THE CURE FOR WHAT AILS YOU

Introduction

What began as an epidemic a few weeks ago has quickly morphed into a pandemic over the last few days. COVID-19 is pretty much everywhere - around the globe and down the street. The difference between an epidemic and a pandemic — the virus has gone from effecting certain large areas of people, to now spanning almost every corner of the globe. When you go from epidemic to pandemic…your just a hop skip and a jump from pandemonium breaking out everywhere.

Pandemonium — that’s the word some folks on the news are using. And I can see why when they show videos of a guy in store getting stabbed over a case of bottled water or a video of two women having a knock-down drag out fight over a pack of toilet paper.

Pandemonium was the capital city of Hell in Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost.” He used two Greek words, “pan” meaning “all” and “daimonian” meaning “demons”. In other words, pandemonium means when all hell breaks loose.

Another word in the same root family as pandemic and pandemonium is the word panic —

'Panic' comes from the name of the Greek god Pan, who supposedly sometimes caused humans to flee in unreasoning fear.

It was the capital city of Hell in Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost.” He used two Greek words, “pan” meaning “all” and “daimonian” meaning “demons”. In other words, pandemonium means when all hell breaks loose.

Today I would like to challenge us to turn away from the trap of pandemonium. Let us turn our backs on panic and fear, both of which lead to selfishness, despair, paranoia, and all sorts of other negative outcomes.

If we are going to live the life in 2020 that God would have us live, we must get into the habit of turning to Jesus with every single thing that ails us: fear, sickness, fear of sickness, poverty, fear of poverty, selfish isolationism, gullibility to every negative thing we hear in the media, the tendency to panic instead of trust, and so many other “diseases” of the heart.

Let me ask a question - “Does it help calm your fears to get into a wrestling match over toilet paper or bottled water?” Quite the opposite I would say.

No matter what we face in a give day, week, or year, let us have confidence in Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Big Idea: Put your faith in Jesus every day: He is the cure for what ails you

Transitional: What kind of faith are you exercising today?

Proactive Faith Runs After the Cure

Exposition

John 4:46–50 NIV

Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

Proactive faith is not the kind that gives up easily

When you are desperate, you skip over the pleasantries…it is serious business so you cut to the chase

He begged Jesus to come and heal his son — he didn’t politely ask Jesus to come and pray…he begged Him to come and heal

He was supposed to be dignified…but He was too focused on the cure to worry about what people might think about him

Even after Jesus rebuked him, the man persisted “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

…this kind of faith runs after the cure

Proactive faith sees answers

Jesus reaches beyond our fear and desperation

His love compels Him to respond to our faith, regardless of how we express it

Illustration: Only God knows how this virus situation will pan out (there’s that word again). He is not offended or taken back when we cry out to Him with our fears, worries, and needs. When our need to get His cure drives us to our faith to our knees, have no doubt that He is listening and He will respond.

Transitional: Some folks cry out in faith - expecting miracles, while others’ have such weak faith that they don’t even bother to ask for miracles.

Weak Faith Needs Pushed Toward the Cure

Exposition:

John 5:1–8 NIV

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

John 5:1-8

When one’s faith is weak or buried deep beneath the surface, God knows how to intervene in those circumstances...

Sometimes an intervention is needed

“Do you want to get well?”

“That would be really nice, sir! But it can’t happen. Trust me…I know!”

Sometimes Jesus seems to ignore our protest and brings the miracle we need in spite of our skepticism or weak faith

Jesus brought an unexpected intervention. Even after the man told him there was no hope

Sometimes shock-therapy is in order

“Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!”

Illustration: I can remember a few times in school and church where I experienced a little shock therapy. Maybe you can relate. You are sitting in class or church…you start off listening, but somewhere along the line you mind begins to wander…you are thinking about what you are going to do for vacation - or worrying about how you are going to pay your bills - or any number of other things…anything but what the teacher is saying. Then, out of the mist and haze of your daydreaming, you hear “Curtis!” You turn and look at the teacher...”what do you think?” I have to admit, I kind of enjoy it when I call on a student and they have no idea what I just said or how to answer my question.

Jesus said to the man “Do you want to get well?” The man tells Jesus why that would be totally impossible....

GET UP! PICK UP YOUR MAT AND WALK!

I think the man was shocked…but he got up and was healed on the spot.

Application

Do you need the cure? Do you want to get well but you just don’t see any way it can happen?

The most important area where we need God’s cure is in our inner man.

Without Jesus’ intervention, we would all be lost and without hope

But then the Holy draws us to Jesus saying “Do you want to get well? I have the cure for what ails you.”

Transitional: Regardless of how God intervenes in growing your faith...

Growing Faith Learns to Live in the Cure

Exposition

John 5:14 NIV

Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

Don’t forget where the cure came from

Live your life in service to Jesus because He is the one who made you well

CHALLENGE

Put your faith in Jesus every day: He is the cure for what ails you

If you have proactive faith…maybe even desperate faith, share it with others

Your experiences — your journey of faith through desperate and difficult seasons can be a great source of encouragement to those whose faith is not yet strong

Point people to the cure for what ails them

It’s not government, vaccines, or a garage full of toilet paper

God is the cure for what ails us

Are you so stuck in your ailment that you have no concept of how God could cure what ails you?

Jesus is asking today “Do you want to get well?”

Step out and believe Him for answers