Thinking Theologically about Sickness and Healing, Part 3

Today, on Insight for Living, from Chuck Swindoll... When one of us suffers, it's natural to wonder why God doesn't swoop down from heaven and provide a rescue, especially when we've spent countless hours in prayer pleading with him for relief. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll points to several key passages of the Bible that give us a glimpse into the mysterious mind of God.

We'll discover that, even when he's silent, we can be sure that God is deeply compassionate about our suffering. As a foundation for his closing application today, Chuck begins with six biblical facts regarding sin and sickness. We need to understand our God and how he has put us together and how it relates to the whole realm of sickness, because they are interrelated. It will help you come to an understanding in your own study and in your own observation of others. So let me walk my way through this and share with you these facts.

Here's the first one. Primarily, there are two types of sin, original and personal. Original sin is traced all the way back to the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve, the first couple, yielded to the temptation of the devil, and in the fall into sin, they introduced into the human race a corruption, a pollution that has spiritually ruined humanity. This is called Adamic sin, original sin, the sin nature. Personal sin is an individual matter. Adamic sin is universal. When you sin personally, I do not necessarily sin, but we all have a sin nature, which we come by from birth. We are sinners by birth, and therefore we become sinners by choice. In acting disobediently, we carry out the fruit growing from the root of Adamic sin. Because deceit rests in my nature, I deceive. Because disobedience rests in my nature, I rebel and disobey.

Keep those two clear in your mind as we go to the second. Original sin introduced sickness, suffering, and death to the human race. Ezekiel 18 four, the soul that sins shall die. First Corinthians 15 21, for since by man came death, that man of course would be Adam, the first man. Fact number three, often there exists a direct relationship between personal sins and physical sickness. Not always, but often there exists a direct relationship between personal sins and sickness. Numerous examples are found in the scriptures.

I want you to turn to one that is notorious. It is David, Psalm number 32. It's a notorious example of a man who sinned with Bathsheba. This famous sin has been left in his legacy as a part of the heartache of his life, but the struggle the man went through while hiding the adultery and the hypocrisy and the murder of Bathsheba's husband, all of that built to such a place that he became literally sick. And the misery didn't leave until we came to terms with our wrong. Verse five, finally I acknowledged my sin to thee. My iniquity I did not hide. I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and look at the result. Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin.

Now, back to our facts. Number four, sometime there is no relationship between personal sins and human afflictions. Sometime there is no relationship between personal sins and human afflictions. And this is a good time for me to caution you about being the messenger of God to every person who is ill, telling them there must be something wrong in your life.

You have no right to say that. Occasionally you may be the appointed Nathan in some David's life. Occasionally God may use you to carry out Galatians 6 one, you who are spiritual help in the restoration of one who has fallen. Where sin is involved, you may be the one to say you are the man or you are the woman, but you may not be. And it may not be suffering because of sin.

Sometime there's no relationship. You're in the New Testament, look at John chapter nine and you see a classic example of a man born blind. And his blindness had nothing to do with personal sins of himself or of his parents. John nine, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him saying, Rabbi, who sinned? See they had been taught by their teachers that when you find sickness then you know it's the result of sinfulness. Did this man sin or his parents so that there would be blindness? Jesus answered, look at this answer, it was neither that this man sinned nor his parents.

He's blind for a sovereign plan from God, not related to some disobedient act of his parents or himself, but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him, which leads to another subject entirely. And I want you to see the occasion when Jesus himself says this affliction is not related to personal sins. If I may, one more, Hebrews 4.15, it is a verse that you and I have quoted related to prayer and the Lord's ministry to us.

Hebrews 4, 14 and 15, since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the son of God. Let us hold fast our confession. Look at this 15th verse. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. Here is an affliction, a weakness. He sympathizes with us. But he is one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

What's my point? My point is if it were some act of sin that created our weaknesses, the writer would say confess your sins, you'll recover. But he says here in our weakness our Lord is moved over our affliction.

He's touched with our weaknesses. He doesn't say therefore deal with the sin in your life and you'll recover. He says his heart is moved over your pain. He is grieved with you over the length of your depression. He sits alongside you as it were in the hospital room as you live with the impact of this dread disease. As you go through the chemotherapy related to your malignancy, he is touched with feelings of sympathy for you in your weaknesses. It's not as simple as simply confessing sins and finding recovery.

If it were, he would say so. Here we read that he sympathizes with us in our weaknesses because there is no direct relationship between personal sins and sicknesses. I have known too many people who have been gravely ill and have sought their heart, have searched their heart to find wrong there and find nothing there that they haven't confessed. And I have seen many of them waste away wondering what it could be related to their lives when it may not be related to sin at all. Personal sins. Now keep an open mind. You've stayed with me through four of these. This is where the rub comes.

Number five. Sometimes it is not God's will that we be healed. Sometimes it is not God's will that we be healed. I am so convinced of this that I'm going to set aside a special message in this series on reasons we are not healed. Because that again is seldom addressed. Only the healing part of life is addressed.

Seldom do we hear anyone come up front and talk about why is it that he doesn't heal. What are some of the reasons set forth in scripture? While your Bible is opened close by, look at 2 Timothy chapter 4, very near the end of Paul's last letter, verse 20. Sometimes it is not God's will that we be healed. Three are named in scripture as literally not healed. Erastus remained at Corinth. I'm in 2 Timothy 4.20. Erastus remained at Corinth. Trophimus I left sick at Miletus.

Now wait a minute. Paul in the days of the apostles, Paul as an apostle had the supernatural gift that God gave him and the apostles to heal during the period when the apostles were to be verified as true emissaries of God before the scriptures were complete. And here the apostle Paul says I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. He didn't heal him. He was left sick.

That's all we know. Philippians 2.27, working your way back toward the earlier part of the New Testament, Philippians 2.27. Referring to Epaphroditus, there is another example. Indeed he was sick to the point of death. But God had mercy on him and not on him only but also on me lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Here is a man who was sick, verse 26, in fact sick to the point of death and Paul was helpless to turn things around until God intervened.

Whatever may have been his sickness we're not told. And the classic one is 2 Corinthians chapter 12 which you will remember as Paul himself. 2 Corinthians 12 verse 7. Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason to keep me from exalting myself there was given me a thorn in the flesh. Now here is this classic thorn in the flesh. I've heard men refer to their wives as a thorn in the flesh. I've even heard wives refer to their husbands as a thorn in the flesh. This thorn is not that kind of thorn.

This is a stake. This is a piercing pain. Perhaps it was head pain like migraine. It was some bodily pain of some kind.

He calls it a messenger allowed by God, a messenger of Satan for the purpose of buffeting me to keep me from exalting myself. You don't meet many proud people who are sick. You meet very few arrogant people who are living with lingering pain. It humbles us. It buffets us.

It breaks us. And he says concerning this, concerning what? The thorn. The thorn I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. This is the great apostle Paul who could say it all in one sentence, one request, but three separate times perhaps at the point virtually of unconsciousness and pain. He pled with God to take away the thorn three times.

And he said no three times. Verse 9. He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. Power is perfected in weakness.

So the answer was no and the rest of that is another story. Sometime it is not God's will that we be healed. Will you be very, very careful what you promise a person who is sick? Will you guard your lips from heresy because of a gush of emotion or a concern for them and their pain?

We can go further than we should and place before them expectations that have no biblical foundation. It is not God's will that every person be healed. If it were, there would not be a sick Christian today.

Certainly not one who lives with illness. For those in his family would be shielded from it and quickly pulled out of it. Think. Think biblically. Think theologically. If passages like this and there are others that can be used set this forth, then apply that to your prayer life and to your words with your sick friends. There are words of comfort you can bring without promising healing. God is there. He does not forsake us. He is with us through the hardest times but it is not always with the promise of healing or relief from pain.

Now the happy news is number six and perhaps with this we should stop. On other occasions it is God's will that we be healed and he does so. On other occasions it is God's will that we be healed and he does so. Just a hint, a quick glance and our message ends. James chapter five to which we want to turn in our next study.

Time doesn't permit it now so we will develop it then. James five verse thirteen down through verse sixteen. Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful?

Let him sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? It's a different word entirely not only in English but in Greek. From the word suffering in verse thirteen.

I'll explain that when we go into it deeper. This is a word for sick. This is a word for incapacitated, weak and unable to get around.

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. Look at the promise. In this case the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick and the Lord. Notice it's not the man who prays, not the elders. The Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins they will be forgiven him. He may or may not have had sins related to his sickness but if he has they will be confessed and that will be used in the healing. He'll be forgiven. Remember, confess your sins to one another.

Pray for one another so that you may be healed. It's a profound subject full of intrigue and interest and anyone who thinks deeply wrestles with the whys and wherefores of it. Perhaps we've gotten far enough into it to make you aware that there is a lot of it that you just don't know.

Someone has said years past in my life, education is going from an unconscious to conscious awareness of one's ignorance. That happens in the scriptures. An education in the word of God awakens me to the vast realms of my ignorance. I tend to back away and become less dogmatic about a lot of things once I become aware of this magnificent God whom I love and serve and his plan that is supremely mysterious, profound. I'd like us to bow together.

Will you do that with me? Perhaps this hasn't brought the relief that you needed and wanted and anticipated. Hear us out on the subject.

Perhaps it has disturbed you that I would say it is not God's will that everyone be healed. Live with that. Stay with that thought.

Struggle it through. Think it out in scripture. Perhaps you hurt so much that you need the hope of at least the presence of God who is with you and you have certainly heard that.

Maybe you've heard enough to know that there's some things wrong in your life that have no business going on any longer and that may very well explain the misery of your present condition. If so, heed the words of James, confess your sins. As a child of God, you will be forgiven. He will raise you up. Lord, in this quiet moment of reflection, we recommit ourselves to you. Times like we have spent around your word have reminded us that we are the clay and you are the potter.

We do not shape ourselves but you shape us just as you formed us in the womb so you continue to work upon us and within us. How anxious we are for relief, ideally instant relief, but how necessary is the period of waiting where we grow wiser, deeper. For humility has a chance to take place replacing conceit and arrogance and needless pride, dogmatism. Make us people of comfort, those who bring hope and truth to individuals who have lost heart and remind us, Lord, that we are all living our lives under your profound plan. May we find a sense of peace and purpose in that. I close, Father, by praying for those who this moment live with the grinding, relentless struggle of pain in their lives. Do comfort them. Be to them a shield and a protector.

Guard them from the enemy's thoughts of suicide. Hold them, Father, and use us in the process of their recovery and their suffering. I pray for those in the medical profession, for nurses who serve faithfully alongside the sick, for physicians who must do the difficult task. I pray that you would use these emissaries of mercy as your earthly angels of encouragement and strength to those who have lost their way. We pray these things, Father, trusting you for the outcome and for the glory in Jesus' dear name.

Amen. This is Insight for Living, and with Chuck's closing prayer, we conclude our three-day presentation called Thinking Theologically About Sickness and Healing. This is message number nine in a 14-part study. And if you're prepared to take a deeper dive into the subject of sickness and healing and many of the other topics we address in this teaching series, I'd highly recommend Chuck's book. It's called Embraced by the Spirit, The Untold Benefits of Intimacy with God. In Galatians 5.25, the apostle Paul wrote these words, If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Strong counsel from the apostle about cultivating our walk with God. And in Chuck's book, you'll discover the wonderful outcomes when we walk right alongside God, keeping in step with His Spirit. To learn more about walking in this way, request a copy of Embraced by the Spirit by Chuck Swindoll. It's available for purchase when you call us.

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