Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
Robert Coleman talks about where the Pharisees went wrong:
“The Pharisees had so much respect for the original set of scriptures and wanted to protect them so desperately that they started adding to them.
Then, after a while, it not only seemed helpful to make additions but absolutely essential.
For instance, if God said we could not work on the Sabbath, then don't even pick grain to eat, just to play it safe.
Don't even heal people because that might be a borderline case.
These traditions and additions accumulated into hundreds over the years.
Soon it became apparent that they far from optional.
These laws became every inch as important as the scriptural laws and in some instances more crucial.
The Pharisees also saw their mission as creating new laws as the times changed.
If they felt the Scriptures contained no moral laws to control something modern, then they would manufacture a law and announce that it was binding on man and God.
New situations could not be ignored, and if there were gaps in the Scriptures, someone had to fill them.
Jesus found it very difficult to appreciate anyone changing God's laws.
For him, it was fine if the Pharisees wanted to fast twice a week.
They could go to it with great pleasure.
The flak came when they said,
‘We instituted this new law, and God expects you to keep it.’
At this point Jesus balked and told them to back off.”
And that right there will be our focus for today, Beloved.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 13 and focus on verses 10 through 17.
Our message this morning is titled “Jesus Heals on the Sabbath.”
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As you are turning to our passage today please keep in mind this fact...
That Jesus showed us that what we should do in obedience to Him is found in the Word of God...
And we are not to follow the dangerous doctrines found in the traditions of mere men.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Miracle
2) The Objection
And...
3) The Response
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are set apart and totally Holy...
You are the Author of all things...
And You are the Creator of all things seen and unseen.
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Thank You for giving us the Scriptures...
For this is our source of all truth that is needed to be saved.
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Help us to trust in Your commands instead of the false teachings of the commands of men...
For the commands of men make void the Word of God.
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.
12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.”
13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.
14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?
16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Miracle
1) The Miracle
Verses 10-13: Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.
With this episode, Luke marks the first change of setting since Luke 11:53...
You see Beloved, the close of Jesus’ address on preparedness and the warning of need to repent before it is to late which was covered back in Luke 12:1 to Luke 13:9.
Now, Luke presents a completely new scene.
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Additionally, we should keep in mind that this is also the last instance in Luke where Jesus appears teaching in a synagogue.
Yo see, the hostility of the Jewish authorities increased to such an extent towards the end of the Savior's activities that He would afterwards no longer be allowed to appear in the synagogues.
We even see a similar pattern with the Apostles...
Especially with Paul...
He would always start his ministry in the synagogues and, due to the hostility of the Jews, he would be barred from the synagogues...
Paul then would focus his attention on the Gentiles.
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Now, for some background on Synagogues, please consider this note from a commentary I came across in my study this week (MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke):
“The numerous synagogues that existed in Israel provided a convenient venue for the Lord’s teaching wherever He went.
There were many synagogues in Galilee (since the minimum number of Jewish men required to form a synagogue was ten most, if not all of its 240 cities and villages would have had at least one, and many locations would have had multiple).
In the more populous region of Judea, there would have been far more.
For example, according to the Jerusalem Talmud there were arguably 480 synagogues in Jerusalem alone.
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Synagogues existed primarily for instruction in the Scriptures.
In a synagogue Sabbath service, a passage from the Old Testament would be read, after which a teacher would explain its meaning to the congregation.
The synagogues did not function like the Jerusalem temple, since only at the temple could offerings and sacrifices be offered and the feasts and ceremonies celebrated.
But after the Babylonians destroyed the temple in 586 BC, the Jewish exiles began gathering in small groups to hear the teaching of God’s Word.
Those informal gatherings eventually developed into the network of synagogues of Jesus’ time.
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A synagogue had no full-time pastors, teachers, or priests, and anyone approved by the ruler of the synagogue could teach the Old Testament.
Oversight and leadership in the synagogues was in the hands of selected elders consisting of laymen, the chief of which was the...ruler of the synagogue.
It was his responsibility to conduct the worship service and approve the teachers.
Throughout His ministry Jesus had frequently taught in the synagogues.
However as the reaction of this synagogue ruler indicates, synagogues were becoming less receptive to Him.
In fact, this passage marks the last recorded appearance of Jesus in a synagogue.”
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Now that we have covered some much needed background information...
Let’s pick up were we left off in Luke’s account where Jesus sees a woman in suffering and in need of healing.
We can safely assume that Jesus was filled with compassion for this woman as other miracles preformed by Jesus reveals this as Matthew 14:14 says:
14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
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Now, Jesus must have seen the woman after the Sabbath service, since women were not permitted in the sanctuary of a Jewish synagogue.
Additionally, people with physical deformities were expected to remain socially invisible, especially if they were women.
Women rarely if ever approached rabbis, nor did rabbis as a rule speak with women.
Personal encounters between rabbis and women were consequently rare occurrences in Judaism.
Jesus takes the initiative with this forlorn woman, however, and emphatically so.
He saw her.
He summoned her.
And He said to her:
“Woman, you are freed from your disability.”
So, the woman does not ask for healing.
However, Jesus takes the initiative.
And the healing is not slow or gradual...
It is immediate.
This is in sharp contrast to a lot of fake “faith healers” that you see on TV and online.
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As theologian Darrell L. Bock puts it:
“Jesus initiates the healing upon seeing the woman’s sad condition.
His effort to help a woman is significant in a culture where men publicly shunned women.
It shows the extent to which Jesus responds to those in need.
Jesus acts by calling to her and declaring that she is free from her ailment.
No mention is made of the woman’s faith, for the only point here is Jesus’ authority and what the healing represents.
The declaration that she is ‘freed from her infirmity’ will shortly become a declaration that she is freed from Satan’s power.
This is a ‘rule miracle.’
Jesus’ word has the authority to reverse her condition, and it does.
She is no longer in bondage.”
So, although the Gospels distinguish physical diseases from demon possession...
They also attribute a variety of physical symptoms to the dominating influence of evil spirits.
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So, this woman was probably afflicted by the power of Satan in the same way that Job when through his suffering as recorded in the Old Testament.
However, Jesus came to our world to not be served but to to serve...
The greatest example of this and His main mission was the work He did on the cross...
Along with that we saw that He healed the sick...
And He overpowered Satan and His demons...
As Acts 10:38:
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
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However, not all where happy with Jesus’ healings and miracles...
For next we will see how the religious elite respond to Jesus’s miracle of curing this woman on the Sabbath...
And that will take us to our next point.
2) The Objection
2) The Objection
Verse 14: But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
Beloved, let’s start our next point by defining who is the ruler of the synagogue...
You see, the laymen who were rulers of the synagogue presided over the affairs of the synagogue, including organizing and teaching in synagogue services.
Most of them were Pharisees.
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Now, the ruler’s indignation was aroused because he saw that Jesus was performing a work on the Sabbath...
At least in his eyes...
However, he completely ignores the fact that this woman has just been freed from eighteen years of suffering.
Furthermore, the ruler makes this pronouncement not to Jesus but to the crowd, thereby challenging Jesus’ authority and seeking to turn the crowd against Him.
In other words, in this way the ruler of the synagogue publicly challenges Jesus’ authority as a teacher and reasserts himself as the authorized interpreter of Scripture.
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However, we need to be clear...
Jesus was not violating any Old Testament commandment...
You see Beloved, this is what it says in Deuteronomy 5:13–14:
13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant, or your ox or your donkey or any of your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
So, it was later Jewish traditions that had added many more commandments and prohibitions than God had ever given in His Word.
This turned the Sabbath from a day of rest into truly the most burdensome day of the week!
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Beloved, another point that should be noted...
Since the woman’s condition has lasted eighteen years, it is clearly not life threatening, and her release could be postponed to an ordinary weekday on which work could be done.
Jesus, however, contends that release from bondage is especially fitting on the Sabbath.
So, Jesus was not interested in following man-made traditions at all...
And He was not going to have this woman suffer another day longer...
Eighteen years had been more than long enough!
And there was no better day to see her freed from her bondage than the Sabbath!
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However, the ruler of the synagogue was blind to this truth...
In fact, the religious leaders where trying to constantly trying to catch Jesus violating their rules of the Sabbath...
As Mark 3:1-5 says:
1 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.
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Now, Jesus had a response to the ruler of the synagogue...
And we can see that in our third and final point.
3) The Response
3) The Response
Verses 15-17: Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
So, the synagogue ruler had complained to the crowds, but Jesus speaks directly to the ruler and he speaks as “the Lord.”
This is a strategic title, for Luke has already emphasized that Jesus is “Lord of the Sabbath” as seen in Luke 6:5 which says:
5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
In rebutting the ruler’s Sabbath pronouncement, Jesus offers not simply an alternative rabbinic opinion...
He speaks with the authority of the very God who established Sabbath.
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As the New American Commentary on Luke says:
“Jesus’ scathing denunciation was addressed not only to the ruler but to all who thought like him, to all who put their religious traditions before mercy and compassion.
The lack of concern over Abraham’s daughter’s eighteen years of suffering was sufficient reason for Jesus to call his opponents ‘hypocrites.’
The kind of religious thinking that cares so little for people in their misery and need is indeed damnable.
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If ‘bound’ animals were led to water on the Sabbath, how much more should this woman, ‘bound’ by Satan, have been allowed to experience the refreshment of healing.”
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Likewise, the MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Luke puts it this way:
“Their religious system was based on self-righteousness, good works, and the performance of various religious rituals and ceremonies.
Jesus destroyed the illusion that such pleases God.
He pointed out that instead of being spiritually rich, they were spiritually bankrupt; instead of being free, they were in bondage to sin, Satan, death, and judgment.
Everyone is unable to keep God’s law, not even its two most fundamental commandments, to love God and their neighbor with all their human faculties.”
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So Beloved, nothing in Scripture forbade either the watering of an ox or the healing of the sick.
However, the Sabbath traditions of the religious elite actually placed a higher value on animals than on people in distress...
Therefore their view of the Sabbath actually corrupted the whole purpose of the Sabbath.
This is why Jesus calls the ruler of the synagogue and all who share his mentality hypocrites!
Hypocrisy within the religious elite was a common problem that Jesus constantly rebuked them for as it says in Matthew 23:13:
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
Likewise, take a look at what it says in Matthew 15:7–9:
7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
And once more look with me at Matthew 23:23–33 which says:
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
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Now, the Jews released and watered their animals on the Sabbath as on other days, but this ruler of the synagogue objects to Jesus’ act of compassion for this woman.
So, Jesus sets up a series of parallels, arguing from the lesser to the greater:
If an animal, how much more a daughter of Abraham?
If one whom you have bound for a few hours, how much more one whom Satan has bound for eighteen years?
If you can loose the bonds of an animal on the Sabbath as well as the other six days of the week, how much more is it necessary for God to loose this woman’s bond on the Sabbath?
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As the New International Commentary on the New Testament on Luke says:
“In the present case, indeed, the contrast between how she is presented and what she receives could hardly be more stark.
She is bent over in a shameful position, demonized; this is a daughter of Abraham?
Hers was no position of honor, but through Jesus’ gracious ministry she is fully restored as a member of the community.
She and other children of Abraham in the Lukan narrative evidence how God’s promise to Abraham is fulfilled through the activity of Jesus and how the recipients of liberation through Jesus’ ministry are thus confirmed as Abraham’s children.”
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So, those who fail to heed Jesus’ warning treat animals better than people.
The Pharisees, in their concern about Sabbath law and tradition, miss God’s compassion.
So, the danger and result of valuing tradition over compassion is callousness and hypocrisy.
The decision against Jesus fails to discern the time.
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In effect, Jesus argues that His act does not violate the Sabbath, but fits the very spirit of the day.
What better way to celebrate the Sabbath?
The difference in the views of Jesus and the synagogue leader could not be greater.
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The Sabbath day was never meant to be a burden...
The Sabbath was always meant to be a day of rest...
Or as Mark 2:27 puts it:
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Likewise consider what it says in Matthew 12:12:
12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
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You see Beloved, the ruler of the synagogue and the Pharisees...
They saw everything in a wordly way...
They interpreted Scripture by the lens of their traditions in which they truly held to be greater than Scripture...
Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church...
The Eastern Orthodox Church...
And the Oriental Orthodox Church...
All of them blindly follow the teaching style of the religious elite who where enemies of Christ.
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They lift up their man-made traditions that have no bases in Scripture and they teach these things as doctrine!
They teach these things as cannon law!
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They require the veneration of icons...
Yet, Jesus and the Word of God never said that!
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They claim we can communicate with believers who have passed away...
Yet, Jesus and the Word of God never said that!
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They claim that our good works contribute to our salvation...
Yet, Jesus and the Word of God never said that!
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They call their men of the cloth “father”...
Yet, Jesus and the Word of God never said that!
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They claim Mary the mother of Jesus was sinless...
Yet, Jesus and the Word of God never said that!
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And the list goes on and on and on!
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In fact, Jesus and the Word of God say the exact opposite of what these so called churches claim!
As Mark 7:6-9 says:
6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
And let us not forget what Mark 7:13 says about man-made traditions:
13 thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”
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Beloved, that is why we need to use right judgement...
We can’t just take someone’s word for it...
We need to be reading the Word of God...
We need to be meditating on the Word of God...
We need to be memorizing the Word of God...
For many people will make many claims about God...
And the most well spoken and charismatic speaker is not always faithful...
Only by taking the words of teachers and putting to the fire of Scripture can we see if a teacher is being faithful or not.
As John 7:21–24 says:
21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it.
22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well?
24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
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Now, the as we said the ruler of the synagogue had attempted to shame Jesus...
However, in the end, he and those with him who oppose Jesus are shamed as the crowd sides with Jesus.
The healing leaves no room to sit on the fence.
Note how various forms of the Greek word “pas” which means “all” are used to refer to “all” the opponents and “all” the crowd and “all” the wonderful things.
It is not possible to remain neutral about these events.
He is too great a figure to be left to neutrality.
Jesus’ action forces a choice.
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Luke closes this section by stating that:
“All the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.”
What Jesus had done was to deliver us from darkness as He did with this woman who was oppressed for 18 years...
And in a larger scale He would do this with His victory on the cross which gave His followers salvation...
As Colossians 1:13 says:
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
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Now, the people where praising and rejoicing in Jesus’ miracle of healing this woman...
Just like they rejoiced in Matthew 9:33 which says:
33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”
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Yet all this praise and rejoicing did not mean that the crowds were genuinely believing in Christ...
These same people will go on to further praise Jesus as He enters Jerusalem...
But only a few days after that they will call for His crucifixion...
Which is ironic since the miracle He will perform on the cross by saving His elect will be far greater than this miracle of healing this woman who was in bondage for eighteen years.
The spiritual healing we receive due to the blood spilled by Christ on the cross allows us to be co-heirs with Christ...
And allows us to enter into the royal family of God!
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
A pastor once shared this story:
“Brian was wide eyed but unable to speak properly.
The nurses told me that he did not have long to live.
Brian was experiencing spasms of pain and shortness of breath.
He was groaning, and looked weak, drawn and afraid.
I offered to pray for him.
I prayed for healing and encouraged him to reach out to Christ and seek to have a relationship with Him.
I told him that Christ would be able to help him get through this situation.
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The next day I came in to see Brian again.
I asked the nurses how he was and they told me he was much better.
I was surprised that he was able to speak again.
His recovery was amazing.
An answer to prayer!
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I introduced myself.
He looked at me, recognised who I was immediately, and said vehemently,
“I'm an ATHEIST and I intend to stay that way!”
His response to Christ as he had faced the possibility of death was to REJECT Him.
I said that this was his choice but that I hoped he would come to know the Lord.
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It's not unusual that the crowd is amazed as Jesus heals a demon possessed, blind and dumb man in Matthew 12:22, but it's that TOTAL REJECTION of Jesus by the Pharisees (and Brian) that surprises me the most.
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The Pharisees response to Jesus is vehement and MALICIOUS.
Not only do they REJECT Jesus but they proceed to SLANDER His name before the people.
They say in Matthew 12:24:
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
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Why are they saying this?
Why aren't they willing to examine things further?
Is it that they are afraid of losing their REPUTATION?
Is it because they want to hold onto their POWER and already feel that it is slipping away?
Perhaps.
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The Pharisees are the TALIBAN of Jesus day.
‘If you can't get people to think your way, bomb them.’
They behave like RELIGIOUS THUGS!
The intensity of their unbelief is incredible.
It has already expressed itself as they plotted to kill Jesus!
They are obstinate, pig-headed, determined, inflexible, unmoved, stubborn and persistent leaders.
The kind of political and religious leaders we still revere today.
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Beloved, I am sure each and every one of you has heard that Pope Francis passed away on the 21st of this month...
He was one of the most respected and loved religious leaders of our world...
But if you have ever heard him teach then you will also know that he often twisted Scripture and taught plenty of dangerous false teachings...
Only God know for sure where Pope Francis ended up...
But we can confidently say this based on the authority of the Word of God...
Unless he had a death bed conversion that none of us are aware of...
Then Pope Francis will have to answer for ever last sin he commited including misleading myriads of people and usurping Christ’s role as head of the church!
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Instead, of following leader like this who promote the doctrine of men...
We need to follow the Word of God...
And we need to place our trust in Christ alone...
For as Romans 8:1 says:
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Then please open their eyes...
Please open their minds...
Please open their hearts...
And make them a brand-new creation!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Remind us that at one time we where blind...
At one time we where hard-headed...
At one time we where hard-hearted...
But you made us into something all together new!
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
