HOW TO GET HEALED AND STAY HEALED
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: BUBBA’S MISTAKE
1. Bubba and Billy Ray, from Arkansas, were visiting a relative in a Huntsville prison. Walking along Sam Houston Street they saw a sign which read, 'Suits $5.00 each, shirts $2.00 each, trousers $2.50 per pair'.
2. Bubba said, "Billy Ray LOOK! We could buy a whole lot of those, and when we get back to Arkansas, sell them. I bet we could make a fortune.
3. Now when we go into the shop, you be quiet, okay? Just let me do all the talking 'cause if they hear our accent, they might not serve us. I'll speak in my best Texas drawl." 4. They go in and Bubba orders 50 suits at $5.00 each, 100 shirts at $2.00 each and 50 pairs of trousers at $2.50 each. "I'll back up my pickup and..."
5. The owner of the shop interrupts, "You're from Arkansas, aren't you?" "Why yes," says a surprised Bubba. "How come you know that?" The owner says, "This is a dry-cleaners."
B. THESIS
1. This morning we’re going to look at 7 steps to help you get your healing and hold on to your healing!
2. Our title is “How to get Healed and Stay Healed.”
I. BE CONVERTED
A. ARE YOU A CHILD OF GOD?
1. The only sinner’s prayer that God has promised to hear is a sincere prayer of repentance from a life of sin.
2. A person who is not a child of God has no standing before God to request and expect anything, just as a non-member can’t expect the same privileges as members. Membership has its rewards.
B. MEETING THE CONDITIONS
1. We all know that if the conditions are right, it will rain. It’s a law of science. The same thing is true of salvation and divine healing; if we meet the conditions, we’ll be saved or be healed.
2. The first step toward being healing is to surrender your life to God. This makes you a candidate for healing.
II. REMOVE THE HINDRANCES TO HEALING
Many people seeking healing aren’t healed because there is something hindering their prayer even being heard by God.
A. DISOBEDIENCE, Isa. 59:2
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”
B. UNCONFESSED SIN, Ps. 66:18
“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
C. INDIFFERENCE TO GOD’S WORD, Prov. 28:9
“One who turns away his ear from hearing the Law, even his prayer is an abomination.” NKJV
D. NEGLECT OF MERCY, Prov. 21:13
“Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.” NKJV
E. UNFORGIVENESS, Mt. 6:15
“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
F. SELFISH MOTIVE, Jam. 4:3
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
G. DISCORD IN THE HOME, 1 Pet. 3:7
“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”
III. LEARN GOD’S PROMISES OF HEALING
A. THE SAME FAITH: HEALING/SALVATION
1. You should never doubt for one moment that God will heal you, just as you never doubt that God will save you.
2. JESUS ATONED, NOT JUST THE SOUL, BUT THE BODY
a. Isaiah said, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our
peace was upon Him” but he also added “and by His stripes we are healed (53:4-5, NKJV).
b. Matthew 8:17 tells about Jesus healing the sick and quotes Isaiah 53:4 (the atonement passage) to explain it: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
c. When Jesus was scourged (Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1), it was for our physical healing! The scourging of Jesus was not an afterthought of God.
d. Psalm 103:3 combines salvation and healing, "Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases."
e. You didn't get saved 10 years ago -- you got saved at Calvary. You didn't just get healed last year -- you were healed at Calvary.
f. Twice Jesus healed people and said, “Your faith has SAVED you” Lk. 7:50; 18:42, using the same Gr. word “sozo” as the “saving” of your soul. The same faith that saves is the same faith which heals!
B. HUMOR
1. A man and his wife were checking out of a motel. They discovered the manager had charged them for a fresh basket of fruit put in the room every day.
2. The man said, "How can you charge us for fresh fruit when we never ate any fruit from any basket on any day? The manager said, "It's not my fault you didn't eat it. It was there."
3. At that point, the husband reached over and took the bill is subtracted $150 from it. The manager said, "What in the world are you doing?"
4. The husband said, "I am charging you $50 a day for kissing my wife." The manager said, "I didn't kiss your wife!"
5. And the husband answered, "That's not my fault. She was there!"
6. My point is, the Lord Jesus has already paid the price for your healing at Calvary. You simply need to claim your healing just like you would your salvation!
C. PROMISES OF HEALING
1. Ex. 15:26; "I am the LORD THAT HEALETH THEE.”
2. Ex. 23:25, “Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.”
3. Deut. 7:15, “And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you.”
4. Psalm 41:3, “The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed and restore him from his bed of illness.”
5. Psalm 103:3, “Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”
6. Psalm 107:20, “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”
7. Proverbs 4:20,22, “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings….For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
8. Isa. 53:4-5, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
9. Matt. 8:17-18, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
10. Mark 16:17-18, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
11. Luke 5:17, “…And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.”
12. Acts 10:38, “…how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”
13. James 5:15-16, “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
14. 1 Peter 2:24, “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.”
15. 3 John 2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.”
IV. QUIT PRAYING, “IF IT BE YOUR WILL…”
A. DOUBT AND FAITH CAN’T COEXIST
1. Settle it that it’s God’s will to heal you. Either it’s God’s will to heal you or it’s not. IF IT’S NOT GOD’S WILL TO HEAL YOU, THEN IT WOULD BE WRONG TO SEEK HEALING BY ANY MEANS – WHETHER PHYSICAL OR SPIRITUAL!
2. The following scriptures show that Jesus healed “everybody” and “all.” No place in Scripture did Jesus ever turn one person away. Even in crowds of thousands, Jesus never found one person He wouldn’t heal. See below:
3. JESUS HEALED ALL WHO CAME TO HIM
a. “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them” Matt. 4:23-24.
b. “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” Matt. 9:35.
c. “Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and He healed all who were ill” Matt. 12:15.
d. “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick” Matt. 14:14.
e. “they landed at Gennesaret….People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed” Matt. 14:34-36.
f. “A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases….the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all” Luke 6:17-19
g. In Matt. 8:16-17, Matthew used the “ALL” to apply to Isaiah 53:4; “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
4. Just like God gives you enough faith to be saved, God has also given you sufficient faith to be healed. Don’t ‘baby yourself’ any longer. God wouldn’t have asked you to do it if you couldn’t.
B. JESUS SETTLED THE HEALING ISSUE
1. Jesus met a leper, who said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I AM WILLING,” he said. “Be clean!” Mt. 8:2-3.
2. A demon-possessed boy’s father said to Jesus, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:22-24.
3. Jesus rebuked the man’s doubt and he immediately made efforts to eliminate his unbelief. Everything is possible to the one who believes!
V. CLAIM IT. CALL IT DONE.
A. PAST TENSE HEALING
1. In Mark 11:24, Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
2. You believe it’s ALREADY yours (past tense), and it WILL BE yours (future tense). That’s faith! Faith believes without evidence and receives what it grasps by faith.
3. In Daniel 10:12-13, Daniel was informed (after praying 21 days), that from the first day he’d begun praying, the answer was on the way, but was delayed. We can have confidence that when we too pray, the answer is already on the way! Take hold of your healing by faith!
4. Faith believes the healing is done, even when you can’t see it or feel it yet. God Himself “…calls those things which do not exist as though they did” Rom. 4:17, NKJV.
5. Jesus atoned for sickness at Calvary (Isa. 53:4), so it’s a finished work just like salvation is. Claim your benefits!
6. After the conditions have been met, the next thing to do it to “TOUCH GOD!” An examples is when Jacob wrestled with the angel until the angel ‘blessed’ him. Jacob refused to quit fighting until he got the angel’s assurance. Gen. 32:26.
7. Another example is when the woman with the issue of blood said, “If I may but touch the hem of His robe, I’ll be healed.” She fought he way through the crowd, strain against the opposition, and finally touched Jesus. Mt. 9:21.
8 In a similar way, we must pray and reach out to God and petition Him until we receive the assurance that God has heard us and granted our request! This assurance, coupled with the promises of God, gives us the confidence to stand firm for healing.
B. THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH
1. “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed [God’s promise he would have a son] and so became the father of many nations…. Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.” Rom. 4:18-20.
2. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Heb. 11:1, KJV.
3. Once you have sought and touched God in prayer for healing, then begin to see your healing as already complete in the spiritual realm and about to be revealed in the natural realm.
VI. RESIST THE DEVIL. REFUSE TO BE DENIED.
A. WE HAVE AN ENEMY
1. Peter said, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith…” 1 Peter 5:8-9.
2. James said, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” 4:7-8.
3. You have an enemy who will resist you and attempt to keep you from receiving and keeping your healing.
4. He’ll do this by trying to get you to doubt yourself, to doubt God, to doubt God’s Word, and to doubt you will receive.
5. Sometimes there’s an interval between your believing for your healing and its manifestation. During that time you must not weaken in your faith; you must refuse to be denied.
6. STAND UPON THE WORD! God’s promises cannot fail.
“So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” Isa. 55:11.
B. EXAMPLE OF HEALING
1. In Detroit, Michigan, Rev. Wm. Poovey went to see a man that was paralyzed on one side and who had not walked for about eight months.
2. His very first words, as I recall, were, "I believe in healing all right, but I can’t seem to have faith for my healing." Poovey said, "Don't say that again. That’s a lie. You can have faith and you must have faith if you expect to get healed."
3. Poovey quoted Mark 11:22-24 ("Believe you have got it and you shall have it)," had him repeat it several times and then prayed.
4. While he was praying, the paralyzed man said, "If I have got it, what am I lying here for?" With that he jumped out of bed and shouted all over the place.
5. He claimed that promise (Mk. 11:24) as his “point of contact” to actualize his healing, then he acted on it, and God answered his faith with a miracle!
VII. PRAISE IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HEALING
A. CONFESSION IS A PART OF FAITH
1. Death and life are in the power of the tongue” Prov. 18:21. It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” 2 Cor. 4:13; Ps. 116:10.
2. Rom. 10:9-10; “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
B. PRAISE OFTEN SPARKS MIRACLES
1. Jehoshaphat had the praisers begin praising BEFORE they won the battle, and God set ambushes against the enemy (2 Chron. 20:21).
2. Paul and Silas began praising even though they had been cruelly treated, and God manifested His presence, shook the jail, made their chains fall off, and saved the Jailor! (Acts 16:25-26)
3. David began praising God for victory even before he fought Goliath and God…
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida ,
a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.
2. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam
toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His father working in the yard saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could.
3. Hearing his voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
4. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved.
5. The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Dad wouldn't let go."
6. Such are the wounds that our Savior has on his body for us.
B. THE CALL: APPEAL TO THE HEALING NETWORK
1. "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: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick" (James 5:14-16); "They [believers] shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:17-20).
2. Come to the front and we’re going to pray for your healing!
[This is a rewrite of William D. Poovey’s message of the same title.]
