Jesus Heals and Cleanses
Mark 1:29-45
Call to Worship –Psalm 103:1-5
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me,bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (ESV)
New Testament Reading – James 5:13–16
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (ESV)
Prayer of Praise: Refer to the Call to Worship and the Psalm Reading above and the hymn below.
1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.
2 Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under his wings, and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all that is needful has been
sent by his gracious ordaining?
3 Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.
4 Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.
Reading of the Law: Roman 12:9-13
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (ESV)
Silent Confession of Sin/Confession of Sin: Gracious God, we confess that we have longed too much for the comforts of this world. We have loved the gifts more than the giver. In your mercy, help us to see that all the things we pine for are shadows, but you are substance; that they are quicksands, but you are a mountain; that they are shifting, but you are an anchor. We plead your forgiveness on the merits of Jesus Christ. Accept his worthiness for our unworthiness, his sinlessness for our transgressions, his fullness for our emptiness, his glory for our shame, his righteousness for our dead works, his death for our life. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: 1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (ESV)
Response: The Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen, amen.
Confession of Faith: Westminster Larger Catechism - Questions 81-85
Let’s continue to study the WLC by thinking about our assurance and communion with Christ
Question #81
Q. Are all true believers at all times assured of their present being in the estate of grace, and that they shall be saved?
A. Assurance of grace and salvation not being of the essence of faith, true believers may wait long before they obtain it; and, after the enjoyment thereof, may have it weakened and intermitted, through manifold distempers, sins, temptations, and desertions; yet are they never left without such a presence and support of the Spirit of God, as keeps them from sinking into utter despair.
Eph. 1:13; Isa. 1:10; Ps. 88:1-18; Ps. 77:1-12; Song of Songs 5:2-3, 6; Ps. 51:8, 12; Ps. 31:22; Ps. 22:1; 1 John 3:9; Job 13:15; Ps. 73:15, 23; Isa. 54:7-10.
Question #82
Q. What is the communion in glory which the members of the invisible Church have with Christ?
A. The communion in glory which the members of the invisible Church have with Christ, is in this life, immediately after death, and at last perfected at the resurrection and day of judgment.
2 Cor. 3:18; Luke 23:43; 1 Thess. 4:17.
Question #83
Q. What is the communion in glory with Christ which the members of the invisible Church enjoy in this life?
A. The members of the invisible Church have communicated to them in this life the first-fruits of glory with Christ, as they are members of him their head, and so in him are interested in that glory which he is fully possessed of; and, as an earnest thereof, enjoy the sense of God’s love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, and hope of glory; as, on the contrary, sense of God’s revenging wrath, horror of conscience, and a fearful expectation of judgment, are to the wicked the beginning of their torments which they shall endure after death.
Eph. 2:6; Rom. 5:5 with 2 Cor. 1:22; Rom. 5:1-2; Rom. 14:17; Gen. 4:13; Matt. 27:4; Heb. 10:27; Rom. 2:9; Mark 9:44.
Question #84
Q. Shall all men die?
A. Death being threatened as the wages of sin, it is appointed unto all men once to die; for that all have sinned.
1 Cor. 15:26, 55-57; Heb. 2:15; Isa. 57:1-2; 2 Kings 22:20; Rev. 14:13; Eph. 5:27; Luke 23:43; Phil. 1:23.
Question #85
Q. Death, being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered from death, seeing all their sins are forgiven in Christ?
A. The righteous shall be delivered from death itself at the last day, and even in death are delivered from the sting and curse of it; so that, although they die, yet it is out of God’s love, to free them perfectly from sin and misery, and to make them capable of further communion with Christ in glory, which they then enter upon.
1 Cor. 15:26, 55-57; Heb. 2:15; Isa. 57:1-2; 2 Kings 22:20; Rev. 14:13; Eph. 5:27; Luke 23:43; Phil. 1:23.
Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Gracious Father, we thank You for the compassion and authority of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We praise You that He enters our homes and our lives with restoring power, lifting us up so that we may rise to serve You with renewed strength. We bless You that His word heals, His touch cleanses, and His presence drives away the darkness that oppresses us. We thank You for His steadfast communion with You, for the prayers that sustained His ministry, and for the gospel He proclaimed in every town. Above all, we give thanks that in Christ our uncleanness is taken away and His purity is given to us. Receive our gratitude for a Savior who restores, renews, and makes us whole. In His holy name we pray. Amen.
Prayer of Supplication:
Lord Jesus, draw us near with the same humble confidence as the leper who said, “If You will, You can make me clean.” Cleanse us from the sins that cling so closely and restore us to the service for which You have redeemed us. Strengthen us to follow Your example of prayerful dependence on the Father, that our lives may be rooted in communion with You rather than driven by the demands of the crowd. Give us grace to embrace Your mission, to proclaim Your kingdom, and to walk in obedience wherever You lead. Subdue the powers that oppose Your reign in our hearts and homes, and make us instruments of Your compassion in a hurting world. We ask this in Your strong and saving name. Amen.
Bible reading and commentary: Mark 1:29-45 (Mark 1 - ESV.org)
Jesus restores, heals, prays, and cleanses — revealing a kingdom marked by compassion, authority, and divine purpose.
Mark 1:29–45 continues to unfold the character of Jesus’ early ministry by showing His authority, His compassion, and His unwavering commitment to the Father’s mission. Leaving the synagogue, Jesus enters the home of Simon and Andrew, where He finds Simon’s mother‑in‑law sick with a fever. With a simple touch, He raises her up, and the healing is immediate and complete. Her response—she begins to serve—reveals a pattern in Mark’s Gospel: true restoration leads to renewed vocation. Jesus does not merely relieve suffering; He restores people to the life of service for which they were created.
As evening falls, the whole city gathers at the door, bringing the sick and demon‑possessed. Jesus heals many and casts out demons, demonstrating authority over both bodily affliction and spiritual oppression. Yet He silences the demons “because they knew him.” This reflects Mark’s recurring theme of the Messianic Secret: Jesus’ identity must be revealed according to the Father’s timing, not through demonic testimony or popular misunderstanding. His mission cannot be reduced to spectacle or political expectation.
After a night of intense ministry, Jesus rises early and withdraws to a desolate place to pray. This moment is the theological center of the passage. Jesus’ authority is not autonomous; it flows from His communion with the Father. His ministry is sustained not by crowds but by prayer. When the disciples find Him and urge Him to return to the waiting masses, Jesus redirects them: “Let us go on… for that is why I came.” His mission is fundamentally one of proclamation—the preaching of the kingdom—while His miracles serve as signs that authenticate the message.
The final scene introduces a leper who approaches Jesus with humility and bold faith: “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretches out His hand and touches him—an act that would normally render one unclean. Yet instead of impurity transferring to Jesus, cleansing flows from Jesus to the man. This anticipates the great exchange of the gospel: Christ takes our uncleanness and gives us His purity. Though Jesus instructs the man to keep silent and follow the law, the man spreads the news widely, resulting in Jesus remaining outside the towns while people still seek Him.
This passage reveals a Savior whose authority is matched by compassion, whose power is rooted in prayer, and whose mission is governed by divine purpose. He restores, He cleanses, and He calls His people to follow Him in faith, obedience, and service.
Bavinck: “The essence of Christianity consists therein: that the creation of the Father, destroyed by sin, is again restored in the death of the Son of God and recreated by the grace of the Holy Spirit to a Kingdom of God.”
— Herman Bavinck, The Sacrifice of Praise
Closing Hymn: The Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heav’nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
Closing Scripture: Jude 24-25
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (ESV)
The Lord’s Prayer (together):
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.