Live Free with Josh Howerton - Jesus Canceled Your Sin | Ep. 411 | Monday, September 2, 2024

Episode Date: September 2, 2024

You will never be seen as an untouchable in the eyes of the Heavenly Father. “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ And immediately the leprosy left him.” ( Luke 5:13). God could, and He would if He was sought after. In the narrative found in Luke 5, Jesus comes across a man afflicted with leprosy. Notably, Jesus did not partake in cancel culture; instead, His actions focused on canceling sin. Reflecting on this, ask yourself: What aspects of your life require you to seek out Jesus today? For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Well, happy Monday, everybody. This is The Daily Drive, and my name is Bro. And if you're new to this, welcome.

We hang here for Monday through Friday a few minutes just diving into God's Word, and we're just trying to become more and more like Jesus. So we've been looking at some one-on-one encounters that he had with people a whole lot like us. All last week, we looked at a story found in John Chapter 4, where Jesus goes completely out of his way to find a broken woman and redeem her life. He gives to her what he calls living, water, the kind that quenches the thirst in every human being, including me and you. It's a moving story.

It's just got to be in my top ten in the Bible. As is this one that we start today. It's found over in Luke the 5th chapter. Now, in case you haven't noticed, this is an election year, and politics are once again grabbing the headlines, and we all know that things will really start heating up. So I've just been praying that this time around, we will all do better, be better, that the labels and the name-calling, the anger, and the vitriol, the nastiness would subside, and we would see everybody as a person of worth created in an image of God.

But you know as well as I do in this cancel culture in which we currently live, we can start to look at other people as you know, those people, those people who don't look like us, dress like us, believe like us, vote like us, think like us, or live like us. And if you and I are not careful, we can start living with the kind of heart that puts people into the category of the untouchables. He was one of those. This guy that encounters Jesus,

and once again, we will see that Jesus was as anti-counciled culture as you can get. In fact, the only thing Jesus ever canceled was our sin. He went to a cross and canceled the debt that our sin had racked up. And I love this story so much. Let's just jump in, starting in Luke chapter 5, verse 12. When Jesus was in one of the towns, A man came along who was covered with leprosy. Now only in Luke's account is it detailed like this,

covered with leprosy or full of leprosy. Luke was a doctor, and he uses the medical term for a very advanced case of leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, Lord, if you're willing, you can make me clean. It's kind of cool how this guy acknowledges Jesus' authority right up front, calls him Lord. He says, Lord, I believe.

you can do anything. Now, you may not heal me in the exact way I thought you might. You might not do it right away, but I know you could if you wanted to. It reminds me how the founders of AA wrote about their experience when they said, we found that God could and would if he were sought. We found that God could and would if he were sought. And so many of us have found that to be absolutely true. And if that's true to which millions of addicts can attest,

then isn't it also true that God can't and won't if he's not? So this guy makes the first move. He seeks out Jesus saying, I really believe that you could. I was just wondering if you would. Verse 13, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Now, the word used here for touch is hapto, which means to fasten onto.

So this is not some big tent revival smack in the forehead, be healed kind of thing. This is not a big dramatic show with people falling backwards and crescendoing music and stuff. Just a tender embrace. It had been so long since someone had fastened on to him. So Jesus embraces him and says, I'm willing, be clean, and immediately the leprosy left him.

What? Let me read that again to you. And immediately, the leprosy left him. You've probably seen those commercials, I think, for maybe it's plaques psoriasis. We've got people in sleeveless blouses and some guy wearing a speedo who should not be wearing a speedo. In fact, no one should be wearing a speedo, right? Well, the announcer comes on and says,

Many people taking O-Tesla found out of skin, it noticeably clear within the first six months of use. Let me read this again. And immediately, miraculously, the leprosy left him. Verse 14, then Jesus ordered him. Don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest

and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing as a testimony to them. You see, people would know that this guy had been a leper, and it would be very slow to accept him back, but if the priest had inspected him and accepted his offering, it would validate this guy in the eyes of the people. Plus, it would show that Jesus had respect for the law, and Jesus instructs the God.

Do you notice? Don't tell him one. Right. Verse 15, Yet the news about him spread all the more. Think this guy might have talked? So that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places, and he prayed.

Well, let's just push pause there for today. I want to pick this up tomorrow, but just know that today God could, and he would, if he ever saw it. Seek him today. I'll see you back here tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information about all the digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint. dot church slash daily drive. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review,

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