Sunday, August 23, 2020

Christian Politics – Part 2: Matters of Life and Death - Healthcare

 

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

 

 

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