1 Mark 1:29-34 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. Before we get into today s passage, I need to define a word that I m going to use in the message. The word is sanctification. To put it basically, sanctification means that even though my sins are forgiven, I m still not perfect. When God looks at me, he sees me through the payment of Christ s blood. Christ s perfection is accredited to my account. But I am still bound by my human, mortal and sinful body. Sanctification is the process that I go through on earth to becoming more Christ-like. It is a process that will only be complete until I either die or until Christ returns, whichever comes first. Background: Remember last week when Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on the sabbath and everyone was amazed at his authority over scriptures and demons. When they left the synagogue they went to Peter s house. Peter s mother-in-law was sick in bed and Jesus healed her. This brings us to point 1. Point 1: Jesus Heals on the Sabbath. This is why people don t start coming to Jesus until evening as we see in verse 32. The sabbath wasn t officially over until around 6pm, and the people weren t allowed to bring their sick people to him until after it was over. Peter s mother though was healed during the sabbath. We see that Jesus continues this practice of healing on the sabbath throughout the gospels. Here he is starting to build that culture. The culture that it is okay to do good works on the sabbath. To tell the truth, I don t think the people in that house gave it a second thought. To them it was all good. Peter s mother-in-law was sick and now she is well, Praise God! Later though we see how the religious leaders don t like this. When Jesus starts to publicly heal on the sabbath, the pharisees, scribes and priests start to accuse Jesus of sinning against God. I wanted to point out though that Jesus started this practice before the religious
2 leaders even knew about it. He was being an example to his disciples, creating a culture. But what happened after the Pharisees found out about it? Turn to Mark 3:1-6 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, Come here. 4 And he said to them, Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill? But they were silent. 5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, Stretch out your hand. He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. We will talk more about this later when we get to Mark 3, but do you see the problem here. It is obviously a condition of the heart that is the issue. The Pharisees knew that there was a lame man there, and instead of trying to help the man all that they were concerned about was trying to trap Jesus. They were more concerned about the letter of the law, than the well being of their people. Regardless of how religious or how knowledgeable about the Bible someone is, if they don t have a heart of love, they have nothing. Many of us have memorized John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. But this truth will do us no good if we don t live out Matthew 22:37-39 And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. This is what the Pharisees were missing. They had a head full of knowledge that they were taking with them into hell. All the Biblical knowledge in the world doesn t save you from the wrath of God. It s a heart of love for God and a faith in Jesus Christ that saves us. I would rather have the faith of a child than the learning of C.S. Lewis or R.C. Sproul. I m not saying that Biblical learning isn t important. We are called to always be learning, studying and seeking out God as part of our sanctification. But we can t forget the basic foundations that the learning is built upon. If we build our knowledge of God on any
3 other foundation other than his love we are simply building pride, conceit and legalism; which is a house that is destined to fall. I can t stress enough the importance of humbling ourselves and following Matthew 22. That we love the Lord our God with everything that we have. Our actions are driven not from the law, but from love. We desire to follow God. We want to please him, because we love him. Often times the law and love require the same actions, but it is the motivation that God is concerned with. King David echoed this long before the New Testament was written. God called David a man after his own heart. Back when they were still offering animal sacrifice, this is what the man after God s own heart said. Psalm 51:16-17 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. David understood that it was the heart or motivation behind our actions, and not just the actions themselves that God was interested in. I think that it why God called him a man after his own heart. It s also worth noting that Peter s mother-in-law started to serve them once she was well. Again we see where work is being done on the sabbath and Christ is allowing it. She was healed and was grateful to Christ. In return she wanted to serve him, to show her love to him. And that was acceptable to God. Summary for Point 1: It is our Love for God and for others that drives our actions, regardless of the law. I m sure that all of you have seen those bracelets WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?). I like those. Although I would probably re-state it somewhat. I would word it What Would Jesus Want Me To Do?. Jesus is God and, depending on the circumstance, what would be an appropriate action for God may not be an appropriate action for me. The point is valid though. Instead of just looking to the law for direction, we should look to the entire teachings of the Bible. Including the teachings of Christ. Just as we discussed last week. Doctrine is what the entire Bibles teaches us on how we are to live
4 our lives today. Jesus is the author of both the Old and the New Testimants. By studying all of it, we can see what Jesus would call us to do. Point 2: The Healing was Always for God s Glory So far it is just Jesus who is healing and casting out demons. We see later in Mark 6:7-13 where Jesus gives the disciples the power to do this as well, but that hasn t happened yet. This is a key point. Jesus was healing those people for two reasons. The first of which was to fulfill prophecy. Turn to Matthew 8:14-17 14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: He took our illnesses and bore our diseases. This is the exact same event that we are studying today in Mark. Matthew adds some more detail though and shows us why Jesus is healing the sick. Jesus was fulfilling prophecy in Isaiah 53:4 that showed him to be the messiah. The disciples couldn t start healing yet, because Jesus was establishing the fact that the healing was coming from him, the messiah. Only after everyone knew Jesus was the healer, that he then gave that same authority to the disciples so they could go and do the same thing in his name. But first he was showing that he, Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecy. The second reason that Jesus was healing people was to bring glory to God. When Jesus, and later the apostles, went around healing people it was for the explicit purpose of drawing people to God. Just like we discussed earlier today. God cares more about the motivation of our actions than the actions themselves. In the same way, God cares more about healing people's hearts and souls than he does about healing their bodies. Now it s great when we get physical healing, but it is glorious when we are healed spiritually! Which one results in God getting more glory, when we are physically healed or when we are spiritually healed? Let s read from Luke 17:11-19 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 When he saw them he said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. And as they went they were cleansed. 15
5 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner? 19 And he said to him, Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well. Here we see that ten men were healed, yet only one gave glory to God. How often do we pray for healing and forget to thank God when it comes? We may pray everyday for weeks on end about something, and then only thank him once after we receive it. Compare that to a saved soul that will praise him forever in heaven. Jesus healing the people was an example of the spiritual healing that was to come from his work on the cross. It pointed to him being the ultimate healer. I feel that we often forget what it is that we have been saved from. We pray for physical healing and forget to ask for spiritual healing. We get so caught up in our lives and our current pains, that we don t thank God for sparing us from the eternal pain and suffering that we deserve! Hell is so much worse than anything we could ever imagine or experience here on earth. And heaven is so much greater! Let s not lose sight of that. We have been saved from the worst torment in the universe and brought into the most glorious joy and pleasure that mankind will ever experience! Summary for Point 2: Our hearts have been healed to the eternal glory of God. Point 3: Jesus work on the cross was to heal and save our souls, not our bodies. Jesus work on the cross was to heal and save our souls, not our bodies. Don t confuse the two. Like we just discussed. The true purpose of Christ on the cross was to save our souls. God doesn t always choose to heal our bodies. I m not saying that there are no more miracles. I believe that there are still miracles of healing. In order to be from God though, they must give glory to God and sometimes God gets glory from not healing us. Do you remember Joni Eareckson Tada? When she was 17 she hit her head on a rock while diving into the water. It made her a paraplegic for the rest of her life. She couldn t move anything from her neck down. That happened over 50 years ago. Now here is someone who could use some healing! It took her awhile before she accepted the fact that her body would never be healed. Can you imagine the mental pain and suffering that would cause along with the physical pain and suffering? I can t. Here are a couple of quotes from Joni.
6 He has chosen not to heal me, but to hold me. The more intense the pain, the closer His embrace. Contentment... has an internal quietness of heart that gladly submits to God in all circumstances. It is because of her injuries that she has gloried God all over the world. She has written over 50 books of inspiration giving God the glory for her injuries. We do not know the mind or plans of God. What he has in store for us may not always be pleasant. But if we have faith in him, it will be for his glory and ultimately for our benefit as well. As she also said; Suffering provides the gym equipment on which my faith can be exercised. Her body may be weak, but the strength of her faith would put even superman to shame. Not only do we bring glory to God in our sufferings, but our sufferings also allow us to share the comforts of God. Turn to 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. Often times, people will ask If God is good, why does he allow suffering?. It is so he can show us his comfort and so we can share that comfort with others. This is still a fallen and sinful world. Until Christ returns and removes all evil, there will still be pain and suffering. Christ is patiently waiting, giving us more time to repent and turn to him before he returns. And while he waits for us, he comforts us through our pain and sufferings. We see that it is God who comforts us in our pain, and he does this so that we can comfort others who are also in pain. The more that we share in Christ s suffering, the more that we can share his comfort as well. It is a blessing to us and we can now be a blessing to others. Romans 5:3-5 says that we actually rejoice in our sufferings. Romans 5:3-5
7 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. The Christian life is not a pain free life. Jesus Christ is our example and we see how much he had to suffer here on earth. Why would we think that it would be any different for us? But the comforts of God far outweigh the afflictions of this world. After we have been in heaven 100 years or even 100 seconds, the pain of this earth will be a distant memory when compared to heaven and being in the very presence of God. The amount of awe and wonder that we will experience is beyond our earthly comprehension. I want to be upfront with you. I want you to know the cost and consequences of your decision before you make it. If you choose to follow God there will be pain and suffering here on earth, but there will also be wonderous peace and joy in heaven forever. If you choose to reject God there will be pain and suffering here on earth, and then there will be eternal torment waiting for you in hell. The call to the Christian life is not a call to earthy comforts and prosperity. Sometimes Christianity is sold as a cure-all. The Health and Wealth doctrine teaches God will always heal you or make you prosperous. That we can command God to heal. This is a false doctrine, and quite frankly makes me shudder. Just the idea of commanding God to do something makes my stomach churn in fear. That is lighting bolt material. Remember what Jesus tells his followers in John 15:18-21 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. Jesus is flat out telling us that we will have pain and suffering in this world. The martyrs of history and of today will testify to that. Some of that pain will be from persecution and some will come from the fact that we live in a fallen world with sickness and disease. While we pray for the removal of pain and sickness, we also need to be ready to accept it. It is only temporary. Our promise and our future lay beyond this world. We look to a bright future of an eternity in the presence and glory of Jesus Christ.
8 I read an article this past week called The Key to Activate the Healing Power of Jesus Here is a quote from the article. Like the disciples, you and I can activate the healing power of Jesus, too! Then it gives what is basically a set of magic words that you speak to activate the power of God. THIS IS WRONG! This is a false doctrine. God is not some power that we can activate or turn on. I already mentioned that I do believe in miraculous healings, but what is the heart and motivation behind it? Is it to glorify God, or is to benefit ourselves? We see that even with healing, it is the condition of our hearts that matters. When I pray for healing, I truly desire God to move and take away the pain. And in his sovereignty sometimes he does. And in his sovereignty, sometimes he doesn t. But in all cases, I am to praise God. Summary for Point 3: The promises of today are for spiritual healing. The promise of physical healing comes after the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:42-43 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. Final Summary: As we close today, I wanted to leave you with these six thoughts. 1. It is always ok to do what is right by God. (What would Jesus have me do?) 2. Pray earnestly for healing and be content if God says no. 3. The more we suffer for Christ, the more we are blessed with his comforting. 4. Our sufferings allow us to glorify God and bless others. 5. It is the condition of the heart that matters to God. 6. Our hope is in the healing and salvation of our souls. The promised glory of eternity with God in heaven.