Healing

(Go To Meeting)

Ray Murray—March 3, 2023

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Healing is quite a topic! There is an awesome amount in the Bible about healing: physical and spiritual healing. As most of us know the trials of healing are often the hardest of all to bear.

The reason is personal; there's no let up, escape, it's always there. It can be very wearing and, if we're not careful, it can get us down.

The point of this message today is to encourage us all. To strengthen us in God and His Word, and where we stand, knowing that He is our healing God both physically and spiritually!

I hope you find this edifying and encouraging, and will help to lift up the hands that hang down by the sides, and know that we can have straight paths for our feet so that we don't have our ankles turn aside, as it says in Hebrews. We can cause our own problems.

Isaiah 38:1: "In those days Hezekiah was sick to death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live."' Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the LORD, and said, 'Remember now, O LORD, I beseech You, how I have walked before You in truth and with a whole heart, and have done that which is good in Your sight.' And Hezekiah wept with a great weeping" (vs 1-3).

Verse 4: "Then came the Word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, 'Go and say to Hezekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, 'I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will add to your days fifteen years. And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city. And this shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that He has spoken: Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the sun dial, which has gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward'"'…." (vs 4-8).

That's something only God can do; it was a powerful demonstration to Hezekiah that He would do what He said.

"…So, the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it had gone down" (v 8).

Hezekiah was given a sign so that he would know that he would be healed and had the belief and faith that he needed. But it's interesting that when we look at:

Verse 21: "And Isaiah had said, 'Let them take a cake of figs and apply it as a poultice upon the boil, and he shall recover.'"

God could have done the healing for Hezekiah without Hezekiah doing a thing for himself. But here God instructed Isaiah to tell Hezekiah to do what he could for himself. That's an interesting point. We need to do what we can for ourselves. God will do the rest. But it's up to Him on His timing and how He does it.

James 5:14: "Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him after anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick one, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" (vs 14-15)—that's a promise!

Verse 16: "Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man prevails much, being effective."

How often do we think our prayers bounce off the ceiling and going nowhere? Elijah was the same:

Verse 17: "Elijah was a man of emotions like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain upon the earth for three years and six months. And again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and caused the earth to sprout its fruit" (vs 17-18).

These verses I want you to keep in mind as we go through the entire message, because healing involves such a wide range of things. That includes all of these verses here for both physical and spiritual healing.

Psalm 28:1: "I will cry to You, O LORD; my Rock, do not be silent to me, lest, if You be silent to me, I become like those who go down into the pit…. [the grave] …Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your Holy place" (vs 1-2).

The word supplications is a humble petition! It's recognizing where we stand and Who and What God is.

• it's not a demand
• it's not because I ask
• it's a petition, a request
• it's done in humility

David understood this!

Verse 3: Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity… [those who practice lawlessness] …who speak peace to their neighbors, yet, evil is in their hearts."

• How often do we experience that amongst our friends, family or people we meet generally?
• How often do we do it to others?

Verse 4: "Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their practices… [cause and effect] …give them according to the work of their hands… [the fruit; what are we doing? What are they doing?] …give them what they deserve." That's pretty strong words!

Verse 5: "Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, nor the work of His hands… [we're the workmanship of His hands] …He shall tear them down and not build them up. Blessed is the LORD because He has heard the voice of my supplications" (vs 5-6).

Notice that the word supplications is plural; David kept asking!

Verse 7: "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. Therefore, my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever" (vs 7-9).

God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Both Jesus Christ and the Father. They're no respecter of persons. We have the same access to God and He will respond the same way as He did for these men of old.

That's why it's recorded for us, so that we can learn and bear fruit from their example and the things that they went through.

Psalm 30:1: "I will praise You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up and have not allowed my foes to rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to You, and You have healed me" (vs 1-2).

David knew and understood the healing that God gives in every way: physical and spiritual! The job that David had to be able to do it. It's long way from being a shepherd to being the King of Israel.

Verse 3: "O LORD, You have brought up my soul from the grave; You have kept me alive, so that I should not go down to the pit…. [the grave] …Sing praises to the LORD, O you saints… [you and me] …of His, and give thanks to His Holy name" (vs 3-4).

Another Scripture says that God 'is enthroned on the praises of His peopled.'

Verse 5: "For His anger is only for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. And in my prosperity I said, 'I shall never be moved.' O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled" (vs 5-7).

How often do we ask God for things when we're desperate and there seems to be no answer? David experienced that, too. It is troubling and does cause us to do some soul-searching!

Verse 8: "I cried to You, O LORD; and I made supplication to the LORD. 'What profit is in my blood, in going down to the pit? Shall the dust praise You? Shall it declare Your Truth? Hear, O LORD, and be gracious unto me; LORD, be my helper.' You have turned my mourning into dancing; You have torn off my sackcloth and have clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever" (vs 8-12).

David experienced and had a wonderful relationship with God! He was tested and tried! Some of the things he went through were actually precursors and prophesies of Christ. He experienced what Christ would go through in some ways. That's pretty overwhelming.

Psalm 31:9: "Be gracious unto me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is consumed with grief… [How often in trials and troubles do we feel like this?] …yea, even my soul and my body; for my life is spent with grief and my years with sighing…" (vs 9-10).

How many people have been suffering health problems for years and years, and it just goes on and on? Many of us! They're some of the hardest trials of all, because there's no letup!

"…my strength fails because of my iniquity…" (v 10)—my lawlessness, my sins!

How often when we sin do we feel even more powerless, and even further from the Father? Every time! It's hard to keep going when we're suffering. But these trials are for a purpose. As we know from other Scriptures, it's to shape our character, to form the very mind of Christ in us! Here David is expressing exactly what he was going through:

"…and my bones have wasted away…. [osteoporosis, my strength] …Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, but especially among my neighbors, and a dread to my friends…" (vs 10-11).

How often when we have suffered with a health problem or trial of some kind, financial problems—how many friends after a while seem to vanish? They make themselves scarce! You're not invited to parties or outings, or 'they don't have the strength to come, or they can't afford to, so we won't invite them' How often are on the receiving end of that?

Bearing this in mind, how often have we missed opportunities to actually include people who are going through health problems by not including them.

Verse 12: "I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel… [can't do anything] …for I have heard the whispering slander of many; terror is on every side; they plotted together against me, they planned to take away my life" (vs 12-13).

The things that David went through, what was his response?

Verse 14: "But I trusted in You, O LORD; I said, 'You are my God.' My times… [my life] …are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your loving kindness. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You; let the wicked be ashamed. Let them be silent in the grave" (vs 14-17).

God will deal with them in His own time! There's cause and effect! God has a plan for us all!

Verse 18: "Let the lying lips be put to silence—the lips, which speak arrogantly against the righteous with pride and contempt."

How often when we're in trials do people look at us and say that:

He/she has some kind of sin in his/her life and God is not hearing his prayers; that's why he/she is suffering like this.

They end up self-righteous and making judgment on people. It's not right! We should be there to help one another, to encourage and to bear one another's burdens.

Verse 19: "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who take refuge in You before the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plottings of man; You shall hide them in a shelter away from the strife of tongues. Blessed is the LORD, for He has shown His wondrous loving kindness in a besieged city" (vs 19-21).

Psalm 34:4: "I sought the LORD, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant; and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard, and saved him out of all his troubles" (vs 4-6).

We know that God is not a respecter of people; He's just looking for us to look to Him!

Verse 7: "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them. O taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him" (vs 7-8).

David was a man after God's own heart. He had a lot of troubles, but God heard him and saved him! God will do the same for us today. Often times, particularly the Protestant people and the people who claim to know God, but don't obey Him, say that the day of miracles has passed. That's not true! I know because I've experienced it and so has family, neighbors and friends so often.

We know that the Scriptures say God is the same yesterday, today and forever! When Christ started His ministry:

Matthew 4:17: "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent…'"—change!

Change what? There's a whole book about how we need to change! It's summarized in the Ten Commandments, and the two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor!

• Why did Christ say to repent?
• Why was it necessary to say change?

"…for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (v 17).

This world is ruled and deceived by Satan the devil (Rev. 12:9). There's a change coming! A change of rulership! Christ is looking for people to help Him in that Kingdom, to rule with Him! But we have to change and behave the way that God wants us to behave, which is like Him, the God of love! Walking in love, and we learn that by doing what He said!

Verse 23: "And Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel… [the Good News] …of the Kingdom… [of God] …and healing every disease and every bodily ailment among the people. Then His fame went out into all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were sick, oppressed by various diseases and torments, and possessed by demons, and lunatics, and paralytics; and He healed them. And great multitudes followed Him from Galilee, and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and beyond the Jordan" (vs 23-25).

He became famous! A lot of people followed Him. Notice the two things, the preaching of the Kingdom of God and physical healing went together. That's a very interesting point, because we also have to have a spiritual healing. Often the two are linked together.

Matthew 11:2: "Now John… [the Baptist] …having heard in prison of the works of Christ, sent two of his disciples, saying to Him, 'Are You the One Who is coming, or are we to look for another?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead are raised, and the poor are evangelized'" (vs 2-5).

Notice the order, healing first then the evangelizing! My dad used to say, 'If someone doesn't have their immediate problem met, they just can't get beyond it.' That's especially true with health problems.

Christ got their attention by healing them. Then they're in a state where their mind is taken off themselves and able to focus on what He was saying, and ready to receive the witness, as well, of the miraculous healings. That what Jesus said, God was backing up!

Verse 6: "And blessed is everyone who shall not be offended in Me." That's a comment directed toward John the Baptist!

John 2:9: "Now, when the master of the Feast tasted the water that had become wine, not knowing from where it had come (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom, and said to him, 'Every man serves the good wine first; and when the guests have drunk freely, then he serves the inferior wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.' This beginning of the miracles that Jesus did took place in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory… [that's why He did it] …and His disciples believed in Him" (vs 9-11).

It was so that they would believe that what He is saying is true.

John 4:46: "Then Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee, where He had made the water become wine. And there was a certain royal official in Capernaum whose son was sick. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and asked Him if He would come down and heal his son; for he was about to die. Therefore, Jesus said to him, 'Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe at all'" (vs 46-48).

He knew what they needed! Some of us need to be 'hit over the head'!

Verse 49: The royal official said to Him, 'Sir, come down before my little child dies.' Jesus said to him, 'Go; your son shall live.' And the man believed the word that Jesus said to him and went away" (vs 49-50).

I perceive that there's a little bit time between his asking initially and when Christ said, "Go; your son shall live." Giving the man time to think! Also to listen and see what Christ was doing.

Verse 51: "Now, as he was going down to his house, his servants met him and reported, saying, 'Your child is alive and well.' Then he inquired of them at what hour he began to improve. And they said to him, 'Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him.' Therefore, the father knew that it was at the hour that Jesus said to him, 'Your son shall live.' And he himself believed and his whole household" (vs 51-53).

Here he had his faith reinforced again by something that God did to demonstrate His glory, so that we would believe, so that they would believe!

Verse 54: "This was the second miracle that Jesus did after again coming out of Judea into Galilee."

John 5:12: "Then they asked him, 'Who is the One Who said to you, "Take up your bedroll and walk"?'"

These are the Jews (v 10) asking the man Who healed him, because he was walking and carrying something on the Sabbath, which was against the Judaic law.

Verse 13: "But the man who had been healed did not know Who it was, for Jesus had moved away, and a crowd was in the place. After these things, Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, 'Behold, you have been made whole. Sin no more, so that something worse does not happen to you'" (vs 13-14).

Sometimes there is a physical consequence resulting in our physical infirmity. Sometimes it's the way we think, we can think ourselves into being sick. I know that I did once when I was young.

Verse 15: "The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had made him whole. And for this cause, the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on a Sabbath" (vs 15-16).

He didn't do according to the way they thought that He should, according to the Judaic practices. Not the Scriptures. Christ didn't break the Scriptures.

Verse 17: "But Jesus answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I work.' So then, on account of this saying, the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, not only because He had loosed the Sabbath, but also because He had called God His own Father, making Himself equal with God" (vs 17-18).

As we know from other Scriptures, He was God! The God of the Old Testament, leading Israel.

Verse 19: Therefore, Jesus answered and said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, the Son has no power to do anything of Himself, but only what He sees the Father do. For whatever He does, these things the Son also does in the same manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him everything that He Himself is doing. And He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may be filled with wonder. For even as the Father raises the dead and gives life, in the same way also, the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son so that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him'" (vs 19-23). They work together!

Verse 25: "Truly, truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. For even as the Father has life in Himself, so also has He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and has also given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of man. Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth: those who have practiced good unto a resurrection of life, and those who have practiced evil unto a resurrection of judgment" (vs 25-29)—which is the second resurrection which the bulk of humanity will be in!

Sometimes in the middle of a trial, the thought of eternity and thought of what we're all achieving can be lost on us. We get our eyes off it, and it's good to remind ourselves and go through these things.

1-John 2:20: "But you have the anointing from the Holy One… [by Their Spirit] …and you have knowledge of all things pertaining to salvation. I did not write to you because you do not know the Truth, but because you know it, and you understand that not one lie comes from the Truth" (vs 20-21).

This is the promise that He has promised us: eternal life! That's what it's all about! Sometimes we forget, sometimes we feel like we won't. We need to keep our mind on Christ and have our eyes firmly fixed. We have not yet resisted unto God's ----! Hopefully we don't have to. What a promise, to live forever!

John 11:35: "Jesus wept."

• Why? Because Lazarus had died and was put into the grave! He deliberately delayed going there.
• Did Jesus care about Lazarus? He sure did!

Jesus wept! This is God in the flesh weeping! He feels the same about you and me. He's no respecter of people.

Verse 36: "Then the Jews said, 'See how much He loved him!' But some of them said, 'Could not this Man, Who had the power to open the eyes of the blind, also have caused this one not to die?'" (vs 36-37).

Christ deliberately delayed so that Lazarus would die! He did it for a reason, but the people going through this were confused. They were having their faith tested, yet, here it would be strengthened.

Verse 38: "Because of this, Jesus again groaned within Himself…" He felt!

We feel emotions that can be used well, or not in a good way; they often warn us of danger!

"…Jesus again groaned within Himself as He came to the tomb. Now, it was a cave and a stone was laid over the opening. Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of him who had died, said to Him, 'Lord, he already stinks, for it has been four days'" (vs 38-39).

Can you imagine how she felt?

Verse 40: "Jesus said to her, 'Did I not say to you that if you will believe, you shall see the glory of God?' Then they removed the stone from the tomb where the dead man had been laid. And Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You hear Me always; but because of the people who stand around I say this, so that they may believe that You did send Me'" (vs 40-42).

Verse 43: "And after He had spoken these things, He cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come forth.' And he who had been dead came forth, his feet and hands bound with grave clothes, and his face bound up with a napkin. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him and let him go.' Then many of the Jews who had come to console Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him" (vs 43-45).

These miracles are so that we would believe what Christ said. The Father backed Him up and They worked together, and it's for our faith, for our belief that He is God and He will do what He said!

John 12:37: "Although He had done so many miracles in their presence, they did not believe in Him"

Quite a contrast! It was quite a crowd of people who followed Jesus everywhere. But in spite of that, they still didn't believe that He was the Christ.

Verse 38: "So that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled who said, 'Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' For this very reason they could not believe because again Isaiah said, 'He [Jesus] has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I would heal them'" (vs 38-40).

It's a matter of timing! God is calling a few people now to be His special jewels at the resurrection when He returns to this earth. Then He will deal with humanity at the second resurrection.

Verse 41: "Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him. But even so, many among the rulers believed in Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so that they wouldnot be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God" (vs 41-43). There's a cost and they didn't want to pay it!

1-Peter 2:24—speaking of Christ: "Who Himself bore our sins within His own body on the tree, so that we, being dead to sins, may live unto righteousness; by Whose stripes you were healed…. [notice that's past tense; it's a promise] …For you were as sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls" (vs 24-25).

We responded to the call of God! We're in that relationship and we have access to healing, physical healing!

Isaiah 53:5: "But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned each one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (vs 5-6).

Christ paid the price. He's done it already and He's looking to us to look to Him and to be healed both physically and spiritually. God answers: yes, not yet, and no! Often times we wonder why.

Psalm 32:1: "Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile" (vs 1-2)—that's like treachery, no deceit!

Verse 3: "When I kept silent, my bones wore away through my groaning all the day long."

Often times when we've sinned and we drag our feet going back to God. Finally, we were relent and go back to Him and confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. David experienced this:

Verse 4: "For by day and by night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah…. [think on this] …I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, 'I will confess my transgression to the LORD,' and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah" (vs 4-5).

Verse 8: "You [God] said, 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you…'" We have an awesome God!

My eye shall be upon you…" (v 8)—David, but is also on us with the focus of what He's doing on earth. This is where His Spirit is dwelling, this gentle place; God is interested.

Palm 33:4: "For the Word of the LORD is upright; and all His works are done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD. By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea together like a heap, putting the depths in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him… [Why?]: …for He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast" (vs 4-9).

This is the God Who has called us to be His children!

Verse 11: "The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, and the people He has chosen for His own inheritance" (vs 11-12).

As we know we have been personally called and selected by God. We are His workmanship.

• Is He interested in us?
• Does He remember us when we're:
  • struggling in our trials?
  • in a bad attitude?
  • not praying properly?

He's interested, and wants to see how we handle it, whether we will look to Him!

Verse 13: "The LORD looks down from heaven; He beholds all the sons of men."

• Can you imagine being up there and taking off all the roofs of houses and being able to look in and see what everyone is doing?
• Even more, to know what's in their heart?
• What they're thinking?

This is the God of heaven! He's an awesome God!

Verse 14: "From His dwelling place He looks intently upon all the inhabitants of the earth." Intently, he's looking! He's focused!

Verse 15: "Together He fashions their hearts alike; He considers all their works. The king is not saved by a great army; a mighty man is not delivered by much strength" (vs 15-16).

Verse 18: "Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear Him, upon those who hope in His loving kindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield, for our heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His Holy name. Let Your loving kindness, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in You" (vs 18-22).

Psalm 18:30: "As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in Him, for who is God besides the LORD? Or, who is a Rock except our God? The God who girds me with strength and makes my way perfect" (vs 30-32).

David went on innumerate what else God did for Him, attributing everything that he had came from God, which is true. It's the same with us.

What does that word perfect mean? Complete, sufficient, faultless, absolute, thoroughly tried or skilled, exceedingly satisfactory (Oxford Dictuionary). We have this in Christ's sanctification. It's also a process through Christ, with His workmanship. God is fashioning us to make our way perfect so that we will be His children to act like and think like Him!

We're coming up to the Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread, so it's quite appropriate to look at this, because it's also tied up with our healing: physically and spiritually.

1-Corinthians 11:28: "But let a man examine himself, and let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup accordingly, because the one who eats and drinks unworthily is eating and drinking judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. For this very reason, many are weak and sickly among you, and many have fallen asleep" (vs 28-30)—died!

This is serious, we need to examine ourselves and look into the Word of God to see if we're behaving in a way that He wants us to behave. Loving Him and loving one another.

Verse 31: "Now, if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, so that we will not be condemned with the world" (vs 31-32).

Our spiritual standing can affect our physical health! Often times we have trials of health so we will learn other things, or experience things like David did. The things that he went through so that he would understand that God would use it as an example and a prophecy of Christ.

That fashioned David into the kind of man who became a man after God's own heart. A man that God could rely on to lead and teach His people. We know that in the Millennial age, David will sit on the Throne of Israel.

John 12:44: "Then Jesus called out and said, 'The one who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him Who sent Me. And the one who sees Me sees Him Who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness. But if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world'" (vs 44-47).

• that's Christ's focus
• that's God's focus
• He wants us to live
• He wants us to be saved
• He wants us to be healed

Verse 48: "The one who rejects Me and does not receive My words has one who judges him; the Word, which I have spoken, that shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken from Myself; but the Father, Who sent Me, gave Me commandment Himself, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I speak, I speak exactly as the Father has told Me" (vs 48-50)

This is the focus! This is the reason for the trials that we go through! We need to look to God!

• What is our attitude?
• What are we doing?

Take time to think!

Proverbs 3:5: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (vs 5-6).

A couple of Scriptures with God's instructions:

• Are we following them?
• Are we living in love with God and one another?
• Have we got something in our heart against someone else?

It can be a roadblock to our own healing!

Isaiah 66:1: "Thus says the LORD, 'The heaven is My Throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is the house that you build for Me? And where is the place of My rest?'"

We know that His Spirit dwells with us! The Spirit of the Father and of the Son! Is God interested in us? Sure is! He's involved intimately, intently looking!

Verse 2: "'For all these things My hand has made, and these things came to be,' says the LORD. 'But to this one I will look, to him who is of a poor and contrite spirit and who trembles at My Word."

• Do we take this to heart?
• Are we examining ourselves so we can:
  • be healed, physically and spiritually?
  • grow in grace and knowledge
  • get beyond what we're struggling with

We know God's instruction about healing:

James 5:14: "Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him after anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick one, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man prevails much, being effective" (vs 14-16).

God wants to heal us both physically and spiritually so that we might be full and complete, perfect children, sons/daughters of Almighty God!

Scriptural References:

• Isaiah 38:1-8, 21
• James 5:14-18
• Psalm 28:1-9
• Psalm 30:1-12
• Psalm 31:9-21
• Psalm 34:4-8
• Matthew 4:17, 23-25
• Matthew 11:2-6
• John 2:9-11
• John 4:46-54
• John 5:12-23, 25-29
• 1 John 2:20-21
• John 11:35-45
• John 12:37-43
• 1 Peter 2:24-25
• Isaiah 53:5-6
• Psalm 32:1-5, 8
• Psalm 33:4-9, 11-16, 18-22
• Psalm 18:30-32
• 1 Corinthians 11:28-32
• John 12:44-50
• Proverbs 3:5-6
• Isaiah 66:1-2
• James 5:14-16

Scripture referenced, not quoted: Revelation 12:9

RM:bo
Transcribed: 4/13/23

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