Passion Of The Christ - Wholeness Series

Experiencing the Passion of Christ Ultimate Wholeness

Theme: Experiencing ultimate wholeness

Text: Is 53:4-6, Matthew 8:16

(Isa 53:4) Surely (the fact is) he hath borne (endured) our griefs (sickness, pain), and carried our sorrows (anguish, affliction): yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (we paid no attention to why he was doing this) 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions (rebellion, wickedness), he was bruised for our iniquities (sins): the chastisement (punishment) of our peace was upon him (the only way we could have peace was for us to pay the price yet Christ paid it for us); and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Mat 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: Mat 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Introduction

I want you to get a hold of what the scripture is saying. We don’t believe in healing just because that is the thing to do and it happened. We believe in it because it was provided for in the death and atonement of Jesus Christ. Not just a spiritual healing but physical healing. That began to be fulfilled when he came.

Matthew 4:23 reads And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

And notice that this continued in the church. In the book of Acts we read that the disciples went about expecting people to be healed. There was no question that what they had seen Jesus do they felt they could do also. There was no debate.

It got so strong that people would just bring tissues to the disciples to anoint them and people would be healed.

(Act 5:15) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

Phillip

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. (Acts 8:5-8 AV)

Acts 19:11 CEV God gave Paul the power to work great miracles.12 People even took handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul's body, and they carried them to everyone who was sick. All of the sick people were healed, and the evil spirits went out.

Then as we read deeper in the New Testament we read in

(1Co 12:8) For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

(Jam 5:13) Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? 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: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

It is not hard to establish divine healing as a norm and not abnormal in the New Testament.

These are some incredible verses. Yet I believe the more incredible fact is that we don’t experience divine healing as often as we should.

Why? The Full Life Study Bible lists 9 Hindrances to Healing that I think are worth noting.