Spiritual Gifts Series
Part 7 – Faith, Healing and Miracles
Rev. Bruce A. Shields
First Baptist Church of Tawas City Michigan
www.TawasBaptist.org
WELCOME
We’re continuing our series on the Spiritual Gifts this week.
Today we are going to take a look at Faith, Healing and Miracles. Three similar Spiritual Gifts.
PRAYER
FAITH
This is the ability to trust God for what can not be seen and to act on God’s promises.
We are all, as believers, to have faith in God and His Holy Word.
But the spiritual gift of faith goes BEYOND human faith.
This is because spiritual gifts come from God’s spirit within us.
So if we have this gift and we exercise it, our faith will be beyond understanding.
Romans 4:18-21 - Abraham Believed God’s Word
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."[d] 19Without 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. 20Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”
This is the spiritual gift of faith.
Abraham knew that what God had promised was unbelievable. He and his wife were old and it says that Abraham faced the fact that he was as good as dead because he was about 100.
But even though he knew these things he could see, he believed God’s word for what he couldn’t see.
This is the spiritual gift of faith, Believing God’s Word and Promises over what we know and can see.
1 Corinthians 13:2
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
And we do everything in love, because without love we are nothing.
We must remember that God gives us these gifts to edify the body of Christ.
We work together using our gifts and do everything in love.
Because, this is what God wants from us, to share God’s love for us and our love for each other.
This is how we show God’s love to others.
Matthew 17:20
“When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."
17"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." 18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn’t we drive it out?"
20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Why don’t we see as many healings and miracles today as in the time of Jesus?
Why aren’t we, His disciples, able to do some of the things Jesus promised we could in the scriptures?
We see here that even the disciples who walked with Jesus had trouble performing some of the healings and miracles.
Why?
Jesus said because they had so little faith.
Have we as a generation fell into the same trap as the disciples then?
We should be seeing the power of God today and we’re not.
We should be seeing healings and miracles, but they are rare.
It’s time we prayed for the spiritual gift of faith to fill us and the churches f the world so that we can start experiencing God’s power on earth.
How can we say “Thy will be done on earth” if we do not heal the sick?
Is it God’s will that we be sick?
In some cases yes, such as Paul and his thorn in his side which kept him humble. He did not receive a healing when he asked 3 times for one, but God responded that His grace was sufficient.
But this is not always the case.
The man who was blind in John 9:1-3, Jesus said he was blind so that the work of God might be displayed in his life!
Healings and miracles are for God’s glory. Healings and miracles are for bringing people to Christ either directly or those who see or hear the stories.
If we were operating in faith, acting on God’s promises, people would witness the power of God and many would be saved because they would believe on the name of the Lord.
Were the spiritual gifts for the first century church only?
Absolutely not! Jesus said “these things and greater will you do”
You can find spiritual gifts being used ALL through the Old and New Testament.
Spiritual gifts are manifestations of Godly abilities through the Holy Spirit to edify the church.
The only reason these gifts would not exist today is if you do not have the Holy Spirit, do not operate in the spirit, or do not have the faith.
Jesus is not a liar.
Matthew 10:7-8 Jesus Commands the Disciples
“As you go, preach this message: ’The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
We are Jesus’ disciples.
His word is for those of us who follow Him and are DOERS of His word.
He said you will do these things and greater.
He said if you have the faith, you can!
Let’s pray for the faith to move mountains.
Let’s pray TODAY for “Thy will be done on earth”
Faith - believing God’s promises in His Holy Word for what cannot be seen.
By the way, you can not pick and chose the spiritual gifts you want to believe in.
They are all listed together.
You either have the faith they exist, or you don’t.
You cant look at a list of 10 spiritual gifts in a single passage and say, well I believe in the first and second, not the third, maybe the fourth…
They are all listed together. God said we have these through the Holy Spirit. Jesus said these things and greater you will do.
Remember, these are NOT our abilities, but God’s which come through the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit of God within us.
Who can remove the power of God from God?
Who can take away God’s abilities?
I know who wants to.
I know who wants you to believe that these gifts were for the first church only.
I know who wants you to believe that you have no power, no authority no help from God in this world.
Do you have more faith in Satan’s lies or God’s promises?
HEALING
1 Corinthians 12:27-31
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues[d]? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly desire[e] the greater gifts.
And now I will show you the most excellent way.”
If you are in the body of Christ, you have at least one spiritual gift.
But we don’t all have the same gifts.
What do you think would happen if someone did not have the gift of prophecy, and tried to prophecy?
What if someone did not have the gift to teach, and tried to teach?
What if they didn’t have the spiritual gift of healing and tried to heal?
People who try to act in gifts that God has not allowed them to have will fail.
And if enough people are failing at something around you, your faith may fail because we tend as humans to believe in what we see as opposed to what God says.
If I see someone who thinks they have the spiritual gift of prophecy, and tries to prophecy, and fails, does that mean the spiritual gift of prophecy does not exist?
Of course not!
So why do we such a hard time believing in healings and miracles?
Are we disciples?
Are we doers of His word?
About sin and sickness;
There are two categories of sin, original and personal.
Original refers to what we inherited from Adam.
Romans 5:12
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—“
Personal sin is daily disobedience that is spawned by our sinful nature.
Romans 3:23
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
Original sin is the root, and personal sin is the fruit.
Now original sin introduced sickness and death to the human race.
Sometimes there is a direct relationship between personal sin (the fruit of the original sin) and sickness.
Remember the story of David and Bathsheba?
David committed adultery and arranged for Bathsheba’s husband to be killed, then refused to acknowledge his sin.
Read psalm 32 to see how this was making David feel.
Psalm 32:3, 4
“When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer. “
Psalm 38:5-7
“My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.”
We see hear that David’s sin led to his sickness.
But other times there is no relationship between our sickness and personal sin.
Once the disciples and Jesus passed by a blind man and they asked Jesus;
John 9:1- 3
“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His 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, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”
Sometimes it is God’s will for a healing.
Some who claim that it is God’s will for EVERYONE to be healed is based on their belief in the last phrase of Isaiah 53:5.
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.”
However, the context of this verse refers to spiritual illness and healing, not physical.
The apostle Peter makes this clear in;
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.”
Also, Paul had the spiritual gift of healing, but not all he was with were healed.
Paul left Trophimus sick in Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20)
Paul’s friend Epaphroditus almost died while ministering to him. (Philippians 2:25-27)
Timothy, Paul’s Spiritual Son, had an ongoing stomach problem and “frequent ailments” (1 Timothy 5:23)
Paul even asked God three times to remove his own “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8)
But God simply replied, “My grace is sufficient for you”
In other words, “It’s not my will that you be healed.”
Facts for a biblical guideline on sickness and healing;
1. Dealing with personal weakness and afflictions
a. James 5:13 – “Is anyone among you suffering (LIT – in distress)? Let him pray”
2. Find relief from certain physical and mental illness
a. James 5:14 – “Is anyone among you sick (LIT – without strength)? Let him call on the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”
The sick HAS to take the initiative to make the illness known and call on the elders of the church.
The elders anoint with oil and pray.
Lastly, the results are left in the Lord’s hands.
Saying “in the name of the Lord” simply means God’s will for this situation.
The elders prayed for healing, yet they acknowledge God’s ultimate sovereignty over the situation.
That is the prayer of faith in James 5:15 for Restoration, Raising up and forgiveness.
And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
If you are looking for a miracle in your life, or a healing from distress, weakness, afflictions, physical or emotional or even mental illness, call on the elders.
