Archive for July, 2009

Belief, Obedience, and Healing

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

In Luke 8:14-15, we see three kinds of people:

1) Those that “believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.” At first glance, this might seem to discount the doctrine of security, but this cannot be the case since this doctrine is confirmed in so many other scriptures, such as John 10:28: I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Instead, this is talking about a person who never truly believes. Falwell says, “This one is completely superficial and emotional.”

2) Those who hear the Word of God, “but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” Again, this person’s “belief” is not real. He makes a profession that he believes, but he is a double-minded man.

3) “Those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Only those who truly believe can bear fruit for Christ.

Luke 8:37 teaches a lesson that is difficult for some to accept.  It says that the people asked Jesus to leave, and in response “. . . he got into the boat and left.” For most of us, if asked to leave (perhaps for sharing the gospel), we would rebel and fight back, forever explaining ourselves. On the other hand, Jesus Christ, is the true model for us. He commands us to go and to share, but He also shows us that we don’t need to linger when we’re rejected. There are plenty of other people who need to hear the Word, so it’s OK to just take the path of least resistance.

Luke 8:39 gives us a model of obedience. Jesus told the man to “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” The man’s response was simple obedience: “So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”

Oh, how I would love to do as the woman in Luke 8:44, and just “… touch the edge of (Jesus’) cloak …” and be healed of all my temporal infirmities. I would be able to look at my teeth in a mirror and see that all of those fillings and crowns had been restored to pure enamel.

Faith, Healing, and Forgiveness

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

I’ve always wondered something about the story where Jesus healed the Centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10).  The Centurion sends messengers to tell Jesus not to bother coming to his house, but to just pronounce his servant healed.  His reasoning was that he was unworthy, although he was a man of authority.  I’ve wondered if he wanted the healing power of Jesus, without having to be publicly associated with him.  However, this must not have been the case, because Jesus commends his great faith.

Luke 7:15 has to be one of the most profound verses in the Bible:  “The dead man sat up and began to talk …”  Wouldn’t it drive some television evangelists crazy to have to demonstrate such proof of their healing power?

I just discovered why I love Jesus Christ so much.  Luke 7:41-43, He asked Peter a question.  If a moneylender cancelled the debts of two men, which man would love the moneylender the most?  The answer:  The man who had owed the larger debt.

He goes on to make a similar analogy about the woman who had just washed His feet with perfume.  ” . . . her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much.  But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”