Be Healed

Not sure if you've noticed, but in the Church, many are sick. Many are aging. Many have pains. There is limited ability to function, to think, sometimes to speak, to walk. There are imbalances in hormones that people are experiencing.

There's imbalances in the body chemistry, in the brain chemistry, that we suffer from. We have invasive things that limit our ability to function. Things like malaria, aphrochotic bite fever that invaded my body a number of years ago, are very similar to things like Lyme's disease, West Nile virus, other invasive things, parasites, molds, that cause valley fever. There's allergens, fungi, fungus that invades the body. Some of us suffer from some of those things. There are coronary issues, blood issues, arteries, strokes, respiratory issues, issues with veins.

Our organs in our church and our members, sometimes in the liver, the kidneys don't function as they should, the pancreas, the heart, the lungs, the reproductive organs, sometimes the derm, the derm, which dermatology is named after, our skin. We have skin, hair, nails, various things that afflict us on the outside. There's muscles, tendons, we get cramps, there's pains. There are the big diseases of cancers and HIV, flus, common colds, various things.

And when something goes wrong in our body, the bells ring, it's a panic, something's terribly wrong, stressful situation occurs, and we cry out for help. And we want help, we want relief. Our priorities change at times like that. There was an individual who was running up a mountain in Colorado with her husband. They were runners. They started at 9,000, and the goal was to run to 13,500 feet up the switchback road.

And the young woman set off with her husband, and he was going to beat her, of course. But at that altitude, with the air so low, he fell back and finally had to do some walking. But he watched his wife switch back and just go, go, go, go, go up that hill. And he was just amazed at how healthy she was. She got to the top, of course, and he had to eat crow. Then she went to see her doctor and found out she had to have a double mastectomy. Sometimes you can be in great shape and not realize that you're in a near fatal situation.

And suddenly your world changes. Everything just, your priorities shift. That which you were involved in, suddenly now you can really look within and try to fix whatever it is that is bothering you. One's focus becomes alleviating the situation, recovering from the situation.

For some, seeking that may become the primary focus of their life, even to have a life. Or it just may become the primary focus of their life because they would like a better life. I'd like to talk today about a very, very difficult subject. Subject of illness and of healing. This is a controversial topic. I realize I'm waiting right in and I'm going to stomp on people's feelings probably, but we're going to look at the Bible and take a look at the topic of human physical maladies that just perplex us and they make no sense.

They attack the righteous, they attack the evil, as it were. They attack the young and the old. It's unfair. We cry out to God. We want relief. We try many different things. Some go a natural route and think, maybe God's in that. Some take a medical route and think, well, maybe God will heal me through some sort of something. Some go to different countries.

Some go to great lengths and go to great efforts and get others to go to great efforts. Because, after all, this is our life. This is what we know. And there's nothing more important than life and having it abundantly through our eyes than what we've come to know and expect. What can you do about your illness? If you haven't had an illness, well, what will you do when you get one?

The Bible says that all people will eventually die from something. So, whatever you've had that didn't kill you, there's something coming that will. It's just the long and the short of it. But what will you do about your illness? What should you do about your health? What are the realistic options from Scripture about recovering from pain and suffering? I'd like to talk about some of these difficult things today in a sermon entitled, Be Healed. We're going to take a difficult look into the Scriptures, but hopefully a mature one, a realistic one, one that you can walk away from this message and really have a good idea of what to expect in life, what to expect from God, what to expect eternally, and how all of this, in a very perplexing situation, that you will be in someday, if you're not already, will play out.

This won't be everyone's favorite sermon on the topic. Jesus' sermons weren't all that favorite either. If we don't get to hear what we want to hear, sometimes we don't like that. But sometimes when we hear what we want to hear, if it really isn't realistic, it can raise false expectations and false hopes.

And I've known far too many people who walked away from the faith, walked away from God, and totally abandoned God, because they had an unrealistic expectation that somehow was in them, and they could not believe that God would not fulfill their unrealistic expectation. And so they collapsed in the end. It's far better to be realistic about something, as far as what the Bible says. And I'm imperfect. I'm an imperfect person, an imperfect minister.

I'm only a human. And yet I rely on the Word of God. I've been to the wall at least once in my life. I've been given 45 minutes to live. I have gone through those experiences. I have gone to the wall, as it were, unconscious, and the next thing I thought would happen would be death. I've had a healing. I've had a malady of situations, diseases. My wife and I have had miraculous intervention from certain death. And yet, I'm also, as I mentioned, I'm also somewhat restricted by things that my body has picked up. And I deal with those as well. Somewhere in all this swirling mix, you and I live.

And we need to understand, as much as we can, from God's Word, what we can expect from God, what He has promised us, and what the future will be. Again, I expect this will be somewhat controversial. But at the same time, this will be the most realistic view from Scripture that I can personally give in my imperfect state.

And I do so out of love with your best interest in heart. I do not want anyone to go to the wall and then give up on God like I've seen so many people do. Too many people do. So let's take a look at the topic, Be Healed. To understand your body that God has given you, along with its ailments, you first need to understand the purpose of your body. Now, we got the idea when we're young, it was to be happy and healthy and pursue, and everything will turn into Disneyland and charming, and we'll ride into the sunset, and we'll all be in a rocking chair and we'll fall asleep one day, and the next thing you know, we'll be in the kingdom.

That's what we all expect. It hasn't always worked out that way. Especially as you begin to age and you bump into certain things in life, certain things bump into you. It doesn't always go that way, so it can really spin our head around. So what is the purpose of your physical body? Let's read about that in Revelation 21 and verse 27. Here's the simplest 1.1 verse that I can give you about the purpose for your and my body being physical. And that's Revelation 21 and verse 27.

It's so that nothing will enter into the kingdom of God that is sinful, or in any way would corrupt the kingdom of God. Consequently, we were not created angelic. We were not created spirit. We were not created to last very long. Three score in ten, about seventy years, is pretty much what we can factor on, figure on, and a lot of generations before us never got to live that long. It's a short life, but it's a physical life so that nothing can enter the kingdom of God that would defile it like Satan and the demons might were they in the kingdom of God. We are here to perish if we do not live up to God's expectation and have our names written in the Book of Life and remain there. As we read in verse 8, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. So, therefore, we are physical. We're human. And this state actually gives us everything we need in order to qualify to be sons of God in the divine Godhead. We have the capability of coming to know God, of having a relationship with God, of being a temple for Him to dwell in, of learning cause and effect, all about the creation and all about the temporariness of this life and how trying to perpetuate this life is really of no value. And that in this life alone, we are in a terrible situation without God. We need that resurrection to eternal life. So that's the purpose. And whatever your body goes through can work together, can work well for God's purpose of bringing sons and daughters to glory. All things, illness, health, good, bad, evil, up, down, persecution, encouragement, all these things can work well to those who are the cult, those who love God, those who keep His commandments. So let's not look at it as a necessarily bad thing to go through bad times. Because, as we're told in the Scripture, we should count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Because as we march through those trials, if our focus is on God, the end is maintaining our names in the Book of Life. And there is eternal life that lies ahead.

Why we have a physical body, then, is so that it's temporary. Why also we have a physical body is so that God will let you die one day. We have to realize that.

We will die without healing if nature runs its course. It will be the cause of your death unless somebody else steps in and kills you. If we go to Hebrews 9, verse 27, It says, So you were appointed to die. You were appointed not to have a miracle of healing at some point in your life, or a miracle of preserving your life, but you were appointed to die.

And after that comes a judgment. So there is a very important part of this life which isn't about just Disneyland. It's not just about being happy and being content and pain-free. It's really about a judgment. And ultimately, being involved in that for which we were created, being children in God's family. Now, flailing around in the meantime, trying to cure yourself as your only focus. If that were to happen, let's say you just gave up everything else, you'd say, No, I don't want whatever it is I have, and so I'm going to commit myself and every thought and every deed to trying to cure or maintain youth or whatever. It's not going to help you in the long run, is it? Distract us from our calling, from becoming Christ-like, from loving others and loving God. In the long run, remember, we have the judgment. In the long run, we have the book of life to be written into and stay written into.

Now, a person who goes into an illness or situation, hits your thumb or cut it off or whatever, it's a bad thing. He might have an operation, or it's a bad thing. But realize this.

There's worse things coming. If that one didn't kill you, something's going to. There's other things to be worried about in life than whatever it is you're currently going through is my point. And I say worried about. Concentrated on would be a better word. We should be concentrating on the kingdom of God and God's righteousness so we're ready for the judgment, right? Not just fully consumed by, oh, no! There's something wrong in my body! We're going to see this in Scripture. That these are part of life, things that we need to deal with as the called out ones in our pursuit of Godliness in his kingdom. I suggest that we need also a good, mature concept of the biblical role of healing. Healing in the Bible is a miracle from God. It doesn't involve anything else. It's just, boom, you're healed. And that's a healing. And those things do happen. We need to understand, though, from a mature point what that's about. Otherwise, we can spend a lot of time creating a lot of effort on our part and others' part to really no avail. Ours, the churches, our friends, God's time. There is an important amount of time that we need to be redeeming in life for those things that enable us to be resurrected, pure and whole, without pain, to leap, as it were. In the kingdom of God, in the very image and the body of Christ being Christ-like.

It's very important that we are concentrating on those big events. And not just generating all of this time and effort and consuming time and effort that could be more importantly used on other things. Now, I understand I'm stepping on toes here. I've been there. But there is a more mature view, and the Bible will show that healing is for sometimes. And there's also times where we can have opportunities to grow, or as Jesus, the apostles, and others went through certain situations without relief. There's a time for us to go through that as well.

From the United Church of God's doctrinal paper on healing, the Bible shows that physical and spiritual healing come from Jesus Christ. You see in Isaiah 53 and also over in 1 Peter 2 that Jesus Christ received stripes so that we can be healed. Let's take a look at 1 Peter 2, verses 21-25.

1 Peter 2, begin in verse 21. For to this you were called, what were we called? We called to what? Some people think, oh, I came to the church for the good life. I'm going to have the good business, I'm going to have the good career, I'm going to have the good spouse, I'm going to have the good health. You know, if it were that easy, everybody in the world would join the church. If we were just like, wow, as soon as they join the church, they get rich, they're instantly healed of everything, they have happy lives, I'm going to join that church. I'm going to get me some money, get my health back. People would follow us around like they followed Jesus around because of what they could get. But what were we called to? Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow in His steps. That's what we're here for, to become Christ-like. Christ-like internally. Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth. Who when He was reviled, didn't revile in return. When He suffered, He suffered. And when He suffered, He didn't get selfish about it. He didn't threaten, but He committed Himself to God, who judges righteously. Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree. That we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed, spiritually. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your lives. He gave Himself so that we could be washed clean. He received stripes so that we could be reconciled to God. You see, we've been separated since the Garden of Eden. We have been taken away from God, away from the Garden, away from Him. But we were reconciled. We were healed back in that relationship with Him. In the Old Covenant, which is not really the Old Covenant, but what people call the Old Covenant, God's holy covenant with Israel, there was healing available in certain situations based on their obedience to His commandments, and the carefulness of His obedience to their commandments. In the New Covenant that God has made, Jesus says stripes make it possible for us to be physically healed. When the opportunity, when God decides that that is the time. Two different covenants, two different processes. And by His stripes, we are also able to be healed physically, when God so permits. That is the method by which the Father approves that in the covenant that you and I are part of.

The doctoral paper notes that the Scripture's emphasis here is on spiritual healing, but includes the means for His physical healing, too. All credit goes to Christ's sacrifice for restoring us physically and spiritually. The paper also mentions that it was the belief of those who wrote the doctrine paper in 1998, in the Council at that time, that there is a commitment on God's part to heal. There's no Scripture that I'm aware of. I don't think it was in the doctrine paper. I read it carefully, that says that God will always heal. But that was the conclusion, that God will always heal. But it was careful to point out repeatedly whenever He chooses. In other words, not necessarily in this life. People can get set up that God has to heal me, because He promised somewhere in the Bible that He said, I will always heal you, every time, in every situation. And so we get that in our heads, but as the doctrine paper points out, that's not the case. God does not promise to heal us every time now, whenever it happens, to keep us away from sickness, as we'll see from Christ's mouth Himself. So we shouldn't have some mindset that God is bound to do this, and why is He not? He said He would. This is where people really can get in trouble. God said He would heal me, He has to heal me, I'm obeying His law, I have faith, I'm trusting Him, but He's not healing me, or my loved one, or my child. That's where we can really get in. There's no Scripture that I've found that I can turn and say, I will heal you every time, right then, it'll happen.

We know, however, that when a person is resurrected, they died from something, didn't they? If somebody killed you, you had a problem probably with an organ, it might have been your heart, where the sword stuck through it. That needs healing. A person who's resurrected is healed.

Either in spirit life or back in the second resurrection. So I guess we can say that God will ultimately heal everyone.

There is a connection, though, between our striving for righteousness and the availability of healing. This is found in 1 Corinthians 11, verses 25-31. I would say that if God is being sought for a miracle, God sometimes is very gracious, and He says, Yes, I'm going to bless this individual with a healing. That often comes when an individual does not know God, or does not know God well. Sometimes the miracles of the New Testament were for those who didn't know God, yet. And they saw these miracles happen. Sometimes they were healed, or saw other people healed, or saw flames of fire and foreign languages being spoken. It came to know God in a way through miracles. Now, if we look in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 25, this was a period of time when in the church, people were seeing miracles, and miracles were being done in the church, because the church was new. And this whole thing was showing glory to God. It was recognizing that Christ was here, the Messiah had come. And in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 25, it says, In the same manner He took the cup after supper, saying, This cup in the new covenant is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me, the faithful, or to keep the Passover at a certain way. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Verse 27, Therefore, who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat with the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you in the church, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. What this is saying is, there were some who might have been eligible to be part of some of the miracles in the early church, but they weren't eligible because of how they were keeping the Passover. It doesn't mean that if you keep the Passover in a right way, that you will never get sick, or you'll never die. Now, if we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, as it says in Matthew 5, verse 33, what does it say? These things will be added to you. It's talking about food and clothing. May other blessings of God. We would be candidates for some of the physical things that God would want to bless us with.

If we examine God's covenant with Israel, one thing that pops out is, it's more of a physical covenant, and I only mean that in the sense that if those without God's Holy Spirit living in them were keeping the laws that He commanded, their reward were physical things. They would get rain in due season, they wouldn't get pests and insects, they wouldn't get certain diseases. See, there would be certain things that would come along as, essentially, physical blessings. In Exodus 15, verse 26, it says, If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, so if you're going to listen to God, do what's right in His sight, give ear to His commandments, and keep all of His statutes. This is the covenant God made with Israel. This is Exodus 15. Then I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. I didn't say, you know, if you're in the new covenant, and you obey me, you're not going to have disease. Let's pay attention to what He says. To those, this is Exodus, He's speaking to those who are coming out of Israel, if you listen to what I say and you do it, I won't put the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. Did they do that? Not very well. And He, in fact, did bring some of the diseases and some of the, even the ten plagues that He put on Israel at times. And if you look at the end times, you'll find seven last plagues. Pretty much line up with the plagues that God put on Israel. And who they come upon? They come upon all men, but they also come upon the house of Jacob. It's a time of Jacob's trouble. And it's not a pleasant thing. There's a lot of disobedience there. So again, we see that those diseases did come upon them. They do come upon people of that covenant because they do not fulfill their covenant. He goes on, For I am the Lord who heals you. That could be read a couple of ways. One might say, I'm the Lord who heals you every time in every situation. That's what He means. A different covenant, but I'm the Lord who... If you're being healed, I would say, this is me, if you're being healed, He's the one that's doing it. He's the one that has the ability to do it.

Are we sometimes wanting the blessings of the covenant God made with Israel while we have the covenant that Christ made with us, the new covenant? In other words, we kind of double-dip. I'm in the new covenant, and I'm being promised Bride of Christ, live forever, but I want these bugs in my garden. I want rain and deuceason, and I don't want any of these diseases, and I want God to heal me. Do we sometimes mix the physical blessings for a covenant that God made with a people who didn't have a spirit with those that He promises us? Let's look in Hebrews 8 and 6. Hebrews 8 and 6. We are called to a special covenant, a spiritual covenant.

As Jesus pointed out, there are many blessings that God can give you in me. He knows our needs before we ask Him. He knows how many hairs are on your head. He lives inside you. He ought to know all about you. If you're the temple of His Holy Spirit, He cares for you very, very much. He will never leave you or forsake you. In Hebrews 8 and 6 it said, But now Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. We have to mature to the point where we say, You know what? It's not about my flesh. It's not about my garden. It's not about the physical things that will happen in the millennium when people come back into the land, when Satan has gotten rid of, when people will keep the covenant that God gives them with pretty good clarity and pretty faithful obedience. Then they will have those millennial type of blessings. You and I are called to receive eternal life, be resurrected with Christ, and inherit everything that He owns, which is everything. Too often we can mix them, though. We need to move ourselves forward where Christ is promising the kingdom of God. Let's notice in Luke 4, verse 40, some things that Jesus said Himself.

I'm not minimizing healing here, but rather trying to put it in a more mature, responsible context of what we witness through many years in the Church, what we see in the Bible described. In Luke 4, verse 40, it says, When the Son was setting, this is in the covenant period before the new covenant, Jesus hadn't died yet, when the Son was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. Wow! Now that's what I need. I need somebody who can do that, fix my body right up. We just jump right in for that. But why did He do that? Verse 43, He said to them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent. Those miracles brought Him a following that He could teach the kingdom of God to.

Have you ever tried to go out, maybe go outside today, and just go out on the street and just start preaching the kingdom of God? See how many people will show up. But then start healing everybody that you see, and see how many people show up. You'd probably get a pretty good audience. Now that really changes things. They gave Him the opportunity to preach the kingdom of God because that is why He had been sent. It's interesting, in Jesus' ministry, He didn't heal everybody. The whole nation was not ill-free, was not healthy the whole time He lived there.

Wherever He went, He healed people. But you know, after He left there, they got something else. And He would go places and people had just died. It wasn't that while He was in the country, there was this health care program, where the nation was sick-free. It was as He went, He preached, and these miracles facilitated the purpose He had been sent for. We need to understand that healing in the New Testament isn't some kind of health care for heroes.

If you're really spiritual strong, you get healed. And if you're not, there's really something wrong with you. Ever feel that way? How could I come down? How could something happen to me, or a loved one, or this person, or that person? They seem spiritually strong, and yet why are they stricken? You see, that happens quite often. Sometimes we equate, though, healing with righteousness. When, in fact, let's see if the Bible says that at all. A miracle promotes God's glory. And in the Scripture, every miracle promoted the glory of God, often to new converts, often to individuals who were coming to know God, or didn't know God, or coming to know the Church, or whatever.

It opened a window, a door. In my life, the miracle that took place in my life at a young age did the very same thing. I wouldn't be standing here today probably without that miracle. It wasn't that I was a great kid.

It was that I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for that. I probably couldn't endure and go through what I've endured and gone through without that. God knows what each of us needs, and all things work out for the good. I don't need a miracle like that anymore in my life, so far as I know. I don't need to be well.

I don't need to be healed. I need to be fixed. I'm able to do what I need to do, thankful for that, and moving on. I'm happy to have whatever I'm encumbered with in the meantime. It works for good. It all does. But that's me, and I'm not worried about me. You're thinking, well, I don't want to hear this. I want some minister who will heal me. I want some guy of faith. I want somebody who's cranked up and wound tight and knows what they're about, and is going to take this problem away.

You might like Elijah. How would you like Elijah or Elisha to be here? Those people could do miracles, couldn't they? Well, right here in Luke 4, verse 25, here's from Jesus' lips about Elijah and Elisha. He said, I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah. Verse 26, But to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

Only one got a miracle out of Elijah. Verse 27, And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian. God doesn't seem to have an ironclad promise or guarantee that anything you suffer will be removed. Point again, we need to understand God's purpose for physical healing in the covenant in which we are in. In Luke 9, we go forward a couple of chapters here, a couple pages. In verse 11, The multitudes followed him, and he received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who had need of healing.

That's the purpose. Those who had need of healing followed him, and he taught them about the kingdom of God. Healings provided Jesus with an opportunity to have substantive contact, teaching opportunities, give a substantive message. If we look in verse 16, He took five loaves, two fish, broke them. Verse 17, They ate, were filled, and twelve baskets of leftover fragments were taken up. Why was that? So that God would get the glory. So His Messiahship could be recognized.

In verse 18, He says, Who do the crowds say I am? This is very relevant to the miracles. Who do they think I am after all of this? And they said, Well, John the Baptist, some say Elijah, others say, One of the old prophets has risen again. Well, He says, Who do you think I am? And He says, Well, Peter says, The Messiah of God. And He warned them, in verse 21, commanded them, Tell that to no one, saying, The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and raised the third day. And then He said to all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself. You and I have some denying of Me, I, My, ourselves to do, just like He did. Take up His tree, His stake, daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it. That can be in many different ways. But one way is just becoming so self-absorbed and self-involved that you cease to become Christlike. You cease to be putting down the self and serving, and qualifying for the things like in Matthew 25, that the sheep are involved in, loving and serving other people. We see in the book of 1 John, we see in the great commandments of loving God with your heart, soul, and might, loving your neighbor. I can't do that right now. I've got to do this thing for Me.

We want to be careful not to do that, because whoever desires to save his life will lose it, in a physical sense. And there's a consequence of a spiritual sense. But whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? So for whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed, and when he comes in his glory and in his Father's glory, and of the holy angels.

So we have to realize what this calling is about. Never lose that focus.

It would be horrible if we became self-focused to the point where we didn't do anything that we're here on earth to do, and then in the end gave up on God and said, you know, I don't think I can trust this God because He's promised me a Pollyanna Disneyland life, and it's not working out.

Again, we see this happen, and we could just start walking through those who have been called the saints, the legends down through time, from David all the way through the apostolic area, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong, many of the elders, many of the people in church, many of the faithful members. I mean, what happens to us? Let's be realistic here. What happens to us? Well, we don't survive this life. We don't always have the most pleasant experiences along the way. But what happens to us at the resurrection is those in Christ rise first. And we rise to glory. We rise to brightness. We need to keep that focus, number one.

We see after Christ period that there were the apostles and the church, various members of the church even, experienced miracles. And what that did was gave opportunities for an audience to receive the word about repentance, about Jesus Christ. For instance, in Acts 3, you could look at the whole chapter of Acts 3. We won't, but let's just turn there anyway and just notice a few things. Peter and John went together to the temple at the hour of prayer. This is now filling up, the hour of prayer. People are coming up. This is on the south side of the temple mount, the steps leading up to the gate, beautiful. They're going up there, lots of people. And a certain man from his mother's womb was carried. They lay daily at the gate, at the gate they call beautiful. Verse 3, who seeing Peter and John ask for alms, he was healed. In verse 6, silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you, in the name of Jesus the Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. He had just been killed. Now in his name you have this miracle. It lifted him up. In verse 8 he's leaping, he's standing, he's walking, he's entering the temple with him. See, a lot of glory is going to God, a lot of recognition to the Messiah who was killed. In verse 10, they knew that it was he who sat begging alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. Verse 11, as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch, greatly amazed, so when Peter saw it he preached a sermon. It's amazing how he was able to just go right through and tell the whole story right there to a group of people.

The book of James is a book devoted to warning us, as it were, to have a godly focus, not a self-focus.

If we begin with the end in mind of that book, we can go to James 4. James is a very important book for you, for me, because it's all about getting your mind off yourself and getting it on to godly behavior, really trusting God.

But if we go back towards the end, here we find the end in mind before we even look at it. The last part of James 4.14.

That's our end. We're going to vanish away. Our life is a vapor. Vapor could refer to a fog. Fog in some places lasts a while. Other times it doesn't last very long at all. Fog just has to be in a certain situation, certain temperature with a certain humidity, and then poof, there's fog. I was once flying over the city of Cincinnati on a small plane at night, took some friends up on a night flight, and we were looking down over the countryside and the downtown area, and all of a sudden, we looked back down. It was covered in fog. Just like that. Look back. Whoa! There's a little problem landing because now we've got a layer of cloud between me and the runway. This fog is sitting down there all through the valleys. You see a little... just that fast. I've never seen it in my life. Never seen it again. I just didn't say much to anybody, but hmm, just headed the plane on back. Well, let's go through the airports available here and try to think of one that wouldn't have fog conditions. Did that for about a minute or two? Look back down. There was no fog. There was no fog. It's just sitting right on that dew point. It was just right there. It was just hanging so close. I always remember that when I think about this verse. Your life is like a vapor. Sometimes that fog isn't like the fog that rolls in the bay and hangs around for a week. Sometimes it's just there a little time. Verse 7. Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil. He will flee far from you. Oh, here's the purpose of our life. Draw near to God. He will draw near to you. You'll have that healed relationship. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your heart, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep and let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will raise you up. There's our focus during anything that comes up in life. James is really good about chapter 3, verse 1. Don't become a bunch of teachers. It elevates myself. All through the first chapter, the second chapter, he's telling you, get your mind off yourself. Get it on to doing what you're called for.

Now, if God has promised to heal you, then read that scripture and trust Him to do it in His time and His way. If you don't see a scripture where promises are made of healing for you, then deal with your condition and pursue godliness. Don't give up on that.

Don't get distracted to where we don't pursue godliness in eternal life. Going through James, so many things it could be read. Verse 7 of chapter 5, he says, Therefore be patient, brethren, or persevere, would be the better word. Persevere, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient or persevere, establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Now, he goes through a lot of things and says, don't do this, don't do that. Don't grumble. Verse 9. In verse 10, he says, My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as an example of suffering and perseverance. We should look at those. Suffering and perseverance. That's part of our calling. That's part of taking up that stake, part of being Christians at this time, true Christians. Verse 11. We count them blessed who endure. You have heard the perseverance of Job, and seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. We need to understand that perseverance. You know, Job went through something that was by Satan. Where did Satan attack him? Health. Why? Make his focus short-term. That's what Satan wants you and I to do. Think short-term. Get your focus off the long-range kingdom of God, of seeking the kingdom of God's righteousness, and throw you something right here that says, bam, you need to not obey God. You need to not focus. Don't love others. Here, bam, here's something.

All the things that Satan tends to bring are short-focused. Here's an apple. Eat it now. Forget this life. Here's a situation. Lust for this right now. This will make you happy right here in the now. Do it. Do it. Weird to be focused and enduring, firmly planted on the rock. He wants to throw us. He threw Job illness, boils, pain. Right here, right now. Do something. Curse God. Job wouldn't do it. Job had a long-range mindset.

James wants us to get rid of these short-term things like arguments. Oh, here's an argument. Fight over that. No. No, we won't do that. We're going to be godly. Here's something else. An opportunity to advance yourself. No, that's not of God. God is about peace, joining together. You know, if we're not careful, it's very hard to focus on agape love when you're hurting. It's very, very difficult. And yet, you know, you're facing collapse. You're saying, well, if something doesn't happen at the end of my body, my life could collapse. Something's going to go wrong here. This is very, very difficult.

We're all short. We're all right here, right here. Jesus Christ was right there. He was just being shredded. And yet, He didn't say anything evil to anybody. He was hanging on the stake. He was concerned about everyone. He was praying for them. He asked this mother to be taken care of. He strongly desired to do that for humanity. Satan wanted Him to think of the now. Ooh, eat this. Take that as He tempted Him. Throw yourself off here.

Just worship me and I'll give you the kingdom now. Everything's short focus. Near. It's hard also to be focused on agape when the body of Christ is ill, when it's suffering, when the church is going through maladies. People then can easily say, oh, I'll do with this now.

I have to deal with this. I have to deal with Him or her. I have to, you know, slice back, fight, blah, blah, blah. No, that's not what James teaches us. In verse 14 of chapter 3, if you lack bitter envy and self-seeking, if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, don't boast and lie against the truth. That's not from above. Where do wars and fights come from? These are short-term little things. They don't come from above. Our calling is to be healed with God and with each other. It says at the end of chapter 3, the wisdom that is from above is first pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, first full of mercy and good fruits.

This is all during the attacks and all during the problems. This is what we would be focused on. This is what we would be focused on. This is what Jesus Christ did. In Ephesians chapter 4, verses 15 and 16, the body, the spiritual body, is not to be distracted by ungodliness. In Ephesians 4, verse 15, speaking of the truth in love, grow up into all things who is the head Jesus Christ, from whom the whole body joined and knit together by which every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

That is during all the times. The good times, the challenging times, in other words, this body of Christ will never say, well, I've got some short-term thing that now is going to divert me, and I'm going to turn inward and become very, very selfish. That's what Satan tried with Job. Don't let it happen to you. And if it does, if it's so overpowering that you can't do anything else, believe me, you can always pray. And others can assist and be there to pray with you and for you. Because it's God's greatest desire, not that we are physically healed. I don't read through the Scriptures here, oh, that God really wants you to be healed more than anything, and you're called to be healed, and God is here to patch you up, and that's what your life is supposed to be about.

If you read in John 17, in verse 21-24, Jesus said, in verse 20, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word. This is you and Me. He's praying for you and Me back then, that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in Me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us.

In verse 22, In the glory which you gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one. I in them, and you in Me, that they may be made perfect in one. In verse 24, I desire that they also whom you gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory. That is our calling. That's what we're to be about, all the time, in every situation. God will not put more on you than you can deal with.

That's a promise. All things will work together if you are loving God and are the called, if you maintain that focus. And your life will turn out to be something very profound, as far as your existence here, when you're resurrected into greatness. It'll just be amazingly worthwhile. But if we turn inwardly and we make it all short-term, our life becomes sort of empty and useless. And in the end, we may not be of value to anyone. So I hope you can see that we're not called for healing. We're called to grow. We're called to overcome. And sometimes illness and problems can actually help us. We can learn things.

We can change our priorities. We can change our focus. We can actually grow in compassion and concern for others by the things which we experience. In Job 19, when he was given that real thorn in the flesh by Satan, Job 19, verse 17, here's a righteous man. God is his healer. But he said, My breath is offensive to my wife. I am repulsive to the children of my own body. In verse 20, My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.

Yet he worked at righteousness as he understood it. And he was not given more than he could deal with. And in the end, he was blessed beyond measure. He got to grow in the process. Now, if we look back in James, James chapter 5, we see within the context of so many times in the book of James, he's saying, limit this self-advancement, this self-preoccupation, the self-focus.

So, he says, limit that. And he comes down to verse 13 of James 5, and he says, Is anyone among you suffering? I didn't think people were supposed to suffer. Yes, you know, it's part of suffering. Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Don't make it a huge event. Pray about it. Leave it with God. Move along.

Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing songs. If you've been real blessed, you don't just have to occupy everybody's time with it. Sing a song. Enjoy your blessings. Go back to loving God with your heart, soul, and mind, loving neighbor as yourself. Is anyone among you sick? What should we do? Well, let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him. Now, that's from the Bible what you would do if you're sick. If you have a problem, you want a solution, you want to invoke God's miracle, blessing, ask for it, petition him for it, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

And the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up, and if he's committed sins, he will be forgiven. That's what you do. It doesn't say you call huge gatherings, or you link all your friends around the world all at the same time to fast and pray. Somehow we're going to wake God up. We have prayer viguels or candlelight viguels. I don't know. Here's what you do. You get anointed, you leave it with God, and that's what the Bible says, pretty much right there.

Now, if you're like most humans, you're going to have these things. And we need to expect some of these things, in fact, because this is a physical body. Verse 16, I firmly believe, speaks to the spiritual body now. And he says, Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. The word healed means join back together.

So if you and someone in the church are broken apart, Matthew 18 and 15 shows very strongly that Christ wants that to be put back together. If you, in the body of Christ, have broken things up, you need to repent. You need to confess. You need to say, look, I'm sorry, I recognize and get that relationship back. And the effective fervent prayer, or supplication, as the margin says, of a righteous man avails much.

Now, these are things that we can do and should do for the glory of God, for the physical body, for the spiritual body. But we need to stop here and understand an irrevocable truth. And that is what Jesus said in Matthew 6, verses 7 and 8. And this is something I carry in my head all the time, and it helps me not to get any angst. Leave things with God, move on. Matthew 6, verse 7.

When you pray, do not use vain repetitions as a heathen do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them, for your Father knows the things you need before you ask of Him. He's not a God that's dull of hearing. He's not a God who doesn't know what your situation is.

He's not a God who doesn't love you. Again, He lives inside you, or He is calling you. He is working with you. Your hairs are numbered, Jesus said. He knows all about this. He knows things before you ask, and He certainly can give good things. So if we go to Him, as He said, if we are anointed, we leave these things in His hand, and we are pursuing righteousness in the way that He wants us to and obeying Him in all ways, we are candidates for whatever blessings, whatever growth, whatever healing, if that's something He desires, at whatever time He desires to give it.

And that's something I fully trust God with. Here's a fact. Ecclesiastes 3 says, To everything there is a season. It includes things like a time to be born, a time to die, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to kill, a time to heal.

There are aspects of life, there are seasons of life, there are events in life. The Apostle Paul wrote the majority of the New Testament, and he had bad eyesight. Doesn't that sound odd to you and me? A man who performed miracles was not healed in his eyes? I'll ask this question. If God promised to heal us every time, then why in 2 Corinthians 12, verses 7 through 10, did God tell Paul, I won't heal you? And Paul was okay with that. Let's go there. 2 Corinthians 12 and 7. Because this is a mature view of something that's very, very troubling.

You know, when you can't see, at one point he said, which large letters I've written to you? 2 Corinthians 12 and 7. It's generally agreed by commentators that this is referring to his eyesight. He says, Lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me. What does Satan want us to do? Short term. Lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And he said to me, No, my grace is sufficient to you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. There's a no.

There's a no. Paul said, Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I'm weak, then I'm strong.

It's a more mature look. That's like Christ going through what he went through, the apostles going through what they went through. Many of our elderly people set such wonderful examples. You ask them how they are, you know they're suffering, you know they can hardly move or they're in pain, and they very graciously say, Thank you, I'm doing well. Doing fine. Dealing with life as it comes. Doing fine. You know, in Psalm 103, is a psalm of David.

And again, this is a psalm from the covenant, during the covenant period with Israel. In Psalm 103, we'll start in verse 1. It's a major scripture in this topic. Bless the Lord, O my soul, he says, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all of his benefits, who forgives all your iniquities. Now, does God forgive all iniquities? Nope. Not for the sin against the Holy Spirit. He says, I will not forgive that in this life or the next. So, he says, who forgives all your iniquities?

Those who are repentant, those who are coming underneath the requirements for that forgiveness. Who heals all your diseases? Does God heal all diseases for everyone all the time? This was a covenant period where God promised healing for obedience, heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction?

Did God redeem all lives from destruction? Everybody likes to quit reading at the end of verse 3. Heals all your diseases. Close the book. Therefore, God has promised to heal all diseases. But wait a minute. He said, He also redeems your life from destruction. Nobody can die. None of the faithful. Prophets can die, certainly.

Oh, innit? They all died. Apostles won't die. Oh, they're going to die. Jesus said, you'll probably get killed if you follow Me. What's He talking about? Well, sometimes He redeems our life from destruction. Sometimes we get healed from any kind of disease going on, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Your youth is renewed like the eagles. Come on, youth. Are we all renewed like the eagles our whole life?

Sometimes. Sometimes in certain situations our vigor is renewed. But you know what? When you put all this together, in verse 6 He executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. Really. Right now. There's only justice for anybody that's oppressed. No. He does that. He will do that.

In certain situations, He will do these things. But you can't just pick out one thing and say, this will always happen in every situation. It didn't for David. You know, some call these promises, irrevocable promises. In verse 13, As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him, for He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. He works with us in that way.

As for man, his days are like grass as a flower of the field, so he flourishes, for the wind pass over it and it's gone. So we're not going to be delivered from everything. And we're not always going to be delivered from death. In verse 18, To such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them, God gets involved, and He's a wonderful God for doing that. And we all can be very inspired and very encouraged when He miraculously steps in and helps us.

And at other times, we're like Paul, we say, I can rejoice in these trials and tribulations and these persecutions and even being delivered, not delivered, like some of the people in Hebrews 11 that gave their lives. You know, David was a man after God's own heart. You can read in Psalm 31, verses 9 through 14, that when he was old, he was bedridden and he was cold.

He couldn't even keep warm. And this is the one who wrote right here in Psalm 103, that God heals all diseases and He makes you, you know, fly like the young eagles. But there He is in bed, freezing to death. And if we go to 1 Kings chapter 1, in verse 1, I'd just like to point out here, 1 Kings chapter 1 and verse 1, Now King David was old, advanced in years, and they put covers on him, and he could not get warm. This comes to the man after God's own heart.

This is part of life. This is what happened. This is real life. I'm saying this only to give a, maybe a more realistic picture to what the life of a godly person is. At times it's various things, various seasons, various inspiring things, but there does come a time for all things and all seasons. In chapter 2 and verse 1, Now the days of David drew near that he should die.

He charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth. There is that too. And that's normal, and that's expected. Jesus died, all the apostles died, David died, Job died. It's given unto all to die, and there are various ways we reach that. David talked about some of his things, and quite possibly, he had a very difficult disease that he died from.

At one point he said that everybody was abhorred by him, and he stank, and it was terrible. And yet he was a very well-respected man in God's eyes. Ecclesiastes chapter 12, as we wrap this up, I'd just like to point out that there are stages in life that God built in. Ecclesiastes chapter 12 and verse 1 says, Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth before the difficult days come. Old age. I thought somebody said that I'd be healed of everything, and I wouldn't have any maladies, and there wouldn't be any problem, and we can kind of get this expectation you see going.

But we're told here in the Bible to remember difficult days are coming, and the years draw near when you say, I have no pleasure in them. When the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened. You can't see. Your eyesight begins to fail, you see. The day when the keepers of the house tremble, the legs start shaking.

Strong men bow down in the back. When the grinders cease, because there are few, the teeth are falling out, and you've only got a few left. And those who look through the windows grow dim, and the doors are shut in the streets, and the sound of grinding is low. When the sun rises at the sound of a bird, verse 5, they are afraid of height and tears in the way. When a grasshopper is a burden and desire fails, for man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about in the street. Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, and the golden bold is broken.

Etc. etc. In verse 7, then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the Spirit will return to God who gave it. That is part of life. It's written right in there. Now, sickness is part of a Christian's life. You might not realize that. You might have thought otherwise. It is part and parcel of a Christian's life. Let's see this from the mouth of Jesus Christ Himself.

Matthew 25. We'll look at verses 34-36. Matthew 25, verses 34-36. This is where He says, Welcome, come you into the kingdom, prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Because, verse 35, I was hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me a drink, a stranger and you took me in, naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me. He expects people to be sick, and He expects us to visit them. He expects us to pray for them, to care about them, to bring them food, to encourage them.

If He didn't expect illness, if He expected miracles, there would be nothing about sickness. It's part of life that there will be sick and that the righteous will be busy, concerned about all aspects of others' lives, including when they're ill. It's very encouraging to people who have life-threatening illnesses to know that others care about them, to receive cards that they can't leave their bed, and all they can do is know that others care. If you've ever been there, you know what I'm talking about. You treasure those cards. And if you can be there in person, so much the better, and you'll remember everyone who came to see you.

Illness, loss of health, loss of life is a difficult thing. And yet, we're called for something greater than maintaining our physical body. And the Bible really concludes with a warning to us. The warning is this. You will be healed. You will be healed. But some won't like being healed. That's a sad warning that we're told several times. In Daniel 12, verse 2, it says, The time of the end, many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, healed. Some to everlasting life, some to shame an everlasting contempt, and burned up in the lake of fire. Revelation 20, verses 13-15, talks about a resurrection. People who died, people who are healed, brought back to physical life to be burned in the lake of fire. We don't want to be part of that. We want this life to be about more important things than just short-term reactions to things that are going on. So what should your concern in life be about? Striving to perpetuate me and my perpetual youth, etc., etc.? There's nothing wrong with seeking some remedies to hell, certainly getting anointed. Luke was a physician, and there are things that we can do. But we should never stop developing the spiritual temple. That's what we're about. It's not about the physical temple. It's the spiritual temple. It's about God, about becoming godly. I'd like to conclude by reading Hebrews 12, verses 12-14.

Hebrews 12 and 12. I just want to read here from commentary Adam Clark about this passage. The words are an address to persons almost worn out with sickness and fatigue, whose hands hang down, whose knees shake, who are totally discouraged. These are exhorted to exert themselves and to take courage with the assurance that they shall infallibly conquer if they persevere. And so he says in verse 12 here, Paul does, Therefore strengthen the hands that hang down, the weak hands, and the feeble needs, and make straight paths for your feet. That's what we should be about. It's walking that difficult path, the straight and narrow, so that what is lame may not be dislocated. We don't trip and stumble on our way to the kingdom. But rather, be healed, which is the title of the sermon. We are to be reconciled to God now and forever. Verse 14, Pursue peace. The Greek word means to join together, that which is broken apart. Pursue joining, pursue healing, pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. That's the main healing, just as we began with Peter, talking about our healing back to God the Father, which will grant us permanent access, permanent life in the kingdom of God. So when you have maladies, don't let them divert you from your spiritual focus on seeking God's righteousness in His kingdom. Get anointed and get on with pursuing righteousness, pursuing God, His kingdom, with loving and serving. Soon, the first resurrection will come. Soon, the first fruits will join Christ and reign with wonderful bodies, without pain, with no sorrow. And forever, the tree of life will be in New Jerusalem and will be for the healing of all the nations, the reconciliation, the oneness of all the nations. And God's plan will finally be complete in man being at one with Him. That's our goal. Maintain that goal. Appreciate the body God has given you. Try to maintain it as you can, but never lose focus on the goal that you have to be healed.