Discovering
Spiritual Healing
Hebrews
4:12-13
Jim Davis
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to
reprogram a computer? My office computer wouldn’t boot up the
other day. I worked on it for a couple of hours trying to get it to boot
up, in hopes I wouldn’t have to wipe it clean to reload it. There was
nothing to do but to wipe it clean, and reload all the software and
start over. Isn’t it amazing, you can format the hard drive—wipe a
computer clean, and have it back up running full speed in a couple of
hours. Well—it might ruin your day—but you get the picture. Sometimes I
wonder, if wouldn’t be nice, if we could just wipe out everything we
know and reprogram our minds correctly. Of course, there are some things
we would not want to wipe out of our memories. Yet, there are many
things we wish we could wipe out.
The massive volume of information you
can load and access in microseconds on a computer is mind-boggling.
Yet, processing and assimilating this information with the human
brain is much different, and much slower. You can change the way a
computer thinks and works very quickly, but people don’t change that
quickly.
The Bible speaks of growth with agrarian
metaphors. There are seasons of planting, weeding, watering,
growth, and harvesting. Farmers don’t wake up and plant a crop in the
morning and expect to harvest it in the afternoon. There is a cycle of
growth for the seed that needs a lot of attention before they mature.
Source of Our Problems
Reprogramming our minds is the heart and
soul of Christianity (Ephesians 4:20-23). Jesus simply called
this reprogramming of the mind repentance. The world seeks to entrap us
into its way of thinking. Satan is the master at deceiving
us. He is forever helping us erect barriers that prevent personal growth
and spiritual healing. These barriers block us from experiencing the
love, freedom and purposes of Christ.
Colossians 2:8
8 See to it
that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world
rather than on Christ. NIV
Spiritual healing begins when we begin
to test the deceitful thoughts of our minds with the Word of God.
God’s word seeks to reprogram our minds with the mind of Christ. Christ
challenges the world’s hollow philosophies holding us in guilt and
condemnation. We must allow the Holy Spirit to challenge the world’s
deceptive philosophy with God’s powerful truth. It is a mark of maturity
to do so.
Hebrews
4:12-13
12 For the
word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all
creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid
bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. NIV
There is a negative side and a positive
side to studying God’s word. Many want to believe that Christian
living is characterized solely by positive emotions like love and joy,
and fruitful living. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, not of
denial. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to produce honesty and
courage as we grapple with the pain of destroying the defensive barriers
preventing our spiritual healing. The Spirit of truth seeks entrance
into our lives to heal us emotionally, relationally, physically and
spiritually.
We have established an elaborate array
of defenses that hinder spiritual healing. These defenses have
become barriers to assimilating knowledge for our personal growth.
These barriers are like weeds in our fields or bugs in our
computers, which must be removed. Scripture is the only
means of identifying and eradicating these personal defensive barriers.
The only way to remove the bugs is to have a complete change of mind.
Facing Our Problems
In our minds we create an image of what
we want to be. We begin seeking to live up to our image of
ourselves. Our success is measured by arbitrary standards designed to
establish or recreate a new identity. The standards are usually built
upon the world’s ideals of success and happiness. Once we adopt
standards for our success and happiness, we begin telling ourselves that
we must meet these standards to feel good about ourselves. Then we
develop attitudes and behavior conducive to help us mold us into this
image. We begin driving ourselves, and manipulating our world to
accomplish this end. If we are successful in reaching our standards, we
feel good about ourselves. If we fail we feel miserable about ourselves.
Worldly standards of success are usually
built as we compare ourselves with ourselves. We work to be more
intelligent, to live in bigger homes, drive better cars, to eat at
better restaurants, to shop at more expensive places, to travel to more
extravagant vacation getaways, etc. We live in a society where we have
the best the world has to offer and we want it to be better—it is not
good enough.
This is not some kind of pop psychology
course needed by the world. This philosophy can even permeate
the hearts’ and souls’ of God’s people. It is a message God’s people
need. Churches today have become a reflection of the world. Christian’s
lives in the church at Corinth were a reflection of the world’s
philosophical approach to life.
2 Corinthians
10:12-14
12 We do not
dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.
When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with
themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond
proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has
assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. NIV
2 Corinthians
10:17-18
17 But, "Let
him who boasts boast in the Lord." 18 For it is not the one who
commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
NIV
The Corinthians brought the comparative
standards of the world over into their fellowship. Yet, they
were to measure themselves differently. Paul writes, “Let him who boasts
boast in the Lord.” It is not what we possess, or how smart we are. It
is about what Christ has done, and is doing for us.
As long as we compare ourselves with
ourselves we will never measure up to our standards or God’s standards.
We will never discover spiritual healing in and of ourselves. The
apostle Paul discovered enough was never enough when it came down to
personal accomplishment.
This sinful nature in us is relentless.
It drives us to live up to our self-made image, yet it’s never enough.
We may think maturity is just working harder to solve our
problems without seeking God or asking for God’s help. Paul came to the
realization that he had to rely on the grace of God.
Philippians
3:2-6
2 Watch out
for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of
God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence.
If
anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have
more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the
tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a
Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic
righteousness, faultless.
Paul’s religious life was as confusing
as ours. His legalistic righteousness left him faultless, but miserable.
Romans 7:14-20
14 We know
that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but
what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that
the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it
is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is,
in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I
cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no,
the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what
I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living
in me that does it. NIV
Romans 7:24-25
24 What a
wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks
be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! NIV
Paul cried out “What a wretched man I
am.” There is a sinful nature driving us, and no matter how hard
we work, regardless of what we accomplish, it says it is not enough.
Paul’s confidence came from what God had done for him.
Philippians
3:7-11
7 But whatever
was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is
more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.
I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him,
not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that
which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God
and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his
resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming
like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection
from the dead. NIV
Many in the church are calling it
legalism, but I think we are simply bringing the mindset of the world
into the church. It was Eve’s attitude in Eden—enough is never
enough. She was searching for greater self-awareness. It looks good, it
will make me wise, and it will taste good—in essence it will make me
feel good about myself. The exact concepts we are seeking to build our
lives around today.
Adam and Eve’s failure drove them into
shame. It is exactly the same thing driving our need to succeed
in order to find happiness. Shame is nothing but self-hatred. We can
never feel good about ourselves, for we never measure up. It also causes
us to live in fear of failure. Religion has labeled it legalism, but
regardless of what we call it, it leaves us wretched.
If we succeed we become filled with
pride and self-exaltation, but it only lasts until our next failure.
Our pride and self-exaltation resulting from our success portray
self-confidence, which is really only a façade to hide our fear of
failure and our insecurities.
Some of us take altogether another
approach—we avoid taking any risks. We seek to avoid failure by
disengaging. We bury our heads in a book, in a movie, in sports, in our
hobbies, etc. It seems comfortable, but it limits our potential and
service to our creator. We can’t simply win by not playing. This is a
kind of failure that is real; it is just unrecognized.
When we are forced to face our failures
we experience feelings of anger, depression, and hopelessness.
These feelings result in dysfunctional lifestyles. Many turn to drugs
believing they will increase their performance and productivity. Drugs
can be like engaging in sports, watching television, or reading a
book—only a temporary means of escaping reality—in an attempt to alter
reality.
Have you noticed how many high profiled
persons have drug addictions? Presidents wives, actors, doctors,
lawyers, clergy, etc. If success brought the kind of self-esteem the
world desires, why do the successful turn to drugs?
We become caught up in this vicious
cycle because we believe Satan’s lies. His lies drive us to set
up arbitrary standards to gage our performance and our ability to meet
those standards. Striving for these standards gives us some sort of
justification for living. From these standards we seek to derive an
estimate of ourselves. We try to do it through recreating ourselves, but
it never works. We always come up empty—it is never enough.
Our estimate of self can never meet
God’s estimate of us. We don’t have what it takes to restore our
lives to God’s intended purpose. There is no way you can fill your life
with everything the world has to offer and satisfy your hunger. Jesus
says, “What shall a man profit, if he gain the whole world and lose his
own soul?” Do we see the real meaning here? The world cannot fill what
you are longing for. You are more valuable than this entire world.
If Jesus gave up the riches and glory of
heaven for each of us, there is no way we can begin to estimate our
self-worth with our finite minds. There seems to be nothing on
earth or in heaven, other than Christ who can give us a true image of
our self-worth. It is a hunger only God can fill.
Your true significance and self-worth
can only be found in God through Christ. God has placed his
image upon us and it makes each of us more valuable than his only
begotten Son.
What A Wretched Man I
Am!
Jesus Christ comes into our lives
saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall see God.”
What I am describing throughout this sermon are spiritually poor people
who are hungering for a better way of life.
The prerequisite to reprogramming our
minds is to realize our spiritual poverty. It’s not that we
don’t recognize our need for spiritual healing. The problem is that we
seek to heal ourselves, and we are to proud to admit we need God.
Luke 4:23-30
23 Jesus said
to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal
yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in
Capernaum.'"
24 "I tell you
the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I
assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when
the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe
famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them,
but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were
many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not
one of them was cleansed — only Naaman the Syrian."
28 All the
people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got
up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on
which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30 But
he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. NIV
The Jews were furious with Jesus when he
told them the heathen were more receptive than those who claimed to be
God’s people. Elijah went to widows in heathen lands because
God’s people were too proud to listen. Naaman, a man from a heathen
country, came to Israel seeking Elisha to heal him, while the Jews
refused to listen to Elisha. They were religious but ungodly. Religion
in and of itself had become their means to recreate themselves in their
image of themselves.
Too often, religion becomes a means of
self-justification, which only blinds us to our real need.
Rather than seek God, we vainly seek self approval. The result is an
arrogance that makes us our own God. I believe it is easier to reach
people who have no knowledge of religion than it is to reach those who
have simply become religious.
We are all spiritually poor and hungry,
but only God can fill us. We have a natural hunger for God, but
Satan steps in and misdirects our efforts. The psalmist portrays God
filling barren lives.
Psalms
107:33-38
33 He turned
rivers into a desert,
flowing
springs into thirsty ground,
34 and
fruitful land into a salt waste,
because of the
wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned
the desert into pools of water
and the
parched ground into flowing springs;
36 there he
brought the hungry to live,
and they
founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed
fields and planted vineyards
that yielded a
fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed
them, and their numbers greatly increased,
and he did not
let their herds diminish. NIV
The Holy Spirit is here to help those mourning for a better way of
living. Through
his power you can lay aside the deceptive ways of Satan. He is here to
reorder our thinking as we hunger for a better way of living. He is
willing to reveal a new way of thinking to those meek enough to listen.
Romans 12:2
2 Do not
conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
NIV
Ephesians
4:21-24
21 Surely you
heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is
in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to
put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful
desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put
on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and
holiness. NIV
Paul believed he was the chief of
sinners, yet, he boasted of his position in Christ. It’s our
position in Christ that motivates us to live better. We are not trying
to live better to gain a sense of self-worth—to justify our purpose for
living.
Many have linked pleasing God too
strongly to performance. They are displeased with anything short
of perfection in themselves, and they suspect God has the same standard.
Christ’s sacrifice it all the justification for living we need. God has
given us self-worth despite our ability to perform. Christ’s death is
all the justification for living we need. Christ makes us worthy to
stand in God’s presence.
All we have to do is to accept Christ. It is
the free gift of God. It is not accomplished by works, it is solely by
grace, not of works lest we begin boasting—or comparing ourselves with
ourselves.
Conclusion:
Now is the time to stop the relentless
pursuit of self. You can claim the free gift of God today. You
must believe in Christ—give you life to him—allow him to restore you to
your original position in God’s creation.
Accepting Christ means dying to this
world. Baptism into Christ represents dying to this world’s way
of thinking to rise to a new life in Christ (Romans 6:3-4).
Want you accept God’s free gift of life
today.
Bible Study
Questions
-
How does reprogramming a computer compare
to reprogramming our minds?
-
Where does spiritual healing begin?
-
What part does God’s word play in
spiritual healing? What are the negative and positive aspects of
following God’s word?
-
What approach does the world take to
discovering self-worth?
-
What happens when we strive to live up to
self-made images of ourselves?
-
Where does pride and self-exaltation lead?
-
What happens when we fail to live up to
our self-made image of ourselves?
-
Why did the apostle Paul cry, “What a
wretched man I am!”?
-
Why did Jesus say, “Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for they shall see God.”?
-
How can mourning for a better way of
living lead us to God?
