TITLE: I BELIEVE IN HEALING
I came across an article in Christianity today called A SURGEONS VIEW OF DIVINE HEALING
The Doctor who wrote the article had some important things to say, but I believe he represented an extreme view of God and his activity in the world today.
– In that article the author quoted the following story from the Chicago tribune:
“David Gilmore told about an illness of his 15-month old son, Dustin Graham Gilmore, that began in April of 1978. At first the child came down with flu-like symptoms. The Gilmores took him to their church and the pastor prayed for him. Members of that church believed that faith alone heals any disease and that to look elsewhere for help—for example, to medical doctors—demonstrates a lack of faith in God. Gilmore and his wife followed the church’s advice and simply prayed for their son. Over the next weeks they prayed faithfully as his temperature climbed, prayed when they noticed he no longer responded to sounds, and prayed harder when he went blind.
On the morning of May 15, 1978, the day after their pastor preached an especially rousing sermon about faith, the Gilmores went into their son’s room and found his body a blue color, and still. He was dead. Again they prayed, for their church also believed the power of prayer can raise the dead. But Dustin Graham Gilmore stayed dead. An autopsy revealed the infant died from a form of meningitis that could have been treated easily.”
I believe that the reason why the doctor repeated this story was to shock his readers and get them to agree with his attack against those who hold (In His Mind) an unbalanced view of divine healing.
And it works…
The author says, “I believe the time has come to question the extreme faith-healing perspective with its bright promise that "confession brings possession."
However, the author then goes on to place all who believe in healing (basically Pentecostals and Charismatics) “into the category of extremists
He says
“Those who espouse divine healing have grown far more vocal in recent years. Publishers and religious broadcasters parade people before the spotlight to testify of remission from cancer, a lengthened leg, or deliverance from arthritis. One of the largest TV ministries claims to have files bulging with 60,000 reported cases of divine healing.”
Of course you know he is talking about Benny Hinn.
Not only is that statement unfair, but the even bigger problem with the article is that the author admits that for him believing in divine healing would be asking Him to put “…faith in something that ordinarily does not prove true in life.”
A Surgeon’s View of Divine Healing -Do doctors waste their time by doing slowly and painstakingly what could have been done in the twinkling of an eye? By Paul Brand with Philip Yancey | posted 07/10/2003 Christianity Today.com
ANY Extreme view of healing is wrong…
The view that would suggest that a person pray and never take their child to the doctor is an extreme view, and it should be rejected.
Even Jesus sent the lepers to the priest to be checked out (Luke 17:14)
Conversely
The view that would suggest that because we don’t see too many miracles any more
And that we ought to just face facts and accept our sickness
Should be rejected also
Each of these extreme views of divine healing is outside the bounds of sound doctrine
We must allow God’s word to speak
I believe in Healing
Because God declares that he is our healer
Ex. 15:26 says, “I am the God that healeth thee”
If we want to be healed we must move away from the extremes
And move toward GOD
PRAYER
I believe in healing
Because of the Atonement
Because of the nature of God
I. THE ATONEMENT.
The word ATONEMENT literally means PAID RANSOM,
And refers to the sacrifice of Jesus life
to remove sin and bring
reconciliation between God and man
Romans 3:25
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--
I LIKE TO PUT IT THIS WAY
• Jesus traded his life for our sins
• So that we might
• Trade our sins for new life
The ATONEMENT is the zenith of the life and ministry of Jesus
It was Jesus’ purpose and aim
To fully understand what Jesus fully did for us through the atonement
we must understand the totality of Jesus’ life and ministry.
I submit to you that ……….
The ministry of Jesus on the earth included a regular healing service.
Matthew 4:23
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Why?
Not to draw attention to himself, but to Demonstrates the extent and effect of the Spiritual power being accomplished in the earth.
Isaiah 61:1-2
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
[2] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
The healings Jesus performed
The miracles Jesus did
Are evidence to us.
That Our savior has come
and that by his precious blood
all that had been established by sin would be Set at naught
(Illustration)
None of us here will ever experience what it was like to live BC, but it was bad.
Jesus lived to be 33, and at 33 he was a very mature man.
Sickness was rampant
So imagine the delight of having your sight restored
Legs work again
An issue of blood you had for years stop
Your leprosy or other skin conditions go away
You had no hope
And then Jesus says
Go show yourselves to the priests you are healed
Stretch forth your withered hand it is whole again
Rise up your faith has made you whole
______________________________
Jesus set at naught the baggage sin had brought with it
BUT
Notice I didn’t say wiped it away
Look around
You will see sickness, disease, cancer, aids, and all kinds of ailments
Yes, they are still out there
But now they are subject to the name that is above every name
The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
Isaiah 53:3-5
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
[4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [5] 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.
Jesus died that we might be healed and that includes physical healing
II. IT’S THE NATURE OF GOD
Jesus’ ministry and atonement were not the first time that God had moved upon man to heal .
Exodus 15:26
He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you."
He is a healing God
Jehovah Raphe “THE LORD OUR HEALER.”
Divine healing is and always has been an outgrowth of God’s love, mercy, and kindness toward his creation
Some people take this truth for granted and abuse God’s kindness toward man
By teaching that healing is the right of every believer
• And that if your heart is right with God
• If your life is squeaky clean
• If you faith is huge
Then you can have divine healing
(Illustration)
I once read a book about a young man who had a vision of heaven where there was this warehouse of limbs and brains all unclaimed by people who just didn’t have enough faith to expect God to heal them.
______________
The Bible describes a number of reasons why people were ill and also why they were not healed..
For example:
• Mt 17:14-20 describes a man with seizures, which were caused by a demon
• Mk 6:4-6 tells that Jesus could not do many miracles in his hometown because of a lack of faith
• LK 13:10-16 tells us of an illness that has been caused by a spirit.
• MT 9:1-7 describes sickness being caused by personal sin.
When someone is not healed have you ever heard…
He wasn’t healed because he has a demon
He wasn’t healed because he has sin in his life
He wasn’t healed because he lacks the faith to receive it
• It is not the casting out of a demon that brings healing
• It is not forgiveness of sin that causes healing
• It is not someone else’s faith that causes healing
THESE THINGS MAY BE A PART OF THE PROCESS OR THE CIRCUMSTANCES
Yes a demon needs to be cast out
Yes sin needs to be forgiven
Yes faith needs to be built up
But it is never our faith
Or our holiness
Or our goodness
That brings healing
It is ALWAYS God who heals EVERYONE who is healed.
Even when we go to doctors
and when we take drugs
Doctors don’t cure patients
Drugs don’t cure patients- God does.
An eminent doctor once said, ’I dressed his wound, but God healed him’.
Healing comes from God
When we focus on
OUR PRAYERS
OUR FAITH
OUR AUTHORITY
We run the risk of exalting the healing and the vessel through which that healing came
RATHER THEN EXALTING THE HEALER
CONCLUSION
I am going to conclude by considering two questions
1. WHY ARE PEOPLE HEALED?
To bring glory to God
To further the kingdom
To relieve grief
To alleviate suffering
To strengthen faith
To build up the church
To demonstrate love
To fulfill His purposes
Frankly, there is no ONE REASON why God does provide healing for us
But instead there are many reasons all of which
FLOW FROM HIS LOVE FOR US
2. WHY ARE PEOPLE NOT HEALED?
SAME REASON
Out of his love and compassion and mercy he knows when not to heal someone.
2 Cor. 12:7-8
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
2 Cor. 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Where is faith, if we always have to know why.
In faith we receive all the assurance and answers we will ever need
We may never know why some people are healed and why others are taken from us
But we do know that
1. By his stripes we are healed
2. His word says, I am the Lord, who heals you
3. Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will accompany those …. they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
4. James 5:14-15 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.
Whether the sick are healed or not
THAT IS IN GOD’S HANDS
Whether the sick are healed or not our
FAITH MUST REMAIN
And we must continue to hold up the truth and believe God and pray for the sick
Psalm 103:2-3
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits--
3who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
