Seattle, September 24, 2005 (6)
THE MAN OF ALL POWER. When Jesus made this statement He fully meant what He said. His ministry was to demonstrate that absolute power was indeed delegated unto Him. Mt. 28:18 The brief span of time of ministering unto the people is replete with the healing of the sick. The disease made no difference, those who came to Him never went away disappointed. From the fever to leprosy, from a withered hand to a bent back, He conquered all. Demons could not continue to possess the people when confronted by the Lord Jesus. He loosed the people from their control. They were permanently delivered and set free. Death had to flee when He confronted it. From the daughter of Jairus to Lazarus He demonstrated His authority over death. It made no difference whether they had been dead but a short while or three days. Death lost the battle. John was so impressed with the vast number of miracles performed by the Lord Jesus until he stated, that if all the works of Christ were recorded, he supposed that the world itself could not contain all the books. John 21:25 That is exciting. Being as close to the Lord Jesus as he was, he should know all that was accomplished.
MIRACLES THAT SYMBOLIZE SPIRITUAL TRUTHS.
The man “full of leprosy.” An indication of advanced and severe illness. When the leprous man saw Jesus he immediately “fell on his face.” He prostrated himself before the Lord and called upon Him for cleansing. Jesus touched Him. An act which would have rendered the ordinary person unclean also, but not Jesus. He was totally delivered from his devastating sickness. Luke 5:12-13 Leprosy, is a type of sin. Something with which all are contaminated. All have sinned. Rom. 3:23 This wonderful Jesus forgives ALL our iniquities. There is no limit to His pardon and cleansing from sin. Ps. 103:3 To His followers, the church, he has surrendered His Godly powers and issued an order that they were to go out and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and to cast out devils. Here is the stickler, we can only impart that which we have received. The challenge then is, that as freely as we have received we have the ability to give. Pure and simple, an empty vessel has nothing to give. A full vessel runs over and spills out all around. To the measure that we have received Christ, so have we to give. Without Him we can do nothing. We only become a tinkling symbol and sounding brass, empty and hollow. To be continued…