HEALTH, HEALING, AND MIRACLES – PART FIVE
Sunday – April 8, 2018 – Nisan 23, 5778
Isn’t the Word of God just something wonderful? These aren’t just pretty words or poetic words on a page to entertain us, comfort us, or perhaps give some guidance to our lives. These are the Words of the Living God and when spoken in faith, devoid of unbelief, there is nothing impossible to us for there is nothing impossible to our God, who is our Father. Our Father, our Savior and Brother, and the Holy Spirit didn’t need redemption, they did not need commandments with examples of how to do right and examples of wrong, but we sure did and do.
The general theme of this Bible Study from the beginning is health for the people of God. This was true under the Old Covenant if it be possible it is even more true for us under the New Covenant with better promises. Health for the believer is not a hit or miss thing or something some have access to and others don’t due to some mysterious plan of God. Health is ours but if we stumble healing and miracles are fully ours as well. Let’s take a look at Deuteronomy twenty-eight.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (KJV)
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
This is one of my most favorite chapters in the Holy Scripture but you know at times it is hard to separate them for they all speak one way or another and we build faith from all of them to do the exploits of Kingdom people. Our passage above starts with a promise but like many promises of God it is conditional. The provision is already there but we must actuate it into our lives. Notice the little word “if” that should loom before us like a gigantic neon sign. We must listen up for this is our part. There is a perverse theology among Christians that God is in control. Were God in control there would be no if’s or when’s in the Scripture. There are things that God is in control of but the details of our lives is not one of them. He made us as freewill creature in His image and likeness and gave us dominion (authority) in all the earth and the Power to back up the authority which is exercised according to the will of God. We are to listen to the voice of the Lord our God, we are to look, read, His Word, and we are to do all that He commands. Please, none of us should skim over words like ‘all’ in doing all He commands. When we do these things, we find that the Blessing is loosed and we are blessed in all we do. Not one word about poverty or disease when we get Deuteronomy 28:1 right, in fact, we find the polar opposite. Now, let’s skip down a few verses.
Deuteronomy 28:14-15 (KJV)
14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Who reading this wants to be on this end of the stick? Yet here we are with the curse operating without restraint. In verse fifteen you find that neon light brightly blinking “if”. God says we have turned aside to pursue other gods and that is the explanation for the curse (poverty and disease) in our lives. I think we all intuitively know that the curse is very undesirable. Just go back and read what God said to Adam and Eve in Genesis Chapter three on the Day of Sin and Death. Read from verse fourteen through the end of Deuteronomy twenty-eight and see how much of that you think would be enjoyable. Yet, there it is in our lives.
We are a rebellious people and then wonder why we are not in victory. Organized religion has gotten around this obvious problem by making all the curse a part of the Christian walk, our cross to bear, to be faithful to the end. If we were faithful we would be walking in the blessing and not in the curse. Wake up, wake up, Church! Health belongs to us and God expects to find health in His children. It is bought and paid for! It is not on lay away and we have to finish the payment, it is paid in full! We only have to appropriate it into our lives. Obedience to the Word of God is the first requirement, followed by faith, absence of doubt, and speaking the Truth into physical existence. I will continue with the theme of health next Sunday. Today I am ending with one of Jesus’ miracles found in Mark (below) and Matthew 15:21-28.
Mark 7:25-30 (KJV)
25 For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.
28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.
29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
This Syrophenician woman is not a Jew but a Gentile. To the Jews she in on the level of a dog. She had heard the good news that Jesus preached and she came to Him on behalf of her daughter with and unclean spirit (demon). She submitted herself to Him, falling at His feet. She asked Jesus to cast the devil out of her daughter. This woman has heard the good news (Word of God), she had faith in the Word of God, she had no doubt that He can cast this devil out of her daughter. Then she speaks what is to be done. Jesus responds by referring to the children which are the children of Israel or the Jews saying that she, a dog, wants to take the children’s bread (sustenance). Let’s take a look at Matthew.
Matthew 15:24-26 (KJV)
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
This woman is exercising faith in God out of time, faith is not time dependent, Abraham did the same and is the father of us all. She persisted, are we persistent when there seems to be a delay? We then find that Jesus honors her persistence, her faith, her lack of doubt, her saying, and the devil is cast out of her daughter. Let’s see this in Matthew.
Matthew 15:27-28 (KJV)
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Is Jesus turning to us and saying “you have great faith” or is He saying “where is your faith”? Jesus told her that the daughter was healed according to the woman’s will which as we know from other Scripture is the will of God. The provision is in place, love (obedience to the Word, selflessness, and Blood Covenant) accesses all of the promises of God and they bloom in our lives as a witness to all.
Until our next publication, I speak blessing into your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Numbers 6:24-26 (KJV)
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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