Can Jesus heal people if we pray for them?
Friend, life ending diagnosis, prayed daily & sent Scripture, exper med. free = healed
- INTERCESSION – lovingly bring people w/needs before God who can meet need
Christ and Christians have a ministry of intercession [lower 1/3]
Hebrews 7:25-26 …he [Jesus] is able to save to the uttermostthose who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
- Jesus NOW!
1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people…
- You can be present, but when you are not the HS is
Jesus Heals a Nobleman’s Son
John 4:46–54 – So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
- Parent/Grandparent – hard to imagine worse than child suffering/dying
- Father – powerful & affluent, works for the gov’t that will kill Jesus
- Faith – (internal) – “believed the Worde” (external) – walk home (US NOW!)
- Today – Jesus is still healing from distance
2 miracles – 1. Physical healing 2. Spiritual saving
“Sign” – pointing to joyous family reunions in Kingdom
MEN – “he himself believed, and all his household”
Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law (Matthew 8:14–17; Mark 1:29–31; Luke 4:38-39)
Mark 1:29–31 – And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon [or Peter] and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
Peter’s house – been there, excavated, converted to Jesus original ministry base
- Catholic – Peter first pope, priests not married
- Jesus – took her by the hand (loving like a mom)
- Immediate full healing
- = She responds by getting up to serve them a meal (vs ignore)
Honor Linda – travelled world w/her including this location. She’s the best.
Jesus Heals a Paralytic via Roof (Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26)
Luke 5:17–26 – On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”
- Jesus is a celebrity preacher (fame & crowds surging) WHY?
- Jesus knows thoughts
- Jesus is Son of Man (Daniel 7 80X)
- Literally tore the roof off the house (how’d owner feel?)
- Suffering caused by Sin. Only God can forgive sin. GOSPEL
- 2 miracles 1. Physically healed 2. Spiritually forgiven & saved
Mixed Reactions – A. Crowds worship B. Religious Leaders – death (“blasphemies”)
Seeing a miracle does not always change a hard heart. YOU?
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant (Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:1–10)
Luke 7:1–10 – After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.
- Servant – widely loved in community
- Every medical effort made
- Centurion – Roman army officer oversaw 80 men, oppressed Jesus, killed Jesus
- Centurion had “faith” – believed in Jesus Christ
- Jesus is Lord of all nations
- Jesus heals from distance
CLOSE: Band & prayer team up in room (post online)
=From the Word to the world
4 ways to be an intercessor [lower 1/3]
1.Pray from a distance.
Jesus prayed as an intercessor least 3 times in reported healing miracles. Today, technology is a wonderful gift for intercessory ministry.
2.Lay hands on people and pray.
Acts 5:12 many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles.
Acts 19:11 God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,
3.Anoint people with oil.
Mark 6:13they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
James 5:14-15 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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
- Symbolic HS
4.Minister in faith.
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we
may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
DIVINE APPOINTMENTS (Bible sales UP 22% non XN)
My little league game story. Or big Bible hospital story??
