Sermons
Healing our bodies, with Jesus’ authority
Jesus sent out his disciples to heal because people’s needs in body and soul were great. The disciples weren’t ready to heal people in Jesus’ name. They never would be ready. Nor will we be. God is not interested in our ability, but in our availability. Jesus says: I trust you; will you trust me?
Healing of our bodies, by the body
God has placed within his body on earth (the church): people, and gifts. He allocates gifts, including healing, to whomever he determines. His gifts are not to be used for selfish purposes, but for the ‘common good’ and strengthening of the church, so his kingdom on earth will grow and flourish.
Healing: the role of faith
There are 41 unique stories about healing in the Gospels. On three of these occasions, Jesus refers to the faith of the person who is healed. Many times it is the faith of friends that brings people to Jesus. And often there is no suggestion that anyone has faith; it is Jesus’ mercy alone that heals people.
Healing: thy will or my will?
Two truths about healing are found in God’s word: (1) People are healed in Jesus’ name; (2) People are not healed despite their fervent prayer. St Paul is an example of this. He believed that God heals, but he himself was not healed of his ‘thorn in the flesh’. How do we hold these two truths in tension?
Healing: Jesus is willing
It’s clear that Jesus healed everyone who reached out to him. So why is physical healing so uncommon in our churches today? We have many questions, but this much we do know: Jesus has not stopped healing people – and he is certainly able to heal. And, as our text today assures us, he is willing to heal.
Does Jesus heal?
The Gospels record 70 accounts (41 different ones) of Jesus healing people. That’s hard to ignore. Then we read in Acts of physical healings as though they were part of everyday life for the early believers. What has happened to healing? Does Jesus still heal today?
A taste of heaven
Jesus knew he was going to die, and that his disciples would be bewildered and demoralised. So he gave three of them a glimpse of his glory. Jesus’ transfiguration would sustain their faith during the trials and hard times to come. Let us pray that God will give each of us, too, a taste of heaven.
Know life… give life…
A huge gum standing on a river bank is an iconic symbol of Australia. By contrast, a gum struggling to survive in a drought is a sad and sorry sight. As the river is life to the tree, so Christ is our life. If we remain close to him, drawing our life from him, we will grow, thrive and give life, just as he gives life.
Upside down blessings
How can those who are poor, hungry and sad be blessed? It’s because Jesus knows how hard it is for us to focus on him when all is going well. We are much more likely to reach out to him when things are going badly, when he is all we have to hold on to. In those circumstances, we are blessed beyond measure.
Qualifications for disciples
In Jesus’ culture, only the best of the best students were chosen by the rabbis to follow them, to be their disciples. But Jesus reverses all that. He does the inviting, he does the calling. And he calls unqualified people to be his followers. Still today, Jesus doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
