SCARS Series Introduction Sermon Opening Passage Galatians 6:14-17 (NLT) As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world s interest in me has also died. 15 It doesn t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 16 May God s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. 17 From now on, don t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. Opening Prayer Heavenly Father I pray that today s message transition from a head knowledge into a heart revelation and through the power and the person of the Holy spirit renew our minds and transform our lives with Your word in the name of Jesus. Amen 1
Introduction Greek for Scar is stig ma: a mark pricked in or branded upon the body. To ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or the stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotees who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods. Paul said, I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. This was a source of pride for Paul. It was evidence of who he belonged to and what God had brought him through! 2 Corinthians 11:23-33 (NLT) Bullet Points He worked harder. He was often put in prison. He couldn t count the times he was whipped. He faced death again and again. Five different times Jewish leaders gave him thirty-nine lashes. Three times he was beaten with rods. Once he was stoned. Three times he was shipwrecked. Once he spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. He traveled on many long journeys. He faced danger from rivers and from robbers. He faced danger from his own people, both Jews Gentiles. He faced danger cities, deserts, and on the seas. He faced danger from men who claimed to be believers but were not. He worked hard and long and enduring many sleepless nights. He was at times hungry and thirsty and often gone without food. He shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Plus, the daily burden of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? The governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch him, so he had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him. Six Messages in out of 2 Corinthians 11 1) Scars of Unfairness 2) Scars of Injustice 3) Scars of Danger 4) Scars of Betrayal 5) Scars of Deception 6) Scars of Misunderstanding 2
Stigma Dictionary Definition Satan s Big Lie 1) a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. i.e "the stigma of having gone to prison will always be with me" or "the stigma of bankruptcy" synonyms: shame, disgrace, dishonor, humiliation, (bad) reputation 2) (in Christian tradition) marks corresponding to those left on Jesus body by the Crucifixion, said to have been impressed by divine favor on the bodies of St. Francis of Assisi and others. Q: Did you catch that? Something that was meant as proof of ownership and in Christianity something connecting us back to the love and sacrifice of Jesus now means shame or disgrace?!?! Satan did it again; he stole another word from us and in this series we re going to take it back! 3
1. Wounds want to heal. Psalm 147:3 (NLT) He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. Psalm 34:17-20 (NLT) The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time. 20 For the LORD protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! You can t talk about a wound around God with Him talking about healing! Illustration The body was designed by God to heal! A healthy body will begin the healing process almost immediately after it is wounded! i.e. clotting blood, tissue reconnecting, etc. A Christian doctor was quoted as saying, The best a physician can do is create a good environment for God s healing process. A Caution Jeremiah 6:14 (TLB) You can t heal a wound by saying it s not there! 4
2. Scars are old wounds that are healed. Scars Dictionary Definition: a mark on the skin that is left after a wound has healed. Illustration Everyone has SCARS, because everyone had been wounded! Show some of my visible scars and explain what happened and the lessons they taught you. Now, they give opportunity to teach those lessons to others! Your SCARS are your testimony! Remember what Paul said, I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus. All of Paul belonged to Jesus including those well-earned scars! The things that God has brought you through and healed you of belong to Him not you! Amazing Scriptural Insight Into How to Defeat the Enemy Revelation 12:11 (KJV) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. It is by the blood of the lamb that you have overcome and it is by your testimony that others will overcome!!! DO NOT HIDE YOUR SCARS they prove you are healed! 5
3. Cover you wounds; show your scars. Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:30-37 (NLT) A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant [a] walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, [b] telling him, Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I ll pay you the next time I m here. 36 Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits? Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, The one who showed him mercy. Then Jesus said, Yes, now go and do the same. Jesus Showed His Scars John 20:19-20 (NASB) So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, Peace be with you. 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. Many modern versions state Jesus showed His wounds; I don t believe that is accurate. I believe He showed His SCARS! 1) The NASB is widely considered to be the most accurate version in print. 2) Jesus was in His perfected body. Why would He have open wounds? VS20 Ending The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 3) Wounds don t bring joy, they re gross. I believe Jesus chose to keep His SCARS because they were evidence what God had brought Him through and healed Him of! One of the best and simplest ways to heal James 5:16 (NLT) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Everyone can see your SCARS; Only show you wounds to righteous people! 6
Closing Passage 1 Peter 5:10 (NLT) In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. SCARS is not a series on woundedness, it is a series on healing! Prayer 7