Healing

HEALING Copyright 1985,1993,2001,2007 Crossroads Full Gospel International Ministries All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Short extracts may be used for review purposes. Except otherwise stated, Bible quotes come from the King James Version. 1611 Elizabethan English is updated in some cases to reflect present terminology, without changing the true meaning of the word. Extracts from “The Expositor's Study Bible” are identified as E.S.B. Copyright © 2005 Published by, and the sole property of, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, Baton Rouge, LA, and extracts from the Swaggart Bible Commentary series are identified as S.B.C. Copyright © World Evangelism Press® Extracts from the Amplified Bible are identified as Amp. Old Testament Copyright © 1962, 1964 by Zondervan Corporation. New Testament Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Extracts from the New International Version are identified as N.I.V. Copyright 1973,1978,1984 by The International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. Also used: The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (Wuest) translated by Kenneth S. Wuest. Copyright © 1961 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bracketed comments following some scriptures assist the reader in understanding the intended meaning of these verses We acknowledge the additional works of the various Scholars and Bible Commentaries used in conjunction with the College material. This is not to say that we agree with all their theology, but we certainly value their contribution to the Body of Christ. Published by: Crossroads Publications 10681 Princes Highway Warrnambool Victoria 3280 Australia CONTENTS HEALING.........................................................................................1 WHAT DOES THE OLD TESTAMENT SAY IN REGARD TO SICKNESS AND HEALING?......................................................1 WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT SAY IN REGARD TO HEALING?...................................................................................3 THE ORIGIN OF SICKNESS AND DISEASE............................5 HEALING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN.........................6 RECEIVING HEALING..............................................................8 THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS...............................................9 THE JOURNEY OF FAITH.......................................................11 THE HEALING PROCESS........................................................11 HEALING Have you ever been told by another Christian that sickness is God-given or God-ordained, and intended to be a means by which God refines our character or deepens our faith? This is certainly one view of sickness and disease - it is a tool used mysteriously by God for His own good purposes. “. . .Have you ever been told by another Christian that sickness is God-given or God-ordained, and intended to be a means by which God refines our character or deepens our faith?. . .” Well what does the Bible, God’s holy Word, say in regard to this subject? Only by examining the divinely inspired words of the Bible can we obtain a true and accurate picture of God’s will concerning sickness, disease, healing and health. Therefore: WHAT DOES THE OLD TESTAMENT SAY IN REGARD TO SICKNESS AND HEALING? Not long after the Israelite people left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, the Lord revealed Himself to them by His name “JehovahRapha,” translated into English as “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” EXODUS 15:26 And (the Lord) said, “If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, . . . I will put (allow) none of these diseases (to come) upon you, which I have brought (allowed to come) upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” 1 Thus the Lord identified Himself as the Healer of His people. Similarly, in Psalms and Proverbs, the Lord reveals His desire to heal: PSALM 103:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. PSALM 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: PSALM 103:3 Who forgives all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; PSALM 107:20 He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions (the grave). PROVERBS 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline your ear unto my sayings. PROVERBS 4:21 Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. PROVERBS 4:22 For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh. We can thus see that Old Testament scriptures do not paint a picture of God using sickness as a means of testing or refining His people. Indeed the people of God could look to the Lord for healing in Old Testament times, this being a part of the covenant or agreement that He had made with them. “. . .Indeed the people of God could look to the Lord for healing in Old Testament times, this being a part of the covenant or 2 agreement that He had made with them. . .” Furthermore we find in the book of Isaiah, written many hundreds of years before Jesus was born, that the promised Messiah would come to pay the price not only for our forgiveness, but for our healing and wholeness as well. ISAIAH 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. ISAIAH 53:5 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 (wounds) we are healed. These scriptures revealed that the Messiah would come to pay the price for our salvation, and that this salvation would include the healing of our bodies. So when Jesus bore the punishment or paid the price for our sins (and thus our redemption), He also bore the punishment or paid the price for our sicknesses (and thus our healing). The fulfillment of these promises in Isaiah would occur within the context of a new and greater blood covenant than that which was given in the Old Testament, one in which the blood of the Son of God was substituted for the blood of bulls and goats. WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT SAY IN REGARD TO HEALING? Background Reading: Matthew 8:1-17; Matthew 9:20-35 The gospels recount the story of Jesus’ earthly ministry, as He went about teaching and preaching, healing the sick, delivering 3 the oppressed and raising the dead. He announced the beginning of His ministry in a synagogue in Nazareth: LUKE 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, LUKE 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Jesus confirmed His identity to the disciples of John the Baptist in the following way: LUKE 7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, “Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard; how the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and to the poor the gospel is preached.” We see from these scriptures that preaching the gospel and healing the sick established the identity of Jesus as the One Who was to follow John (Luke 3:16), i.e. the Messiah. Indeed healing was one of the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry, for it was His great desire to heal (Matthew 8:2-3). And He did not choose that some would be healed and others would not, for He “healed all that were sick.” MATTHEW 8:16 When the evening was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick “. . .Indeed healing was one of the hallmarks of Jesus’ ministry, for it was His great desire to heal. . .” 4 The apostles followed on with Jesus’ teaching after His resurrection and ascension to heaven, and they too performed many mighty miracles and healings through the power of the Holy Spirit. ACTS 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the Temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. ACTS 3:2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the Temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms (to beg for charity) of them that entered into the Temple; ACTS 3:3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the Temple asked for alms. ACTS 3:4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, “Look on us.” ACTS 3:5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. ACTS 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” ACTS 3:7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. ACTS 3:8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the Temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. Note too that just as it was Jesus’ desire to heal when He walked the earth, so too it is Jesus’ desire to heal today. Hallelujah! Scripture assures us that: 5 HEBREWS 13:8 Jesus Christ (is) the same yesterday, today, and forever. Because God said: MALACHI 3:6 . . . I am the Lord, I change not . . . THE ORIGIN OF SICKNESS AND DISEASE We have seen that the Lord identified Himself as the Healer of His people in Old Testament times and that Jesus healed all who came to Him, denying none. “. . .The Lord identified Himself as the Healer of His people in Old Testament times and that Jesus healed all who came to Him, denying none. . .” What then does scripture have to say about the origin of sickness and disease? Jesus healed a woman who had been unable to stand upright for 18 years (Luke 13:11-13). When challenged by the Pharisees because He had healed on the Sabbath, Jesus said: LUKE 13:16 . . . ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? Clearly Jesus attributed the cause of her infirmity to Satan. Scripture confirms this truth in the book of Acts: ACTS 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him. 6 It is thus not God Who instigates sickness and oppression, for these are works of the enemy. Indeed the Lord would not have us to be sick but free from every form of physical and mental bondage so that we can serve Him fully, living in the victory He has already won for us: JOHN 10:10 The thief (Satan) comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Therefore we can know that sickness, disease and other forms of bondage are not tests and trials sent by God to increase our faith or purify our character. Physical and mental bondage are tools used by Satan to afflict man, being works of the enemy by which he would bind, dishearten and destroy humanity (1 Peter 5:8). This is born out by the fact that Jesus paid the price for our healing by the stripes (whipping) He endured prior to the crucifixion (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). If God was the cause of sickness, or used sickness and disease for His glory, it would not have been necessary for Jesus to pay this terrible price. “. . .Physical and mental bondage are tools used by Satan to afflict man, being works of the enemy by which he would bind, dishearten and destroy humanity. . .” Our spirit has already been healed legally and conditionally, but our soul and body are only legally (positionally) saved. For our soul to be saved conditionally, we need, by faith, to bring it into line with God’s Word in an experiential sense. If our body is sick, we need to know Jesus has provided us with the legal ground from which we are able to make proper demands on the promise that healing is already ours. The key is that we make proper demands on this promise. To do this will require the renewing of the mind. In 7 this process the Holy Spirit will bring us, as we seek truth in regard to healing, to a condition of faith. It is then the grace of the Holy Spirit at work within us which energizes our very nature to believe and then trust on Calvary’s finished work for our healing (3John 1:2). HEALING IN THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN Having established that it is the will of God for us to be well, how do we then proceed from this point? Firstly we need to establish the Word of God as our foundation, knowing it to be true and worthy of our total trust (2 Timothy 3:16-17). “. . .If our body is sick, we need to know Jesus has provided us with the legal ground from which we are able to make proper demands on the promise that healing is already ours. . .” God’s Word tells us that we will prosper and live in health as our soul prospers: 3JOHN 1:2 Beloved, I desire above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. To prosper in our souls we need to have our minds renewed by the Word of God. In this way our thinking will come to align itself with God’s thinking and God’s will for our lives - in this case being His desire for us to be well and live in divine health. ROMANS 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you 8 may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. We need to understand that the New Covenant, by which we are united with God through the blood of our Lord and Saviour, has given us a wonderful inheritance. Through this inheritance we can be delivered from the curse which Adam brought upon us when he sinned. We can therefore be separated from every bondage, as we obey God’s laws and walk after the leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1). “. . .Firstly we need to establish the Word of God as our foundation, knowing it to be true and worthy of our total trust. . .” This is good news, the good news of the gospel. The Apostle Paul wrote: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This scripture shows us that through the provisions of the New Covenant, we can be healed in every area of our lives. RECEIVING HEALING The Word of God tells us that “the just (the righteous in Christ) shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). Therefore just as we receive salvation by faith (by believing), we receive healing by faith. Now: ROMANS 10:17 . . . faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 9 ROMANS 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing (the message of God), and hearing by (the preaching and sharing of) the word of God. “. . .We need to understand that the New Covenant, by which we are united with God through the blood of our Lord and Saviour, has given us a wonderful inheritance. . .” The normal way we obtain Bible faith is through either hearing or reading the Word of God. As we have said, as we read the Word or hear the Word being preached or taught under the Anointing of God, we can come to a position of belief. In this way we give our minds, with the Spirit’s help, the opportunity to develop a two dimensional picture, or understanding, of one of the promises of God. This means that we can come to an intellectual understanding that a promise of God is true and available to us. As we meditate with proper focus upon this promise (or picture) and allow God to reveal the truth of this promise to our hearts, it then becomes three dimensional. This is how spiritual hope is developed within our hearts. Once this three dimensional picture is established, we are then in a position whereby trust can fill the mould so that we may obtain the promise - for faith comes from the union of belief and trust. We need to realize, therefore, that faith is a gift from God, gained as we cooperate with Him, and not a product of our own making - for as James 1:17 states, every good and perfect gift comes from God: JAMES 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift (including faith) is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 10 “. . .We need to realize, therefore, that faith is a gift from God, gained as we cooperate with Him, and not a product of our own making. . .” With the help of the Divine Nature we receive this deposit this gift of trust from God. Such holy trust can only be digested (absorbed) by the human nature as it enmeshes with the Divine Nature. To gain this trust is really to have the faith of God, but we must be readied to receive such a gift from Him. Only the enmeshing of the Divine Nature and the human nature at an experiential level can ready us for this. Once we receive this trust, we gain a four dimensional picture which shows the spiritual height, length, width and depth of the particular promise we are believing for. As we have learned, this union of belief and trust constitutes faith. The promise will then become a reality in our hearts, even before it is manifest in the physical. We will know it is ours as we believe, trust then act upon it. To birth the promise in the physical realm we must then activate our faith by acting upon it. This is necessary because “faith without works (action) is dead” (James 2:17-18). This may involve speaking into existence the four dimensional picture in our hearts. As Jesus said: MARK 11:23 “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Only when the finger of God writes on both the mind and heart of man can proper renewal take place, resulting in holy faith. This is a work of God’s grace. As man co-operates with God, belief and trust are deposited in man’s heart (Hebrews 10:16) - for proper renewal results in faith. 11 THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS If a Believer doesn’t understand the message of the Cross, the only other object for their faith can be their works. This is not the means by which faith is obtained. Bible faith can only come from God’s grace at work in us. The only legal means by which the power that produces belief and trust within the Saint’s heart can be obtained is when the graces and energies of the Divine Nature energize our human nature. This then is Resurrection power at work. Faith can only be obtained through the energizing of our human nature, for only when the Divine Nature enmeshes with our human nature can we really trust. Without the graces of the Divine Nature being absorbed by our human nature, we can believe to some extent, but not fully trust. Only when we have a proper focus, and the graces of the Divine Nature are absorbed by our human nature, can we come to a position of trusting in that which we believe. This is a work of grace from beginning to end, for it is the work of the Spirit within. “. . .Only when the finger of God writes on both the mind and heart of man can proper renewal take place, resulting in holy faith. . .” Faith in Calvary’s atoning work is needed daily if we are to have a victorious walk. Every promise comes via this work of the Saviour, and us having faith in it. We must abide in Christ experientially (John 15:5), which means we are not to trust in our own strength or willpower but rather His power given to us at the Cross. This power causes sin to be completely defeated, having no longer any rule over us. For this truth and legal position to be realized in the Saint’s life, they must have faith in Christ’s Atonement daily: 12 GALATIANS 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me. GALATIANS 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness came by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain. “I do not frustrate the grace of God” (Galatians 2:21) means that Paul does not nullify this grace. “. . .Faith in Calvary’s atoning work is needed daily if we are to have a victorious walk. . .” If we add to the message of the Cross by adding law (works) rather than faith in Christ’s finished work, then experientially we will frustrate God’s grace towards us. Summing it up quickly one could say: Religion says “I can do it.” Relationship says “Christ can do it through me as I believe, reckon and yield” (Romans 6:8-13). Then as with Paul the past is dead and the power of the Adamic nature is broken - all at the Cross. Amen. THE JOURNEY OF FAITH Faith takes us on a journey. Therefore it is not to be just a goal. Holy faith is built on truth, God’s truth and wisdom. The pathway to faith flows through truth and wisdom, but the pathway also brings us into deeper levels of relationship, therefore taking us on a journey beyond the specified goal of belief and trust. In the journey towards faith can come fellowship, an acute awareness of God’s presence and a Divine interaction whereby a two-way communication takes place. This will never happen, however, unless we allow God to help us take off the sandals of the 13 flesh - our thoughts, opinions, wants and desires. If we only seek faith in order to obtain power to do God’s work, we will miss the opportunity to build on our relationship with Him. How can we know Him unless we spend time with Him? Indeed we must be “God chasers” as well as seekers of truth. “. . .In the journey towards faith can come fellowship, an acute awareness of God’s presence and a Divine interaction whereby a two-way communication takes place. . .” In studying His Word the Lord will quite often bring to us a heightened awareness of His presence and power that then causes us to consider Him first in all things. With this will come a deepening of our love for Him that brings to us an awareness and appreciation of His love for us - and so a respect for every word that proceeds from His mouth. Whether a particular word was written thousands of years ago, or whether it was given to us personally moments ago by His Spirit, we cherish and appreciate His communication with us - for it is a living, vital connection with Him. THE HEALING PROCESS Healing may take place immediately or may occur over a period of time, for the Word states, “You shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover” (Mark 16:18). The prayer of healing may help speed up the body’s natural healing processes and also help kill or expel any foreign substance, e.g. a virus. So instead of it taking six weeks to recover from an illness, it may take, for example, two weeks or less, or healing may even occur immediately. Generally a sickness or disease comes upon a person gradually. It usually begins in one area, then seeks to spread itself throughout the body in a destructive manner, causing its victim pain and/or distress. Knowing this to be the case, it is quite understandable that healing 14 may sometimes occur in a similar way. For example, the healing process (God’s healing power) may begin working in a particular area and then move gradually throughout the body, displacing the sickness or disease with health and wholeness. Once the prayer for healing is prayed and believed upon, we must continue daily to take the spiritual medicine of God’s Word in a balanced way. We need to begin of course with our attitude towards man (having love, compassion and forgiveness) and God (having humility and reverence), and then to progress on to faith in our covenant in relation to healing. We need to swallow and digest each dose of scripture so that God can perform His work in us - little by little, until we actually digest it in our hearts. “. . .Once the prayer for healing is prayed and believed upon, we must continue daily to take the spiritual medicine of God’s Word in a balanced way. . .” So after prayer if there are no immediate or obvious results, continue to believe that the Lord is healing you, according to your faith in His Word. People who are having difficulty receiving may need to be prayed for by mature Christians who have the faith to pray. For God’s Word tells us: JAMES 5:14 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: JAMES 5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save (heal) the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Whatever your situation, hold fast to the Word of God, meditating on its promises concerning healing, and believing that the 15 Lord will make His Word fruitful in your life. Sometimes healing can be instantaneous, at other times it can come gradually. Some people may need to be prayed for more that once, and others may need to learn to relax as they are being prayed for, so that God’s healing power can do its work. Sometimes too, people find that visualizing the impaired part of their body being made well helps them focus their faith and this quickens the healing process. “. . .So after prayer if there are no immediate or obvious results, continue to believe that the Lord is healing you, according to your faith in His Word. . .” Always recognize that healing is a vital part of our inheritance, even if we need to claim it aggressively, rather than passively. This we do by standing firm on the truth of God’s Word and refusing to yield to symptoms, circumstances or fear. We are moving in the realm of faith as we claim our healing, and faith is believing what we cannot see - it is not becoming entangled by what is visible and able to be touched or felt. MARK 9:23 Jesus said unto him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.” To God be the glory and may you continue to grow in Christ. Amen. 16 REVIEW OF TEACHING BOOKLET Fill in the blanks. 1. In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to the ................................... by His name Jehovah-Rapha which means “I am the Lord ...................... ............................. ................. ”: Exodus 15:26. 2. In the books of Psalms and Proverbs, the Lord also identifies Himself as the ....................................... of His people. 3. We can conclude that .............................. was a part of the covenant God made with His people, and that He did not use .......................... as a means of refining or testing them. 4. The promises in Isaiah 53:4-5 were fulfilled when ...................... bore the punishment needed to pay the price for our ........................... and our ............................. and wholeness as well.. 5. Healing was one of the hallmarks of ......................... earthly ministry, for the preaching of the gospel and the healing of the ............................... established His identity as the .............................: Luke 7:22. 6. Jesus did not choose to heal one and not .................................., for He “healed ....................... ....................... ...................... ....................... ....:.....”: Matthew 8:16. (K.J.V., A.M.P.) 7. After Jesus’ resurrection, the apostles ........................... many, and performed many mighty ................................... through the power of the ....................... ............................. . 17 8. Scripture tells us that Jesus same, ...................................., and .....................................: Hebrews 13:8. Christ is the ........................... 9. Therefore Jesus desires to ....................... today, just as He desired to ............................. when He walked the earth. 10. Scripture tells us that the origin of ............................ and ........................... lies not with God but with ..............................: Luke 13:16, Acts 10:38. 11. Sickness and disease are thus not .............................. and ........................... sent by God, but tools used by man’s enemy to afflict and destroy .............................. . 12. Having established it is God’s ................... for us to be well, we need to study the ................. of ..................... to understand how we can walk in this blessing. 13. Firstly we need to prosper in our souls, which is to have our minds .............................. in the area of healing, so that our thinking will be aligned with ......................... way of thinking. 14. Through the provisions of the ............................................... ..................................., as we obey God’s ......................... and walk after the leading of the ................... ........................., we can be healed in every area of our lives. 15. As we receive salvation receive .............................by faith. by ..............................., we 16. We need .............................. knowledge of God’s Word concerning healing before we can pray and ask God to ....................... us: Mark 11:24. 18 17. In order to be healed, we may need to be prayed for by a ......................... Christian who has the necessary .........................: James 5:14-15. 18. Whatever your healing need, hold fast to the ..................... of God, meditating on the ......................... and believing that the Lord will make His Word .............................. in your life. 19. Healing is an important part of our ..............................., and it needs to be claimed ...................................... rather than passively. Therefore we do not go by what we can ..................., touch or feel, but by the eye of ............................. . 19 HEALING - Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Israelites / Hebrews, that healeth thee Healer healing, sickness Jesus, forgiveness / salvation, healing Jesus’, sick, Messiah another, all that were sick healed, miracles, Holy Spirit yesterday, today, forevermore heal, heal sickness, disease, Satan tests, trials, humanity will, Word, God renewed, God’s New Covenant, laws, Holy Spirit faith, healing heart, heal mature, faith Word, promises, fruitful inheritance, aggressively, see, faith For further information or teaching material to help you grow in the Christian faith, please visit: CROSSROADS INTERNATIONAL FULL GOSPEL MINISTRIES crossroadsministries.org.au 20 NOTES 21 NOTES 22