The Healing Word

Guest (Male): If you want honor, love, glory, and joy, then give love, honor, and glory and joy to Jesus. He'll turn it around and put it right back into you again. That's how it happens.

Welcome to the Healing Word. Here's Pastor Jack Morris with today's message that will grow your faith in God and lead you to a closer walk with Jesus.

Pastor Jack Morris: Why was I born? Do you know? Do you know why you were born? I hope that we'll all have a better understanding after today's message from the word of God. There are some questions that have been asked perennially through the ages. These questions were asked way back in the Dark Ages, and now that we consider ourselves being in the bright and light and informed and intelligent ages, we're still asking the same questions.

They didn't get the answer; we still don't have the answer today. I found these questions in a book written by John Stott, an Anglican priest in England. In one of his books, he compiled the research, and here are these questions that are continually being asked, and the world hasn't come up with an answer yet.

What is the purpose of our existence? Has life any significance? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What does it mean to be a person, a human being? Where do I find courage to face life, then death, then what comes after death? How do I go beyond what I am and become what I long to be? These are just some of the questions that people have asked all through the years. People are still asking them today.

Jesus Christ gives more light on these questions and on this information than can be gathered from any other source. If we want to know the answers to why I was born, where I came from, where I am going, what life is all about, and what its significance is, only Jesus can answer that. He can answer it very plainly. He'll take the guesswork out of life. You'll know why you were born.

I didn't have any choice in being born, did you? All of a sudden, here I am. You and I are not going to have any choice when life is over. The only choice we have is between birth and death. That's our only choice. Jesus gives the answer. We don't need to go to a research department at the University of Maryland or Johns Hopkins. Jesus has the answer to all of these questions. He is the fulfillment of every human aspiration, and to find him is to find ourselves.

We must come into a vital relationship and union with Jesus in order to get the answers. It is so easy to come into that vital relationship. Becoming a Christian is the easiest thing in all the world. I do nothing; he did it all. All I need to do is just believe on him and trust him with my heart, and it's done. I can do it at any time and any place.

There are two figures that God uses in his word to help us understand what has happened to us as Christians. The two words, one is a theme, "born again," and the other is a word, "adopted." He's trying to get a message across to us, and the message isn't difficult. I don't want to make it difficult today. If I do, I'm going far beyond what he has done.

The scripture says a wayfaring fool can understand and be saved, come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and experience new life in him. So he uses these two figures to describe how we come into a vital relationship. One of them, "born again," is a description of what the Holy Spirit does. "Adopted" is a description of why God does what the Holy Spirit did.

Let's look at it for just a moment. I'm going to dwell more on "adopted" than "being born again," but I need to go back and look at both of these together. Why didn't God just use one? Two of them are confusing me. It is for this reason: being born again is the term and the phrase that Jesus used in talking to Nicodemus. Nicodemus came to the Lord with those questions 2,000 years ago. Why am I here? What's the significance of life?

Where have I come from? Where am I going? Here's Nicodemus asking all these questions. He was a very intelligent man, a member of the Supreme Court of Israel, and just as ignorant when it comes to spiritual things. We enter into a new realm of living and existence when we ask Jesus to come into our heart. It's a matter of asking Jesus. You believe on him, you ask him, and he comes in.

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again." That's the only way it's going to happen, Nicodemus. It's a must. If you want to know the significance of life, why you're here, how to live and how to die, and all the others, you must be born again. In order to come into a vital relationship with me, you must be born again, and these life's perplexities will all be taken care of and be answered.

Jesus said two things are going to happen: you must be born of water and of the word. Water signifies cleansing. Whatever has happened in the past, a lot of us really would like to get rid of our past. We have said things and done things and hurt people and been hurt by people, and our past has really impacted our living and our happiness now. Oh, if we could just get rid of the past, if I could only forget it, but I keep remembering it.

Jesus said the water and the word will wash the past away. Let me wash your past, make you pure, make you brand new, make you born again. I can do it if you'll allow me to do it. I'll wash that past away. Then he says, be baptized in water. That will indicate outwardly what has already happened inwardly. He said to be born of water and of the spirit, meaning this is completely a supernatural thing that is going to take place that will absolutely, wonderfully transform your life altogether, Nicodemus.

The message is just the same for you and me: water and the spirit. This is what Jesus is calling for and what you and I can have if we trust in him. We can come into this new relationship. That's how it's done. It's done by the Spirit of God supernaturally washing our past away. Then the second statement that Jesus makes is adoption. I want you to look at Ephesians chapter one, verse five: "He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and his will."

The last part of verse four says, "In love." In love, he predestined us. Now, that word "predestined" is a big, heavy, theological word. We never use that word. I haven't used it all week long except when I've been praying and when I've been studying, but just pull that word out and put in the word "planned." I think that'll make it simpler. He planned for us to be adopted.

He did that long before you and I were born, long before there was a human race. God had a wonderful plan, and he created the plan in love. It's a wonderful thing. God isn't out to punish anybody. God is out to bless, to heal, and to bring joy, and that's what he planned. That's how it's done through being born again of the water and the spirit and being adopted into his family.

God planned for adoption. Human beings sinned, and we orphaned ourselves from God. God knew that we were going to do that. This is how I've pictured it: God in eternity way back there, this wonderful God of love. The scripture says in First John that God is love. God has so much love that he's looking for a place to bestow it. He's looking for receptacles.

Your body can be a container and be filled with God's love. God has so much love; he is love. So God decided, "I'm going to create humans, and I'm going to create a lot of them. I'm going to create them so I can fill them with love. I have so much love to go around, I'm going to create them." Then God stopped and he thought, "Well, I know what'll happen. Just as sure as I create a human being, that human being is going to turn on me and sin. Just as sure as enough, I know that's going to happen."

But God said, "I'm going to do it anyway because then I'll love them into their first creation, and then when they sin, I'll love them a second time into their second re-creation." So God says, "I'll do a double whammy of love. I'll give it, and when they sin, I'll give it again." This is what God planned long before you and I were ever born.

The first thing that we need to know is that God loves you. I know it's sometimes sort of fun to do it, but it's true. Turn to the person on your right and person on your left and say sincerely, "God loves you." You've never spoken the truth more truthfully than when you said that. In love, he planned for you. In love, he chose you. In love, he adopted you. It's all God. That is the most important thing. He planned for you in love. He chose you in love. He adopted you in love, and so many people have no idea whatsoever.

Think of adoption. I think of parents, and I think it's a wonderful thing. It's a very Christian thing to do to adopt. So many children need to be adopted. But when a parent adopts a child, a parent has to go find that child, look for that child. That little infant isn't out looking for a parent; the parent is looking for the child. When the parent finds that child and starts loving that child even before seeing it, then they see it and they love that child.

On the other hand, there are some parents who become pregnant and they don't want to be pregnant. They don't want that child. Some of them abort that child. Some of them give that child away for adoption. But when people adopt, they really want that child. There was a lady I talked to some time ago. She's adopted. She's maybe 60 years old now. Her parents told her early on that she had been adopted, so she knew from a little tiny child that she was adopted.

When she got older, some of the kids in the neighborhood became real nasty and they started chanting, "You are adopted, you are adopted." Thank God her parents told her that she had been adopted. The only way the neighborhood kids could have known about it is because they overheard their parents talking about it. Parents, you better be careful what your kids hear you say. They're going to pick it up and remember it for a lifetime, and it'll condition their life for a lifetime.

But those kids were yelling, "You were adopted." You know what she said to them? She said, "Yes, I know that. I was adopted. My parents wanted me, but did your parents want you?" That's why the word "adopted" is in there in Ephesians 1:5. God not only born you again, rebirthed you, but he adopted you. He's over and over trying to get it across: "I want you. I went looking for you, and I found you, and I adopted you into my family."

Jesus provided the adoption. Adopted through Jesus. In him, we have redemption through his blood. You see, friends, we were not cute little orphans out there that God looked at and said, "How pretty, how sweet." No, God was repulsed by us. That's why Jesus looked into the cup and he saw all the corrupt sin of the world and sex perversion in every phase, and he was repulsed and he backed away from that cup. He saw our sin. No, he wasn't attracted to us, but he loved us, and love covers a multitude of sins. Love does that.

There's a story that Dr. J. Vernon McGee, a radio preacher of long ago, told. It was a young man, maybe in his early 20s, and he wanted to join a very conservative fundamentalist church in the South. He was of a different race and the deacon board had a little bit of difficulty. This happened a long, long time ago. But the young man wanted to join that church.

Well, the deacon board examined him. In our church, we have a five-session membership class, but in that church, it was done by the deacons. So the deacons questioned him and they asked him, "How did you get saved?" The young man said, "I did my part, God did his part." Now, here's where the deacons thought they had him. They said, "What was your part and what was God's part?"

And here's how the young man answered. He said, "My part was sinning. I ran from God as fast as my rebellious legs would carry me and as my sinful heart would lead me. I ran from God. But you know," said the young man, "He done took out after me till he done run me down." That is the best theology. You can't beat that kind of theology.

God adopted us. He loves us. He adopted us for his glory. One little boy was asked by someone, "Did you find Jesus?" The little boy answered, "Sir, I didn't know he was lost, but he found me." Oh, friend, if he can find you today and you let him find you, what a glory he's going to do in your life.

Now, verse six says that God adopted us and rebirthed us to the praise of his glorious grace. Read that: "To the praise of his glorious grace." God adopted you and he rebirthed you and me that we would praise him, that we would glorify him, that we would honor him, at least those three things. Now, that's why you're here. That's why you were born. No other reason. Every other reason is so secondary and way down the line.

But here's another good part. He adopted us and rebirthed us that we would glorify him, that we would love him, and that we would honor him. When we do that, that thing is turned around and it redounds so that it comes right back at us. We throw out the boomerang like they do in Australia, and it whirls around and it comes right back. Glory comes back into your life. Honor comes back into your life. Love comes back into your life.

If you want honor, love, glory, and joy, then give love, honor, glory, and joy to Jesus. He'll turn it around and put it right back into you again. That's how it happens. That's how it takes place. There's a lostness in life without God. A lostness. And that lostness won't go away someday. We're waiting for it to change, for my attitude to change, for my life to change.

Friend, please understand and please believe me, it's not going to change until you repent and ask Jesus to put the change in you. But you don't know what he did to me. No, friend, it's what you did to Jesus. Like that young man said, "I did my part and God did his part. I did the sinning; God did the saving." God did that.

That lostness won't go away someday. On the contrary, that lostness will grow like a fungus within you until it just chokes out all the joy of God. You can still put on a smile and put on a face and give a kiss and a hug, but it means nothing in heaven. God writes it down: "There's a hypocrite. There's a phony. Look and act like a Christian, but there's no love there."

Love covers a multitude of sins. Everybody that has hurt you and done you wrong, your love, the love of Jesus in you, covers it over. If it hasn't been covered over, you don't have the love of Jesus in you. But you can have it. Why are you putting it off? You're so intelligent. You've heard the word so often all these many years, and you're still fretting. Why? Why don't you live in glory? Why don't you live in joy? Why don't you live in honor? I don't know why. Do you know why? I don't.

The scripture says in Psalm 3:3, "You are a shield around me, O Lord. You bestow glory on me, and you lift up my head." Friend, don't go through life sagging. Don't be a sagging Christian. Be a stand-up, head-lifted-up Christian. But he's the one that can do it, and only he can do it, and he will do it.

God wants to take you in. God wants to adopt you. He wants you to live a life with purpose, a life for his glory, so that he can turn it around and fill you with brightness and glory. That's why you've been born: to love God and for God to love you; to honor God and for God to honor you; to glorify God and to receive God's glory back into your life. Do you know why you're here? You do now.

We hope that today's message has been a blessing and has strengthened your faith in God. But before we go, here is Pastor Jack Morris with a special invitation.

Pastor Jack Morris: I enjoy bringing the healing word of God to you Monday through Friday. I thank God for the privilege and I thank you for listening. But friend, I need your help. I need your prayers and financial support. I can't say it strongly enough or plainly enough. Will you help me, please? I want to keep this ministry moving forward, but I need your help in order to do so. If the Healing Word is bringing healing to you emotionally, spiritually, and physically, write and tell me about it. I will be so encouraged. Your testimony, your prayers, and your financial gift is all I need to keep me going. I will truly thank you. Blessings on you. I'm Pastor Jack Morris.

Guest (Male): 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? Go to thehealingword.com and click the donate button to pledge your support. Join us tomorrow for another Healing Word message. Until then, blessings on you.