I’d Rather Laugh With the Sinners Than Cry With the Saints

I will admit that I’m a Billy Joel fan. One of his earlier songs is called “Only the Good Die Young.”

While the content is not admirable, he has an interesting line where he says, “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun.”

Today we’re going to see Jesus putting his own spin on that line of thinking as he puts his own spin on Billy Joel’s thinking.

Welcome to church…

At the end of this digital church service there’s a place for comments. We’d love to hear from you. What did you take away from the service? What spoke to you? How can we do better to serve you and your friends and family?

Thx!

Here’s today’s word…

APPEARANCE

Hang around any conservative or fundamentalist Christian and eventually you’ll hear talk about “avoiding the appearance of evil.”

It usually has to do with some perceived standards of holiness and righteousness. That is to say, people who want to keep a tight grip on what is or is not acceptable often utilize this line to control behavior (their own behavior or that of others). Under the pretense of standards and holiness, I’ve seen people use this line to:

– not eat with people they consider to be “sinners”
– not play card games or dice games
– not go to “movie-houses” to see a show
– not drink any alcohol
– the list goes ON AND ON AND ON AND…

The problem is that people make up their own standards that are never meant to be part of the Christian faith. According to the line “avoid the very appearance of evil”, not even Jesus himself would have been acceptable. Luke picks up the story in chapter 5:

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

That Jesus! Ooohh…he just makes me so mad. Where are his standards?!? He probably lets women be part of his entourage. He probably provides wine at dinner parties.

Well – yes! He actually did have women in his entourage. He did provide wine at dinner parties.

AND HE HANGS OUT WITH TAX COLLECTORS AND SINNERS!

The tax collector bit is a tad beyond our culture. We may dislike the IRS, but we don’t normally judge an employee as Hell-bound. In Jesus day, taxes went to the Roman government but were collected by local Jews. That meant that tax-collectors were sell-outs – Jews working for the enemy. They betrayed Israel and thus betrayed God. That’s why it was such a big deal for Jesus to interact with a tax collector.

The people who had to maintain righteous standards and outward signs of holiness would never be caught dead with such people. It causes them to complain about the company Jesus keeps.

Jesus’ response is phenomenal because it demonstrates his heart. He doesn’t care about appearances. He cares about people. What good is a doctor is all he does is hang out with healthy people? No good at all! So Jesus, the doctor for everything that ails us spiritually, is intentional about loving on people who need healing.

But what about avoiding the appearance of evil?!?

To be honest, it’s a poor understanding of what the Bible says. The Bible tells us to avoid every form of evil and to DO good. It’s not about the appearance of things – NOT.AT.ALL.

So that leads the religious muckety-mucks to ask another question:

And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”

Again, they’re trying to trap Jesus by holding him to a standard that is not from God. It’s about fasting and praying. Why don’t Jesus’s guys behave like the other righteous guys?

Jesus gives another brilliant answer – God is doing something new. The old ways are not the new ways, and if you try to contain what God is doing now in the containers of yesterday, you’re going to explode. It’s time to get off your spiritual high-horse and let God be God.

It’s not about the outward appearance of standards and holiness. It’s not about keeping God in the box of years past. What is God doing now?! How does God want to reach people and heal them now?!

We’re going to have some reflection and response time. Think about the message and focus on the words of the songs.

Our first song is one we’ve done before here at The Church Plant and is called “One Thing Remains.” This is one of my favorite worship songs of all time. Picture a Jesus who eats with unfavorable people no matter what others may think of him. He doesn’t care about appearances – He cares about the condition of our souls. His love compels him to eat with sinners because we, the sinners, are the people who need Him most!

This one thing remains:
Your love never fails
It never gives up
It never runs out on me!

As you listen, ask yourself, “How do I need Jesus’s love in my life? How can I be Jesus to the world around me, even if ‘righteous’ people judge me?”

Let’s worship…

Our second song this morning is “Jesus Paid It All” and declares:

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left crimson stain
He washed it white as snow!

It’s not about maintaining an appearance of holiness. We can’t do anything to be good enough. It’s not about what we can do – it’s about what Jesus has already done!

Let’s worship…

FOR REFLECTION:
– How am I a sinner in need of Jesus’s company?
– How have I judged others by some un-godly standard?
– How can I be like Jesus and love on people – to bring the sick to the doctor?

MAKING IT REAL:
– This week, ask God to show you how you hold to outward appearances while neglect godly character.
– Find “sinners” that you can be with and love on to show them a Jesus who loves them.
– At the end of the week share your God moments with us here on the site or on our page at Facebook.

– – – – – – – – – –

For further reading about “avoid the appearance of evil” you can check out this article from H. Deventer & D.R. Bratcher.

Thanks for joining us at The Church Plant today. If there’s anything you would like prayer for just contact us and we’ll be happy to pray for you. We also provide pastoral counseling. Let us know how we can serve you. We’d love feedback from you. You can send us an email or comment below. Let us know your thoughts and how you think we can get better.

Finally, if today’s message resonated with you at all, we would appreciate it if you would share this digital church service with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or any other media you use. Help share about Jesus!

Thanks, and have a great week!

Follow @chrislinzey
Follow @thechurchplant

Christmas to the Cross: A Christmas Eve Worship Service

Near the end of this service we will take communion together. Go ahead and get your bread/cracker and juice/wine ready now. 🙂

Ready? Cool.

Waiting for God’s Chosen One:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. From that moment on God was not satisfied simply to have started the human story – He wanted to be part OF the human story. He walked and talked with Adam and Eve.
He brought Noah and his family through the waters. He led Abraham away from his home in order to start a new nation

And when God’s people found themselves in desperate times, prisoners in Egypt, God sent Moses to lead them out of slavery and back to the land God promised them. But the people walked away from God and returned to slavery. This time it wasn’t with real chains and prisons – humanity became slaves to our own sin and brokenness. Once again, God needed to step in, be part OF the story, and bring a new Moses – a new Savior to lead people out of slavery and back to Him.

The prophet Isaiah said ~ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel which means “God is with us”.

So the world waited for the new Moses, leading a new Exodus, bringing people back to God. But God has a quirky sense of humor. When we expect wisdom God uses foolishness. When we expect strength God uses weakness. And from an unexpected place the story unfolds.

The prophet Micah said ~ But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Once again God becomes intricately involved as part OF the human story. He is not a far and distant God but is among us. The Messiah is Son of God but is also Son of Man.

When his mother Mary had been legally pledged to be married to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. A Divine Pregnancy. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce Mary quietly. But as he considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel commanded.

Can you imagine being in Joseph’s place? Thomas H. Troeger once wrote:

The hands that first held Mary’s child were hard from working wood
From boards they sawed and nailed and filed and splinters they withstood
This day they gripped no tool of steel they drove no iron nail
But cradled from the head to heel our Lord, newborn and frail

When Joseph marveled at the size of that small breathing frame
And gazed upon those bright new eyes and spoke the infant’s name
The angel’s voice he once had dreamed poured out from heaven’s height
And like the host of stars that gleamed blessed earth with welcome light

This Child will be Emmanuel – not God upon a throne
But God-with-us, Emmanuel – As close as blood and bone
The tiny form in Joseph’s palms confirmed what he had heard
And from his heart rose hymns and psalms for heaven’s human Word

The tools which Joseph laid aside a mob would later lift
And use with anger, fear and pride to crucify God’s gift
Let us, O Lord, not only hold the Child who’s born today
But charged with faith, may we behold to follow in His way

There’s a Christmas song that nearly moves me to tears every time I hear it. It’s called “Joseph’s Lullabye” –

This newborn king is not just for some. He is born to be king of all; regardless of nation, gender, wealth or poverty. He is the King of both the low and exalted. When this little king held court his royal attendants were shepherds AND kings!

But why? What’s the point of this baby king? What’s it REALLY about? Recalling God’s plan from the beginning, The Gospel of John tells us:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

For 1600 years God’s people had waited for the Messiah, the Chosen One to lead people back to God. That’s why the baby king came. Not to be a cute baby – but to bring light to the dark world.

But the darkness didn’t go away quietly. Instead, it fought back, taking the life of the this Messiah, this King, this light of the world. It wasn’t a surprise to this king – he knew what had to be done.

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed…

At this point of the service we’re taking communion together.

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Why did God decide to become part of our story? Why come as an infant king only to die? It was for us, that we might have a new life with God. He was born to give US life. Jesus said:

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Christmas is great. Baby Jesus is great. Family and friends are great. Giving and getting gifts is great.

But that’s not what Christmas is about.

Christmas is about our chance to have a new life – to have a fresh start and leave our brokenness behind us and to experience eternity in the presence of God. Because Christmas to the Cross is all about how much God loves us.

Merry Christmas!

Forget Dr. Oz, Try the Total Body Jesus Cleanse!

Have you ever met someone who SWEARS by a certain health-care product or system? [If you’re one of those people I’m not passing judgment!]

People try all sorts of things to detoxify and cleanse their bodies. Some do “raw diets.” Some do juice. Some do some really foul-looking concoctions that are supposed to flush your system.

y
U
C
K

Wouldn’t it be better if there were an easier way?

Welcome to church…

At the end of this digital church service there’s a place for comments. We’d love to hear from you. What did you take away from the service? What spoke to you? How can we do better to serve you and your friends and family?

Thx!

Here’s today’s word…

PURSUE

It means to follow after something in order to catch it. Luke now puts two different pursuit stories back to back

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.

This man with leprosy has a lot of moxie. Not only is he one of the guys with the courage to ask Jesus for healing, but he approaches Jesus when the world around him said he should not approach ANYONE!

It’s not too hard to wrap our minds around this mentality. In our recent past we saw American media going ba-NANAS over the Ebola Virus. It was as though people were afraid of going out in public places without proper protection.

This is what it would have been like for the man with leprosy. He was viewed as a problem – but it was even worse. He was not a problem because he had a skin condition. The skin condition was often thought to be the result of a spiritual condition. He had leprosy because he was a sinner. A good modern parallel would be people with AIDS. Many Christians don’t just see a person with an illness – they see an illness as the result of sinful behavior.

Jewish law said this leprous man should have called out, “UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!” when people approached him. Yet here he is INTENTIONALLY approaching Jesus and asking for help. There is something about the man that moves Jesus, and Jesus agrees to heal the man. Rather than seeking personal fame, Jesus tells the man to be quiet about the healing and present himself to the priest (who would have the ability to declare the man ritually clean and able to return to the life of the community). But you can’t keep a story like this quiet, and it draws to hear and see Jesus more than ever.

On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.

Again we have a story about people pursuing Jesus. While the first story was about a personal pursuit, this story has friends of a man in need pursuing Jesus. The incredible part of the story is the lengths they go to in order to get to Jesus. Since the crowd prevented them from carrying their paralyzed friend in through the front door, the took the stairs up to the roof! Homes in the Ancient Near East (ANE) were primarily earthen homes, so it would have been possible to dig through the roof. Still, IT WASN’T THEIR HOME!

They were destroying someone else’s personal property.

I know how I feel when people toss trash out on my lawn (living on a corner lot brings lots of foot traffic past our home). It drives me up the wall! These men aren’t just littering – they’re pulling Jesus’ roof apart (Mark’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was at home teaching people).

But their concern for their friend was so great and their belief that Jesus could help was so strong, they decided to risk everything in order to pursue Jesus. And Jesus doesn’t fail.

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

We’re going to have some reflection and response time. We have two songs that connect thematically with what we’ve been talking about. Think about the message and focus on the words of the songs.

Our first song is called “Waiting Here For You.” This has become one of my favorite worship songs lately – while the music is quite pretty, the message is downright powerful.

You are everything you promised
Your faithfulness is true
We’re desperate for your presence
All we need is you…
Waiting here for you!

As you listen, ask yourself, “Have I ever been in need of Jesus’ touch? What lengths have I gone to in order to pursue him?”

Let’s worship…

Our second song this morning is “Mighty to Save” and declares:

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Pursuing Jesus isn’t about what he can do for us. It’s about surrendering ourselves to him.

Let’s worship…

FOR REFLECTION:
– How do I need Jesus in my life?
– How have I pursued Jesus in the past? How will I pursue him now?
– What will I do with Jesus once I catch him?

MAKING IT REAL:
– This week, spend time every day pursuing God. Do it through prayer, worship, meditation…whatever you want to do, but be intentional about DAILY pursuit.
– Keep a daily journal about your pursuit.
– At the end of the week share your God moments with us here on the site or on our page at Facebook.

– – – – – – – – – –

Thanks for joining us at The Church Plant today. If there’s anything you would like prayer for just contact us and we’ll be happy to pray for you. We also provide pastoral counseling. Let us know how we can serve you. We’d love feedback from you. You can send us an email or comment below. Let us know your thoughts and how you think we can get better.

Finally, if today’s message resonated with you at all, we would appreciate it if you would share this digital church service with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or any other media you use. Help share about Jesus!

Thanks, and have a great week!

Follow @chrislinzey
Follow @thechurchplant

Jesus Loves Aerosmith, Tells Disciples to Walk This Way

Have you heard the Gospel According to Aerosmith?

Okay, I’m pretty sure Aerosmith has NEVER even thought about being a Christian group or talking about the good news of Jesus (gospel is just an old word for “good news”). Still, in today’s word from the Gospel According to Luke, we see Jesus picking out his first disciples and telling them, “Walk this way!” If Jesus sang it, I’m positive he would do it like Steven Tyler. 😉

Welcome to church…

At the end of this digital church service there’s a place for comments. We’d love to hear from you. What did you take away from the service? What spoke to you? How can we do better to serve you and your friends and family?

Thx!

Here’s today’s word…

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

Whenever the world sees people do amazing things it’s not too long before a crowd draws around. This is exactly the case with Jesus. The crowd is pressing in so much that he has nowhere to go but to get in a boat and preach from the water to the crowd on the shore. What I find fascinating is that Jesus uses Simon for ministry before Simon even knows what’s happening. Later on, Jesus will give Simon the name Peter, but for now he’s simply Simon. And Jesus uses what Simon has to accomplish his task.

It makes me stop and wonder what Jesus could do with what we have if we simply made it available to him. I may not have a boat that Jesus wants to use as a preaching platform, but what do I have that he could use for his purposes? What do you have? Jesus used part of Simon’s job, and he was able to continue preaching to the crowds.

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

Done preaching, Jesus addresses Simon directly. Though the text doesn’t say, I get the impression that Jesus and Simon already knew each other – perhaps quite well. Not only does Jesus use Simon’s boat, but then Jesus gives him direction for how to go about fishing.

I can just imagine what was going through Simon’s head: “You’re a builder and you want to tell me how to do my job?! Tell you what, buddy – you go build your buildings and leave me to my fishing.”

But Simon is respectful in his answer and calls Jesus “Master.” Even though he KNOWS Jesus is wrong, out of respect for Jesus Simon will comply. The result is so astounding that more boats and nets are needed to bring in the haul of fish! It’s not that Jesus is such a great fisherman – it’s that Jesus has complete mastery over nature itself. At his word, there is such an abundant provision that the boats start to sink with their catch! What we need to recognize is what Simon recognizes:

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Simon knows that Jesus’ provision of fish is not simply a miracle of providing fish for his fishing company. The act reveals the nature and person of Christ. That’s why Simon falls down and confesses to being a sinful man – he knows he’s not worthy to be in the presence of Jesus.

Now Jesus turns the whole encounter into a calling – entrance into a new job. He’s not just fishing any more. Now he’s fishing for men. It doesn’t matter that Simon is a mere fisherman. Jesus calls him anyway. And Simon and his business partners drop everything to follow Jesus.

I’m reminded of the band Newsboys’ song “Fishers of Men.”

We’re going to have some reflection and response time. We have two songs that connect thematically with what we’ve been talking about. Think about the message and focus on the words of the songs.

Our first song is called “The Great I Am.” Jesus is not just a good person – he has power over nature itself. He IS the Great I Am:

Halllelujah, holy holy
God Almighty, Great I Am
Who is worthy, none beside thee
God Almighty, Great I Am!

As you listen, ask yourself how you view Jesus’ identity. If he called you like he called Simon, how would you respond?

Let’s worship…

Our second song this morning talks about the coming of the Kingdom of God – the thing Jesus preached and called Simon and the others to preach. The song is “Build Your Kingdom Here” and declares:

We seek your kingdom first
We hunger and we thirst
Refuse to waste our lives
For You’re our joy and prize
To see the captive hearts released
The hurt, the sick, the poor at peace
We lay down our lives for heaven’s cause

Let’s worship…

FOR REFLECTION:
– What does it mean to ask for God to bring His kingdom here and now?
– What does living in that kingdom mean for me?
– How can I be a fisher of mankind for Jesus today?

MAKING IT REAL:
– This week, try to find a way that God can use you as you are for his purpose (like Simon’s boat).
– Be intentional about being a fisher of men and talk to someone about your faith (I know it can be hard, but you can do it!)
– At the end of the week share your God moments with us here on the site or on our page at Facebook.

– – – – – – – – – –

Thanks for joining us at The Church Plant today. If there’s anything you would like prayer for just contact us and we’ll be happy to pray for you. We also provide pastoral counseling. Let us know how we can serve you. We’d love feedback from you. You can send us an email or comment below. Let us know your thoughts and how you think we can get better.

Finally, if today’s message resonated with you at all, we would appreciate it if you would share this digital church service with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or any other media you use. Help share about Jesus!

Thanks, and have a great week!

Follow @chrislinzey
Follow @thechurchplant

Take My Mother-In-Law…Please!

At the end of this digital church service there’s a place for comments. We’d love to hear from you. What did you take away from the service? What spoke to you? How can we do better to serve you and your friends and family?

Thx!

Last week we looked at Jesus growing in fame and popularity and how that led to his rejection. Today we continue our look at the story of Jesus through the Gospel According to Luke, the third book of the New Testament and get to see Jesus performing miracles – healing people.

Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. They were astonished at His teaching because His message had authority. In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean demonic spirit who cried out with a loud voice, “Leave us alone! What do You have to do with us, Jesus—Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

But Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And throwing him down before them, the demon came out of him without hurting him at all. Amazement came over them all, and they kept saying to one another, “What is this message? For He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they come out!” And news about Him began to go out to every place in the vicinity.

This is a startling and powerful story to kick off Jesus’ public ministry. The Bible is always clear to pair up Jesus’ preaching/teaching with his acts of power. He’s not just a good teacher, but his words are backed up by his mighty deeds. He’s not just a healer, but his miracles are signs of the coming kingdom of God he preaches about. They are intertwined and cannot be separated.

In this case, the encounter with the demon gives immediate credibility to his teaching.

What I find terribly amusing here is the behavior of the demon. In ancient exorcisms, the exorcist would control the demon by naming it and by using strong language to remove it. In this scene, the demon is using exorcism language on Jesus!

But the supernatural powers, be they angels or demons, have no control over Jesus. In fact, Jesus tells the demon “SHUT UP AND GET GONE!” and the spirit has to obey. He isn’t merely a good teacher – he has power over the supernatural world.

After He left the synagogue, He entered Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him about her.

There was a comedian named Henny Youngman who made famous a joke, “Take my wife…please!”

Every time I read this story about Peter’s mother-in-law I see Peter talking to Jesus about his mother-in-law: Jesus, take my mother-in-law…please!!!

So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and began to serve them. When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him. As He laid His hands on each one of them, He would heal them. Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Messiah.

When it was day, He went out and made His way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. But He said to them, “I must proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.” And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

Jesus’ authority begins over the spiritual world. He can command evil spirits and they MUST obey. But we see his authority is extended beyond the spiritual realm to the realm of the physical body. A touch from Jesus and the sick are healed!

ASK YOURSELF: HOW AM I MOST IN NEED OF THE TOUCH OF JESUS TO BRING HEALING AND RESTORATION TO MY LIFE?

But we get discouraged sometimes when we DON’T see healing. Let’s be real here:

– Some healers are frauds. This is sad but true. Some people prey upon the hopes of sick people and take advantage of their desperate desire to be well. I am not God, and I cannot see into the hearts of men, but some ministry of some healers just seems odd. A while back, The Daily Show took clips from Benny Hinn’s ministry and added Star Wars effects. Put into another context, Hinn does seem…different.

Again, I’m not God and I’m not the final judge of any ministry or man. Perhaps Benny Hinn’s ministry does some good in this world. I’m a natural skeptic and don’t see Benny doing things the way Jesus, Paul, or any of the early Christians did things.

– Some healings are mere emotional responses (placebo effect). Our bodies have an amazing ability to repair themselves and to feel better when our mind is in it. That’s why drug studies have to use controls and placebos – to weed out the possibility that people are getting better on their own.

Still, we cannot deny that the supernatural occurs in this world. I personally know people who have gone to the doctor and received results from pet scans, CT scans, and other tests saying, “You have cancer,” or “You have broken bones here, here, and here.” Then upon subsequent visits to the doctors they were told, “Well, the labs came back negative this time,” or “We scanned you again and can’t find the breaks.”

While doubters tend to say, “The health care professionals goofed,” there are stories like this from all over the world. Either God STILL works miracles or we have a serious problem with our health care “professionals” making so many mistakes.

Healing was a regular part of Jesus’ ministry and were samples of the coming kingdom. That age has not come in fullness until we once again see Christ face-to-face. Healing is supposed to be a regular part of the Christian experience!

2 Corinthians 12:12 ~ 12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.

Romans 15:18-19 ~ 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ

James 5 ~ 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

And yet, not everyone is healed. Paul, who sent anointed hankies to people and they received healing, had people in his circle who remained sick. He himself didn’t experience the relief he sought.

2 Corinthians 12: 7-10 ~ So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Can we, like Paul, seek God’s touch yet still live with a negative answer? Just because we may suffer with our own thorns doesn’t mean that God has stopped performing miracles in this world. THROUGH EVERYTHING GOD STILL HAS OUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART! When we believe that he is who he says he is, that he has the power to restore all things, and actively seek his power and presence, we will see the miraculous.

So we continue to press in and pray for healing. We pray for miracles. We pray for God to break through and intervene in this world.

We’re going to have some reflection and response time. We have two songs that connect thematically with what we’ve been talking about. Think about the message and focus on the words of the songs.

Our first song is called “Healer” and speaks directly to our theme of Jesus’ miracle-working power – a power like no other!

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease
I trust in you, I trust in you!

I believe you’re my healer
I believe you are all I need
I believe you’re my fortress
I believe you’re more than enough for me
Jesus, you’re all I need

As you listen, ask yourself if you believe in Jesus’ healing power. Do you believe the story Luke tells us? Can Jesus heal us?

Ask yourself, “Have I been asking for a miracle? Is Jesus enough for me even if I’m not healed?”

Let’s worship…

Our second song this morning talks about how the love of God is bigger than any problems we might face. Even if we don’t receive healing in this life, God still loves us more than anything. The song is called “One Thing Remains” and says:

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant in thr trial and the change
This one thing remains

Your love never fails, it never gives up
It never runs out on me!

Let’s worship…

FOR REFLECTION:
– How do I see God’s love in my life?
– Do I really understand that God’s love is bigger than our troubles?
– Can you follow God even when He doesn’t give you the miracle you desire?

MAKING IT REAL:
– This week, what miracle(s) do you need in your life.
– Pray that God would move miraculously!
– Look for miracles in your life and in the world around you (no, I don’t mean the sunset – I mean MIRACLES!).
– At the end of the week share your God moments with us here on the site or on our page at Facebook.

If you want to read more about miracles, there is a wonderful 2-volume work called Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts by Craig Keener.

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Thanks for joining us at The Church Plant today. If there’s anything you would like prayer for just contact us and we’ll be happy to pray for you. We also provide pastoral counseling. Let us know how we can serve you. We’d love feedback from you. You can send us an email or comment below. Let us know your thoughts and how you think we can get better.

Finally, if today’s message resonated with you at all, we would appreciate it if you would share this digital church service with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or any other media you use. Help share about Jesus!

Thanks, and have a great week!

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