Dealing With Prolonged Sickness

The outline is attached below.

---

 

Dealing With Prolonged Sickness I. Examples of people in the Bible who dealt with prolonged sickness. 1. The woman with the issue of blood for 12 years (Mat 9:20). 2. The woman who was hunched over and bound by Satan for 18 years (Luk 13:11, 16). 3. The man who was blind from birth (Joh 9:1). 4. The man who had an infirmity for 38 years (Joh 5:5). II. Using physicians 1. Sick people need a physician (Mat 9:12). 2. Physicians can be helpful sometimes. 3. Other times they will run you broke and do you no good, or worse (Mar 5:26; Job 13:4). 4. Beware of trusting in doctors instead of God. A. Today the medical establishment has become a god in the eyes of many people which they trust instead of God. i. King Asa went to the physicians to be healed instead of going to the Lord (2Ch 16:12). ii. Beware in general of trusting in men to save you instead of God (Jer 17:5). B. There is nothing wrong with seeking out and finding witty medical inventions of men that will help to cure health ailments (Pro 8:12). C. But just remember that it is God who ultimately heals (Exo 15:26). 5. Never get so consumed seeking medical cures that you forget to go to God in faith for help. III. Jesus is the great physician (Luk 4:23; Mat 8:17). 1. Jesus healed numerous people in His earthly ministry (Mat 12:15). 2. Many people came to Jesus in faith and were therefore healed by Him (Mat 14:34-36). A. A woman pushed her way through a crowd to touch Jesus' garment believing that she would be healed; and she was (Luk 8:43-48). B. Lepers cried unto Jesus for Him to heal them; and He did (Mat 8:2-3). C. Blind men cried unto Jesus for mercy, asking Him to open their eyes, despite being discouraged by the crowd, and He healed them (Mat 20:30-34; Mar 10:46-52). 3. Parents and others came to Jesus beseeching Him to heal their children or servants. A. A centurion came to Jesus in faith on behalf of his sick servant and asked Him to heal him; and He did (Mat 8:5-7, 13). B. A faithful Gentile woman came to Jesus asking him to heal her daughter of devil possession; and He did (Mat 15:21-28). C. Jesus healed a man who was sick of the palsy because of the faith of his friends who brought him to Him (Mat 9:2, 6-8). D. The most important thing a parent can do for a sick child is humbly and earnestly beseech God to heal him. IV. Consider that sometimes sicknesses are a judgment for sin. 1. Sometimes sickness and physical affliction is not a punishment for sin. A. Job was severely physically afflicted, but not because of his sin (Job 1:1; Job 2:7). B. The man that was born blind was not born that way because of either his sin or his parents' sin (Joh 9:2-3). C. Epaphroditus was sick nigh unto death because of the work of the ministry (Php 2:27, 30). 2. Sometimes sickness is a chastisement for sin (Deut 28:60-61), so we should always examine ourselves (1Co 11:28, 30; 2Co 13:5) when we or a family member is sick. 3. Consider these examples of sicknesses which came as a judgment for sin. A. King Uzziah was made a leper for his sin (2Ch 26:19, 21). B. King Jehoram was smitten with an incurable disease by God because of his sin that made his bowels come out (2Ch 21:15, 18-19). 4. So if you or a family member is sick, don't neglect to consider that the sickness could be a judgment for sin. A. If after an honest self-evaluation you can find no sin that God may be judging you for, then look for natural causes. B. If you find sin in your life, then repent and forsake it and beg God for mercy (1Jo 1:9; Pro 28:13). V. God could be sending sickness and physical affliction to draw you closer to Himself. 1. God could be using a sickness to try you in the fire to remove impurities from your character (Pro 17:3; Job 23:10; Mal 3:3). 2. Tribulation works patience, experience, and hope (Rom 5:3-5). 3. Suffering should draw God's children closer to Him, not push them further away (Exo 3:7; Psa 31:7; Php 3:10). VI. Beware of desperation. 1. Oppression will make a even a wise man go crazy (Ecc 7:7). 2. Never do something foolish or sinful when you are desperate such as going to occultic practitioners, lashing out in rage, cursing God, harming yourself, or suicide. 3. God's children inherit His promises of deliverance through faith and patience (Heb 6:12). 4. Patience n. - 1. a. The suffering or enduring (of pain, trouble, or evil) with calmness and composure; the quality or capacity of so suffering or enduring. VII. Seek the Lord to obtain relief. 1. If you are a converted, baptized Christian... A. Cry unto God to heal you (Psa 30:2). B. Trust God to heal you in His due time. C. Resolve to be the best Christian and church member you can be. D. Make sure that your desire to be healed is with the intent to serve God in His house (2Ki 20:8). E. Make a deal with God that if He will heal you, you will serve Him diligently for the rest of your days. 2. If you are not a converted, baptized Christian... A. Seek the Lord while He may be found (Isa 55:6-7). B. Seek God in your youth (Ecc 12:1). C. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Act 16:31). D. Repent of your sins and submit to the gospel call to be baptized and added to Christ's church (Act 2:37-42). E. Love Jesus by keeping His commandments (Joh 14:15). F. Promise God that if he heals you, you will serve Him faithfully all the days of your life. G. Once you have committed your life to Jesus Christ in obedience and baptism, then cling to Him in faith and beseech Him to heal you (Psa 30:2) when it is His will to do so, but be resolved to serve Him even if He doesn't heal you (Luk 22:42).