June 17th 2018
Is Your Faith Strong Enough For You To Believe In Miracles Of Healing From Jesus Christ?
1Peter 1:8-9 (NIV)
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Are you a goal setter? That is have you been trained to set goals in your workplace and were you trained to set goals in this lifetime by your parents and/or the teachers in the schools you attended? It is likely that most, if not all the people reading this, would answer yes to these questions about being trained that setting goals is very important. Have you set goals related to the salvation of your immortal soul? That is, have you set goals for how you live in this lifetime, because your salvation was given to you by the actions of Jesus Christ? In the selected verses Peter wrote about “an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
We should be very joyful in this lifetime, because we KNOW the salvation of our immortal souls has been guaranteed by what Jesus did for you (us) on that cross! Do you ever complain about your lot in life? People who profess salvation through claiming it from what Jesus did, should always be happy! Of course, claiming salvation does not shield you from suffering in this lifetime from sickness or from failure to have everything you want in this life. However, your suffering should be controllable, just because you know the ultimate goal in this lifetime has been given to you through grace by what Jesus did for you. Many people take drugs to get a feeling of euphoria, because they do not know at the end of their life they will be with Jesus in heaven. If you believe you are going to heaven when you die, you should be happy most of the time, no matter what problems life has given you!
Because of the gift of grace, we can be overcomers in this lifetime. Jesus tells us a little about this possibility in the book of Revelation. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Revelation 3:5). The ultimate goal in this lifetime is to have your name written in the Lamb’s book of life. Jesus gives some insight into what heaven is like, and who will be there. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27). Some people (denominations) make it seem difficult for you to obtain salvation, but it didn’t seem that Jesus made it so complicated. Paul wrote to the church in Rome about salvation, and it doesn’t seem too complicated. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
With salvation through faith there is also some indication of healing that seems to come with it. When Jesus healed people of disease or even physical impairments, their healing was granted because of their faith. One such account is about a woman who had a bleeding disorder, and she sought out Jesus in hope of obtaining healing. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. (Matthew 9:21-22). Note what Jesus said to her, "your faith has healed you." Jesus even took note of the faith of friends of someone who needed healing. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." (Matthew 9:2). In one such incident, it says, “When Jesus saw their faith” He healed this man. This is good evidence that praying for someone may bring them healing or recovery!
In another similar situation Jesus healed someone He did not even see, because of the great faith of a person who spoke on behalf of a man. Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matthew 8:13). Because this man believed that Jesus could heal this man he was representing, Jesus said, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. So, this man was healed even though Jesus did not need to see him physically to heal him. Again, such a story should give us confidence that praying for someone else can bring them healing.
In another incident Jesus is confronted by someone seeking healing for themselves. As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. (Matthew 9:27-30a). In this account Jesus gives two blind men their sight, and then He said, "According to your faith will it be done to you." Jesus healed them because they believed He could do it.
In today’s selected verses Peter wrote about the faith of followers of Jesus Christ and how they have faith in Jesus because we love Him through faith in what He did when He walked this earth as a man. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” If you believe that Jesus can first offer salvation for your immortal soul, and thus you profess a faith that allows Jesus to offer healing for you and those you love, then “your faith can and will heal you, and those you pray for!” Remember, everyone must die someday, therefore not everyone will recover or be healed!
If you do not really profess this great faith, then Jesus will not heal you or those for whom you pray. An example of this may be given in Matthew’s Gospel account of a visit Jesus made to His hometown. When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his home town, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his home town and in his own house is a prophet without honor." And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. (Matthew 13:53-58)
Is your faith strong enough for you to believe in miracles of healing from Jesus Christ? Is your faith as strong as that centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant? When Jesus said to him, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
1Peter 1:8-9 (NIV)
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Are you a goal setter? That is have you been trained to set goals in your workplace and were you trained to set goals in this lifetime by your parents and/or the teachers in the schools you attended? It is likely that most, if not all the people reading this, would answer yes to these questions about being trained that setting goals is very important. Have you set goals related to the salvation of your immortal soul? That is, have you set goals for how you live in this lifetime, because your salvation was given to you by the actions of Jesus Christ? In the selected verses Peter wrote about “an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
We should be very joyful in this lifetime, because we KNOW the salvation of our immortal souls has been guaranteed by what Jesus did for you (us) on that cross! Do you ever complain about your lot in life? People who profess salvation through claiming it from what Jesus did, should always be happy! Of course, claiming salvation does not shield you from suffering in this lifetime from sickness or from failure to have everything you want in this life. However, your suffering should be controllable, just because you know the ultimate goal in this lifetime has been given to you through grace by what Jesus did for you. Many people take drugs to get a feeling of euphoria, because they do not know at the end of their life they will be with Jesus in heaven. If you believe you are going to heaven when you die, you should be happy most of the time, no matter what problems life has given you!
Because of the gift of grace, we can be overcomers in this lifetime. Jesus tells us a little about this possibility in the book of Revelation. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Revelation 3:5). The ultimate goal in this lifetime is to have your name written in the Lamb’s book of life. Jesus gives some insight into what heaven is like, and who will be there. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27). Some people (denominations) make it seem difficult for you to obtain salvation, but it didn’t seem that Jesus made it so complicated. Paul wrote to the church in Rome about salvation, and it doesn’t seem too complicated. That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
With salvation through faith there is also some indication of healing that seems to come with it. When Jesus healed people of disease or even physical impairments, their healing was granted because of their faith. One such account is about a woman who had a bleeding disorder, and she sought out Jesus in hope of obtaining healing. She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. (Matthew 9:21-22). Note what Jesus said to her, "your faith has healed you." Jesus even took note of the faith of friends of someone who needed healing. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." (Matthew 9:2). In one such incident, it says, “When Jesus saw their faith” He healed this man. This is good evidence that praying for someone may bring them healing or recovery!
In another similar situation Jesus healed someone He did not even see, because of the great faith of a person who spoke on behalf of a man. Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. (Matthew 8:13). Because this man believed that Jesus could heal this man he was representing, Jesus said, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. So, this man was healed even though Jesus did not need to see him physically to heal him. Again, such a story should give us confidence that praying for someone else can bring them healing.
In another incident Jesus is confronted by someone seeking healing for themselves. As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. (Matthew 9:27-30a). In this account Jesus gives two blind men their sight, and then He said, "According to your faith will it be done to you." Jesus healed them because they believed He could do it.
In today’s selected verses Peter wrote about the faith of followers of Jesus Christ and how they have faith in Jesus because we love Him through faith in what He did when He walked this earth as a man. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” If you believe that Jesus can first offer salvation for your immortal soul, and thus you profess a faith that allows Jesus to offer healing for you and those you love, then “your faith can and will heal you, and those you pray for!” Remember, everyone must die someday, therefore not everyone will recover or be healed!
If you do not really profess this great faith, then Jesus will not heal you or those for whom you pray. An example of this may be given in Matthew’s Gospel account of a visit Jesus made to His hometown. When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his home town, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offence at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his home town and in his own house is a prophet without honor." And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. (Matthew 13:53-58)
Is your faith strong enough for you to believe in miracles of healing from Jesus Christ? Is your faith as strong as that centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant? When Jesus said to him, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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