THE WORLD IS DEEPLY SICK … JESUS IS THE CURE Luke 1:1-4

¹Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Introduction: Our world is facing serious challenges today. Everyone knows that, and you don’t have to be a prophet or a genius or even highly educated to know that. Everyone can see it. Here are five most obvious ones:

1. Climate Change– the consequences include displacement due to either forest fires, flooding, or just drought; food shortages; and increased risks to human health.
2. Global Poverty– millions of people still live in extreme poverty, lacking access to basic necessities like food, water, shelter, and healthcare. This is often compounded by lack of education and economic opportunities, perpetuating a cycle of poverty.
3. Human Rights Violations– discrimination, persecution, and violence against individuals and groups based on their race, religion, language, nationality or ethnicity continue to be widespread. These violations undermine human dignity and create instability.
4. Conflicts and Wars– ongoing wars and armed conflicts displace populations, disrupt economies, and cause widespread suffering. These conflicts often stem from political instability, resource competition, and historical grievances. Also, conflicts in the family.
5. Health Crises– The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of global health systems and the devastating impact of infectious diseases. Other health challenges include access to healthcare, mental health, and the spread of diseases like HIV/AIDS. A significant driver of global health crises today is the poor quality of food and medicine.

To solve these problems, we have created different government organizations; international organizations; unions; peace treaties. We thought that lack of education was the problems, so we created schools and that did not solve the problems, then we though the government was the problem, so we created non-governmental organizations; poverty alleviation programs; committee; we’ve formed unions; groups; different awareness programs – nothing is working. We created Artificial Intelligent, then realized that Artificial intelligent is neither artificial nor intelligent. These all look like a patient going to the doctor and explaining to the doctor what is wrong and how to fix it. The further away from God we have become, the more laws we have created to solve all our problems, and nothing is working.

Let me introduce you to JESUS

Luke gave us the most comprehensive view of the life of Jesus Christ. He began his Gospel by saying: (Luke 1:1-4)

Luke is unique in at least two critical aspects. First, the writer was not a personal eyewitness of Jesus’ life. Luke was a doctor, but for the purpose of his Gospel he functioned as an investigator, verifying and compiling the accounts of eyewitnesses and making sure they were accurate. That’s a big deal for us today because Luke was viewing this story the same way we would . . . he was evaluating the truth of the story without the benefit of being present. Second, Luke was not Jewish. In fact, he was the only biblical author who was a Gentile. That should be important to us because we are almost exclusively a Gentile group of followers. Luke viewed Jesus as much more than a leader of a Jewish religious subgroup or the fulfiller of prophecy. He saw Jesus as the Savior of the whole world; in fact, that is the theme of his book. As a doctor, Luke investigated and diagnosed the deepest problem in both his and our world . . . the problem of sin and our need for a Savior. Jesus (and his word) is the cure.

Luke’s Gospel includes almost four dozen of Jesus’ stories, teachings, and parables not found in the other Gospels. Let’s focus on three: two parables and an incident from Jesus’ life that point to Jesus Christ being the cure for this world’s sickness.

1. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).Jesus is the cure for our world’s sickness because His sacrifice is one of the truest expression of love – COMPASSION. Love and compassion was the core of Jesus’ teaching. The two religious leaders who walked by the injured man without helping lacked in love and compassion. Like them, we can get this all wrong and think we are loving God when we’re not even loving the people God puts on our path. Our world is sick because we lack compassion. Jesus is the cure because He is full of compassion. In the Gospels, Jesus is explicitly recorded as being moved with compassion SEVEN TIMES. What about us? Christians – Christ-like? Are you moved with compassion towards your neighbour?
2. Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).There are at least three points to be made here: (a) There is no sinner too lost to be saved; (b) Nobody is born saved; (c) Genuine salvation must lead to a changed life. Don’t forget that those who knew Zacchaeus very well described him as a notorious sinner. He didn’t disprove it. Jesus must have known He was a sinner, therefore, He went to His house to save him. To show his repentance and changed life, Zacchaeus voluntarily made restitution. Luke 19:8 NKJV – Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold’”. Jesus displayed here that He was willing to seek and save that which was lost – Luke 19:10
3. The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).Jesus is the Savior of the world because we will die without him. Jesus tried to help the religious leaders understand why he was there and what they were supposed to be doing (see Luke 15:1-2). We are all prodigals . . . but we are all sons and daughters! We all have the same heavenly Father who loves us! He is waiting for us and sees us when we are still a long way off. He recognises us and runs to us when we’re unrecognisable! He declares what was dead to be alive again and he throws a party! “Let’s have a feast and celebrate,” the prodigal son’s father said. “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

Conclusion:

• There is so much hunger in the world today – Jesus says “I am the bread of Life – John 6:35”
• The world is so lost today and we can’t find ways to solve our problems – Jesus says “I am the way – John 14:6”
• The world needs peace everywhere today – Jesus is the prince of peace – Isaiah 9:6
• There is so much death in our world today – Jesus says “I am the life – John 14:6”
• There is so much lies in the world today – Jesus says “I am the Truth – John 14:6

Whatever is wrong with the world today – Jesus is the ONLY CREDIBLE CURE to ALL the world’s sickness.

SPEAK JESUS.