We are in the early weeks of Ordinary Time, where our focus is on our being, behavior, and actions as disciples of Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord, so it is important that we trust what God says.

The theme for this week is the word of God is a promise.

The selected, related passages are Psalm 33:1-12; Genesis 12:1-9; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26    

Part ONE

G.C.I  CALLING … Hearing from our Home Office

SPEAKING OF LIFE

• Title:  It Ain’t Over ….
• Presenter:  Heber Ticas, GCI Pastor  
• Keynote Passage:  Romans 4:18-24  

From the transcript …

Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” in 1973, when the baseball team he managed, the New York Mets, was on the verge of being defeated in its effort to go to the World Series.  The Mets were able to rally and come from behind to win the division title.  As a result, the statement became a well-known rallying cry for underdogs everywhere.  Yogi Berra’s simple, yet profound quote has given strength to many who faced seemingly insurmountable odds.  When Berra said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over,” he was not making a promise or guaranteeing a victory.  Yet, his statement about the possibility of success was enough to give his team hope.

I wonder if we have similar confidence in the promises of God. Do God’s words give us hope?  In the Bible, God has made many promises to his children.  Yet, our circumstances can often cause us to lose hope or doubt the truth of God’s word.  It is understandable to lose faith in God’s promises of healing when given a challenging medical diagnosis.  It can be hard to maintain hope in God as our provider when we do not have enough money to pay our bills.  At one time or another, we have all been tempted to doubt God’s promises.  Yet, following Christ requires us to believe in God despite our circumstances.  None of us have perfect belief and we need to turn to God for his help in trusting him.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul encouraged his audience with a story illustrating the faith of Abraham, who is the spiritual ancestor of all believers.  Despite his circumstances, Abraham learned to trust God when facing seemingly insurmountable challenges.  In Romans 4:18-24 it says this:

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.  This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” 

The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.   
Romans 4:18-24

Like our spiritual ancestor Abraham, as we encounter God in spiritual practices like discipleship, mission, fellowship, and celebration, we come to see that he cannot and will not go back on his word.  We may not always understand how he goes about fulfilling his promise, but we should not doubt his faithfulness.  God may approach things in ways we may not expect.  During those times we find ourselves doubting his ability to fulfill his promises, all we need to do is look to Jesus.  In Christ, all of God’s promises are fulfilled.  He has triumphed over sin and death.  And he has assured ultimate victory over all the trials and tribulations of this life.  Jesus has the power to raise the dead and make all things new, and he is the one who stands with us in our hard times.

In light of God’s faithfulness, I would like to amend Yogi Berra’s quote: “It ain’t over ’til God says it’s over.”  His Word is trustworthy and true.  These are words by which we should live.

Mi nombre es Heber Ticas, Hablando de Vida.

SERMON REVIEW

Jesus Heals Completely

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 (NIV)

How should followers of Christ approach healing?  What should be our posture?  On one hand the Bible promises that by the wounds of Jesus we are healed (1 Peter 2:24).  At the same time, in this present evil age, Christians get sick all the time and do not always receive physical healing.  We have all likely prayed for someone with a physical ailment and seen them make a miraculous recovery. Likewise, we have all prayed fervently for someone who eventually succumbed to their sickness.  Is it a matter of chance?  Do our prayers even matter?  How can we stand on God’s promise to heal us when it seems like people get sick and recover at random?

Trying to make sense of the relationship between God and human sickness has rocked the faith of many believers.  Dealing with sickness either personally or in someone we love can cause us to question God’s goodness.  As a result, many of us struggle with how to pray when someone we care about becomes ill. This discussion is especially relevant as we are in the early weeks of Ordinary Time on the Christian calendar.  In this season, we give our attention to how the church participates in the life and work of Jesus Christ, especially Christ’s mission in the world.  As we engage our neighbors, we will encounter sickness.  We may also encounter people who want to know why God allows human suffering.  It is important for those who bear witness to the reality of the kingdom to have a sufficient response.

Before we continue, I would like to make two things clear.

1. First, no one has all the answers to the question, “Why do we suffer?”   In this life, we will never know all the reasons why one person gets sick and another one does not; why one person recovers, and another person does not.  There is no single answer that speaks to every situation.  So, this sermon is not setting out to give a comprehensive response to the complex issues surrounding human sickness.
2. Second, there are those who are reading (hearing) this message and the topic of sickness is personal.  You or someone you love may be suffering with sickness or loss at this moment and this sermon may be reminding you about a hurtful situation.  The intent of this sermon is not to harm, but to comfort.  Despite the pain we experience in this life, God is a good God.  We are the children of a God who cares deeply about our suffering and is continually working to make us well.

If God is continually working to make us well, why don’t we always experience wellness?  Why does it sometimes seem like we cannot trust in the promise of God’s healing?  Part of the reason is that we may not be looking in the right place for healing.  When it comes to sickness, human beings are hyper-focused on the physical self.  It seems logical – if a person has a physical ailment, we seek after physical healing.  However, humans are not simply physical beings. We are spiritual, social, emotional, and intellectual as well.  And, as a result of The Fall, all of these aspects of the self are diseased to some degree.  I believe our eternal God prioritizes the sicknesses that most get in the way of us enjoying communion with him and other people, which is not always our physical ailments.  So, God is always working to heal each of us.  However, we may not experience him working on every form of sickness we carry at the same time.

God obviously has the power and the inclination to heal us at every level.  And one day he will banish sickness, and we will enjoy perfect health for all eternity.  Until then, we can be assured that he is continually working to heal us completely.

In the ninth chapter of Matthew, we see Jesus healing people who are carrying different forms of sickness.  By looking at the willingness of Jesus to make people well, we can be encouraged that we serve a God who proactively heals.  In Matthew 9 we read:

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.  While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:9-13 NIV)

Jesus chose to call Matthew, a tax collector, to be a disciple.  Tax collectors were reviled by most Jewish people at the time because they collected taxes on behalf of the Roman occupiers.  Tax collectors were seen as collaborators with Rome who turned against their own people for money and personal security.  Not only does Jesus call Matthew as a disciple, but he had dinner at Matthew’s home with other tax collectors and marginalized people.  In the ancient world, table fellowship was an intimate act.  A person was strongly associated with those with whom they ate.  Most Jewish people, especially young rabbis like Jesus, would not eat with tax collectors.  Yet, Jesus makes public his close association with the outcasts.  In this way, Jesus was working to heal the socially sick because he values the tax collectors and those called “sinners.”  He does not put upon us the labels we put on each other.  When he looks at us, he sees children of the Most-High God.  In Matthew’s case, at least, he began to see himself through Christ’s eyes, and the work Jesus did to heal the socially sick was transformative.

Jesus’ association with outcasts led to criticism from certain Pharisees.  Those in this Jewish sect were held in high regard by most Jewish people.  Yet, Jesus had to routinely call up their hypocrisy and false piety.  These Pharisees dehumanized the tax collectors and “sinners,” and viewed them as unclean.  They believed that God condoned their superior attitude, which implied that God, as they understood him, valued some of his children more than others.  In this way, the Pharisees revealed their spiritual sickness because they believed something about God that was not true.  Jesus patiently corrected their perspective, encouraging the Pharisees to grow in mercy.

In these few verses, we see Jesus proactively trying to heal two forms of human sickness.  Later in Matthew 9, Jesus healed two other forms of sickness. In verses 18-26, we read:

While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died.  But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”  Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.  Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.  She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” Jesus turned and saw her.  “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.”  And the woman was healed at that moment.  When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, he said, “Go away.  The girl is not dead but asleep.”  But they laughed at him.  After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.  News of this spread through all that region. (Matthew 9:18-26 NIV)

The synagogue leader – in Mark and Luke we learn his name was Jairus – had to be emotionally distraught when he found Jesus.  There are few tragedies as heartbreaking as the death of a child, and I pray for the Lord to comfort those who have experienced this kind of loss.  I imagine Jairus could not see a way forward in his life without his only daughter, and begged for mercy from the one person who could change his circumstances.  The miracle Jesus performed was not for Jairus’ daughter.  She had been freed from pain, suffering, or sickness.  However, I would argue that Jesus raised her for the sake of those she left behind – for their emotional well-being.  In this way, Jesus brought healing to the emotional sickness of Jairus and all others who mourned his daughter.

Finally, Jesus healed a woman afflicted with bleeding for twelve years.  The beauty and power of this miracle is undeniable.  Obviously, Jesus healed the woman’s ailment, making this story an example of God’s ability to heal our physical sickness.  Given the woman’s circumstances, one could argue that Jesus healed her emotionally, socially, and spiritually as well.  Most of us cannot imagine the emotional strain of dealing with a humiliating and debilitating malady that sapped our strength.  Not only that, but the book of Mark tells us that she suffered under doctors who could not help her, spending all of her money on treatments that did not work.  This went on for twelve years!  The emotional strain of her condition and financial ruin must have been unbearable.  Additionally, she was socially isolated and cut off from community because of her sickness.  Under Jewish law, touching blood would leave one ritually unclean.  Since anyone who came in contact with her would be unclean, she could be severely punished for being in close proximity with anyone.  Her desperate faith caused her to risk her life to get to Jesus.  Lastly, Jesus took a moment to compassionately affirm her faith, which likely brought spiritual healing.  The woman had not been able to enter a synagogue for twelve years, and likely felt cut off from most faith practices.  For the Messiah to be kind and recognize her faith must have been a like a balm on her spirit.

These stories that illustrate four types of healing are not templates for how to get relief from the things that ail us.  We have to resist the temptation to seek a transactional relationship with God, where we say, “If I do this, God will give me that.”  As much as I would like it to be otherwise, there is no formula that guarantees healing in this life.  Therefore, we must learn to de-center our suffering and not judge God’s love based on whether or not he heals us in our desired timeframe. It is not for us decide for ourselves what is “good” – which is exactly what we do when we say things like, “If God were good, he would heal my friend.”  That implies if he does not heal your friend, he must not be good.  Instead, we must start with assuming the truth of God’s goodness, and try to make sense of our circumstances through that lens.  It is hard, but this is what faith is all about: believing God to be good even in the midst of our misery.

While the stories in Matthew 9 do not show us healing formulas, they do show us the proactive mercy and love of God, revealed by Jesus Christ. These words reveal the deep desire of our God to see us made well in every way. He does not need to be convinced to be good. Rather, he proactively and persistently seeks our well-being. From our perspective, it may appear that God says “no” to our prayers for physical healing. However, the truth is that any suffering we endure in this life must be weighed against the guaranteed eternal sickness-free, pain-free life we have been freely given by Jesus. God has already been good. God has already healed. He has already said “yes” to our healing. Soon and very soon we will take off the corruptible. We will put on the incorruptible. This is good news for us and for those who do not yet know Christ. As we think about how we engage our neighbors in this season of Ordinary Time, we do have an answer for those who ask why God allows human suffering. Jesus has made, is making, and will make all things well.

In the meantime, we can still seek God for the healing of our illnesses. How do we ask God for healing in a way that is not transactional? First, we need to approach God assuming his goodness and his proactive efforts to make us well. We ask God for healing not because he needs to be convinced or he is unaware of our suffering. We ask God for healing because he cares about what we care about, and because he is the source of every good thing. He invites us to boldly make our requests known because he desires for us to participate in the story he is unfolding. Within every request we make of God, we should embed a “yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39) frame of mind. In this way, we state our desire, but we leave our hearts open to willingly accept whatever God wants to do, trusting that whatever he decides to do is best.

Next, we need to pray for our physical healing while looking for the other ways God is working to make us well. We need to assume God is working at all times to heal us because this is our reality. As we pray for healing, if possible, we should shift our focus to our social, emotional, and spiritual selves. Pain and discomfort can often consume our thoughts and emotions so this might not always be possible. However, if we are able, we should try to find ways that God is making us well. Doing so will show us that God has not abandoned us in our sickness and is always working to heal us.

I thank God that one day sermons on healing will no longer be necessary. Until that time it is good to know that Jesus, indeed, is our healer.  And, he is working, even now, to heal us completely.

Part TWO

GOING DEEPER … Listening to hear from the Holy Spirit    

REMEMBER … Our theme for this week is The word of God is a Promise.

FIRST READING 

Psalm 33:1-12  

SECOND READING 

Genesis 12:1-6,7-9  

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your ^[c]descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. ⁸ And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. ⁹ So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the ^[d]South.      

THIRD READING   

Romans 4:13-15,16-22,23-25   

For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.  ¹⁴ For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵ because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression.   

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be ^[a]sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; ¹⁸ who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”  ¹⁹ And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.  ²⁰ He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹ and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.  ²² And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.”   

²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us.  It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.   

FOURTH READING 

Matthew 9:9-13   

As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.   

¹⁰ Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  

¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, ^[a]to repentance.”   

1. 1. 1. Matthew 9:13 NU omits to repentance  

Matthew 9:18-26

While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.”  ¹⁹ So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.

²⁰ And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. ²¹ For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.”  ²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.

²³ When Jesus came into the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, ²⁴ He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him.  ²⁵ But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  ²⁶ And the report of this went out into all that land.      

Mark 5:21-43   Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. ²² And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet ²³ and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.”  ²⁴ So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  

²⁵ Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  ²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

²⁹ Immediately  the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the ^[f]affliction.  ³⁰ And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

³¹ But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

³² And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  ³³ But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”    

³⁵ While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”  

³⁶ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”  ³⁷ And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  ³⁸ Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw ^[g]a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. ³⁹ When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”

⁴⁰ And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. ⁴¹ Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. ⁴³ But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

QUESTION

What did Jesus mean when He told people, “Your faith has made you well”?  

**

1. John 14:13   And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
2. John 14:14   If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.  
3. John 15:16   You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
4. John 16:23   “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
5. John 16:24  Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
6. John 16:26   In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you;