jesus gives us the healing. When we are healed physically it should lead to us using our bodies to serve others. When Jesus heals us spiritually it should lead ot us proclaiming salvation to the world and serving others so they can see the love of God in us. The family of God is not a family of well polished and well versed believes. It is not a family of people who look and smell pretty and drive nice cars and sing nice songs. The family of God is full of people who are willing to get their hands dirty and make things happen. This woman understood the healing was a free gift from Jesus and she wanted to bless others with the gift that Jesus gave her. Your salvation is not a contract with God but was a free gift and the only thing we are asked to do in return is to share in others sufferings, get our hands dirty and share this message of hope and salvation with the world. This is not an easy thing to do. Many of us would be content with saying taht being a follower of Christ means giving tithes, helping with missions, reading the bible, praying, memorizing scripture. While all of those things are good things that help you see who God is more clearly, if those things are stopping you from efectively serving others, then its just religious mess. We are called to serve out of a heart of gratefulness. The family of God is a family of those who serve.
Unamuno, the Spanish philosopher, tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in 109 A.D. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow. Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, "This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor."
They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.
The family of God serves others becasue of their gratitude towards God not for fear of losing the free gift He gave them. The family of God serves each other first and others first as though they are serving the Lord.
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
35 And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
11 The greatest among you shall be your servant.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.
We should serve because of the great things that God has done for us. The declared destiny of the family of God is that we are those who were healed and forgiven and we serve to not earn the gift we were given but to share that gift with the world around us. God has told us the end of the story. It is coming, it is so important that we take this seriously and not waste a day in our heavenly calling to share the healing power of the name of Jesus with all those around us.
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
