Revive Us - Part 5
Revive Us as Our Healer
Psalm 15:26
This morning I want to provoke your thinking with the profound power of truth. Jesus says that you will "know the truth and the truth will set you free." How many of you know that if the truth is going to set you free you have to do more than hear it? That’s right. As a matter of fact, you have to do more than agree with it. You have to embrace it. You have to imbibe it. You have to embody it. Then it will set you free. I believe we are going to see some people set free this morning. Is anybody in the building ready for some ore freedom?
Please open your Bibles with me to the book of Exodus - and the 15th chapter. The title of our series is "Revive Us!" We are convinced that our walk with God can rise no higher than our knowledge of God, and that "Those who know Your name will put their trust in You." [Psalm 9:10]
Believing that knowing God is key to going deeper, we are looking at the names of God. So far we have explored together at Yahweh Ra’ah - Our Shepherd, Yahweh Tsid-Kenu - Our Righteousness, and Yahweh Jireh - Our Provider.
Are you ready with your Bibles open?
Exodus 15:26
"I, the Lord, am your Healer."
Revive Us as Yahweh Rapha - The Lord our Healer.
The word Rapha means to restore to a place of wholeness, purity and blessing in mind body and soul.
Listen up folks - God wants to heal you! Let me say that again - God wants to heal you. One more time for emphasis - God wants to heal you. He wants you whole, pure and blessed. Where? In your mind, body and soul! Why? Because He is your Healer. He wants every one of His children whole, pure and blessed spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Some of you grew up, like me, being taught that either God no longer heals or that He may or may not want to heal - and you and I have just got to try harder and somehow see if it is His will or not. This morning I will show you from Scripture why that thinking is wrong. God wants to heal you, He always wants to heal you and He always wants to heal you now.
Healing is not only part of God’s nature, it is expressed in His promises, illustrated in His dealing and contained in His covenants.
When you pray for healing you do not need to say, "if it is Your will." You do not pray, "Lord, help me stop snorting heroin - if it is your will" or ‘Lord, help me stop looking at pornography - if it is your will." You only say ‘if it is Your will’ if you are not sure it is God’s will. Well I will show you from Scripture that it is God’s will to heal you - and He wants to heal you spiritually, emotionally and physically. He actually wants to do that. You don’t need to convince Him that it is good or right. I used to pray like God really didn’t want to heal - I had to somehow try to twist His arm - if I could prove that it was a good thing, or nab Him with a promise He would reluctantly concede. But here is what I have learned - prayer is not about overcoming God’s reluctance, but about laying hold of His willingness. God wants to heal you, He wants to heal you mind, body and spirit, and He wants to heal you now.
On what basis do I say that? On the basis that this mind, body and soul healing is based in the Atonement, demonstrated by Jesus, imitated by the Apostles and taught throughout Scripture.
1. Is There Healing in the Atonement?
Go with me to Isaiah 53 - I want to show you the biblical basis for what I am saying
Isaiah 53:4 ". . . our griefs He Himself bore" - The word griefs means sicknesses, weaknesses and diseases.
Isaiah 53:5 ". . . by His scourging we are healed." - this includes physical, emotional and spiritual healing.
Isaiah 53:10 "The Lord . . . put Him to grief." - That word ‘grief’ has a sense of sickness or illness about it. The Amplified version says, "He has put Him to grief and made Him sick."
2 Corinthians 5:21"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
In the same sense that Jesus became sin for us that we might be righteous, He also became diseased and sickness for us that we might be healed and made totally whole.
Just in case you do not understand that the Isaiah 53 passage speaks of physical and emotional healing not simply spiritual healing - listen to
Matthew 8:16-17 "When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.’"
2. Who Can Be Healed?
If there is healing in the atonement, which I think we can say there is, then to whom is it available?
Jesus Healed ‘All’
Matthew 12:15 "But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all."
Matthew 14:36 "and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well."
Luke 6:19 "And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all."
The Disciples Healed ‘All’
Acts 5:16 "Also the people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed."
3. Why Are People Sick?
It occurs to me that this is a critical question - and yet I do not remember ever hearing a sermon preached on this matter. Why is it critical? I would suggest to you that it is critical because If we do not understand why somebody is sick, we cannot know God’s cure for their condition. Let me explain - if a person’s body is messed up because they shooting drugs, praying may be good - but God’s solution includes them no longer shooting. If you foot is paining you because you have a six inch nail run through it, praying may be good - but you have got to get the nail out. If you do not know the cause, you may not have God’s cure. So let me tell you why some people are sick.
Because of the Curse
Because of the Devil/Demons
Luke 13:11-16 "And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself."
Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."
Because of Disobedience
If you continue to ignore God’s dietary laws, your body will pay the consequences.
Phil 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
Smoking, abusive drinking, gluttony, and laziness will bring on sickness!
Because of God’s Discipline
Some people are sick because they are being chastening of the Lord. Consider the following examples in Scripture:
Miriam… Numbers 12:9,10 (Leprosy because of her rebellion)
David… Psalm 38:3-8 (Became sick after his secret sin)
Gehazi… 11 Kings 5:27 (Became a leper because of his greed)
King Herod Agippa… (Died because of his pride) Acts 12:23
Also, please read:
1 Cor 11:30 "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."
Because of Ageing
Because of the Ministry
There are a few individuals who actually became "sick" because of the great care and concern that they had for others: Jesus had virtue come out of him. Epaphroditus was sick nigh unto death because of his concern for Paul.
Mark 5:30 "And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?"
Dan 8:26-27 - after receiving the vision Daniel was exhausted and sick for days.
Because of God’s Glory
Some times a person is sick simply because God wants to show himself strong on their behalf.
John 9:1-3 "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."
John 11:4 "When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."
One very important thing to keep in mind while looking to God for healing is that we have not come into the fullness of our salvation yet, even though Christ has completed His part in the process. We are still pressing towards the mark. Just as we still have sin in us, even though Christ has paid the full price for our sin, we still have sickness at times as well. We are not perfect, but we continue to press forward for that which Christ has laid hold of for us!
4. Obstacles to Healing
a. Lack of Faith - Mark 6:5, Acts 14:9-10,
b. Unconfessed and unrepented sin - Isaiah 59:2, Psalm 66:18
c. Being double-minded, doubting - not convinced - James 1:6-8.
d. Self-indulgence - James 4:3.
e. Having an indifference towards God and His purpose - Proverbs 1:28-30.
f. Having a disobedient spirit towards God and established authority - 1 Sam. 15:22, 1 John 3:22.
g. Building your faith on experience and circumstances rather than the Word of God - Romans 10:17.
h. Having a pattern of negatives confessions that are not in agreement with the word of God - 2 Corinthians 4:13.
i. Holding to unscriptural teachings - 2 Timothy 2:15.
j. Prayerlessness - (James 4:2)
Psalm 107:20 "He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from all their destructions."
Your Healing Has Already Happened
1 Peter 2:24 "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed."
Don’t Confess Your Circumstances, Confess Your Covenant
Abraham simply based his confession of faith on the covenant God had already made with him rather than the circumstances he found himself in. By faith in the promises of God we lay hold of divine healing and by faith in the promises of God we walk in divine health.
Prayer is not magical and it is not mechanical. It is a vital and ongoing relationship with the Lord. Faith is not positive thinking. Positive thinking is about what we can do. Faith is about believing God and what He has said.
2 Timothy 4:20 "Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick.
Concluding Thoughts
Believe and understand that it is God’s will to heal you.
Allow the seed of God’s Word concerning healing to be planted in your heart.
Allow those who are under the anointing, operating in the gift of healing to minister to you.
Understand that today is the day of your salvation (sozo-healing) not tomorrow.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Additional Material (Not Used)
Methods Employed in Healing
The Word of God - Psalm 107:20
Laying on of Hands by the Saints - Mark 16:17-18, Luke 4:40, Acts 28:8
Using the Name of Jesus - John 14:13-14, Acts 3:6
Agreement in Prayer - Matthew 18:19,
Anointing with Oil - James 5:14-15
Prayer Cloths - Acts 19:11-12
Through the Gift of Healing - 1 Corinthians 12:7-9,
Types of Healing
Emotional Healing - Psalm 147:3
Physical Healing - James 5:14
Spiritual Healing - 1 Peter 2:23-25
It is God’s will for every Christian to be well and strong in every part of their being. As we believe in His Word and meet His conditions we shall experience Jehovah-Rapha our Healer healing our bodies and delivering us from all kinds of sicknesses and diseases. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). If God will heal anyone, He will heal you.
Psalm 105:37 He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes.
This is an amazing Scripture, because there must have been about three million people who came out of Egypt. It says there was not one feeble person among them, not one weak person or one sick person.
Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Psalm 103:2-4 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.
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