The God Who Heals: Words of Hope for a Time of Sickness
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Rick Warren
A Time magazine cover article named Rick Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Tens of millions of copies of Pastor Rick’s books have been published in 200 languages. His best-known books, The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, were named three times in national surveys of pastors (by Gallup, Barna, and Lifeway) as the two most helpful books in print. Rick and his wife, Kay, founded Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He is the cofounder of Celebrate Recovery with John Baker. Pastor Rick has spoken in 165 nations. He has spoken at the United Nations, US Congress, numerous parliaments, the World Economic Forum, TED, Aspen Institute, and lectured at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and other universities. Rick is executive director of Finishing the Task, a global movement of denominations, organizations, churches, and individuals working together on the Great Commission goals of ensuring that everyone everywhere has access to a Bible, a believer, and a local body of Christ.
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The God Who Heals - Rick Warren
Here Is Good News
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. –Matthew 4:23–24
There are two sides to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a message of forgiveness of sins, of everlasting life, but also a message of opposition to human misery. Not only is an end to sin proclaimed, but also an end to suffering and death. All suffering shall cease! Just as sin is overcome through the blood of Christ, so suffering will come to an end at the resurrection. When Jesus performed signs and wonders, he was proclaiming the gospel against suffering.
With this gospel we can be certain that the wretchedness of this world will cease, just as we are sure of everlasting life. We cannot separate these two sides of Christ. We must not one-sidedly emphasize the cross and forgiveness, while ignoring the resurrection and the overcoming of our misery. It is Satan’s trick to try and make us waver so that the Savior does not receive a full and complete hearing.
Faced with the world’s longing for redemption, it is obvious that we can never bring real comfort through the gospel as long as we stress only the one thing – that the Savior forgives our sins – and otherwise the world can go its own way. Similarly, we would be unable to bring real comfort through the gospel, if we represented the Savior only as a miracle-worker and proclaimed, Be comforted, you can be healed through the Savior.
Then repentance and forgiveness would be utterly forgotten, and no fundamental change would ever take place in men.
Jesus allowed the sick to come to him, just as he did sinners. He was ready to forgive sins and ready to heal. There were times when very few sinners came, only sick people. And Jesus welcomed them all. Oh, that the nations would hear the good news! That the sick would come, and that sinners would come – all are welcome!
Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt
Jesus Cares for You
Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. –Matthew 15:29–31
Great crowds came to Jesus, bringing the lame, the maimed, the blind, the dumb and putting them at his feet; and he healed them. The news of his presence spread in a hurry. Indeed, if any one of us had been there and had heard of a chance to be freed from our affliction – who of us would not have given everything to come to Jesus?
Yet, it was not always easy for the sick to get to Jesus. Many relied on the help of others. These people must have had a lot of compassion and made considerable effort as well. How then could the Savior not receive them? Should he have shown less compassion just because they might have come to him for the wrong reason?
Compassion sees only the need of others; it omits all criticism and judging. Jesus never gave the sick a sermon first, or first examined their inner condition; he never asked them what sins they might have committed to merit this sickness. This would not only have been harsh but would have hurt the sick even more.
Why then are we so quick to judge the sick, examining them to find out whether they are remorseful enough or worth praying for? Jesus said, Whoever comes to me, I will not reject.
This is why it is always wrong to think that illness is a blessing in disguise.
What is more beneficial for us – sickness or health? The Savior certainly did not think that the sick were better off than the healthy, otherwise he would not have healed or bid his disciples to heal the sick.
Yes, God knows why some have to suffer; surely he chooses what is best for them. But the Savior welcomes each one who comes to him with deep compassion, and quickly the blind see, the mute speak, and the lame receive full use of their limbs. Let us remember this. All those who came and all those who brought the sick and lame to Jesus had a great deal of faith and hope. A lot more than we have. And in his boundless mercy Jesus healed them all.
Johann Christoph Blumhardt
All Are Welcome
And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. –Luke 5:17
Wherever Jesus walked or stood, power streamed out from him, healing and
reviving both soul and body. Whoever came to him with a trusting heart found help. The Lord of heaven, the God of Israel – the strength of this God streamed out from Jesus and worked healing. How wonderful that God’s Son appeared in this way!
It can hardly be grasped that God would draw so close to us with such kindness. How obvious it was that everything was rotten. How little fear of God there was on the earth. How hypocritical was the piety of those who pretended to be devout. Even the temple was made into a robbers’ den,
turned into a marketplace.
Yet, he came. And what was he like? He came not as one who judges but as one who was full of kindness, warmth, love, and mercy. Nobody needed to fear him. Everybody was allowed to come, everybody was allowed to have hope – the wretched, even sinners and tax collectors. They could all come. And all who came were healed and satisfied. Everybody could rejoice that God’s ambassador in person had visited them.
Because the Lord was so kind and good to everyone who drew near him, it proved that he really came from God. Who could be greater? Can there be anything more wonderful than knowing that this man from Nazareth came from God? Can anyone else satisfy our deepest need? Can we imagine anyone coming from heaven greater, more majestic, or more glorious than he? Truly, he is the One. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth
(John