Jesus, Forgiveness & Healing

By Jim Loper

Jim Loper Ministries

PO BOX 3994

Amarillo, TX 79116

jimloperministries.com

Copyright 2014 Jim Loper

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible,

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Some verses are marked in bold type for added emphasis.

Contents

FOREWORD BY JIM LOPER

CHAPTER 1 JESUS, FORGIVENESS AND HEALING

CHAPTER 2 JESUS IS WILLING TO HEAL US

CHAPTER 3 THE LAW OF THE LEPER:  A TESTIMONY OF CHRIST, THE SAVIOR AND HEALER

CHAPTER 4 TO HEAR AND TO BE HEALED

CHAPTER 5 THE POWER OF THE LORD IS PRESENT TO HEAL

CHAPTER 6 FAITH MUST BE DEMONSTRATED

CHAPTER 7 JESUS IS AS WILLING TO HEAL AS HE IS TO FORGIVE

CHAPTER 8 HEALING GLORIFIES GOD

GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION

Foreword by Jim Loper

I think that many times we have difficulty receiving from the Lord because our view of Him has been obscured by religious tradition. Somehow we have come to see Jesus differently than the way He is clearly portrayed in the Bible. What is needed is a clear, unobstructed view of the unchanging Jesus. I pray that the Holy Spirit will use this little book to give you a clear, unmistakable view of the One who said, “I am willing. Be cleansed.”

Chapter 1

Jesus, Forgiveness and Healing

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) This verse is saying that Jesus is the same today as He always has been and always will be. That being the case, we should not expect Jesus to be different today than He was in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. If we want to know what He is like, what He believes, how He thinks, and what He is willing to do for people, then we should walk with Him through the Gospels and personalize every encounter He had with people because He is no respecter of persons. He shows no partiality.

This little book is a snapshot of Jesus the Healer and Jesus the Forgiver taken from the fifth chapter of Luke. I want to encourage you read and meditate on each chapter because each chapter will shed further light on this subject for you. All that you need to receive your healing is one shaft of light.

Pastor John Osteen shared the story about a woman whose son was deformed. She almost skipped the Wednesday night service in which Pastor Osteen was going to preach about healing. She decided to go to church anyway. That night she heard the one thing she needed to hear in order to pray in faith concerning her son’s healing. You see, faith comes by hearing the Word of God. She held to her faith, and, over the process of time, her son was healed. Pastor Osteen mused, “What if she had missed that service? She just needed one shaft of light from the Word to bring her the answer she and her son so desperately needed.”

As you meditate through these chapters, my prayer for you is that the Holy Spirit will give you the shaft of light that you need to overcome in your situation. I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will walk out of the pages of His Word to minister to you in your hour of need. Expect it. He is alive, and He is unchanged.

Luke 5:12-26 will be our text for the next eight chapters. This text is a gold mine of truth concerning God’s will to forgive sinners and heal their sicknesses.

(Luke 5:12-26)

12 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

13 Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him.

14 And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”

15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.

16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.

19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23 “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?

24 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

Interestingly, just prior to this particular text we are studying, Jesus had spoken to the disciples about catching men. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. (Luke 5:10-11)

They followed Him as He went out fishing for men. What follows in our text teaches us something about the way Jesus caught men. Jesus demonstrated the reality of God’s Kingdom and the reality of God’s love for men by healing their sicknesses and infirmities. It has been said that “Healing is the dinner bell for salvation.”

In the early years of my ministry, I was serving in a church as an associate pastor. One Sunday our pastor preached on healing and gave an invitation for people to come forward and receive prayer for healing. He asked the elders to come forward to receive the people who were coming for prayer. I came forward, and I saw a young mother standing in front of me holding her sick child in her arms. I knew of this woman. I knew she had not been living right. I thought to myself, “She has a lot of nerve coming down here asking the Lord to heal her child.” Immediately the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Jim, don’t be a Pharisee! She obviously believes that I will heal her child. Pray for the child, and I will heal him. Then ask her if she would like to accept Me as her Lord and Savior.” I prayed for the child, and he was instantly healed. Then I asked her if she would like to receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and she did!  I realized then that what she needed was not condemnation from me over the way she was living. She needed a real encounter with the unchanging Jesus. Please realize as you read this book that this is not only a great opportunity for you to receive healing, but also for you to reach out to the sick and the lost that are all around you.

Chapter 2

Jesus Is Willing to Heal Us

And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. (Luke 5:12-13)

Consider the hopeless condition of this leper. Lepers had to cry out, "Unclean, unclean!" in the presence of others to warn them of defilement. Lepers were denounced and denied. No one wanted anything to do with a leper. The leper was not even able to take part in public worship due to the fact that he was defiled and might infect others. Lepers were doomed to seclusion and death. Leprosy was incurable. In that day, leprosy was the most feared of all diseases.

My friends, regardless of how hopeless things may appear, there is no condition that is too hard for Jesus to heal. With Jesus there are no incurable diseases.  And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. (Matthew 4:23)

This leper was just like many believers in our day and age. He believed that Jesus had the power to heal him. He said, “You can make me clean.” But he doubted the Lord’s willingness to heal him. He prefaced his request with, “Lord, if You are willing….” Many Christians begin their prayers for healing just like that. “Lord, if You are willing….” They know that God has the power to heal, but they doubt His willingness.

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. (James 5:15) The prayer of faith will save the sick, but faith will only operate where the will of God is known. As long as doubt exists concerning the will of God to heal, faith will not operate. This leper, like many Christians today, needed a revelation of God’s will to heal him personally. Where does this revelation come from? It comes from hearing the Word of God. That is why Jesus spoke these words to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”  The leper was unsure of Jesus’ desire to heal him, but Jesus banished his doubts. He made His will crystal clear. He spoke the unchanging Word. He said. “I am willing…”

This should clear up our doubts as well and forever settle the issue of God’s willingness to heal us. If Jesus is willing to heal one, then He is willing to heal all because there is no partiality with God. For there is no partiality with God. (Romans 2:11) For God shows no partiality [undue favor or unfairness; with Him one man is not different from another] (AMP)

There is no record in the Scripture of Jesus refusing to heal anyone who came to Him in faith. Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.  When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. (Luke 4:38-40)

All those…any…and every one. That is who Jesus healed in His earthly ministry. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is still willing to heal all, any, and everyone who comes to Him in faith.

In reality when Jesus said, “I am willing” to the leper, He was saying it to you and to me as well. He was making His will clear to us. What He is willing to do for one, He is willing to do for all. There is no partiality with Him.

Mark’s account of the healing of the leper gives us an added detail. Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” (Mark 1:40, 41)

Mark tells us that Jesus was moved with compassion toward this man. Jesus is the same today. He is still moved with compassion for the sick today. If you are battling a sickness or infirmity today, He has compassion on you and desires to heal you. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. (Matt. 14:14) Jesus followed the supernatural flow of the love of God, and it led Him to heal the sick. That same love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If we will follow the flow of love, it will lead us into healing miracles. The answer from Jesus is “I am willing. Be cleansed.” He is willing to heal you!

Chapter 3

The Law of the Leper:

A Testimony of Christ, the Savior and Healer

And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.”  (Luke 5:12-14)

And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” (Matthew 8:4)

In this chapter I want to address two questions from this passage. Why did Jesus tell the healed man to tell no one about it, and why did Jesus tell the healed man to make an offering for his cleansing as a testimony to the priest?

The first question can be understood as an issue of timing. The Old Testament prophets foretold that when the Christ came, He would be the Healer of His people. One of those prophecies was in Isaiah. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:4-6)

We see from this passage that the healing miracles of Jesus were His Messianic Credentials. The healing of a leper was a major miracle, and Jesus did not want to hasten the controversy that His public claim to being the Christ would cause this early in His three and a half year ministry. Had the wrath of the Jewish leaders fallen on Jesus with full force in the early part of His ministry, there would be no time for Him to fulfill His ministry and train His disciples. He did not want to hasten the controversy that He knew His miraculous works would cause. He made no public claim of being the Christ at first but simply did the works that the prophets foretold that the Christ would do. This was the wise course of action. Although He personally revealed Himself as the Christ to some individuals, He did not make His public claim as the Christ until the latter part of His ministry. Jesus told the man He healed from leprosy not to publicize the matter because He was seeking to minimize controversy over His claims to be the Christ at this point in His ministry.

I have some good news for you. Since healing miracles are Jesus’ Messianic Credentials, and since Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever, then Jesus still has His Messianic Credentials, and He still heals the sick today. To say that Jesus does not heal the sick today is to say that He lost His Messianic Credentials.

Now let’s consider the second question. Why did Jesus tell the healed man to make an offering for his cleansing as a testimony to the priest?

The commandment of Moses for the cleansing of lepers that Jesus referred to is found in Leviticus. It is rich in types and shadows that show what Jesus was going to do for us when He became the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Some of my notes on this passage are inserted in bold type.

(Leviticus 14:1-20)

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “This shall be the law of the leper for the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought to the priest.

3 “And the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall examine him; and indeed, if the leprosy is healed in the leper,

4 “then the priest shall command to take for him who is to be cleansed two living and clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop.

5 “And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water.

6 “As for the living bird, he shall take it, the cedar wood and the scarlet and the hyssop, and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water.

7 “And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed from the leprosy, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose in the open field. (This is the principle of substitution. One died as a substitute for the other so that the other could go free.)

8 “He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days.

9 “But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows—all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and wash his body in water, and he shall be clean.

10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, and one log of oil.

11 “Then the priest who makes him clean shall present the man who is to be made clean, and those things, before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

12 “And the priest shall take one male lamb and offer it as a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the Lord.

13 “Then he shall kill the lamb in the place where he kills the sin offering and the burnt offering, in a holy place; for as the sin offering is the priest’s, so is the trespass offering. It is most holy.

14 “The priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

15 “And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand.

16 “Then the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord.

17 “And of the rest of the oil in his hand, the priest shall put some on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the blood of the trespass offering. (Here is a principle. The oil represents the Holy Spirit. The anointing of the Holy Spirit can only fall on what has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice.)

18 “The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. So the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord.

19 “Then the priest shall offer the sin offering, and make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterward he shall kill the burnt offering.

20 “And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

One outstanding truth is very clear from this passage: The cleansing of the leper was based upon a blood sacrifice. As a matter of fact, the same blood sacrifices that made atonement for his sins also provided cleansing from his leprosy. On the basis of these sacrifices which foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice, the leper was both forgiven of sin and healed of sickness. In sending the leper to the priest, the Lord was not only providing a testimony of His Messianic Credentials to the priesthood, but He was also directing our attention to the fact that forgiveness and healing are provided for us through the sacrifice of His life on the Cross. Jesus wanted us to see that the same sacrifice that provides forgiveness also provides healing.

Surely He has borne our griefs (Lit. sicknesses) and carried our sorrows (Lit. pains); 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. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

At the same time that He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, chastised for our peace, and had our iniquity laid on Him, He also bore our sicknesses, carried our pains, and was striped for our healing.

Peter quotes this passage in 1 Peter. Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Pet. 2:24) At the same time He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, He was striped for our healing.

Matthew quotes Isaiah 53:4. 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, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” (Matt. 8:16-17)

Matthew, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said that the reason Jesus healed all who were sick was because He took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses on the cross in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.

Chapter 4

To Hear and To Be Healed

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. (Luke 5:15)

Notice that people were coming to Jesus to hear His Word first, then to be healed by Him of their infirmities. Why is it essential to hear the Word of God first in order to receive healing? There are several reasons.

To begin with the Bible tells us that God has chosen to heal people through His Word. Psalm 107:19-20 tells us that God sent His Word to heal us. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Proverbs 4:20-22 says that God’s Word is medicine that heals the whole body. My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. (Proverbs 4:20-22) The Hebrew word that was translated “health” here literally means “medicine”. What if our pharmacies carried a prescription that healed all of your flesh? Would you buy it? Well there is a medicine that heals the whole body. It is the medicine of God’s Word.  I like to call it the Super Medicine. It’s free, and you can never overdose on it. The side effects are heavenly!

The next thing we need to understand is that there is a relationship between God’s Word and faith. There is a direct relationship between hearing His Word and receiving healing by faith. This relationship is as simple as this. Healing, like any other promise of God, is received by faith, and “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). If we are going to receive healing by faith, then we must first hear the Word of God on the subject of healing so that we will have faith to receive healing. The more we meditate on the healing promises of the Word of God, the stronger our faith will be to receive those promises. The more we feed on His healing promises, the more we will grow strong in faith to receive healing.

Finally, in order to receive healing by faith, you must first be assured that it is God’s will for you to be healed; and God’s Word is His will. 1 John explains how the prayer of faith is dependent upon knowing the will of God before you pray.  Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15) This passage is very clear. It says that we can be confident that we presently possess the petitions we have asked of Him if we ask according to His will.

How do we know the will of God for certain? Many Christians are trying to determine the will of God by circumstances, or by feelings, or by experiences.  The problem is that circumstances, feelings, and experiences are not reliable indicators of the will of God. The only reliable way to know the will of God is by His Word. It’s as simple as this: If God promised it in His Word then He wills to do it. He never promises to do anything that He is unwilling to do. God will never say, “No” to what He has already said, “Yes”  in His Word.

Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89) Let that verse sink down into your ears. God’s promises are settled. They are not subject to change. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. (2 Cor. 1:20)

There are many healing promises in the Bible. These promises are “Yes” and “Amen” to us. God is not going to change His mind about them anymore than He is going to change His mind about the salvation promises. When He said, Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, (Psalm 103:3) He meant it.

Therefore, when you pray for healing or forgiveness you can know for certain that you are praying in line with God’s stated, unchanging will, and you can know for certain that He heard you when you prayed, and you have the petitions that you asked of Him.

Chapter 5

The Power of the Lord is Present to Heal

The Bible tells us that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power to heal the sick. “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Consequently, our text in says, Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. (Luke 5:17)

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were sitting in the presence of the power to heal, but they were not being healed. They were just taking up space and preventing anyone else from getting in through the front door. They were not connecting to the power to heal them. They were not receiving the power to heal them. They were not getting any benefit at all from the power to heal them. Think of the irony of it! It is possible to sit in the presence of the power to heal and not be saved, healed, or delivered!

Why were they not receiving healing even though they were sitting in the presence of the power to heal? It is because they had doubts about Jesus. It is because they had not gathered together in faith to receive, but they had gathered together in unbelief to carp and criticize Jesus. This was the typical gathering of Pharisees to Jesus. …lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. (Luke 11:54) Their unbelief prevented them from connecting to the power to heal.

The people in Jesus’ hometown, Nazareth, sat under the power to heal. But they were not able to receive any mighty works there. Only a few sick people were healed. Their unbelief limited the expression of God’s power to do mighty works in their midst. Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! “Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” And they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. (Mark 6:1-6)

Back in our text, the paralyzed man and his four friends tapped into the power to be healed. How did they do it? They made a faith connection. Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” (Luke 5:18-24)  Faith is what causes us to connect to the power to heal. When Jesus saw their faith, the paralyzed man was able to connect to the power to heal and a miracle resulted.

The woman with the issue of blood made a faith connection to the power to heal. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:25-34) What caused the power to heal to flow out of Jesus toward this woman? Her faith.

Did you know that every time we gather together in Jesus’ Name, the power of the Lord is present to heal? “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:18-20)

When we gather together in Jesus’ Name, He is present in our midst. Wherever Jesus is present, the power of the Lord is present to heal. We need to raise our expectancy levels about what can happen when we come to church. Our expectancy has more to do with signs, wonders, miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit in manifestation than any other factor. We need to make a faith connection when we gather together in Jesus’ Name expecting to receive from Him. We can receive from Him at any time as individuals, but His power is present to heal in a special way when we gather together in His Name in faith expecting to receive.

Chapter 6

Faith Must Be Demonstrated

Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 5:18-20 NKJV)

How do you see faith? Faith is a spiritual force which can only be detected by action. Faith is the persuasion of heart concerning God’s integrity and His trustworthiness to keep His Word. When a believer’s heart is persuaded about the integrity of God’s promise, that believer will begin to speak and act as if what God said is absolutely true and reliable. He will begin to act on God’s Word before there is any physical evidence that he has received God’s promise.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:18) Faith has corresponding actions or works. The only way you can demonstrate faith is by works. Faith acts in line with what it believes. In our text Jesus saw their faith in the sense that He saw their actions of faith in their going on the housetop and letting the paralyzed man down through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. Their actions demonstrated that they believed that Jesus would heal the man if they could just get him to Jesus. Otherwise there would be no reason for breaking up the roof of the house.

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:20) If we expect to receive healing and forgiveness from the Lord, then we also must demonstrate faith. We must show Jesus our faith. Faith will not talk one way and then act another way. So our actions must line up with our believing in order for our faith to receive. Faith without corresponding actions is dead and does not receive anything from the Lord.

May The Lord give each one of us the wisdom and ability to walk out our corresponding actions of faith in our individual situations. Every person is different, and every person's level of faith is different. The good news is that your miracle only requires genuine faith the size of a mustard seed. (See Luke 17:6) Not every good idea is a corresponding action of faith. It is probably not necessary for most people to be lowered through a roof.

Let me give you a starting place. The most basic corresponding action of faith is your confession. Genuine faith will first and always be evidenced by a confession of faith.

And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak. (2 Corinthians 4:13) The word confess means to say the same thing. Faith will always say what God says, not what circumstances say. Faith will always speak of the matter as if the miracle was already accomplished based on the authority of God's Word. Start with a good confession and hold it fast until the miracle comes into manifestation. The Holy Spirit will guide you into further corresponding actions as you hold fast your confession of faith.

Chapter 7

Jesus Is as Willing to Heal as He is To Forgive

(Luke 5:17-26)

17 Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

18 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.

19 And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.

20 When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts?

23 “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?

24 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

25 Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”

Why did they seek to bring the paralyzed man into the house to lay him before Jesus? Answer: So the man could be healed. When Jesus saw his faith, what did the man receive? Answer: Forgiveness and Healing. You see, the same faith that enables you to receive forgiveness will also enable you to receive healing. Jesus is as willing to say “your sins are forgiven you” as He is to say, “rise up and walk.”

Notice that healing is the confirmation of Christ’s power to forgive. “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” (Luke 5:24)  If Christ still has authority to forgive, then certainly He still has the confirmation of that authority which is healing.

I also want to show you that God’s promise to heal is always connected to His promise to forgive. This is an important fact to know because most Christians are confident that God has promised to forgive them. If they can just see that God’s promise to heal is connected to His promise to forgive, then they can be just as confident that it is God’s will for them to be healed as it is God’s will for them to be forgiven.

Let’s look at some great examples of this. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases. (Psalm 103:1-3) You see, not only has God promised to forgive all of our iniquities, but He has promised to heal all of our diseases. His promise to heal is connected to His promise to forgive. In the same breath, God said He would forgive and heal. Therefore, God is as willing to heal as He is to forgive. If you doubt God’s willingness to heal, then you might as well doubt His willingness to forgive because He promised both in the same breath. Forgiveness and healing are two of God’s benefits which we are commanded not to forget.

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. (James 5:14, 15) Again, notice that God’s promise to heal is connected to His promise to forgive. In the same breath God said that He would heal the sick and forgive their sins. God is as willing to heal as He is to forgive. God’s promise to heal is inseparably linked to His promise to forgive. They stand or fall together.

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Pet. 2:25) This verse gets right to the heart of the issue. On the same day, on the same cross that Jesus bore our sins in His own body, He also bore stripes for our healing. He purchased our forgiveness and healing on the same day on the same cross. And what He did on that cross He did once for all. Therefore, it is the will of God to forgive all and to heal all who come to Jesus in faith. That is why forgiveness and healing are inseparably connected in the promises of God. That is why God is as willing to heal as He is to forgive.

Chapter 8

Healing Glorifies God

But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!” (Luke 5:22-26)

Healing glorifies God. Notice that they glorified God because of the healing of the paralytic man. There are many other passages in the Scriptures that demonstrate that healing causes men to glorify God. Consider the following examples.

(Luke 7:10) Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

(Luke 13:10-13) Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

(Luke 17:11-18) Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”

(Luke 18:35-40) Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

(Matt. 15:29-31) And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. 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.

There is not one passage in the Scripture that says that sickness glorifies God. Some people have twisted what Jesus said in John 11 to mean that God gets glory out of sickness. Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:1-4) He meant that glory would come to God through the way God dealt with the sickness. He did not mean that the sickness itself would glorify God.

(John 11:38-44 NKJV) Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. “And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

So, when Jesus said this sickness is for the glory of God, He clearly meant that the end result, the resurrection and healing of Lazarus, would bring glory to God, not the sickness itself.

If we think that sickness glorifies God, then we will not have much motivation to be healed. If we think that God prefers to be glorified by sickness, then we will not be able to believe that we are praying in line with His will if we pray for healing. If we believe that sickness glorifies God, then we will think that God is somehow displeased by our prayer for healing. These kinds of misconceptions about Jesus undermine our ability to receive from Him. Let us determine to walk with Him through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John until we clearly see Jesus exactly the way He really is. Then we will be able to joyously receive from Him.

God’s Plan of Salvation

All have sinned.

The Bible says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) That includes you and me. Would you agree?

The penalty for sin is death.

The Bible also says that “the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a) This is not only talking about physical death, but about eternal punishment in hell.

You cannot be saved by good works.

It also reads that “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” (Titus 3:5) In other words, you cannot be saved by being good enough or doing enough good things.

God still loves us and sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

The Good News is that God still loved us and sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. The Bible says that “God proved His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

God raised Jesus from the dead.

The Bible tells us that “He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:4)

It is now possible for us to be saved.

Because Jesus died for our sins and rose again, He made it possible for us to be saved and to receive the gift of eternal life. The Bible says, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b)

Repent and believe.

In order to receive the gift of eternal life, you must repent from your sins and believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14) That means that you must turn from your sins, turn to Jesus Christ, and receive Him as Lord and Savior by faith.

Receive Jesus by calling on His Name.

God has promised that “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Invitation.

Are you willing to turn from your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Would you like to pray and call on the Name of the Lord to receive the gift of eternal life? Then pray this out loud with me:

“Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner.  I know that without You I will die and go to hell.  But I do not want to die and go to hell.  I want to be saved.  I turn from my sins right now, and I call on the Name of Jesus to save me.  Jesus, come into my heart.  Be my Lord and Savior. Forgive my sins. Give me a new heart, and give me the gift of eternal life.  I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead.”

Assurance of salvation.

The Bible says in (Rom. 10:9 NKJV) 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. If you truly believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and if you truly confess Jesus as your Lord, then you are saved.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Jim Loper

Chapter 1 Jesus, Forgiveness and Healing

Chapter 2 Jesus Is Willing to Heal Us

Chapter 3 The Law of the Leper: A Testimony of Christ, the Savior and Healer

Chapter 4 To Hear and To Be Healed

Chapter 5 The Power of the Lord is Present to Heal

Chapter 6 Faith Must Be Demonstrated

Chapter 7 Jesus Is as Willing to Heal as He is To Forgive

Chapter 8 Healing Glorifies God

God’s Plan of Salvation