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Posted on: July 1, 2018

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr.B - SOMETHINGS DISEASE CANNOT TOUCH

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B: SOME THINGS DISEASE CANNOT TOUCH

Life Storms always leave us with lots of stories. Cancer the leading cause of death in Canada leaves everyone with a story. Two out of five Canadians will develop this disease in their lifetime. All week I was preoccupied with thoughts of my friend who died of cancer at age 52 leaving behind a very young family.


Bible story about a sick lady Mark 5:24-34

This morning we read the story of a sick lady who came to Jesus. We do not know if her condition was the result of cancer. They did not have the medical understanding we do now. I do know many types of cancer are related to the reproductive system. And I know that cancer is a disease that can do many of the same things this lady endured.

Whatever it is she was suffering from it obviously had a devastating effect on her. Diseases always have a crushing effect on us.


DISEASE CAN TOUCH YOUR TIME …And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years Mark 5:25 

Most health issues we deal with on the short run. A cold lasts a few days. The flu maybe a week to ten days. Some injuries may take several months to rehab. But so many folks who deal with cancer or other terminal illnesses are in a grinding marathon. It is there every morning and every evening for days, weeks, months, and years. Outpatient treatment, In patient treatment, Surgeries, Recovery, etc.


DISEASE CAN TOUCH YOUR STATUS …..And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years Mark 5:25 

This woman’s condition meant that she was considered religiously unclean and anyone who touched her would be considered unclean. This woman’s condition meant she could not bear children. And thus she lost a lot of the status and respect women had in that society.

Some things should not be… but sometimes sicknesses brings a stigma. Maybe it is in the physical toll of chemo and radiation. Maybe it is the appearance of the cancer itself. Extraordinarily sad are those would say that your cancer is the result of some kind of sin in your life for which you are being punished. Or that, if you just had enough faith God would heal you.


DISEASE CAN TOUCH YOUR FINANCES …She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. Mark 5:26

Medical treatments are expensive. Even if you have good insurance, the out of pocket expenses are formidable.

DISEASE CAN TOUCH YOUR STRENGTH ....She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. Mark 5:26 

Don’t miss that phrase…she grew worse.

Cancer patients know well that in facing their disease they can get worse before they get better. The affects of chemotherapy and radiation can, at times, seem worse than the disease itself.

Cancer, illness can do a lot of terrible things to us. But that is ALL it can do.

DISEASE CANNOT TOUCH YOUR FAITH ….When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Mark 5:27-28 

Remember that Jesus affirmed that it was her faith that made her well. And without faith it is impossible to please God Hebrews 11:6. Don’t get the idea that if sickness is due to a lack of faith.

Great faith is moving forward in the grind. While I would not wish illness on anyone, often it is in this battle that our strength increases. God is going to heal me one way or another.


DISEASE CANNOT TOUCH ETERNITY

Eventually this lady died of something. We can cheat death…sometimes…for a season. man is destined to die once, Hebrews 9:27.

But there is only one way to BEAT death and that is through Jesus.

Cancer cannot follow me to some places… it cannot follow me to heaven.

I read the story of how Professional golfer Paul Azinger was diagnosed with cancer at age 33. He had just won a PGA championship and had ten tournament victories to his credit.

He wrote, "A genuine feeling of fear came over me. I could die from cancer. Then another reality hit me even harder. I’m going to die eventually anyway, whether from cancer or something else. It’s just a question of when. Everything I had accomplished in golf became meaningless to me. All I wanted to do was live."

Then he remembered something that Larry Moody, who teaches a Bible study on the tour, had said to him. "Zinger, we’re not in the land of the living going to the land of the dying. We’re in the land of the dying trying to get to the land of the living."

Golfer Paul Azinger recovered from chemotherapy and returned to the PGA tour. He’s done pretty well. But that bout with cancer deepened his perspective. He wrote, "I’ve made a lot of money since I’ve been on the tour, and I’ve won a lot of tournaments, but that happiness is always temporary. The only way you will ever have true contentment is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m not saying that nothing ever bothers me and I don’t have problems, but I feel like I’ve found the answer to the six-foot hole."

One of the beautiful songs we sang during the Alpha program in Langham is the song In Christ Alone. I love the chorus of this song. It ends with these words of affirmation.

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

Best counsel I can give you in life, in death, in sickness and in health, on good days and in difficult ones, when all is well in your world and when all is falling apart:
Do what this lady did: reach out and touch Jesus…and be healed. Not cured..healed.

God keep our land, glorious and free. Happy Canada Day folks!

Posted on: June 25, 2018

Finding your True Identity in Christ

Posted on: June 17, 2018

Father's Day: Leadership in the Home - A GODLY MAN LEADS Eph.6:4

FATHERS DAY: Leadership in the Home  - A GODLY MAN LEADS Eph.6:4

The Romans had a law in the 1st century they call patria potesta. It meant ‘the father’s power. This gave men the absolute power to do whatever they wish while presiding over their families. The wife and the children were regarded in law as the man’s personal property. An angry father could disown his children or if he is in debts, could sell his kids into slavery, or even kill them if he so wish. When a child was born, the baby was placed between the father’s feet. If the father picked up the baby, the child stayed in the home. If he turned and walked away, the child was either left to die or sold at auction.

Thank God for Christianity! Christian fathers are held to a different standard! Our kids are not property to own but image bearers of God who need to be trained. Dads, we are called to provide a proper nurturing environment where our kids can grow up to love and serve the Lord!

The etymology of the word ‘father’

It defines it as “one who exercises parental care over another.” It’s biologically easy to become a father, but biblically challenging to actually “father” our children. This is because the Bible very clearly expects dads to be the spiritual leader in their homes because the ultimate responsibility for what a family becomes belongs to the father. And the primary part of that responsibility is striking a balance between GOD, LOVE and DISCIPLINE. Mark the fact that I said the bible expects this and didn’t say society expects this of men. As women’s roles expand, I believe society’s need for men in their traditional and biblical roles as protector, provider, Priest and parent is shrinking. This indifference or sometimes even hostilities to men, has made them increasingly feel at loss of their call and mission.

The news channels today is replete with the bad things men do. Hollywood continuously dolls out movies upon movies a washed with how terrible men are and how they are so bad at what they do, almost holding them responsible for the ills of our world. I just read on Washington Post a denunciation of men by a gender-studies professor titled “Why Can’t We Hate Men?” The studies is filled with lies and falsehood. Obviously the author is on some form of campaign to relegate men further away from what God has called them to be.

Lead as a Father & Husband

The husband is the one who is ultimately responsible for his children. Too many men have abdicated this responsibility, assuming that the mother is the one who is primarily responsible for raising the kids. But no, it is you, the father, who must lead your children. It is not without importance that the Bible’s admonitions to raise godly children are directed not at wives but at husbands. Similarly, until recent times the majority of books on parenting were targeted not at mothers but at fathers. In the past people have understood what today we tend to ignore. Dad is primarily responsible for raising the children.

Of course this does not excuse mothers from being involved in raising their children. It does not in any way mean that mothers will be uninvolved in raising the children. Instead it simply shows that it is ultimately you who bear responsibility before God to ensure that children are raised in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). You must take the lead and bear the responsibility in teaching and training your children. In many cases you will delegate this to others–mothers, teachers, Sunday school teachers, and so on. But you are the one who leads and who is most answerable to God.

Statistics

One of the biggest threats to the generation we are now raising is the breakdown of the family unit and

the absence of a father’s voice in our homes.

70% of black babies and 20% of white babies born in North America are born out of wedlock. Most of them will never know their fathers – or a father’s love. Only 1/3 of children born in North America will live with both biological parents through age 18. How does this affect us?

  • 85% of children with behaviour disorders are from fatherless homes
  • 71% of high school drop outs are from fatherless homes
  • 70% of teen pregnancies are from fatherless homes
  • 80% of rapists are from fatherless homes
  • 75% of teen patients in drug abuse centers are from fatherless homes
  • 70% of juveniles in correctional institutions are from fatherless homes
  • 85% of youths in prison are from fatherless homes
  • 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes
  • Boys are the worst hit; the fall behind academically in 60 most developed nations
  • They are 50% less likely than girls to meet basic proficiency standard in reading, math & science.
  • Rates of ADHD among boys is higher.
  • Gap between male and female suicide since the Great Depression has tripled

The common denominator behind these trends is FATHERLESSNESS

Thirty years ago, we believed that poverty and racial discrimination were primarily responsible for juvenile crime and behavioural problems. Now, nearly all of the evidence points to family breakup as the real culprit, and predicts a societal catastrophe if we don’t turn this trend around!

72% of North Americans say the physical absence of fathers is the most serious problem facing our families.

How can you buck the trend?

By committing your life totally to Christ and raising your family to do the same!

By taking leadership in our homes!

Christian fathers do not sire and then abandon their children!

Christian fathers do not seat and watch while someone else takes leadership in their home!

Christian fathers don’t send their kids to church, they take them!

Christian fathers have a REAL relationship with God!

The greatest need of the hour is united homes where Christ is exalted!

Conclusion

Nature they say, abhors a vacuum. This is absolutely true when it comes to leadership. If you do not lead your family, someone else will; someone else will have to. But God has called you to lead, to lead with great joy and delight, to lead though it may be costly, and to lead with love. Lead your wife, lead your family, and do it all for the glory of God.

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