I hope that last week, through the Word of God, I was able to help you to begin to see, how the healing power of God is one of the benefits we have because we have received salvation. It is one of the major benefits of our salvation, because Jesus paid for it with his blood, just like he did to remove our sins. Many of the brothers and sisters have already realized this and have been able, because of their knowledge of this truth, to fight off sickness’ that would have incapacitated them from functioning with healthy bodies, and sound minds. Many have also used this knowledge to fight off disease (even life threatening disease).
What do I mean when I say because of their knowledge of this truth these brothers and sisters were able to conquer the sickness and disease that afflicted them? Is it not God who healed these people? I did not say that he did not. Our God is the Healer. He is the source of our health and healing. But if you would be careful to read the works of Jesus Christ, you will see that he could only heal those who believed, and that without doubting. That is how many of God’s people are able to conquer sickness and disease. Because they believe they can, through the Word of God, as it says in Mark: “Yeshua said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, HNV). God’s power is only released when people have faith to receive it. And to have faith, without any doubting, one has to have knowledge of what it is they are putting their faith in.
This benefit, or any provision from God for that matter, is not released because of how many tears we cry, or how heart felt our begging may be. If it was, everyone who has released a single tear would have received healing for their sick body right away. I mean, God is compassionate, isn’t he? That is the argument we usually use when we our down on our faces begging God to, show compassion…please God! How many times have you and me both cried and sobbed, begging God to release his healing power into our body, or we have interceded for a sick brother or sister with tears? Were they healed? Did we receive healing? What are the success rates? Not very high, are they. That is because this method, which I have just described, lacks faith. It lacks faith because it does not line up with the Word of God.
It is also important that I tell you where this power of God comes from, that heals our bodies, when they have been afflicted with sickness. Many already know, but those who do not, often think it comes down from Heaven. Have you ever heard a brother or sister when they are praying for a Believer who has terminal cancer, or even something less threatening, like a broken leg? I have, and they pray something like this: Oh God, we ask you to send your healing power down from your holy throne room into this sick body, we beg of you! If the truth be told, I personally have prayed like this. But of course it was because of my ignorance to the Word of God.
Yes healing power is released from the spiritual realm, but not for you and me (I mean those who are new creations). When the healing power of God, and all spiritual power for that matter, is released to supply the need for a Believer, it is released from within that persons own born-again spirit. Some might possibly say, well how do you know that? Every theological statement that I make, I always back up with the Word of God, and then, I back that up with more of the Word of God. If I say something that is of my own opinion, then I will say that it is only my opinion. If in my blog I do not give you Scripture and verse to back up a theological statement then check me on it. Right a comment and ask me to explain myself.
To back up my statement that the power of God is released from within our own born-again spirit, how about this statement by Paul: “Don't you know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16, HNV). Here is another: “But if the Spirit of him who raised up Yeshua from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Messiah Yeshua from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11, HNV). These statements, plus many more, say that God by his Spirit lives in his new creation, referring to you and me (If you are not a new creation, then email me, and I can explain to you how to become one of God’s new creations). If God’s Spirit lives in you and me, then where do you think the power of God is going to come from? From within our born-again spirit, where the Spirit of God dwells, that’s where. It’s only logical, Captain Kirk.
Last week I wrote that God has already made provision for our healing through the blood of Jesus Christ. A Christian can be free from sickness and disease, if they would only believe what Jesus Christ did for them (already I might add) at Calvary: “Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4, Young’s Literal Translation). If our Lord has already taken our choliy [sickness and disease], and carried our mak'ob [pain; mental and physical] (See last weeks blog), then why do we people of faith keep it and carry it ourselves? If the Lord Jesus Christ already did the work for us, then why are we not believing, and casting every ache, pain, virus, infection, physical infirmity, sickness and disease upon our healer? Like I said last week, it takes faith. Oh I know, we have been taught to trust in the Lord, while he is saying trust in what I say (meaning his Word). If we do not put faith in what God says (his Word), then it is impossible to put faith in the person of God (Now that is quite the statement, isn’t it?).
Where did the people whom the Lord healed (in the Gospels) get this knowledge that produced faith within them? Some would argue and say, they did not have the Gospels to read like we have, so where did they get this knowledge? They got their knowledge of this healer/miracle working man, through word of mouth. (If only our testimony of “He who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these will he do” (John 14:12, HNV) would be spreading about us. Although, I do say, it is about to happen if you believe the Word of God). Take the time to read when Jesus began his Galilean ministry, after he had just spent forty days and nights in the wilderness. The Lord was gathering to himself the twelve disciples, whom God had chosen to be the foundation of the Church (of coarse, we know the one disciple threw his calling away, because he had his own plans). Jesus, and a few of his disciples, came into Capernaum, and began to teach in one of the synagogues, when a man who was influenced by the demonic shouted at Jesus from deep within his throat (See Mark 1:23-24). Jesus took authority over this demon and cast him out of the man. This action amazed the people in the synagogue: “And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee” (Mark 1:28, KJV). The news about the works that Jesus performed was in the ears of all the people, which in some produced faith, in other produced envy and strife. Have you ever lived in a tight knit community and someone did something, whether good or bad, and have you noticed how quickly the news spread about that person? It spreads rather quickly, right? Well that is likely how fast the news spread about Jesus, and the mighty works he was performing.
The people of Israel, in the days of Christ’s earthly ministry, had knowledge of Christ’s mighty works and many put their faith in the person of Jesus, that he could heal them (they did not have the Word like we do, and we do not have the person of Christ in physical form as they had). That is why they received their healing, because they had faith in the person of Jesus, the man of mighty works and power. But they could not put their faith in him, before they had knowledge of Jesus, and the works that he could do. The people who did not believe the Lord, and the works he did, did not receive anything from him. Case and point, would be in Matthew chapter thirteen, where Jesus went to Nazareth (were he grew up) and instead of the hometown crowd embracing his teachings (which they knew were filled with wisdom), and the mighty works that flowed through him, they were offended at him (see Matthew 13:54-57). They could not receive from Christ because of their unbelief: “He didn't do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matthew 13:58, HNV). Jesus had the power to heal these people, but as said, they did not receive God’s power because of their doubting hearts.
Let me reveal to you some of the incidences where Christ healed the people, and what he had to say to them. But first, I want to show why our Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ, healed these people. It was to fulfill Scripture. One of the very same texts that we studied in my last blog was the Scripture that Jesus fulfilled, when he went around healing the people of sickness and disease. In the Gospel of Matthew it reads: “When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Yesha`yahu [Isaiah] the prophet, saying: “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases” Matthew 8:16-17, HNV). Did you see the Scripture? It was Isaiah 53:4, “Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering (pain)” (HNV).
The reason we see Jesus healing all these people in his earthly ministry, was to reveal to the people why he had come. Jesus had not only come so that the Father could lay all our iniquity upon Christ, because man had turned away from God and went his own way (see Isaiah 53:6), although this is the primary reason. But Christ also came to deliver us from the curse of the Law: “Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13, HNV). Associated with the curse is all the sickness and disease that we read in Deuteronomy 28: 21, 22, 27, 28, 59-61, 65. If that is not enough sickness and disease for you, notice what the Lord said in verse sixty one: “Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring on you, until you are destroyed” (Deuteronomy 28:61, HNV). Deuteronomy chapter twenty eight, verse sixty one, covers every sickness and disease that is known to man.
Jesus redeemed us from the curse by taking it upon himself; therefore we who have received Christ’s work do not have to suffer with it ever and forever. I know, I know. Some are so confused right now wondering why you have been afflicted with the sickness and disease you have right now (even that back and shoulder affliction, which no doctor can seem to cure for you). There is a list of reasons why you have been afflicted, which God willing, I will discuss with you another time. But the major reason why you suffer from it is because you do not have the knowledge, through the Word of God, to activate faith within you to be free of it. You have gone up for prayer in your church time and time again. Is there any change? Now don’t despise me because I am only being honest with you! I said to you in my last blog that I was likely to tick you off, because I am a stickler for the truth of the Word.
The Good News to you is that by the Word of God you can get this knowledge to produce the faith you need to be free. It is the Word of God only that will produce this faith as it says in Romans: “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17, HNV). You cannot learn to trust and believe God by what you have experienced in life. Remember what I said last week, that our experience (or even the experience of others) can sometimes masquerade as a lie from the devil, to throw us off from experiencing the truth. We need a solid foundation of believe, which is, what God says in his Word. Many Christians are always looking to get a word from God. Sad thing is they never think to look into their Bible, because they say to themselves and others, I am a Spirit led person. Okay, I am going to be candid with you. Are you ready? Some of these brothers and sisters might be spirit led, but not by the Holy Spirit. Some are yelling within themselves saying, how can you say this Robin? I can say this because, most who live this way, speak words that do not line up with what our Father has said in the Bible. If a person is led by the Holy Spirit, they will say things that God says, and not things that are contrary to the Word of God (I mean on a consistent basis).
Now, I will show you a few of the incidences Jesus encountered, and what he said was the reason that they received the healing power of God.
The Gospels record both in Matthew and Luke about the Roman centurion stationed in Capernaum, and who was friends with the Jews. Now do not worry about the discrepancy you see in the two recorded accounts, where one records the centurion sending some representatives to inquire healing for his servant; and the other account records that the man himself came to ask Jesus for healing for his servant. Some might think this is a contradiction of Scripture. I would say, that this only proofs how credible the Word of God is, in that, we are seeing an incident recorded from two different perspectives (Do not forget, we have four different perspectives that record the truth of Christ’s earthly ministry).
The one Gospel writer records the centurion making the request in person, while the other Gospel writer records the centurion sending his representatives. The one Gospel writer has drawn his account from credible eyewitnesses who transferred the accounts of the event to him, since he was not there in person (Luke). The other records his account from being an actual eyewitness in person (Matthew). Although there may be a variation in whom it was actually doing the talking to Jesus, does not take away from the truth of the actual event of Jesus healing the centurions servant. It also does not take away from the truth, of who it was actually making the request for healing, because when a man of authority (as the centurion was: See Matthew 8:9) sends his representatives to negotiate an inquiry, it is just like he himself is there, and has made the request himself. It is like when President Barack Obama, sends one of his representatives to speak to the representative of another country. The representative, that the President sent, is sent to speak on behalf of the President himself (and the USA). So as time goes on when the media recalls the meeting between the two representatives, the media will sometimes report that the President’s Office said, this and that in the meeting, even though he was not there in person. It is just understood that the representative spoke on behalf of the President. I had to say all this so you may see, how honest and true, God’s Word has been originally recorded for us.
Okay then: When we read that the Lord agreed to heal the centurion’s servant, and the man said “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8, HNV), Jesus makes a comment pertaining to the mans faith and says: “Most assuredly I tell you, I haven't found so great a faith, not even in Yisra'el [Israel]” (Matthew 8:10, HNV). But, I want you to notice the statement Jesus makes to the man in verse thirteen: “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed” (Matthew 8:13, HNV). Do you see that? He said to the centurion that, as he believed, it would be done for him. It is all about what we believe my brothers and sisters. If we want it done for us, we must believe, what God has said.
There are so many verses of Scripture that I can give you, where God is telling us, that it is all about what we believe. But, it is not my intention to write a book to you today, so I will give you only one more incident to reveal to you what Jesus said was the reason the people received his power to be healed.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read about two blind men who received their eyesight. I would like you to notice what Jesus said to them was the real reason they received their healing. Keep in mind, that Jesus was healing the people to fulfill Scripture. First: Jesus said to the two men: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28, HNV). They replied and told Jesus, with certainty that they believed. Now I want you to notice what the Lord’s response to the two men was while he laid his hands on their eyes: “According to your faith be it done to you” (Matthew 9:29, HNV). Do you see it? Sure you do! It was their faith! Because they believed that Jesus was able to heal them, it was done for them. Again, it is all about faith in what God has said in his Word.
“When evening came, they brought to him many possessed with demons. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Yesha`yahu [Isaiah] the prophet, saying: “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases” (Matthew 8:16-17, HNV).
Do you think it is any different for us today? If these people were healed only because of their faith, than why do we think it is different for us? The Scripture says that the healing power of God is one of the benefits of our salvation: “Praise the LORD, my soul, And don't forget all his benefits; Who forgives all your sins; Who heals all your diseases” (Psalms 103:2-3, HNV). If God does not heal your diseases, then neither does he forgive you of all your sins. It is clear in the Word, after we have had proper teaching, that Jesus took our sickness and carried our pain: “Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:3, Young’s Literal Translation). The Apostle Peter reminds us what Christ did for us on the Cross: “Who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24, HNV).
God has already healed us of all sickness and disease. I cannot emphasize it enough. According to Scripture, the Christian is already healed of sickness and disease, because Jesus already took it for us. So if you have been afflicted, cast it upon him, by faith. It does not matter what the doctor has said, or how your body is feeling. If the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Peter, said we were healed, then whom do we believe? The doctor’s report or the symptoms that is associated with the lie? I am not telling you to go and let yourself die, if you do not have the faith to believe God’s Word. Then do as the doctor tells you. But our responsibility is to believe what the Bible says, without doubting. Anything short of this is a lack of faith in what God has said in his Word.
“My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, And health to their whole body” (Proverbs 4:20-22, HNV).
