The Healing Word

Guest (Male): The Healing Word Ministry, on one place, is brought to you by the generous donations of people like you. At any time during today's message, feel free to send a prayer request or make a donation using the links provided. Now, I pray you will be blessed as Pastor Jack Morris delivers a message from the word of God that will encourage and strengthen your faith in him.

Pastor Jack Morris: If the joy of the Lord is at there, if the struggles and the pain and the agony is is predominant in your life, only one can take it away. You've tried everything else and it hasn't worked. It's not going away until you give it to Jesus.

Guest (Male): We find two words emphasized in the book of John chapter one, light and life. Both refer to what a relationship with Jesus brings, including the light that brings understanding in life, both here on earth and for eternity. Join Pastor Jack Morris right now as he leads a study of Jesus and the light and life he delivers.

Pastor Jack Morris: Light and life. We've been in the first chapter of the book of John for a week or two now. And I've been so blessed that encouraged and moved by the Holy Spirit as I read about him who was in the beginning, the word, the father, the son of the Holy Spirit speaking while they stood on the edge of eternity creating this world. And now by the power of the Holy Spirit, they stand on the edge of our life creating and recreating, renewing power in the presence of the Lord Jesus to us. My prayer today is that you and I will be so blessed, stimulated, encouraged by the presence of the Lord.

Where the presence of the Lord is, there is life. Wherever Jesus was in the New Testament, whoever he was talking to, he was bringing life, light, or at least the opportunity for light and life. Light and life, these are the two words that are the theme of the entire gospel of John. Just as joy and rejoice was the two words, the theme of the book of Philippians when we went through the book of Philippians. Now we're looking at light and life. And I'm believing and praying that the Holy Spirit will come upon each one of us today and we will be renewed in the Lord.

I was looking at your faces and I know I couldn't actually see you smile because of the mask that you had on, but I would see your eyes squint a little bit. You know, when you're talking on the telephone, you know when a person is smiling on the other end, even though you don't hear any laughter at all. I just felt the power of your joy as we listened worship as the ensemble would sigh. Light and life. May God impart it anew to us today with a with a fresh anointing and blessing. This past week, you may have read on the news of the anchor woman, Nina, in Wisconsin, who took her own life at the age of 27.

She was the anchor woman at TV station WAOW news nine. And he took her life. Everybody was absolutely shocked, particularly the people at the studio according to what the news said. I don't know anything at all about her spirituality. I'll tell you in just a moment why I'm bringing this story to you. But the people in the studio said that I'm just going to read and quote. She radiated love and positivity. Another person said she was the brightest light in the room. Another person said she had the biggest smile and the funniest laugh. Her sister, a little older, said this of her, sister Nina, who took her life.

She said, my sister was the happiest person I thought I knew. And then the sister went on to say this, and this is what I have been moving toward, and I want us all to hear what her sister said. Sometimes you just don't know what people are going through. No matter how much you think you know someone. She said, my sister had access to all the resources. Sometimes we think, you know, if I just had a little more money or if my spouse were a little more kind or if my family was a little more united, if if if friend, light and light starts with me, starts with you, the individual.

And the way we receive that light and life is through Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world and the light of your spiritual life and mine also. The gospel of John just keeps pumping away, hammering away, light and life, light and life. Listen to me. 35 times John used the word light and life. How many times does he have to tell us that Jesus cares and wants to take care of our lives? He wants to take care of his friends. And he wants us to be joyous and happy in him. The word life was constantly on the lips of Jesus.

And I I I read it and it it moved me deeply. 35 times. How many times do you have to tell me, Lord, am I listening? Am I just reading it? Novel. Or is this truly the anointed word of God telling me that I have a savior who wants me to have life and life more abundantly. Just going to read a few scriptures. John chapter 5 verse 40. Men may come to him and have life. 10 10. Jesus said, I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly or have it to the full.

John 10:28. I give to them eternal life and they shall never perish. Friend, we live in a perishing world, a perishing society. We live in perishing bodies, but we have a soul that will never perish. And that soul right now can be filled with light and life. Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth and the life. Two times he said that, but 35 times in one book he talks about life. And we receive life only through Jesus. There's a lot of people, they look wonderful. They look well and happy, dressed well, their person is well kept.

They smile like people who are happy. We can't tear them apart. It's not for us to tear them apart. But there are broken hearts everywhere. And I know right now in this congregation there are some people who are going through some deep deep trouble. Not because you've told me, but just because you're here and because Jesus talked about life. And he talked about it to his people that they can have life. And I'm believing today that he who is the way, the truth and the life will come to you today and help you, bless you, heal your hurts.

This is the healing word that's coming forth even now to bring blessing to our souls, the savior. Faith in Jesus. But friend, listen to me. Your God, I pray that my father that you will hear that faith that he gave you when you were saved and brought into the kingdom of God. Listen to me. That faith has to be nurtured. You can't let it just go and let it drift by and get back to it later. Some of us haven't gotten back for months or years. Oh, we're still saved. We still believe. We still have faith.

But the joy of the Lord that is our strength is absent. It just isn't there. Today. Come on, friends, say today.

Guest (Male): Today.

Pastor Jack Morris: Today is the day of salvation. Today God is going to bless, heal and restore. The Lord is here. Life. And he's also light. Problems, troubles, sicknesses, physical pain will cast a shadow over us, conflict in the home or at work or wherever. And and we're all subject to conflict and we're all involved in conflict from time to time. Just because we're human and we say things or don't say things and we don't know what's in another person's mind. But to be a forgiving people, a loving people, a caring people. This is the church of Jesus Christ and how it lives and how it works.

Light. Twiced. Two times Jesus said, I am the light of the world. And we're going to come to the altar in just a little while. And we're going to take in symbolizing what we have already taken in. We have already been nurturing our faith and we're coming to this altar and giving a public testimony, but also a spiritual testimony. Lord, I have been nurturing my faith sincerely and consistently. That's what you're saying. If you come to this table and you haven't been nurturing your faith by your faith, talk to the Lord, ask for forgiveness, tell him you're going to nurture your faith and then come to the table of the Lord.

This is a holy and a sacred moment for you, for me, not necessarily for the person that is an unbeliever, but for the church of Jesus Christ, the people of God. You see, Christians are called children of light. Why are we called children of light? Because he who is the light of the world is in us and his light and love is shining out through us. And we go around in life, in church, in home, at work, acting like Jesus. But you can't act like Jesus until you've nurtured the presence of Jesus within you. So why am I telling you this?

Because I love you and I want you to be happy. Because the Lord wants you to be happy and he told me to tell you he wants you to be happy in him. But if we're not nurturing and you wonder why do I how I go to church no when I when I can and but I'll read the Bible or on occasion. And I will pray and I will say grace at the meal. But you're dead inside. The joy of the Lord is your strength, but you are weak and the strength isn't there. But we can get it back.

That's the encouraging thing. We can get it all back. You know, one of the oldest fears in the world today, oh, one of the oldest is the fear of darkness. You know, people say, well, you it's it's not even safe to go down that street in the daylight. But you certainly don't want to go down that street in the dark. We make a big distinction and we should between daylight and dark. The little children and adults. We think we face see things moving out there in the shadows. And we're we're afraid at the dark. We want the lights to be turned on.

In the gospel of John, night symbolized darkness in the soul. This is what it symbolizes as well. Now I 'm going to talk read about three scriptures where Jesus speaks about darkness in the gospel and he's speaking about although there's darkness out there he's speaking about the darkness that is in here and it is symbolized by the darkness he's referring to. Now listen to this one. When Jesus was walking on the water, notice he said the scripture says John 6:17 and it was down dark and Jesus was not come to them. It was now dark and Jesus was not come to them.

But when Jesus comes to them the darkness dissipates, the fear is gone. It was now dark. And if it's dark in my mind this morning or yours and we're not really stimulated spiritually, it's because we haven't nurtured the presence of Jesus bringing him to us to our boat, to our storm, to our waves, to the wind that's blowing on us. Friend, it's not all Jesus. And we can't say it's the church's fault. No, I can only eat my breakfast for myself. I can only eat my sandwich for myself. I can only be blessed by the word of God by myself.

Each one is an individual that hear and receive God's word. And then we come and we symbolize and we give praise and we shout. And it was now dark and Jesus was not come to them. When Jesus is absent, there's going to be a shadow. Now look at what it says about Mary Magdalene. It says while it was still dark while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. She went sorrowfully. She went grieving. It was still dark. And again, everywhere in the gospel of John, when it speaks of darkness, this darkness is symbolized by the darkness within us.

But look at her now. When she sees Jesus, she wanted to grab him and hold on to him. Friend, that 's what we need to do today. We need to grab Jesus and hold on to him. Don't let him go. Nurture our faith in him. And then at the Last Supper in the upper room we're coming to symbolize that Last Supper. Judas received the morsel and went out to betray the Lord. Let let me read it to you. Judas, then having received the morsel, he immediately went out and it was night. But it was already night in his soul.

But the night that he went out into it was already there. The darkness stands for life without Christ. And those who have turned their back on the Lord. You see, when Jesus went into Gethsemane look at the battle, look at the struggle, the labor and the travail of his soul to bring us into the kingdom of God. Friend, he he wasn't slack. He wasn't experiencing apathy. He wasn't saying come on, let's let's get this service over with. I've got things to do this afternoon. He went in and sweat drops of blood. And he wouldn't get up off his face until the victory, your victory.

For you, me, he did this. He goes into the garden. Listen to what he says. Oh, I'm so glad he said these words. He gave us just a little tiny aperture of insight. He said, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. His soul overwhelmed with sorrow so that we might have peace and joy. He took our sorrow in that garden. No matter where we are in life, in our journey, in our walk with Jesus, there's going to be plenty of opportunity for sorrow. But Jesus took it. My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow. They went on to say crushed to the point of death.

Now Jesus, listen to me, friend. Jesus would have died in the garden of Gethsemane, but for an angel that came and ministered to him. He was up for two nights without any sleep. He was whipped two times, 39 times. He had to have a strong physical body. They His story tells us that the Romans whipped people to death at the stake. They never got off. Many of them died there. If it hadn't been for that angel, Jesus would have died there. He was there for you and me. They got our pain. And he sweat as it were great drops of blood.

I I think of a comparison or an analogy of a mother giving birth to his daughter or to his son. The labor that she goes through, the the the sweating, the pain, the sobs to bring that child into the world. Jesus said, my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, crushed to the point of death. The apostle Paul, listen to this. Paul says in Galatians, my dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. The pains of childbirth. Jesus went through the pains of childbirth to bring you into the born again.

Your mother went through to bring you into physical life. With the pains, the overwhelming, the crushing of Jesus. Friends, he did it for us. How much he cares, how much he loves. He's our savior today. So it's time to make a commit. It's time to be honest. He knows just how much I've been seeking after him, praising him, thanking him, worshiping him. He went through childbirth, sweating as it were drops of blood, yearning because out of his body came your life. Out of your mother's body came your life. And then Jesus took the cross upon him and went to Golgotha and there he literally died.

But he rose again. But today there's life. Life in Jesus for everyone who believe it. And so Christian friend if the joy of the Lord isn't there, if the struggles and the pain and the agony is is predominant in your life, only one can take it away. You've tried everything else and it hasn't worked. It's not going away until you give it to Jesus until you ask him to come in. He's the light of the world. Now you're the light of the world. You'll be able to go out of here and live like Jesus, have the joy of the Lord Jesus, act and behave like Jesus.

You are Jesus where you live, where you work and in your home. You and I are Jesus out there. There's no other Jesus but the Jesus that lives in you. And today we come to remember, to celebrate, to give thanks to God for our wonderful Lord. Let's bow before him now. Lord Jesus, light of the world, the way, the truth and the life. Light and life to all who believe. Lord, we were dead in trespasses and in sins. Trespasses and sins have been tempting us and trying to take us back, take over us. And we come to you today for your help, your forgiveness and your love.

Save the people who may be unsaved. They're either here in the sanctuary, some are streaming. Some will go to YouTube. Some will go to the television later. They're going to hear this message. And I pray that this message will convey to them that they are loved by God and God wants to nurture them and nurture the life of Christ within them. We give you thanks. We give you praise in his holy day. Amen.

Guest (Male): Light and life are ours through Jesus who is the resurrection and the light and life of the world. Do you need Pastor Morris to pray with you about a struggle or decision you're wrestling with? The Pray Now app is available to you right now. Go to the healingword.com, click Pray Now and select the topic that matches your request. Pastor Morris will provide encouragement, pray with you and deliver a brief message on overcoming and living in victory. Again, pray now at the healingword.com. If today's message has blessed you and strengthened your faith in God, would you consider partnering with Pastor Morris and supporting the Healing Word Ministry with your prayers and donating to keep the gospel of Jesus Christ reaching thousands?

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