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EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION 1. 1 Corinthians 15:14-20 (KJV)
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is
also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have
testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be
that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most
miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them
that slept.
a. Christianity is set apart from all other religions because Jesus rose
from the dead and is alive forevermore.
b. It has been said that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is either one of
the most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever or it is the most
remarkable fact of history.
2. Evidence for the Resurrection
a. A Public Execution Assured His Death
i. The Romans executed Jesus publically. They would have
made sure that he was dead.
ii. To quicken the death of the criminals being crucified on
either side of Jesus they broke their legs. This ensured that they
would not be able to push themselves up and breathe easier.
iii. When they came to Jesus they did not break His legs because
from experience they knew He was already dead. As a final
precaution, however, they thrust a spear into His side. It would
take more than resuscitation for Him to ever trouble them
again.
iv. Matthew 27:50 TLB
50 Then Jesus shouted out again, dismissed his spirit, and died.
Mark 15:37New King James Version (NKJV)
And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
Luke 23:46New King James Version (NKJV)
And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said,
―Father, ‗into Your hands I commit My spirit.‘‖ Having said this,
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He breathed His last.
John 19:30 New King James Version (NKJV)
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ―It is
finished!‖ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
v. John 19:33-34 New King James Version (NKJV)
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already
dead, they did not break His legs
34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and
immediately blood and water came out.
vi. Medical experts say that if He were not already dead, this in
itself would have killed Him. Others have concluded that the
pouring out of water and blood from His side was proof that
Jesus was no longer alive.
vii. Mark 15:43-45Amplified Bible (AMP)
43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent and respected
member of the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), who
was himself waiting for the kingdom of God—and he
courageously dared to go in before Pilate, and asked for the
body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time
[only six hours after being crucified], and he summoned the
centurion and asked him whether He was already
dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion [that Jesus
was in fact dead], he gave the body to Joseph [by granting
him permission to remove it].
viii. When Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body of Christ so he
and Nicodemus could bury Him, Pontius Pilate ordered a
centurion to verify that Jesus was dead. The Roman governor
would not have released the body to Joseph until the
centurion was certain that all signs of life were gone. You can
be sure that an officer in the Roman army would not make a
mistake about an important matter like this in his report to
such a high official as Pilate, especially with such a
demanded and high profile execution.
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ix. Justin Martyr, a Christian debater in the second century, said
that the record of Jesus' crucifixion was sent to Rome and
stored in the Roman archives and was available for anyone
to see as a matter of public record. Jesus was killed by the
Romans.
x. Significance of the spear in His side:
1. Eve was taken out of the side of the first Adam, now the
Church would also be taken out of the very side of
Christ, the second Adam! Actually a rib of Adam was
used to create the first woman. We may recall that
Adam had said, 'This is now bone of my bones and flesh
of my flesh: she shall be called Woman because she
was taken out of Man.' (Genesis 2:23). So the human
race was taken from Adam, but the New Covenant
Church of God was taken out of our Lord Jesus - the
Second Adam!
b. A High Official Secured The Gravesite
i. The next day, religious leaders again met with Pilate. They said
Jesus had predicted He would rise in 3 days. To assure that the
disciples could not conspire in a resurrection hoax, Pilate
ordered the official seal of Rome to be attached to the tomb
to put grave robbers on notice. To enforce the order, soldiers
stood guard. Any disciple who wanted to tamper with the
body would have had to get by them, which wouldn‘t have
been easy. The Roman guards had good reason for staying
alert—the penalty for falling asleep while on watch was
death.
ii. Matthew 27:62-66New King James Version (NKJV)
62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation,
the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63
saying, ―Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that
deceiver said, ‗After three days I will rise.‘ 64 Therefore
command that the tomb be made secure until the third day,
lest His disciples come by night[a] and steal Him away, and
say to the people, ‗He has risen from the dead.‘ So the last
deception will be worse than the first.‖
65 Pilate said to them, ―You have a guard; go your way,
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make it as secure as you know how.‖ 66 So they went and
made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the
guard.
c. In Spite Of Guards, The Grave Was Found Empty
i. Surely the authorities of Jesus' day wanted nothing more than
to have Jesus stay where Joseph had put Him. The mere fact
that they sealed the tomb and placed guards to protect it--a
highly unusual act--indicated that they were determined to
keep the body behind that stone barrier. Suppose they had
been able to do that. You can be sure the Sanhedrin and
other officials would have been the first to use the knowledge
of an occupied tomb as evidence when the disciples began
to announce to everyone that they had seen Jesus alive. Yet
no historical evidence exists to suggest that those officials
knew where the body was.
ii. Roman soldiers were hard and mean. They were by no means
wimps. Some people say that the disciples overpowered the
Roman soldiers and stole Jesus‘ body. Have you watched
Gladiator? I doubt that the men who forsook Jesus like
cowards would have suddenly had the courage to
overpower the Roman soldiers and steal a body.
iii. "The resurrection proclamation could not have been
maintained in Jerusalem for a single day, for a single hour, if
the emptiness of the tomb had not been established as a
fact" --Paul Althus.
iv. There were eyewitness accounts from people who saw the
empty tomb first. The first to see and report the empty tomb
were the women with the spices (Mark 16:5-6). John and
Peter were the next to see that Jesus was gone. When they
heard the unbelievably good news from Mary and the other
women, they raced to the gravesite. John, it should be noted,
is the one who wrote this account as recorded in chapter 20
of his Gospel. If you need an eyewitness to convince you that
the tomb was empty, you have one in the apostle John. He
was there, and he wrote down what he saw. That is solid
historical evidence in anyone's book.
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v. When the tomb was reported to be empty, the authorities
reacted in such a way that it reveals that something
significant certainly happened. They wanted to destroy the
credibility and influence of Jesus. Therefore, they would surely
have been foolish to spread the rumor that the disciples had
stolen the body--if Jesus were still in the tomb. Their collusion
with the guards is solid proof that there was no body in the
tomb.
vi. We are faced with two facts.
1. Jesus died and was buried.
2. In a short time, His tomb became empty.
d. Many People Claimed To Have Seen Him Alive
i. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 Living Bible (TLB)
3 I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to
me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said hewould, 4 and that he was buried, and that three daysafterwards he arose from the grave just as the prophetsforetold. 5 He was seen by Peter and later by the rest of ―theTwelve.‖ 6 After that he was seen by more than five hundredChristian brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive,though some have died by now. 7 Then James saw him, andlater all the apostles. 8 Last of all I saw him too, long after theothers, as though I had been born almost too late for this.1. Mary Magdalene – Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-182. The other women at the tomb – Matthew 28:8-103. Peter in Jerusalem – Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:54. The two travellers on the road – Mark 16:12, 135. Ten disciples behind closed doors – Mark 16:14; Luke24:36-43; John 20:19-256. All the disciples, with Thomas (excl. Judas) – John 20:26-31; 1 Corinthians 15:57. Seven disciples while fishing – John 21:1-148. Eleven disciples on the mountain – Matthew 28:16-209. A crowd of 500 – 1 Corinthians 15:610.Jesus‘ brother James – 1 corinthians 15:711.Those who watched Jesus ascend into heaven – Luke24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8RESURRECTION SUNDAY2016 03 27 | Shayne Holesgrovewww.gracelifeministries.co.za Page 6 of 12ii. Acts 1:3Amplified Bible (AMP)To these [men] He also showed Himself alive after His suffering[in Gethsemane and on the cross], by [a series of] manyinfallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations,appearing to them over a period of forty days and talking tothem about the things concerning the kingdom of God.iii. It couldn‘t have been an hallucination1. By definition, a hallucination is ―A profound distortion ina person's perception of reality, typically accompaniedby a powerful sense of reality. An hallucination may bea sensory experience in which a person can see, hear,smell, taste, or feel something that is not there.‖(Medicinenet.com)2. A hallucination is a personal experience when youexperience something that is not real. If you hallucinatesomething, I will not (and cannot) experience the samething. If we do both experience the same thing it is nota hallucination.3. A witness of the risen Christ here and there can possiblybe explained away, but Jesus appeared to groups ofbelievers as well. At one point He appeared to a crowdof 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:6).iv. Some people may say ―yeah, sure, use the Bible to proveJesus‘ Resurrection!‖ but people don‘t realize that the Bibleisn‘t some mystical book which popped into existence.1. The Bible is made up of 66 books – 39 Old Testamentwritten in Hebrew and 27 New written in Greek.2. 40 Men shared in writing the Bible over a span of 1600years.3. Historians (even secular historians) regard the Bible asan accurate source of facts regarding historicalevidence. Claims in the Bible are often shown to betrue through archeological findings.e. His Apostles Were Dramatically Changedi. Jesus‘ closest friends, His disciples, all forsook Him when Hewas arrested. They were cowards who sought to save theirown lives. Peter had a moment of boldness with a sword, andcut off a soldiers ear, but Jesus healed the man‘s ear andRESURRECTION SUNDAY2016 03 27 | Shayne Holesgrovewww.gracelifeministries.co.za Page 7 of 12Peter fled. After encountering the risen Christ, all of thedisciples were suddenly as bold as lions. They becameunstoppable in their determination to sacrifice everything forthe one they called Savior and Lord. Even after they wereimprisoned, threatened, and forbidden to speak in the nameof Jesus, the apostles said to the Jewish leaders, ―We ought toobey God rather than men‖ (Acts 5:29). After they werebeaten for disobeying the orders of the Jewish council, theseonce-cowardly apostles ―did not cease teaching andpreaching Jesus as the Christ‖ (Acts 5:42).ii. Acts 5:29New King James Version (NKJV)But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: ―Weought to obey God rather than men.iii. Acts 5:42Amplified Bible (AMP)And every single day, in the temple [area] and in homes, theydid not stop teaching and telling the good news of Jesus asthe Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed).f. Witnesses Were Willing To Die For Their Claimsi. History is full of martyrs. Countless men and women have diedfor their beliefs. For that reason, it is not that significant to pointout that the first disciples were willing to suffer and die for theirfaith. But it is significant that while many will die for what theybelieve to be the truth, few if any will die for what they knowto be a lie. They died for their claims to have seen Jesus aliveand well after His resurrection. They died for their claim thatJesus Christ had not only died for their sins but that He hadrisen bodily from the dead to show that He was like no otherspiritual leader who had ever lived.ii. Peter would never have been hanged upside down for amade up story to try deceive many. Mark would not havebeen dragged through the streets to his death if he had beendefending fiction. James would not have been beheaded fora falsehood. Thomas wouldn't have been pierced with alance for a lie. Yet tradition says that these men died thehorrible deaths just described. What a testimony to the truthof their claims! They were willing to die for the One whoovercame death for them--and for us!iii. James – executed by sword; beheadedRESURRECTION SUNDAY2016 03 27 | Shayne Holesgrovewww.gracelifeministries.co.za Page 8 of 12iv. Thomas – speared to deathv. Matthew – speared to deathvi. Philip – tortured, crucified upside-downvii. Bartholomew – Skinned alive, crucified upside-downviii. Andrew – Crucifiedix. James – crucifiedx. Thaddeus – Crucifiedxi. Simon – crucifiedg. Jewish Believers Changed Their Day Of Worshipi. The Sabbath day of rest and worship was basic to the Jewishway of life. Any Jew who did not honor the Sabbath wasguilty of breaking the law of Moses. Yet Jewish followers ofChrist began worshiping with Gentile believers on a new day.The first day of the week, the day on which they believedChrist had risen from the dead, replaced the Sabbath. For aJew, it reflected a major change of life. The new day, alongwith the Christian conversion rite of baptism, declared thatthose who believed Christ had risen from the dead wereready for more than a renewal of Judaism. They believed thatthe death and resurrection of Christ had cleared the way fora new relationship with God. The new way was based not onthe law, but on the sin-bearing, life-giving help of aresurrected Savior.h. Although It Was Unexpected, It Was Clearly Predictedi. The Messiah's death and resurrection was predicted in the OldTestament and by Jesus Himself.ii. Isaiah predicted a suffering servant who would be rejectedby his people (Isaiah 53:3)Isaiah 53:3New King James Version (NKJV)He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows andacquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces fromHim; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.iii. Crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12)Isaiah 53:12 New King James Version (NKJV)12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,Because He poured out His soul unto death,RESURRECTION SUNDAY2016 03 27 | Shayne Holesgrovewww.gracelifeministries.co.za Page 9 of 12And He was numbered with the transgressors,And He bore the sin of many,And made intercession for the transgressors.iv. Bear the sins of the world (Isaiah 53:4-6),Isaiah 53:4-6New King James Version (NKJV)4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yetwe esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised forour iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep havegone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; Andthe Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.v. Psalm 22 predicted an afflicted one who would die ahumiliating death by piercing of his hands and feet (Psalm22:16; also Zechariah 12:10).Psalm 22:16New King James Version (NKJV)For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of thewicked has enclosed Me. They pierced[a] My hands and Myfeet;vi. Jesus Himself kept saying over and over that it was necessaryfor Him to go to Jerusalem to die and be resurrected from thedead on the third day (Matthew 9:15; 12:40; 16:21-23; 17:22-23; 20:17-19).1. Of course, the apostles minds were so fixed on thecoming of a messianic political kingdom that theydidn't believe Jesus would literally die. They probablythought Christ was speaking in symbolic language,since He was one who often spoke in parables. ButJesus clearly predicted His death -- which is not toodifficult to do -- and Jesus clearly predicted Hisresurrection -- which is a VERY difficult thing to do unlessthe predictor is God Himself.i. The Explosion of Christianityi. Christianity exploded after the exact thing that should havekilled it before it even got started.RESURRECTION SUNDAY2016 03 27 | Shayne Holesgrovewww.gracelifeministries.co.za Page 10 of 12ii. The number of converts multiplied exponentially andincreased daily, and continues to…j. ―The Canadian scientist G. B. Hardy one time said, "When I lookedat religion I said, I have two questions. One, has anybody everconquered death, and two, if they have, did they make a way forme to conquer death? I checked the tomb of Buddha, and it wasoccupied, and I checked the tomb of Confucius and it wasoccupied, and I checked the tomb of Mohammed and it wasoccupied, and I came to the tomb of Jesus and it was empty. And Isaid, There is one who conquered death. And I asked the secondquestion, Did He make a way for me to do it? And I opened theBible and discovered that He said, 'Because I live ye shall live also.Argue as you will, there is no point in following a loser. (G. B. Hardy)3. Why is the Resurrection so important?a. The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof of the accuracy of Hisdoctrine. It also serves as proof that He is who He said He is (GOD)and that means we should hear what He said.b. The resurrection of Jesus makes Christianity different from religionbecause we are dealing with a real, alive person, not just principles.As John said in:1 John 1:1-3New King James Version (NKJV)1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, whichwe have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and ourhands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life wasmanifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare toyou that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifestedto us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you,that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship iswith the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.i. Christianity is fellowship with a real person who is alive.ii. John 3:16New King James Version (NKJV)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but haveeverlasting life.iii. John 17:3New King James Version (NKJV)And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only trueRESURRECTION SUNDAY2016 03 27 | Shayne Holesgrovewww.gracelifeministries.co.za Page 11 of 12God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.c. Second, forgiveness of sins is not obtained by a doctrine but byChrist Himself (Matthew 9:2, 6; and Acts 5:31). If Jesus did not risefrom the dead, He cannot give salvation to us.d. Through the resurrection we can be born again:i. 1 Peter 1:3New King James Version (NKJV)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whoaccording to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to aliving hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from thedead,ii. 1 Corinthians 15:17-19 (KJV)17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet inyour sins.18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ areperished.19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all menmost miserable.iii. Since Christ is raised from the dead, we are not in our sins. Allsins have been canceled (Hebrews 9:12 and 1 John 2:2). Theonly sin that now sends a person to hell is the sin of notbelieving on Jesus (John 16:8-9).e. Third, it is Christ living in us (Galatians 2:20) that gives us power to livevictorious lives (Romans 8:9). If there were no resurrection, therewould be no power.i. Galatians 2:20New King James Version (NKJV)I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, butChrist lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I liveby faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himselffor me.ii. Romans 8:9New King James Version (NKJV)But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spiritof God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spiritof Christ, he is not His.iii. Romans 8:11New King James Version (NKJV)But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells inRESURRECTION SUNDAY2016 03 27 | Shayne Holesgrovewww.gracelifeministries.co.za Page 12 of 12you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life toyour mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.Sources:Andrew Wommack‘s Living Commentaryhttps://d3uet6ae1sqvww.cloudfront.net/pdf/ten-reasons/christ-rose-from-thedead.pdfhttp://www.ukapologetics.net/10/bloodandwater.htmhttp://adam4d.com/jesus-rose-from-dead/
THE WORD OF GOD
FOR YOUR HEALING!
We
LIMIT God when we fail to believe, think upon, and ACT upon His Word!
He has given us the Authority to use it for what we need and want! He
didn’t leave us without help but it’s necessary to apply His Word to our situation in order to receive it’s
promises. God cannot lie and His Scripture is the Truth and is no lie!
“It is impossible for God to lie! Hebrews 6:18, Titus 1:2. The Holy
Bible has been preserved for our use because He loves us!
Psalms
103 says “Bless the Lord Oh my soul and all that is within in me, Bless
His Holy Name! and forget NOT ALL His BENEFITS! Who forgiveth all our
sins, and who healeth ALL our DISEASES! Did you forget that you have
BENEFITS? That you have great wealth in belonging to Jesus? You are His
inheritance and His treasure! Great wealth isn’t necessarily money, although you need money too, but the
biggest treasures you can receive are peace, joy, thanksgiving in your heart, healing and everything promised in Godsʼ
Word. What do those scriptures mean? That we are to first of all love
Jesus with all of our hearts and bless and thank Him for all things in
our life, no matter how things look. And we can know that we can have
literally ALL the Blessings of God that He
promises in His Word! With nothing withheld. He wants to bless His Children, just like we do!“For the Lord God is
a sun and a SHIELD; He will give graciousness and glory, NO GOOD THING
will He WITHOLD from them that walk uprightly! Psalm 86:11
and
I shall be healed ...no weapon formed against me shall prosper...He
will send His Word and heal me ..no good thing will He withhold from
them that walk uprightly...I am more than a conqueror through Christ who
loves me...He will put strength in me...He Himself took my infirmities
and bare my sicknesses...The
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much...And the prayer of
faith shall heal the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he hath
committed
sins they shall be forgiven ....Lord, speak the Word only and I shall
be healed...I call those things which be not as though they were, I have
God’s promises of healing...If I abide in Him and
His
Words abide in me, I shall ask and whatsoever I ask, I shall receive of
Him, because I keep His Commandments and do those things which are
pleasing in His sight... I will attend to His Words, I will bless the
Lord at all times, His praise shall
continually
be in my mouth..... I will hope in God, for I will praise Him, for He
is the Health of my Countenance and my God... I will trust in the Lord
with all mine heart and lean not unto mine own understanding...I will
delight myself in the Lord and He will give me the desires of my heart... I will rest in the Lord and wait patiently and expectantly
on Him...nothing is too hard for God...For with God nothing is
impossible ...If I can believe all things are possible! I will speak to
the mountain and not let the mountain speak to me... I am standing on
God’s Word and I won’t
give up no matter how I feel...I will keep His Word and meditate on it
day and night...I am acting upon His Word and I will continue to act
5:18That
might be hard to get out when you are suffering but Jesus will bring
something good out of everything!“And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are called
according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 We are to “Be anxious for nothing
(that’s
hard to do) but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God!” Philippians 4:6
We have to work at it!“And the peace of God which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!”
Philippians 4:6-7 GOD IS YOUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH, AN EVER PRESENT HELP
IN TROUBLE! Psalm 46:1.
Using
the Word of God this is what your confession can be like: Bless the
Lord, O my soul and all that is within in me, Bless His Holy Name, Bless
the Lord and forget not all His benefits; who forgiveth all my
iniquities, who healeth ALL my diseases, Who redeemeth my life from
destruction; Who crowneth me with loving-kindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfies my mouth with good things so that my youth is renewed like
the eagles! Ps.103:1-6 “But my God shall supply all my need according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus...For He will restore health unto me and heal me
of my wounds, saith the Lord... I will not be afraid of evil tidings, my
heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord... For He healeth the broken in
heart and bindeth up their wounds...I will live and not die but live to
declare the works of the Lord...by His stripes I am healed...His Word
shall not return unto Him void...Heal me, O Lord
It
is very important that you forgive everyone who you might have
something against or be working with the Lord in accomplishing that.
You may be asking why do so many people not get healed? Because they don’t ACT on God’s Word. They don’t
do what God wants them to do; to stand upon His Word and believe it
will bring results. Or they give up after awhile and say “this doesn’t work...I don’t
see anything.” We live by faith and not by sight. And faith cometh by
hearing and hearing and DOING the Word of God! We have to be consistent
in our confession, be consistent and persistent. Keep standing on Godʼs Word and don’t give up! Even if it’s only one verse repeated in faith. And EXPECT Him to do what the Bible says! Wait means Patiently Expect.
And it doesn’t matter how long it takes for things to change. We need to be persistent and continually speak the healing Scriptures
to ourselves and to get it way deep into our spirit. That kind of faith
moves Jesus! We also need to speak the Scriptures back to the devil, as
he will always try to convince you that Jesus won't heal you. Say
devil, "It is written" and then the scripture.
And
find something to be thankful for everyday...be purposely thankful.
There is always something to be thankful for. We can share the love of
Jesus anytime, anywhere! We can find something positive to say even in
the worst of circumstances and it will cheer you up! “In everything give
thanks, for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you!” 1
Thessalonians
on
His Word. His promises are true and I will continue to believe no
matter what the circumstances. I will walk by faith and not by sight!I
will have a joyful heart and it will be medicine to me... A merry heart
doeth good like a medicine! Pleasant words are as a honeycomb ...sweet
to my soul, and health to my bones... What time I am afraid,
I will trust in Thee...He will keep me in perfect peace because my mind
is stayed on Him and I trust in Him. They that wait, patiently,
expectantly, on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up
with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk
and not faint. Teach me Lord to be patient and to be expecting! Under
the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge until these calamities be
overpast! I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth ALL
things for me! Psalm 57:1, 2 These are just some of the awesome
scriptures about receiving your healing. Here are some more: Be like
Abraham: Who staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief!
But
was STRONG in FAITH, giving glory to God and was fully persuaded in his
mind that what God had promised He was willing and able to perform!
Romans 4:20, 21 And Further: Cast not away your CONFIDENCE which hath
great recompense
of REWARD! (healing) For you have need of PATIENCE, Patiently
expecting, that after you have done the Will of God, you will receive
the PROMISE! (healing) Hebrews 10:35, 36 But Thanks be to God, who
giveth us the Victor through our Lord Jesus Christ! 1 Corinthians
15:57“For if God be for us, WHO can be against us!“He that
spared
not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, How shall He not
FREELY give us all things!” Romans 3:31:32Trust in Jesus ...He has the
right timing...He knows what He is doing and He’s never wrong! “Trust in
the Lord with all thine heart and LEAN NOT unto thine own
understanding!” Commit thy way unto Him, trust also in Him and He will
bring your healing to pass! Proverbs 3:5 and
Psalms 37:5 Give Him time.(I have heard of a woman who quoted “My
husband shall live and not die”, continually until he started to breath
regularly again all through to the day and night when He was going to
die at any minute, and he fully recovered! Another woman quoted this
same verse who was dying of cancer and she fully recovered too! If you
can only handle one verse... choose one verse and be faithful to
applying that verse all the time. God’s Word is powerful!
Scripture
references, Using the Authorized King James Holy Bible in the order
that I put them: Ps. 103:1-5, Phil. 4:19, Jeremiah, 30:17, Ps. 112:7,
Ps. 147:3, Romans 4:17, Is. 55:11, Ps. 118:17, Is. 53:5, Jeremiah 17:14,
Ps. 107:7, Ps. 86:11, Romans 8:37,
Job
23:6, Matt. 8:17, James 5:15:16, Matt. 8:8, Romans 4:17, John 15:7, 1
John 3:22, Proverbs 4:20, Ps. 34:1, Ps.43:5,Proverbs 3:5, Ps. 37:4, 5,
7; Jeremiah 32:27, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Ps. 56:3, Is. 26:3, Is. 40:31
Living in the Balance of Grace and Faith!
By Andrew Wommack
It's understandable to want to make everything fit in a nice little neat box, and to have an answer for everything saying, "Well, it must be God's will. He's sovereign." But this is not the truth, and believing lies will put you into bondage.
If God were guilty of everything He's blamed for today, there isn't a civilized nation on the face of the earth that wouldn't persecute, prosecute, and execute Him if He were a physical person. If God was the one making babies deformed, causing marriages to fail, and sending killer storms, the nations would kick Him out. If He really did cause all of the earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters we refer to in our contracts as "acts of God," every country would expel Him if they could. The truth is, God is being misrepresented, lied about, and blamed for things that aren't His doing.
This teaching that God sovereignly controls everything is the worst heresy in the body of Christ because it encourages passivism. If you really believe that God controls every single thing that happens, then what's the point of you doing anything? Why seek God? Why bother attending church meetings or conferences? Why not just stay at home sitting on your couch, eating candy and watching television, because God's will is going to come to pass anyway? Why do you need to do anything? God's will is going to come to pass whether you believe for it or not. That's a terrible doctrine!
Some people reject the extreme of this teaching, but they still mix it in to their belief system when it's convenient. When somebody dies, they say, "Well, it must be God's will." No, God isn't the One who causes
death. Satan is the author of death, and we are the ones who loosed him in this earth. But to acknowledge our responsibility in this area is not always convenient.
The truth is, you can't just take part of this doctrine of sovereignty that is being taught and mix it together with faith. You can't say, "Well, I do have some responsibility, but there are some things that God just controls. He's sovereign in this area." No, either God controls everything, or He doesn't—that's the definition of sovereignty. He's either in control orHe's not, there can be no combination of the two beliefs.
I've never understood people who get mad at me for preaching this truth. They say this teaching is of the devil. They ask me how I dare preach this. I ask them, if God controls everything and nothing can happen without Him either causing or allowing it, then I couldn't be preaching this if God didn't allow it, right? By their own doctrine, how can they be upset with me? It must be God's will for me to preach this. If God really controls everything, then He's leading me to say everything I'm saying, or I couldn't say it.
DEFIES LOGIC
If you truly believe that God controls everything, then when you get sick, why would you ever go to a doctor and try to get out of God's will? Why would you ever take medicine to lessen the pain? If God caused your sickness and He's trying to teach you something and work some redemptive purpose in your life, then why are you trying to lessen His work?Why not just learn your lesson and suffer to the max?
This defies logic. Nobody would believe this doctrine unless they're religious. You have to be taught this, and accept it on blind faith. It makes no sense. Even the people who say that God is putting sickness on them will go to the doctor and try to get out of "His will." Even those who are saying that God caused their marriage to fail will pray to God—who they say causes everything—and ask Him to intervene. Even those who say that God is the One who caused their financial problems and He's using the situation to humble them will pray and ask this same God for mercy and help. If you really believe that God sovereignly controls everything, then there is no point in doing anything because God's will is sovereignly coming to pass independent of us. These beliefs bear no resemblance to the true definition of the word sovereign. They only represent a religious definition and application of this word.
HEALING THE SICK By T.L.Osborn
HEALING FOR ALL
IS IT STILL the will of God, as in the past, to heal all who have need of healing? The greatest barrier to the faith of many seeking healing in our day is the uncertainty in their minds as to it being the will of God to heal all. Nearly everyone knows that God does heal some, but there is much in modem theology that prevents people from knowing what the Bible clearly teaches - that healing is provided for all. It is impossible to boldly claim by faith a blessing which we are not sure God offers, because the blessings of God can be claimed only where the will of God is known, trusted, and acted upon.
READ THE WILL
If we wish to know what is in a person's will, we read the will. If we want to know God's will on any subject, we read His will. Suppose a lady would say, "My husband, who was very rich, has passed away. I wish I knew whether he left me anything in his will. " I would say to her, "Why do you not read his will and see?" Testament means a person's will. The Bible contains God's last will and testament, in which He bequeaths to us all of the blessings of redemption. Since it is His last will and testament, anything later is forgery. If healing is in God's will for us, then to say that God is not willing to heal all, as His will states so clearly, would be to change the will - and that, after the death of the testator. Jesus is not only the testator who died; but He was resurrected and is also the mediator of the will. He is our advocate, and He will not beat us out of our inheritance, as some earthly advocates might do. He is our representative at the right hand of God. There is no better way to know the will of God than by reading the Gospels, which record the teachings and the works of Christ. Jesus was the physical expression of the Father's will. His life was both a revelation and a manifestation of the unchanging love and will of God. He acted out the will of God for us.
A FAITH-DESTROYING PHRASE
When Jesus laid His hands on everyone of them and healed them, He was revealing and doing the will of God for all people. Lo, I come, to do your will, O God. [Hb 10:7]I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. [Jn. 6:38] Everything Jesus did for needy humanity during His
earthly ministry was a direct revelation of the perfect will of God for the human race. F. F Bosworth says in his book, Christ the Healer: Perhaps no one could be more conservative than the scholars of the Episcopalian church. Yet, the commission appointed to study the subject of spiritual healing for the body, after three years of study and research in both the Bible and in history, reported back to the church: The healing of Jesus was done as a revelation of God's will for humanity. Because they discovered that His will is fully revealed, they reported further: No longer can the church pray for the sick with that faith-destroying phrase, If it be your will. Mr. Bosworth goes on to say: The message taught in the Gospels is one of complete healing for spirit and body, for all who will come to Him. Many today say, "I believe in healing, but I do not believe it is for everyone." If it is not for everyone, then how could we ever pray the prayer of faith? Among all those who sought healing from Christ during His earthly ministry, there is only one who prayed for healing with the words, If it be your will. This was an outcast leper, in Mark 1:40, who did not know what Christ's will was in healing.
UNCERTAINTY CORRECTED
The first thing Christ did was to correct this uncertainty by assuring him, I will. It is no longer, if it be your will - it is God's will. The leper said: If you will, you can. Jesus answered, "I Will". Let that settle it forever with you: God will heal the sick. If He wills to heal one, then He wills to heal all. He is not willing that any should perish. James asks: Is any sick among you? Any includes you if you are sick. Of those who were bitten by the fiery serpents, the Bible says that as many as looked to the brazen serpent lived. Even now, as many as look to Christ as redeemer are saved - are healed. When it comes to the benefits of Christ's redemptive work, all are on an equal basis. The words whoever and whoever will are always used to invite the unconverted to be saved. The words as many as, everyone, all, and any are used to
invite the sick and the diseased to be healed.
THE UNIVERSAL INVITATION
Both invitations are always universal, and the results are always positively promised: shall be saved; shall have life; shall recover; shall raise them up; healed them all and as many as touched him were healed. Sometimes parents show favoritism among their children, but God does not. When we meet the same conditions, we reap the same results. When we do our part, God is always faithful to do His part. The benefits of redemption are for you. If God healed all then, He still heals all; that is, all that come to Him for
healing.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. [Hebrews 13:8]
Great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all. [Matthew 12:15]
As many as touched (him) were made perfectly whole. [Matthew14:36]
The whole multitude sought to touch him: (and he) healed them all. [Luke 6:19]
When the evening came, they brought to him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses. [Matthew 8:16,17]
Christ is still healing the sick, in order to fulfill the prophet's words: Himself took our infirmities (weaknesses), and bore our sicknesses (diseases). Always remember: You are included in the our of
Matthew 8:17, and God is bound by His covenant to continue to heal all who are sick and weak, in order to
fulfill Isaiah's words. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips. [Ps 89:34]
When the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on everyone of them and healed them. [Luke 4:40]
Healing was for all in those days, and Christ the Healer has never changed.
HEALING IS FOR ALL AND SHOULD BE PREACHED TO ALL
Philip preached Christ at Samaria: And the people with one accord gave heed to those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that City. [Acts 8:6-9] Jesus proved to be exactly the same when Philip told the people about Him. Peter preached Christ to the cripple's to the multitude, to Aeneas. All were healed. Jesus was the same for Peter. Wherever and whenever Jesus Christ is proclaimed as our
sacrifice for sin and sickness, physical healing as well as spiritual salvation will result. Paul preached Christ. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: the same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Stand upright on your feet. And he leaped and walked. [Acts 14:8-10] Paul must have preached the gospel of healing, because the lame man received faith to be healed while listening to Paul's message.
THIS METHOD WORKS
Wherever healing is taught as God's provision for all, faith is always imparted and the people are always healed. This method never fails. Faith cannot fail. But faith cannot be exercised when one is undecided as to whether or not God will heal all. If He will not heal all, then we are forced to consider in every case: "I wonder if God will to heal this one? Or is this one of the unfortunate ones whom God wills to remain sick and to suffer?" How could we ever pray the prayer of faith with such uncertainty in our minds? Let it be a settled fact: It is God's will to heal you. You have a right to healing as well as forgiveness - when you
believe. God said: I am the Lord who heals you. If God said this, and God cannot lie, He meant it. What God says is true. So, healing is yours. Healing is part of the gospel and is to be preached throughout all the world and to every creature, to the end of the world. Being part of the gospel, the divine blessing of physical
healing is for all.
The Power of your words.
For a long time I was confused over the fact that in my own life and the lives of others there was a continual sense of defeat and failure.
I prayed for the sick. I knew that the Bible was true, and I searched diligently to find the leakage.
One day I saw Hebrews 4:14, that we are to hold fast to our confession (profession in the Authorized Version).
In the third chapter of Hebrews, I discovered that Christianity is called “The Great Confession.”
I asked myself, “What confession am I to hold fast?” I am to hold fast to my confession of the absolute integrity of the Bible. I am to hold fast to the confession of the redemptive work of Christ. I am to hold fast to my confession of the New Creation, of receiving the Life and Nature of God. I am to hold fast to the confession that God is the strength of my life.
I am to hold fast to the confession that “Surely He hath borne my sicknesses and carried my diseases, and that by His stripes I am healed.” (See Isaiah 53:4–5.) I found it very difficult to hold fast to the confession of perfect healing when I had pain in my body.
I made the discovery that I had been making two confessions. I had been confessing the absolute truthfulness of the Word of God, and at the same time I was making a confession that I was not healed.
If you had asked, “Do you believe that by His stripes you are healed?” I would have said, “Yes, sir, I do.”
But in the next breath I would have said, “But the pain is still there.” The second confession nullified the first.
In reality I had two confessions: first, a confession of my perfect healing and redemption in Christ, and second, that the redemption and healing were not a fact.
Then came the great battle to gain the mastery over my confession, until I learned to have but one confession.
If I confess that “My God shall supply every need of mine” (see Philippians 4:19), I must not nullify that confession by saying, “Yes, God supplies my needs, but I cannot pay my rent, and I cannot pay the telephone bill.”
Faith holds fast to the confession of the Word.
Sense Knowledge holds fast to the confession of physical evidences.
If I accept physical evidence against the Word of God, I nullify the Word as far as I am concerned.
But I hold fast to my confession that God’s Word is true, that by His stripes I am healed, that My God does supply my needs. I hold fast to that confession in the face of apparent contradictions, and He is bound to make good.
Many believers have failed when things become difficult because they lost their confession. While the sun was shining brightly, their confessions were vigorous, strong and clear. But when the storms came, the testings came, and the Adversary was taking advantage of them, they gave up their testimony.
Every time you confess disease and weakness and failure, you magnify the Adversary above the Father, and you destroy your own confidence in the Word.
You are to hold fast to your confession in the face of apparent defeat. You are to study the Word until you know what your rights are, and then hold fast to them.
Some make confessions without any foundations. Then the Adversary whips and beats them badly.
You are to find out what your rights are. For instance, you know that He says, “Surely He hath borne our sicknesses and carried our diseases.” Now you can make your confession.
“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors” (Romans 8:37). There you can make your confession. “Greater is he that is in [me], than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). You can make your confession here.
Stand by your confession through thick and thin, through good report and evil. You know that your confession is according to the Word.
Revelation 12:11 says, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”
—E.W. Kenyon