The Only One Who Rebuked Death and Disease | Max Lucado | The Only One | Oak Hills Church

45:48 music So happy that you're here today. Isn't it a beautiful day? Just a spectacular time of the year. so grateful let's pray and then we'll get right into the message these good people dear father have entrusted me with their minutes of their lives would you help me be a good steward of their trust a good steward of these minutes a good steward a curator of your teaching would you begin by forgiving me forgiving me for my sins my inflated ego my selfish ambition would you let us see Christ I just think everything would change if we could just see Jesus and sometimes even religion gets in the way but I believe with all my heart, Jesus, that as you make yourself visible, our lives get better.

47:07 I thank you. Father, have mercy upon us today as we think about your healing power. Let your healing touch be upon every person today. Through Christ we pray, and all God's people said. So I began working on this message at about 11 a.m. a few weeks back on a weekday morning and knowing what we were going to talk about, I just made a list of everything that I had done so far that day. For fear of decay, I brushed my teeth. In hope of losing pounds, I jogged for 30 minutes and then I marked out jogged and wrote shuffled. for 30 minutes. To avoid hunger, I ate two eggs and a piece of toast. I took a prescription medication. At the urging of my wife, I scheduled a hearing test.

48:08 When she suggested I do so, I said, what'd you say? And I prayed. I prayed for a lifelong friend who has cancer. I prayed for a neighbor who has cancer. I prayed for the wife of a colleague who has cancer. I prayed for a good friend whose wife recently died. I prayed for my daughter and grandson on that day, both had the flu. Dina and I at some point sat down, Dina is my wife, she and I sat down to chat, and among other things we talked about, aches and pains. Her sciatica had flared up and my shoulder was hurting. Do you see a common thread? Body maintenance, disease prevention, prayers for sickness, prayers about surgery. I'd been awake about four or five hours and it seems like most of my moments were consumed by matters of body management.

49:20 I'm not alone. You or someone dear to you is battling chronic pain. You or somebody near to you is struggling to find a diagnosis. You or maybe someone you know is receiving these unsolicited, unwelcome reminders that these bodies are frail they're fragile we just think we're bulletproof disease and death cast shadows over our lives. Suppose they didn't. Suppose they didn't. Can you envision a world where there are no hospital beds?

50:11 No hypodermic needles. No root canals. No tombstones. A place where morticians, physicians, and clinicians must pursue different careers.

50:32 You know what? Jesus can. And as we continue making a list of attributes that only he has earned, I think you'll really like this one. Jesus is the only one who has authority over death and disease. Zoom out with me for just a moment, and let's try to trace the ideology of our disease. Disease can well be called the intruder. When God created the Garden of Eden, there was no disease. Everything he saw was good. And that included Adam and Eve.

51:28 their health was good. Their cognition was good. Their skeletal structure was good. They didn't have a hitch in their get-along. They didn't have a crick in their neck. They didn't have an alarming blemish on their body or an ulcer in their tummy. They were sound, spiritually sound, mentally sound, physically sound. Yet when they turned from God, everything just fell out of whack. It's called the fall for a reason, because something fell. It fell out of concert, out of balance. Sin opened the door, and sickness walked in. Look how the Apostle Paul connects this. Romans chapter 5.

52:20 Sin came into the world because of what one man did, and please read the bold words with me. With sin came death. So with sin came death. Disease leads to death. So with sin came disease and death. That's why everybody must die, because everyone sinned. Death is the result of sin. Disease is the result of sin. Isn't it interesting that we have never been able to completely eradicate disease? all these millennia, all these physicians, all this research, all these centuries of treatments and hospitals and operations, and yet we still die. We still succumb to bacteria. We just can't sidestep death. It's not to say some haven't tried. Boy, Brian Johnson is giving it his best effort. Have you read about this 46-year-old centimillionaire tech entrepreneur who wears and sells t-shirts that say, don't die? He has spent millions of dollars developing a life extension program. He has his own team of doctors that advise and control every decision he makes.

53:42 He daily takes 111 pills. I don't take that much in a year. He wears a baseball cap that shoots red light into his scalp. He monitors his health by collecting his own stool. He avoids anything that might diminish his longevity. He's in bed by 8 30 p.m., awake by 5 a.m. by the time he descends the stairs at 6 a.m. he has already measured his body mass index, hydration level, body fat, and pulse wave velocity. I do not know what that last one means. Before he eats his first meal he spends minutes under a light therapy lamp. He takes his inner ear temperature, swallows more pills to boost his iron and some vitamin C, and then he massages his face to prevent wrinkles, and he dons a laser light mask for five minutes, whatever that is, to stimulate collagen growth. A short workout for him is one hour, and his diet regimen is, well he said eating a cookie is an act of violence now he deserves high credit for self discipline but when it comes to avoiding the grave the don't die idea he and scripture have two different opinions scripture is straight forward everyone has to die once and then face the consequences Hebrews chapter 9 Death is a part of life. To repeat, it hasn't always been sin and sickness are interlopers, unwelcome and uninvited. They came with sin, a consequence of the rebellion. But since Jesus came to deal with sin, that means he would also deal with sickness. He took a stand against both.

55:50 We're correct to call disease the intruder, but we're equally correct to call Jesus the conqueror. Dr. Craig Keener has authored two tomes on the miracles of Jesus, volume one and volume two. Each one is about 600 pages long. There are as many footnotes as there are pages.

56:23 One scholar called these two books the greatest books written in the history of mankind on the legitimacy of the miracles of Christ. I have not read them. I don't think I have the energy to read 1,200 pages plus footnotes, but I have read the conclusion in the concluding chapters because Dr. Keener wanted to answer this question. Did Jesus really perform miracles? And he did so by recruiting a team of researchers, And together, they studied the writings of ancient historians, primarily 1st, 2nd, and 3rd centuries, looking for one historian who would say that Jesus' miracles were a hoax.

57:22 Not from our generation, but from the generation of Jesus and then 2nd and 3rd centuries. You know what he decided? Here's the key sentence in his book. None of the ancient sources respond to the claims of Jesus' miracles by trying to deny them. Now think about that. None of the ancient sources, the historians from the first, second, and third century, no one says, oh, he didn't really do the miracles. Now, ancient sources means people who perhaps were eyewitnesses, but quite possibly interviewed eyewitnesses. Nobody could say, oh, he didn't really do them. Now, they didn't all agree as to the divine power of Christ, but they all agreed about the fact that Christ did things no one else had ever done.

58:21 He was a miracle worker. He spoke to the wind, and the wind listened. He spoke to a storm and the storm obeyed. He spoke judgment over a tree and the tree became fruitless. He did things no one else had ever done. And for those of us who are acquainted with the aches and pains of a human body, we're especially fascinated by the fact that Jesus could perform divine healings. He could rearrange molecules. He could banish tumors. He could speak to hurts and things that didn't work just with a word. The Gospel of Matthew states that Jesus healed every kind of disease and sickness. Look at this paragraph from Matthew chapter 15. And a vast crowd brought him their lame, blind, maimed in those who couldn't speak, and many others and laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.

59:30 What a spectacle it was. Those who hadn't been able to say a word before were talking excitedly. Those with missing arms and legs had new ones. The crippled were walking and jumping around, and those who had been blind were gazing about them. The crowds just marveled and praised the God of Israel. Can you envision that moment? moms can you envision bringing your handicapped child and placing the child in the presence of Christ why just a moment ago he couldn't walk a second later he's up and scampering about can you see lepers can you imagine lepers coming to Jesus just a huddled mass of rags and swords and Jesus speaks one word just declares that whatever has infected them has to leave they throw back their hoods they punch the air with triumphant fists can you envision the image of the was blind man now seeing the was mute woman now singing the person with the deformed limb limb seeing the limb straightened and pulsed with blood You see, in the same way that sickness follows sin, health follows Christ.

1:01:11 He has authority over disease and death. The big news is that the Garden of Eden has been rescheduled. He has not abandoned his plan of a perfect paradise with perfect people. the inbreaking of that kingdom has begun. It began decisively with the arrival of the king himself, Christ. Both sin and sickness, they are Goliaths, but they have met their match in the form of Jesus Christ.

1:01:50 But still we wonder. Look, Kato, then why do I get sick? I mean, if Christ has control, why do I still have arthritis? Why did my mother battle dementia?

1:02:14 Why do followers of Christ, if Christ is Lord over our bodies, why do our bodies ache and atrophy and age? for the same reason, dear friend, that we still battle sin.

1:02:35 Jesus came to deal with sin and sickness. I really believe with all my heart he's dealt with my sin. I believe that there is a day coming in which I will not sin. But you know, right now, I sin. I do. I'm forgiven. I'm covered by grace. and I like to think I sin less, but I am not sinless.

1:02:59 I sin. My sin has been dealt with, but still I sin. Now, again, the day is coming in which sin will not be a part of my life. I believe that because of the sacrifice of Christ. I believe the very same thing about sickness. Your sickness has been dealt with. My sickness has been dealt with. Still we get sick. We do because we're not home yet. Here's how the prophet stated it. It was our pains he carried, our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. Through his bruises we get healed. Isaiah 53 verses 4 and 5. Remember, if sickness entered the world in the back seat of sin's sedan, and Jesus came to deal with sin, which he did, that then means he has dealt with sickness once and for all.

1:04:04 Let me try it this way. There is, when you said yes to Christ, a seed of health that has been planted in your body. just as a seed of grace has been planted within you. And as you can be so confident that the day is coming in which you will live in a sinless world, you can equally say the day is coming in which we will inhabit a sick-less world. In the meantime, God uses the sin and the sickness, even to his glory. What Satan wants to use to discourage us, like our sin, becomes our proclamation of grace to the glory of God. And what Satan wants to use our sickness, God uses to his glory as he displays his power by healing us. and helping us.

1:05:06 We're not victims, folks. We're not weathervangs being whipped about by every possible wind. We're not victims of random pandemics and plagues. Every square inch of your body and mine answers to the command of our King Jesus. So where does that leave us? when we get sick what do we do do we get mad do we say if i had more faith i'd always be healthy i don't like either of those two alternatives do we imitate that billionaire health enthusiast and take 111 pills a day do we try to be as buff as pastor travis I'm going to buy him some new shirts I think he's starting to bulge I think that's wonderful if you want to take 111 pills that's awesome if you want to have healthy workouts that's even better we honor God by honoring our body but even the most ardent and disciplined health fanatics are going to get sick so what do we do when we get sick I'm going to close with this the Bible offers a trio of answers We cry out to Christ, and he will respond in one of three ways, or a combination of these, immediately, gradually, ultimately.

1:06:37 May he heal you immediately. We've seen that here. Scriptures speak of hundreds of healings that happened immediately. May he speak over your body today words of healing. May you immediately feel your back straighten or your mind clear or your eyes focus. May he bless you. We believe with all our hearts that our Lord Jesus can heal immediately. May he do so with you. It could very well be that he will choose to heal you gradually. He did this with one of his best friends. there was a guy named Lazarus who was sick, and he's called a friend of Jesus in Scripture. And when Jesus learned that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was.

1:07:34 Jesus stayed where he was for two whole days. And by the time he reached the home of Lazarus, Lazarus was dead and buried. And he had been in the tomb for four days. so Jesus took his time it bugged the sisters they wondered where Jesus was and Jesus said well this sickness will not end in death but it will bring glory to the father in other words the purpose of the sickness was to billboard the power of Christ is your suffering your assignment Amen. Is your wheelchair your pulpit? Is the place where you go for chemotherapy a form of a sanctuary in which you are living out your faith?

1:08:35 I'll tell you one thing. A saint who suffers with faith is worth a billion sermons. and if Christ has called you to display your salvation through a season of suffering, he will give you the strength to do so. but whether the healing happens immediately or gradually, praise the Lord, we'll all be healed ultimately. Look at this passage. But our homeland is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. By his power to rule all things, He will change our simple bodies and make them like his own glorious body.

1:09:35 Our homeland is in heaven. So, test question. If our homeland is in heaven, are we home? No, we're not home yet. a home is being prepared I'm sorry a home is prepared and we are being prepared for that home but we're not home yet but boy we sure get homesick you remember a time in your life when you were really homesick I've told you about taking that job when I was a 19 year old that took me to northern Georgia to sell books door to door the people of Dalton Georgia are just as kind as they come, but nobody's really kind to a door-to-door salesman. And I got so homesick. I felt so far from home. And I recall one night driving to my rented room and I got lost. It had to be eight or nine o'clock. It was dark. And I was on a country road.

1:10:34 And this was long before iPhones and GPS. And I pulled over to the side of the road and I looked on a map trying to figure out where to go. And I looked up an incline and there was a gradual slope up to this really pretty kind of a country house, farmhouse. I still can remember the light spilling out of the bay window and a family seated around the table and they were having a late dinner. And there was a mom and a dad and two or three kids and they were all laughing and having fun. And I was out there in the car in the dark all alone. I felt so homesick. I thought my bones would melt. what I felt that night, you felt ever since your husband died.

1:11:17 Your child was buried. Ever since you learned about the lump in your breast or the spot in your lung. Boy, the twists and turns of life have a way of making us feel far from home. And you know what? That's okay. Our discomfort is a reminder that we're not home. here. Our dissatisfaction is really, it's not a pain to be avoided, it's a message to be heeded.

1:11:56 We're really not supposed to be happy here. I don't think a fish would ever feel at home on a beach. I don't think a rabbit would ever feel at home in downtown Manhattan. I don't think a lion ever feels at home in a cage. And will a child of heaven feel at home? I mean really feel at home if they're not in heaven? No. Dear friend, if you've said yes to Christ, your citizenship is in heaven. This is not your permanent address. That's why this earth and life on this earth is so hard. Just not home yet. But when you reach home, you know what's going to happen? Watch this. He will transfigure these wretched bodies into copies of his glorious body. The apostle there was talking about the resurrected body of Christ after he walked out of the tomb.

1:12:58 And in many ways, it was a body like yours and mine. It was touchable. He ate. Thomas could touch him. The followers could see him. it was a physical body in fact jesus said about that body he said a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see i have he had flesh and bones but on the other hand his body was so different he could walk through a wall. He didn't need a door.

1:13:31 He could be in Jerusalem one minute and he could be in the shore of Galilee the next. He could ascend into heaven without an airplane. I don't know exactly what our glorified bodies will be like, but I think they will be like Adam and Eve had before they sinned. They will be perfect. a glorious body dear friend you're watching this sermon from a convalescent home and you won't be there forever you're in a hospital bed I'm sorry you won't be there forever some of you in this sanctuary right now you feel aches and pains you're concerned about blemishes and marks I know but they won't be there forever these nagging these disturbing disruptions to your system. Christ knows.

1:14:26 So call out to Christ. I pray he heals you immediately. I pray if he chooses to heal you, gradually he'll give you strength. I know he will. But be sure, dear friend, he will heal you ultimately. And I cannot wait to show you my glorious body, and I cannot wait to see yours. amen gracious father now as we pray we pray for a visitation from you in Jesus name Amen. We really want to pray now for physical healing.