“A Situation, A Spirit And A Savior”
H Lee Clay
The word or term “situation” is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as meaning, “The combination of circumstances at a given moment; a state of affairs; A critical, problematic,or striking set of circumstances.”
Everyone one of us, from the oldest to the youngest; every one of us, from the wealthiest to the poorest; every one of us, from the least educated to the most educated, has experienced a season of “problematic situation" or a given moment that we were caught up in a combination of circumstances that had ushered our souls into a regrettable state of affairs”.
The Word of God declares that “a man born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble”. And trouble is always on the prowl. You never have to look for trouble to find it because trouble will always eventually find you.
In our text we find a woman who has been afflicted by a situation that has lasted for some 18 years. For 18 years she has suffered; for 18 years she has lived under the burden of a situation that has bruised her body, battered her mind and bewildered her soul.
For 18 years she has daily been afflicted by a “A critical, problematic, and striking set of circumstances.” How many of you know that problems and trouble can hang out with you and burden you for years and burden your life to a point where the burden can bend you over and eventually break the back of your peace and your will and can mess up your mind?
This woman could be like someone that you know or have known; she could even be like you. If the truth be told every single one of us in this room has and may still be in a season of struggle that instead of getting better things are getting worse and it’s bending and breaking your peace.
You can’t eat, you can bearly sleep. You have new acquaintances that you really know aren’t good for you but you feel like you need them around to cope with your pain. You know,Jimmy Bean, Johnny Walker Red and his cousin Johnny Walker Black. Ronnie Bacardi;Mr. Vodka & Orange. Miller, Buddy Weiser.
Mic E Lobe or maybe Dr. Gin & Tonic.
Or how about Mary J Juana, Prozac, Valium and a host of other friends that help you to temporarily escape from the reality of your pain. But the problem is that when you sober up you are still broken, battered, bruised and bent over. This woman is in trouble and trouble has been a horrific and horrendous factor in her life for the last 18 years.
There are three major characters in this story. These characters are the person, the problem and the prescription. It is important to remember that for every person, there will be a problem, but our God has a prescription!
Jesus’ opening statement to the problem in this woman’s life is not a recommendation for counseling. It is instead a challenging command. We have been introduced to the person and her “situation” .
Now let’s look at “the problem”. Her problem did not begin suddenly. It had existed in her life for 18 years. There is something that she has experienced in her past that continues to haunt her in her present and according to the text released “a spirit of infirmity” that has plagued her life for all of these years.
The term “infirmity” is defined as, “A condition or disease producing weakness.” And also as, “A failing or defect in a person’s character.”
The heartache, heartbreak, depression, devastation, desperation that often leads to behavioral deviations are typically introduced into our life experience by what the text refers to as “a spirit of infirmity.
And that demon can not only affect your life but infect your mind to a point as to wear it brings with it “A condition or disease producing weakness and a failing or defect in a person’s character”.
Look at this woman. For the last 18 years of her life she’s been defeated in her purpose.She may be suffering from the low self esteem that has afflicted so many that have been afflicted by the ghost of their past psychological and emotional trauma that has damaged them. She has fallen and this spirit has convinced her that she can’t get up.
Have you ever been there? She’s the victim of past abuse and she is still hurting because the sores in her spirit have become the scabs in her soul that are a constant reminder of the regrettable treatment that she has suffered at the hand of someone that she trusted.
Perhaps she was raped by her father, or her Momma’s boyfriend or turned out by her lover or rejected by someone that she needed to be there for her. Have you ever been there when the very one that you believed would be there for you was the one that instead of blessing your heart betrayed you?
She is now a walking zombie. There’s an outward appearance that says “I’m alive but on the inside I’m dead, battered and beaten by this life’s experiences and disappointments”.She is so demoralized by living a life and she continues to add to her own suffering by the choices that she makes in terms of the type of people that she’s attracted to.
Not only has this spirit broken her to a point to where she can’t even stand straight but she can no longer even see or think straight. She’s attracted to people that instead of helping her to get better they only encourage her to stay sick and bent over.
She wants out of abusive relationships and environments but this “spirit of infirmity”, this demonic presence that has afflicted her mind and her circumstances and has caused her to be “defective in her thinking” causes her to be attracted to the same kind of people in her present that have abused her in her past.
Have you ever been there? You’ve been dogged by people that you trusted but instead of kicking them to the curve you just hold on to the misery of the relationship and you are attracted to that kind of element.
And because now that this spirit has affected and infected your thinking concerning the situation you find that you are so broken in your soul and bent over from the burden of the whole matter that you can’t even look up.
We see her situation! We understand the role that this spirit of infirmity has played in her life for a miserable 18 years. That spirit accompanied the situation. There’s always going to be a spirit that will come around you to usher your thinking into a situation.
But blessed be God in the text we see that she sought the Savior.
We’ve seen the person; We’ve seen the problem
Now, let’s see the prescription
The text says in verse 10 that on the sabbath, the holy day she went to the House of Prayer.Verse 11 says that she was in such bad shape being gripped by the spirit of infirmity that she was bent over so bad that she could not lift her self up. In other words, she couldn’t stand up straight. (Extentialize)
But in verses 12 and 13 we find 5 (GRACE) things that took place that changed her life:
1. Jesus saw her V.12A
2. Jesus called her V. 12 B
3. Jesus spoke the Word of healing V. 12 C
4. Jesus touched her V. 13 A)
5. Jesus healed and delivered her.
V. 13B (“and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” )
That’s my King. The Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder, DO YOU KNOW HIM?
He supplies Strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried.He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick and he cleansed the lepers
He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble.He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. And He beautifies the meager.
He’s able. If you know that I’m right about it say
yes.
I FEEL LIKE GIVING GOD THE GLO-RY
BE NOT DIS-MAYED, WHAT-EVER BE TIDE, GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!
