In God's Hands

In my service as Minister of Jesus Christ, there's a phrase that I find I often use. In fact, I used it a few times this week, and as I sat thinking about it, it was what literally kicked my sermon off in the direction I'm going to take it today. It's a phrase I've used as I've anointed people who are sick and prayed over them.

It's a phrase I've used as I've visited them in the hospital or encouraged their family as individuals were going through difficult challenges. And that phrase is, you're in God's hands. You are in God's hands. It's a phrase that is meant to be that of encouragement, that of comfort. And frankly, it should be a reminder that we are all as God's people in His hands. Our life, day by day, are in the hands of God, and indeed, there is no better place to be.

To be with someone who is sick and dying and say, you are in God's hands, I do hope that brings comfort. But even in the land of the living, to know we are in God's hands. What an incredible comfort and joy that is. A title for my message today is simply, In God's Hands. And while I'm going to start out showing that God's hands are a place of protection and comfort and godly involvement in our lives, I'm going to use this concept, actually, to springboard into a foundational doctrine of the Church, which I want to explore today, actually, primarily, and that doctrine is the laying on of hands.

So as we move through this, I want to make the connection of how we are in God's hands and what, indeed, did God even put in place within the Church to remind us of the care we are in. Again, ultimately, in His hands. Let's begin in Isaiah 41 today as we see the care and the focus God's extended to His people through the blessing of His hand.

Isaiah 41, here in beginning in verse 8, some very encouraging words for us. It says, So it's referring here to God's covenant people who have a direct relationship with Him in His care, His provision, His blessings poured out upon them. The emphasis here is the nation of Israel, the covenant people of God, but if we bring it to you and I today, we are the called out children of God, called out from the ends of the earth into this relationship with Him.

Verse 10, God says to these people, Fear not! Very comforting phrase, fear not. He says, Where I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. He says, I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. These are very, very encouraging words. Again, from God to us, the love, the care, the blessing that He extends out in this way, God's righteous right hand, brethren, it's a place of strength.

It's a place of protection, a place of provision. It's actually as well even a place of honor. Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of the Father on His throne. So to have God say, I uphold you with my righteous right hand, indeed, is an incredible blessing. And that right hand is the means, if you look through many other scriptures, by which God accomplishes His will. Verse 13, dropping down, God says, For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, fear not, I will help you.

And so it's like, literally, we're walking with God. He is walking with us, and we're walking hand in hand. His right hand in our right hand, a source of strength and encouragement and comfort and peace. And again, there's no better place to be than that. Indeed, it's an incredible blessing, brethren, to live in the shadow of this reality, that we are in God's hands.

A place of that protection and care and blessing. King David understood this relationship. King David, throughout the Psalms, wrote about the blessing of God's hand in his life. Let's look at an example. Psalm 139. I'll leave Isaiah behind for a little while. Psalm 139, verse 7, the words of King David.

Psalm 139, verse 7, David asks the question, he says, Where can I go from your spirit? Again, God's spirit, God's presence. So where can I flee from your presence, he asks. Verse 8, If I ascend into heaven, you're there. If I make my bed in hell or in the grave, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. The point is, David is saying, there's nowhere that I can go away from your presence, from your security, from your blessing. Indeed, everywhere I turn as your servant, God, you are there for me. The hand or the hands of God are mentioned often throughout the Bible, representing God's strength, God's authority, and indeed the presence of God in our lives. And it reminds us that God is involved with every aspect of our life. He's there when we cried out to him. He's there even when we're, you know, we're asleep or we're not looking. God says, there's nowhere you can go away from my presence if indeed you are mine. And brethren, there's no better place to be but in his hands. Even in death, even in the shadow of death, David said, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil because you're with me. Even in death, there is no better place to be but in the hands of God. And Jesus Christ recognized that. Jesus Christ, let's notice what he said in John chapter 10.

Excuse me, before we go there, let's go to Luke 23. On our way to John chapter 10. Let's keep this in a little bit of an order. Luke 23. Again, even in death, Jesus acknowledged no better place to be but in the hands of God because there's comfort there, there's security there. Notice his words with his last dying breath. Luke 23. In verse 46.

Jesus here is on the stake. His final moments. In verse 46 it says, And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he breathed his last. Into your hands, Father, he says, I commit my spirit. Even with his last dying breath, Jesus realized there was no better place to be but committed into the hands of God. Because only there, in God's hands, could his purpose be ultimately completed. Only in the hands of God could God's purpose, could Jesus' resurrection, could the removal from the grave after three days and three nights, be completed. Only in the hands of God could the ultimate purpose for Jesus, life, death, and resurrection, be fully accomplished. So to commit ourselves into God's hands is a recognition that even our salvation is secure with him. We don't just look to him for our physical protection. Jesus, with his last strength, he had in the flesh, said, Father, I commit my spirit into your hands, our salvation, ultimately, that most precious eternal life that will ultimately be granted to us, is secure in the hands of God. And we understand that that is the most precious relationship of all. John 10, verse 27, Even those who are in the land of the living, who walk day by day with God, have this recognition that our salvation is secure in his hands. John 10, verse 27, again, the words of Jesus Christ, He says, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. So there's a level relationship here with Jesus Christ by which our salvation is secure in his hand. But then he takes it even further to the next step. He says in verse 29, So again, we understand that not only is our physical life dependent upon the involvement of God's hands, but so is our spiritual life. And literally from cradle, you know the phrase, right? It's from cradle to grave. Let's stretch that out a little farther. From cradle to immortality, our life is in God's hands. Our purpose is in God's hands. And as a master potter, God molds us and shapes us with his loving hands all along the way.

This brings me now to the doctrinal topic that I'd like to tie in with this concept, and that is the laying on of hands. You might ask, what does the laying on of hands of the ministry have to do with being in the hands of God?

Well, the answer is perhaps more than you might think, because it is through this practice of this fundamental belief in the Bible, and it is a fundamental belief of God's Word, that we're reminded of the involvement of God to oversee our lives continually. So I want to make this connection between the fact that we are in God's hands, and then also the process that God has put in place to remind us that truly, in these various stages of our life, even through what he does in the church, even what he does through the ministry, we are constantly pointed back to the fact that it is in his hands, and from his hands, that the blessing comes. Understand, the laying on of hands is not some sort of power that the minister exercises over you. You know, there's no inherent power within me when I lay hands upon somebody, other than God's Spirit, okay, that would dwell in me. But it's not like I have the power in me to heal somebody or to accomplish some great thing in their life. The point is, this action is a symbolic reminder that we are in God's hands, and that it is his divine power that we're looking for to work in our lives. So when I lay hands upon somebody in a specific action, we're going to walk through what the Bible shows these instances to be. But again, it's not me. It's not the power of me that brings to pass, what is to come to pass. It is the action of setting someone apart before God. When I lay hands on someone, God, this person, I'm setting them apart before you for the purpose of what it is we're praying about. And we're yielding then to God as it is his power and his care that would bring these things to pass. So let's go to a scripture then here that reinforces the concept that the laying on of hands is a fundamental doctrine of the Bible. Because so many religious denominations in the world around us seem to have forgotten, indeed, that it is even here. But it is essential to what it is that we do as the Church of God today. Let's go to Hebrews 6. Hebrews 6 and verse 1.

Here the Apostle Paul lists for us some foundational doctrines of the Church. And in Hebrews 6 and verse 1, Paul says, Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of... Now he's going to go through and list these doctrines, and he says, these are the foundation.

And the point he's making is, if we're going to move on to maturity and perfection, don't just live in the foundation. You build on the foundation, but you still have to have the foundation to build the structure on. So these are foundational doctrines of our faith. Again, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of the faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of the laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. He says, and this we do, we'll do if God so permits.

So again, here we have in the New Testament a list of the very foundational doctrines of the church. And right in the middle of these monumental doctrines, like repentance and faith, and resurrection from the dead, eternal judgment, baptism, all things we would list out as central core doctrines to our belief structure.

Right in the middle of that is this which is listed, the doctrine of the laying on of hands. Don't you think that's important? Don't you think it is something that God wants us to focus on the significance of and indeed practice in the way that he outlines in his Word? Indeed it is. Again, the laying on of hands by the ministry of Jesus Christ is a symbolic act. It's like when I baptize someone and I put them under the water and bring them back up.

I did not just wash away their sins through a physical washing of that water. It's water. But it is a symbolic act that God gives us that demonstrates the person's heart towards God. And it demonstrates then what God will do by the pouring out of his blessing. He forgives the sins. So in like manner, the laying on of the hands of the ministry of Jesus Christ is a symbolic act that signifies God's presence and blessing. And it serves as a reminder to believers that they are under God's care and protection, that he is involved, that he is very much in touch with our lives day by day, and indeed the important times and the important places of our lives as well.

So let's walk through some of the examples the Bible gives for the laying on of hands. And in doing so, we're going to see the active involvement of God's hands through the process. Because again, that's the point. It's not the hands of the man, it is the hands of God. But God works through human instruments as well as we will see. So I've broken this into four points of emphasis for the laying on of hands.

And point number one is the laying on of hands in the conferring of a blessing. The laying on of hands in the conferring of a blessing. Let's look at an Old Testament example of a blessing being conferred through the laying on of hands. And then we'll bring it forward and see the application in the New Testament today as well.

In Genesis chapter 48, there are literally doctrinal threads that run through the entirety of the Bible. And this one is no different. I'm not going to spend a lot of time in the Old Testament today, but just do a search if you want some homework on the hands of God or in the hands of God or the hand of God upon me.

See what Ezekiel said about that. It is insightful. But Genesis chapter 48 and verse 1, again, we're going to talk about the laying on of hands in conferring a blessing. It says, And now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, Indeed, your father is sick. And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And Jacob was told, Look, your son Joseph is coming to you, and Israel strengthened himself. And he sat up on the bed. Verse 3, then Jacob said to Joseph, God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.

And he said to me, Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you. I will make you a multitude of people and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession. And so you notice who it was who had blessed Jacob. It was God. He said, God appeared to me. He conveyed this blessing upon me. God had made promises to him that only God could fulfill. And yet Jacob, he recognized through his life. His name was later changed to Israel. Through his life. Through his wanderings. Through his experiences. What he walked through was actually the fulfillment of what God brought about in his life.

He was in the hands of God walking through this process, hand in hand with God of what he would fulfill. And so now as we come to this point, he's getting close to death. And he's going to confer the same blessing upon his grandsons. After all, this blessing of God was multi-generational, wasn't it? Right? Given to Abraham, passed to Isaac, passed to Jacob. And he says, I will make a blessing and multiply your children into a great nation and company of nations. This is something that was being passed on through the family.

Verse 8, dropping down, in Genesis 48, verse 8, Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said to them, Who are these? And Joseph said to his father, They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place. Okay, the place was Egypt at the time. And he said, Please bring them to me, and I will bless them. So Jacob's now going to confer a blessing on his grandsons. Verse 10, Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see.

Then Joseph brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, I had not thought to see your face. But in fact, God has also shown me your offspring. So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down, Jacob did, with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim, with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand towards Israel's right hand, and brought them near to him. Verse 14, Then Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand of Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

So understand what's happening here. Jacob actually reached out and crossed his arms over to lay hands upon these lads, because Joseph is like, well, the firstborn will come to your right side for your right hand, and the secondborn, or the lastborn, to your left side. The right hand was the conveyance of the dominant blessing conveyed upon the firstborn, and yet God was doing something here, and Joseph understood how this blessing would be, and literally he crossed his hands over to put his right hand on the head of not the firstborn, but the other.

So I do also want us to notice the manner then in which the blessing is conferred. It is by Jacob, literally placing his hand on the head of the lads. Verse 15, it says, and he blessed Joseph, meaning his sons, and he said, God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the angel or the messenger who has redeemed me from all evil, blessed the lads.

He says, let my name be named upon them in the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. So as we can see, this blessing that Jacob gave was given through the laying on of hands and by prayer. And it was not a blessing that Jacob himself could literally fulfill by his own power.

Again, this was a multi-generational blessing, and the fact is his hands had no power to make these prophetic proclamations come forth. He was placing them by the laying on of his hands into the hands of God for the fulfillment of the blessing in a way that only God could do. That's how it always is. The hands of the man are not the power. The hands of the man, by God's direction, would set someone apart before him for his blessing, but it is God's hand of guidance and direction that indeed would then carry them along the way.

Let's go now to the New Testament and look at an example of Jesus Christ conferring a blessing through the laying on of hands and prayer. Matthew 19, verse 13.

Matthew 19, verse 13. A familiar passage to us. It says, And it says, Mark 10, verse 16 says, Again, there was a blessing that was being conferred now upon these children through Jesus Christ. But I want us to notice again that even Jesus Christ prayed to God for that blessing. We might say, well, why would he have to do that? You know, wasn't he God in the flesh? Wasn't he the Son of God?

Wasn't he filled with the Spirit? Well, yes, he was. But Jesus had said previously in John 5, 30, I of myself can do nothing. He recognized where his power came from to perform the miracles that he would perform. He was fully flesh and blood as he walked the earth. And in this physical existence, just as our physical existence, there was no power apart from what it is that God would provide through that blessing.

So Jesus laid hands upon them, set them apart before God, and he prayed for that blessing. And you notice the same with the ministers of Jesus Christ today. We have a ceremony in the church. It's called the Blessing of Little Children. We follow this example of Jesus Christ. And as a minister, through that blessing, through that process, I pick up small children in my arms, and I lay hands upon them, and I pray for them.

I ask God to watch over them, to protect them, to guide and direct them all the days of their life, and to fulfill in them that which he purposed for them. It's the blessing of the little children. But understand, there is no power in my hands. My hands upon their head is not the blessing, but the work of God in their lives is.

So, we have to understand that the laying on of hands is an example, though, to our children. And it's a reminder to all of us that even from a very young age, that God's hand of blessing is upon them, and that they are growing up under his care and oversight.

I was thinking, as I was sitting at my desk yesterday, working on this, I thought, you know, the earliest memories I have, frankly, in the church, was being lifted up in the arms of the minister, having hands laid upon me in a prayer, a blessing, said over me. I was probably six years old at the time, getting a little past toddler stage, almost, you know, a little big for the minister to pick up in their arms, but we lived in Key West, Florida at the time, and God had called my mom to the church.

And there was not a congregation in our area. The pastor from Miami would come down. It was like four or five hours. He would come down a couple times. Maybe every two months or so, he would come down. And in one of those visits, he conducted the blessing of the little children in my life.

Before I even attended, that I can recall a Sabbath service. Okay, this took place. There's another time that I have also conferred a blessing upon individuals through the laying on of hands, and even though there's not a biblical mandate to do so, I do believe that it fits with the guidelines of conveying a blessing, and that is marriage.

You know, there's not a marriage ceremony, per se, laid out for us in the Scriptures, but we take the example of the Scriptures regarding marriage, and as a part of the marriage ceremony, I will lay my hands upon the couple, and they will join their hands together, and we will pray for God to be a blessing to their union. In fact, we pray for God to bind them in his sight as husband and wife. So, that laying on of hands again is, I'm setting this couple apart before you, God, for the purpose of your blessing. And indeed, then it is God, in his recognition of that, who follows through to carry them in his hands.

So I do believe the way the Scripture shows the laying on of hands as entirely appropriate for such an occasion as, again, marriage. Point number two. Point number two is the laying on of hands for the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Again, the foundational doctrines listed in Hebrews chapter 6 has baptism followed immediately by the laying on of hands. We understand that baptism to be something which is immersion, right?

Full immersion. Water baptism is what we practice in the Church of God for the remission of sins. Follows repentance and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. So you're immersed in the water and you're brought back up.

But that's not the end of the process. There's actually a second step to this conversion process that takes place as well. Acts chapter 19.

Acts chapter 19. Here the Apostle Paul comes upon a group of Christians who had been baptized. He asked, well, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They said, well, we don't even know what you're talking about. He says, well, there's another step to this process. Acts chapter 19 and verse 1. It says, and it happened while Apollos was at Corinth that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples, he said to them, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? So they said to him, we have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.

Or perhaps it could be translated, we have not so much as heard that the Holy Spirit has come. Whichever the case, verse 3. And he said to them, and to what were you baptized? And they said, into John's baptism. And Paul said, John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in him who would come after him. That is on Christ Jesus. And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And then, when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Now the men were about twelve in all. So we have this example here. Paul baptizes them in the name of Jesus Christ, lays hands upon them, prays, and God's Spirit comes upon them to receive the Holy Spirit. This is actually a part of the baptism process that's not practiced, really, by many denominations in the world around us. I have counseled a number of people who were baptized in other churches who have come to me, and we've discussed the process that they went through.

And in the case of many of them, never had the laying on of hands for the Holy Spirit following their baptism. It just simply was not a part of their experience. Yet we see from the Scripture, other than a couple of rare occasions, that happened for very specific reasons. The Holy Spirit is given upon the laying on of hands of the ministry. It's one of the few rituals that we have in the New Testament church. It's very important, brethren, for us to understand the significance of this foundational understanding.

Acts 8. Again, the laying on of hands for the receipt of the Holy Spirit. Acts 8. This is the story of the deacon Philip. He goes down to Samaria. He preaches the Gospel, and people respond. They believe. They believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Philip then baptizes them.

But you see, Philip is a deacon. He's a deacon, so it's not within his purview to lay hands upon them for the receiving of the Holy Spirit. He's not a minister in that sense. He wasn't one of the apostles. So let's notice the follow-up to that. Acts 8. It says, Again, the model we have handed down to us in the Church is baptism followed by the laying on of hands for the receiving of the Holy Spirit. That is accompanied by prayer. But it's not my power. It's not my ability and even my responsibility to give.

It's not really about the hands of the man, but it's about the power of God at work. And sadly, as you carry on the account, here there was a sorcerer in Samaria who didn't understand that fact. He thought it was about the man, and he wanted it for himself. Verse 18, now when Simon, this is Simon Magus, Simon the sorcerer, when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.

He says, this is pretty great! And I like being somebody. It was about the man in his sight. He says, let me buy that. I kind of like to do what you're doing. Verse 20, but Peter said to him, Your money perish with you, because you thought the gift of God could be purchased with money. He says, You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God.

The laying on of hands, brethren, is not a gift that is for sale. It is not a responsibility that is transferable by any man or authority of man. It is the power of God that is at work here, but he does it through human instruments. And that is a part of the lesson in this example as well. It is God working in the hand of God working, but in many occasions we see in the scripture, he does these things as well through human instruments.

In the church, there is a God-ordained authority structure through which Jesus Christ, the head of the church, works. And all of us are charged with a responsibility. Every single one of us are charged with a responsibility to love one another, to support and encourage and care for one another. And yet some have a special set of responsibilities of serving in the church through teaching and by ordination. And indeed, it is what God has set apart what Jesus Christ did. He gave some to be, as the scripture says, apostles and evangelists and pastors and teachers. And these things are lined out in the structure of the church.

God's requirement of the laying on of hands helps us to see the reality of that structure and to understand the value of submitting ourselves to it. It's not that a man sets himself up. It can be, if it's not of God. But as ordained in the church of God, it is by ordination then that God and Jesus Christ give a level of authority to conduct certain things in their service. But again, the power is not of the man.

The power is always of God. As a minister of Jesus Christ, I don't give the Holy Spirit to anybody, but I do lay hands upon them and I pray. And I say, God, I set this person apart for you, before you, for the giving of your spirit. Look upon them. See their heart. See their repentance before you. And the prayer is, Father, pour upon your child the Spirit. But it is God's work in action that brings this course. In 2 Timothy chapter 1, we're not going to turn there, but I'll just quote verse 6 and 7. Paul writes to Timothy, and he says, Therefore I remind you, Disturpe the gift of God which is in you, through the laying on of my hands.

He says, For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love, and a sound mind. This appears to have been Timothy's baptism and the action following. Paul said, Through the laying on of my hands the spirit was given.

Point number 3 is the laying on of hands for ordination to a spiritual office. The laying on of hands for ordination to a spiritual office. Shortly after the establishment of the New Testament Church on the day of Pentecost, the need became quickly apparent to the apostles, and it arose from actually a very good occurrence. There was a need, but we know the Bible says God added to the church daily those who were being saved. So as the numbers grew and expanded, they're expanding outside the ability of the twelve to accomplish certain things. There was a need, and there was indeed also a solution that was presented. Let's go to Acts 6.

Acts 6. Again, the laying on of hands for ordination to a spiritual office. Acts 6 and verse 1.

It says, Now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists. The Hellenists were the Greek-speaking Jews, as opposed to the Hebrew-speaking. So there was a degree of separation here between them, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. It says, But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. It says, And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith in the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and these other who completed the seven, whom they set before the apostles, says, And when they had prayed, they laid hands on them. So there was a real need in the church that needed to be filled, and faithful men were ordained into the position of deacons in order to assist the apostles in the work, in the service of the church. It says, And notice the result, verse 7, says, So God's blessing was the result. And the Word went out, and the apostles preached, and God called many in, and there were those that were there as well, through this laying on of hands into ordination to then serve those whom God brought into the body. Again, God uses the laying on of hands to ordain or appoint His servants to positions of responsibility and service within His chosen assembly. And in the New Testament, this action applies to the ordination of deacons, of deaconess, and of elders, those that are then ordained into the ministry of Jesus Christ. And the hands that are laid upon them as well, those hands are clearly those of the ministry. 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 13. The apostle Paul writing to Timothy, a young minister in the faith whom he mentored. 1 Timothy 4 and verse 13, he says, This is apparently a reference now to Timothy's ordination into the ministry. I quoted earlier where Paul said, Stir up the gift that's in you by the laying on of my hands. Now he says, this is by the laying on of the hands of the eldership, and apparently more than one elder, in fact. So whenever I ordain someone, it's my practice to call all the elders up, to participate in this together. And it's not that, you know, the more the better, the stronger, the better the ordination. That's not the point. The point is, is because it shows an agreement and a unity of purpose among the leadership in the church in responding to the godly fruits of this individual. You know, it shows even before God and before the congregation that there is agreement among the ordained leadership in this appointment. And the hands are laid upon them. The biblical example is not that simply anyone in the congregation can perform the laying on of hands. We don't call up random individuals, baptized or unbaptized, to lay on hands upon somebody. There is a structure and an order in the way that God carries these things out within the church. And again, it's by His direction. By the direction of Jesus Christ, the head of the church, who gave some to be to fulfill these positions, not of authority in the sense of carrying a stick, but authority in the sense of service and care and the shepherding of God's people. Timothy himself then had the responsibility of ordaining qualified men into the ministry. And we notice that Paul himself gave Timothy a cautionary note about this process. First Timothy chapter 5 and verse 22.

First Timothy 5 verse 22, Paul says, Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins. Keep yourself pure. So this is a very serious matter. Paul says, don't rush into it. Don't jump into it. Watch the person observe, interact with them, work with them, see the fruits of their nature, see the fruits of their connection with God and the spirit that is displayed in them. Don't be hasty in laying hands upon someone because the consequence of doing so and the position that they would have in serving God's people, that can be a huge blessing or it can be a huge disaster, frankly, if a mistake is made. So Paul says, be careful with that. So here we have Timothy. He was instructed to lay hands and given instruction about doing that, laying hands upon others. The Apostle Paul had laid hands upon Timothy. And in fact, Paul himself had hands laid upon him by other elders who were commissioned by Jesus Christ as well. And this shows how this unbroken chain works. Acts 13, verse 1.

Acts 13, verse 1. It says, Saul was later called Paul, as we know.

Then having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So this is the point where Paul and Barnabas were ordained into the ministry. They were commissioned to go out to carry on this missionary journey then that they would go forward with. But Paul had to be himself, have hands laid upon him. And you might say, well, Paul, the man who was struck down on the road to Damascus, the one who Jesus Christ blinded and confronted directly. You mean Jesus didn't just give him his spirit? You mean he had to have hands laid upon him? Well, if you go back to that part of Acts, which we won't do today, you see where a man was sent to lay hands upon Paul. And he was healed of his blindness, and he received the Holy Spirit. And now we see where hands again are laid upon him. Actually, multiple hands. Upon him in Barnabas for thou disappointment. And then they went forward in the work of the ministry. So here we have Paul, and it shows his willingness to work within and submit himself to the structure Jesus Christ had established within the church. And you know what? He could do that because he recognized it was not the hands of man that were upon him. Maybe physically so, but it was literally the hand of God then that was upon him through this action. And as he and Barnabas went forward in their ministry, he knew it would be in the hands of God who would carry them and bless them out through that process. We don't have time to look at it today, but in the Old Testament you can have—again, this runs all through the Bible. In a parallel, I would say, would be Moses' inauguration of Joshua to carry forward with the leadership of Israel. He laid hands upon him before the assembly. God, though, was the one who would back that ordination up. God was the one who would be with Joshua, who would carry him and empower him to be the leader of his people following the death of Moses. You can read about that in Numbers 27, verse 18 through 23. The fourth and final point is the laying on of hands for the healing of the sick. The laying on of hands for the healing of the sick. We have this clearly shown for us in the Scripture as well. During his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ set the example of the laying on of hands to heal the afflicted who came to him. Mark 6, verse 4. Mark 6, verse 4. This is, again, very much an illustration. Even if it's a physical symbol, it's an illustration of the fact that God, indeed, is hands-on in our life. Mark 6, verse 4, it says, Now he could do no mighty works there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. You know, there was such an issue of unbelief in his own neighborhood, we could say. Among his own relatives, the fact that, well, you're just the carpenter's son. And we see then the tie-in of faith, faith of the individual, that needs to be in place as well for this blessing to be poured out. So Jesus could not do a lot of works of faith in this place because of their unbelief, but some did come to him for healing, and he did lay hands upon them. Luke chapter 4, verse 40.

Luke chapter 4, verse 40, says, So Jesus rebuked them and says, keep silent. They knew who he was, and it actually wasn't the time for that to be openly expressed yet. But the point was, there was the healing of the sick, and it was one of the many signs that Jesus was the Christ, that he was the Messiah. And he followed through with that action by the laying on of hands. Through the laying on of hands, his compassion and his divine authority over sickness was evidenced among the people. You know, Jesus could have healed in a lot of different ways, and actually there were times that he did heal in different ways. However, he often chose to lay his hands on those who were suffering, demonstrating his personal care for the people he encountered. Again, it was hands-on, and it's a physical act, but it reminds us God is hands-on in your life, in my life as well. Coming forward to the time of the New Testament Church, we see the apostles conducted healings through the laying on of hands as well. And if I can give you a little pun, let's just make sure you're awake still, because it's warm in here today. A little pun, right? So the laying on of hands was a rule of thumb for the apostles as they went forward from here. Okay? Rule of thumb, Acts 28.

Acts 28 and verse 8 says, It says, So this action offered evidence of the ongoing work of God on earth through his chosen representatives, through the apostles, through the ministry. They laid hands upon the sick and prayed over them, and they were healed. But again, where was the power? Where was the work? Where did it come from? It came from God, but by faith, through the Yesomchim he appointed. We won't turn there, but Acts 5 verse 12 says, Many signs and wonders were done among the people, through their hands. When we come forward to the book of James, which is where we'll wrap up today, James chapter 5, we see the instruction for calling upon the elders of the church for anointing the sick. And it's something we still practice yet today. James chapter 5, beginning in verse 14, says, It says, So again, this process requires faith. It requires the faith of the minister. I have to believe, when I lay hands upon somebody, that God does indeed have the power to heal. It requires the faith of the person being anointed as well. They have to believe that God is on his throne in heaven. And indeed, if he should choose to do so according to his will, will heal them. So it's the faith of the one being anointed as well. When I anoint someone, it starts with prayer. And then at a point during the prayer, I place a small amount of olive oil. I'll rub it onto their forehead. It is anointing with oil as the instruction is given. And I will lay hands upon them, and I will set them apart before God. And I say, God, I set this person apart before you for the purpose of your healing. Please hear our prayer. Please see the affliction. See the heart and the faith of this one as we are crying out to you for this blessing. But again, I don't provide the healing. I set them apart before God through the laying on of hands and literally place them into the hands of God for his blessing, which he will pour out. There's no power in the oil, although it represents God's Holy Spirit. There is no power in the laying on of my hands, but there is power when we are placed in the hands of God for his care all throughout this process. And as through this process, we're directed back to the flesh and blood reality of God's Church. The instruction is, any sick among you, call for the elders of the Church. They would pray over you, anoint you with oil. Again, it brings back to the structure Jesus Christ gave some to be through ordination in the laying on of hands. It also reminds us we're not called to be an island to ourselves, that we submit one to another. Because I get sick at times, I get hurt at times, and I need healing at times, and guess what it is not? It is not, pastor heal thyself. Right? I do not anoint myself when I'm ill. I call upon the elders. I call Mike Ims up in Spokane. There's times I've called in before one of my Africa trips and said, Mike, I'm dealing with something. I really don't want to end up in the hospital in Nigeria. Would you please anoint me before I walk out the door? And it's a matter of submission one to another with the recognition of the authority that God has placed in the ministry for conducting this function. So I don't anoint myself, okay? I did not bless myself as a child. I did not ordain myself into the ministry. I did not lay hands upon myself for the receiving of the Holy Spirit following my baptism. And I did not marry myself, thankfully.

I think I would be a hard person to live with, possibly. I'm going to talk to my wife. I don't know. But the hands of the ministry were laid upon me. And guess what? Some of the most consequential and important times of my life. And it was a reminder to me, I am in the hands of God. And what an incredible blessing that is. This is where God is working. This is where God has established and ordained structure. And this is where He has instructed us to come, submitting ourselves to one another in the process. Never an island unto ourselves. Our relationship is us and God. But when He calls us, He places us into a body of believers for the edification of us all. Whenever the hands of those men were laid upon me throughout my life, I was humbled. I was humbled. And you know what? I've ordained people who have... or not ordained, but anointed people and laid hands on people who when I have been done, tears were running down their face. And they were humbled as well. Why? Well, it's not because of the stature of the man whose hands I had laid upon me, but it was because of the reality of what that represented, the power and the blessing of God at work in my life. Rather than the fundamental doctrine of laying on of hands, it's a constant symbolic reminder that we are in God's hands all throughout our lives, and at important, essential times in our lives. And indeed, as His people, as His covenant people, called from the ends of the earth today, there is no better place to be than that. Very good to be with you. I look forward to our food and fellowship together. May you have a blessed remainder of the Sabbath day.