Praise and Healing Night

And that normally would be defined, as far as I can tell, by what I call direct intervention or a miracle healing. Let's put that overhead up, Gal. A miracle healing, number one, or a divine intervention. Now this is what you read about in the Bible an awful lot, especially in Jesus' ministry. Matthew 8, verse 3, for example, the Bible says that the leper came up to Jesus, and you know, the lepers were the most detestable people of that culture. I mean, they were awfully deformed and so, and the leper said, Lord, if it be your will, you can heal me. And what did Jesus say? He said, it is my will. I will be clean. And the Bible says, verse 3, immediately. Now, how many of you know, wouldn't it be wonderful, every time we pray, we had an immediately? But what would happen to you if that happened? You'd be on TV, wouldn't you? And then we'd have trouble. Now, I've had, I know that there are people here tonight that have had immediately type miracles, divine intervention miracles, direct intervention miracles. I mean, right now it happens, okay? But my experience through my meager years as a Christian has been more often the second kind of healing, which I'll call an indirect intervention. And this is when we pray the prayer and we kind of get before the Lord and, you know, we establish what we're believing for, but it doesn't happen right away. It begins a process of healing. Now, you say, well, did that ever happen in the Bible? Of course it did. Luke 17, 14, Jesus, again, facing 10 lepers, said, go to the priest and submit to him that which was the proper offering, and you'll be healed. And the Bible says that as they went, Luke 17, 14, as they went, they were in a process, they were healed. Now, folks, this is very important because what happens, some of us, even tonight, we're going to change right away and we'll think, well, God didn't hear me again. When, in fact, He has heard you. And, in fact, you may have even begun the healing, but because you don't hold for it, it doesn't happen. Now, I, you know, my purpose tonight isn't to do a lot of teaching on this, but I just want you to know that it's very important. If I had only believed God for, number one, the direct intervention and not, number two, I wouldn't be as healed as I am right now, which is very close to all the way healed. I mean, I'll tell you right now, I prayed the prayer a lot and didn't feel anything. And it's not my purpose tonight to give my whole testimony in this, but I will at some point. Now, number three, there's what I want to call the corporate intervention, and there's lots of opportunities we read about in the Bible where other people pray for us. Other people come, and they have faith for our situation, or they join their faith with ours. Lots of illustrations, Acts 5.16, the early church, people gathered together, the leadership laid hands on them, and they were healed. There's lots of illustrations of that. There's, of course, in 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, where words of knowledge and so come, where specific things are identified as being touched by the Lord. And there's no way in the world that this happens easily. We have to learn these things, because it's not natural. It's supernatural. So, you know, if you think it's weird because someone back here says, you know, I really feel like the Lord's healing you of an ulcer. How do you know that? Well, only because God gives this person a particular gift. Here's something else that's kind of scary. You know what I found out? A lot of this, you learn by trying. Now, that's wonderful, except if you're the one that learns and someone's making a mistake on you. And let's be honest, okay? How many here have made at least one mistake following God? All right? So let's be at ease about that. And really what I'm saying there, folks, is if someone says, I really believe the Lord's healing you of those migraine headaches you've been having, you can be encouraged. But ask for the Lord to just, you know, to bear witness to that in your spirit. Don't, you know, I've had people say to me, well, so-and-so had a word from the Lord that my, you know, my eye problem was better. And so I went and broke my glasses. Well, you have to have faith. Well, I wouldn't do that until the Lord has really confirmed to you that that's so. Anyhow, I think you know what I'm getting at. The other way, interestingly, I just might add, the fourth way that the Lord heals is through medical intervention. It's funny how many people today don't necessarily believe that any other healings are for today, but they'll go to a doctor if they get sick. Or they say, I don't know if it's the Lord's will for me to be healed. Ever had someone say that to you? Is it the Lord's will for me to be healed? They don't know that, but they go anyhow to the doctor. Now, if it's not God's will to heal you, why are you going to the doctor? You're going around God's will? You see what I'm saying? Let's just say something tonight. Let's get it together. I believe it's God's will for you to be healed. I believe it's God's will. I don't have the time tonight. I will at some other point, though, talk about those who aren't healed and why. But let's not make the exceptions the rule. Let's not have our faith destroyed by the things that we don't fully understand. Folks, there's so much I don't understand. All I know is the Bible is just brimming over with illustrations of people that Jesus healed. And I do know this. I can't find one case where someone came to Jesus and he said, Not now. Or not you. There are times that he didn't move in the fullness of miracles that he could have because people didn't believe. My own conviction is if we would just... I don't know if anyone here today really took time before the Lord to pray and to fast and say, Lord, I'm ready. I think we kind of take it for granted. We're kind of hoping to find the quick healing or the quick understanding. It never happened to me. And if it happens to you, God bless you. You'll be the rare one. We hunger and thirst. When you seek after Him with all your heart, then you shall surely find me. Carol can tell you, I was really bottoming out here in late January this year, not having any answers. It was then that I got hungry enough to say, All right, Lord, what's it going to take? Well, as I was thinking about tonight, I can talk so much about the whys and wherefores of healing. A couple of things just for you to hold on to, and then we're going to begin to pray. Why do I believe healing is for everyone? Why should you believe it? Because I believe that when Jesus died, He died for the whole person, body, soul, and spirit. We have a way in our culture of separating things, don't we? I know most of us believe that Jesus died. How many believe Jesus died for our sins? Turn to your neighbor and tell them, Jesus died for your sins. Now, do you believe likewise that He died for your emotional well-being, your relational well-being, your feelings, your personality wholeness? Do you believe that? Likewise, I believe Jesus died for our bodies. You know that He's going to, these old, you know, these rapidly deteriorating bodies of ours are one day going to be glorified and resurrected. We're not going to have, like, we're not going to be floating around in heaven like some dismembered spirit. Don't ask me to explain how God's going to make something really glorious out of some of this, but He's going to. He is. Now, if you have your Bible, I want you to look at one scripture tonight, and this will be the focal point, and then we're going to move into prayer and just some ministry time. Look at Isaiah chapter 53, because if Jesus literally died for our whole person, body, soul, and spirit, what I'm saying to you is that healing comes to us through the atonement of Jesus Christ. If you believe what I'm telling you tonight, if you really get a hold of it, you can be healed tonight. Because what I'm saying to you is, at one point, Jesus Christ died for what you bear in your body right now. He died for what is broken in your life right now. Look at Isaiah 53. Do we have an overhead for that one? If you don't have a Bible, you can just look on the overhead screens. Surely He took up our sicknesses and carried our pains. Now, let me read it, Isaiah 53, verse 4. A lot of your Bibles will say this. Surely He took up, or He bore, our sorrows and carried our griefs. Now, I did a lot of studying and many confirmations of this in the Hebrew text. But the word for griefs in the Hebrew is literally translated every other time in the Bible, sicknesses or diseases. So, kolai, or in Hebrew, holy, or however you'd say it with the guttural sound, means diseases. Surely He died, or took up, or bore our diseases or sicknesses. All right? And carried, or that word makab in the Greek, or the Hebrew, rather, is the word for pain. Jesus died for our pain. Not just our sorrows, but our pain. Now, a lot of you are not going to be able to get this in one shot tonight, but if a handful of you do, my time's worthwhile. Jesus died for your sicknesses and for your pains. Not just for your spiritual hope for us, but for your pains. How many have a pain tonight? Jesus died for that pain. How many of you have a sickness tonight? By the way, the Lord's prompting me, not just pain physically. Some of you have a pain in your heart. There's a relation. Jesus died to bear that for you. Now, you say, well, how do you know that? Well, because, let's read on. What picture is in your mind here? Yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted, but He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought His peace was upon Him, and by His wounds, or by His stripes, we are healed. So important. Now, is there anyone here that doesn't see that as being the crucifixion of Christ? All right. Let me say it again. I believe that the Bible teaches clearly that healing comes to us through the atonement of Christ. Why is that important? Because who's left out of that? Not you. Not you, my brother. Not you. We're all given access. So, this should help you if you're saying, well, you know, is the Lord going to heal me? This should help you. He wants to heal you. Why do I know that? Because Jesus died for that pain. For the one that might be thinking, yeah, but we all have to die somehow, and don't... Well, the atonement doesn't eradicate the law of life and death. I mean, yeah, we do die. Once. And time won't allow tonight for me to get into all the reasons why we say, well, why aren't some healed? Please, that's not the point, is it? The point is He died for you. Your pains, your sicknesses. Now, just in case you're still skeptical, and I doubt if anyone is, but let's look at Matthew 18. I'm sorry, Matthew 8. Verse 16. Are you there? Matthew 8, 16. And when evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and He drove out the spirits with the word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah. Surely He took up our sicknesses and carried our diseases. So the Bible is saying that Jesus, in His ministry of healing, was fulfilling Isaiah 53, verse 4. Now, I know that you could say, oh, I know that. Oh, beloved one, if we really know that tonight, we can be healed. If we just know it up here, you'll be unchanged. Now, two months ago, I sat in a room and meditated on those verses for about two hours, thought about them. I said, well, this means then that this pain that I'm feeling and have been burdened down with, you've already borne it for me. Well, this means that this deterioration which the doctor had told me is irreparable, you paid the price for. And over the next six or eight hours in a room by myself, the Lord just began to assure me that that was true. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, the rhema of God. That night, I received a rhema from God. Now, the next morning I woke up and I had that same assurance, but you know what? I didn't feel any better. I don't know what it's like to pray and not feel any better. And even though your spirit's saying, that's right, that's right, that's right, and you're not any better. You know what we all tend to do? Say, well, I guess it wasn't for me. But four days later, I kind of hit the bottom. And that's so much like the Lord, isn't it? When you get this thing, you know it's from God and you go downhill further. I hate that, you know? So I was like, don't give me any more good stuff because I'm going to go downhill further. And that's exactly what happened. But four days after that, I woke up the next morning, which now we're on a Monday, and I noticed I wasn't hurting quite as bad. And you know, how many of you know, when you're really desperate, one little glimpse of hope really lifts you. And all this time, understand, I was meditating on these scriptures and letting that Word dwell richly in me. And God began to build my faith that He was at work. And folks, when God begins to build your faith, watch out. I just pray tonight, you know, I just pray that there's two of you or five of you that tonight say, wait a minute, I understand something. I hear the Lord speaking to me tonight. Because it'll revolutionize what you expect Him to do. And over the last six weeks or so, seven weeks now, week by week, slowly but surely, the Word is alive in my body. And slowly but surely, I'm getting strong, growing and healing, becoming more and more whole. How many times have I sat down in the last 20 minutes? That was impossible for me two months ago. Smile, Raj, it'll make me feel better. I think that's wonderful. For me, it's wonderful. And you say, well, now what about me? Well, that's what we're going to do right now. We're going to pray for you. Now, I wrestled today with how do we do this? Because last time we had words of knowledge and things happened. We have elders here tonight who are prepared to pray for you. But I believe the Lord right now is moving to heal some people. Would you all stand? And may I say, if you're not in tune with us now or you're tired and this will be difficult for you, please feel free to be seated. Because I'm just focusing on the ones who want something to happen in their lives. I'm not here to put any pressure. Everyone notice I didn't wear a tie tonight. That means no pressure. Alright? I just want the Lord to do some things. Okay, Chris, did you want to share a word here? Alright. I'd just like to share something. It's right in line with what Jay has said. It's straight out of the Word. He said faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The Word says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That He is the Spirit of prophecy. That's right. The Lord wanted me to share this with you. This is what Jesus preached when He was here on this earth in the flesh. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor. That's for our provision every day. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives. That's release for you spiritually. And recovery of sight to the blind. That's for your physical needs. To set free those who are downtrodden. That's for you in your mental realm. To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. Even so, this is still the favorable year of the Lord. It has not ended. This is still the favorable year of the Lord. That's what Jesus wanted me to tell you tonight. This is still that favorable time that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That's right. Here's what I'd like us to do. Thank you, Chris. I want us to turn for the next just a few minutes, maybe three, four, five minutes. And I want us to thank the Lord Jesus for what it is of us that He bore. What pain today. Maybe it's the pain of barrenness. Maybe it's the pain of brokenness. Maybe it's the physical pain of arthritis. Maybe it's the pain of an ulcer. I don't know. But I want us to pray all around the room. You say, well, this person, they don't have any degree or any, maybe no experience. Well, I think the Lord would delight in using somebody who's just available tonight. And I want you to pray and just thank Him, okay? Just focus on thanking Him for what He bore for you. Now, if you're new to us and this will be very uncomfortable, just be polite enough to just agree. You don't have to say anything, but just maybe nod or say amen as people pray. And if everything's great in your life, and we do have people like that, I hope there are. I hope there's some that are whole tonight. And if you are, use it as an opportunity to minister to someone else. And if you turn around, there's four whole people together. Go stand under the skylight because you're just about to go up. Maybe break up and move around and share the glory. I want the elders to come right up here right now, though, as you're all turning. And I'll call you back together in a moment with a song. So, turn and pray thankfully for those three or four things in each group that your trusting Jesus has carried for you. Your pains, your sicknesses. Go ahead and turn together right now, would you? Form prayer circles for the next five minutes. Move around if it's the same person you always see. Tell them you love them, you're going to see someone else.