How to Straighten a cripple life

10-

Luke 13:10–17 NKJV

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

Introduction: How to straighten a twisted life seems like an unusual subject, but I believe it is a very prevalent one in times such as these. People around us are looking for answers. In their search they turn to all sorts of things; science, gangs, sex, money, power, politics, occult, and new age religions. After those things have left them empty they in desperation turn to God. However, they are often turned-off as they realize that we too even in the household of faith have our problems too.

I believe that this text speaks to a condition in our churches today as well as to the church of the first century. With man it is impossible but because of Jesus Christ it is possible to get straight even in a crippled church!

2 corin 12

2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

The first thing that you should know in order to get straight in a cripple church is no matter what:

She kept coming to church…

Luke 13:10–11 NKJV

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.

I have sat under a lot of teachers in my day. Some were gifted some were boring and some were strict and some of them were free and loose. But can you imagine what it was like to set at the feet of Jesus has he taught.

If you or I had been crippled for eighteen years, I wonder if we would be faithful to worship God week after week in the synagogue/church. Surely this woman had prayed and asked God for help, and yet she was not delivered. Yet, God’s seeming unconcern/silence did not cause her to become bitter or resentful. There she was in the synagogue/church.

You never know which Sunday the Lord is going to speak a word to straighten out your situation. You must be in the right place at the right time! In order to be healed you must be taught. Look at somebody and tell them Keep coming back!

She was no longer called by her name but by her condition…

So many of our churches seem more concerned about our name than we are about our condition. We are more concerned about our name than empty Sunday school class rooms. We are more worried about a building name that we are about building people. We are more worried about our name that we are about the condition of our community. I am so glad that God is concerned about my condition and not just my name! As a matter of fact He was so concerned about my condition that two thousand years ago he went to the cross of Calvary to straighten out my condition! Say Yeah!

The writer of this text Dr. Lucas notes the condition of this woman. She had a spirit of infirmity and had bent bowed for 18 years and could not lift herself up. We are not talking about someone who was suffering from the 24 our stomach flu nor was she a woman that contracted an allergic reaction to something in her environment.

She had battled and wrestled with this infirmity for 18 years! History would have calculated that this woman was in her middle ages and had battled with this disease for half of her natural life.

She could not life her head up.

She could not look up.

She could not stand up. Her body was convulsed and twisted so that she could not stretch out a hand or foot. She could not see what was above her. All she could see was what was beneath her. She could not see the sky but rather all she could see was the dirt. She could not see the greatness of God but rather all she saw was the dirt.

All she could do is look down; all she saw was her own footsteps. She could not look ahead all she could do was look behind. But even though she was looking down, twisted, busted, and disgusted she was still going to church. I am still coming to church.

Ever sensitive to the needs of others, Jesus saw the woman and called her to come forward. It may have seemed heartless to the congregation for Him to do this and expose her handicap publicly (see ), but He knew what He was doing. For one thing, Satan was in the synagogue and He wanted to expose him and defeat him. But He also wanted the woman to help Him teach the people an important lesson about freedom.

Not only does Satan bow people down, but so does sin (), sorrow (), and suffering () sadly enough he still has some folk bound today! Jesus Christ is the only One who can set the prisoner free. He spoke the word, laid His hands on her, and she was healed and gave glory to God!

Jesus SAW her because she was in the right place at the right time. She was at church. Twisted, wounded, discouraged but in church, however he not only saw her, He called her and she heard his voice!

She was listening to the right voice…

In our world today there are so many voices that compete for our attention. Republicans, Democrats, ECT. Even in our own minds thoughts voices and intentions are constantly bombarding our souls trying to influence our intentions.

In our church there are so many voices each one demanding attention rumors hear-says. Everybody claiming to have a word for your situation.

In times like these how do we tell which voice to listen too?

In our text no doubt that in those 18 years this woman had heard the voice o many doctors, she had heard the voice o f many family members, and she had heard the voice of friends. She had heard whispers as she walked through the neighborhood; she had probably even heard people praying for her.

While there voice offered to some extent comfort, their voice did not do for her what his voice did.

His voice is not an ordinary voice!

At his voice the wind and the waves are stilled mountains can be turned into miracles, scars will turn into stars, demon will tremble the crooked will be made straight and the rough places plain…

Now that she heard his voice next she felt his touch. He touched her! There was something in his touch. When he touched the leper he was cleansed, when he touched the dumb man he was able to talk, the death man was able to hear, the dead man came back to life and the lame man was able to walk.

I am so glad the touched me

I got up this morning because he touched me. I am preaching today because he touched me, I don’t know what will make you praise him but I am going to praise him for his touch!

He called her out

29

Romans 8:29–31 NKJV

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Come out, come out wherever you are!

Matt

Matthew 11:28–29 NKJV

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Know this saints that not everybody wants to see you get well!

luke 13 13

Luke 13:13–14 NKJV

And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

We Got a right to be healed!

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Luke 13:15–16 NKJV

The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”

The woman who was bent over wasn’t the only crippled person in our text. The religious leaders were just as crippled as she was!

They thought more of their animals than they did about the fellow man!

We have all been crippled in our flesh!

Gal

Galatians 5:19–21 NKJV

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

WE have been crippled by our traditions!

Matthew 15:3 NKJV

He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?

We have been crippled by our differences

1 Corinthians 12:1 NKJV

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:

Related to the subject of irregularities in the worship of the Corinthian church, was a question on the nature of spiritual gifts and their exercise in the public assembly. This subject should also be considered under the broader rubric of Christian freedom which Paul had been qualifying and regulating by the principle of love (starting with 8:1). The need for such regulation was certainly evident. A self-indulgent spirit, which debauched the principle of freedom in other areas, found similar expression in the area of spiritual gifts, and produced selfishness and disunity (12:7, 25; 14:4) and apparent chaos in the assembly (14:23, 33, 40).

1What I want to talk about now is the various ways God’s Spirit gets worked into our lives. This is complex and often misunderstood, but I want you to be informed and knowledgeable.

2Remember how you were when you didn’t know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It’s different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can.

3For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say “Jesus be damned!” Nor would anyone be inclined to say “Jesus is Master!” without the insight of the Holy Spirit.

1 Cor

1 Corinthians 12:1–31 NKJV

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

acts

Acts 20:28 NKJV

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

Hebrews 13:17 NKJV

Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

Illustration (use as object lesson): Consider a powdered lemonade mix. Individually, each crystal represents a unique, sweet-sour combination of elements. However, if you pour (immerse) the right amount into a jug of pure water, add the right amount of sugar, and stir thoroughly you will have a new Whole (lemonade) in which the individual parts seamlessly blend together into a whole that is entirely different from the parts. First, they were born as unique, individual crystals. Then, immersed together in water, they have become inseparable members of a delicious and refreshing drink.

Luke 13:15 NKJV

The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?