Shall I Recover?

1. Shall I Recover? • How Christians Should Look At: • Accidents • Illnesses • Our Body • Death

2. Shall I Recover? • We all have concerns for health and survival • Ahaziah – Fears the outcome, but does not inquire of God

3. One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria, and he was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover. 2 Kings 1:2

4. But the angel of the Lord told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will get well? Is there no God in Israel?’” 2 Kings 1:3

5. And Elijah said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: Why did you send messengers to…the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will get well? Is there no God in Israel? ... since you have done this, you will never leave the bed on which you are lying, but you will surely die.” 2 Kings 1:16

6. Shall I Recover? • We all have concerns for health and survival • Ahaziah – Fears the outcome, but does not inquire of God • Woman in Capernaum – Broke and desperate, an anonymous woman seeks to simply touch Jesus in hope that she will be healed

7. As Jesus…was surrounded by the crowds. 43And there was a woman in the crowd who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years. She had spent everything she had on doctors and still could find no cure. 44She came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. Luke 8:43-44

8. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.” But Jesus told him, “No, someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” Luke 8:45-46

9. When the woman realized that Jesus knew, she began to tremble and fell to her knees before him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” Luke 8:47-48

10. At Most Churches… • We make announcements of illnesses and accidents • We publish prayer lists • We mention the sick in our bulletins • We report on deaths • We pray publicly and privately for those with problems

11. Shall I Recover? • Concerns for Health & Survival • The Challenges of Failing Health

12. The Practical Effects • Pain – Physical discomfort that can be mentally distressing if not corrected • Reduced Function – It takes a strong body to negotiate the errands, chores, meals, shopping, gardening, cleaning, auto maintenance, etc. of each day • Financial Worry – It is expensive to be sick or injured!

13. The Emotional Fallout: • Sense of Worthlessness – We often can’t do what we used to do: contribute. • Anxiety of Being Burdensome – When others have to take care of us and carry on with the responsibilities of daily life without our help, it can work on our minds. • Uncertainty About the Future – What is wrong with me? Am I going to get better? Is this the beginning of the end?

14. A Point of Temptation: • The breakdown of the body is an effective point of temptation for Satan. He can use our suffering in a variety of ways to attack our spiritual well-being.

15. Shall I Recover? • Concerns for Health & Survival • The Challenges of Failing Health • Helpful Perspectives

16. What Is The Body? • It is a functional vehicle. • It is that structure which enables our spirits to operate in the material world. • It is temporary. • It serves as a means to an end. • It is a material machine destined to eventually break down.

17. The Body Is Given By God • It exists to glorify Him. • This is to be done with the hands, feet, mouth, reproductive organs, and the brain. • We have been purchased, redeemed by the blood of the Lord, and we live to serve and glorify Him. • This can even be done even in infirmity. Our body is given by the Lord and can be useful to Him in whatever condition it may be found.

18. The Body Is Given By God • The Christian should under- stand the ownership of our bodies and seek to “glorify God in our bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:20) • It’s not ours; it is His. We are stewards of it.

19. The Body Is Given By God Warning: Since we will be judged on stewardship and how we care for our body, we should be concerned about: • Our rest • Our diet • Our weight • Our exercise

20. The Body Is Given By God • We will have illnesses, pains and problems. That’s part of life. • But we can have hope in the anticipation of when we’ll have a new body - when we are raised “incorruptible.”

21. I Cry By Jocossa Burson Casey, Illinois Age 12 Sometimes I cry for a lot of different people and a lot of different reasons. I cry for Doug, who was gone before his daughter graduated 8th grade.

22. I cry for Victoria, who barely started her life before it was over. I cry for Jeremy, who’s life took a 90 degree turn when they found cancer. I cry for Chris who will go through life without a father.

23. I cry for wondering and not knowing why. I cry for knowing, honestly, that we all will die.

24. I cry for soldiers, who are far away from home. I cry for prisoners, who are hurt and alone.

25. I cry for the nice, because they will go through tough stuff; And the naughty, because their road will be rough.

26. I don’t cry for me, because I’ve got a light. I don’t cry for me, because I’ve a wonderful sight. Jesus, my King, will carry me through. If He’s not your Lord, I cry for you, too.

27. Conclusion • Do not let the body become a stumbling block, whether in its suffering or its youthful prime. • The deterioration and malfunction of the body serves to separate us from this world, both physically and emotionally. • Yes, we will die in order to live!