#6 Redeemed Series

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27 Jun Sermons | Comments

The sixth part of Pastor Allen’s Redeemed series

1) Maybe my sickness is a thorn in the flesh like Paul had?

2) God may want me sick for His glory?

3) Maybe sickness is God chastening me?

Galatians 3:13
13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Galatians 3:13 (KJV)

We are redeemed from the curse which is explicitly listed in the following verse.

Deuteronomy 28:61
61Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Deuteronomy 28:61 (KJV)

All sickness is a curse.

1 Peter 2:24
24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
1 Peter 2:24 (KJV)

Jesus demonstrated God’s will.

John 6:38
38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 6:38 (KJV)

John 14:9
9Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
John 14:9 (KJV)

All you have to do is look at Jesus ministry and you can see God and His will. Never did Jesus tell someone that it was not God’s will for them to be healed.

Acts 10:38
38How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Acts 10:38 (KJV)

Jesus did what was good and healing is good. God only does good.

1) Maybe my sickness is a thorn in the flesh like Paul had? – TOP

A lot of Christians think that sickness is their thorn in the flesh or their cross to bear. Here is where they get that from.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9
7And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2 Corinthians 12:7 (KJV)

In this verse, “thorn in the flesh” is a metaphor.

2 Corinthians 12:8 -9
8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (KJV)

This thorn is always referring to people and never is it talking about sickness and disease. He even tells us that it is a messenger, not some ailment. In the Bible, the original Greek word that is translated messenger is found 188 times in the New Testament, and 180 times it is translated angel, and the other 8 it translates messenger. In one translation it says angel of the devil. It is a an evil spirit.

Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 11 all of the trials that he goes through. He mentions shipwrecked, beatings, stonings, etc. He never once mentions sickness and disease as all of his hardships. Don’t you think that if he was facing sickness he would have mentioned among all his troubles? The messenger of satan is his thorn in the flesh.

The old testament scriptures below refer to thorns, and it says they are people.

Numbers 33:55
55But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.
Numbers 33:55 (KJV)

Joshua 23:13
13Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
Joshua 23:13 (KJV)

2 Timothy 3:12
12Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2 Timothy 3:12 (KJV)

As Christians living our lives according to the Word of God, we will face these people or thorns in our lives who will persecute us. If you live a Godly life, you will face persecution. That was Paul’s thorn in the flesh.

2 Timothy 4:7
7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2 Timothy 4:7 (KJV)

2) God may want me sick for His glory? – TOP

People think that their sickness and the way they don’t falter in their love for God will be a witness to others and will ultimately glorify God.

John 11:1-4
1Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
2(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
3Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
4When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
John 11:1-4 (KJV)

John 11:11-14
11These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
12Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
John 11:11-14 (KJV)

The sickness of Lazarus was unto death, so was Jesus wrong because in verse 14 he plainly says that Lazarus is dead. Here is a better translation of verse 4.

Moffatt translation of John 11:4
4this sickness is not to end in death; the end of it is the glory of God.
John 11:4 (Moffatt)

What Jesus was saying is that this sickness was not going to end in death, but God’s glory would come out of the evil from the devil.

John 11:40
40Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?
John 11:40 (KJV)

If sickness glorifies God, why would you go to the doctor, have surgery, or take medicine to get well and rob God of His glory? That is nonsense. We innately all know that God’s wants us well. Sickness never glorifies God.

Matthew 15:30-31
30And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:
31Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.
Matthew 15:30-31 (KJV)

Healing glorifies God, not the sickness. God gets no glory, honor, or thrill when we are afflicted with sickness and disease. The glory only comes when people are healed.

Luke 5:25-26
25And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
26And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
Luke 5:25-26 (KJV)

You don’t have to have a sickness or disease that is robbing you of your life and family to demonstrate God’s love and patience.
You can have a long life that honors God through giving and service and dies old and demonstrate God’s love.

3) Maybe sickness is God chastening me? – TOP

Hebrews 12:6-11
6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
Hebrews 12:6-11 (KJV)

People think that God puts sickness and disease on people to chasten us and teach us.
The word chasteneth is the Greek word for chastening children meaning to train, teach, and educate children.

Acts 7:22
22And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Acts 7:22 (KJV)

The word learned here is the same Greek word used in Hebrews. It has nothing to do with hurt or pain and suffering. It is about being trained and corrected. As children of God, we all are dealt with about our lives. That is God chastening us.
If we do our own children that way, it is child abuse.

John 14:26
26But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:26 (KJV)

Our teacher in this world is the Holy Spirit.

2 Timothy 3:16
16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

God uses the Word also to teach us.
Now if we get out of the Word and ignore the Holy Spirit, the devil will clean our clocks, but that is not God.
All of us know of times when we got some revelation from the Word where we felt guilty or bad for some way we were acting. That is God training us. That is an unpleasant experience such as Hebrews mentions. He does not put a curse on us for messing up. That is what you are saying if you say God gave you a sickness to teach you. Would you curse your child to correct them?

James 1:13
13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
James 1:13 (KJV)

God is a good God. Evil is not of God, and sickness is evil. That is not how God trains and teaches us.

Deuteronomy 7:15
15And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
Deuteronomy 7:15 (KJV)