"THE SICKNESS OF BELIEVERS AND DIVINE HEALING"
READ JOHN 11:1-3........... OUR MAIN TEXT.....
. I DON'T KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS ABOUT THE SO-CALLED HEALING PREACHERS
OF OUR TIME, AS A PREACHER, I HAVE SEEN GOD HEAL PEOPLE AND MIRACULOUSLY
RESTORE TO HEALTH THOSE WHO DOCTORS HAD GIVEN UP ON. BUT I HAVE SEEN
OTHERS DIE FOR WHOM I AND OTHER DEVOUT CHRISTIANS HAD BEEN PRAYING FOR THAT
THE LORD WOULD HEAL THEM.
. WE HAVE PRAYED FOR ONE PERSON AND GOD UNDERTOOK ON THAT PERSON'S
BEHALF WHILE THE SAME PEOPLE HAVE PRAYED FOR ANOTHER AND THAT PERSON GRADUALLY
WASTED AWAY AND DIED.
. I AM NOT DISCOURAGED! WE ARE COMMANDED IN THE BIBLE, GOD'S WORD,
TO PRAY FOR THE SICK...READ JAMES 5:14-15. WE ALL KNOW FROM THESE VERSES
THAT SOMETIMES GOD DOES HEAL HIS PEOPLE IN MIRACULOUS WAYS... HOWEVER I SUBMIT
TO YOU THAT GOD HEALS ALL THE TIME! HAVE YOU THOUGHT THAT GOD DIDN'T HAVE
TO DESIGNED THESE BODIES WITH IMMUNIZATION SYSTEMS? HE DESIGNED US
TO "SELF-HEAL"...THINK OF THE LAST TIME YOU CUT YOUR FINGER...IT HURT, TO
BE SURE, BUT EVENTUALLY THE BLOOD CLOTTED AND THE SKIN TISSUE BEGAN A SLOW
PROCESS OF GROWING BACK TOGETHER... GOD COULD HAVE DESIGNED THESE BODIES SO
THAT YOU WOULD BLEED TO DEATH FROM EVEN A SIMPLE CUT. DO I BELIEVE IN
"DIVINE-HEALING"? BROTHERS I BELIEVE ALL HEALING IS DIVINE!
. EVEN SOME OF GOD'S GREATEST SERVANTS WERE SICKLY PEOPLE...
CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON, ONE OF THE GREATEST PREACHERS SINCE THE APOSTLE PAUL
WAS A VERY SICKLY INDIVIDUAL. YET HE WROTE SOME OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND
INSPIRING SERMONS THAT EVER MADE IT TO PRINT... HIS WORKS ARE A STANDARD IN
THE LIBRARY OF ANY MINISTER. SPURGEON BECAME SICK AT 30 AND REMAINED SO
UNTIL HIS DEATH AT 58. HE WOULD BE OUT OF HIS PULPIT FOR MONTHS AT THE
TIME. WHY DIDN'T GOD HEAL THIS MAN. HIS CHURCH PRAYED, THOUSANDS OF OTHERS
PRAYED... YET HE REMAINED ILL!
I. LET'S NOTICE THE FACTS PRESENTED IN OUR MAIN TEXT...
. A. THE VERSE SAYS, "LORD, BEHOLD, HE WHOM THOU LOVEST IS SICK." WE
DON'T HAVE TO SAY, "MAYBE LAZARUS WAS NOT SAVED." OR "HIS FAITH WAS NOT
STRONG ENOUGH." PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS ARGUING OVER WHOSE FAITH HEALING DEPENDS
ON, THE HEALER-PREACHER, OR THE "HEALEE".
. B. WE DON'T ARGUE ABOUT THESE THINGS IN THIS CASE BECAUSE THE BIBLE
SAYS THAT JESUS LOVED LAZARUS, LAZARUS WAS ONE OF THOSE FEW PEOPLE THAT JESUS
COULD CALL A PERSONAL FRIEND.
. 1. MARTHA AND MARY WERE SAYING IN THEIR MESSAGE TO JESUS,
"COME AND LOOK, OUR BROTHER WHOM WE LOVE AND WHOM YOU LOVE IS SICK!"
. 2. I AM FED UP WITH PIN HEADS ALWAYS SAYING, "HE'S SICK
BECAUSE HE'S NOT TITHING, OR HE'S BEEN SINNING OR THIS OR THAT." LOOK AT
VERSE 5, "NOW JESUS LOVED MARTHA, AND HER SISTER AND LAZARUS." THIS LEADS
ME TO BELIEVE THAT LAZARUS WAS A FAITHFUL DISCIPLE OF CHRIST JESUS.
. 3. WE MUST NOT OVERLOOK THE FACT THAT SIN IN ONE'S LIFE CAN
LEAD TO SERIOUS ILLNESS...EVEN DEATH! READ I CORINTHIANS 11:30, THE WORD
"SLEEP" DENOTED "DEAD". THIS WAS BECAUSE OF SOME ABUSING THE LORD'S SUPPER.
. C. MANY OF US HAVE ASKED THE LORD ON BENDED KNEE, "WHY? IS THIS
HAPPENING TO ME!...I LOVE YOU AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO SERVE YOU...WHY ARE
YOU LETTING ME SUFFER LIKE THIS!"
II. MAN SUFFERS BECAUSE HE IS JUST A MAN!
. A. SPURGEON SAID OF HIMSELF, "THE SICKNESS OF A BELIEVER SHOULD NOT
SEEM STRANGE TO US. WE OUGHT TO EXPECT IT. WE SHOULD NEVER BE SURPRISED
THAT THE ONES THE LORD LOVES IS SICK BECAUSE...EVEN THOUGH THE LORD
LOVES HIM/HER... THEY ARE STILL HUMAN!"
. B. AS THE LORD DOES NOT SEPARATE US FROM THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE, HE
DOES NOT SEPARATE US FROM THE INFIRMITIES OF LIFE. WE MAY BE A CHILD OF GOD,
BUT WE STILL GET COLD AND NEED CLOTHING. WE STILL GET HUNGRY AND NEED FOOD.
WE MAY BE A CHILD OF THE KING BUT WE STILL GET DIRTY AND NEED A BATH.
. 1. AS THE LOVE OF CHRIST HAS NOT SEPARATED US FROM THE NECESSITIES
OF LIFE, EVEN SO THE LOVE OF CHRIST HAS NOT SEPARATED US FROM THE INFIRMITIES
OF LIFE. BODILY ILLS WILL FOLLOW US TO THE GRAVE BECAUSE WE ARE STILL HUMAN
BEINGS AND THESE INFIRMITIES CAME WITH THE FALL OF ADAM.
. 2. THE APOSTLE PAUL WAS NOT IMMUNE TO HUMAN
SUFFERING...READ HIS OWN ACCOUNT IN II COR. 11:24-27. WOW! DID YOU READ
THAT... YOU MAY ASK, "WHY WAS PAUL SUBJECTED TO ALL THAT... WELL THE FIRST
REASON IS...HE WAS JUST A MAN." AS MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD WE CAN EXPECT
INFIRMITIES TO FALL UPON THIS BODY BECAUSE IT IS A HUMAN BODY.
III. GOD PROMISES TO CHASTEN HIS CHILDREN...
READ HEBREWS 12:5-8........
. A. ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, TRIALS AND AFFLICTIONS
ARE A MARK OF SONSHIP, AND INSTEAD OF BEING SURPRISED WHEN I'M AFFLICTED AS
SOME OF MY CHARISMATIC FRIENDS, ARE I EXPECT IT AND AM SURPRISED IF
I AM NOT IN SOME SORT OF AFFLICTION.
. B. I AM NOT SURPRISED WHEN I HAVE TO TAKE MY SICK BED, WHEN JOB
HAD TO TAKE HIS, AND MANY OTHERS HAD TO TAKE THEIRS.
IV. IT IS GOOD FOR US TO BE AFFLICTED (DON'T BELIEVE IT? READ PSALMS
119:71)
. A. GOD CHASTENS HIS OWN, BUT NOT WITHOUT PURPOSE, HE DOES IT FOR OUR
OWN GOOD....
. B. SOMETIMES WE ARE SO BLESSED WITH HEALTH, HAPPINESS, OR SUCCESS
THAT WE GET COLD AND INDIFFERENT TOWARD GOD... IT IS THEN THAT THE LORD PUTS
US INTO THE FURNACE TO SOFTEN US UP A BIT. ANOTHER CONSIDERATION FOR
AFFLICTIONS IS THAT UNTIL WE ENTER INTO THE HEAT ITSELF HOW CAN WE HELP OTHERS
THROUGH SIMILAR TRIALS?
. C. THEIR ARE THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T LEARN IN SCHOOL... THEY MUST
BE EXPERIENCED.
V. BELIEVER'S SICKNESS IS FOR GOD'S GLORY! (ERNEST ANGELY WILL NEVER SAY
THIS)
READ JOHN 11:4... GET THE IDEA....
. A. JESUS BEFORE HAD CLAIMED TO BE THE SON OF GOD ... THE JEWS
SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE HAD TAKEN UP STONES TO STONE HIM ... THE PEOPLE, BY
AND LARGE WERE UNBELIEVING, AGAINST THIS BACKDROP WE FIND THAT GOD WILL BRING
AFFLICTIONS :
1. TO AWAKEN THE CARELESS.
2. TO CONVERT THE UNGODLY.
3. AND AS HERE IN OUR TEXT, GOD WILL TEACH THE INDIFFERENT.
. B. REMEMBER ... "WHOM THE LORD LOVETH HE CHASTENETH." WE NEED IT AND
HE DOES IT FOR OUR GOOD AND HIS GLORY.
. C. PEOPLE SAY IF YOU "BELIEVE IN DIVINE HEALING YOU CAN DO AWAY
WITH DOCTOR'S & MEDICINE." YET IT'S STRANGE THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO TAKE THEIR
"FAITH" ALL THE WAY AND DO AWAY WITH THE GROCERY STORE AND THE CLOTHING
STORE! THEY KNOW IF THEY DID THEY WOULD SOON BE NAKED AND HUNGRY!
. D. I DON'T MEAN TO BE UNKIND BUT WHY DON'T THE SO-CALLED "HEALER-
PREACHERS" GO TO THE HOSPITALS WHEN THEY HIT TOWN. THEY PREACH THAT IT'S OF
THE DEVIL TO BE SICK... YOU'VE SINNED AND YOUR OUT OF GOD'S WILL... THEY
TELL US IT IS NOT GOD'S WILL THAT WE ARE EVER DISCOMFORTED... IT WOULD BE A
GOOD IDEA TO FOLLOW UP SOME OF THOSE TV "MIRACLES" WHERE THE VIDEO TAPE HAS
BEEN SO CLEVERLY EDITED.
IT WOULD INTEREST SOME OF YOU TO SEE THE HYPE
THAT GOES ON TO GET THE CROWD EMOTIONALLY "UP" FOR THE "HEALER-
EVANGELIST" ENTRANCE.
A PARTING STATEMENT.... ARE THE "HEALER-PREACHERS" OF THE LORD... THEY MUST
BE, RIGHT? THEY NAME THE NAME OF JESUS AND PREACH OF HIM, RIGHT? THEY
CLAIM JESUS AND SOMETIMES GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR THE MIRACLES....
NOT NECESSARILY, I PART WITH THESE VERSES FROM MATTHEW 7:21-23,
"NOT EVERY ONE THAT SAITH UNTO ME, LORD, LORD, SHALL ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM
OF HEAVEN; BUT HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.
"MANY WILL SAY TO ME IN THAT DAY, LORD, LORD, HAVE WE NOT PROPHESIED
IN THY NAME? AND IN THY NAME HAVE CAST OUT DEVILS? AND IN THY NAME DONE MANY
WONDERFUL WORKS?
"AND THEN WILL I PROFESS UNTO THEM, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT
WORK INIQUITY."
Donated by the:
COMPUTERS FOR CHRIST BBS
P.O. Box 561
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Dr. John Fussell, Sysop../