REASONS GOD HEALS

Living Ready: Faith that Works to the Finish

REASONS GOD HEALS

Intro: If someone asked you, "Why did Jesus heal people?" how would you answer? Most of us would probably say, "Because He loved them." And we'd be right. Others might say, "To prove He was the Son of God." That's also true. Some would say, "To validate His message." Again, that's true. But as you read the Gospels, you begin to realize that every one of those answers is only part of the story. Jesus never healed simply to remove pain. He never healed merely to amaze crowds. Every healing miracle reveals something about Him. Healing not only shows us what Jesus can do. Healing reveals what kind of Savior He is. The question then becomes, “Can I approach Him? Does He care? Can He really help me? Can I trust Him?”

WHAT KIND OF GOD INVITES US TO ASK?

The One who is approachable.

One of the first things you notice in the Gospels is that people were constantly bringing hurting individuals to Jesus. They didn't think they were bothering Him. They didn't wonder whether He cared. They simply came.

One example is the healing of the deaf man in Mark 7.

Mark 7:32-35 "Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him…'Be opened.' Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly."

Did you notice how simple the story is? Mark doesn't tell us that this man had extraordinary faith. He doesn't tell us that he had lived an exceptionally holy life. He doesn't tell us that Jesus healed him to silence His critics or impress the crowds.

He simply tells us that some people brought a hurting man to Jesus...and they asked.

Jack Deere – “Sometimes Jesus heals just because he is asked. It can be that simple."

The simplicity of that statement is almost startling. Sometimes the greatest reason people are not healed is simply because they never ask.

Does that statement mean God always answers every request exactly as we hope? No.

The Bible shows us that God's answers are always wise, always loving, and always according to His will.

And it reveals something wonderful about the heart of Jesus: He welcomes people who come.

John 6:37 “All the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

Prayer isn't persuading a reluctant God. Prayer is responding to an open invitation.

Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

He says, "Come boldly." For what reason? Because we're approaching a throne of grace.

The invitation itself tells us something about the King sitting on that throne. He is approachable.

So, may I ask you? Have you ever asked the Lord to heal you?

I don’t mean, “have you wished things were different in your life?” Not hoped your condition would improve. Not just asked others to pray.

Have you brought your need to Jesus?

Maybe you've convinced yourself that God is too busy...or that your need is too small...or that you've asked too many times already.

If you need divine healing today, don't stay where you are wondering what God might do. Bring your need to Him. Approach Him.

Jesus regularly heals simply because He is asked.

WHAT KIND OF GOD IS MOVED BY SUFFERING?

The One who is compassionate.

If the first point tells us that Jesus invites us to come...the second tells us why. Because He is compassionate.

Repeatedly, before the Gospel writers tell us what Jesus did, they tell us why He did it. Listen carefully.

Matt 14:14 "And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick."

Matthew doesn't simply say Jesus healed them. He tells us what happened first.

Jesus saw them. He was moved with compassion. Then He healed them.

Healing flowed from His heart before it flowed from His hand.

Mark tells us about a man no one wanted to be around—a leper.

Mark 1:41-42 "Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.' As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed."

Compassion is not only something Jesus feels. Compassion is something Jesus does.

Before He healed the man's body, He restored his dignity. No one touched lepers. But Jesus stepped toward him.

John Wimber – “Jesus was always kind and considerate when he prayed for the sick... He never scolded anyone for his or her condition."

That's exactly what we see here.

Luke gives us another glimpse into His heart. A widow was walking in a funeral procession for her only son. She had already buried her husband. Now she was burying her child.

Luke 7:13-15 "When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, 'Do not weep.' Then He came and touched the open coffin... And He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise.'"

Jesus saw her grief. His compassion moved Him to act.

Here is a question that I think every Christian should consider: "What happened to God's compassion?"

If Jesus healed because He was compassionate back then...what changed? Did His heart change? Did His character change? Did His love diminish? The answer is no.

The compassion that moved Jesus in Galilee is the same compassion that fills His heart today.

Some of us have no trouble believing Jesus can heal. Their struggle is believing He wants to.

The leper struggled with that very question. He said, "If You are willing..." Jesus answered, "I am willing."

Have you wondered whether God cares? Have you wondered whether He's grown tired of hearing your prayers? Have you wondered whether your suffering matters to Him?

Look at Jesus. Don't interpret God's heart through your circumstances. Interpret your circumstances through the heart of Jesus.

If you need healing today...come to the One who is moved by your suffering. His compassion is still at full strength.

WHAT KIND OF GOD WANTS TO MAKE HIMSELF KNOWN?

The One who is glorious.

Jesus never healed only to remove pain. He healed to reveal Himself.

One of the clearest examples is the raising of Lazarus. Before Jesus ever arrived at the tomb, He explained why this miracle would happen.

John 11:4 "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

Later, standing before the tomb, Jesus reminded Martha…

John 11:40 "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

The miracle wasn't the destination. The glory of God was.

Even after Jesus returned to heaven, Peter understood that. When the lame man was healed at the Beautiful Gate, the crowd immediately looked at Peter and John. Peter redirected their attention.

Acts 3:12-13 "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?... The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus."

Peter refused to take the credit.

Jack Deere writes, "When Peter said the lame man was not healed 'by our own power or godliness,' he not only gave God the glory for the healing, but he set healers free from condemnation."

The burden to perform is not on the ones who pray for the sick. God takes the responsibility for all healing.

And healing is more than relief. Healing is revelation.

When God heals...people don't merely rejoice because someone feels better. They marvel at Jesus. They glorify God.

So may I ask: If you need healing...why wouldn't you give God the opportunity to glorify Himself?

Sometimes we hesitate because we don't want attention. But biblical healing isn't about drawing attention to us. It's about drawing attention to Christ.

If God chooses to heal you...you'll receive the blessing. He'll receive the glory.

So don't rob yourself of His help...and don't rob Him of the glory He delights to receive.

The God who heals is the One who delights to make Himself known.

WHAT KIND OF GOD INVITES US TO BELIEVE HIM?

The One who is trustworthy.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly responded to faith.

Consider His words to the woman who had suffered from constant bleeding for twelve years…

Matt 9:22 "But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, 'Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.' And the woman was made well from that hour."

Jesus heals in response to faith.

Later, Paul encountered a man who had never walked.

Acts 14:9-10 "This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, 'Stand up straight on your feet!' And he leaped and walked."

What is the “faith to be healed?” It's not positive thinking. It's not pretending. It's not psychological certainty. It's confidence that Jesus is able to heal.

The Holy Spirit impressed upon Paul’s heart in an undeniably powerful and inescapable way that this man believed that he could be healed. Faith mattered.

Not because faith has power in itself. But because faith reaches toward the One who does.

Do you remember what Jesus said when two blind men began chasing after Him crying out for mercy?

Sam Storms – “He did not ask if they believed that it was His will to heal them. He only asked if they believed he was able to do so."

Matt 9:28 "Jesus said to them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?'"

That's exactly the question Jesus still asks us. Not, "Do you know exactly what I'm going to do?" But, "Do you believe that I am able?"

Faith is trusting the character of Jesus. It is resting your weight upon Him.

Faith doesn't earn healing. Faith receives what God is pleased to give.

And Jesus never required perfect faith. He welcomed imperfect people who trusted Him. So…

Bring the faith you have.

If it's small...bring that. If it's trembling...bring that. If all you can honestly pray is, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief"—bring that.

Come believing that Jesus is able. Then trust Him with the outcome.

Conclusion: So why did Jesus heal? Because every healing revealed His heart.

He welcomed those who asked. He was moved by compassion. He delighted to make Himself known. And He responded to faith.

That is the Savior we come to today. So, if you need healing, don't leave carrying your burden alone. Ask Him. Come believing.

And let's give Jesus the opportunity to do what He loves to do—for your good and for His glory.

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Jumping off of James chapter five, which we're preaching verse by verse through this summer, because we came across the verse last week. 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's committed sins, he'll be forgiven.
And so today I've been wanting to do a series or a short series on healing. And today's message has been two years in the making, so I'm eager to get to it. But before we do, let me take care of some housekeeping issues. First of all, do you know that there is a book in the Bible called John's Gospel, and it contains the most famous verse, at least in our culture and all the Bible, John 3:16. But did you know at the end of John's Gospel, in chapter 20, verses 30 and 31, he tells us explicitly why he wrote that book under the inspiration of the Spirit.
Here's what he says. And truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book. And then he says, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is. That Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. And I want to say to you on behalf of Great Commission Church, this is the same thing we want for you, that you'll believe that Jesus Christ is the promised deliverer of all the Bible, that he is God's Son and that my believing that by believing in him you'll have life in his name in the same way that he's given all of us redeemed sinners life in his name.
So believe in Jesus today. Don't pass go, don't collect $200. Don't do anything else before you get this right. Believe in Christ. Is there a witness in the house today on the Lord Jesus?
All right. Well, today we continue our series. If you want to turn in your Bibles, you can turn to Matthew. I'm going to give you some verses from all the gospels or at least Matthew, Mark and Luke. As we continue our series, Living Faith that Works to the Finish, I want to preach to you about reasons God heals.
Are you interested in that topic at all? All right. Well, if someone asked you, well, before I get to that, two more things, things you guys that are helping me battle biblical illiteracy in our church and you're reading along in the Bible with me. This week we're going to be in Ephesians chapters one through six, the whole letter, Ephesians one through six, Monday through Saturday. You go chapter one on Monday, chapter two on Tuesday and so forth.
It'll get you. You'll finish the letter on Saturday. That's going to be exciting, isn't it? Start tomorrow. Ephesians chapter one.
And you're going to hear some today. But if you missed last week and you've been in our congregation for a while and you've come for prayer, either in one of our prayer lines or on prayer ministry Sunday or in a small group meeting or you've had the elders come and pray for you for healing and God has healed you. I need that story to encourage the church. So take that ministry card out sometime during the while you're here, probably preferably after the sermon is over. Amen.
Write me one of those God stories where God healed you in response to prayer. Here you're going to see how encouraging they are. Now, if someone asked you, why did Jesus heal people, how would you answer that?
Most of us would probably say, because he loved them and we would be right. Others of us might say, well, he healed people to prove that he was the Son of God. That is also true. Some of us would say, well, Jesus healed to validate his message Again, that's correct. But as you read the Gospels, you begin to realize that every one of those answers is only part of the story.
Because it seems that Jesus never healed simply to remove pain. And he never healed only to amaze the crowds. Every healing miracle reveals something about him. In other words, healing not only shows us what Jesus can do, healing reveals what kind of Savior he is. So the question then becomes, can I approach him?
Does he care?
Can he really help me?
Can I trust him?
Well, today in this message, I want to give you four reasons that God heals or four reasons that Jesus heals. It doesn't matter which one you pick. And I'm going to do so by asking four questions and giving you four answers. Are you ready today? Everybody fired up?
Okay. Number one. What kind of God invites us to ask?
The answer is the one who is approachable.
One of the first things you notice in the Gospels is that people were constantly bringing hurting individuals to Jesus.
They didn't think they were bothering him.
They didn't wonder whether he cared. They simply came. One of the best examples of this is the healing of the deaf man. Mark seven. Now, if you haven't read your Bible very much, you think it's all sanitized and religious.
I'm getting ready to read you some verses about Jesus. Everybody look at me. That are gross. You ready? Like in the 80s, grody to the max.
Remember that phrase? Watch this. Mark 7, 32, 35. Then they brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. And they begged him to put his hand on him.
And he took him aside from the multitude. And I bet you haven't noticed this before, put his fingers in his ears. Amen.
And spat and touched his tongue, meaning with the spit.
I'm reading the Bible, I promise. And then looking up to heaven, Jesus sighed and he said to him, be opened.
The next word in my Bible is immediately. Is it something like that in yours? Immediately his ears were opened and the impediment of his tongue was loosed. And he spoke plainly. I want you to know I believe those verses happened exactly how they read.
Now, let me ask you something. Did you notice how simple this story is? Mark doesn't tell us that. The reason why this happened was this man who couldn't hear and couldn't speak had extraordinary faith. There's no comments about him that way.
He doesn't tell us he lived an exceptionally holy life. He doesn't tell us that Jesus healed him to silence his own critics or impress the crowds. He simply tells us that some people brought a hurting man to Jesus and they asked. The verse says they begged him to put his hand on him. Now look, they say, could you just put your hand on him?
Jesus goes, I can beat that. I can stick my fingers in his ears. I can spit and touch his. Don't tell me how to do it. Just ask me.
Amen. Right.
Our friend Jack Dear wrote, sometimes Jesus heals just because he's asked. It can be that simple.
The simplicity of that statement is almost startling to me. You see, sometimes the greatest reason people are not healed is simply because they never ask.
Well, Pastor, does that statement mean that God always answers every request exactly as we hope? What's the answer to that question? No. However, the Bible shows us that God's answers are always wise and they're always loving and they're always according to his will. And it reveals something wonderful about the heart of Jesus.
He welcomes people who come to him. Him about salvation. This is one of my favorite verses in all the Bible. Jesus says, in John 6:37, all the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes to me, I will by no means cast out.
Go look through the Gospels, find people approaching Jesus, and find me. The text where Jesus is says, no, get away from me. You're not worthy and I don't need you. Can you think of any verses? I mean, he called one woman a dog one time.
Remember that? To test her. And she passed the test and got her healing in a ra. Remember this? He doesn't turn people away who come to him.
I will by no means cast out. You know what that tells me? That tells me that prayer is not persuading a reluctant God that God's up there going, I can't wait to tell them no. Come on, come on, ask me for something. I got my no.
Ready. No prayer is responding to an open invitation.
That's why we read in Hebrews 4:16 to the church. The Lord says, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Do you like that verse?
Look, God says, come boldly, and for what reason? Because we're approaching a throne of grace. Not a throne of judgment, not a throne of restriction, not a throne of scolding, but grace. Now, I don't have time to unpack this for you, but let me give you my best definition of grace. It's the favor of God shown to those who have forfeited all claim on that favor.
Shown for the sake of Jesus. I get that from 2 Samuel, chapter 9, the little story about Mephibosheth. You can go look at it later. The favor of God shown to those who forfeited all claim on that favor, shown for the sake of Jesus. I have the grace of God because of what Jesus has done for me, not because of what I did.
Yes. So it's the throne of grace. Jesus has already earned all the virtue. You just need to approach it. Come boldly.
The same is true about when you need healing. The invitation itself tells us something about the king sitting on that throne. If it's a throne of grace, you can approach a throne of grace. He's approachable. So may I ask you listen to me, person sitting in your seat.
Have you ever asked the Lord to heal you?
I don't mean have you wished things were different in your life?
I don't mean that you hoped your condition would improve. And I don't mean that you've asked others to pray. Have you brought your needs to Jesus? Well, Tori Bond did. She told me that she was facing thousands of dollars in dental work and had a root canal scheduled.
Amen. Root canals. Anybody want to sign up for one of those?
And then she said, facing this root canal and thousands of dollars we didn't have, Amy Folkertz prayed on Sunday for my teeth. By Tuesday, at her dental appointment, the dentist said, guess what? You only need a filling now. And she said, and we had the money in our health savings account to cover it. Money we didn't have when we were facing that root canal.
You can just sit with that one.
Sheila Hershberg brought her knee to Jesus. She had a cyst on her finger for three years, and you could see it. And she said eventually it became so painful, she called the ortho clinic and they scheduled her surgery. She received prayer in a prayer line on a Sunday. On Monday, the cyst was completely gone.
The surgery had been scheduled for Tuesday.
That wasn't luck. That was the throne of grace. Maybe you've convinced yourself God is too busy. Maybe you've convinced yourself that your need is too small. Maybe you've convinced yourself that you've asked too many times already.
Listen to your pastor. If you need divine healing today, don't stay where you are wondering what God might do. Bring your need to him. Approach him. Jesus regularly heals simply because he's asked.
We could probably just pray and be dismissed after that, right? Isn't that all the motivation you need to hear? Well, I got three more for you. Question number two. What kind of God is moved by suffering?
The answer is the one who is compassionate.
If the first point tells us that Jesus invites us to come, then the second point tells us why. And the answer is because he's filled with compassion and loving kindness from heaven. Repeatedly, before the gospel writers tell us what Jesus did, they tell us why he did it. Listen carefully to Matthew 14:14. And when Jesus went out, he saw a great multitude, and he was moved with compassion for them, and he healed their sick friends.
I believe that verse. Let me just kind of give you a preview. Every verse I'm going to read you today. I believe all of them. Amen.
Right? But I just want to emphasize. So Matthew doesn't simply say that Jesus healed them. He tells us what happened. First.
Jesus saw them, he was moved with compassion, and then he healed them. Hey, I approach missionary work this way because here's what I am convinced is true. If I can just get you to leave America, get a passport, go with me for a week, or go with Kyle, and if I can get you to see the multitudes, you'll never be the same. You'll be wrecked on the gospel, and you'll be a person who says, God, how can I make more money and give more so that those who have never heard about Jesus can hear? It's amazing what happens to your compassion when your eyes see it.
So write this down. Healing flowed from his heart before it flowed from his hand.
That's what Matthew tells us. What about Mark? Well, Mark tells us about a man no one wanted to be around. He was a leper. He had leprosy.
It was a contagious, infectious skin disease. And it was also gross. This leper asked Jesus, he says, master, if you're willing, you can make me clean. And here's the rest of the story as we read it in Mark 1:41, 42. Then Jesus moved with.
What? What's the word? Moved with compassion. Stretched out his hand and touched him. Well, we had fingers in the ears, we had spit on the tongue.
And now we have touching a leper. It's almost like Jesus is too creative to do the same thing twice. He reached out his hand and touched him, and he said to him, I am willing be cleansed. As soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. Friends, compassion is not only something Jesus feels, compassion is something Jesus does.
And here's why I say that before he healed this man's body and there was no cure for leprosy in the first century in Israel, before Jesus healed this man's body, you know what he did first? He restored his dignity. How did he do that? He reached out and touched him. He touched the man who was under orders to keep a mask over his face.
And anytime he encountered other people, he had to warn them. Unclean. Unclean meaning get away from me. Get away from me. Jesus says, forget that.
Come here. Now, let me ask you a question. Was Jesus able to heal this man with only a word? He didn't have to touch him. In fact, the verse says, he was healed after he spoke to him.
Why did he touch him? Everybody, look at me. Jesus loves you.
And when everybody else walks away, he doesn't.
He's filled with compassion.
Jesus stepped toward this guy. John Wimber wrote, jesus was always kind and considerate when he prayed for the sick. He never scolded anyone for his or her condition. Look, God isn't mad at you.
He loves you and has compassion for you. That's exactly what we see here in Mark, chapter one. That was Mark. What about Luke? Luke gives us another glimpse into Jesus heart.
There was a widow walking in a funeral procession. And don't miss it for her only son. So she had already buried her husband, and now she's burying her child. Her only child. And we pick it up in Luke 7, 13, 15.
When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, do not weep. Weep. How do you tell a widow who's lost the only other person in her life stop crying? Well, look, you don't do that, but we'll let Jesus do it. Amen.
Right?
Do not weep. And then he came and he touched the open coffin. Why is that a problem? Because in. Because the rabbis taught that if you touch a dead body or a coffin, now you're ritually defiled, same as if you touch a leper.
But how many of you know that when Jesus touches you, his virtue goes to you? Your defilement never comes to him. So he touches this coffin. And now everybody's gasping. But if you think that was a big gasp, he said to the young man, young man, I say to you, arise.
When's the last time you went to a funeral and somebody went up to the coffin and said, hey, buddy, get up. You would think that would feel irreverent. They all thought this was irreverent until verse 15. So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. I want to submit to you that everybody at that funeral never forgot that funeral.
And I love this part. And Jesus presented Him to his mother. Look, sin took him. Jesus got him back. So Jesus had the authority to say, here you go, ma'.
Am. I did this. Okay? Jesus saw her grief, and his compassion moved him to act. Here's a question that I think every Christian should consider.
What happened to God's compassion?
If Jesus healed because he was compassionate back then, what changed?
Did Jesus heart change?
Did Jesus character change? Are you sure? Did his love diminish? Isn't the answer to all those questions, no.
The compassion that moved Jesus in Galilee Is the same compassion that fills his heart this very moment.
Here's the problem. Some of us have trouble. Some of us have no trouble believing that Jesus can heal. Our struggle is often believing that he wants to.
Will the leper struggle with that very question? He said, if you're willing. He said, jesus, do you want to heal me? Jesus says, yes, I am willing. What kind of God is moved by suffering?
The one who is compassionate. Have you ever wondered whether God cares?
Have you ever wondered whether he's grown tired of hearing the prayers that you pray? Have you ever wondered whether your suffering matters to him? If you have, listen to me. Look at Jesus. Don't interpret God's heart through the circumstances that are beating against you.
Interpret your circumstances through the heart of Jesus. Renee Brooker did in our church. She had chronic, chronic shoulder pain. It stayed with her. It was debilitating.
It was negatively affecting her everyday life. And then she got one of our other ladies, Kay Kinsella, to pray for her on a Sunday. And then she said, and the pain in my shoulder that had been there every day for months. Was gone before I ever left the building.
So if you need healing today, come to the one who's moved by your suffering. Can I tell you, Jesus compassion is still at full strength.
Question number three. What kind of God wants to make himself known?
The answer is the one who is glorious.
Jesus never healed somebody only to remove their pain. He always healed to reveal himself. One of the clearest examples of this is the raising of Jesus friend Lazarus from the dead. After he had been dead for four days. And as the King James says, it makes every seventh grade boy chuckle in Sunday school.
He stinketh.
Before Jesus ever arrived at Lazarus Tomb, he explained why this miracle would happen. John 11:4. Jesus says, this sickness is not unto death. Now look, he'd already been in the grave for two days. This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God.
That the Son of God may be glorified through it. Now you know why.
Imagine how that conversation with Lazarus went. Lazarus looks up and goes, why am I here? Oh, sorry, Lazarus. Just be a minute. I just need to glorify Jesus.
Sorry you had to go through death. Gonna send you back. And I think Lazarus looked around and said, I don't want to go back. And God says, well, I'm God and you're not. That's not in the Bible.
It's just in my imagination, right? Later, standing before Lazarus Tomb, Jesus reminded his sister Martha this. John 11:40. Did I not say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?
Do you understand that the raising of Lazarus from the dead wasn't the destination? The glory of God was the destination.
Even after Jesus ascended to heaven, the apostle Peter understood this. When the lame man was healed at the beautiful gate. Do you remember this story in Acts 3? Silver and gold have I none. Peter says, but what I have, I give you.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise and walk. And that dude did remember this.
The crowd. As soon as that lame man started walking, after Peter gave that instruction, the crowd looked at Peter and John because somebody needed to be responsible for this.
And Peter redirected their attention. Acts 3, 12, 13 men of Israel. Why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness, we made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant, Jesus.
Peter refused to take the credit. And he refused to take the credit because healing is more than released. Healing is revelation. It reveals something about Jesus. You see, friends, when God heals, people don't simply rejoice because someone feels better.
When God heals, they marvel at Jesus and they glorify God. What kind of God wants to make himself known? The one who's glorious. So may I ask you, if you need healing, why wouldn't you give God the opportunity to glorify himself?
Sometimes we hesitate because we say we don't want the attention. But biblical healing, divine healing, is not about drawing attention to us. It's about drawing attention to Christ.
So if God chooses to heal you, you know what will happen. You'll receive the blessing and he'll get the glory.
So don't rob yourself of his help and don't rob him of the glory that he delights to receive.
All right. Did you receive that one last one today? Question number four. What kind of God invites us to believe him?
The answer is the one who's trustworthy.
True or false? Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly responded to a person's faith true or false? Not a trick question. It's true. Consider his words to the woman who had suffered constant bleeding for 12 years.
No doctor could help her. And do you remember what she did? She sneaked up behind Jesus and she reached out and she touched what the Bible calls the hem of his garment. Something like that.
What the doctors couldn't do for 12 years and had taken all of her financial resources for them to fail, Jesus did in a moment. And the Bible says power left him and went into her. And he felt it. And he turned around and he goes, who touched me? And his disciple says, jesus.
I'm not trying to be sarcastic here, but there's literally hundreds of people around you. They all touched you. And Jesus says, no, one of them really touched me. You remember this? So we read, Let me find this verse here.
Matthew 9:22. But Jesus turned around, and when he saw her, he said, be of good cheer, daughter. Your faith has made you well. And the woman was made well from that hour.
Turn to your neighbor and say this loudly, jesus heals in response to faith. Go ahead and do it. Turn to your neighbor and say, jesus heals in response to faith.
Amanda Phillips is a practicing member of our church. She's one of our newest ones. She wrote to me. She said my life was in shambles due to substance abuse and rebellion. She said, I lost myself and I lost all three of my daughters.
She said, even though I'm new here. I went to a prayer line on prayer ministry Sunday, she said, and I asked the Lord, I asked him to pray for me, that the Lord would restore me access to my daughters now that I've become a Christian. And here's what she wrote. She says, I now have completed a custody agreement to see my daughters weekly after that prayer. What do you think about that?
It's worth a golf clap, apparently. Look, I don't care whether you clap. I care whether you come for prayer. Amen. Look.
Later, Paul encountered a man who had never walked. Acts 14, 9, 10. Look at this. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul observing him intently.
And in your Bible circle this phrase, seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, stand up straight on your feet.
And he leaped and he walked. So this guy goes from never walking to doing the triple jump and walking around.
You know what my question for you is? What in the world is the faith to be healed? Let me tell you what it is. It isn't positive thinking, it isn't pretending, and it isn't psychological certainty. The faith to be Healed is confidence that Jesus is able to do it.
So the Holy Spirit somehow impressed upon Paul's heart in an undeniably powerful way that this man believed he could be healed that day.
Everybody, look at me. Faith mattered.
Not because faith has power in itself. We don't have faith in faith. We have faith in Jesus. Faith reaches toward the one who does have power in himself. Do you remember what Jesus said to two blind men who began chasing him and crying out to him for mercy?
First of all, when they chased after Jesus and they couldn't see, were they running into things and tripping and falling? Was that funny? I don't know. I feel like it's irreverent to laugh at them. But they're running after Jesus and they're saying, jesus, son of David, have mercy on us.
You remember this? Sam Storms writes about that. And he says he didn't ask if they believed that it was his will to heal them. He only asked if they believed he was able to do so. Now let me show you the verse.
Matthew 9:28. Jesus said to them, do you believe that I'm able to do this?
And then Jesus healed their blindness. And that's exactly the question Jesus still asked of us. Not, hey, do you know exactly what I'm going to do instead? Do you believe that I can do it? That's what Jesus asked of us.
You see, faith is trusting the character of Jesus. It's resting your weight upon him. Now let me ask you this question. Does your faith earn healing? No.
Jesus earned healing.
Faith receives what God is already pleased to give. And aren't you glad that Jesus never required perfect faith? He welcomed imperfect people who trusted him. And if that's the case, I want you to take this home with you. Bring the faith you have.
If it's small, bring that. If it's trembling and full of doubt, bring that. If all you can honestly pray is, lord, I believe, help my unbelief, bring that. Just come believing that Jesus is able to do it it and then trust him with the outcome. So in conclusion today, why did Jesus heal?
Because every healing revealed his heart. He welcomed those who asked. He was moved by compassion. He delighted to make himself known. And he responded to faith.
That's the Savior that we come to today. So if you need healing, don't leave today carrying that burden all by yourself. Ask him. Come believing. Let us pray for you.
And let's give Jesus the opportunity to do what he loves to do. And it's for your good and it's for his glory. Last one today, Jeff Holland, he wrote to me. He said, my elbow hurt for months. Just sharp pain, just interfering in my life.
My elbow hurt for months. And he said, over here, Billy Egnor prayed for healing. And he goes, now I'm pain free.
Pastor, how do I apply this to my life? Well, if you need physical or spiritual healing today, come to one of our prayer lines after we adjourn this service and just ask Jesus and see what he might do. Get some people to pray for you. And if anything, if you came in here believing that all that healing stuff was just for people in the Bible times, that's thinking low thoughts of God and you need to change that. Idolatry is thinking low thoughts of God and give that idolatry up and at least leave thinking Jesus, I've been thinking too little of you.
I am going to exalt you in my thoughts.
All right, let's stand together and pray. If you're on our prayer ministry team, please come forward.
Did this sermon make any sense? I have to do it again, so I got a few minutes to change it. All right, prayer ministry team, please come forward.
Look, a whole lot of God business, a whole lot of spiritual power happens after our church service is adjourned. At these prayer lines, you don't have to be a member. You can be anybody off the street or a guest today. And of course, all of our members are welcome. Come, receive prayer.
See what God might do.
Jesus deserves the glory. Let's pray together. Father, we bow before you thanking you for all that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. We thank you that you made a way for us to be made right with you, that we could be born again and become your children. We also thank you that you made a way that you can make wrong things right and heal our bodies and our spirits.
Thank you for the stories of how you've already done that in our church that we've heard about today. All the glory to you, Lord Jesus, and a faith filled church said Amen. Prayer lines are open. You guys are dismissed.

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Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church for a welcoming and uplifting worship experience. If you’ve been searching for a church near you, you’ll discover a warm, authentic church family ready to help you grow in faith.

We are a family-friendly, non-denominational Christian church in Olive Branch, serving individuals and families throughout DeSoto County and the greater Mid-South. People looking for Christian churches in Olive Branch often discover a vibrant community where faith comes alive and lives are transformed through the Gospel.

Whether you’re new to faith or have followed Christ for years, you’ll find welcoming Sunday services, practical Bible teaching, and a place to belong. We are more than a congregation — we are a church family united by a mission to follow Jesus and live out the Great Commission.

A Place for the Whole Family

Families searching for a church with strong children’s programs love our engaging Kids Ministry and safe, caring environments. Students can connect through our Youth Ministry, and adults of every stage can find community through groups, prayer, and discipleship opportunities. As a multi-generational church, we love seeing every age grow in faith together.

Meaningful Worship

Experience contemporary worship with modern Christian music, heartfelt prayer, and Gospel-centered messages designed to help you encounter God personally. If you’re looking for vibrant worship near Memphis, you’ll find a place that feels both authentic and inspiring.

Grow in Your Faith

We offer Bible studies, small groups, and discipleship opportunities that help you understand and apply God’s Word to everyday life. If you’re looking for a place to grow spiritually, you’ll find support and encouragement here.

Connected to Our Community

We are passionate about serving our neighbors through outreach and local partnerships, making a positive impact in Olive Branch and beyond.

Conveniently located in Olive Branch, we serve families from surrounding communities, including Southaven, Germantown, Collierville, Lewisburg, and Byhalia.