Sermon given at Community Hospital of SDA on Sabbath, October 30, 2010

<p>Sermon given at Community Hospital of SDA on Sabbath, October 30, 2010</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

AudioVerse

Norman McNulty

Forgiveness and True Spiritual Healing

Father in heaven, we thank you for the Sabbath day.

I thank you for the opportunity to be here this morning.

I thank you for what we've learned about sanctification, and I pray as we look into Scripture and the writings of LMY about the concept of forgiveness, that it will give us a deeper understanding of what you want for us in the area of forgiveness.

Pastor George asked me to share a topic about forgiveness as it relates to better health.

Now what do you think forgiveness has to do with health?

How is good health and forgiveness related to each other?

Well first of all, how many of us have ever needed to be forgiven?

How many of us today need to forgive someone?

Is there someone out there right now that you need to forgive?

Well you know the Bible makes it very clear in Romans chapter 3 verse 23 that how many have sinned?

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God and if we have sinned that means that we need forgiveness.

And you know, When we sin, it is true, when we sin it typically affects somebody here on this earth.

It may be a spouse, a brother, a sister, a family member, a friend.

When we sin, we affect someone that we are related to.

But ultimately, when we sin, we affect God.

In Psalms chapter 51 verse 4, David says, "...against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight." So when we sin, we are sinning against God.

And the book of Hebrews reminds us, and this is found in Hebrews chapter 6, that when we sin, we crucify the Son of God afresh.

Now, clearly our sins have an effect on God, because our sins put Jesus on the cross.

If Jesus had not died for us, we could not receive forgiveness.

But you know, our sins and our need for forgiveness has a direct relationship on our personal health.

I want to read a quote from Ministry of Healing, page 241, and this will give a picture of how sin affects our own health.

The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very intimate.

When 1 is affected the other sympathizes.

The condition of the mind affects the health to a far greater degree than many realize.

So you realize that your state of mind affects your health?

And then notice what she says, many of the diseases from which men suffer are the result of mental depression.

Okay, so your mind can lead, if it's in a poor state of health, to mental depression.

And mental depression, then, can lead to many of the diseases from which men suffer.

And notice what happens when you have mental depression.

Grief, anxiety, discontent, remorse, guilt, distrust all tend to break down the life forces and to invite decay and death.

So notice, there's a number of things that she mentions.

The things I'm going to focus on are remorse, anxiety, and guilt.

Because typically, if you have guilt and if you have remorse, that means that you need forgiveness.

If you're guilty about something, that means that you did something you know you shouldn't have done, and that means you need forgiveness.

If you have anxiety or remorse for something or guilt, you know that you did something wrong and you need forgiveness.

And if you don't receive forgiveness, it's going to lead to a state of mental health that will lead to depression, that will lead to disease and decay of your health and death.

So the way we think is affected by the things that we do.

And if we are doing things that are going contrary to God's Word, it's going to lead to guilt in our minds, which will lead to remorse, which will lead to depression, which can lead to many different diseases.

But you know, God does not want us to stay in that condition.

Let's turn to Psalms chapter 86 verse 5 to see what the scripture says about what God has for us, what He wants for us.

Psalms 86, verse 5, and I love this verse, it says, For thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy upon all them that call upon thee." Did you know that God is ready to forgive you?

There may be many of you here today who are weighed down with guilt, with anxiety, with remorse, wishing that your life was on a different pathway.

And as you saw the presentation this morning, you realize, you know what, that's me.

I'm allowing my appetite and passion to control my life.

And my mind is in a terrible state because I just eat whatever I feel like eating even though I know I shouldn't.

And so you have guilt, you have remorse, And it leads your mind to be in a depressed state that leads you to have poor health.

And you want to have a different experience.

And you know, the Lord is ready to give you that different experience.

Now, 1 of the stories in scripture that demonstrates the forgiveness of God and all that it encompasses, because in Christianity today, and Dr.

Sandoval talked about this, the majority of the Christian world in the gospel they present, they love to talk about forgiveness.

Forgiveness is very much a topic that people like to talk about.

But what we want to look at today is what is a biblical picture of true forgiveness that God offers to us.

And so I invite you to turn with me to Matthew chapter 9 in the story found in verses 1 through 7.

And he entered into a ship and passed over and came into his own city.

And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy lying on a bed and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, son be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee." Boy wouldn't that be nice?

You're sick and you come and see Jesus and the first thing Jesus says to you, instead of saying, be healed, the very first thing he says is, your sins are forgiven.

And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, this man blasphemeth." And it is true, if Jesus was not God, it would be blasphemy to offer forgiveness of sins.

And it doesn't matter, there's people who still think today that you can go to someone other than God to receive forgiveness of sin.

Verse 4, and Jesus, knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

For whether it is easier to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise and walk?

But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, then said he to the sick of the palsy, arise, take up thy bed and go into thy house.

And he arose and departed to his house." Now what do you think is easier?

To say to someone, your sins are forgiven?

Or to say to someone who is paralyzed, arise, take up your bed and walk.

You know, it's a lot easier to actually offer someone physical healing than it is to offer someone spiritual healing.

And you know, in my work as a physician here at Community Hospital, a lot of the patients that I see have physical illnesses, And it's pretty easy for me in my training to say, here's your problem, here are some things that we can do to help you feel better.

But it's a lot harder to convince someone that it's their lifestyle, their choices, the things that they have done in their lives that have contributed to their present physical condition and that they need spiritual healing.

People will put up more of a resistance to that idea.

So in that sense it's easier to offer physical healing than spiritual healing.

But in this sense, in this story, what Jesus is showing is that only God can forgive sins.

So there are 2 miracles that are happening in this story.

And Jesus is showing, look, I'm performing 2 miracles.

I am forgiving this man's sins and I am healing him of his paralysis.

And Because I am God and there is no 1 else besides me, it is much harder to offer forgiveness of sin and I am performing that miracle for him.

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Forgiveness and True Spiritual Healing

Transcript

Description

Sponsor

Recorded

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Plenary

Pentecost Repeated

55m

The Gospel Will Prevail

49m

What Jesus Said

2. The Unconditional Love of God

54m

Who Then Can Be Saved?

46m

Reclaim Your Life

42m

Evening Devotions

Standing Before God

1h

Radical Vulnerability

52m

Did You Know God Misses You?

41m

Evening Plenary

He Must Increase

1h 7m

Breaking the Silence

37m

Is God Enough

57m

Peace be Still

52m

Sound Doctrine