Divine Healing

GOD'S WILLINGNESS TO HEAL

A. Introduction: We have begun a study of faith and healing.

1. Although we are emphasizing healing, the things we learn about faith can be
applied to other areas as well. Rom 1:17; II Cor 5:7
2. A careful study of the Bible shows us that God is a healer and that it is always
His will to heal. There is controversy over this because:
a. People lack knowledge from God's word on this subject.
b. People put experience above God's word.
3. In order to be healed, you must have two vital categories of information about
healing.
a. You must know that God has already provided healing for you through
the Cross of Christ. He has already said yes to healing you by including
healing in redemption. In other words, it is His will to heal you.
Isa 53:4-6; I Pet 2:24
b. You must know how to take or receive what God has already provided.
You take it by faith. Heb 6:12
4. Lack of knowledge in either one of these areas can keep you from being
healed.
a. If you don't know that healing has been provided, you'll struggle with: Is
it God's will to heal me? Until you get that issue settled, you probably
won't get healed.
b. If you don't know how to take what God has provided, you'll be waiting
for Him to give you something He's waiting for you to take, and you
probably won't get healed.
5. In this series, we're taking time to build our faith in both areas -- that healing
has been provided and that we must take what has been provided. Rom 10:17
6. In this lesson, we want to look at God's willingness, even eagerness to heal.
Why study this when most of us already believe God is a healer?
a. You may know God is a healer and healing is His will, but what about
YOU when you're sick? Does He want YOU well NOW?
b. The faith that takes what God offers has to be fully persuaded, completely
convinced of some things. That means ALL doubt gone!
c. What if someone you are sure will get healed doesn't? Would that rock
your faith?
d. Because God is infinite and eternal, there is always more to know about
Him from His word -- no matter how much you already know!
e. We're following God's proscription for our health. Prov 4:20-22


B. If your only source of information about healing was the Bible, you could not come to any other conclusion than that it is always God's will to heal His people.
 

1. In previous lessons, we pointed out that:
a. There was no sickness in the Garden of Eden before man sinned. Gen 1:31
b. There is no sickness in heaven, and there'll be none in the kingdom which
Jesus will set up when He returns to earth. Isa 65:19,20
c. There won't be any in the new heaven or earth which God will ultimately
establish. Rev 21:1-4
d. Sickness is in the earth because of sin. Rom 5:12
2. Nowhere does the Bible call sickness good, from God, a teaching tool of God,
a blessing in disguise, or suffering for the Lord. It is called a curse, captivity,
satanic oppression. Deut 28; Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38
3. Jesus was the will of God in action on earth. John 4:34; 14:9; Heb 1:1-3
a. He healed all who came to Him. He did not refuse to heal a single person.
He made no one sick.
b. When He went to the Cross, He bore our sins and our sickness to remove
them. Isa 53:5,6; Gal 3:13
c. Jesus came to bring life. Health is one aspect of life. John 10:10
4. It is God's will to heal all because it is in His redemptive plan which is for all.
a. Everything in the Bible must be read in line with, in light of, Jesus and the
Cross.
b. So, if what you think you know about Job, Paul's thorn, Joni, etc.
contradicts, you must side in with the Cross if you are going to be healed.


C. Healing in the Old Testament
 

1. The first promise of healing in the Bible is found in Ex 15:26.
a. This promise was made to people who had just been redeemed. Ex 6:6;
15:13 (healeth = RAPHA = to mend by stitching; to cure, cause to heal;
physician)
b. Ps 105:37--Notice first that God brought them out of Egypt healthy.
(Ex 12:37 tells us there were 600,000 mean plus women and children.)
1. The last thing they did before they left Egypt was eat the body (flesh)
of the Passover lamb. Ex 12:3,8
2. The body of Jesus, our Passover Lamb, was broken for us, to heal us.
I Cor 5:7; I Cor 11:23-32; John 1:29
c. I am Jehovah RAPHA = the Lord your physician. This is the first fact
(revelation) about Himself that God gave His redeemed people.
d. This isn't a promise to perfect people. God is about to give them a system
of sacrifices to cover their sins. (Lev)
e. The diseases "I have brought on the Egyptians". This verb has been
translated in the causative sense, but should have been translated in the
permissive sense. (Dr. Robert Young -- Hints and Helps to Bible
Interpretation.)
f. Note, a tree made the bitter water sweet for Israel (v25). Jesus was
crucified on a tree. Gal 3:13
g. I Cor 10:11--The things that are written about Israel are examples for us.
2. Ex 23:23-26--God promised His people that He would take sickness from them
in the promised land.
3. In Lev 14:18,19 we see physical healing for leprosy connected with atonement.
4. Num 21:4-9--When poisonous snakes bit the Israelites, those who looked at a
type of the Cross (John 3:14) were healed. (Type = person or thing believed to
foreshadow or symbolize another.) Note these points:
a. v6--God allowed the snakes to bite them, He didn't commission it.
b. After all these people have seen, after all God has done for them, after all
the trouble they're already gotten into for doing the very same things is it
any wonder that they reaped these kinds of consequences?
c. What they did here is called tempting Christ. I Cor 10:9
d. When they looked to the type of the atonement, the Cross, all who
LOOKED were healed. Not all who were good, or who deserved to be
healed, or who didn't complain too much, but all who LOOKED. But,
they had to look.
5. Deut 7:12-15--When Israel reached the promised land after forty years of
wandering in the wilderness, God restated His promise of health to then.
6. Israel finally entered the promised land and settled it. (Joshua)
a. We have no reason to think God did not keep all the promises He made to
His people as long as they served Him.
b. Nowhere does the Bible tell us God refused to heal His people in the land.
c. And, several dramatic healings are recorded for us: Naaman the leper
(II Kings 5:1-14; Hezekiah the King (II Kings 20:1-7).
d. II Chron 16:11-13--Gives us an account of an Israelite who didn't get
healed, Asa the King.
7. Some use Job as a "proof" that sickness is sometimes God's will for His people.
Consider these points:
a. The purpose of the Book of Job is not to prove or disprove healing. It is
the story of a man who stayed faithful to God despite very difficult
circumstances.
b. The NT commends Job's patience and tells us to consider the end of his
story -- he got healed. James 5:10,11; Job 42:10
c. satan made Jobs sick, not God. Job 2:7
1. Yes, but God allowed it, some would say. God allows people to sin,
but that doesn't mean it's His will.
2. God and the devil are not working together. Matt 12:22-26
d. What happened to Job is called captivity and God doesn't make captives,
He sets them free. Job 42:10; Luke 4:18
8. In the Psalms, we see David praising God for healing him.
a. Ps 30:2,3--O Lord my God, I pleaded with you, and you gave me my
health again. You brought me back from the brink of the grave, from
death itself, and here I am alive! (Living) (Health = RAPHA; same word
used in Ex 15:26 and Isa 53:5)
b. Ps 103:1-3--Note the connection between sin and sickness, forgiveness
(redemption) and healing. (Health = RAPHA)


D. Healing in the New Testament
 

1. We've already made these points about Jesus:
a. One of the main things Jesus did in His earth ministry was heal people.
Matt 4:23,24
b. On the Cross He bore our sicknesses. Isa 53:10-- Yet it was the will of the
Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief and made Him sick. (Amp)
2. Notice these points also about Jesus:
a. He commissioned and empowered His followers to minister healing.
Matt 9:35-38; 10:1;7,8; Mark 6:12,13; Luke 10:1;9;17
b. John 14:12--Jesus said those who believe on Him were to do the works He
did.
c. Just before Jesus went back to heaven, He commissioned His followers to
lay hands on the sick and see them recover. Mark 16:15-18
3. In the Book of Acts, this ministry of healing continued through the apostles
and others (Philip and Stephen). Acts 3:1-9; 5:12-16; 6:8; 8:5-8; 14:8-10;
19:11,12
4. The epistles are letters written to churches established and believers converted
in the atmosphere we see in the Book of Acts, so when healing and health are
mentioned, the Book of Acts is the context in which the information in the
epistles was written, received, and understood.
a. I Cor 12:1-31--God put gifts of healings in the church. v9;28
b. In one of the earliest epistles, believers were told what to do if they were
sick. James 5:14,15
c. III John 2 = A prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit given to John who knew
about healing from personal experience.
5. In the epistles God has shown us that we are the body of Christ. Eph 5:30;
I Cor 6:15; 12:27; Eph 1:22,23
a. Through union with Christ, we now have the life of Christ in us.
I John 5:11,12
b. We have the privilege of claiming that life for our flesh. II Cor 4:11,12;
12:9; Rom 8:11


E. Conclusion: When we look at the Bible objectively, we see a willingness, even an eagerness on God's part to heal His people and keep them healthy.
 

1. When we look at the Bible, we see no sickness before sin occurred, we see no
sickness after sin is removed, and in between we see God removing sickness and
healing people.
2. Matt 8:1-3--When a leper came to Jesus recognizing Jesus's power to heal, but
not sure of His willingness to heal, Jesus corrected the man's understanding.
a. v3--Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, of course I want
to! Be cured. (Jeru)
b. When you come to God for healing unsure of His will, the first thing He
wants to do is correct your understanding. He does that through His
word.
3. God provided salvation which includes healing for you while you were yet a
sinner. Rom 5:8
a. If He provided it for you while you were a sinner, why would He withhold
it now that you are His child? Rom 5:10; 8:32
b. God is willing, eager to heal you!!

God's Willingness To Heal II



MORE ABOUT GOD'S WILLINGNESS TO HEAL

A. Introduction: We have begun a study of faith and healing.
 

1. A careful study of the Bible shows us that God is a healer and that it is always
His will to heal. There is controversy over this because:
a. People lack knowledge from God's word on the subject.
b. People put experience above God's word.
2. In order to be healed, you must know two vital keys:
a. You must know that God has already provided healing for you through the Cross of Christ. It is His will to heal you. He has already said yes through Jesus. Isa 53:4-6; I Pet 2:24
b. You must know how to take or receive what God has already provided.
We take it by faith. Heb 6:12
3. In this series, we are looking at both areas-that healing has been provided
and that we can and must take what He has provided by faith.
4. Last time, we began to look at God's willingness, even eagerness, to heal His
people. We want to continue that theme in this lesson.
 

B. If your only source of information about healing was the Bible, you could not come to any other conclusion than that it is always God's will to heal His people. In previous lessons we pointed out that:
 

1. Sickness is not part of God's plan for man. Eph 1:4,5; Rom 8:29
a. There was no sickness in the Garden of Eden before man sinned. Gen 1:31
b. There is not sickness in heaven, and there'll be none in the kingdom which Jesus will set up when He returns to earth. Isa 65:19,20
c. There won't be any sickness in the new heaven and earth which God will ultimately establish. Rev 21:1-4
d. Sickness is in the earth because of sin. Rom 5:12
2. God dealt with our sicknesses at the same time and in the same way He dealt
with our sins.
a. Jesus bore our sins and our sicknesses on the Cross to remove them from us. Isa 53:4-6
b. We know that it is God's will to heal all because healing is included in His redemptive plan which is for all.
3. In the last lesson we did a survey of healing in the OT and found:
a. The first promise of healing in the Bible was made to people who had just been redeemed. Ex 15:13,26
 

1. Not only did God promise to be their healer, He brought His people out of Egypt healthy. Ps 105:37
2. The last thing they did before they left Egypt was eat the Passover lamb. Ex 12:3;8
3. Christ is our Passover Lamb and His body was broken for us, to heal us. I Cor 5:7
b. God promised to be their physician and promised to take sickness away from them in the Promised Land. Ex 23:23-26
c. When the Israelites were bitten by poisonous snakes on their journey in the wilderness, all who looked at a brass snake on a pole (a type of Jesus on the Cross), were healed. Num 21:4-9; John 3:14
 

1. A type = a person or thing believed to foreshadow or symbolize another. All who looked at the type of Jesus were healed.
2. Some say that it isn't God's will to heal all. If all who looked at the type of Christ were healed, how can we say that not all who look to Christ will be healed? Did the type have more power than the fulfillment of the type?
d. When Israel reached the edge of the Promised Land, God restated His promise of health to them. Deut 7:12-15
 

1. Several dramatic accounts of healing during their time in the land are described for us. II Kings 5:1-14; II Kings 20:1-7
2. There is not a single instance recorded in the OT of God refusing to heal one of His own people.
e. Job got healed. David got healed. Job 42:10; Ps 30:2,3; 103:1-3
3. In Prov 4:20-22 God gave His people specific instructions on how to be
healthy. Health = MARPE = curative, lit: medicine.
a. Prov 3:8--health = a form of RAPHA = a cure.
b. People who live for God the way He instructs them to should be healthy.
4. Even in the prophets, we find healing for God's people.
a. Isa 53 contains the prophetic picture of the Lord bearing our sins and sicknesses in order to remove them.
b. The OT ends with a promise of healing to God's people. Mal 4:2 (Healing = same word as Prov 3:8)


C. In this lesson, we want to concentrate on healing in the New Testament.
 

1. The NT begins with the gospel, four eye witness accounts of the life and
ministry of Jesus Christ on the earth. Note these things:
a. Jesus was the will of God in action on the earth. John 4:34; 14:9; Heb 1:1-3
b. Jesus healed all who came to Him. He did not refuse to heal a single
person. He made no one sick. Matt 4:23,24; 8:16; 9:35; 12:15; 14:13,14;
15:29-31; 19:1,2; 21:14
c. He healed people on the ground of the Cross where He bore our sicknesses
and carried our diseases. Matt 8:17
d. He commissioned and empowered His followers to minister healing.
Matt 9:35-38; 10:1:1;7,8; Mark 6:12,13; Luke 10:1; 9;17
e. Those who believe on Jesus are to do the works He did. John 14:12
f. Just before Jesus went back to heaven, He commissioned His followers to
lay hands on the sick and see them recover. Mark 16:15-18
g. The only limit on Jesus's healing power was unbelief. Mark 6:5,6;
Matt 13:58; 17:14-21
 

2. In Acts, this healing ministry continued through the Apostles and others (Philip
and Stephen). Acts 3:1-9; 5:12-16; 6:8; 8:5-8; 14:8-10; 19:11,12
a. The epistles are letters written to churches established and believers converted in the atmosphere we see in the Book of Acts.
b. So, when healing and health are mentioned in the epistles, the Book of Acts is the context in which the information in the epistles was written, received, and understood.
c. One of the things Christianity meant to them is that people got healed.
d. Nowhere in Acts is anyone not healed because it wasn't God's will.
 

3. In the epistles, we find more references to healing.
a. I Cor 12:28--God put gifts of healings in the church.
1. Gifts = manifestations = ways in which the Holy Ghost demonstrates Himself through believers. I Cor 12:4-11
2. These manifestations operate as He wills, for the common good. v7;11
b. James 5:14,15--Believers are told what to do if they are sick.
1. Remember the context in which this would have been written and received-the Book of Acts.
3. Note, this prayer of faith shall (not may, not might) heal the sick.
4. Note that this powerful verse on healing is four verses away from the only NT reference to Job. James 5:10,11
5. Jesus explained the prayer of faith in Mark 11:24--believe you have it before you see it.
c. I Peter 2:24; III John 2--We have two Holy Ghost inspired comments from two men who saw Jesus heal and ministered healing with and for Jesus before and after the Crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
1. The had a personal Bible study from Jesus on Isa 53. Luke 24:44,45
2. Christianity and healing to them and their readers was the Christianity and healing seen in the Book of Acts.
3. A main theme found in the epistles is that Christians are the Body of Christ.
Eph 5:30; 1:22,23; I Cor 12:27
a. Sickness has as much right to our bodies as it does to Jesus. Acts 9:4,5
b. A major argument against sin for a Christian is that we are taking the body of Christ and using it as an instrument of sin. I Cor 6:15-20
c. It's also an excellent argument against sickness in the body of a believer.
d. Jesus nourishes and cherishes His body. He doesn't make it sick. Eph 5:29
4. We are now united to Jesus as truly as a branch to a vine. John 15:5
a. Through union with Christ, we have the life of Christ in us. I John 5:11,12
b. We have the privilege of claiming that life for our flesh. II Cor 4:11,12;
12:9,10; Rom 8:11
c. Eph 3:19(b)--That you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God -- [that is] may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself. (Amp)
d. It is our privilege to enjoy the health of the body of Christ, the health and life of the Lord Jesus Himself.


D. In the first epistle to the Corinthians, we find a clear statement about why
Christians at that church were getting sick, and we can learn some things about why Christians today are sick. I Cor 11:30
 

1. Let's first get the context. Paul is rebuking the Corinthians for the way they were carrying out the Lord's Supper. v18-22
a. There was division, drunkenness, and gluttony at their assemblies.
b. v20--So when you gather for your meetings, it is not the supper instituted
by the Lord that you eat. (Amp)
2. Then, Paul states for them what communion is supposed to be. v23-26
a. v23--Evidently, Jesus Himself instructed Paul on communion. Acts 26:16;
Gal 1:11,12
b. V26--For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are representing and signifying and proclaiming the fact of the Lord's death until He comes [again]. (Amp)
3. The Corinthian communion service was irreverent. Unworthily = irreverently.
a. v27--So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of (profaning and sinning against) the body and blood of the Lord. (Amp)
b. v29--For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation [it is Christ's] body, eats and drinks a sentence-a verdict of judgment upon himself. (Amp)
c. Their irreverence and failure to recognize the value of the sacrifice of Jesus brought judgment on them in the form of sickness and death.
4. Notice these points:
a. The sickness they were experiencing was totally preventable. They could have, should have, judged themselves = discerned their sin and repented.
b. Judgment comes to those who “deliberately outrage the grace and mercy of God.” (Gordon Lindsay)
c. Judgment = God allows you to reap the fruit of your sin and withdraws
His protection. I Cor 5:1-5
5. If failure to recognize and reverence the meaning of the breaking of the Lord's body made the Corinthians sick, recognizing and reverencing what His body and blood did will keep us well.
a. Many Christians today are sick because they don't recognize that the body of Christ was broken for their physical health. Gal 3:13; I Pet 2:24
b. They aren't being judged in the same sense as the Corinthians, but their lack of knowledge is killing them. Hosea 4:6


E. Conclusion: When we look at the Bible objectively, we see a willingness, even an eagerness on God's part to heal His people and keep them healthy.
 

1. When we look at the Bible, we see no sickness before sin occurred, we see no sickness after sin is removed, and in between, we see God removing sickness and healing people.
2. Matt 8:1-3--When a leper came to Jesus recognizing Jesus's power to heal, but not sure of His willingness to heal, Jesus corrected the man's understanding.
a. v3--Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, of course I want to! Be cured. (Jeru)
b. When you come to God for healing unsure of His will, the first thing He wants to do is correct your understanding. He does that through His word.
c. He says to you: Of course I want to!!
3. God provided salvation which includes healing for you while you were yet a sinner. Rom 5:8
a. If He provided it for you while you were a sinner, why would He withhold it now that you are His child? Rom 5:10; 8:32
b. God is willing, eager to heal you!! Believe it!!


OBJECTIONS TO HEALING


A. Introduction: We are studying the subject of faith and healing. A careful study of the Bible shows us that God is a healer and it is always His will to heal His people.
 

1. In order to be healed,you must have two vital keys:
a. You must know that God has already provided healing for you through
the Cross of Christ. It is God's will to heal you. He has already said yes
through Jesus. Isa 53:4-6; I Pet 2:24
b. You must know how to take or receive what God has already provided.
We take it by faith. Heb 6:12
2. In this series, we are taking time to look at both keys.
 

B. We have already made the point that if your only source of information about healing was the Bible, you could not come to any other conclusion than that it is always God's will to heal His people. In previous lessons we said:
 

1. Sickness is not part of God's plan for man. Eph 1:4,5; Rom 8:29
a. There was no sickness in the Garden of Eden before man sinned. Gen 1:31
b. There is no sickness in heaven, and there will be none in the new heaven
and earth which God will ultimately establish. Rev 21:1-4
c. Sickness is in the earth because of sin. Rom 5:12
2. When we survey the OT we see God the healer healing His people.
a. God brought Israel out of Egypt healthy, and promised to be their doctor
and keep them healthy. Ps 105:37; Ex 15:26; 23:23-26; Deut 7:12-15
b. When the Israelites were bitten by poisonous snakes, all who looked at a
type of the Cross, the brazen serpent, were healed. Num 21:4-9; John 3:14
c. Job got healed; Hezekiah got healed; Naaman got healed; David got
healed. Job 42:10; II Kings 5:1-14; II Kings 20:1-7; Ps 30:2,3; 103:1-3
d. Prov 4:20-22--God gave His people instructions on how to be healthy.
e. Isa 53--a picture of Jesus bearing our sins and sicknesses to remove them.
f. The OT ends with a promise of healing to God's people. Mal 4:2
3. When we survey the NT we see God the healer healing His people.
a. Jesus was the will of God in action on the earth, and He healed all who
came to Him. John 4:34; 14:9; Matt 4:2324
b. Jesus empowered His followers to heal. Matt 9:35-38; Matt 10:1;7,8
c. Then Jesus went to the Cross and bore our sins and sicknesses. I Pet 2:24
d. Just before He went back to heaven, Jesus commissioned His followers to
lay hands on the sick and see them recover. Mark 16:15-18
e. In Acts, this healing ministry continued through the Apostles and others.
Acts 3:1-9; 5:12-16; 6:8; 8:5-8; 14:8-10; 19:11,12
f. When healing is mentioned in the epistles it is written, understood, and
received in the context of the Book of Acts.
g. God put gifts of healings in the church. I Cor 12:28
h. Believers are told that the prayer of faith shall heal the sick. James 5:14,15
i. Rom 8:11--the Holy Ghost will quicken believers' mortal bodies.
j. Believers are called the Body of Christ and have the privilege of claiming
Christ's life for our flesh. II Cor 4:10,11; 12:9,10
4. There is not a single instance in the OT or the NT where God refused to heal
those who came to Him for healing. Yet, in the face of all this, there are still
objections people raise against the idea that it is always God's will to heal.
5. In the rest of this lesson and the next we want to deal with some of the
objections to God's willingness to heal all.
 

C. Objection #1--Jesus healed on earth to prove He was God prior to the resurrection. Now that He is risen, He doesn't need to heal any more. Consider these points:
 

1. If Jesus healed solely to prove He was God, why did He heal all who come to
Him? One or two notable miracles would have been enough proof.
2. And, why did He tell some of those He healed not to tell anyone when He
healed them? Matt 8:4; 9:30; 12:16; Mark 2:12; 5:43
3. The Bible gives us another reason why Jesus healed -- His compassion.
a. Compassion = to feel sympathy or pity; can be translated mercy.
Matt 14:14; 20:34; Mark 1:41: 9:22; Luke 7:13
b. Jesus didn't heal people to prove His power, He healed to demonstrate His
love -- and the Father's love which He revealed. Ps 145:8
c. Jesus's compassion for the multitude inspired Him to equip laborers like
Himself to preach and heal. Matt 9:35-10:8


D. Objection #2--The Apostles had healing power to authenticate their message and help them establish the church. But now that we have the Bible, we don't need healings and miracles. Healing ended when the last Apostle died. I Cor 13:10
 

1. Nowhere is there a verse that even hints at such ideas.
a. We still have apostles today. Eph 4:11-13
b. God is the healer, not the apostles--He hasn't changed. Heb 13:8; Mal 3:6
2. The apostles were not the only ones God used to heal.
a. Luke 10:1-9--Jesus empowered 70 others besides the apostles to heal.
b. Acts 6:5;8; 8:5,6--Stephen and Philip were not apostles (were food servers).
c. James 5:14,15--Elders (older; a senior) are told to pray for the sick.
3. We are not in a different age or period than the early church.
a. We're all in the last days. Acts 2:17; I Cor 10:11; Heb 1:2; 9:26; I John 2:18
b. The last days began with the first coming of Jesus.
4. The early church is not separate and distinct from the 20th century church.
We are all the body of Christ. Eph 5:30; 1:22,23; I Cor 12:27
a. We're part of the same body as Peter, John, Paul, and all believers who've
lived since then. We have the same life and power as them: Jesus Christ.
b. Gifts of healings were given to the church, the body, of which all believers
are a part. I Cor 12:27,28; 4-20
c. Acts 1:1--Jesus's earth ministry was only the beginning of His work. His
body carries out what He began. Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20
d. We, the body of Christ, continue His work, directed and empowered by
Jesus Christ the head, cheered on by those who've gone before. Heb 12:1
e. Just as Jesus showed the Father to the world by doing His words and
actions, so we show Jesus to the world, a living Savior. John 14:9-12


E. Objection #3--The Lord is glorified in sickness as we patiently submit to Him.
 

1. If you are submitted to His will in sickness, why are you going to the doctor
and taking medicine?
2. In the Bible, we find that God is glorified when sickness goes and healing
comes. Matt 9:8; 15:31; Luke 7:16; 13:13;17; 17:15; 18:43; Acts 3:8; 4:21
a. Seven specific cases tell us that God was glorified when healing came.
One verse which appears to say that God is glorified by sickness. John 11:4
b. When one verse seems to contradict a number of others, that means we do
not understand the one verse.
1. v4--This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so
that God's son may be glorified through it. (NIV)
2. The end result of this sickness will not be death. The end result will be
that Jesus is glorified (honored).
3. Reading the chapter, we see no glory for Jesus while Lazarus was sick or dead.
a. The disciples thought Jesus's handling of the sickness was a mistake. v8-16
b. Martha, Mary, and others questioned His handling of things. v21;32;37
c. v40--Jesus told them they had not yet seen the glory of God.
d. After Lazarus was raised people believed and honored Jesus. v45; 12:9-11
4. Some say God allows people to be sick as an opportunity for Him to get glory
when He heals them. John 9:1-7
a. God allows people to sin and go to hell. That doesn't mean it is His will or
that He is behind it in any way.
b. There are enough sick people in the world as a result of satan and sin.
God doesn't have to make anyone sick in order to have some one to heal.
c. v2--The disciples were aware of the connection between sin and sickness.
5. Remember, when you have ten verses that clearly say one thing and one verse
that appears to contradict them, don't throw out the ten, put the one on the
shelf until you have more understanding. Consider these points:
a. The disciples asked Jesus a question: Who sinned? Jesus answered it:
neither one. v3
b. The blindness was not the work of God because it is clear that the works
of God have not yet been manifested in the man at this point. Jesus said
He would have to do it. v3,4
c. If blindness was the work of God, then Jesus, by healing the man, was
undoing the work of the Father. That's a house divided. Matt 12:24-26
6. Yes, but isn't sickness part of Christian suffering? Phil 1:29
a. You cannot impose an outside meaning on a word in the Bible. You must
let the context determine the meaning of the word.
b. When the word suffering is used in the NT in connection with a Christian,
it means persecution or difficulties encountered as we preach the gospel
and live for God -- not sickness.
c. The context of suffering in this verse is persecution. Paul was in jail for
preaching the gospel. v13;20;30; Acts 16:9-24
 

F. Objection #4--Paul had a disease, a thorn in the flesh. II Cor 12:7-9
 

1. Nothing in this passage gives us the right to call the thorn a disease.
a. v7--The thorn is identified for us as the messenger of satan. Messenger =
ANGELOS = a being; an angel; used 188 times in Bible; means a
personality, not a disease.
b. v7--It came from satan not God. Remember the house divided! Matt 12
c. Thorn in OT and NT means literal thorns or troublesome people.
Num 33:55; Josh 23:13; Judges 2:3
d. v7--This thorn buffeted Paul. Buffet = to hit or strike = repeated blows.
2. v9--Paul calls thorn an infirmity = ASTHENIA = without strength, weak, sick.
a. You must determine meaning from context. II Cor 11:23-30 sets context.
b. Paul's infirmities were obstacles and persecutions he encountered as he
preached the gospel -- not sickness.
3. Some say God gave Paul the thorn to keep him humble.
a. v7--tells us it came from satan to keep him from being exalted, not from
exalting himself, but from being exalted. By who?
b. By those he preached to! Exalt = elevate by praise or in estimation.
4. Paul had been given tremendous revelation from God. v1-4;7; Acts 26:16;
Gal 1:12
a. satan did not want him exalted by others or respected and believed by
those he preached to, so he sent a fallen angel to harass Paul when he
preached. Paul would preach, someone would stir up the crowd, he'd get
mobbed, put out of town, or thrown in jail. Acts 13:45; 14:2-6;19
5. Some say Paul's thorn was an eye disease. Gal 4:13-15
a. There is nothing in this passage to support such an idea.
b. Galatia was a province or region with various cities including Antioch,
Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The epistle was written to the churches of
Galatia. Gal 1:2
c. In Acts 14:19 Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra.
1. The next day he and Barnabas walked 15 miles to Derbe. Acts 14:20
2. He then walked back and preached again at Ephesus
 

MORE OBJECTIONS TO HEALING


A. Introduction: We are studying the subject of faith and healing. A careful study of the Bible shows us that God is a healer and that it is always His will to heal.
 

1. If your only source of information about healing was the Bible, you could not
come to any other conclusion than that it is always God's will to heal.
a. From Genesis to Revelation we find God healing His people.
b. Not one instance in the OT or NT where God refused to heal His people.
2. Yet, many Christians are not healed and do not get healed.
a. These failures to be healed are due, not to unwillingness on God's part, but
to lack of knowledge and related problems on our part.
b. So, we are taking time to look at what the Bible says about this subject.
3. There are two key areas of knowledge about healing you must have.
a. You must know that God has already provided healing for you through
the Cross of Christ. It is God's will to heal you. He has already said yes
through Jesus. Isa 53:4-6; I Pet 2:24
b. You must know how to take or receive what God has already provided.
You take it by faith. Heb 6:12
4. In the last lesson, we began to look at arguments people say prove it isn't
always the will of God to heal. We considered these arguments.
 

A. Objection #1--Jesus healed on earth to prove He was God. Since the
resurrection occurred and clearly established the fact that He is God, He
doesn't need to heal any more.
 

1. But, we found out that Jesus didn't heal just to prove His power, He
healed to demonstrate His love and the love of the Father for us.
2. Compassion moved Him to heal. Matt 14:14; 20:34; Mark 1:41; 9:22
b. Objection #2--The apostles had healing power to authenticate the message
they preached. But now that we have the Bible, we don't need healing and
miracles. Healing ended when the last apostle died.
1. But, we found out that the apostles didn't heal anyone -- God did.
And He's still the same. Heb 13:8; Mal 3:6
2. The early church is not separate from the 20th century church. We
are all part of the body of Christ. Eph 5:30; 1:22;23; I Cor 12:27
3. While on earth, Jesus began a work which we His body now are to
continue. Acts 1:1; Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; John 14:9-12
4. We, the body of Christ, continue His work, directed, empowered by
Jesus the head, cheered on by those who've gone before. Heb 12:1
c. Objection #3--The Lord is glorified in sickness as we patiently submit to it.
1. We found out that in the Bible God is glorified when sickness goes
and healing comes. Matt 9:8; 15:31; Luke 7:16; 13:13,17; 17:15; 18:43
2. God does not allow sickness so that He can heal it. That would be a
house divided against itself. Matt 12:24-26
3. Sickness is here because of satan and sin. Jesus came to do the works
of God and destroy the works of the devil. I John 3:8; John 9:3,4
6. In this lesson, we want to continue to look at other objections people raise.


B. Objection #4--Paul had a disease, a thorn in the flesh. II Cor 12:7-9
 

1. Nothing in this passage gives us the right to call the thorn a disease.
a. v7--Thorn = messenger of satan. Messenger = ANGELOS = a being; an
angel; used 188 times in the Bible; means a personality, not a disease.
b. v7--It came from satan not God. Remember the house divided! Matt 12
c. Thorn in the OT and NT means literal thorns or troublesome people.
Num 33:55; Josh 23:13; Judges 2:3
2. v9--Paul calls thorn an infirmity = ASTHENIA = without strength, weak, sick.
a. You must determine meaning from context. II Cor 11:23-30 sets context.
b. Paul's infirmities were obstacles and persecutions he encountered as he
preached the gospel -- not sicknesses.
3. Some say God gave Paul the thorn to keep him humble.
a. v7--tells us it came from satan to keep Paul from being exalted, not from
exalting himself, but from being exalted. By who?
b. By those he preached to! Exalt = elevate by praise or in estimation.
4. Paul had tremendous revelation from God. v1-4;7; Acts 26:16; Gal 1:12
a. satan didn't want Paul exalted or respected and believed by those he
preached to, so satan sent a fallen angel to harass Paul.
b. Paul would preach, someone would stir up the crowd, he'd get mobbed,
put out of town, or thrown in jail. Acts 13:45; 14:2-6;19
5. Some say Paul's thorn was an eye disease. Gal 4:13-15
a. There is nothing in this passage to support such an idea.
b. Galatia = a province various cities including Antioch, Iconium, Lystra,
and Derbe. The epistle was written to the churches of Galatia. Gal 1:2
c. Acts 14--Paul was stoned and left for dead at Lystra. The next day he and
Barnabas walked 15 miles to Derbe. He then walked back and preached
again at Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. Acts 14:21
d. How did Paul look when he preached to the Galatians? Gal 6:17--When I
preached the gospel to you the first time, I did so in bodily weakness, and
you did not feel contempt for my physical condition which must have been
a real trial to you, nor did you show any disgust at it. (Bruce)
e. Paul's eye troubles came from getting hit by rocks not having a disease.
f. Gal 6:11--Paul was so concerned about the Galatians, he took the time to
write this letter himself in his own hand. Rom 16:22


C. Objection #5--The Lord chastens us with sickness. Heb 12:5-7
 

1. We must read in context. We cannot impose an outside meaning on this verse:
I had a car wreck, I have cancer = the Lord is chastening me.
2. This epistle was written to Hebrew Christians who had grown weary under
persecution. Some had rejected Christ; others were considering it.
a. Whole purpose of letter = give them reasons not to go back on Jesus.
b. To use this verse the way many use it, we'd have to say God is telling them:
I sent this persecution to discipline you. That would be God persecuting
His own body. Matt 12
c. satan is the source of persecution. I Thess 3:1-5
3. God chastens His people with His word. Chasten = PAIDEA = instruction,
training. Acts 7:22; 22:3; Eph 6:4; II Tim 2:25; 3:16; Titus 2:12
a. v5--Chasten is defined as rebuke = verbal = with words. The context is
stated for us in v9 as correction = making or setting right.
b. The purpose of correction is instruction = to tell you what you are doing
wrong and how to do it right so you can do it right.
4. The letter to the Hebrews is a letter of chastening = correction and instruction.
a. In the letter, the writer says: listen to God! Don't fall away!
b. Heb 13:22--suffer (bear with, endure) the word of exhortation. Exhort =
admonish = to advise of a fault; to reprove.
5. v7--Endure (stay under; persevere) chastening. They had a choice to accept or
reject the discipline. We have no choice about cancer or car wrecks.
6. What about scourging us? MASTIGOO = to flog (lit. or fig.)
a. God flogs us (whips us) with His word. Jer 23:29; I Cor 4:21
b. Either that or a big hand / whip must come down from heaven.
 

D. The word chasten is only used one time in connection with sickness. I Cor 11:30-32
 

1. Context = Paul is rebuking them for the way they had communion. v18-22
a. There was division, drunkenness, and gluttony at their assemblies.
b. v20--So when you gather for your meetings, it is not the supper instituted
by the Lord that you eat. (Amp)
2. Then Paul states what communion is supposed to be. v22-26
a. v23--Jesus Himself instructed Paul on communion. Acts 26:16; Gal 1:11,12
b. v26--For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are
representing and signifying and proclaiming the fact of the Lord's death
until He comes [again]. (Amp)
3. The Corinthian communion service was irreverent. Unworthily = irreverently.
a. v27--So then whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in a way
that is unworthy [of Him] will be guilty of (profaning and sinning against)
the body and blood of the Lord. (Amp)
b. v29--Anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing
with due appreciation [it is Christ's] body, eats and drinks a sentence -- a
verdict of judgment upon himself. (Amp)
c. Their irreverence and failure to recognize the value of the sacrifice of Jesus
brought judgment on them in the form of sickness and death. v32
4. This sickness they were experiencing was totally preventable. They could have,
should have, judged themselves = discerned their sin and repented.
a. This is serious sin. Why would they be condemned with the world? By
their actions they were rejecting the Lord's death.
b. Judgment comes to those who "deliberately outrage the grace and mercy of
God". (Gordon Lindsay)
c. Judgment = God allows you to reap the fruit of your sin and withdraws
His protection. I Cor 5:1-5
5. This situation is a whole lot different from: "I have cancer. The Lord is
chastening me. Why? I don't know; as He sees fit, for His own purposes.
a. We need to understand that chastisement (punishment) went to Jesus so it
would not have to come to us. Isa 53:5
b. He was punished so we would have peace. He was beaten so we would be
healed. (New Life)
7. Because they didn't discern Christ's sacrifice, that chastisement came on them.
a. If failure to recognize and reverence the meaning of the breaking of the
Lord's body made the Corinthians sick, recognizing and reverencing what
His body and blood did will keep us well.
b. Many Christians today are sick because they don't recognize that the body
of Christ was broken for their physical health. Gal 3:13; I Pet 2:24


E. Objections to healing come from lack of knowledge of God's word and / or basing what you believe on experience.
 

1. We must read the Bible -- especially the epistles (written to the church) and the
gospels (show us God's character in Jesus). Prov4:20-22
2. We must get good teaching -- not just preaching, not just fellowship.
3. We must learn to read in context. Everything in the Bible was written to
someone by someone about something.
a. Everything "fits" under the theme of God's desire for a family.
b. It does not matter what the verse means to you. What does it say?
4. When we say it can't always be God's will to heal because so and so didn't get
healed, we are basing what we believe on experience not on the Bible.
a. Heb 1:1-3--God has spoken to us by His Son Jesus, not by Job or by that
person in the church who didn't get healed.
b. Jesus healed all who came to Him, made no one sick, nor refused to heal
anyone. Then Jesus bore our sicknesses on the Cross to remove them.
Everything else must bow to these facts if you are going to live by faith.
5. Some say it isn't always God's will to heal because Paul couldn't get everyone
healed. If we are going to say that, then we must say that it is God's will that
some backslide. II Tim 4:20;10
a. We are presuming Trophimus was never healed. Healing is sometimes
gradual. We don't know the end of the story.
b. Either way, we can't base what we believe on Trophimus's experience.
6. Yes, but I learned so much from my illness, and a nurse got saved at the
hospital. This sickness had to be God's will. After all, He allowed it.
a. What happened to you was Rom 8:28. God brought genuine good out of
genuine evil. Ps 119:71
b. Sickness is not a teaching tool of God. The Holy Ghost is the teacher of
the church and He teaches us through the word of God. John 14:26; 16:13;
II Tim 3:16; Eph 4:11,12
c. If you learned something valuable in your sickness, you learned it from
God's word in the sickness. Ps 119:92;143
 

F. Conclusion: It is so important that the lines are clearly drawn in our minds: God good, devil bad!! Healing good, sickness bad!!
 

1. As long as the waters are muddied, you cannot walk in the kind of faith that
receives healing every time.
2. Even the objections to healing, when read in the light of the rest of the Bible
and read in context, still show us that it is always God's will to heal.
 

HOW HEALING COMES
 

A. Introduction: We have been studying the subject of faith and healing.
 

1. If your only source of information about healing was the Bible, you could not
come to any other conclusion than that it is always God's will to heal.
a. But, people struggle with this because they don't know what the Bible says,
and / or they put experience above the word of God.
b. We've been taking time to look at God's word to sort it out.
2. We've made the point that there are two key facts about healing which you
must have if you are going to be healed and walk in health.
a. You must know that God has already provided healing for you through
the Cross of Christ. He has already said yes to it. It is His will to heal
you. Isa 53:4-6; I Pet 2:24
b. You must know how to take or receive what God has already provided.
We take it by faith. Heb 6:12
3. We've just spent several weeks on the first point.
a. We looked at God's willingness to heal and dealt with objections to
healing people bring up.
b. We now want to look at the second key: how to take or receive what God
has provided.
4. In the next few lessons we want to focus on how healing comes.
a. In order to receive something, you must know how it comes to you.
b. Christians are sometimes confused in the area of healing because they
don't know that it comes to us in one of two general ways:
1. People can be healed through gifts of healings.
2. People can be healed through faith in God's word.
5. In this lesson, we'll look at gifts of healings. I Cor 12:28


B. Let's first get the context of the verse which mentions gifts of healings.
 

1. I Cor 12 deals with gifts or manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
a. v1--God does not want us ignorant about spiritual things (gifts is not in
the original Greek).
1. v2--The people had followed idols and wrong spirits and needed
instruction in the way the Holy Spirit works.
2. v3--If someone is speaking by the Holy Spirit, what he says will exalt
Jesus.
b. v4-6--The Holy Spirit has different or diverse ways of working, but it is the
same God working in all the gifts, administrations, and operations.
2. v7--These different demonstrations of the Holy Spirit are called manifestations
= different ways in which the Holy Ghost moves or works through people.
a. To call them gifts can be misleading without some basic facts.
b. In one sense, everything from God is a gift. But, these are not gifts to
individuals which become the property of the individual and he can then
use them when and as he wants.
c. They are ways in which the Holy Spirit works through certain people at
certain times as He wills for the good of the body. v11
3. v8-10--These manifestations, demonstrations, or gifts of the Spirit are listed.
They fall into three categories.
a. Three revelation gifts (gifts or manifestations which reveal something):
word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits.
b. Three power gifts (gifts or manifestations which do something): gift of
faith, working of miracles, gifts of healings.
c. Three utterance gifts (gifts or manifestations which say something):
prophecy, divers kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues.
4. These are not natural gifts, they are supernatural gifts from the Spirit of God.
a. The word of knowledge and word of wisdom are not a college education
and great intelligence. Doctors and medicine are not gifts of healings.
Tongues is not foreign languages you learn in school.
b. If these are natural gifts, then unbelievers have them, too.
5. Our purpose in this lesson is not to discuss all the gifts of the Spirit, but let's
give a brief definition of each and a couple of examples of a few of them.
a. Word of knowledge--Supernatural revelation by the Holy Ghost of certain
facts in the mind of God. It's always present tense information. Acts 5:3
b. Word of wisdom--Supernatural revelation by the Holy Ghost of the divine
purpose and plan in the mind and will of God. It is always future.
Acts 27:23-25
c. Discerning of spirits--Supernatural insight into the spirit world enabling
you to see and / or hear God, angels (holy or fallen), or human spirits.
d. Faith--Special faith (Amp); The Holy Ghost enables a person to receive a
miracle beyond the capacity of ordinary faith (raise the dead).
e. Working of miracles--Supernatural intervention by God in the ordinary
course of nature. The gift of miracles enables someone to work a miracle
(Moses parting Red Sea).
f. Gifts of healings--A person is empowered by the Holy Ghost to minister
healing to others.
g. Prophecy--Supernatural utterance in a known tongue. Its purpose is
edification, exhortation, and comfort. I Cor 14:3 (Not the same as the
office of a prophet who foretells the future.
h. Diversities of tongues--Supernatural utterance in a language never learned
by the speaker, nor understood by the speaker, nor necessarily always
understood by the hearer.
i. Interpretation of tongues--Supernatural interpretation by the Holy Spirit
of the meaning of an utterance in tongues. It is not a translation, but an
interpretation.
6. v12-26--Paul explains that the body of Christ is one body made up of many
members. v12--Note the body is called Christ.
a. Each member is equally a part of the body; we need all parts of the body.
b. v26--If one member is honored or suffers, it affects us all.
c. If you aren't used in a manifestation of the Spirit, it doesn't mean you
don't matter. The gifts are for the good of the whole body of which you
are part.
7. v27-30--How we are placed in the body, how we are used, and how God works
through us is His choice.
8. v31--We are to desire the gifts, that they be in operation in the body. Does that
mean through you personally?
a. That is God's choice. We just need to be willing to be used by God.
b. If we are used, we shouldn't be proud. If we aren't used, we shouldn't
be mad or jealous.
 

C. Gifts of healings are given to people to bless others -- they are a pipeline or channel of God's blessings. It doesn't mean that the one who has the gift got healed.
 

1. When a person is used in ministering gifts of healings, we often say: he has a
healing anointing.
a. In other words, when he prays for, lays hands on, ministers to someone,
tangible healing power or anointing flows from that person into the sick.
1. The anointing is actually the Holy Ghost manifesting or
demonstrating Himself or moving through that person.
2. The person who is used in this way cannot turn that power on and off
as he wills. It is up to the Holy Ghost when He chooses to move.
b. One way to receive healing is to be ministered to by someone with a gift of
healing (healing anointing) when it is in manifestation or operation.
2. Two kinds of healings can happen in such a setting.
a. God sometimes sovereignly heals some in that atmosphere where His
anointing is present -- apart from their faith. No one has a promise
that this will happen.
b. Healing comes to those who are ministered to in connection with their
faith--they believe healing power is in operation and that when they
are prayed for it will go into them and heal them -- and it happens.


D. We can get additional insight into how this type of healing works by looking at the ministry of Jesus because H ministered with a healing anointing.
 

1. When Jesus came to earth and took on flesh, although He was still fully God,
He did not live as God. He lived as a man.
a. He got hungry, tired, and was tempted -- none of which happens to God.
Mark 11:12; Mark 4:38; Matt 4:1-11
b. Phil 2:6,7--Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form
of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God
God]...stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity] so as to
assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was
born a human being. (Amp)
2. When Jesus was thirty years old, He was baptized in the Jordan River by John
and the Holy Ghost came on Him. Matt 3:13-17; John 1:29-34
a. After the Holy Ghost came on Him, Jesus began to do miracles. John 2:11
b. He did no miracles until He was anointed. Luke 4:16-19; Acts 10:38
c. Jesus then began to teach, preach, and heal. Matt 4:23-25; Luke 4:37-40
3. As His fame spread, people came to hear and be healed. Luke 5:15; 6:17-19
a. Virtue = DUNAMIS = miracle working power; healing power.
b. What did Jesus preach and teach? Among other things, that He was
anointed to heal. Why? To feed their faith. Rom 10:17
4. We have a dramatic example of how this worked in Mark 5:24-34
a. A woman touched Jesus believing that if she did, she would be healed.
b. When she touched Him, power (virtue) flowed out of Jesus and healed her.
c. Jesus felt the power flow out of Him. Many people were touching Him,
but only one was healed.
d. Her faith activated the healing power with which Jesus was anointed.
5. No one is promised that a healing anointing will heal them without their
faith being involved.
a. Luke 5:17--The power of the Lord was present to heal because Jesus was
there and He was anointed with healing power.
b. Yet, only one man was healed, and his faith was involved. v18-26
c. Jesus was anointed with healing power, and when people would believe it
(exercise faith), that power would flow out of Jesus and heal them.
d. In 12 of 15 specifically described cases of healing in the ministry of Jesus,
the faith of the individual was commended. That's 4/5s of them.


E. Some additional facts about being healed by a gift or manifestation of the Spirit:
 

1. It goes without saying, in order to be healed by a manifestation of the Spirit,
you must be around someone who is used that way, and, the gift must be in
operation when you are prayed for.
2. This is an easier way to receive healing than simply believing God's written
word. It takes less faith to receive.
a. Faith believes without seeing, and when someone is anointed with healing
power, there is something to see and feel.
b. You can see the one who is anointed with power and feel their touch.
c. However, this method of being healed does require some faith. Many
leave meetings where healing anointings are present unhealed, untouched.
3. It is easier to lose a healing that comes through a gift of the Spirit.
a. Counter attacks often come to people who have been healed -- traces of the
disease return. It is a challenge from the devil.
b. If one has not developed his faith, he may be moved by what he feels, and
say: I guess I wasn't healed after all -- and lose it.
4. God loves us and wants us healed so much, He has put gifts of healings in the
church to help those with weaker or lesser faith -- another example of His
willingness to heal all.


F. Conclusion: Why study a lesson like this? Especially if it doesn't deal directly with something you need right now?
 

1. To build your faith in healing.
a. If you wait until you need faith to get faith, it may be too late.
b. Many people's faith is weak due to confusion over how healing comes and
and questions about why some fail to get healed.
2. To create a hunger in you for more manifestations of the Spirit to occur.
a. I Cor 12:31--But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and
best -- the higher [gifts] and the choicest [graces]. (Amp)
b. I Cor 14:1--Earnestly desire and cultivate the spiritual endowments. (Amp)
c. Acts 4:29,30--The early church, part of the body of which we are a part,
prayed for God to manifest Himself in a mighty way.
3. Next week, we'll deal healing that comes through faith in God's word.


HEALING THROUGH FAITH


A. Introduction: We are studying the subject of faith and healing.
 

1. If your only source of information about healing was the Bible, you could not
come to any other conclusion than that it is always God's will to heal.
a. Jesus, who was the will of God in action on earth, healed all who came to
Him. Heb 1:1-3
b. On the Cross, Jesus bore our sicknesses and our sins. Isa 53:4-6
c. Healing is included in redemption, proving that it is God's will to heal all
just as it is His will to save all.
2. But, people struggle with this because they don't know what the Bible says or
they put experience above the Bible. We're studying God's word to sort it out.
3. Christians are sometimes confused in the area of healing because they don't
understand that healing comes to us in one of two general ways. People can
be healed through gifts of healings, or through faith in God's word.
4. Last week, we focused on gifts of healings. This week, we want to focus on
receiving healing through faith in God's word.


B. Gifts of healings are one of nine ways listed in I Cor 12 whereby the Holy Ghost manifests or demonstrates Himself through the church. I Cor 12:28
 

1. When gifts of healings are in operation, a person is empowered by the Holy
Ghost to minister healing to others.
a. That person becomes a pipeline or channel of God's blessings to another.
b. When a person is used in ministering gifts of healings, we often say: he has
a healing anointing.
1. In other words, when he prays for, ministers to someone, tangible
healing power or anointing flows from that person to the sick.
2. The person who is used in this way cannot turn that power off and on
as he chooses.
c. The gifts or manifestations of the Holy Ghost operate as He wills for the
good of all. I Cor 12:7;11
2. One way to receive healing is to be ministered to by someone with a gift of
healing (healing anointing) when it is in manifestation or operation. Two kinds
of healings can happen in such a setting.
a. God sometimes sovereignly heals in the atmosphere where His anointing is
present apart from faith. No one has a promise this will happen.
b. Healing comes to those who are ministered to in connection with their
faith -- they believe healing power is in operation and that when they are
prayed for, it will go into them and heal them, and it does.
3. We can get insight into how this type of healing works by looking at the
ministry of Jesus because He ministered with a healing anointing. Acts 10:38;
Luke 6:17-19; Mark 5:24-34
4. Some additional facts about being healed by a manifestation of the Spirit:
a. No one is promised that a healing anointing will heal them without their
faith being involved.
b. This is an easier way to receive healing. It involves less faith because you
can see and feel the one who is anointed with healing power.
c. It is easier to lose healing that comes through a gift of the Spirit if there is
a counter attack. If the one healed has not developed his faith, he may be
moved by returning symptoms and say -- I guess I wasn't healed after all --
and lose it.
5. People who are regularly used in this way have noticed that the gifts of healings
work best on unbelievers and baby Christians.
a. Older Christians are often not healed by gifts of healings.
b. God expects us to grow after we are saved and develop our faith in His
word so that we can receive healing through faith in His word.
6. Let's look at receiving healing through faith in God's word.
 

C. In James 5:14,15 we are told that the prayer of faith shall save or heal the sick.(Save = SOZO = heal, preserve, save, do well, be (made) whole; Mark 5:23;34; Acts 14:9.) Every believer has this promise from God that if he prays the prayer of faith, he shall be healed.
 

1. The prayer of faith is not a prayer of asking, it is a prayer of releasing faith in
God's word.
a. One of the things God has done for us in His book is tell us what He has
provided for us through Jesus Christ. Now, He asks us, expects us, to
believe it before we see it -- that's faith.
b. When we believe it, He makes it happen or brings it to pass in our lives.
2. In the prayer of faith, you don't ask God to give you anything, you take
from God something He has already offered to you through Christ.
a. As far as He is concerned, He has already healed you.
b. You were healed 2,000 years ago when Jesus bore your sicknesses along
with your sins. Isa 53:4-6; I Pet 2:24
3. Doesn't the Bible tell us we must ask God for things? James 4:2; Matt 7:7-11
a. Yes it does, but, as always, we must read in context. James is talking
about strife (3:16), and in 4:1-3 he lists causes of strife.
b. When we let selfish lusts dominate, we fight each other, trying to get things
from each other, when we should be going to God.
c. Matt 7:7-11--One of the themes of the Sermon on the Mount is that we
have a heavenly Father who loves us and to whom we can and should go
for provision.
4. When you pray the prayer of faith, you don't pray: Lord, if it be thy will...
a. The phrase "if it be thy will" is never used in connection with receiving
healing in the Bible.
1. Jesus prayed "If it be thy will" once. His purpose was not to change
anything, but rather to submit to the will of God for His life, His
mission to earth. Matt 26:39-42
2. A man came to Jesus for healing asking "If it be thy will". Jesus
corrected the man's thinking before He healed him. Matt 8:1-3
b. God hears the prayers of people who are righteous and the prayers of
those who are seeking something that is His will. I Pet 3:12; I John 5:14,15
1. If you don't know you are righteous in Christ, then you aren't ready
to pray the prayer of faith for healing.
2. If you aren't convinced healing is God's will for you, then you aren't
ready to pray the prayer of faith for healing yet.
5. You must understand, there is a sense in which God has already done
everything for us He is going to do.
a. He's not going to heal you. As far as God is concerned, He already has
healed you through Jesus.
b. It isn't a question of God doing something for us, it is a question of us
receiving what He has already provided.
c. How do we get or receive salvation from God for our sins?
1. Do we beg Him to save us if it is His will? Do we ask and ask and ask
until we feel saved?
2. No, we find out that Jesus has already died to pay for our sins, we
believe it, and then express our belief by confessing Him as our Lord
and Savior. Rom 10:9,10
3. In other words, we take what He offers us by believing it, then God
does it. He puts into effect in us what He has already provided on the
Cross.
d. It works just the same with healing because healing has been provided for
us through the same historical act that paid for our sins -- the Cross.
e. You believe what God has done for you through Christ, you speak it out,
and He brings it to pass in your body.


D. Jesus taught about the prayer of faith in Mark 11:12-26
 

1. v14--Jesus spoke to a fig tree, and what He said came to pass.
a. He then explained to his disciples that if you believe something when you
speak it, you will have it.
b. Therefore, when you pray (which involves speaking, not just asking),
consider it done from that moment on and you will see it.
c. That is exactly what Jesus did to the fig tree and that is exactly what
happened.
2. Jesus gives us two characteristics of the type of prayer which always gets results
= the prayer of faith. (Context of this passage is prayer and faith.)
a. v23--If you believe in your heart and say with your mouth what you
believe, you will have what you say = what you say will come to pass.
b. v24--If you believe you have something before you see it, you will see it.
3. In other words, if you believe you receive healing when you pray, on the
authority of God who says you were healed, you will be healed = experience it.
4. There must come a point where you release your faith = demonstrate your faith
in what God has said and provided. Acts 14:9
a. One reason for calling for the elders and being anointed with oil, or having
hands laid on you, is to give you a point at which to release your faith.
b. There is no healing power in the oil or in the hands of the elders unless a
gift of healing is in operation.
c. The oil and the elders are the point at which you say: Father, I thank you
for providing healing for me on the Cross. As hands are laid on me, oil is
put on me, I receive (take or acknowledge) the healing you provided for
me. Thank you so much that I am now healed.
5. From that point on, everything you do and say must be an expression of your
faith in God's word that you are healed.
a. Heb 4:14; 10:23--tell us to hold fast to saying the same thing God says.
b. Thank you Lord Jesus for healing me. Thank you, Jesus, for taking my
sicknesses so that I don't have to carry them. Thank you that I am free
from pain and discomfort.
c. When thoughts come to you -- you're not going to get healed, you respond
with: I'm not trying to get healing. Jesus got it for me. I'm not trying to
get healed. I am healed!!


E. Christians struggle with receiving healing through faith in God's word for a number of reasons.
 

1. People hear a message or two like this and then try it. They don't get healed
and they get discouraged or decide this doesn't work.
a. It takes time to become fully persuaded that what God promised He will
do no matter how I feel or what I see. Rom 4:21
b. John 15:7--It takes time for God's word to dominate you to the point
where you aren't moved by what you see or feel in your body.
c. Mark 11:23,24--How bad do you want it? You have to desire it.
2. Josh 1:8--Success comes to those who meditate in God's word day and night.
a. For many people, their only exposure to God's invisible kingdom from
which all our help comes, is once or twice a week -- three times tops --
through pastor's sermon.
b. Yet, every moment of the day, we're taking in sense information which
contradicts God's word.
c. Many don't even know we have to counteract all that, let alone do it.
3. It takes time to get control over our mouths to the point where we continually
talk about ourselves and our lives the way God does. James 3:2
4. Many struggle with: How can I say things like -- I'm more than a conqueror,
everything I put my hand to prospers, I'm healed -- when I know it's not true.
I'd be lying.
a. When you say what God says before you see it, you're not lying. That's
what God does. Rom 4:17
b. You need to understand the difference between true and truth.
1. True = what you see; subject to change. II Cor 4:18
2. Truth = God's word; forever settled. John 17:17; Matt 24:35
3. Truth can and will change true in your life -- including sickness in
your body.


F. Conclusion: The prayer of faith shall heal the sick. All of us have that promise from God.
 

1. If you aren't to the place where you can pray the prayer of faith for yourself in
connection with healing, don't be discouraged. Faith grows. II Thess 1:3
2. Faith grows as you feed and exercise it.
a. Begin to obey Joshua 1:8 = feed and exercise your faith.
b. If you have been doing that, but aren't yet seeing the results you desire,
just keep doing it! Say it until you see it!


MORE ABOUT HEALING THROUGH FAITH


A. Introduction: We are studying the subject of faith and healing.
 

1. If your only source of information about healing was the Bible, you could not
come to any other conclusion than that it is always God's will to heal.
2. But, people struggle with this because they don't know what the Bible says, or
they put experience above the Bible. We're studying God's word to sort it out.
3. In the past few lessons, we've been dealing with how healing comes to people.
a. Confusion sometimes arises over healing because people don't understand
that healing comes to us in one of two general ways.
b. People can be healed through gifts of healings (manifestations of the Holy
Ghost) or through faith in God's word. I Cor 12:28; James 5:14,15
4. No one has a promise of being healed through gifts of healings, but all have the
promise of healing through faith. I Cor 12:11; James 5:15
5. We want to continue to study the prayer of faith so we can take advantage
of this wonderful promise God has made to us.


B. James 5:14,15--The prayer of faith shall heal the sick.
 

1. We must first make an important statement about prayer. There are different
kinds of prayers with different purposes, aims, "rules". Eph 6:18
a. There are prayers of petition, prayers of worship and praise, prayers of
commitment, prayers of thanksgiving.
b. Prayer is talking to God, not just asking Him for things.
2. The prayer of faith is not a prayer of asking. It is a prayer of receiving
something God has already offered or provided.
a. You must understand, there is a sense in which God has already done
everything for us He is going to do.
b. He's not going to heal you. As far as God is concerned, He already has
healed you through Christ. Isa 53:4-6; I Pet 2:24
c. It isn't a question of God doing something for us, it is a question of us
receiving or possessing what He has already provided.
3. When you prayed to be saved, you didn't ask God to save you. You accepted
the salvation He offered you through Jesus.
a. You found out that Jesus has already died to pay for your sins, you
believed it, and then expressed your belief by confessing Him as Lord and
Savior. Rom 10:9,10
b. In other words, we took what God offered us by believing it, then God did
it. He put into effect in our lives what had already been provided for us.
4. It works the same with healing, because healing has been provided for us
through the same historical act that paid for our sins -- the Cross of Christ.
a. You believe what God has done for you through Christ, you speak it out,
and He brings it to pass in your body.
b. Dear Lord, I thank you that Jesus bore my sicknesses and carried my pains
so I don't have to bear them. I believe your word to me that with the
stripes of Jesus I was healed. I accept my healing and I thank you that I
am now healed.
c. The elders and the oil mentioned in James 5 have no healing power in and
of themselves. They provide a point at which you can take your stand --
when hands are laid on me, I'll accept my healing and from that point on,
I'll call myself healed.
d. There is no set prayer to pray so that our confidence will not rest in a
formula, but in God and His faithfulness to fulfill His word.
5. This is not a weird, strange idea -- this is how God works. He gives His people
something, but they must believe it and take it or posses it.
a. God gave Israel the promised land. In His mind, it was theirs long before
they went in -- but, they still had to enter in and possess it. Deut 1:8;
Num 13:30
b. With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, not one person of Israel entered
into (experienced) what God had given them because they did not mix
faith with God's promise. Heb 3:19-4:2
c. Israel had to believe the land was theirs before it was simply because of
God's word to them. We take what God offers us by believing it.


C. We get our most detailed description of the prayer of faith from Jesus Himself.
 

1. Jesus spoke to a fig tree and what He said came to pass. Mark 11:12-26
2. When Peter expressed amazement the next day, Jesus used it as an opportunity
to teach about faith and prayer.
a. Through the fig tree, Jesus had given them a demonstration of the
connection between prayer and faith. Then He gave them an explanation.
b. He told them that if you believe something when you speak it, you will
have it. Therefore, when you pray (or speak), consider it done from that
moment on and you will see it.
3. Jesus gives us two characteristics of the type of prayer which always gets results
-- the prayer of faith, the prayer which receives something God already offers.
a. v23--If you believe in your heart and say with your mouth what you
believe, you will have what you say = what you say will come to pass.
b. v24--If you believe you have something before you see it, you will see it.
4. Jesus did with the fig tree what He told the disciples and us to do.
a. He spoke to the tree (doomed it). He believed what He said when He
said it; He believed it would come to pass.
b. He simply spoke to the tree. He didn't seem surprised the tree died.
c. Why? It was done when He said it. He believed He received it when He
said it. He believed He had it at that moment. Then it came to pass.
5. That is the way God works. He considers a thing done before it can be seen
simply because He has spoken it. Rom 4:17
a. God is totally confident His word will do what it is spoken to do.
b. He authorizes us to do the same -- to speak His word and see it come to
pass. Healing is His word for us. Ps 107:20
6. The tree was dead from the moment Jesus spoke to it -- even though it couldn't
be seen at that moment. Jesus knew it was so.
a. There are two ways to know something. You can see it or believe it.
b. Jesus had both with the tree. He knew the tree was dead -- first because
He believed it, because He said it. Then He knew it because He saw it.
c. You can know you are healed because God told you and you believe it.
You can know you are healed because you feel it. The one proceeds and
produces the other.
7. We get some additional insight into this incident in Matthew 21:21,22
a. Notice, Jesus makes it clear to His followers -- you can do what I did here!
b. You can speak to a disease and tell it to leave you body because it is a
trespasser, and you can call yourself healed based on God's word.
c. Notice also the common element between Mark and Matthew's account --
the confidence that it is done = what I say and what I pray is done.
8. John 11:41-44--We see another example of this in the ministry of Jesus.
a. When Jesus stood before Lazarus's tomb, He was confident His Father
heard Him.
b. Notice, Jesus didn't ask the Father for anything. He already knew He was
authorized to set the captives free, to bring life to people.
c. He spoke and then believed what He said would happen -- and it did.


D. Teaching on these particular passages sometimes raises certain questions. Let's consider some of the issues raised by this passage in Mark 11.
 

1. Some say these verses don't apply to everyone.
a. Then what do whosoever and whatsoever mean? If they don't mean
whosoever and whatsoever here, how do we know they mean whosoever
and whatsoever in John 3:16 or Rom 10:13 or I Cor 10:31?
b. Jesus makes it clear He is teaching on prayer and faith, and we're all
supposed to pray and live by faith. I Thess 5:17; Rom 1:17
c. This is not the only place Jesus spoke like this -- whosoever, whatsoever.
Matt 17:20; Matt 21:21,22; Mark 9:23; Luke 17:6; John 11:40
d. While on earth, Jesus revealed a prayer answering God. Matt 7:7-11;
John 14:13; 15:7; 16:23,24
e. The Holy Spirit said the same thing in other places. James 1:5-7;
I John 3:22,23; I John 5:14,15
f. God is a prayer answering God who has already said yes through Jesus.
1. II Cor 1:20--He (Jesus) is the yes pronounced upon God's promises,
every one of them. (NEB)
2. If what you desire has been provided on the Cross, God has already
said yes to it.
3. It isn't a question of asking God and waiting to see what happens. It's
a question of possessing what He already offers you.
2. Some say these verses don't include healing, can't be applied to healing.
a. They must include healing otherwise whatsoever doesn't mean whatsoever.
b. Keep in mind Jesus speaking here -- the same Jesus who while on earth
repeatedly said to people just healed "Your faith has made you whole".
Mark 5:34; 10:52
3. Some say these verses don't mean whatever you desire and whatever you say.
a. Then why do they say whatever you desire and whatever you say?
b. Look at the example Jesus used in His demonstration of faith and prayer.
He spoke to a tree!! You can't get more broad, general, physical, and
unspiritual than that.
4. What if someone wants something that isn't God's will for them?
a. If a Christian is willfully, purposefully desiring something he knows isn't
God's will, his problem is much more serious than violating a prayer rule.
b. God has revealed His will to us in His Book, and if we will take time to
study it, we'll know His will and what we desire will be what He desires.
John 15:7; Ps 37:3,4
c. The basis of our faith is God's word. You can't really believe (have faith)
if God has not promised you -- if you have no scripture for what you want.
Rom 10:17
5. This doesn't work because you parrot something. This works because you
believe that what you say will come to pass.
a. Actually, this works very well in the reverse. People say "I can't, it won't.
it doesn't, I don't", and that is exactly what they have.
b. Most of us reverse it. We say what we have (what we see) rather than have
what we say (speak God's word and watch it change what we see).
c. This also does not work on other people. You can't pray the prayer of
faith for someone against their will. If you could, you could get people
saved without their cooperation.


E. Conclusion: As far as God is concerned, our healing is an accomplished fact.
 

1. We must now possess it by getting into agreement with God.
a. We are to say what God says about us and believe it when we say it.
b. We are to believe that what we say shall come to pass.
c. Then, we are to hold fast to our profession of faith (saying the same thing
God says) until we see it. Heb 4:14; 10:23
2. Confession that is mere parroting doesn't work. It has to come from your
heart = you have to believe it.
a. You must get God's word in your heart. That means become fully
persuaded that God will do in you what He has already done for you.
b. You are so convinced of it, you can speak of it as done without seeing it.
c. This kind of confidence comes only as God's word abides in or dominates
you. John 15:7; Col 3:16
d. That comes only through meditation in God's word. Josh 1:8; Ps 1:1-3
3. Think about it for a minute. Why do you firmly believe there is a heaven or
that Jesus died on the Cross for your sins or that you are saved by His blood?
a. You've heard those things preached so much and said them so much
yourself, that those words abide in you -- they are part of you.
b. What if you heard and said I Pet 2:24 twenty times a day, everyday for six
months? That word would abide in you, too!
4. As we close this current series on healing, if I can get one thing across to you, it
is this -- begin to meditate on these scriptures now. Mark 11:23,24; I Pet 2:24
a. Don't wait until the doctor says cancer.
b. If you have problem areas or weak areas concerning the subject of healing,
correct them now with light from God's word before the doctor says: no
cure!
5. If we do this, we have God's promise that His word will be health or medicine
to all our flesh. Prov 4:20-22