The lesson this morning is found
in Luke 13, verses 10-17. Luke 13, verses 10-17. Let's read these verses together. Luke 13, beginning with verse
10. And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the
Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman
which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed
together, and could in no wise lift up herself. When Jesus saw
her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Thou art loosed
from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her,
and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue
answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the
Sabbath day. And said unto the people, there
are six days in which men ought to work in them. Therefore come
and be healed and not on the Sabbath day. The Lord then answered
him. Now this was a public rebuke.
This man spoke out in public at what Christ had done. And
the Lord then answered him and said, thou hypocrite. Doth not
each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from
the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this
woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound low these
eighteen years, be loose from this bond on the Sabbath day?
And when he had said these things, all his adversaries, were ashamed. And all the people rejoiced for
all the glorious things that were done by Him. Now the lesson this morning is
about a sinner made straight. A sinner made straight. David prayed, lead me, O Lord,
in Thy righteousness. Because of mine enemies, make
thy way straight before my face. John the Baptist said, I'm the
voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the
Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. What is the way of the Lord? What is the way of the Lord?
He said, I am the way. If there's one thing in our generation
that needs to be made straight, it is that. Salvation is in a
person. It's not in things. It's not
in experiences. It's not in any of those things.
Salvation is in a person. He's the way of God. He's the
way of grace. He's the way of glory. He's the
way of sovereign purpose. He is the only way. There is no other way. And God has made a people chosen
to salvation and the means ordained to save them is designed to make
straight the way. And all of the miracles our Lord
performed had three objectives. When he healed somebody or cast
out a demon or whatever he did, whatever this miracle was, it
had three objectives. First of all, it was done to
confirm his person and work. Jesus of Nazareth says in the
book of Acts, approved of God among you with miracles and wonders
and signs which God did by him in your midst as you yourselves
also know. He was confirmed. Hebrews chapter
2 basically tells you the same thing. This gospel, this way of escape,
first began to be preached by the Lord. And then by those that
heard him, God confirming them with miracles and wonders and
signs. He told the unbelieving Jews,
he said, the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear
witness of me. That's what these works are doing.
They're bearing witness of Christ. When He straightened up this
woman, it was a physical act, but that physical act was to
picture the spiritual act. And then secondly, His miracles
demonstrated His sovereign grace. He didn't heal everybody, but
He healed some. He was preaching in one of the
synagogues. Those miracles didn't happen
in all other synagogues, it happened in the one where he was at. Miracles happen when God's people
meet together, but they don't happen everywhere. They happen
where the Lord is. And he said where two or three
are gathered together in my name, that's where I'm at. There was a certain woman, a
certain man, not every woman, not every man, but certain men
and women. And then thirdly, his miracles
were illustrations or pictures of how God saved sinners. No one miracle can picture the
salvation of sinners. It's just like a piece of the
puzzle. It's just one thing. But all
together, you get a clear picture. Demon possession. He said, you hath be quickened
who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in time past you
walked according to the course of this world. You walked according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience. When he cast out demons out of
men and women, it was a picture of what he does to a sinner when
he saves him. He's walking according to the
prince of the power of the air. You mean Satan's indwelling him?
No, I don't mean that. But I mean the spirit of Antichrist
of which Satan is the head and the instigator and the influence
is in him. That spirit of Antichrist. Satanic influence is called the
spirit of Antichrist. He is Antichrist. He's not anti-religious. He's
not anti-good works. Our Lord asked on one occasion,
which of these good works that I've done are you going to stone
me? Well, we're not stoning you over a good work. They weren't
anti-good works. We're stoning you for who you
say you are. They're not anti-social. They
love together. They're anti-Christ. And Christ
gives the way. And listen, he said, I am the
truth. And more so than that, he is
the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. Salvation's in a person. That's
what's being demonstrated to this woman. Satan works and moves
in the realm of religion. We like to write his works off
to the bars and the houses of ill repute and all that. We like,
boy, Satan doing this, Satan doing that. Let me tell you something. The only thing doing that is
your flesh. That's what that's all about. Satan works in the
realm of religion. As the Gospels call it, the mystery.
of godliness, the false gospels, called the mystery of iniquity.
It's a mystery. It's a mystery. And this woman
truly had a physical infirmity, but our Lord rightly diagnosed
her condition as having a spirit of infirmity. A spiritual infirmity
leaves the sinner bound in a fixed position. He can't change. He
can move from one church to another, but he can't move his basic principles
remain the same. The scripture said she could,
Luke 13 verse 11, in no wise lift up herself. She couldn't
do it. She couldn't do anything about
her condition. She was bowed down and could
not lift herself up, and that's where religion would have you
stay, looking down, bent over, looking away from God and away
from Christ and away from heavenly blessings. Paul said, if you
then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. We're not concerned. We have to be concerned a little
You have to have a house, you have to have groceries, and you
need a job to be able to do that. I'm not saying there's no concern
for those things at all, but our main priority is glory. We're just going to live so long
you're going to die. And I'm going to tell you something,
death's forever. You don't want to die in your
sins. You don't want to spend eternity
under the wrath of God. He calls it everlasting punishment. I can't imagine such a thing.
You ever been sick? I mean, not a headache. I'm talking about sick. You didn't
think you was going to get through the night, did you? Your heart
was pounding, cramping, fever. You just didn't think you was
going to get through the night. Try to imagine that forever. Forever. And there was another miracle
of grace that happened that day. Our Lord appeared on the scene. And he's teaching some things.
But think about this. Providential circumstance. Think
about that. There was just one synagogue
where Christ was at that day. Why'd that woman go to that one?
There were synagogues all over the city. Why didn't she go to
one of them? How come she was there? How come
he was there on that particular day? I must needs go here, he
said. I must needs pass through Jericho. providential circumstance. The
dictionary said circumstance is a fact or condition relevant
to an event or an action. And our Lord was teaching in
one of the synagogues that morning on that particular Sabbath. And Luke, by divine inspiration,
uses the word behold. Behold. Look with amazement. Look with wonder. Stop what you're
doing and pay attention to what's going on. There's something amazing
here to see. Behold, there was a woman, a
certain woman at a certain time in a certain place with a certain
disorder in the presence of a certain man. Oh, the providence of God. How
we ought to pray for it. We ought to pray for it, look
for it, glory in it. Yvonne and I didn't grow up together.
She don't know a whole lot about me, I don't know a whole lot
about her. We talked some about our past. And I look back on
my past and some things happened that at the time were just absolute
tragedies to me, just a tragedy. Had they not happened, I'd have
never heard the gospel. I'd have never heard the gospel.
Some of those things left permanent divisions. Without that division,
I'd have never heard the gospel. And what was just absolutely
horrible to me then, I thank God for now. That's what he's
saying, behold. Behold what's taken place. She was loose from the bonds
of religion, she was loose from her inabilities, and left hoping
in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's my story. And it's yours? That's my story. That's exactly
what God did for me. And that's the story of this
woman. In an act of sovereign grace, God arranged his providence
to have this poor sinner at this particular synagogue, at this
particular time, and in an act of sovereign mercy, he directed
his son to this particular synagogue, at this particular time. In an
act of sovereign, eternal love, our Savior looked at her and
said, you're loosed. You're loosed. I reckon what she thought when
she heard that. She'd heard that before. Men
had done things and said, you're going to be OK. But she wasn't
OK. And somebody else probably, I'm
saying this because I've been through some serious illnesses
with myself and with my wife. And I've had people tell me,
you know, if you just change your diet, everything will work
out OK. But then it don't. If you just change your doctors,
I think you'd be OK. No, that didn't help either.
I know she'd heard this before, but this time the Son of God
said it. You're loosed. And I'll tell
you something, you'll never be loosed until the Son of God tells
you you're loosed. He's the only one. He's the only
one. In an act of eternal sovereign
love, our Savior looked at her. He saw her in His purpose and
grace before the foundation of the world. He saw her in divine
election when the Father gave her to him. He saw her as eternal
provision was made and covenant promises were given. But this
time he sees her in time, a certain time. He saw her in compaction. He saw her all bent over and
banged. And he saw that tiny baby cast
out just like it was over in the prophet. And it was a time
of love. He said, when I passed by and
saw thee in thy blood, behold, it was a time of love. Eighteen
years she walked with this spiritual infirmity, but on this particular
day, her Lord saw her, came to her, spoke to her, and touched
her. And perhaps the greatest miracle
that day was the providence of God. Providence. Our Lord said no
man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw
him and I'll raise him up at the last day. How does he draw
men? He draws men in his Providence.
Paul said I'm going over here where Lydia lived. Holy Spirit
said no you're not. You're going over here. He'd
already arranged for Lydia to be over here. where Paul didn't
want to go. I'd like to know how many people
showed up at the house of God and God saved them and they didn't
even live there. They were there by the providence
of God. It's written, they shall all
be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father comes to me. Now I know
that has to do with the sinner being convinced through the gospel
and that revelation of the Spirit and so on that he comes, but
what he's telling you here, he's going to come. That's what he's
telling you here. Every man tied to God, he's going to come. Where's
he going? He's going to come to Christ. He's going to come
to Christ. He's going to bypass all this
other mess and he's going to come straight to Christ. She heard, she came, her infirmity
did not interfere with her coming. She came. I'd like to know how
many people get up on a Sunday morning, they're just tired and
didn't sleep good, stayed up too late, partied too long, whatever
the reason, and, well, I'll go next week. Can you imagine the
infirmity this woman had? She couldn't even look up. She
was bent over at the waist her whole life. I was grubbing brush
yesterday. We'd all been over. I had a little
chainsaw, a little battery chainsaw cutting. I tell you, couldn't
hardly get out of the truck when I got home. I can't imagine 18
years being over walking. Oh, my. It didn't interfere with her
coming. She was at the synagogue. She had no idea the Lord was
going to be there. She had no idea on that day who was going
to heal her. She had no idea. But I'll tell
you what she did know. It's not going to happen if I
stay home. If it happens, it's going to
happen where God's saints meet together. She knew that much.
And she came. Christ saw her by his mercy and
grace. Her ignorance did not interfere
with her coming. And there's just no explanation
for the salvation of sinners except the sovereign mercy and
grace of God. There's no way to explain it. That's the condition. The condition
of the sinner bound by the spirit and infirmity. He's all bent
over. He's all crooked. He's upside
down. That's the phrase we used to
use. Upside down. And then you got the conduct
of the sinner. Obedient to the sovereign will
of God. Not chance or luck that brought
her to Christ that day. The providence of God. And then see the means of grace. He called her to Him. He didn't
call her to His. He called her to Him. You can call her to the church
and to the front and all the other places where religion would
have you to come. Signing cards, there's no end
to it. And he said unto her, not to
the world, not to every son and daughter of Adam, he said to
her, woman, you think he knew who he was talking to? I guarantee
if he speaks to you, you'll know he's speaking to you. His Word,
all of a sudden that Word ain't going to be filled with generalities.
It's going to be particular. Woman, thou art loosed from thine
infirmities. Oh, my soul. We have to hear. You have to
hear. How you going to call on Him
in whom you have not heard? And then see, here's another
problem. The religious hypocrite. There's always one, and he's
right there on the scene. Think about this. This is the
Son of God. Nobody could do this. No doctor
could do it. No magician could do it. He simply spoke and this woman
straightened up. She was healed after 18 years. Nobody could deny it. They all
knew what was done. The glory of this thing, it's
testifying that this is God come into the flesh. This is the Christ
of Old Testament Scripture. He's being certified by God himself. And here he says, And here's this leader, ruler,
whatever you want to call him of the synagogue. He's in charge.
And the only thing he can see is a violation of the Sabbath.
You violated the Sabbath. Boy, you made provision in the
Sabbath for that ass. You made provision in that law
for that ox. You're going to lead him out
and get him water. But here's a sinner and she's
coming to the water of life and you ain't going to let her come
because it's the Sabbath. That ox has just been sitting
there without water for an evening. This woman's been without water
for 18 years. He answered with indignation
because this miracle seemed to violate his idea of
the Sabbath, and our Lord called him a hypocrite. He was the violator
of the Sabbath, not this woman, and not our Lord. Why didn't you say that? I'd
say that because Christ is our Sabbath. He is the Sabbath. He's our rest. And resting in
Him, we're forbidden to mix works with our rest. That's what the
working on the Sabbath was all about. We're not saved by works,
not of works, lest any man should boast. We're saved by grace. Over and over, he tells us, not
of works, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before the
world was. And then he tells them on another
occasion, he said, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for
the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is
Lord also of the Sabbath. And salvation is in a person,
not in a day or a place or an ordinance. And then see the self-righteousness
in his indignation. Can you picture this man? He's
all dressed up with his broad phylacteries All of his credentials
are hanging on the wall and all of these things and he comes
out with his robe on and looks down his nose at the Son of God
and accuses him of violating the Sabbath. Filled with self-righteousness. But listen to what the Lord tells
him. He said, you'll lead your ox to the water, but you'll forbid
thirsty sinners from drinking the water of life. You'll make
provision for an ox, but deny the daughter of Abraham the means
of grace. This was one of God's elect.
She was a daughter of Abraham. Back in Luke 52, our Lord said,
Woe unto you loggers, for you have taken away the key of knowledge.
You entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in
you hindered. You got in the way. You know, over in Revelations
where he said, let them take of the water of
life, whosoever will. Let them, if they're willing
in the day of God's power, you know what he's telling you there?
Let them take of the water of life. He's telling you get out
of the way. Just get out of the way. Here's the water. Here's
the thirsty sinner. Get out of the way. Let him come
to the water. Beware the advice and criticism
of the hypocrite. And let me leave you here with
the cure. The cure for the spirit of infirmity
is Christ. Every miracle describes the sinner
and points us to Christ. We're dead, palsied, bent over,
demon-possessed, paralyzed, ignorant, blind, deaf, hungry, thirsty.
lost and on and on it goes. That's us. That's us. And Christ is the only cure.
He's the only cure. He's the light, He's the life,
He's the wisdom, the power, the bread, the living water, the
strong man, the day star rising in our hearts. No man cometh
unto the Father but by me. And all that the Lord in His
mercy and grace Well, lead us to his son and his son to us.