1 Corinthians 12:9-10 - Part B

We all are subject to deterioration were all subject to disease, illness, denigration, and eventually death.

And every now and then throughout the Bible old and New Testament. You see God punctuating history, including into that that human consequence of what sin brings that deterioration and intersex works. When God sends us out to be his messengers to work outfits us with the tools to be the most effective today on connect with Skip Skip shines much needed light on how God works through spiritual gifts of faith. Did you know the Scriptures important updates and biblical encouragement on social media. Just follow on Facebook, twitter and Instagram to get the latest from him and this ministry that's at Skip Heitzigs at Skip HBI cheesy IG first Corinthians chapter 12 as we dive into today's teaching with Skip Heitzigs. It's one thing to say you're healed order to say in the name of Jesus Christ I mean you and I could say that we would probably walk on the faith comes when you take a person who's been lame from birth and you pick him up and you have the faith that he's going to be able to stand and you know the story was healed and all the people marveled in Solomon's porch and Peter at the same visceral, why, why do you marvel at this, or why do you look at us as though we throw our own godliness or power made this man walk and then he gives an explanation. This is true, the name of Jesus. Listen and say that comes by him. Faith comes by him. It was a gift of faith given to Peter for that to happen in acts chapter 3 we get to acts chapter 6 we see there is a dispute in the early church over Windows in the care of these women in the church and the apostles.

They look were going to give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word you choose seven man full of good reputation filled with the Holy Spirit whom we can set over this business so seven are named among them is a man by the name of Stephen. It says a man full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith and then it continues a little bit.

A few verses later and says that he Stephen is a man filled with power, and the Holy Spirit, and he was able to do wonders and signs among the people and Stephen was a man of faith. Now Stephen had the kind of faith. Not only did the signs and wonders among the people were not told what those are, but he was a man of faith is described as faith and he has the faith.

We read in the very next chapter to give a testimony before the Jewish people. That is a very powerful historic testimony and we know what happened to Stephen.

He became the first martyr in the church now your your hearing about the gift of faith in your say okay so this doesn't sound like it's very exciting if it means that you could get killed for your faith versus man living boldly in faith and speaking out by faith in doing wonders and signs by faith in the next chapter by the end of it he gets killed and they take us close and laid at the feet of a young man named Saul say why would God give them the faith to be a martyr because of what it did to the church.

You see, the church was in Jerusalem and they were content to be in Jerusalem. They wanted to stay in Jerusalem you want to stay under the spout were the glory comes out made is good in Jerusalem. There's lots of activity 3000 souls and 5000 her chest a great move. But Jesus said he will be witnessed and says to me in Jerusalem, Judaica Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth, but they weren't going anywhere until Stephen's martyrdom after Stephen was martyred. It says a great persecution came to the church and the disciples were scattered in Judaica and Samaria, so the Lord used the faith of Stephen for him to give not only a bold witness but to be martyred that caused persecution in the church because the church to be scattered, so that by being scattered of the message could spread to the rest of the world the gift of faith was being exercised. Last week I mentioned in acts chapter 14, a man of Lestrade and Paul looked down at that man… Brooke and Ann looked at him and saw that that man had the faith to be healed now.

In this case, it wasn't Paul's faith.

But Paul looked intently at him and saw that that man at Lysistrata who is in some kind of condition that was a disease condition. He had faith for healing for two to be healed, to be cured, so he was able to see that he had the word of knowledge that that was going to happen and that man received a work of God so once again, the gift of faith is the conviction that God wants to do a remarkable thing. There's a book there's a lot of books about this guy, but an autobiography written by George Mueller about himself. George Mueller ran an orphanage in Bristol, England in the 1800s and the kind of faith that this man lived with throughout his ministry is walloping this way it will incentivize you to pray for the gift of faith. George Mueller began with two shillings a few bucks millions of dollars pass through his hands over the next 60 years as she cared for 10,000+ orphans in the store and and he made it his policy never to share his needs with anybody else. He never announced we have a need. This week we want to all the dig deep into generously never did that.

He said I never can make my needs known to humans only to God and then you read in his autobiography, the stories of how he lived by faith. So one morning George Mueller got up, got all the kids down to breakfast in their places at the breakfast table.

There was no food to give them but he got them all seated and you know I think turned to his wife early in the mornings and look we have no food but they don't know that so I think God's going to do something so we got them all together at the breakfast table and they prayed and asked the Lord to bless the food that they didn't have moments later knock came on the door. A local baker had a truckload of bread or a wagon load of bread and he said I don't know what it is but I woke up at two in the morning and I just felt the need to bake bread for you and for the orphans. Could you use it today and George Mueller so well.

Yes that be nice. We could say broaden the bread.

A few minutes later another knock at the door milk truck in the area had broken down and the man said, look, this is highly unusual, but my milk truck is broken down.

I have to bring it in for repairs. But first I have to unload all the milk is going to go sour. I just thought I'd check in Mueller's abrasion on it. We could use it and just story after story about man who lived his life with that kind of faith and I think the Lord gave him a gift of faith. So to one is given the word of wisdom by the Holy Spirit, to another the word of knowledge to another that gift of faith by the same spirit look again at verse nine to another gifts of healing, no notice something about that. Notice that gifts is put in the plural gifts of healing, and it doesn't say gift of healing, it is a gift of healers or healer is not like I am the great healer with the gift of healing and number to touch you. I believe that if you've been sick, and the Lord has healed you. You have received a gift of healing. I think it's that simple. A gift of healing and sometimes there are miraculous gifts of healing, some of you can attest to that ever sense. Genesis ever since the fall of man in the garden when sin entered into the human bloodstream when sin entered into the world. The Bible says death came by cent degeneration immediately happened and God's masterpiece was marred and mankind.

From that point on was in need of healing, because we all are subject to deterioration were all subject to disease, illness, denigration, and eventually death. And every now and then throughout the Bible old and New Testament.

You see God punctuating history with healings intruding into that that human consequence of what sin brings that deterioration and he intercepts with works of healing again you find it in the old and the New Testament.

So a couple of people in the Old Testament that come to mind Elijah the prophet. Now I say that name that way because sometimes we get confused. Elijah versus Elisha who came after Elijah. Elijah the prophet in first Kings chapter 17 meets a woman from Sarah fast an area of non-Jewish heritage, Gentile area and this woman's son dies and she's distraught Elijah the prophet takes this child and puts the child on the prophets own bed. He was staying in an upper chamber up on the roof of the house laid the child. The dead child out on the bed.

Elijah the prophet.

You might remember the story prostrated himself over the dead child wants then a second time and prayed, then 1/3 time. I do know what he was what what he was going for.

If you would keep going maybe to 10 times or 20 times but the third time was a charm.

The third time took the boy was healed and raised up raised up. It was not just a healing was like a resurrection healing then the protégé of Elijah was Eli shot the prophet in the book of second Kings and in chapter 4 and I just made mention of it but in a different context last week in second Kings chapter 4 Elisha the prophet was with a couple from shoe Nam we call her this might woman because she was from shoe Nam and other was a couple a man and a woman they didn't have a child, Elijah, Elisha, the prophet predicted that a year from now you can have a baby.

She said you're full of hot air is no trust me, you hold the baby in her arms and aim to pass that child at the word of the Lord had a baby baby boy.

The boy grew up, and one day the boy was out in the field working with his dad and the boy grabbed his head is all my my dirt so we don't know what it was Nevada, sunstroke, or subdural hematoma may be at his head like I did.

I don't know what it was but he grabbed his head and Eli shot the prophet prayed and the boy was healed again got God interrupted human history with the healing King Hezekiah of Judah was on the throne when Isaiah the prophet was one of the prophets in Jerusalem and Isaiah the prophet came to him one day because the Lord told me to do that.

He said Isaac Hezekiah get your affairs in order, because you're going to die and not live thus saith the Lord, you can kick the bucket God's giving you fair warning.

So get all your household affairs. Get all your will drawn up to get it get everything in place because the Lord said you're gonna die in your noggin… So Hezekiah started prior to be freaked out and prayed to God and the Lord for some reason known only to God granted King Hezekiah 15 years extra even gave him a sign, but but the Lord told Isaiah to prepare a poultice, a medicine poultice out of figs to apply it to King Hezekiah.

So the Lord healed them. But the Lord healed them using some kind of medicinal application, so using medicine was still healing from the Lord.

King Hezekiah was given another 15 years of life at the word of the Lord. By the time you get to the New Testament we look at the Lord Jesus Christ, and of course Jesus was one who perform miracle after miracle, proving that he was the Messiah.

The unique son of God, by the way, if I'm if I'm not mistaken, there are 41 in the life of Christ 41 gifts of healing that Jesus performed for miracles of healing that Jesus performed in Matthew Mark Luke and John about 1/5 of the entire real estate written real estate of the gospel of Jesus is devoted to the healing miracles of Jesus. Another reason Jesus performed miracles was like I just mentioned number one to authenticate that he was the Messiah, the chosen one of God, the one the Old Testament predicted. That's why when John the Baptist was in prison and had said this is this is the one who is coming after me. This is the Messiah. John believe that. But now he's in prison you remember he's doubting. And he said go to Jesus and one of his disciples go to Jesus and ask him are you really the coming one.

Or should we look for another number.

Would Jesus said to go tell John go tell John this go tell them what you hear and what you see, the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear the poor have the gospel preached under them. The debtor raised you name all the things that you have seen because that authenticates who I am. John is wondering.

Am I the coming one.

Or should we look for another tell them what you see. Tell them about these miraculous signs so Jesus performed miracles of healing to authenticate that he was Messiah number one number two was a preview of coming attractions because I believe in a literal millennium at the end of the age sought thousand year reign of Christ on the earth where there will be an incredible time of health and healing, and I believe that Jesus ministry and life was like a preview of those coming attractions. So for those two reasons, but but beyond the Old Testament beyond Jesus are being authenticated as the Messiah, Jesus promised that miracles of healing would follow as signs the ministry of the disciples right, he said, going to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And these signs will follow those who believe they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. So Jesus promised that signs and wonders and signs of healing miracles of healing would follow the disciples and they did we go to the book of acts. There's about 30 miracles in the book of acts again. Acts chapter 6, I mentioned Stephen signs and wonders were done among the people, by Stephen in acts chapter 9 Peter the apostle preaches the gospel of woman named Tabatha Dorcas dies. Peter goes to her bedside praise for her. She gets raised up so it's up resurrection, but a healing miracle you could say.

Then Paul the apostle. Another one there several instances the let me just tell you about emphasis in acts chapter 19 it says while Paul was in Ephesus that on usual miracles happen through the life of Paul the apostle so that they could take handkerchiefs or sweat bands or cloaks that he had that touched his body and they could be taken from him and laid on sick people and they would recover and evil spirits would leave them so signs and wonders were following the believers gifts of healing in acts chapter 1.

I know I'm kind of bouncing all over the place, but this might help the book of acts begins by saying the former account which I wrote to you, O Theophilus, of all the cheeses began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up right. That's how it begins, as those are Luke's words.

So I wrote he's saying the gospel of Luke to show you what Jesus began both to do and to teach. Then he begins acts, the former account that I made. Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do to teach until the day he was taken up through which he promised the Holy Spirit to his disciples, then now that the Jesus is ascended into heaven, the disciples take on that mantle of sharing the truth and when they share the truth, validating that with certain miraculous signs and especially healing. So Jesus began to do it. He continued to do it in the book of acts, and I would say this. He continues to do it today because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. Several years ago when I was doing radiology and I was looking at things very critically. I was in an accident that was in a car accident was how I will all confess it was a skateboard accident. There weren't skate parks in those days so we look for swimming pools and swimming pools can be treacherous can be dangerous.

I discovered that I wasn't a great skateboarder so that only prove that I wasn't a great skateboarder. My member dropping down into the pool and taking a bad slip and I I hurt my shoulder.

I did know what it was. I went into my friends in the x-ray department had a doctor look at it in these he said you have in a chrome Io clavicular separation and and he showed me my shoulder on one side which was closed and the one on the bad side which was cellblocks was pulled apart usually see the difference you have in the Congo clavicular problem so you just have to put a sling on and let it heal so I went home that day and I was living in a garage. I know this sounds really weird but I was that time living in a garage for five bucks a month in Orange County, California and saving money so I could get a real house and the guy that I was renting from he and his wife lived in the apartment.

His name was Jack Jack Stevens. He's now in heaven, but I member Jack sit back and I'm telling the story and I'm in my sling and he goes hey let's pray for you and okay whatever, and eyes that you pray for me but I know I what I have ever clocked from you AC separation pray for God to do anything but I'm thinking probably want to so I didn't have any faith, trust me, but I did receive the gift of healing and when Jack pray for me. It wasn't some even hyperventilate.

He didn't raise his voice and now God's will you come before you another that just real quiet. Linda said Laura would just pray that you touch Skip's shoulder and heal them. And I gotta tell you, I'd never experienced anything like this. I felt instant relief and I took my took the sling off. I move my shoulder around and and I thought what it could just be a fluke.

Maybe I don't know. Maybe it's just I'm feeling really good right now and it might my emotions were heightened, you know, I kind of bought into this and you know I I'm not I can.

I'm not living with a whole lot of faith even though I feel relief, I went in to get it x-rayed again.

This is again my scientific background I got it I got a compare before-and-after pictures if it's a true healing, it will have gone back down and I got it x-rayed again and it had narrowed from previous and I can. It was it was rentable healing my experience to give Skip message from the series expound to share that shoes grab hold of a critical opportunity to represent Jesus. Even better, to the United States that the devastating civil, or to overcome a deeply defining issue was of Jesus and people who represent his life.

We can help one another deal with this topic today Skip hi thinking Tony Clark speak to white evangelical pastors about how churches we can create spaces for black and brown voices to be heard in a loving atmosphere concerning the atmosphere find this moment because the racism is is a sin I now it's our job began. I failed it to have a biblical mindset and also having sympathy and empathy for those who are about this Christianity and their skin may be a little bit darker than yours cultivate the empathy that comes from gaining a difficult perspective on racism your copy of this conversation between Pastor Skip and Tony when you get $20 or more today will thank you Pastor Skip's booklet the church and racism, call 819 to 1888, or get online securely connectwithskip.com/offer tuning tomorrow is Skip Heitzigs examines how God works through miracles encouraging you to trust the Holy Spirit with the spiritual gifts he gives. So when God enacts a miracle doing his laws by his power with another law known only to him it humanly impossible, but it's divinely