January
20, 2013
SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
LOCATION
Rocky Hill Firehouse, 2nd Floor
150 Washington Street
Rocky Hill, New Jersey, 08553
Clay Curtis, pastor
Telephone: 615-513-4464
Schedule of Services
Sunday 10: 15 AM Bible Class
Sunday 11:00 AM Morning Service
Thursday 7: 30 PM Midweek Service
Order of service, announcements, nursery schedule, etc., are in
attachment. All articles in the bulletin
are by the pastor unless otherwise noted.
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HEALING OF SPIRITUAL
DROPSY
Luke 14: 1-14
The Lord went to eat on the
Sabbath in the house of men swollen with pride of self. When a sinner is bloated with pride, there is
no room for faith, love or mercy only strife, wrath, and division. Such is the old man of flesh that remains in
every believer. So how are we healed of
this disease? Christ our Savior overruled this occasion
so that there was a man in the house with dropsy. Dropsy was an incurable blood
disorder which caused extreme swelling of the body, exemplifying the spiritual
condition of each member of this house bloated with pride. As Christ deals with the various persons in
the house in this text see him dealing with one child of mercy. Here
are five things Christ alone is able to do for his child to heal us of this
disease.
Christ Shuts our Mouth
In verses 3 and 4 we see an
example of how Christ is able to use the law to shut our mouth, in order to
teach us that we do not understand the law and/or that we are misusing the word
of God. The Sabbath day showed the mercy
and rest God gives his people in Christ. God completely provided all on the 6th
day so that on the 7th the ruler of the house and his servants could
rest from all their works and worship God. It pictured the day of grace when God
gives his servants rest in Christ our Sabbath, seated at the right hand of the
Father because he has finished the work of redeeming his people from the law. But the Pharisee’s used the word of God
unlawfully, binding instead of declaring Christ our Rest, exalting self instead
of humbly worshipping the Redeemer. (Lk 13:14)
Because we are Pharisees by nature, believers can yet fall into this
error of using the word for vain reasons.
The word of God is not to be used to exalt self and gender bondage but
to exalt Christ before sin-sick sinners as we wait on the Spirit to give rest
in Christ. Believers should never
compromise the truth of God but if we get caught up in vain strivings we end up
making ourselves the focus rather than Christ. Such strivings eat like a canker
and overthrow the faith of some. A father and mother may desire to teach their
children but if they argue they only teach the children how to fight and both
end up swollen with pride. Thankfully,
Christ faithfully applies his word, shutting our mouths, pricking and deflating
us of our vain pride—“And they held their peace.”
Christ Heals Us and Sets
Us Free
“And he took him,
and healed him and let him go.” How gracious Christ is to yet take us even when
we become swollen with spiritual dropsy. He took us to be our Surety in the
everlasting covenant of grace. Christ took
the sin of God’s elect, suffered and died in our place on Calvary’s cross. He
took us when he called us to himself through the gospel. After he takes us he heals us. It is the blood
of Christ with which the Spirit of God heals us, purging our conscious from
dead works to serve the true and living God and his blood continually “cleanseth
us” of our sin (1 Jn 1: 6-7; Is 53: 5) Then Christ frees us. As Christ freed us from the bondage of the
curse of the law by being made a curse for us only Christ can free us from the
bondage of our sin-nature and continually deliver us from the bondage of that pit
of pride and legalism. (Jn 8: 36)
Christ Silences the Accusing
Pharisee Within
In verses 5 and 6, Christ used something personal
to these men. If even their own beast needed mercy they would not object. The
man that had the dropsy had no objections to this miracle of mercy because he
was shut up to mercy. We may be ready to
cry down fire on another but when the Lord brings us to see we are the one
personally in need of mercy that is when the proud accuser within us is
silenced—“and they could not answer him again to these things.” When we stumble as brute beasts fallen into
that pit, by God’s unchanging grace we are yet Christ’s beast. So in mercy, he
comes to us and straightway pulls us out of the pit.
Christ Teaches Us
Humility
In verses 7-11 it is us,
brethren, bidden by God to this wedding feast of the gospel in his house. But Christ is the Guest of honor! Christ must
and shall have all preeminence. So Christ teaches us to make ourselves the
least.
Christ made himself of no reputation. He became obedient even to the
death of the cross, highly exalting God, wherefore God also hath hightly exalted
him. If we try to exalt ourselves we
shall be abased. But when, by his grace, Christ brings us down to cast all our care
upon him then in due time, Christ shall “say
unto thee, Friend, go up higher.” He does
so in the day of conversion, in the present trial and shall do so in the day of
glory—“then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat
with thee.”
Christ Teaches Us to Love
Mercy
In verses 12-14, we are
reminded that Christ is not calling those with ability to recompense again. Spiritual dropsy causes us to have respect to
the old man of flesh within us and in our brethren. That fleshly man will
surely recompense: pride for pride. But Christ calls poor, maimed, lame, blind
sinners. This is what we are and who we
are sent to proclaim the gospel unto. We
shall be blessed, for such sinners cannot recompense again to us. Think on that
for a while! We shall be recompensed at
the resurrection of the just when we see Christ in his glory, receiving all
glory, for saving each one of his sheep. Spiritual dropsy rejoices in strife
and judgment. The Spirit of Christ rejoices
in truth, mercy and love (1 Corinthians 13: 1-13)