Divine healing is still a controversial subject. Some believe healing has passed away... others believe
God heals sometimes... some don’t know what to believe.
What does the Bible say? By turning to the Bible we can find out what God has to say on the subject.
This should be all that matters.
Here is what I find that it tells us:
I. HEALING IS THE NATURE OF GOD
Exodus 15:26
26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is
right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will
put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the
Lord who heals you.”
Exodus 23:25
25 “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your
water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.
A. God has revealed Himself to man in various ways but one means He used in the O.T.
was the use of Covenant names
1. Jehovah-Shammah (Present)
2. Shalom (Peace)
3. Ra-ah (Shepherd)
4. Jireh (Provider)
5. Nissi (Banner-Victory)
6. Tsidkenu (Righteousness) We like these six... no one would remove one...
7. Rapha (Healer) So why this one!
B. Over and over God revealed Himself as a Healer. O.T. examples:
1. Naaman
2. Hezekiah
3. David (Ps. 103:2-3)
II. HEALING IS THE WORK OF CHRIST
Isaiah 53:5
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
A. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus not only bore our sins at Calvary but also our sickness.
The same sacrifice that won our forgiveness also provides for our healing.
B. Matthew comments on these verse and verifies that healing is provided in the
atonement:
Matthew 8:14-18
14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick
with a fever. 15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and
served them.
16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.
And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses.”
C. 1 John 3:8 tells us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. He was the
will of God in action doing the works the Father said do. What characterized His
ministry most? Healing.
Matthew 4:23-24
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease
among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought
to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and
those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
D. Who could dispute that Jesus was a healer when He was on this earth? And He is the
same yesterday....
III. HEALING IS THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit to heal:
Acts 10:38
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who
went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God
was with Him.
B. Healing is one of the nine Gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:9).
IV. HEALING IS THE WORK OF THE CHURCH
A. The Acts of the Apostles is the record of the early church. As we read about this church
as it went forth in the power of the Holy Spirit, miracles and healings leap from the
pages.
1. Peter and John at the Gate Beautiful
2. Peter’s shadow
3. Philip and the Samaritan revival
4. Peter and Aeneas
5. Paul at Lystra
B. This church did exactly what Jesus (the Head of the Church) said to do:
Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out
demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if
they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on
the sick, and they will recover.” (Greater works)
C. Notice what James instructs the church to do:
James 5:14-15
14 Is anyone among you sick? 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. 15 And the prayer
of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed
sins, he will be forgiven.
D. Why we would have these instructions and promises if the church was not supposed to
believe that God would heal the sick?
V. HEALING IS IN THE WORD
Psalm 107:20
He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
Proverbs 4:20-22
My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
21Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
22For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
A. God has sent His Word to us for our healing.
B. We see that personified in Jesus (John 1:1).
C. We see it now in the written Word.
1. The Holy Spirit works with the Word to bring healing.
2. Through the Word we encounter the Living Lord.
3. It produces faith (Rom. 10:17) and that faith acts on what God has said.
VI. HEALING IS THE WILL OF GOD
A. Is Jesus willing to heal today? We know He is able but is He willing?
Matthew 8:1-3
1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2
And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing,
You can make me clean.”
3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be
cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
B. Remember it was a lack of faith that kept Him from healing:
Mark 6:5-6
5 Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few
sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He
went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
Conclusion:
We must decide for ourselves what we believe God’s plan is concerning healing. What do you believe
He is saying to us in His Word? We must put our faith in God through His Word and nothing else.
It’s not past experiences. It’s not what someone else has experienced. It is about faith and trust in
God’s Word.