When Suffering Leaves Its Mark, Part 1

When we suffer.

Sometimes were prone to wonder whether or not we contributed to her condition. We think maybe God is angry and maybe my disease is connected to something I did wrong today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll will respond to the speculations in the process will help us understand what the Bible says about suffering, sickness and sin had at the end of today's program will explain how you can access Chuck new book that parallels his teachings. It's called clinging to hope. But first let's set the stage by reading the passage to God's word chapter G James chapter 5 verses 13 through 16 will ultimately be the passage I want us to understand in the days ahead. I've come to realize in my study that I cannot get it all said in 11 message so it will take me to this one and the next week were together will spend on the subject.

What about divine healing. It's a delicate subject, nevertheless one that needs to be addressed will come ultimately to the James five passage next time. But I want to read it now so you'll know what is before us.

I'm going to lay a foundation in this first message that will help us correctly interpret the words that appear in these verses here in James five James 513 through 16.

I'll be reading from the new living translation. Are any of you suffering. Hardship, you should pray, or any of you happy, you should sing praises or any of you sick. You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick and the Lord will make you well and if you have committed any sin. You will be forgiven.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. I desire is to have an understanding of this passage, especially the application of it in order for that to happen we need to understand some solid theological truths that set the stage for that understanding and that will come today Insight for living to study the Bible with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight.org/home and now the message from Chuck titled when suffering leaves its mark. I am fully aware that what I am going to speak on today and next time is very controversial.

It has to do with three prominent areas in our lives that bring us pain. I'm referring to suffering and sickness and sin. But that's not the controversy over part, those things are complicated and and at times they they can be complex, but there are not controversy what's controversy all has to do with how how God brings relief from those thing how God brings healing and why.

On occasion, he does not realize that the subject of divine healing is also delicate because were talking about what is very close to the heart in our lives as well as those we love who are going through very painful times and we long for them to be relieved of it began with a true story that takes us back to February 1974. My wife and I were returning to our home were relived at the time in Southern California. We had spent almost a week in the city of Dallas. It had been a time of celebration is the seminary from which I graduated was having its Jubilee celebration 50 year anniversary and I've been invited to speak as well as a number of others of my colleagues, some of whom came from our area, so we were all on the same plane which happened to be all a jumbo 747, which they flew back then on the route between Dallas and Southern California are section, this code section was half empty. In fact, the back part of it was completely empty. I recall we were having a great time as we were remembering years gone by when we were once students. We recall the great times we had head.

Some of the tests we had been through and there was a lot of laughter and and and frivolity among us as we were remembering some of the great days of the past and how the Lord brought us into ministry for which we were so grateful some wearing one kind of work. Others were in different kinds of ministry but we were all in it together. There was a family and are section of the plane. However that was not laughing and celebrating their very somber, in fact, it caught our eye. So much so that we walked over to meet them and we learned their story the father and husband in the family was deathly sick and been diagnosed with stage IV cancer, but interestingly he was on that flight. They had him back in the back section of the plane. All the armrests they had pulled up and he had sort of that sort of made him a bed out of the middle seat so that huge plane he was not able even to sit up in his own strength he had really come close to the end of life. They knew that they prayed for his healing and they had learned of a so-called divine healer who was out in the Los Angeles area. They lived in Louisiana and had driven to Dallas and from Dallas-Fort Worth airport. They were taking the flight out to Los Angeles to bring him to Catherine Kuhlman who was the alleged faith healer and they had staked all their hopes on his healing and watched her on television that listened with interest the wife and mother in the family told me they had drawn their last savings out of their bank account bringing all with them. Not knowing what may be charged for the healing they didn't know, but they came ready and then she looked at me. Having explained their situation and she said, as others of my colleagues were standing around what you all of you think of this. At that moment, all of my colleagues got very, very quiet and they all looked at me for some reason is if I was some kind of appointed spokesman which I certainly didn't intend to be, but it seemed to follow my lot to give her an answer with the time we had on the plane I was able to share a number of the things I'm going to be sharing with you today. I had to do it rather quickly and carefully as you can understand and appreciate a sort of wrapped up my comments as I heard the announcement that we were beginning our descent and we needed to take our seats and prepare for landing. I wrapped up my comments with the statement that went something like this. I said I believe with all my heart. In actual divine healing.

I believe that God is the miracle working God with him. Nothing is impossible. However, I do not find medical justification for believing in so-called divine healer learners. That was hard for her to hear as we can all understand.

Her eyes filled with tears.

I added this comment as I gave her my name and our home phone number I said Mrs. so-and-so, will you please call me and let me know if your husband is miraculously healed, called me, will you please would you promise to do that. Oh. Without hesitation she said I will write my number down road running down said she would call.

I never heard from her, or from anyone in her family to this day I've often thought about that. I've often thought of the many thousands of people like her who put all their hopes and all of their dream into a believe that if they could only get their loved one to this person who has this power they could find the healing they long for you understand that some of my ministry deals with the other side of that, it is often thought on my lot to talk to those who do are disillusioned, having buried their loved ones who were never healed. What did you say to those how can you help them, for they need answers what I'm going to share with you is worth remembering.

I say that not because I'm giving it to you, but because it is all base on the word of God and who knows, but what you will need this information someday yet future, perhaps sooner rather than later. I would like you to write these things down will only get a little bit. Through this message and I'll cover the other part next time, but at least I want to get these five foundational facts that all of us need to know down clearly in writing. Most importantly, understood in our mind. There are theological facts. They are random facts and therefore they are found in various parts of God's word to which we will turn here and there so be ready for that. The first will take us to Psalm 51 you want to prepare for it. Go ahead and locate the verse Psalm number 51, which is a song that David wrote related to his adulterous affair with Bathsheba.

But before we get into it. Let me give you the first of the five foundational facts that I want you to remember number one there are two classifications of sin original sin, and personal sins, pouring original sin, and personal sins. Original sin represents the condition in which we are born we are sinners at birth.

Our parents were sinful people, though they may have been good people and moral people, people, we respected, they were nevertheless sinful they had a sinful nature that could be traced all the way back to Adam and Eve in the garden as a result of their eating the forbidden fruit and they fell into sin. They became our representatives for all humanity. As a result, all who are born into this world are born with original sin and that is what prompts acts of sin are personal sins. But before I go there, look at Psalm 51 with me, have mercy on me. Oh God, because of your unfailing love because of your great commitment, compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

Please observe that's a reference to David's personal sins related to his adultery, the killing of Uriah on the battlefield. The hypocrisy of David, the act of adultery with Bathsheba.

Those were among the personal sins. He's asking the Lord for forgiveness but go down to verse five he goes to the root of the problem. I was born a sinner. Yes, from the moment my mother conceived me think of it this way. Original sin is the root personal sins represent the fruit that comes from a sinful nature we sin, we disobey our God because we have a nature that is addicted to sinfulness it will never be different until we die and are in a glorified state in heaven, free of that sinful nature but as long as were on this earth. Breathing earthly air.

We carry within us a nature that sinful move ahead to Romans chapter 3 Romans three I'll read for you from verse nine will then should we conclude that we Jews are better than others know not at all, for we have already shown that all people over the Jews or Gentiles are under the power of sin. No one is righteous. Verse 10 continues, not even one.

No one is truly wise and on and on.

He goes through this litany of sin. This is the original sin problem. When you go down to verse 13 you come across some personal sins. Your talk is follow like the stench from an open grave we sin with our words but tongues are filled with lies, lies are everywhere. The simple act of lying is habitual, it's universal snake venom dripped from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness they rush to commit murder, destruction and misery.

Always follow them.

These are just descriptive statements of personal sins, the nature is the root the personal sins represent the fruit so to repeat. There are two classifications original sin, the nature and personal sins. The acts of sin if you if you get this mixed up you'll be confused when we get to the subject of healing. So get this clear in your mind and think distinctly regarding the subject of sin.

Now the second statement original sin introduce suffering sickness and death to the human race. Original sin, introduce suffering, sickness and sin to the human race I mentioned earlier, Adam and Eve remember the story Genesis to God warned them against the forbidden fruit of all the other trees you may freely eat but of the tree of knowledge evil and knowledge of good and evil you must not eat of it, for in the day you eat of it you will surely die telling us head.

They never eaten of the forbidden fruit, they would never have done that would never have been death in the human race, but upon eating of the forbidden fruit, they immediately died spiritually and they began to die physically look at Romans five verse 12 and I'm illustrating this second point original sin introduce suffering sickness and sin to be human race. Romans five verse 12 when Adam's sin. When Adam sinned. Sin entered into the world. Notice the introduction of sin. Think of it as a pollution. Adam sin, polluted the human race. Adam and Eve sin contaminated humanity with a sinful condition called Original Sin Adam sin brought death so death spread to everyone for everyone. Sin we have inherited a nature we are sinners by birth, by nature, and we ultimately become sinners by choice as we carry out acts of personal sinfulness. So Original Sin introduce suffering sickness and death to the human race third statement very carefully. Understand this, sometimes there is a direct relationship between personal sins and sickness.

Sometimes there is a direct personal relationship between personal sins and sickness. A person becomes sick because of sin in their lives. On occasion, that's true understand pain and sickness are not always the call brought on because of acts of sinfulness, but there were times that it is but it is true inside for living and were midway through a message from Chuck Swindoll titled when suffering leaves its mark.

Please stay with us because there's much more to learn in our study of James chapter 5.

To learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit us online@insightworld.org. Now if you're prepared to dig deeper on your own. You'll be glad to know that Chuck is written a brand-new book that complements his teaching series is book is called, clinging to hope there's a complete chapter on the topic we address today plus Chuck tackles tough questions such as how do we recover when we lose someone we loved how we make sense of the suffering in our world. And where is God when were deeply disappointed you enjoy reading Chuck's biblical response to these questions and more in this is a wonderful book to pass along to a friend or perhaps to a child or grandchild who needs a dose of encouragement again. Chuck's brand-new book is called, clinging to hope to purchase a copy right now. Go to insight.org/help or call us if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 11 hear her say that it's not the sale of books and resources that fuels this ministry. Instead, it's the voluntary contributions from grateful friends like you that propel our mission forward so thanks so much for remembering the critical importance of giving generously to insight for living as you would imagine. Our world is filled with people who are desperately searching for and we make it our mission to send these daily programs far and wide to the people had access to clear and convincing Bible teaching. In fact, insight for living is translated eight languages other than English, expanding our audience in parts of the world where Bible teaching is so please connect with us today.

If you're listening in the United States. Our phone number again is 807 seven 288 or you can get online insight.org/tomorrow on insight for living. The preceding message when suffering leaves its mark was copyrighted in 2019 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited