HEALING

Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear Isaiah 58;8  

 But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness will rise up with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stalls Malachi 4;2

He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing Luke 9;11 

 And God annointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil because God was with Him Acts 10;38 

 Who forgives all your sin and heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:3  

  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 all the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you. Exodus 15:26  

 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. Numbers 21:9 

 See now that I Myself am He! There is no God besides Me. I put to death and I bring to life. I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand. Deuteronomy 32:39 

 Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, This is what the Lord  the God of your father David says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. 2 Kings 20:5 

 If My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 

And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 2 Chronicles 30:20 

 For He wounds but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal. Job 5:18

  O Lord my God I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2 

 He sent forth His word and healed them, He rescued them from the grave. Psalm 107:20 

He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 

The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague, He will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and He will respond to their pleas and heal them. Isaiah 19:22 

 But He was pierced for my transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

I have seen his ways but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him. Isaiah 57:18 

   Heal me O Lord and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. Jeremiah 7:14 

  Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal My people and let them enjoy abundant peace and security. Jeremiah 33:6  

  Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 

 Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. Hosea 6:1 

  And Jesus said to the centurion. Go thy way, and as thou has believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. Matthew 8:13 

 But Jesus turned him about, and when He saw her He said. Daughter be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. Matthew 9:22 

 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Matthew 15:28 

 And He said unto her. Daughter thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be whole of thy plague. Mark 5:34 

 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him; for there went virtue out of Him, and He healed them all. Luke 6:19 

 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them. The kingdom of God has come near unto thee. Luke 10:9 

 Then Peter said, Silver and gold I do not have; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. Acts 3:6 

 Be it known unto you all, and unto all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. Acts 4:10 

 By stretching forth thine hand to heal: and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus . Acts 4:30 

 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame were healed. Acts 8:7 

 How  God annointed 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 Acts 10:38 

 Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness. By whose stripes you are healed. 1 Peter 2:24 

 They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not harm them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. Mark 16:18 

  And you shall serve the Lord our God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water, and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. Exodus 23:25

Worship the Lord your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away siickness from among you. Exodus 23:25

HEALING: HOPE FOR BOTH WORLDS

Thomas J. Grace

Certainly the very most public work in the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ while He was on this Earth was healing, while there were other miracles such as walking on the water, large catches of fish, and the transfiguration, these were seen by His small group of apostles. People came to Him from all over the country and brought their sick friends and relatives to be healed. These were the stories that were told over and over and the healed people became great testifiers of the power of God in Jesus life and ministry. In His home town of  Nazareth at the synagogue He read from the book of Isaiah 61 to proclaim who He was and what He is about to do Luke 4:18,19 The Spirit of the Lord is on Me because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lords favor. In His first public declaration  He chooses a scripture that includes healing and speaks to those suffering that God chooses to give recovery to.          

     Jesus healing did prove His deity Colosians 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. While healing proved Christ authority it showed man something each one of us needs today the true love and compassion of our Savior and our heavenly Father.  Christ love was seen by all some with faith in God , others whom Jesus had compassion on, and even a few desperate foriegners that reached out to Him.                    

       As we study John 9 we read about the man born blind that Jesus heals Christ declares 9:3 But this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. With no words recorded between Jesus and this man Jesus puts mud on his eyes and tells him to go wash them in the pool of Siloam, he was to follow directions, while still blind and with mud on his eyes he must find this water only, to obey Christ and be healed. He will not see Christ again until he has gone through several trials of his new young faith. Twice he will be brought before the Pharisees council to be questioned by them about how he was healed and who Christ was. Will we have the same courage as this man when we are brought before councils to testify what Christ has done for us, or will we be like his parents who do not answer, or even worse to deny our Savior. Luke 21:12,13 But before this they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and govenors, and all on account of My name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. No less serious was this mans eternal fate during this time and testimony about his new found Savior. During the first hearing the Pharisees asked the man what do you say of Him? He replied He is a prophet. The very same words the Samaritian woman used as she spoke to Jesus John 4:19 Sir I can see that you are a prophet. She did not recieve a miracle as the blind man had but we see Christ being revealed slowly to both people. His parents called next did refuse to answer but we see the Pharisees already worried about this person Jesus warning that if you confess Jesus was the Christ you would be thrown out of the synagogue. At this time such action would cause you to be put out of society, you would loose business and become a outcast, similar to last days threats. At the second hearing the Pharisees said John 9:24 Give glory to God, We know this man is a sinner. Completely right and completely wrong in one sentence to call Christ a sinner. This man is brave as he answers them :31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, He listens to the Godly man that does His will. They insulted him called him a sinner and threw him out, they were willing to look at the evidence of a healing so great :32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. They could deny the power of God just as so many do today.                        Jesus heard of his testimony and returned tp speak to him and said Do you believe in the Son of Man? You have seen Him; infact, He is the one speaking to you. :38 Then the man said Lord I believe, and he worshiped Him. What a great reward to stand there and worship the Living God his testimony was one of few actions to defend Christ that touched Him so deeply. 

      This man was healed when he only believed Jesus was a prophet, now he has his eyes opened to see and his spiritual eyes and heart opened to believe that Jesus is his Savior. Before any of the apostles this man born blind is able to wordhip Jesus and know He is God. Will our words encourage Christ to come to us when we are asked about Him by friends, family ,or strangers now or in the last days. Or will we be like his parents who loved the position in the world more than God. Was this man at the cross or with the 120 on the day of Pentecost we are not told but I believe he was.                   

       We see another healing of a woman with a issue of blood for twelve years Luke 8:43-48 She came up behind Him and touched His cloak and immediately she was healed.  She must have thought Jesus did not see her did not know what her problem was as so many times we think God does not know our problem or sin. But with faith she believed and took the action to touch Christ, she must have prayed many times at home, at the synagogue but was not healed for 12 years until she made contact with the Savior. Jesus spoke to her He said Daughter your faith has healed you. Go in peace. Just as He said to the woman who washed His feet with her tears Luke 7:50 Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Many people have faith very few will take such actions, to reach out to touch Christ for our healing.                                                                       

       All the miracles that God has done since creation until the resurrection of Christ were to lead us to one time in our lives when we will accept His Son as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior. But what about today has God given us all these wonderful stories during the first four thousand years and now left us powerless since the death of Christ. Christ promised John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater works because I go to the Father. The greatest work is salvation and only Christ can accomplish that, so what are the greater works going to church, reading the Bible, no this is what we do before the greater works. Now more than any other generation we need the evidence of all of Gods power and mercy we must believe in the healing and miracles for our lives. We must have the certain assurance these gifts provide to reach the last lost generation before the return of Christ. God in His desire 2 Peter 3:9 that none should perish but all come to everlasting life will bring about all the necessary gifts to convince a lost people to repent and be saved. Luke 3:6 And all mankind will see Gods salvation.                                                                

      What are we to believe for our future 1 Corinthians 15:53 In a flash in a twinkling of a eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. Are we to believe God can create new bodies that will last forever in a place where all our needs are satisfied. Jesus told the crowd John 4:48 Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will not believe. How much more true is that today are we to evangelize the world without a demonstration of Gods power and love for people, If Christ who performed more miracles and healings than anyone and yet many did not believe, could we be able lead people to Christ. Jesus did not come to remind us of all God had done in the past He came to demonstrate the great power of God for all time.   When Jesus sent out the twelve apostles to be on there own for the first time He told them Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers,raise the dead, cast out devils; freely you have received ,freely give . Only Elijah was able to pass on his  ministry and power of God to Elisha and then only after his own life on earth ended as he was taken alive to be with God. Jesus later sent out the seventy two disciples Luke 10:9 And heal the sick that  and say unto them, The kingdom of God has come near unto you. They did not leave to tell how Jesus was healing others they went to demonstrate Gods power to heal just as Christ had done. Jesus did not send them out powerless he did not claim healing power for Himself alone even while He was alive He saw His Fathers power at work in others that assured Him that His work would continue after His own death. It is the desire of our Lord Jesus Christ that His ministry of healing the suffering continue until His return.

     Healing like forgiveness of sins is a permanent gift that Christ himself suffered and died for on the cross.  For fifty days after the death of Christ the apostles do no service or ministry, even during the visits by Jesus resurrected from the dead He does not give them any instructions. Christ back from the dead should have been a strong witness and testimony as to His true ministry and His own power and relationship with His Father but He choose not to reveal Himself  or perform healings and miracles at this time.Before He ascends to heaven to leave this world and be forever with His Father Jesus gives these instructions Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem,and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the Earth. As they waited and prayed for ten more days one hundred and twenty people did receive the Holy Spirit power Jesus had promised Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. This ended the fifty day drought and began the greatest revival that has not ceased and has gone on without interuption and will continue and become greater in power and more frequent by more people in every nation on earth. As the day of Christ return draws near the work of the Holy Spirit will testify of Christ as Savior and coming King with the evidence of all the gifts of the Spirit for the great harvest of the earth and the return of Christ and our final reward everlasting life with Him.                                                         

      What of the future, hope  this is most needed in the hardest of times how can we deny Gods gifts and power and ask people to remain faithful to a plan for a great future when there  is no hope for today. The apostle Paul writes  Hebrewa 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. James tells us James 5:14 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. 1Corinthians 12: 9 to another faith by the same spirit, to another gifts by the same spirit. Here elders are not mentioned as in James but these are people with a special gift to pray for the sick and those people who require healing. Just as the woman who touched the hem of Christ clothing and was healed for twelve years she spent all that she had on doctors and was not helped. She was not critized for seeking medical help  that may have kept her alive until she met Christ she may have also sought prayer from the pharisees and others for her cure. We are also to seek medical and prayer help for our own health about the man born blind Jesus disciple asked Rabbi who sinned this man or his parents that he was born blind? Jesus replied John 9:3 Neither this man or his parents sinned, said Jesus But this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. What was that work was it that Jesus could heal a man born blind which had never been done, or the work that the blind man did at the synagogue when he testified about his healing. Jesus returned to him not to examine his eyes but to see the man that called Him a prophet and said this man must have come from God. Will we give the glory to God or doctors and medicine when God heals us. Will we tell our friends ,neighbors, and family what Christ has done. Does Christ hear you tell others about your salvation and other ways He has already helped you. Let others know what God has done for you and them and suddenly more prayers will be answered, unless you want a silent God dont be silent yourself.  James the brother of Jesus told us James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.              

     Healing today some will say the power of God doesnot exist and the gifts of the spirit are no longer available for ministry. If this was true and these miracles only existed for the early church and the apostles I must believe that Christ would have said so Himself and I do not see any such statement in any scripture. I do not think God would allow us to be misled and pray for events that will not take place, I have never read any misleading scriptures and do believe the entire Bible as it was written in the day and in our lifetime. Paul writes in the book of Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

     There are many such statements to assure us that the Power of Christ will remain with us until His return, and we are to use these gifts for ourselves and to reach and save the lost. Some think there was no conclusive statement to cease these gifts because it would be left to the future scholars to teach the new church properly. Well there were scholars in Christ time also they were called Pharisees Jesus did not leave His teaching in there care and may well feel the same way about the great scholars of our time. Jesus Himself  said speaking to His own Father Matthew 11:25 I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to the little children. Yes Father for this was your good pleasure.The entire Bible tells of healings and miracles over four thousand years why now when this Bible is read  now by billions of people more than in any other generation would God allow His own words to be put in doubt at a time when we are able to reach and save millions before the great return of Christ.              

      Pray for your healing ,pray for others who are suffering you can trust our Lord Jesus Christ His words are eternal and will not be changed by the decree of man or satan. Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And as Abraham believed God so must we Romans 4:20,21 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. Does God ask us to have such faith and trust in Him for our daily lives when we are sick and with other needs only to have us hear no that does not happen any more. No God wants from us the same faith and belief that Abraham had and He will reward us in the very same way. Jesus told us Matthew 17:20 Because you have so little faith,, I tell you the truth, if you have little 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. Abraham and so many more that trusted God did not get a better deal than God has to offer us today. God has made a covenant with man not just a few people or for certain times but for all who would believe and call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ now is the time for you to ask Jesus to come into your life, cleanse you from your past sins, and become your Savior. Know Christ as the Son of God, your Savior,your healer and the only one who can bring you eternal life with His Father forever in heaven. Only Christ can heal you on earth and bring you to a place of perfect health and no suffering Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eves. There will be no more death no mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Come to Christ now begin to trust Him for our life here and the greater world to come will be here soon.

CHRIST LOVES YOU. AMEN. COME LORD JESUS