8/15/21 Luke 13:10-17 “Quit Blaming Jesus; He is Only Good!”

13 Aug 8/15/21 Luke 13:10-17 “Quit Blaming Jesus; He is Only Good!”

8/15/21  Luke 13:10-17       “Quit Blaming Jesus; He is Only Good!”

I am going to begin today with a statement of the obvious.  We really have a lot going on in our lives.  There will be very few people who will argue with this.  With all of these things going on, wouldn’t it be nice if we could just peek into the future once in a while.  Just a little peek.  It would be nice to know if our crop is going to be hailed out and we wouldn’t have to even plant it in the spring.  It would be nice to know if the price of something is going up so we could get a few extras at the cheaper price.  There have been many movies and books on this subject and they are fun for the most part.  But in reality, we really don’t know anything about our futures.  However, there is one thing that we can know.  We know that we will be in heaven with Jesus if, if we accept Him and follow Him.  This is a promise from God so this is what we need to know.  Today we are going to look at just how much Jesus loves you and how you can have good things through Him.

I want to begin today by mentioning things that have happened over the years.  I remember that we had a parishioner who had been almost blind and there was really no medical help for her regaining her sight in the 1970’s.  To make a long story short, she went to a healing service and her eyesight was restored.  She has been devoted to Jesus Christ ever since and it is an absolute honor and privilege to know her.

I used to get a magazine called Angels.  Over the years I have used several stories from there to make points.  It is always full of healings that happen from seemingly nowhere.  But the authors always know that Jesus is behind all of these.  There were other types of stories in there also where people could lift cars off of people to save them from death.  There were stories of angels visiting people who were very sick.  Then there wouldn’t ever be a trace of the angel after the event was over.  It’s a great magazine and I highly recommend it.

Then there have been my own stories.  God healed me of a gall bladder problem 20+ years ago.  They were going to operate on me when they couldn’t find anything wrong the day before the operation.  I had been healed plus I was even more on fire for the Lord.  He healed my sight when I tore my retina.  He helped me through a double knee replacement.  He guided me through cancer so that I’m here today.  He has also healed Sharon from three different cancers.  I love the Lord because one night when I left the hospital, I didn’t know if she would make it through the night.  Then He healed me of my massive heart attack by having our daughter, the nurse, who happened to be home from Switzerland, be there to help save my life.  Now I’m pretty sure that many of you could tell similar stories of how Jesus has helped you or saved your life.  All I know is that after everything that has happened to us in all these situations, I would never disavow Jesus Christ.  He is the greatest being ever.

I would like to leave this for just a minute as we begin by looking at the teachings of Jesus in our reading.  I would like to point out something about our woman in the story.  I think that we all remember that women were not treated very well in those days.  We begin with Jesus being in the synagogue.  Women were allowed in the synagogue but they had their own special place and they were never in the presence of men.  Somehow this woman had worked her way to be able to be seen by the men.  And of course, Jesus notices her.  Our passage doesn’t say anything about this but it is rather unusual that this ever happened but it did.

The second thing I would like us to notice is that this woman is bent over with some disease caused by Satan.  We are not sure what the problem was.  It could be that she had osteoporosis or a disease called Marie-Strümpell Disease.  Either of these is terrible.  Something happens with these diseases where your bones fuse together and the only relief you get is by bending forward a little more.  Soon you are really bent forward and you cannot look up at all.  These are terrible diseases and many of us have known someone with these or similar problems.  Anyway, this woman was bent over with this affliction caused by Satan and was in the synagogue.  Perhaps she couldn’t find her way around and accidently ended up in the men’s section.  It is really odd that she isn’t chastised for being there.  However, Jesus is chastised for healing someone on the Sabbath.  Go figure!

Anyway, we begin in the synagogue with Jesus teaching the men.  He sees this woman and calls for her.  It doesn’t tell us that she was seeking Jesus.  Jesus saw her first.  She comes to him and He sets her free from her ailments.  He places his hands on her and she immediately straightens up.  Then she praises God.  So, one of the first things we see here about Jesus is that He cares.  He cares enough to seek out people who are hurting.  And as we see, when Jesus heals it is immediate.  Two days before my gall bladder surgery, I knew I had been healed.  It was immediate!

I think that we often have problems with this.  Many people and there may be someone here today, think that they are not worthy of asking Jesus to heal them or help them or just have control of their lives.  We feel that God is so important, is so big and has so many important things to do that He shouldn’t have to bother with me.  I’m of too little importance to bother God.  Well, nothing could be further from the truth.  God is so big and immense and He has all these important things to do.  But He is also small enough that He can easily fit into your life.  He will assist you with anything from helping make your grocery list to helping you find a mate for life.

If you want a little proof of this then listen up for a minute.  Look who Jesus helps when he is doing his ministry.  He is healing the sick.  The lepers were considered to be the lowest beings of their society.  Jesus mingles with them and heals them.  Blind people and the lame were on their own as they had no welfare or federal assistance.  They didn’t get an unemployment check for refusing to work.  If you weren’t 100% healthy in those days you had a lot of problems just staying alive.  Jesus helped them.  He helped the poor and destitute.  He helped the prostitutes.  He helped anyone and everyone who came to Him.  And we see today that He even helped people who could not come to Him.  If we take this information and fast forward 2000 years, you should be able to see that Jesus will help you also.

Also, if we look back in Genesis, we see that God made us in His image.  You are like God and God loves you.  He loves his creation and you are part of His creation.  Don’t ever think that you are not significant in the eyes of God.  He has time for all of us.  He has time for you!

The next thing I would like you to notice is that Jesus has the power to do what He says.  There is no emptiness in the things that Jesus says He can and will do.  He tells the woman that she is set free of her infirmities and she straightens up immediately.  This is the man who walked on water.  This is the man who fed 5000 people with next to nothing.  This is the man who healed the blind.  He healed the lame.

There is no doubt that Jesus has the power to heal anyone.  He was there when the world was made.  He is everywhere and He is all powerful.  So, the obvious question becomes, “Why doesn’t He heal us every time we ask?”  I can honestly say that I don’t know the answer.

One of the answers may be that a healing must bring glory to God or it won’t happen.  Most of the time, I think, we just want to be healed so we don’t feel so bad or we want to get rid of something for our own glory or well-being.  We should be asking for healing so that we can further the Good News of Jesus Christ.  I told you about some of the people I have seen healed.  Some, if not many, of these people have been on a mission from God ever since.  They brought glory to God during their healing and they have really honored God ever since.  Another reason is maybe we aren’t sincere about our prayers.  Maybe we just go through the motions.  Maybe we have never given our lives to Jesus and asked Him to live in our hearts and control our lives.  Remember that Jesus usually won’t answer unless He is living in you.  There can be lots of reasons why Jesus doesn’t always heal us but the biggest one is probably that we need to bring glory to God for doing this.

So, the woman was healed in our reading and we have been reading about her ever since, for 2000 years.  But there was someone else who needed healing.  The synagogue ruler needed a healing of his heart.  He didn’t care that a woman was in the wrong place and this would have been totally against Jewish custom.  He didn’t care if the woman was healed or not.  He only cared that Jesus had done this on the Sabbath.  He was guilty of narrowly applying the Law according to his interpretation.  He wanted to trap Jesus so that they could get rid of him.  So, this man needed healing also but we don’t see it happen.

You know, we see various kinds of physical ailments all around us.  What we don’t see as easily is the ailments of the heart.  It is hard for us to see when a marriage is breaking up.  It is hard to see depression.  Sometimes it is hard to see an alcoholic.  You can hide these things from others but you cannot hide anything from God.  God knows everything.  I know of people who disagree with this, but Jesus can and will help you get out of any of these conditions.  People disagree with me on this because they will not commit themselves to Jesus.  And that is where it all starts.  It starts with your relationship with Jesus.  Most counselors, doctors and helpers don’t believe in Jesus so how can they be much help.  They can prescribe medicine that helps but their cure rate is not very good.  When Jesus cures someone they are cured and it is right now.  What I would say is not to drop your doctors but in addition to them put Jesus Christ as the head physician.  If you need some proof of this, take a look at the people I mentioned at the beginning.  We know another man who was practically a vegetable and Jesus healed him.  Then he flew up from Arizona and drove out to visit us.  Jesus has the power and He does use it.

Then Jesus goes on to tell the people and Pharisees that Satan is responsible for the 18 years of hardship for this woman.  So, He healed her and the officials were humiliated but the people were overjoyed.  We all know that this is where these Pharisees are trying to find a way to kill Jesus.  But we can also see that the people were joyous, maybe even gleeful.  One of the great things about sharing the Word to you people or anyone else is that you know the truth when you hear it and people always rejoice when they hear it.  This is why there is such uproar in the United Methodist Church.  People want the truth and they are not getting it.  The UMC is dying and it’s time to join the Global Methodist Church.  I think that the reason people like to hear me preach has absolutely nothing to do with me but everything to do with the message that God has for you.

Anyway, I want to get back on point here.  Satan was responsible for this woman’s health.  In our world today, we do not blame Satan for anything, let alone for any of our illnesses.  In reality, Satan is responsible for all of your troubles period.  Jesus is not responsible for your illnesses, hurts or sorrows.  This is not how Jesus works.  Jesus has only love for you and He will not harm you.

The question always comes up, “How could Jesus let this happen?” or “How can God love us and let this happen?”  These are very good questions and they are ones that we need to ask from time to time.  But they are the questions of someone in a crisis or someone who doesn’t know God.  When we hit that crises mode, it is ok to ask these things.  It’s ok to be mad at God.

Hopefully you are sitting here today in a non-crisis’ mode.  Then you can see things for what they are.  Jesus does not do bad things to you.  He does not cause you pain.  He will never harm you.  These are the facts and you can go to the bank with them.  Satan causes all the bad things of this world.  He causes all the hurt and hate.  I think that it is time that you quit giving Satan a free pass and start to tell it like it is.  Satan is guilty.  Satan is evil.  He is bad.  He has caused all the hate and riots we have today.  Jesus is the only way that you can defeat Him and yet we are the first to find fault in Jesus when times get tough.  Jesus loves you so much that He will help you get rid of Satan if you just go to Him.  It doesn’t do any good to talk to me about it, or the bishop, or your neighbor, or even Franklin Graham.  All we can do is direct you to the one who can and will help you, Jesus Christ.

It is important to know that Jesus loves you and cares about your every need.  He will come to you in your need so be attentive to what is happening around you.  Jesus may be there in the form of another person.  And remember that He has the power to do anything and everything.  There is nothing that you can ask Jesus that He cannot do.  And finally remember that Jesus will only do good.  If bad things are happening, Satan is responsible, not Jesus.  He may use the things that Satan does to you to help correct your actions or thoughts but He does not cause them.

Jesus doesn’t care about rules and regulations.  He cares about you and relationships.  Many of us have found out how a loving God will heal, physically.  There is a man named Brian Welch who is a former bass player for the rock band Korn, who owes his life to Jesus.  He had all the money in the world plus a terrible drug habit.  He didn’t even want to live any more.  Jesus saved him and now he preaches the Gospel all over.  We all know people who Jesus has saved.  He saved me and pulled me from a quagmire.  This is what He does.

It is up to you not to block Jesus.  He can only do good things for you.  When bad things happen look to Jesus.  Look to the good.  Our world follows the bad so you need to stay focused on the good; Jesus Christ.  He loves you so much that He will do all these things and more for you.  He wants you to have all that He has.  He loves you.  Love Him in return.  And thank you Jesus, for first loving us.  Let’s pray.