i) JN 15:5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (It’s all about Jesus! He is absolutely awesome!!!)
What does God’s word clearly say all by itself when listening with simple, childlike faith (not as a complex adult)?
1) We know that Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross. He also paid for our sicknesses and our infirmities.If Jesus paid for our healing as He did for our sin, He wants us to attain what He purchased.
ISA 53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows.
MT 8:16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
EX 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."
EX 23:25Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.
PS 103:3who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases
2) An inferior covenant (the old covenant) does not yield greater benefits!!! (2 Cor 3:7-11)
3) If the Lord did not heal today, it would be a violation of Who He is (His nature). Ex 15:26
4) If you pray you won't sin and you sin, was it God's will? If you pray someone will be saved and it doesn't happen, was it God's will? If you pray for healing and the person is not healed, was it God's will?
Does God want us to sin? Do we sin? Does God want people to go to hell? Do some? Does God want sick people to stay sick? Do some? Is it God's fault when undesirable things happen?
Should we have low goals that include sin, being OK with people headed to hell, and accepting sickness as part of life? Or should we have high goals like avoiding sin, praying and acting so none are eternally lost, living and loving like Jesus, and praying and pursuing healing in every situation we encounter?
5) Jesus is perfect theology. If we look at Him, we see the Father and we see the Father's will. When did Jesus ever say that the Father gave someone a sickness in order to produce good fruit?How many timesdo we see in the Gospel that somebody came to Jesus seeking healing and He turned him / her away?
JN 14:7 If you really knew me, you would known my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."14:8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 14:9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
*SEEATTACHED HEALING VERSES!!!
6)Jesus destroyed the devil’s work and healed all under the devil’s power (why would we accept / want what Jesus rejected?)
1JN 3:8bThe reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.
AC 10:38 How God anointed 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.
7)Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There's no sickness in heaven!
MT 6:10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
8) Are John 14:12 and Mark 16:18 true?
JN 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 things than these, because I am going to the Father.
MK 16:18 … they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.
9) The 12; the 72 (Jesus gives power and authority to His disciples.)
LK 9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. … 6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
LK 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. … 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, `The kingdom of God is near you.' (and see Ac 10:34, Ro 2:11, Eph 6:9, & Heb 13:8)
10) Jesus is absolutely awesome and our Father is 100% good.(Good parents desire / do good, not bad.)
MK 10:18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.
11A) God’s will does not always happen (salvation, forgiveness, fulfilling calling, joy, be holy, …)
1 Ti 2:4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
2 Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient
with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
11B) Many things that happen are not God's will. For example, the fact that there are resurrections from the dead in the Bible proves that some people die outside of the will of God.
Mt 9:24-25, Mk 5:39, 41-42, Lu 7:22, 8:49-55, Jn 11:14-44
Lu 7:15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
12) Some infirmities may have a completely or mostly physical root, but there can be many possibleblockages to healing. Apparently sin is often an open door.
Mt 18:34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
Lu 13:11And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. (NKJV)
13) Too many people place much faith in a doctor's words. The spiritual dimension is greater and trumps the natural dimension! We need to place greater faith in God and in His word.
2 Cor 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
14) One’s experience (or lack thereof) does not change God's word.Instead of bringing scripture down toour level of experience, we need to bring our level of experience up to the level in God’s word.
ISA 55:11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
MT 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Mk 13:31, Lu 21:33)
15) Some have seen Jesus miraculously heal many people.
JN 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 things than these, because I am going to the Father.
16) Passive Christianity is not the answer.Desperate people got Jesus’ attention.
MT 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
MT 9:20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." MT 9:22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. (Mk 5:25-29, Lu 8:43-48)
MT 9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" MT 9:28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. MT 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30 and their sight was restored.
MT 20:30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" MT 20:31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" MT 20:32 Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. MT 20:33 "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." MT 20:34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
MK 10:46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" MK 10:48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" MK 10:49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. MK 10:51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." MK 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Lu 18:35-43; Mt 11:12the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.
17) Resist the enemy, sin, temptation, & sickness; all by His grace / mercy, His power is available; Jesus wants to give abundant, overcoming / victorious life
JAS 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1PE 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Dt 28:1-14; Lev 26:1-13; 1 John 3:8c, Acts 10:38b
JN 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
18) While many may be waiting for God to come and fix our situations, the Lord may be waiting for us to use what He's given us access to.Scriptures are clear that He has given us His authority (Luke 9:1, 10:9above) and we need to use it.
MT 10:1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out eviln spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
MT 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inn the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Exodus 14:15,16Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground."
19) If someone asked his boss to do his job for him, what might the boss say? Perhaps the boss might say that it is the worker's job, not the boss's job. What might the Lord say if we ask Him to do what He has told us to do (in faith, with Him and in dependence upon Him)?
MT 10:8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
LK 9:2 He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
LK 10:9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
20) If don’t pray, no miracles; Pray for more people, see more miracles
MT 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you
JN 16:24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
JS 4:2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
21) The Lord created man to be co-laborers, to be His ambassadors / representatives, to do and live likeJesus. It's all about Jesus and He wants us to do what He did with the power He's made available to us.
MT 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
2 COR 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
GAL 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
EPH 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
PHIL 2:13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
PHIL 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
MT 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,n drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
JN 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 things than these, because I am going to the Father.
JN 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
22) Sickness is a curse (Dt 28:21, 22, 27, 28, 35, 59-61, Lev 26:16, 25) and health is a blessing (Ex 15:26, 3 Jn :2, Dt 28:4)
23) If we allow / accept something outside of the Lord’s will into our lives, it could cause us problems
NU 33:55 " `But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.
24) The Lord may allow ‘enemies’ near us to teach us how to fight
JDG 3:1 These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience)
PS 144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
25) If a thief knocks on your door or tries to enter your home, do you just let him in? Do you call the police? Is it God’s will for a thief to come in and steal what is yours?
26) “Sozo” (Greek) ≈ save, heal, make whole or deliver; “who wants all men to be sozo” 1 Tim. 2:4
27) Even in his hometown, Jesus wanted to heal (Mk 6:5; keep in mind too that unbelief is not the Lord’s will but faith is)
28) Job appears to be an interesting case although a purpose of the O.T. is to show the need for a savior. Also, since he did not live under the new covenant, he did not have authority over demons and sickness that Jesus obtained at the cross. Nonetheless, Job was healed / restored. [Job 42:16, 17]
29) There is no indication Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:7) was sickness. It was a masculine (Greek word) messenger of satan, presumably human (or perhaps spiritual). In the O.T. when “thorns” do not refer to actual thorns they typically refer to people (for example, see Num 33:55, Josh 23:13, Jdg 2:3, Ez 2:6, 28:24). For example, O.T. prophets and Jesus had some difficult thorns who were people. Also, until we receive revelation of the same level as Paul, we do not need a thorn in the flesh.
“And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.” Ezekiel 2:6
30) Why isn’t everyone healed? Good question. Some scriptural explanations include: unbelief of person praying (Mt 17:16, 17, Mk 9:18, 19, Lu 9:40, 41) or person needing a miracle (Mt 13:58, Mk 6:5, 6), (unconfessed) sin (Ps 103:3, 38:3, Js 5:15, 16), (not adequately dealing with) demons (Mt 12:22, 17:18, Lu 9:42, 13:11-14), perhaps unforgiveness (Mt 18:34, 35), possibly not seeing / hearing what the Father is doing / saying (Jn 5:19, 10:37, 38, 12:49, 50, 14:10, 11), grumbling (Nu 14:27-29, 16:41-48, 1 Cor 10:10), complaining (Nu 11:1), wrongly speaking against spiritual leaders (Nu 12:8-10, 13), possibly generational issues (Ex 20:5, 34:7, Nu 14:18, Dt 5:9), not recognizing the (Lord’s) body (1 Cor 11:29-30), not asking (Js 4:2d), lack of knowledge (Hos 4:6), hope deferred (Pr 13:12). But in such cases, these sins / blockages are NOT the will of God.
31) Why do we believe that God wants to forgive “all” our sins but many do not believe that He wants to heal “all” our diseases, even though it is much more frequently stated in the Bible that Jesus or His disciple(s) healed “all” of the sick?