Mark 5 verses 21 to 43

In today’s gospel reading from Mark – we see a lady being healed as she touches Jesus with faith and then we see a little girl who’s life has been prematurely cut short, being raised back to life by Jesus - the Lord of life.

Healing is a complicated subject that can arouse deep emotions in us especially when we or a loved one hasn’t been healed although we’ve prayed. And as Christians it can be confusing as to when and how we should pray for healing.

This morning I’d like to look at healing from a Christian perspective and try and throw a bit of light on it.

Firstly, healing is a central part of God's kingdom - the kingdom which Jesus came to usher in, and it remains a central part of the calling of the church.

Jesus came to restore our relationships with God and with each other and to restore wholeness to people’s lives. And part of this wholeness is healing – physical, mental and spiritual healing.

Jesus of course perfectly demonstrated and expressed the character of God so it is no surprise that God describes himself in Exodus chapter 15 as - “I am the Lord who heals you.”

God has a deep seated desire to restore and to heal broken lives - and if his kingdom really was established on earth as it is in heaven - everyone would be whole in body, soul and spirit.

However because we live in a fallen and imperfect world, not everything is as God desires, so unfortunately we do experience sickness and ill health - but this doesn’t mean that God wants us to be ill.

Far from it. God allows us to be sick – and He can even use our times of sickness to help us develop character traits like perseverance and empathy for others - but as a loving Father He rejoices when we are well and healthy. As Psalm 35 puts it; “God delights in the well being of his servant.”

So what are some of the causes of sickness?

Sometimes sickness can be caused by sin. For instance if we eat or drink too much – we can damage our bodies and cause them to be sick.

If we are promiscuous and sleep around we can pick up sexually transmitted diseases. If we take drugs we may become mentally and physically ill.

God's wants us to live upright lives because it is good for us, and as we stray from his commandments we may sometimes become sick as a result.

Sometimes the cause of sickness is hereditary or genetic and certain propensities for illness can be passed down family lines. Again this is most certainly not God’s will and He can free us from inherited sickness.

Sometimes the cause of sickness is demonic. We often forget that as well as healing people physically - Jesus cast out demons. He freed people from the evil spirits who oppressed them.

I met a Christian guy who had a healing ministry and he told me about a Christian woman who he’d come across in Africa who had been bed-ridden with a bad back for 3 years.

Her local church had prayed for her healing without success.

He went to see her and sensed there was something she wasn’t telling them. When he pressed her she confessed that she’d been to see a witch doctor three times and that each time she’d seen him her back had got worse.

The lady confessed her sin to God and the man assured her of God’s forgiveness and then prayed for any remaining demonic spiritual influences over her life to be broken in Jesus name. The lady got up out of bed and was well again.

The occult in particular is very dangerous and visiting mediums or spiritualists is an extremely bad idea as we can open our lives to the powers of darkness.

Sometimes the cause of illness is due to stress and anxiety but perhaps most often it is purely the result of living in a fallen and imperfect world where germs and viruses and diseases abound and where bad things happen.

So it’s all very well to read about how Jesus healed people when he walked the earth but how can we be healed today?

Well the greatest healing in our lives occurs when we become Christians – when we are born again and the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus comes to live in us.

At this point – when we cease rebellion against God and decide that we do after all want to live under his direction and guidance – then his divine purpose for our lives can start to be established.

This step of faith can have a great healing effect on our lives – as we start to live as God intended in a relationship with Him.

I like the analogy of a garden with a fence round it and a gate. The garden is our life and what we need to do is to open the gate and invite Jesus in to help us transform our gardens into something beautiful and fruitful – something that resembles the life of Jesus himself.

And part of the transformation God wants to do in our lives will involve healing – not just physical, but mental and spiritual healing.

And God is much better able to do this as He lives within us and as we seek to co-operate with His plans and purpose for our lives.

Secondly in order to receive healing we need to come to Jesus with faith. Time and again when Jesus was healing people he was looking for their faith to receive it.

For instance he asked the two blind men in Matthew’s gospel who came to him to be healed – do you believe that I am able to do this?

And Mark tells us in his gospel that he was actually unable to heal people in his home town of Nazareth because of their lack of faith.

We don’t necessarily need a huge amount of faith - but if we doubt that God exists or that He is able to heal us obviously it makes it harder to receive from him.

In order for an electrical appliance to work a plug needs to be properly inserted into a socket. If the plug isn’t fully pushed in, the appliance won’t work.

Faith is like a plug that accesses the healing power of God. If faith is in place the healing power of God can flow into our lives – and that of course is what we see happening in today’s gospel reading. When the lady touches Jesus’ clothes with faith - his healing power flows into her life.

Thirdly in order to be healed we need to come to Jesus and give him both the time and the opportunity to heal us.

Those people in biblical times who came to Jesus to be healed made the time and the effort to do so.

Many would probably have travelled quite long distances on foot to put themselves in a place where they could receive healing. And sometimes of course friends and loved ones carried them to Jesus.

And we too may need to make some effort in order to put ourselves in a place and situation where God has an opportunity to heal us. Sometimes this may involve travelling to a particular venue or putting aside a few days to go on a Christian course or retreat.

For instance some of you may know of Burrswood which is a Christian hospital and place of healing just outside Tunbridge Wells. Burrswood hold special healing services on Thursdays and Saturdays and those who minister there have great expertise as agents of God’s healing.

Alternately we may need deep healing from past hurts or mental illness or from eating disorders or inherited sickness and this sort of healing often takes time.

Christian organisations like Ellel Ministries specialise in this kind of healing and run retreats over weekends or a few days during the week – where God has time and space to do deep healing in people’s lives and where again those ministering have great experience in these areas.

Alternately our situation may be desperate and we may need a miracle. If I was desperate for a miracle I’d probably go to a Christian retreat in Wales called Ffald y Brenin where God has been doing amazing things in people’s lives and where the presence of God is powerfully manifest.

Some of the things God has been doing here are covered in a book called The Grace Outpouring.

I was particularly struck by a story I heard of a young woman who was terminally ill who after reading this book insisted that her boyfriend take her there - despite doctors saying that the car journey would be too much for her and she would probably die on the way up.

She didn’t die. On the contrary, God rewarded her faith and determination and she was completely healed as with her boyfriend’s help she stepped through the doors of the meeting room.

Of course we can never guarantee what God will do. He is able to heal every disease and sickness, but sometimes people are healed and sometimes they aren’t.

Only God can see all the factors involved and sometimes as I said at the start of this sermon it can be very frustrating if we pray for healing but it doesn’t come.

My advice in this situation is to persevere with your request. Perseverance is a sign of faith. Sometimes like Jacob who wrestled with God - we need to refuse to let go of God until we receive a blessing or at least a word on the way forward from Him.

When God heals us – He always wants to deal with the root cause of our sickness whereas sometimes we are more concerned with the symptoms. As all you gardeners will know it is important to pull out weeds by the roots or they will re-grow.

We humans are complex beings made up of body soul and spirit – and only God can really see where we most need healing and if we have the faith to receive it.

And sometimes his priorities may be different to ours. Sometimes if we need to forgive someone or our relationships are in disrepair – this may be God’s priority.

I heard of a lady with a bad back – who’d received prayer for healing without success. However when she’d been prayed for she was nursing resentment against someone.

Sometime later when she decided to forgive the person who’d hurt her - she found that her back healed spontaneously.

When God has decided that it is our time to depart this world, no amount of prayer or fasting will change this.

Having said this - those of you who have read your bibles will know that God does on occasion choose to extend people’s lives.

For instance in the second book of Kings we read that God granted King Hezekiah an extra 15 years of life in response to his prayer.

Even death though is not irreversible for God, as we see in today’s gospel reading – where Jesus raises Jairus’ 12 year old daughter back to life.

As the Lord of life - Jesus has the final authority over death – and still today where there is sufficient faith – on occasion people are raised back to life.

Of course for Christians – death is the gateway to our ultimate healing in heaven - where one day we will be clothed with immortality and a new body that will not get sick or wear out.

Sometimes our healing will not be instantaneous and may take place gradually sometimes over several years. When I got very depressed back in 1997, God told me that he’d put my feet on rock – and this is something that He has been doing gradually over several years as I continue to walk with Him.

Sometimes our healing may be instantaneous but we may have to wait for several years in order to receive it. For instance Jennifer Rees Larcombe who some of you will have heard of – had to wait 7 years before she was healed from her life in a wheel chair.

Of course we are very fortunate in this country to have access to excellent medical care – so some our healing can be accomplished through conventional treatment.

For instance several years ago I had a nasty lump under my arm – and I asked God to heal me as I wasn’t looking forward to the operation.

God did heal me from the disease that was in the lump – but He didn’t remove the lump from my body. He left this to the surgeons who operated on me.

I remember also a Christian evangelist called Don Double describing how God had been filling and repairing people’s teeth in Africa where they had no access to dentists.

He said he’d never seen anything like it in this country and he suspected this was because we had good access to dental care – whereas they had none.

We shouldn’t underestimate the part that conventional medicine can play in bringing healing to us. Doctors, nurses and health care professionals are all agents of the healing that God wants to bring.

 

So to conclude – as we read in today’s passage from Mark and in numerous other gospel passages - Jesus healed people when he walked the earth and he most definitely heals people today.

He is the same yesterday today and forever and his heart of love still overflows with the desire to help and to heal those who are hurting and in need.

And although we can never dictate what he may or may not do – we can be sure that He understands us perfectly and that he loves us and that his touch upon our lives will always be for our good.

So today if you want prayer for healing, as you come and kneel at the communion rail, come to Jesus in faith and receive whatever healing he wants to impart to you.

As one of us comes and lays hands on you, thank Jesus for touching your life - or the life of the person you have in mind - with his healing power – the same healing power that he healed people with 2000 years ago.

 In the name of the living God. Amen.

Pentecost Acts 2 1 -21 and John 20 19 to 23

So today is Pentecost when we remember and celebrate the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the first disciples to empower them to carry on Jesus’ work.

And I say person, because the Holy Spirit is a person. He is the third person of the Trinity. He is referred to in scripture as the Spirit of God or the Spirit of 

Jesus and he has an absolutely vital role to play in the world and in the church.

The Holy Spirit is the one who initially brings us to faith in Jesus. He is the one who convicts us of our sin and makes us realise our need for forgiveness and to be put right with God.

And when we make the decision that we want to live life with God and in obedience to Him, rather than living independently of Him, the Holy Spirit is the one who comes to live in our hearts and lives.

And when He makes his home with us – He is the one who imparts eternal life to us and opens our spiritual eyes to recognise Jesus as Lord and God.

He is the one who enables us to understand the bible and who empowers us to follow and serve God.

Of course Jesus himself also relied on the Holy Spirit to empower him during his earthly ministry.

Paul tells us that Jesus emptied himself of his own power and took on the nature of a servant.

This is why the Holy Spirit descended upon him as a dove when he was baptised. 

It was to empower him for his earthly ministry.

And Jesus then modelled for us a life lived in obedience to his Heavenly Father and reliant on the Holy Spirit’s power - to enable him to do the miracles he did and to heal the sick and raise the dead.

And I mention this because many Christians read of Jesus’s miracles and healings and think - I could never do that.

And of course humanly speaking they’re right. We of ourselves have absolutely no power to heal anyone or to do anything remotely miraculous

But we need to realise that the same Spirit who empowered Jesus to do miracles is living in us – and if we walk in obedience to God – then the Holy Spirit can also work through us as he did through Jesus.

This is why Jesus said – “very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing.”

When Campbell and Ayline and I pray for people to be healed at the communion rail – we are acutely conscious that we have absolutely no power ourselves to heal anyone.

We are totally reliant on the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus living in us – to work through us – and to touch the lives of those we are praying for.

So we can see for instance in today’s gospel reading why Jesus says to the disciples “As the father has sent me so I send you.”

He is giving them a direct instruction to carry on exactly the same work that he has been doing – in the same way that he did – by living in obedience to God the father and relying on the Holy Spirit to guide and empower them.

And then we read that he breathes on them and says “receive the Holy Spirit.”

And at this point the disciples are born again and become Christians. The Holy Spirit comes to reside in them and to be with them forever- and their spiritual eyes are opened.

If any of them were still unclear about the identity of Jesus – they are not anymore, and they understand that the one who has been living in their midst is Lord and God.

But God has more to give them. Luke tells us that Jesus says to the disciples – “I am going to send you what my Father has promised ... (so) stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

The Holy Spirit is already living in them - but God wants to clothe them with His power. He wants pour out His Spirit upon them abundantly and to pour spiritual gifts into their lives to equip them to serve Him.

Picture yourself as a Christian – as a glass with some water in it. You’re the glass and the Holy Spirit is the water.

Well God wants to take a big jug of water and fill you up completely with his Holy Spirit – so you’re overflowing.

And this is what we see happening to the disciples at Pentecost. God fills them with His Holy Spirit and pours new spiritual gifts into their lives.

Immediately they start speaking in tongues – one of the new spiritual gifts God has imparted to them – and Jews from every nation who have come to celebrate 

Pentecost – hear the disciples speaking in their own languages.

And God wants to do the same today. Every Christian receives the Holy Spirit at conversion but God has more to give us.

He wants to fill every Christian with His Holy Spirit – to empower us and to pour new spiritual gifts into our lives.

Some people call this being baptised by the Holy Spirit – some people call it being filled with the Holy Spirit.

What we call it doesn’t matter. What matters is whether we have come to Jesus and asked him to fill us with His spirit and to impart to us any spiritual gifts to us that he wants us to have.

And it matters because if we’re Christians we should want to be as effective in reaching out to others with God’s love as we possibly can – and so we should be open to God empowering us in any way that He sees fit.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit and receiving spiritual gifts isn’t a badge of honour – it’s for service, and our motivation for seeking to be empowered should be because we want to be as fruitful and effective Christians as we possibly can.

What we experience when we are filled and the gifts we receive is entirely up to God. He will give us exactly what is right for the work He wants us to do. Our part is simply to be open to receive whatever it is He wants to give us.

What sort of spiritual gifts might we receive from God when we are empowered? Well Paul deals with some of these in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and judging by the book of Acts - two of the most common gifts seem to be the ability to speak in tongues and to prophesy.

A lot of people have weird ideas about tongues but it’s simply the God given ability to speak an unlearned human or angelic language.

Just as you can choose to speak a foreign language – so you can choose to speak in tongues. The difference is that when you speak in tongues – you don’t understand the meaning of the words you’re saying.

But God does – and personally I find that tongues is useful when you’re unsure how to pray about something. If you pray in tongues I find that God will often give you an insight into how to pray for a particular person or situation.

Prophesy is simply the ability to deliver a message from God. This can be a message of encouragement for an individual or sometimes it may be a message for a church.

Other gifts include healing, messages of wisdom and knowledge, the ability to interpret a message given in tongues, and the ability to discern when evil spirits are at work – which is a gift my wife has.

This isn’t an exhaustive list. There are all sorts of gifts which God can impart to an individual – and the purpose of these gifts is to strengthen and encourage others and to build up the church.

I didn’t know anything about being filled with the Holy Spirit until a few years after I’d become a Christian.

But then at the Anglican church I was going to in Tunbridge Wells I came across some Christians who seemed to have a certain power – which was evident when they prayed or spoke about God.

I asked about this and they told me that God had filled them with his Holy Spirit and that he’d do the same for me if I asked Him.

So I went along to a meeting and asked someone to pray for me and God filled me with His Spirit. I didn’t feel a huge amount when I was prayed for but over the coming days and weeks I noticed that there was a new power in my Christian life.

I found particularly that God started to communicate with me with little pictures in my mind’s eye – especially when I was praying for people or sometimes to clarify the meaning of scripture.

These weren’t amazing 3D visions but just little pictures in my mind’s eye. If I asked you now to picture a bowl of strawberries and cream – this is the type of picture I’m talking about.

I remember for instance praying with a guy who was a lorry driver who was convinced God was calling him to full time ministry - but he didn’t know where or when and he was becoming increasingly frustrated.

As I prayed with him a picture came into my mind’s eye of a huge wheel which was slowly turning. And then I saw that this guy had his shoulder to the wheel and he was pushing it with all his might to try and make it go faster. But the wheel was going at its own steady pace – and his efforts were in vain.

I shared the picture with him – and explained to him that the wheel symbolised God’s will for his life – which was slowly unfolding.

He needed to stop wearing himself out and to trust God. All would be revealed in good time. Sometime later he joined the Church Army and he is now a vicar in Scotland.

And just a few weeks ago I prayed with someone here who was uncertain about the future and the way to go and I saw a lovely pathway with roses blossoming either side. I felt that God was saying the his future was going to be good.

Many people are afraid of spiritual gifts and being filled with the Holy Spirit but actually it’s exciting and immensely encouraging when God helps or encourages others through you.

I have no idea what gifts God might choose to impart to you – but God knows you perfectly and He knows exactly which gifts will be right for you – as you seek to serve Him.

God calls every Christian to be as fruitful as possible and in order to do this we need as much help as we can get. We each therefore need to be open to offering ourselves to God to fill and empower as He sees fit.

When I was training, a fellow Reader trainee became interested in being empowered by God and spiritual gifts and read some books on the subject but then he told me he’d decided it wasn’t for him after all.

He couldn’t have been more wrong. It was precisely for him – particularly if he was going to be a Lay Reader.

Our prayer should be - Lord I want to be as effective as I can I reaching others with your love. Please fill me with your Spirit and pour into my life those gifts that you want me to have.

So how can we be filled with the Holy Spirit? Well occasionally the Holy Spirit will come upon groups of Christians and empower them as He did at Pentecost - but more commonly the simplest way is to ask a mature Christian to lay hands on us and pray for us.

We can ask God directly to fill us with His Spirit – as we can for healing – but if we want to receive spiritual gifts - more often than not God works through His body – the church – to impart these things.

Paul for instance writes to the Roman Christians - I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong.

Sometimes in order to receive from God we may need to humble ourselves and ask a fellow believer to lay hands on us and pray for us.

So to conclude if you’re a Christian here today – have you come to God and asked Him to empower you – and to pour new spiritual gifts into your life?

If you haven’t - I’d encourage you to do so. There are people all around you who desperately need to hear the gospel and to know God’s love – and you need to be open to everything God wants to give you in order to reach out to them.

Don’t be proud – ask a mature Christian that you know and trust to pray for you - and invite God to pour His love and His power and His gifts into your life.

Perhaps you’ve been filled in the past but spiritually you feel dry - like a lawn that needs rain. If that’s the case come from prayer and invite God to fill you again – to refresh and revive you.

Perhaps you haven’t yet received God into your life and you’d like to.

Whatever your need, know that God loves you and knows exactly what’s best for you. Come to Him and open your life to receive from Him whatever He wants to give you.

In the name of the Living God. Amen.