Does God Use Sickness to Teach or Chasten?

*In our last class, we established the source of sickness and disease. We found out that God only gives good and perfect gifts to His hildren. !"nd, since sickness doesn#t $ualify as a good or perfect gift, then it %ust have another source & other than God.' *(hen, we established, fro% the Word itself, that sickness originated fro% the devil) **eter called sickness +"(",I -**./++I-, & !"cts 01)23' *4esus called sickness +"(",I 5-,6"G/ & !7uke 02)08' *6avid called it " (HI,G -9 (H/ 6/:I7 & !*s. ;0)3' +o, it#s pretty evident where sickness co%es fro%. It doesn#t co%e fro% God. It co%es fro% +atan. *I want to continue in that train of thought, for a few %inutes this %orning, and further establish in your thinking, that God is not the "uthor of sickness and disease. God is not the author of sickness < disease. +ickness ca%e into the world by the plan < design of +atan. GENESIS 1 - gives us a picture of God#s original plan for the earth. !"nd, even a casual reading of this chapter will reveal that) +ickness didn#t e=ist in God#s original plan.'

CHRIST THE HEALER

GENESIS 1 & !read ! "-#1 e%phasi>ing)' & "nd God saw that it was G--6... !What did 4a%es say? /very good gift co%es fro% above.' -nce again we can see that) God only gives good and perfect gifts. "ll "da% knew, in the Garden, was good and very good. (here was nothing in !all of' creation that would hurt or destroy. +o, God created %an, and gave "da% do%inion over all of the works of His hands. +o, ulti%ately, what you had, was $ %INGD&'S UNDER G&D . &God ruled Heaven, by His own *resence and *ower. &"nd, God ruled the /arth, through His under&ruler, "da%. +o, ulti%ately, God was in charge of both. !Handout... **gs. 0<@'

&+o, the /arth !under God#s govern%ent', is a */.9/ ( *7" /A /verything was wonderful, and there was nothing to hurt or destroy. In the Garden, "da%#s every need was %et. !(hen, we co%e down to chapter 2...' !-verhead'

GENESIS #(1-" & In that %o%ent, !when he partook of the (ree of the Bnowledge of Good < /vil', "da% died spiritually. He was cut off fro% the life and nature of God, and took on the nature and characteristics of his step& father, the devil. !Handout & *page 2'...

R&'ANS )(1$ & Wherefore, as by one %an !"da%' sin entered into the world, and death !entered' by sin... I like to think of this verse, in ter%s of a door being opened. !It#s easier for %e to visuali>e.' :erse 0@ said) Wherefore, as by one %an !"da%' sin entered, and death !entered'...

I like to picture it this way) When "da% ate of the forbidden fruit, he swung the door wide open, and +in walked in. -nce +in gained entrance, he held the door open, and in walked 6eath.

C,6/.7I,/) 6eath & (hanatos & !"ccording to' (hayer) ... !this is death' in the widest sense, co%pris!ing' all the %iseries arising fro% sin... +o, "da% swung the door open, and in walked +in. +in held the door open, and in walked all of the %iseries we know in the earth today. +ickness is one of those %iseries. It wasn#t part of God#s original plan. It#s the result of sin.

!,ow, we#ve pretty well established that fro% the Word.' It#s obvious that) God never planned that sickness be a part of the hu%an race. 5ut, the $uestion re%ains) ,-W (H"( +I B,/++ I+ H/./... D&ES G&D USE SIC%NESS *&R AN+THING? *+o%e would have us believe... that God uses sickness) !a' (o get our attention... !b' +o He can teach us so%ething. !c' -r, to chasten us 5ut, is that true? 6oes God use sickness to teach His hildren? (hat#s what we want to deter%ine in the rest of this class, today. 6oes God use sickness to teach or chasten His children? THE CHASTENING &* THE L&RD He,re-s 1$(.-1# !0' :erse D gives us two /=tre%e .esponses to the hastening of the 7ord. ,either one is right. Ey son, do not lightly regard the chastening of the 7ord, neither faint when reproved by hi%. !Worrell' &In this verse, we see @ responses to the chastening of the 7ord) !a' 6o not lightly regard& (his is talking about the kind of person who passes it off lightly, when God tries to correct hi%. He Fust shrugs it off, and goes on his way without changing. !b' ,either faint & (his is the opposite e=tre%e. (his person takes it too hard, when he#s rebuked of God. He throws up his hands, and says, What#s the use? I can#t ever do anything right, anyway. !"nd, he +(I77 doesn#t changeA' *When you#re chastened of God. God doesn#t want you to beat yourself over the head, and He +C./ doesn#t want you to ignore hi%A God doesn#t want either response. He si%ply wants H",G/A

!@' (he Greek word for chasten !*"I6/C-' & %eans to (/" H or to HI76 (."I,. (his is i%portant, because, when so%e people think of the chastening of the 7ord, they i%%ediately think of so%eone getting sick, or being in a car accident. 5ut, the word chasten doesn#t %ean to inflict pain, it si%ply %eans, to teach, or to child train. 7et#s look at so%e other places where this sa%e Greek word is used) $ Ti/oth0 $($) & In %eekness I,+(.C (I,G !*"I6/-C' those that oppose the%selvesG if God peradventure will give the% repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. Acts 1($$ & "nd Eoses was 7/".,/6 !*"I6/-C' in all the wisdo% of the /gyptians, %ighty in words and deeds. and was

Acts $$(# & I a% verily a %an which a% a 4ew, born in (arsus, a city in ilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Ga%aliel, and ("CGH( !*"I6/C-' according to the perfect %anner of the law of the fathers, and was >ealous toward God, as ye all are this day. E2h! "(. - "nd, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath) but bring the% up in the ,C.(C./ !*"I6/C-' and ad%onition of the 7ord. *"ll of these references, indicate a teaching or a training in a particular school of thought. (hat#s the %eaning of the word chasten. It %eans, to teach, or to child train.

!2' (here are two individuals %entioned in verse H, and both of these individuals chasten. 9urther%ore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave the% reverence) shall we not %uch rather be in subFection to the 9ather of spirits, and live? !v. H' *(here are @ individuals %entioned in this verse) (he father of our flesh. "nd, the 9ather of our spirit. !7et#s take the father of our flesh first.' *IC/+(I-,) When the father of your flesh wanted to chasten you, where did he do it? 6id he reach in, grab your spirit, pull it out, and spank it? ,o. !I%possibleA' &When the father of your 97/+H wanted to chasten you, he did it in your 97/+H. !*articularly, in an area where there#s a lot of flesh.' (he father of your flesh chastens you in your flesh. (H"( 5/I,G (.C/) When it co%es ti%e, for the 9ather of your spirit, to chasten you, where do you think He#s going to do it? In your spiritA !"nd, He does it with the WordA' &(he word can 6-, what your earthly father couldn#t doA It can reach in, and touch you, in your spirit. &4ohn 8)82 & Ey words are spirit, and they are life. does itA (hat#s God#s Heavenly, spankingA !;' God uses HI+ W-.6 to chasten His hildren. 11 Ti/oth0 #(1" & "ll +cripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine... !notice these ne=t 2'... for ./*.--9, for -../ (I-,, for I,+(.C (I-, !*"I6/C-' in righteousness. (he 9ather of our spirit, chastens us in our spirit, and He does it with the Word. E3A'4LE & DA5ID 6 7ATHSHE7A & 00 +a%uel 00 < 0@ &. * hapter 0@ is a picture of the 7ord#s chastening & He did it with the Word. &(each verse by verse) *ointing out that ,athan#s story was how God chastened 6avid. *What about the baby? Wasn#t that the chastening of the 7ord? ,o. *Why did the baby die? :erse D&8 & 6avid swore an oath, and he used the 7ord#s na%e to do itA pronounced Fudge%ent on the %an, not knowing that H/ was the %anA He +pirit can contact spirit. "nd, that#s where He

6avid said, the %an would pay back the death four&fold. +o, for Criah#s death, 6avid would have to pay with ; deaths out of his fa%ily. !(he baby & @ +a%. 0@)0D&@2. "%non %urdered by "bsalo% & 02)@2&2H. "bsalo% slain by 4oab & 03)H&03. "doniFah killed by +olo%on & 0 Bings @)02&@D.' *Why didn#t 6avid die? *urge %e with hyssopA !*s. D0)J' & Hyssop was what they used to spread the blood of the *assover la%b, on the doorposts, the night that Israel left /gypt. "nd, do you re%e%ber what happened when the blood was applied? (he death angel passed over. 6avid said, *urge E/ with hyssop. He received his forgiveness, and the death angel passed over HIE. 5ut, he didn#t say, purge %y fa%ily with hyssop. +o, 6avid was released fro% death, but not his fa%ily. "nd, the four&fold prophecy ca%e to pass.