A Biblical Case for Healing, Part 3

If you or someone you love is seriously ill and you can understand the cycle of hope and worry that defines your days. The emotions that go up and down, but underneath it all, there's a lingering pall of fear that won't go away today on Insight for living Chuck's wind always teaching from a section in James chapter 5 that teaches us how to respond when someone is sick.

Entering today's program will present four practical lessons we learn from this passage again teaching from James chapter 5 Chuck presents a biblical case for healing. Is anyone among you sick. This is critical that we understand the meaning of the word and that we understand the process we go through it means to be weak, to be without strength.

Stay with me it means to be disabled. To be incapacitated. Let's go through the step-by-step process and let's pay close attention to what God is written in his word I give you three steps just as they appear here, not steps, but parts of a process. First, the sick person takes the initiative the sick person takes the initiative. Is anyone among you sick let him let the second one call for the elders of the church. Sometime there are people who are sick in the church and the pastors of the last people to know about. If you are sick. If you are incapacitated. If you are unable to be up and around, then it is your move to take the initiative, according to the Scriptures let him or her call for the elders of the church. Number two. Once they arrive, they carry out two functions according to what I read in verses 14 and 50 before describing those functions.

Let me point out that particular construction in the original Greek sentence that will help clarify this this phrase in verse 14.

Let me read it for you literally. Is anyone among you sick let them call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord.

You notice the order of the verbs let them pray over him having anointed him with oil. So, which would come first.

The oil or the prayer, the oil would precede the prayer. There are two Greek words for anoint one always has a religious and ceremonial connotation. The Lord had David's head anointed with oil and in in extra-biblical usage. This same term was used with reference to bathing when a person would rub soap and water onto the body.

When the good Samaritan stopped and took care of the man who was beaten along the road to Jericho. Remember the scene we read that he poured oil and wine into the womb, the same term appears in ancient Greek documents for medical treatises for the use of oil for the purpose of medication when the term does not have a religious ceremonial use in this one does not.

It is frequently used in medical treatises with reference to the application of proper medicine I suggested for today's use, it would refer to the proper use of medication and the assistance of appropriate professional help and then secondly they were to pray they were to pray fervently. They were to pray believing really. So the third thing I would write in our process of healing is specific results are left in the Lord's hand's. His will is to be done. Let's not disconnect verses 14 and 15 let them pray over him having massage, having poured in.

Having applied oil in the name of the Lord. That is a colloquialism in that day for the will of God have been place this on him doing it in the will of God have them pray in the will of God and the prayer offered in faith when it is the will of God is the application of the context will restore the one who was sick. Don't yank that out of its context, and that speak only of verse 15 without seeing 14 tied in with it. It's all a part of the same piece of biblical tapestry. The elders are praying over this person in the name of the Lord that is invoking God's will. Asking God's presence.

God's blessing and the results see the verse for yourself when it becomes his will becomes obvious at that time or shortly thereafter. The prayer offered in faith will do what first of all it will restore the one the word is sold so it means to see it will literally save his life. He will no longer have to be reclined on four or five seats in an airplane he could set up on his way home to Louisiana. A person could set up, and before long. Take not take into nourishment and before long. Be back at work.

It is a matter of returning being restored. See the word raising the Lord will raise him up. I take it that it isn't. It is a miraculous and if you will, instantaneous healing, and if there has been the commission of sins.

Please notice if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. So forgiveness should this have been the root of the problem.

There will be an admission of it in the midst of this reminds me of another case in my own life. I was ministering in another city. The city is an important and the person is an important for the story. She happened to been the wife of a medical doctor. Ironic, she is a believer suffer from terrible, terrible pain all across her back. They could not find the reason they work through the assistance of a orthopedic man. Several of them, an orthopedic lady, a woman in the field who was excellent in that city. She was at a loss to trace the problem.

It didn't seem to be that they got neurological counsel to check all of what might be a problem related to the spine. The nervous system. They could not find the she was in incredible pain.

They were beginning to apply some real intense medication that could become habit-forming. Her husband was very concerned about that. She was concerned about sensitive spiritually minded woman didn't happen to be a member of our church, but the place I was serving but but she knew many of us who were in. She took advantage of our friendship and and she should have. She said I wonder Chuck if you could get together a group of elders from the church and if you could comment, as it certainly would come and we went there were about six or seven hours we walk in the hospital room. As I recall it was a Sunday night rather late.

The group of us admitted a church meeting and so we just pulled a ride together within one or two cars. We came to the hospital which was in the downtown area and we all went up into the room.

Some of the men didn't even know the woman I knew her rather well. Her husband happened to be our Ira pediatrician in that particular city and I met her. I walked over to the bed and I expressed concern she was in such pain. She could hardly talk. She said I don't know what I'm going to do it and desperate. Her husband was on call that night was not there on fact. He came in later as we were praying and I talk with her briefly about the medication and and the assistance she was getting in shape. No complaints.

No concern about that. She felt that was they were doing all they could do and she said what can we do what can we do and I said what we can do is pray and two or three of the men just got right on their knees right there in the hospital room we close the door we turned the lights down, we began to pray and I had finished a time in prayer were I just pled with God to bring relief and if it were his will to bring to bring full restoration and I remember she reached down on my shoulder and touched me, shook me and I another man began to pray and I reached over and took him took him by the knee and held tightly as if to say, wait a minute. She said excuse me for interrupting but she said the other pain is gone. She began to weep and a several of us wept as well and I wept out of gratitude and she said I must tell all of you something. She set up in bed. Pain was gone.

I think she could've got up gotten up and walked out.

That night got into her car. Pain was gone. She said I need to tell you about my life and she began to unfold the story of sin that have been a part of her lifestyle is not appropriate that I go into that only to say that it was an incredible story of deception that she had been living this lie in our prayer and the sincerity of our lives around her, brought her to such a burning awareness of her sin that she could even let us finish God heard her prayer of confession and a desire for repentance and as he did. She stopped us in prayer.

She was relieved from the hospital.

By the way, the next day she never returned. Never had the pain again and wrote me on two occasions to thank me again and again. Though I deserve no thanks. All I did was do what I was instructed to do with a group of men who were black men just like me, who counted on God to do his will and in that case it was related to sin see the words if let's put her gender in here if she has committed sins, they will be forgiven her and they were in the Lord raised her and restored her and to the amazement of those who would treated her and work with her, even those in the physical therapy found that she could hardly move when they attempted to move her. She discovered that she was able not only to to get back up but she was jogging in less than a week is back in full remarkable account of God stepping in and bringing a healing from individuals who had lost touch with such a gift in their life, but she was unable to go and so she called for our coming when we discovered that the proper oil had been appointed head had been applied to her the proper medication that it was appropriate that we pray and count on God. In the case you need the encouragement. Look at the verse 16 therefore confess your sins to one another. She failed to do that now back in the 70s. This became en vogue in churches. I was always uneasy when people would stand up in and would talk about how sad they were to have the mother-in-law they have in the mother-in-law happen to be sitting four rows back in the same church and how one wife would stand up and clean about a husband and the difficulty living with him and he sits there dissolving an embarrassment that is not what were talking about the confessing of sales must be done appropriately in the appropriate place with the appropriate number of people. This is not a public acknowledgment of every dirty lustful thought you've ever had in the last two weeks of your life is not were talking about were talking in context of a person who is ill and an individual who knows that he is living or she is living a life or lifestyle that is wrong and the need to bring that to light to bring that out into the open, to confess to one another. Those who are involved in the immediate circle of concern that's the content is amazing what we can do when we take 1/2 verse lifted and then using my favorite stories. The guys set by the window and the wind blew the pages of the Bible and he did this little number put his finger Judas went and hanged himself.

That was his verse for the day and he he let the wind blow again. He couldn't stop there any he found this verse said go and do thou likewise in and that didn't help any. Let the wind blow again. He found one more verse said whatsoever thou do is to quickly that if you follow that line of thinking you go be the sickest person around your you not last very long.

Read your Bible intelligently taken verse by verse study the verbs study the adjectives study how it's put together, do good academic work in the biblical text and you will be saved from the Colts and from all kinds of-isms and strange teachings that will run you aground spiritually. You furthermore will have your expectations leveled to a place of reality, so that the God you love and serve will not have to do a miracle on a daily or weekly basis to keep your interest. Who do we think we are. We are recipients of his grace, mercy, and peace. We have no right to demand of him anything, having been given life and the promise of eternal and eternal home with him. That's good enough. That's much more than any of us to serve.

As I read through this story and as I see the of the account unfold, I come up with several principles that I think are worth claiming even today. Let me give you four of them and then I'm through number one. Confession of sin is healthy employee. It confession of sin is healthy employee. It some of you have not said I am wrong in so long. Your family would be shocked to hear those three words come out of your lip. Try every once in a while just shock him real good when you find that you are wrong. Say it when you have done something stupid or embarrassing or offensive admitted say it say it to God and then find the person you've heard and say it to that person.

Confession of sin is healthy employee at second.

Praying for one another is essential practice when someone says what you pray for me.

Don't just glibly respond only usher in a week later they say thank you for praying telling you forgot if you did and better than that right down the request to have a little notepad on my desk in my study and when someone talks about praying I write a name down.

I just write the need that because I will remember that bottle. Write that down so praying for one another is essential. Let's practice it. Let's practice a little bit on it on a regular basis. Third, the use of medical assistance is imperative obey it. The use of medical assistance is imperative obey it.

I've been struggling with the terrible head cold son, respiratory ailment to end so happens I'm on an antibiotic right now and I take it every six or so. Think it's every six hours in am a little alarm watch set so it goes off and I and I'm obeying the instruction of the physician rights and on the bottom. My wife would have difficulty praying for me if I'd five set on Michael taking the antibiotic. I mean, what right do germs have to enter this heavenly head night I got news for me every right in the world and because I've been invaded with the germs.

I need assistance medically to counteract the germs is nothing miraculous about it.

It's a science and those who study the science and examine this germs know that this antibody will help and in three days. It's helped wonderfully. As a result of prayer partially, mainly as a result of following and obeying the instructions of the physician number four when healing comes from God. Claimant praise him for it, but don't give a person on this earth credit don't pay one dime to a soul healing doesn't come because you pay for it or stand in line for or come to some individual who claims they be able to do it. Healing comes because God sovereignly and mysteriously chose to say yes to you while he usually says no to many others.

Again, Dr. Cooper writes the faith healer may say that faith makes God act like you follow that line of reasoning. God is in his heaven, but Bosworth rules the world. In Matthew 82 and three were Jesus heals a leper.

We read, behold, a leper came and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Then Jesus put his hand put out his hand and touched him, saying, I am willing to be cleansed and the leper departed and slowly over the course of the next several weeks. His symptoms began to disappear. I'm sure you realize, says Dr. Cooper that this is not what the Bible says. I put in those terms because it conforms to a lot of quote miraculous healings quote today.

The healing takes place next month. But what the word of God says is this I am willing be cleansed and immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Now I know that all healing comes from God. But if we are to pursue this matter of faith healing so that I do not have any questions. That is what I want to see. I want to see a person with one leg suddenly immediately have to. In fact, I want to see a person cold flat out dead. Get up and walk know it is not that I want to see these miracles take place just to satisfy my own curiosity I want to see them happen in such a way that there is no praise attributed to the faith healer and I want to see it done in the situation that is not a carnival. Now if all those conditions were in place.

I suspect that a healing service would occur very much in private giving that great reformed theologian from Princeton BB Warfield credit for his contribution to my thinking on this subject. Let me summarize in the following way. There is no promise anywhere in the Scriptures of miraculous healing for those who will claimant anywhere no facts exist that compel us to believe that such miraculous healing should be expected. Some such miraculous healing quote unquote is unnecessary because God is perfectly capable of healing people by natural means. The employment of such a method is contrary to the way God works in other modes of dealing with this miraculous healings of the type had been discovered I had been describing would be contrary to the very purpose of miracle. If miracles were commonplace, they would soon lose their significance.

By the way, God is in the process of healing me of my respiratory ailment. It is not a miraculous healing. It's taking time medicine is working and I'm feeling a lot better than I did four days ago and I thanked him for his healing powers or he works through the very wonderful use of proper medication unlike us to bow our heads and before we conclude this meeting. I'd like you to present your particular need to God in prayer. Let's lay before the Lord, that particular suffering heartache that affliction that sickness that need. I happen to know that in some of your lives.

There were desperate situations at home.

In the case requires divine intervention, perhaps good legal counsel perhaps helpful psychological assistance.

But God must intervene. Let's ask him for his will to be done for his glory and no one else. Our father, we placed before you with gratitude the things that we have discovered from your word.

Remove from our minds. Anything that could have been sent from the flesh. Take away all rancor take away all sarcasm permanently edge. However, in the creases of our brain.

The truths that we need to remember so that when sickness comes. We do not run for some, but we rest in the presence and work of God's thank you for your marvelous power of power that would stun us if we could see a simple display of quiet our hearts as we wait for you to work in the deer name of Jesus Christ. Love with honor and that concludes message number 10 in Chuck Swindoll's 14 part study on the Holy Spirit. Chuck titled today's message a biblical case for healing. To learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit us online@insideworld.org before we head into another September weekend. I'm eager to remind you that every Sunday morning inside for living is privileged to present a live worship service from Stone Breyer community church in Frisco Texas. That's where Chuck serves as senior pastor. The sermon the chart presents on Sunday mornings doesn't run parallel with our current series here on inside for living so it's material you've never heard before. Plus, the lifestream includes congregational singing and sacred music as well. So you could to participate in the entire worship service for all the details, go to insight.org/Sundays and if you're looking for. Reading material to deepen your walk with God today were recommending a classic from Chuck titled growing deep in the Christian life.

Whether you're a new follower of Jesus, or even a Christian for decades.

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