Christ Our Healer — Paris Reidhead

Christ the Cleanser of Sinners

...concerning thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom today we would see as our healer. We're asking that the eyes of our hearts may open, touch our minds that we may perceive, our hearts that we may feel.

We will respond to whatever it is that thou, by thy Spirit, to our sicknesses. Be glorified. Every one of them to hear. But I heard a leper. A long line of people outside the camp. They had no fellowship, no participation.

And here is one who comes and says, Well, I think I'll make it today. I just got one spot in my hand. I did something I shouldn't. He says, Well, that's a little worse off than you are. I got a spot here on my lips.

I said something. Someone else said, Well, it's hit me here in the ear. I haven't heard anything more than that back there. There's no hope for you. The sole of his feet. You can't find a place on him as big as a quarter.

This chap is evidence of leprosy. As they come and line up before the priest, the one with the spot on his hand, unclean, the one with the spot on his foot, go back. Here comes this chap and looks at him.

Not just something that touches us, something that affects us, something, some part, but it is that which is from the top of the head again to the sole of the feet. Now this leper is coming to Christ, the one who gave the instructions.

And the leper did as all sinners would. Recognized the full extent of the disease. He realized there wasn't anything that he could do about it. And he came to Christ. It did not say that he asked for healing, and it did not say that he was healed.

He said, if thou wilt, thou can make me clean. You see, in this first portion of this marvelous chapter, with the Lord Jesus Christ is set forth as the cleanser of sinners. Salvation. And he said, I will.

He didn't say, be healed. He said, be healed. Old Testament, they went to the stream, they took living water, they bathed with leprosy. Dealt with Old Testament, it was exactly as it was here. It was a miracle.

A miracle of God's grace. This one with whom leprosy had taken him from the top of his head to the sole of his feet, went to the stream, sacrifice was made, blood was shed. He was washed in the water of the blood.

And so here comes the same one who did the miracle in the Old Testament of Christ. And he said, now don't advertise this and promote this until you have fulfilled all righteousness. Go to the priest. He will declare you to him so that the people will know that it has been.

He will accept you as having been a leper. And you must do everything that I prescribe in the law because the Lord Jesus Christ, who's cleansing that leper, is the very same one who spoke to Moses and gave him.

Faith in Christ: The Centurion's Humility and Compassion

That we see. Christ our healer must never disassociate salvation from sin. But in verses 5 to 6, the consideration of Christ. We pass from a miserable leper, well-established and really outstanding Roman officer.

Now both have faith in Christ. In heaven's mind, the faith that you express may not necessarily be. You express may differ from that of others. It always takes the faith in exercising the faith. Now, this Roman officer's faith is based first on his human kindness.

His kindness of heart. He is seeking nothing for himself, but he's troubled about his slave, his servant. Teaching us that God wants us to be as concerned about the needs of others as we are about our own neighbor, friend.

With someone who desperately needs Christ. Needs to know him. Needs to meet him. And he came to see. He sat down in the front view. He said, I said, I said, He said, I said, This man's tears started down my cheek because here was a man who was an elder and an outstanding evangelical church pastor and stood valiantly.

Among that company of people was so little insight into the nature of Christ our healer that this elder had to slip away ostensibly on a vacation in Florida so he could go down there to be in an environment where there was the possibility of a person in that church among that eldership with those people who like this centurion would have gone to the Lord in behalf of those who were suffering such great loss where obviously the enemy was attacking him at the blade of the strength of his ministry as there is a centurion.

I know that there would have been some Roman centurion in that New England church except my servant is sick. In the scope of your acquaintance in your and then the centurion. He doesn't just want you to come about your own need.

This kindness is often the best preparation for faith. Selfishness is often cynical and cynicism is always skeptical but when you care about someone and you're concerned about another you're going to find that faith is weak.

And then this centurion's faith is accompanied by humility. Christ is a Jew and he is a Roman centurion. Wouldn't he find it hard not to despise a Jew? But this particular Roman seems to be emancipated from his racial prejudice.

He's able to see the greatness of Christ and he decides Christ. He feels utterly unworthy. He's been enlightened by his experience. He said he knew power. He exercised it. Go and he goeth. Come and he cometh.

Do what he does. The power of Christ's command recognizes Christ's authority over nature. He recognizes his power over distant Christ. That's none of the promises of the word but this man. Encouragement it should be to us.

Christ's Constancy in Peter's Household

Centurions in Ephesians 14 and 15 you see the constancy of Christ. We saw his concern, his consideration. It's been a long day hasn't it? He's come down from the mount where he's delivered the sermon upon the mount to the throng.

He's been met by the leper. He's been dealing with the centurion. And now he goes to Peter's home to rest. They're not paid in trouble. They're not shut out at night. And Peter's association with Christ did not exclude illness in Peter's family.

Service to Christ, you loving Christ and serving him does not insure against your having trouble. Near the swamps along the shore. Galilee's still there. They've been drained by Israel and now planted but for a long time they were just fed in swamps and the mosquitoes.

Malarial berry mosquitoes were everywhere. So it wouldn't be at all surprising that Peter's mother told Galileo and stayed with his friends. He wasn't like John the Baptist to understand that service should be the automatic outcome and outflow of healing and blessing from the Lord.

Peter's wife's mother immediately sets about her tasks. It's not that what Matthew saw. He collects at the door of Peter's house. We've heard about the marvelous healing of Peter's wife's mother. They come.

He's there. The leper was healed. The centurion's servant is healed. Peter's wife's mother is healed. Details. His wife's mother. We don't know who they were that were being possessed. But they were delivered.

And we don't know who they were that were sick. Why? He puts it very clearly. That it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah, the prophet, saying, Himself took them in the midst of the camp. This one thou hast glorified, whom thou hast given the name.

It is above everything. Christ prepares the way for the work concerning forgiveness of sin as the evidence of the power of Christ to bless us.

Healing, Salvation, and the Shed Blood of Christ

Of course. But when the leper had Christ, John 3, 16, humbled Gregory, becoming himself obedient unto death.

The basis upon which Pyrrhus has been sharing with us is healing. It's found in the Eponymous,.

That is, one of the cardinal truths that we hold to. Salvation is found in that.

Examining Our Hearts Before Communion

Also in Corinthians, as we read, it talks about examining our own hearts. You can't examine mine. I can't examine yours. You don't really know what goes on within my heart and mind.

You may think you do. There is that precious word. I'm going to sing an acapella.

This is one of the songs that if you were to catch me driving down the road alone, I would proudly say, What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Let's stand together as we sing one or two verses of this, singing an acapella, while we're singing, examining your own heart, and then we're going to take just a moment or two for you to look to open communion.

The only thing we ask is that you know Jesus Christ.

Is your personal Savior. You've done everything you know to put it all under the blood of Jesus. Okay.

The Blood of Jesus and the Promise of Communion

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me nothing but the blood of Jesus?

That cleansing blood we've laid within you.

To remove those thought patterns of all that has come in through the past few days. You've been ready. Heavenly Father, that you so love us,.

That you've provided everything for us. Heavenly Father, someday communion will be set aside because we'll be able to talk with you face to face. Heavenly Father, this time it will be clear as the sun that you remind us that you love us so greatly this time and so on.

Your expression bathes the flow within our hearts and minds this time. But I thank you for the promise we've never sinned. You've provided everything for me. Your comfort brought me back and you took the bread from my hands.

Heavenly Father, strengthen me with your love. Amen.