Part 2= 6-4-2022 Miami Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Andrew “There Is A Remedy For Witheredness” Luke 6;6-11
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3) Develop a New Level of Awareness – verse 9-10a
Jesus asked the scribes and pharisees if it was lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do evil. To save life or to destroy it. Jesus looked around at all the scribes and pharisees. Then He told the man to stretch forth his withered hand and Jesus healed it. Jesus saw the man had a need. The man had probably become invisible in the congregation. Have you ever seen an invisible man? You may not remember because that invisible man was wearing a label that people put on him. He was hidden in plain sight and probably felt inferior, unwanted and unloved. Jesus had to change this man’s posture, get him up on his feet. To come from hopelessness to expectancy. What are you expecting today my friends?
3a. Jesus Challenged Their Traditional Thinking: After generations of manipulation, they had so distorted and added to the Law. They were so off base about what was acceptable on the Sabbath and what was not. Many things that the Jewish people have as rules for the Sabbath were not put there by God. These are man made rules that they added, man orchestrated and man conceived. Jesus had to challenge that traditional thinking. What kind of people would think it was not okay to do good on the Sabbath and to heal and restore someone? Jesus had to challenge them.
3b. Jesus Disturbed the Man’s Comfort Zone: It is easy for us to get comfortable in our conditions. It is easy to accept our witheredness. It is time that we hear the word of the Master saying to rise up. Jesus changed the man’s posture when He said to rise up. If you want a change then get up. The man responds to Jesus’s command and Jesus made him the center of attention.
3c. Jesus Exposed What the Man Was Hiding: Sitting the man could hide his handicap and go unnoticed. Jesus wanted him to stand up but not to embarrass him. Jesus is not into embarrassing people. The man has become skilled at hiding his needs. Some of us have become just as skilled at disguising our needs. We have become skilled at justifying our condition. Its time to get honest with God. Admit that there are some withered things in our lives. Noting will happen until we are honest.
3d. Jesus Covered the Man with Grace and Favor: The theology of the day was that because of the man’s handicap, this man was a sinner and not worthy of being made whole. They said the man must have done something bad that caused his hand to wither. But Jesus moved the man to a place where worthiness had nothing to do with it. Under Jesus’s covering of Grace is salvation, healing and restoration. We are covered because of Calvary and what Jesus did there.
4) Do What The Lord Says (Be Obedient) – verse 10b
Just be obedient. When Jesus told the man to stretch forth his hand, the man did so. And his hand was restored whole as the other hand. God had positioned the man to receive after he did his step of faith-obedience. Jesus commanded him to stretch forth his hand and the man obeyed. Are you today ready to obey the Lord, do what it takes to let God deal with the withered things in your life? Obedience is what the man needed. This man overcame his shame and chose to be obedient to Jesus.
4a. He Was Obedient Enough to Expose His Handicap: Bring your handicap to Jesus and leave it there.
4b. He Was Obedient Enough to Try Again: He stretched forth his hand and with the help from Jesus, he could actually do it. He simply obeyed and watched the Jesus Factor at work. Try what you failed at before but this time do it with Jesus in it. At the word of Jesus you should try again. Let Jesus be with you as you try again.
4c, The Man Was Obedient Enough to Act With Imperfect Faith: His obedience caused this man to witness the restoring power of Jesus Christ. The man may never had much faith but he stretched forth his hand in obedience. He then felt new life in his withered hand. He felt new strength, new movement in that hand. He watched in awe as his fingers moved again.
If you will obey Jesus then that withered thing in your life can be restored right before your very eyes. This is your day to have your witheredness disappear. This is your day to come out of hiding and give your handicap to Jesus. Then accept His word, act in obedience and do what you could not do before. Your faith may be imperfect but step out anyway. Trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, admit your sin, your witheredness and let Jesus restore life to you. There is a remedy for witheredness.
AMEN
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3) Develop a New Level of Awareness – verse 9-10a
Jesus asked the scribes and pharisees if it was lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do evil. To save life or to destroy it. Jesus looked around at all the scribes and pharisees. Then He told the man to stretch forth his withered hand and Jesus healed it. Jesus saw the man had a need. The man had probably become invisible in the congregation. Have you ever seen an invisible man? You may not remember because that invisible man was wearing a label that people put on him. He was hidden in plain sight and probably felt inferior, unwanted and unloved. Jesus had to change this man’s posture, get him up on his feet. To come from hopelessness to expectancy. What are you expecting today my friends?
3a. Jesus Challenged Their Traditional Thinking: After generations of manipulation, they had so distorted and added to the Law. They were so off base about what was acceptable on the Sabbath and what was not. Many things that the Jewish people have as rules for the Sabbath were not put there by God. These are man made rules that they added, man orchestrated and man conceived. Jesus had to challenge that traditional thinking. What kind of people would think it was not okay to do good on the Sabbath and to heal and restore someone? Jesus had to challenge them.
3b. Jesus Disturbed the Man’s Comfort Zone: It is easy for us to get comfortable in our conditions. It is easy to accept our witheredness. It is time that we hear the word of the Master saying to rise up. Jesus changed the man’s posture when He said to rise up. If you want a change then get up. The man responds to Jesus’s command and Jesus made him the center of attention.
3c. Jesus Exposed What the Man Was Hiding: Sitting the man could hide his handicap and go unnoticed. Jesus wanted him to stand up but not to embarrass him. Jesus is not into embarrassing people. The man has become skilled at hiding his needs. Some of us have become just as skilled at disguising our needs. We have become skilled at justifying our condition. Its time to get honest with God. Admit that there are some withered things in our lives. Noting will happen until we are honest.
3d. Jesus Covered the Man with Grace and Favor: The theology of the day was that because of the man’s handicap, this man was a sinner and not worthy of being made whole. They said the man must have done something bad that caused his hand to wither. But Jesus moved the man to a place where worthiness had nothing to do with it. Under Jesus’s covering of Grace is salvation, healing and restoration. We are covered because of Calvary and what Jesus did there.
4) Do What The Lord Says (Be Obedient) – verse 10b
Just be obedient. When Jesus told the man to stretch forth his hand, the man did so. And his hand was restored whole as the other hand. God had positioned the man to receive after he did his step of faith-obedience. Jesus commanded him to stretch forth his hand and the man obeyed. Are you today ready to obey the Lord, do what it takes to let God deal with the withered things in your life? Obedience is what the man needed. This man overcame his shame and chose to be obedient to Jesus.
4a. He Was Obedient Enough to Expose His Handicap: Bring your handicap to Jesus and leave it there.
4b. He Was Obedient Enough to Try Again: He stretched forth his hand and with the help from Jesus, he could actually do it. He simply obeyed and watched the Jesus Factor at work. Try what you failed at before but this time do it with Jesus in it. At the word of Jesus you should try again. Let Jesus be with you as you try again.
4c, The Man Was Obedient Enough to Act With Imperfect Faith: His obedience caused this man to witness the restoring power of Jesus Christ. The man may never had much faith but he stretched forth his hand in obedience. He then felt new life in his withered hand. He felt new strength, new movement in that hand. He watched in awe as his fingers moved again.
If you will obey Jesus then that withered thing in your life can be restored right before your very eyes. This is your day to have your witheredness disappear. This is your day to come out of hiding and give your handicap to Jesus. Then accept His word, act in obedience and do what you could not do before. Your faith may be imperfect but step out anyway. Trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, admit your sin, your witheredness and let Jesus restore life to you. There is a remedy for witheredness.
AMEN
