Sunday, October 10, 2010

Doctrine of Healing

Doctrine of Healing

Sin gave birth to sickness in the beginning. It was after satan deceived Eve in eating the forbidden fruit that sin and sickness entered in this world. Genesis 3:1-19 There was no sickness because their was no sin. When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit that God had warned them about they died spiritually. Thank God that He had a back up plan that was better than the original plan. He sent Jesus Christ to give us back what the devil took.

Salvation does not only include deliverance from sin, but also sickness. This is what is clearly shown in scriptures.

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 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 we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4,5

The word tells us that Jesus bore our “griefs” and carried our “sorrows”. The word griefs in Hebrew means Kholee, which means sicknesses in english. The word sorrows is translated from the Hebrew word makob, which means pains.

So this verse could be quoted as saying, “Surely he (Jesus) hath carried our sicknesses and carried our pain.” The word for sickness, chalah means to be weak, afflicted or sick.

1 Peter 2:24 confirms the above with, “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 ye were healed.”

You can see here that Peter says that Christ bore or carried our sins, and that by His stripes we were healed. Past tense is used here. Isaiah says we are healed, Peter says we were healed. Two thousand years ago Christ took, or carried your sicknesses on his body, that you and I could be healed. There are those that try and teach that the healing spoken of in Isaiah and Peter is spiritual, not physical. Someone must have forgotten to mention that fact to Matthew, because he said in chapter eight verses sixteen and seventeen that, “When the even 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: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

Matthew tells us that Jesus healed them all that it might be fulfilled by Esaias the prophet. The reason Jesus healed them all is because healing is in the atonement. Healing was available in the atonement in the old testiment, why would it not be in the new? The old testiment was a shadow of things to come. There are many times in the old testiment that an atonement was made for some one that was sick. Look at Psalms 105:37 "He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes" Moses made an atonement for the people of Israel when they sinned against the Lord. “Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started." So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. Num. 16:46-48

Another time Moses had to offer an atonement when the people sinned and brought God’s judgment upon them and poisonous snakes came and began biting the people. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” Numbers 21:8-9 Now the word tells us that just, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:14,15

Moses even made atonement for leper’s for them to be healed physically. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest:

And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and, behold, if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper; Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:… And the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed from his uncleanness; and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar: and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and he shall be clean Lev 14:1-4, 19-20

Now are we to believe that the old covenant is better than the new? To say that healing has past away is to say that the old covenant was better than the new. But this is not true for the word tells us that “God sent his Word and healed us.”

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” Psalms 107:20

We are not to forget any of his benefits. He heals us of all our diseases and forgives all sin. “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;” Psalms 103:1-4 The word tells us that God never changes. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Heb. 13:8 That means if he healed in the old testiment, he heals in the new. If he healed in the gospels and the book of Acts, he still heals today. When we take communion, we partake of the bread and wine. We take the bread in remembrence, of Jesus broken body, when he was whipped at the wipping post. “By his stripes, ye were healed.” “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” 1 Cor. 11:24 We partake of the wine in rememberance of the blood that was shed for us at the cross. “In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 1 Cor. 11:25

Many people have received their healing just by taking communion. Communion is remembering a covenent that was made between God and his son for our redemption.

Jesus healed them all

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.” Matt.4:23-24 This verse shows very cleary that Jesus healed all the people that were brought to him. So we can see his compassion here. He loves people so much that he wants to set them free. What father would want to see his son injered or deformed? Yet many teachers are teaching that God wants some of us to be sick and in pain. This is not the Jesus shown in these verses, as you will see he heals all. Where faith is in operation, God can do mighty works. Jesus healed everyone that ever came to him in faith.

“But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;” Matt.12:15 You will never find in scripture anyplace where Jesus told someone, “ it is my will for you to be sick”. No in each and every case Jesus healed all that came to him in faith.

“And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.” Luke 9:11

Do you have need of healing? Jesus can and will heal all that have need of healing. The only thing missing in this generation to receive is expectancy. “Only believe and you shall see the Glory of God.”

“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” Matt. 9:35 Here Jesus heals every, not just a few, but every kind of sickness.
There is no sickness that Jesus has not taken care of. In fact it does not even matter if your sickness is due to an accident. Your answer is older than your problem. Two thousand years ago God healed you through Jesus stripes. If Jesus took care of your sickness that long ago, then your answer is also greater than your problem.

“And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.” Matt. 15:30,31 Those that are maimed are those that are missing limbs. Jesus will even restore limbs that don’t exist. Why? Because he is the master of matter. He speaks things that are not as though they were. He speaks to the invisible and they become visible. Everything starts out in the spirit realm first, then it grows into the physical as a manifestation.

If God did not want you well, why would you go to a hospital? You would be rebelling against God's perfect will for you, if he wanted you sick. When a doctor says you have cancer do you rest in the sweet will of God? No! You do everything you can to get out of this “will of God” for your life. If we really believed that God gets glory out of us being sick why don’t we just pray for a greater sickness next time your not well. Even nature testifies of the fact that God wants us well by the fact that we all have immune systems. Who do you think gave us our immune system? If God wanted people sick then every hospital would be a house of rebellion. In every case where Jesus healed it says that the people glorified the God of Israel. God was glorified when people were healed, not when they were sick and in pain. How is it that in the old testiment and new testiment that when someone was sick it was because of the devil and when someone was healed it was because God healed them. Now in the twentith centry we have people that say that God is glorified when someone is sick, and if someone is healed we say it’s the work of the devil. How wicked and twisted has this generation become. The word says that Jesus healed them all. All that needed or wanted healing Jesus healed. (see Matt. 4:24, 12:15, 14:14 and Luke 4:40.

Or how about when the disciples could not cast out the devil in the boy. Did the fact that the disciples could not cast out the devil mean that it was not God’s will to heal that boy? No! Jesus said it was because of their unbelief that the boy was not healed.

“And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:14-20

Many today think that because they have been prayed for and they see no change that it must be God’s will that they remain sick. But James said we must believe when we pray, not doubting. James 1:5-7 The word is very clear, if someone is sick we are to take them to the elders or mature Christians and get prayer. The prayer of faith will, not maybe, not hopefully, but shall, save the sick.
“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: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:14,15

In fact some people were healed and they never asked to be healed, and in some cases Jesus did not even know the people that took healing from him. “And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.” Mark 6:56

“And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.” Matt. 14:36

Here people just reach out and touch him and they are healed. They must have had the mentality of the woman with the issue of blood to press in and get their portion. “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Mark 5:25-34

Did you notice that the woman said to herself “if I may touch his cloths I will be whole.” Who told her that? Faith will always dare to speak what it believes. She new that Jesus cloths had his power in them, just as Elisha had power in his bones. 2 Kings 13:21 When she touched Jesus, He did not even know who had done it. Yet she got her healing. That was the womans contact point. A contact point is where faith meets your knowledge of the word. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

We will only rise to the level of our faith. If we believe that God healed us through Christ stripes two thousand years ago we will experience it. Another proof that Jesus wants us healed is to look at what Jesus called sickness. He called it a work of the devil.

“And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? “ Luke 13:10-16

The word clearly says that the woman had a spirit of infirmity. This spirit was from satan as we can see in verse 16. Jesus said that it was satan that had bound her, not God. The word tells us that Jesus went about doing good healing all that were oppressed by the devil. Acts 10:38 God had given Jesus power through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This power was God himself in the spirit. The spirit of God is life. This is why people that are dying can come into contact with this power and life will begin to flow where death once was. Life is more powerful than death. The word says that God breathed into Adam and he became a living soul. Gen. 2:7

This explains why people could just touch Jesus cloths and they were healed. Healing vertue was constantly on Him. We can see the same thing in Paul. “So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.” Acts 19:12 The same healing power flowed from Paul as from Jesus. Why? Jesus told us that we would do the same things and greater. John 14:12

God was healing people through Peters shadow. “And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.” Acts 5:14-16 Notice something else here, it says, “they were healed every one.”
Jesus was still healing everyone, even through His disciples. If we could understand that God wants us healed more than we want to be healed. It would cause our faith to rise in expectancy. For we all know God has the power to heal, most are just unsure of His willingness to heal.

Look at Peter he knew it was God’s will to heal the lame man in Acts 3:1-8 “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 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 of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.” Notice that Peter said, “such as I have” he knew he had the power of God on his life. He knew that when he spoke power would be released. His faith was put in action when he grabed the lame man’s hand and pulled him up, saying “rise up and walk”. He commanded the lame man to walk in Jesus name. He did not pray for him or ask God “if it be your will”. No, he new God’s will based on the Atonement in Christ. We as children of God don’t have to begg God or plead with him. He has given us all things. He has given us power over all the enemy. Luke 10:19 Just as the Spirit of the Lord was upon Christ, so is He on us. For He is in us, and he works through us. It was also after the lame man was healed that he glorified God. So healing glorifies God. Would you deform your child or make him sick to show him how much you love him? Yet so many people think that God has made them sick to show them something or teach them. The bible is clear when it says that sickness is of the devil and healing is of God. Acts 10:38

Let’s look at Paul’s faith. “And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.” Acts 14:8-10

Paul looks at the crippled man and senses that he has faith to be healed. Once he notices that the man has faith, he speaks the word to him and commands him to be healed and to stand up on his feet. Do you realize that you have the same power and authority as Paul has. You just have to know that what you speak will happen. Jesus tells us that if we speak to this mountain and command It to be removed and do not doubt in our heart but believe what we speak we will have what we say.” Mark 11:23

So when you speak to a disease and command it to be gone and curse the disease it will from that point begin to die and disappear, as long as the person does not speak life into his sickness again by saying he has it still. An example of this would be if you were prayed for, for healing say for cancer, and right after we cursed it and commanded it to leave, you go out and start telling people how bad your cancer is, and how long the doctors say you have to live. You would be undoing everything the preacher just prayed for you. Instead, you should be sharing your testimony that God has healed you and that you are now recovering from that illness. Faith will always believe the word of God over symptoms and feelings. Feelings and symptoms don’t mean anything to the man that walks by faith. He listens only to the word of God and not to his body. If your spirit is strong in faith your body will follow you wherever you go. If you believe that sickness can not touch you, you will get to the point that it won’t.

Even non believers can be healed if ones faith is strong enough. John G. Lake one time ran into an atheist that was on crutches and John G. Lake started talking with the man and as soon as the man was involved in conversation, Lake began to remove the mans crutches one at a time, and the man did not even notice that Lake had taken his crutches. After the conversation ended the man said good by to Lake and started down the hall not even realizing that he had been healed. Lake shouted out to him holding his crutches and asking the man what he wanted him to do with them. The man when he relized what had happened and that he was healed said, “to hell with them”.

Any hindrances to healing come from the enemy, never God. Any disease can be overcome when one realizes that the enemy has no power at all over the Christian.

When one understands the law of the Spirit, one can not help but to know that healing, (if he is baptized in the Spirit) flows continually from his body. This is a law, just as gravity is a law. If you drop something, the law of gravity will bring it to the ground. When God establishes a law He cannot retract it. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

God’s laws or attributes can be a blessing or a curse, depending on what side you are on. God told the Israelites during the time of Moses that they were not to touch the ark. Not at all! God warned them that if they touch it they would die. Numbers 4:4-6, 15-20

Yet what happened? Uzza tried to steady the ark because he thought it was going to fall, and when he did, he droped dead. That is the last thing Uzza ever did, for God struck him down. 2 Samuel 6:3-8 In the same way God tells us that if we obey him he will keep sickness away from us. “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26 But with every promise is a warning. God warns us that if we rebel we are under a curse. Deuteronomy 28:45-68 Yet if we obey, we have God’s protection and blessings.
“Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.” Deut. 7:12-15

The exiting news is that Jesus redeemed us from the curse. Galations 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” Now the Lord promised to redeem his people from sickness, that obeyed him in the old testiment. So how much more, seeing that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law.

Many will point out Pauls thorn in the flesh or Job to justify their sickness as being from God. Let’s look at them.

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