When you teach, you will find it helpful to visualize the process of forming beliefs. As you form each belief, keep in mind that you are learning about our God so you can reach with ease the belief that we receive when we pray.
It is God's will that all be healed
There are four primary areas found throughout the Word that form the belief within us that it is God's will that we be well.
1. The Brazen Serpent and Passover Lamb
2. The Words of Jesus
3. The Actions of Jesus
4. The Plan of Redemption Scriptures
1. a.The Brazen Serpent
John 3:14-15: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
The brazen serpent is an Old Testament event that reveals what Jesus would do when He arrived on the earth. Jesus referred to this Himself.
It is clear that Jesus Himself implied that what the serpent did for the children of Israel, He Himself would do for the world through His crucifixion.
Num 21:4-9: From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way.
And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."
So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
Jesus likened himself to the brazen serpent. Therefore, we must conclude that any and all who have sinned, when they look to Jesus can be forgiven. And any and all who need healing may also look to Jesus and expect to be healed. In other words, the benefits of the brazen serpent are the same benefits that are available to us through the crucifixion of Jesus.
b. The Passover Lamb
1Corinthians 5:7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
Paul calls Jesus "our Passover." Therefore, in the mind of Paul, what the Old Testament Passover Lamb did for the Israelites, Jesus would do for us through the crucifixion.
Exo 12:5-12 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
"Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the LORD's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD.
The Passover lamb did two things:
- Anyone who placed the blood of the lamb on their doorpost would be protected from the Lord's judgment. The blood protected any and all who were in the house. (A type of Savlation)
- The people were to eat of the Passover lamb's body. This instruction prepared the people for their exodus. It brought physical strength and health to any and all who would follow the instructions. (A type of Healing/health)
Psa 105:34-38 He spoke, and the locusts came, young locusts without number, which devoured all the vegetation in their land and ate up the fruit of their ground. He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength. Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
Another translation says "there was not one feeble among their tribes." How was this accomplished for a people that had just experienced four hundred years of captivity? It was accomplished through eating the body of the passover lamb. Anyone who ate was physically healed.
Psalm 103:1-5 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 forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
2. The Words of Jesus Reveal the Father's Will
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
John 12:49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment--what to say and what to speak.
Mark 1:40-43 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once.
When questioned by the leper as to whether or not it was His will to heal, without hesitation, Jesus declared clearly, "I will; be clean."Notice that Jesus did not stop and pray to God to see whether or not it was God's will to heal. No. Jesus knew the Father so well that there was no need to inquire of Him in prayer concerning His will. Jesus knew that not only is it the Father's will to save all, but it is also the Father's will to heal all.
What Jesus does for one, He will do for all.
The Commissions of Jesus Reveal That It is God's Will to Heal all
During the ministry of Jesus, He commissioned three groups to go and work on His behalf. Jesus sent out the Twelve -- the first Apostles, His twelve disciples, the seventy, and then us, His Church. But before they went, he instructed them as to what they were to do and what they were not to do.
To all three groups, He gave a commission to heal the sick. If it were not God's will to heal all, Jesus' instructions would have been with restrictions. However, there are no restrictions attached to these commissoins. Jesus did not require the Twelve, seventy, or us to pray and seek God's direction before praying for the sick. Why? Because it is God's will for all to be healed.
Notice the absence of concern that they might meet someone along the way who it was not God's will to heal. These commissions reveal clearly that it is God's will to heal all.
1) The Commission to the Twelve - Matthew 10:1
And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
He gave them authority/power to drive out evil spirits and heal EVERY disease. Verse 7 of this chapter is proof of the power, freely give as freely as they've been given. And they didn't only preach.
2) The Commission to the Seventy - Luke 10:1-11
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' (v. 1-2,9)
The Holy Spirit is the Lord of the Harvest. There needs to be proof that the kingdom of God has come upon them. (v.9)
3) The Commission to Us - His Church - Mark 16:15-20
And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
Verse 17 says these signs will accompany believers, not only the early apostles. If signs follow the believer, then the unbelievers will follow and believe and get saved.
These truths - the Brazen Serpent, the Passover Lamb, and the words of Jesus-- enable the belief that it is God's will to heal all to exist in us. And without that belief, it would be next to impossible that we received when we prayed. That's why we must teach the God-side of Scriptural truths first, then teach the man-side, because it will make the man-side easier.
There's a lot of things only Christians seem to believe, that make sense only within the four walls of our churches, that in reality, would get God arrested for child abuse in the real world.
3. Jesus Revealed the Will of God Through His Actions
Jesus was the will of God in action. Everything Jesus did was a revelation of the will of God, Jesus did the OPPOSITE of what most believers teach today.
John 14:9-14 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
In verse 9-10 Jesus accused Philip of not knowing Him. Verse 10 states it's the Father living in Him doing the work.
ANYONE who believes in Him will do these works and greater. How can this be argued with?
Throughout the Gospels we find Jesus ministering to the multitudes. As we examine these occasions, we find that not one time was there a multitude large enough to have even one person whom it was not God's will to heal. Over and over we see Jesus heal them all.
If it's all done by God's sovereignty, then why pray for Him to heal? The way God teaches to pray contradicts the way the sovereignty of God is taught and believed by most believers.
Matthew 4:23-24 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
Teaching in synagogues, healing EVERY sickness and disease. We see a pattern: teaching, following by preaching, followed by healing. Jesus was a famous man for what he DID (heal).
Matthew 8:16-17 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
Mat 8:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases."
Notice Isaiah 53:4-5 is being quoted and interpreted by the Gospel writer. The Holy Spirit through this writer said it had to do with physical healing, not just salvation being offered through the act of redemption.
Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
Throughout all the towns, He healed them all.
Matthew 14:14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
Compassion is related to healing (Luke 4:40, Luke 6:17). Saying it's not God's will to heal is clearly unbiblical and comes from human reasoning based on circumstances and not on what the Bible teaches.
God has come to set all and every captive free, and it doesn't matter what it is.
4. The Plan of Redemption Scriptures
We need to reconcile this stuff back to the cross to past tense action. We know that Jesus died for all. Therefore, since the sacrifice was for all, then the benefits of His sacrifice are also for all. Healing is for all.
Matthew 8:16-17 - The past tense of the cross is spoken of all over the New Testament. There's a consciousness in the Bible that the people of God aren't supposed to be sick but doing the healing.
1 Peter 2:24 - It refers to "by His stripes" in the past tense.
Isaiah 53:3-5 - Pain and sickness: he was bruised for OUR sicknesses, disease and sin, and not bruised for anything He did.
Psalm 103:1-4 - 'Redeem' is a redemption word.
It becomes clear through these verses that Jesus not only provided salvation through His sacrifice, but he also provided healing for the physical body. God's provision through Jesus for the healing of our bodies reveals His willingness to heal all.
Each of these four support truths enable the belief that it is God's will for all to be healed to exist in our life. Once these truths have been embraced, we can move on to form the next belief necessary to reach our goal of believing we receive when we pray.
Also, the truths that support our belief must be used to defend our belief--in this case, that it is God's will for us to heal all. Once we believe that it is God's will for us to be healed, doubts will come that question whether or not it is God's will to heal all. When these doubts arise, we must defend our belief. This is accomplished by vocalizing what we know about the Brazen Serpent and the Passover Lamb accounts, by vocalizing what we know about the words and actions of Jesus which reveal the will of God, and by vocalizing our confidence in what the redemption Scriptures have revealed to us. Doing so will cause the doubts to retreat and we will find that is becomes easy to remain loyal to our belief that it is God's will to heal all.
Recap:
The foundation for our belief in it being God's will to heal: The Brazen Serpent & Passover Lamb, the Words of Jesus, the Actions of Jesus, and the Plan of Redemption Scriptures.
The next level of our building/structure: God is a liberal giver:
James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
1 Tim 6:17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
John 3:16"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
The next level of our structure: God gives through the laying on of hands
Mark 6:1-6 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Mark 8:20-25 "And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?" And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?" And he looked up and said, "I see men, but they look like trees, walking." Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Luke 4:40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.
Mark 16:17-18 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Next level of our building, line upon line, precept upon precept: God gives healing power to the sick:
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Mark 5:25-34 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
Luke 6:17-19 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.
Luke 5:17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.
Believe that you receive when you pray. Put your hope and faith in the Word of God and nothing else.
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