LET'S BE A HEALTHY CHURCH

Why are so many Christians sick?

Should we accept it as normal? If not, how are we supposed to go home to be with the Lord? Is it wrong to see a doctor when I am sick? What is the scriptural course of action to take if I am sick?

God wants us to have all rounded health - in Spirit, financial, health, etc

3 John 1:2 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Matthew 5 Blessed are those who Hunger over god righteousness. The rightness of god in our spirit, our mind, emotions, willpower, physical body, relationship. If we do hunger and seek after the righteousness of god, we ought to be filled.

Bible teaches us that we should have wholeness not just one part of our life, but every part.

1. Why are so many Christians sick?

1 Corinthians 11:27-32 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

V27 - Eating and drinking unworthily is when we don't understand that the broken body of Jesus Christ on the cross is for the wholeness and healing of our body. Every believer coming to partake of the holy communion, our mind should go back 2000 years ago when Jesus was on the cross crucified for our sickness and healing. When we appreciate that Jesus has done all that he could ever do for us, then it should make us examine ourselves not to take things for granted. We do not take sins lightly. We take a serious view of sin and not flippant about losing living although we still slip into sin, we repent and get total cleansing.

V29 - every time we take the holy communion we remind ourselves it is the sacred moment, pause and stand still for s while as we look to the precious blood of Christ. Ask for forgiveness for those whom we sin against.

V30 - premature death - that is the reason why some had a premature death. Because 2000 years ago Jesus took our sins upon himself and we are made whole - the whole of our life not only a certain part.

V31 - if we judge ourselves honestly in the truth and honest way, we ask for forgiveness for the way we respond and reacted. We will still sin and make mistakes but we judge and deal with our Sin so that we will not be judged

V32 - when we are judged we are disciplined, god will discipline and judge us. The pain is not worth the pleasure. When god judge us sometimes a life can be taken but we will still be saved. If we tripped we get up again, we confess and judge ourselves. But if we leave the sin too long and god steps in, our life may be taken.

Paul says because of Christ sacrifice on the cross we should take our life seriously. We are reminded of his sacrifice and revere him by judging ourselves honestly, confessing our every wrongdoings and repent before god.

When a bad habit is snowballed, stop it before it becomes a mountain. Come before the lord every night and confess and repent of our Sin. We want to be quiet, judge ourselves, Holy Spirit will train us.

The greatest hindrance to prayer is to forgive the person who hurt us and ask Holy Spirit to help us.

2. Is it wrong to see the doctor when we are sick?

Doctors are fighting the same thing we are fighting using different methodology. Each person has different levels of faith. Some do not take Panadol when having headache. If we have great faith for healing we must not impose on others.

A preacher with the strong healing power to heal others but his Wife was suffering pain at home. He sought the lord with tears. Jesus appeared to him and shared with him face to face that it is in His divine destiny that his Wife will die. Jesus said just because he ask, He asks his Wife to go ahead with the surgery and she shall live and not die. His Wife lived many years before she went home with the lord.

The other extreme is when we open the cabinet with all kinds of medicine, we ought to seek the lord and we can be well. Pray before we see a doctor and pray before we go for surgery. Get a sense of god's direction.

3. Are there clear promises in the Bible that God will heal us?

Isaiah 53:1-5

1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows, Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes, we are healed.

If Isaiah were to bring us to the cross to see Jesus, we will hide our face. He had born our sickness and carried our pain. The roman soldiers crucified Jesus but god sent him on the cross. In fact, we did it cos without shedding of blood there is not redemption.

Matthew 8:16-17

16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick,

17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “ He Himself took our infirmities

And bore our sicknesses.”

Our position is sealed - we are people who are healed but we need a lot of faith - that is the requirement. Clear promises that we are healed. He came to save if from sin and heal us of our sicknesses - spirit soul and body. We must also take care of our body cos our spirit is in a body. If we are physically sick it is very hard to pray.

God made Jesus who knew no sin to be Sin so that we can be free from sin. God made Jesus who has no sickness to be sick so that we have triumphed over sickness. We give god our sickness so that we can be healed. God promises us wholeness and healing.

John 10:10

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.

Exodus 23:26 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.

Psalm 91:16 16 With long life, I will satisfy him,And show him My salvation.”

Sermon by Ps Rony. Note by Sis Veron