Why He Came

Today's Three-minute Bible Study
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Title: Why He Came ------------------- Date: 9/16/2002
Keywords: "faith" "healing" "hope" "search"
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Passage: Mark 1:32-38*

32. When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed.

33. And the whole city had gathered at the door.

34. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

35. In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

36. Simon and his companions searched for Him;

37. they found Him, and said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."

38. He said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for."

Questions

1. Why did Jesus heal people, according to this passage?

 

2. Who did Jesus heal in this story?

 

Practical help

You have a problem with pornography and you are looking for help. Or you once had a problem with pornography and you are looking for strength to resist temptation and to help others.

Now imagine that you are one of the people in the story above. You have heard that a healer has come to town. Everyone is talking about him. In fact, you have spoken to people who you knew before they met with this man, and they are healed from significant medical problems. Conditions they have suffered with their entire lives. People are walking who have never walked before. And they didn’t even go through rehabilitation. People are hearing for the first time, and they are able to understand words instantly, not just sounds. These are miracles of the first order, and they are happening all around you.

If He can heal them, He can certainly heal your sexual addiction! Would you try to find this guy? Would you take the risk of being a fool and asking for His help? I hope so.

Now let’s say you have searched and found the healer has moved on. What would that tell you? Does it tell you that he is a mean person, or that he doesn’t care for you personally? Did you expect him to wait for you? You never met him. You never made an appointment. You never struck an agreement.

Sometimes we have the idea that God’s only purpose is to meet our needs. And we use our difficulties sometimes as proof that God either doesn’t exist, or He doesn’t care. Perhaps there is another explanation. Jesus in essence said so in verse 38, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for."

Your recovery is important to you, and it is important to God, but it is not the most important thing to God. I hope that fact doesn’t hurt your feelings, but it happens to be true. What is more important to God than you physical recovery? How about your eternal soul? How about the pronouncement of truth so that others will come to trust Him as their Savior as well? And ultimately, how about God’s glory and the overthrow of darkness?

As children we begin with the idea that life is about us. We don’t question at first why big strong people seem to come to us when we call and meet all our physical needs. But the process of growing usually results in the discovery that we are a small piece in a bigger puzzle. Certainly pain and suffering can cause us to become self-absorbed for a time, but hopefully they will also awaken us to our need to search for God, even when He seems to move around.

So you are waiting for God to act on your behalf. What will you do in the meantime? Sit and complain? Or press on with faith and hope?

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*"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission."