"He Healed Them All" (Mt. 4:23-25)

Read Matthew 4:23-25.

1. The full scope of Jesus' ministry (4:23)
1. Teaching
2. Preaching
3. Healing
• Sickness
• Disease
4. Note: This was an itinerant ministry.
• Did that have any effect upon Jesus' success?
2. The full scope of human misery (4:24)
1. "all sick people"
• "taken with various diseases"
• "tormented with pain"
• "possessed with demons"
• "those who had seizures"
• "those who had paralysis"
3. The two results of Jesus' ministry
1. "His fame went throughout all Syria" (4:24).
2. "Great crowds followed Him" (4:25).
4. The reverent question from this passage
1. Why isn't everyone healed today?
• So many have been prayed for so often, and yet they leave each time with disappointment. They give up on prayer and the altar, deciding to just live with their pain.

FOUR OPTIONS TO EXAMINE

1. The days of miracles and healing are over.
1. I don't agree with this, but I do understand why it is popular (especially among those who have been disappointed).
2. Those who hold this faulty position are called "cessationists."
2. Healing was part of Jesus' ministry then; His ministry today has changed.
1. You can rule this out, since Hebrews 13:8 flat out says that Jesus can't change.
3. Those who were prayed for didn't have enough faith to be healed.
1. Where does it say that all whom Jesus healed had faith?
4. God can choose to heal or not to heal.  
1. His choice to heal or not heal is subject to information and purposes known only to Him (at least at the outset).
• So that the glory of God can be revealed at a later time (Jn. 9:3).
• So that pain and limitation will draw people to God, to depend upon Him for strength and hope (Psa. 119:67, 71) and to lead them to repentance (Psa. 88:7).
2. Psalm 88 - the frustration of those who suffer and aren't healed (and it doesn't say they suffered because of their sin or because they lacked faith)

Matthew 12:20

Read Matthew 12:20.

1.  Jesus is not out to make your sensitive hurt any worse.  He is a Healer, not One Who inflames.
2.  Jesus is not out to quench but to ignite.  He isn't out to remove hope but to stimulate it.
3.  Jesus is the Healer and the Hope-Dealer but He is also the Judge.

Well Meaning Yet Disobedient (Mt. 9:27-31)

Read Matthew 9:27-31.

Jesus healed two men of their blindness.  How were they going to hide that?  Why did Jesus ask them to remain quiet?

He was still on mission.  His priority was to preach, not to do miracles. Crowds' gathering for healing had potential to sidetrack that number one priority.  The men didn't stay in their town, where it would be understandably difficult to keep such healing quiet.  Instead, they went all through the region.  When people would hear Jesus was nearby, they would seek relief instead of truth.

But didn't the two men do a "good" job being evangelists? Yes, but that's exactly what Jesus told them not do do.  Good intentions are never an excuse to ignore simple instructions.  God's instruction to you doesn't have to make sense, so long as it is clear.  When you don't understand the rationale, obey the directive anyway.

Healing Along The Way (Mk. 10:46-52)

photo: http://tinyurl.com/hcf8pf7

Jesus traveled along the way where Bartimaeus would be.  (Aren't you glad that Jesus comes your direction and "gets in your way"?)

1. Bartimaeus cried loudly to Jesus and didn't permit the crowd to silence him. Desperation.
2. Bartimaeus, when he realized Jesus' calling, left his beggar's garment.  He wouldn't need it any longer.  His life was about to change! Expectation.
3. Bartimaeus knew exactly what he needed from Jesus.  He didn't ask for what he didn't need. Clarity.
4. Bartimaeus made Jesus' way his own way.  How could Bartimaeus go any other way, having just had his life dramatically altered?  Following Jesus was a sign of surrender and gratitude. Discipleship.

Fed And Satisfied (Mt. 15:29-39)

The same crowd that experienced the miracles was fed.  There are two things that happen when you are in Jesus' presence.

1. When you are in Jesus' presence, your body can be healed (Mt. 15:29-31).
2. When you are in Jesus' presence, your hunger can be satisfied (Mt. 15:32-39).

Jesus is the One who heals your body and satisfies your soul.  What was the link between the two? The link was worship (Mt. 15:31).

It is interesting to note that satisfaction came after the people were three days in Jesus' presence. Satisfaction comes to those who expend and extend themselves in His presence.  There is no substitute for investing long hours in the presence of Jesus.

Two Blind Men (Mt. 9:27-31)

1. The two blind men had faith in Christ's ability to heal them.  They followed after Jesus and cried out to Him loudly and publicly.  They seemed sincere, right?  So why did Jesus ask them if they believed in His ability?  Just because someone is desperate doesn't mean he has faith. Just because someone is demonstrative physically or emotionally doesn't mean he is positioned spiritually.
2. The two blind men  had no respect  for Christ's authority to direct them.  They wanted relief without responsibility, a miracle without a mandate, refreshed sight without restrained speech. They had faith to be healed, but not to be obedient.  "How dare this miracle-worker tell us what to do or what to say!"
3. Notice the generous mercy of Jesus.  He healed the two blind men, knowing they wouldn't obey.  Aren't you glad Jesus chooses to be kind, even when He knows our response won't be optimal? Let us not abuse His mercy and power by suggesting obedience is irrelevant.  What's accentuated here is mercy.

Why Don't We Have More Healing and Miracles? (Part 3)

SOME HAVE PRAYED FOR HEALING AND DIDN'T RECEIVE IT.

They're disappointed in God.  It is easier to blame God than it is to examine your heart. 

There could be a good reason God hasn't healed you yet, and it might not have anything to do with His will.  It might have everything to do with your will!  Do not expect God to heal you if your heart has bitterness, resentment or unforgiveness.  Do not expect God to heal you if you know you're living in sin and have no intent of changing that fact.

IT IS EASIER TO DISBELIEVE THAN IT IS TO BELIEVE.

 

In our society, disbelief has become fashionable.

• To disbelieve makes you reasonable.
• To disbelieve makes you postmodern.
• To disbelieve makes you popular.

"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God...'" (Psa. 53:1).  The fool has also said in his heart, "There is no healing."  He would never say that aloud, since it sounds disrespectful.  He would never say that aloud, since someone would surely question him.

Disbelief is man's default mode of thinking.  You can disbelieve almost automatically, but you can't believe unintentionally.  This is why the Bible tells us to "set your mind" (Col. 3:1-2).  James reminds us not to ask with a divided heart (Jam. 1:6-7).

Conclusion:

I'm wondering...have we learned to become comfortable in a victim mindset?  Have we gotten used to pain as a way of life?  Have we stopped bringing our physical needs to Jesus?

Why Don't We Have More Healing and Miracles? (Part 2)

FAITH HAS BEEN RELEGATED TO THE EXTREME. 
We don't want to be labeled as fanatics.  Because of this, people are overly cautious with the word "faith."  God hasn't changed His mind.  His Word still says "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6).  Don't let someone else's extremity eliminate your possibility.

WE ARE IN DANGER OF HAVING A PAPER THEOLOGY.

When I ask, "Do you have faith?" people nod their heads in agreement.  We know about faith, but we're hesitant to act upon it.  We don't want to eliminate it, but we don't want to exercise it.  What if God asked you to do something difficult?  Jesus told the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your bed and go home" (Mt. 9:6).  Peter told the lame man, "Walk!" (Ac. 3:6).  We like the idea of faith until some response is required from us.

Why Don't We Have More Healing and Miracles? (Part 1)

WE'RE IN TOO MUCH OF A HURRY.

• We choose to be somewhere else when the altar is opened at 12:00.
• We waited in line, but the preacher took too long to get to us.
• The Lord's Day has shrunk to the Lord's 2 hours.

OUR PRAYER MEETINGS ARE EMPTY.

• We want the benefits without paying the price.
• Whenever God moves, you know someone paid the price in prayer and fasting.
• When prayer meetings are forsaken we're saying to God, "We have it under control, thanks."  (How's that been working for us?)

A Word to Those Who Weren't Healed (Yet)

Two-thirds of the adults in the sanctuary came to the altar yesterday.  You watched other people get blessed.  It's possible some of you are thinking, "What about me?  Why didn't anything happen for me?"  Don't let what didn't happen (yet) interfere with your faith today.  Yesterday is yesterday.  Today is a new opportunity.  Ask again.  You don't have to be in church to be healed or experience a miracle!  Everything you confirmed about God yesterday is still true about Him today!  He still wants to heal.  He still wants to perform miracles.  Today.  Not just tomorrow.  Remember, miracles are instantaneous but healing can be a process.  It's quite possible God started a process for you yesterday.  He who began will finish.

Interference with Healing (Jn. 5:5-8)

We're continuing to read through the Gospel of John. Today's reading is John 5:1-23.
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The greatest hindrance to experiencing healing is of human origin. Let's not be too quick to go straight to the demonic. Here are three, common, false beliefs that can interfere with healing.

"I've been this way too long; I might as well accept it." The man had been there 38 years. He was probably older than that.

"Healing is great when it happens to others; I'm not sure it will ever happen to me." Many times he'd witnessed someone else being healed. The man was second in line, at best. He'd never been the first one into the pool.

"To be healed, I have to be at the right place at the right time." The man believed that being first in the pool was his only option. Healing could come no other way.

Do you need a healing from God? Are you entertaining any of the three false beliefs?

Interference with Healing (Jn 5:5-8)

1. "I've been this way too long; I might as well accept it." The man had been there 38 years. He was probably older than that. How easy it would've been to give up, to resign himself to his lot in life, to stop expecting.
2. "Healing is great when it happens to others; I'm not sure it will ever happen to me." The man was second in line, at best. He'd never gotten there first. Jesus has something for those "second in line"!
3. "To be healed, I have to be at the right place at the right time." The man believed being first in the pool was his only hope. Jesus can heal you in a pool, at a crusade or in your kitchen.

How did Jesus overcome the interference?

1. He asked a probing question (v. 6). > access
2. He spoke a powerful command (v. 8). > authority

The greatest interference to healing is not demonic but human. This would be a good time to check what you really believe about divine healing. I know what you've been taught doctrinally. Do you believe it practically?