Participants:
Series Code: THI
Program Code: THI000031S
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00:22 Welcome to
00:23 Timeless Healing Insights. 00:24 I'm Dr. David DeRose. 00:26 As we continue our journey 00:28 through the Gospel of Mark, 00:29 let's pray and ask 00:30 God to be our guide. 00:32 Father in Heaven, 00:33 as we open Your Word, 00:36 we are mindful of our need 00:37 for Your Holy Spirit 00:38 to guide us. 00:39 Thank you 00:40 that You have promised Him 00:42 to be our Teacher. 00:44 We long for that 00:45 instruction today. 00:47 We ask it all in 00:48 Jesus name, Amen. 00:52 Well, 00:53 I don't know if there's 00:53 anything more dramatic 00:55 in world history 00:56 than a regime change. 01:00 You've heard 01:00 that term used many times. 01:02 When you hear about a regime 01:04 change, there's 01:05 conflict, armed 01:06 conflict involved. 01:08 But other times 01:09 there are regime changes 01:12 without a single shot 01:14 being fired. 01:15 That was the case 01:16 when the Iron Curtain fell. 01:18 In most of those countries, 01:19 there was no actual conflict. 01:23 But there was dramatic 01:25 regime changes 01:26 in the countries 01:27 of Eastern Europe. 01:28 They had been under the control 01:30 of the Soviet Union 01:32 and now they were 01:33 independent again. 01:34 Countries like Poland 01:36 and Czechoslovakia, 01:37 which is now the Czech 01:38 and Slovak republics. 01:40 And the list could go 01:41 on and on. 01:43 The Bible 01:43 is actually full 01:45 of regime changes. 01:46 In fact, 01:47 if you think about 01:48 one of the books 01:48 that we've referred 01:49 to recently, 01:50 the Book of Daniel, 01:51 it is really largely 01:52 the prophecies of Daniel 01:54 are structured around 01:55 regime changes. 01:57 As you begin reading in Daniel 01:59 2 and onward, into Daniel 02:01 7 and 8 and forward, 02:03 you hear about a series 02:04 of regime changes. 02:06 There is one country 02:07 that's ruling the world 02:09 and then another is. 02:11 But we're looking today, 02:12 as we go 02:13 through the Gospel of Mark, 02:14 at perhaps 02:15 the most powerful regime change 02:18 that's described in the Bible. 02:20 And it's really, 02:20 you could say a regime 02:21 change more in perspective, 02:23 but it is also a regime 02:24 change in reality. 02:27 For when Jesus 02:28 came to this earth, 02:29 when His ministry began, 02:31 it seemed from 02:32 many perspectives 02:34 that God was not in 02:35 control of planet Earth. 02:37 Things had gotten so bad 02:38 that it seemed like 02:40 Satan was in charge. 02:42 He, of course, never was, 02:43 even though he's called 02:44 the ruler of this world, 02:46 even though he's referred to 02:47 as the prince 02:48 of the power of the air, 02:49 he was never 02:50 ultimately in charge. 02:51 God was always ultimately 02:53 the ruler. 02:54 But as Mark 1 opens 02:56 up, we've seen as we've 02:57 been going through this study, 02:58 that from the very beginning 03:00 we're hearing 03:01 about a regime change. 03:03 There is good news, 03:04 glorious good news, 03:05 because Jesus is coming, 03:08 walking on planet Earth. 03:10 He is 03:11 the Christ, He's 03:12 the Messiah, He's 03:13 the Anointed One, 03:14 and He is the very Son of God. 03:17 As Jesus begins His ministry, 03:19 we saw how He referred 03:21 to the Book of Daniel, 03:22 and especially the ninth 03:23 chapter of Daniel, 03:24 when He said what? 03:25 The time is fulfilled. 03:28 The Kingdom of God is at hand. 03:30 It is a new regime. 03:33 Jesus꘎ngdom is reigning here 03:36 on Earth. 03:36 And as we look at that, 03:38 we say, Yes, 03:38 but God was in charge 03:39 from the very beginning. 03:41 Nothing was happening 03:42 on this earth 03:42 without His permission, 03:44 or at least 03:44 without His allowing it, right? 03:49 But very distinctly, 03:50 when Jesus walked on 03:52 planet Earth, 03:53 He heralded a new era. 03:56 He said, The time is fulfilled, 03:58 the kingdom of God is at hand. 04:01 And we saw as that began 04:04 that kingdom, His reign 04:05 began to be demonstrated. 04:07 We saw that people were being, 04:09 well, impacted. 04:10 Fishermen like James and John, 04:12 Peter and Andrew, 04:13 When Jesus spoke the word, 04:15 that active word in Greek, 04:17 Euthes, immediately. 04:19 What do they do? 04:19 They leave their professions 04:21 and they follow Jesus. 04:22 When Jesus speaks to demon 04:24 possessed individuals, 04:25 they are healed. 04:27 When He speaks His word 04:29 to those 04:30 who are dealing with 04:30 physical illness, 04:32 they are cured. 04:34 As we get down to Mark 1:34, 04:37 we see 04:38 a summary 04:39 of what Jesus did in Capernaum. 04:42 It says that He healed many 04:44 who were sick 04:45 with various diseases, 04:47 and cast out many demons. 04:52 Right after all that action, 04:56 we segued in our last 04:57 time together to something 04:59 that's very quiet 05:00 and very unobtrusive 05:01 and we want to 05:02 focus on it again right now. 05:05 Because Jesus 05:06 is the center of attention 05:07 in Capernaum. 05:08 He gets up after a 05:09 very busy day 05:11 and it says rising very early 05:14 in the morning 05:15 while it was still dark. 05:17 And I'm told 05:18 by the Greek scholars 05:19 that this is redundant, 05:21 it's it's really making a point 05:23 by expressing the same thing 05:25 in multiple words. 05:27 Jesus gets up before anyone 05:30 is trying to keep track of Him 05:34 and He heads out 05:35 to pray in a desolate place. 05:39 Why is this so important to 05:40 Jesus? 05:42 Jesus is getting instruction 05:45 from His Father. 05:48 A friend of mine, Dr. 05:49 Tim Arnott, 05:51 put it this way once, a policy 05:54 that I think 05:55 every one of us as 05:56 believers should have. 05:59 Talk to God 06:00 before talking to man. 06:02 When you get up in the morning, 06:03 who's the first person 06:04 you talk with? 06:05 Talk to God 06:07 before talking to man or woman 06:09 or child, okay. 06:12 And then read 06:13 God's Word 06:14 before reading man's word. 06:17 Now, this might have been 06:18 a challenge 06:18 20 years ago, 06:19 but it's even more 06:20 challenging today 06:21 for many of us, right? 06:23 Because maybe 06:24 very close to you, 06:25 maybe even arousing you in 06:26 the morning 06:27 is a device 06:28 that may look something like, 06:31 oh, 06:32 let's see what 06:32 I've got here in my pocket. 06:35 I've got a device here. 06:37 And how many of you 06:39 have a device 06:40 that looks something like this? 06:42 Yeah, a so-called smart phone. 06:46 And with these smart 06:49 phones, what 06:52 what happens 06:53 if you get up 06:54 and you look at 06:55 the time on your phone? 06:57 Do you get notifications 06:59 on your phone? 07:00 Will you see some 07:00 breaking news story 07:02 that maybe you missed? 07:03 It happened at two 07:04 in the morning 07:04 while you were sleeping 07:05 and it shows right 07:06 up on that phone. 07:08 Okay. 07:09 So you can relate. 07:10 So the challenge is to do what? 07:13 Read God's Word 07:15 before reading man's word. 07:19 I think it is a powerful, 07:20 a powerful concept. 07:22 And I appreciate Dr. 07:23 Arnott 07:24 for reminding us 07:25 all of what 07:26 Jesus was doing, right? 07:28 Jesus early in the morning 07:30 connected with the Father. 07:32 He got that divine instruction 07:34 for His day. 07:37 Well, right after that, 07:40 you see, 07:41 Jesus is, well, He's in demand. 07:44 And people 07:45 are already looking for Him 07:47 early in the morning; 07:48 He had slipped away 07:49 before anyone noticed. 07:50 But finally it says, Simon 07:52 and those who were with Him 07:53 searched for Him. 07:54 And when they found Him, 07:55 they said, 07:56 Jesus, 07:57 every body is looking for You. 08:00 And He says to them, 08:02 Let us go in to the next towns 08:05 that I may preach there also, 08:08 because for this 08:09 purpose I have come forth. 08:12 Now, some of you may think 08:14 that sounds a bit strange. 08:16 If we hadn't just read 08:17 verse 35, 08:19 it would sound very strange. 08:20 Because why would 08:21 you want to leave a place 08:22 where you're having 08:23 a powerful ministry, right? 08:25 But the Father is telling Him 08:27 to go. 08:30 Jesus is setting a 08:31 powerful example. 08:32 We notice this 08:33 the last time we were together. 08:35 Jesus is going to tell 08:38 all His followers 08:42 to go. 08:43 He gives that great commission, 08:45 you know, multiple times. 08:46 You read about it in Mark 16. 08:48 We'll get there ultimately, 08:49 the Lord willing. 08:50 But in Matthew 28, very clearly 08:53 Jesus uses the word go 08:56 as the single word 08:57 that encapsulate, encapsulates 09:00 what He's calling 09:01 believers to do. 09:02 To go and teach, go and preach, 09:04 go and baptize. 09:06 You get the picture? 09:07 And so Jesus is modeling that. 09:09 He just doesn't 09:09 tell others to go, 09:11 but He goes Himself. 09:13 Now, let me ask 09:14 you the question. 09:15 Do you think it would 09:16 have been easier for Jesus 09:17 just to have 09:18 continued His ministry right 09:19 then and there in Capernaum? 09:22 I think it would have been. 09:23 I don't know about you, 09:24 but I enjoy, I especially enjoy 09:27 doing ministry where people, 09:29 you know, appreciate it. 09:30 Things are, lives are changing. 09:33 People are being healed. 09:34 I mean, as a physician, 09:35 I like that 09:36 in the medical clinic. 09:37 I like people to 09:38 come back and see me 09:39 and they say, Oh, Dr. 09:40 DeRose, 09:41 we did what you said 09:42 or we took 09:43 the remedy that you advised 09:45 and we're healed. 09:46 Praise the Lord. 09:47 Right? 09:49 It's much harder 09:50 to deal with it 09:51 when someone comes in 09:52 and says everything you did 09:53 did no good and I'm feeling 09:54 worse, right? 09:56 It's the same in 09:56 spiritual ministry, right? 09:58 Whether we're talking 09:59 about community services 10:00 or whether we're talking about 10:02 medical ministry 10:03 or whether we're talking 10:04 about Bible studies, 10:06 we want people to 10:09 to feel blessed, to feel 10:10 that God has worked through us. 10:12 But it doesn't mean 10:13 that God isn't 10:13 working through you 10:14 if you don't see 10:15 those kind of results. 10:18 And so Jesus is told by the 10:20 Father through the Spirit 10:21 to leave Capernaum and He goes. 10:24 And the Bible says 10:26 He travels throughout 10:27 that whole region of Galilee. 10:30 He leaves those people 10:32 that are flocking to Him. 10:33 Now, just stop here 10:34 just for a minute, though. 10:35 And I want you to think 10:36 about something. 10:38 As I've been in many churches 10:40 throughout the country, 10:41 throughout the world even, 10:43 and I've heard things 10:44 from many people's lips 10:45 that goes something like this. 10:48 You know what? 10:49 I have stopped 10:50 going to church because, 10:53 you know that sister, 10:54 she knew what I 10:55 was going through 10:55 and she didn't do X, 10:57 Y, or Z for me. 10:58 Or that brother didn't do this 11:00 or the church 11:00 didn't do this for me. 11:03 Now, wait a minute. 11:04 Think about this for a minute. 11:06 Jesus left Capernaum 11:08 and there were people flocking 11:10 to Capernaum to see Him. 11:12 Did Jesus leave an area 11:14 where there was needs 11:15 that He could have met? 11:17 What do you think? 11:18 It's clear right 11:19 in the context. 11:22 So here is the point. 11:24 Sometimes when you're tempted 11:27 to focus on 11:28 what someone else isn't doing, 11:31 maybe, 11:32 maybe it's 11:33 because you're 11:34 supposed to be doing it. 11:36 You say, Wait a minute. 11:36 But no, 11:37 but I'm talking about 11:38 my needs that aren't being met. 11:39 Well, maybe your needs aren't 11:40 being met 11:41 for the same reason 11:42 that other people's needs 11:43 aren't being met. 11:43 And your recognition of that 11:45 is not the reason 11:46 you're supposed 11:46 to leave the church, 11:48 but it's the reason 11:49 God is allowing you 11:50 to see ministries in the church 11:52 that are not being addressed. 11:53 And that's why 11:54 you're in the church. 11:56 Wouldn't that be revolutionary? 11:57 If that was our framework. 12:00 I'll tell you, 12:00 it would be incredible. 12:02 And I know there's 12:02 a number of you 12:03 that are in that mode already 12:05 and you're doing things 12:06 and you're active. 12:07 In fact maybe it's all of you. 12:08 Okay, 12:09 so I'm not sharing 12:09 this in this context 12:11 because there's 12:13 some special need 12:14 for you to hear that. 12:15 But I know as believers, 12:16 where we tend to be, 12:18 we tend to get rewards 12:19 from that 12:20 which 12:21 emotionally encourages us. 12:24 And sometimes we need to wade 12:26 like Jesus did into areas 12:27 that are not as comfortable. 12:29 And so we read 12:30 what Jesus does do. 12:31 He starts to go all throughout 12:33 Galilee. It's a large region. 12:35 He's preaching 12:35 in their synagogues, 12:36 He's casting out demons. 12:39 We don't really read much about 12:41 what happens. 12:42 There's only a single example 12:44 of Jesus ministry 12:45 that is recorded 12:46 on that whole Galilean tour, 12:48 if you will, and it's found 12:49 right here in Mark 1:40 and 12:53 onward. 12:53 It says, A leper came to Him. 12:56 Now let's just pause 12:57 right there, 12:59 because in Mark's gospel, 13:00 this is the very first leper 13:02 that we are introduced to. 13:04 And if you compare the gospels, 13:05 some have concluded 13:06 that this is the very, 13:08 very first leper 13:09 that Jesus healed. 13:10 Now, I can't make that case 13:11 definitively. 13:12 But the point is, at least 13:13 as Mark tells the story, 13:15 here, is someone with leprosy 13:17 who's coming to Jesus 13:18 to be healed. 13:19 Now, the question is, would 13:21 this have been 13:21 an easy thing to do? 13:24 Well, 13:25 how was leprosy 13:26 regarded in the days of Jesus? 13:29 Yes, it was dreadful. 13:31 It was a death sentence. 13:33 You were cut off 13:33 from your family. 13:34 You were cut off from society. 13:36 But it was more than that. 13:37 Leprosy was equated with sin. 13:41 And you could just 13:41 think in your own minds, 13:42 go back 13:43 to biblical stories 13:44 about leprosy. 13:46 Think of Miriam, right? 13:48 Miriam is contesting 13:50 Moses leadership. 13:52 She and Aaron. 13:53 And what happens to Miriam? 13:54 What is the 13:55 judgment of God on her sin? 13:58 Yes. 13:59 She becomes leprose. 14:01 How about King Uzziah? 14:02 Amazing king. 14:03 Following God, 14:04 He was mightily helped. 14:05 The Bible says 14:06 God blessed his ministry 14:08 and then 14:09 he tries 14:10 to take the prerogatives 14:11 of the priest. 14:13 And what happens? 14:15 He is stricken with leprosy. 14:17 It is a judgment on sin. 14:20 And so it was easy 14:21 in the Jewish mind 14:22 to connect leprosy with sin. 14:24 If you have leprosy, 14:26 you must have been 14:27 a really bad sinner. 14:28 And so 14:29 although Jesus 14:29 in the gospel of Mark, He's 14:31 healing all these people. 14:32 He's casting out demons. 14:33 But a leper. 14:35 A leper. 14:36 Would Jesus heal a leper? 14:40 We see this in the 14:41 very words of the man. 14:43 In Mark 14:43 1:41, 14:47 he comes to 14:47 Jesus with a question. 14:50 You saw it right there. Right? 14:52 If you are willing in verse 40, 14:55 you can make me clean. 14:57 Why does he say that, 14:59 if you are willing? 15:02 Because it seems he's thinking 15:03 in his own mind 15:04 that he's gone too far. 15:06 Mean he's got leprosy. See? 15:07 How can God help him? 15:09 And I don't know what 15:09 Satan's telling you or what 15:11 he's told you in your past. 15:13 Maybe he's told you 15:13 you're not worthy 15:15 of being forgiven 15:16 because of X, Y, 15:17 or Z that you did. 15:18 Can any of you relate to that? 15:20 The point of this story, 15:21 though, is even 15:22 the one who 15:23 in society is 15:24 seems most cut off, 15:25 even in his own eyes, 15:27 Jesus has forgiveness for him. 15:29 And it says here, Mark 15:30 does something interesting 15:31 that many of the other 15:32 gospel writers don't do. 15:33 Mark often shows us 15:35 the heart of Jesus 15:36 as many of the other 15:37 gospel writers don't. 15:38 He adds this detail. 15:40 When the leper comes to 15:41 Jesus, it 15:42 says that Jesus is moved 15:44 with compassion. 15:46 His heart goes out to this one 15:48 and He does what? 15:50 He reaches out His hand 15:52 and He touches him. 15:53 Now we're already 15:56 on thin ice, aren't we? 15:58 Because how close 16:00 were you supposed 16:01 to get to a leper? 16:03 You weren't even supposed 16:04 to be exposed 16:05 to the breath of the leper. 16:07 Are you aware of this? 16:08 You were supposed to stay 16:09 as far away 16:10 as possible, basically. 16:12 Jesus comes 16:13 not only close to him, 16:14 but He touches him. 16:16 What does a touch indicate? 16:20 Yeah. 16:20 Yes, it indicates 16:21 a number of things 16:22 in this story, right? 16:23 It indicates 16:24 His compassion, right? 16:26 That He's 16:26 not afraid to come close 16:28 to the one 16:28 who has been judged by society. 16:31 But also in 16:32 the minds of the 16:34 Jewish leaders, 16:35 it would indicate 16:36 He's being contaminated. 16:38 But I would like 16:39 to suggest to you 16:40 there is no indication 16:41 in this account 16:42 that Jesus becomes 16:43 contaminated. 16:44 It goes the other way. 16:46 His purity 16:48 infuses through Him 16:50 into the body 16:50 of the leprosy of the leper. 16:52 And it says, 16:54 as soon as He had 16:55 spoken, immediately 16:57 the leprosy left him, 16:59 and he was cleansed. 17:01 He's healed. 17:02 He's totally healed. 17:04 And can you imagine 17:05 what that did? 17:06 Not only, it's 17:06 not just talking 17:07 about his physical healing. 17:08 He is back 17:09 as a member of society. 17:11 Well, not yet. 17:13 Not yet. 17:16 We have to ask this question. 17:17 Why this single example 17:19 of healing from this whole 17:20 Galilean tour, 17:21 why was this so important? 17:22 What is God 17:23 wanting us to take away? 17:25 Here's a beautiful expression 17:27 I think of one of 17:28 the main lessons. 17:29 It's from a book called 17:30 The Desire of Ages page 266. 17:32 In some instances of healing, 17:34 Jesus did not at once 17:36 grant the blessing sought. 17:37 But in the case of leprosy, 17:39 no sooner was the appeal made 17:42 than it was granted. 17:43 When we pray for earthly 17:45 blessings, 17:46 the answer to our prayer 17:47 may be delayed, 17:49 or God may give us something 17:50 other than we ask, 17:52 but not 17:52 so when we ask deliverance 17:54 from sin. 17:56 You see this 17:56 equating of sin and leprosy. 17:59 Jesus is showing us 18:02 how He deals with our sin 18:03 as He deals with this leper. 18:05 It's Jesus will 18:07 to cleanse us from sin, 18:08 to make us His children 18:09 and to enable us to live 18:11 a holy life. 18:12 Christ, the Bible says, 18:14 gave Himself for our sins 18:16 that He might deliver us 18:18 from this present evil world, 18:20 according to the will of God 18:22 and our Father. 18:24 So this is the kind 18:25 of God that we serve. 18:26 If you came here today, 18:28 if you're viewing today 18:29 with a heavy heart, 18:31 God is telling you what? 18:33 That He is reaching out to you 18:35 to heal you. 18:36 He's reaching out 18:37 to give you forgiveness 18:39 and cleansing. 18:43 Well, there's another dimension 18:45 to Christ healing 18:46 of this leper. 18:48 It was not just enough 18:49 to cleanse the leper. 18:50 Jesus, it says, 18:53 in the Gospel of Mark, 18:55 the word of inspiration, 18:57 verse 44 18:58 Jesus strictly warned him 19:00 and sent him away at once 19:02 and said to him, 19:03 See that you say nothing 19:06 to anyone. 19:07 See that you see, say what? 19:10 Nothing to anyone. 19:13 Why? 19:14 And by the way, 19:15 we touched on this earlier. 19:16 This is not the first example 19:18 in Mark, 19:20 even only in the first chapter, 19:22 there are multiple examples 19:24 where Jesus is what some say is 19:28 speaking about 19:29 messianic secrecy. 19:31 He doesn't want people to know 19:32 all the details 19:33 about His ministry. 19:34 We saw it in Mark 1:23 and 24. 19:39 What happened? 19:39 When Jesus comes in contact 19:41 with this man, demon 19:43 possessed man, 19:45 what does Jesus do? 19:47 Jesus says, 19:48 Be quiet, to the demon, 19:51 and come out of him. 19:52 You say, Well, 19:54 straightforward enough. 19:55 But as you read on through 19:57 Mark 1, 19:58 you read this in Mark 1:34 20:01 We looked at this summary 20:03 of Jesus ministry in Capernaum 20:05 that night after He healed 20:07 Peter's mother in law, 20:09 and it says He did 20:10 not allow the demons to what? 20:13 To speak. 20:13 Because they knew Him. 20:14 You say, Well, why not? 20:16 Wouldn't 20:17 this be a compelling testimony 20:18 if the demons 20:20 testified to Jesus? 20:22 Wouldn't it be? 20:25 Some of you know, 20:25 I've had the opportunity 20:27 to work on a number of books 20:28 over the years, 20:30 and there's a saying 20:31 in the publishing 20:33 field, it goes like this. 20:35 There's 20:36 no such thing as bad publicity. 20:39 There's no such thing 20:40 as bad publicity. 20:41 You say, what do you mean? 20:42 Well, 20:43 how about if someone says, 20:44 this is a lousy book, 20:45 this is terrible, 20:45 don't buy this book? Well, 20:48 in the 20:49 publishing industry, 20:50 they say 20:50 that's actually good 20:51 for your book. 20:53 Okay? 20:53 If all the media outlets 20:55 are saying don't buy this book, 20:56 this is a terrible book, 20:57 that actually 20:58 more people will buy it. 21:01 Now, whether you believe that 21:03 or not, 21:03 that's the saying, okay, 21:04 there's no such thing 21:05 as bad publicity. 21:06 Well, is it true 21:07 when it comes 21:07 to preaching the gospel, 21:09 if the gospel being preached, 21:10 if someoneaying 21:11 this is the Son of God, 21:12 this is the Messiah, 21:14 how could that be 21:15 bad publicity? 21:17 Well, 21:19 let me ask you the question. 21:20 Could someone give you 21:22 an endorsement, 21:23 that you would 21:23 not like to have? 21:26 I mean, we hear about it 21:27 in the political realm, 21:28 don't we? 21:28 Have you heard 21:29 stories like, oh, 21:30 please don't come 21:31 and endorse me 21:32 in this community, 21:33 because you're really not 21:34 all that popular here 21:36 and this will hurt 21:37 my candidacy. 21:38 Have you heard of examples 21:39 like that? Yeah, it happens. 21:41 And so 21:42 an endorsement 21:42 is not necessarily good. 21:44 So if a 21:44 demon is endorsing you, well, 21:49 that may or may not 21:51 enhance your ministry. 21:52 The bigger question is might 21:54 Jesus 21:55 want to have revealed 21:56 His ministry on His own terms? 21:59 Why is He telling 22:00 the demons to be quiet? 22:02 Why does He not want the word 22:03 to get out 22:04 about His healing power? 22:05 The Desire of Ages 22:06 actually 22:07 has more to say about this. 22:09 But before we go there, 22:10 I want you to notice something. 22:12 There are many people 22:13 that I've met over the years 22:14 that they think somehow 22:15 you've got to tell it all. 22:16 That's how you're 22:17 preaching the truth. 22:18 If you tell 22:19 everything to people, 22:20 then you're telling the truth. 22:21 Well, Jesus didn't even 22:25 want this to happen 22:26 in His ministry. 22:27 There is a right time 22:28 and a right place 22:29 to share things. 22:30 In fact, Jesus Himself 22:31 in John 16, 22:32 said, 22:33 I have much more to say to you, 22:35 more than you can now bear. 22:37 Jesus withheld truth 22:40 because the audience 22:41 could not handle it. 22:43 So let's be careful 22:45 that we don't think 22:46 that the only judge 22:47 of our ministry 22:48 or your ministry 22:49 to your neighbor. 22:50 You say, 22:51 But I haven't given my neighbor 22:53 all 28 Bible studies 22:54 that we have in the 22:55 in the in the series. 22:56 I've you know, 22:57 I've alluded to some things, 22:58 God will reveal, too, 22:59 just like 23:00 if you're doing what Jesus did, 23:02 spending time 23:02 with Jesus 23:03 first thing in the morning, 23:04 He is going to guide you 23:06 as to 23:07 what you need to share 23:08 in an appropriate time. 23:11 Let's take a look now 23:13 at what 23:14 Jesus actually told this man. 23:16 He said 23:17 strictly warned him 23:18 and sent him away at once. 23:20 There's that word again, 23:21 immediately euthus. 23:23 And He said to him, 23:24 See that you say 23:25 nothing to anyone; 23:26 but go your way, 23:27 show yourself to the priest, 23:29 and offer 23:30 for your cleansing those things 23:32 which Moses commanded, 23:33 as a testimony to them. 23:37 What's going on here? 23:38 Desire of Ages, 23:39 I think, makes it very clear. 23:40 I really appreciate the clarity 23:43 of this commentary. 23:44 Jesus charged the man 23:46 not to make known the work 23:48 that had been wrought, 23:49 but to straightway immediately 23:51 euthus, 23:52 to present himself 23:53 with an offering at the temple. 23:55 Such an offering 23:55 could not be accepted 23:57 until the priests 23:57 had made examination 23:59 and pronounced 24:00 the man wholly free 24:01 from the disease, 24:03 however unwilling 24:04 they might be to perform 24:05 this service, 24:06 they could not evade 24:07 an examination 24:08 and decision in the case. 24:10 They had to do it. 24:12 But here's the point. 24:13 The words of Scripture show 24:15 with what urgency 24:17 Christ enjoined 24:18 upon the man 24:19 the necessity of silence 24:21 and prompt action. 24:22 He straightly charged him 24:24 and forthwith sent him away 24:26 and said, See, you say what? 24:28 Nothing to any man. 24:30 Why? Why? 24:32 The reason why 24:34 is had the priests 24:35 known the facts 24:37 concerning the healing 24:38 of the leper, 24:39 their hatred of Christ 24:40 might have led them 24:42 to render a dishonest sentence. 24:46 You know, 24:46 our biases 24:47 can affect our diagnosis. 24:49 By the way, 24:49 we know this as physicians. 24:51 So if we're doing 24:51 a clinical study, 24:53 we always try to have it 24:54 be a double blinded study. 24:57 If you're not familiar 24:58 with that term, 24:59 that means the patient is blind 25:02 to the treatment 25:02 they're getting, 25:03 and the doctor is blind 25:05 to the treatment 25:06 that their patient is getting. 25:07 Let me make it 25:07 practical for you. 25:08 Let's say 25:09 we're evaluating an herb 25:11 to help 25:11 with rheumatoid arthritis. 25:13 What we do is 25:15 we have two sets of pills. 25:18 one has the active herb 25:19 that we think is 25:20 the active herb, 25:20 the other has 25:21 what we call a placebo, okay? 25:23 Maybe it's 25:23 just some 25:24 grass in it or something, 25:25 not the, 25:26 you know, 25:26 not the 25:27 the grass 25:28 that's prohibited 25:29 in some jurisdictions. 25:30 But some, 25:31 some of your lawn 25:31 clippings, okay? 25:33 And anyway, so, 25:34 so you think this is inactive 25:36 and you give the patient 25:39 this set of pills, 25:40 you don't know which one 25:41 you're giving him 25:42 as a physician, 25:42 the patient doesn't know. Why? 25:44 Because if the patient thinks 25:47 they're getting 25:47 or they know 25:48 they're getting this herb, 25:49 they could say, 25:50 Oh boy, 25:51 I just took the first pill. 25:52 I'm already feeling better. 25:54 That's what 25:55 we call the placebo effect. 25:56 And if I, as the physician, 25:57 think I've given 25:59 this new potent 26:01 remedy to the patient, 26:02 when I'm evaluating them 26:03 I say, Well, 26:03 how are you feeling? 26:04 You've been taking this 26:05 this pill 26:06 for several weeks now. 26:07 Well, I don't know that 26:08 I'm feeling any different. 26:09 Are you sure 26:10 you're not feeling 26:11 any different? You're you're. 26:12 How about 26:13 when you get out of bed? 26:13 Well, you know, 26:14 maybe it is a little bit 26:15 better this morning. 26:16 Oh, amazing. 26:18 It's already working for you. 26:19 It's helping you so much. 26:21 Well, I guess. 26:22 I guess it is, you see. 26:23 So you blind the examiners. 26:26 And this is what Jesus wanted. 26:28 You know how far it is 26:30 from Capernaum to Jerusalem? 26:32 Even by roads today, 26:34 it's over a hundred miles. 26:36 Okay? 26:37 This is the long way. 26:38 This is a long way. 26:40 So here's the message. 26:42 Jesus is desiring the man 26:44 to get a full 26:45 and fair evaluation. 26:47 So that he can be reunited 26:50 to his family and friends. 26:52 One of the reasons for what 26:53 the Bible calls is 26:54 messianic secrecy, yes, 26:56 it's for Jesus ministry, 26:58 but it's also because 27:00 He wants to heal people. 27:02 He wants to put you and me 27:04 in the best situation 27:05 to receive His healing. 27:09 Jesus wants to 27:10 answer your deepest prayers. 27:13 And it's so wonderful 27:14 that He comes close to us. 27:16 He's not contending with us. 27:18 He's seeking to draw us 27:19 close to Him. 27:20 Let's pray with that in mind. 27:22 Father in Heaven, 27:24 even though You were assailed 27:26 as You walked 27:27 on planet Earth, we thank You 27:28 that You come close to us 27:30 to try to help us 27:31 just where we need it most. 27:33 May we find that help 27:34 and healing on a daily basis 27:36 as we come to You 27:37 and to Your Word is our prayer. 27:40 In Jesus name, Amen. 27:43 Don't forget, 27:44 you can get free copies 27:45 of our handouts. 27:46 There's a handout 27:47 that goes along 27:47 with each of the episodes. 27:49 You can get it 27:49 by going to our website. 27:51 www.TimelessHealingInsights.org. |
Revised 2023-03-30