Healing Faith
Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 8 viewsJesus said, “if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will do it.” (Mt 17:20) So why don’t we see that today? Why are our prayers not answered like the apostles’ were? Why does it seem that God is silent when He promises to “give us whatever we ask for in Jesus’s name”? Could it be that we don’t understand faith? Faith is what opens the door to God’s blessings… to answered prayers… to miracles in our lives… We need to learn to pray in true faith.
Notes
Transcript
John 14:12–14 (NIV)
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
What does that mean?!?
— Does it mean that Jesus is a “genie in a lamp” that we get to control? That I just have to say “Jesus, give me _____ in your name.” And He has to do it?!? - - NO!!! - -
So… What does it mean?!?!?
When Jesus said, “they will do greater things than Me,” what did He mean?
In John 20:29
John 20:29 (NIV)
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
In Mt 17:20
Matthew 17:20 (NIV)
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
What did He mean? What’s His point?
It’s all about FAITH!
Look at John 3:14-16
John 3:14–16 (NIV)
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who [puts their complete and total trust in (him)] may have eternal life in him.”
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever [puts their complete and total trust in] in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
— story of Moses and the asps in the Israelite camp… (Num 21)
— Putting our “complete and total trust in” Jesus means more than believing that “He exists” — It means KNOWING that “He Can!!”
look @ Acts 9:32-43
32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people who lived in Lydda.
33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years.
34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.
35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor.
37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.
38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.
41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive.
42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.
43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.
This is an interesting part of the story… Luke turns his attention to Peter…
Where was Peter the last time we saw him?
— in Samaria with Phillip…
Apparently Peter decided to travel around and visit the other believers… So, he goes to Lydda.
When he gets there, what happens?
— he heals Aeneas and Tabitha
How did he heal Aeneas?
34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up.
— proclaimed Jesus’s healing
What about Tabitha?
40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.
— He prayed and then proclaimed her healing…
Here’s the BIG question: “How did Peter heal them?”
— FAITH —
I really don’t believe that Peter doubted what Jesus would do…
I don’t think he prayed: “O’ God… Jesus… If you want to… If you see fit to… If it’s in your will… would You please… possibly… if not, it’s ok… but I’d really like you to…”
Yet, that is exactly how we pray isn’t it?!?
look @ Mt 8:2-3
2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
Let me tell you: “Jesus IS willing!!!”
Jesus’s desire is to see us healed!
Jesus’s desire is to see us saved!
Jesus is willing!!!!
Are we praying prayers of Faith?
Are we praying prayers that declare our believe in Jesus?!?
Look at James 5:16
James 5:16 (NIV)
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Look what he says right before this:
James 5:15 (NIV)
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Do we BELIEVE this?!?!
I want you to see something here, Let’s look back at Moses and the serpent in the wilderness…
Numbers 21:4–8 (NIV)
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;
5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
to “look at it” meant that they had to “know” that God would heal them.
They couldn’t say “I doubt it will work, but…”
They had to have complete trust in the PROMISE of what the snake represented.
Now look back at John 3:14-15
John 3:14–15 (NIV)
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
We have to “know” that “He is”, and that “He can”, and that “He will”!!!
And we have to pray that same way!
for our needs
for our neighbors’ needs
for our church’s needs
Are we praying that way?!?
Are we praying with “complete and total trust” that God WILL do what we ask?!?
Look @ Mt 17:20
Matthew 17:20 (NIV)
20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
— the word for “little faith” is “oglipistos”
John 3:16 (NIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
— “believes” is “pisteuo”
John 20:29 (NIV)
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
— again, “believed” is “pisteuo”
12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
— again “pisteuo”
The root word for “belief” anywhere scripture talks about “Faith” is the same.
Pisteuo means “put complete and total trust in”
Are our prayers infused with Faith?!?
James 5:16 (NIV)
16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
What makes a someone “righteous”?
being “sinless”?
being “perfect”?
being “peaceful”?
never “messing up”?
— NO!!! —
The righteous man is the man who has put his “complete and total trust” in the One who makes him righteous!!!
We need to pray prayers of Faith!
We need to learn to pray KNOWING that God CAN… KNOWING that God is WILLING… and KNOWING that God WILL!!!
