Healing Comes With A Prescription
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Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.
So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.
And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”
Luke 4.1
And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ”
And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.
“But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land;
and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
“And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.
So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.
And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”
Opening Thoughts
We live in a sick world. Sickness prevails in all aspects of life - natural, spiritual, finances, relationships, morality, personal behaviors, aspirations, etc.
natural way of healing
instant - supernatural or miraculous healing
Spiritual healing does not come instantly. There is always a process.
The real problem of humanity is “spiritual sickness” and “spiritual disease”.
The real problem of humanity is “spiritual sickness” and “spiritual disease”. the whole human society is “sick”
“pornography is not wrong...” - said one minister
Moral decay - rapes, sexual perversions, pornographies
“gambling is a diversion”
the whole human society is “sick” - communities, families, governments, etc.
greed - money and stuff has become more important than life
selfishness - everyone cares only for themselves
“taking drugs is not wrong” - said one priest
broken homes
“abortion is okay, but killing a cat or dog is a crime.”
little kids are used by parents to steal and sell drugs.
The church can also suffer certain sickness and disease. Something is wrong when -
going to church occasional and conditional
fulfilling one’s commitments is conditional
children who have christian parents but do not live and practice the faith
youths follow worldly lifestyle and practices
a christian home does not have a family altar
christians spend more time playing or watching movies, than reading the Bible and praying.
christians feel weak when coming to church, but feel strong when going to work
christians are ashamed of sharing Christ, but they are not of participating in parties, or wearing worldly clothing
Jesus the “Healer”
Jesus the “Healer”
Jesus came to heal the “sick”
The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
And Jesus answered and said to them, “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick.
“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 5.30-32
Jesus IS THE SOLUTION to the sickness of this world.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
Isaiah 53.4-5
Healing does not come simply because one believes there’s a “healer” in town.
Conditions for Healing
Conditions for Healing
Healing is not
For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken; I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?
Jeremiah 8.
Healing does not come simply because one believes there’s a “healer” in town.
God was in the midst of Israel - and yet she was sick!
Healing takes place when the right medicine is applied to the sickness.
That is why doctors give PRESCRIPTION!
Prescription means
an instruction written by a doctor that authorizes the patient to be provided with a medicine or treatment.
an authoritative recommendation or ruling
Prescription consists of -
medicines to take
instructions to follow - what to drink, eat, what to do, etc.
Physician, Heal yourself!
Physician, Heal yourself!
And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard was done at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’ ”
Luke 4.22
The people in Nazareth wanted Jesus to “prove himself”, or “do in his hometown what he did in other places”
But Jesus did not come to show His supernatural prowess!
Jesus knew these people have no faith, nor were they willing to believe.
And He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.
Luke 4.24
And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”
And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
All healing require 2 things:
Faith - the person who needs healing must believe
Prescription - the person who needs healing must accept God’s PRESCRIPTION.
Prescription
an instruction written by a medical practitioner that authorizes a patient to be provided with a medicine or treatment
a recommendation that is authoritatively put forward
The Healing is contained in the Prescription
The Healing is contained in the Prescription
ILLUSTRATION
Every sick person who comes to a doctor will go home with something in his hand - a prescription!
did he/she accept the prescription?
Whether healing takes place or not depends on what he/she will do with the prescription.
A prescription is always “especially formulated” to address a specific problem.
did he/she apply the prescription?
God’s Word is the Prescription
God’s Word is the Prescription
God’s Word always provided the solution to every one of Israel’s problem.
Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
Their soul abhorred all kinds of food, And they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.
He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
Psalm 107.
God sends His Word, and they are healed!
God’s “statutes” were given for “healing”
When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.
So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.
Exodus 15.
God made for them a “statute”
Statute - Heb. HOQ
a law, a decree issued by a sovereign (God)
a statute is issued to address a particular situation.
a prescription - issued by God for a specific problem
And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”
“The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.
Proverbs 3.5-
General Prescriptions from God’s Word
Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
James 5.14-
Specific or Specialized Prescriptions
Specific sickness
Naaman
So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha.
Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.”
But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’
“Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.
2 Kings 5.9-
Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”
So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.
Specific conditions
Woman of Zarephath
After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.
When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
The Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram;
and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
1 Kings 19.12-
The rich young ruler
Specific conditions
Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.
And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”
Mark 10.21-22
The Healing is IN the Prescription!
The Healing is IN the Prescription!
The prescription contains the healing elements
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
James 5.1
Healing is a Process
Healing is a Process
All healing is a process. Even the supernatural healing requires a “procedure” contained in the “prescription”.
Healing takes place when the physician accomplishes these 3 things:
REMOVE the cause of sickness
REPAIR the body that was affected
RESTORE the health and strength to the affected body
REMOVE THE CAUSE
sin
bad behavior
bitterness
REPAIR the broken body - do the right things
do the right things
confess
pray
fast
sing a song
worship God
RESTORE
Restore is a work of the Holy Spirit
Conclusion
Conclusion
WE CAN ALL BE HEALED!
BUT WE MUST BE WILLING TO APPLY GOD’S PRESCRIPTION!