SUPERNATURAL #7: WHY SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON’T GET HEALED
INTRO TO THEME:
• The theme of the Book of Acts is found in Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me.”
• That word power comes from a Greek word, dunamis, which refers to the supernatural, explosive power of God. The early church was supernatural!
THE SUPERNATURAL CHURCH IN ACTS:
1:4-5 - Jesus told the disciples to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit and power
2:1-4 - the Holy Spirit fell on the day of Pentecost with fire, wind and power
2:14-41 - Peter preached one sermon and 3,000 people were saved
2:42-47 - many wonders and signs were done through the apostles
3:1-10 - Peter and John healed the crippled beggar who sat by the temple gate Beautiful
4:29-31 - they prayed for boldness, and the building was shaken
5:12-16 - many signs and wonders done by the apostles – Peter’s shadow healed people
5:17-21 - an angel delivered the apostles from prison
THE BIG IDEA: In the midst of the glorious, powerful church of Acts, where signs and wonders were frequent, not all of the people were healed all of the time. Why? Let’s consider that question as we look at the story of Stephen.
PERSONAL STORY: When I first got saved, my grandma got very sick with cancer, and I prayed for her healing, and yet she still died. I wrestled long with the question of why.
OPENING TEXT:
“8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God." 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.” (Acts 6:8-12).
• Here is Stephen – who served tables – being used by the Lord to do signs and wonders
KEY TEXT:
“54 When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:54-60).
• Notice that Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, experienced an open Heaven, saw the glory of God, had a vision of Jesus, and yet he still died. No angel came to deliver him!
• After being stoned, he wasn’t healed, and he wasn’t raised from the dead.
• Many times in Acts we see miraculous healings and deliverances.
• But sometimes, the people didn’t receive answers to their prayers.
EXAMPLES OF OTHERS WHO WEREN’T HEALED OR DELIVERED:
Before we consider the WHY question, let’s look at some other examples in the N.T.:
• Five chapters later in Acts (12:1-2), James (John’s brother) is killed by King Herod.
• 1 Tim. 5:23 - Pastor Timothy had stomach problems and frequent illnesses
• 2 Cor. 12:7 - The Apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh
• Paul and Timothy were both great men of God, and yet they had negative experiences.
TEACHING FROM SECOND CORINTHIANS:
• This letter was written by Paul, with the help of Timothy (2 Cor. 1:1-2).
• This whole book is all about finding God’s comfort in the midst of suffering…
“3 All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ… 8 I think you ought to know about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God who can raise the dead.” (2 Cor. 1:3-9).
1. God comforts us in our troubles (and sicknesses) so we can comfort others.
2. The more we suffer the more comfort we will receive from God.
3. Paul experienced imprisonment, beatings, shipwrecks & more (2 Cor. 11:23-27).
4. Paul and Timothy were godly men, but they experienced many troubles.
5. Through their experiences, they learned to trust God, and not themselves.
“For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).
6. The now / not-yet aspect of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is here NOW, but it is not yet fully realized. Now, sometimes we don’t see total and complete healing, but when we get to Heaven, we will.
7. Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you won’t experience pain.
“7 But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. 10 Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
8. The great preacher Paul had a thorn in the flesh – a physical infirmity.
9. He pleaded – constantly prayed – for the Lord to take it away from him.
10. God said: more than physical healing, your greatest need is my grace – favour.
CLOSING THOUGHTS ON WHY SOMETIMES PEOPLE AREN’T HEALED:
1. Jesus is the healer, and He’s still healing people today (Heb. 13:8).
2. Just because you believe in Jesus doesn’t mean you won’t ever get sick.
- as long as you’re living in the world, you’ll experience trouble (John 16:33).
3. When believing God for healing, never give up in prayer.
- Pray Until Something Happens. Our job is to pray for the sick, God’s job is to heal the sick. That’s a freeing statement!
4. No matter how many miracles we experience in our lives, one day, we will die.
- as believers, we are only leaving Earth to be with God in Heaven (2 Cor. 5:1).
5. Even if we don’t get healed, it doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us.
CLOSING TEXT:
“35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? … 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away. 39 Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39).
BACK TO THE STORY OF STEPHEN:
“And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:59-60).
• When God withholds delivering power, he gives dying power.
• God can’t always been explained, but He can always be exalted.
RESOURCE: If you want to learn more about reasons why sometimes people aren’t healed, get our CD “Healing School #2: 15 Biblical Reasons Why People Don’t Receive Healing.”
CLOSING PRAYER: For those who are sick.
Especially for those who have been contending for healing for a long time: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.” (Prov. 13:12).
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
