(30th OCT 2011) Jesus Christ who heals us!

 

 

 

 

Scripture Reading: Luke 5:12~16

12. While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

13. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.

14. Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

15. Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.

16. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

 

Sermon: Jesus Christ who heals us!

 

This story is from America in 1978. Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore had a 15 months old boy, Graham. This baby was very sick on April the year but they could not have a idea to call a doctor. They were enthusiastically faithful. Because they just thought him to catch a cold, they kept praying for him to God At that time, they did not know, in fact, he are suffered by "meningitis". This illness is Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. However, this couple had in mind, "we never make our faith weak" not to go to hospital and kept prayer for their son. Their family heard about it. His mother ran into them. His sister, too. Their family persuaded them to bringing their son to see a doctor. But this couple refused their asking because he should be healed by God Almighty. His sister said to him " Brother! I understand you want to have a way for Christian lives. However, if you go to hospital with Graham, your faith is not fallen. Can he hear something? Check it, please!" He was annoyed in her saying. But Graham his son could not listen to anything. Although he could not, they did not worry about it why their friend said "that becoming his deaf is a practical joke of Satan, now you are suffered by it. So as times went on, they even believed in his cure without losing faith even thinking that he just looked sick."

In 15th May 1978 Mr. and Mrs Gilmore found their son, Graham was dead on the bed. Nevertheless, they prayed for making their son alive because God can make the dead alive. During 15 min, they were eagerly praying. However, they realized soon, it was useless. Then they brought him to go to hospital. When they met a doctor, he said to them like this; "Why did you come now? as soon as you began to find out his illness, they could bring your son to come, he must be healed and be alive. When you heard about it, they were shocked and were painful.

What do you think about this story? what is wrong to them?

 

As a faith to Jesus Christ, to be healed is obvious. Jesus Christ came to this world in order to heal us. A sick who was suffered for 38 years in Pool of Bethesda, a woman who did not stop bleeding, leprosy patients, a blind man Bartimaeus, and so forth, all were healed by Jesus Christ as faith. Relying on His power, believers want to be healed with their troubles and illness.

In Korea, there are so many spiritual leaders who received gifts of healing in prayer retreat house. They are healing the sick as a name of Jesus Christ. So Spiritual healing which Jesus did is real even in the present. on the other hand, there are those who refused spiritual healing by supernatural belief. Nevertheless, sometimes we can see miracles which some cancer patients were cured by faith, which the cancer's growing suddenly ceased.

More important is that it is not ordinary. This is totally different from buying medicine, having injection for healing. This means we can not be healed by our will or intentions. That is to say we can not be healed by power of spiritual healing but blessed by the result of healing. While Jesus healing for illness, there was His will and all healing belong to His sovereignty.

As verse 12, we can see a leprosy patient went to Jesus and then wanted to be healed by Him. Leprosy is sometimes called as Hansen's disease. It is firstly that skin lesions are the primary external sign, then, Secondary infections, in turn, can result in tissue loss causing fingers and toes to become shortened and deformed. So, when a leprosy patient appeared in a family, the family isolated him or her from family and society. Moreover, religious leaders defined that to heal a leprosy person was much more difficult than to make the dead alive, saying "they are so dirty".

The leprosy patient having this serious disease came to Jesus Christ. If he was found by people living in the village, he could be killed by throwing stones or being stabbed. Whatever they could do to him, he came to meet Jesus Christ at the risk of his life. He longed to meet Jesus with certainty which Jesus healed him. He must meet Jesus to be healed. Now, what does he say to him in the text?

 

"Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

 

He could say like this, " Oh Lord, you should heal me. I came to you at the risk of my life. If you heal me, I can do everything what you want." But he did not say like this. We can see what he said to him "If you are willing".

Why he said like this? He longingly wanted to heal his disease.

In this point, we are surprised in his mind and attitude in front of Jesus. He was very humble to consider the willing of Jesus Christ; "Although he healed a lot of patients, can he heal me who suffered leprosy?" Like this, he showed his faith which thought of following Jesus Christ' will. For this, Jesus responded to him. Without any fear of infection, he reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him. (vers. 13)

In this point, we need to think something from this story. Jesus Christ as a healer heals us looking at our true faith. We can not see the Lord's miracle without being humble and obedient. Let's see! He would be able to heal many people after healing the leprosy patient. Also he could show up healing actions in front of people.

But, Jesus told him ""Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Even though he stopped the patient's saying, the news spread out to many people. So many patients looked for Jesus Christ. However, he did not care ofl honor or popularity. He did not possess excessively pity feelings to the sick. Rather Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

were not Jesus able to heal many patients? Because of exhausting his power, did he want to ran away from them and take a rest? Of course not, he did not want to be a idol of people or escape from the temptation of settling down there. More important is not only to heal the sick, but also pure faith which totally rely on the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes! the patient who suffered leprosy perfectly followed his will. I think, there are any possibilities that Jesus could not heal him, he would not blame Jesus.

It strikes me that Jesus reached out his hand and touched such believers to be healed. only by this healing, he can show effectively the gospel of Kingdom of God.

I want to say another story happened in a church of Korea. Rev. Yoon Sukjun worked to heal the sick as a name of Jesus Christ. When his saying in worship, there was a old lady who was suffered leg's pain and always bringing her stick. Feeing pity of her, he earnestly prayed to heal her. Being dropping his sweat he prayed and prayed. After healing, she was cured. But she started finding her stick. Everytime she was received by his healing prayer, she found to have a stick after healing. one day Rev, Yoon was annoyed by her doing. So he hid her stick. But she was finding her stick after healing "Where is my stick? give it to me!"

Yes it is. without any changes of our mind, we can not have perfect cure even though we are healed.

Jesus Christ came to us as a most powerful healer in this world.

Like we know that more taking antibiotic medicine, it does not work to us, Jesus did not heal without innocent faith of the sick. The reason is that He know that there is no miracle without any obedient faith.

Let us think about it together! We know very well that we can not live without Lord's miracle. How about us? Do we have a relationship with Jesus asking everything to him about his will? In ordinary lives, we are not doing anything without following any description of doctor. If we are not following his will, we should be suffered from illness and pain.

What can we do? We have to know his will, pray for it, and then humbly and obediently serve him. If so, Jesus heal us by his sovereignty.

I wish you to possess this faith and blessing by today preaching. Then I hope you will follow his will with all your hearts. Amen.

 

Let us pray.

Gracious God, thanks for healing us. You made us having a faith. we are willing to know your will, be humble and obedient to you. We believe in your healing power to cure all illness of body, heart, relationship, and even spirit. Please be with us and dominate our lives. In Jesus name we pray Amen.