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Healed And Saved By Faith In Christ Series
Contributed by Dean Courtier on Oct 28, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: Our series this year has been on dynamic disciples and dynamic discipleship and this month we have been thinking about what it means to have a discipleship lifestyle and today we are going to be thinking specifically about faith.
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Today is healing and wholeness Sunday, a day we specifically set apart to pray that God will work and move in our lives and the lives of those we care about.
At the end of the service there will be an opportunity for prayer for you or for someone you know that God will move in a miraculous way.
Our series this year has been on dynamic disciples and dynamic discipleship and this month we have been thinking about what it means to have a discipleship lifestyle and today we are going to be thinking specifically about faith.
Having Faith is an essential part of being a follower of Jesus today I want us to spend a few moments thinking about how our faith in Jesus Heals us and Saves us.
Listen to these words from Proverbs 4:20-22 and Jeremiah 17:14.
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Proverbs 4:20-22
O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone! Jeremiah 17:14 NLT
Healed and Saved by Faith. That is our focus on this morning. But as always a few questions to begin!
Is everything always on the same level in your life?
Do you experience good days and bad?
Are there days when you stand strong and others when you feel weak?
Are there days when you feel like your on top of the mountain and others when you are in the deep depths of a valleys?
If we are honest I think all of us would admit that life is not always easy. There are days when we trust God with all of our heart and soul and mind and others when it feels like our faith is smaller than a mustard seed.
Perhaps right now you are going through a specific situation, you’ve prayed about it, you’ve asked others to pray about it, but from what you see and what you know God just does not seem to be doing anything about it.
Often, even though we know we should trust in the faithfulness of God, His mercy and His grace, it can be difficult to wait can’t it? Have you asked the same question that the prophet Habakkuk asked so long ago “How long, O Lord, must I call for help?” 1:2
You know the Bible tells us to trust, to have faith, to trust the purpose and plan of God, but we are human, we can be a impatient, we want an instant answer, but God says wait in fact God’s answer to Habakkuk was “If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.” Hab 2:4
We need to have the faith to wait, to trust that God will answer in the right way at the right time.
When we pray that God will move, that God will act, that God will heal, just because we don’t see instant results it does not mean that God is not at work.
From both the Bible and our own experience we know that God is faithful. If our faith is wavering, the Word of God should be where we turn to remind us of His faithfulness to us His children.
The Word of God can both strengthen our faith and increase our trust. As we read the promises of God, His Word is sweeter than honey it satisfies our soul.
We need the Word of God to fill our heart, to penetrate our heart and our mind, to build and strengthen our faith in the God who loves us, saves us and heals us.
Jeremiah was a prophet, a man of God, a leader of the people and here in Jeremiah 17:14 he is praying for God’s healing and saving mercy in his own life.
Jeremiah has taken the time to pray to God for himself. What does that tell us? It tells us that this prophet is no different from you or me. Every person, prophet, pastor, disciple, adult, teen, child or senior needs to pray in faith.
All of us need to have faith that God can move, that God can act, that God can change the situation, that He can save, that He can Heal today.
O Lord, if you heal me, I will be truly healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!
Do you have faith that God can heal you?Heal your family? Heal that situation or circumstance in the life of your friend?
Are you truly saved this morning? Have you experienced the joy and peace that comes when you repent of your sins and ask Jesus to save you? Have you by faith fully placed your trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life?