Heal the BrokenHearted

 Isaiah 61:1
… He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound…

Broken hearts result from individuals that have suffered loss. We all have at one time or another experienced the loss that caused great sorrow. Tears are shed day and night and life comes to a stand still. They say that time will heal a broken heart, and to a degree the ache lessens. All loss is painful, but the loss of a son, daughter, or spouse or close friend never seems to ever go away. The pain is greater when such loss happens before death is taken before old age is reached. If you have had such an experience, I don’t pretend to fully understand your pain and sorrow. But I read of One who can heal the broken heart, that is able to bring comfort during times of sorrow. Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted, and set you free to live again. Such healing does not mean that you will no longer remember or experience sadness, but He has promised, “to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” (vs3). In our brokenness, all things work together for a purpose and reason. All things work together that He may be glorified. Jesus wants to heal the broken heart and set us free to live again.

Forgiveness is a Choice

 Col 3:13
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

Is it possible to forgive, but not forget? When life happens, things sometimes happen to us that cause deep hurt. They are imprinted in our memories and don’t go away. When God forgives our sins, they are cast into the sea as far as the east from the west. (Psalm 103:12). God says, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jer.31:34) To forgive means to “send away”. The slate is clean. God's forgetfulness means that He will not bring it again and hold us accountable. When we confess our sins, He forgives our transgressions and wipes them away with His precious blood. The blood now covers sin and shame and we are made clean, whiter than snow. When others do things to us or our loved ones, the temptation is to become resentful and bitter toward those who have caused hurt. Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice. I may never feel like forgiving, but by the grace of God, I choose to forgive. Forgiveness does not take away the hurt and disappointment, but it does bring peace to the heart. We can take it to Jesus, and leave it at the foot of the cross, and give it to Him. Healing is sometimes made easier when apologies are made, but apologies may never happen, and forgiveness may not happen in a moment of time, but God’s love and grace is able to bring healing and forgiveness to a heart that seeks it!

The Great Physician

 Matt. 2:17
 “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The job of a doctor is to diagnose an illness and determine what needs to be done to bring healing. Humanity has been struck with the disease of sin. An illness that brought about the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden. Jesus came to bring healing and  provide the remedy for sin.  Healing can only happen when one realizes that they are sick, that sin has caused the heart to be dark and broken. The cure for sin is available for all, but only those who realize their condition and are willing to accept the cure can be healed. The righteous, those who don’t feel a need for healing have blinded and denied their sinful condition. Christ is not able to heal those not willing to accept the cure. We all must realize that we are sinners, and in need of a Savior. Jesus came to save those who are sick and desire the touch of Jesus. Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Are you sick with sin, He is the Great Physician, He will heal you of all your diseases.

Pray For Restoration

 Obadiah 1:12

Do not gloat over your brother’s day, The day of his misfortune. And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah On the day of their destruction; Yes, do not boast On the day of their distress. (NASB)

The downfall spiritually of a nation or an individual should cause us to grieve and pray. Pray for restoration, pray for healing, asking God to show mercy. The attitude, “They brought this on themselves, now they are reaping what they sowed” may be true, but this is not a time to judge. We are all human and subject to failure and temptation. It is only by the grace of God that we can stay faithful. We are not immune to temptation, and Satan is out seeking whom he can destroy. Pray for the restoration of our brothers and sisters. The day of judgment is upon us, and our hope is to trust in the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to empower us to live victoriously in these perilous days.

He Is Able To Deliver

 Daniel: 3: 17,18
Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us....But if not, be it known unto you, O king, that we will not serve your gods.
God does not always answer our prayers the way we hope He would. Jesus said, Ask and you will receive. What we receive is often not the answer we would expect. The 3 Hebrew children no doubt asked God to deliver them from the hands of their enemy, but they also realized that God may have other plans for them. The attitude of prayers should always be, “Not my will. But your will be done”. God is able to bring deliverance. The 3 Hebrew children did not escape being thrown into the furnace, but God still brought deliverance. He kept the flames from destroying them, and then sent a Comforter to stand by them. We don’t know how things will always work out, but we can trust God that He is able to help us through any situations, and in the end, He will get the glory. Even if God does not answer the prayer of healing, He is still able to bring healing to the heart, and give us peace.

To Heal Or Not To Heal

Mark. 8:25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

The man from Bethsaida the home town of Andrew and Peter. He was a blind man, probably not from birth, he knew what trees looked like. As Jesus entered the city, the people brought this man to Him believing that Jesus could restore his sight. Healing from God is brought about by faith. When and how this healing is done is given to the Master to decide. For some reason, unknown to man, Jesus touched this man’s eyes twice before complete healing was done. Jesus could have just spoken the word, or rub some mud on his eyes. He could have told him to go wash his eyes out with water, but he choose to give partial healing before giving full healing. As a person who believes in the doctrine of sanctification, I would like to think that this was Jesus’ way of saying, it will take two works of grace to complete the work of full salvation. But, I think this is stretching out the scriptures to fit my doctrine. The reality is God does things in mysterious way that we always don’t understand. Sometime he heals completely and sometime not at all. He told Paul that His grace was sufficient to handle the throne in his flesh. Whether God heals or does not heal, we must still trust Him that He knows what is best, and rest that God is good and will work all things out to fulfill His purpose. 

I Believe

Mark 9:23  Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believe.

Believing that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins is not difficult for me. I believe in the love of God and His desire to have fellowship with man. I believe that God is good and that He has a purpose for all things that happen to me and in the world around me. I may not understand it all, but I believe. I also believe that He is able to take a broken body and make it whole again. A body broken down by disease or wrecked by sin. It is not that I don’t believe that God is able, but is He willing? Pain, suffering, sickness is part of life’s journey. People by the thousands die each day without any intervention from God. People cry out to God to see a miracle of divine healing, and to the most part, healing does not happen. Does that mean that our prayers fell short of God standard of believing? It is still a mystery to me when God chooses to heal and not heal. God’s ways are beyond my understanding, but this one thing I believe, that God’s grace is sufficient to bring us through any circumstance in life. I believe all thing are possible with God, and that He is sovereign in all things.

Walking by Faith

2 Corinth 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

“Seeing is believing” is often said among those who are skeptical of things happening that are unnatural. I sometime find myself in that camp when it comes to the supernatural, and unexplained healing. Yes, I believe God is able and can do things that are unbelievable, but my practical mine often wonders at the methods I see others using to bring about miraculous healing. To me living by faith, it not necessary having faith to heal and restore everything that is wrong. To me, faith is believing in God to do what is good and right regardless of what I think should be the outcome. Sometimes He chosen to heal that baby who is struggling to stay alive, other times He choose to take the baby. Faith in God is not seeing God heal that baby, and yet believing He is God and knows what is best. For God is good and will work all things out for His pleasure. Walking by faith is to know that God is in control of my life and in control of the circumstances that surround me. Even when I look to the left and to the right and do not see Him, I still believe that He is there and will guide my every step. 

Healing By His Strips

Isaiah 53:5 “ But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.”-

On the cross, Jesus suffered and died to save us from our transgressions. He took on Him the sin of humanity and paid the ultimate price. His strips were many and in pain He suffered them all for you and me. His flesh was ripped open, as blood flowed, healing was made possible for us all. He heals broken lives that have been shattered by poor choices. Choices that sought pleasure, but brought destruction. He heals broken marriages, and brings lives back together again. By His stripped we are healed from our addictions and habits that take us away from doing what is right. Sin brings spiritual sickness to everyone who yields to unrighteousness. Bitterness, hatred, malice, covetousness, and all manner of wickedness causes the heart to turn black and ugly. All born into this world, were born in sin. We like to think that our good humanitarian works will out weigh the wrongs in our life, but righteousness does not come from doing works of good deeds, but it is only through Christ, that we can find peace and salvation for our sinful heart. Healing is offered to all who will believe in Jesus and accept His strips and death to heal us from all our diseases and make us completely whole. 

Broken Hearts

Psalm 34:15,18 “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart,...”-

Having a broken heart can happen to anyone. Our hearts can break when we lose someone that is close to us. Hearts our broken when a relationship does not work out. Seeing those that are close to us going through a difficult time can also cause our hearts to break. Then our hearts can be broken when we see others who are lost or have lost their way spiritually. It is hard to know what to say when we see hearts broken. Most of the time it is best to say very little and be there to listen and pray that God will bring comfort. This is especially true when it come to losing a loved one or the breaking up of a relationship. Just being there to show support and to let them know that they are not alone in their sorrow. God is the master of healing broken hearts. He knows what others are facing and how to bring comfort. His eyes look on those who love and serve Him and He desire to listen to the cry of the heart that He may show His loving kindness. God is not the author of hurt, but is the author of healing. To the heart that cries out to Him, God will not turn away. In time of grieving and sorrow, we can ask God to be the comfort of all comforts to those we grieve with, and if we find that we are suffering from a broken heart, may we flee the place of refuge and cry to Him that He may draw near to heal the heart that is broken.

Crying Out To Jesus

Mark 7:24-37

In desperation, it is not uncommon for people to cry out for help. The cry it not always a literal shout or calling out. It often is the silent aching of the soul that looks for fulfillment or searches for answers to life’s many questions. Crying implies that there is a demonstration of strong emotions and a tense focus on a particular need. There is a singleness of mind and determination to get the attention of someone to give aid or warn of pending danger. Everything else in life fades when compared the immediate need. Through out the Word of God we find examples of men and women crying out to God for help. In almost all situations, the person finds themselves unable to help themselves. David, the great Psalmist gives us many examples of such desperate calling out to God for help. “My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God”. Psalm 84:2b. In our lesson today, we find a women crying out to Jesus to free her daughter from unclean spirits. In the other example, a group of concern individuals beseech Jesus to bring healing to the deaf and dumb man. In both cases, Jesus saw their need and faith in Him to answer.
Proclaiming of Christ –vs.25 (she heard of Him)
• How can they hear unless someone tells
Pursuing a remedy- vs.25 (she came)
• She went out looking
• Searching in the right place- Must be more than sincerity
Prostrated before Christ- vs.25 (fell at His feet)
• Realize her inadequacy
• Be merciful to me a sinner- Only Christ is able
Pleading for a need- vs.26, 32
• She besought Him
• They beseeched Jesus
Putting her in her place- vs.27 (it is no meet)
• All have sinned- Unrighteous before God.
• We must humble ourselves- He shall lift us up
Persistent in prayer- vs.28 (yes Lord, yet)
• Holding on and willing to take whatever God has for us
• Importunity- We must not let up- “ I will not be denied”
Procuring through divine intervention- vs. 29, 33, 34
• Let God decide how to solve the problem- “He said”
• His way is best- Let go and let God be God- “He spit”
Promise from the Savior- vs.30 (devil gone out) vs.35 (he spake)
• From the lip of Christ- He said it.
Publishing the works of Christ- vs. 36 (they published it)
• It is only natural to let others know.

Jesus The Healer

Mark 1:21-34

The ministry of Jesus is summarized in what He did for humanity. He served, sacrificed, and suffered for others that they all may have the opportunity to be saved from sorrow, sadness, and sin.
Sickness is brought upon man by diseases that attack the body. The effects of sin in the world, is to bring death to that which lives. When sickness came upon people it was assumed that the person had committed sin, therefore sickness was the punishment. Christ cleared up this misconception when he said, “Neither did this man sin or his parents…” We often don’t understand why sickness falls to a person, but we can trust God that such events are fulfilling a divine purpose.
Jesus came to heal the broken in body and spirit. He came to make life whole. His healing power goes beyond making the body well, but reaches to the depth of the soul where sickness is rebuked and the healing power of God’s forgiveness is administered. Have you experience the healing power of Christ in your life?

Capernaum is open (went into Capernaum)
• Nazareth rejects Christ
• The harvest was ready for reaping in Capernaum
• Do we have an open heart to the works of Christ?
Church gathering (into the synagogue)
• The Christian Sabbath- Day of worship
• A place to be feed by His Word
• Open to all classes of people
Christ Authority (as one that has authority)
• He was the Word- The author of truth
• He did not explain the law- he proclaimed it
Casting out of sin (come out of him)
• Sinners in the Church- Are they welcomed?
• The rebuking of Satan- evil spirits cast doubt and fear
• Showing forth the power of Christ- The power of the Church
Caring for believers (he took her hand)
• Especially to the household of faith
• Peter witness- Casting, all your cares upon Him, for…
• Is Christ the master of your home?
Compassion for all (he healed many)
• Sharing the Grace of God
• Love them into the Kingdom- I have no other choice.
• His healing power is for whosoever will
• All need healing, for all come short of the Glory of God.