Popular Beliefs: Healing I. Introduction A. We profess to be New Testament Christians 1. By this, we mean that we use the New Testament as our sole guide in spiritual matters 2. We are not swayed by supposed revelations from persons today or signs that are given supposedly in Jesus' name 3. Persons who do such do not generally conform to the message we read in the New Testament B. We do read, however, in the New Testament of persons being healed 1. Jesus healed many, and healing was a significant part of His earthly ministry 2. The Apostles also healed on some occasions C. It may well be asked: if we are Christians following the New Testament, and we see healing as something done during the New Testament, should we have power from God to heal? D. Let us analyze the Scriptures in regards to healing, see what kinds of healing are supposedly done today, and see what we are to do in regards to this matter II. Healing in the New Testament: Jesus Christ A. Jesus was constantly healing people B. Matthew 4:23-24, Matthew 8:16, Matthew 9:35, Mark 3:10, Luke 4:40, etc. all demonstrate Jesus and His healing of people C. Since we are to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), are we to heal? 1. We must recognize that while we are to imitate Him, Jesus' ministry included many actions and events that we cannot do 2. Let us now see the purpose of Jesus' healing of persons to see whether we are to imitate Him in this way D. Purpose #1: Fulfillment of Prophetic Office 1. Many of the prophecies of Jesus included healing 2. Isaiah 6:9-10 a. the text reads negatively, but we can see that those who would hear and would see would be healed by coming to the Lord b. Jesus uses this prophecy in terms of Israel at His day (Matthew 13:14-15) c. John in John 12:37-41 says specifically that this prophecy relates to Jesus 3. Isaiah 30:26 a. the context provides evidence that the Messiah and His time is under discussion (30:18-25) b. The wounds of the people will be healed! 4. Hosea 6:1-2 a. Hosea appeals to the people to return to the Lord and He will heal them b. the account is prophetic, speaking in verse 2 about being raised on the third day, as Christ was! 5. Malachi 4:2 a. The Lord comes with healing! 6. We can see, then, that the Messiah was prophesied to come to heal people, and Jesus thus was partly fulfilling the prophetic office in doing so E. Purpose #2: Demonstration of Authority 1. Jesus' ability to heal demonstrated His authority 2. His message could be confirmed as from God because He was able to do things no ordinary man could do 3. Matthew 12:22-30 a. As Jesus heals a blind and mute man, the people recognize His authority and wonder aloud if He is the son of David b. The Pharisees accuse Him of working according to the power of Satan c. Jesus rightly points out that Satan would not cast out his own demons; therefore, He does not work for Satan 4. John 9 a. vv. 1-4: the man born blind was so to show the power of God through him! b. vv. 17, 30-33, 35-39: the man affirms that only one with the power of God could have done such things, and that if He were not from God He could not do such things, and the once blind man offers worship to Christ because He has demonstrated His authority 5. We can see, therefore, that Jesus was able to demonstrate the power of God and confirm His message and ministry as that of the Messiah that was to come by His healing F. Purpose #3: Battling Satan 1. Part of His healing ministry was an attack against Satan 2. In the first century, throughout the Gospel accounts, we read that many are possessed by demons and such things and Jesus heals them 3. Jesus' entire ministry can be seen in terms of a major war with Satan (the temptation, the constant adversaries, the crucifixion, and the final defeat at the resurrection); this would be one of the battlegrounds of this war 4. Acts 10:38 a. As Peter preaches to Cornelius and his men, he speaks of what Jesus of Nazareth did b. He healed those whom the devil was oppressing! c. Peter affirms, therefore, that part of Jesus' war with Satan included healing those beset by the adversary 5. We see, therefore, that Jesus healed as a part of His war with Satan G. Purpose #4: Jesus felt compassion for the suffering of His people and thus healed them (Matthew 14:14) H. We can see, therefore, the many purposes for Jesus' healing ministry 1. While we constantly battle Satan in our own lives and we are to have compassion on those less fortunate, we do not fulfill a prophetic office nor can we demonstrate authority we do not have 2. Therefore, there is good reason to see that although Jesus did heal many and we are to imitate Him, we are not able to heal as He did because we do not have the power which the Father vested in Him I. If such power and authority were granted to all Christians at all times, it would be evident in the rest of the New Testament J. Let us now examine healing as done by the Apostles and by Christians III. Healing in the New Testament: the Apostles and Christians A. The Apostles 1. The Apostles were at some times commissioned to heal a. Matthew 10:1, 8, Mark 6:13: they were given authority by Jesus during His ministry to go out and heal b. This was part of His ministry and His purposes, as listed above 2. Let us examine the Apostles' ability to heal after the death of Jesus 3. Acts 3 a. vv. 1-10: Peter and John heal a man in the Temple b. vv. 11-26: Peter uses the occasion to preach the Gospel c. Acts 4:4: on account of this, 5000 men believed! 4. Acts 9:32-35 a. Peter comes upon one Aeneas in Lydda and heals him b. Those in Lydda and Sharon (a neighboring town) saw him and turned to the Lord! 5. Acts 28:7-10 a. Paul is able to heal some on Malta and for this Paul and his entourage were honored greatly 6. We see, therefore, that the Apostles' healing was directly tied to their evangelistic efforts 7. People saw the healings, as others had seen other signs and wonders (Acts 2:43), and believed the Apostles regarding the Christ 8. The Apostles' healing, therefore, was done to establish and confirm their message about Jesus Christ as the truth, and to give an opportunity for evangelism 9. It was not done by all Apostles at every opportunity, nor does it seem to overall be of assistance to those in the faith! a. Philippians 2:25-27: Epaphroditus was ill, and this grieved the Philippians and Paul, but God had mercy on him and healed him, not Paul or anyone else b. 2 Timothy 4:20: Why would Paul leave Trophimus sick at Miletus if he could heal him and thus gain a traveling companion in his time of need? 10. We can see, therefore, that the Apostles were able to heal at the direction of the Spirit, most often to demonstrate authority for their message and to soften the hearts of those hearing 11. Their lack of healing of their own companions, however, demonstrates that their ability to heal was not universal but was directed for certain purposes 12. What about other Christians? B. Christians in the New Testament period 1. We are given some information in regards to the abilities of Christians in the New Testament period and healing 2. Mark 16:17 a. One of the signs of those who believe is the ability to heal b. these signs, overall, concord to many of the actions of the Apostles in the first century, but may not be limited to them alone 3. 1 Corinthians 12:9 a. the Holy Spirit obviously gave to some persons at some times the ability to heal b. note the other dispensations of the Spirit in this chapter: miracles, spirit discernment, speaking in tongues, interpretation, prophecy 4. James 5:14-16 a. James establishes that those who are sick are to call for the elders who will come, anoint them with oil, and pray for them b. no indication here of special dispensation for healing c. Are we to do this today? d. If we desired, we could have the elders anoint the sick of the congregation with oil in the name of the Lord e. The power, however, is manifestly in the prayer, as vv. 15-18 attest f. Oil at that time was prized for its cleansing and was believed to be able to help cleanse the ill of their infirmity g. We can, therefore, anoint, but it is not necessary 5. We see, therefore, that in some places Christians are said to have healing powers, but not in others 6. How can we then reconcile these passages? 7. When we examine Mark 16 and 1 Corinthians 12, they speak of signs and other miraculous events that were used to confirm the words spoken 8. We see historically and according to 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 that such would cease, and such did manifestly at the end of the first century C. When we examine the healing works of the Apostles and the couple of passages in reference to Christians in the first century, we see that healing was done to confirm and establish the Word spoken and also to give opportunity to evangelize D. Healing also was a dispensation of the Spirit that correlated with speaking in tongues, prophecy, and other such things that were used to establish and confirm the Word of God before the completion of all revelation E. No such supernatural events-- speaking in tongues, prophecy, miracles, signs, wonders, and healings-- are heard of in regards to confirming the Word after 175 CE F. Therefore, we can conclude that the predictions of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:8-10 have come true, that the revelation is complete and all signs and wonders-- including healing-- that were used to verify and confirm that Word are not present and not necessary G. Let us complete our study, therefore, by seeing the nature of healing today and what some denominations do as "healing" IV. Healing Today A. What kind of healing, then, exists today? B. Healing from God directly 1. In James 5:14-16, we saw that the prayers of the righteous can lead to God healing a person 2. It is entirely possible, therefore, for God to heal someone today supernaturally by His sovereign will 3. Many times doctors and scientists will be at a loss to explain how some people become well, and the reason may be in some circumstances that God has healed them 4. We shall find, however, no direct, physical, empirical evidence for this C. Healing through Medicine 1. It is also possible that God uses doctors, nurses, and modern medicine to help heal people 2. When we pray for people to be well, it may be that God accomplishes that end through medical professionals D. These are the types of healing that we find today 1. Note all come from the hand of God 2. None are the direct work of any man V. Denominations and Healing A. There are some denominations, especially in the Pentecostal/Charismatic heritage, who believe in "faith healers" today 1. Some of these same peoples perform snake handling, as in Mark 16:17 2. Some have died from these activities 3. We see them especially on the television-- the "televangelists" like Benny Hinn and others 4. Are they actually healing people? B. The difficulty with the claims of such persons is that few, if any, cases exist with verifiable supernatural healing 1. There perhaps will be some who will get better from their illness because they believe that they are healthy-- the "placebo effect" 2. There are many who never had a problem at all but only believed that they did 3. And many are deceived into thinking that they have been healed and they have not C. It is a travesty that many of these "faith healers" will say that they heal people, and if people are not healed, the fault is not theirs but instead rests with the sick person: "they obviously did not have enough faith" 1. How dare they! 2. These types of people are most often shams, and it is despicable that people lose their faith and reject God because of such persons having deceived them and then blamed them for the problem D. As we have seen, the miraculous works of the first century have not been replicated since, and the signs and wonders once performed are no longer for us E. Unfortunately many people get caught up in the emotion and frenzy of these types of assemblies and believe on that basis alone F. Let us continue to hold to the standard of the Word of God VI. Conclusion A. We have examined what the New Testament teaches about healing 1. Jesus healed people to fulfill His prophetic office, to establish His authority, and to fight Satan 2. The Apostles healed people to establish the truth of their message and to give opportunity for evangelism 3. The Christians of the first century were given the ability to heal as part of the supernatural phenomena that confirmed the truth of the Gospel 4. Since the revelation of the New Testament was completed, however, there has been no further need of such events 5. We are to do well by James 5:14-16, and pray that people be healed, and God will hear us B. We can see, therefore, that the source of healing is God and God alone, and in these times He heals by His own workings or through the work of medical professionals C. Such is the New Testament regarding physical healing D. Do you have a spiritual illness? Have you never obeyed Christ and therefore do not have the spiritual life that is eternal? E. Come to the Physician today, repent of your sins, and be immersed in water for the remission of those sins F. Do you have a spiritual life in the Savior but have illness because of sin or discouragement? G. If we can encourage you, pray with you, and help you to heal in any way, please let us do so as we stand and sing