God’s Prescription on Healing
Luke 8
Intro:
The best doctor is the one who cures his patient with the right dosage of given medicine. Jesus is our great healer and He has the best prescribed medicine for every wounded bodies and soul this morning.
God’s prescription for healing:
1. We must be Founded in the Word of God. –v15 “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop”
In order for God to prescribe healing, we need faith that is founded in the word of God. Faith that hides God’s promises within us that enables each of us to believe in His miracles.
Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by His wounds we are healed.
We are able to have faith in God since He is the One putting it within us. It is He who started it all for us in order to believe and make miracles happen.
Illustration:
There was a man who got lost in the desert. After wandering around for a long time his throat became very dry, about that time he saw a little shack in the distance. He made his way over to the shack and found a water pump with a small jug of water and a note.
The note read: “pour all the water into the top of the pump to prime it, if you do this you will get all the water you need”. Now the man had a choice to make, if he trusted the note and poured the water in and it worked he would have all the water he needed. If it didn’t work he would still be thirsty and he might die. Or he could choose to drink the water in the jug and get immediate satisfaction, but it might not be enough and he still might die. After thinking about it the man decided to risk it. He poured the entire jug into the pump and began to work the handle, at first nothing happened and he got a little scared but he kept going and water started coming out. So much water came out he drank all he wanted, took a shower, and filled all the containers he could find. Because he was willing to give up momentary satisfaction, he got all the water he needed. Now the note also said: after you have finished, please refill the jug for the next traveller.” The man refilled the jug and added to the note: “ Please prime the pump, believe me it works”!
Just like the man in the story, if we are founded in the note that God has given us, we are to have faith in it. Believe me, it works!
2. We must be Active in claiming God’s promises – v21 “He replied, My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s words and put it into practice.”
We are related to God once we put our faith in action and put it into practice.
James 2:17 “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
This chapter is one of an action-packed chapter ever told in the Bible, and it’s full of opportunity that can show faith to God. Clearly God wants His children not only identified as related to God through Jesus but we need to show our faith in action. We don’t want God to confront us just like His disciples in verse 25 when Jesus asked them where is their faith upon seeing the storm while Jesus is sleeping.
“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Illustration:
An old Scotsman operated a little rowboat for transporting passengers. One day a passenger noticed that the good old man had carved on one oar the word “Faith,” and on the other oar the word “Works.” Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of this. The old man, being a well-balanced Christian and glad of the opportunity for testimony, said, “I will show you.”
So saying, he dropped one oar and plied the other called Works, and they just went around in circles. Then he dropped that oar and began to ply the oar called Faith, and the little boat just went around in circles again—this time the other way around, but still in a circle.
After this demonstration the old man picked up Faith and Works and plying both oars together, sped swiftly over the water, explaining to his inquiring passenger, “You see, that is the way it is in the Christian life. Dead works without faith are useless, and “faith without works is dead” also, getting you nowhere. But faith and works pulling together make for safety, progress, and blessing.”
3. We must Inspire others –v16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”
Also in v.39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”
We see 2 different scenarios how Jesus likes people to inspire others through their experiences to be light to others and share the testimonies they had for others to see.
Inspiration means “the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.” To inspire others with our faith means to stimulate each other to act their faith upon things that they wanted to happen, especially to do something unusual for God.
When God puts us in a situation that needs faith He meant it not only to develop our faith but to inspire others on doing the same thing.
Illustration:
One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."
That’s all that matters, when God sees us and He wants others to see us also. The main point is are we giving them the right inspiration, and encouragement that even if we are in the hopeless situation, remember God is looking at us and somehow others are also being inspired on looking on us at the same time.
We are living testimonies of God’s work in us. The world looks to see how we treat our spouses.
They look to see how we treat our co-workers. They look to see how we treat our friends.
And they look to see how we treat our enemies. They watch us because they want to see if Jesus has made any difference in our lives. If they see that we don’t treat others in our lives any different than they would, they reason they don’t need what we’ve got.
4. We must Touch the heart of God –v 45-46 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
We see here Jesus was touched by the woman’s faith on Jesus. It is her faith to Jesus that healed her that once she touched even the edge of His cloak she will be healed! It is by touching the very throne even the edge of the throne of God we can get the attention of God. Jesus is unaware that someone touched Him not until power has come out from Him. Sometimes God wants to see our faith in action to be able to get His attention and see us on our hopeless situation. It’s not that God doesn’t know us but He needs to see effort to touch His power every day, every time we have opportunity to seek Him. The Bible says “seek me while I may be found”. The woman has been seeking all her days to be healed and yet she did not stop doing it until she found Jesus until she found the ultimate healer that meets her ultimate faith on Him.
Proverbs 8:35-36 says “Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. 35 For those who find me find life and receive favour from the Lord.
What is God’s secret in touching His power, we need to listen, watch, and wait for His perfect time for His miracle for us to happen.
Illustration:
My experience on the recent brownout for 6 days after Typhoon Glenda. People are listening/waiting for the power to be stored that day. It’s my first time to see people who are willing to wait and watch as the line-man fix the electricity wire that night.
Unlike Meralco, God has the assurance that once we listen, watch and wait for Him, we will see the power God through the power of His touch.
5. We must Humble ourselves –v41-42 “Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
The last prescription of God for healing is one of the most important of all “humility”. We see here a synagogue leader, a respected person in a Jewish culture willing to humble himself to Jesus by coming down to His feet pleading for the his dying girl and only daughter. How many of us have been put to a situation that is hopeless and is in the verge of losing someone you loved very much? Even if you have the wealth that can buy the best medicine yet it’s powerless, the best doctor yet he can’t do so much, wouldn’t you humble yourself like this leader and submit to God our limitation and thus surrender everything to His ultimate power? Humility is the number 1 condition that God is asking in 2 Chronicles 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
We saw the woman bleeding for 12 years coming at the back of Jesus as she doesn’t have the power or the pride anymore to face Jesus unless she comes at His back. People of faith learned the first thing to receive their miracles once they acknowledge their nothingness in the sight of God:
a. We remember Moses – once an Egyptian son but later on accepted his fate on leading God’s people out from Egypt yet needs to be humbled and became a Hebrew son in order to lead.
b. We remember Job– once a wealthy man yet suffer the loss of his own family and suffer a disease that everybody avoided him, yet needs to be humbled to be able to get back his family, and wealth more than what he had before.
c. We remember King Hezekiah – a great king of great accomplishment but needs to be humbled in order to be healed by God and extend his life.
d. We remember Paul – once a student of Gamaliel, a great Jewish law student yet needs to be humbled by God in order to follow God’s purpose on him.
The most perfect example is none other than Jesus Himself..
e. We remember God Himself – by taking the very nature of man he laid down His own power to suffer the death in the cross for others to be saved! Phil. 2:6-7
Illustration:
One time in Ms. Corrie Ten Boom’s life saw Sadhu Sundar Singh in Europe, he had completed a tour around the world. People asked him, Doesn't it do harm, your getting so much honor?" The Sadhu's answer was: "No. The donkey went into Jerusalem, and they put garments on the ground before him. He was not proud. He knew it was not done to honor him, but for Jesus, who was sitting on his back. When people honor me, I know it is not me, but the Lord, who does the job."
Conclusion:
God wants to heal everyone of us until today. However, He has own prescription in getting everyone’s miracle of healing. Just remember the 5 prescription of God:
1. Founded with the word of God
2. Active in claiming God’s promises
3. Inspiring others
4. Touching the heart of God
5. Humbling ourselves to God
Then we found ourselves having FAITH in our hearts.
Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right and of the throne of God.”
