Hey, podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. And right now, your generous gift will have twice the impact thanks to the Light the Darkness matching challenge. It's active now through December 31st.
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Before we began today's program, I wanted to say a word about the recent election. In 1 Timothy 2, Paul said we should pray that government would basically protect us and then leave us alone to practice our faith. And I think the election has ensured that's going to happen for the next four years. I've known President Trump for almost 10 years, and I know religious freedom is a very real priority with him. We need to remember that it is not government's responsibility to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That's our responsibility and one we need to take advantage of while there's still time. The only way we're going to change America is by changing the hearts of Americans, and that's only possible through the power of Jesus Christ. Thank you for supporting Pathway to Victory generously in this important time but limited time of religious liberty so together we can pierce the darkness with the light of God's word. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him saying, I am willing, be cleansed, and immediately the leprosy left him. Mark's account of it says, and Jesus moved with compassion. Aren't you glad we serve a Savior who can be moved with compassion? Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, health problems represent some of the most painful and devastating trials that a person can face.
So when a loved one is suddenly struck with an illness or some other crisis, how exactly should we respond? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress looks at two miracles performed by Jesus that demonstrate his healing power. Well, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. When you've been a Christian for a number of years, it's not uncommon to have seasons when you feel uninspired. Maybe the fire you once enjoyed is dwindled and you no longer feel the intensity of your early Christian experience.
Well, that's what our current study is all about. I've called it reigniting your passion for Christ. Nothing will rekindle your relationship with the Savior quite like spending time at his side and walking with him in real time. To help you experience this kind of intimacy with Jesus, I've written a daily devotional for you. It's ready to ship to your home on request when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. This navy blue leather-bound book is well over 500 pages in length with a devotional chapter for every weekday in 2025.
Here's what we're going to study together in 2025. From January to March, you'll come to understand how to determine God's will for your life. Then in spring and summer, you'll grow stronger in Christ with insights from the book of Colossians. And in the fall and winter, you'll journey through the parable of the prodigal son and into the loving arms of your Heavenly Father. Please request the daily devotional right now so that you receive this in time for the new year. And remember, your gifts have twice the power because of the matching challenge that's active right now.
I'll tell you more about that later. But right now, it's time to begin today's message. Let's step into the first century and take another look at our Savior.
We're in Luke chapter five, and I titled today's message, Jesus, the Perfect Healer. This week, I read about a parasitic flesh eating disease that is spreading rapidly in the Middle East, especially in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq. The disease causes large open sores on the skin that turn into large scars for its victims and permanent disfigurement that in turn produces a social stigma as these victims feel completely cut off from the rest of their community. As I read the horrible details of this new disease, I thought, yes, this is horrific, but it's really nothing new.
Thousands of years ago, there was a similar skin disease that spread rapidly through the Middle East. This disease not only caused physical pain, but it also brought emotional distress as its victims also were separated from their community. But as horrible as this disease was, it was no match for the healing power of Jesus Christ. This is what we're going to see today as we talk about Jesus, the Perfect Healer.
If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to Luke chapter five. We're in the story of the life of Christ that deals with the beginning of his public ministry. His fame was spreading rapidly, in large part because of the miracles that he performed. And today, we're going to look at two specific instances of Jesus' healing power through two very specific miracles.
These miracles are not only a demonstration of Christ's ability to heal whatever problem we're facing, but they also illustrate how we are to respond when illness enters our life or the life of someone we know or care about. First of all, let's look at Jesus' encounter with a leper. Verse 12, and it came about that while Jesus was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man full of leprosy. In the Bible, the term leprosy, both in the Old and the New Testament, is a catch-all word that describes any kind of skin disorder, whether it be the heartbreak of psoriasis or a full-blown case of leprosy like we just talked about.
But here, the disease of leprosy seemed to be the more serious kind since Luke notes that this man was full of leprosy. Now, let me stop here and say, in the Bible, leprosy is real, but it's also a picture of sin in our life. Let me point out to you four ways that leprosy is like sin. First of all, like leprosy, sin starts very small.
Sometimes you can't know somebody has leprosy until it is spread rapidly into a full-blown case. It's the same way with sin. Sin always starts small, but if it's left unchecked and untreated in your life, it will grow and grow and grow. Secondly, like leprosy, sin is hideous when it's seen for what it really is. Because when you see the destructive power of sin, and I see it every day, the broken relationships, the shattered dreams, the estrangement from God for all eternity, sin is nothing to laugh at.
It is hideous when seen for what it really is. Thirdly, like leprosy, sin is infectious. That is, sin contaminates everyone and everything it comes in contact with. And fourth, like leprosy, at least in biblical times, sin is incurable.
Today, we're able to cure leprosy. In biblical times, there was no cure for leprosy. And the same is true about sin. You cannot rid yourself of sin.
You can't clean yourself up and heal yourself. Interestingly, in Isaiah 64, verse 6, God said through the prophet Isaiah, your righteousness, that is the best you can do before God, is like a filthy rag in the sight of God. Now, that word filthy rag in Hebrew describes the rag, the piece of cloth that a leper would use to wrap his oozing wounds. The best you can do for God in his sight is like that filthy, dirty, disgusting leper's rag. Now, here we have a leper filled with leprosy who sees Jesus. And what does he do?
He doesn't care about the rules. He approaches Jesus because he's desperate for healing. Look at verse 12. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored him, saying, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Was Jesus willing to heal him? Could something inside of Jesus cause him to want to heal this leper?
Was Jesus someone who really cared about his suffering? Jesus answered that question by what he did next. Look at verse 13, and Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, I am willing, be cleansed.
And immediately the leprosy left him. Mark's account of it says, and Jesus moved with compassion. Aren't you glad we serve a savior who can be moved with compassion, who sees our need?
Something wells up inside of him and he wants to meet that need. That was Jesus. He said, I am willing, and so he reached out and he healed him.
Now, understand what Jesus was doing when he healed him. First of all, he was risking infection himself. Now, if it was me, I'd be, you know, grabbing for the hand sanitizer.
You know, wait a minute here. Here's somebody with leprosy. I don't want to contaminate myself.
I don't want to get the disease. But not only was he risking physical infection, he was saying, I'm willing to become ceremonially unclean myself. Because as soon as Jesus touched this diseased man, in God's sight, he was unclean as well.
Anybody who touched a leper was unclean. But here's a great picture of what Jesus does for us. Even though Jesus was the sinless, perfect Son of God, he was willing to become contaminated for us. He was willing to reach out and take our sin and bear it upon himself so he could provide us with the righteousness of God. That's what 2 Corinthians 5 21 says, talking about Jesus.
He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Now, what Jesus did next was very strange. Look at verse 14. And he ordered him, that is the leper, to tell no one. He ordered him to tell no one, but look at what he said in verse 14. But he said, I do want you to go and show yourself to the priests and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded for a testimony to them. So this leper approaches the priest.
You can see them sitting around a table drinking coffee, chewing the fat. This leper comes up. They look at him and they look at the scars that have been left by the leprosy, proving he had had leprosy, but was now completely free from the disease. Somebody has said it is as if that leper had dropped Jesus' business card right in front of them, saying Jesus the Messiah is here. This healing was Jesus' way of putting the priest on notice that the Messiah had arrived. Verse 15 tells us that the news of Jesus was spreading even further as a result of this miracle.
But then Jesus again does something that is completely unexpected. While the momentum is building, look at verse 16, Jesus himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. This is a constant theme throughout Luke's gospel, the prayer life of Jesus. The secret to Jesus' power and extraordinary effectiveness was his commitment to prayer. Now, again, you would think as Jesus' fame was increasing and people were hearing more and more, the disciples were saying, Lord, this is no time to be praying. We need you out front healing more people, doing more miracles. But Jesus understood there would always be more people to heal. There would always be more work to do. But he could not neglect that vital time alone with his Heavenly Father.
And neither can you and neither can I. Now, beginning in verse 17, we see Jesus perform another miracle. But unlike the miracle of the leper that was done in private, this miracle was performed very publicly.
Look at verse 17, the healing of the paralytic. And it came about one day that Jesus was teaching. And there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there who had come from every village of Galilee and from Jerusalem.
And just suffice it to say, the Pharisees and the scribes were not a part of Jesus' fan club. They sensed early on that he was about to turn upside down the political and religious establishment of the day. So they were always trailing Jesus, trying to trip him up.
They were in the crowd that day to listen to what he was saying. And look at verse 18, and behold, some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were trying to bring him in and set him down in front of Jesus. They wanted him to be with Jesus because they believed that Jesus had the power to heal their friend. So they carried him on a pallet in order to be placed in front of Jesus. But to their disappointment, when they got to the home, they realized it was standing room only. There is no way they were going to get close to the Lord. Fortunately, these four men didn't use negative circumstances to deter them.
What did they do? Look at verse 19. And not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher right in the center in front of Jesus. So he looks up at the man and his four friends, look at verse 20, and seeing their faith, he said, friend, your sins are forgiven you. Seeing whose faith? Well, not just the faith of the four men, but the faith of that paralytic who is willing to come down on that pallet and risk his life in doing so. Jesus says your sins are forgiven.
Now, I can just feel the disappointment of that paralytic as well as the four friends when they hear that. Sins are forgiven? Jesus, we didn't come here to have our sins forgiven, we came for physical healing. Why did Jesus say your sins are forgiven instead of healing the man?
Well, two reasons. First of all, by forgiving his sins, he was solving the man's deepest problems. You see, our deepest problem is not physical illness. Physical illness is only a symptom of a deeper problem, a deeper sickness we all have. It's the sickness of sin. All physical illness is caused by sin.
Now, wait a minute, don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I'm not saying all physical illness is caused by a particular sin we've committed. But the reason we all get sick is we've all inherited the sin virus from Adam. You see, God's plan for us originally never was that we would get sick or that we would never die. But because of Adam's sin, we've inherited the sin virus. Romans 5-12 says, just as through one man, sin entered the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. So by saying, your sins are forgiven, Jesus was dealing with the greater problem that this man had.
But there was a second reason he did this. Jesus pronounced him forgiven of his sins to demonstrate that he, in fact, was the Messiah. You know, even the Pharisees were sharp enough to pick up on this. Look at verse 21. And the scribes and the Pharisees begin to reason, saying, who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone? Only God has the ability to forgive sins, the Pharisees said. You got it right, Jesus said.
And that's what I'm declaring to do. Look at verse 22. But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier to say, your sins have been forgiven you, or rise up and walk?
In other words, Jesus was saying, you're right. Pharisees, anybody can go around saying, your sins are forgiven. I could come up to you today and I could say, your sins are forgiven. You wouldn't know whether I had the power to forgive your sins or not.
Anybody can say that. Jesus understood that. So in verse 24, he says, but in order that you might know that I, the Son of Man, has authority on earth to forgive sins, he said to the paralytic, I say to you, rise and take up your stretcher and go home. In other words, Jesus performed this miracle to show that indeed he was the Son of God who had the power to forgive sins.
What happened? Look at verses 25 and 26. And at once, the man rose up before them and he took up what he had been lying on and went home glorifying God. And they were all seized with astonishment. And they began glorifying God.
And they were filled with fear saying, we have seen remarkable things today. As I said at the outset of this message, there are two reasons Luke included these miracles in his gospel. First of all, to demonstrate that Jesus, in fact, was the Messiah by his authority over disease. But secondly, these miracles illustrate how we're to respond when illness or any other great need comes into our life. Let me close today by suggesting three very clear and timeless principles for what we as Christians should do when illness comes into our life or the life of someone we care about. Number one, we are to ask God for healing.
We're to ask God for healing. Look at 1 John 5, verse 14. And this is the confidence which we have before him that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Now, I want you to listen to me very clearly on this. There is no promise in the Bible anywhere that promises that if you ask God for something, he will automatically give it to you. No promise like that in the Bible. What there is a promise in the Bible of is this, you can ask God anything, no matter how unlikely it seems that would happen.
You can ask God for anything and he will answer that prayer request according to his will. That's what the leper did, didn't he? He said, Lord, if you are willing, I know you can cleanse me. Isn't that what Jesus did in the garden? He boldly asked God to provide another way than the cross.
Father, if it be your will, remove this experience from me. But then he said, yet not my will, but your will be done. Whenever we face a need in our life, we're not to try to say, gee, I wonder if this is God's will or not, and I don't know if I should pray about this or not. No, ask him anything that he places in your heart.
Boldly ask, but quietly trust in him to do what is best. That is faith praying. Secondly, when illness comes into our life, we ought to examine our lives for unconfessed sin. Examine our lives for unconfessed sin. Now, not all illness is the result of our own individual sins, but sometimes it is. Sometimes if we are living apart from God, God will use illness, not as a way of punishing us, but as a way to get our attention. And that's why one question we need to ask when we face illness is, is there anything in my life that may be displeasing to God? That's what the James 5 passage is all about that we read just a moment ago. Remember in James 5, 14, James says, is any 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. Some people believe that oil was a medicinal agent, which it was in the New Testament times. Perhaps James is saying, whenever you're ill, you ought to seek the best medical treatment you can find, but you also ought to pray. Some people say the anointing represents the Holy Spirit. It's representative of the Holy Spirit's power. But whatever this is, this is a subsidiary phrase, anointing him with oil. The command is, when somebody is sick, you're sick, let people pray for you. That's where the power is.
It's not in the oil, it's not in the mud, it's not ever in anything else. It is in the prayer. Whenever we're sick, we ought to have people pray for us. But notice what he goes on to say, and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, they will forgive him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you might be healed.
What does all this talk about sin? James is saying, not all sickness is caused by sin, but sometimes it is. And if your sickness is the result of sin, you need to confess your sins to one another as well.
Examine your life for unconfessed sin. And then thirdly, seek the prayers of others. When you face illness or some other great need in your life, you ought to seek the prayers of others. Notice what James says here, pray for one another so that you might be healed, the effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish much. God is impressed when he sees Christians praying together for the same thing. Isn't that true in the book of Acts?
Remember Peter was in prison? The church held a prayer meeting at a home and they were praying for the release of their leader when God miraculously released Peter and he ended up showing up at the home and the people couldn't believe it, they thought it was Peter's ghost. They couldn't believe God actually answered prayer. God takes notice when his people are praying together for the same thing and that means when you're facing a great need in your life, don't keep it to yourself. Let other people pray for you because the Bible promises the effective prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much.
How do we respond when illness comes into our life? We need to ask God boldly to answer our prayer. We need to examine our lives for unconfessed sin and we need to seek the prayers of other godly Christians. I'm delighted that you chose to follow along in this study of Luke chapter 5. The fact that you're listening right now is strong evidence that you're personally motivated to follow Jesus.
So let me give you a practical next step for learning more. As I mentioned earlier in today's program, I've written a brand new Pathway to Victory daily devotional for 2025. This is an annual tradition at this time of the year and I have to say this leather-bound edition is more beautiful and more substantive than anything we have published so far. And this edition includes a larger print size making it easy to read.
Plus, with the navy blue leather, it is magnificent. But the best part is this daily devotional gives me a way to come alongside you every weekday in 2025. Each chapter includes a devotional thought from me, a Bible verse, and some ideas for prayer and practical application. A copy is yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Bear in mind that right now until the deadline of December 31st, every dollar you give to Pathway to Victory will be matched because of the stunning Light the Darkness matching challenge in the amount of 1.5 million dollars. Until the deadline on December 31st, your generous gift of say $100 becomes $200. A $500 gift becomes $1,000. A $5,000 gift would be matched until it becomes $10,000.
Some are able to give even more. In any case, your gift will be doubled in impact to the glory of God. And together, we will continue to shine the light of His Word in the next year in order to bring healing and hope to our nation and world, one life at a time.
David. Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. Today, when you give a generous year-end gift toward our Light the Darkness matching challenge, we'll say thanks by sending you the brand new 2025 Pathway to Victory daily devotional. To request your very own copy, call 866-999-2965, or online, visit ptv.org. And when your gift is $100 or more, we'll also include the teaching series, Reigniting Your Passion for Christ, on DVD video and MP3 format audio discs.
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Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins inviting you to join us again Thursday for a special Christmas message called Stop and Smell the Manger. That's right here on Pathway to Victory. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. And right now, your special year-end gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact thanks to the Light the Darkness matching challenge. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact before the deadline on December 31st. To give toward the matching challenge, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
