Participants:
Series Code: ILL
Program Code: ILL230004S
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00:14 Praise the Lord, everyone. Welcome to Imperative Life
00:18 Lessons. I'm Pastor Ryan Johnson. 00:20 Imagine with me if you will, you're walking, 00:24 you're staggering really, down the road of life 00:28 along the broken path you've chosen. 00:30 It's dark and not quite raining sort of a dreary bone chilling 00:37 drizzle. The Down blue jacket that you started off with 00:41 went to tatters long ago and so your bare, bruised, and dirty 00:46 arms are freezing in the wind prickling with goose flesh, 00:49 scratched from brambles, and other less mentionable things. 00:55 You haven't showered in weeks, you reek, you smell as if 00:59 you were born smelling. But who cares? 01:01 Not now, you are utterly filthy, unlovable, untouchable, 01:08 just walking, walking, walking to the red glow of ruin 01:14 just over the horizon. 01:16 To your left are the tall twisted hopes of broken and abandoned 01:22 carnival rides, pie wedges of Ferris wheels, 01:25 looping shoestrings of condemned roller coasters, 01:30 the screaming statues of carousel horses long forgotten 01:34 candy stands with cobwebs for cotton candy, spider webs 01:39 for waffle cones. 01:40 These disheveled relics of your past used to bring you happiness 01:45 or at least entertainment, fun, a good trip, distraction, 01:51 way back when you had friends. Back when you had shoes. 01:57 Back when you had self-esteem, can you remember back that far? 02:01 to when you first started down this ugly path 02:05 before the clouds had permanently gathered overhead 02:09 when the road was not just for walking but for kicks. 02:12 It seems like a lifetime ago doesn't it? 02:15 The preacher warned you, your dad warned you, 02:20 your mama, but you had to experience it for yourself, huh? 02:24 It was your life after all, so you and your friends, 02:28 y'all started down the wrong path together, didn't you? 02:33 You just struck out in rebellion, what did those old 02:37 Bible thumpers know, anyway? 02:39 You had to do it your way. My way. 02:41 Rather than God's way and one by one, the friends left 02:47 some turned back, good for them. And some friends didn't make it 02:55 did they? And no matter how far you walk in life, 02:58 you can't put it behind you, it hurts you, 03:01 it breaks your heart because you can't take any of it back. 03:05 Friends and family fade, you can't do anything about that now 03:10 so you just move forward, one foot in front of the other 03:13 left foot up, left foot down, right foot up, right foot down. 03:21 Ahh, directly onto a piece of broken glass, Umm! 03:26 And by the feel of it, you have really cut yourself. 03:29 Carefully looking under your right foot, you appreciate 03:34 the deep laceration from the toes to the arch 03:37 and it looks serious. 03:39 Great! That's just great! On top of everything else 03:43 you've ruined your foot, now you can't even walk. 03:46 Tears mixed with the drizzle leaving clean tracks 03:51 on your dirty cheeks, you're hungry, you're tired, 03:54 you're lonely, and now you're hurting and bleeding. 03:57 You're standing one legged like a sleeping flamingo, 04:01 you try to find a way to lower yourself to the crusty pavement, 04:06 where you're just going to sit and cry until the end. 04:12 You're probably not the first person to give up on the road. 04:17 You most likely won't be the last untouchable sinner 04:21 to fade away even before making it all the way to ruin. 04:27 And then, the goose flesh, the little bumps on your arms 04:33 are back, your hair is standing on end, a split second before 04:37 you hear the sputter of an approaching engine 04:40 an automobile is coming, and definitely not the usual Ferrari 04:46 or Mercedes Benz by the sound of it. 04:48 Half stooped on one foot, you stick your thumb out 04:53 into the drizzle and eventually a little beat-up baby-blue 04:58 Volkswagen Beetle squeals to a stop beside you. 05:01 Water is pattering on the roof, lightning flashes 05:04 in the distance, and the driver hidden in shadow leans over 05:10 opens the passenger door, you want to go where I'm going? 05:15 says a man's voice. 05:17 Do I have a choice? He harrumphs. (laughter) 05:21 May not have much in this world but you always got a choice. 05:25 Oh, great, a philosopher. Yeah, whatever you say. 05:30 You hobble over, and you get in, and the cars smells like 05:34 cinnamon chewing gum. Pleasant. And you're filthy, stinky, 05:40 and bleeding all over the worn upholstery. 05:42 The man peers at you carefully from under the shadow 05:46 of his old tan baseball cap. Been There, Done That, 05:50 it says in faded blue letters. 05:52 You can't see his eyes, but you know he's taking 05:54 your appearance in, you just hope you haven't made a huge 05:59 mistake, if you know what I mean. 06:01 You got a problem, you say, hey, no judgement here, he replies 06:07 wiggling the gear shift, hands in the air. 06:09 And then he asks you a dumb question, where are you heading? 06:13 Gesturing toward the windshield and to the red glow beyond, 06:18 and you say, isn't it obvious where we're heading? 06:21 Just get to it, the sooner the better. 06:25 The man hangs his head a bit his silhouette is the perfect 06:30 image of a thinking human being. 06:32 The rain tick off the roof, your foot is killing you, 06:35 he says, what if I told you that there's another way? 06:40 What, like a short cut to the carnival? 06:44 Cause I've already done that man. 06:47 He goes, nah, you can go to ruin if you want... 06:49 but he taps the gear shift and I'm not going that way, 06:53 I'm going this way. He jerks a thumb behind himself 06:57 and I'm kind of hoping you will come with me. 07:00 You take a good look at the post-apocalyptic wasteland, 07:06 the twisted carnival, the low clouds and then the car 07:10 your dirty skin, your busted foot, and you realize 07:14 this man is patronizing you, he's belittling you, 07:17 no, no, he's running some kind of game, 07:20 trying to con you. But you've been on the road for years 07:23 you've seen every scam there is and this guy isn't even 07:27 that good at it, just not, not flashy enough, 07:29 a little too earnest. Foot or no foot, you silently reach 07:33 for the door handle...Hey, hey before you get out, he says, 07:37 I can see you're hurt there, ahhh, I'm sort of a healer 07:42 why don't you let me take a look at that? 07:44 No! you recoil, fumbling frantically with the door handle 07:49 don't touch me! Nobody can touch me! Get away from me. 07:53 The man lifts his hands higher in the air in submission, hey, 07:57 hey, it's okay. I won't touch you if you don't want me to. 08:01 But you should let me have a look. But instead, 08:06 you take a look. There's a scar in his hand, 08:11 there are scars in both hands, and the goose bumps are back. 08:15 You know who this is, you've heard rumor of him 08:19 and with a light sense of dejavu you realize 08:23 you might even have met him somewhere before. 08:28 A great man, a good man, the best man, 08:30 and now he's looking at you asking to touch you, 08:34 how filthy you must look to him, how ugly, how grimy, 08:38 and hopeless, and pitiful, and worthless, and untouchable. 08:43 Well, he says, what do you say? 08:47 And you can hear his smile in the dark. 08:50 He points ahead, get out, and wait on ruin, 08:55 he jerks the thumb behind or shall I put this little chariot 09:00 in reverse? You look at the red glow ahead, it calls to you, 09:06 it owns you, it's unfortunate but you're going to have to 09:10 turn him down, you've been walking the road too long, 09:13 you've done so much on the road you've lost too much 09:17 to the road and healer or not, you're pretty sure nobody 09:21 really wants to touch you. 09:22 And that's when something ironic occurs to you, 09:26 you lick your lips, um, hey. 09:30 Yes, his hands are still in the air, what is a nice guy 09:34 like you doing in a dump like this? 09:38 And the man lifts the lid from his brow 09:41 and this time your eyes meet his, oh, he says, 09:46 almost embarrassed, but not quite. 09:50 I came all the way down here for you! 09:56 Father in Heaven, bless us as we study in Thy name. Amen! 10:04 Let's look at Leviticus chapter 13 and verse 43. 10:09 This is what the Word says. 10:46 The laws of Moses concerning leprosy are outlined 10:50 in this chapter, beginning with the qualifying statement 10:53 in verse one, that God spoke to Moses. 10:56 Now, of interest to me and maybe you is that as you 11:00 read this chapter, it appears that there are several different 11:04 diseases being described here from melanomas to boils or 11:09 furuncles or carbuncles to leprosy and some commentators 11:13 have seen up to seven disorders described here. 11:17 So, the priest had to serve as both a spiritual guide 11:20 and a diagnostician, A doctor/pastor who would 11:25 examine a patient to protect the community and the family 11:29 while trying to avoid being infected himself. 11:32 And what is clear in the scripture is that the priest 11:37 is screening from one dreaded disorder, and that's leprosy. 11:42 Is it leprosy? Leprosy is an ugly but slow moving infection 11:49 of the skin and nerves, the upper respiratory tract 11:53 and the eyes. You've no doubt heard the horror stories 11:56 of people with leprosy rotting away, a disfiguration, 12:00 the stench, and this can happen yes. 12:03 But I want to explore some deeper things here. 12:06 Firstly, lets identify with the ancient Hebrew community 12:11 shall we? Let's find ourselves in the Bible. 12:15 Because leprosy could be spread through droplets in the air 12:19 so, to prevent the spread of leprosy a mask or covering 12:24 had to be worn. If you were around a leper, 12:28 you would wear a mask. 12:29 If you were suspected of having leprosy, you were quarantined 12:34 and a mask for weeks, and if you were diagnosed, and you were 12:39 quarantined forever. 12:41 Forever untouchable, am I striking home yet? 12:44 Can you imagine what would happen in the ancient Hebrew 12:48 market checkout line, if some- body came through wearing a 12:51 leper's mask, and they coughed. Oh, no, they didn't. 12:55 Pandemonium in the store. Regarding leprosy, 13:00 there was a range of people, there were the overly concerned 13:04 who would call you cursed by God, just because you had 13:07 a mosquito bite, leprosy! It's mosquito leprosy 13:11 and then there were the deniers who would have a symptom 13:15 of leprosy, but they wouldn't tell anybody or they wouldn't 13:19 take the precautions. They'd infect the whole community. 13:22 You don't believe me, you can look at Leviticus chapter 14 13:26 and verse 11. There are some that had old leprosy sores 13:30 that they had not reported. So, it's no surprise 13:33 that the disease was thought to be a curse upon whomever 13:38 fell victim to it. An indication of God's wrath. 13:41 And since we are discussing it, why else was leprosy considered 13:46 to not just being an affliction, but also a curse? 13:50 Well, we have Miriam in Numbers chapter 12, and Gehazi 13:54 II Kings, chapter five, they were cursed with it. 13:57 So maybe that is how Israel came to associate the disease 14:01 with Divine Retribution. 14:03 But there is another possible reason buried in the 14:06 history of the disease. 14:08 Did you know that leprosy was a very common affliction of the 14:12 Egyptians? That's right, in fact scholars believed that the 14:17 earliest record of leprosy can be found on an ancient 14:21 Egyptian papyrus from about 1550 BC. 14:25 Leprosy was an Egyptian disease which means Israel was probably 14:31 exposed to leprosy while there was slaves in Egypt. 14:35 Now hang onto that. Now listen to this text 14:38 Exodus, chapter 15, and verse 26, listen. 15:09 Do you see that, there's our answer right there. 15:13 Well, address it. But firstly let's gain a little context. 15:16 In the previous chapter which is Exodus chapter 14, 15:20 the children of Israel passed through an unlikely 15:24 path in the Red Sea and freshen their memory are the 10 plagues 15:28 which have completely destroyed the confidence and theology 15:32 of the Egyptians. The bloody Nile, the frogs, lice, flies, 15:35 his livestock, the pestilence, the boils, the hail, the locusts, 15:39 darkness, death, Israel's taskmasters have been broken. 15:44 The gods of the desert have proven powerless 15:48 and our God has delivered His people from ruin, just as He 15:53 delivers us from ruin, delivered them from the world, 15:57 referencing Revelation chapter 11 folks just as he delivered 16:01 us from the world, spiritual Egypt and in a pillar of cloud 16:06 by day and fire by night, God is before His people 16:12 and then chapter 15 breaks upon the sandy shore 16:18 with Moses, Miriam, and the Israelites singing and dancing, 16:23 and praising God. God the almighty, God the deliverer, 16:27 and then God speaks to His people right in the midst 16:31 of their triumph through His servant Moses, 16:34 He addresses the Hebrews in the context of the enemy from 16:38 whom they have escaped. God draws an extinction 16:42 between His will and that of the Godless. 16:45 If you will hearken, and do and give ear and keep 16:52 then none of the Egyptians diseases will plague you 16:57 and remember, leprosy was first documented in Egypt. 17:02 So maybe the Israelites equated a leper with one who failed 17:08 to hearken, to do, to give ear, and to keep. 17:12 So then it was an indicator of disobedience that reminded them 17:18 of their idolatrous practices. 17:20 So, in the book of Leviticus God is cleansing His people 17:25 of half a millennium of Egyptian lore and hygiene 17:28 and He gives clear instructions on how to deal with this disease. 17:33 He says to remove it from the community, to cover yourself, 17:37 Do Not Touch, don't touch it, no way. Then what is going on 17:47 in Matthew chapter eight, yes, in the gospel of Matthew 17:53 something strange happens, somebody need to call the p... 17:57 Hey, call the police, because Jesus is breaking the law 18:02 of Moses. (Laughter) Well, that's how it seems, 18:05 you know what, let's read about it. Matthew chapter 8, 18:08 we're going to look a verse one... 18:11 When He, Jesus was come down from the mountain, 18:14 great multitudes follow Him and behold, there came a leper 18:18 a leper, a filthy, nasty, leper, and worshipped Jesus, saying, 18:23 Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 18:27 First, the leper should have known better, he knew the rules, 18:31 he knew the law, how dare he come to Jesus, what's more 18:36 it says Jesus came down the mountain, Jesus came all the way 18:41 down to meet him. Can you believe this? 18:44 Let's keep looking. Verse three. 18:54 No! Look at him! Look at his festering wounds. 19:00 The glistening raw skin, when he moves, it sounds all moist 19:05 and squishy, he walks like the hunchback of Notre Dame. 19:08 He smells like a sewage plant, he's infected, Jesus, 19:12 you can't touch this, you can't touch, this! 19:18 Not this, oh now listen friends, it is so typical of you and me 19:27 to get caught up in the physical nature of things carried away 19:30 by what we can see, the rot, the ugly, we cast blame 19:35 that is so short-sighted because in this dying world 19:38 not every physically hurting person deserves to be hurting. 19:42 Physical suffering does not necessarily reflect moral decay 19:47 okay, then let's look at the spiritual meanings here. 19:51 For here is where we find ourselves, or I find myself 19:55 in the gospel, the condition of a spiritual late-stage leper, 20:02 hopeless, bleeding, malformed, dying, 20:06 it's a perfect description of our righteousness isn't it? 20:10 Of our spiritual lives right now and spiritual disease. 20:16 Well, that is our fault, we are infected with sin, 20:21 we are untouchable, unclean, but Jesus Christ will touch us 20:26 heal us, and Christ does not break the law, 20:30 He fulfills the law in verse three when it says 20:34 Jesus put forth His hand and touched him saying 20:38 I will be thou clean and immediately his leprosy 20:42 was cleansed. No Jesus, you can't touch this 20:47 but He could, He would, He does... 20:53 But let's examine something else together, 20:56 a story from the very same chapter, in fact, it immediately 21:03 follows the account of the leper. 21:04 Look right there, Matthew eight, verse five... 21:24 Come over, per se... 21:47 So Jesus is approached by a Roman, who being a soldier 21:52 recognizes the word of authority, he recognizes the 21:55 authority of the word and who's beloved servant is sick. 21:59 Jesus offers to go and heal him, go to the centurion's 22:05 home and save the man with palsy, but the centurion 22:09 halts, Jesus, speak the word only. 22:11 The word is the law, the word is enough. 22:15 And though he may not have realized it, 22:17 the word according to John chapter one is God, 22:20 speak Jesus, and Jesus speaks. 22:23 And the word of the Lord accepted via the centurion's 22:28 fate that heals the servant that very hour. 22:32 Alright, let's put these two stories together, 22:36 in verse eight, Jesus only needs to speak the word 22:41 and the word is enough. but if Jesus could speak the word 22:45 why did He touch the leper? 22:47 This is important because I believe that these two stories 22:52 that of the leper, and then that of the centurion is put together 22:56 just to make this point, the point that Jesus, whose words 23:01 knitted together the very fabric of space and time 23:04 that doesn't have to touch us yet He does, He wants to. 23:09 Oh, to be touched by the Master, to have Him contact us 23:15 in our sin, even though He doesn't have to, that is Love. 23:20 It's power, but it's love. 23:23 Now, there you are on the road to ruin, filthy, naked, damaged, 23:31 stinking, and Jesus has come all the way down to save you... 23:38 You think you are unsavable, worthless, who would touch you 23:43 after all you have done, after the very hell you have endured. 23:48 Oh my Jesus, after all I have done you can't touch this, 23:57 you can't, nobody can, but Jesus says hey, I came all the way 24:07 down here for you now I'm going this way, you want to go? 24:18 Be a desire of healing and hey son, daughter, let me have 24:26 a look, let me see and you think He can't touch you, 24:32 bet He can't touch this, and then He does, you are made whole. 24:44 The pandemic was just rearing its ugly head and everybody 24:52 in the church was completely afraid, we had on our spacesuits 24:56 our parka's, we had on our masks, the Conference 24:59 had told us that we had to close the church down 25:01 from regular service and we were trying to be creative 25:04 in ways to feed the people in the community to do 25:08 God's work, yet not make a mistake so foolish as to 25:11 cause injury. And to be honest with you, we lost some people 25:15 in our church and in the midst of that fear, 25:18 it was a Wednesday afternoon and we were going to gather 25:20 just a few of us in the church to try to film and broadcast 25:24 some form of prayer meeting. 25:28 But everybody came in walking like this in spacesuits, 25:31 I'm teasing, we were afraid and they went into the church 25:36 and I was the last one to go into the church 25:39 and as I was walking towards the doors, a woman came 25:43 right off the street, no mask, nothing, and she said, 25:47 Sir, help me. I turned and I looked at her, 25:53 I wonder if she knew I was a Preacher, I wonder if she knew? 25:59 She said, I think I am having a heart attack. Help me. 26:07 I looked up at the building and there plastered to the glass 26:14 Inside the church, was everybody afraid to come out. 26:17 And this lady said I need you to touch me. 26:21 There's a young lady in our church, her name is 26:26 Dr. Lillian YanYow she is a nurse she saw the exchange 26:32 and she hastily opened the door and bolted out of the church, 26:37 came down beside me and the two of us are standing 26:40 together and before I could even think of the 26:43 proper response, she had knelt down and touched the woman, 26:47 are you okay? Oh, have mercy, can't let the sister do that 26:53 I had to kneel down to have mercy and to see the 26:57 look on her face, that right then at a time when nobody 27:02 wanted to touch anybody, a member of the church came 27:05 out and touched her. 27:07 And did we pray? You know a preacher got to pray 27:12 and we called an ambulance and we never saw that lady again. 27:17 When I will never forget the power of the untouchable 27:22 being touched and that is what God does for us. 27:28 I learned a lesson that day, that is how God is. 27:32 Father in heaven, Despite us, because of us, 27:37 touch us Lord, heal us. In Thy name we pray. 27:44 Amen! 27:46 You know God has plans for you, you walk with your hand 27:48 in His hand and He will lead you into His destination. 27:51 May He bless you. And as always friends, 27:55 Be Encouraged. |
Revised 2025-05-15