Introduction:
I’d like you to join me on a journey into a topic that’s filled with controversy and confusion. Today we will consider the idea of “Healing Prayer.”
1. What is “healing”? According to the words used in the New testament:
Healing means to MEND something that’s broken.
Healing is to MAKE WHOLE AGAIN.
Healing means to OVERCOME an unhealthy situation in the following areas of human existence: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational.
One man summed this idea of healing up by saying it is “liberation from [the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and relational] shackles that prevent us from enjoying maturity and eternity.” (Bernard Martin)
As we work through this study of healing, I encourage you to think about your own life. Think about what God wants to do in your life. What shackles would He like to liberate you from? What does he want to mend or make whole again in your physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, or relational life?
2. I started by saying this is a topic that’s filled with controversy and confusion. I believe the disagreement and debate are caused by two EXTREMES found in Christians today.
One DENIES healing in the present. These well meaning Christians say that healing was a sign to unbelievers in the days of the early church and no longer can be found. But as a part of The Wesleyan Church we believe “The truth that Jesus is both able and willing to heal the body as well as the human soul, whenever such healing is for His glory, is clearly set forth in God’s Word and attested by the experience of many of His people at the present day. Prayer for healing according to the pattern set forth in the Scriptures shall be encouraged.” (DISCIPLINE 1996, paragraph 430)
The other extreme DEMANDS miraculous healing all the time. They proclaim that God will instantaneously heal anyone, anytime as long as he or she has enough faith. But there are too many examples of faith-filled Christians who are not instantly healed. In the Bible, God told Paul that He would not heal him because God’s “grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
BOTH overlook God’s routine, daily ministry of healing to us.
3. There are at least six ways that God heals us all the time.
People in the HELPING professions are a part of God’s healing team. (Honor those present.)
Medical TREATMENTS are a part of the miraculous healing God provides.
Created processes in our BODIES. (White blood cells for example.)
God’s direct touch – Jesus healed the sick for three reasons.
a. A PERSON SAID, “PLEASE HEAL ME.”
b. A PERSON SAID, “HEAL MY LOVED ONE.”
c. JESUS SIMPLY CHOSE TO DO IT.
“God’s Psychiatry” is the title of a book by Pastor Charles Allen. In it he describes the healing effects of obedience to the Bible.
a. For example, simple reading and thinking about the 23rd Psalm can calm our nerves in stress-filled times.
b. Learning the importance of forgiving those who have trespassed against us will eliminate the weight of bitter anger.
c. Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:30-34)
The “Ultimate Cure” – WHEN JESUS COMES AGAIN – THE RESURRECTION.
That’s when God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Revelation 21:4). These fragile bodies will be “will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:52-53).
4. The Bible is filled with PROMISES for all kinds of healing.
Jeremiah 3:22 "Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding."
Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Luke 8:1 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, [2] and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases….
Proverbs 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (SPIRITUAL HEALING)
Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
James 5:15 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. [14] Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] 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. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. [17] Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. [18] Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.
5. These promises raise a question for many of us. “If so, then why…?”
The rest of the Bible, tradition, reason, and experience must judge every INTERPRETATION of a Bible text. If my understanding of a passage contradicts another, my interpretation is in error. If it disagrees with what the church has taught over the last 2000 years, it should be questioned. If it simply doesn’t make sense, then I need to go over my analysis again. If my interpretation does not match the testimony of God’s people through the ages, then it probably is off somewhere.
What is the context for today’s text? The book of James was written to Jewish Christians who tended to believe all sickness was caused by sin. In John chapter 9, the disciples asked Jesus “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” And Jesus said, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned" (John 9:2-3). In James 4, we find that these Christians also failed to pray or prayed with the wrong motives. They were encouraged to make their plans and decisions in line with God’s will, too. And earlier in James 5, Christians are encouraged to “be patient … until the Lord’s coming.” So the promise to heal is conditioned on God’s plan for us and on His timing.
We know that sickness is not always caused by sin in our lives. In fact God often uses sickness as an opportunity to work in our lives. God heals in several different ways. He times these healing actions to make us more like Jesus “so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3).
Thesis: God does answer prayer for healing, but He determines the “how” and the “when.” That is confirmed by the Bible, tradition, reason and experience.
Key Question: So how can we be involved in healing prayer? What can we do to see God’s healing power at work?
6. There are four actions involved in healing prayer.
CELEBRATE Jesus. Worship Him. Remember and live in the victory He won on the Cross and with the Empty Tomb.
Clarify your need. Ask SPECIFICALLY. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
COMMIT your life to God. “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD (Psalm 37:3-5). Develop the attitude that declares, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:8).
Confess your sins, needs, FEARS, HOPES, and faith.
Conclusion: James begins this passage with a series of questions. “Is any one of you in trouble? Is anyone happy? Is any one of you sick?” Allow me to end with a few questions.
How are you doing today? In what way are you feeling less than whole? Are you broken hearted? Do you feel that God wants to heal you in some way?
Application: In what way are you lacking wholeness in your life? Are you physically ill? Are you flooded with feelings of loss and grief? Is there a habit you can’t seem to break free of? Are there attitudes or broken relationships that need God’s healing touch?
Responding to God:
Bow your heads and close your eyes so you can focus your attention on God’s Holy Spirit.
Think about what God wants to do in your life. What shackles would He like to liberate you from? What does he want to mend or make whole again in your physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, or relational life?
Please feel free to come to the altar rail for prayer.
