목양연가(牧羊戀歌)

Isaiah 60:19 – 61:3 “God: The One Who Heals”

Isaiah prophesied before 750 B.C. that when Jesus Christ comes, His kingdom will come to preach good tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted (Isaiah 61:1- ), and the Lord will be to you an everlasting light (Isaiah 60:19B).  I will read Isaiah 61:1B, “Because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”  Today I pray the Holy Spirit speaks to your hearts as you receive the grace through this message.

First, this world is filled with wounded people.  As we live in the world, there is a time we are physically wounded through sickness and sometimes through car accidents.  Not only this, as we live in this rough world, sometimes we get hurt in our hearts, getting heartaches and suffer from it.  Seeing with spiritual eyes there are more people with wounds in their hearts than with physical wounds.  Is there anyone who does not get hurt in their hearts during their life time? Getting hurt could come from our own mistakes, or by someone elses, or it could be money related, or because of family relations.  When we are hurt physically we get treated.  If we neglect to get treated it could become a serious problem.  Physical wounds are easily treated since they can be seen, but the wounds of the heart are not so easy to treat.  Medicine can be used for outer wounds; however wounds of the heart are not healed by medicine or visits to the hospital.  If wounds of the heart get worse they can bring serious results; easy discouragement, pessimism, and mental disorders that could become criminal.  The disease of the body and wounds of the heart must be treated.

Secondly, then how do we treat the wounds in our hearts?  We have to take them to Jesus.  Physical diseases, mental diseases, all of them must be taken to Jesus.  It is the same in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  jPhysical problems.  For example in the Old Testament 2 Chronicles 16:12-13 says, “¹²And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.  ¹³So Asa rested with his fathers; he died in the forty-first year of his reign.”  And in 2 Kings 1:2 it says, “Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury."” 

At the time, “Then he said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word?  Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'"” (2 Kings 1:16), as it said he died.  As we see this, before we go to the doctor with our physical disease we must first ask God, and we are not to ask any other god either.  This does not mean ignore today’s hospitals.  kWounds of the heart.  Jesus is our healer Who heals the wounds of our hearts and minds.  Exodus 15:26B says, “For I am the LORD who heals you.”  Malachi 4:2A says, “But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”  (Ref. Matthew 9:20). 

Look here, the heart of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, who was despised by the people was wounded in his heart, but as soon as he met Jesus his heart was treated (Luke 19:1-10).  In John Chapter 8, when the woman, who was caught in adultery by the scribes and Pharisees, was brought to Jesus for punishment she was ashamed and wounded in her heart.  But with Jesus’ answer, full of love and wisdom, the shame and wounds in her were healed (treated).  In John 4:7, the Samaritan woman at the well, who was not even treated like a human being, as she met and talked with Jesus was healed.  And Lazarus who was dead was raised from the dead (John 11:1-44).  Beloved saints.  Let’s take all the diseases to Jesus, whether they are physical wound or wounds in the heart.  I believe the consolation from the Lord will heal all our painful wounds.  The Lord says, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  ³⁸ "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."” as recorded in John 7:37B-38.  “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”  We must take all our wounds and pain to Jesus.

Thirdly, after treatment we are restored to health.  When health is restored, energy comes back, so a person wants to go to work.  Jesus gave us liberty from disease of death from sin and our wounded hearts and minds by carrying the cross.  We received new life through salvation.  We were saved by the grace of the Lord and received new vitality by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  I believe as I am saved by the grace of God I seek others to give help and encouragement to them in the name of our Lord.  For example, let’s look at St. Paul.  When he was Saul, he was also a sick soul.  He was the incarnation of evil whose job was killing, under the name of God.  After he met Jesus Christ he was a new person.  Jesus healed his spiritual anguish by His light and voice, and then he was healed and became a new person.  He received spiritual vitality and became an instrument to lead other souls to the Lord.  We see in Acts Chapter 27 the story of the Alexandrian ship, which eventually shipwrecked. 

There were many opinions about whether the ship would stay in the place called Fair Havens for the winter or set sail from there to reach Phoenix.  At that time Paul who was caught for preaching the gospel and taken as a prisoner was onboard; he said that this voyage to Phoenix was dangerous.  But the centurion and the helmsman did not listen and ignored him.  So the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by what Paul said (Acts 27:11).  So the ship (Alexandrian) left the harbor and not long after the sky suddenly turned dark and they were in trouble due to the tempestuous head wind which arose called Euroclydon.  The Bible records that neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the wind and tempest were about to devour the ship.  Those onboard could not eat for 14 days because of the tempest.  They lightened the ship by throwing all the cargo and ship’s tackle overboard, and finally the hope of being saved was lost.  About this time Paul could have said, “See what happened!  Why didn’t you listen to me?”  He could have said that.  If it was us wouldn’t have we said that?  If a person’s advice is ignored, especially living in today’s world, we get angry, don’t we?  But Paul did not. 

He prayed for them and the Lord answered Paul; when 270 people onboard could not eat and were in trouble, Paul stood and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.  And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.  For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve.  I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.”  This is the attitude of one who is completely healed.  Stephen was also like that.  When he was stoned, he did not curse those stoning him but said, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”  I believe in forgiving those who are wounded, furthermore the right attitude for the spiritually healthy person is to have a heart to help those wounded.  I believe Christians must first have a positive attitude to be treated ourselves and get saved and then help others to get saved.  I finish preaching.  Beloved saints?  We live in a strange and sick society. 

There are so many souls who surround us that are worn out and wounded.  When they come to church they come to receive the love, comfort, and healing from the Lord.  So who will help them?  Who will comfort them?  Of course only Jesus can.  But I believe we who are healed can be an instrument of Jesus to comfort them in the healing process through our own experiences.  May God’s grace be upon your hearts.

By: Rev. Samuel Choi