Divine Healing - Great Expectations - Part 1 Series

This morning I would like to talk about Divine healing – God healing our physical body of disease and sickness. Now most all of you know that I have had a healing this month of fourth stage melanoma cancer. I had 10 different sites on my body where cancer was growing. The radiologist said there was complete resolution of every one of these sites. I am very happy and very grateful about that.

-Now someone may say – “Uh oh, Joe has had an experience – now we have to have it too. He wants to make some new doctrines out of his experience”. But it is a bad idea to make doctrine from our experience. But because of the cancer I had and the struggle and battle I had against it, and because of study of the Word of God, I have become more bold about prayer. It’s not just a coincidence that I have gotten a healing from cancer and that the latest Pet scans show no cancer. I think God is telling me something!

“Great Expectations”

1) Treat the sick as God commands (James 5:13-14).

2) The elders prayer of faith will heal (James 5:15-16).

3) God answers earnest prayers (James 5:17-18).

1) Treat the sick as God commands (James 5:13-14).

James 5:13 - Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;

If we are “Suffering” – pray

If we are “Cheerful” – sing praises

If we are Sick – call the elders; pray over him; anoint w/oil in the name of the Lord

-How do we possibly even think that we will see miracles and experience divine healing when half of the churches don’t even practice this at all?!!

There is an amazing biblical example of God specifically telling a person how to be healed and that person refusing to do it God’s way. Until he did it God’s way, he remained unhealed. In 2 Kings 5:1, a powerful Syrian man named Namaan, who was the general of the Syrian army had leprosy. He knew of God’s power in Israel and went there for healing. God told him through Elisha the prophet to wash in the Jordan River 7 times. He rebelled and went away in a rage, believing the method of healing was too simple or somehow beneath him. Finally he was talked into it by his servants and he went and washed in the Jordan. Only then was he healed.

-How can we expect to be healed if we don’t follow God’s specific directions?

1) Treat the sick as God commands (James 5:13-14).

2) The elders prayer of faith will heal (James 5:15-16).

15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

- this passage makes it the assumption that it is indeed God’s will to heal.

-the prayer of faith will heal; will raise him up; will be forgiven – not “might” or not “could”;

- -Matt 13:58 – “And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” Evidently, God is not moved to heal if we expect nothing.

-If we study church history, it is undeniable that claims of divine healing were common until the 3rd century.

v. 15 -will restore – Often translated “save” - sodzo – but used here to symbolize deliverance from sickness – also used the same way in Matthew 9:21 – “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole”

-there may be a connection between sickness and sin – if he has committed sin – they will be forgiven –

-This is something you won’t see in Prevention Magazine – for disease prevention and maintenance- confess your sins to one another – not even necessarily to the elders or to a priest.

-I think that deep down many Christians believe this regarding divine healing: “Sure Jesus can heal sickness, but He doesn’t do it very often. Therefore, we really can’t expect Him to now”.

-these verses teach that our default belief should be a bold expectation that God will heal the person - unless God clearly and powerfully makes it clear that this is not His will.

In case you were not aware, there are many Views of Divine Healing in the church