Healing

The Scripture: Exodus 15:25, 26

“There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. And there He tested them, and said, ‘If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.'”

1. What are the four conditions of this verse?

2. What did God promise if they met these conditions?

3. How did He describe Himself?

In Hebrew, this name is Jehovah Rapha. It is our assurance that, when we meet God’s conditions, we can call upon His name for healing.

Throughout the Old Testament, we find instances of healing, but sin still held control over man. True healing had to wait for the coming of Jesus. One of many prophets who spoke of what Christ’s death would accomplish was Isaiah.

The Scripture: Isaiah 53:4, 5

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”

4. What six benefits did Isaiah list?

5. Which two specifically relate to illness or disease?

Let’s see how this same Scripture is quoted in the New Testament.

The Scripture: Matthew 8:17

“… that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'”

6. What is the difference between this translation and the one in Isaiah?

Isaiah and Matthew in quoting Isaiah used the same Hebrew word “choli”. It can be translated as either “sorrows” or “diseases.”

When Christ died for us at Calvary, He suffered as substitute for our sickness as well as our sin. Since Christ bore both our sins and sicknesses to the cross, there is healing and forgiveness for all who will accept them by faith.

Let’s look at a Greek word that illustrates this same principle.

The Scripture: Romans 10:9

“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

7. What happens when you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead?

The Scripture: Mark 6:56

“Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the border of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.”

8. What happened to everyone who came to Jesus?

The word translated “saved” in Romans and “made well” in Mark is the same Hebrew word, “sozo”. If we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we can be healed, as well as saved.

Throughout His ministry on earth, Christ healed people.

The Scripture: Matthew 8:16

“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.”

9. How many were healed by Jesus?

While Jesus was still alive, He extended His authority to heal to His disciples.

The Scripture: Matthew 10:1

“And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.”

10. What authority did He give the twelve disciples?

Later Jesus extended this same authority to another seventy followers.

The Scripture: Luke 10:1, 2, 8, 9

“After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, ‘The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest…Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'”

11. What were these disciples instructed to do?

After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, He appeared to His disciples on several occasions. Just before He ascended to heaven, He gave them instructions and also told them some exciting news.

The Scripture: Mark 16:17, 18

“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name …they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

12. What would happen when believers placed their hands on sick people?

13. In whose name would they heal?

Yes, Jesus extended His healing authority to all His followers. We know He was able to do this because of what happened in the early church.

Acts 3 tells the story of Peter and John’s encounter with a beggar, who asked them for money.

The Scripture: Acts 3:6-8

“Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: 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. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them – walking, leaping, and praising God.”

14. What did Peter tell the lame man to do?

15. What happened to the man?

16. In whose name did Peter command him to walk?

Just as Jesus had foretold, those who followed Him healed in His name.

The Scripture: Acts 8:6,7

“And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.”

17. Who healed in this Scripture?

18. Who were healed?

The apostle Paul was another person the Lord used greatly in healing.

The Scripture: Acts 19:11, 12

“Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.”

19. What was extraordinary about the miracles Paul performed?

Just as surely as Jesus passed His authority to heal to His first followers, He has given this same authority to us. The ability to heal and be healed is available to all believers. The book of James extends this same idea in a practical way.

The Scripture: James 5:14-16

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

20. What should the elders do for a sick person?

21. What kind of prayer will make a sick person well?

These verses then go on to talk about sickness with a specific cause – sin.

22. What is the remedy for this type of sickness?

When we become sick as the result of sin, the road back to health is through confession and prayer.

The healing ministry has long been neglected by a major part of the church. But increasingly we see this miraculous gift being restored to Christians everywhere.

God wants His church to make a tremendous impact on the world today. One way this can be accomplished is by taking Him at His word and becoming channels for the restoration of the miraculous power of healing.