Sep 2 - Gifts of the Spirit - part 7C (Miracle)

Miracles by Jesus Christ   Cleanses the leper (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16)   Matthew 8:1-4 1When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."  3Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 4Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."   ·         The leper had faith in Jesus.  He knew that Jesus could heal him (if Jesus was willing to). ·         Jesus' healing effect was immediate as the leper was immediately cured of leprosy.   Mark 1:40-45 40A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."  41Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.  43Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44"See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.   ·         When a person has seen God's miraculous healing, he cannot but continually talk/testify about the good news.   Luke 5:12-16 12While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."  13Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.  14Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."  15Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.   ·         Good news about miraculous healing would always spread. ·         People are attracted to healing because they want to get healed of their sicknesses.     Heals the paralyzed man (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26)   Matthew 9:1-8 1Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."  3At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"  4Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 6But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." 7And the man got up and went home. 8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.   ·         When people believe in Jesus, their/his sins are forgiven. ·         Some sicknesses could be due to sins or bad things a person has done.  E.g. STD (sexually-transmitted diseases) due to sexual promiscuity/immorality, liver disease due to drunkenness/overdrinking, gout due to overeating. ·         Masses of people are normally impressed by miraculous healing. ·         Miraculous healing is a good way for many people to get convicted, not only the ones who get healed, but also the many who see others get healed.   Mark 2:1-12 1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."  6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"   ·         When the people with impressed with what they heard about Jesus, they came in huge numbers. ·         Some came because they were curious.  Some came because they believe.  Other came because they wanted to get the healing power of Jesus for their friend/relative. ·         The friends/relatives of the paralyzed man took extraordinary efforts to enable the paralyzed man to get healed by Jesus. They believed that Jesus could heal the paralyzed man. ·         When Jesus healed the paralyzed man, the many people present were amazed and praised God. ·         Healing is important for conviction of non-believer and enhance the faith of believers.   Luke 5:17-26 17One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. 18Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.  20When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."  21The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  22Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 24But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."   ·         Healing power is not from man, not from healer (evangelist who goes around doing healing sessions), but from God. ·         The healing evangelist get his healing power from God.     Healing of the immobile man ( John 5:1-16) 1Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"  7"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."  8Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.       The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, 10and so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."  11But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "  12So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"  13The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.  14Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him.   ·         Jesus went to place where he was needed. ·         Jesus wanted to heal. So, he went to this place where many blind, lame, paralyzed and disabled ones went to get healing (by dipping into the pool / hot spring). ·         Lesson learnt:  Go to the place where your skill/ministry/gift/talent is required. ·         Serve the needs!  Make an impact by giving Service to those who require the Service.  Heal those who need to be healed. ·         Some disabilities may be caused by certain sins.