A sermon about healing. In this healing Bible study, we will discover how healing is the children’s bread. A woman of faith realized that even the crumbs from the Lord’s table were enough to heal her daughter. If the crumbs can bring about such amazing results than how much more can the actual bread bring to pass?
Listen To The Healing Sermon
Transcription…
Praise the Lord. Well, we’ve had a pretty good weekend of praying and fasting.
Our theme for the weekend was about healing, and so that’s what the talk will be about today so that we finish off with another healing talk.
It’s been a good week. Craig brought some excellent thoughts out about healing on Tuesday night and we continued that through yesterday with some great talks and some excellent testimonies about the healing power of God.
It Is God’s Will To Heal Us
And so we’ll just start off with Matthew Chapter 8.
- When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Mt 8:1-3)
I just want to start off today with the will of God. It is Jesus Christ will that you’d be cleaned and that you’d be healed.
This is the Lord’s response here. Lord, If you will. And he said… I will.
It’s as simple as that… it is his will. We are told when we come to the Lord that he’s promised to give us life and that more abundantly. It is not the Lord’s will that we walk around sick, it’s not the Lord’s will.
He doesn’t punish us. He doesn’t do these things to us. Sometimes people come up with all sorts of concepts and a lot of them are religious concepts. I’m crooked because I’ve been a bad person or something.
And it’s not the case, you are crook because you are crook!
We live in a world where things happen. Maybe you simply ate the wrong food, who knows, you could be sick for all manner of reasons. But being sick is not the Lord punishing you.
And it’s the Lord’s will that we have life more abundantly not to be ill. He wants to heal us. He wants to bless us. He wants to look after us as best he can as we do to our own children.
We don’t take pleasure. It doesn’t matter how bad the kids have been that week, we don’t want them to be sick, do we? It is the same with the Lord.
He does not inflict these things on us. It is his will to make us whole to heal us. So just to touch on that again in John it talks about a blind man. The disciples come across a blind man and they said Lord who did sin, the blind man or his parents that he’s like this.
The Lord said no… None of them sinned. He’s not like that because somebody sinned.
So remove those thoughts straight away. Sickness is not there because of wrongdoing. Sure, if you hang around with a room full of smoke for a few years you might get crook. But that’s just dumb. It is not a punishment from the Lord.
Sickness comes. So it is the Lord’s will to fix us.
So the first thing. The first cab off the rank… It is his will to look after us and to care for us and to heal us.
Healing Is The Children’s Bread
Mark Chapter 7.
- For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 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. (Mark 7:25-27)
OK, that would have been a great first impression, wouldn’t it?
She could have got her nose out of joint. He has just called me a dog. You know all this sort of stuff, but listen to her response…
- And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. (Mk 7:28-29)
She was healed.
Healing… he is saying here is the children’s bread. And it is so powerful.
So powerful that nibbling on the crumbs can bring about healing. I mean, if the crumbs were enough to heal this woman’s daughter, how much more is the bread which you and I get to partake of.
It says when we receive the Holy Spirit. We received the spirit of adoption… we’re adopted into the family of God, we are the children of God You know it is the children’s bread.
Let’s go to Matthew Chapter 7.
So it is Jesus will to heal us and healing is the children’s bread. It’s a part and parcel of our walk in the Lord. All great revivals down through history were accompanied by healings, great signs, and wonders.
A lot of people have heard these verses in their life…
- Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Mt 7:7-11)
Now I deliberately through that scripture in… because healing is the children’s bread.
If you ask for bread. Us mere mortals if our child comes to us and asks for bread we’re not gonna give him a stone.
See if we can do that. How much more will our Father in heaven give good things to those who are asking… if we come to the Lord asking for bread, the children’s bread… healing. How much more is he going to supply that for us?
It is a simple transaction… if I came to you with a piece of bread in my hand and handed it to you… You would just take it off me… so easy. It is a simple transaction.
There other scriptures that say things like… As you have believed… As your faith has been.
But sometimes we think we have to conjure up this super-duper faith of some sort to get healed.
He’s doing the healing, I’ll go and fast for a month. I’ll go and help 27 old ladies across the road, or whatever. That’s like trying to earn the healing, isn’t it? I’ve been such a good fellow I deserver healing. But healing is a gift… God gives it to us.
Faith is just being here… you believe in God. It’s that simple. I mean, if you turn up to church on a Sunday, you don’t believe in God, there is something wrong. You believe in God. It’s that simple. That is fine.
As seen in my children last night, as they get a bit older they get a bit, you know… more suspect about what you tell them. But when they’re really young, they just take you for your word. You can tell them anything and they believe you.
You know, and so it is with the Lord, that is belief. That is trust… that is faith, it’s just believing. It is no something I’ve gotta conjure up and close my eyes and concentrate really hard.
That’s not faith. Faith is just believing, just believing and this is what I want to get this across. It is this simplicity. Simply believing God… that is faith!
And so if you come and you ask the Lord for a piece of bread, he’s going to give you a piece of bread. And the children’s bread is powerful.
It’s almost like an inheritance or a birthright to sit around the Lord’s table and eat of his bread. Full Salvation, full victory, full healing, and full blessing.
As You Have Believed So Be It Done Unto You
- And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
- The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
- When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
- And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour. (Mt 8:5-10)
As you have believed. He believed… he heard that Jesus was healing people. What were the works of his belief? He traveled to see Jesus and… asking.
What is your faith in action? Is it getting on your knees and asking the Lord pray. Or, coming to the prayer line and having hands laid on you.
That is faith!
We don’t need to conjure up this some sort of mystical weird force that we see on television or whatever… faith is believing in God. Plain and simple.
I want to get across here that once again we see it is Jesus will. Lord my servant lays at home sick and grievously tormented, and Jesus said I’ll come and heal him.
I will come and heal him… It is that simple.
Then…
Jesus Healed ALL That Were Sick
- When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick. (Mt 8:16)
So another point is… he healed all that were sick
Think about it… what were these people like? They come from all sorts of different backgrounds. They would have had different work ethics, different people altogether, different families.
They’ve heard that Jesus heals. They come out to see him and he healed all of them.
- And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. (Mt 9:35)
Heal all of them and heal every disease and every sickness. There’s nothing that the Lord can’t do.
- We read in the scriptures… Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
- We have read today… it is his will.
- To heal, he can heal everything and he can heal everyone.
There are other scriptures where how he moved with compassion. Sometimes you are worried if you got enough faith, and all these things, but they are silly questions really.
I think of a story where Jesus was walking along and he saw a funeral. A woman’s only son and he was moved with compassion and raising from the dead.
You think about sicknesses and you think about this for a second… where was that guy’s faith? He was dead.
He didn’t have to conjure up something, some super-duper faith, or anything… Jesus came and healed him.
You know we’re worried about our lack of faith or whatever, as sometimes we do… God knew how hopeless we would be and gave us faith as a gift with the Holy Spirit.
It’s one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It’s bundled in the package. When you received the Holy Spirit you can’t not have faith. He’s made up for our lack. He’s looked after us. He’s provided for all our deficiencies.
The Lord has given us faith… the like precious faith as the early Apostles tells us… we have this faith. It’s a gift.
Yeah, you can think about now, but you could do this. You can do that and you can do the other thing. No matter what you can’t earn it. It’s a gift God that has been given to us freely.
The thing there was that Jesus moved with compassion. He saw the situation and he moved with compassion. We read he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will move with compassion in situations. It is his will to heal us and it is His will to give us a more abundant life.
Healing is the children’s bread and he heals all. Every sickness and every disease.
Out of all those people, not one person went home disappointed.
They found the power of God.
Leave Religious Attitudes Behind And Go To Where Jesus Is
This is at a time when the religious leaders had taken counsel to try to kill him and son…
- But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; (Mt 12:15)
Great multitudes him… they knew where all of the answers were. It wasn’t in the religious people who were there. It says the Pharisees took counsel to try to destroy him. They didn’t like what he was doing and all the rest of it.
And religious man can argue and toss them and carry on about this and that and the other. It doesn’t matter… The answers are in Jesus Christ.
You can argue until the cows come home.
You can argue about this point and that point, and whatever, but the power and the answer is in Jesus Christ, and we have to be like those multitudes.
Go to where the answer is… go to Jesus Christ.
Great multitudes followed him. Multitudes! And he healed them all.
- And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. (Mt 14:14)
Again, same Lord. Same Lord today as back then, he moved with compassion and he healed their sick. This happened just before the loaves and the fishes. Just before he fed them.
- And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. (Mt 15:30-31)
The power of Jesus Christ… healing being the children’s bread… people would just go to him. You can imagine the fame that went around. I don’t understand if you’ve got a problem why you don’t take it to Jesus Christ.
Remember talking to this lady once you open the door and she preceded to tell me all the problems. I’ve got this and that. She had so many illnesses. I got this and I got that and I got this and so on and so on.
I said to her… You know Jesus can heal you. She said I’m alright thanks and slammed the door in my face.
And that’s what people in the world can be like. I suppose we could be suspicious of religion and so forth, but the answer is in Jesus Christ.
If someone’s got a sickness or an illness. What have they got to lose?
What’s interesting here, the scriptures tie in together and our brother yesterday was talking about letting people know about healing.
David and Allison talking about when they came to the Lord. They had a sick son and their neighbor told them about healing and it brought them to the Lord, and their son was healed.
So it started with someone preaching to them about healing and letting them know about it to someone doing the praying and God doing the healing.
If there’s a problem or if there is a difficulty… what have people got to lose.
They would rather go and spend a couple of thousand dollars on the latest experimental therapy. Whereas, Jesus Christ costs nothing? There is nothing for people to lose.
But they have got to know about it. That’s where you and I come in. We can let them know about Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible. Jesus heals, and they can come here and seek the Lord.
I couldn’t help but think how interesting it was yesterday when Craig gave testimony about healing.
He spoke about one of our famous fishing trips when he cracked his foot and thought it was broken and the guys prayed for him and he was healed.
And I was thinking it’s interesting that he found that one really worth sharing and really memorable.
When I remember he’s telling us a story about the guy that he prayed with over in New Guinea whose head was on his shoulders and his face was drooped down. How Craig was there and he saw the Lord’s healing in front of his eyes, this man’s head straightened up and his face comes back together.
The story that we just read there how the people brought the lame and the blind and the ill. Now it’s happening. It’s happening big time… Jesus Christ is still healing people today.
Faith The Size Of A Mustard Seed
You only need faith as a grain of mustard seed. You can go out to that mountain and tell it to move. I say this one all the time, but I can’t help it. I can’t help it.
I can challenge you all being an ex-betting man I could even lay money on it. One by one ask you all to go out there look at the nearest mountain and ask it to move.
Because I hear a lot that this is only talking about spiritual stuff. If you have a mountain in your life, etc, etc. But no, it is talking literally. If you have faith as the size of a grain of mustard seed, which is the smallest seed out there. You can ask that mountain to move.
And if I sent you all out there one by one being the former betting man that I was… I am willing to bet that the mountain will still be there after you try to toss it.
Put me to the test if anyone wants to take me up on it away you go, let’s see what happens.
Then, if that doesn’t work, let’s get everyone to go out together. Everyone together and try to get it to go. Being a betting man, I reckon it’s still gonna be there.
Does that mean that collectively we don’t have faith the size of a grain of mustard?
Oh, now I’m going out there. Ask it to move. Perhaps that’s not going out in faith, believing it’s not gonna go.
But my point is, you heard my wife’s testimony the other day how we couldn’t have children and the Lord healed us and we had children.
The faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain. We were healed with less faith than that. Is my point.
We were healed with less faith than the size of a grain of mustard. If everybody went out there and asked that mountain to move and it didn’t go then collectively we’ve got less faith than the size of mustard seed.
And yet, there’s been people healed of cancer. There have been other people healed who were barren. There are all sorts of healings that have taken place in a group of people who collectively couldn’t move a mountain.
You don’t need much faith to be healed by the Lord. As I said before, when you receive the Holy Spirit, it gives you faith.
How powerful is the compassion of the Lord? I really hope you get that point. Sometimes you think, oh I’m not worthy. I don’t have enough faith.
You’ve got it
Turning up here today s demonstrating faith, walking out in the prayer line is demonstrating faith, getting down on your knees at home, and praying is demonstrating faith. It is nothing more.
That is believing God.
- Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:14-16)
We can come boldly before the throne because our savior, our High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ knows what it is like to be in this mortal body. He was tempted like as we are. Temptation is not sin.
Having a hook with bait dangled in front of you is not sin but nibbling on that bait is. Jesus was tempted like we are and he knows what it’s like to be in this body. But he was without sin. He never took the bait.
And he knows what it’s like to be tired. He knows what it’s like to be sore. He knows what it’s like to be weary. He knows what it’s like to be in this body.
So we have a Savior who can relate to us. Who knows what it’s like? Who knows what we’re going through and so we can come boldly before the throne in the time of need. We’re talking about healing today.
OK, so if healing is our time of need, we can come boldly before the throne. So we have a Savior who can be touched. He can be reached, who is compassionate, and whose will is to heal.
Jesus Knows What It’s Like
I was finishing Psalm 22… Remember, he knows what it’s like. And I reckon then some…
When we read this chapter. This is talking about Jesus. This is a prophecy of Jesus on the cross.
- My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? (Ps 22:1)
Have you ever felt like that? Jesus knows what it’s like. Have you ever felt that down on and out? So sick and tired? My God, my God. Why has thou forsaken me… Jesus knows what it’s like.
We can come boldly before the throne. We do not have a savior that cannot be touched with our infirmity.
- My God, my God, why is there forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me? And from the words of my roaring?
That demonstrates his anguish. Roaring… Jesus knows what it’s like to be in his body.
- O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. (Ps 22:2-4)
Yeah, you have gone through tough times perhaps and I reckon even when you’re going through good times. Recall the things that God has done that we have touched on this weekend. Recall the things that God has done for you since you have been filled with the Holy Spirit.
You know it worries me sometimes that he’s done so much I can’t remember them all. I’ve been slack by not writing down all the blessings.
You ever been like that? There have experienced so many blessings you’ve forgotten them all. Then someone says something and you go that’s right I remember that now. Recall the victories of God.
Jesus in his anguish, he’s recalling what God did to the fathers who trusted him and how he delivered them. He is talking about the children of Israel.
They were hopeless. They were like you and me.
They whinged, and they murmured, went off track, and they did all sorts of things. But when they cried out to God. He delivered them.
Yeah, sometimes we might feel hopeless. How many times have you heard it? Everything was going well until I took my eyes off the Lord, etc. Cry out to the Lord. He will deliver you no different than delivering them.
- They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. (Ps 22:5-6)
Think about Jesus on the cross here. When I was reading this last night a tear nearly came to my eye because that’s how touching it is. You read this. You read this on your own at home and you try to put yourself in his shoes here on the cross. I’m a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised of the people.
- You think he knows what it’s like to be in this body?
- Do you think he knows what it’s like to go through suffering and pain?
- Why wouldn’t he move with compassion on your situation?
- Why wouldn’t it be his will to heal you when he knows what it’s like?
- All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. (Ps 22:7-8)
We cop that from time to time, don’t we?
Yeah, we preached the Gospel and the power of the Lord and we go through a hard time or whatever might come along. And then people start shooting out the lip.
Well, come on, where’s your miracles now? etc, etc.
Do you think Jesus knows what he’s like?
Of course, he does. That’s what happened to him when he was on the cross. Physician, heal thyself. He trusted in the Lord. Where is he now?
He’s already in pain, he’s already suffering and yet they are badgering him, they’re shooting out the lip, they are mocking him in his pain.
We Have A Savior Who Can Be Reached
The whole point is we have a savior who can be reached. We have a savior who knows what he’s like… he knows.
- But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts. (Ps 22:9)
Imagine his pain, and he is recalling the blessings and the promises of God.
- I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly. Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. (Ps 22:10-11)
Perhaps we felt like that at times… there is none that helps. There’s none that understands. Jesus had none to help, they all fled. They bolted from the scene. He was left alone.
- Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. (Ps 22:12-13)
Jesus knows what it’s like to cop persecution. As raging bulls, as the gaping upon him with their mouths, and as ravening or roaring lions.
I Marvel at the compassion and the mercy of the Lord. He did this for our Salvation.
I don’t know how you’d go on the cross with these people who have whipped you, who are gnashing their teeth at you, calling your sorts of names, and mocking you.
And you’re doing it for them. And you got the power to send 10,000 legions of Angels and wipe them out.
I don’t know about you but the temper would be pretty hard to hold in check. People doing that to you… it would be hard, just not to go, ZAP.
But he didn’t. So that’s love. He had the power to go ZAP. But he didn’t.
It went through this. It’s God’s will for us to have a better life. In fact, Jesus said… God, forgive them because they know not what they do.
They put him on the cross. They spat on him. They did all sorts of things to him and he says… Lord, forgive them. They know not what they do.
Sometimes we can fall into that category.
Had a bad day? Didn’t know what you’re doing.
How far is the Lord’s will that we have a better life if he was willing to do that while we were yet his enemies? How much more now that we’ve come to know that living God?
- I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. (Ps 22:14)
Do you think he doesn’t know what it’s like to be in extreme pain, extreme anguish?
Yeah, perhaps sometimes we feel like we poured out like water. He could tell all of his bones… they are all out of joint. That’s how much he suffered before going to that cross.
His heart was like wax.
He knows what it’s like to be at rock bottom, doesn’t He?
He knows what it’s like. That’s why I wanted to really push this chapter.
With this in mind… We can come boldly before the throne of God. We do not have a savior who cannot be touched without our infirmity. He knows what it is like.
You’re not going to get any more rock bottom than that… poured out like water. My heart melts as wax.
It’s melted in the midst of my bowels… that is as low as you can possibly get.
They mean pain. You feel sorrowful, that you’re just reading it.
But he actually went through it.
- My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. (Ps 22:15)
Jesus knows what it is like to be in this wretched physical body. Oh, wretched man that I am. Who can help me? Jesus Christ my Savior can.
It is his will to heal and he knows what it is like to at the extreme end of pain and suffering and he wants you to have a more abundant life.
- For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. (Ps 22:16)
It doesn’t get any better for him… does it?
Tell all my bones – tell is an old fashioned word for count. As a teller at the bank they are a counter. He could count all his bones. They were showing through his body. This is how wretched he was at this time and we couldn’t imagine the pain he was going through.
- They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. (Ps 22:18)
So while he is there in pain they are gambling for his clothes.
Haste thee to help me… we know we have a God who answers prayer. We know that God is no respecter of persons, he gave Michele and me children, we hear testimony after testimony of people being healed by God. They are no better than anyone else.
My wife, myself, and none of them could go out and move that mountain either. So they are no more holy then you are. They have no more faith than you have, yet God has healed them.
When we get done and pray to seek the Lord we are praying to someone who understands.
I know when you are really sick it feels like it is never going to end. I’d rather a broken leg than to be chucking me guts up.
No matter what we have been through or will go through it pails into insignificance when compared to what the Lord went through. We can never say God doesn’t understand what I’m going through.
We can’t say it is everyone else but he’s never been to where I’m at because he has been where we are at and gone past it.
He knows what it is like… We can come boldly before the throne of God and ask for his grace, ask for his power, ask him for his help because we do have a Savior who can be touched with our weaknesses and our infirmities.
That’s why we can come boldly before… Jesus came and lived in the flesh. To lead by example, to show how it’s done. So if we feel like our bodies are poured out like water, or heart is like wax – Jesus showed us what to ask for… O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
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