Lessons Of A Lifetime

HEALING IN THE HOUSE
OR
HEALED TO SERVE
SUNDAY JAN. 13, 2019

Scripture To Consider:
“Now as soon as they [Jesus and His disciples] had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. So, He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.”

“At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then Jesus healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.” Mark 1.29-34

Something To Consider:
It is very likely that these early disciples, Simon, Andrew, James, and John, having heard Jesus’ teaching, began to believe in Him. Hearing the Word of God has a faith creating effect on those who listen with ears to hear. And yet, Jesus did not speak a word to Simon’s mother-in-law. He merely took her by the hand and lifted her up from off her bed of sickness. Some might ask, “Therefore, whose faith healed this woman? Was it the disciple’s faith? Was it the woman’s faith? Or was it Jesus’ faith?”

We are not told whose faith it was that brought healing to Simon’s wife’s mother. We are told that there was healing in the house that day. We are also told that she was immediately healed of her sickness and without hesitation she served them. That much we are told! We should also note that Mark declared in our Scripture to consider, “Then He [Jesus] healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons…” We must realize that Mark reported that many were healed and that many demons were cast out. He did not report that all were healed and all demons were cast out. This is something to consider!

James, in his letter in chapter 5, asked a series of questions and immediately gave us the biblical response, by stating, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him [or her] pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him [or her] sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him [or her] call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him [or her], anointing him [or her] with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him [or her] up. And if he [or she] has committed sins, he [or she] will be forgiven.”

Something Else To Consider:
Notice James declared that the prayer of faith will save the sick, not heal the sick. Not all sickness leads to healing in the house. Some sickness leads to death! I know we do not like to admit it, but it is the truth and the sooner we recognize that biblical truth as true end time Christians the better we will be when we ultimately come face to face with the reality of the death of these temporary bodies. If anyone is sick among us, we should be biblically concerned for that person’s eternal situation and not merely their temporary physical healing.

Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, to set the captives free, to give spiritual sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those oppressed. He did these things, so they and we would believe and then serve. Later in His ministry Jesus told His disciples, “The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” We are not told exactly what this gratefully healed woman in Simon’s house did, but we are told that she served Jesus by serving others.

This unnamed woman became a laborer in the great harvest field in her own home by serving. For as soon as the fever had left her, she served them. Wherever Jesus is there is the potential for healing to be in the house. And wherever there is healing, there is an opportunity for us to serve others. And yet, sometimes physical healing is not the most important healing we can receive!

Something More To Consider:
Mark also declared, “And the whole city was gathered together at the door.” Apparently, word of there being healing in the house spread throughout the entire city and people gathered to experience firsthand the healing touch of Jesus of Nazareth. The town of Nazareth could not bring itself to believe that anything good could come out of Nazareth. They found it difficult to believe that Jesus, the son of Joseph, another townsperson, a man who made his living as a carpenter, could be of any true spiritual value.

And yet, this village of comfort, Capernaum, on this occasion simply believed and they reaped the rewards and gracious benefits afforded them. Many leaders of today would have attempted to exploit the opportunity of free advertisement by those demons. But Jesus did not even allow them to speak. Many homes today need the visiting healing hand of Jesus. As always, He stands ready to be invited! There is indeed healing in the house, and like Simon’s mother-in-law, we are all healed to serve.

How many times has the Lord brought physical or spiritual healing into our homes? Did His healing us of our infirmities and iniquities cause us to rejoice to the point of serving others, and if not, why not? As we approach the coming of the end time evil and much abounding lawlessness that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24, there will be many opportunities for the exercising of the prayer of faith. We will be surrounded with the need for healing in the house of those who are to become offended by the lies of the many false prophet’s false messages. The spiritual need for healing will be great!

A Few Final Words:
As we, as enduring to the end true saints of Almighty God enter the tribulation of these end times, contrary to what the majority of misled messengers of Satan have declared, the opportunities to serve will be almost endless. As the wrath of Satan and man’s refusal to submit to Christ and His authority increase, many will begin departing from the faith as never before. We will be surrounded by numerous end time opportunities to serve others if only to pray for the salvation of their souls. Will we be spiritually prepared? If not, we may be among those to be found guilty of departing from the faith!

What will be our response to the cry of the sick? What will we do in response to the yearning for food from the hungry? Will we be forced to turn a deaf ear to the many requests from the homeless for shelter? Or will we be fully prepared to open our homes and experience firsthand the healing in the house offered by a most gracious heavenly Father and an extremely merciful Savior? We have all been healed to serve!

Spiritual, physical, or emotional healing, are certainly gracious gifts. And yet, our being given back the ability to serve others restores to us eternal rewards. “So, Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.” Have we been healed by the Lord? Have we been lifted up by the gracious healing hand of the Lord? Has the Lord brought miraculous change into our lives, our homes, our marriages, and even in our nation from time to time? What will be our most favorable response to His grace?

Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, may the door to our hearts and homes remain open to the healing touch of Jesus of Nazareth, and once healed, may we serve You and others. In Him Always, Amen!