Complete Dependence on God for Healing and Salvation

 

Summary

In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 17, verses 14 and 15, we find a profound expression of faith and a stark contrast between belief and unbelief. Jeremiah, amidst a critical situation for his people, turns to God with a heartfelt plea: "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for thou art my praise." This plea is not just a request for physical healing but a deep acknowledgment of spiritual need and dependence on God. Jeremiah's position is clear—he recognizes his need for divine intervention and places his trust entirely in God, contrasting sharply with the rebellious attitude of his contemporaries who demand, "Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now."

This passage serves as a mirror reflecting the broader human condition and our relationship with God. It highlights the essential question of our spiritual state and our response to the gospel. The true mark of a Christian is the recognition of one's spiritual illness and the inability to heal oneself. It is a confession of sin and a realization of the need for salvation that only God can provide. The Christian faith is not about self-improvement or moral achievements but about acknowledging our helplessness and turning to God for healing and salvation.

Jeremiah's prayer encapsulates the essence of Christian faith—a complete reliance on God for healing and salvation. It is a confession that we are spiritually diseased and in need of God's grace. The Christian life begins with this acknowledgment and continues with a life of praise, recognizing that all glory belongs to God alone. This is the heart of the gospel: that through Christ, we are reconciled to God, healed, and given new life.

Key Takeaways:

1. Recognition of Spiritual Illness: A true Christian recognizes their spiritual illness and the need for healing. This acknowledgment is the first step towards salvation, as it reflects a deep understanding of our sinful nature and the need for divine intervention. Without this recognition, one cannot truly embrace the gospel. [12:24]

2. Inability to Self-Heal: The Christian faith acknowledges that we cannot heal ourselves or solve our spiritual problems through our efforts. This realization leads to a complete dependence on God, as we understand that only He can provide the healing and salvation we need. [27:36]

3. Faith in God's Healing Power: Jeremiah's plea, "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed," reflects a profound faith in God's ability to heal and save. This faith is rooted in the understanding that God's ways are perfect and His salvation is complete and eternal. [35:46]

4. The Gospel's Radical Demand: The gospel demands that we come to God as helpless children, acknowledging our complete dependence on Him. This is a stumbling block for many, but it is the only path to true healing and reconciliation with God. [32:08]

5. A Life of Praise: A Christian life is marked by praise and gratitude to God for His grace and salvation. This is the ultimate test of faith—whether we give all glory to God, recognizing that our salvation is entirely His work. [46:17]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:11] - Introduction to Jeremiah 17:14-15
- [00:34] - Urgency of the Prophet's Message
- [01:07] - The Critical Situation
- [02:01] - Two Possibilities: Cursing or Blessing
- [03:10] - The Prophet's Personal Confession
- [04:04] - The Immediate Context
- [05:26] - The Old Testament as a Picture of Salvation
- [07:54] - Believer vs. Unbeliever
- [09:03] - The Christian's Response to the Gospel
- [11:48] - Realizing the Need for Healing
- [14:27] - Consciousness of Sin
- [19:28] - Examining Ourselves
- [27:36] - Helplessness in Self-Healing
- [35:46] - Faith in God's Healing Power
- [46:17] - A Life of Praise

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Jeremiah 17:14-15

Observation Questions:
1. What is the significance of Jeremiah's plea, "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved"? How does this reflect his faith and dependence on God? [00:11]
2. How does Jeremiah's position contrast with the attitude of his contemporaries who demand, "Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now"? [03:10]
3. In what ways does the prophet Jeremiah use urgency in his message to his fellow countrymen? [01:21]

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the recognition of spiritual illness serve as the first step towards salvation according to the sermon? Why is this acknowledgment crucial for embracing the gospel? [12:24]
2. What does the sermon suggest about the inability to self-heal and the necessity of complete dependence on God for healing and salvation? [27:36]
3. How does the gospel's demand for us to come to God as helpless children challenge our natural inclinations and pride? [32:08]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you recognized your own spiritual illness. How did this realization impact your relationship with God? [12:24]
2. In what areas of your life are you still trying to "self-heal" rather than relying on God's power and grace? How can you shift your focus to depend more on Him? [27:36]
3. The sermon emphasizes the importance of faith in God's healing power. How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God's ability to heal and save in your current circumstances? [35:46]
4. The gospel demands that we acknowledge our helplessness. What practical steps can you take to embrace this truth and rely more fully on God in your daily life? [32:08]
5. A life of praise is a mark of a Christian. How can you incorporate more gratitude and praise into your daily routine to honor God's grace and salvation? [46:17]
6. Consider the rebellious attitude of Jeremiah's contemporaries. Are there areas in your life where you find yourself questioning God's word or timing? How can you address these doubts? [03:10]
7. How can you encourage others in your community to recognize their spiritual need and turn to God for healing and salvation? What role can you play in supporting them on this journey? [12:24]

Devotional

Day 1: Recognizing Our Spiritual Condition
In the book of Jeremiah, we see a profound acknowledgment of spiritual illness. Jeremiah's plea, "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed," is not just a cry for physical healing but a deep recognition of his spiritual need. This acknowledgment is the first step towards salvation, as it reflects a deep understanding of our sinful nature and the need for divine intervention. Without this recognition, one cannot truly embrace the gospel. It is a mirror reflecting the broader human condition and our relationship with God. The true mark of a Christian is the recognition of one's spiritual illness and the inability to heal oneself. [12:24]

Jeremiah 30:17 (ESV): "For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: 'It is Zion, for whom no one cares!'"

Reflection: What specific areas of your life reveal a need for spiritual healing, and how can you bring these before God today?


Day 2: Dependence on Divine Healing
The Christian faith acknowledges that we cannot heal ourselves or solve our spiritual problems through our efforts. This realization leads to a complete dependence on God, as we understand that only He can provide the healing and salvation we need. Jeremiah's plea is a testament to this dependence, as he turns to God in a time of crisis, fully aware of his inability to bring about his own healing. This is a radical departure from the self-reliant mindset that often pervades our culture. It is a call to surrender our efforts and trust in God's power to heal and save. [27:36]

Psalm 147:3 (ESV): "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Reflection: In what ways are you trying to solve your spiritual problems on your own, and how can you shift towards a deeper dependence on God today?


Day 3: Faith in God's Perfect Ways
Jeremiah's plea, "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed," reflects a profound faith in God's ability to heal and save. This faith is rooted in the understanding that God's ways are perfect and His salvation is complete and eternal. It is a faith that trusts in God's timing and methods, even when they are not immediately apparent. This kind of faith requires a deep trust in God's character and His promises, knowing that He is faithful to complete the work He has begun in us. [35:46]

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God's perfect ways, especially in areas where you struggle to see His hand at work?


Day 4: Embracing the Gospel's Call
The gospel demands that we come to God as helpless children, acknowledging our complete dependence on Him. This is a stumbling block for many, but it is the only path to true healing and reconciliation with God. The radical demand of the gospel is that we lay down our pride and self-sufficiency, coming to God with open hands and hearts. It is a call to embrace our identity as children of God, fully reliant on His grace and mercy. This is the heart of the gospel: that through Christ, we are reconciled to God, healed, and given new life. [32:08]

Matthew 18:3 (ESV): "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Reflection: What areas of pride or self-sufficiency do you need to surrender to God, and how can you approach Him with the humility of a child today?


Day 5: Living a Life of Praise
A Christian life is marked by praise and gratitude to God for His grace and salvation. This is the ultimate test of faith—whether we give all glory to God, recognizing that our salvation is entirely His work. Jeremiah's prayer encapsulates this life of praise, as he acknowledges God as his praise. It is a life that continually points back to God, giving Him the glory for all that He has done and continues to do in our lives. This is the essence of a life transformed by the gospel—a life that overflows with gratitude and worship. [46:17]

Hebrews 13:15 (ESV): "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name."

Reflection: How can you intentionally cultivate a life of praise and gratitude, recognizing God's work in your life today?

Quotes

"Heal Me Oh Lord and I shall be healed save me and I shall be saved for thou art my praise that's the Christian confession that is the Christian stating his faith he is confessing his belief he is giving his testimony he is expressing what he feels in the depth of his being and in the recesses of his heart." [00:10:07]

"The first characteristic of the Christian is that he has a consciousness of sin that he is aware of his need of deliverance from sin it's absolutely basic and fundamental any person who resents a doctrine of sin it seems to me cannot be a Christian at all." [00:13:45]

"The Christian is a man who realizes that he is guilty of sins because there is sin in him that it isn't that he is all right but that occasionally does a wrong thing he realizes that he is wrong and therefore does wrong things that the trouble is not that the fountain itself was pure but that some impurity as somehow got into the stream after it had left the fountain." [00:21:05]

"The Christian is not only a man who realizes that he's ill and that he has need of healing he's obviously a man who also realizes that he's utterly hopeless and helpless in the matter of healing himself I'll go further he realizes that the whole world cannot heal him why well he cries out unto the Lord to that." [00:27:27]

"The Christian is a man who's gone beyond all that he's tried to reform himself he's made his resolutions he's often written it in a book and signed his signature to it he said I'm going to deal with this at last come what may I am determined and he takes up this and that he takes up his moral resolution he takes up his activities he's going to do good he's going to curb something else and so he tries in this peacemeal fashion to deal with his essential problem but he's tried it and tried it and he's more conscious of his failure at the end than he was at the beginning." [00:30:38]

"Have you realized that you can't heal yourself have you given up taking spiritual aspirin merely trying to get rid of that headache spiritually have you faced the disease and you got tired of just making yourself a little bit better for the time being but then going back and realizing that the disease is still there haven't you come to see that you can never extra Pate it that do what you will you can never get rid of this thing that's in the center of your being your whole nature being diseased in me that is to say in my flesh dwelleth no good thing." [00:34:05]

"The Christian is not only a man who realizes he's suffering from a disease called sin and that it is an incurable disease as far as he and all men are concerned he believes he knows that God can cure him and he has unshakable confidence in that salvation well why well in this way the Christian you see is a man who has come to see and to believe and to accept God's way of Salvation in the Lord Lord Jesus Christ." [00:36:20]

"The remedy I need is that which can bring me back to God I don't want a little more knowledge I don't want to be improved I want the Living God my soul thirst thirst after thee the Living God I want to get back to him I want to get to the place which men originally occupied and nothing else can satisfy me I'm made for that and I'm interested in no remedy except a remedy that can bring me back to God." [00:41:19]

"There is no Health apart from that God is life and God is health and I shall never be healthy until I'm reconciled to God and it is Jesus Christ and him crucified alone that does it and he's done it and he's done it for me and then I need I say new life and he gives it me in him is life and he asks us to come to him if we are hungry if we are thirsty if we are tired and he will give us life anew." [00:42:55]

"The Christian is a man who gives all the praise to the Lord who says I am what I am by the grace of God bursting is ended him the Glorious let him glory in the Lord I am nothing Thou Art all thou must save and thou alone the Christian is a man I say who gives all the credit and all the praise and all the glory to him who alone deserves it." [00:46:17]

"Are you a sinner saved Alone by the grace of God do you attribute to him all praise and honor and glory is he your praise that's the Christian confession are you a Christian had you ever realized the terrible disease is you're suffering from had you ever realized how hopeless and helpless you are had you realized what God in Christ has done and which alone can heal you and is it your innermost heartfelt desire this evening to praise him and to live to his glory." [00:47:29]

"Let every man examine himself but let us realize as we do so that if that is not our confession we are outside the life of God and if we die in that condition we will remain in that condition throughout each eternity without a hope in Endless misery and wretchedness in that horrible Eternal death of sin may the Lord have mercy upon us amen." [00:48:39]

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Transcript
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