The bible clearly shows that healing is one of the things God is up to.
In Mark 1:33-34 we heard
The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.
Imagine being in that room.
Or imagine being in the house when four characters pull the roof off the house to lower a paralytic down and Jesus heals that man.
One of the common things that Jesus did in his ministry was to heal people.
There are a number accounts in the Gospels of Jesus bringing healing.
And the Good News is Jesus
passed on the authority to heal to His disciples and us as the church.
In His initial instructions to disciples that we find in Matthew 10 and Luke 9 and 10
Jesus says
Go and preach the Good News, Tell the people the kingdom of God is near and heal the sick.
And throughout the Epistles, the letters to the Early Church
and documents of church history,
including from the history of the Lutheran Church
healing is an important part of God’s ministry.
God gives us the gift of healing.
Yet when we begin talking about healing through the church
some feel uncomfortable and don’t want to go there.
And so whenever I speak about healing in the church I have mixed feelings.
I feel confident that this is the right thing to do because God is actively involved in healing and seeks all people to be healed.
But cautious not because of God but because of our human response to healing and how people respond to the teaching and instances of healing.
What also has not helped is that unfortunately, some people have used God’s healing ministry for their own glory, greed or control of others.
And others when it comes to healing expect God to do what they want,
rather than what God wants.
They often want to limit God to what they can understand.
And are disappointed when God doesn’t live up to their expectations
They find it difficult to accept that God is the God of mystery
and at times can’tcomprehend that God acts in ways that we don’t always see or understand.
And there is also the issue that 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 9 highlightes where we hear that Satan will even copy God’s miraculous signs to deceive people
But Satan’s healing will not last eternity.
However none of these are reasons for us to discard or ignore the gift of healing that God has given the church to use for the benefit of others,
so that they can experience and receive the power of God.
Through His church,
the collection of people like you and me Jesus continues bringing His healing to us.
Jesus calls each of one us to be involved in healing in His name.
Some of us will have a special gift of healing to be used for God’s purposes,
but all of us are called to bring His healing into the lives of others,
by connecting people to Jesus and His community of believers.
Through Jesus you and me and others can receive healing
Physically, Emotionally, in relationships with others and Spiritually
The truth is everyone needs healing
Not just once but continuously
Because we are continuously affected by sin.
Sin is the cause of all pain and suffering
As we explore the New Testament there is a close association with sin and sickness.
Some of our sickness is caused by the sins we have committed and been involved in.
There is no question about this.
Sin will always lead to sickness of some kind.
This could be physical, emotional or spiritual sickness.
Jesus has an interesting way in dealing with sin.
In John chapter 8
Jesus forgives a woman involved in adultery and then says “go and leave your life of sin”.
In other words change your ways.
Forgiveness from Jesus is not just Jesus saying saying your forgiven so continue on sinning.
But rather forgiveness is Jesus saying don’t let the sins of the past affect you.
A good question to ask each day.
Is where have I sinned?
What have I been involved in that has negatively affected my physical health, emotional health and spiritual health?
And bring this situation to Jesus.
And you may benefit from bringing this situation to Jesus not just by yourself but by using the gift of the church, ie. Other Christians.
In James chapter 5 we are given some clear instructions of how to receive healing and it involves others Christians,
Reading from verse 13
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make them well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
And in our congregation there are at least four ways that you can receive help.
One is through myself or Pastor Kevin.
Another is through our Pastoral Assistants.
Another is through our Restore Prayer ministry team. Andy Broom heads a team of people who intentionally help people seeking healing in their lives through prayer.
And another is through being in a trusting relationship with another Christian.
All of these ways are aimed at connecting people to Jesus the healer.
But the scriptures also reveal that just because someone is sick doesn’t mean they have caused their sickness
Whilst all sin will lead to a sickness, either physical, spiritual or emotional.
Not all sickness that an individual is suffering is the result of a sin they have committed.
In John 9:2-3 we hear
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus,
In fact some our illness whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual
is the result of sin being in the world
and sin caused by others.
And for this God is always offering help.
Help into how to deal with sin that people have thrown your way.
Sins committed against us can be very damaging.
I have seen and experienced people who are holding onto hurts
and sins committed against them so much
that they allow these to define who they are.
Rather than Jesus define who they are.
It often results in unresolved anger, negativity and bitterness.
Often this results in people limiting who they want to have a relationship with.
Some Doctors suggest that these emotional hurts left untreated at times lead to physical illnesses.
Sin committed against you and me is dangerous.
We need God’s help to deal with it, to be healed from its affects.
Tony Campolo tells the story of praying for healing of a person.
Some days later his wife rings and says thankyou.
The lady went onto say that he died in peace.
You see her husband was angry before he was healed.
However the healing from God meant his anger had gone before he died.
A starting point is to ask yourself what sins that have been committed against me are continuing to affect me?
As you think about these if you are like my you will feel ripped off!
And then ask God to help you, to deal with these?
And as part of God heling you look at the people God has placed in your life who are available to help you.
God’s healing comes not only for our emotions.
But also Spiritually and this is the most important
In Luke 5 and Mark 2 there is the story of Jesus healing a paralytic.
Jesus says to the paralytic before he is healed.
Your sins are forgiven
The Pharisees rightly point out that only God can forgive sins.
To which Jesus states what is harder to forgive sins or to heal.
What he was getting to was that He was God
providing the Spiritual healing we all need
Forgiveness of sins.
In 1 Peter 2 verse 3 we hear
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
Our Spiritual healing is the most important.
In fact whilst we may not see physical or emotional in the way we want it.
Remember St Paul himself experienced an suffering throughout his ministry, described as a thorn in the flesh.
Physical or emotional suffering is not necessarily a sign that God has deserted us.
As Romans 8 says
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, d neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Receiving God’s healing through the forgiveness of sins is essential for our future and God guarantees it to all who believe and trust Him.
And we can’t ignore the fact that God heals phsyiscally both superanaturally and through the people and opportunities God has placed in our lives.
Today I have invited Gordon Rentsch and Richard von Stanke to share their experience of God’s healing in their lives
(Both Gordon and Richard shared stories that highlighted that God was at work through the Health profession, change of lifestyle and prayer/faith in God)
So be open to healing,
with God there is always hope
Continue trusting God to provide the healing you need.
Allow God to be mysterious and accept His answers to your requests.
Also remember we are not just called to receive healing we are also called to bring God’s healing into the lives of others
so that they too will experience eternal life.
And remember Jesus healing is so people will receive the gift of eternal life as outlined in John 20:30-31
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may a believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Let’s Pray
