Understanding the Destructive Power of the World - 1 John 2:15-17

(I gave this message at The Lighthouse Chapel (C&MA) in Port St.. Lucie FL on June 23, 2019. You may view the PowerPoint slides of this message HERE

You may watch the latest version of this message given at Gospel Life Church, Sunrise FL on August 25, 2019 HERE)

A number of years ago, Pastor Samuel Rodriquez posted the following on Facebook. 

"Around or IN Jesus?...This is the difference between a religion and a relationship. We have too many people around him, too many people next to HIM but what we need are people that abide IN HIM...In Him we are new people. 2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV Therefore, if anyone is IN Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! In Him we live, in Him we move, in Him we have our being! Acts 17:28 In Him, No Condemnation! Romans 8:1 therefore, There is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. (NASB)" 

Let me ask you this morning. Are you in Christ or just hanging around Christ? John's purpose in writing 1 John is found in chapter five, verse 13, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (NIV) 

The question of Christian assurance or assurance of salvation is what John addresses in this book. He gives three tests we can use to judge whether we have eternal life. Or conversely know that we do not have eternal. As John R. W. Stott has written,

"His purpose is to destroy the false assurance of the counterfeit as well as the right assurance of the genuine. He is conscious throughout the Epistles of these to companies, 'you' and 'they'...The same two groups exist today. Some...boast of what they may well not possess; others are conventional churchgoers who have no assurance of salvation, and even say it is presumptuous to claim any. But there is a true Christian assurance, which is neither arrogant nor presumptuous, but is on the contrary...the plainly revealed will of God for His people."

(The Epistles of John, page 64)

What are the three tests we can use to examine ourselves? There is the moral test. Are you practicing righteousness, living a life of obedience to God. Chapter 2:4, "The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (NIV)

There is the social test. Do you love our brother? Chapter 2:9, "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in darkness." (NIV) 

Thirdly, there is the doctrinal or theological test. Do you acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh? Chapter 2:23, "No one who denies the Son has the Father." (NIV) Chapter 4:15, If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God." (NIV)

Dr. Stott summarizes, "The true Christian, born from above, believes in the Son of God, loves God and the children of God, and keeps the commandments of God. Each involves the other. Belief, love and obedience are marks of the new birth. The new birth brings us...into a certain relation to Christ, to God, to the Church and to the world which we cannot repudiate and which marks us out as Christians." 

What is he relationship of the Christian to the world? Jesus Himself acknowledged that his followers were to be in the world but not of the world. He prayed these words to the Father on our behalf. "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of this world, even as I am not of it."

How does a Christian live "in" the world but not be "of" the world? How is he to be "unworldly" without being "other worldly"? John helps us live in a right relationship to the world by exposing the destructive power of the world. 1 John 2:15-17, 

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." (ESV) 

Here John has defined what it means to be a part of the world, what it means to be "worldly" and how that presents a danger to the believer. What exactly does the word "world" refer to here? Let's define it. The world defined. The word translated "world" in our English Bibles is used three ways in the Scriptures. It can refer to the physical earth, our planet earth. Acts 17:24, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth…"  (ESV).

Secondly, it can refer to the people that inhabit the earth. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world [the people of the earth] that he gave his only begotten Son…" (ESV) 

Thirdly, It can refer to the spiritual reality in which the people of the earth live as it does in our text this morning, "Do not love the world". (2:15) We use the term "world" in this way. We say the world of "finance", the "world of entertainment", the "world of fashion", the "world of sports" and so forth. This is similar to how the Bible uses it here in 1 John 2:15-17. 

Pastor Warren Wiersbe defines the word "world" used by John as "…an invisible spiritual system opposed to God and Christ." (Be Real, Warren W. Wiersbe, page 66) In other words, as someone has said, "Satan's system for opposing the work of Christ on earth." or the system that is opposed to God, satisfies self and serves Satan. 

How would you, describe this "world" that opposes God and the Church?First,the world is ruled by Satan. Satan is the head of the world. In John 14:30; 16:11 Jesus refers to Satan as "the ruler [prince NIV] of this world", in other words the ruler of the world. In 1 John 5:19 John writes, "the whole world is under the control of the evil one." That is, the world geographically and spiritually is his territory, the sphere of his influence, his domain, his kingdom. The world is where Satan has his way.

Secondly, the world is in conflict with God and His Church. In His High Priestly prayer, Jesus said, "I have given them (Christians) your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world."  (John 17:14) In the next chapter of this book, - 1 John 3:1, John writes, "The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him [God]." Then in verse 13 "Do not be surprised, my brothers, If the world hates you." (3:13)

The Apostle Paul says that unbelievers follow the ways of the world and are energized by the god of this world. Speaking of the Ephesians before they became Christians Paul wrote, "…when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." (Ephesians 2:2b) Satan is the ruler of the world. The world is his kingdom. The world and the church are two distinct groups of people. Not only distinct but polarized opposed to one another.

J. R. W. Stott writes, "'The world', therefore, is an inclusive term for all those who are in the kingdom of darkness and have not been born of God." (The Epistles of John, page 101)

As A. W. Tozer has written, "Our warfare is not against mere worldly ways, but against the spirit of the world. For man, whether he is saved or lost, is essentially spirit. The world, in the New Testament meaning of the word, is simply unregenerate human nature wherever it is found, whether in a tavern or in a church." (The Pursuit of Man, page 124) 

Do you see why John begins this section of his letter with this admonition, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Love of the Father is not in him?"

Secondly, note with me the, the nature of the world or worldliness verse 16, "For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life--is not from the Father but is from the world. John breaks down the nature of worldliness into three parts in verse sixteen. He describes for us what constitutes worldliness in very personal terms. By that I mean, he describes how it is easy for you and I to be influenced and drawn into, the "world" of the world. He points out how we are vulnerable to the world. In other words how the "world" constitutes a threat or a danger to the believer.

Think it of in this way. It is as though there are three ways in which we can give the world access to our lives; three doors through which we can give the world entrance into our mind and heart; three ways that we are at risk to the threat of the world, that system that is opposed to God, ignores God, satisfies self and serves Satan. 

First of all, verse 16, "the lust [desires] of the flesh" (NIV) (NASB). This is a one of the more literal translations. Let me give you some of the other translations to fill out the meaning as best I can. New Living Translation, "the lust for physical pleasure"; Moffat, "the things our physical nature…crave for." 20^thCentury New Testament, "the gratification of the earthly nature." New English Bible, "all that panders to the appetites." 

The flesh or sinful man is the sinful nature we are born with. It is the part of us that apart from regeneration, is blind and even hostile to God. It is that natural inclination to look out for self before others. It is that natural drive to satisfy our physical and emotional appetites. It is what drives a person to indulge in sexual sin because it satisfies their sexual desires regardless of the consequences to others. 

It is what allows a person to be unkind to be resentful, live in anger, be hateful to be dishonest, manipulative for selfish and self-serving reasons. Simply put, it is the reason each of us need the Gospel! Jesus said, "The Spirit gives life the flesh counts for nothing." (Matthew 6:36 ESV) Paul said, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, my sinful nature [or flesh]." (Rom. 7:18 NLT) He admonishes the Romans, "…clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of your sinful nature [or flesh]." (Romans 13:14 NIV) 

That is exactly what John says is part of the spirit or nature of the world. This is the hope of the Gospel. When we come to Christ in repentance and faith and are born again, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, we receive a new nature whereby we can overcome the desires of the flesh. 

So Paul says to the Galatians, "live (or walk) in the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature [or flesh]." (Galatians 5:16 NIV) In other words Paul says by the power of the Holy Spirit you will overcome the spirit of this world that appeals to your sinful nature. And in Romans 6:6, "For we know that our old self was crucified with him [Christ] so that the body of sin [authority of sin] might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin." (NIV) 

That is God's antidote to the world! That is what Christ offers. Not only deliverance from the penalty of sin, our justification, but deliverance from the power of sin in our lives, our sanctification. The "world" is that system and worldview that Is opposed to God and fuels the cravings of man's sinful nature. It appeals and panders to the sinful inclinations of the human heart. 

I probably don't need to explain how the world of 21^thcentury America provides every conceivable opportunity to feed and promote the cravings of man's sinful nature. America's entertainment industry provides a steady stream of immorality, impurity, greed and ungodliness promoting and portraying values and lifestyles contrary to the will of God 

A caution here to each of us. Be aware of the blatant assault by the world upon all that is wholesome and pure decent and godly and the danger that presents for each of us. It is easy to be de-sensitized by the relentless worldly mindset that permeates our culture. This is a tool of our enemy and his world. John is exposing our vulnerability to it when he identifies "The lusts of the flesh."

But there is a second way in which the world presents a danger to the believer. Notice John's second description of the nature of worldliness or the spirit of the world. Again, other translations,"the lust of the eyes" verse sixteen. New Living Testament, "the lust for everything we see"; Moffat  - "the things…our eyes crave for"; IVP Commentary, "desire that comes from what we see"; English Standard Version, "The desires of the eyes". 

Stop and think with me of the role the eye plays in our lives. Jesus identifies the relationship            of the eye to the heart. "Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light. But when it is bad, your body is full of darkness." (Luke 11:34 ESV)

The eye is like a gate to the soul. The eye is like a doorway to our heart. John is saying that one of the dangers of the world is the access it has to our heart through our eyes. If you are anything but dead, you know what he is talking about. 

Remember what the world represents. It is the system opposed to God, which satisfies self and our sinful nature and serves Satan. Think back over the last 24 hours and recall what your eyes have seen either inadvertently or intentionally on purpose. Do you recall being enticed or tempted by anything you saw with your eyes? 

Did you allow yourself to lust after, to desire or crave something your eyes saw? Maybe it was enticement of a positive nature. You saw your wife standing in the kitchen and you were prompted to go over and give her a hug. Or you came home and upon seeing your children were prompted to embrace them affectionately.  Or perhaps it was an advertisement that came on during the evening news featuring a scantily clothed woman trying to sell you on the idea that you needed a new car. But the ad had you wanting more than the car. 

The world has mastered the art of stimulating and arousing unholy desires through the eyes. There is nothing new about this. Achan was drawn into sin by what he saw, the sight of a beautiful piece of Babylonian clothing some silver and gold, was enough to birth covetousness in his heart which led to his sin. (Judges 7) David was enticed by what he saw on the roof of his neighbor's house, a beautiful woman taking a bath. It resulted in adultery and murder.

How many times have we given in to our lust by what we have allowed our eyes not only to see, but to dwell on? Modern technology has created many means of transmitting visual mages that appeal to the lust of the eyes. Satellite and cable TV, videos, digital cameras, and movies, iPods, DVDs, personal computers, smart phones, laptops and play stations, and the list goes on. The technology is morally neutral, but the "world" has exploited these devices. Increasingly it has become a challenge to regulate the access and influence of these visual images to our eyes. 

A number of years ago, I read an article entitled "The Pornographic pandemic – we are awash in porn" by Patrick Trueman, who wrote, "Pornography is now more popular than baseball. In fact, it has become America’s pastime, and we are awash in it. Porn is on our computers, our smartphones, and our cable or satellite TV. It’s common in our hotels and even in many retail stores and gas stations. For many men — and, increasingly, women — it is part of their daily lives." 

He writes, "Addiction to pornography is now commonplace among adults and is even a growing problem for children and teenagers. Few who are addicted will get help, and the consequences can be lifelong and severe." (lifeSiteNews.com 11-18-11)

According to CovenantEyes.com, "64% of Christian men and 15% of Christian women say they watch porn at least once a month." And what is more shocking is that "1 in 5 youth pastors and 1 in 7 senior pastors use porn on a regular basis and currently struggling. That is more than 50,000 U.S. church leaders."

According to Second Glance Ministries, "The reality is we live in a society that is bombarding us with information that is sexual in nature. Everywhere we go, every place we turn, people of all ages are being inundated with sexually oriented information. The advent of the Internet and cell technology has made the worst of the worst pornographic material available to every man, woman, and child, regardless of age. The information we are receiving is becoming more graphic, violent, and disgusting every day."

The question I pose to each of us at the point is, are we giving the world access to our hearts through our eyes? 

A third way John describes the nature of worldliness,"the pride of life". New American Standard Bible, "boastful pride of life"; Moffat – "the proud display of life"; English Standard Version – "pride in possessions". This pride is linked with our relationship to others. Simply put, we take pride in who we are and what we have.

We seek the recognition and attention of others. There are the "Jones" to keep up with. The word translated "pride" is literally "vainglory". It has the idea of being pretentious showy, conspicuous. In other words it takes satisfaction in being noticed by others, having more than others, having a higher position than others, notoriety, prominence, prestige and the power that comes with it. The focus here is our pride. Enjoyment derived not only from what we have but with who we have become. "Boasting of what you have and what you do." as someone has said. Why do so many Americans live in homes they cannot afford. Take vacations with money they do not have? Live lifestyles maintained by consumer debt? 

One of the greatest tools of the "world" is the advertising industry. Advertising often appeals to this pride of life. We are told what we should have and why we need to have it. It often fosters discontentment and dissatisfaction with what we have. Its influence is often subtle and relentless. 

We have defined what the world is. We have noted the three-fold nature of worldliness - "the desires of the flesh", "the desires of the eyes" and "the pride of life". Thirdly, John points out the danger of worldliness.In verse 15, John warns us not to love the world. "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (ESV)

Notice first of all that love for the world compromises our fellowship with God. If you love the world, "the love of the Father is not in you." That's pretty straightforward! In other words we jeopardize out fellowship with God when we indulge the "the lust of the flesh", "the lust of the eyes" and "the pride of life". When we choose to play with the world. When we look to the world for our fulfillment. When we find our satisfaction in what the world has to offer, John says we turn our backs on God! 

Does that sound radical to you? Listen the words of James. "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."(James 4:4 ESV) 

When we befriend the world we commit spiritual adultery. James says there is something incompatible with loving the world - and loving God. The two cannot be reconciled. They are mutually exclusive.

There is a second reason John warns us not to love the world. Verse 17,

 "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."

May I suggest to you that when we find our fulfillment in the world we live in deception. We are short sided, that is, we make decisions with no regard for the future. Notice the two parallel thoughts in verse 17. "The world and its desires pass away." That's the first thought. In other words, what the world has to offer that which appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is temporary! Here to day – gone tomorrow. The self- gratifying, self-indulging pleasures that the world has to offer will some day come to an abrupt end. 

In my neighborhood there are several streets you can turn into off of NW 94^th Avenue that are dead end streets. And there are several neighborhoods you can turn into that have no outlet. You've seen the signs, DEAD END and NO OUTLET. That is what John is saying. The world and its desires lead you down a dead end street. The world and its desires lead you into a neighborhood that has no outlet. To disregard this reality is to be short sighted. To disregard this reality is to be deceived says John.

Notice the contrast what follows in the second part of verse 17, "but whoever does the will of God lives forever." John is making this an issue of obedience. It all comes down to two choices, choosing Jesus Christ and God's will or choosing to follow the world and its desires. Here's the bottom line. Living for the world leads to a dead end. It's short sighted. It's deceptive. In contrast, the one who does God's will lives in the presence of God now and forever. Paul writing the Galatians sounds the same warning. "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sow to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will read eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8 NIV)         

You will never find fulfillment in the world. Anything the world offers is temporary. It is superficial and will pass away. You've heart the story of the frog that jumped into the hot frying pan. Immediately after his feet touched the hot surface of the pan he jumped right back out. But then, there was the frog who jumped into a pot of cold water on the stove. He didn't realize, however, that the fire have been turned on. The water gradually got warmer and warmer. Since frogs are cold blooded, their bodies adjust to the temperature of their environment. As the water heated up so did the temperature of the frog. You know the end of the story. The frog died in the boiling water without even knowing what was happening. 

I am afraid that's how many Christians are living. They are playing in the world's playground where they are indulging the desires of their flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, not even aware of what is happening to them. The world is subtly and slowly conforming them into its mold. 

Jesus met a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in the Samaritan village of Sychar. (John 4) She evidently was thirsty because she had come to Jacob's well to draw some water. Jesus asked her for drink of water, and in so doing engaged her in a conversation about another kind of thirst. You see, He knew the circumstances of her life. He knew that she was looking for answers in all the wrong places. She had turned to the world to find fulfillment. She was seeking satisfaction by fulfilling the desires of her sinful nature. And she had come away desperately empty. 

Could that be where you are this morning? Jesus knew she had turned to the world. And in His conversation, He said to her, "The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband." But perhaps what was more significant was the fact that Jesus knew her heart. He knew that she was not finding what she was ultimately looking for in her relationships with men. She was looking for fulfillment down one those dead end streets. She was driving around one of those no outlet neighborhoods trying to find her way out. She was lost, seeking happiness and satisfaction in all the wrong places, and coming up empty over and over again. She was very thirsty, spiritually thirsty. Her heart was empty, and Jesus knew it.

Could that be where you are this morning? So, Jesus offered her something, something only He could give her. "Everyone who drinks of this water [of Jacob's well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  (John 4:13-14 ESV)

In John chapter seven, Jesus was teaching in the Temple courts where He said something very similar, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive……" (John 7:37- 39 ESV)

Have you received the Holy spirit? In other words, have you been born again? In his album, "Past the Edges", Chris Rice sings a song called simply "Thirsty". I think he might have had these words of Jesus in mind. He talks about a "River" with a capital "R". I believe he is speaking of Jesus as that River. Listen to the lyrics.

"I’m so thirsty, I can feel it
Burning through the deepest corners of my soul
Deep desire, can’t describe 

this Nameless urge 

that drives me somewhere
Though I don’t know where to go
Seems I’ve heard about a River 

from someone who’s been
And they tell me once you reach it,

oh,  you’ll never thirst again
So I have to find the River, 

somehow my life depends on the River
Holy River, I’m so thirsty

Other waters I’ve been drinkin’
But they always leave me empty like before
Satisfaction, all I’m askin’
Could I really feel this thirsty 

if there weren’t something more?
And I’ve heard about a River from someone who’s been
And they tell me once you reach it, 

oh, you’ll never thirst again
So I have to find the River, 

somehow my life depends on the River
Holy River, I’m so thirsty

I’m on the shore now 

of the wildest River
And I kneel and beg for mercy from the sky
But no one answers, 

I’ve gotta take my chances
‘Cause something deep inside me’s cryin’
“This is why you are alive!”
So I plunge into the River 

with all that I am
Praying this will be the River

where I’ll never thirst again
I’m abandoned to the River
And now my life depends on the River
Holy River, I’m so thirsty
(Copyright Clumsy Fly Music (ASCAP)

Perhaps this morning you are still "thirsty" like the Samaritan woman. Maybe in your thirst you identify with Chris Rice's words, "Could I really feel this thirsty If there weren't something more?" There is something more. Jesus is the River! Have you plunged into that River? He alone can satisfy the deepest longing of your soul. 

When we turn to Jesus Christ and are born again and we walk in fellowship with Him, the world and what it offers becomes tasteless and empty. Friends, by God's design we have been created to have fellowship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. 

St. Augustine wrote, "You have created us for Yourself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in You." 

This morning, whether you have never come to Christ for salvation or as a believer you have been looking for fulfillment in the world and have come up empty, Jesus invites you, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink," and out of your heart "will flow rivers of living water."

© James P. McGarvey

"Maafa21 - Black Genocide In 21st Century America"

Watch "Maafa21 - Black Genocide In 21st Century America" 
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"They were stolen from their homes, locked in chains and taken across an ocean. And for more than 200 years, their blood and sweat would help to build the richest and most powerful nation the world has ever known. But WHEN SLAVERY ENDED, THEIR WELCOME WAS OVER. America's wealthy elite had decided it was time for them to disappear and they were not particular about how it might be done. What you are about to see is that the plan these people set in motion 150 years ago is still being carried out today. So DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS HISTORY. IT IS NOT. IT IS HAPPENING RIGHT HERE, AND IT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW." 

~ Maafa21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America.

https://www.maafa21.com

Christ Our Healer - Isaiah 53:4, Matthew 8:17, James 5:13-16

(I gave this message at First Alliance International Church in Fort Lauderdale Florida on Sunday April 7, 2019. You may view the PowerPoint slides that accompany this message here.)

"The mission of The Christian and Missionary Alliance is to know Jesus Christ; exalt Him as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King; and complete His Great Commission." (General Council 2017)

The Alliance website explains, "Alliance founder Dr. A. B. Simpson defined the C&MA's spiritual DNA more than 100 years ago, referring to it as the Fourfold Gospel; it's the heart of what Alliance people believe about Jesus and forms the foundation of all that defines the Alliance movement." It continues,

"The Fourfold Gospel is the Christological summary on which the core values of the Christian and Missionary Alliance is based." 

The Cross - Jesus Christ is our Savior. Jesus shed His blood on the cross as He bore the sins of the world. He made atonement for our sin having paid the penalty of our sin in His substitutionary death on the cross. Isaiah prophesied of Christ's substitutionary death for our sins hundreds of years before His death, writing, in chapter 53, 

"All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned - everyone- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."  (Isaiah 53:6  ESV) 

"...by his knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities."  (Isaiah 53:11b ESV) 

"...because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressor; yet bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."  (Isaiah 53:12b  ESV) 

When we repent of our sin and by faith believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven and we justified, that is declared righteous in God's sight our sins no long being held against us because Jesus bore our sin and paid the penalty of our sin in His death on the cross. 

As the Apostle John wrote, "Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:16) 

The Apostle Peter proclaimed that Jesus is the only Savior, writing, "...there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."  (Acts 4:12) 

The Laver - Jesus Christ is our Sanctifier. The laver represents the power of the Holy Spirit to cleanse us from our sins and empower us to live a holy life. Sanctification means separation from sin and separation to God. Peter wrote, 

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV) 

As our Sanctifier Jesus delivers us from the bondage and the power of sin as we allow His Holy Spirit to control our lives. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30 ESV) 

The Pitcher - Jesus Christ is our Healer. The pitcher contains the oil used to anoint the sick. James writes, 

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up." (James 5:14,15 ESV) We will look at this in detail later in the message. 

And lastly, The Crown - Jesus Christ is our Coming King. Jesus is the King of Kings. He has no rivals. The Bible declares that Jesus Christ died, was buried and three days later rose from the dead. And just as the Scriptures give witness to the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, the Bible is equally emphatic in its declaration that one day Jesus Christ will physically return to this earth.

You remember as the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven the two angels that appeared to them said, "'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'" (Acts 1:11 ESV) 

And the Apostle Paul wrote the Thessalonians, 

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17  NIV) That is the promise for every believer!

The Fourfold Gospel, the Christological summary; Jesus is our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King.

Let me pause here and ask you a question. Is Jesus Christ your Savior? Have you received the forgiveness and the gift of eternal life He alone can offer you? It is ours when we repent of our sins and put our faith in His death and resurrection as God's only provision for our salvation. Knowing Jesus as your Savior is the starting point of knowing him as your Sanctifier, your Healer and your coming King.

Today we focus on Christ our Healer. The Statement of Faith of the Alliance states, 

"Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age. (Matthew 8:16-17, James 5:13-16)" (C&MA Statement of Faith, Council 2015) 

This morning I want to focus on two aspects of healing as found in the Scriptures and noted in this doctrinal statement. First of all, what is the Biblical truth that substantiates that Christ is our healer? Secondly, the ministry of healing in the local church as outlined by James in the fifth chapter of his letter. 

First then, the Scriptural basis for the claim that Christ is our healer. Dr. Keith Bailey, formerly our Vice President of North American Ministries wrote, 

"The claim for healing in the atonement rests on two principal passages of Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-5 and Matthew 8:17." (Dr. Keith Bailey, The Children's Bread, page 43) He states that atonement is "...the procuring cause of healing." To "procure" means to obtain something to acquire or secure it. 

As we have noted in the Alliance Statement of Faith, "Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body." 

What is the relationship between divine healing and Jesus Christ's work of atonement on the cross? There is a reason I began this morning by reviewing the Fourfold Gospel. You see, God's provision for the healing of the believer is not unrelated to Christ's redemptive work of atonement on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin and His work of sanctification in our lives. 

Both our salvation and God's provision for the physical healing of our bodies, come from the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross. As Dr. Bailey noted, the key text in this regard is found first in the Old Testament and the fulfillment of it, in Matthew's account of the healing ministry of Jesus while in Capernaum as recorded in Matthew chapter 8. 

Let me read Matthew 8:17. in it's context beginning at verse 14. 

"And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve them. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick." Verse 17, "This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, 'He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.'" (emphasis mine) (ESV)

Matthew says that the healing ministry of Jesus Christ was in fulfillment of the words of the prophet Isaiah written centuries before, as recorded in Isaiah 53:4. We cannot and should not underestimate the significance of this text with regard to the ministry of Christ our Healer. 

Let me read you Isaiah 53:4 (ESV) in its larger context beginning with verse one down to verse six. Remember that in this passage Isaiah is speaking prophetically of Israel's coming Messiah often referred to as the "Suffering Servant". Note how he suffered for you and I. 

"Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not."

Then verse four, the verse that Matthew quotes in his Gospel,

"Surely he has borne our griefs," (Matthew - illnesses) "and carried our sorrows;"(Matthew - diseases) "yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--everyone -- to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

This passage graphically describes the substitutionary nature of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. Substitutionary, He suffered and died a brutal death in our place as our substitute. 

Isaiah wrote, 

"he was smitten by God and afflicted"

"he was crushed for our iniquities"

"upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace"

"the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Do you see God's love for us in these verses? His grace? His unmerited favor? Jesus Christ, the Creator of this world, the sustainer of all life, the sovereign, powerful, omnipotent ruler of the universe, allowed Himself to be despised and rejected; to be "smitten by God and afflicted"; to be "wounded for our transgressions"; to be "crushed for our inequities" so that He could make atonement for our sin and heal our sicknesses. 

Most versions of the Bible translate Isaiah 53:4, "he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" as it might be in the version you are reading.

But note that Matthew in quoting this verse in his gospel wrote 'He took our illnesses and bore our diseases". Dr. A. B. Simpson comments on the word translated "griefs" as follows, 

"The original word is found about one hundred times in the Old Testament, and every time but this it is translated 'sickness...This is the only instance where it is translated 'griefs'...'Griefs is not altogether a mistranslation, but the word really means 'disease.'"(A.B. Simpson, The Lord For the Body, page 78) 

Greek scholar T. J. McCrossan concurs writing, "'Kholee' (sickness) is from 'chalah'--to be weak, sick or afflicted." He then cites an example, "In Deuteronomy 7:15we read, 'The Lord will take away from thee all sickness (kholee).'" (T. J. McCrossan, Bodily Healing and The Atonement,page 17)

Similarly, most versions of the Bible translate the next phrase of Isaiah 53:4, "and carried our sorrows." This word can also be translated "pains". Matthew used the word "diseases". The English Standard Version,  "and bore our diseases", or New American Standard Bible, "carried away our diseases". 

Notice also the significance of the two verbs "borne" and "carried" used in Isaiah 53:4. The verb "nasa" translated "borne" means"...to bear in the sense of 'suffering punishment for something.'"(T. J. McCrossan, Ibid ,page 18)

The Messiah, Isaiah wrote, "has borne our griefs" or as we have seen our sicknesses "(53:4) The verb "sabal" translated "carried" similarly "...means to 'bear something as a penalty or chastisement.'" (McCrossan, ibid. page 18)

The Messiah "carried our sorrows" or our "pains" or diseases. 

The reason I take the time to look closely at Isaiah's use of these two verbs in verse 4, is because it is important at this point to note that the two verbs "borne' (nasa) and carried (sabal) in Isaiah 53:4 used of Jesus bearing our sicknesses, are the same two verbs used in Isaiah 53:11 and 12 of Jesus bearing and carrying our sin. (T. J. McCrossan)

As we read earlier, verse 11, "he shall bear their iniquities" and verse 12, "yet he bore the sins of many". Isaiah uses the same two verbs in verse 4 speaking of Christ bearing our sicknesses and pains, as he does in verse 11 and 12 of Christ bearing our sins. Let me summarize with these words from Dr. A.B. Simpson commenting on Isaiah 53:4,

"This is the great evangelical vision, the gospel in the Old Testament, the very mirror of the coming Redeemer. And here in the front of it, prefaced by a great AMEN--the only 'surely' in the chapter --is the promise of healing; the very strongest possible statement of complete redemption from pain and sickness by His life and death, and the very words which the Evangelist afterwards quotes, under inspired guidance of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 8:17) as the explanation of His universal works of healing....the two words here used denote respectively sicknessand pain, and...the words for "bear" "carry," denote not mere sympathy, but an actual substitution and the removal utterly of the thing borne. Therefore, in the same full sense as He has borne our sins, Jesus Christ has SURELY BORNE AWAY and CARRIED OFF our sicknesses; yes, and even our PAINS, so that abiding in Him, we may be fully delivered from both sickness and pain. Thus 'by his stripes we are healed. 'Blessed and glorious Gospel! Blessed and glorious Burden Bearer!" (The Gospel of Healing, pages 15-16) 

Secondly, this morning, a look the ministry of healing in the local church as outlined by James in the fifth chapter of his letter. 

James 5:13-16 , 

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (ESV) 

From the moment Adam and Eve fell into sin sickness and death became a part of the human experience. Sin not only separated man spiritually from God but sin brought sickness, disease, pain and death to the human experience. But one cannot read either the Old or New Testament without taking notice that God heals the sick. Accounts of divine healing are found as early as the book of Genesis. We do not have time this morning to review some of those accounts. 

But as we have noted in the Alliance Statement of Faith, "Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age. (Matthew 8:16-17, James 5:13-16)" 

The instructions found in James 5 have never been revoked or repealed. They are as valid to day as they were in the day James wrote them, giving us instructions in implementing a ministry of healing in the life of the local church. 

This letter was written by James the Just, the brother of Jesus, and leader of the early Jerusalem church and one of the first martyrs of the church. It was most likely written and sent to Jewish Christian house churches scattered around the Mediterranean world. (ESV Study Bible) 

First of all, note the prominence of prayer in James instructions. One cannot read this passage without taking note of the role of prayer in the ministry of healing. It is mentioned five times in the four verse we just read, seven times if your read through verse 18. 

Notice the five references: verse 13 - James instructs those who are suffering to pray. 

Verse 14 - Those who are sick are to "call for the elders of the church" to pray over them. 

Verse 15 - It is "the prayer of faith" that will heal the sick. 

Verse 16, The congregation is to pray. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."

And again verse 16, It is the "prayer of a righteous person" that "has great power".

Prayer is a "spiritual exercise" as Dr. Keith Bailey has pointed out. (Bailey, ibid. page 133) And prayer is the atmosphere, the context, the setting in which the church is to experience healing. 

Secondly notice the ministry of the elders of the church. The sick are instructed to call for the elders to pray for them and anoint them with oil. That constitutes an act of obedience on the part of the individual who is sick. The elders are the men who God has entrusted with the oversight and spiritual care of the church. 

The sick are to take the initiative in requesting this ministry of the elders on their behalf. As Dr. Bailey points out, "To call for the elders is a humble admission of need. What better heart attitude than this for receiving the blessing of the Lord!" (Bailey, Ibid. page 134) 

Thirdly, note the significance of anointing with oil. It can be illustrated from the life of David when Samuel anointed him king of Israel. "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him [David] in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward."  (1 Samuel 16:13 ESV)

Dr.Simpson explains the significance of anointing with oil. He writes that oil. "...is the Old Testament symbol of the Holy Ghost. It signifies His personal coming into the body of the person anointed to communicate the healing life and power of Jesus Christ." (The Lord for the Body, chapter 15, "Inquiries and Answers," question 21) 

Fourthly, verse 15, notice it is the "prayer of faith" that "will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up." Our faith is only as effective as the object in which we place our faith. That's why we have attempted in the first part of this message to present the Biblical truth that substantiates that Christ died on the cross to atone for our sicknesses as well as our sins and therefore is our healer today!

When everyone in the church --- the elders, the sick being prayed for, and rest of the church pray for healing it is to be a prayer of faith in the promises and provision of God for the healing of the sick. Just, as it is a prayer of obedience to these instructions James has given to the church. 

Fifthly, notice James' instructions regarding the confession of sin in the healing ministry of the church. James calls us, the entire church, to examine our hearts as we pray for healing. Verses 15 and16, 

" And the prayer of faith will save the one win who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."

Dr. Bailey comments, "The personal preparation for anointing, according to James, requires deep heart searching. The sufferer must not only relate his physical need to the spiritual but also search his heart for any sin that could stand as a barrier to God's healing touch. The sin should be confessed and put under the blood of Christ." (Bailey, ibid. page 134) 

And notice this instruction for confession of sin involves the whole church not just the one seeking the anointing and prayer of the elders. Confession of sin is a means of preparing our hearts for prayer. Dr. Simpsons writes, 

"It is quite vain for us to try to exercise faith for ourselves or othersin the face of willful transgression and in defiance of the chastening which God has meant we shall respect and yield to. But, when we receive His correction; and to turn to Him with humble and obedient hearts, He will graciously remove the hand of pain, and make the touch of healing the token of His forgiving love."(A.B. Simpson, The Gospel of Healing, chapter 2, "Practical Instructions", #3)

Number six, note this healing is a work of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit is the agent of healing. We have already noted this with regard to the anointing the sick with oil. But James also adds in verse 16, "The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." Or as Herman Hoyt has translated it, "The effective prayer of a righteous man, which is energized (wrought) in him accomplishes much." (Bailey, ibid. page 137)

The Holy Spirit is at work in the prayer of the righteous person. The efficacy of the prayer depends on the energizing of the Holy Sprit in the righteous person praying. Dr. Bailey,

"It is true that righteous men pray effectively, but James is saying also that the kind of praying needed on this occasion finds its inspiration in God Himself. The Holy Spirit energizes the believer for such powerful praying. No doubt the prayer of faith is a prayer resulting from the special energizing of the Holy Spirit."  (Bailey, ibid. page 137) 

I hope that you have seen this morning that one cannot separate the healing available to us in the gospel, from our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Just as Christ is our Savior by faith

and the work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit; just as Christ is our Sanctifier by our surrender toand the filling of His Holy Spirit; so He is our Healer because He lives in us and His healing power is available to us through His Holy Spirit. 

After that miraculous deliverance of God's people Israel from the pursuing army of Pharaoh at the Red Sea, Moses led his people into the wilderness where God miraculously intervened by changing the bitter water at Marah into sweet drinkable water. 

Moses then writes this in Exodus 15:25b-26, 

"There the Lord made for them a statute and rule, and there he tested them, saying 'If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.'" 

Dr. Simpson, commenting on Exodus 15:26, writes,

"'I the Lord am healing thee.' This is the aspect of divine healing which the Apostle Paul so frequently emphasizes. It is not a mere fact or incident occurring occasionally in life, but it is a life of constant, habitual dependence upon Christ for the body; moment by moment abiding in Him for our physical, as well as spiritual need, and taking His resurrection life and strength for every breath and every step." 

© James P McGarvey, All Rights Reserved