A MESSAGE OF HOPE, JOY, PEACE Psalms 73:24

 A MESSAGE OF HOPE, JOY AND PEACE

Psalms 73:24

We are all on a journey on this earth designed by God with a starting point and an ending. 

In  Isaiah  46:10 God said this;  Only I can tell you the future before it even happens.

Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.  

God has a plan for everyone. And everyone is in his plan 

I want to take a text from a verse in the Bible from  Psalms 73:24-25 NLT

IT IS A MESSAGE OF HOPE JOY AND PEACE

Psalms 73:24 -25

24 Lord You guide me with your counsel, 

leading me to a glorious destiny.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

There are 4 important points I want to speak to in this verse.

Divine Guidance

Divine Counsel

Heavenly Destination

A DESIRE TO BE LIKE JESUS

Psalms 73 was written by Asaph, the chief musician under King David

He was in charge of praise and worship. He considered his situation and observed that the rich, the powerful seem to enjoy life with no problems. They could say what they want and get away with anything, but I am suffering

 He said in verse 2  But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.

I got so caught up in what the world was doing, that I almost gave up on God.

But I remembered God and His goodness. So he gave us this prayer;

24 Lord, You guide me with your counsel, 

leading me to a glorious destiny.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

This is what we all should be seeking from God. I don’t know about you, but I don’t know everything, in fact I know very little.  I need 

Divine Guidance

I need Divine Counsel and 

I want a Heavenly Destination

A Changed Heart to be like Jesus

Life is complicated. We live in a world of violence. We really don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  We cannot determine how our day will start or how our day will end. We can only look back and say what happened.

We need divine guidance. We need the Lord who can order our steps. We need someone who knows where the road blocks are. We need someone who can guide us around or through an accident. We need someone that is bigger than the biggest gun, faster than a speeding bullet, smarter than the most intelligent person on earth to guide and direct us. 

We need someone who open closed doors and make a way out of no way

We need someone that is more powerful than all the leaders on earth to protect  us.

 I know that someone and his name is Jesus. 

WHAT DOES DIVINE GUIDANCE LOOK LIKE

Ps 37:23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

In order to allow God to direct your steps you must know and submit to God’s will. To know God’s will to follow God’s will you have to know His Word. BIBLE STUDY

You have to make up your mind to follow His Word. You must be intentional in following God  word You must  be in prayer for every decision

God is a good leader and will and cannot guide you wrong.  

Isa 8:19  But shouldn't people ask God for guidance? Should the living seek guidance from the dead? Why ask someone don’t know the Lord what to do?

The problem with trusting other people is you don’t know their heart. The only person you can trust is God. But what does that Look like? It your opinion  Or do you search scripture  then wait on God to reveal an answer? God may wait to see if you react or respond. We react on what we think. We respond based on meditation of God’s word

DIVINE  COUNSEL 

First You need divine directions and second ,

You need divine counsel. I don’t know about you, but I need divine counsel. I need someone to tell me the truth. We don’t need the opinions of others, we need the truth. Opinions are based on incomplete information. Opinions change as my thoughts change. Opinions change more often you change your underwear.

I need a truth that does not change, from a person that cannot change. Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes we don’t want to hear the truth. Sometimes we would rather go along with the crowd to be in the crowd. 

The Lord says I change not. He also said in Revelation you cannot add anything to my word or take anything away from it. The New Testament is over 2000 years old. Some parts of the Old Testament are over 4000 years old. It is the most read book in the world. It has survived the test of time.

Your situation is in the Bible. Whatever you are going through, somebody has already gone through it and the Lord has already talked about it, and given you directions on how to live with and deal with it.  Ecclesiastes 1: 9 say there is nothing new under the sun. 

Before Jesus returned to heaven He promised a divine counselor 

John 14: 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. 

How does this work? How do you receive God’s counseling? 

1. Jesus and the Father sent you a spiritual counselor

2. The counselor is always with you 

3. The spiritual counselor is just like Jesus

4. The spiritual counselor dwells within you

5. If you consult with Him, he give you the truth

6. You have to intentionally seek the truth that dwell in you

John 14:26  But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

1. Your teacher of the God’s Word is the counselor; the Holy Spirit

2. You have to study the Word to have reservoir of information stored in your brain

3. You have intentionally study the Word to get an understanding through the power of the Holy Spirit

4. In any situation the Holy Spirit will remind you of the truth

5. In any situation, you have intentionally listen for the Holy Spirit before responding

6. You must trust that Holy Spirit speaking is what you should say

There is hope. Despite what you are going through Family, there is Hope.

YOU HAVE DIVINE DIRECTION, YOU HAVE DIVINE COUNSEL 

AND YOU HAVE A GLORIOUS DESTINATION PREPARED FOR YOU 

There is no doubt in hope. It is a confident assurance in Jesus. Teach  the text to your family 

The Psalmist said in verse 21, I realized that my heart was bitter and I was all torn up inside.  He got caught up in what others had and was blinded to the grace God provided for his life

You have to come to the conclusion that everything will not be alright with you all the time. It’s ok, God designed life circumstance to keep you in prayer

All of us have or will experience a sense of brokenness. It is part of God’s plan to draw us closer to Him. He intends to make us perfect and lacking nothing. 

James 1:2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. NLT

Joy does not come from what you got, but who got you. Perfection does not just happen, its the pain God works in us.

Remember the Samaritan woman at Jacobs well in John 4, God designed her 6 Broken marriages to get her prepared to meet Jesus at the well. She accepted Jesus' words and took the Gospel to her whole village.  Her 7th marriage was to Jesus, a permanent relationship

Her brokenness was not just for her but her entire village. The Samaritan woman brokenness was a means to her wholeness. Your testimony brings others to Christ.

Consider this the woman had had 5 legal marriages but had not married the 6th. She may have given up on marriage. She was not a bad woman because 1. Jesus made a special trip to Samaria to meet her 2. Jesus did not condemn her and , 3 her message was accepted by the whole village,  they believed her testimony . 

HEAVEN IS YOUR HOME

The Psalmist  said in verse 23,  Lead me to a glorious destiny. Who do I have in heaven but you?

 Life is a journey to your heavenly home. Earth is not your home, you are just passing through  What a great prayer, God lead me to a glorious destination.

God never really tells us what heaven is but He does tell us what heaven is like. 

Isa 46:10

10 Only I can tell you the future before it even happens.

Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.

TAKING RESPOSIBILITY FOR HOPE

Eden asked me about heaven. Is Aunt Roro in heaven? Well Eden the Bible says this in 2 Corinthian 5:8 Absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. Your aunt Veronica who you called RoRo is with the Lord. 

Then Eden asked me, will I know her in heaven? Matthew 17:3 says three of Jesus' disciples went up to a mountain with Him, they saw and recognized Moses and Elijah who lived hundreds of years before they were born. Yes Eden you will know RORO when you get there. 

In heaven you will have a place prepared especially for you. Jesus said to all of us;

John 14:1-3 14 "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.

Heaven will be all about praise and worship. Revelation 4:9 The angels sang Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty the one who was who is and still is to come 

Rev 4:9-11

9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say, 11 "You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power.

It is a place of meet and greet, in Matthew 17:3,  that what Eden asked about  You will know people you never met.

Matt 17:2-4 Jesus' appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.  4 Peter blurted out, "Lord, it's wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I'll make three shelters as memorials—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

It is a place where there will be no pain or sorrow Revelation 21:4  There will be nothing but good times. 

Rev 21:3-4  God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever." Rev 21:4  "Look, I am making everything new!"

  

HEAVEN IS A PLACE WHERE JESUS RESIDES

John 14:1-3

Is that a place you will want to go? It is available to you

 Let me tell all of you, you cannot get there without a relationship with Jesus. 

You don’t have time to waste,  You don’t know the time or the place  Jesus will come for you.

TAKING RESPOSIBILITY FOR HOPE

Rom 15:13-14

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus' hope has no ifs and no doubt. It is the absolute assurance from God. You have to believe and take hold of it. It will over flow through you. Our job is to express that hope to everyone

Hope Changes what you can see 

Luke 4:18  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 

1. You have the Good News

2. It up to you to trust God’s word

3. God has set you free from the devils influence

4. You have been sent to excite others about Jesus

5. Jesus opened eyes so people can see the truth

6. Your circumstances may seem oppressive, but God is your freedom

The Bible says who ever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life  John 3:16

God didn’t say you have to belong to a church. God didn’t say you have to be doing any good work to be accepted in heaven. He did say whoever believes in Jesus, will have home in heaven. Jesus will take care of the rest. John 3:16

AMEN 

UNBELIEF A KILLER OF HOPE Numbers14:11

 

UNBELIEF A KILLER OF HOPE

       Numbers 14:11

Num 14:11 And the Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?

UNBELIEF IS A MONSTER

Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It dishonours Christ. It promotes the lie that He will withdraw His visible presence from us. It is true weed, the seeds of which we  can never entirely remove from the soil of our lives. We must aim at its root, the lie of the devil and do all we can with zeal and perseverance to rid ourselves from it. We have to take responsibility for removing all unbelief that exists in our hearts.

Have you ever planted a garden? You prepared the soil, put in the right nutrients and planted seeds. But weeds show up in the mist. Weeds will take over unless you pull them out. Unbelief is a weed of ungratefulness.

Unbelief overlooks all that God has done in favor of a negative view of current circumstances. The whole group of Israelites had witnessed  their release from bondage in Israel. They saw the Red Sea parted and all walked on a dry sea bed to safety. They witness the drowning of the entire Egyptian Army in the same sea.  They were given the law as a guide to live by. 

They would rather go back and live as slaves in Egypt than be free  in the desert with God’s provisions.  They were a nation of complainers rather than a nation of grateful people. They could not see that it was God who was protecting them from the enemies all around them.

Before you ever complain. Remember that there are hundreds of thousands of people around the world who would gladly change places with you.

UNBELIEF IS A HATEFUL THING

 Among hateful things unbelief is the most to be feared. Its injurious nature is the venom of a deadly snake that is hurtful  to you as a child of God and to Him that chose you before the foundation of the earth.  Unbelief  is   wicked, because it ignores the grace and mercies of the Lord that He has showered on our past. It  increases the guilt of doubting Him . When we distrust the Lord Jesus, we cause Him to withhold future favor to us. At the  tomb of Lazarus Jesus was grieved at their unbelief that He was the Lord of resurrection and life.

We are chosen as the bride of Christ. Our unbelief dishonors Him our bride groom who shed His blood on the cross for our salvation, 

It is saying to God, your good is not good enough. Your work in my life don’t please me. I wish you would give me what I want or let me get it for myself. Unbelief devalues the good in our do only to God  for a fantasy. 

The Israelites hated being in the desert, They never ceased  complaining  to God 

Ex 16:3 "If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt," they moaned. "There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death."

Their complaining was hurtful to them, their families and to God Almighty. They were free, but freedom has a cost and comes with responsibility. Freedom with God requires you to give up your agenda and take on His Agenda for your life. 

UNBELIEF IS A SIN

The sin is needless, foolish, and unwarranted. Jesus has never given us any reason to doubt Him. By His nature, His character, love for the Father and love for us, we have all evidence to believe in Him. Our conduct of unbelief is sin against the one true and living God. Jesus is the Son of the Highest, and has unlimited wealth. Unbelief is a waste of time and energy because it takes sides with the enemy of God who defeated him in the heavens and cast him as the father of darkness. We should never doubt an all powerful and all sufficient God. 

UNBELIEF IS A TRAITOR

Only you can get rid of the lying traitor unbelief with complete submission to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. After being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan river, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil for forty days and forty nights. After which the flesh that embodied Him was weak. With power of the Word of truth He resisted the devil and he left him.The Word of God will triumph over unbelief every time its shows its ugly face. 

UNBELIEF IS DESTRUCTIVE

Ps 14:1  Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!

A  man without the Word of God travels blindly 

Hos 4:6 My people are being destroyed because they don't know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I forgot to bless your children

Your family and future generations of family may be affected by your unbelief.

1 Cor 10:13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you

Unbelief eliminates God’s help out of the situations you get in.

UNBELIEF IS INFECTIOUS 

• Unbelief affects those around you. When unbelief is in the mind, it is hard to remove it 

• Adam and Eve was told to be fruitful and multiply which they did. The question was Cain and Able their first children? God does not tell us. Cain was counseled by God about his anger but would not listen. He killed his brother and a nation of unbelievers were born 

• We are commanded to teach the word to our children Deu 6:7. Not teaching the word is unbelief

• Unbelief separates you from God 

• Unbelief in the promises of God separates the believers from blessing

• Unbelief hardens the heart

• Unbelief blinds you the spiritual insight

• Unbelief results in missed opportunities to experience God’s power and provisions. In Mark 6:5, In Jesus hometown, Nazareth, He could not do any miracles because of the people's unbelief.

THE BIBLE IS ACCURATE AND THE TRUTH TO BELIEVE

HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE SURVIVED OVER 4000 YEARS WITHOUT CHANGE? 

 ARCEOLOGY DATA SUPPORTS THE ACCURACY OF THE BIBLE

1. The Dead Sea Scrolls found in the Quran caves  outside of Jerusalem in 1947

         They proved the accuracy of the Old Testament. There are fragments 

          Basically every book in the Old Testament. They are dated 300 years  

          before the birth of Christ and found to be word for word accuracy with  

          The current Old Testament.

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2. The Cyrus cylinder found in 1879  In 539 BEC, after conquering Babylonia, Cyrus II of Persia (Cyrus   the Great) permitted various religias the Cyrus Cylinder, was  discovered in March, 1879 in the foundation of the Ésagila temple in  Babylon by the Assyrian Christian Assyriologist and archaeologist      Hormuzd Rassamous groups, including perhaps 40,000 Jews, to return to their native land. Cyrus also issued a  declaration inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform on a clay cylinder. The   cylinder, which has become known 

3. The Pool of Saloam found in 2004 

• en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Pool_of_Siloam

• Pool of Siloam - Wikipedia

• The Pool of Siloam was built during the reign of Hezekiah (715–687/6 BCE) to leave besieging armies without access to the spring's waters. The newly constructed Siloam tunnel fed the pool.

The Siloam Pool has long been considered a sacred Christian site, even if the correct identification of the site itself was uncertain. According to the Gospel of John, it was at the Siloam Pool where Jesus healed the blind man (John 9:1–11). 

THE CURE FOR UNBELIEF

1. TRUST GOD

2. STUDY TO UNDERSTAND THE WORD

3. ACT ON THE WORD

4. FIND GOD’S PROMISE THAT FITS YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE

5. COUNT GOD’S BLESSINGS EACH DAY

6. DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE OF GRADITUDE

7. PLACE YOUR HOPE IN JESUS

The Bible is the only truth you can believe. To live without

Applying the word of God to your life is foolish. 

The devils job is to keep in doubt and to believe the lie 

That Jesus will not do what He promised you. The Bible is the printed word of God to prepare you to live an abundant life with overflowing love, peace, and joy full of assurance 

Hope in the Lord. It has been proven to be accurate.

The Lord wants to answer all our prayers, Faith is the answer.

Pray this prayer;

Mark 9:24  The father instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"

LORD IF YOU ARE WILLING YOU CAN HEAL ME

  

LORD IF YOU ARE WILLING 

Luke 5:12-16

12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. "Lord," he said, "if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean."

13 Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared. 14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, "Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed." 

15 But despite Jesus' instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

THE LAW OF MOSES

Lev 13:45 "As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' 46 "He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp

Lev 14:2-3

"This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. Now he shall be brought to the priest, 

Lev 14:10-11

 "Now on the eighth day he is to take two male lambs without defect, and a yearling ewe lamb without defect, and three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and one log of oil; 11 and the priest who pronounces him clean 

THE CHARACTER OF SIN

Luke 5:12-15

The leper was an outcast. He was put out of the city. He lived alone.

He was considered dead to the community. Some may have thought his condition was a result of his sin (John 9:1-2).  He was left to die.

But he heard about Jesus. He believed in the the power of Jesus.

I. LEPROSY AFFORDS A STRIKING REPRESENTATION OF THE CHARACTER AND CONSEQUENCE OF SIN.

1. This spiritual leprosy has rendered all our race unclean in the sight of God and in the judgment of His holy law.

(1) Sin shuts us out from His presence,

(2) Sin separates us  from a place among His people.

2. No skill or power of man can cure this disease which sin is

3. This disease, if not healed, will result in eternal death.  Death is not the cessation of being, but a state of awful terror, pain, and wretchedness. This is the issue to which sin is bringing its victims.

YOU HAVE HOPE BEFORE THE LORD, THERE IS A CURE

II. In God, our case is not altogether hopeless; there is a cure.

 OBSERVE THE STEPS TAKEN BY THIS LEPER TO OBTAIN A CURE. Thus we may learn what the disposition is, in which we should endeavour to approach the Saviour, who alone can heal our spiritual leprosy.

1. The first thing I would notice in this leper's conduct is the eagerness and haste with which he ran to Jesus immediately he met Him.

According to the Law he was not supposed to be in the city. According the Law he was to announce himself to be unclean to any one approaching him.  don’t let anything keep you from getting to Jesus, The world my write you of but Jesus does not 

2. The leper humbled himself before the Lord. . His eagerness in seeking relief did not cause him to forget what was due to the character of Jesus from whom that relief was sought.

3. The confidence he entertained of Christ's power. Have not we far stronger grounds for this than he had?

Luke 5:16-17; Luke 5:16-17

Vers. 16, 17. And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed. --

Jesus praying: -- What were the special reasons which led our Lord at this time to go away for prayer.

I. THE NEED OF INWARD REFRESHMENT OF WHICH HE MUST HAVE BEEN CONSCIOUS.

1. Christ was full of the truest, tenderest sympathy.

2. His sympathy was invariably practical

3. It was intensely personal; general enough to embrace the multitude; particular enough to fix itself on the individual. We can imagine, therefore, how exhausted He must have been.

II. THE FEELING OF SADNESS WHICH CAME TO HIM IN VIEW OF THE SPIRITUAL APATHY OF THE MULTITUDES WHO WERE SO EAGERLY SEEKING HIM. If we are deeply concerned for the spiritual welfare of men we shall feel something of the same sadness.

III. HIS CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE DANGER TO HIS SPIRITUAL MISSION WHICH WOULD ARISE FROM A PREMATURE POPULARITY. Prayer is the only true preservative against the perils of success. Because of our success we are in danger --

1. Of rushing on too fast.

2. Of becoming self-dependent.

3. Of growing unsympathetic.

DON’T LET YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE STOP YOU FROM SEEKING JESUS

Luke 5:12-13

12 In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. "Lord," he said, "if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean."

There was a law concerning leprosy. I believe the as best he could followed the law.

Lev 13:45 "As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!' 46 "He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp

The man came seeking Jesus inside the village which was a violation of the Law of Moses. According to the law a leper was to be outside the village. 

When approached by anyone he was required to cry out unclean!,                   unclean !

Apparently the man had heard that Jesus was in the village, ignored the law and came seeking Jesus. He had nothing to lose, but everything to gain. 

BELIEVED THE REPORT ABOUT JESUS  APPLIES TO YOU

I am sure if you were suffering from an incurable disease and heard about a doctor that cured others, you would make an appointment. 

We have the report in the Bible about the healing power of Jesus. He healed untold number of people of all kinds of illnesses. In many cases he told the one who came to Him that their faith in Him made them well. He did not require an appointment or a price. The only requirement was to seek Him by faith. 

The Lord is the same today as yesterday. He is no respecter of person. 

Your prayers by faith activates God’s healing. He made you and know all about you. Your condition is know surprise to Him. There is nothing too hard that He can’t handle and nothing to small for him not to concider

HONOR THE LORD WITH PRAYER AND CONFIDENSE

While the man was an outcast,  he knew the power of Jesus. He was forced to live in isolation but he knew the proper way to honor the Lord. This indicates he was a religious man and believed in God’s commands. He bowed to the ground and beg for a healing. He expressed confidence in the power of Jesus. He didn’t have the power, the doctors didn’t have the power, the priest didn't have the power, but he knew Jesus had the power.

When you bring your prayer request to Jesus, come with confidence that He will heal you. He said; if you are willing, you can heal me.

The Word says bring you prayers and petitions to Him with thanksgiving

WAIT ON THE LORD TO ANSWER YOUR PRAYER

Luke 5:13-14

13 Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared.

When you take your prayers to Jesus, wait on His timing. Jesus can heal instantly or  he may wait till another time when others can witness the miracle and God gets the Glory, 

Notice Jesus touched the man and he was healed. Don’t limit God's healing by your way of thinking. God can heal by thought, by touch or through the hands of a doctor. Gods healing power is activated  in your prayer life.

It was the man who reached out to Jesus. It was the man who humbled himself before the Lord. It was man who worshipped the Lord in prayer.

It was the man who bowed down in humble submission. It was the man who expressed confidence in the power of Jesus. 

Jesus recognized the man's faith and determination to be healed. The community had given up on him. The religious leaders had given up on him. The family had given up on him. No one came interceding for him. He represented himself in character and position. 

Don’t ever give up on Jesus. The Lord has the last say. Your situation is never hopeless with the Lord

AN IMPOSSIBLE REQUEST

Luke 5:14

14 Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, "Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed." 

Can you imagine the excitement of the man with leprosy when he looked at his hands, legs, and felt his face and all the sores were gone and he was completely healed. Because he was touched by Jesus he was no longer an outcast. I don’t know about you but I would want to shout and tell the world.

But Jesus said tell no one. He had to go to the temple in Jerusalem and

Show himself to the priest to be certified clean. The people in the temple may have known him.

Along the way to the temple the healed man had to acquire two sparrows and two lambs for a sacrificial ceremony. An 8 to 10 day cleaning process involving the seller of animals, and several Priests.  I have often heard that if something is known by more than one person, it is not a secret.  

I believe the average person would want to know how he got  cleaned and who was involved, and where did the cure take place

When he was declared clean by the priest, could the man who was now clean tell some body. It was an impossible request.

Apparently there are some things God does not want us to reveal to others until the right time. This request Jesus made to man healed to tell no one was a test of his obedience, a test of his gratefulness and a test of his patience.  Some times God test us before the healing. The problem we face may be designed to grow our faith.

At 30 years old Jesus was Baptized by John the Baptist and immediately led to the desert to be tested by the devil for 40 days and nights. The devil

Tempted Him three times to break His faith, but Jesus responded each time with the scripture. 

The devil is relentless in his effort to

 It is easy to say you trust God until you get into a situation where you are required to trust Him

YOUR TESTIMONY IS IMPORTANT

Luke 5:14

This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed." 

This seems at first to be confusing. Tell no one, but you will have a public testimony of the healing by Jesus.

Jesus told the cured man not to say anything, but he had to tell the priest. His cleanliness would have been noticed by the  seller of the sacrificial animals. He would have passed   people in his village that would have noticed he was healed. We are not told how the cured man story got publicized.  

The story could have been spread by someone who witnessed the healing, the seller of the animals, or by the priest. God does not tell us

YOUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL GIVE OTHER PEOPLE HOPE

Luke 5:15 But despite Jesus' instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

The text did not say the cured man told anyone. It does say someone witnessed the cure.  Someone is always watching you. Someone may have’heard the man with leprosy call out to Jesus and saw him cured. 

We don’t know, Jesus did not elaborate. 

It does say Jesus does not deny anyone who comes to Him,

The news of lepers healing spread and many came to be healed.

His healing was a testimony that got other excited about Jesus

Jesus spent time in prayer with the Father. This was a long day

That required much work from Jesus. There are time when we need alone time with the Father in prayer, to get refreshed, revitalized and get new directions.