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Our sermon will be on Acts 9:1-19

We have a website: https://tahlequahworshipcenter.com/

We are starting Wednesday Night service back up

We are having Thanksgiving dinner after service next Sunday

Kelly Greene will be preaching for us

Prayer requests:

Sue

Georgey

Billy and his Dad

Dorcas

Mark Wilson

Cristy’s Grandparents

Sandra

My Mom

Songs

He Set Me Free

Until Then

Thank You

The Greater Thing

When I was young, I remember the movie “Chariots of Fire” coming out.

I remember a big deal being made out of the movie.

I won 4 Academy Awards.

I remember that I saw it, but I didn’t remember what’s it was about.

Mostly I remember a man running on the beach and the unforgettable music.

That was until I saw it again years later after I became a Christian.

It’s based on a true story about Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams.

I want to talk about Eric Liddell.

He was at the time, the fastest man on earth.

He was also a devout Christian.

During the 1924 Olympics near Paris, there was a movement of events that caused the 100m to be moved to a Sunday.

Eric Liddell refused to run because it was the Christian Sabbath.

He would have won the 100m.

He did win the 400m dash after delivering the a message on Isaiah 40 where he ends with Isaiah 40:31

He was not favored to win the 400 m because it was longer than his favored time.

Before the race as the American coach dismisses Liddell, but another American, Jackson Scholz, hands him a note that quotes 1 Samuel 2:30

1 Samuel 2:30 (KJV ) … for them that honour me I will honour, ...

Liddell won gold with a world record time of 47.6 sec.

He went on to China as a missionary where he died in 1945 where the Japanese had occupied.

He was worked to death in prison camp where he was basically worked to death.

I’m not going to comment on whether he was right or wrong to refuse to run, but I will say that that moment may have defined his character for the rest of his life.

One of his fellow prisoners, Langdom Gilkey, said of him:

Often in an evening I would see him bent over a chessboard or a model boat, or directing some sort of square dance – absorbed, weary and interested, pouring all of himself into this effort to capture the imagination of these penned-up youths.

He was overflowing with good humour and love for life, and with enthusiasm and charm.

It is rare indeed that a person has the good fortune to meet a saint, but he came as close to it as anyone I have ever known.

The Satan

A few Sundays ago, I talked to you about sicknesses and how most of the time they are not caused by anyone and they are no one’s fault.

Well, this one was someone’s fault: Satan.

Did you know that Satan can cause illness?

This is not the first time that we see Satan causing an illness.

We see it in Job.

Satan causes an illness that produces boils all over Job.

Boils are painful.

What this woman was going through must have been painful as well.

It just calls it an infirmity.

In the Greek it means a physical inability weakness.

It is opposite of strength.

I know a few people with an infirmity.

We see that Mary Magdalene had spirits and infirmities.

I want you to look here at what it says that she was bent over and couldn’t raise herself up.

Not every sickness like this is caused by Satan, but this one was.

Here’s my take on it.

Unless God tells me that it’s caused by Satan, I’m going to assume that it’s not.

Then along comes Jesus.

Luke 13:12-13 “12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”

Jesus heals her, he casts Satan out.

The Sabbath

Here is a clear miracle that must be from God and yet there is opposition.

We don’t know where this happened, but it was at a synagogue.

The ruler was upset because it was on the sabbath.

In our text Jesus calls the ruler a Hypocrite and he uses the example of an ox or donkey.

If it’s the Sabbath, they will at least let their animals go somewhere where they can get food and water.

In Another instance where the disciples were gathering grain to eat Jesus says

What’s happening and still happens to this day is that we look at the things we don’t do and we yell about them.

Let me say something about Sunday in general.

The Jewish Sabbath was on a Saturday.

We as Christians started to worship on Sunday to celebrate the day that Jesus rose from the grave.

That eventually became the Christian Sabbath.

So what do we do as Christians?

Jesus hear shows that this lady, who had had been bound by Satan for 18 years, is more important than the cattle or donkeys.

What is the purpose of the Sabbath?

It’s to show us that we need rest.

I want you to know something about me.

I don’t know if anyone even thinks of this, but I work between 40-50 hours a week for my day job and then I add 10-20 hours for the church.

I’m sure I average at least 60 hours a week.

I don’t get a day off.

So that’s why most Saturdays and Sundays, I rest when I’m not doing anything else.

We get all hung up on what we are doing and we miss out on the stuff that matters.

So before you go and criticize someone for working on Sunday, ask yourself “Am I doing what I should?”

Am I watching the race which is contributing to someone else having to work?

Am I going out to eat? Am I grabbing food at Reasor’s?

Or gas somewhere?

We need to make sure we are not guilty of some of these things.

What is the principle of the Sabbath?

It is rest.

Are we taking the time to rest?

It’s claimed that even Liddell refereed a field hockey match on a Sunday to help stop fighting amongst players while he was in that prison camp.