Who is this Jesus: Healer
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
There are many attributes of Jesus listed through out scripture. We have seen Him described as the Son of God and the Son of man. We have seen Him described in the Old Testament in as “Wonderful Counselor, Might God, Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.”
We have seen Him in the New Testament in many passages called the Messiah. We have also seen Him called the Wisdom of God.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
1 Corinthians
We have seen Him in the Gospel of John that Jesus was and is the Word of God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
We have seen Him called numerous times Lord.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
Ephesians
2 Corinthians 4
However, one name seemingly describes Him more than any other: Healer. This morning as we continue to answer the question, “Who is this Jesus?” I want at Him as Healer. Because He is our Healer, we can experience passion, position, power and purpose.
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
The Passion Because of the Healer (vs. 1-3)
The Passion Because of the Healer (vs. 1-3)
In chapter one of Mark’s gospel, we Jesus doing a public ministry.
He drives out evil spirits in ; He heals Simon’s mother-in-law from a fever in ; He is healing the sick in Capernaum and again driving out demons in ; He pauses to pray in ; He gives His purpose in as preaching. In , we learn that Jesus healed a man of one of the most horrific diseases in all the land, leprosy.
He drives out evil spirits in ; He heals Simon’s mother-in-law from a fever in ; He is healing the sick in Capernaum and again driving out demons in ; He pauses to pray in ; He gives His purpose in as preaching. In , we learn that Jesus healed a man of one of the most horrific diseases in all the land, leprosy.
Then in , a very interesting event takes place. People have heard about Jesus and all He has done. The word gets out even to exactly where Jesus is teaching. The crowd grows and it becomes difficult to get close to Jesus.
When we truly experience who Jesus is and all that He is about, we will want to be in the places He is and get as close to Him as we possibly can. That certainly was the case in our text.
There have been times in my life where I have experienced Jesus so real that I have thought about friends and family members to experience the same. I have been in church services, retreats, and Bible studies where I have learned so much I have thought, I sure wish so and so could experience this right now!
That is what happened in . Four friends had a friend that could not walk. They believed that if they could get their friend to Jesus somehow he would be healed. What is believed becomes one’s passion. When one experiences passion, absolutely nothing will prevent him or her from helping that passion grow even greater.
These four men had heard about Jesus the Healer. The more they heard, the more their passion grew. Their passion became like wildfire that would not be extinguished. They believed their friend could be healed and they were not about to let a crowd keep them from getting to Jesus.
What would you do to be so passionate to bring someone you cared about to Jesus? I have prayed with parents about child who has wandered from faith and have heard many of them say they would do anything to help their son or daughter come back. These four men decided they would do anything to get their friend in front of Jesus. So they decided to dig a hole in a roof and then figure out a way to lower him down in front of the Healer.
Their passion caused them to take a position.
The Position Because of the Healer (vs. 4)
The Position Because of the Healer (vs. 4)
When we experience Jesus fully, we will place ourselves in such a way that no matter what we will not give up. The faith of these men put them in a position that they were not going to give up. Their position caused them to take many risks. Surely one of them said, “How are we going to pay for these damages we have just caused?”
Passion causes us to not worry about what we have to do. We become set on our position and we will not give in to worry. We trust in the providential hand of God! The Bible is full of men and women that took such as stand and held firm in their position. One example is King David. David had seen the providential hand of God over and over in his life. He had the assurance of God’s perpetual care and that God would abide with Him because He always had before. As he neared the end of his life, David was well aware of the hardships he had experienced and how he could have easily changed his position and turned away from God.
Although my house be not so with God;
Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things, and sure:
For this is all my salvation, and all my desire,
Although he make it not to grow.
The Puritan, Jeremiah Burroughs, in his masterpiece The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment comments on this verse and its application with a very relevant message for Christians wrestling with fear and anxiety surrounding the Coronavirus threat. He writes:
The Puritan, Jeremiah Burroughs, in his masterpiece The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment comments on this verse and its application with a very relevant message for Christians wrestling with fear and anxiety surrounding the Coronavirus threat. He writes:
“Suppose the plague were to come into your house, and it is not so safe, and you do not enjoy such outward comfort in your house as you once did. Can you read this Scripture and say, although my house is not so blessed with health as other men’s houses are, although my house is not so, yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant? I am still one in covenant with God, the Lord has made with me an everlasting covenant. As for these things in the world, I see they are but momentary, they are not everlasting. I see a family in which all was well only a week ago, and now everything is down, the plague has swept away a great many of them, and the rest are left in sadness and mourning. We see there is no resting in the things of this world, yet the Lord has made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things. I find disorder in my heart, in my family; but the everlasting covenant is ordered in all things, yes, and it is sure.”
These four men realized that the Lord had made an everlasting covenant. They believed from what they had seen and heard that Jesus would be able, no matter what, to meet the needs of their friend. They put themselves in a position to position their friend to meet Jesus.
Maybe you need to be that friend. There is someone in your life that needs to see your steadfast position. They need to know about Jesus and His way and they need you to help them get in front of Him. This could be as simple as an invitation to a bible study or a church service. What will you do to get your friend in front of Jesus?
Maybe you have been that friend. Maybe you need to be that friend.
Sometimes, we are in the position of the paralytic. Sometimes, we are places in positions in which we cannot control. Can you imagine the helplessness of the paralytic in this story? This week I needed to have some tests done. I have battled with high blood pressure for over 25 years. I am told that as that happens, it takes a toll on the body. As I was going through these tests, I had to be wheeled around in a wheelchair. I had to trust the driving capabilities of several nurses and transport personnel. I had to look into the eyes of others as they met us coming down the various corridors. I experienced a feeling of helplessness even though it was temporary. I had to center my thoughts on the position that no matter what position I was in, God was still in control. When I did that, I was reminded of the power of the Healer.
The Power Because of the Healer (vs. 5-9)
The Power Because of the Healer (vs. 5-9)
The Power Because of the Healer (vs. 5-9)
The Power Because of the Healer (vs. 5-9)
Do you see what happens right there in verse 5? Jesus saw their faith. Jesus saw the faith of the four men that had just dug through the roof and lowered the man down. When He saw their faith, Jesus looked into the eyes of the paralytic and said, “Son YOUR sins are forgiven.” What a truth here that we cannot miss: my faith, your faith can effect others!
My faith can put someone else in the position of experiencing the power of the Healer! What a gift that was for these four men. What an honor to know their efforts helped this man to receive forgiveness. Do you think that is what they wanted? Probably not, but Jesus is making sure here that you and I understand something we cannot miss here: the spiritual condition is much more important than the physical condition. Before addressing a physical need, Jesus addresses a spiritual need.
will help you understand that a bit more. It is also the premise of the words of Jesus found in :
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Our physical healing my not come on this earth, but our spiritual healing can!
“Suppose the plague were to come into your house, and it is not so safe, and you do not enjoy such outward comfort in your house as you once did. Can you read this Scripture and say, although my house is not so blessed with health as other men’s houses are, although my house is not so, yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant? I am still one in covenant with God, the Lord has made with me an everlasting covenant. As for these things in the world, I see they are but momentary, they are not everlasting. I see a family in which all was well only a week ago, and now everything is down, the plague has swept away a great many of them, and the rest are left in sadness and mourning. We see there is no resting in the things of this world, yet the Lord has made with me an everlasting covenant ordered in all things. I find disorder in my heart, in my family; but the everlasting covenant is ordered in all things, yes, and it is sure.”
That is a power that can only come from the Healer named Jesus!
Notice :
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
It is just like a bunch of naysayers isn’t it? Always looking for the negative. Never looking at the positive. We all have naysayers in our lives don’t we? Isn’t reassuring that even Jesus had naysayers?
By the way, while we are here, Paul spoke about the remedy for this in :
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
The naysayers here did have one thing right. They were absolutely correct when they implied that only God can forgive sins. Only the Holy God Almighty can change the spiritual condition from unholy to holy through the forgiveness of sin!
Notice also that Jesus shares something else that we need to take notice of in this passage. He knew in His Spirit what they were thinking in their thoughts and asked them point blank: “Why are you thinking these things?”
What would you say to Jesus when He asks you such a question?
We often allow the things of this world to bog down our mind and fill us with so much junk that we forget our purpose. Because of the Healer, the paralytic and all those around, get an opportunity to see exactly what the purpose is to be.
Jesus is making sure here that you and I understand something we cannot miss here: the spiritual condition is much more important than the physical condition.
The Purpose Because of the Healer (vs.10-12)
The Purpose Because of the Healer (vs.10-12)
Jesus declares that all of this took place to show them that the “Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.”
Whenever Jesus uses “Son of Man” in the Gospels, he is referring to Himself, describing His authority and earthly ministry, anticipating His suffering and death, and anticipating His future exaltation and glory. It is a direct relation to the prophetic words in and He has the unique authority to act on God’s behalf. In other words, Jesus can heal and forgive because as God’s Son He has been privileged to do so! The physical healing proved the identity and power of Jesus.
For you and me, just like the paralytic here, the healing power of Jesus shows us purpose in life. Because of the healing power of Jesus, we can life a life we have never known. The paralytic was able to get up and walk without the assistance of his four friends. In doing so, all the people were amazed and praised God. That is our purpose, to praise God!
Who is this Jesus? He is the Healer that can forgive your sins and heal your spiritual condition. He can also give you passion, put you in the right position, use His great power in your life, and give you purpose for your life!
He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
They
