God's Amazing
Grace For Healing
A brief definition for GRACE is God's unmerited
favor.
Another definition for
Grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. It is God's gift to us.
It is God's blessings
which we don't deserve. It not something that we can earn by doing good
works or something that we have to buy.
Do
you ever get caught under the curse of the law which says that you have
to keep all the commandments to receive God's protection from physical
attack? A
brief definition for GRACE is God's unmerited favor.
Another definition for Grace is God's riches at Christ's expense. It is
God's gift to us. It is God's blessings which we don't deserve. It not
something that we
can earn by doing good works or something that we have to buy.
The question is something of
a rhetorical question in that we all get caught in this sooner or
later. However, I desire to present a balance of truth from
Scripture. The answer to the law is Jesus which is God's grace.
"For the law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). Grace does
not eliminate the law of God! Jesus said, "Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matthew 5:17). In the natural, we
find that there is what is known as the law of gravity which pulls us
downward, but there is another law of aerodynamics. As an airplane
moves forward through the air, the air flow flows over the top of the
wing to cause lift. The law of airflow does not destroy gravity but
rather supersedes it. In like fashion, grace does not destroy the law,
but rather supersedes it. Amen! "And the law is
not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the
blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ;
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith"
(Galatians 3:12-14).
Let us begin by seeing the God of grace in the Old Testament.
Because the Israelites sinned, God sent fiery serpents to bite them. ...
"And they
journeyed from mount
Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the
soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the
people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought
us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread,
neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light
bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and
they bit the people; and much people of Israel died" (Numbers
21:4-6).
However, the
people acknowledged their sin and cried unto Moses as a type of Jesus
who interceded for them and the Father offered them grace even through
they had sinned.....
"Therefore
the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken
against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take
away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the
LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a
pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he
looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put
it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any
man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived" (Numbers
21:7-9).
Again to summarize, the people
sinned with the consequence for their sin being bitten by the fiery
serpents and potential death because their sin. However, the people
acknowledged their sins and cried unto Moses as a type of Jesus and God
provided GRACE to those who would look upon the fiery serpent. Now let
us look at what the fiery serpent represents. Jesus spoke of himself
when he said, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up"
(John 3:14). Jesus also later spoke of this again. "Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the
Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of
myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things"
(John 8:28). God offers His unmerited GRACE to us after that we have sinned!
If there was no sin, there would be no need of God's GRACE.
We can further see this healing
grace in the life of Jesus. Jesus offered healing grace to a lame man
and healed a lame man who had been lame for thirty eight years. ...
"And
a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in
that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man
answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me
into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately
the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the
same day was the sabbath" (John 5:5-9).
Why was the man lame? Jesus implies
that it was because of his sin.
"Afterward
Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said
unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing
come unto thee" (John 5:14).
Jesus also showed GRACE of emotional
healing to the woman who was caught in the act of adultery.
"And the
scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman
taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say
unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what
sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to
accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the
ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him,
he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among
you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and
wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their
own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto
the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the
midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he
said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man
condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her,
Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (John 8:3-11).
A centurion, who declared himself to be UNWORTHY, came to Jesus about
his servant who was a paralytic and was in great torment and Jesus
showed grace and healed the servant.
"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" (Matthew 8:5-13).
Jesus gave forgiveness to a lame man, then gave him the grace to
receive healing.
"And it came
to pass on a certain day, as he was
teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by,
which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and
Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And,
behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and
they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when
they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the
multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the
tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw
their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the
scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which
speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when
Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What
reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be
forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that
the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the
sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and
go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took
up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God"
(Luke 5:17-25). Should not we also forgive and offer the grace of
healing to imperfect people?
Jesus told his disciples that they were to offer healing as a gift of
grace.
"And
when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power
against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of
sickness and all manner of disease"
(Matthew 10:1). Jesus GAVE them the authority to heal. "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
devils: freely ye have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:7-8).
They to offer the grace of healing without any strings attached!
Freely, they had received and FREELY they were to give.
Peter and John practiced giving the
grace of healing.
"Now
Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer,
being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was
carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called
Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing
Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And
Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he
gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter
said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him
by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and
ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and
entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising
God" (Acts 3:1-8). The lame man asked for a gift of money, but
Peter and John GAVE him the GIFT of healing.
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth
about GIFTS of healing among the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
"To
another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by
the same Spirit" (I Corinthians 12:9). We need to remember that
God's grace is a gift. We receive God's grace to give gifts of healing
to others.
James speaks of gifts from the
Father.
"Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from
the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning" (James 1:17). Healing would be one of those gifts.
What
can
you do with a gift?????????????
1. You can DOUBT that it is really a gift.
Jesus could
not do many miracles in his home town because of their unbelief. "And he could there do no mighty work, save that he
laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them"
(Mark 6:5).
2. You can MISUNDERSTAND a gift by thinking you must
buy it.
Simon thought
that he had to pay to receive the Holy Spirit's power which is
a gift. "And when Simon saw that through
laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered
them money" (Acts 8:18).
3. You can BELIEVE it is a true gift.
"Fear
not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you
the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). The key word is "GIVE".
4. You can REJECT a gift.
"He
came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11).
His own people rejected the gift of God.
5. You can ASK for a gift.
"And
I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9).
6. You can RECEIVE gift.
"He answered
and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes,
and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and
washed, and I received sight" (John 9:11).
7. You can GIVE
it to someone else.
"Heal the
sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye
have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8).
8. You can
also MISUSE the gift of God.
"He removed
the high places, and brake the
images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent
that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did
burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan" (II Kings 18:4).
The people began to worship the means of healing opposed to the Giver
of the healing.
9. You can HOARD or USE the gifts.
"For
the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who
called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto
one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every
man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey"
(Matthew 25:14-15). Read Matthew 25:16-30. to see the rest of the story.
10. We can also LOSE the
grace of healing.
"Afterward
Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art
made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee"
(John 5:14).
How do we RECEIVE the
grace of healing?
1. Through humble OBEDIENCE.
Naaman, the captain of the Syrian army had to bathe himself in the
Jordan River seven times to receive healing. "Then
went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to
the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the
flesh of a little child, and he was clean" (II Kings 5:14).
2. Through FAITH.. "And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made
thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague" (Mark 5:34).
Also see: "Healing
Facts", "Grace
Menu", "The
Antiodote".
"Health
Articles"
