Morning Sermon

June 28, 2009

I Came to Preach

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It is not hard to find religious programs on the television. I wonder if you have ever seen a healing service. The preacher will often run all over the stage, performing his so-called miracles with great excitement and with a theatrical flair that made for great entertainment. Those shows ought to include the same sort of disclaimer attached to the ads for psychic readings-- "for entertainment purposes only."

My response to those programs is usually a mixture between sadness and anger. I'm sad that the proclamation of the gospel has become a three-ring circus, sad that people have no more theological understanding than to fall prey to such emotionally manipulative excesses. And I have a righteous anger that the truth of the gospel is so quickly perverted and abused by those obviously seeking their own fame and fortune.

Those so-called healing services you see on television bear little or no resemblance to the healing work of Jesus Christ in the gospel. This morning, we'll study the real thing. One day in the life of Christ, a day of healing. And that day of healing is also a day of surprises.

Jesus' healing ministry goes right along with our subject last week, authority. Jesus' healing ministry is an expression of his authority. His authority to command, authority to command sickness to leave a person as well as to end demon possession.

This is no circus act. This is no fundraising event. This is real power. Raw power. Spiritual power. Divine power. First and foremost,

I. JESUS' HEALING MINISTRY WAS A DEMONSTRATION OF HIS POWER. That is what our text tonight is all about. Power. Authority. It picks right up where we left off last week.

v.23-28 v.29 "Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John."

Immediately, Jesus is confronted with the opportunity to heal. v.30

And so he heals! v.31

Then the word spread and more came. v.32-34a

Let's look more closely at that healing. First, it is clear that,

A. Jesus healed diseases with personal compassion. His motivation was compassion.

v.40 Such a moving request, respectful, submissive, and full of faith. "If you are willing..."

Jesus was willing, but what made him willing?

v.41-42 "Moved with compassion."

We might say that the man tugged at his heart. We mean by that that Jesus' motivation was pure and genuine, it came from his heart. From inside. The Greeks have a more descriptive word than heart. While we use heart as the symbol of feeling and compassion, the Greeks used another organ--the bowels. Literally, the Greek says that his bowels were moved, his insides were moved at their very depth. He acted out of the depth of his body.

Our word compassion is a good translation, but not really strong enough. Jesus was moved with deep personal concern and strong emotional interest. He cared about people personally. Compassionately.

Matt. 9:36 "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd."

Matt. 14:14 "And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick."

Matt. 15:32 "Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."

Matt. 20:34 "So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him."

Jesus healed diseases with personal compassion. He is a sympathetic and compassionate high priest. And his compassion is real, for he, too, lived as a man. He suffered what we suffer. He was tempted as we are tempted.

Heb.9:15 "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance."

Jesus' compassion was an extension of his power, for compassion without power is hopeless and meaningless. For Jesus, his power was attached to his compassion.

Two types of healings are described here--physical healing from sickness and spiritual deliverance from demon possession. We see, as we did last week, that,

B. Jesus healed demon-possession with supernatural authority. Absolute authority. v.34

I am often asked the question, "Are there still demon possessions today?" That's not a simple question to answer, but part of the answer is recognize that this time of Christ's presence upon earth was the high-point of spiritual activity on earth. God personally intervened in the life of his creation, and Satan was right there to oppose him.

Christ clearly accomplished several things in his demon exorcisms. First, he made a public spectacle of Satan and his angels, "binding the strong man," as he himself said. Jesus won the spiritual battle that waged during his earthly lifetime, and he won it decisively. So, in the sense of demon possession so prevalent during his lifetime, we don't have such a situation any more. That is not say that demons don't still exist, and aren't present from time to time in the lives of human beings. They can be present from time to time.

I don't believe a demon could possess of Christian, because Christ's Holy Spirit already possesses every Christian. Yet Satan's demons can, and do, still obtain some influence, particularly upon unbelievers.

The spiritual warfare of Jesus' lifetime was unique, and Jesus' healing ministry demonstrated his power. BUT...Now come the surprises. Now we see Jesus real priorities.

Healing and demonic exorcisms were not the main priority for Jesus. Not at all. Other things were more important. And even though Jesus was filled with compassion for those who needed healing,

II. JESUS WOULD NOT ALLOW HIS HEALING MINISTRY TO INTERFERE WITH HIS PERSONAL COMMUNION WITH HIS FATHER. His priorities were perfectly in order. v.35

This was a very busy day. One thing after another. No breaks, no chance to be refreshed. No opportunity to get by himself.

So he created the opportunity. v.35

Memorize this verse. Print it up and put it on your refrigerator. Meditate upon it. Read it again and again. When Jesus says "follow me," this is one of the most significant ways in which we are to follow.

You can call this many things, but what I usually call it is personal devotions or daily devotions. You can call it whatever you want. What it is, is a daily time for prayer and Bible reading. This is one of the most basic aspects of discipleship. This is one of the most basic aspects of growing in Christ. This is one of the most basic element of living the Christian life.

When someone becomes a Christian, this is probably the first thing they must learn to do. Personal devotions.

There is no substitute, not for me and not for you. Sermon preparation for me is not a substitute for me. Going to church is not a substitute. Reading a Bible story to your children is not a substitute. Every single Christian, if he is to grow in Christ and gain spiritual maturity, must develop the practice of personal devotions.

I simply can't emphasize that enough. Above anything else this morning, that is my exhortation. Read the Bible daily, and pray to God daily. Don't let anything interfere with your communion with your father. And none of you can claim to be too busy, for none of us is nearly as busy as Jesus was. But he kept this priority.

And his example gives us a good pattern to follow. We see, in verse 35,

A. The priority of an early time for personal devotions. v.35

Now, if you are reading your Bible and praying regularly, faithfully, day in and day out, and doing it at night or some other time of the day, fine. If your time of daily devotions is not first thing in the morning, and you are still doing fine, then don't change. The example of first thing in the morning for devotions is not given to us in the form of a command.

But, if you struggle with the consistency of your daily devotions, then I would urge you to follow Jesus' own example. The priority of an early time for personal devotions. Early in the morning.

Illus: There are days that come too frequently for me, when I get started on other things before devotions. Things at church, visiting, or even sermon preparation. All too often, I get involved first in something other than devotions, and I think to myself, "I'll have my devotions later."

Well, sometimes I do. But I must confess, usually I don't. If personal devotions, prayer and Bible reading, don't come first in my daily schedule, they usually don't come at all. I expect many of you would have the same testimony.

That's what we publish a schedule of Bible readings, which will enable you to read the NT every year and the OT every two years. Each day, there is also a suggested person in the church to pray for.

That isn't the only way to do it, but it is certainly one good way. If your daily devotions are not consistent, then use that schedule. Do whatever it takes to establish the pattern and priority of daily devotions.

The priority of an early time in the day is very, very useful. Jesus also shows us another priority,

B. The priority of our full attention for personal devotions. v.35

When you are busy, what are the two hardest things to find? Time, and space. By space, I mean, time by yourself. Time to give your full attention to the subject of your choice. Time when you are free from other demands and influences, and time when you are away from other people, time when you have your own space.

Jesus had difficulty finding such time. But he made the commitment to find such time. He made it his priority to have time to give his father his full attention. He did some very practical things to find such a time and place. v.35

You and I must be able to find a solitary place, a time and a place when we can give our full attention to our heavenly father. You may only find five minutes, but if so, that ought to be the most important five minutes of your entire day.

Find a solitary place. Leave the house if you have to. Do whatever is necessary. But find a solitary place, and for a certain amount of time every day, give your full attention to God. Read the Bible, pray, listen, meditate.

You've got to do it. And I've got to do it. Every day. Beloved, don't let anything interfere with your personal communion with your heavenly father.

Jesus didn't even let his healing ministry interfere. You see, healing is not what this passage is all about. For Jesus, personal devotions were more important than healing. And that might surprise you.

There is one more surprising statement in this passage, one more glimpse at the priorities of Jesus. When Jesus got up early and left the house, his disciples went looking for him. v.36

Why? Because everybody was looking for him, everybody was waiting for their healing. v.37

Now, having studied Jesus' compassion, you might think that he would immediately go and continue healing. After all, his compassion never fails. But notice how Jesus responded to his disciples. v.38

"...for this purpose I have come forth." Preaching. Proclaiming the message of the gospel, announcing the good news of salvation. Jesus first priority was preaching.

III. JESUS' HEALING MINISTRY WAS SECONDARY TO HIS PREACHING MINISTRY. Jesus could have gone on healing all day. There was no shortage of people needing healing. But he had something more important to do. v.38

And that is exactly what he did. v.39

A. Jesus knew that healings could become a distraction to the message of the gospel. That becomes particularly obvious when looking at what happened to the leper. v.42

Look at what Jesus said to him. A strong warning, he spoke sternly to him. He scolded him, with a sense of anger and displeasure. v.43

Specifically, "Don't tell anyone." v.44

Jesus didn't want to be known as a healer. He wanted to be known as a preacher. Jesus didn't preach in order to benefit his healing ministry. Instead, he healed in order to benefit his preaching ministry. And he insisted that that priority be maintained. It is a question of priority that needs to be asked in our day as well.

When you watch someone on TV raising money, ask yourself this question: "Are they raising money to stay on television, or are they staying on television to raise money?" You can ask the same question of churches and all other ministries. Are they raising money to preach more effectively, or are they preaching in order to raise money more effectively?

There was no question with Jesus. He was healing in order to make his preaching more effective. And he knew that those healings, just like today, could become a distraction to the message of the gospel. Jesus would reject and abhor the healing services on television today. They are a mockery of his priorities.

So Jesus tells the leper who had been healed, "don't tell this to everyone publicly." Instead, Jesus told him, go to a priest and offer your appropriate sacrifices.

Amazing! The OT temple was still standing, and though Jesus had come, the OT ceremonial system was still in place. Jesus doesn't contradict or violate the OT laws, even the ceremonial laws. And since the temple still existed, since the priesthood still existed, Jesus said, "Go fulfill the requirements of the law."

Those requirements were pretty specific. Lev. 14:1 "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest. 3 "And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper, 4 "then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop. 5 "And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. 6 "As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water. 7 "And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field. 8 "He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days. 9 "But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows--all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean."

But why was this man supposed to go back to the OT priest, after Jesus had cleansed him? v.44 "...show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

As a testimony to the priests! As a testimony of Jesus to the priests! As a testimony to the OT priests that the messiah had come, the one who would make us clean is already hear. And such a testimony, if it were rejected by the priests, would render them guilty of rejecting Christ.

So Jesus would not permit his healing ministry to become a distraction to the message of the gospel.

B. Jesus knew that his primary purpose was to preach the message of the gospel. v.38

Jesus says, without any qualifications or reservations, "I have come to preach." That was his purpose and his priority.

Illus: Consider the fruitful mission work we have in Karamoja, Uganda. A missionary deacon, Bob Wright, labors there. Teaching the community how to provide food for themselves. Issues of public health and sanitation. And a missionary doctor, Jim Knox, using his medical training and ability to save lives, to help the sick become well. But those two things are not the primary purpose of that mission, which is to preach the gospel. And so Dave Okken and Al Tricarico are there.

The medical facility and the diaconal ministry are labors of compassion, Christ's compassion. They are a testimony of the love of Christ. But all the more, they are a validation of the priority of the preaching ministry of the word. And the purpose of that ministry of mercy is not to simply give people things they need, as handouts. They are not some sort of social service agency distributing humanitarian aid.

No, they are a mission of the church of Jesus Christ. And sometimes the missionaries have to avoid giving the people things, even things they might need. Because their priority in ministry is not giving things, it's preaching the gospel.

I know that struggle personally, for I had the same experience as a prison chaplain. Prison inmates will instinctively ask chaplains for anything, including money. The chaplains are easy prey, because they are compassionate and they care about people.

And they get used. Especially ones with tender hearts. So during the year I spent as a chaplain in Mississippi, I did not carry money into the prison. Not a dime. When asked for money, I said honestly, "I don't have any." Sometimes that was hard, because some of the people really were in need, and some of the requests were legitimate. But giving money, in that situation, would have been a distractions to the message of the gospel.

Churches can face that same temptation. The primary purpose of the church is to proclaim the message of the gospel. Preaching the gospel must remain a priority in the ministry of the church. There are many good ministries for a church to be involved in. But our purpose, our ultimate priority in ministry, is that proclamation of the word.

May nothing we ever do, therefore, become a distraction to the ministry of preaching the gospel. May we diligently follow Jesus' example, whose compassionate healing ministry was secondary to his preaching ministry. And in that way, may the Kingdom of God come and may his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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