SIH’s Think On These Things: Healing The Paralyzed Lost Man

The healing of the paralytic is the next miracle in our series…This miracle is recorded for us in Matt 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:18-26 . 

This miracle took place as Jesus was inside a house, surrounded by a multitude.  A man who was sick of the palsy (paralyzed) desired to see Christ believing he could be healed.  The four men who were carrying this sick man took him upon the roof of the house, removed a portion of the roof and they let him down upon his bed.  When Jesus saw this act of determination, His first priority was to take care of this man’s spiritual needs.  He said  “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee”. 

There were those who heard this declaration of Christ that began to accuse Him of blasphemy.  Their reasoning was that only God could forgive sins and (in their opinion) Christ obviously was not God.  Christ’s response was to prove that He had authority to forgive sins by granting physical healing to the palsied man.  This set of miracles (his salvation and then physical healing) resulted in God being glorified by, both, the healed man as well as the multitude that had watched the unfolding of these events.

There are two basic principles that we have highlighted in this account:

1. This man’s spiritual need took first priority in Christ’s dealings with him.  The forgiveness a fallen man’s sins, the most indispensable of all man’s requirements, is the greatest act of power, authority and divinity that Christ performs among fallen mankind.
2. The miracles that Christ performed proved that He was God Himself.  Once He proved Himself as God, it was then obvious that He had the authority to forgive sins. (Isa 43:25, Micah 7:18)

Have your sins ever been forgiven by God?  As we have seen in this set of miracles by Christ, this is the most urgent need of your life.  As we have also seen, the authority and ability to forgive sin is restricted to God Himself.  God, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ has done everything that is necessary to grant you the forgiveness of your sin.  Come before Christ humbly, realizing you can do nothing to secure forgiveness from your sins.  Look to Him in faith, turning from your sin in an attitude of willingness to allow Him to be Lord of your life.

Act 4:10,12  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole… Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.

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SIH’s Think On These Things: Healing The Centurion Servant

The healing of the Centurion servant is the next miracle in our series…This miracle is recorded for us in Matt 8:5-13, Luk 7:1-10 . 

The Lord, as He enters Capernaum. is met by a Centurion (Roman captain over a legion of soldiers – approximately 60-100 men).  This Centurion had a servant who was sick with palsy (a nervous disorder causing paralysis).  The Lord offers to come to this Gentile’s home to heal his beloved servant.  The Centurion answers, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” Based upon the Centurion’s position of authority, he understood that it only took a verbal command to be given for a command to be fulfilled.  He recognized Christ had authority over this sickness and, therefore could, simply, speak and the disease would be healed.

Jesus responded by saying, “When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.  But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.”  This statement by Christ resulted in the servant being healed the same hour.

Based upon the response of Christ, we find that this Centurion’s faith was a forerunner showing us the faith that would be shared by other Gentiles as the gospel would be spread among the nations. (Keep in mind there were several Gentiles saved in the OT as well as during Christ’s ministry on earth… Ruth, Nebuchadnezzar, the inhabitants of Nineveh, etc.   All of these Gentiles were symbolic representatives of the Gentiles who would come to faith in Christ following Christ’s earthly ministry.)

Notice in Christ’s response that, following His rejection by the Jews, the gospel would now be distributed among the Gentile nations resulting in the salvation of many Gentiles (described as “many shall come from the east and west”).  Another result of the Jews rejection of Christ would be eternal punishment brought upon those Jews who continue to reject Him as their Messiah (described as “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”) 

Our Lord, the Divine Sovereign Healer of Mankind has chosen to allow His healing message of the gospel to reach out beyond the borders of the Jews into the Gentile world.  As Gentiles, we should be always thankful for this act of divine grace as the Lord allowed His message to reach out to us, touching our hearts and bringing us into a saving relationship with Him.

May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

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SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com

SIH’s Think On These Things: Catching Many Fish

The catching of many fish is the next miracle in our series…This miracle is recorded for us in Luke 5:3-10 . 

In the background of this miracle, we see our Lord sitting teaching a great crowd as He sits upon Peter’s ship that was sitting a short distance from shore. He, probably, did this to avoid being engulfed by the overwhelming mass of people.

Following His teaching, the Lord commands Peter to move the boat to deeper waters and drop down his net to so that he can catch fish.  Peter, a fisherman by trade, cast his net over the side of the boat wanting to be obedient to His Lord.  He had been fishing all night without catching a single fish.

Much to Peter’s surprise his catch of fish was so great that he had to have help from his partners, James and John, to pull in the net filling two boats.  An astonished Peter, when he realized his weak faith, makes the statement “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” In response his gracious Lord does not find fault, but calls the three men to the ministry of evangelization of the lost.

         

Many times, the Lord uses our secular labors and experiences to prepare us for a ministry that He desires for us to fulfill.  In this case, the Lord used the occupation of fishing to teach Peter, James and John very important lessons to be used in their upcoming ministry.  Here are two of the lessons they learned through this experience:

1. When we are presenting the gospel message to the lost (through our actions and words) patience and consistency are necessary.  Peter and the others had fished all night without catching a single fish.  By patiently trying again, under the Lord’s direction, they began to see results from their labors.
2. Most importantly, when they fished using their own efforts and abilities apart from Christ’s intervention they were unsuccessful.  But when the Lord intervened in the situation and worked on their behalf… it was ONLY then that they saw results.  Because of this we must always be in prayer for God’s grace to be shown to both the those presenting the truth and those who are receiving the truth.  For without His intervention there can be no eternal gain.

Perhaps, you are currently in a situation that is preparing you for the Lord’s future use. Are you facing a difficulty that is requiring your patience?  Or perhaps, you are working with others who are mocking your stand for Christ.  Could it be the Lord is preparing you to be used in even greater ways?

By His grace, there will be greater opportunities to use this very lesson you are struggling to learn.

May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

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SIH’s Think On These Things: Healing Various People

The healing of many various people is the next miracle in our series…This miracle is recorded for us in Mat 8:16; Mar 1:32, Luk 4:40-41 . 

In this account of the miracles of Christ, we find Him healing many individuals with various sicknesses, as well as those who were demon possessed.  In Matt 8:16 we read “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:”

This account helps us to understand the totality of the authority of Christ.  For, here, we find He is exercising authority over both the physical (healing sicknesses) and spiritual realm (casting out demons).  Our Lord’s authority over all is described in Col 1:14-20…

In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.  For it pleased [the Father] that in him should all fulness dwell;  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, [I say], whether [they be] things in earth, or things in heaven.

To summarize the lesson of this miracle …. Our Lord controls ALL things!  Knowing this, during the many struggles of life, let’s approach Him prayerfully with confidence knowing that He can intervene and remedy ANY situation.  Nothing is too hard for the Lord, nor is it outside the realm of His sovereign control.  The next time we feel as if our situation is absolutely hopeless; let’s all remember the lesson King Nebuchadnezzar teaches us about our Lord in Dan 4:35-37…. 

… all the inhabitants of the earth [are] reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and [among] the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?... Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works [are] truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

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A Nation That Has Forgotten Her God

http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/a-nation-that-has-forgotten-her-god/

Throughout the Old Testament prophets, the Lord not only speaks to the individuals who were dwelling in the nation of Israel, but He also spake to the government of the nation of Israel as well. 

One example of this is found in our text, Haggai 1:2-7.  The common people of the nation had forgotten to put the Lord and His worship first in their lives and, in our text, we read of the devastating results to their individual families.  They were facing times of famine, want and dissatisfaction. They no longer exercised wisdom in their money management and, therefore, were unable to meet their basic physical needs.  All of this, because they no longer put the Lord first, but had lived selfish lives, desiring to accumulate wealth instead of using their possessions for God's glory and honor.

Not only was this the condition of the households of Israel, but this was also the condition of the government of Israel as well.  The nation had forgotten the Lord's great blessings upon them when He delivered them from the Babylonian Captivity.  They ignored the fact that God had graciously placed them under the rule of the Medo-Persian Empire, an empire sympathetic to their worship needs.   The empire had allowed them to return back to Jerusalem and had issued an edict allowing their temple to be rebuilt.  The Lord had placed them in the ideal situation to rebuild their house of worship, but they ignored this miraculous opportunity to please their Lord.  Their leaders had forgotten God ignoring His commands to build the temple,  while leading the people to fulfill their selfish desires of life first.  This sin had its affects on Israel as a nation as well. 

Not only individually, but as a nation, they faced famine, the nation had wasted their resources in pursuit of self enrichment and therefore was unable to meet the needs of their citizens, when the time of famine had hit them.  Israel, as a nation, was slowly dying.

The Lord, in an act of unparallelled grace, sent the prophet Haggai to warn the citizens of Israel, and the nation as a whole, of the need to repent, humbly return to their Lord, and begin to put Him first once again.

This is where we pick up in Haggai 1:2-7...

THE SCRIPTURES:

Hag 1:2-7 (KJV)

2) Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD'S house should be built.

3) Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,

4) [Is it] time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house [lie] waste?

5) Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

6) Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages [to put it] into a bag with holes.

7) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

THE STUDY:

In our study I would like us to see the great affects that individuals, and especially nations will experience when they turn from placing the Lord first in their lives and go about seeking to selfishly accumulate power, wealth and recognition. 

2)        Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the             time that the LORD'S house should be built.

Haggai clearly proclaims the national sin of the people of Israel.  They clearly, selfishly, resolved to go against the revealed will of their God.  The Lord had clearly presented to them the oppoortunity to rebuild the temple for worship. (Ezra 4:7-22) They declared stubbornly that they would not.  They had more important issues to attend to …. their own self enrichment.

3)        Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,

The Lord now patiently, graciously raised up His servant to give warning to the nation and its citizens.

4)        [Is it] time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house [lie] waste?

Now that they had been delivered from their captivity and they were given the allowance to rebuild their temple, was it time to enrich themselves and their households?

5)        Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

What was their greatest need?  Self examination.  They needed to simply take an honest appraisal of their desires and the resultant condition they were in.  What were the results of putting the Lord last in their lives?

6)           Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but        ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages [to put it] into a bag with holes.

Loss of productivity, famine, dissatisfaction, want, the inability to manage their resources and the inability to prosper and be self-reliant among the Gentile nations.  Does this list sound familiar in the day in which we live?  Our government, as a whole, has left the spiritual principles upon which our nation was founded.  The God of our nation's forefathers, and submission to His will, has been left behind in our government's law and decision making processes.  We have been asking for God's judgment to fall upon our nation for quite sometime.   I believe,  this is beginning to take place.

Remember the results of such a selfish attitude?  Let's apply them to our nation today:

1.            Loss of productivity – Economically, our nation is teetering on the edge of default.  The rate of           unemployment, increasing national debt and lack of fiscal leadership are all the result of our nation turning from it's God and the moral, fiscal principles He desires for us to follow.  

2.            Famine – Shortages are beginning to rear their ugly head.  Gasoline is the chief among them,           this, along with the rising cost of food and health care are threatening to bankrupt our families        and nation as a whole.

3.            Dissatisfaction and want– Who within our nation is satisfied with the way things are progressing?      It is as    if we are watching the slow, yet steady decline of our nation without the ability to change     it's course.  Our leaders appear to be totally blinded to the desires of the electorate. 

4.       The inability to manage our resources and the inability to prosper and be self-reliant among the           other nations.  We are constantly hearing how we are “living in a global economy”.  We are also           hearing that  we can no longer economically prosper apart from world-wide trade. 

          Over the past five years our national debt has gone through the roof with no end in sight.    Despite the fact our government received 2.1 trillion of dollars in tax revenue, we still are       outspending this revenue by more than 1.7 trillion (3.8 trillon total expenditures).

To the best of my knowledge, it appears as if we are basically, beginning to enter the same condition as the Israel of old.   Perhaps, our condition has not yet advanced to that of Israel, we are well on our way.

7)           Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.

What more can be said?  We as Americans need to examine the priorities of our nation and our individual families, turn from our current path and seek the Lord's face, once again putting Him first.  Failure to do this, I believe, will result in the slow disintegration of our nation and families.

May we all be aware of our condition...

May the Lord bless you as you seek His truth.

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A Nation That Forgets God

SIH’s Think On These Things: Healing Of Peter’s Mother In Law

http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/sihs-think-on-these-things-healing-of-peters-mother-in-law/

The healing of Peter’s  mother in law is the next miracle in our series…This miracle is recorded for us in Mat 8:14-15; Mar 1:30-31, Luk 4:38-39 . 

Here we find our Lord, during a visit to Peter’s house, sees Peter’s mother in law lying sick with a fever.  We are told that the Lord “stood over her”, “touched her hand”, and “lifted her up”.  Following the touch of the Lord’s hand upon her, “immediately the fever left her”.   As a response to her healing, she then “arose and ministered unto them”.

What a wonderful display of the touch of the Lord’s hand in our lives and its effects upon us…

We are all suffering from the sickness of the disease called “sin”.  This disease is so ravaging to our systems that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves from its grip.  Once contracted this disease ALWAYS results in death.  It is so devastating that we are already considered dead by those who understand this disease and its results.

But then, we are touched by the hand of the Lord.  He graciously does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  We are healed from this dreaded disease; we are given a clean bill of health and it is, as if, we are risen from the dead.

What is the natural, common sense response to the One who has given us back our life, health, security and a wonderful hope for tomorrow?  To serve Him and His friends who to whom we have now become related, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Does this description characterize our lives?  By God’s grace we are all able to proclaim that we have been raised from spiritual death and are now living a life of service to Him! 

May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

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SIH’s Think On These Things:Healing Of The Demon Possessed Man

http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/sihs-think-on-these-thingshealing-of-the-demon-possessed-man/

The healing of the demon possessed man is the next miracle in our series…This miracle is recorded for us in Mar 1:21-28, Luk 4:33-37 . 

In our study for this morning we find the Lord teaching in the synagogue.  In attendance at this service was a man that had the spirit of an unclean devil.  As the Lord taught, this demon possessed man cried out and said… “Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God”. 

The Lord responded “Hold thy peace and come out of him”.  We find the demon obeys the command of the Lord, throws the man down and leaves the body of this man.

The result of this great deed was that both the authority and the power of Christ was recognized by those who witnessed this great event.  The account of this event closes with the statement,… “And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.  And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.”

Not only do we have the Lord’s authority over evil and His great strength on display, but we also can learn some important lessons about the evil powers in the world around us:

1. The powers of darkness exist; they are not simply a figment of our imagination.
2.  The powers of darkness are in conflict with Christ and share nothing in common with Him.
3. The powers of darkness recognize Christ and understand many truths about Him.
4. The powers of darkness are under the authority of Christ; they MUST follow His commands.

Not only does this account help us to recognize the existence of the wicked powers at work in this world but it also points us to a very crucial aspect of saving faith.  Here, we find that there were many truths about Christ that were sincerely believed by this demon…His identity (Jesus and the Holy One of God), His authority and His ministry.  Although He recognized, and sincerely believed these things, obviously he was not saved. 

As professing Christians, we must be aware of the possibility that we have exercised the same type of faith as this demon.  It is a faith that is characterized by a decision and not a conversion.  It is a faith that is based solely on an action of the flesh, not a faith that proceeds from a divine working of God within us. 

May we all take this account very seriously.  How will we know our belief is based upon an act of God?  We will be changed into a new creature in Christ and we will have the indwelling Holy Spirit leading us to perform works of fruit bearing as evidence of that change.

Jas 2:17-19  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH’s Think On These Things: John 4:46-54

http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/sihs-think-on-these-things-john-446-54/

The healing of the nobleman’s son…This miracle is recorded for us in John 4:46-54. 

In this miracle, we find that a nobleman approaches Christ requesting that Christ travel to Capernaum to heal his sick son.  Based upon Jesus response (“Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe”) it appears that this man was not believing that Christ could heal his dying son… he was probably acting out of desperation, willing to try anything.

After desperately asking Christ to heal his son a second time… Christ responded by saying “Go thy way; thy son liveth”.   Then, we are told that “the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.”  By this we are not talking about a saving faith in Christ, this father mentally assented to what Jesus had claimed.  The father needed to return to his home to see if this miracle had actually been performed.  He traveled back and was told that his child had been healed.  This healing took place at the time Christ had declared that the young boy was healed.

It was at this point, that the father now became confident that his son had been healed by Christ.  The affirmation of the miracle caused him to recognize that Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Savior of God’s people.  The father then exercised a saving faith.  Based upon seeing this miracle take place, we are told that his whole house came to a saving belief in Christ as well. As we see in the Scriptures… “So the father knew that [it was] at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.”

In the life of this father we find three different ways that men can come to Christ: 

1. Many come to Christ out of desperation due to some situation they are facing.  They are trying anything they can to escape their needy situation.  They have no spiritual interest in Him at all, they simply cry out to Him, not wanting to ignore any possible avenue of escape from their dilemma.  (John 6:26) This attitude we see in the father when he first approached the Lord.
2. Many come to God with a head knowledge of who He is and what He can do for them.  They come sincerely exercising a human “faith”, making a mental assent of Christ without ever experiencing God’s grace in salvation.  (James 2:19)  This is what we see in the father following the word spoken by Christ.  It was a mental assent to the truth of His words without a reliance upon His person and work. 
3. There are those who are brought to Christ, exercising a saving faith in His persons and work.  In the case of this father, it was just as Jesus had said… It was only after the father had proof the miracle was performed that he came to a recognition of who Christ really was.  This same saving faith was exercised by his family as well, following their recognition of the miracle that was performed and the Messiah who had performed it.

What type of faith have we exercised in Christ? 

Have we come to Him simply to relieve us of a earthly situation we are now facing and as soon as it is resolved we will depart from Him no longer needing or wanting Him?  

Have we come to a mental understanding of His truth, while never submitting to His Lordship?

Or have we come to a genuine faith in Christ, that has made us a new creature in Christ and a willing servant for His glory?

May the Lord bless each one of us as we “Think On These Things”.

SIH Homepage: http://www.settledinheaven.org

SIH Text Blog: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

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SIH Email: settledinheaven@gmail.com