Generosity Heals

What do you want to believe God will heal in your life but secretly struggle with believing He can?

Don’t say “nothing” right away. Take some time as we worship and let the Spirit bring to mind those things that God already knows you question God’s ability to do.

I have a love/personal struggle with passages like the one we are going to look at...

I love the picture of Jesus teaching. I love the picture of Jesus healing those who probably seem to be the least deserving.

I love the picture of those watching not quite knowing not only how to deal with the supernatural but also struggling with the lesson Jesus is trying to teach.

Even though I love all these things I have to admit that I struggle with the idea that the healing I seek is possible for some of the pain I deal with. I have no trouble believing for others…I just have times if I am honest where I struggle with whether or not God can or will come through for me.

Its like the father in Mark chapter 9 who was asking Jesus to heal his son of evil spirits…Jesus asked him if he believed Jesus could heal his son…the desperate fathers answer was I believe....please help my unbelief...

If we are all honest we all deal with this a bit…that is why I asked the question at the beginning of our time. What do you want to believe God will heal in your life but secretly struggle with believing He can?

You see I don’t think its a matter of faith…it think it is something more personal…let’s read together.

Luke 7:1–17 NIV

1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well. 11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

The focus of this passage is often the faith of the centurion and it is assumed that the reason that Jesus was able to heal the servant was because of this awesome faith that he had in Jesus ability to heal. The only problem with this is that Jesus was already on His way to heal the servant before He knew how great the faith of the centurion was.

As for the healing of the only son of the widow no one asked Jesus to do anything he was just moved with compassion.

The common thread in the story of the centurion and the widow was not the faith of the recipients of the miracle. The common thread was the generous compassion of Jesus.

So the focus here is not the faith of the one who receives the miracle, it is the authority of Jesus to grant healing. As we recognized Jesus authority over all we open ourselves up for God’s goodness and we become irresistible to a world in need.

The trust that the centurion had was not in Jesus ability to heal…it was in the Authority that Jesus had over all of creation.

If we are going to see miracles, If we are going to have irresistible faith we must first believe in Jesus ultimate authority over ALL. Including ME.

Have you settled the question of Jesus Authority for your miracles?

How do we know when this is really settled?

We stop believing in that worldly concept of scarcity…

John 10:9,10 ESV

English Standard Version Chapter 10

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

If we are Children of God we have unlimited potential and unlimited power that comes from acknowledging the authority of God over the world whether the world believes in God of not. This leads to a freedom when it comes to the wordly philosophy of your the reason I don’t have…Money, Jobs, Wife, Husband, Hope…the list goes on and on.

Could it be that in adopting the worldly idea of scarcity instead of a mindset of abundance we are limiting not only what God can do for us personally but what God can do through us?

Practice: What is one thing you have been holding onto tightly becuase you are afraid you don’t have enough to make it? Use what you believe is scarce to enhance the mission of God.

2 min timer

PRAYER:

COMMUNION RESPONSIVE READING

Leader: Lift up your Hearts!

All: We Lift our Hearts to Lord Jesus!

Leader: Let us profess together who God wants us to be

All: We are a community connecting people to God and others creating space where all people can belong.

Leader: Let us remember the words of Jesus on the night He was betrayed.

All: He took the bread and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,

Leader: This is my Body broken for you please eat in remembrance of me

All: In the same way after supper Jesus took the Cup and said,

Leader: This Cup represents my blood shed for you, whenever you drink do so in remembrance of me.

Let us partake together the broken Body and the shed Blood of Jesus.

Benediction: