21 December 2008

And He Healed Them

(Kent Heaton)

“Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them” (Matthew 4:23-24).

The human body is a remarkable creation of design, purpose and beauty. Few things in this world rival the intricate patterns of each part of the temple housing the eternal spirit of man. Because of its fleshly nature, the body is attacked with various diseases, maladies and sicknesses that bring sorrow, pain and discomfort. Through the knowledge of science men have been able to find medicines to help mend the broken bodies and stay off disease. The medical field has exploded with new technologies that have given life when there was no hope of life; quality of life to many who had despaired at their handicap; inoculation to stay the dreaded diseases of the past.

Nothing in our world can marvel the power of a single man in Galilee who by the “finger of God” (Luke 11:20) healed all manner of disease. He was not a doctor nor was He learned in the science of man. The Healer of Galilee was not an educated man who touted his own wisdom as the cure for the diseases. The people came to a humble man who was a carpenter’s son.

There were no diseases Jesus could not heal. He was not limited to sickness but also to those who were possessed of demons showing His power over the realm of the devil. Crippled people received strength to their muscles and bones to give them a hope they never had before. Blind men could see, deaf would hear the joyous music of His soothing voice and those who could not speak were able to praise God with a new found voice.

It is unknown how many people Jesus healed. Perhaps thousands number the roll of those who lives were changed in a moment by the healing touch of the Son of God. They would never be the same as they returned home free of the plague of leprosy or knowing firsthand the joy of a cleansed body of disease. What power and demonstration of compassion through the healing hand of Jesus.

The stories of Jesus healing are unparallel in history and will never be repeated again. While the impact would have been unimaginable in any time it was but for a temporary period that His healing hand changed lives. Through these wonderful acts of mercy He was confirmed as the Son of God (John 20:30,31). The greatest healing Jesus performed was on a wooden cross in a place called Golgotha (Matthew 27:33-35).

The hands that had been used to bring relief to the mortal body were now nailed to the cross to heal the dark spirit of sinful man. The blood of Jesus was poured on Calvary for the healing of all mankind. This healing was not temporary but lasting through the ages of time. “Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Those who heard of Jesus came when they heard the news of His power and desired to be cleansed of their sickness. His power today saves men from their sins. Come to this power and find the cleansing through His blood (Acts 22:16).

When Man Considers God

(Robert Turner)

In science, the object of study controls the hypothesis. (I read it in a book somewhere.) If you wish to know about the geology of the earth, you study the earth. Stone by stone, strata by strata, you examine the earth. As the evidence accumulates, certain possibilities suggest themselves, and are then tested by further examination of the earth. Perhaps you "prove" your supposition, "disprove" it, or find it necessary to await further evidence before drawing a conclusion. But in no case must you allow the wish of the student to replace the authority of the object.

We have no quarrel with truly scientific objective studies of the physical realm. Most of the alleged Science—Bible conflict is the result of unscientific and non-Biblical conclusions—conclusions which clash with both true scientific facts and properly understood Biblical statements. The so-called scientist who accepts an unproven theory as fact, and allows this to "color" his interpretation of every piece of actual evidence, is going to see his pet theory in every rock and every blade of grass examined. He is on the same merry-go-round with the pseudo-student of the Bible who sees "faith only" every time he heads the word, "believe." Let us repeat, we must not allow the wish of the student to replace the authority of the object.

The same principle must also be applied in our efforts to understand the things of God. The object of true religion is GOD—the being worshipped. Whatever is true about God must be determined by a study of God. Furthermore, if a certain religion is true, it is because its principles are prescribed by God, the object. This doctrine, that practice, or principle of conduct, is right because God, the author and source of such truth, has established it. The wish of the worshipper or servant is of no more authority here than it is in the field of physical science. We must respect the authority of the object.

But the relation of man to God is different from that of man to rocks. In the physical realm man is the supreme being king of all he surveys. As the Psalmist put it, "Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet" (Psalm 8:6). Man picks and pries into the rocks, crushes and examines, weighs and measures. The rocks are subject to man, and within the level of man's understanding. This is not so with reference to God; nor is it in keeping with the idea of God.

The ultimacy of God demands that man look up to him. It proclaims the inadequacy of man, within himself, to grasp the things of God. It denies the right and power of man to test and judge divine matters by human standards. "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus?" (Romans 9:20).

In brief: In physical science man moves toward the object—the rocks, or other phenomenon of nature-to probe and consider the authority of the object. But in a study of divinity, the object—GOD—must move toward man. As it is written, "Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And which entered not into the heart of man; Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) In order for man to consider the object, God, there is the necessity of Revelation.

Now Revelation is established, not by its content—its text—but by its origin. The "more sure" word is that which came as the result of God moving toward man, when "men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19-21) Significantly, God never offered proof that His revelations were reasonable, logical, or conforming to human standards of judgment. (God is not to be treated as the rocks crushed, dissolved in acid, and examined in the laboratory test tube.) The signs and wonders which accompanied God's revelations were given for one purpose only—to demonstrate divine origin. All internal, ethical, and historical evidences of the Bible point to this same conclusion—viz., here is something from God—to be believed.

If we would know God we must accept the evidences which come from God. We must respect the authority of the object We must never allow the wish of the student to replace the authority of the object. The most logical and reasonable thing about considering God is the paradoxical conclusion that man must seek God in faith. "For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him" (Hebrews 11:6).

And so the world stands divided: all "seeking" God; but some determined to make God in their own image, and others humbly seeking Him in faith. And far into the night the human philosopher delves and probes-extols the virtues of logic, while he illogically seeks to encompass something larger than himself. He frets and fumes and perhaps secretly envies the peaceful sleep of the man who said his prayers, then left divine matters in the hands of God where they belong. [The Preceptor, August 1961]

I Can Do All Things?

(Alan Smith)

[This article was written the week of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China]

 A 6-year-old girl once asked her father, "What do you have to do to become a doctor?"

 Her father said, "You have to do extremely well in school, take a lot of math and science, get into an excellent college, make the highest grades possible, and then go to med school, and follow that with an internship. Then you can start your own practice. Honey, as smart as you are, you can be anything you want to be."

 The little girl thought about that and then asked, "What do you have to do to be queen?"

 I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but I want to let you know that there's a verse in the Bible that you may have misinterpreted for many years. I know that I have. You see, many of us have heard lessons which promote positive thinking. We have been told, "If you can see it, you can achieve it." So, if you are a golfer, visualize getting through the golf course at 4 under par. If you need to lose weight, visualize what your life will be like when you are 60 pounds thinner. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, visualize yourself with the position and the salary you desire.

 The verse we have often used to give us the strength to achieve these things is Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." There are, no doubt, some Christian athletes headed to Beijing this week to compete in the Olympics who anticipate bringing home a gold medal because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

 Now I do not dispute that there is great value in having a vision of where we want to be and what we want to accomplish. And I don't dispute that God will bless us with strength in all endeavors that glorify Him. But I believe it is wrong to teach that anyone can accomplish anything because God will give you the strength. Not every little boy with a dream of playing in the NFL or the NBA is going to achieve that. Not every athlete that quotes Philippians 4:13 this week will bring home a gold medal from Beijing. And you can dream about being king or queen all you want to -- dreaming it won't make it happen.

 The truth is that for many of us, young or old, life is not always going to turn out exactly like we thought it would. And when people are made to think that if you believe something with all your heart, it will come to pass, then when it doesn't happen that way, they get discouraged, depressed, feel like failures, get angry, or they give up. Christians may even begin to lose their faith in God. "God, how could you let this happen to me? This is not what I wanted! You promised I could do all things!"

 When you look at the context of Philippians 4:13, though, it contains a more powerful message than we ever imagined. In the previous verse, Paul writes, "I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." (Philippians 4:12).

 What is it that Paul can do through Christ? He can be content no matter what the situation -- whether he has plenty or he has nothing, whether he comes in first place with a gold medal or he comes in last place, whether he makes the team or he doesn't make the team. Whatever the circumstance, whatever he may have or not have, Paul learned to be content, to be joyful. Why? Because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"

 May this verse serve as an encouragement to you, not to achieve great victories in life, but to find joy even in the midst of defeat.

Painted Sticks And Worldliness

(Selected)

One Sunday a preacher told how, while sitting in his garden, he had watched a caterpillar climb a painted stick that was for decoration. After reaching the top, the caterpillar reared itself, feeling this way and that for a juicy twig to feed on, or some way to further progress. Finding nothing, it slowly returned to the ground, crawled along till it reached another painted stick, and did the same thing all over again. The preacher said: "There are many painted sticks in the world-those of pleasure, wealth, and fame. All these call man and say, 'Climb me to find the desire of your heart, fulfill the purpose of your existence, taste the fruit of success, and find satisfaction, but they are only painted sticks.'"

Solomon tried to find the purpose of his life in the world's "painted sticks." He gave his heart to seek wisdom, but learned that it was "vanity and vexation of spirit" (Ecclesiastes1:15).

He then turned to the pleasures of the world for meaning in life. He built great houses, and gardens, and pools. He had servants and maidens; in fact, he had all that a man could desire. Solomon's comment on pleasure as a true source of happiness, however, was, "All was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun" (Ecclesiastes2:11).

After trying all that the world could offer, Solomon's final decision was, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).