Jesus Power: Part II

Text: ESV Mark 1:34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Goal: That we rely on the power of Jesus Christ to heal our sicknesses and diseases.

ESV 1 Timothy 1:2 Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Have you ever tried to fix something yourself? Sometimes it turns out great, but sometimes it’s a complete disaster. Several years ago I was living in Montana, just a couple miles away from my dad. My dad had a friend and the engine in her truck had given out. He thought that it would be a great father and son project to replace the engine. We’d be able to help someone out and make a little money on the side. All we had to do was to pull an engine from a wrecked car and swap it with the blown engine in the truck. He had everything figured out. He’d consulted all the experts . . . well at least he had talked to a couple shade tree mechanics in town. They assured him that the two engines, although not exactly the same, could be used with the same transmission (with some slight modifications). And they were pretty sure that the engine mounts would line up, but maybe a little bit of fabrication work might be involved.

Just as I was starting to wonder what kind of a mess I’d gotten myself into, things started to sound a little better. We could use a bay in the garage of a mechanic in town. He volunteered the space and said we could use some of his equipment as well. So we towed the wrecked car to the garage and started working. When I say started working, what I mean is, I started working. I quickly realized that this father and son project was going to be a little heavy on the son side. No problem. I’d worked on a lot of vehicles before. All I had to do was disconnect everything that was holding the engine in the old car and lift it out.

Eight hours later and I was still fighting several bolts that I couldn’t quite reach. I wasn’t sure exactly what parts had to come off the engine to get it out and what parts could stay attached. Several other mechanics in the shop started asking me if I knew what I was doing. I assured them that I had been working as a mechanic for seven years and I could get the job done. They weren’t very impressed. What I didn’t tell them was that I had worked on diesel engines and that I had only done troubleshooting and parts replacement. I had never pulled and replaced engines. Finally my dad showed up with some great news. We only had use of the garage for one day. For some reason, he thought that I could pull two engines, replace the blown engine and drive out of the bay in one day. Needless to say, that didn’t happen.

What did happen went something like this. With a little help I was able to get the engine out of the wrecked car that night. We put that engine in the back of a truck and towed the wrecked car to the junk yard. We took the truck with the blown engine to my dad’s place along with the engine from the wrecked car. After purchasing a few hundred dollars worth of tools, after pulling the blown engine, after fabricating numerous brackets and spacers, after consulting with all the local shade tree mechanics in town, after everything had been tried, attempted and scratched we finally admitted defeat. It was impossible to mount the replacement engine and get it bolted to the transmission. In the end my dad bought a rebuilt engine and we put it in the truck and our father and son project was finally completed. Instead of making a quick dollar, my dad went in the hole several thousand dollars. Taking into consideration the age of the truck and the number of hours that we worked, it is quite possible that we would have come out ahead by simply buying another truck. That’s how most of our fix it yourself projects end up.

Have you ever tried to fix yourself? Ever tried to improve your life situation? Ever tried to get rid of your mistakes and sins? Ever tried to reverse your health problems? Ever tried mend broken relationships? If you’ve tried to do it on your own, I guarantee that you failed. If you haven’t failed yet, you will fail. We are powerless to fix ourselves. We might think we have enough expertise, but we don’t. I trusted my mechanical abilities, but I failed. We might think we have enough time and all the right tools, but we don’t. I was happy to be working in a garage with excellent equipment, but that situation quickly disappeared. We might think that eventually, if we work hard enough, if we work long enough, if we buy enough tools, we’ll get the job done. My dad and I worked and worked, only to discover that our plans were faulty from the beginning. We worked for over a month before we were absolutely certain that our replacement engine simply could not be mounted in the truck.

Jesus lived among people who were desperately trying to fix themselves. They were walking around with all sorts of problems. Some of them were sick. Some of them were demon possessed. Most of them had no where else to turn. Many had given up trying to fix themselves. All of them were powerless. All of them were defeated. Jesus reached out and He placed His hands on them and He solved their problems. He healed their sicknesses. He cast out their demons. He showed them love that had never been experienced before. He gave them hope beyond all hope. Mark 1:34 states, “And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.” He took upon Himself the sins of the people. He took upon Himself their diseases. He took upon Himself our sins and our diseases.

The more Jesus healed, the more pain and suffering He endured. The more life Jesus gave, the closer He moved toward the giving His own life. Jesus worked hard during His short ministry on earth. His desire was always to go to the next town, to find the next helpless person, to preach the next sermon, to share everything that He could give. But His ministry on earth only gave people a glimpse into the future . . . a taste of what’s to come. Those people that Jesus healed, they eventually became sick and died. The demons that Jesus cast out, they could still speak. Jesus even commanded them to be silent because they knew who Jesus really was. And the people weren’t ready just yet to know that God was walking among them. That God Himself was putting His creation back into order. That God in the flesh, the person of Jesus Christ was going to die a cursed death on the tree. That Jesus Christ was going to take upon Himself all sickness and death and sin.

Three days after His death, Jesus demonstrated His eternal power and glory. Sickness . . . sin . . . death . . . nothing could keep Jesus in the grave. His body was raised back to life, never to die again. He’s been through it all. He’s paved the way. He gave hope to those who were healed in the past. He gives hope to us today. Some of us experience His healing touch in our lives right now. All of us who have been baptized into His name know His power and love for us. All of us are living out our lives, waiting for complete healing. All of us are living out our lives, hoping for a better future. Isaiah declared (Isaiah 40:28-31): “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and grow weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Are you tired of trying to fix everything on your own? That’s great because it’s already been fixed. Are you exhausted from trying to earn God’s favor? That’s wonderful because it’s already been done. Are you disgusted with your failed attempts to follow God’s plan for your life? That’s good, because Jesus has come into our sin filled mess and He loves us anyway. We are forgiven and that’s all the healing that we need. We’re forgiven and that solves our greatest problem. We’re forgiven and God has a plan for everything else. We’ve been set free to live our lives in the power of Jesus’ Name. Amen.

ESV Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.