Christian Politics –
Part
2: Matters of Life and Death -
Healthcare
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org
| www.TruthDigest.org
Online Audio Files
| HOF
Church Facebook | Truth Digest Facebook
This Document is a Sermon Outline,
you may hear the full audio of the actual sermon by following the link Online Audio Files located above for
this, and other Full Sermon Audios. For
a complete list of Sermon Outlines, visit TruthDigest.org
or Truth Digest on facebook; for
our Official Church website, visit PS127.org, or find us on Facebook at House of Faith Church
SERMON
INTRODUCTION
Last week we examined what the Word of God had
to say about whether it was important for Christians to participate in
elections, and whether or not Jesus Himself would vote if He were physically
here in the United States.
We see scripture establishes some of the
following facts about Christians and politics.
Ø Do not conform (to the world) but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)
Ø Why transformed? Why think like Christ? So we can fulfill God’s calling and
be a light to draw others to Christ Jesus and Salvation
Ø Everything we say and do should be a reflection of this transformation,
the way we think, the way we talk, the things we do and support, everything.
Ø John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:8-10 “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance and do not think you can say
to yourselves, “we have Abraham as our father.”…the axe is already at the root
of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
Ø Why do we need to show fruits expressive and worthy of our repentance?
o
Because God said so
o
To be a light and draw others to Christ Jesus
Ø So, in keeping with what Jesus says in Matthew
22:21, Paul in Romans
13:1-2 and 1 Peter 2:11-17, We must obey God’s calling while honoring our emperor.
o
The only allowable exception to honoring and obeying
the authority placed above us is if they call you to sin against God.
Does our vote really decide who our leaders will be?
Short answer, no.
God decides, regardless of our votes.
Colossians 1:16 “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all
things have been created through him and for him.”
Romans 3:1-2, Romans
13:4 show us our leaders are chosen and placed by God
and given authority to administer justice to the people of the land according
to laws.
In fact, we are warned not to do evil (break laws or
civil disobedience) because the magistrates and rulers over us have the ability
to avenge and execute their wrath upon you.
Remember
in I Samuel when the people begged for a king and the Lord said, they will get
one, but they will beg to be released from his rule, but the Lord will not
listen to their cries?
God chooses, places and allows our rulers and it is
based upon our countries heart as a whole, unfortunately, when a country is
evil (legalizing sin, killing millions of children each year, etc), then we get
leaders who are not so great.
How do we change that?
By enough followers outwardly expressing their
renewed minds through voting, and praying this country as a whole REPENTS!
2 Chronicles 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name (Christians), will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal
their land.”
Christians (those
called by His name) need to start taking action AS A COUNTRY through humbling
ourselves, praying and seeking God and REPENTING, and it is THEN God will hear
us from heaven and,
Forgive our sin (as a country)
And heal our land (our country)
Over the next few
weeks, we will be looking at some of the following issues.
Ø Would Jesus vote if He were physically here in the USA today?
Ø What about the matters of life and death?
o
Healthcare
o
Suicide
o
Stem Cells
o
Abortion, euthanasia?
Ø Crime and punishment
Ø War, defense, and national security
Ø Guns and matters of defense
Ø Immigration and matters of national security
Ø Marriage
Ø Education
Ø Economy, budget, trade, campaign finances
Ø Green Values
These are the major issues at hand today, and we
need to remember, we have the choice to defend values during an election for our
nation,
and in the immortal words of the rock group RUSH,
if you chose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
If you are more science than rock band, Albert
Einstein said “Evil prevails when good men do nothing.”
So today we are looking at Matters of Life and Death
– Healthcare
In Mark 5 we first see Jesus casting demons out of a man. Afterwards, the man
asked to travel with Jesus to which Jesus said, “No.”
Jesus tells him to go home to his people and tell
them how much the Lord has done for him and how He had mercy on him. In other
words, be a light.
Jesus then crossed the lake and raised a dead girl
back to life.
And a woman who had been to many doctors for her 12-year
bleeding issue, touches Jesus and is freed from her suffering.
These issues have one thing in common, modern medicine
can do nothing for them.
There are times when ONLY the power of the Lord can
heal, raise or free us!
However, that does NOT mean the Lord does not want
us seeking medical assistance.
When the word says, “Look at the birds of the
air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them.” In Matthew 6:26, does God mean He magically makes the birds not hungry? Or perhaps
birdseed miraculously appears in their nest each day?
Rather, I believe God’s provision for us was
factored into creation.
Trees, plants, an environment that would supply our
earthly needs, not just for the feeding of our bodies, but the health as well.
Remember ALL THINGS WERE CREATED BY THE LORD, there is NOTHING that is that was
not created by Him!
Therefore, if there is any benefit to our bodies, it
was put there by the Lord.
I know all of the pot smokers are rejoicing right
now, and that’s a different sermon about the abuse of things the Lord has given
us, such as wine, marijuana, food, etc…
The point is, there are plants and flowers and
things that are good for us, given to us by God for the use of our bodies.
SCRIPTURE READING
I Timothy 5:23
“Stop drinking only water, and use a little
wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”
Paul doesn’t tell Timothy to pray and God will relieve him of his
ailments. He tells him to take worldly medicine. Why? Probably for the same
reason we have to eat food and drink water instead of just praying God takes
our hunger and thirst away.
God has instructed us that we have obligations to our spiritual as well
as our physical bodies!
Satan tested this theory when he told Jesus to turn a rock into bread
to end His hunger from the 40 days of fasting, and to “throw yourself from the
cliff, angels will save you.”
Both of these mis-applied bible quotes Satan used to try and make Jesus
sin play on our human instincts and the hopes of biblical error which was
obviously not found in Jesus.
The misconceptions of the believer Satan was hoping to profit on were
these,
1. If you have a physical need it can easily be remedied by praying to
God
2. You can do what you want (jump off a cliff) and “force” God to
perform and keep His Word
The problems are easily corrected with reading the Word.
Our physical needs that we are responsible for are not always met by
God, but rather fulfilled by the provisions He has already given us through His
creation.
This is why we have an obligation to eat. Stop eating and you will
eventually die.
Same with drinking water.
And we should NEVER “test” God in a manipulative way to try and force
His hand and bend Him to our will, wants and desires. THAT is witchcraft.
So, God has a healthcare plan for us, and has also provided through
creation a healthcare plan so we can fulfill our obligation, and there are
examples of both of these plans in the Word of God that we will look at.
I.
GOD’S HEALTHCARE
a.
God does what man / creation cannot
i. We MUST
recognize the difference between what man can do through God’s provisions on
earth, and what God Himself can only do
1.
A person can be blind
a.
God heals them because their blindness was
allowed so that a miracle could be done and show the Glory and power of God!
b.
Or, it’s a result from a fallen sick world and
the person has cataracts, get a surgery by a doctor and can see again.
2.
Could God have healed the cataracts? God CAN
do anything!
a.
But we don’t always understand God’s purposes
or ways because they are above us.
b.
Perhaps the doctor is a Christian and serves
the Lord by ministering to his patients while performing doctors’ duties?
c. Maybe the
doctor needed to hear the witness of Christ from the patient being worked on?
3. My friend
had cancer and witnessed the Lord to every doctor, nurse and patient in every
facility he visited over his 20-year battle.
Who knows how many heard about Christ?
b.
God does miracles
i. We read in
the scriptures many miracles by God and the Lord Jesus while hear on earth.
ii. These were
things that served purpose, as we read in Mark 5
iii. The
possessed man was healed by Jesus (doctors can heal mental health issues, but
can do nothing for demon possessions), and he was healed to go and preach to
his town!
iv. The dead
girl was raised from death, for what purpose? To show the power of the Lord and
as s symbol of the coming resurrection and the point of Christ’s ministry, not
just to raise the dead.
v. The woman
with the blood issue was healed, for what purpose? Not just to show the Lord
can heal, but to show us when doctors fail, it may be because you need to get
in touch with Jehovah-Jireh, because your issue cannot be resolved through
God’s creation-provision on earth.
vi. James 5:13-15 we are told to have the
elders of the church pray for us and we will become well.
c.
The Holy Spirit does miracles
i. Jesus
didn’t do any miracles until AFTER His baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.
ii. BECAUSE it
is the work of the Holy Spirit that does miracles, not man, not us.
iii. We have
science and the ability to “discover” the provisions that God has given us in
His creation to make medicines and such, however, as Jesus showed us in Mark 5,
some things ONLY the Holy Spirit of God can heal.
iv. This is
God’s Healthcare!
II.
GOD’S CREATION-PROVISION HEALTHCARE
a.
God’s provision through creation
i. Did you
know in Michigan there is a flower called “jumping jacks”?
1.
It has been discovered by science that eating
4 of these flowers produces the same anti-inflammatory effect as 1 ibuprofen.
2.
Better yet, it does not have the side-effects
of ibuprofen.
ii. God has
created for us food, and natural medicines that are for the upkeep and
maintenance of our earthly bodies.
b.
Natural medicines, cures,
discoveries
i. 1 Timothy 4:8 says exercise does little
good, but godliness profits us into all things.
ii. When
science “discovers” medicines and such, a lot of times they take credit for
“creating or inventing” it, rather than what it really is, a discovery of God’s
creation as a provision for our earthly benefit.
iii. If I eat
unmodified, non-GMO fruits and vegetables, I will more than likely be healthy
for the most part, taking into consideration this IS a fallen world full of
sickness and disease, and none of us will live forever in these bodies.
1. However,
if I eat fast food every day which is chemically altered substances, I will be
depressed, fat and probably obtain for myself through poor eating, diseases.
2. These fast
food substances are still God’s creation; however, they are being misused and
therefore have negative effects on the body.
iv. i.e. I Timothy 5:23 “Stop
drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your
frequent illnesses.”
1. Timothy
was under much stress as a young pastor getting flack from the congregation,
and having trouble with certain members.
2. I believe
this stress caused other issues such as stomach, anxiety, and I believe he had
IBS.
3. However, a
little wine would resolve this!
4. It has
since been scientifically proven that,
a. Wine
supports longer healthier life
b. Helps our
hearts health
c. Nutrients
in wine help prevent Alzheimer’s
d. Healthier
skin
e. Boosts
body’s immune defenses
f. Helps with
digestion
g. Calms
stomach
h. Calms
nerves
i. Helps
anxiety
v. But like
“fast food” or the misuse of anything God created for provisional use on earth,
negative effects will ensure.
vi. We are
warned many times in scripture not to be a drunk.
1. 1 Timothy 3:3 says elders of the church
are not “given to drunkenness”, it does not say you cannot drink wine,
otherwise Paul would have never recommended it to Timothy who was an elder of
the church. Do not be drunk.
vii. Luke 10:34 Tells us how wounds were
cleaned and bandaged.
viii. When we
misuse God’s provisional creations trouble will always ensue.
c.
Where creation currently falls short
i. There was
a time when infection would kill just about everyone, then we discovered
penicillin and anti-biotics
ii. Right now,
there are so many carcinogens being sold as food, in our fuels, in drugs that
are socially and legally accepted, and obesity from the misuse of food, and the
misuse of chemicals and substances use in foods we were never intended to eat.
Heart disease kills
approximately 650,000 people per year
Cancer kills approximately
600,000 people per year
169,000 died from COVID-19
in the US, a fraction of the YEARLY deaths from controllable factors such as
smoking, drinking in excess and overeating.
Abortions kill an average of
about 1,000,000 per year…more than any other cause.
III.
GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE
a.
What is important to government
i. There is
no instance I can find in scripture where it is the government’s responsibility
to care for your health.
1. The only
examples I can find are God’s miracles
2. Jesus’
miracles
3. The Holy
Spirit’s miracles
4. And our
moral obligation to care for ourselves through the miraculous provisions by God
through His creation.
b.
What do they decide is healthy?
i. Government
in control of your health should be a scary thing
1. They
decide what medicine you can have
2. They
decide how much
3. They
decide when it stops
4. They
decide your treatments
5. They
decide quite literally if you live or die
c.
Should you ignore God’s healthcare
or His created provision to trust in the government healthcare?
i. Why is the
deaths of the young through abortion and the old through poor care important to
a government system run healthcare?
1.
Millions of babies that are killed in abortion
would be a financial drain on a government system that has been slowly turning
Socialist for decades.
a.
Babies aren’t taxed, and many families are
being encouraged in living on welfare, a state socialist system with limited
funds.
b.
Therefore, non-tax paying babies only “take”
from their system, not give
c.
They have no “value” to an evil-run socialist
system, and therefore the government comes out ahead when they are killed.
2.
The elderly is also a burden on a socialist
system.
a.
Many no longer pay taxes after paying into the
“social security” government program their entire working lives of paying taxes
b.
Now they “draw” money monthly from the
socialist system and are a financial burden.
c. Many also
receive state social medical care, which makes the elderly a “taker” in the
governments eye.
d. They do
not want to pay out money they collect from people for social security, and
therefore, financially benefit from elderly deaths.
3. This is
one of the biggest problems with a socialist society.
CONCLUSION – So what is
Healthcare and how should a believer “do it”?
So as a believer, we
need to ask ourselves, if God wants us leaving our healthcare in the hands of
overlords who see infants and elderly as unneeded expenses and would be better
off dead, or to place our healthcare first to our obligated self-healthcare
through the miraculous provisions of God’s creation and responsible living, and
then in God’s hands where only miracles can heal?
Honor God with your
body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Do not squander your
health, wealth or be intoxicated (Luke 21:34)
And if doctors and earthly
medicines fail you, turn to God for your healing!
NEXT WEEK: Part 3 - Matters
of Life and Death - Suicide
Want to learn more about Salvation and Getting
Saved?
Want
to hear the audio to this sermon?
No comments:
Post a Comment